Abstract: This paper is concerned with the ways in which
Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs) affect women’s lives
and perceptions regarding their infertility, contraception and
reproductive health. The paper is based on a qualitative feminist
survey study to explore and analyze issues arising from the use of
ARTs by women in New Delhi, the capital of India. A rapid growth in
the number of fertility clinics has been noticed recently. A critical
analysis of interviews revealed that these technologies are used and
developed for making profits at the cost of women’s lives. In this
way, these technologies are influencing and changing the traditional
patterns of motherhood requiring a rethinking about new ways of
reproduction introduced through the use of ARTs.
Abstract: Millions of girls are forcibly married during the
transitional period between puberty and adulthood. At a stage of
vulnerability cultural practices, religious rights and social standards
place her in a position where she is catapult into womanhood. An
advocate against forced child marriage could argue that child rights,
cultural rights, religious rights, right to marry, right to life, right to
health, right to education, right to be free from slavery, right to be
free from torture, right to consent to marriage are all violated by the
practice of child marriage. The author is this advocate and this paper
will present how some of these rights are violated and establish the
need for change.
Abstract: This paper discusses the thematic structure of Yoruba
popular music of Southwest Nigeria. It examines the use of themes
and variations in early and contemporary Juju music. The work is an
outcome of a research developed by the author in his doctoral studies
at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, with the aim of analyzing the
thematic and motivic developments in Yoruba popular genres.
Observations, interviews, live recordings and CDs were used as
methods for eliciting information. Field recordings and CDs of
selected musical samples were also transcribed and notated. The
research established the prevalent use of string of themes by Juju
musicians as a compositional technique in moving from one musical
section to another, as they communicate the verbal messages in their
song. These themes consist of the popular ‘call and response’ form
found in most African music, analogous to the western ‘subject and
answer’ style of the fugue or sonata form, although without the tonic–
dominant relations. Due to the short and repetitive form of African
melodies and rhythms, a theme is restated as a variation, where its
rhythmic and melodic motifs are stylistically developed and repeated,
but still retaining its recognizable core musical structure. The
findings of this study showed that Juju musicians generally often
employ a thematic plan where new themes are used to arrange the
songs into sections, and each theme is developed into variations in
order to further expand the music, eliminate monotony, and create
musical aesthetics, serving as hallmark of its musical identity. The
study established the musical and extra-musical attributes of the
genre, while recommending further research towards analyzing the
various compositional techniques employed in African popular
genres.
Abstract: The paper is focused on the application of the security
audit method on the selected objects of the critical infrastructure. The
emphasis is put on security audit method to find gaps in the critical
infrastructure security. The theoretical part describes objects of the
critical infrastructure. The practical part describes using of the
security audit method. The main emphasis was put on the protection
of the critical infrastructure in the Czech Republic.
Abstract: Effective internal control system in the bursary unit of
tertiary educational institutions is geared toward achieving quality
teaching, learning and research environment and as well assist the
management of the institutions, particularly when decisions are to be
made. While internal control system exists in all institutions, the
outlined objectives above are far from being achieved. The paper
therefore assesses the effectiveness of internal control system in
tertiary educational institutions in Nasarawa State, Nigeria with
specific focus on the Nasarawa State Polytechnic, Lafia. The study is
survey, hence a simple closed ended questionnaire was developed
and administered to a sample of twenty seven (27) member staff from
the Bursary and the Internal audit unit of the Nasarawa State
Polytechnic, Lafia so as to obtain data for analysis purposes and to
test the study hypothesis. Responses from the questionnaire were
analysed using a simple percentage and chi square. Findings shows
that the right people are not assigned to the right job in the
department, budget, and management accounting were never used in
the institution’s operations and checking of subordinate by their
superior officers is not regular. This renders the current internal
control structure of the Polytechnic as ineffective and weak. The
paper therefore recommends that: transparency should be seen as
significant, as the institution work toward meeting its objectives, it
therefore means that the right staff be assigned the right job and
regular checking of the subordinates by their superiors be ensued.
