The Hubble Web: The Dark Matter Problem and Cosmic Strings

I propose a reinterpretation of cosmic dark matter in which a rigid network of cosmic strings formed at the end of inflation. The cosmic strings fulfill three functions: At recombination they provide an accretion mechanism for virializing baryonic and warm dark matter into disks. These cosmic strings survive as configurations which thread spiral and elliptical galaxies leading to the observed flatness of rotation curves and the Tully-Fisher relation. We find a relationship between the rotational velocity of the galaxy and the string tension and discuss the testability of this model.Comment: 5 page

Astrophysics in Southern Africa

The government of South Africa has identified astronomy as a field in which their country has a strategic advantage and is consequently investing very significantly in astronomical infrastructure. South Africa now operates a 10-m class optical telescope, the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), and is one of two countries short listed to host the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), an ambitious international project to construct a radio telescope with a sensitivity one hundred times that of any existing telescope. The challenge now is to produce an indigenous community of users for these facilities, particularly from among the black population which was severely disadvantaged under the apartheid regime. In this paper I briefly describe the observing facilities in Southern Africa before going on to discuss the various collaborations that are allowing us to use astronomy as a tool for development, and at the same time to train a new generation of astronomers who will be well grounded in the science and linked to their colleagues internationally.Comment: Paper given at the 2007 meeting of the National Society of Black Physicists; 10 pages, 2 photographs. To appear in American Institute of Physics Conference Proceeding

Observations of an Energetically Isolated Quiet Sun Transient: Evidence of Quasi-Steady Coronal Heating

Increasing evidence for coronal heating contributions from cooler solar atmospheric layers, notably quiet Sun (QS) conditions, challenges standard solar atmospheric descriptions of bright transition region (TR) emission. As such, questions to the role of dynamic QS transients in contributing to the total coronal energy budget are elevated. Using observations from the {\it Atmospheric Imaging Assembly} and {\it Heliosemic Magnetic Imager} on board the {\it Solar Dynamics Observatory}, and numerical model extrapolations of coronal magnetic fields, we investigate a dynamic QS transient energetically isolated to the TR and extruding from a common footpoint shared with two heated loop arcades. A non-casual relationship is established between episodic heating of the QS transient and wide-spread magnetic field re-organization events, while evidence is found favoring a magnetic topology typical of eruptive processes. Quasi-steady interchange reconnection events are implicated as a source of the transient's visibly bright radiative signature. We consider the QS transient's temporally stable ($\approx$\,35\,min) radiative nature occurs as a result of the large-scale magnetic field geometries of the QS and/or relatively quiet nature of the magnetic photosphere, which possibly act to inhibit energetic buildup processes required to initiate a catastrophic eruption phase. This work provides insight to the QS's thermodynamic and magnetic relation to eruptive processes quasi-steadily heating a small-scale dynamic and TR transient. This work elevates arguments of non-negligible coronal heating contributions from cool atmospheric layers in QS conditions, and increases evidence for solar wind mass feeding of dynamic transients therein.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figure

The influence of adherence to Islamic financial values and entrepreneurial orientation on strategic decision-making effectiveness: the case of Saudi Arabian companies

Aim and background: This thesis aims to explore and understand the interesting practices that are found within organisations, in their adherence to Islamic financial values and entrepreneurial orientation. These are both viewed as intangible resources for organisations, which could positively influence an organisation’s strategic decision-making effectiveness. In addition, this thesis seeks to explore how these resources could affect the behavioural approach, which is captured by the politicisation within an organisation, and then, apply the results of such impact on strategic decision-making effectiveness. Finally, this study investigates the influential role that strategic decision-specific factors play as moderators between politicisation in strategic decision-making and strategic decision-making effectiveness. Method: The context for the research project are a number of companies located in Saudi Arabia, as identified in the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority and Saudi Arabia Ministry of Commerce and Investment. These include all companies that come under the umbrella of Saudi Arabia’s financial sector; namely, banks, finance companies, insurance companies, investments companies, real estate development companies and Awqaf (endowments) companies. Within these companies, this study focused on members at the top management teams, who are closely involved in making strategic decisions. As for the collection of data, an electronic survey was chosen as the appropriate data collection method. 1500 questionnaires were distributed to 375 companies. 379 questionnaires were collected from 177 companies. At least two response questionnaires were collected from each company to significantly ensure the validity of the research results. From the data that was received, 364 questionnaires were used from 162 companies. The data analysis was based on these 364 responses. This study used a Structural Equation Modelling technique to analyse the data. Due to this, the study relied on testing causal relationships hypothesised in the research framework of multiple independent and intervening variables. The data analysis was conducted using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) (Version 24), and the SmartPLS 3.0 (Partial Least Squares Path Modelling) software package. Findings and conclusion: The findings of this study provide support for the proposed model. The study findings and their related discussions on adherence to Islamic financial values and an entrepreneurial orientation in organisations, highlight the importance of their role in the process of strategic decision-making. This study therefore makes the case for the introduction of adherence to Islamic financial values and an entrepreneurial orientation as a primary influence in strategic decision-making effectiveness. Furthermore, the study findings argue that adherence to Islamic financial values and entrepreneurial orientation reduce the role of politicisation in strategic decision-making. However, this study did not find any positive impact on the low level of politicisation on strategic decision-making effectiveness. Likewise, this study did not find any influence of strategic decision-specific factors (i.e. decision importance, decision motive and decision uncertainty) on the relationship between politicisation and strategic decision-making effectiveness. Implications: The role of organisations in making effective strategic decisions requires them to pay more attention to their intangible resources such as adherence to Islamic financial values and an entrepreneurial orientation when they embark on this process. Thus, organisations have to educate their decision-makers and raise awareness with regards to the benefits and advantages of using innovation, proactiveness, risk-taking, as well as an adherence to Islamic financial values during the process of making strategic decisions. This could be achieved by conducting workshops or informal meetings with senior decision-makers who have vast experience in making strategic decisions - either in their organisations or outside their organisations. The research on adhering to Islamic financial values and entrepreneurial orientation and strategic decision-making provides a good starting point in this field of study; however, thinking about the next step is important and necessary. Thus, strategic decision-makers need to adopt new styles to implementing entrepreneurial orientation wisely, as well as the need to find creative styles to observe Islamic financial values when making strategic decisions. This in turn, will enable organisations to obtain a sustainable competitive advantage and thus, overcome continuous challenges in the markets and achieve superior performance for their organisations. Moreover, the role of organisations in making effective strategic decisions requires them to pay more attention to their behavioural approach within their strategic decision-making such as politicisation in strategic decision-making. Hence, organisations have to educate their decision- makers about a negative effect uses of politicisation in strategic decision-making and how these can lead to management making strategic decisions that are distorted and incorrect, which in turn, results in ineffective strategic decisions. Therefore, studying this resource-based perspective and the behavioural approaches in this study enrich and complement one another

