Prevalence of diabetes mellitus and its relation to diet and physical work in Azad Jammu and Kashmir

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus and its relation to diet and physical work was studied in three selected districts namely Muzaffarabad, Bagh and Poonch of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. A city, a town and a village were selected from each selected district, and hundred households (families) from each city, town and village were randomly selected for the study. A total 900 households were selected for interview. A responsible individual of 40 years or older of each household was interviewed and information about diabetes, occupation and diet were recorded in the questionnaire. The mean prevalence of diabetes mellitus was 0.95% in the selected region of the state. The prevalence of the disease was higher in cities than towns and villages. The disease was slightly higher in males than females. The milk and meat consumption of the residents of the area was lower than the recommended amount. The exercise level/physical work status of majority of the residents was almost equal to heavy exercise level. The data suggest that at present, the prevalence of diabetes is not of great concern in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The prevalence of the disease is linked with diet and exercise level/physical work. The residents have marginal deficiency of food intake

Does Organizational Learning Orientation Matter? Investigating the Impact of Learning Orientation on SMES Performance

The purpose of this study was to conduct an investigation into the link between organizational learning orientation and business performance in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).  Data were analysed using sample of 213 SMEs belonging to the manufacturing sector in Sialkot, Pakistan. The findings indicated that learning orientation is positively and significantly associated with the organizational performance of SMEs. The implications and limitations of the study are discussed and possible future research directions are provided

Effectual Energy Consumption and User Comfort Optimization Based on Dynamic User Set Parameters in Electric Vehicles

Efficient energy consumption minimization and comfort index maximization in electric vehicles have grasped the attention of many researchers in recent years. Several models have been proposed and developed for this purpose, but these models have limitations in one way or another; some provide good results in energy consumption minimization but compromise on comfort, and some are capable of maximizing the comfort level but also increasing the energy consumption. Hence, to tackle these problems, we have proposed a model based on optimization, machine learning, smoothing, and control algorithms. The purpose of the proposed model is two folds, first, to minimize energy consumption and second, to maximize user comfort. The suggested model comprises three main modules: the smoothing module, the optimization module, and the control module. In the smoothing module, the alpha-beta filter, the simplest and most effective filter, has been used to remove noise and smooth the data. The optimization module is further divided into two sub-modules: the FA-GA module and the support vector machine module. The purpose of the support vector machine in the optimization module is to make the system fully automatic and dynamic by setting the user parameters in the objective function of the FA-GA module. In the control module, Mamdani fuzzy logic has been used to provide the desired energy to corresponding actuators. The proposed method is compared with some well-known approaches, and the results indicate that the proposed method provides good results compared to counterpart algorithms

Control strategies for robotic manipulators

This survey is aimed at presenting the major robust control strategies for rigid robot manipulators. The techniques discussed are feedback linearization/Computed torque control, Variable structure compensator, Passivity based approach and Disturbance observer based control. The first one is based on complete dynamic model of a robot. It results in simple linear control which offers guaranteed stability. Variable structure compensator uses a switching/relay action to overcome dynamic uncertainties and disturbances. Passivity based controller make use of passive structure of a robot. If passivity of a feedback system is proved, nonlinearities and uncertainties will not affect the stability. Disturbance observer based controllers estimate disturbances, which can be cancelled out to achieve a nominal model, for which a simple controller can then be designed. This paper, after explaining each control strategy in detail, finally compares these strategies for their pros and cons. Possible solutions to cope with the drawbacks have also been presented in tabular form. © 2012 IEEE

Relationship of Project Scope, Top Management Support, Skilled and Competent Project Team and Project Manager’s Leadership Qualities with Information Technology Projects

The aim of this research is to find out the relationship of Project Scope, Top Management Support, Skilled and Competent Project Team and Project Manager’s Leadership Qualities with Information Technologies Projects. It is widely reported from IT industry that many IT projects fail, this research is going to find out the elements which might be responsible for the failure. The research is based on empirical survey, based on questionnaire. The result shows that there are no relationships between Top Management Support with Information Technologies Projects. All of the other variables have significant relationships with IT Projects. The research results can be used by IT sector organizations and by management in order to decrease the chances of IT projects failure. Keywords: Project Scope (PS), Top Management Support (TMS), Skilled & Competent Project Team (SCPT), Project Manager’s Leadership Qualities (PMLQ) and Information Technologies Projects (ITP)

Leadership styles in Government High schools: Evidence from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – KP

