Motivated by the fact that electrical transients are rather fast compared with mechanical respons... more Motivated by the fact that electrical transients are rather fast compared with mechanical response, the traditional cascade control structure constituted by the inner current and outer speed loops is usually employed in the permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) servo control community. According to the above-mentioned time-scale characteristic of the PMSMs drive systems, this technique addresses the problems of the non-cascade sliding mode control (SMC) strategy for the surface-mounted PMSMs. Firstly, by appropriately introducing the singular perturbation theory, the corresponding mathematical equations are modeled as a singular perturbation system. Meanwhile, a composite sliding mode surface is constructed based on the Lyapunov equation, such that the system stability can be also guaranteed. Then, according to the exponential reaching law, a standard non-cascade SMC law is designed. Furthermore, an optimal nonlinear function-based tracking differentiator (TD) is presented to ...
Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is a gastrointestinal issue, in which inflammation of the tract takes pla... more Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is a gastrointestinal issue, in which inflammation of the tract takes place. The disease level may be severe, moderate, or mild, so the detection method was selected according to the disease level. Finding the disease level and diagnostic method of UC is challenging. Objective: To find out a non-interfering way for the assessment of the activity of the disease, which is particularly important for the detection of UC. Therefore, the main goal of this study is to find a safe method for the determination of disease severity in the patients suffering from UC. Methods: For this study, 93 patients were selected suffering from UC (UC). For the assessment of all the specific parameters, C-Reactive Protein (CRP), Rate of erythrocytes sedimentation (ESR) and calprotectin in fecal, commonly used turbidimetric-immunoassay, Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Westergren technique was used. A partial clinical score was used for the estimation of disease severity ...
Review of Agricultural and Applied Economics, 2021
Research background: There is higher level of mistrust between vegetable farmers and intermediari... more Research background: There is higher level of mistrust between vegetable farmers and intermediaries in vegetable market transaction in Eastern Ethiopia. This mistrust adversely affected farmers' livelihood which largely depended on the agriculture sector. Hence understanding factors that affect trust of farmers for intermediaries is essential. Purpose of the article: The purpose of this study is to analyse the factors determining vegetable farmers trust for intermediaries using cross sectional data collected from vegetable farmers in Eastern Ethiopia. Methods: Multistage sampling was used to select 385 households for the study. The collected data were analysed using partial least square path modelling procedure. Findings and value added: The empirical results indicated that relational investment, collaborative communication, and flexibility positively influenced trust. Moreover, collaborative communication and flexibility also positively influenced relational satisfaction. However, relational investment negatively affected opportunism. Recommendation: Intermediaries should use effective communication to improve farmers trust and relational satisfaction. They should also engage in relational investment by giving assistance and advice as this could contribute to enhancement of trust and reduction of opportunism. Intermediaries need to also attract farmers by offering satisfactory price and demonstrating flexibility where it is necessary.
This study examines the role of an “enabling environment”, an atmosphere of good governance and e... more This study examines the role of an “enabling environment”, an atmosphere of good governance and effective public financial management (PFM), in mobilising resources needed for the implementation of the ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires substantial financial resources, and generation of those resources is largely contingent on the presence of an enabling institutional and policy environment. If an environment of good governance with effective PFM institutions can be ensured, the domestic and external resources necessary for the achievement of the SDGs can be mobilised. In environments where PFM systems are ineffective, corruption is rampant, and transparency and accountability are minimal, it is unlikely that sufficient resources for sustainable development will be mobilised. There are four principal financing sources: domestic, international, public and private. While the sources have grown in recen...
This article presents a spiral process model of indigenous technological innovation capabilities ... more This article presents a spiral process model of indigenous technological innovation capabilities (ITICs) that shows how firms in a developing country initiate, imitate, improve and make innovative technologies. Any technological innovation passes through four stages: (1) technological innovation (TI), (2) transfer of technology (imitation), (3) adaptive technological innovation (improvement), and finally (4) indigenous technological innovation (local innovation). This paper reviews models and frameworks related to technological innovation capabilities (TICs) which are proposed in the context of developing countries. It then analyzes the Late-Starter, Samsung Electronics as a case in point to illustrate how Korean firms have built their ITICs. The model shows four developmental stages at Samsung Electronics as: (a) Entrance of foreign companies into the Korean market and their refusal to transfer their technologies to Samsung initiating its ITICs, (b) Samsung started TICs by means of...
