Does Hard Incompatibilism Really Abolish ‘Right’ and ‘Wrong’? Some Thoughts in Response to Larry Alexander

In a challenge to recent writings of Derk Pereboom and Gregg Caruso,3 Larry Alexander makes the following claim: If one accepts the Pereboom-Caruso “hard incompatibilist” view of choice, which regards blame and retributive punishment as morally unjustified because free will is an illusion, then “normativity completely disappears.” In making this claim, Professor Alexander appears to hold that the moral distinction between right and wrong conduct (“normativity”) cannot effectively exist unless those who do wrong “deserve” to receive blame and punishment in response to their misbehavior. This is not, however, necessarily so

Effects of organic matter input on soil microbial properties and crop yields in conventional and organic cropping systems

Unlike conventional cropping systems, which are characterised by targeted short-term fertility management, organic farming systems depend on long-term increase in soil fertility and promotion of soil biodiversity. This study sought to investigate long-term effects of organic matter inputs on various cropping systems in a 10-year-old experiment. Results show that in the long-term high C and N inputs enhance microbial activity. Microbial biomass N and the potential nitrification rate were higher in cropping systems based on green manure than in those reliant on inputs from animal manure and mineral fertilizer. Soil microbiological properties were affected by the individual crops in the rotation. The high microbial activity with increased organic matter inputs did not transform to enhanced crop productivity

Novel results in STM, ARPES, HREELS, Nernst, neutron, Raman, and isotope substitution experiments and their relation to bosonic modes and charge inhomogeneity, from perspective of negative-Ueff boson-fermion modelling of HTSC

This paper seeks to synthesize much recent work on the HTSC materials around the latest STM results from Davis and coworkers. The conductance diffuse scattering results in particular are used as point of entry to discuss bosonic modes, both of condensed and uncondensed form. The bosonic mode picture is essential to understanding an ever growing range of observations within the HTSC field. The work is expounded within the context of the negative-U, boson-fermion modelling long advocated by the author. This general approach is presently seeing much theoretical development, into which I have looked to couple many of the experimental advances. While the formal theory is not yet sufficiently detailed to cover adequately all the experimental complexities presented by the real cuprate systems, it is clear that it affords very appreciable support to the line taken. An attempt is made throughout to say why and how it is that these events are tied so very closely to this particular set of materials.Comment: 36 pages pdf with 3 figures and 1 table included, Submitted to J. Phys. Cond. Mat

LIS Education in the GCC Region: A Case Study for UAE Emiratization.

Taking a cursory look at the trends of LIS education among the six GCC countries, certain patterns in the practice of LIS profession in the States with two or more library schools were identified. In spite of the low representation of the LIS education in the region, the influx of expatriates to the region has closed the gap that lack of library and information professionals would have created. However, the increasing youth unemployment rate of the nationals of the Gulf States have prompted their governments into actions. The United Arab Emirates in particular, through the employment policy initiative for its citizens has mandated private companies with at least 50 skilled workers in the country to ensure its citizens constitute 2% of every 50 skilled workers in the company. Given that there is only one library school (private) in the country, this paper x-rays the potential employment opportunities that LIS education could create for the unemployed citizens of the UAE (otherwise known as Emiratis). This is based on the premise that education sector is arguably the largest employer of skilled labour that the country seek for its citizens. Data of private schools across the country were sourced from education authorities in the seven Emirates that make up the country and categorized by grades. The recommended number of librarians required for each grade category by stakeholders in the field was determined. The finding corroborating Boumarafi, (2008) shows that on a short term of 5-year period, LIS education targeting private schools only could create 1330 skilled jobs for Emiratis. This is beside hundreds of other job opportunities in about 100 higher institutions of learning in the country which are not factored in this paper. The identified patterns which could pose challenges to LIS education from achieving its mandate are highlighted and recommendations are made on how to overcome them

Shifting sands: social cues influence the long-term dynamics of snowy plover distribution

Understanding the social and physical factors that influence the temporal and spatial distribution of a species is imperative for successful management. The Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus nivosus) selects for wide-open stretches of beach; yet within large expanses of ideal habitat, plover populations tend to be aggregated. Recent evidence suggests plovers may prioritize social information over ideal physical factors alone when selecting breeding locations. I analyzed data collected on an individually marked population of Snowy Plovers in Humboldt County, California from 2001 to 2018 to evaluate the influence of physical (beach width) and social (presence of conspecifics) landscape factors on the population’s breeding distribution. Using an information-theoretic framework, I conducted incidence function models and model selection analyses to examine how physical and social factors influenced inexperienced breeder occupancy of approximately 100 km of plover habitat. Beach width influenced where plovers bred, however, inexperienced plovers were more likely to colonize sites occupied by experienced conspecifics. Reproductive success had minimal influence on settlement of inexperienced breeders the following season. This information suggests the species’ successful recovery requires an added emphasis on social information for future habitat restoration efforts

