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Total Factor Productivity and Sources of Long Term Growth in Togolese Agriculture
Get PDFThe paper attempts to measure the total factor productivity (TFP) in order to provide better empirical evidence on its contribution to Togolese agriculture growth. It applies the conventional growth accounting framework to the time series data at an aggregate level over the period 1970-2014. The determinants of TFP growth are then identified using the error correction modelling technique. The results confirm the general expectation from previous studies that TFP makes an important contribution to agricultural output growth even though it displays two main episodes, a deceleration during the state intervention period and an acceleration episode during the liberalization period. The paper highlights the fact that the agricultural research and extension policies play an important role in determining the TFP long term growth
Perceptions and Predictions of Service Quality-Customer Satisfaction of Conventional and Islamic Banks in the GCC Region
Get PDFPurpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate differences in the perceived relationship of service quality (SERVQUAL)-customer satisfaction between conventional and Islamic banks in the Gulf Council of Arab Countries (GCC) region which appears to be lacking such an investigation.
Design/methodology/approach – The authors solicited survey responses from bank clients in all six countries of the region. They used data reliability tests followed by factor analysis to shortlist individual items of SERVQUAL to few manageable constructs. Nonparametric ranking tests were used to identify the importance constructs affecting customer satisfaction. A nonparametric multiple linear regression was employed to model causal effects.
Findings - The results indicate that the two types of banks were associated with different SERVQUAL drivers as perceived by banks customers. Determinants, of overall satisfaction for the two types, also proved to be different.
Research limitations/implications – Despite the important contribution of the paper to a region lacking a SERVQUAL comparative study on conventional versus Islamic banking, a similar investigation, with additional variables and more responses, at the global level would provide a better understanding of the subject.
Practical implications – As firm value is associated with customer satisfaction, banks managers should, whether conventional or Islamic, pay attention to the details of each construct proved to be a predictor of customer satisfaction.
Originality/value – The value of this research is in the wider geographical region comprising the highest number of Islamic banks and conventional in operation. It is also one of the few studies employing nonparametric multiple linear regression to model causal relationship in this area of research. 
Forecasting Uganda’s Industrial Production Index Using Grey Systems Forecasting
Get PDFEconomic growth is always the ideal for any country and depends on industrialization as one of the major pillars of transformation. Although slow, Industrial Production in Uganda is growing and this paper forecasts the country’s Industrial Production over five years from the year 2016 to 2020. Results and show that farther increase in Total Production can be expected and as most production categories will continue to grow, some will see very little growth and others decline. The paper suggests tighter restrictions on the importation of goods that are already being manufactured domestically especially for the case of those in the Textile, Clothing and Footwear category which is forecasted to decline
A Note on a Comparison of Methods for the Estimation of Weibull Distribution Parameters of Nwobi and Ugomma
Get PDFFelix Noyanim Nwobi and Chukwudi Anderson Ugomma published an article in 2014 titled "A Comparison of Methods for the Estimation of Weibull Distribution Parameters" (Nwobi and Ugomma [1]). The paper compared the performance of the following methods of model parameter estimation: graphical method (mean rank, median rank and symmetric cumulative distribution function cdf) and the analytical method (maximum likelihood estimate (mle), method of moments, and least squares estimate (lse) methods) in estimating the parameters of the two parameter Weibull distribution. Subsequently, we shall refer eitherthe authors or the paper as NU. NU assessed the performance of the various estimation methods by comparing their mean square errors mse and using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (ks) test. We have noted and outlined several analytical inconsistencies and other mistakes in various sections of the paper by NU and corrections have been given
