Abstract: In this paper, we propose a non-monotone adaptive trust region algorithm based on conic model for solving unconstrained optimization problems. Unlike the traditional non-monotone trust-region method, our proposed algorithm avoids resolving the sub-problem whenever a trial step is rejected. Instead, it performs a non-monotone Armijo-type line search in direction of the rejected trial step to construct a new point. The algorithm can be regarded as a combination of non-monotone, line search and conic trust region method. Theoretical analysis indicates that the new approach preserves the global convergence to the first-order critical points under classical assumptions.

Abstract: Education is nationally and internationally recognized as one of the most important ways and means for promoting economic development. Here arises a question on what type of education to be imparted for the national development in terms of primary, secondary and tertiary education. Knowledge-based challenge within a globalized economy is accelerating a fresh consideration of the role of higher education in economic development and its expansion. In the past, it was seen that the higher education was very much costly and at the same time, it was really inefficient public service which could only benefit the wealthy and privileged class. Importance of education has now been realized to be successful in the field of economic development. A short look upon some recent research findings indicates that higher education is a determinant of increasing income. Additionally, the higher education may create awareness about how to increase tax revenue, boosts savings and investment, improve a nation’s health, contribute to reducing the rate of population growth and enhance the adoption of technology in order to strengthen the governance. Colleges and Universities have an important role to play in regional and national economic development efforts through producing quality graduates. Undoubtedly, the higher education and economic development complement to each other. To gain national economic development, colleges and universities must be the key partners throughout the development process of the country.

Abstract: The term colonialism although oriental in origin but upon deeper reflection it would be discovered that it has profound hermeneutic connotation. This may afford a researcher the opportunity of delving into the vast ocean of Qur’anic dictum with a view to obtaining the divine notion of this phenomenon. The Qur’an has declared that nothing has been neglected in the Qur’an and that mankind is being bestowed with only a very meagre amount of knowledge. Obviously, all knowledge resides with Allah Al-Mighty Who according to Qur’anic attestation is the One who encompasses everything in knowledge. He Al-Mighty has exquisitely depicted this matter in an abstract but remote sense. In the Qur’anic account the Al-Mighty wishes to inform His servants through the words of “Bilqees” the highest princes of Sheba who was having an altercation with the chiefs of her formidable army, she admitted that the convention of the earthly kings was that when they come across a thriving nation they would devastate it, suppress and trample upon the noble folk of that community, and then appoint the plebeians as leaders thereby creating a perennial consternation in that society. This is their grand scheme so that they would be reaping the benefit of disharmony, hence this would create a fertile ground for them to maintain that community as their colony, even though what is propagated to the world is that colonialism has for long been abolished.

Abstract: The organization of social services for the older adults needs a strong leadership and great societal responsibility. One can readily see both of them while looking the building of our civilization throughout the history. In particular, we see how Sultan Abdülhamid II provided social services to older adults in this area without delay even in the falling period of the Ottoman Empire. For instance, he showed how we were not behind the West in this field by building the Darülaceze Institution which is still active in 1895. That is why the leadership of Sultan Abdülhamid II is an important area to study the organization of social services. In this study, the parameters of leadership of Sultan Abdülhamid II are going to be examined in addition to looking how his gracious sensibility was developed historically. We all know he is a leader in realizing a vision, solving aging issue, having supernatural merits/skills and ability of critical-analytical thinking. For instance, the building of Darülaceze Institution’s model is a result of all of them. That is because he was able to show himself as a mission man by making all his subjects build a consensus on his vision.

Abstract: Serum concentrations of total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL) have been shown to increase appreciably during pregnancy to meet maternal and fetal metabolic demands. However, this may expose the body to dangers of atherosclerotic plaques. The current study was a transversal study of 99 healthy pregnant women attending the Parirenyatwa Antenatal Clinic and Labour Ward in Zimbabwe and 24 age-matched, healthy, non-pregnant women as controls. Serum samples were collected for estimation of lipids: TC, LDL and HDL were measured and TC/HDL ratio was calculated. According to this Zimbabwean study, normal pregnant women were found to have significant increase in TC, LDL and HDL when compared with normal non-pregnant control group (P<0.001). TC/HDL changed with age of gestation but remained within the normal range. The study concludes that normal pregnancy does not predispose pregnant women to atherogenic lipid profiles most likely due to corresponding increase in HDL that appreciatively lowered TC/HDL ratio during gestation in our setting.

Abstract: Regular blood donation has been reported to lower coronary heart disease risk by improving lipid profiles in past studies. Traditionally, lipid profile estimation assesses an individual’s risk of developing coronary heart disease. This study sought to determine coronary heart disease risk profiles in blood donors, using lipids and to compare risk profiles of first time donors and active donors. Eighty-eight participants were enrolled into the study, 37 (42%) were regular blood donors. Regular blood donors were generally older than first time donors and there was significant difference in LDL levels between the two groups. Differences in both mean age and mean LDL levels of regular blood donors and first time donors could increase risk of coronary heart disease in regular blood donors. Surprisingly, this study was in contrast to earlier studies which reported a decrease in coronary heart disease risk in blood donors and this requires further inquiry.

