Technology Usage for Education： Comparative Analysis Between Open and Distance Learning and Regular Students

Education is the backbone for the development of society. With the advent of technology, it is becoming necessary and being used for the advancement of society. Technology is being used for education as being used in other important fields of life. Usage of technology for education can play a big part in bringing improvement in education For this purpose, this research aims to explore the usage and effects of technology for education. While using the survey method, a questionnaire was constructed for data collection. The sample of the study consists of graduate and postgraduate students from both ODL and regular universities and the sample size would be of 300 respondents （150 from each type of university） who were selected by using simple random sampling. The present study concluded that technology is widely used by both regular and ODL students. This study further concluded that ODL students are more dependent on technology as compared to regular students.     

Robust stabilization of uncertain 2-D discrete-time delayed systems using sliding mode control

This paper aims to solve the problem of sliding mode control for an uncertain two-dimensional (2-D) systems with states having time-varying delays. The uncertainties in the system dynamics are constituted of mismatched uncertain parameters and the unknown nonlinear bounded function. The proposed problem utilizes the model transformation approach. By segregating the proper Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional in concert with the improved version of Wirtinger-based summation inequality, sufficient solvability conditions for the existence of linear switching surfaces have been put forward, which ensure the asymptotical stability of the reduced-order equivalent sliding mode dynamics. Then, we solve the controller synthesis problem by extending the recently proposed reaching law to 2-D systems, whose proportional part is appropriately scaled by the factor that does not depend on some constant terms but rather on current switching surface’s value, which in turn ensures the faster convergence and better robustness against uncertainties. Finally, the proposed results have been validated through an implementation to a suitable physical system.     

The Journal of Ayub Medical College: a 10-year bibliometric study

OBJECTIVE: To conduct a bibliometric evaluation of the Journal of Ayub Medical College (JAMC), Abbottabad, Pakistan. Methods: The data of articles, citations and authors of JAMC from 1997 to 2006 were collected and analysed in terms of bibliometric parameters. RESULTS: The number of articles published per year ranges between 27 and 97; most of the articles (47.2%) have 11-20 citations. Three-author contributions ranked the highest (134; 23.43%); the most prolific authors contributed seven articles; 295 (51.57%) of the authors are geographically affiliated to the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Pakistan; the most popular subject is Internal Medicine; journal self-cited references are 43; 7769 (77.94%) of the citations were from foreign journals; the most productive institution is Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad, Pakistan. CONCLUSION: The number of papers published in JAMC per issue has been increasing over the last 10 years, and the core region is NWFP, Pakistan. Original articles are the main type of papers for this journal. The publication is open for all fields of medical sciences.     

What do prospective students look for in higher degrees by research? A scale development study

ABSTRACT

This empirical investigation was aimed at conceptualizing, developing and validating a scale for the measurement of the quality of higher degrees by research (HDR-QUAL). For that purpose, this study specifically measured perceptions of higher degrees by research (HDR) students about the constituents of HDR quality in Pakistani tertiary education institutions. Following the 7-step process of scale development, three studies were conducted in order to develop an initial pool of scale items, establishing proposed scale validity and reliability, and assessing nomological behavior of the proposed scale. The principal component analysis with Varimax rotation method resulted in a 3-factor solution, subsequently proposing a 15-item scale. The model fit indices of measurement and the higher-order model indicated a satisfactory fit to data. Finally, the resultant three factors, i.e. financial assistance, supervisory expertise, and infrastructural support, converged into a unidimensional HDR-QUAL scale that was found positively associated with student satisfaction, thus, confirming nomological validity as well. Important policy measures and directions for future research are proposed at the end.     

Effects of biotic and abiotic factors on forest biomass fractions

The extent to which key factors at the global scale influence plant biomass allocation patterns remains unclear. Here, we provide a theory about how biotic and abiotic factors influence plant biomass allocation and evaluate its predictions using a large global database for forested communities. Our analyses confirm theoretical predictions that temperature, precipitation, and plant height and density jointly regulate the quotient of leaf biomass and total biomass, and that they have a much weaker effect on shoot (leaf plus stem) biomass fractions at a global scale. Moreover, biotic factors have larger effects than abiotic factors. Climatic variables act equally on shoot and root growth, and differences in plant body size and age, as well as community species composition, which vary with climate in ways that drown out the variations in biomass fractions. The theory and data presented here provide mechanistic explanations of why climate has little effect on biomass fractions.     