The experiment was conducted to study the phylogenetic relationship among four cultivated Vigna s... more The experiment was conducted to study the phylogenetic relationship among four cultivated Vigna species, including Vigna radiata, Vigna mungo, Vigna aconitifolia and Vigna unguiculata, using the germplasm from National Genebank of Pakistan. Seed of 15 accessions of each species was taken from Genebank of Plant Genetic Resources Institute, NARC, Islamabad, and these 60 accessions were planted in the NARC field, using augmented design. Data was recorded for eight morphological characters, including branching pattern, calyx color, corolla color, flowering period, leaf senescence, petiole color, petiole length and twining tendency. Cluster analysis was conducted, using software Statistica through Ward’s method. The seed of all 60 accessions was subjected to SDS-PAGE analysis. Cluster analysis of seed storage proteins was conducted using Unweighted Pair-group Average method. Cluster analysis for morphological characters divided the accessions into four clusters of different species. In c...
Academic leaders in management from all over the world—including recent calls by the Academy of M... more Academic leaders in management from all over the world—including recent calls by the Academy of Management Shaw (Academy of Management Journal 60(3): 819–822, 2017)—have urged further research into the extent and use of questionable research practices (QRPs). In order to provide empirical evidence on the topic of QRPs, this work presents two linked studies. Study 1 determines the level of use of QRPs based on self-admission rates and estimated prevalence among business scholars in Indonesia. It was determined that if the level of QRP use identified in Study 1 was quite high, Study 2 would be conducted to follow-up on this result, and this was indeed the case. Study 2 examines the factors that encourage and discourage the use of QRPs in the sample analyzed. The main research findings are as follows: (a) in Study 1, we found the self-admission rates and estimated prevalence of business scholars’ involvement in QRPs to be quite high when compared with studies conducted in other countri...
An experiment was carried out to investigate the "Organic manures effect on the bulb production o... more An experiment was carried out to investigate the "Organic manures effect on the bulb production of onion cultivars under semiarid condition". The experimental design was Randomized Complete Block Design with split plot arrangement with three replications. The experiment was consisted of two factors i.e. the organic manures Farmyard manure (FYM), Poultry manure (PM), Spent mushroom compost (SMC), ½FYM + ½PM, ½FYM + ½SMC, ½PM + ½SMC and 1 /3FYM + 1 /3PM + 1 /3SMC were subjected to main plot at the rate of 10 tons ha-1 and onion cultivars (Parachinar-Local, Swat-1 and Swat-Local) were maintained to the sub plot. The onion yield and bulb production was significantly affected by both of organic manures application and onion cultivars. The application of organic manure (poultry manure) significantly improved the plant height (79.3cm),bulb diameter (10.2cm), average bulb weight (93.4g) and total yield ha-1 (33.9tones), while more number of bulb kg-1 (13.1) was noticed with control treatments. The organic manures alone and organic manures combination showed different variation in yield and bulb production of onion crop. In case of onion cultivars, Parachinar-Local cultivar increased significantly the plant height (69.5cm), bulb diameter (7.7cm), average bulb weight (88.1g) and total yield ha-1 (27.4tones), whereas the Swat-Local cultivar gave more number of bulb kg-1 (11.2). The interaction of organic manure (poultry manure) and onion cultivar (Parachinar-Local) also affected the yield of onion. In case of interaction the organic manure (poultry manure) @ 10 tons ha-1 with onion cultivar (Parachinar-Local) suited for the yield of onion crop. From results it is concluded that the onion cultivar (Parachinar-Local) received organic manure (poultry manure) @ 10 tons ha-1 showed best result in bulb yield at semi-arid condition.