On McShane integrals of interval-valued functions and fuzzy-number-valued functions on Time Scales
Get PDFIn 2016, Hamid et al. [1] introduced the thought of the AP-Henstock integrals of interval-valued functions and fuzzy-number-valued functions and obtained a number of their properties. The aim of this paper is to introduce the thought of the McShane delta integrals of interval-valued functions and fuzzy-number-valued functions and discuss some of their properties
ON THE MAIN OPERATORS IN NONLINEAR DIFFERENTIAL GAMES WITH FIXED TIME
No full textIn the present article we study some approximation properties of the main operators (upper and lower operators) and on the basis of these properties a connection between the upper and lower operators in nonlinear differential games and its applications to the problem of pursuit are established
Systematic Distribution of Checklist of First Recorded Longhorn Beetle (Insecta: Coleoptera) Fauna from Sheringal, Pakistan
Get PDFThe longhorn beetles (Arthropoada; Insecta) are one of the groups of beetles, which are pests and their antennae are very long. They have been first recorded by random collection method from the 6 quadrates of Sheringal, Pakistan during August-2015 to May-2016. The specimens collected (nsc=351) were belonging to only family Cerambycidae of order Coleoptera with 3 subfamilies and 5 tribes having 6 genera and 9 species. However, subfamily Cerambycinae (covered 31.3%) has 2 tribes, Cerambycini (26.5%) with great-capricorn beetle, Cerambyx cerdo Linnaeus (16.5%) and small-oak beech-capricorn beetle, Cerambyx scopolii Füssli (9.8%); and Callichromatini (5%) with house-longhorn beetle, Hylotrupes bajulus (Linnaeus); moreover, subfamily Lamiinae (45.3%) has only 1 tribe, Batocerini (45%) with mango-stem borers, Batocera davidis Deyrolle (35%), tropical fig borers, Batocera rufomaculata (De-Geer) (3.7%) and mulberry (long horn beetle) borer, Apriona germarii (Hope) (7%); further, subfamily Prioninae (23.4%) has 2 tribes, Prionini (14%) with Prionus root borer, Prionus californicus Motschulsky (10.3%) and broad necked root borer, Prionus laticollis (Drury) (4%); and Callipogonini (9%) with pine sawyer beetle, Ergates spiculatus LeConte. They are first time reported from Sheringal. Therefore, the present research is useful for determining biodiversity of the same. Their detail study is under process
Aqueous 2-methoxyethanol Reaction media: Synthesis of some 4,5-dihydro-pyrazole-1-carbaldehyde derivative
Get PDFA novel N-formyl-2-pyrazoline derivative was synthesized by reaction of an α,β- unsaturated ketone with hydrazine hydrate and formic acid in aqueous 2-methoxyethanol reaction media. The Clean reaction conditions, simple workup procedure and short reaction time giving high yields of product are notable advantages of method. The structure of the title compound was established by IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and analytical data.
Synthesis of a Novel Products of 1, 3, 4 - Oxdiazole Containing Thiozolidine -4-one Derivatives
No full text8-(benzyloxy)quinoline-5-carbaldehyde(1)was converted into 2-(8-(benzyloxy)quinolin-5-yl)-3-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)thiazolidin-4-one (3) by using conventional method of Schiff’s base and cyclised using mercapto acetic acid and anhydrous ZnCl2 in 1,4 Diaoxane. These intermediate (3) was converted to 2-((5-(4-oxo-3-(4-(trifluoromethyl) phenyl) thiazolidin-2-yl) quinolin-8-yl) oxy) acetohydrazide (6) by using hydrogenolysis and treated with Ethyl bromo acetate and hydrazine hydrate. The intermediate (6) was converted into thiozolidine attached 1,3,4 oxa diazole derivatives (7a-h) was synthesized using benzaldehyde analogs and I2 / K2CO3 .and scaffolds were thoroughly characterized. The thiozoldine attached benzimidazole and benzthiozole, benzoxazole derivatives were synthesized using PPA and characterized
Fundamental Bound State Description of light Atoms and the fine structure constant α ∼ 1/137
Get PDFBased on a QED like Lagrangian, in which the fermions are dressed by photons, a ”complete” bound state description of p−e− and e+−e− systems is presented, in which no external parameter is needed. With a quantum condition linear in the radius, the deduced binding energies are consistent with Coulomb energies and radii in general agreement with other work. The sum of partial coupling strengths is in agreement with the electric coupling constant α ∼1/137, showing that this important quantity can be understood from first principles