Archives-June 2017

Adolescent delinquency is a major health concern. BSFT is one of the many family therapies targeting the youth and their families as a system throughout the treatment. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) in treating juvenile delinquents. The study was conducted at Shikusa Borstal institution, Kakamega County which was purposively chosen as one of the three Borstal institutions in the country. The study used a quasi-experimental study design with pre and post- test evaluations using both quantitative and qualitative data collection instruments. Purposive sampling was used to pick the 67 participants who were screened and scored positively both on CD and ADHD. Data was collected using socio-demographic and standardized tools. The standardized tools included Family Assessment Measure and Youth Self Report (YSR) for Ages 11-18. The Family Assessment Measure (FAM111) questionnaire was used at pre-test evaluation only while YSR was used at both pre- and post-test evaluations. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 21. The results showed proportionate morbidity rate of 61.2% of the 67 sampled delinquents having CD and 59.7% having ADHD while 22.4% had a comorbid of CD and ADHD. A t-test was used to determine the statistical significance in the paired mean difference scores between baseline and midline as well as endline. Results showed statistical significance for both CD and at ADHD (p<0.0001). Cohen’s d effect sizes for the ADHD and CD were calculated and showed statistically significant effect size for both ADHD and CD. Results indicated that BSFT was effective in reducing the symptoms of both CD and ADHD among the juvenile delinquents, consequently treating delinquency with a statistical significant significance of P<0.0001.

Let G = (V,E) be a simple graph. A set S ? V is a dominating set of G, if every vertex in V? S is adjacent to atleast one vertex S. Let Dg(Pn, i) be the family of geodetic dominating sets of the graph Pn with cardinality 'i'. Let dg(Pn, i) = | Dg(Pn, i)|. In this paper, we obtain a recursive for dg(Pn, i). Using the recursive formula, we construct the polynomial, Dg(Pn,x) = xi which we call geodetic dominating polynomial of Pn and obtain some properties of this polynomial.

The concept paper discusses the implementation of green skills through co-curricular activities among students of Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) in line with a more sustainable industrial development towards sustainable social, economic and environmental. Implementation of green skills is assessed by its importance in education and training through co-curriculum activities as a proactive step towards a more green industrial practices benefit not only to the economy but also to support social and environmental sustainability. According to the literature, there are problems that arise due to the lack of industry awareness of the importance of the adoption of green technologies that will ultimately affect the environment. Accordingly, this article also stated that generic green skills needed by green industries as an effective method to ensure that no conflict or consistency in the implementation of green skills in TVET through co-curriculum activities towards development of green industries.

This study is an attempt to understand consumer perception of cause-related marketing compared with sales promotion and sponsorship. Data generated from 308 lecturers in five universities in South Eastern States of Nigeria were validated using Cronbach test, and subsequently used in testing the hypotheses using t-test. The study unveiled that consumers have more positive attitude toward cause-related marketing than sales promotion or sponsorship. Thus, cause-related marketing affords consumers the opportunity to contribute to societal development which sales promotion or sponsorship lacks. Managerial implications of the research findings and conclusion were highlighted in the study.

This paper examines twenty-three factors considered important in the selection and patronage of hotels by university lecturers in Abia State, Nigeria. Data were conveniently collected from 285 lecturers in the two government-owned universities in Abia State using self-administered questionnaire containing twenty-three choice statements. Principal component analysis reduced the twenty-three choice items to four factors namely, servicescape, service innovation, spatial layout and service quality. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and multiple regression. The results show that the four factors are important determinants of the choice of hotels by university lecturers in Abia State. Hotel owners and managers were therefore advised to continuously improve servicescape, service innovation, spatial layout and service quality of their hotels for sustainable customer selection and patronage.

Over time, there has been shortfall in the recorded academic performance of undergraduates in Nigeria. This is traced to lazy thinking or cognitive ease and the habit of procrastination which could result from low academic self-regulation. Little is known of cognitive easing as a primogenitor of academic performance. Also, there is dearth of literature on how procrastination influences academic performance in the country. This study therefore fills in the gap by investigating the influence of cognitive ease and procrastination on academic performance among university students in Akungba. Participants 250 (125 males), (125 females) were purposively selected. Cognitive ease was measured using cognitive reflection questionnaire by Shane Fredericks, Procrastination was also measured using the procrastination scale while the Academic performance was measured using students’ CGPA. Results using ANOVA showed no significant influence of cognitive ease and gender on student Academic Performance. However, Procrastination was found to be significant [F (1,190) = 4.09, p < .05]. Based on this finding, it was recommended that psycho-education be provided to assist students combat procrastination especially in academics. Further research on cognitive ease is also encouraged for a conclusive stand on its influence of academic performance.

The aim of this research is to study the effect of using information technology on the transferring explicit knowledge and empowering the employees of Oil Company in Ardabil province. This study is a field research and is based on applied, descriptive methods. The subjects of this study are 420 staff of the oil company in Ardebil province that 201 of them are included in the statistical sample selected by using random and stratified sampling method. In this study, the questionnaires of applying information technology, organizational empowering and transferring the explicit knowledge is used .The questionnaire is a researcher- made one. The data was analyzed using the software spss16 and to explore the relationship among the data and the degree of relationship, the test of regression and correlation coefficient were used. Generally the results show that there is meaningful relationship between applying information technology and empowering the employees and also between the use of information technology and transferring explicit knowledge.

This paper analysed the causes, genesis, development, and nature of migrant labour among the Nandi of Kenya. It employed the Materialism approach, the Pull-push theory, a qualitative design, purposive sampling, and one hundred respondents. It found out that land alienation, colonial land policy, the creation of African reserves, land scarcity in reserves, taxation system, changes in local production and trade, the population explosion in reserves. Also, forced-labour, colonial administration, sore relationships, prestige, selfish attitudes and poverty, pass system, veterinary quarantine and a decrease in wages and prices of stock contributed to labour migration among the Nandi.

Synthesis of a nanocomposite hydrogel P-PAMPS-PAAm/ZnO, has been made by the polymerization of 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid (AMPS) and acrylamide (AAm) in the presence of pectin (P) and zinc oxide (ZnO) using microwave irradiation technique. FTIR, XRD, SEM and TEM studies indicated the formation of a gel network and incorporation of ZnO particles within gel structure. The system was evaluated for adsorption of Cu (II) and Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions. About 77 mgg-1 of Cu(II) and 125 mgg-1 of Pb(II) could be adsorbed from aqueous solutions. Different isotherm models have been employed to study the adsorption process and the data is found to fit well with Langmuir isotherm model. The kinetic studies revealed a second-order adsorption process. About 95% of the metal ions adsorbed could be stripped in acidic medium of pH 1.2 indicating the reusability of the gel.

Intensity of competition necessitates many industries, especially the petrochemical industry, to adopt new marketing paradigm named as successful marketing. In this turbulent environment, petrochemical industries have to change their way of response to market; therefore, it is not unexpected that the implementation of successful marketing programs face with various factors. Thus, this study investigates and identifies successful marketing factors in Laleh petrochemical Company and specifies their importance. This study is an applied research in terms of objective which has gathered information from both interviewing with experts and distributing the questionnaires. The results of theoretical investigation was reached to six individual, organizational, product, price, promotion and distribution elements as key factors of successful marketing. After identifying, these factors were prioritized using Fuzzy TOPSIS technique and based on the comments received from the experts of petrochemical industry. The results showed that the product-related factors have the most importance, and organizational, personal, promotion, price, and distribution factors have the next ranks respectively. Finally, the components of each of these factors were also prioritized.