Human capital dynamics of regional growth in Nigeria: dynamic panel data approach

This paper investigates the human capital factors that contribute to the growth of the Nigerian regional growth rates. In particular, it is to determine whether the leading role of human capital factors in other economies could explain the regional growth processes dynamics in Nigeria. If these factors are not applicable, other possible explanations are to be identified for the country’s regional economic growth dynamics profile. Nigerian regional cross sectional data of financial, physical and human capital accumulation were utilized to run a growth accounting regression captured by an aggregate production function. The study uses panel data (cross sectional and time series data) from 1998 to 2008 and employed three (3) panel data models to estimate the dynamics and contribution of human capital factors. The results showed that the initial human capital stock has an influence on the GDP per capita growth rate. Similarly, the Southern regions that had a head start in school attendance have higher thresholds or secondary schools are significant; higher levels of schooling (secondary school) have significant impact on the GDP per capita growth rate. On the other hand, the Northern regions have lower technical frontier; as only the primary school have significant impact on the GDP per capita growth. However the federal financial allocation from the federation accounts was found to be significant across all regions with the exception of the South-South regions, and positive investment in physical assets of education. Thus it implies that regional differences should be taken into account when planning developmental processes

Combating H1N1: metaphors of war in a Malaysian newspaper

In April 2009, reports of a new strain of a deadly flu virus emerged in Mexico. The scarcity of information available on this new threat can be observed clearly in the language used in the news reports. This study investigates the use of conceptual metaphors of the Influenza A (H1N1) pandemic in the newspaper and how these metaphors helped to construct the notion of a pandemic in the media. Metaphors of illness and disease are a prominent tool in the discourse of disease in the news. The conceptual metaphor theory by Lakoff and Johnson (1980) was utilized as a framework in this study to investigate the coverage of the pandemic in the newspaper. The data was extracted from a corpus of news reports from The New Straits Times Malaysia from April 2009 to August 31, 2009 when the disease was at its peak. The results of the study yielded various metaphorical linguistic expression of war and construction of the pandemic in the news. Metaphors of war were found to be prominent, and it had a rhetorical function in helping to structure and control the situation. By highlighting certain aspects of war, the concept of disease was given a form and structure and thus, made it more tangible and controllable

Getting physical with the market: a study of metaphors in the business times

This study investigates the metaphorical linguistic manifestations of the conceptual metaphor, market movements are physical movements, using Charteris-Black and Ennis’s (2001) notion of conceptual metaphors. Following a corpus linguistic approach for data collection purposes, it analysed 50 unique Business Times articles randomly identified from a total of 292 articles. An expert within the business context provided expertise in the interpretation of specific types of data derived from the corpus. The findings show that the metaphorical linguistic expressions generally concretise the abstract concept of the economy and market movements and mainly comprise of verbs and nouns. This paper illustrates some of the examples of the relevant metaphorical expressions and discusses how the domain of physical movements helps to structure the domain of market movements. The findings of this study, however, can only be generalised to the samples involved in this study

Bayesian model-based approach for developing a river water quality index

Six main pollutants have been previously identified by expert opinion to determine river condition in Malaysia. The pollutants were Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Suspended Solid (SS), potential of Hydrogen (pH) and Ammonia (AN). The selected variables together with the respective weights have been applied to calculate the water quality index of all rivers in Malaysia. However, the relative weights established in DOE-WQI formula are subjective in nature and not unanimously agreed upon, as indicated by different weight being proposed for the same variables by various panels of experts. Focusing on the Langat River, a Bayesian model-based approach was introduced for the first time in this study to obtain new objective relative weights. The new weights used in WQI calculation are shown to be capable of capturing similar distributions in water quality compared with the existing DOE-WQI

Robust principal component analysis in water quality index development

Some statistical procedures already available in literature are employed in developing the water quality index, WQI. The nature of complexity and interdependency that occur in physical and chemical processes of water could be easier explained if statistical approaches were applied to water quality indexing. The most popular statistical method used in developing WQI is the principal component analysis (PCA). In literature, the WQI development based on the classical PCA mostly used water quality data that have been transformed and normalized. Outliers may be considered in or eliminated from the analysis. However, the classical mean and sample covariance matrix used in classical PCA methodology is not reliable if the outliers exist in the data. Since the presence of outliers may affect the computation of the principal component, robust principal component analysis, RPCA should be used. Focusing in Langat River, the RPCA-WQI was introduced for the first time in this study to re-calculate the DOE-WQI. Results show that the RPCA-WQI is capable to capture similar distribution in the existing DOE-WQI

