GIS as new tools and approach in state planning and monitoring: the experience of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Malaysian planning methodology has changed over the years as emphasis has shifted from producing plan, which described a state of affairs expected of some future date, to one which acknowledged the continuous and cyclical nature of planning. Thus planning should be based on the identification of needs and goals, the formulation and evaluation of alternative courses of action and monitoring of adopted programmes. Using examples from current Geographical Information Systems (GIS) implementation projects, this paper will discuss GIS development and application for planning and monitoring of development in one of the Malaysian states, Negeri Sembilan. The development include a well-integrated and comprehensive database which is part of the important elements that could determine the ultimate success of GIS application in plan making. A distinctive feature of the Negeri Sembilan GIS (GIS9) that was developed for this purpose is that it is capable of operating on two distinct levels of planning – the state and district level. It is used to assist decision-making, taking into account among other things, the current scenarios of the proposed development, physical constraint and future impacts. The monitoring system that has been developed for both the state and district levels make it possible to evaluate the success of plan implementation. While the adopted data sharing framework is seen as a strong basis for extension of GIS development as well as integration and coordination in all state and local agencies involved in ensuring the success of the implementation of state development plan. The implementation of GIS9 has also contributed to raising recognition of the importance of vertical integration of the developed and maintained datasets at regional and local levels. This paper will discuss the approach and overall strategies employed in the preparation of GIS9 database and development plans monitoring system for the Negeri Sembilan State

Redox Kinetics and Mechanism of the Reactions of µ –Oxobis [aquobis (2,2’ – Bipyridine)] diruthenium (III) Ion and some Aliphatic Alcohols in Acidic Medium

The redox kinetics and mechanisms of the reactions of μ – oxobis[aquobis(2,2’ - bipyridine)]diruthenium (III) ion, [(bipy)2(H2O)RuORu(H2O)(bipy)2]4+ (hereafter denoted as Ru2O4+ or [(H2O)2(bipy)4Ru2O]4+) and some primary aliphatic alcohols was studied in perchloric acid medium, [H+] = 5.0 x 10-3 mol dm-3, ionic strength (I), = 0.5 mol dm–3 (NaClO4), temperature (T) = 31 ± 1°C and  wavelength ,λmax =  660 nm. The reactions, which led to the formation of corresponding aldehydes had a stoichiometry of 1:1, were all first order with respect to each reactant, and second order overall. The reactions proceeded in the absence of acid but when acid was added, the reactions ceased. Varying the ionic strength and dielectric constants of the reaction medium had no effect on the reaction. Added ions catalysed the reaction and free radicals were identified in the reaction mixtures in the course of the reactions. There was no evidence for the formation if intermediate complex in the course of the reaction. The order of reactivity is of the order CH3OH > C2H5OH > C3H7OH Based on the  results, it is suggested that all the reactions proceeded through the outer – sphere electron transfer mechanism and a plausible mechanism that represented all the reactions is proposed

Turnitin: Critical Education Paradigm in the Perspective of Islamic Education

This article is an assessment of critical education concepts reviewed in a paradigmatic frame and seen from the perspective of Islamic education. As education aims to work on the reality of human consciousness, free will, critical reasoning, and creativity, critical education should methodologically rest on the principles of total reflection and action. In other words, these are the principles used to transform static facts into dynamic conditions for both individual actors of education (educators and learners) and the society as a whole. As for the concept of Islamic education, it essentially emphasizes humanization and liberation as an educational orientation and places learners and educators as a subject in the learning process. Islamic education combines vertical (spirituality) and horizontal (social) aspects in a single educational orientation. This is in contrast to the paradigm of critical education which places its emphasis more on materialistic matters and less on spiritual aspects

Critical Education Paradigm in the Perspective of Islamic Education

This article is an assessment of critical education concepts reviewed in a paradigmatic frame and seen from the perspective of Islamic education. As education aims to work on the reality of human consciousness, free will, critical reasoning, and creativity, critical education should methodologically rest on the principles of total reflection and action. In other words, these are the principles used to transform static facts into dynamic conditions for both individual actors of education (educators and learners) and the society as a whole. As for the concept of Islamic education, it essentially emphasizes humanization and liberation as an educational orientation and places learners and educators as a subject in the learning process. Islamic education combines vertical (spirituality) and horizontal (social) aspects in a single educational orientation. This is in contrast to the paradigm of critical education which places its emphasis more on materialistic matters and less on spiritual aspects

Work-Family Stressors and Manufacturing Firms Performance: Influence of Work-Life Balance Strategies

Managing employees’ work-family pressures without resulting in negative influence on employees’ contributions and performance remains a challenge to human resource practitioners in the manufacturing industry. Efforts geared towards tackling this challenge have led to the development of various work-life balance strategies in the industry. Yet, the effectiveness of the developed work-life balance strategies to manage employees’ work-family stressors and performance remains an issue. This study investigated the influence of work-life balance strategies on the interplay between work-family stressors and performance in the manufacturing industry. A quantitative survey research design was adopted. Data were collected from 312 employees in the manufacturing firms operating in the Lagos metropolis using a simple random sampling technique. A self-report questionnaire was used for data collection. The preliminary data analysis was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 24. The variance-based Structural Equation Modelling was run using SmartPLS 3.3 for hypothesis testing and for path analysis of the structural model. This study found that work-life balance strategies fully mediate the relationship between work stressors and manufacturing firms’ performance. It is recommended that the family aspect of the work-life balance strategies be redesigned to reduce the negative influence of family stressors on manufacturing firms’ performance

