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

Comments on the properties and uses of atmospheric dispersion datasets

Great recent improvements in the quality and quantity of atmospheric dispersion datasets have highlighted the crucial importance of concentration fluctuations. However, this has inevitably been accompanied by the realisation that estimating the properties of concentration fluctuations accurately involves new, difficult, but interesting, research problems. Some of these problems are discussed and illustrated. The paper concludes with some recommendations about how research funding agencies (such as governments, regulatory authorities and industry) should change their present strategy in response to new knowledge

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

The nutritional care of people living with dementia at home: A scoping review.

There are an increasing number of people with dementia living in their own home for longer, often supported by a family member. The symptoms of dementia can affect an individual's nutritional status, which can lead to a reduced quality of life for the person with dementia and their family members. A scoping review was conducted from July 2016 until September 2016, using a recognised framework, to explore what is currently known, and identify any gaps in the research regarding the nutritional care of people living with dementia at home. This included any interventions that may have been trialled or implemented, and the views of those living with dementia, carers and clinicians. Six electronic databases were searched from inception to July 2016. A review team was involved in screening and data extraction for selected articles. Published qualitative and quantitative studies were included that explored the nutritional care of people living with dementia at home. Methods included data extraction and conventional content analysis. Stakeholders were involved in the development of final categories. Following screening, 61 studies reported in 63 articles were included. Most studies were cross-sectional (n = 24), cohort (n = 15) or qualitative (n = 9). Only three were randomised controlled trials. Three overarching categories represented the results: Timely identification of nutritional risk and subsequent regular monitoring of nutritional status, multi-component tailored interventions and the influence of the care-giving dyad on nutritional status. Many studies identify people living at home with dementia as a vulnerable group prone to malnutrition; however, a lack of interventions exists to address the increased risk. There is a lack of research exploring the role of home care providers and healthcare professionals in the provision of nutritional care. Further research is required to explore how the emotional aspect of the care-giving dyad influences nutritional care

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 37 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