1,252,708 research outputs found
Use of plants in healthcare: a traditional ethno-medicinal practice in rural areas of southeastern Bangladesh
This is an electronic version of an article published in International Journal of Biodiversity Science & Management, Volume 5, Issue 1 March 2009 , pages 41 - 51 . International Journal of Biodiversity Science & Management is available online at http://www.informaworld.com/openurl?genre=journal&issn=1745-1590This study considered traditional ethno-medicinal practices of rural people of Feni district, Bangladesh, focusing on their utilization of medicinal plants and associated indigenous knowledge. Ninety households were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Plant resources are used to treat 26 different ailments ranging from simple cuts to diabetes. In total, 46 medicinal plants are as used, of which a third are trees. Homesteads are the primary source and few medicinal plants are cultivated. Aboveground plant parts are most used, particularly leaves. The diverse patterns of use of different medicinal plant parts shows the considerable indigenous knowledge of rural people and is generally widely available.ArticleInternational Journal of Biodiversity Science & Management. 5(1):41-51 (2009)journal articl
Pack Factor Measurements for Corn in Grain Storage Bins
Shelled yellow corn is commonly stored in concrete or corrugated steel bins. Granular materials compact under their own weight, primarily due to particle rearrangement, leading to an increase in bulk density and a change in volume when stored. Reliable grain pack factors are needed to estimate storage capacities and to accurately monitor grain inventories. A science-based model (WPACKING) of pack factors is available that uses the differential form of Janssen’s equation and takes into account the variation in density caused by pressure variation with height and moisture content of the grain and accounts for the effects of grain type, test weight, bin geometry, and bin material. However, this model needs to be compared to field data over a wide range of conditions to ensure robust prediction accuracy. The objective of this research was to determine the field pack factors and bin capacities for on-farm and commercial bins used to store corn in the U.S. and compare them to predictions of the WPACKING program. Bin inventory measurements were conducted in concrete bins with depths up to 31.4 m (114.8 ft) and corrugated steel bins with diameters up to 32.8 m (156Â ft). These values were also compared to the techniques used by the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) and the USDA Farm Service Agency, Warehouse Branch (FSA-W). The differences between predicted and reported mass were -4.54% (maximum underprediction) to +4.53% (maximum overprediction) for WPACKING, -2.69% to 4.97% for the RMA method, and -3.33% to + 5.67% for the FSA-W method. The absolute average difference was lowest for the WPACKING model (0.90%) compared to the RMA and FSA-W methods (1.61% and 1.86%, respectively). WPACKING had less than half as many prediction differences above 1% (13 out of 51 bins) as did the RMA and FSA-W methods, which had 29 out of 51 and 33 out of 51, respectively. The RMA and FSA-W methods do not take into account the variations in pack factor due to bin type and moisture content of the stored grain
Assessing partnership alternatives in an IT network employing analytical methods
One of the main critical success factors for the companies is their ability to build and maintain an effective collaborative network. This is more critical in the IT industry where the development of sustainable competitive advantage requires an integration of various resources, platforms, and capabilities provided by various actors. Employing such a collaborative network will dramatically change the operations management and promote flexibility and agility. Despite its importance, there is a lack of an analytical tool on collaborative network building process. In this paper, we propose an optimization model employing AHP and multiobjective programming for collaborative network building process based on two interorganizational relationships’ theories, namely, (i) transaction cost theory and (ii) resource-based view, which are representative of short-term and long-term considerations. The five different methods were employed to solve the formulation and their performances were compared. The model is implemented in an IT company who was in process of developing a large-scale enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. The results show that the collaborative network formed through this selection process was more efficient in terms of cost, time, and development speed. The framework offers novel theoretical underpinning and analytical solutions and can be used as an effective tool in selecting network alternatives
A Model for Managing Crime Scene Examiners
Police forces in the UK employ specially trained Crime Scene Examiners (CSEs) to provide forensic science support to the investigation of crime. Previous research (Bradbury and Feist 2005; Williams 2004) has shown wide variations in the management, deployment, and performance of this staff group and, as such, there is a need to develop performance indicators as a measure of effectiveness. This paper looks at the performance and management of CSEs in Durham Constabulary and discusses a model which focuses on the quality of the work of CSEs rather than the quantity of scenes visited, fingermarks lifted or DNA samples collected. Durham Constabulary focus on three main areas of performance to manage their crime scene examiners: level of activity, quality of materials collected, and the conversion of forensic materials into intelligence matches. In this paper we explore a model of performance management which demonstrates how activity measures and review processes can be implemented and utilised to provide insight into the effectiveness of forensic science. Performance management data collected from 24 CSEs over a one-year period (January to December 2011) is used to discuss the role of forensic performance measures in a scientific support unit, reflecting on the strengths and weaknesses of the measures collected
An exploration of the effect of organisational demography on board size and leadership structure: Evidence from the Greek manufacturing sector
This study examines how organisational demography (organizational age, organisational size and number of years listed in the Athens Stock Exchange, ATHEX), may impact the board structure (board size, CEO duality and CEO dependence/ independence). The relationships are proposed, under the light of data collected from the annual reports of all 140 manufacturing organisations quoted in the Athens Stock Exchange. Research findings revealed a significantly positive relationship of organisational size, organisational age and number of years that a firm is listed in the Stock Exchange with board size. However, these organisational characteristics do not influence the leadership structure or dependency/independency of the Chairperson to the CEO. While many studies examining the impact of board characteristics on various organisational outputs, including performance, reputation and effectiveness, there are limited studies investigating variables that affect board characteristics and as such the study opens discussion on potential predictors of board.Peer reviewe
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Impact of Irrigation Strategies on Tomato Root Distribution and Rhizosphere Processes in an Organic System.
