ASSESSING ODL TEACHERS/TUTORS’ OPINION INCLUSION OF CHILDREN WITH EMOTIONAL, SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOURAL DIFFICULTIES IN ODL

In Pakistan about 2.49% of population is with special needs (Govt. of Pakistan, 1998) including hearing, visual impairment, mentally challenged, physically handicapped and multiple handicaps.  Only 1% of this population has access to education and higher education is almost not in access. Formal universities have no capacity, arrangements and skills to include the students with special needs. Open and Distance Learning is most suitable and accommodative mode for them so much of them are getting education through ODL mode. Allama Iqbal Open University is only public sector ODL University in Pakistan and providing free education to disadvantage group people included special need students. More than 400 special need students enrolled in different programs and most of them hearing impaired, visual impaired and physically disabled. But there are number of students emotional, social and behavioural disordered. The study aim was to determine the e-tutors/e-instructors arrogances to include students having emotional, social and behavioural difficulties (ESBD) seeing the impact of physical age, know-how, academic education/degrees and the help they had from AIOU.  Additional it was explored the connection between willingness and attitudes to be with ESBD students at ODL classroom/system whereas exploring the obstacles in effective inclusion of ESBD. Researcher selected 200 e-tutors/e-instructors as sample (100 male, 100 female) volunteered to take part on the study and most of them from Islamabad region. The study was mixed design i.e. quantitative and qualitative methods. Data collected in the form of numbers was by questionnaire of two scale and the qualitative through open ended questions.  Correlation was used to discover the relationship between physical age, professional practices (experiences), academic education and help they had with arrogances and readiness. The researcher used the thematic analysis to analyse the qualitative data/information. Findings of the study directed that physical age, experiences and help they had been significant predicators. Attitudes of e-tutors had good impact and relationship when they had help from the AIOU in the form training, assistant teachers and financial support. In interviews e-tutors responded that sometime they felt pre-service training programs didn’t equip them to accommodate needs of special students and how to include in ODL. Also they said resources should be available all the time rather than sometime available and sometime not. The study recommended that tutors should be trained to assess the special needs and characteristics of emotional, social and behavioural disordered students. Also modified teaching methods/pedagogies should be part of their pre and in-service teacher training progarmmes.    Keywords: ODL Teachers/Tutors, Inclusion, Special Need Student

Modelling international entry mode choice and speed: locational and cognitive insights in Pakistani small businesses

This thesis intends to explore the process of foreign investment and entry mode choices of small firms from Pakistan. Pakistan being an epicure of global terrorism and ethnictension is an economy that is driven by small sector. The small sector is facing extreme difficulties to expand their international operations. This needs a comprehensive research to see beyond basic infrastructural impediments to small firms in Pakistan. What are the major behavioural and analytical impedimentsto their international expansion? Cognitive biases are the behavioural impediments and so far there is no research in Pakistan in general and in advanced countries in particular, to see how cognitive heuristics and biases affectthe foreign investment decision process? Entry mode is said to be the building block of internationalisation, and due to their small size, resource limitations and lack of international knowledge, small firms often try to obtain first-mover advantages through strategic alliances or joint venture operations abroad. Post entry speed is the international development of small firm, once the process of entry mode choice is completed. Entrepreneurial managers perceive cooperative modes and other equity investments as high-risk oriented strategies due to the legal and moral hazards associated with co-operative modes of entry. This creates a dilemma as to how to maintain a sustainable post-entry international speed? The absence of a unique set of enduring dispositional preferences is striking. There is no research that explores the role of entrepreneurial cognition/biases in small firm entry mode choices process. This applies particularly when small firms expand their international operations from emerging to developed economies. Based on the integration of cognitive capabilities and the Dunning eclectic framework, this study develops a rigorous model by introducing the new resource value generation taxonomies, and explores the impact of cognitive biasness in small firm entry mode choice process and cognitive dynamism in post-entry speed. A sub-modal for the enquiry of cognitive biases in foreign investment decision process is also introduced. This sub model by qualitative enquiry found the significant role or heuristics and biases in foreign investment decision process. The data was collected from a stratified sample of three major provinces of Pakistan through postal and drop-off survey/personal visits. Ten in-depth personal and telephonic interviewswere conducted to triangulate the entry mode choice process with speed model. Triangulation of positivist and interpretivist approach confirms the validity and reliability of the research findings. The dependent variable is dichotomous for post-entry speed. Logistic regression for post-entry speed is used to analyse the quantitative data set. Foreign investment and/or entry mode choice process are the simultaneous terms used in the entire thesis. The findings support the central role of biases in foreign investment decision process and ownership, location and cognitive advantages in the post-entry speed. The new value generation entry mode choice taxonomies (high and low value generation modes) and cognitive biases during the three stages of foreign investment decision process introduced in this research, contributes significantly to present literature. Complexities associates with IB research highlight the need for further empirical, cross-cultural and longitudinal studies. One of the most important challenges that the managers in small firm in developing economies face is to find new ways to enhance the probability of their exports‘ success through a suitable entry mode choice process (foreign investment decision process). This research through careful deliberation presents useful implications that will enhance the international activity of small firms from developing economies in general and advanced economies in particular. The findings are generalizable because the cognitive biases emerge as behavioural and analytical impediments in any event, process and/or in any system of relationships. The dispositional tendencies of managers identified in this thesis are the source of mitigating the negative effects of the biases. Thus this study is unique in its nature that contributes to both economic and behavioural theories

