Poverty Alleviation and Job Creation: Integrating Social Investment Funds with Corporate Social Responsibility as Possible Solutions

“In West Michigan today, more families are struggling to put food on their tables and lacking basic necessities than any time in the past 15 years.” So wrote Sharon Parks in The Grand Rapids Press (September 13, 2008: Growing poverty in Michigan needs emergency response). The U.S. Census Bureau reports that the rate of poverty jumped 14%, one in five live in poverty, and the unemployment rate jumped to 8.5%. Apparently Michigan joined the rest of the world where two billion people live on one dollar a day, except we are in a relatively better position. Incidence and magnitude of poverty have spread over the past fifteen years. High unemployment rates increased to levels not seen since the Great Depression. Inflation is soaring and the number of foreclosures has multiplied. The U.S. is not alone in suffering from these ailments. We are sharing what many developing countries have been suffering for decades. There are some policies these countries adopted that Michigan and the rest of the U.S. can apply at state, county, or city levels. We can draw some parallels with the intention of showing how to implement a selective set of measures that proved to be effective in meeting the challenges

Moderating effect of gender and age on the relationship between emotional intelligence with social and academic adjustment among first year university students

This study examined whether emotional intelligence is significantly correlated with social adjustment and academic adjustment. It also explored the moderating effects of gender and age factors and their linked between emotional intelligence and social adjustment as well as academic adjustment among first year university students. 289 first year university students (148 males and 141 females) at the Irbid Govern Orate, North of Jordan, participate in the study and were categorized based on two age groups, younger students between the age of 18 – 25 and older students between the range of 26 and above. Two valid and reliable instruments were used to assess student’s emotional intelligence, social adjustment and academic adjustment. Correlation and multi-group analysis using structural equation model were used to analyse these data. The result shows no significant relationship between emotional intelligence and of both social adjustment and academic adjustment. In addition, the moderating effect of gender was not found. However, the moderating effect of age on the relationship between emotional intelligence with social adjustment and academic adjustment were established

Computer applications in psychiatry: Role in patient care, education, research and communication

In recent years, computer use has pervaded almost every aspect of the practice of medicine. Although computers have been in use in psychiatry since the early 1950s, it was the last decade that has witnessed the greatest growth. While computers cannot replace the careful attention and compassion of human contact, they can perform standardized operations much faster and more accurately. The current interest in computer use is associated with two phenomena: one is the availability of home, office, and portable computers; and the other is the exponential growth in the information that has to be processed in order to deliver optimal care. Computers have advanced patient care through improvements in documentation, evaluation, and treatment modalities (e.g., virtual reality). They have advanced education by providing convenient access to academic resources, adding decision support modules to electronic records, and by introducing educational software. Research was promoted through the use of sophisticated statistical tools, the convenience of access to clinical databases, and through the introduction of new evaluation and treatment modalities. Communication on intranets and on the Internet has significantly improved all aspects of psychiatric practice. Specific topics that require further development and clarification include: electronic records, confidentiality in electronic networks, the role of telepsychiatry and virtual reality in psychiatric treatment and rehabilitation

Draft and Fuel Requirements Measurement Using Tractor On-Board Data Acquisition System

The implement draw bar power requirement or draft is an important factor to determine tractor and machinery selection in machinery management. The implement draft is used to determine the fuel consumed for an operation. The tractor on-board data acquisition system was developed to ease in field data collection using the established equations from the ASAE standards

Behavior of biodegradable oil under impulse voltages

The properties of Palm Oil (PO) and Coconut Oil (CO) offer the potential for transformers with non-toxicity, high fire and flash points and better environmental compatibility while compared with those filled with Mineral Oil (MO). This potential has led to intensive studies of electrical performance of biodegradable oil especially in evaluating the electrical performance under lightning impulse voltage in recent years. This paper presents the investigation on the impulse breakdown voltage of PO and CO in such a uniform field. The PO used in this study is Refined, Bleached and Deodorized Palm Oil (RBDPO) Olein type. Two testing methods, rising-voltage and up-and-down are considered for both oils with different gap distances (2.0 mm and 3.8 mm). Testing methods including rising-voltage method and up-and-down method have no notable influence on the breakdown voltages of RBDPOs and CO compared to MO.IntroductionThe majority of transformers in the power system network are oil filled type. The main functions of the oil used in a transformer are to act as electrical insulation, cooling medium and information carrier. Up to now, the main oil insulation used in a transformer is Mineral Oil (MO) since it is proven to be successfully applied in practice for many years. Natural and synthetic esters are considered as the alternative for conventional MO due to the high fire safety and environmental friendliness. Extensive studies were conducted looking into the chemical, physical and electrical properties of natural and synthetic esters [1-3]. Another possible alternative for ester based oils are Palm Oil (PO) and Coconut Oil (CO). PO is derived from palm kernel which can be further separated to produce Crude Palm Oil (CPO) and Crude Palm Kernel Oil (CPKO) [4-5]. Further processing of CPO can produced Refined, Bleaching and Deodorized Palm Oil (RBDPO). The most common PO considered for transformers application is RBDPO. On the other hand, CO is extracted from kernel of matured coconut palm. The CO can be further processed to produce a neutralized, bleached and deodorized CO and is currently the type of oil investigated for the transformers’ application [6]. Transformer in service shall be exposed to voltages in excess of the normal operating voltage, such as transient overvoltage due to lightning impulse or switching impulse. Therefore the increasing interests among researchers press for comprehensive investigations on electrical performance of these liquids especially under impulse voltage [7]. This paper presents breakdown strengths of biodegradable oils (RBDPOs and CO) and MO in a uniform sphere-sphere electrode under impulse voltages. The influences of voltage polarities (positive and negative) and testing methods (rising-voltage and up-and-down) on the breakdown behavior are investigated