The objective of this
study is to compare the performance of players in the Indian aviation industry.
The performance indicators for aviation service providers considered in the
study include market share, operational efficiency, punctuality, reliability,
and customer satisfaction. The study uses the multi-criteria decision models
Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and
Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to benchmark performance in the Indian
aviation industry. The sample selected for the study comprise the top seven
aviation service providers, viz. Indigo Airlines, Jet Airways, Air India, Spice
Jet, Go Air, Air Asia, and Vistara. The results of the analysis would enable
the aviation service providers to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and
take appropriate steps to improve their performance.
Saturday, 28 September 2019
Awareness, Readiness and Acceptance of the Students’ in Polytechnic of Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah on M-Learning
Using m-Learning is in
line with the needs of the Industrial Revolution 4.0. It is one of the
systematic steps towards optimizing the teaching and learning (T&L) process
to be more exciting, fun and interactive. Through m-Learning, students can
follow the T&L process anytime and anywhere. Thus, a study on m-Learning
was conducted to assess the level of awareness, readiness and acceptance of
students from the Department of Commerce’s, Polytechnic of Sultan Abdul Halim
Mu’adzam Shah (POLIMAS). This study used an open-ended and close-ended
questions questionnaire. Respondents were 120 students in the second-semester
who were selected through a purposive sampling. The aim was to acquire their
opinion on m-Learning. Questionnaires were distributed to respondents using
Google Forms application and respondents answered them by using their mobile
devices. The URL link to Google Form was shared through the students’ WhatsApp
groups and monitored using a Student Information Registration System name-list.
The questionnaires were analyzed using the SPSS software version 23.0.
Descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage and mean were used in the
analysis to evaluate the students’ feedback about m-Learning. The analysis of
the findings show that the level of awareness, readiness and acceptance of
POLIMAS students were at a moderate level towards m-Learning as a medium of
T&L. This is because the use of m-Learning is still in an infancy stage in
POLIMAS. Hence, the use of m-Learning should be enhanced and widely publicized
at all levels within higher education in Malaysia.
Friday, 27 September 2019
Perceptions of Corruption in Nigeria as a Barrier to Future Development
There is a global consensus that confronting
corruption and building good governance are the keys to developing people,
markets, and protecting the environment. Nigeria has consistently been rated as
one of the most corrupt countries; Transparency International [1] recently
rated it the 15th most corrupt country in the world. Corruption ratings are
usually based on perceptions of corruption, in this paper were generated by the
2,400 Nigerian respondents included in Round 6 of the Afrobarometer survey. The
sample included more rural respondents than urban, and the rural-urban
dimension was the primary predictor of management of the economy as a national
priority. The other four significant factors were 3 infrastructure items,
availability of the electric grid, sewer and water, and employment status. The
study’s primary research question asked in this study was the effect of
corruption on development. The answer provided here is perception of corruption
had no effect on the way this study measured development. The study suggested
that ordinary Nigerians do not connect corruption with development because they
have no trust in government officials and think they are all corrupt. The
implication is that those officials will not do anything about development.
This raises the question about Nigeria’s status as a failed state. If it is not
a failed state.
Counselling Post School Shooting Incidents: What are the Issues?
School shootings,
church shootings and even library and disco shootings are becoming more common.
Counsellors are often called upon to assist, to provide comfort and solace and
to help individuals cope and deal with the immense tragedy that is often
unexplainable. This paper will address some of the past research in this realm,
and cursorily review the literature and will attempt to address some of the research
questions that need to be addressed and investigated Death is something that is
difficult for many to address. The death of a close friend or a classmate in a
school shooting is even more terrible. The aftermath of such an event is EVEN
MORE horrible as flashing images careen across one's mind and often cause
nightmares and other post-traumatic difficulties. To witness one’s best friend
being shot or to observe a fellow student (or a complete stranger) firing
bullets into the bodies of classmates is surely an event that no student
anticipates. Yet it is occurring with greater and greater frequency across the
United States and literally around the world. The student is under assault in
the place that perhaps he has felt most secure- in a building led by adults who
seem to be protective, caring individuals. Suddenly they are thrust into a
classroom filled with blood and dead bodies of their classmates or fellow
athletes and they may even have seen a teacher give their own life in an
attempt to save or protect his or her students.
Wednesday, 25 September 2019
Comparison of Performance of Indian Aviation Service Providers Using Multi-criteria Decision Models
The objective of this
study is to compare the performance of players in the Indian aviation industry.
