772 research outputs found
Management Control System for Effective Job Performance Among Librarians in Federal And State University Libraries : Evidence From South East Nigeria
In this study, we assessed the management control system used for effective job performance among librarians in five federal university libraries and five State university libraries in South East, Nigeria. Our 38-item questionnaire was validated by three experts: one from the Department of Science Education (Education Measurement and Evaluation unit) and two from the Department of Library and Information Science at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Later we used descriptive statistics and found out that the university libraries adopted performance appraisal system, duties rotation system, controlled activities system and regulation of staff attendance to a great extent, and also that the management control system has contributed to the effective job performance since it enables employees to understand their job expectations and to encourage librarians’ positive work attitude. Based on these findings, we recommended that performance appraisal and staff evaluation should be performed from time to time to identify areas which require improvements. Henceforth, federal and state governments in Nigeria should make funds available for university libraries to enable them adopt effective management control system and procure facilities and resources to enhance job performance in their libraries among other
Investigation of the collapse of the skewness and kurtosis exhibited in atmospheric dispersion data
This paper studies the collapse of the estimators for skewness and kurtosis of concentration onto a near universal curve. This phenomenon is observed for data taken from atmospheric dispersion experiments under a variety of different conditions. By means of careful investigation of the high concentration tails, modelled by means of the generalized Pareto distribution, and the fundamental physics of the problem, a set of envelope curves encompassing the data will be established. The implications of these results for modelling the probability density function of concentration are discussed
A Study on Insulin Resistance and Obesity Among Women at High Risk for Breast Cancer Using Cluster Analysis.
OBJECTIVE: The present study to stratify the female population based on their
obesity and body fat distributions using cluster
analysis without relating to conventional obesity cutoff
values.
To study insulin response (sensitivity x resistance) using
indices of surrogate measures obtained from OGTT
data.
To identify the hormonal parameters that are
significantly altered in obese breast cancer patients
and to exploit them as screening markers along with
body mass index (BMI) and body fat mass (BFM).
To build a comprehensive questionnaire for breast
cancer risk prediction using related variables and the
symptoms associated with hormonal variations in
breast cancer. PURPOSE OF STUDY:
According to estimates of the International Obesity
Task Force, 1,7 billion people are exposed to health risks
related to body weight, while the increase in Body Mass
Index (BMI) is responsible for more than 2.5 million deaths
annually, which is expected to double by 2030. The aim is
to define obesity using anthropometric measures
particularly in obese post-menopausal women.
Assessment of insulin resistance is of great
importance in the study of epidemiology and
pathophysiology of major public health problems and in
following the clinical course of patients on various
therapeutic regimens. It is also of our interest to evaluate
the insulin resistance in obese post-menopausal women
who are at high risk for breast cancer using a simple oral
glucose tolerance test (OGTT).
Studying about relevant risk factors of breast cancer
and their prevalence is essential in the breast cancer risk
prediction among individuals of high risk group.CONCLUSION:
Obesity is a chronic disease which has spread all
over the world and threatens public global health.
Obesity in postmenopausal women was highly
correlated with several disorders including type 2 diabetes
mellitus, hypertension, coronary heart disease, arthritis,
sleep apnea, and certain forms of obesity-related
cancers, including breast, prostate, endometrium, colon
and gallbladder cancer. However, defining an individual
as overweight/obese using widely employed markers is a
complex task. Cut-off points of these markers widely vary
among the different sections of women population. In
order to define obesity on a local level we stratified the
female population based on their anthropometric
measures using cluster analysis. We also clustered them
based on their body fat distribution. Thus, we could
identify through an alternative approach, the obese
women who may be at high risk for breast cancer
Is attending a mental process?