Abstract: This paper highlights the pragmabehavioral errors in English used by Kimeru L1 secondary school students. The study proceeded on the premise that pragmatic competence of Kimeru L1 learners of L2 English was previously unknown prior to this study because of lack of in-depth research in this area. Using a descriptive research design and a sample of ninety respondents the researchers isolated errors in apology as well as request and permission making and documented the seriousness of these errors. The main objectives of the study were to examine pragmabehavioral errors, their effects and causes and possible areas of intervention. The study was guided mainly by Murcia’s [1] Model of pragmatic competence. The sample was drawn from three selected CDF secondary schools in Meru Central Sub-county, Meru County. The main instruments of data collection were: a discourse completion test, a classroom debate, observation schedule, and a teacher questionnaire. Results indicate that kinesics, proxemics and voice modulation errors are grave among the subjects. These results are hoped to immensely benefit second language pedagogy, education policy makers, teachers and learners of English.

Abstract: The objective of this paper is to discuss the types of ethnic stereotypes and their role in fuelling ethnic conflicts at Langas estate in Eldoret Township. Ethnographically inspired qualitative research design was adopted for the study. The Relevance theory propagated by Daniel Sperber and Deidre Wilson (1986/95) was used in this study. The following research instruments: structured and semi-structured questionnaires, open-ended questionnaires, oral face-to-face interviews and observation schedules were used for data generation. There was a purposive sample of five clusters of ethnic group concentrations from which a random sample of twenty respondents, four from each group were chosen from a diverse population of the majority and minority communities living at Langas estate in Eldoret Township. The population is estimated to be one hundred and five thousand, one hundred and twenty five (105, 125) people – comprising the Kalenjin, Kikuyu, Luhya, Luo and Kisii communities. Each cohort of respondents was be randomly drawn from the local secondary schools, churches, local leadership, hospitals, administration, Jua Kali industry, hawkers, idlers and public transport. This study’s findings showed that there are three main types of stereotypes by one community against another community in Eldoret Township, namely; tribal, gender and cultural stereotypes. It is hoped that the results of this study will benefit; researchers in applied linguistics, social psychologists, political scientists, policy makers and the public.

Abstract: The present study describes the ten attested signs of the Cretan Protolinear script which render disyllabic phonetic values, unlike the monosyllabic ones of the Consonant-Vowel type, which is the common phonetic pattern for the rest of the signs. The Cretan Protolinear script has been proposed as the script that all the Aegean scripts of Bronze Age evolved from. The linguistic affinity of these disyllabic signs to the Sumerian language is demonstrated, in terms of lexicographic reference, phonetic correspondence and pictographic resemblance. In addition, the description of these signs’ phonetic features is accompanied by valuable cultural information, wherever available.

Abstract: Necrotizing fasciitis infection (NFE) is a disease characterized by the rapid spread of necrosis of soft tissues and fascias and can be mortal if not properly treated. Predisposing factors include immunosuppressive factors such as diabetes mellitus, alcoholism, liver cirrhosis, hypertension, chronic renal failure and malignancy. Necrotizing fasciitis is rarely localized in the head and neck region. In this study; we presented a case of necrotizing fasciitis in neck region, which we had followed in our clinic with predisposing factors of diabetes and chronic renal failure.

Abstract: Haematological malignancies represent approximately 7% of all malignant diseases. Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is an aggressive and fatal disease. AML treatment basically remained unimproved in the last 20 years, and depends upon induction of cytotoxic chemotherapy. An average less than 30% of AML patients survive for long-term. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are currently being investigated for an ever-expanding number of clinical indications based on their tissue-regenerative, immunomodulatory, and anti-inflammatory effects.The aim of the present work is to detect the effect of human umbilical cord blood-derivedmesenchymal stem cells (HUCB-MSCs) on the expression of the leukaemic inhibitory factor gene (LIF) and on interleukin-10 (IL-10) in AML-patients.The MSCs were separated from HUCB, and co-cultured with samples collected from peripheral blood (PB) of AML-insulted adults prior to chemotherapy. The expression of LIFgene and the IL-10levelwere measured using the real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) techniques, respectively before and after the co-culture in order to evaluate the immunomodulatory effect of the MSCs. The present study revealed that the group of AML cells co-cultured with HUCB-MSCsshowed a significant increase in the expression level of LIF gene compared with the untreated group. The group of AML cells co-cultured with MSCs showed a significant decrease in the IL-10 concentration compared to that of the untreated group.Our data demonstrated thatco-culture of AML with MSCs represents a simple approach to inhibit leukaemic cells in vitro.

Abstract: In the present paper, we introduce the notion of generalized (σ, τ)-i-nderivation in near-ring N and investigate a property involving generalized (σ, τ)-i-n-derivation of a prime near-ring N, which forces N to be a commutative ring. Additive commutativity of a prime near-ring N satisfying certain identities involving generalized (σ, τ)-i-n-derivation has also been obtained.

