156 research outputs found
Status of Library Resources and Services of Selected College Libraries of Barak Valley Districts of Assam, India
Present study is intended to cover situation of college libraries in the Barak Valley, Assam in terms of status of collection, services offered, staff position, automation status, e-resources availability and user’s satisfaction. The position of services of college libraries during the pandemic situation is also highlighted. The findings revealed that the selected college libraries of Barak Valley have very limited print and electronic resources. In addition, the library services provided by the selected colleges are deplorable. Particularly, during the physical closer of libraries only one library provided online searching facility of subscribed electronic resources through log-in ID and password from remote sites
Status of College Library Services in Barak Valley, Assam: A Study
The aim of the present paper is to know the current status of various library services provided by different Under Graduate (U. G). College libraries of Barak valley, Southern Assam. The tremendous development in Information Communication Technology and their application in the various aspects of libraries have opened a new door for the libraries and users alike. In the age of Information Technology, there is a huge change in the methods and techniques of seeking the information and way of information dissemination on the other hand. The College Library System is a type of information system which is supposed to provide equity access to information and the world of knowledge to its user community. The seekers of knowledge and information are general public irrespective of their sex, caste, religion, age and wealth. Primary Mission of every library is not only to provide information and knowledge from its own resources but also from other institutions. But, unfortunately the College libraries of Assam are not fully automated, due to the lack of Library building space efficient IT infrastructure as well as insufficient and skilled library staffs. So college libraries of are not able to satisfy their users.
The present study was carried out during last quarter of year 2019. For that purpose, survey method has been adopted, which comprises of structured questionnaire filled up by college librarian / library in charge of different colleges and a set of users questionnaire responded by different users of the colleges. On the basis of filled up questionnaire received from the respondents, data has been analysed and tabulated using Microsoft Excel Software. For data analysis percentage technique, has been adopted. The paper highlights the important survey findings in respect of status of various library services provided by different U. G. College libraries of Barak valley of Assam
Megacity pumping and preferential flow threaten groundwater quality
Many of the world’s megacities depend on groundwater from geologically complex aquifers that are over-exploited and threatened by contamination. Here, using the example of Dhaka, Bangladesh, we illustrate how interactions between aquifer heterogeneity and groundwater exploitation jeopardize groundwater resources regionally. Groundwater pumping in Dhaka has caused large-scale drawdown that extends into outlying areas where arsenic-contaminated shallow groundwater is pervasive and has potential to migrate downward. We evaluate the vulnerability of deep, low-arsenic groundwater with groundwater models that incorporate geostatistical simulations of aquifer heterogeneity. Simulations show that preferential flow through stratigraphy typical of fluvio-deltaic aquifers could contaminate deep (>150 m) groundwater within a decade, nearly a century faster than predicted through homogeneous models calibrated to the same data. The most critical fast flowpaths cannot be predicted by simplified models or identified by standard measurements. Such complex vulnerability beyond city limits could become a limiting factor for megacity groundwater supplies in aquifers worldwide.National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Superfund Research Program (Grant P42 ES010349)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant EAR-115173
Role of information and communication networks in malaria survival
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Quite often symptoms of malaria go unrecognized or untreated. According to the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria, 70% of the malaria cases that are treated at home are mismanaged. Up to 82% of all malaria episodes in sub-Saharan Africa are treated outside the formal health sector. Fast and appropriate diagnosis and treatment of malaria is extremely important in reducing morbidity and mortality.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>Data from 70 different countries is pooled together to construct a panel dataset of health and socio-economic variables for a time span of (1960–2004). The generalized two-stage least squares and panel data models are used to investigate the impact of information and communication network (ICN) variables on malaria death probability. The intensity of ICN is represented by the number of telephone main lines per 1,000 people and the number of television sets per 1,000 people.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The major finding is that the intensity of ICN is associated with reduced probability of deaths of people that are clinically identified as malaria infected. The results are robust for both indicators i.e. interpersonal and mass communication networks and for all model specifications examined.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results suggest that information and communication networks can substantially scale up the effectiveness of the existing resources for malaria prevention. Resources spent in preventing malaria are far less than needed. Expanded information and communication networks will widen the avenues for community based "participatory development", that encourages the use of local information, knowledge and decision making. Timely information, immediate care and collective knowledge based treatment can be extremely important in reducing child mortality and achieving the millennium development goal.</p