Abstract: Sub-Saharan Africa is described as the second fastest
growing in mobile phone penetration in the world more than in the
United States or the European Union. Mobile phones have been used
to provide a lot of opportunities to improve people’s lives in the
region such as in banking, marketing, entertainment, and paying for
various bills such as water, TV, and electricity. However, the
potential of mobile phones to enhance teaching and learning has not
been explored. This study presents an experience of developing and
delivering SMS based quiz questions used to assess mastery of
subject content knowledge of science and mathematics secondary
school teachers in Tanzania. The SMS quizzes were used as a follow
up support mechanism to 500 teachers who participated in a project
to upgrade subject content knowledge of teachers in science and
mathematics subjects in Tanzania. Quizzes of 10-15 questions were
sent to teachers each week for 8 weeks and the results were analyzed
using SPSS. Results show that teachers who participated in chemistry
and biology subjects have better performance compared to those who
participated in mathematics and physics subjects. Teachers reported
some challenges that led to poor performance, This research has
several practical implications for those who are implementing or
planning to use mobile phones in teaching and learning especially in
rural secondary schools in sub-Saharan Africa.
Abstract: In Algeria, the most impressive and most known
prehistoric art is the painted or engraved rock art which is present
with abundance in several regions. The existence of rock art in Great
Kabylia region has been known for over sixty years. The main purpose of this research is to show the dangers facing
these rock paintings and engravings and what are the arrangements
for their protection and recovery. As every vestige destroyed is a part of the world's memory which
disappears, some steps have to be taken in order to protect these
historical and archaeological heritages.
Abstract: Experience is what makes a man perfect. Though we
tend to learn many a different things in life through practice still we
need to go an extra mile to gain experience which would be profitable
only when it is integrated with regular practice. A clear phenomenal
idea is that every teacher is a learner. The centralized idea of this paper would focus on the integrated
practices carried out among the students of Jizan University which
enhances learning through experiences. Integrated practices like
student-directed activities, balanced curriculum, phonological based
activities and use of consistent language would enlarge the vision and
mission of students to earn experience through learning. Students
who receive explicit instruction and guidance could practice the skills
and strategies through student-directed activities such as peer tutoring
and cooperative learning. The second effective practice is to use
consistent language. Consistent language provides students a model
for talking about the new concepts which also enables them to
communicate without hindrances. Phonological awareness is an
important early reading skill for all students. Students generally have
phonemic awareness in their home language can often transfer that
knowledge to a second language. And also a balanced curriculum
requires instruction in all the elements of reading. Reading is the
most effective skill when both basic and higher-order skills are
included on a daily basis. Computer based reading and listening skills
will empower students to understand language in a better way.
English language learners can benefit from sound reading instruction
even before they are fully proficient in English as long as the
instruction is comprehensible. Thus, if students have to be well
equipped in learning they should foreground themselves in various
integrated practices through multifarious experience for which
teachers are moderators and trainers. This type of learning prepares
the students for a constantly changing society which helps them to
meet the competitive world around them for better employability
fulfilling the vision and mission of the institution.
Abstract: The liberalisation of the education industry has
exposed the institute of higher learning (IHL) in Malaysia to the
financial challenges. Without good financial standing, public
institution will rely on the government funding. Ostensibly, this
contradicts with the government’s aspiration to make universities
self-sufficient. With stiff competition from private institutes of higher
learning, IHL need to be prepared at the forefront level. The
corporate identity itself is the entrance to the world of higher learning
and it is in this uniqueness, it will be able to distinguish itself from
competitors. This paper examined the perception of the stakeholders
at one of the public universities in the east coast region in Malaysia
on the perceived reputation and how the university communicate its
preparedness for self-sustainability through corporate identity. The
findings indicated while the stakeholders embraced the challenges in
facing the stiff competition and struggling market conditions, most of
them felt the university should put more efforts in mobilising the
corporate identity to its constituencies.
