Making Local Knowledge Visible: The case of the University for Business and Technology in Kosovo

A vision to further national development through higher education now informs planning for the University for Business and Technology Knowledge Center. At its essence, the Center aims to make local knowledge visible through furthering discovery of and access to research content produced by academic students and university professors on institutional, local and international levels. This paper reports on conceptual exploration of this institutional idea during spring semester 2017 in a graduate course on systems thinking and methodology. Using active learning pedagogy to improve local situations, an international teaching team facilitated student and stakeholder engagement in participatory design activities using soft systems methodology tools and techniques. Course evaluation outcomes revealed students\u27 improved levels of knowledge and development of insights. In addition, their course work demonstrated their advanced understanding of systems thinking and its application. Furthermore, students expressed high motivation to learn more about other human‐centred theories and participatory design tools. In considering the value of the University\u27s knowledge vision, they were especially enthusiastic about its implications for furthering national democratic development in Kosovo and regional economic growth in south‐eastern Europe

Spatial Evaluation of Waste Disposal Site Selection Using GIS-Based Multi-Criteria Analysis: A Case Study of Dera Ghazi Khan District, Pakistan

The rapid population growth and rising per capita incomes have caused the city to generate massive amounts of municipal waste, indicating a serious environmental threat. Solid waste disposal has become a crucial problem for several municipalities. The selection of suitable waste disposal sites is a crucial problem in the urban areas of developing countries like Pakistan due to unsatisfactory urban planning and management to decrease human being’s health risks. Particularly, Dera Ghazi (D.G.) Khan district is facing the issue of identifying suitable sites for solid waste disposal. This research aims to select appropriate potential sites suitable for solid waste disposal purposes in the D.G. Khan. Primary datasets used for this study are Landsat-8 satellite imagery, digital elevation model (DEM) with 30-meter resolution for slope extraction. Other criteria included roads, railroads, and rivers digitized using the topographical map of the study area. The maps are prepared to incorporate overlay and suitability analysis using Geographic Information System (GIS), Remote Sensing techniques, and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), a multi-criteria analysis. The final suitability map of study area is prepared using a GIS software suite and categorized as highly, moderately, least, and unsuitable regions, of which 3% is entirely unsuitable area, 70% less suitable, 26.16% moderately suitable, and 0.84% highly suitable area. The suggested disposal sites have been carefully selected to assist policymakers in determining the most sensitive areas and resolving waste management issues with the slightest contamination of water bodies and the environment

An argument for developing waste-to-energy technologies in Saudi Arabia

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management is a chronic environmental problem in most of the developing countries, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The concept of Waste-to-Energy (WTE) is known as one of the several technologies capable of benefiting a society, which desires to reduce fossil-fuel addiction. Currently, there is no WTE facility existing in the KSA. The MSW is collected and disposed in landfills untreated. A substantial increase in the population by 3.4 %/y over the last 35 y coupled with urbanization and raised living standards have resulted in high generation rate of MSW. In 2014, about 15.3 Mt of MSW was generated in KSA. The food and plastic waste are the two main waste streams, which covers 70 % of the total MSW. The waste is highly organic (up to 72 %) in nature and food waste covers 50.6 % of it. An estimated electricity potential of 2.99 TWh can be generated annually, if all of the food waste is utilized in anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities. Similarly, 1.03 and 1.55 TWh electricity can be produced annually if all of the plastics and other mixed waste are processed in the pyrolysis and refuse derived fuel (RDF) technologies respectively. The aim of this paper is to review the prospective WTE technologies in Saudi Arabia. However, the real selection of the conversion technologies will be done in conjunction with the fieldwork on waste characterization and laboratory examination of selected technologies and further socio-economic and environmental evaluations

Analysis of Physiochemical Parameters to Evaluate the Drinking Water Quality in the State of Perak, Malaysia

YesThe drinking water quality was investigated in suspected parts of Perak state, Malaysia, to ensure the continuous supply of clean and safe drinking water for the public health protection. In this regard, a detailed physical and chemical analysis of drinking water samples was carried out in different residential and commercial areas of the state. A number of parameters such as pH, turbidity, conductivity, total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), and heavy metals such as Cu, Zn, Mg, Fe, Cd, Pb, Cr, As, Hg, and Sn were analysed for each water sample collected during winter and summer periods. The obtained values of each parameter were compared with the standard values set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and local standards such as National Drinking Water Quality Standard (NDWQS). The values of each parameter were found to be within the safe limits set by the WHO and NDWQS. Overall, the water from all the locations was found to be safe as drinking water. However, it is also important to investigate other potential water contaminations such as chemicals and microbial and radiological materials for a longer period of time, including human body fluids, in order to assess the overall water quality of Perak state

