Local Governments as Training Ground for National Political Leadership in Nigeria: A Study of Yewa South Local Government

The study examines the role of local governments as a training ground for national political leadership in Nigeria expending Yewa South Local Government as a study. Survey research design was adopted in conducting this research and relies on primary and secondary sources for data collection. The population for this study consists of employees of Yewa South Local Government council. The primary data came from the one hundred and six (106) questionnaires that were administered to the respondents. The research showed that local governments serve as a training ground for national political leadership in Nigeria expending Yewa South Local Government as a research. This was further supported when out of 102 respondents sampled, 40% of the respondents strongly agreed that indigenous government functions as guidance in lieu of national political leadership. The aforementioned was also discovered that local governments have significantly facilitated national political leadership in Nigeria. The paper concludes by saying that ifthe qualities of governance defies in Nigeria are to be transcended, Nigerian frontrunners must eschew self-regarding inclinations and stimulate the conjoint good of the Nigerian people through people oriented governance. The paper therefore recommends that concerted exertions must be geared in the direction of certifying that they are audacious and determined leaders, fortified to tackle these challenges: reviving local governance; guaranteeing resilient democratic culpability; constructing civil society; creating hard-hitting choices amid compressions; decentralizing power to indigenous people; endorsing equality; and undertaking disparity.

Mentoring Guides for U.S. College Faculty and Administrators in Culturally Diverse Settings

The purpose of this paper is to provide answers to the following research questions: Is effective mentoring a function of culture, learning or hereditary, birth/ nature? Or are people born with certain traits that make them more effective or better mentors than others or is it based on learning or socialization/ nurture?; Is cross gender or cross-racial more effective than mentoring based on demographic similarities characteristics? Are there some types or techniques or practices of mentoring that are more appropriate or more suitable to some demographic groups or populations – women, blacks and other racial minorities etc. than others? This paper defines mentoring, discusses competing schools/ theories of mentorship, as well as typologies of mentoring approaches. The paper concludes that multiple/ group mentoring approach is indicative of the new trend in the business; and that while each mentoring technique or model supplements or complements the other, multiple mentoring styles or systems tend to present the best possible path to achieving efficiency and effectiveness. Finally, it recommends appropriate mentoring strategies and techniques to improve mentoring that include programs that take into account demographic similarities between mentors and protégés, gender and race-based norms, stereotypes and discrimination, as well as cultural diversity.

Educational Significance and Enlightenment of In-depth Reading Activities in University Library Under New Media Environment

We introduce specifically various forms of reading activities carried out by university libraries using many characteristics of new media, and discuss the promotion effect of new media on deep reading through two feasibility cases of reading activities. We expound the educational significance of promoting deep reading in university library under the new media environment. At the same time, it puts forward the urgent problems and methods to make full use of new media in the deep reading activities of university libraries. It is pointed out that only by improving college students’ information literacy, innovating ideas and realizing the close combination of new media and reading promotion can university libraries advance with The Times and lead readers to realize in-depth reading. The application and promotion of this method have educational significance, and can promote the social progress.

Future Society: Science, Religion and Parapsychology

Face the COVID-19 and various disasters, we consider future. First, we discuss scientific future and future society, and should take responsibility for pursuing truth, goodness and beauty. Next, based on the modern sciences, we research the seven possible mathematical and physical models on “soul”, which is future after death. Third, the main religions believe in the afterlife, so we discuss the Buddhist outlook on life, especially, we research epistemology, methodology and other philosophical thought in The Sutra of Hui Neng . These will help to overcome world crises. We may welcome a bright future.

The Origin of Eight Trigrams: Explaining the Mechanism of Soil Response to Temperature Change

The Eight Trigrams has held a high position in the Eastern culture, but its origin of has been a mystery for thousands of years, thus it has not yet entered the scientific system. This research reveals the possible origin of the Eight Trigrams and the purpose of drawing the hexagrams. Research has shown that due to changes in the solar radiation there exist annual and diurnal soil temperature variable zones (STVZs). The heat conducts and interactions between the double-layer also form two different statuses of warming and cooling. In this paper the hydrometeorological factors such as temperature, relative humidity, absolute humidity and earth-air pressure were monitored or calculated in the STVZs. If the anural/diurnal STVZ is divided into three levels, and we associate soil cooling processes (Yin) with “--” and warming processes (Yang) with “—”. It is not hard to find that the distribution of soil status in soil profile at different times and locations clearly reflects the soil response to temperature change and reveals movement mechanism of earth-air and water. Furthermore, this model can be seen to be the source of the Eight Trigrams in the Yi-jing. The double-layer structure of the soil constitutes the foundation of the double trigrams. The Yin and Yang processes both form the primary driving force for phreatic water moves upward. Fu Xi invented the method of hou-qi, in which the monitoring of earth-air pressure in the closed system and applying Yin-Yang to draw Eight Trigrams and analysis of spatiotemporal status changes in the soil, which was then used to enact a calendar used as a guide to time for farming usage. The Yin-Yang and Eight Trigrams perfectly explain the response of earth-air to solar terms and mechanisms of water vertical cycle on daily/yearly timescales.

Treating Depression Using Ketamine

Unipolar major depressive disorder affects a significant number of individuals across the globe placing at the top of the list as the leading cause of disability, related to damaging ramifications on the well-being affected persons and the societies. The current standard antidepressants targeting monoamine systems take long in starting a response. Therefore, there is a need in depression patients that is yet to be satisfied efficacious and swiftly acting antidepressant like those containing ketamine agent. This paper attempts to proof why ketamine should be used to treat depression. It compares it with other agents like nitrous oxide and it evident that ketamine is much faster and more effective than current antidepressants.