New relative importance of water quality variables in Langat River

The relative importance of s ix water quality variables was considered in a Water Quality Index (WQI) calculation by the Malaysian Department of Environment (DOE). This comprised: Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biochemical Ox ygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Suspended Solid (SS), potential of Hydrogen (pH) and Ammonia (AN). The relative importance established in the formula was based on expert opinions, very subjective in nature , and do not consider the interrel ationships among the variables. The relationships of the variables are important due to the nature of multidimensionality and complex characteristics found in river water. In the study, water quality indices were clustered into three natural groupings iden tified by high-pollution sources (HPS), moderate-pollution sources and low-pollution sources. The prior information of natural groupings based on cluster analysis, CA , was then used in discriminant analysis, DA . This obtained the related linear combinations of the six main variables in WQI formula, i.e. discriminant functions that best separate the three identified groups. Apart from that, the summary index based on the interrelationships among the variables from DA indicates the difference in ranking of the relative impor tance for each variable compared to the classical approaches used in WQI-DOE. We firmly believe that the results obtained can be used as a guide to investigate other influential available variables in the water quality of Langat River

Kesan faktor kepuasan dan kesetiaan terhadap produktiviti pekerja

Tenaga kerja merupakan faktor penyumbang kepada produktiviti organisasi dan seterusnya menjadi penentu kepada kelangsungan kejayaan dan kemajuan sesebuah negara. Justeru keprihatinan pihak pengurusan organisasi dalam memenuhi kebajikan dan keperluan pekerja diharap dapat meningkatkan tahap kepuasan mereka terhadap pekerjaan yang dilakukan. Kajian ini dijalankan untuk mengenal pasti faktor-faktor kepuasan pekerja yang mempengaruhi kesetiaan dan produktiviti pekerja serta menentukan kesan kesetiaan terhadap produktiviti mengikut organisasi sama ada kerajaan atau swasta. Seramai 270 responden di Selangor terlibat dalam kajian ini dengan 137 responden terdiri daripada kakitangan kerajaan dan 133 responden dalam kalangan kakitangan swasta. Hasil kajian mendapati hubungan antara pekerja mempengaruhi produktiviti pekerja bagi kedua-dua kategori pekerja yang dikaji. Keputusan ini dapat dilihat menerusi analisis model dalaman menggunakan Permodelan Persamaan Struktur-Kuasa Dua Terkecil Separa (PLS-SEM). Selain itu, kesetiaan juga jelas mempengaruhi produktiviti pekerja. Hasil ujian perbandingan min menunjukkan wujud perbezaan signifikan tahap kepuasan pekerja swasta dan kerajaan bagi faktor gaji, hubungan antara pekerja, peluang kenaikan pangkat, peluang meningkatkan kemahiran dan penyeliaan serta min tahap persetujuan kesetiaan responden terhadap organisasi terbabit

Limited genetic diversity and high differentiation among the remnant adder ( Viperaberus ) populations in the Swiss and French Jura Mountains

Although the adder (Viperaberus) has a large distribution area, this species is particularly threatened in Western Europe due to high habitat fragmentation and human persecution. We developed 13 new microsatellite markers in order to evaluate population structure and genetic diversity in the Swiss and French Jura Mountains, where the species is limited to only a few scattered populations. We found that V.berus exhibits a considerable genetic differentiation among populations (global FST=0.269), even if these are not geographically isolated. Moreover, the genetic diversity within populations in the Jura Mountains and in the less perturbed Swiss Alps is significantly lower than in other French populations, possibly due to post-glacial recolonisation processes. Finally, in order to minimize losses of genetic diversities within isolated populations, suggestions for the conservation of this species in fragmented habitats are propose

Immigration in the United States 2016 presidential debates: a functional analysis

This paper describes an analysis of the three U.S. 2016 presidential debates published in The New York Times using Benoit’s (2007a) functional theory. The three presidential debates in the U.S., which occur every four years, remain as the most sensitive political rhetoric that lead to the election of the next U.S. President. These debates include discussion of different issues between the two presidential candidates. One of these issues is immigration. The U.S. presidential debates have been researched by many on various aspects but there has not been a study that focus primarily on the issue of immigration in the three 2016 U.S. presidential debates. All statements regarding this issue between the two presidential candidates, Trump and Clinton, were extracted from these debates and analyzed using Benoit’s (2007a) functional theory. Findings revealed that attack statements occurred more than acclaims, and defences were less used than acclaims. The statements included in these debates pertained to policy (30%) and character (70%). As expected, general goals were employed more often using acclaim function rather than attack and defend. However, ideals were employed more often using defence than to acclaim and attack. Due to different contexts, situations, and participants, Benoit’s (2007a) functional theory may not be generalized for all debates. This study reveals certain inconsistencies regarding some of the hypotheses of Benoit’s (2007a) functional theory in relation to our knowledge of the presidential debates, specifically the issue of immigration