Nitrogen plays an important role in protein formation, cell improvement and other physiological a... more Nitrogen plays an important role in protein formation, cell improvement and other physiological and agronomical activities, while genotypes also play an important role in increasing yield because different genotypes have different performance. This research mainly focuses on nitrogen application and genotypes performance in wheat production. Nitrogen application showed significant variation for all parameters and produced maximum tiller m-2 (366), grains spike-1 (52.5), biological yield (11775 kg ha-1), grain yield (4009 kg ha-1), nitrogen concentration in straw (0.50 %), protein concentration in straw (2.84 %), nitrogen concentration in grains (2.01 %) and protein concentration in grains (11.5 %) with nitrogen applied at the rate of 150 kg ha-1 while 120 kg nitrogen ha-1 gave maximum leaf area index (4.4 cm-2) and thousand grains weight (40.1 g). Genotypes showed differentiation for all parameters recorded during the experiment except nitrogen and protein content in grains and straw while between different genotypes, wheat genotype Pirsabak-2013 performed better and produced good performance and produce maximum tillers m-2 (372), grains spike-1 (52), leaf area index (4.4 cm-2), thousand grains weight (40.4 g), biological yield (10767 kg ha-1) and grain yield (3658 kg ha-1). Interaction between nitrogen application and wheat genotypes significantly differed tiller m-2 , leaf area index, thousand grains weight and biological yield. Wheat genotype Pirsabak-2013 with nitrogen applications 120 up to 150 kg ha-1 enhanced grain yield, protein content, nitrogen content and could be recommended for qualitative and quantitative production in wheat.
Knowledge Management & E-Learning: An International Journal, 2019
The theory of trying postulates that in the less technologically advanced developing countries, o... more The theory of trying postulates that in the less technologically advanced developing countries, online banking adoption behavior is a function of three attitudes rather a single attitude. These three attitudes are attitudes towards successes, failure, and learning that are expected to determine online banking adoption. These three attitudes, in turn, are dependent upon two crucial individual traits, overall self-confidence, and cynicism. However, the previous literature has not provided conclusive empirical evidence about this issue particularly in the less technologically advanced context of South Asia. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to test the role of these three attitudes and two traits as the determinants of the online banking adoption behavior. The data was collected from 215 customers who were already using the online banking in the District Attock, Pakistan. Structural equation modeling with partial least squares was applied for hypotheses testing. The results p...
The Indian-us nuclear deal brought about a tense scenario to the strategic stability of South Asi... more The Indian-us nuclear deal brought about a tense scenario to the strategic stability of South Asia in many ways. It intensified the already persistent political albatross between Islamabad and Delhi and Beijing and Delhi in general. The deal enables India to get access to the fissile materials across the world and enrolls it into the nuclear supplier groups lopsidedly, which poses much concern for Pakistan. The diplomatically biased overture of US in the wake of its nuclear wholehearted assistance to Indian pushed Pakistan into psychological isolation, to say the least. Given the fact that the U.S.-India nuclear deal has had a devastating regional impact, it seemed as precipitant to the already existing nuclear arms race among the regional triangle; Pakistan, China and India. Both Pakistan and china showed their loathsome response to the deal and considered it as a conceived blow to the regional strategic stability, for they have their longstanding territorial issues with India. Bes...