Mental Health Treatment for the Elderly Community in a Central California Region

There is a national, state and local concern that focuses upon the rapid growth of our elder population as well as those within the cohort that suffer with mental illness. However, other than the numerous Alzheimer’s related headlines, there is little national or state consideration being given to non-dementia-related elder mental illnesses. The lack of existing mental health service programs to assist the elderly community merits attention. The Constructionist paradigm was the basis for this study, due to its reliance upon recognized leaders in the field engaging in an interactive group process. These leaders included politicians, governmental agencies, non-profit organizations, and other community leaders. Outcomes from this study produced five action oriented initiatives: Leadership, Funding Campaign, Elder Sensitivity Campaign, Enhancement of Existing Programs, and New Program Expansion. These initiatives, if implemented, could drive change and positively affect the elderly population with mental illness within this central California county research site

“The Way She Makes Me Feel”: Examining The Effects of Celebrity Instagram Images on Body Satisfaction and self-esteem in Young Nigerian Women

Using an experimental method, we examined the effects of local female celebrity Instagram images on women’s body satisfaction and self-esteem among groups of young Nigerian women. Result showed that women reported the highest self-esteem and body satisfaction when viewing thin-ideal images, but self-esteem and body satisfaction decreased after viewing plump ideal images, followed by neutral images. Additionally, while state appearance comparison was found as a partial mediator of the effects of image type on body satisfaction and self-esteem, extent of celebrity worship fully mediated these effects. Nonetheless, the intensity of Instagram and other SNSs use did not mediate the effects observed in the study. These findings highlight the significance of how celebrity images and diverse body ideals to the ‘thin’ one can have negative effects in a non-Western sample. Study results and future research directions are discussed within the context of social comparison and agenda setting theories

PERSPECTIVES OF STUDENTS OF NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA (NOUN) TOWARDS CBT AND PEN ON PAPER EXAMINATION IN THREE SELECTED CENTRES IN NIGERIA.

This research paper investigates the perspectives of students’ of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) towards computer and pen-on-paper examination. Questionnaires were used to generate data. The data collected targeted students of three selected Study Centre .300 questionnaires which consist of 200-400 level of students of the three selected study Centre were administered .Response rate of 240 out of 300 representing 80% of the total questionnaires obtained for data analysis. The result showed that a significant percentage of the respondents were either doing good or fairly good academically. The students’ performances measured in each question type. When comparing students’ familiarity with the use of CBT versus pen-on-paper examination among three selected Centre, the end result showed that 80.5% of students from Osogbo Study Centre agreed on the familiarity with the CBT examination while 16.5% disagreed. From Ibadan Study Centre, 83.5% agreed with the familiarity with CBT examination, while 16.5% disagreed.From Abeokuta Study Centre. 76.7% agreed with the familiarity on CBT examination while 23.3% disagreed. On comparative survey statistic of respondents, it shows clearly that 73.2% of respondent from Osogbo Study Centre strongly agreed on the use of CBT examination while 26.8% strongly disagreed. From Ibadan Study Centre 76.5% strongly agreed on CBT examination while 23.5% strongly disagreed. From Abeokuta Study Centre, 86.3% performed very well on CBT examination while 43.8% performed well on CBT examination. Recommendation is hereby directed to the management and examination board to improve the condition of conducting CBT and pen-on-paper examination in academic context and universities as a whole

Critical Home-based Challenges Inhibiting Effective Participation of Pupils in Rural Public Primary Schools in Narok North Sub-County, Narok County, Kenya

The thrust of this study was to examine the critical challenges inhibiting effective participation in education by pupils from rural public primary schools in Central Division, Narok North Sub-County, in Narok County, Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional   research design. Combinations of stratified and purposive sampling strategies were employed to select 60 class teachers, 30 headteachers, 120 upper primary school pupils (class 5-8) and two Quality Assurance and Standards (QUASO) officers yielding a sample size of 212 respondents drawn from 15 primary schools in the study locale.  The main data collection instruments were questionnaires, interview guides and observation checklist. The study revealed that the main home-based variables negatively influencing enrollment and participation in public primary schools in Narok sub-County were: poverty, low premium attached to education, language barrier, inadequate parental involvement in the education of their children and poor   of health of pupils. It was recommended that concerted efforts among key education stakeholders particularly   parents and members of the provincial administration   should be empowered to enable them dismantle the home-based bottlenecks and effectively provide for their children’s education [179 words]. Keywords: Home-based challenges effective participation, pupils, Narok County, Kenya.