Impact of Internet Blockade Post Abrogation of Article 370 of Indian Constitution on Doctoral Students Pursuing Research in Kashmir

This paper aims to gauge the impact of internet blockade on the research students pursuing research in Kashmir post abrogation of article 370 of Indian constitution that granted political autonomy to erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir. In order to collect the data survey method was employed. A close-ended questionnaire was distributed among the select group. The data for the study was gathered from these questionnaires as per the objectives was analysed and interpreted to reach logical conclusions. The study revealed that the majority (76.92%) of researchers are of the view that the internet is a backbone for education and research. In the absence of the internet facility, the majority of research students (74.04%) were not able to pursue their research, while the research work of 61.54% was extremely hampered by 76-100%. It was also observed that the majority of researchers (78.85%) failed to complete their research in a set timeline, thereby hampering their academic growth. Majority of the research students (77.88%) failed to access the internet in e-kiosks setup by the administration due to the huge rush outside these centres while 42.31% migrated to mainland India avail internet facility. The study also explored the information seeking pattern of respondents before the internet blockade and it was observed that the majority of scholars (80.77%) consulted both print and online sources of information before the blockade. The researchers also claimed that resources of the library are not current and comprehensive. The study can be a good starting point for the researchers to understand how people cope with limited information sources, in the absence of the internet. It will also be beneficial for the information scientists in making plans and strategies for tackling such e-crises in the future. The study does not claim to be the final word in this matter as respondents were limited to only one university though university under study is the oldest and major source of imparting higher education in Kashmir valley

Global Visibility and Web Impact of Leading Universities of SAARC Nations

In the present time, the World Wide Web (WWW) is one of the main platforms for every forum who wants to be recognized on in the ‘factual world’. At the academic level, universities have to play significant part for communicating scientific and cultural achievements. Publication by scholars of the institutions on the internet I snot only a tool for scholarly communication but it is also a way to reach larger audiences and thus represents the performance of the institutions globally. Thus, there have been numerous endeavours to develop the web indicators that can eventually lead to build a university’s rankings (Aguillo, Ortega & Fernandez, 2008). In this milieu, the Web Ranking of Universities originally aims at promoting Web publications. The Webometrics ranking is not only centralized towards scholarly output but also in other indicators which may reflect better global quality of scholars and presence of research institutions worldwide. The present study made an attempt to explore the top universities of SAARC nations in order to find out their performance, web-presence and impact. It has been observed from the study that Indian universities are performing better than other SAARC nation universities in terms of average world rank, continental rank, impact rank and openness rank while as Pakistan outpace in terms of average presence rank. This indicates that Indian universities have better scholarly output though Pakistan universities are more visible on the WWW

Analysis of Operating Systems and Browsers: A Usage Metrics

The purpose of this paper is to examine the growth of FOSS and proprietary operating systems and browsing software used in computers and various types of mobile phone devices around the world. Design/Methodology/Approach: The data is gathered from StatCounter (http://gs.statcounter.com) - one of the biggest web analytics service. The collected data is analysed keeping objectives of the study in view. Findings: It offers a thorough insight of yearly and cumulative growth of software industry. As for as OS market is concerned Mac OSX and Linux have increased their share. Linux has increased from 0.69% in 2009 to 0.78% in 2010. Accordingly year wise growth of mobile operating systems show iOS is losing its market share by dipping to 25.48% in 2010 from 34.01% in 2009, while as BlackBerry and Android have increased their share by 8.34% and 6.41% respectively. Browser Internet Explorer (IE) is showing declining trend with 52.77% share in May, 2010 against 44.52% in April, 2011, whereas Firefox is maintaining a study trend during same period with 31.64% share in May, 2010 with slight depreciation (29.67%) in May, 2011. However, in mobile browser arena all the browsers are showing a declining trend in 2010 when compared to 2009 except Android, BlackBerry, Samsung and NetFront. BlackBerry has increased by 8.15% and Android- an open source mobile browser has increased its market share by 6.63% augurs well for FOSS movement. Originality/Value: The paper explore the market share of FOSS in OSs and browsers. It deciphers in detail the FOSS growth and increasing market share and can help stakeholders to take future course of action in this arena

Open Access Journals : A Global Perspective

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Courses beyond borders: A case study of MOOC platform Coursera