Factors influencing Malaysian public attitudes to agro-biotechnology

Despite considerable research in advanced countries on public perceptions of and attitudes to modern biotechnology, limited effort has been geared towards developing a structural model of public attitudes to modern biotechnology. The purpose of this paper is to identify the relevant factors influencing public attitudes towards genetically modified (GM) soybean, and to analyze the relationship between all the attitudinal factors. A survey was carried out on 1,017 respondents from various stakeholder groups in the Klang Valley region. Results of the survey have confirmed that attitudes towards complex issues such as biotechnology should be seen as a multifaceted process. The most important factors predicting support for GM soybean are the specific application-linked perceptions about the benefits, acceptance of risk and moral concern while risk and familiarity are significant predictors of benefit and risk acceptance. Attitudes towards GM soybean are also predicted by several general classes of attitude.     

Dynamic voltage regulation and power export in a distribution system using distributed generation

The major aim of power quality （PQ） enhancing techniques is to maintain a specified voltage magnitude at a desired frequency for sensitive loads irrespective of faults on the power distribution network. The dynamic voltage restorer （DVR） is a device used to mitigate voltage sags to regulate load voltage. This paper presents a mathematical model for leading series voltage injection to mitigate sags thereby achieving the improvement of the utility power factor as well as power sharing between the DVR and utility. The power sharing will be as per requirement to compensate the sags considering the available distributed generation （DG）. The approach of mitigating voltage sags using the concept of leading series voltage injection is suitable for those locations where phase shift in the voltage will not cause any problem. The MATLAB/SIMULINK SimPowerSystem toolbox has been used to obtain simulation results to verify the proposed mathematical model.     

An analysis of the social impact of the stipend program for secondary school girls of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

The present study carries out an impact analysis of a conditional cash transfer (CCT) program for secondary-school girls in seven districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan, including Battagram, Bonair, Hangu, Kohistan, Shangla, Tank, and Upper Dir. In 2012 we collected household-level primary data and used a probit model for quantitative analysis. Further, we conducted various focus group discussions and key informant interviews in the target areas. Results show that the chances of female schooling decrease with a rise in family size. The chances of female education increase by 1.8 and by 3.3 % if household heads and their spouses have one additional year of schooling, respectively. Better educational services and rises in family income increase the chances of female ecucation by 11 and 0.3 %, respectively. Finally, socioeconomic awareness, improved economic conditions, and CCTs increase the chances of female education by 5.2, 4.7, and 0.03 %, respectively. Overall, the stipend program (CCTs) shows a pareto improvement. Our results indicate that 35 % of girls will drop out in the absence of a stipend program. The present study recommends that to increase program effectiveness, local-level monitoring and program evaluation may be improved, delays in stipend payments to female students should be reduced, a grievance redressal mechanism for parents and guardians should be introduced, and clear synergies should be developed with other transfer programs.     

Extraction of DNA suitable for PCR applications from mature leaves of Mangifera indica L.

Good quality deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the pre-requisite for its downstream applications. The presence of high concentrations of polysaccharides, polyphenols, proteins, and other secondary me- tabolites in mango leaves poses problem in getting good quality DNA fit for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) applications. The problem is exacerbated when DNA is extracted from mature mango leaves. A reliable and modified protocol based on the cetyl- trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) method for DNA extraction from mature mango leaves is described here. High concentrations of inert salt were used to remove polysaccharides; Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and β-mercaptoethanol were employed to manage phenolic compounds. Extended chloroform-isoamyl alcohol treatment followed by RNase treatment yielded 950?1050 μg of good quality DNA, free of protein and RNA. The problems of DNA degradation,contamination, and low yield due to irreversible binding of phenolic compounds and coprecipitation of polysaccharides with DNA were avoided by this method. The DNA isolated by the modified method showed good PCR amplification using simple se- quence repeat (SSR) primers. This modified protocol can also be used to extract DNA from other woody plants having similar problems.