Panic behavior and the performance of circuit breakers: Empirical evidence

Stock Markets;Financial Crisis

Vortex in a relativistic perfect isentropic fluid and Nambu Goto dynamics

By a weak deformation of the cylindrical symmetry of the potential vortex in a relativistic perfect isentropic fluid, we study the possible dynamics of the central line of this vortex. In "stiff" material the Nanbu-Goto equations are obtainedComment: 11 pages, Accepted for publication in Physical Review

Media, Environmental Sustainability and National Development in Nigeria

This paper takes a look at Media, Environmental sustainability and Nigeria National development against the backdrop of a rapidly changing climate, with dire consequences for human comfort and survival. The theoretical framework for the qualitative study is the development media theory which attempts to explain the normative behaviour of the mass media in the developing countries. Relying on existing published work as well as observations, certain conclusions were inevitable. The paper found that the state of the environment is pitiable. Ironically, human beings, the greatest beneficiaries of the earth’s resources, are the most guilty in destroying it through such actions as water/air pollution, over grazing, illegal felling of trees, excessive and unapproved hunting, etc. All these activities put the flora and fauna at risk, and deplete the ozone layer. The realization that the earth is endangered has prompted several human reactions including the convening of summits to address the problem and proffer appropriate solutions. It is suggested that persons in authority must think through the problem of environmental sustainability and come up with incisive and workable solutions in addition to other approaches

The Right to Privacy, the New Media and Human Development in Nigeria

This paper examines the right to privacy, the new media and national development efforts in Nigeria. It draws attention to the need to be ethical in using the new media of communication which have practically made the world a “global village” as previously predicted by media iconoclast and scholar, Marshal McLuhan. The social responsibility theory of the press provides theoretical anchor for the paper. This paper which depends on secondary data, identifies some new media to include the electronic mail (e-mail), Internet, GSM, videoconferencing and others. Depending on the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) and the Code of Ethics for Nigerian Journalists (1998), the author makes a robust case for the protection of the privacy of the individual to enable him/her contribute meaningfully to national development efforts. Some cases on the invasion of peoples privacy have been highlighted especially the Sir Keith Rupert Murdoch incident in England, the Anita Hagan Bassey and Oge Okoye cases in Nigeria. It has also been noted that certain factors tend to limit the use of he new media in Nigeria, such as poor power situation, high costs, lack of adequate knowledge and skill as many persons, including journalists, do not make themselves available for instruction and training. In order to improve the use of the new media in a professional and responsible manner, it is recommended among others, that computer education should be given institutional and government attention, media houses should show more interest than they are doing at the moment in handling issues related to ICT while ethical orientation should be given more attention than it is receiving at the moment by all concerned

Media Usage and Abusage in Nigeria’s 2015 Election

This paper takes a critical look at print media content with respect to the 2015 General elections in Nigeria. By their nature, media provide a free market place of ideas for those who have something to say hence the paper is anchored on the agenda setting theory of the mass media. However, in the run-up the 2015 General Elections in Nigeria, many politicians have had undue access to the mass media thereby confusing the electorate in the process. However, the peace pact signed by the political parties is a refreshing exception. In order to have a more reliable media content it is recommended, among others, that the media should handle their gate keeping function more effectively and professionally, be more objective and less corrupt their operations. Keywords: Mass Media, Credibility and Propaganda

Trade and industrial education staff development practices in the community and technical colleges in the Midwest

This study was designed to determine Trade and Industrial (T & I) education instructors\u27 use and assessment of the effectiveness of staff development and instructional innovation practices in selected community and technical colleges in the Midwest teaching profession and employers of community and technical college graduates indicated the need for research in T & I staff development, especially as our workforce has adopted \u27Hi-tech\u27;The research questions dealt with the estimation of the effectiveness of staff development and instructional innovation practices. The hypotheses tested the differences in instructors\u27 participation in formal staff development training (1981-1983), and the relationships between the degree of perceived \u27extent of use\u27 of staff development practices, the instructors\u27 use and nonuse of instructional innovation practices, and the independent variables;The sample (300) for the study was randomly drawn from public two-year colleges in Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska, with 105 (35%) usable responses collected for data analysis. A series of frequency distribution, t-test, chi-square, and one-way analysis of variance was performed to answer the research questions and test the hypotheses of the study;The following conclusions were drawn based on the findings: (1) More than a quarter of the instructors perceived media, technology and course development practices more effective for T & I instructors than any category of staff development practices. (2) On the average, T & I instructors did not implement curriculum and instructional innovations learned during staff development training. (3) The demographic characteristics listed were not a function of T & I instructors participation in formal staff development training. However, Power and Energy instructors used analyses and assessment category of staff development practices significantly more than the Graphic Communications instructors. (4) There were no significant differences in the use of instructional innovation practices by the instructors;Further research involving all the states in the Midwest and soliciting the assistance of the state directors of post-secondary instruction to ensure higher return rate (60% or more) of survey questionnaires was recommended