The nature of attention has been the topic of a lively research programme in psychology for over a century. But there is widespread agreement that none of the theories on offer manage to fully capture the nature of attention. Recently, philosophers have become interested in the debate again after a prolonged period of neglect. This paper contributes to the project of explaining the nature of attention. It starts off by critically examining Christopher Mole’s prominent “adverbial” account of attention, which traces the failure of extant psychological theories to their assumption that attending is a kind of process. It then defends an alternative, process-based view of the metaphysics of attention, on which attention is understood as an activity and not, as psychologists seem to implicitly assume, an accomplishment. The entrenched distinction between accomplishments and activities is shown to shed new light on the metaphysics of attention. It also provides a novel diagnosis of the empirical state of play
Homophobia and national collective narcissism in populist Poland
Opposition to sexual minority rights in Poland is among the highest in the EU. Populist political actors in the country repeatedly scapegoat gays and lesbians, presenting them as a threat to the Polish nation and its shared norms and values, particularly those derived from religion. Building upon previous research which shows how discourse constructing homosexuality as a threat to the nation has been used by social and political actors to legitimize homophobic rhetoric and behaviour, our paper shows whether nationalism—understood here as national collective narcissism—predicts prejudice towards gays and lesbians at the level of individual beliefs
CLN8 disease caused by large genomic deletions
BACKGROUND: The presence of deletions can complicate genetic diagnosis of autosomal recessive disease. METHOD: The DNA of patients was analyzed in a diagnostic setting. RESULTS: We present three unrelated patients each carrying deletions that encompass the 37Â kb CLN8 gene and discuss their phenotype. Two of the cases were hemizygous for a mutant allele - their deletions unmasked a mutation in CLN8 on the other chromosome. CONCLUSION: Microarray analysis is recommended in any patient suspected of NCL who is apparently homozygous for a mutation that is not present in one of the parents or when the family has no known consanguinity
Is the Weigl Colour-Form Sorting Test Specific to Frontal Lobe Damage?
OBJECTIVE: The Weigl Colour-Form Sorting Test is a brief, widely used test of executive function. So far, it is unknown whether this test is specific to frontal lobe damage. Our aim was to investigate Weigl performance in patients with focal, unilateral, left or right, frontal, or non-frontal lesions. METHOD: We retrospectively analysed data from patients with focal, unilateral, left or right, frontal (n = 37), or non-frontal (n = 46) lesions who had completed the Weigl. Pass/failure (two correct solutions/less than two correct solutions) and errors were analysed. RESULTS: A greater proportion of frontal patients failed the Weigl than non-frontal patients, which was highly significant (p < 0.001). In patients who failed the test, a significantly greater proportion of frontal patients provided the same solution twice. No significant differences in Weigl performance were found between patients with left versus right hemisphere lesions or left versus right frontal lesions. There was no significant correlation between performance on the Weigl and tests tapping fluid intelligence. CONCLUSIONS: The Weigl is specific to frontal lobe lesions and not underpinned by fluid intelligence. Both pass/failure on this test and error types are informative. Hence, the Weigl is suitable for assessing frontal lobe dysfunction
Mutation of TBCK causes a rare recessive developmental disorder
OBJECTIVE: To characterize the underlying genetic defect in a family with 3 siblings affected by a severe, yet viable, congenital disorder. METHODS: Extensive genetic and metabolic investigations were performed, and the affected children were imaged at different ages. Whole-genome genotyping and whole-exome sequencing were undertaken. A single large region (>8 Mb) of homozygosity in chromosome 4 (chr4:100,268,553-108,609,628) was identified that was shared only in affected siblings. Inspection of genetic variability within this region led to the identification of a novel mutation. Sanger sequencing confirmed segregation of the mutation with disease. RESULTS: All affected siblings share homozygosity for a novel 4-bp deletion in the gene TBCK (NM_033115:c.614_617del:p.205_206del). CONCLUSIONS: This finding provides the genetic cause of a severe inherited disease in a family and extends the number of mutations and phenotypes associated with this recently identified disease gene
Global network analysis in Schizosaccharomyces pombe reveals three distinct consequences of the common 1-kb deletion causing juvenile CLN3 disease
Juvenile CLN3 disease is a recessively inherited paediatric neurodegenerative disorder, with most patients homozygous for a 1-kb intragenic deletion in CLN3. The btn1 gene is the Schizosaccharomyces pombe orthologue of CLN3. Here, we have extended the use of synthetic genetic array (SGA) analyses to delineate functional signatures for two different disease-causing mutations in addition to complete deletion of btn1. We show that genetic-interaction signatures can differ for mutations in the same gene, which helps to dissect their distinct functional effects. The mutation equivalent to the minor transcript arising from the 1-kb deletion (btn1102–208del) shows a distinct interaction pattern. Taken together, our results imply that the minor 1-kb deletion transcript has three consequences for CLN3: to both lose and retain some inherent functions and to acquire abnormal characteristics. This has particular implications for the therapeutic development of juvenile CLN3 disease. In addition, this proof of concept could be applied to conserved genes for other mendelian disorders or any gene of interest, aiding in the dissection of their functional domains, unpacking the global consequences of disease pathogenesis, and clarifying genotype–phenotype correlations. In doing so, this detail will enhance the goals of personalised medicine to improve treatment outcomes and reduce adverse events
- …