Open Science Journal (OSJ)
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Agri-Business Curriculum: The Entrepreneurial Direction of Graduates
Get PDFThis study aimed to determine the entrepreneurial engagement of Agri-Business graduates from Southern Philippines Agri-Business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology (SPAMAST), during the SY 2008-2013. The data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire, analyzed and subjected to the measures of central tendency (mean and percentage) and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 19.0).Results showed that graduates were within 26 to 30 years old age, female, single, most were regular workers in a private company with 1 - 3 years working experience and were practicing entrepreneurs earning a monthly income of 10,000. High rating was extended to the level of competence on attitudinal, behavioral and educational factors. It was found out that, the respondents either felt, thought and view entrepreneurship as a thing that they had dreamed to undertake after graduation because they believed that it is only doing entrepreneurial undertakings that they can fulfill the objectives of the course and their personal beliefs that success can be attained through it.Further, only few graduates had started their entrepreneurial engagement, while the majority, were still thinking about their entrepreneurial endeavor because of the difficulty in starting own business due to the complex administrative procedures involved. The demographic and socio-economic profile had no significant influence to the level of engagement while the level of competencies significantly influenced the level of entrepreneurial engagement
Risk factors for hypertension among Ghanaian: Evidence from Ghana demographic and health survey
Get PDFBackground: Hypertension is considered an important challenge in public health due to its high risk of cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and death. Despite interventions aimed at reducing the prevalence of hypertension, it still remains the leading cause of stoke and other related diseases and it accounts for 12.8% of all deaths worldwide. The goal of this paper is to explore factors that influences hypertension among men in Ghana. Knowledge of these factors will help public health practitioners provide targeted interventions which will result in a significant reduction of hypertension among the population.Methods: Data source is a survey aimed at collecting data on the indicators of the millennium development goals. Hypertension was the main outcome. Socioeconomic status (primary exposure variable) as well as other potential determinants were assessed. Analytic techniques included multiple Poisson regression that assessed the effects of potential covariates on hypertension in a hierarchical manner. Crude and adjusted prevalent rate ratios are reported with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals at 5% level of significance.Results: The overall prevalence rate of hypertension among Ghanaian men is 8%. Age was found to be a significant predictor of hypertension. Wealth index is also a significant predictor of hypertension with men in levels 4 and 5 more likely to develop hypertension compared to those belonging to level one after adjusting for other covariates. Men with secondary education were 23% more likely to develop hypertension compared to those with higher education, however those with no formal education were 32% less likely to develop hypertension compared to those with higher education after adjusting for other covariates. After adjusting for other covariates, professionals/technical/managerial workers were 35% more likely to be hypertensive compared to those engaged in farming. Men who visited some health facility within the last six months preceding the study were more likely to be hypertensive against those who did not visit any health facility within the same period. Hypertension is more prevalent among parents who lost two or more children compared to parents who were not bereaved. After adjusting for confounders, men with two or more lifetime partners were 13% more likely to be hypertensive as against those with only one lifetime partners.Conclusion: The rate of hypertension in Ghana is high. Factors such as age, wealth index, occupation, bereavement and number of lifetime partners are significant predictors of hypertension after adjusting for potential covariates
The calibration of the hailpads upon the Greek National Hail Suppression Program, using the Classical and Inverse Regression methods
No full textThe hailpad, constructed from a plate of Styrofoam, is a simple instrument for recording hailfall. In addition to simply recording the hailfall, calibration of the instrument is required to obtain quantitative measurements of the hail. The calibration is a process leading to a calibration equation, a polynomial establishing a relationship between the diameter of a hailstone and the dent the hailstone is left on the surface of the hailpad. A hailpad network, consisted of 154 instruments, has established inGreece, in the context of the Greek National Hail Suppression Program operating for the protection of the agricultural cultivations from hail damage. For the calibration of the haipads of the network the well known “Energy Matching technique” has adopted and the Inverse Regression method is applied from the beginning for the obtainment of the calibration equation. In the present study along with the Inverse Regression method hitherto applied, the Classical Regression method is examined and presented and inferential statistics are also introduced in both methods in order to establish a more stringent statistical procedure for the calibration of the hailpads. After the theoretical analysis the data from a calibration experiment were analyzed, calibration models obtained using both methods of regression, hail diameters were predicted with the two models when new observations were available and the results compared to each other. The comparison of the two models' predictions showed that the results are almost the same so there is no good reason to replace the hitherto Inverse Regression method. However, it would be good to introduce the Classical Regression method alongside the Inverse. In addition, prediction bands for both methods should be introduced giving to the results the range of the confidence interval of the predictions
The Perceptual Learning Styles Characteristics of EFL Learners
No full textAbstractThe recent study aimed to assess the EFL learners perceptual learning styles which can be defined into three components: such as visual, auditory, and kinesthetic style one. Students had to know their kinds of learning preferences so that it made them aware of their competencies as well. This research was conducted through a descriptive quantitative approach. This means that the data were collected not only in the form of numbers, and it described narratively. The collected data were taken through Perceptual Learning Styles questionnaires, documentation, and observation. The results of this study were that among twenty-four participants of EFL learners, there were kinesthetic learning styles more dominant among visual and auditory ones. The students of the ELT program at UIN Walisongo Semarang tended to study by various kind of learning. Teachers should be aware of their students’ condition. By knowing the students’ awareness of their perceptual learning styles, it would provide learners more easily to learn, and they would be successful learners (Annury, 2016). [2]Keywords: perceptual learning styles, EFL Learner
Money, a disconnecting agent: Reminders of money trigger a feeling of disconnection which increases the likelihood of unethical decisions.
