A model of spirituality for ageing Muslims

Spirituality’s influence on general well-being and its association with healthy ageing has been studied extensively. However, a different perspective has to be brought in when dealing with spirituality issues of ageing Muslims. Central to this perspective is the intertwining of religion and spirituality in Islam. This article will contribute to the understanding of the nature of Islamic spirituality and its immense importance in the life of a practicing ageing Muslim. Consequently, it will help care providers to include appropriate spiritual care in the care repertoire of a Muslim care recipient. It is assumed that the framework for a model of spirituality based on Islamic religious beliefs would help contextualise the relationship between spirituality and ageing Muslims. Not only challenges, but also the opportunities that old age provides for charting the spiritual journey have underpinned this model

Finite key size analysis of two-way quantum cryptography

Quantum cryptographic protocols solve the longstanding problem of distributing a shared secret string to two distant users by typically making use of one-way quantum channel. However, alternative protocols exploiting two-way quantum channel have been proposed for the same goal and with potential advantages. Here we overview a security proof for two-way quantum key distribution protocols, against the most general eavesdropping attack, that utilize an entropic uncertainty relation. Then, by resorting to the `smooth' version of involved entropies, we extend such a proof to the case of finite key size. The results will be compared to those available for one-way protocols showing some advantages

Closing the generational start-up gap

The promotion of youth entrepreneurship and self-employment has been identified as an important strand of policies to reduce youth unemployment. This report is designed to re-visit the rationale lying behind policies designed to increase youth entrepreneurship and to provide some recommendations for future action

A multiprocess quality model: identification of of key processes in the integration approach

In this paper we investigate the use of multiprocess quality model in the adoption of process improvement frameworks. We analyze an improvement effort based on multiple process quality models adoption. At present, there is a possibility of a software development organization to adopt multi-quality and improvement models in order to remain competitive in the IT market place. Various quality models emerge to satisfy different improvement objective such as to improve capability of models, quality management and serve as IT government purpose. The heterogeneity characteristics of the models require further research on dealing with multiple process models at a time. We discuss on the concept of software process and overview on software maintenance and evolution which are important elements in the quality models. The concepts related to process quality model and improvement models are discussed. The research outlined in this paper shows that software processes, maintenance, evolution, quality and improvement have become really important in software engineering. The synergy among the multi-focused process quality model is examined with respect to process improvement. The research outcome is to determine key processes vital to the implementation of multi-process quality model

Ethno-diversity and bio-diversity: Methods and measurement

Biology and Anthropology/Sociology have dealt with issues of diversity for a long time, developing different concepts, theories and methods. In recent years there has been, if not a convergence, but at least a recognition that problems in nature and in society are interrelated. This paper attempts to use concepts and methods of biodiversity research and test their applicability for a study of ethnic relations. It is noted that the preservation of biodiversity ranks high on the agenda of researchers and politicians, whereas ethnic diversity is often associated with unrest, conflict and economic decline. We try to reverse this tendency by emphasizing social cohesion and the social and economic value of ethnic diversity. An “ethnic diversity index” is proposed and used in the analysis of Malaysia’s plural society. This index is based on Simpson’s diversity index, commonly used in biodiversity research. Further research on the interrelation of bio- and ethnic diversity is advocated

THE ELASTIC RELAXATION DURING TABLETTING

The process of pharmaceutical tabletting involves the application of stress onto the powdered drug ingredients contained within a rigid die. This compaction process will cause the powder to densify and form a tablet, which is then ejected from the die cavity. In reality, the tablet will incur some elastic strains during the compaction process and the tablet dimensional changes resulted due to the elastic relaxation of the tablet in the subsequent processing stages undermine the final tablet mechanical integrity. The ejection stage, where the tablet is extruded from the die, has not been studied extensively and is an important stage where any tabletting defects are immediately visible. It is then the purpose of this Thesis to experimentally elucidate the behaviour of the tablet elastic relaxation and its influence on the tablet mechanical integrity during the ejection, the final stage of the compaction process. The Thesis starts with highlighting the existence of the tablet elastic relaxation during the ejection stage that has been successfully studied on-line by the novel use of accurate laser sensors to record the tablet dimensional changes, with particular emphasis on the interrelationship of the tablet elastic relaxation with the observed ejection force and the tabletting defects of the Paracetamol tablet. The use of a lubricated die has also been shown to reduce the tablet elastic relaxation and the tabletting defects of the Paracetamol tablets. In terms of the time-dependent nature of the elastic relaxation, subtle time-dependent elastic relaxation behaviour has been observed and eludicated for the chosen time-dependent Starch material. A brief, but detailed and comprehensive material comparison consisting Aspirin, microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel) and Paracetamol is presented in terms of the elastic relaxation during the ejection stage. The observed tablet elastic relaxation is then interrelated with the tablet strength, which is determined by an indirect tensile test (Brazilian) and a direct tensile test. Finally, the presence of a localized elastic relaxation occurring at the interface of an Avicel bilayered tablet has been shown to undermine the strength of the bilayered tablet, where the extent of the interface weaknesses is clearly dependent upon the behaviour of the localized elastic relaxation. In conclusion, the Thesis has successfully demonstrated and elucidated the tablet elastic relaxation behaviour during the ejection stage and the consequences on the final tablet mechanical integrity

Critical success factors for software projects: a comparative study

Although there have been studies completed on the critical success factors of software projects, these studies all have been specific to one particular country. There has been no comprehensive study reporting on different project sizes in various domains and in multiple countries. We present our extensive literature survey of critical success factors that impact software projects. Forty-three articles from the years 1990 to 2010 were found to be significant contributions that could be analysed in order to develop a list of critical factors that specifically affect the success of software projects. The method of content analysis and frequency analysis was adopted. Twenty-six critical success factors were found to be related to software project success. We suggest that organisation or project manager is attentive to control the top five critical factors to drive towards project success since the percentage of frequency of occurrences for each is more than 50%. Also, it appears that non-technical factors (94%) dominated over technical factors (6%). In a result unique to our study compared with previous one, we found that the factors of clear and frozen requirements, realistic estimation of the schedule and budget, along with a competent project manager are the five most critical success factors of software projects