Archives-September 2014

The study to analyze extension services in forest conservation was carried out in Ogun State, Nigeria. The objectives were to identify extension services in forest conservation, examine perception of forest officers on effectiveness of extension services in forest conservation and identify constraints hindered extension services in forest conservation. Multistage sampling technique was undertaken following the state ministry of agriculture delineation of forest reserves across the state. A total of 68 forest officers were selected for the study. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Result shows that 83.8% of the forest officers were at their active age that fall between 31-45 years with high literacy level, 48.5% had between 11-15 years in service, 26.4% had between 5-10 years in service. Extension services rendered in forest conservation include education programme that emphasized forests officers knowledge related to forest conservation discipline with mean value of (2.73), create awareness through publication in relation to forest conservation with mean value of (2.60). Majority of the forest officer agree that extension services in forest conservation were effective, and major constraints to extension services in forest conservation were mentioned by forest officers. Therefore, the conservation of forests depends on how effective extension services are, for the forestry extension services to be effective the challenges facing the service must be seriously considered and funding of forestry extension programme should be such that has political will by given better materials and service as supportive provided for extension agents.

The levels of minerals and fatty acids in Clarias gariepinus, Channa striatus and Tilapia zillii were determined using standard analytical techniques. Results showed high levels of most of the minerals especially sodium 49.9-84.6 mg/100g and potassium 67.5-93.2mg/100g. The zinc contents (21.3-36.4 mg/100g) were above the recommended daily allowance (RDA) whereas, the iron levels (10.5-18.4mg/100g) fell within the range of 10-15mg, 18mg and 12mg requirements for children, women and men respectively. The most concentrated saturated fatty acid in the samples was palmitic acid (22.3 – 23.5%) and it was equally the most concentrated of all the fatty acids determined. The total saturated fatty acid (SFA) ranged between 35.0 – 38.1%. The monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) ranged between 38.3-39.4% whereas, polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) ranged between 22.5-26.1%. Total unsaturated fatty acid (MUFA + PUFA) range was 61.9 – 64.9%. MUFA/SFA range was 1.03 – 1.11 whereas PUFA / SFA ranged between 0.59 - 0.75. This range is reasonable enough to discourage the development of atherosclerosis. The n-6 / n-3 ratios in C. striatus (7.75) and T. zillii (5.78) compare favourably with the recommended range of 5-10 whereas, that of C. gariepinus (274) was much higher.

Motivation is possibly the most imperative aspect that educators can target in order to develop learning. Several cross-disciplinary theories have been suggested to elucidate motivation. While each of these theories has some reality, no single theory seems to effectively explain all human motivation. The truth is that human beings in general and students in particular are multifaceted creatures with complex needs and wishes. With regard to students, very little if any learning can occur unless students are motivated on a regular basis. The focus of this paper is to provide the educator with suggestions from each of the motivating forces that can be used to motivate his or her students. What is the finest approach to motivate students? The short answer is that all of the approaches listed in this paper can be used…as often as likely. Educators could start just by choosing and trying the new possibilities for inspiring student motivation. Or, more prominently, educators could watch themselves and their own behaviors to become self-aware of new understandings about motivation.

This paper focuses on exploring the relationship between strategy use and ESP reading test performance of two university majors (humanities VS. science). To fulfill the purpose of the study, 240 intermediate students were selected out of a population pool of 360 ESP students studying in three universities in Iran, Esfahan based on their performance on Oxford Placement Test. After 5 sessions of teaching and practicing strategies a multiple choice reading comprehension plus a cognitive and metacognitive questionnaire were given to experimental groups. Pearson product moment correlations and t-test was used. The results showed the positive effect of using strategy on ESP reading comprehension test performance. Regarding major, science groups outperformed humanities. The findings have significant implications for ESP learners, teachers and material developers.

A total of ten plant samples of Rhus mysorensis (Darsan) from unique locations of Sanganer region of Rajasthan were collected for isolation of fungal endophytes. Of these, maximum frequency of Fusarium species (26.33 %) were recorded which are morphologically similar but ecologically variant. The present paper discusses the diversity of Fusarium species (Fusarium oxysporum & Fusarium roseum) within the Rhus mysorensis plant samples of unique location of sanganer region of rajasthan on the basis of frequency distribution and occurrence.

