Generalized incomplete gamma functions with applications

AbstractIn this paper, we introduce new functions as generalizations of the incomplete gamma functions. The functions are found to be useful in heat conduction, probability theory and in the study of Fourier and Laplace transforms. Some important properties of the functions are studied. We have investigated the asymptotic behavior, Laplace transforms, special cases, decomposition formula, integral representations, convolutions, recurrence relations and differentiation formula of these functions. Applications of these functions in evaluation of certain inverse Laplace transforms to the definite integrals and to the infinite series of exponential functions are shown

On the decomposition of generalized incomplete gamma functions with applications to Fourier transforms

AbstractIn this paper we introduce decomposition functions CΓ(α,x;ω), SΓ(α,x;ω), Cγ(α,x;ω) and Sγ(α,x;ω) of the generalized gamma functions. These functions are found useful in the analytic study of the temperature distribution of a semi-infinite solid with periodic boundary conditions and to the theory of Fourier transforms. Several new identities involving the Fourier transforms are investigated and some of the classical ones are recovered as special cases. For numerical and scientific computations, tabular and graphical representations of the functions CΓ(α,x;ω) and SΓ(α,x;ω) are also given

Resistance in Mungbean to bacterial leaf spot disease

Fifty-eight mungbean genotypes/cultivars of indigenous as well as exotic origin were screened against natural infection of bacterial leaf spot disease under field conditions at National Agriculture Research Centre, Islamabad during Kharif season of 2002. Two genotypes exhibited highly resistant reaction, 10 displayed resistant reaction and 18 were tolerant, while the rest were either susceptible or highly susceptible against the disease. Identified resistant sources may be exploited for the development of high yielding disease resistant cultivars of mungbean by using in hybridization programme.&nbsp

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis of hole transporting material free mesoporous and planar perovskite solar cells

The future photovoltaic technologies based on perovskite materials are aimed to build low tech, truly economical, easily fabricated, broadly deployable, and trustworthy solar cells. Hole transport material (HTM) free perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are among the most likely architectures which hold a distinctive design and provide a simple way to produce large-area and cost-effective manufacture of PSCs. Notably, in the monolithic scheme of the HTM-free PSCs, all layers can be printed using highly reproducible and morphology-controlled methods, and this design has successfully been demonstrated for industrial-scale fabrication. In this review article, we comprehensively describe the recent advancements in the different types of mesoporous (nanostructured) and planar HTM-free PSCs. In addition, the effect of various nanostructures and mesoporous layers on their performance is discussed using the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) technique. We bring together the different perspectives that researchers have developed to interpret and analyze the EIS data of the HTM-free PSCs. Their analysis using the EIS tool, the limitations of these studies, and the future work directions to overcome these limitations to enhance the performance of HTM-free PSCs are comprehensively considered.This publication was made possible by NPRP award (NPRP11S-1210-170080) from Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). The findings made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors

Effect of the financial crisis on investments and alternative financing sources of SMEs in the Netherlands

The recent financial crisis not only affected the financial sector but also the whole economy. The crisis caused many countries to experience a major decline in economic output and the usual consequences associated with a recession. The Dutch economy has also not been fully immune from the crisis’s adverse effects. Thus, policy makers, regulators and practitioners alike are very much curious and concerned with the effect of the crisis on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), given the fact that they are the influential growth driver of the real economy. This thesis will certainly crunch their thrust to a great extent as it investigates the effect of the financial crisis on the SMEs in the Netherlands. It focuses on three areas, namely; investment, trade credit, and cash holdings. Following the standard European Commission definition of identifying small- and medium-sized enterprises, a unique dataset of private firms in the Netherlands covering a long time-period (2003-2012) is constructed. This relative large dataset with ten years of data enables to make a statistically reliable comparison of the crisis period relative to the pre-crisis period.\ud \ud The research project regarding investment reports that, Dutch SMEs have significantly reduced their capital investment during the financial crisis. The investment has declined on average 1.2%-1.4% during the financial crisis compared to the pre-crisis period. The findings also reveal that, the internal finance and the external finance, both significantly determined investment and their incremental influence did not change during the financial crisis. \ud \ud While investigating the trade credit behavior of Dutch SMEs, the thesis reports that, trade receivables and trade payables have decreased on average 2.5% and 2.2% respectively during the financial crisis compared to the pre-crisis period. Furthermore, it also finds that, trade payables of SMEs played a complementary role with bank finance (i.e. SMEs who received more bank finance also received more trade credit). Moreover, examining whether SMEs acted as pseudo financial intermediaries by redistributing part of their obtained bank credit, the results confirm that during the financial crisis SMEs do pass up part of their obtained bank finance to their customers via the trade credit channel (i.e. SMEs act as financial intermediaries by providing trade credit). \ud \ud Finally, the study regarding the cash holdings reports that, cash holdings of SMEs have increased significantly on average 1.2% to 2.2% during the financial crisis compared to the pre-crisis period. The findings further confirms that, SMEs inclined to hold more cash even when they had more cash flow and bank finance. Holding more cash by SMEs during the crisis indicates that these firms postponed their investment and contributing less to the economic recovery. This findings thus further confirm the corporate precautionary savings motive, which is the byproduct of the adverse effect of the financial crisis. \ud \ud The overall findings of the three research projects indicate that the SMEs in the Netherlands suffered from the negative influence of the financial crisis. The policy implications of this thesis are important in the context of the financial crisis and economic recovery. Any policy that restricts the profitability, cash reserves, access to bank credit or any other sources of finance for SMEs would entail adverse supply effects. Given the importance of SMEs (i.e. significant share in innovation, employment and national output compared to large firms), policy makers and regulators should pay attention to these small players