Purpose: The study assesses the participation of different institutions in online learning environment of Coursera. Collaborative efforts, involvement of instructors and the mode of course instruction were also looked at. Design/Methodology: Data were harvested from the official website of Coursera. Through its various features, information pertaining to courses being offered, subject categorization, institutions and instructors involved was collected, tabulated and analyzed. Findings: As of February 2016, 138 institutions from 28 countries offered 1765 coursers through Coursera with the aid of 1903 instructors. Institutions were mainly from high economic zone countries. Nearly 59 percent courses were from USA based institutions and at institutional level University of Pennsylvania (USA) offered a maximum of 84 courses. Collaboration at institutional level was observed in 32 courses with instructors from different institutions, within & outside the same country. 25 percent courses were related to Business and 33 percent courses provided flexibility (on-demand) to people to learn and enrich their skills at their own pace. Implications: Further research needs to be done to evaluate the efficacy of such platforms and explore best practices to reframe the position of traditional universities. Originality/Value: The study is first of its kind to assess online learning environment with respect to participation of institutions to offer various courses and involvement of instructors from all over the globe to make such a courseware a success

Prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a case control study

Background: Diabetes mellitus and thyroid disorders are the most common endocrine disorders worldwide. Various studies have found that diabetes and thyroid disorders mutually influence each other and both disorders tend to coexist. So, we conducted a study to find out the prevalence of thyroid disorders in patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus.Methods: This study was conducted on 100 diabetic patients and 100 controls. All the participants were evaluated for thyroid dysfunctions by testing thyroid profile. The correlation of prevalence of thyroid disorder with age distribution, gender distribution, BMI, duration of diabetes and HbA1C was then done.Results: The prevalence of thyroid dysfunctions were high in diabetic patients compared to controls (29% versus 9%, P value <0.001). Most common thyroid disorder in diabetic patients was subclinical hypothyroidism (16%) while least common was hyperthyroidism (1%). The levels of serum T3 and T4 were significantly low while serum TSH levels were significantly high in diabetic group compared to control group. Prevalence of thyroid disorders in diabetics were significantly more in patients with age ≥ 50 years, more in females, more in patients with BMI ≥ 30 and more in patients with duration of diabetes ≥ 5 years. The association of prevalence of thyroid disorders with HBA1C was not significant.Conclusions:Current study showed high prevalence of thyroid dysfunctions in diabetic patients. We conclude that screening for thyroid dysfunction among patients with diabetes mellitus should be routinely performed, so as to recognize these dysfunctions early. 

Public library systems in Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab: Development and assessment.

Public Library has been playing a significant role in human society ever since its establishment. Beginning with conservative services the institution gradually adopted a liberal role to become a people’s university. It is founded on the belief that access to information is essential to produce a society that is well informed able to discriminate between what is right and what is wrong and thus play a constructive role in the advancement of the society. Naturally, its paramount role is now well recognized in social, political, economic, scientific and cultural enterprises in human society. As Public Library assumed the role of essential services, the public libraries began to be organized to offer free services. To ensure this free-ship, uniformity and consistency these libraries have been provided with legislative foundation in most of the countries, though in other countries other than legislative measures have been adopted to ensure efficient, uniform public library services.Digitized version of Print copyUniversity of Kashmir

Development of Public Libraries in India

This paper is an overview of public library development in India from ancient times to the present day. It describes initiatives undertaken by private foundations and by local, state, and central government, and details the particular characteristics of Indian society and their relationship to library and information systems

