Agricultural Growth in China and Sub-Saharan African Countries

Agriculture remains a dominant sector in the economies of most African and several Asian countries. However, the poor performance of agriculture in Africa stands in sharp contrast to the robust agricultural growth in many Asian countries.2 In this regard, the experience of China is perhaps as impressive as it is relevant to many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. A general observation is that the productivity of land and labour has to rise through intensive agriculture, given the limited area of arable land (in China and Africa) and the high rates of growth of population (as in Africa). In many African countries, labour productivity has fallen and land productivity has not increased significantly. In China, productivities of both land and labour have increased significantly since at least the early 1980s. Agricultural output can increase in three ways: (i) get more from the same quantities of inputs through better utilisation of the existing capacity; (ii) use increased quantities of inputs; and (iii) use new techniques to raise the productivity of each input or raise the total product curve. All of these may require changes in tenurial arrangements, levels of investment in infrastructure and support services, and policies that affect the prices of outputs and inputs. A close examination of factors underlying the contrasting experiences in China and African countries reveals important differences in the institutional and policy environments affecting the individual behaviour with regard to the adoption and use of new (profitable) technologies to raise the land and labour productivities.

Performance of human operators under various system parameters

Application of human operator performance for varied parameters to design of man-machine syste

The neurotoxic effect of formaldehyde on human cultured cells

Methanol is the simplest alcohol, being only a methyl group linked to a hydroxyl group. It is very similar to ethanol, a drinking alcohol. However, unlike ethanol, methanol is highly toxic and unfit for consumption. The intoxication of methanol is associated with early development of neurological symptoms followed by neurodegeneration including blurring or complete loss of vision

Gastric Plication Can Reduce Slippage Rate After Laparoscopic Gastric Banding

Laparoscopic gastric plication appears to add security to gastric band application and reduce the incidence of slippage after this procedure

The Qur'anic Purposes of Sheikh Abdul Rahman Hassan Habanka Al-Maidani in his Interpretation of Ma'arig al-Tafakkur wa-Daqa'iq al-Tadabbur ``Surat Al-Asr, Al-Adiyat, Al-Kawthar and Al-Takathur as a model"

This research aims to elicit Quranic purposes from the field interpretation of Sheikh Abdul Rahman Hasaan Habanka Al-Maidani by studying Surat Al-Asr, Al-Adiyat, Al-Kawthar, and Al-Takathur as a model. The knowledge of the purposes of the surahs leads to the realization of some of the notable purposes of the revelation of the Quran, the consideration of its phrases, words, and purposes, the statement of what Allah the almighty wants in it, and what its surahs and verses are guided to in a way that achieves understanding and action. Also, a statement that the number of the purposes of the surah does not depend on the number of its verses, there are several verses in common. In one objective, there is one verse in which there is more than one objective, so the Qur'anic objectives are inseparable from interpretation, since the Quran is the main source for defining the overall objectives, and from it deduced many ruling and partial ills, and it enables the interpreter to derive the rulings and wisdom of the Qur'an. The Noble Qur'an, considering the purposes of the surahs, is considered the safest approach, which makes the words of Allah the almighty orderly in a manner in which the perfection of its system, the coherence of its surahs, the consistency of its verses, and the statement of its inimitability and eloquence become evident. Keywords: Qur'anic purposes, interpretation, interpreter