It is obvious that learning new vocabularies in the process of acquiring a second language has always been significant. First and best medium in every language is vocabulary. No connection is possible without knowing the words. Using words means connection. Without using vocabularies and knowing their meanings, speaking is worthless and meaningless. Acquisition of new words is of various procedures. Some learn new words through speaking and some learn by reading. In second language teaching and learning vocabulary through reading, there are two instructional techniques: incidental learning and intentional learning. This case study explores the role of reading in S2 vocabulary acquisition, and the effect of different vocabulary instructional techniques on the vocabulary learning of Iranian advanced EFL students who learn English in English institutes. The results of the study produce the following findings: 1) Both instructional treatments result in significant gains in learners` receptive vocabulary knowledge, but the combination of the incidental and intentional learning instruction leads to greater vocabulary gains and better retention. 2) Students` vocabulary size plays a decisive role in acquiring the productive aspect of the vocabulary knowledge.

This study specifically investigates the value or importance given to different sources of Word-of-Mouth. It also investigates the effect of Negative Word-of-Mouth on consumer decision-making. The study further investigates how actively people share their healthcare institute-related experiences with others. The study is based on primary data collected from 120 attendants from 4 hospitals (2 private hospitals and 2 government hospitals) in Delhi, India. The data is analysed using various statistical tools and methods. The results reveal that recommendations from medical practitioners and people who have availed the service are considered to be the most credible where as an individual’s own opinion takes the back seat while choosing a healthcare facility. The results of the study also reveal that people share their healthcare institute-related experiences very actively with others so as to express a sense of care and humanity. The results also reveal that Negative Word-of-Mouth plays a significant role in consumer decision-making about choosing a healthcare facility. Thus healthcare practitioners should focus on positive as well as negative Word-of-Mouth, and should come up with different strategies for different sources of Word-of-Mouth, in accordance to the importance given to those sources by consumers, so as to enhance their position in the market.

Decisions are complex in nature. Decisions may include uncertainty to some extent. Some decisions may be sequential in nature. Decisions are made within a decision environment. It is defined as the collection of information, alternatives, values, and preferences available at the time of decision. A sequential decision problem consists of n sequential states which are independent or interdependent. Therefore, action must be taken at each state and hence a sequence of actions must be taken to arrive at a solution. A decision made at one state due to an action is passed on to next state and the overall decision depends on the decisions made at each state. Probabilistic Transition System (PTS) is an extension of Labeled Transition System where each transition depends on a probability. PTS constitutes a framework for the description and comparison of processes with stochastic behaviour. Stochastic Finite Automata are suitable for the construction of mathematical models of complex systems having stochastic behavior in a finite way. In the study, PTS is extended by adding a component so as to represent a Transition System for Sequential Decision Problem under Uncertainty. The study is an attempt to exhibit Stochastic Finite Automata as a Mathematical Model for Sequential Decision Making under Uncertainty.

The purpose of this of this research is twofold to investigate the impact of total quality management (TQM) practices & service quality on organizational performance and their effect on customer satisfaction (CS)and employee satisfaction(ES) .One chain of store named Hyper Star is selected to execute the objectives of the research. Data from 200 employees and 200 customers of the Hyperstar from Lahore, Pakistan is collected by Cross sectional survey by using structured questionnaire, the response is determined by using 5 item based likert scale. With the reliability of all the constructs more than 70%, Regression analysis reveals that TQM and SQ effect positively and significantly on OP, CS and ES.

Cloud computing has quickly become one of the most prominent buzzwords in the IT world due to its revolutionary model of computing as a utility. It promises increased flexibility, scalability, and reliability, while promising decreased operational and support costs. It is much more than simple internet. It is a construct that allows user to access applications that actually reside at location other than user’s own computer or other Internet-connected devices. In this paper, we have discussed security risks and concerns in cloud computing and enlightened steps that an enterprise can take to reduce security risks and protect their resources. We have also explained cloud computing strengths/benefits, weaknesses, and applicable areas in information risk management. Cloud computing is continuously evolving and there are several major cloud computing providers such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and several others who are providing services such as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), Storage-as-aService and Infastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and this paper has discussed some of the services being provided.