The Relationship Between Motivation and Job Satisfaction on Employee's Performance in Universiti Utara Malaysia

The aims of this study are to investigate whether there is any relationship between employee performance, job satisfaction and employee motivation. The survey method was employ with the quantitative data were processed using a multivariate technique. Descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentage used to measure the percentage of returned questionnaire and also used to describe the respondents' profile such as their gender, educational background, their academic qualifications, and job title. Correlation and multiple regressions used for inferential statistics. The Pearson correlation used to measure the significance of linear bivariate between the independent and dependent variables thereby achieving the objective of this study. Multiple regressions used to determine the relationship between independent and dependent variables, the direction of the relationship, the degree of the relationship and strength of the relationship. This thesis found that job satisfaction has a significance positively influence to the employee's performance rather than motivation. The non significance of motivation was found in the influence to the employee's performance. This study conclude that job satisfaction among support staff much more contribute to the employee's performance of support staff of UUM

A MULTI-DIMENSIONAL APPROACH IN DEVELOPING A FRAMEWORK FOR INTERNAL QUALITY ASSURANCE OF SECOND CYCLE ENGINEERING PROGRAMMES

The rapid growth of engineering education requires the propermaintenance of academic quality in educational institutions in order towithstand competition in the global market. External accreditation andinternal quality assurance are two very important processes that are carriedout in order to maintain the quality of engineering education. Accreditation isa process designed to determine whether or not an educational programmehas met or exceeded the published standards of the accreditation agency,whereas the purpose of internal quality assurance is to develop a qualityculture within an institution, and to implement a strategy for the continuousenhancement of quality. Although several quality assurance standards andguidelines have been established and implemented worldwide throughvarious international, regional and national agencies; relevant literaturesearches show that there is no common agreement or criterion that can beused in the quality assurance of engineering education. In this article, theauthors elaborate on several important issues regarding the accreditation andquality assurance of engineering education. The authors define internalquality assurance of an engineering programme as: enabled by certain qualityenablers, a structured process of quality analysis (benchmarking,monitoring, evaluating, assessing, guaranteeing and improving the quality)of the design, resources, delivery and outcomes of the programme; resultingin defect avoidance, strategic alignment, continuous improvement, andstakeholder trust. A brief outline of a multi-dimensional framework forinternal quality assurance of engineering programmes is provided in thisarticle

1-Hydroxy Ethylidene 1,1-Diphosphonic Acid (HEDP) as a Corrosion Inhibitor for Aluminium

The present study is to use 1-hydroxy ethylidene 1, 1-diphosphonic acid (HEDP) as corrosion inhibitor for aluminium in aqueous solution containing 60 ppm Cl- ion was chosen as the inhibitor. Zn2+ is selected as the synergist, as Zn2+ ions in association with HEDP inhibitor is considered environmental friendly inhibitor for aluminium corrosion in alkaline (pH=11) media. The environment chosen is aqueous solution containing 60 ppm Cl- ions. To investigate the nature of the protective film, surface analytical techniques such as, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) have been put to use in the present study. The formation of protective film has been confirmed using the electrochemical techniques such as polarization study and AC impedance spectral study. The above studies support the weight loss study