On Fuzzy Sp

A new class of generalized fuzzy open sets in fuzzy topological space, called fuzzy sp-open sets, are introduced, and their properties are studied and the relationship between this new concept and other weaker forms of fuzzy open sets we discussed. Moreover, we introduce the fuzzy sp-continuous (resp., fuzzy sp-open) mapping and other stronger forms of sp-continuous (resp., fuzzy sp-open) mapping and establish their various characteristic properties. Finally, we study the relationships between all these mappings and other weaker forms of fuzzy continuous mapping and introduce fuzzy sp-connected. Counter examples are given to show the noncoincidence of these sets and mappings

The Impact of Government Expenditure on the Palestinian Economy: A CGE Analysis

An important question in growth theory is whether government expenditure promotes economic growth. However the empirical evidence is inconclusive. This paper investigates the impact of increasing government expenditure by 25% from the base line on the aggregate Palestinian economy variables. A simulation of increasing government expenditure is carried out using a 2015 Palestinian Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) and Computable General Equilibrium (CGE). We simulate   the impact of a 25% increase in government expenditure, which could come about due to the Palestinian reconciliation agreement that has ended a decade old political divide between the West Bank and Gaza Strip.  The simulation results illustrate that real GDP increases by 4.73%.  The real private consumption declined by 2.60%.  Import and export are increased by 3.09% and 10.53% in real term respectively.  Net taxes increase by 1.23%, as a percentage of GDP the trade deficit declines by 2.00 percentages. Real exchange rate appreciated by 12.9 % from the base line.  In addition absorption increases by 3.12 % in real terms. Keywords: government expenditure, Social Accounting Matrix, Computable General Equilibrium, Palestine. JEL Classification: E62, H50, C23 C68, D58, E62, F15, H62, I3

Blood lead levels during pregnancy and pregnancy outcome in Karachi women

objective: To evaluate association of blood lead levels with pregnancy outcome in the obstetrics and gynaecology unit.Methods: Blood lead levels were measured in 73 pregnant women at the time of delivery and assessed its association with pregnancyoutcome.Results: Mean maternal lead level was 9.91+/-4.44 mg/dL (range 2.28-36.35 mg/dL). Mothers of boys had significantly higher (p=0.013, one-tailed t test) blood lead levels (11.05+/-5.19) when compared to mothers of girls (8.74+/-3.18 mg/dL.Conclusion: Maternal lead levels at the time of delivery showed no association with gestational age, birth weight, recumbent length, or head circumference

A MULTI-DIMENSIONAL APPROACH IN DEVELOPING A FRAMEWORK FOR INTERNAL QUALITY ASSURANCE OF SECOND CYCLE ENGINEERING PROGRAMMES

The rapid growth of engineering education requires the propermaintenance of academic quality in educational institutions in order towithstand competition in the global market. External accreditation andinternal quality assurance are two very important processes that are carriedout in order to maintain the quality of engineering education. Accreditation isa process designed to determine whether or not an educational programmehas met or exceeded the published standards of the accreditation agency,whereas the purpose of internal quality assurance is to develop a qualityculture within an institution, and to implement a strategy for the continuousenhancement of quality. Although several quality assurance standards andguidelines have been established and implemented worldwide throughvarious international, regional and national agencies; relevant literaturesearches show that there is no common agreement or criterion that can beused in the quality assurance of engineering education. In this article, theauthors elaborate on several important issues regarding the accreditation andquality assurance of engineering education. The authors define internalquality assurance of an engineering programme as: enabled by certain qualityenablers, a structured process of quality analysis (benchmarking,monitoring, evaluating, assessing, guaranteeing and improving the quality)of the design, resources, delivery and outcomes of the programme; resultingin defect avoidance, strategic alignment, continuous improvement, andstakeholder trust. A brief outline of a multi-dimensional framework forinternal quality assurance of engineering programmes is provided in thisarticle

Performance of groundnut genotypes under millet based intercropping systems in Sudan Savanna of Nigeria

Open access JournalSpatial arrangement of crops is critical in determining the growth and yield of lower crops in intercropping. The productivity of two spatial arrangements of pearl millet-groundnut intercrops was studied in the Sudan savanna of Nigeria during 2014 rainy season at Wasai (5ˈN, 08o62ˈE) in Minjibir of Kano state, and Rahama (11o40ˈN, 09o20ˈE) in Dutse of Jigawa state. The treatments were two millet varieties (Dankaranjo and SuperSosat), two intercropping systems (2:2 and 2:4; reflecting millet to groundnut row) and four groundnut genotypes (SAMNUT 21, SAMNUT 22, SAMNUT 23 and SAMNUT 24). The experiment was laid out in split-split plot design with four replications. Among the groundnut genotypes, pod yield was greater at 2:4 system at Minjibir, while SAMNUT 23 and SAMNUT 24 were significantly (P<0.05) better than SAMNUT 21 and SAMNUT 22, SAMNUT 21 was best in terms of pod yield (480 Kg ha-1) at Dutse followed by SAMNUT 22 and SAMNUT 23 and least was SAMNUT 24 (293 Kg ha-1). Higher haulm yields were produced by SAMNUT 21 and SAMNUT 22 at both locations followed by SAMNUT 23 and SAMNUT 24 which had similar haulm yields at Minjibir

Effect of feeding crop residues of different cereals and legumes on weight gain of Yankassa rams