The performance indicators for aviation service providers considered in the
study include market share, operational efficiency, punctuality, reliability,
and customer satisfaction. The study uses the multi-criteria decision models
Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and
Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to benchmark performance in the Indian
aviation industry. The sample selected for the study comprise the top seven
aviation service providers, viz. Indigo Airlines, Jet Airways, Air India, Spice
Jet, Go Air, Air Asia, and Vistara. The results of the analysis would enable
the aviation service providers to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and
take appropriate steps to improve their performance.
Exploring the Applicability of the CVP Model in the Indian Cement Sector
The Cost-Volume-Profit
(CVP) model is a simple model for analyzing a firm’s cost and revenue structure
and a very versatile technique for profit planning, and it is widely used in
practice to examine the possible impacts of a range of strategic decisions.
However, despite its several extensions and theoretical appeal, the CVP model
has had very little empirical application. The present study analyses the
applicability of the CVP model empirically for the Indian cement sector using
linear and quadratic regression. The results of the study indicate that though
the simple CVP model with linear cost and revenue functions does offer some
powerful insights, the CVP model with quadratic cost and revenue functions is
more appropriate for explaining the cost and revenue structure of companies in
the cement sector.
Monday, 23 September 2019
Forex Risk Management Strategies for Indian IT Companies
This study deals with
the impact of currency fluctuations on cash flows of IT service providers (who
would be receiving foreign currencies), and explores various strategies for managing
transaction exposure from this viewpoint. The study evaluates three foreign
exchange risk management strategies, viz. forward currency contacts, currency
options, and cross-currency hedging, to find out which of the strategies is
appropriate in particular situations. The results of the study suggest that the
forward currency hedging strategy yielded the highest mean cash flows and the
highest mean percentage gain amongst the forex risk management strategies
considered. Further, in terms of project type, the forex risk management
strategies investigated in the study seem to be more suitable for fixed price
projects (FPP) than for time and materials (T&M) projects, and in terms of
project category, the forex risk management strategies investigated in the
study seem to be more suitable for application support (AS) projects than
application development (AD) projects..
A Review Application Method of Detecting Toxins in Food by Nanoaptamr
Today, with the
population increase. Useing of new
methods to detect contamination in the food industry, a new approach that could be considered.
Biosensors for rapid and highly sensitive method to detect microbiological
contamination are used in food industry. Biosensors technology as a new
science, powerful alternative to traditional analysis techniques in the field
of food industry. Many applications of nanotechnology in agriculture and food
development of nanoscale biosensors for monitoring and control of materials and
processes used food. Nano-biosensors and nano-biotechnology in combination with
electronic processes and specific response to a specific matter Analyst tools
detailed in the tiniest dimensions. Using these sensors detect trace amounts of
harmful chemical substances, viruses and bacteria in the food industry,
agriculture and the environment made possible the development of quality
control has been dramatic. Aptamer nanoparticles can have a huge potential
diagnostic functions. Nanvaptamr compounds to detect food pathogens is
considered. The purpose of this review was to review the nano-optemer method
for the detection of food toxins.
Saturday, 21 September 2019
Testing the Empirical Validity of the Feldstein-Horioka Puzzle for Gambia Using the Gregory Hansen Cointegration Test and ADRL
The paper tests the
empirical validity between investment and saving for the Gambia by employing co-integration
test with structural break and regimes shifts. The data was obtained from WDI.
The ARDL model with dummies and interaction variables is used to determine the
short run, long run and effect of structural breaks in the investment saving
relationship to test the empirical validity for The Gambia. The results showed
the existence of break points at 1983 and 2005 and no co-integration at the
break points. The absolute values of ADF, , are all less than 5% critical
values, therefore we failed to reject the null hypothesis of no co-integration
at the break points. ADRL with break dummies shows that the long run
coefficient for saving (saving retention coefficient) is negative and
significant but openness is positive and not significant. The break dummy is
negative and highly significant which shows that the break is important in
modeling the relationship between investments and saving. The interaction term
of investment is positive and highly significant at 5%, but the interaction
term for saving is positive and not significant. In the Short run, the
coefficient of saving to output is positive (β = .5493598) and significant at
1% and trade is also positive and significant at 5%. ADRL without break dummies
shows that the long run coefficient for saving and openness are positive and
not significant and in the short run they are positive and significant.
