Beyond the resource curse: minerals and global development

This repository item contains a single issue of Issues in Brief, a series of policy briefs that began publishing in 2008 by the Boston University Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future.This policy brief discusses the concept of the “resource curse” and the often-assumed connection between a country’s significant mineral wealth and violence and corruption. The paper argues that developing countries with abundant mineral resources can have positive and equitable development programs by establishing long-range plans that address governance, economic and social policies, and ecological issues associated with mineral extraction, and establishing appropriate frameworks and infrastructure to carry out these plans

Integrated transmitter circuit for multiport reconfigurable antenna

This master’s thesis was a part of an academic research projecta where the target is to design an integrated circuit (IC) to dynamically tune the operating frequency of a transmitter antenna. A multiport antenna model was provided by Prof. Viikari’s group who recently presented a novel idea of multiport antenna tuning. In this concept the multiport antenna feeds are excited with weighted signals having certain amplitudes and phases, thus leading to antenna tuning at the desired operating frequency. However, it is not feasible to dynamically scale the antenna feeding signal amplitudes and phases with discrete electronics. Therefore, the system on chip solution (SoC) approach was studied in this thesis. Initially, the concept was studied on theoretical level and with circuit simulations. The tuning analysis framework was developed to scrutinize the antenna weighted signal characteristics. This analysis provides the two most important specifications for the IC i.e., the accuracy required for on-chip amplitude and phase tuning. For the antenna under consideration, the on chip phase and amplitude tuning system have 6 bit and 3 bit scaling resolutions respectively. The tuning system is designed for a 4-port reconfigurable antenna where each antenna feed has a separate phase tuning and amplitude tuning block. The tuning system was simulated along the 4-port antenna at 2 GHz, and the simulation result validates the multiport tuning concept. This novel integrated tuning system is scalable as well as capable of tuning any reconfigurable multiport antenna

The competition for control in Sinjar: how external actors and local interests inhibit the Sinjar Agreement

Located in western Iraq’s Nineveh Governorate, Sinjar is arguably the most volatile of the country’s territories, disputed between the Government of Iraq (GoI) and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). In 2020, the GoI and the KRG signed the Sinjar Agreement in a bid to stabilise the district, but it is yet to be implemented. This paper examines the factors that have contributed to upholding the status quo in Sinjar, thus preventing change through the implementation of the provisions of the Sinjar Agreement. It argues that generating change has been made difficult by intense competition between local, national and regional actors seeking to control Sinjar. While the implementation of the Agreement is difficult under the current conditions, the Iraqi government and the international community are advised to take measures to reduce the security and governance challenges faced by the people of Sinjar as a result of the continuing status quo

Paracolonialism: a case of post-1988 Anglophone Pakistani fiction

A thesis submitted to the University of Bedfordshire, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of PhilosophyEmbedded in the socio-political milieu of the country Anglophone Pakistani fiction provides a critical perspective on some of the important contemporary issues facing the country like feminism, class struggle, misuse of religious discourse, sectarianism, terrorism and the fragmentation of the Pakistani society. By contextualizing the works of four Pakistani fiction writers, Sara Suleri, Kamila Shamsie, Mohsin Hamid and Mohammed Hanif, in the theoretical paradigms of modernism, postmodernism and postcolonialism, this research identifies salient facets and characteristics of Pakistani Anglophone fiction produced during the last three decades. This thesis argues that Pakistani Anglophone fiction is Janus-faced in nature. On the one hand it specifically deconstructs various indigenous issues which are destabilizing Pakistani society and politics, while on the other hand it challenges the discursive construction of Pakistan as a terrorist country through international discourse. By doing so, these writers not only adopt the role of political commentators and interveners but also create a counter-narrative to Western hegemonic discourse and represent a case for a liberal and democratic Pakistan. Moreover the textual analysis of this fiction indicates a shift from traditional postcolonial literature. Instead of contextualizing their work in the colonial experience of the British Raj or its aftermath, these writers dissociate themselves from it and use this dissociation as a narrative strategy to hold the political and military leadership accountable for the socio-political chaos in Pakistan. The thesis argues that this characteristic of Anglophone Pakistani fiction indicates the emergence of a new phase, ‘Paracolonialism’ or ‘Paracolonial fiction’ which rejects the influence of colonialism on the socio-economic and political crisis of Third World countries and deconstructs various factors which led to their post-independence unstable economy and social fragmentation

Effect of metformin on semen quality

Various studies have linked metformin, a universally antidiabetic drug, with semen quality; however, such a direct link has not been established. This review systematically addresses and summarizes the effect of metformin on semen quality, particularly sperm function. We searched the MEDLINE electronic database for English articles and abstracts containing the key words 'metformin' and 'sperm', and relevant articles were reviewed. In summary, metformin appears to have improved and provided positive impact on sperm quality. This effect may be due to the ability of metformin to reduce oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation, enhance 5'-AMP activated protein kinase activity, and restore the normal levels of pituitary-gonadal hormones. However, further clinical research is still necessary to confirm such effect

Causal Relationship Between Exports and Agricultural GDP in Pakistan

This paper is an attempt to investigate the causal relationships among agriculture and exports in Pakistan by using time series data for the period between 1971 and 2007. There are several efforts reflecting greater interest in exploring the possible relation between the international trade and economic growth. Increasing of Gross Domestic Product is the main target of almost every economy. Promoting exports of the country is one of the ways of achieving economic growth. Pakistan is among the developing countries, emphasizing to boost its exports since its inception. The major share of Pakistan’s export has strong backward linkages with the agricultural sector both in terms of primary and value added commodities. The findings have significant implications on Pakistan’s economic policy as both the variables have shown strong long-run relationship. There is also a bi-directional Granger-causality between the total exports and agricultural GDP. However, for short-run, both the variable does not cause each other in either direction.Causality, Growth, Gross Domestic Product, Agriculture, Exports, Pakistan

Modeling and Experimental Investigation of Energy Management for Hybrid Electric Vehicle based on Variable Structure Control Strategy

The current study presents real-time modeling and non-linear controllers-based energy management system (EMS) for multi-energy hybrid Electric Vehicle (EV), where a detailed physics-based dynamic vehicle model has been considered. The main objective of the paper is to regulate the power flow, stabilize DC voltage for an EV driven by a brushless DC motor, and ensure effective power sharing in a hybrid electric system under complex driving circumstances. The approach is based on tracking the reference battery current by backstepping sliding mode control for optimal power distribution. Subsequently, Integral Sliding Mode Control based on barrier function (NBS-ISMC), and Fractional Order Terminal Sliding Mode Control (FOTSMC) are implemented to control the switching operation of converters for Photovoltaic (PV) and Ultra-capacitor (UC), respectively. User-defined and practical standard drive cycles are selected to test the effectiveness of proposed reference current controllers