The impact of financing on the investments of SMEs: evidence from the recent financial crisis

This paper examines how the recent financial crisis has affected the investments of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). We use a novel dataset of private firms from the Netherlands covering a long time-period (2004-2012). The results show that the financial crisis has no significant impact on the investments of SMEs. When we distinguish between the influences of internal financing (cash flows) and external financing (bank debt), we find that investment of SMEs are constrained by the availability of the cash flows and more determined by bank debt irrespective of the financial crisis

Trade credit as an alternative to bank credit during the financial crisis

This paper examines the trade credit behavior of a sample of Dutch small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) before and after the recent financial crisis. We analyze a relatively large dataset of 368 firms over the period of 2003-2012. Our findings suggest that trade payables decreased significantly during the crisis. SMEs also did not extend trade credit during the financial crisis. These findings confirm the negative effect of financial crisis on SMEs. We also investigate the substitution and redistribution roles of trade credit and find that during the financial crisis SMEs replaced the reduced bank finance with trade credit. However, SMEs were reluctant to provide trade credit even when they have higher bank finance

The impact of financing on the investments of SMEs during the recent Financial Crisis

This paper examines how the recent financial crisis has affected the investments of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Using a novel dataset of private firms from the Netherlands for the period of 2004–2012 and controlling for major firm-specific variables, we find that the investments of Dutch SMEs suffered a significant decline during the financial crisis. We also find that both internal and external financing have significant positive relationships with the investments of SMEs during the pre-crisis as well as the crisis periods. However, these two financing sources exhibit no differential impact during the crisis. The findings of the study lend some relief to those practitioners and policymakers who are concerned that the contraction in bank lending during the economic crisis has a differential damaging impact on the investments of SMEs

Indirect shoot organogenesis of a valuable medicinal plant Paederia foetida L. using nodal explants

Paederia foetida L. is an important medicinal herb harboring lots of essential drug producing metabolites and the plant has been going to be endangered due to lack of proper strategies for conservation. Since, indirect organogenesis by tissue culture is considered as the valuable tools for rapid multiplication and improvement of plant genetic resources, application of this technique should be very imperative for the conservation of this valuable and rare medicinal plant. Hence, the research effort was made to develop a suitable protocol for indirect organogenesis in-vitro using nodal explants of P. foetida. After surface sterilization, the explants were submitted to MS medium supplemented with different concentrations and combinations of plant growth regulators for showing the performance in terms of callus induction, shoot proliferation and root initiation. Among the surface sterilants used, 0.1% HgCl2 treated for 2 minutes and 3% NaOCl treated for 10 minutes showed better performance and maintained 100% and 80% survivability respectively. MS medium supplemented with 2, 4-D at 1.5 mg L-1 showed better performance than others in terms of initiation of callus from nodal explants. In contrast, NAA at 0.5 mg L-1 and BAP 0.2 mg L-1 showed highest rate of callus proliferation with somatic embryos from proliferated callus. During shoot organogenesis, MS medium supplemented with BAP 2 mg L-1 showed better results for the regeneration of shoots from embryogenic calli. The shoots derived from callus produced roots by half strength MS medium supplemented with IAA. After acclimatization, the plantlets were allowed to ambient condition for further establishment. Our findings claim the establishment of a suitable protocol for indirect organogenesis of P. foetida that could be employed for rapid multiplication, conservation and sustainable utilization of P. foetida as valuable genetic resource. [Fundam Appl Agric 2019; 4(2.000): 806-814