Get PDFFor eons many have hypothesized the corrupting influence of money, and yet, there has been a great void in the way of empirical experimentation. However, a series of pioneering experiments has begun to show confirmation of previous assumptions, one of which showed that the mere thought of money can loosen morals. This paper reveals three new experiments that explore the underlying process of this phenomenon. The results of experiments 1 and 2 suggest that individuals primed with money are less ethical than both a control group and individuals primed with business-related concepts. Further questioning revealed that an underlying mechanism behind the unethical decisions may be a decreased feeling of human connection. In accordance with this finding, the results of experiment 3 demonstrate that priming with disconnection themes directly results in a greater likelihood of unethical decisions
Temperament and Character traits in Bipolar “I” inpatients with and without substance abuse
Get PDFBackground: Bipolar disorder, a serious mental illness, affects a large number of people. They showed some differences in temperament and character traits in compared with healthy population. Moreover, they are prone to substance abuse. The aim of the study is comparing Temperament and Character traits in Bipolar “I” inpatients with and without substance abuse.Methods: In this Descriptive Cross-Sectional study, we recruited 228 patients with the diagnosis of bipolar I disorder by SCID-I. Patients’ temperament and character traits were assessed by Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) questionnaire.Results: Novelty seeking showed significant differences between the groups with and without substance abuse or dependency. Logistic regression model showed that novelty-seeking score significantly correlated with substance abuse in-patient with bipolar disorder.Conclusion: Our findings indicated that novelty seeking is a major risk factor for substance abusing in bipolar patient
Review of Current Methods for Re-Identification in Computer Vision.
Get PDFThe problem of reidentification of a person in multiple cameras is a hot topic in computer vision research. The issue is with the consistent identification of a person in multiple cameras from different viewpoints and environmental conditions. Many computer vision researchers have been looking into methods that can improve the reidentification of people for many real-world purposes. There are new methods each year that expand and explore new concepts and improve the accuracy of reidentification. This paper will look at current developments and the past tends to find what has been done and what is being done to solve this problem. This paper will start off by introducing the topic as well as covering the basic concepts of the reidentification problem. Next, it will cover common datasets that are used in today's research. Then it will look at evaluation techniques. Then this paper will start to describe simple techniques that are used followed by the current deep learning techniques. This paper will cover how these techniques are used, what are some of their weaknesses and their strengths. It will conclude with an overview of some of the best models and show which models have the most promise and which models should be avoided
Rethinking Knowledge from an Imitative Perspective Towards Competitive Advantage
Get PDFThis paper examines how imitation of knowledge could lead to competitive advantage (CA), it is based on the paradox of previous researches, where some support innovation as a process that creates a CA, where others consider imitation as the best strategy. Through these contradictions, a new concept arose and discussed “Imovation.” This study is accompanied by two empirical studies, and more practical research for the future is advised
Hot Water Blanching Pre-Treatments: Enhancing Drying of Seaweeds (Kappaphycus alvarezii S.)
Get PDFIt is really important to dry seaweeds in a shorter drying time without affecting its quality. Thus, this research aimed to investigate the effect of the application of hot water blanching pre-treatments on the drying rate, sensory, and nutritional attributes of seaweed (Kappaphycus Alvarezii, S.). Seaweed samples were blanched (88oC) at 5, 15 and 30 seconds duration and dried using solar glass dryer and heated air mechanical dryer. All samples were replicated three times. Complete Randomized Design (CRD) was used in both dryers and T-Test in comparing between dryers. Simple cost analysis was also performed to assess the annual cost and custom rate of using two methods of drying.It revealed that in heated air mechanical dryer, samples blanched for 5 and 15 seconds dry faster (8 hours). In solar glass dryer, seaweed samples blanched at 5 seconds dry earlier (32.67 hours). Results imply that hot water blanching affects drying time in drying seaweeds and hot water blanching pre-treatments increased drying rate at the initial hour of drying. It verified that models fitted show good predicting capacity and reveals a good correlation coefficient. Hot water blanching pre-treatments and types of dryers did not significantly affect the total ash contents of the seaweed powder, while in crude protein levels, it revealed that hot water blanching pre-treatment was not significant within the dryers but significantly different between drying methods. Moreover, pre-treatments undergone within the dryer were significantly different in crude fiber levels but insignificant in comparison between dryers. It also implied that the color of the seaweed powder dried in solar glass dryer was preferred by panels and all seaweed samples dried using heated air mechanical dryer turned to dark color. Results revealed that hot water blanching pre-treatments and types of dryer do not affect the texture and odor preference of the panels and general acceptability scores of the seaweed powder were insignificantly different within dryers. It also showed that using solar glass dryer and heated air mechanical dryer, it is profitable to blanch the seaweeds before drying
Preparation and characterizations of three-dimensional porous collagen/graphene oxide/hydroxyapatite nanocomposite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering
Get PDFStudies have reported that the incorporation of graphene oxide (GO) and hydroxyapatite (HA) into biocompatible polymers (such as collagen (Col), chitosan, alginate, etc) results in enhanced structural and mechanical properties respectively. The objective of this study was to prepare and characterize three-dimensional (3D) porous Col/GO/HA nanocomposite scaffolds and to investigate cytocompatibility and osteogenic differentiation potential of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs) on the as-prepared scaffolds. The SEM images revealed that the scaffolds were porous with the pore diameter inversely proportional to the concentration of HA. XRD results were able to depict the characteristic peaks for HA which shows that HA was incorporated into the scaffolds. The rBMSCs which were cultured on the scaffolds were able to attach and proliferate during the 21 days of the experiment which indicates that the as-prepared scaffolds are cytocompatible. The Alizarin red staining demonstrated the presence of calcium deposits as there were orange-red stains on the samples after culturing the cells using the osteogenic differentiation medium. These results demonstrate the promising potential of the 3D porous Col/GO/HA nanocomposite scaffolds for applications in bone tissue engineering