THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIORS OF BANK EMPLOYEES IN THE UNITED STATES

This study examined the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) of bank employees in the United States. The study was necessary, as bank customers are urging banks to go the extra mile or engage in OCB to improve customer service given the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected customers\u27 use of bank services. The study used the 20-item MLQ Form 5X-short for transformational leadership and the OCB instrument developed by Podsakoff et al. to collect data from bank employees in the National Capital Region (NCR) of the United States. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to analyze the data, and the results showed a statistically significant relationship between transformational leadership and OCB. The multiple regression analysis conducted to test the relationship between the dimensions of transformational leadership and OCB indicated that idealized influence (attributed) and idealized influence (behavior) with statistical significance at 5% and 10%, respectively, exerted the greatest influence in explaining changes in OCB. Overall, the coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.11) indicated that 11% of the variance in OCB was due to the five dimensions of transformational leadership. Based on the results, the study suggests that bank leaders may consider the practice of transformational leadership behaviors to promote the OCBs of employees. The findings also suggest that the aggregate effort of OCB could create better bank service delivery and improved customer satisfaction. These suggestions are supported by previous studies that show that organizations that promote OCB perform better than those that do not

Visuomotor Rotation Adaptation and Workspace Manipulation: A Behavioral and Cognitive Emphasis

This is a three-study dissertation in which we aimed to broaden our knowledge of the mechanisms contributing to a 45° clockwise visuomotor adaptation by including variations in workspace. We provide behavioral and in one study physiological outcomes as evidence to support our conclusions. In the first experiment, we observed the adaptation of movement parameters such as pathlength, movement time, resultant velocity, and normalized jerk across groups trained with rotated visual feedback with both the left and right hands. Workspace location and hand differentially affected movement trajectory length. The group that practiced the task with their nondominant, left hand showed larger after-effects, thus deviations in pathlength and initial direction error than those who practiced with their right hand. We also observed the transfer of pathlength from the left to the right hand but no ensuing after-effects. These findings failed to support the dynamic dominance model of bilateral transfer asymmetry, which posits the right hand is uniquely adapted for movement trajectory information. In the second experiment, participants adapted to the visuomotor rotation and generalized the adaptation to other workspaces. Subjects adapted to the visuomotor rotation in all three workspace locations. Corresponding neural measures indicated workspace related changes, with the biggest differences between contralateral and ipsilateral workspaces consistent with the observed behavioral results. The observed neurophysiological patterns were mainly in the right central and parietal– cortical areas involved in spatial processing. We argue these brain areas may be involved in workspace-related inhibition to allow the left hemisphere work efficiently. In the final experiment we investigated how manipulation of visual feedback and workspace location affected visuomotor adaptation for groups using real and remembered targets during performance. We showed participants visuomotor rotation transferred from the central to the ipsilateral workspace location. Also removing the target during rotational adaptation decreased, thus improved reaction time for unrotated real target trials regardless of workspace. Since gaze strategies differed between groups, we reasoned that gaze does not significantly contribute to visuomotor adaptation. The current studies add to existing evidence for understanding mechanisms responsible for adapting to a visuomotor rotation under different contexts

Spreading dynamics on spatially constrained complex brain networks

The study of dynamical systems defined on complex networks provides a natural framework with which to investigate myriad features of neural dynamics and has been widely undertaken. Typically, however, networks employed in theoretical studies bear little relation to the spatial embedding or connectivity of the neural networks that they attempt to replicate. Here, we employ detailed neuroimaging data to define a network whose spatial embedding represents accurately the folded structure of the cortical surface of a rat brain and investigate the propagation of activity over this network under simple spreading and connectivity rules. By comparison with standard network models with the same coarse statistics, we show that the cortical geometry influences profoundly the speed of propagation of activation through the network. Our conclusions are of high relevance to the theoretical modelling of epileptic seizure events and indicate that such studies which omit physiological network structure risk simplifying the dynamics in a potentially significant way

Autologous blood donation and transfusion in obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital Maiduguri, Nigeria.

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Semantic Predicate Types and Approximation for Class-based Object Oriented Programming

We apply the principles of the intersection type discipline to the study of class-based object oriented programs and; our work follows from a similar approach (in the context of Abadi and Cardelli's Varsigma-object calculus) taken by van Bakel and de'Liguoro. We define an extension of Featherweight Java, FJc and present a predicate system which we show to be sound and expressive. We also show that our system provides a semantic underpinning for the object oriented paradigm by generalising the concept of approximant from the Lambda Calculus and demonstrating an approximation result: all expressions to which we can assign a predicate have an approximant that satisfies the same predicate. Crucial to this result is the notion of predicate language, which associates a family of predicates with a class.Comment: Proceedings of 11th Workshop on Formal Techniques for Java-like Programs (FTfJP'09), Genova, Italy, July 6 200

Influence of Youth Perception on Entrepreneurship in Kenya: A Case of Uasin Gishu County