Abstract: At a global level, water stewardship, water stress and
water security are crucial factors in tourism planning and
development considerations. Challenges associated with water is of
particular concern to the Maldives as there is limited availability of
freshwater, high dependency on desalinated water, and high unit cost
associated with desalinating water. While the Maldives is promoted
as an example of sustainable tourism, a key sustainability challenge
facing tourism dependent communities is the efficient use and
management of available water resources. A water crisis event in the
capital island of Maldives highlighted how precarious water related
issues are in this tourism dependent destination. Applying
netnography, the focus of this working paper is to present community
perceptions of how government policies addressed Malé Water and
Sewerage Company (MWSC) water crisis event.
Abstract: This qualitative case study seeks to understand and
explain the deployment of radio frequency identification (RFID)
systems in two countries (i.e., in Taiwan for the adoption of electric
scooters and in Finland for supporting glass bottle recycling) using
the “Technology-Organization-Environment” theoretical framework.
This study also seeks to highlight the relevance and importance of
pursuing environmental sustainability in firms and in society in
general due to the social urgency of the issues involved.
Abstract: Intermediate cities which also called medium size
cities have an important role in the process of globalization. It is
argued that, in some cases this type of cities may be depopulated or in
otherwise may be transformed as the periphery of metropolitans, so
that the personal identity of the city and its local cultural heritage
could suffer from its neighbor metropolitan. Over the last decades,
the role of tourism in the development process and the cultural
heritage has increased. The impact of tourism on socioeconomic
growth makes motivation for the study of tourism development in
regional and urban planning process. There are evidences that
tourism has a positive impact in local development and makes
economic motivations for cultural heritage protection. In this study,
by considering the role of tourism in local development, especially by
its economic and socio-cultural impacts, it is tried to introduce a
strategy for tourism development through a method of urban planning
for intermediate cities called as Base plan. Damavand is an
intermediate city located in Tehran province, Iran with a high
potential in tourism by its local specific characteristic like social
structure, antiquities and natural attractions. It’s selected as a suitable
case study for intended strategy which is a combination of urban
planning and tourism development methods. Focusing on recognition
of the historical and cultural heritage of Damavand, in this paper
through “base plan methodology” a strategy of urban planning
toward tourism development is prepared in order to make tourism
development as a support for cultural heritage of this city.
Abstract: Botanical gardens are very significant organizations
which protect the environment against the increasing environmental
problems, provide environmental education for people, offer
recreation possibilities, etc. This article describes botanical gardens
and their functions. The most important function of botanical garden
is to provide environmental education for people and improve
environmental awareness. Considering this function, some botanical
gardens were examined and opinions were suggested about the
subject.
Abstract: Unemployment among the youth is a significant
problem in South Africa. Large corporations and the public sector
simply cannot create enough jobs. Too many youths in South Africa
currently do not consider entrepreneurship as an option in order to
become independent. Unlike the youth of the Netherlands, South
African youth prefer to find employment in the public or private
sector. The Netherlands has a much lower unemployment rate than
South Africa and the Dutch are generally very entrepreneurial. From
early on, entrepreneurship is considered a desirable career option in
the Netherlands. The purpose of this study was to determine whether
there is a difference in the perceptions of some Dutch and South
African students in terms of unemployment and entrepreneurship.
Questionnaires were distributed to students at the North West
University's Vaal Triangle campus in Vanderbijlpark in Gauteng,
South Africa and the Technical University of Delft in the
Netherlands. A descriptive statistical analysis approach was followed
and the means for the independent questions were calculated. The
results demonstrate that the Dutch students are not as concerned
about unemployment after completion of their studies as this is not as
significant a problem as it is in South Africa. Both groups had
positive responses towards the posed questions, but the South African
group felt more strongly about the issues. Both groups of students felt
that there was a need for more practical entrepreneurship training.
The South African education system should focus on practical
entrepreneurship training from a young age.