Self-Compassion, Mindful Eating, Eating Attitudes and Wellbeing

Background: Mindful eating behaviour and self-compassion have been individually shown to contribute to healthy eating. Evidence suggests that they may interact and that interaction may increase our understanding of eating behaviour. Aims: The aim of the current study was to explore the relationship between mindful eating, self-compassion, healthy / unhealthy weight, eating disorder and wellbeing in a sample of university students Methods: An online survey using questionnaire data collection in a sample of 349 students (105 males and 244 females). Variables measured included body mass index (BMI), mindful eating, eating attitudes, self-compassion and mental wellbeing. Results: Regression and path analysis show mindful eating and self-compassion to individually and interaction predict eating attitudes and wellbeing. BMI was shown to have a curvilinear relationship with mindful eating, self-compassion and wellbeing with both the underweight and obese reporting lower self-compassion, less mindful eating, lower wellbeing and more likely to exhibit disordered eating. Conclusions: These results indicate that self-compassion and mindful eating behaviour might be usefully targeted in interventions to prevent both obesity and eating disorder.

Cross-National Variation in the Predictors of Wellbeing: Life Domains and Positive Personality Traits

Background: Previous research has demonstrated cross-national variation in domain-life satisfaction relationships, with neither health, family, social life, personal safety, financial situation, home life or job satisfaction being universal predictors of wellbeing. The largest limitation of this previous research was a lack of appropriate control variables. Past research has shown that personality traits are powerful predictors of wellbeing, with three particularly important constructs being self-esteem, optimism and self-efficacy. Aims: The present study examined whether after controlling for positive personality traits, domain-life satisfaction relationships would vary cross-nationally and whether a direct cross-national comparison of domain-life satisfaction would reveal significant differences. It was predicted that the cross-national differences would be smaller than those found using more countries with greater cross-cultural differences. Methods: These hypotheses were tested using an online survey with samples from the USA and India, recruited using Mechanical Turk. Results: Both hypotheses were supported in that there was cross-national variation in domain-life satisfaction relationships, even after controlling for positive personality traits. In the Indian sample, health, financial and job satisfaction predicted life satisfaction. Amongst Americans, family, social life, financial situation and home satisfaction predicted it. Direct comparison revealed significant differences in the predictive power of home and job satisfaction, supporting the second hypothesis. As expected, the differences noted in this study were smaller than those revealed through our analysis of the World Values Scale and Eurobarometer. Conclusions: Domain life satisfaction relationships vary cross-nationally, even when personality traits are controlled.

Exploring the Influence of E-Learning Systems on Information Overload and Social Media Addiction During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Objective: This paper investigates the association of information overload and social media addiction with academic attainment among a sample of college students in Kuwait as they switched from face-to-face to e-learning systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. The closure of universities and colleges made this a mandatory transition. Educators posit information overload (IO) would increase due to the ease of creating, sharing, and duplicating information through social media platforms. Method: This cross-sectional study surveyed a sample of 230 college students who participated by answering the information overload scale and Bergen social media addiction scale. Results: Data were analysed using SPSS; Correlations, t-tests, and linear regression were conducted. The findings showed an increase in information overload during e-Learning. Perceived course stress and social media addiction were significantly associated with levels of information overload. However, academic attainment was not significantly correlated nor predicated by information overload and social media addiction during e-learning. Conclusion: Information overload scores were shown to have increased during e-learning when compared to the results of a previous study. The negative consequences of information overload on students’ academic wellbeing were observed. However, more research is required on this population to devise ways to assist students to deal with information overload during the ongoing pandemic.

Workplace Flexibility in the Post Covid-19 Era: Teleworking, the New Normal

The evolving nature of work, workforce and environment is the driving force behind the need for more innovative and effective work arrangements in all facets of the economy. Making the work environment more flexible provides workers with what they need to manage both their lives and their jobs which leads to higher productivity. Before the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, workplace flexibility had garnered much attention, fundamentally as a workplace incentive for attracting and retaining talent. Presently, the Covid-19 pandemic has altered flexibility from a mere desirable perquisite to a very influential corporate practice that is expected to endure well after the pandemic. As the number of coronavirus cases increase and more employers commit to the physical-distancing practices that health officials say will help slow the rapid spread of Covid-19, by closure of schools, offices etc. workplace flexibility has become a real-time global innovation. Firms have been made to introduce telework (also known as telecommuting or working from “home”), a form of workplace flexibility on a large scale. Teleworking is the process of working from home with the use of internet, e-mail and telephone or any workable electronic gadget. It is the belief of many scholars and authors that with the aid of digitalization and technological innovation, teleworking has laid to rest some concerns such as there being so few jobs that can be done from home and the fear of lack of control over people. This paper sought to find out the extent the above assertions are true. It equally sought to appraise the effects of teleworking on organizational performance, challenges organizations face as a result of imbibing teleworking. A multi-level teleworking framework, rooted on Socio-technical systems (STS) theory, which looks into the part played by personnel, technical as well as organizational factors and their interplay in telework execution and outcome was used as the theoretical framework of this paper. In-depth library research anchored on analytical discussion was adopted as the methodology for this investigation. The review were analysed in line with the objectives of the study. Finally the investigation made recommendations on the efficacy of teleworking as a trend that can be taken as a new normal without exemption.