Abstract: Tax non-compliance reduces tax collection and the tax performance within a country. The Kenyan government has implemented various strategies to bring businesses in the informal sector into the tax bracket. However, available data shows that tax collections from the informal sector are above average but on a declining trend. The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of tax compliance in the informal sector in Nyeri Town. Specifically the study aimed to assess how tax rates, attitudes towards government spending, complexity of tax returns and tax enforcement strategies influence tax compliance. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design and targeted 715 informal businesses in Nyeri Town. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select 143 informal businesses to participate. Researcher-administered questionnaires were used to collect data from the respondents. Descriptive methods such as frequency distribution, percentages, mean, were used to summarize and organize data. Chi-square tests and correlation analysis were employed to establish relationships between study variables. Findings were presented using tables of frequencies and percentages. Majority (66%) agreed that there was too much corruption in the government. Attitudes towards government spending (p=0.001) had a significant relationship with tax compliance at 95% confidence level. The study concluded that, attitudes towards government spending, is important predictor of tax compliance in the informal sector. It was recommended that the government should seek to end corruption in all sectors to enhance tax compliance.

Abstract: Tax non-compliance reduces tax collection and the tax performance within a country. The Kenyan government has implemented various strategies to bring businesses in the informal sector into the tax bracket. However, available data shows that tax collections from the informal sector are above average but on a declining trend. The purpose of this study was to identify the influence of complexity of tax returns on tax compliance in the informal sector in Nyeri Town. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design and targeted 715 informal businesses in Nyeri Town. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select 143 informal businesses to participate. Researcher-administered questionnaires were used to collect data from the respondents. Descriptive methods such as frequency distribution, percentages, mean, were used to summarize and organize data. Chi-square tests and correlation analysis were employed to establish relationships between study variables. Findings were presented using tables of frequencies and percentages, Majority (71%) of the participants indicated that they could not calculate their tax returns on their own. The study found that complexity of tax returns had a significant relationship (p=0.001) with tax compliance at 95% confidence level. The researcher therefore concludes that there is a significant relationship between complexity of tax returns and tax compliance It was recommended that the government should commit monies to eservice delivery to enhance tax compliance.

Abstract: Tax non-compliance reduces tax collection and the tax performance within a country. The Kenyan government has implemented various strategies to bring businesses in the informal sector into the tax bracket though available data shows declines in the collected taxes. The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of tax compliance in the informal sector in Nyeri Town. Specifically the study aimed to assess how tax rates, attitudes towards government spending, complexity of tax returns and tax enforcement strategies influence tax compliance. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design and targeted 715 informal businesses in Nyeri Town. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select 143 informal businesses to participate. Researcher-administered questionnaires were used to collect data from the respondents. Descriptive statistics entailing frequency distribution, percentages, mean, were used to summarize and organize data. Inferential statistics entailing Chi-square tests and correlation analysis were employed to establish relationships between study variables. Findings were presented using tables of frequencies and percentages. A significant number (83%) indicated that they’d be more willing to pay taxes if the tax enforcement strategies were improved. The study found that tax enforcement strategies had no significant relationship (p=0.068) with tax compliance at 95% confidence level The study also found that tax enforcement strategies had a weak positive correlation (r=0.364) with tax compliance. The study concluded although to a small extent, tax enforcement strategies predicted tax compliance in the informal sector. It was recommended that the tax enforcement strategies could be improved by bringing the services closer to their businesses, to enhance tax compliance.

Abstract: Today, the tremendous possibilities that arise with scientific advancements in medicine, biotechnology, and affiliated sciences are distinct and clear. And so are the abuses, negative implications, and ethical dilemmas that arise with such revolutionary technology. As a civilized global society, it is our responsibility to ensure that such achievements may not be marred by the negligent actions of a few. The potential of gene modification technology is very exciting indeed, but we need to advance with caution for the sake of the safety of our global community. The aim of this article is to highlight the current practices and experimentations being conducted in the field of genetic engineering, the laws or the lack of laws pertaining to genetic engineering, the ethical concerns that arise from dwelling into such experiments and the Islamic perspective on this issue. It is concluded that the status quo restricts scientists from conducting unauthorised experiments based on a voluntary moratorium. There should be well defined boundaries that do not create unethical issues while at the same time promote research in this field which has the potential to cure diseases and improve the well-being of humankind.

Abstract: The study sought to investigate the influence of knowledge management systems on performance of small and medium enterprises. The study was anchored on systems theory. Descriptive cross sectional research design was adopted. Owners and employees of small and medium enterprises in Nanyuki town were targeted. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select a sample of 115 respondents. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and regression analysis was used to establish the relationships between the variables. The findings were presented in tables and figures. The findings showed that knowledge management systems were lowly adopted by SMEs especially for feedback and decision support systems. Knowledge management systems (p=0.11) was not found to be statistically significant. It was concluded that majority of managers and employees did not have awareness of these systems. Failure to adopt these systems therefore remains the gap in the performance of SMEs. The study recommended that SME owners and employees should be sensitized about knowledge systems to enable them adopt the same and enhance performance.