The Islamic Era and Its Importance to Knowledge and the Development of Libraries

Introduction Islam provided great impetus for the human pursuit of knowledge. The first verse that descended on the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Was Iqra, meaning read,” opening the door to read, write, and ponder. The Quran urges the mankind to think, ponder, reflect and acquire knowledge that would bring them closer to God and his creation. The Quran uses repetition to embed certain key concepts in the consciousness of its listeners. Allah (God) and Rab (the Sustainer) are repeated 2,800 and 950 times, respectively, in the sacred text; Ilm (knowledge) comes third with 750 mentions. The prophet Muhammad (SAW) commanded knowledge upon all Muslims, and urged them to seek knowledge as far they could reach, and also to seek it all times. Ali ibn Abu Talib, 4th Caliph (may Allah be pleased with him), once said, I would be slave of a person who teaches me a letter accentuating the importance of knowledge. Following these commands and traditions, Muslim rulers insisted that every Muslim acquire learning and they gave considerable support to institution and learning in general. This contributed to making elementary education almost universal amongst Muslims. Genesis and Development The necessity of preserving the Quran and the Traditions (Hadith) awakened the spirit of collecting such writings in various forms, which paved the way for the establishment of the earliest libraries in the Muslim world. The mosques which, during the early decades of Islam formed the nerve centres of all political, social, religious, and educational activities, housed valuable libraries comprising books on religion, philosophy, and science. Muslims who distinguished themselves as patrons of learning, established some of the biggest libraries of medieval times. The great intellectuals of their age including Ibn Rushid (Avicenna) the encyclopedist, Ibn Miskawayah, the historian-philosopher, Al-Fadl Ibn Naubakht and Humayun Ibn Ishaq, the renowned translators, who were entrusted with the responsibility for the organisation and maintenance of libraries. Under the Abbasids, Muslims formed the vanguard of civilization. The Abbasids were influenced by the Quran and Hadith such as, the ink of scholar is equal to the blood of martyr, stressing the value of knowledge. During this period the Muslim world became the unrivalled intellectual centre for science, philosophy, medicine, and education as the Abbasids championed the cause of knowledge and established Darul Hukama (House of Wisdom) in Baghdad, founded by great Abbasid Caliph Harun-ar-Rashid, which was divided into two sections, one was concerned with the translation work and the other related to the collection of books and housing a big library (Gregorian, 2003a). During this time every part of the globe was ransacked by the agents of the caliphs for the hoarded wealth of antiquity. Yahya Barmeki, the famous grand Minister of Harun, had summoned well known scholars from distant lands, who adorned the literary gatherings of the Caliph. Harun-ar-Rashid appointed Al-Fadl Ibn Naubakht, a renowned scholar and translator, as head of the library in Darul Hukama. The library contained a large number of books which were efficiently arranged and catalogued (Gregorian, 2003b) In addition to the library of the House of Wisdom, there were many other libraries in Baghdad attached to the many faith schools (Madaris); each contained thousands of books and manuscripts. There were also private individual libraries, which were not open to the general public, but were available to scientists, philosophers, researchers and writers (Ma\u27rouf, 1968). On the same pattern, in cities of the eastern provinces of Islamic world, several Houses of Knowledge (Darul Al-Ilm) were established in the 9th and 10th centuries to emulate that of Darul Hakkama in Baghdad. Such cities include Mosul, Basra, Shiraz, Rayy, etc. (Jawad and Susa, 1958) There were similar libraries in Cairo, Aleppo, and the major cities of Iran and Central Asia (Bon, 1884). Spain alone had seventy public libraries (Landau, 1967). Writing on the Muslim Spanish libraries Scott (1904) writes: Nor must the libraries be omitted from this list of those factors of progress which so signally contributed to the public enlightment and to the formation of national character. There was no city of importance without at least one of these treasure houses of literature. Their shelves were open to every applicant. Catalogues facilitated the examination of the collections and the classification of the various subjects. Many of the volumes were enriched with illuminations of wonderful beauty; the more precious were bound in the embossed leather and fragrant woods; some were inlaid with gold and silver. Here were to be found all the learning of the past and all the discoveries of the present age, the philosophy of Athens, the astronomy of Babylon, the science of Alexandria, the results of prolonged observation and experiment on the towers and in the laboratories of Cordoba and Seville. A major innovation of this period was paper, originally a secret tightly guarded by Chinese. The art of papermaking was obtained from prisoners taken at the Battle of Talas, resulting into paper mills being built in Samarkand and Baghdad. The Arabs improved upon the Chinese techniques of using mulberry bark by using starch to account for the Muslim preference for pen vs. the Chinese for brushes (Pacey, 1990a). By the end of the 9th century there were hundreds of shops employing scribes and binders for books in Baghdad and even public libraries began to be established, including the first lending libraries. From here paper making spread west to Al-Andalus and from there to Europe in the 13th century (Pacey, 1990b). Mackensen and Pinto (1929) have written extensively on Islamic libraries of the middle ages, highlighting their place and role in Islamic society. So widespread were public book collections that it was impossible to find a mosque or a learning institute of any sort, throughout the land of Islam, without a collection of books placed at the disposal of students or readers. By the 10th century, Cordoba had 70 libraries, the largest of which had 600,000 books, while as many as 60,000 treatises, poems, polemics and compilations were published each year in Al-Andalus (Dato, 2005). The library of Cairo had more than 100,000 books, while they library of Tripoli is said to have had as many as three million books, before it was burnt during the crusades (Draper, 1878). The number of important and original Arabic works on science that have survived is much larger than the combined total of Greek and Latin works on science (Swerdlow, 1993). It was the practice to appoint a librarian to take charge of the affairs of the library (Provencal, n.p.). Such duty was only for the most learned amongst men, those of unusual attainment; as custodians of the libraries (Mackensen, (a) 1935). The management of the Almohad libraries, says Ibn Farhun, was one of the privileged state positions, for which were selected only the best scholars (Deverdun, 1959). The Librarian of grand mosque of Aleppo library had Muhammad al-Qasarani, an accomplished poet and a man well versed in literature, geometry, arithmetic and astronomy (Eche, 1967). Such men Mackensen (b) (1935) notes, were, themselves, pleased to act as librarians. It speaks highly for the generosity of the patrons as well as for the really important work carried out in these libraries that men of marked ability in various fields felt it worth their while to undertake the duties of custodian