Khidā’ al-Mutaṭarrifīn fī Istikhdām al-Lugah al-‘Arabiyyah Wasīilah li al-Taṭarruf

This research attempts to explain and clarify the relationship between Boko Haram and the Arabic language and its use of Arabic, especially under a religious slogan, and that this relationship is arbitrary, neither a religious nor an Arabic linguistic relationship. It also addresses the discovery of Boko Haram as a terrorist sect financed by a terrorist group in a hidden guise to achieve an aim they seek. The research includes three axes after the introduction. The first axis is limited to introducing Boko Haram, the second axis talks about Boko Haram and its use of the Arabic language under a religious slogan, the third axis is the negative effects left by the Boko Haram group, and then the conclusion, which mentions the findings and results of the research

Agent-Based Faults Monitoring in Automatic Teller Machines

Automated Teller Machine (ATM) has gained widespread acceptance as a convenient medium to facilitate financialtransaction without need for human agent. However, ATM deployers are facing challenges in maximizing the uptime of theirATMs as a result of wide gap in fault detection, notification and correction of the ATMs. One way to ameliorate thissituation is through intelligent monitoring of ATM by resident software agents that monitor the device real time and reportfaulty components real time to facilitate quick response. We proposed an architecture for rule-based, intelligent agent basedmonitoring and management of ATMs. Agents are used to perform remote monitoring on the ATMs and control functionsuch software maintenance. Such agents can detect basic events or correlate existing events that are stored in a database todetect faults. A system administrator can securely modify the monitoring policies and control functions of agents. Theframework presented here includes software fault monitor, hardware fault monitor and transaction monitor. A set of utilitysupport agents: caller agent and log agent are used to alert network operator and log error and transaction information in adatabase respectively. at-1, stuck-at-0 faults in digital circuits validate the point that faulty circuits dissipates more andhence draw more power.Key words: Automated Teller Machine (ATM), Intelligent Agents, Mobile Agents, Event Monitoring

Choice of delivery positions among multiparous women in Kano

Background: Confining women to hospital bed with limited power of movement and involvement of decision making during labor process and  restricting them to supine position in second stage of labor might contribute significantly to aversion to hospital delivery. Objective: To determine the different delivery positions women take during home delivery. Method: This was a cross sectional survey among 285 multiparous women who had vaginal delivery of life singleton babies. They were interviewed using questionnaire at Murtala Muhammad Specialist hospital Kano on choices of delivery position. Ethical approval was obtained from the ethical committee of the state. Data obtained were analyzed using SPSS Version 19. Qualitative data were summarized using frequencies and percentages. Chi (χ2) test was used for categorical data. A P value of ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age (±SD) of the respondents was 28.9 ± 7.12 years. Majority of the women that delivered at home assumed the squatting  position for delivery (60%) and were mainly assisted by traditional birth attendants (TBA) (41.3%). Over 50% of those that delivered at home were instructed to take the position they delivered in by their assistants at delivery while those that chose their position by themselves did that because they felt more comfortable in that position (85%). Over 80% of those that were instructed to take a position at delivery did not ask their assistant the reason for advising on that position. There was statistically significant association between educational level and right to decide in which positionto deliver the baby (χ²=28.517, P = 0.000). Conclusion: Squatting position was the most assumed position following home delivery. There was statistically significant association between educational level and right to decide in which position to deliver the baby. Key words: Choices; delivery position; multiparous women; Nigeria; vaginal birth

Choice of specialization among female clinical medical students of Bayero University Kano, Nigeria

Background: The field of medicine is very wide; female medical students also have their choice of specialization which many develop in medical schools due to different factors.Methodology: It was a cross sectional study that was conducted among female clinical medical students of Bayero University Kano. Ethical approval was obtained from the hospital Ethical Committee. Questionnaire was administered to all consenting female students. Data were analysed by SPSS Electronic Software Version 18 (SPSS Inc, IL, Chicago, USA). A P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Eighty five female medical students participated in the study. Mean (SD) age was 23.09 ± 1.8 years. Seventy two (84.70%) chose clinical medicine to be their future career while 13 (15.30%) were undecided. Only 15 (22.70%) decided to specialize in their career of choice. Obstetrics and Gynaecology was the most interested speciality of choice (30.80%). Most students were interested in the reward in working in the speciality 54 (68.40%) followed by interest in the clinical work 52 (65.80%). Many of the respondents 41 (49.4%) considered their career development as a priority in future career plans in practice location, and educational environment for children 40 (51.90%). Only 15 (18.00%) were keenly motivated to work in rural areas regardless of the duration of time.Conclusion: Female medical students preferred to be clinicians in their future career with obstetrics and gynaecology as the most interested speciality of choice. Their career development and educational environment for children were the priority in future career plans in practice location.Keywords: Choice of specialization; Female medical students; Kano; Nigeri