Crop residues from maize (Zea mays L.), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench), millet (Pennisetum glaucum), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) and groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) are important livestock feed in the West African savannas particularly during the long dry season. The residues from cereal crops are relatively in abundance, but of low nutritive value compared to the leguminous crop residues, which are normally in short supply. This experiment was conducted to determine the most efficient combinations of feeding crop residues of major cereals and legumes with and without bran supplement to ‘Yankassa’ rams in confinement over a 70-day period and their effect on weight gains. Feeding the residues of cereals alone resulted in a mean weight loss of 14% for sorghum, 16% for maize and 11% for millet, while feeding the residues of cowpea or groundnut alone resulted in the weight gain of about 13 and 12%, respectively. Supplementing the cereals residues with about 300 g of legume residues per ram per day resulted in slight gain in weight. Addition of 300 g wheat bran and 300 g legume residues to the cereals in the daily diets of each ram resulted in about 19% mean weight gain. Thus, bran showed a small but significant additive effect on weight gain. From the 1.5 kg cereals or legumes residues offered per ram per day, the rams ate about 50% of cereals and 82% of the legumes. Thus, the cereals residues are not only less nutritious, but also less consumable compared to the legumes

Role of Color Flow Ultrasound in Detection of Deep Venous Thrombosis

Background: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of lower limbs is one of the most causes for the majority of death caused by pulmonary embolism. Many medical and surgical disorders are complicated by DVT. Most venous thrombi are clinically silent. B-mode and color Doppler imaging is needed for early diagnosis of DVT to prevent complications and squeal of DVT.Aim and objectives: the objectives of our study were to evaluate the role of color flow Doppler in the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and subsequently to investigate its diagnostic value in patients who have normal deep veins despite symptoms.Patients and methods: prospective cross sectional study of 50 patients, 32 patients male, 18female, diagnosed on Doppler with DVTResults: Color Doppler flow imaging in 50 cases had sensitivity of 90%, specificity of 96.7%, positive predictive value of 94.7%, negative predictive value of 93.5%, and accuracy rate of 94%, with majority belonging to fifth decade (26%). In our study, predominantly distribution of thrombus was found to be in above knee region with (65.63%), while only 34.38% of them had DVT below knee.Conclusion: Color Doppler is useful in diagnosing DVT in symptomatic and at risk patients and provides non- invasive method of investigation. It is also helpful in evaluating the site, extent and stage of thrombus. Keywords: Color flow duplex venous examination, deep venous thrombosis, duplex scanning, pulmonary embolism, venous thromboembolis

Construction practitioners’ perception of key drivers of reputation in mega-construction projects

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to commence the discourse on the non-inclusiveness of the dynamics of reputation within the construction industry by identifying and examining the key product and process drivers of reputation in mega-construction projects. Design/methodology/approach: Data was collected through an exploratory sequential mixed methods approach which commences with a qualitative study and culminates with a quantitative study to identify product and process drivers of reputation in mega-construction projects. Findings: The findings suggest that “project quality”, “robust social and environmental sustainability plan”, “project team competence and interpersonal relationship” and “project process efficacy” are the four key drivers influencing the reputation of mega-construction projects. Research limitations/implications: The findings of this study are solely based on the perception of UK construction practitioners; therefore, the results may only be considered valid in this context. The identification of these key drivers provides a pathway where stakeholders, professionals and organisations can identify and prioritise critical issues associated with enhancing and sustaining the reputation of mega-construction projects. Originality/value: Findings of this research make a significant contribution to the discourse on the concept of reputation within the construction industry by identifying its specific drivers of reputation

Natural Convection in a Square Cavity in the Presence of Heated Plate

Natural convection heat transfer in a square cavity induced by heated plate&nbsp;is studied numerically. Top and bottom of the cavity are adiabatic, the two vertical&nbsp;walls of the cavity have constant temperature lower than the plate’s temperature. The&nbsp;flow is assumed to be two-dimensional. The discretized equations were solved by finite&nbsp;difference method using Alternating Direction Implicit technique and Successive OverRelaxation method. The study was performed for different values of Grashof number&nbsp;ranging from 103&nbsp;to 105&nbsp;for different aspect ratios and position of heated plate. Air was&nbsp;chosen as a working fluid (Pr = 0.71). The effect of the position and aspect ratio of&nbsp;heated plate on heat transfer and flow were addressed. With increase of Gr heat transfer&nbsp;rate increased in both vertical and horizontal position of the plate. When aspect ratio of&nbsp;heated thin plate is decreased the heat transfer also decreases. For the vertical situation&nbsp;of thin plate heat transfer becomes more enhanced than for horizontal situation

Intensive cereal-legume–livestock systems in West African dry Savannas.

The dry savannas of West Africa are undergoing rapid transformation of agricultural practices owing to the rapid human and livestock population growth, increase in agricultural intensification and accelerated climate change which has increased the incidence and severity of diseases, pests and drought. The major constraints to agricultural production in the savanna include poor soil fertility, pests and diseases of crops and livestock, parasitic weeds such as Striga hermonthica, drought, and competition between crops and livestock for resources, Inadequate policies, weak institutional mechanisms, and poor linkages among farmers, and researchers prevent adoption of improved agricultural technologies that can combat these constraints. The risk of continuous cultivation on these poor and fragile soils is huge. Integrating crop and livestock production offers ways to increase production while protecting the environment. Over the years, research and development institutions have generated several agricultural technologies to alleviate the majority of the production constraints in the West African savannas. However, most development organizations use traditional extension methods that result in poor adoption of the improved technologies. The integration of crop and livestock production is particularly desirable in intensively farmed and densely populated areas with access to urban markets. Proper integration of these practices will diversify smallholder income and increase food security. Integrated genetic and natural resource management provides the keys improved eco-efficiency. This includes integrating pesticide use with cultural practices such as modified planting date and disease control; rotating/ intercropping cereals and legumes; use of pest resistant\tolerant cultivars to increase the effectiveness of pest control and reduce the need for pesticides; and improving soil fertility restoration/maintenance. Government and national institutions in West Africa are encouraged to scale-out these technologies to wider areas for increased benefit to farmers through the use of proven extension methods