Abstract: Globally, many women are still disadvantaged when it
comes to business opportunities. Entrepreneurship development
programs, specifically designed to assist women entrepreneurs, are
assisting in solving this problem to a certain extent. The purpose of
this study is to identify the factors that motivate females to start their
own business. Females, from three different groups (2013, 2014 and
2015), who were all enrolled in a short learning program specifically
designed for women in early start-up stage or intending to start a
business, were asked what motivated them to start a business. The
results indicated that, from all three groups, the majority of the
women wanted to start a business to be independent and have
freedom and to add towards a social goal. The results further
indicated that in general, women would enter into entrepreneurship
activity due to pull factors rather than push factors.
Abstract: In order to be competitive, companies have to reduce
their production costs while meeting increasing quality requirements.
Therefore, companies try to plan their assembly processes as detailed
as possible. However, increasing product individualization leading to
a higher number of variants, smaller batch sizes and shorter product
life cycles raise the question to what extent the effort of detailed
planning is still justified. An important approach in this field of
research is the concept of determining the economic planning depth
for assembly process planning based on production specific
influencing factors. In this paper first solution hypotheses as well as a
first draft of the resulting method will be presented.
Abstract: The education sector is constantly faced with rapid
changes in technologies in terms of ensuring that the curriculum is up
to date and in terms of making sure that students are aware of these
technological changes. This challenge can be seen as the motivation
for this study, which is to examine the factors affecting computing
students’ awareness of the latest Information Technologies (ICTs).
The aim of this study is divided into two sub-objectives which are:
the selection of relevant theories and the design of a conceptual
model to support it as well as the empirical testing of the designed
model. The first objective is achieved by a review of existing
literature on technology adoption theories and models. The second
objective is achieved using a survey of computing students in the four
universities of the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. Data
collected from this survey is analyzed using Statistical package for
the Social Science (SPSS) using descriptive statistics, ANOVA and
Pearson correlations. The main hypothesis of this study is that there is
a relationship between the demographics and the prior conditions of
the computing students and their awareness of general ICT trends and
of Digital Switch Over (DSO) a new technology which involves the
change from analog to digital television broadcasting in order to
achieve improved spectrum efficiency. The prior conditions of the
computing students that were considered in this study are students’
perceived exposure to career guidance and students’ perceived
curriculum currency. The results of this study confirm that gender,
ethnicity, and high school computing course affect students’
perceived curriculum currency while high school location affects
students’ awareness of DSO. The results of this study also confirm
that there is a relationship between students prior conditions and their
awareness of general ICT trends and DSO in particular.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the
enhancement of a hydroelectric plant protection by coordinating
protection measures / existing security and introducing new measures
under a risk management process. In addition, plan identifies key
critical elements of a hydroelectric plant, from its level vulnerabilities
and threats it is subjected to in order to achieve the necessary
protection measures to reduce the level of risk.
Abstract: Paper deals with the modeling and simulation of energy consumption and GHG production of two different modes of regional passenger transport – road and railway. These two transport modes use the same type of fuel – diesel. Modeling and simulation of the energy consumption in transport is often used due to calculation satisfactory accuracy and cost efficiency. Paper deals with the calculation based on EN standards and information collected from technical information from vehicle producers and characteristics of tracks. Calculation included maximal theoretical capacity of bus and train and real passenger’s measurement from operation. Final energy consumption and GHG production is calculated by using software simulation. In evaluation of the simulation is used system “well to wheel”.
Abstract: The paper is focused to the evaluation railway tracks
in the Slovakia by using Multi-Criteria method. Evaluation of railway
tracks has important impacts for the assessment of investment in
technical equipment. Evaluation of railway tracks also has an
important impact for the allocation of marshalling yards. Marshalling
yards are in transport model as centers for the operation assigned
catchment area. This model is one of the effective ways to meet the
development strategy of the European Community's railways. By
applying this model in practice, a transport company can guarantee a
higher quality of service and then expect an increase in performance.
The model is also applicable to other rail networks. This model
supplements a theoretical problem of train formation problem of new
ways of looking at evaluation of factors affecting the organization of
wagon flows.