Leadership is considered the prime source for development of a learning organization. School leadership is a critical issue for developing schools as learning organizations which in turn produce well-equipped human resources for the development of the knowledge economy. This study was carried out in the seven districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – KP- Government owned High Schools to investigate the leadership styles of school leaders and demographic impact on these styles. It was found that although school leaders are more transformational than transactional but not up to the desired level. Higher scores were reported for Idealized Influence, Inspirational motivation, and Contingent reward respectively. Laissez-faire leadership style is the least exercised style. Overall, male was found more transformational than female, but on individual (dimensions) styles they differed. The result showed an interesting relationship of age with styles that in early and late ages, school leaders preferred to exercise charismatic (idealized influence) but in the mid ages, they were inclined to use contingent reward. It is suggested that for the school leader’s degree or a diploma in Education Planning and Management (EPM) shall be included in their eligibility criteria, their department shall have successive planning, their appraisal shall take in to consideration their leadership behaviors, they shall be involved in incentivized research activities, and shall be given autonomy in school management.  At the end limitations and future directions are also discussed. Â

Critical Success Factors for IT Projects in the Telecom Sector

This research is undertaken to address the critical issue of the high failure rate in IT Projects. The study is focused on the IT Projects in the Telecom Sector. The main reasons for the failure of the IT Projects are studied and then the corresponding success factors analyzed. After in depth study and analysis certain Critical Success Factors for the success of IT Projects in the Telecom Sector are proposed. A theoretical framework model has been developed to test the effect of the various variables on the successful completion of IT Projects in the Telecom Industry. The results and findings from the research will greatly benefit the Telecom industry in successfully completing their IT Projects and deploying their IT infrastructure. Keywords: Project Scope (PS), Top Management Support (TMS), Skilled & Competent Project Team (SCPT), Project Manager’s Leadership Qualities (PMLQ) and Information Technology Project Success (ITPS)

Effect of Nitrogenous Fertilizer on the Vegetative Growth and Yield Attribute of Pea (Pisum sativum L.)

An experiment was conducted to study the effect of chemical fertilizer on the pea growth and yield attributes. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of chemical fertilizer alone and in combination. This study consists of three different nitrogen levels (90, 100 and 110 kg ha-1as urea), three different levels of phosphorus (60, 70 and 80 P2O5 kg ha-1 as DAP) and their combination. Treatments were arranged in a complete randomized block design with three replications. The results showed that both the single and combined application of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer increased the growth and yield attribute of the pea plant. Maximum number of primary (6.91) and secondary branches per plant (7.97), number of leaves per plant (12.50) and plant height (51.24 cm) was attained by the combine application of P80+N110. Similarly, the maximum increase in yield parameters such as pod length (7.5 cm), number of pods per plant(7.23), pod weight (12.50 g) and number of grains per pod was obtained in P80+N110. In general, combined application of fertilizers significantly increased all the growth and yield attribute of the pea plant when compared to fertilizers applied alone with respect to control

Increasing Performance through Assessed Training (A Human Recourse Management Strategy)

This research finds out the way of increasing employee’s performance through training. There are many organizations which give their workers training but do not get any enhancement in their performance. Performances of a worker are directly correlated with his/her capabilities and know how to do the job. This study develops a strategy for improving the capabilities of workers which leads to increase their performance. The research proposes that just after an organization want to increase the performance of its workers, it must find out the area where they have weaknesses. After finding out the weaknesses, organizations have to assess how that weakness should be made solved. In the third stage they have to give specific training their weaknesses. This will enhance the capabilities of workers and their performance will be increased. Keywords: Weakness, Weakness needs Assessments, Training and Performanc

The Influence of Plastic Mulching Materials and Sowing Dates on the Yield and Yield Components of Pea (Pisum sativum L.)

The use of plastic mulches affects the microclimate in the vicinity of the plant by modifying the radiation on the soil surface and reduce the loss of water. Pea is more nutritious and 2nd food source after cereals at Pakistan, but due to lake of proper management, yield is still not up to mark as compare to developed world. To reduce this problem, a field experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of mulching material and sowing dates on the yield of Pea. The study consisted of three different mulching materials (Polythene Black, Polythene Blue and Polythene Brown) with three different sowing dates (1st, 15th and 30th October) arranged in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. The results showed that different sowing dates and mulching materials had significant effect on the yield parameters of Pea. Regarding sowing dates, maximum days to pod formation (8.08 days), pods plant?1 (21.25), Pod weight (18.84 g) and pod yield (4.39 tons ha?1) were noted in pea sown on October 1st. Whereas, minimum data of days to pod formation (3.08 days), pod plant?1 (15.34), pod weight (13.17 g) and pod yields (2.69tons ha?1) were recorded in pea sown on October 30th. In case of mulching types maximum number of pods plant?1 (19.00), pod length (6.89 cm), seeds pod?1 (7.78), pod weight (17.34 g) and pod yield (3.69 tons ha?1) were observed in pea mulched with Polythene Black, while minimum pods plant-1, pod length, seeds pod-1, pod weight and pod yield were found in control. The study suggested that pea should be sown on October 1st while mulched with Polythene Black to produce maximum yield and production in agro environment of district Peshawar