Archives-June 2018

Global competitiveness as a platform for economic success and access to higher levels of welfare and standards of living, has found a lot of importance among policymakers. Today, all developed or developing countries emphasize the importance of efficiency and productivity as one of the necessities of economic development and gaining competitive advantage in the international arena, because in the present world, competition in other world scenes has other dimensions and trying to achieve higher levels of efficiency and productivity is one of the main pillars of the competition. The purpose of this study is to analyze effects of good market efficiency as an important component of the Global Competitiveness Index on Asian countries economic success in the form of a Panel Vector Error Correction Model (PVECM) over the period 2008-2016. The results of this study indicated that: The positive shock of trade and technology (trade and technology improvement), in the short run, have little impact and in the medium and long run have positive impact on the good market efficiency. But the positive shock of investment (increase in investment), in the short run, has little impact and in the medium and long run, has a negative impact on the good market efficiency. In this model, the positive shock in good market efficiency (improving the good market efficiency) in the short, medium and long run, has a positive impact on the economic growth rate and has a negative effect on the unemployment rate. The most important factor influencing the good market efficiency is investment, which this variable has the most important effects on the good market efficiency in the medium and long run. 

Copper fungicides are extensively used to control leaf necrosis and tuber rot produced by fungi in tiger nut farms. However, information on the levels of copper due to application of copper fungicides are scarce. The levels of water soluble copper of the top soils from eleven preselected tiger nut growing towns from three different districts in the Central Region of Ghana were analysed using atomic absorption spectrometer after the extraction processes. A total of two hundred and twenty top soil samples were taken randomly at a depth of approximately 20cm.Copper fungicides were applied in ten of the farms and the eleventh farm which served as a control had no copper fungicide application. Some physical and chemical properties of the soils were determined. Levels of water-soluble copper in the soils ranged from 0.07 to 0.36 mg kg-1 with a mean concentration of 0.229 mg kg-1. Application of copper fungicides increased water soluble copper levels in the top soils between 257 to 514% in the tiger nut farms analysed. The correlation was done to determine the factors responsible for the differences in the absorption levels of water-soluble copper. Water soluble copper correlated negatively but significantly (P<0.5) with sand, while negative correlation but insignificantly (P>0.5) with silt, organic carbon, cation exchange capacity nitrogen and available phosphorus. An insignificant (P>0.05) but positive correlation existed between water soluble copper level and moisture, acidity, pH and soil clay.

The current work presents a theoretical study of the solar power plant with parabolic trough solar collector, the power generated from the solar power plant was calculated with using the thermal storage system without using such a system then comparison between the two cases. The calculations of the thermal storage system in terms of the size of the thermal tank and the temperature of the heat transfer fluid inside the thermal tank as well as its mass are implemented. The theoretical study are completed at Baghdad city (Long. of 44.25° East and Latit. of 33.19° North). The results were obtained by simulating the solar power station with parabolic troughs for both cases by using the thermal storage system and without it. During this work, some hypotheses were created to facilitate the solution of the system of equations for such plants. It was assumed that the specific heat of the heat transfer fluid in the tank of heat accumulation system was constant, It was calculated at the outlet temperature solar field for the heat transfer fluid, which was up to 390 °C, in addition to other hypotheses will be identified during the study steps. As a key to solving the issue was initially calculated direct solar radiation for Baghdad city and the result indicates that the frequency distribution of direct solar radiation was not more than 14% of the radiation values which less than 500 W/m2. Thus, the results leads us to the inference that during the months of low temperature in a city such as Baghdad, don't need a large increase in the size of the solar field or keep the solar field as it is and use thermal storage system, be in our case with a small size which is therefore reflected that be a reasonable cost. The power generated from the solar power plant was also calculated for both cases without the use of thermal storage systems and with it, where the capacity of the solar power plant under study with a value of 50 MW, It is noted that the maximum value of the net power was achieved during some months of the year, especially in June, July and August. As for thermal storage, it is clear that the station is work for more than 20 hours during the day in June, July and August. Therefore, the results obtained in this study were compared with the results obtained from the Solar Advisor Model, which was implemented by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the United States of America. There was a reasonable consensus in the results, but it does not match exactly because the working conditions of both cases, the geographical position and the situation is completely different weather but remains the general behavior of the two stations is similar.

Plant products easily damage due many reasons as one may be susceptibility nature to diseases due high content of water. This research analysis the water potential of plant tissues and its relation to heat stress. Fresh, clean and healthy plants, Carrot (Daucus carota subsp. Sativus), Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), Capsicum (Capsicum annuum), Potato (Solanum tuberosum) and Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) were analyzed under different concentrations of sucrose solution followed by the calculation of chlorophyll, carotenoid, and chlorophyll stability index were done for spinach, Spinacia oleracea as model for the study of heat stress using spectrophotometer. Tomato tissue has lowest solute content and high-water potential and sweet potato tissue has highest solute content and lowest water potential. Spinach being leafy vegetable have very high solute content and high chlorophyll stability index. High water potential refers the availability of water in plant products such as fruits, vegetables etc. Solute concentration in tissues is inversely proportional to water potential, higher the solute concentration higher is the chlorophyll stability index and higher is the stress tolerance apart from the other factors affecting stress tolerance.