Effect of Water and [Emim][OAc] as Plasticizer on Gelatinization of Starch

AbstractAs the depletion of petroleum source and environmental concerns been arises, a new polymer defined as biodegradable material had been extensively study in order to replace the synthetic one. Starch is one of natural materials that been used for producing biodegradable materials. Through gelatinization process, native starches were changed into thermoplastic starch (TPS) in the presence of water and [Emim][OAc] as plasticizers at high temperature (90˚C). The structure and interaction of starch/water/[Emim][OAc] have been study using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). DSC analysis is used to analyse the onset temperature (To), the peak temperature (Tp), the melting temperature (Tm) and melting enthalpy (ΔH) of samples over a wide range of starch/water/[Emim][OAc] contents. Gelatinization peak shift to higher temperature as the value of [Emim][OAc] is increasing. The values of To, Tp and ΔH are influenced by the hydrogen bonding capacity of plasticizers. Thus, showed that composition of water/[Emim][OAc] is effectively influence the gelatinization process

Drinking Water Quality Characterization and Heavy Metal Analysis in Springs of Dewan Gorah, District Palandri, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan¤

In this study, water quality and microbial characterizations of fresh water springs of union council Dewangorah, Palandri, AJK have been studied. Sampling was done from January to October 2017, from fifteen different locations of study area, which are a drinking water source for natives of the area. Water samples were collected in sterilized glass bottles for physicochemical and microbial analysis and in clean plastic bottles for heavy metals analysis from various locations. Various physiochemical parameters including pH, Total dissolved solids (TDS), Conductivity, Chlorides (Cl-), Fluorides (F-), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), hardness and alkalinity were measured by standard methods. Heavy metals concentrations including Arsenic (As), Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Lead (Pb) and Nickel (Ni) were evaluated using atomic absorption spectroscopy. It was found that concentration of Pb and Cr were above permissible limits of WHO at all locations. Standard plate count (SPC) was used to determine total viable count and total coliform counts in water samples. Various bacterial colonies were isolated from water samples and characterized by performing different biochemical tests including Gram staining, Catalase, Oxidase and Citrate utilization tests. Results showed that various physicochemical parameter such as pH, TDS, Cl-, F-, COD and heavy metals including As, Cu, Fe were within World Health Organization (WHO) standards. While values for conductivity of few samples were above permissible limits of WHO. The calculations for human health risk showed that heavy metals at present levels are not posing a threat to the population. Microbial analysis showed that water samples contain different pathogenic bacteria like E. coli, Salmolella spp., shigella spp etc. and are not fit for drinking purposes. The quality of drinking water of Dewangorah must be monitored by regulatory authorities and further research is required to identify the sources of water contamination and its mitigation

Open Access Journals : A Global Perspective

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Lignin reinforcement of urea-crosslinked starch films for reduction of starch biodegradability to improve slow nitrogen release properties under natural aerobic soil condition

The urea-crosslinked starch (UcS) film has a major drawback of very rapid biodegradability when applied as slow release fertilizer in soil. Lignin reinforcement of the UcS was used to prepare composite films, aimed to reduce the starch biodegradability and slow the release of nitrogen in aerobic soil condition. Study results revealed that mineralization of the composite films was delayed from 6.40 to 13.58% more than UcS film. Inhibition of composite films mixing with soil, the Michaelis-Menten reaction rates for α-amylase were inhibited ~1.72–2.03 times whereas the Michaelis-Menten reaction rates for manganese peroxidase were increased ~1.07–1.41 times compared to UcS film. Saccharides–glucose, maltose and maltotriose demonstrated that their rates of formation (zero-order reaction) and depletion (first-order reaction); both were slowed more in aerobic soil which received the composite films. Increasing of lignin in composite films, the acid to aldehyde ratios of vanillyl and syringyl phenols of the lignin declined from 1.18 to 1.17 (~0.76%) and 1.59–1.56 (~1.78%), respectively. The diffusivity of nitrogen was effectively slowed 0.66–0.94 times by the lignin in composite films and showed a “Fickian diffusion” mechanism (release exponent n=0.095–0.143)

Superior mesenteric artery syndrome in an 18-year old female: case report

We report an unusual case of an 18-year old woman, who presented to Civil Hospital Karachi in May 2016 with complaints of vomiting, abdominal pain, dysphagia, altered bowel habits, loss of appetite and chronic weight loss. On examination, abdomen was found to be soft and non-tender with discomfort on breathing. CT angiogram revealed reduction of aortomesenteric angle and aortomesenteric distance which were both consistent with superior mesenteric artery syndrome. Reduction in angle was thought to be because of weight loss and adipose tissue depletion so patient was started on enteral and parenteral nutritional supplements. Upon seeing little to no improvement, duodenojejunostomy was performed and patient was kept under observation. Nutritional supplements were continued. The after procedure course was uneventful