The Role of Financial Incentives in Employee’s Job Motivation, Satisfaction, Performance, and Turnover: Evidence from Pakistan
This study explores
the impact of best financial incentives on employee’s job motivation,
performance satisfaction, and turnover. Theoretically speaking when
organizations pay good financial benefits to their employees, they are more
motivated, satisfied, and more committed with the organization. Our sample
consists of Pakistani, telecommunication industry, textile industry. We
collected the data of 600 responses out of 1000 questionnaire. By utilizing the
received responses, we run the path analysis and found that all the stated
variables are positively significant except job turnover. We found that financial reward can positively
contribute to keeping the employee motivated and satisfied. However financial
rewards discourage the employee turnover intention which cannot save
organizational financial cost but also help to retain human capital as well.
Thursday, 19 September 2019
Impact of Personal Remittances Received on Economic Growth in the Gambia
This paper adopt the
error correction model technique (VECM) to establish the long run and short run
relationship between personal received and economic growth in the Gambia during
the period 2003 to 2017. In testing for the unit root test properties of time
series data, all variables are found to be stationary at first differencing
level under the Augmented Dickey Fuller test (ADF). The results of VECM
demonstrate the existence of a positive and significant relationship between
personal remittances received and economic growth both in the long run and
short run. Personal remittances received act as a great source of foreign
exchange currency and also help in reducing the level of poverty in the
developing countries. Total exports have a positive and significant impact on
economic growth in the long run but not in the short run. Total imports have a
negative and significant impact on economic growth in the long run but in short
run. We recommend that the government should encourage the people who received
remittances to invest their money in business and also agriculture especially
in poultry and agro base processing. It is also recommended that the government
should create more employment opportunities to minimize the number of our able
young men and women migrating to overseas in search for a better living
standard.
Method of Automatic Measurement Equivalent Diameter of Scattering Circle and Finding the Plane of the Best Image in Lens
Method of measuring
distribution function of a spot in the plane of the best image of lens is
considered. The aim of research is to reduce measuring time of lens
distribution function and simplify processing measuring results for
automatically control using. In the considered method, the slit or light –
shadow boundary of spread function is scanned with possibility of conversion to
contrast frequency characteristic. Numerical evaluation is made through
equivalent diameter of circle in spot distribution. Method of calculation of
equivalent diameter is developed. An automatic installation for measuring
equivalent diameter in different planes near focal plane of lens is described.
Scheme and design of installation with led and laser illuminators are
considered. The results of study of dependence of scattering circle diameter on
parameters of beam illuminating lens are presented. Processing of measurement
results is carried out in standard program Excel.
Tuesday, 17 September 2019
Cross Culture Management Challenges: A Critical Review
The global economy
changes the business dynamics and now a day’s firms operating across the border
are facing fierce competition and challenge. To cope with this effectively and efficiently,
HRM must have diverse knowledge about the factors at home and across the
border. By giving cross-cultural education throughout the organisations, HR can
help organisations to fight internationally to achieve their aims and objects.
HR management is quite important for the success of the firms, and they must
earn the cross-cultural skills and abilities to handle organisations operating
at a global level. The article suggests that some aspects that HR must follow
to deal with cross-cultural businesses.
Economic Aspects of the Demography of Russia
The factors affecting
the demographic climate in Russia are considered. It has been established that
for countries of the world the birth rate depends on GDP per capita, and for
Russia the dependence of this indicator on the poverty level is less
pronounced. It was found that during the reporting period, the birthrate first
fell, then grew, and then begins to fall again. The authors conclude that this
process is significantly influenced by motivation at the expense of maternity
capital.
Monday, 16 September 2019
Consistency of Rankings of Indian Management Institutes: An Analysis Using Multi-criteria TOPSIS
The objective of the
study is to examine the consistency of rankings of Indian management institutes
using the multi-criteria Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal
Solution (TOPSIS). The results of the study show that there are many
inconsistencies in the ranking methodologies for management institutes, perhaps
due to the use of subjective assessments. The parameters that were found to
play a significant role in the MINT-MBAUniverse rankings were the Cut-off mark
for entrance, the Student-Faculty ratio, Association of Master of Business
Administration (AMBA) and European Foundation for Management Development
Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) accreditations, and the Average Salary
offered in placements. On the other hand, all of the process and output
parameters are critical parameters in the TOPSIS ranking of management
institutes. Thus, the results of the TOPSIS analysis are preferable, as they
provide a ranking of the management institutes based on purely objective
parameters.
A Review of the Production of Biosurfactant and Pigmented Prodigyosin by Bacteria Serrassia marsseñes
Surfactants or active
agents are widely used in various industries. Biosurfactants are produced by a
large group of microorganisms and capable of emulsifying hydrocarbons.
Serrawettin biosuccinate and Prodigyosin pigment are produced by Serrasia marssness
officinalis bacteria.