Root exploitation of soil heterogeneity and microbially mediated rhizosphere nutrient transformations play critical roles in plant resource uptake. However, how these processes change under water-saving irrigation technologies remains unclear, especially for organic systems where crops rely on soil ecological processes for plant nutrition and productivity. We conducted a field experiment and examined how water-saving subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) and concentrated organic fertilizer application altered root traits and rhizosphere processes compared to traditional furrow irrigation (FI) in an organic tomato system. We measured root distribution and morphology, the activities of C-, N-, and P-cycling enzymes in the rhizosphere, the abundance of rhizosphere microbial N-cycling genes, and root mycorrhizal colonization rate under two irrigation strategies. Tomato plants produced shorter and finer root systems with higher densities of roots around the drip line, lower activities of soil C-degrading enzymes, and shifts in the abundance of microbial N-cycling genes and mycorrhizal colonization rates in the rhizosphere of SDI plants compared to FI. SDI led to 66.4% higher irrigation water productivity than FI, but it also led to excessive vegetative growth and 28.3% lower tomato yield than FI. Our results suggest that roots and root-microbe interactions have a high potential for coordinated adaptation to water and nutrient spatial patterns to facilitate resource uptake under SDI. However, mismatches between plant needs and resource availability remain, highlighting the importance of assessing temporal dynamics of root-soil-microbe interactions to maximize their resource-mining potential for innovative irrigation systems
Interoperability, Trust Based Information Sharing Protocol and Security: Digital Government Key Issues
Improved interoperability between public and private organizations is of key
significance to make digital government newest triumphant. Digital Government
interoperability, information sharing protocol and security are measured the
key issue for achieving a refined stage of digital government. Flawless
interoperability is essential to share the information between diverse and
merely dispersed organisations in several network environments by using
computer based tools. Digital government must ensure security for its
information systems, including computers and networks for providing better
service to the citizens. Governments around the world are increasingly
revolving to information sharing and integration for solving problems in
programs and policy areas. Evils of global worry such as syndrome discovery and
manage, terror campaign, immigration and border control, prohibited drug
trafficking, and more demand information sharing, harmonization and cooperation
amid government agencies within a country and across national borders. A number
of daunting challenges survive to the progress of an efficient information
sharing protocol. A secure and trusted information-sharing protocol is required
to enable users to interact and share information easily and perfectly across
many diverse networks and databases globally.Comment: 20 page
Bibliometric studies on single journals: a review
This paper covers a total of 82 bibliometric studies on single journals (62 studies cover unique titles) published between 1998 and 2008 grouped into the following fields; Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (12 items); Medical and Health Sciences (19 items); Sciences and Technology (30 items) and Library and Information Sciences (21 items). Under each field the studies are described in accordance to their geographical location in the following order, United Kingdom, United States and Americana, Europe, Asia (India, Africa and Malaysia). For each study, elements described are (a) the journal’s publication characteristics and indexation information; (b) the objectives; (c) the sampling and bibliometric measures used; and (d) the results observed. A list of journal titles studied is appended. The results show that (a)bibliometric studies cover journals in various fields; (b) there are several revisits of some journals which are considered important; (c) Asian and African contributions is high (41.4 of total studies; 43.5 covering unique titles), United States (30.4 of total; 31.0 on unique titles), Europe (18.2 of total and 14.5 on unique titles) and the United Kingdom (10 of total and 11 on unique titles); (d) a high number of bibliometrists are Indians and as such coverage of Indian journals is high (28 of total studies; 30.6 of unique titles); and (e) the quality of the journals and their importance either nationally or internationally are inferred from their indexation status
New product development in an emerging economy: analysing the role of supplier involvement practices by using Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo technique
The research question is whether the positive relationship found between supplier involvement practices and new product development performances in developed economies also holds in emerging economies. The role of supplier involvement practices in new product development performance is yet to be substantially investigated in the emerging economies (other than China). This premise was examined by distributing a survey instrument (Jayaram’s (2008) published survey instrument that has been utilised in developed economies) to Malaysian manufacturing companies. To gauge the relationship between the supplier involvement practices and new product development (NPD) project performance of 146 companies, structural equation modelling was adopted. Our findings prove that supplier involvement practices have a significant positive impact on NPD project performance in an emerging economy with respect to quality objectives, design objectives, cost objectives, and “time-to-market” objectives. Further analysis using the Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm, yielding a more credible and feasible differentiation, confirmed these results (even in the case of an emerging economy) and indicated that these practices have a 28% impact on variance of NPD project performance. This considerable effect implies that supplier involvement is a must have, although further research is needed to identify the contingencies for its practices
Evaluation of artificial reforestation efforts in the ribbon forest zone of Altai Krai
The ribbon forest zone of Altai Krai is located in the Kulunda Steppe and on the Priobskoye Plateau. The climate of this region is characterized by extreme aridity. Due to the harsh climate and the importance of the ribbon forests for the environmental sustainability of the region, artificial reforestation is an integral part of the regional forest management. Forest stands of artificial origin currently occupy a large area within the ribbon forest zone, as evidenced by forest inventory data. However, due to the fact that surveys are not conducted simultaneously on the whole territory of Altai Krai, and that they miss some of the forest management units, forest inventory data do not provide an up-to-date assessment of artificial reforestation efforts. Our project attempted to update the existing data of forest resource assessments and evaluate the results of artificial reforestation efforts in the ribbon forest zone of Altai Krai. This article presents data on the distribution of the artificially reforested area by predominant species and type of growing conditions, and the distribution of the growing stock of the artificially established stands by age and type of forest growing conditions. © 2019 IOP Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved
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