Irrigation Management in Pakistan and India: Comparing Notes on Institutions and Policies

irrigation management / productivity / privatization / irrigated farming / equity / water distribution / groundwater management / economic aspects / tube wells / price policy / electricity supplies / pumps / India / Pakistan /

Asset price bubbles: implications for monetary, regulatory, and international policies

Monetary policy ; Price regulation

Experimental study on silver nanoparticles: synthesis, photo-degradation and analysis

The aim of present study was waste water treatment via advanced oxidation process (AOP). Wet chemical precipitation method was used to prepare silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs). The Ag NPs were employed for photo catalytic degradation of Congo red (CR) dye in aqueous medium. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) investigation shows agglomerated form of Ag NPs. The average sizes of agglomerations are below 600 nm. Energy dispersive X-rays spectroscopy (EDX) and ultraviolet light visible spectroscopy (UV/Vis) also established the formation of Ag NPs. The photo-degradation study reveals that Ag NPs degraded by 73% of CR dye in 480 min. Catalytic dosage study shows the dye degradation was increased vice versa as increased the amount of Ag NPs and then almost level off after 0.025 g of catalyst. In pH study it was observed that degradation of CR dye increased as pH increased. The recovered catalyst study also significantly degraded the CR dye

Factors associated with the compliance of standard precaution; review article

Compliance with standard precautions is very important for healthcare workers because studies have shown that it helps in minimising the transmission of infectious diseases and healthcare-associated infections which is directly proportional to the patient cost and stay of the patient in hospitals. As healthcare associated infections increase, the cost and the stay of the patient will increase. Researchers suggest that all healthcare workers need to follow the standard precautions guideline and it can be possible with the help of health education, training, provision of equipment and supervision by the management. Barriers to the compliance identified are lack of education, heavy workload, unavailability of equipment, lack of resources and lack of access to supplies. The lack of education and heavy workload are the major factors faced by the nurses

Teachers’ Beliefs and Students’ Motivation about Emerging and Existing Methods of English Language Teaching: A Case Study of Intermediate Teachers and Students of Faisalabad

The present study investigated the teachers’ beliefs and students’ motivation towards different methods of English language teaching in Faisalabad. The data was collected from the intermediate teachers and students through questionnaires. Both questionnaires were analyzed statistically through SPSS software. It guides the teachers to rethink and analyze their teaching methods and bring improvement in their practices. The results of present study revealed that students are motivated towards new English language teaching methods while teachers are not in favor of any specific method. Even there were not significant differences between private and government participants in terms of being motivated by different methods. Keywords— Teachers’Beliefs, Students’Motivation, Existing ELT Methods, Emerging ELT Methods.

Prevalence of needlestick injury and nursing practices regarding safe injection and sharp disposal while working in critical care settings of two tertiary care hospitals

This observational cross-sectional study design (Pilot) was conducted to assess the prevalence of needle stick injury (NSI) and nursing practices regarding safe injection and sharp disposal in critical care units of two tertiary care hospitals from 1st July to 30th August 2014. Data was collected using a self-developed questionnaire about the prevalence of NSI and nurses’ pract­ices regarding safe injection and sharp disposal after a thorough literature review and then was given to the expert for review. Finally, the data was collected from the participants after verbal consent. The study result showing that about half of the nurses have no knowledge regarding the disposal of sharp and it has been found that 47.8% re-cap the needle before disposal. While 32.6% reported needle prick injury. The study concluded that inadequate knowledge among nurses about safe nursing practices and lack of using preventive measures from NSI were identified. Lack of reporting is also a factor identified in this study

Examination of effective VAr with respect to dynamic voltage stability in renewable rich power grids

High penetrations of inverter-based renewable resources (IBRs) diminish the resilience that traditional power systems had due to constant research and developments for many years. In particular, dynamic voltage stability becomes one of the major concerns for transmission system operators due to the limited capabilities of IBRs (i.e., voltage and frequency regulation). A heavily loaded renewable-rich network is susceptible to fault-induced delayed voltage recovery (FIDVR) due to insufficient effective reactive power (E-VAr) in power grids. Hence, it is crucial to thoroughly scrutinize each VAr resources' participation in E-VAr under various operating conditions. Moreover, it is essential to investigate the influence of E-VAr on system post-fault performance. The E-VAr investigation would help in determining the optimal location and sizing of grid-connected IBRs and allow more renewable energy integration. Furthermore, it would enrich decision-making about adopting additional grid support devices. In this paper, a comprehensive assessment framework is utilized to assess the E-VAr of a power system with a large-scale photovoltaic power. Plant under different realistic operating conditions. Several indices quantifying the contribution of VAr resources and load bus voltage recovery assists to explore the transient response and voltage trajectories. The recovery indices help have a better understanding of the factors affecting E-VAr. The proposed framework has been tested in the New England (IEEE 39 bus system) through simulation by DIgSILENT Power Factory. © 2013 IEEE

Organizational Performance and Entrepreneurial Orientation: The Intervening Role of Organizational Learning

Many past studies have examined the association between entrepreneurial orientation (E.O.) and organizational performance (O.P.). However, these studies have not adequately addressed the mediating roles of acquisition learning (A.L.) and experiential learning (E.L.) on organizational performance. Given this gap, we have developed a new model that contains six direct relationships, three mediating relationships, and one multi-mediating relationship. The focus of the study was on Indonesian Pharmaceutical SMEs. We have collected a sample of 365 respondents non-randomly. For statistical analysis, we have used Smart PLS version 3.2. The statistical analysis includes reliability, validity, and descriptive statistics. The results confirm that acquisition learning (A.L.), experiential learning (E.L.), and entrepreneurial orientation (E.O.) promote organizational performance (O.P.). We also found that entrepreneurial orientation (E.O.) impacts acquisition learning (A.L.) and innovative performance (I.P.) but does not affect organizational performance (O.P.). However, the results suggest that acquisition learning (A.L.) and experiential learning (E.L.) are positively linked. Our results also support all the mediating relationships

A new global index for short term voltage stability assessment

The utility scale of non-conventional generators (NCGs), such as wind and photovoltaic (PV) plants, are competitive alternatives to synchronous machines (SMs) for power generation. Higher penetration of NCGs has been respondent of causing several recent incidents leading up to voltage collapse in power systems due to the distinct characteristics of NCGs under different operating conditions. Consequently, the so-called system strength has been reduced with higher NCGs penetration. A number of indices have been developed to quantify system strength from the short-term voltage stability (STVS) perspective. None of the indices capture the overall performances of power systems on dynamic voltage recovery. In this paper, an improvement in one of the STVS indices namely, the Voltage Recovery Index (VRI), is proposed to overcome shortcomings in the original index. Moreover, the improved index is globalized to establish a new index defined as system voltage recovery index (VRIsys) to quantify STVS at the system level. The amended VRI and developed VRIsys are used in systematic simulations to quantify the impact and interaction of various factors that could affect system strength. The assessment was conducted using time-domain simulation with direct connected induction motors (DCIMs) and a proliferation of converter-based technologies on both the generation and load sides, namely, NCGs and Variable Speed Drives (VSDs), respectively. © 2013 IEEE