Object: Prodigyosin has a wide range of properties, including antibacterial, fungal, malaria, antibiotic properties, immunosuppressive and anticancer drugs, and many useful uses in the medical, pharmaceutical, dyeing and fields. In this review, the production of biosurfactant and pigmented Prodigiocin by bacteria Serrazia Marseñas and their applications in biotechnology are discussed.
Results: Due to the large volume of use, the full dependence on the import of this material, the high cost of chemical production and its side effects in order to obtain the maximum production of productivia, is necessary to optimize the conditions for growth and production. Therefore, achieving optimum conditions for the production of biosurfactant as the primary metabolite associated with the growth of the biomass can improve the production and utilization of this substance.
Friday, 13 September 2019
Radiotherapy after D2 Lymph Node Dissection +/- Omentectomy in Gastric Cancer
The review aims to
address the indications and areas of radiotherapy in gastric cancer. Gastric
cancer is the 5th most common cancer worldwide and ranks third in
cancer deaths. It is an insidious disease and it is usually asymptomatic until
it reaches the advanced stage. Surgical treatment is still standard treatment,
although chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy have been advancing in
recent years. The lymph nodes of the stomach are collected in 16 groups and are
classified from N1 to N3 according to their stations. Parallel to this order of
lymph nodes, lymph node dissections are separated from D0 to D3. D0 dissection
N1 group lymph nodes were not dissected; D1 dissection dissolves the entire N1;
D2 dissection N1 and N2 group lymph nodes all dissected; D3 dissection
indicates that all of the lymph nodes of N1, N2, N3. It is concluded that
gastric cancer has a poor prognosis and aggressive cancer. The standard
treatment is surgery. In the surgical treatment, total / subtotal gastrectomy +
D1 (+/-) D2 lymph node dissection +/- omentectomy is performed. D2 dissected
+/- omentectomy gastric cancer postoperative radiotherapy, the role of RT in
the treatment, the target volume of RT, new RT techniques to reduce the
potential toxicity and which group of patients is not clear is clear. The
results of a prospective randomized study will provide more reliable results.
Importance of Nigella sativa in Radiotherapy or Chemotherapy
The present study aims
to evaluate the beneficiary effect of Nigella sativa in radiotherapy or
chemotherapy. Cancer is one of the biggest threats of modern life, which is
accepted as the second cause of death after myocardial infarction. Current
chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, etc. cannot provide complete treatment for
cancer cases that cannot be diagnosed early. Nigella sativa has been used in
the treatment of various diseases in traditional medicine for over 2000 years,
since it is a natural medicinal medicine as well as a spice in the kitchen. The
inadequacy of existing treatments encourages scientists to find alternative and
more effective treatment methods. Many studies have important effects such as
antibacterial, antifungal, antihelmintic, antioxidant, antidiabetic,
antiinflammatory, analgesic, gastroprotective, hepatoprotective,
renoprotective, anti-convulsant, antiastmia. As a result, Nigella sativa is
used in in-vivo and in-vitro studies in cancer treatment by utilizing its
beneficial and protective effects on many systems and it is known that it does
not harm healthy cells. Although scientific studies are conducted, the current
number of studies is limited. There is a need for clinical studies to show a
possible positive effect on the current types of cancer.
Thursday, 12 September 2019
An Odyssey of a Stenosed Bicuspid Aortic Valve
Bicuspid aortic valve
(BAV) is known to cause the heart's aortic valve narrow. This prevents the
aortic valve from opening fully causing reduction and/or block flow of blood
from the heart. The clinical presentation of BAV is highly variable. In many
cases, BAV is asymptomatic, however in some it may become calcified later in
life. Its major manifestations are aortopathy, valvular dysfunctions and
endocarditis. We report a case of BAV with a follow-up for over 40 years to
assess the temporal association and progression of various complications for
better understanding of disease process.
High Incidence of Epithelial Dysplasia in Oral Leukplakia: A Retrospective Study
“Oral leukoplakia”
alludes to white keratotic plaques having excluded other known lesions and
etiologic factors except smoking. Due to the potential of malignant
transformation of this epithelial lesion, the purpose of the present
case-series was to determine the clinical and histologic precancerous features
of this lesion. The study was conducted at the oral medicine department at the
dental faculty, Kerman. Demographic, clinical and histopathologic
characteristics of biopsy proven oral leukoplakia cases were collected from the
documented records from 1999 to 2017 and registered in pre-designed charts.