Analysis of Food Security Situation in Warri, Nigeria

This study attempts to investigate whether there could be food insecurity incidence in an ‘’oil city’’ of Warri, Nigeria. The paper also examines the determinants of food insecurity among the households studied. The socio-economic characteristics of 260 households were collected by means of a structured questionnaire. A food insecurity index was constructed and was used to assess household food insecurity incidence. The results obtained were analysed by means of tables and percentages and found that on the average the incidence of food insecurity is high in the study area, implying that the benefits of oil and gas activities in Warri do not actually benefit all in the communities studied Also, a logit model was specified and tested to determine the factors that affect food insecurity in the study area. The results of the two approaches used in this study reveal that the age of household heads, sex of household heads, the type of occupation of household heads and dependency ratio all exacerbate food insecurity in the study area. The level of educational attainment of household heads, the nature of occupation of household heads and income of house heads tend to reduce the probability of households being food insecure. The study recommends food aid and food subsidy to the vulnerable in the area. It also recommends expanded educational facilities to enable inhabitants attain higher levels of education

News Commercialization: Implications for Nigeria’s Development

This paper takes a close look at news commercialization and its implication for national development in Nigeria. Many believe that this idea blossomed because of poor funding of government media organizations. The paper is anchored on the social responsibility theory of the press which encourages media outfits to contribute positively to their society. It notes that news commercialization has unpalatable effects on different aspects of society such as national integration, peace building, value system, education, socialization and others. The paper recommends better government funding of public media and higher commitment to continuous and systematic improvement of facilitates, while embracing international best practices. Journalists on their part, must always uphold the ethics of their profession

Comments on the cybernetics of stability and regulation in social systems

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.The methods and principles of cybernetics are applied to a discussion of stability and regulation in social systems taking a global viewpoint. The fundamental but still classical notion of stability as applied to homeostatic and ultrastable systems is discussed, with a particular reference to a specific well-studied example of a closed social group (the Tsembaga studied by Roy Rappaport in New Guinea). The discussion extends to the problem of evolution in large systems and the question of regulating evolution is addressed without special qualifications. A more comprehensive idea of stability is introduced as the argument turns to the problem of evolution for viability in general. Concepts pertaining to the problem of evolution are exemplified by a computer simulation model of an abstractly defined ecosystem in which various dynamic processes occur allowing the study of adaptive and evolutionary behaviour. In particular, the role of coalition formation and cooperative behaviour is stressed as a key factor in the evolution of complexity. The model consists of a population of several species of dimensionless automata inhabiting a geometrically defined environment in which a commodity essential for metabolic requirements (food) appears. Automata can sense properties of their environment, move about it, compete for food, reproduce or combine into coalitions thus forming new and more complex species. Each species is associated with a specific genotype from which the species’ behavioural characteristics (its phenotype) are derived. Complexity and survival efficiency of species increases through coalition formation, an event which occurs when automata are faced with an “undecidable” situation that is resolvable only by forming a new and more complex organization. Exogenous manipulation of the food distribution pattern and other critical factors produces different environmental conditions resulting in different behaviour patterns of automata and in different evolutionary “pathways.” Eve-1, the computer program developed to implement this model, accepts a high-level command language which allows for the setting of parameters, definition of initial configurations, and control of output formats. Results of simulation are produced graphically and include various pertinent tables. The program was given a modular hierarchical structure which allows easy generation of new versions incorporating different sets of rules. The model strives to capture the essence of the evolution of complexity viewed as a general process rather than to describe the evolution of a particular “real” system. In this respect it is not context-specific, and the behaviours which are observable in different runs can receive various interpretation depending on specific identifications. Of these, biological, ecological, and sociological interpretations are the most obvious and the latter, in particular, is stressed.J. M. Kaplan Fund in New Yor