Kenya has a population of approximately 40 million with those aged 35 years and below making up over 75% of the population. In 2003 and 2005, when the national unemployment level stood at 40%, the youth accounted for about 78% and 67% of the national unemployment in the two years respectively. Most recent college and university graduates fall in this category and it is becoming increasingly necessary to get more and more of them to engage in self-employment. This requires a concerted effort to change college students’ perceptions towards self-employment. The current qualitative study focuses on the role that colleges can play in enhancing entrepreneurial intentions among the youth. The college environments and exposure to entrepreneurship experiences are found to be two malleable antecedents of entrepreneurial intentions working through self-efficacy and perceptions of desirability. It is on this background that this aimed at accessing the influence of the youth perception on entrepreneurship in Uasin Gishu County in Kenya. The finding of the research will add to the knowledge and understanding of the motivation for Kenyan youth to be entrepreneurs in Kenya. This study used descriptive correlational survey design as it sought to describe and establish the relationships among the study variables. This being a census study, all the youth groups in Uasin Gishu County which were registered and licensed by the department youth and social services as at February 2014, and still in operation at the time of data collection were studied. Both primary and secondary data was used in this study. Primary data was collected through the use of key informant method and a self- administered questionnaire. Hence, all the chairmen and secretaries of every youth group was selected to take part in the study as they are perceived to be knowledgeable on the issues under study and for which they are either responsible for their execution or they personally execute them. The regression results shows that entrepreneurship largely depends on the youth perception with 71.1 percent of the County’s entrepreneurship being explained by youth perception (R squared = 0.711). The study results show that youth perception (culture, unemployment, leadership and altitude) were found to significantly and positively affect entrepreneurship. Key words: Youth perception, Entrepreneurship, Uasin Gishu County, Keny

An optical fibre dynamic instrumented palpation sensor for the characterisation of biological tissue

AbstractThe diagnosis of prostate cancer using invasive techniques (such as biopsy and blood tests for prostate-specific antigen) and non-invasive techniques (such as digital rectal examination and trans-rectal ultrasonography) may be enhanced by using an additional dynamic instrumented palpation approach to prostate tissue classification. A dynamically actuated membrane sensor/actuator has been developed that incorporates an optical fibre Fabry–Pérot interferometer to record the displacement of the membrane when it is pressed on to different tissue samples. The membrane sensor was tested on a silicon elastomer prostate model with enlarged and stiffer material on one side to simulate early stage prostate cancer. The interferometer measurement was found to have high dynamic range and accuracy, with a minimum displacement resolution of ±0.4μm over a 721μm measurement range. The dynamic response of the membrane sensor when applied to different tissue types changed depending on the stiffness of the tissue being measured. This demonstrates the feasibility of an optically tracked dynamic palpation technique for classifying tissue type based on the dynamic response of the sensor/actuator

Moderating effect of Organizational Factors on the relationship between Diversification Strategies and Competitiveness: Case of Sugar Firms in Kenya

This study sought to analyze the effect of organizational factors on the relationship between diversification strategies and competitiveness sugar firms in Kenya. The main objective was to establish the effect of organizational factors on the relationship between diversification strategies and competitiveness of sugar firms in Kenya. The specific objectives were to: establish the effect of age of the firm on the relationship between diversification strategies and competitiveness sugar firms in Kenya, to establish the effect of size of the firm on the relationship between diversification strategies and competitiveness sugar firms in Kenya and finally to find out the effect of management structure on the relationship between diversification strategies and competitiveness sugar firms in Kenya. The study adopted descriptive correlational survey design and this being a census study; all the sugar firms in the Kenya were studied. Using a questionnaire, primary data was collected from the production and marketing managers as key informants of each of the sugar firms. The production  and marketing managers of every sugar firm were selected to take part in the study as they are perceived to be knowledgeable on the issues under study and for which they are either responsible for their execution or they personally execute them. The questionnaire was pre-tested on a pilot respondent who are not part of the study respondents but knowledgeable in the study aspects in order to ensure their validity and relevance.  Secondary data was extracted from annual reports, publications and documentary analysis was also used to gather background information by reviewing literatures relevant to the study.   Reviews of the measures used to measure the study variables were also used to construct the questionnaire to ensure face and construct validity. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to measure the reliability of the scale, which was used to assess the interval consistency among the research instrument items. To determine the effect of organizational factors on the relationship between diversification strategies and competitiveness, the researcher used Karl Pearson’s first order partial coefficient (rxy.z). Organizational factors had no overall moderating role on the relationship between diversification strategies and competitiveness in that they had an overall significance value greater than the set p-value of 0.05 (Overall significance = 0.069). However, on individual significance, the degree of moderation varies from one organizational factor to another. The findings of this study are of great benefit to practitioners, academicians in the area of knowledge development, farmers and other stakeholders in the sugar industry.Key Words: Moderating factors, Diversification strategies, Competitiveness, Sugar Firms in Kenya