Finally, out of the 47 patients, the consistency rate between the clinical and
histologic diagnosis of this lesion was 85.1%. The incidence of epithelial
dysplasia was 48.9% (38.3% mild, 8.5% moderate and 2.1% severe) whereas 53.2%
of the lesions were non-homogenous and 66% of the patients were smokers. Inasmuch
as dysplasia was reported in the approximately half of the cases, right
diagnosis of leukoplakia should be done by the dentist to prevent malignant
transformation. Proper understanding, recognising, identification and
differentiating this lesion are necessary for proper treatment.
Wednesday, 11 September 2019
Age Determination of Nemipterus japonicus in Tha-baw-seik, Myanmar Using of Sagitta Otolith and Scales Rings
A total 400 numbers of Nemipterus japonicus were randomly collected in
Tha-baw-seik landing area from 2018 January to 2018 December. After that, the
samples were taken out their sagitta otoliths and scales and examined their
yearly rings. Among them, 356 numbers were reliably used for age determination.
In the present study, it was found that the maximum age was found 5+ years old
for pooled fish with SL = 23.14 cm and the youngest one was 1+ year old for a
female specimen with SL = 12.72 mm. Moreover, it could be concluded that N.
japonicus has medium longevity and the highest growth length rate can be at the
first and second age group. The present study will absolutely provide for
further stock assessment studies in Myanmar because it was the first study
about age determination of N. japonicus.
Effect of Aridity Gradient on Physico-chemical and Microbial Characteristics of Pine Forest Soils
The objective of this study was to see
the effect of the bioclimatic stage on certain characteristics of the soils of
the forests of western Algeria.
For realized this work have selected
three forest areas populated at 90% by Aleppo Pine and located in the
bioclimatic stages humid, semi arid and arid. For each station, some physical,
chemical and microbiological analyses were carried out that could have an
impact on the vegetation and the biological processes of the soil.
The results showed that there is a great
heterogeneity between the different stations and that the water and nitrogen
content depends on the aridity gradient. On the other hand the amount of carbon
is more important in the humid and arid zone and lower between the two
stations. Regarding microbial biomass have noted that it does not depend on the
aridity gradient. The enzymatic activities studied are more pronounced in the
humid zone and almost the same in the semi arid and arid.
Tuesday, 10 September 2019
Biological Removal of Cadmium by Halomonas elongate IBRC-M10433 in Different Conditions: Optimization by Taguchi Statistical Approach
The biological
removing method is cheap and safe for the environment. The Cadmium is toxic and
harmful for the environment; therefore, the biological removing programs were
developed for deletion of this metal from waste. Detection of persisting
bacteria to toxic metals and using them for removing heavy metal from arouses
environments and wastewaters is very important. In this study the ability of
Halomonas elongate IBRC-M10433 bacterium was achieved from Urmia Salt Lake was
tested to remove of Cadmium in wastewaters. For achievement optimised of
different environmental factors such as Cadmium, Glucose and salt for removal
of Cadmium from H. elongate IBRC-M10433, we used Taguchi method. Results from
this study showed that H. elongate IBRC-M10433 persists to Cadmium metal. The
largest Cadmium removal (85%) was seen in the culture that contains 50 ppm
Cadmium, Glucose 10 g/L and NaCl 200 g/L.
Rapid in vitro Propagation of Physalis angulata: A Valuable Medicinal Plant
Leaf and internodal explants of Physalis angulata L. were used to evaluate the
effect of growth regulators on the in vitro callus induction and plant
regeneration. Two independent experiments were performed to establish callus
and plant regeneration. In the first experiment leaf segments 0.5mm were
cultured on MS basal medium fortified with (BAP (0.5-4.0 mg/l) + 2, 4-D
(0.0-1.5 mg/l). Callus initiation was observed best in all media after 12-16
days. Highest callus growth in terms of 11.75% Yellowish Green Friable Callus
(YGFC) was observed in MS medium fortified with 2, 4-D 1.0 mg/l and BAP 2.0
mg/l. In the second experiment internodal segments 0.5 mm were cultured on MS
medium containing BAP (0.5-4.0 mg/l) + IAA (0.5-3.0 mg/l) + KIN (1.0 -3.0 mg/l)
and 2, 4-D (0.5-3.0 mg/l). The best response of shoot induction was observed
with internodal cultured onto MS medium containing BAP (2.0 mg/l) + KIN (1.0
mg/l) and IAA (1.0 mg/l) showed the mean value 14 Number of shoots per explant.
Excised shoots were transferred to rooting medium containing different
concentrations of IBA, IAA and NAA for root induction. The roots were initiated
and well developed on a medium fortified with 0.5-5.0 mg/l of both the auxins.