The Political Economy of Domestic Tax Reform in Bangladesh: Political Settlements, Informal Institutions and the Negotiation of Reform
This paper explains the persistence of a tax system characterised by low revenue collection and extensive informality in Bangladesh. It combines analysis of long-term formal and informal institutions and of micro-level incentives shaping negotiation of short-term reform. The system is unusually informal, discretionary, and corrupt, but remains resistant to change because it delivers low and predictable tax rates to business, extensive opportunities for corruption to the tax administration, and an important vehicle for fundraising by political leaders and rent distribution to their elite supporters. We then explore the dynamics of micro-level reform and external pressure within the constraints of this overarching political bargain
Numerical Investigation of Effect of Fill Ratio and Inclination angle on a Thermosiphon Heat Pipe Thermal Performance
The Political Economy of Tax Reform in Bangladesh: Political Settlements, Informal Institutions and the Negotiation of Reform
political economy, tax reform, political settlementsThis paper explores the political economy of tax reform in Bangladesh over several decades, shedding light on the complex factors that account for unusually effective and sustained resistance to significant reform. We contend that it is necessary to understand both deep-seated formal and informal institutions and the micro-level incentives that shape the negotiation of short-term reform in order to comprehend tax outcomes. We describe a tax system that is highly informal, largely manual and characterised by high levels of discretion and corruption. However, despite appearing highly dysfunctional on the surface, this system serves the core interests of powerful political, economic and administrative actors. Underpinned by robust informal institutions, the current system delivers low and predictable tax rates to businesses, provides extensive discretion and opportunities for corruption to the tax administration, and acts as an important vehicle for political elites to raise funds and distribute patronage and economic rents. While the tax system has not been without reform, individual reform efforts have been constrained by the parameters of this broader settlement, leaving competing interest groups to pursue strategic gains at the margins while seeking to satisfy external reform demands. This tax bargain reflects Bangladesh’s broader political economy, which is characterised by entrenched informal institutions underpinning the combination of generally weak governance and high levels of economic growth – the so-called ‘paradox of Bangladesh’.DfID, NORA
Luminescence spectra and kinetics of disordered solid solutions
We have studied both theoretically and experimentally the luminescence spectra and kinetics of crystalline, disordered solid solutions after pulsed excitation. First, we present the model calculations of the steady-state luminescence band shape caused by recombination of excitons localized in the wells of random potential induced by disorder. Classification of optically active tail states of the main exciton band into two groups is proposed. The majority of the states responsible for the optical absorption corresponds to the group of extended states belonging to the percolation cluster, whereas only a relatively small group of “radiative” states forms the steady-state luminescence band. The continuum percolation theory is applied to distinguish the “radiative” localized states, which are isolated in space and have no ways for nonradiative transitions along the tail states. It is found that the analysis of the exciton-phonon interaction gives the information about the character of the localization of excitons. We have shown that the model used describes quite well the experimental cw spectra of CdS(1−c)Sec and ZnSe(1−c)Tec solid solutions. Further, the experimental results are presented for the temporal evolution of the luminescence band. It is shown that the changes of band shape with time come from the interplay of population dynamics of extended states and spatially isolated “radiative” states. Finally, the measurements of the decay of the spectrally integrated luminescence intensity at long delay times are presented. It is shown that the observed temporal behavior can be described in terms of relaxation of separated pairs followed by subsequent exciton formation and radiative recombination. Electron tunneling processes are supposed to be responsible for the luminescence in the long-time limit at excitation below the exciton mobility edge. At excitation by photons with higher energies the diffusion of electrons can account for the observed behavior of the luminescence
Plasma–liquid interactions: a review and roadmap
Plasma–liquid interactions represent a growing interdisciplinary area of research involving plasma science, fluid dynamics, heat and mass transfer, photolysis, multiphase chemistry and aerosol science. This review provides an assessment of the state-of-the-art of this multidisciplinary area and identifies the key research challenges. The developments in diagnostics, modeling and further extensions of cross section and reaction rate databases that are necessary to address these challenges are discussed. The review focusses on non-equilibrium plasmas
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