Waste to energy: A case study of Madinah city

The concept of energy from waste is getting popular nowadays across the globe, as being capable of producing multi fuels and value-added products from different fractions of municipal solid waste (MSW). The energy recovery technologies under this concept are anaerobic digestion (AD), pyrolysis, transesterification, refuse derived fuel (RDF) and incineration. This concept is very relevant to implementation in countries like Saudi Arabia, who wants to cut their dependence on oil. Moreover, the waste to energy becomes the imperative need of the time because of new governmental policy ‘Vision 2030’ that firmly said to produce renewable energy from indigenous sources of waste, wind and solar and due to given situations of Hajj and Umrah with massive amounts of waste generation in a short period. This study focused on two waste to energy technologies, AD and pyrolysis for food (40% of MSW) and plastic (20% of MSW) waste streams respectively. The energy potential of 1409.63 and 5619.80 TJ can be produced if all of the food and plastic waste of the Madinah city are processed through AD and pyrolysis respectively. This is equivalent to 15.64 and 58.81 MW from biogas and pyrolytic oil respectively or total 74.45 MW of continuous electricity supply in Madinah city throughout the whole year. It has been estimated that the development of AD and pyrolysis technologies will also benefit the economy with net savings of around US $63.51 and US$53.45 million respectively, totaling to an annual benefit of US $116.96 million. Therefore, in Saudi Arabia and particularly in Holiest cities of Makkah and Madinah the benefits of waste to energy are several, including the development of renewable-energy, solving MSW problems, new businesses, and job creation and improving environmental and public health

The role of microfinance as a tool for economic empowerment of women in Lahore and adjoining rural areas

© 2015 Ayesha SadefDuring the last three decades, the micro finance sector has witnessed immense growth, being seen as a tool for poverty alleviation and bringing financial sustainability through provision of micro loans to lower income groups in most parts of the developing world. However, researchers are widely divided on the efficacy of the contemporary micro finance model to achieve the desired goals including as a source of socio-economic empowerment for poor people, especially women. This research is undertaken to evaluate the impact of microfinance on women empowerment in Pakistan to determine how the provision of microcredit to women from lower income groups affected their lives and brought betterment or otherwise. More specifically it looks at whether women were able to enhance their income and control over assets, self-confidence, participation in household expenditures, decision making power and autonomy as outlined in the analytical framework of the ‘Virtuous Spiral’ presented by Mayoux. The research adapts a qualitative approach and is based upon semi-structured interviews and focussed group meetings, which leads to an examination of what motivated women to acquire micro loans, how these loans were used and what effects did these loans have in generating economic activity and increasing their income. The study has its limitations and is confined to slum/rural areas adjacent to the provincial capital of the Punjab province of Pakistan, Lahore, on account of its scope, time, resources, and budgetary constraints. The researcher is cognizant of the fact that these very constraints and limitations do not allow the researcher to thoroughly examine the above stated phenomena and the hypothetical framework in as much detail as required by the much larger scope of the contemporary micro finance model. However it can be expected that the research provides for a limited input regarding the impact of micro loans on the socio-economic status of poor women within their households in a male dominated society like Pakistan; a country ranked very low by international agencies in terms of gender equality and high on discrimination against women. The study concludes with the results in relation to the above mentioned questions and revisits the Virtuous Spiral framework

A STUDY ON VİLLAGE TYPE WHITE CHEESE PRODUCTION FROM BUFFALO’S MILK CONTAINED DIFFERENT FAT RATIOS

Çalışmamızda farklı yağ oranlarına sahip manda sütü kullanılarak köy tipi beyaz peynir üretimi gerçekleştirilmiştir. %2, %2,5, %3, %3,5 ve %4 yağ oranlarına sahip Manda sütünden elde edilen beyaz peynir örneklerinin 0., 60., 120. ve 180. depolama günlerinde kimyasal, mikrobiyolojik, duyusal değişimleri ile 0., 60. ve 120. depolama günlerinde tekstür özellikleri incelenmiştir. Olgunlaşma dönemi boyunca beyaz peynirlerde kuru madde, yağ, kuru maddede yağ, kül, suda eriyen azot, protein ve olgunlaşma indeksi değerleri arasındaki farklılıklar önemli bulunmuştur (p<0,05). Mikrobiyolojik özellikleri bakımından beyaz peynir örneklerinde depolama süresi boyunca toplam canlı bakteri ve koliform bakteri değerlerinde azalma tespit edilmiştir. Peynir örneklerinde 0. günde maya-küf, 180. günde ise koliform grubu bakteri tespit edilememiştir. Beyaz peynirlerde yağ miktarı arttıkça görünüş, doku ve lezzet puanlarının da arttığı belirlenmiştir. Tekstür özellikleri değerlendirildiğinde örnekler arasındaki sertlik, yapışkanlık, elastiklik, sakızımsılık ve çiğnene bilirlik değerleri arasındaki farklılıklar önemli bulunmuştur (p<0,05).In this study, village type White Cheese production was performed from buffalo milk contained different amounts of milk fat. White cheese samples obtained from buffalo milk contained 2%, 2.5%, 3%, 3.5% and 4% milk fat were examined on the 0, 60, 120 and 180 days of storage for their chemical, microbiological and sensory changes. At the same time, texture properties were examined on the days 0, 60 and 120. During the ripening period, significant differences in white cheese samples for dry matter, fat, fat in dry matter, ash, water-soluble nitrogen, protein and maturation index values were determined ( p<0.05). In terms of microbiological properties, total bacteria and coliform bacteria were decreased in white cheese samples during the storage period. In the cheese samples, yeast and mold counts on day 0 and coliform bacteria on day 180 were not detected. Due to the increasis in the fat content of the cheeses, appearance, texture and flavor scores also increased. When the texture properties were evaluated, significant differences were found in the values of hardness, adhesiveness, springiness, gumminess and chewiness ( p<0.05)