Of the three auxins tested, a number of roots were produced on the medium
containing IBA. Maximum numbers of 35 roots per shoot were produced in 35 days
on MS medium supplemented with 3.0 mg/l IBA. The well-rooted plantlets were
transplanted to the paper cup for hardening and the well-established plants
were transferred to the field for acclimatisation.
Monday, 9 September 2019
Effects of Silicon on the Yield and Cadmium Accumulation of Rice Grain
In order to
investigate the effects of silicon (Si) on the yield and cadmium (Cd)
concentrations of rice grain, pot soil experiments were conducted with two rice
cultivars differing in Cd accumulation, and different Si application levels
(low, medium and high) and different Si application methods (one time and two
times) were designed. The results showed that the grain yields of Yangdao 6
(high grain Cd accumulator) were raised by 4.81% - 11.94% by the Si
applications, compared to the control, and that of Yu 44 (low grain Cd
accumulator) were raised by 1.98% - 9.94%. The grain Cd concentrations of
Yangdao 6 were reduced by 22.22% - 73.08%, and that of Yu 44 were cut by 28.57%
- 68.24%, by the Si applications. With the rises of Si application levels and
Si application times, the grain yields increased but the grain Cd
concentrations decreased sharply. The effects of Si applications on grain Cd
concentrations were much higher than on grain yields. The results indicate that
grain Cd concentration can be reduced by about 70%, and grain yield can be
raised by about 10%, by the Si application measure of high level and two times
during rice growth period.
Investigation Potential Biomonitors of Some Elements (Zn, Cr, Cd, Pb, Ni, Fe, Cu) Verbascum insulare Boiss. and Heldr. (Scrophulariaceae) from East Anatolia Turkey
In this study, heavy
metals such as Zn, Cr, Cd, Pb, Ni, Fe and Cu were investigated in Verbascum
insulare Boiss. & Heldr. (Scrophulariaceae) as well as in soil grown by
using ICP-OES. The aim of this study was
to examine the potential of biomonitors for heavy metal polluted areas. The
plant and soil samples were collected from their natural habitat at different
locations in 2017. In the whole plant, Cr among all heavy metals was found to
be at the highest level of 140,55 mg/kg, followed by Pb 63,70 mg/kg and Fe
57,30 mg/kg, while the other metals were at low concentration in V. insulare
Boiss. & Heldr. The obtained data were compared with the respective values
recommended by the polish standards. Our findings were tested with one-way
ANOVA Duncan tests for high significance levels of P<0.01. We found the
plants to be reliable biomonitors for remediation methods. The present study
showed that heavy metals such as Zn, Cr, Cd, Pb, Ni, Fe and Cu were found in
the three locations, and the overall levels of metals were in the order of
Aşkale (L3) > Çat (L2) > Palandöken Mountain (L1). V. insulare might be
suitable for remediation of Cr-, Pb- and Fe-contaminated soils. This plant can
be used as a bioindicator and a biomonitor for polluted heavy metals.
Saturday, 7 September 2019
Three SRAP Molecular Markers Linked to Yield Component Traits in Wheat
In order to better
understand the relationship genotype-phenotype, marker-trait associations were
studied in eight wheat genotypes using a set of 95 DNA-based SRAP molecular
markers. SRAP analysis showed that the average of the percentage of
polymorphism (P%) was 62.59%, as well as the average of polymorphic information
content (PIC) was 0.23. Moreover, the means of marker index (MI) was 1.49. The
ME1F-EM5R and ME9F-EM3R primers combination showed higher levels of
polymorphism of 88.89% and 90.91%, respectively. Single-marker analysis (SMA)
indicated that ME-7F-EM-6R1250bp was probably as a candidate marker which
linked to 1000-grain weight. In addition, ME-7F-EM-5R900bp and ME-4F-EM-6R490bp
SRAP markers were identified for weight of grains/spike and No. of
grains/spike, respectively. The cluster analysis based on SRAP and means of
morphological data revealed similarity coefficient values ranged from 57.40% to
80.40% and from 90.61% to 98.81%, respectively. Similarity matrices generated
by SRAP markers and means of morphological traits showed a positive but
non-significant correlation (r = 0.03, P˃ 0.05).