The present research work was conducted to explore and estimate the intra and inter specific gene... more The present research work was conducted to explore and estimate the intra and inter specific genetic variability amongfour species of Family Fabaceae. The method was used morphometric and protein profiling. The four species include Robina pseudoaccacia, Accacia modesta, Vachellia fernesiana and Leuceana Leucocephalla (Genus Leuceana). The twenty genotypes of each four species were collected from different zones of Dir and swat. In Robina pseudoaccacia the maximum coefficient of variation (CV %) showed byInternodes length (32.333%) and minimum by pod width (10.181%). Accacia modesta maximum coefficient of variation was noted in 100 seed weight (28.957%) and minimum in seed length (14.591%) and in Accacia Leuceana the maximum coefficient of variation (CV%) was noted in internodes length (22.959%) and minimum in seed width (7.553%). The comparative variability index of four species shows that, Robina pseudoaccacia have highest coefficient of variation (20.157%) fallowed by Accacia modesta (18.467%) and Vachellia fernesiana (17.922%) while Leuceana leucocephalla had the lowest coefficient of variation (16.07%). Seed storage proteins were detected through SDS-PAGE. In Accacia modesta variation (2.3%) was noted, in Loci B8 (0.45 %) followed by B4, B3 and B2 show (0.05%). In Vachellia fernesiana high level of genetic variability (6.25%) was noted in Loci B11 (0.85%) followed by B3(0.15%). In Robina pseudoaccacia high level of genetic diversity (2.8%) was found in B7 (0.60%) fallowed B3 (0.10%). In Leuceana leucocephalla the high level of genetic diversity (1.55%) was found inB4(0.45%) followed by B8 (0.25%).
Previous research on child development advocates that motivating children to make a choice to for... more Previous research on child development advocates that motivating children to make a choice to forfeit their own toys with others develop sharing behavior in later life. Borrowing the conceptual background from the child development theory, this study proposes a model of knowledge sharing behavior among individuals at the workplace. The study proposes a unique conceptual model that integrates the cognitive/behavioral, and other childhood theories to explain the knowledge sharing behavior among individuals. The study uses psychological, cognitive, behavioral and social learning theories to explain the development of altruistic behavior in childhood as a determinant of knowledge sharing behavior. This study develops and empirically tests a research framework which explains the role of childhood experiences in developing altruistic behavior among children and the translation of this altruistic behavior into knowledge sharing behavior later in their professional life. This study explores those relationships using PLS-SEM with data from 310 individuals from Pakistan. The study concludes the role of parents and child-rearing practices as central in developing children's altruistic attitude that leads to knowledge sharing behavior in their later life. The implications and future research directions are discussed in details.
The ethnic groups that inhabit the mountainous Dir and Swat districts of northern Pakistan are ma... more The ethnic groups that inhabit the mountainous Dir and Swat districts of northern Pakistan are marked by high levels of cultural and phenotypic diversity. To obtain knowledge of the extent of genetic diversity in this region, we investigated Y-chromosomal diversity in five population samples representing the three main ethnic groups residing within these districts, including Gujars, Pashtuns and Kohistanis. A total of 27 Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (Y-STRs) and 331 Y-chromosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms (Y-SNPs) were investigated. In the Y-STRs, we observed very high and significant levels of genetic differentiation in nine of the 10 pairwise between-group comparisons (RST 0.179-0.746), and the differences were mirrored in the Y-SNP haplogroup frequency distribution. No genetic differences were found between the two Pashtun subethnic groups Tarklanis and Yusafzais (RST = 0.000). Utmankhels, also considered Pashtuns culturally, were not closely related to any of the oth...
This study examines the relative technical efficiency of 12 hospitals in Eastern Ethiopia. Using ... more This study examines the relative technical efficiency of 12 hospitals in Eastern Ethiopia. Using six-year-round panel data for the period between 2007/08 and 2012/13, this study examines the technical efficiency, total factor productivity, and determinants of the technical inefficiency of hospitals. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) and DEA- based Malmquist productivity index used to estimate relative technical efficiency, scale efficiency, and total factor productivity index of hospitals. Tobit model used to examine the determinants of the technical inefficiency of hospitals. The DEA Variable Returns to Scale (VRS) estimate indicated that 6 (50%), 5 (42%), 3 (25%), 3 (25%), 4 (33%), and 3 (25%) of the hospitals were technically inefficient while 9 (75%), 9 (75%), 7 (58%), 7 (58%), 7 (58%) and 8 (67%) of hospitals were scale inefficient between 2007/08 and 2012/13, respectively. On average, Malmquist Total Factor Productivity (MTFP) of the hospitals decreased by 3.6% over the panel pe...