Indoor cellular network signal outages and poor reception occur in some indoor locations, as a result of building penetration loss; which accounts for increased attenuation of received signal strength of a cellular network signal when a mobile is moved from outdoor to indoor. Penetration loss is influenced by the type of building materials used in building construction and the building structure/orientation. In this study, the effect of building materials and structures on cellular network signal strength was investigated. A Sony Ericson mobile unit with TEMS software installed in it was used to collect data from two major cellular network service providers in Nigeria. The measurements were carried out outside and inside of four different of buildings types, namely; tiled building with concrete tiled roof, concrete building with corrugated galvanized roof, mud building with rusted corrugated roof and wooden building with rusted corrugated roof in order to ascertain the penetration loss in the selected buildings in Otuoke community of Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The results reviewed that the average penetration loss for the tilled, concrete, mud and the wooden buildings are 13.0 dBm, 10.8 dBm, 9.57 dBm and 8.72 dBm respectively. It was observed that the tiled building with concrete tiled roof has the highest penetration loss in all the months considered, followed by the concrete wall building with corrugated galvanized iron roof, while the wooden wall building with rusted corrugated roof was having the lowest penetration loss. Information from this research will assist cellular network service providers in planning and management of their cellular networks signals in suburban environments having similar building types and pattern. This study will also be helpful to researchers and builders in their selection of building materials especially if good cellular network signal reception is significant.

Quality assurance and relevance of ECD Programmes in many countries obligates the revision of the syllabuses, the establishment of an ongoing in-service programme for teachers, the construction and equipment of resource centers in ECD, provision of free textbooks and the establishment of benchmarks for the improvement of pupils’ mastery levels at the basic cycle. The purpose of this study was to identify Challenges Facing the Ministry of Education Officials In Carrying Out Supervision Of Early Childhood Curriculum In Schools. The study was guided by Allan Glathorm’s (1997) differential supervision model. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. Stratified sampling technique was used to obtain public ECD centers and private ECDE centers, while simple random sampling was used to get 32 public ECD centers and 15 private ECD centers, from 155 centers in the District. All head teachers from selected ECD centers were involved in the study and one ECD teacher from each selected centre. Five field officers were selected for the study using purposive sampling. Data collection instruments involved the use of the following: questionnaires, interview schedule and document analysis. Descriptive statistics (percentages and bar graphs) and inferential statistics (regression analysis) were used to analyze data. The findings of the study noted that supervision of the ECDE curriculum is affected by lack of funding, poor infrastructure, lack of support from the management, dispersion of the ECD centers, interference from local leaders and sponsors. Supervision propelled the teachers’ intellectual abilities, helped them to unearth the children’s potential, and led to positive appraisal of pupils. The study recommended the harmonization of ECDE curriculum, employment of ECDE teachers by the government and quality remuneration of those ECDE teachers.

Present study was designed to investigate the role of instructional practices in determining students’ satisfaction. Major objectives of the study include, comparing instructional practices adopted by private and public sectors universities. It was descriptive in nature in which university students’ satisfaction was measured in relation with teachers’ instructional practices. Here instructional practices were taken as independent variable while students’ satisfaction was considered as dependent variable of the study. For sampling a stratified random sample of 700 respondents was collected from respondents of two distinct groups’ i.e., students, and teachers. Two different tools were developed and use to get the views of students, and teachers in public and private sector universities. Collected data was analyzed statistically (descriptive and inferential statistics) in relation with objectives of the research. Various statistical tests such as mean, Standard Deviation, Analysis of variance, correlation and regression were used to explore research variables with the help of SPSS 21. On the basis of results it reveled that students of public sector universities are more satisfied with instructional practices of their teachers.

The purpose of this research is to study the development of SKPT Saumlaki in fishery priority sector. The research method used is descriptive quantitative and literature review. The data used are secondary data published by BPS-Statistics of West Southeast Maluku (MTB) and Maluku Province. Fisheries is an important sector and can be developed in improving people's islands welfare. Therefore, need efforts to increase the production with the infrastructure and facility development in Saumlaki Fishery Centre.

Polymer matrix composites (PMC) materials had acquired much attention in the field of Aeronautics over the recent decades as high strength-lightweight materials. These abundantly available fibres are embedded with a light polymer matrix resulting in a high strength and light weight fibre reinforced polymer composites. In this paper, we have investigated the mechanical behaviour of fabricated composite materials with seven different combinations consists of Bamboo/E-glass fiber as a reinforcing agents and polyester as a polymer matrix. Several tests have been carried out to enhance the properties such as tensile strength, flexural strength, hardness and impact strength and it was compared for different orientations (±30º). It is reported that the hybridization of the constituents with 20% of Glass, 10% of Bamboo shows better Tensile strength, Flexural strength and Hardness number than other combinations examined.

Immortality of the human soul has been, like other problems in philosophy, an unresolved and perennial problem. Over the years, solutions to this problem have proven inadequate as a result of the varieties of modes of philosophizing; philosophers? theories or views; as well as the logical tenacity of these theories. A materialist, who is logically consistent with the tenets of materialism, cannot accept the existence of any spiritual reality. Bertrand Russell denied the immortality of the soul on the basis that man, instead of being made up of substances that is body and soul, is composed of events .He believes that death brings the human event to an end. Since there is a difference between “being”, and “acting”, we can argue that the existence (being) of a soul that survives death could be logically defended. The human soul exists, though it is not explicitly graspable. It is, ontologically independent of the body. In fact the soul accounts for the boringness of the body. Though the soul and the body unite essentially in man, their union does not in any way deprive the soul of its uniqueness. Thus, at their separation, the soul retains its properties and nature viz: being, substantiality and spirituality. Thing being this way, this research is aimed at refuting the claim that the soul ceases to be when the body is gone. In other words , the human soul, being spiritual and subsistent, as well as the cause of life in the human person, is immortal. So, however convincing Russell?s argument against the doctrine of immortality of the soul may be, we must not lose sight of the truth that life is larger than logic. This study will employ the expository, hermeneutical and analytical method of philosophy.