Investigation of Cadmium Biodegradation by Bacteria and Comparison with Other Biodegradable Materials
With the development
of release of heavy metals into the environment is increasing. The abundant use
and increase the level of concern is serious. Biotechnology, bioremoval heavy
metals from industrial wastewater by using microorganisms' ability to be an
efficient, environmentally friendly and developing effective. Identify bacteria
resistant to toxic metals that have the potential in this area are technically
complex and useful. The use of hallophilic bacteria due to having special
features, high power stability important in biological cleaning of metal
compounds in natural environments play. Biological removal of toxic metal
cadmium with high, environmental movement as an important field of
biotechnology. Optimization of environmental conditions whose removal increases
the efficiency should be considered further. The aim of this study reviews the
removal of cadmium by bio-dispersion.
And the impact of environmental factors on biological uptake of heavy
and compare them with other bioabsorbents.
Friday, 6 September 2019
BIODIVERSITY OF FRESHWATER ALGAE FROM SELECTED PONDS OF COIMBATORE CITY – TAMIL NADU, INDIA
Phytoplankton
communities of algae are essential of the water bodies. The aim of present studies to asses the biodiversity of freshwater algae from
selected ponds of Coimbatore city in the year of 2018 and 2019. Collection of
microalgae was followed as a random sampling method and the images were
captured with digital photomicrograph and identified with the help of standard
well known monographs. The phytoplanktons are recorded from the study area as
21 species belongs to Chlorophyceae, 2 species belongs to Bacillariophyceae and
2 species from Cyanophyceae were
identified and documented. The commercially important species are isolated and maintained at culture collection
of algae for future application studies.
Exposure to Particulate Matter Air Pollution in Nigeria: Empirical Investigation
In a bid to
empirically examines the dynamic relationship among population growth,
urbanization, ruralization and PM2.5 air
pollution exposure in Nigeria during the period 1970-2018, Augmented Dickey
Fuller unit root test was conducted on the series in order to detect the
presence of unit root and Auto Regressive Distributed Lag Models was deployed
for the analysis. Surprisingly, the results from both short run and long run
estimates show that the coefficient for logarithm of ruralization (LOG(RUR)) is
higher than logarithm of urbanization (LOG(URB)). This could be due to the fact
that though urban areas are known to generate particulate matter because of the
level of economic activities but a large volume of the particulate matter are
transported and can thus adversely impact far away in rural areas. The
reduction of outdoor air pollutants in general, and particulate matter in
particular, requires concerted action by public authorities, industry and
individuals at state and federal levels in Nigeria.
Thursday, 5 September 2019
The Analysis of Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Nigeria
The present study
examines the short-run relationship between energy consumption and greenhouse
gas emissions for Nigeria. Time series data spanning the period 1986-2018 were
analyzed using Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach. The bounds test
results confirm that there is no long-run relationship between greenhouse gas
emissions and energy consumption. The results of short run estimates shows that
D(LOGDFOIL(-1)), D(LOGCRUDE(-1)), D(LOGCOAL(-1)) and D(LOGCOAL(-2)) positively
and significantly impact on CO2 – carbon dioxide emissions per capita
(D(LOGCO2)) while D(LOGMETH(-1)), D(LOGDFOIL(-1)), D(LOGJFUEL(-2)),
D(LOGMGAS(-2)) and D(LOGOPPRO(-2)) were found to have a positively significant
influence on methane emissions (kt of CO2 equivalent). Furthermore,
D(LOGELEC(-1)), D(LOGJFUEL(-1)), D(LOGOGHG(-1)), D(LOGCRUDE(-1)), D(LOGRFOIL(-1)), D(LOGCRUDE(-2)), D(LOGDFOIL(-2)), and
D(LOGDNGAS(-2)) showed positive and significant relationship with other
greenhouse gas emissions (D(LOGOGHG)) such as HFC, PFC and SF6 (thousand metric
tons of CO2 equivalent) were used as dependent variable. As such, there is need
to decrease power plant emissions and promote a greater use of renewable energy
resources in Nigeria.
Testing the Weak-form Efficiency of BRICS Stock Markets
This study aims to
test the weak-form efficiency of the stock markets of Brazil, Russia, India,
China and South Africa (BRICS). This study uses daily stock indices returns of BRICS
for the period 2000 to 2018 sub-dividing as pre-crisis, crisis, and post-crisis
periods. Here we employ parametric as well as nonparametric tests for testing
efficiency. The results of this study show that the efficiency is indeed
time-varying and important observation is that the results obtained from serial
correlation test, Ljung box test and runs test for the crisis period show that
all the markets demonstrate weak form efficiency behavior. However, the results
of Hurst exponent shows that only Russian market is efficient among these BRICS
markets for the whole sample period.
Wednesday, 4 September 2019
The Impact of Fan Page Engagement on Consumer Purchase Intension on Fashion Brands in Sri Lanka
Today, the world is
evolving around social media and so is the business and business communication.
Social media platforms mainly Facebook in which commercial and social
networking elements have evolved in many ways to serve as business/ marketing
communication tool. Social media is recognized as an impressive form of online
communication where people create friendships, communities, network which
gather and share information, messages and ideas. Businesses nowadays use fan
pages to provide information of their products or services to existing and
potential customers with the aim of increasing the purchase intention. Hence
the marketing practitioners are keen to understand the impact of the consumer
purchase intention through their fan page. Accordingly, the purpose of this
study is to examine and analyse the impact of fan page engagement on consumer
purchase intention of fashion brands in Sri Lanka. The objective of the study
is to analyse whether or not the main features of fan page engagement which are
trust, EWOM (Electronic Word of Mouth) and value co-creation makes an impact on
Sri Lankan fashion brand consumers. Therefore, the researcher selected
quantitative research methodology adopting to the deductive research approach.
A self-administered questionnaire is distributed among 120 Facebook users.
Among 120 responses received, 105 completed questionnaires were finally
employed for statistical analysis.
Sample was selected based on non-random sampling method. Through the
existing literature; trust, EWOM and value co-creation are identified as three
independent variables while purchase intention is the dependent. The finding of
the research revealed that the EWOM (0.335,0.00) has a significant relationship
and value co-creation (0.655,0.00) has a significant positive relationship with
the purchase intention, yet the relationship of trust (0.142, 0.150) and
purchase intention was not significant.
Role of FDI in Stock Returns: A Case of Pakistan
This article examined
the influence of FDI on the stock returns of the Pakistan market. Pakistan is
an emerging economy of Asia and has attracted good FDI. The study used
secondary data that has been taken from different reliable sources. The data
for FDI is taken from Pakistan Statistical bureau and for the data of stock
returns, we used yahoo Finance. The data has been collected from 2005 till
2914. After employing the regression analysis, we noticed that there is a
positive association between stock returns and FDI in the case of Pakistan.
This study facilitates the policymakers of how the foreign direct investment
for the development of the emerging country like Pakistan. This is the reason
that Pakistan is attracting more and more FDI by offering flexible policies.
Tuesday, 3 September 2019
Socio-economic Relationship and Currency Impact on the Rebirth of Senegambia: The 15th Executive Council of the Economics and Management Students Association
In 1991, The Gambia
and Senegal signed the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation to promote trade
between them and to make their relations more harmonious and stronger. The
purpose of this study is to determine the socio-economic relationship and the
impact of the currency on the re-birth of Senegambia and how this new relationship
will affect the social and economic exchange rates of the two countries from
1996 to 2017. The results show that in the short-run, the lag of the log of
exchange rates and log of terms of trade show a positive sign on the log of
GDP. However, inflation and unemployment show a negative sign on the log of
GDP. Further, only the log of exchange rate has a positive effect on GDP in the
long run. To conclude, the log of exchange rates is significant on the log of
GDP in the short-run and long-run. The researchers recommend that policy makers
should reduce the tax levied on imported goods from Senegal, reduce domestic
prices of goods and services, avoid border closure, and improve the domestic
industries.
Innovation and Development of Digital Finance: A Review on Digital Transformation in Banking & Financial Sector of Sri Lanka
During last few
decades, Sri Lanka has shifted from agrarian economy to service economy. In
service sector dominant role is played by the Banking and Financial Industry
(BFI). Owing to this shift, BFI Industry has experienced a constant evolution
by transforming entire BFI industry landscape with new era of convergence
service delivery. This evolution can be considered as an extended connectivity
and increased speed of information processing by introducing new business
models and opportunities in BFI. As one
of the developing countries, BFI sector in Sri Lanka is looking for an
exceptional level of divergence between technology and finance. However to
date, there is not much published studies to explain the nature of digital
transformation in BFI industry in Sri Lanka. This study proposed to develop
digital transformation framework of BFI Industry in Sri Lanka based on the
diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory, technology-organization-environment (TOE)
framework and actor-network theory (ANT) to conduct the multi-level analysis of
the development of Sri Lanka‘s BFI industry digital transformation. It attempts
to create and reveal the process of building and execution of disruptive
technology and variety of heterogeneous actors involved in the newly emerging
converging industry. This research is a stepping stone in exploring interaction
between FinTech and yet unfolding other technology around this context. It also
discusses policy implication for Sri Lanka BFI industry, focusing on the
expansion of state in fostering the exponential growth of BFI industry within
and outside Sri Lanka.
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