Pakistan is confronting a chronic scarcity of domestic edible oil requirements. One of the major ... more Pakistan is confronting a chronic scarcity of domestic edible oil requirements. One of the major issues with brassica oil seed production is the water requirement of the brassica crop. Field experiments were laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with split plot arrangements at Malakandher Research Farm Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agricultural University Peshawar Pakistan to study the effect of different levels of irrigation and potassium on seed protein content of Brassica. Four varieties Wester, Rainbow, Oscar and Legend were selected on the basis of their good response to potassium application in water stress conditions. The data revealed that maximum seed protein content (21.98%) was observed in those treatments where 100% irrigation level was applied and minimum seed protein content (19.37%) was produced by plants where 60% irrigation level was applied. Maximum seed protein content (21%) was in plants treated with 120 kg K ha-1 and minimum seed protein content (20.14%) with...
Field experiments were laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with split plot arrang... more Field experiments were laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with split plot arrangements at Malakandher Research Farm Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agricultural University Peshawar Pakistan to study the effect of different levels of irrigation and potassium on seed protein content of Brassica. Four varieties Wester, Rainbow, Oscar and Legend were selected on the basis of their good response to potassium application in water stress conditions. maximum GSL content (49.2 µmol g -1) was observed in treatments of 100% irrigation while minimum GSL content (16.4 µmol g -1) was produced by plants where 60% irrigation was applied. potassium showed maximum GSL content (34.7 µmol g -1) with 60 kg K ha -1 and minimum GSL content (31.0 µmol g -1) was observed in treatments with 120 K kg ha -1 . The data shown in appendix A29 suggested that maximum GSL content (40.7 µmol g -1
One of the major issues with brassica oil seed production is the water requirement of the brassic... more One of the major issues with brassica oil seed production is the water requirement of the brassica crop. To address the problem, field experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of potassium (K) and water deficiency levels on canola (
This study designed primarily to explore conceptual difficulties of secondary school students to ... more This study designed primarily to explore conceptual difficulties of secondary school students to understand the basic features of the concept of electrochemistry like redox reactions, galvanic and electrolytic cells. Furthermore, the factors that cause the conceptual difficulties of secondary school students in electrochemistry also investigated. Mixed method research design adopted to achieve the objectives of the current study. Three (3) government secondary schools selected by using the cluster random sampling technique within Bahawalpur City of Pakistan. Then 144 chemistry students of IX class purposively selected as sample of the study. Conceptual difficulties of secondary school students in electrochemistry investigated by developing a special test instrument tagged as Test designed to measure the Conceptual Difficulties in Electrochemistry (TCDE). Eminent experts of chemistry education validated TCDE. A pilot test established to find its reliability by test re-tests method and the correlation coefficient (r) was 0.96. The Cronbach alpha coefficient also calculated to measure the internal consistency of instrument through SPSS, and its value was 0.87. Thirty students selected purposively based on the result of TCDE for semi-structured interview. The result showed that 67% of the concept-based items designed in electrochemistry were difficult to understand by secondary school students. Poor background of knowledge, absence of teaching aids, and misunderstanding of language caused conceptual difficulty in comprehension. The findings suggested some recommendations to expedite better understanding of the chemistry students.
Motivated by the fact that electrical transients are rather fast compared with mechanical respons... more Motivated by the fact that electrical transients are rather fast compared with mechanical response, the traditional cascade control structure constituted by the inner current and outer speed loops is usually employed in the permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) servo control community. According to the above-mentioned time-scale characteristic of the PMSMs drive systems, this technique addresses the problems of the non-cascade sliding mode control (SMC) strategy for the surface-mounted PMSMs. Firstly, by appropriately introducing the singular perturbation theory, the corresponding mathematical equations are modeled as a singular perturbation system. Meanwhile, a composite sliding mode surface is constructed based on the Lyapunov equation, such that the system stability can be also guaranteed. Then, according to the exponential reaching law, a standard non-cascade SMC law is designed. Furthermore, an optimal nonlinear function-based tracking differentiator (TD) is presented to ...
Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is a gastrointestinal issue, in which inflammation of the tract takes pla... more Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is a gastrointestinal issue, in which inflammation of the tract takes place. The disease level may be severe, moderate, or mild, so the detection method was selected according to the disease level. Finding the disease level and diagnostic method of UC is challenging. Objective: To find out a non-interfering way for the assessment of the activity of the disease, which is particularly important for the detection of UC. Therefore, the main goal of this study is to find a safe method for the determination of disease severity in the patients suffering from UC. Methods: For this study, 93 patients were selected suffering from UC (UC). For the assessment of all the specific parameters, C-Reactive Protein (CRP), Rate of erythrocytes sedimentation (ESR) and calprotectin in fecal, commonly used turbidimetric-immunoassay, Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Westergren technique was used. A partial clinical score was used for the estimation of disease severity ...
Review of Agricultural and Applied Economics, 2021
Research background: There is higher level of mistrust between vegetable farmers and intermediari... more Research background: There is higher level of mistrust between vegetable farmers and intermediaries in vegetable market transaction in Eastern Ethiopia. This mistrust adversely affected farmers' livelihood which largely depended on the agriculture sector. Hence understanding factors that affect trust of farmers for intermediaries is essential. Purpose of the article: The purpose of this study is to analyse the factors determining vegetable farmers trust for intermediaries using cross sectional data collected from vegetable farmers in Eastern Ethiopia. Methods: Multistage sampling was used to select 385 households for the study. The collected data were analysed using partial least square path modelling procedure. Findings and value added: The empirical results indicated that relational investment, collaborative communication, and flexibility positively influenced trust. Moreover, collaborative communication and flexibility also positively influenced relational satisfaction. However, relational investment negatively affected opportunism. Recommendation: Intermediaries should use effective communication to improve farmers trust and relational satisfaction. They should also engage in relational investment by giving assistance and advice as this could contribute to enhancement of trust and reduction of opportunism. Intermediaries need to also attract farmers by offering satisfactory price and demonstrating flexibility where it is necessary.
This study examines the role of an “enabling environment”, an atmosphere of good governance and e... more This study examines the role of an “enabling environment”, an atmosphere of good governance and effective public financial management (PFM), in mobilising resources needed for the implementation of the ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires substantial financial resources, and generation of those resources is largely contingent on the presence of an enabling institutional and policy environment. If an environment of good governance with effective PFM institutions can be ensured, the domestic and external resources necessary for the achievement of the SDGs can be mobilised. In environments where PFM systems are ineffective, corruption is rampant, and transparency and accountability are minimal, it is unlikely that sufficient resources for sustainable development will be mobilised. There are four principal financing sources: domestic, international, public and private. While the sources have grown in recen...
This article presents a spiral process model of indigenous technological innovation capabilities ... more This article presents a spiral process model of indigenous technological innovation capabilities (ITICs) that shows how firms in a developing country initiate, imitate, improve and make innovative technologies. Any technological innovation passes through four stages: (1) technological innovation (TI), (2) transfer of technology (imitation), (3) adaptive technological innovation (improvement), and finally (4) indigenous technological innovation (local innovation). This paper reviews models and frameworks related to technological innovation capabilities (TICs) which are proposed in the context of developing countries. It then analyzes the Late-Starter, Samsung Electronics as a case in point to illustrate how Korean firms have built their ITICs. The model shows four developmental stages at Samsung Electronics as: (a) Entrance of foreign companies into the Korean market and their refusal to transfer their technologies to Samsung initiating its ITICs, (b) Samsung started TICs by means of...
The experiment was conducted to study the phylogenetic relationship among four cultivated Vigna s... more The experiment was conducted to study the phylogenetic relationship among four cultivated Vigna species, including Vigna radiata, Vigna mungo, Vigna aconitifolia and Vigna unguiculata, using the germplasm from National Genebank of Pakistan. Seed of 15 accessions of each species was taken from Genebank of Plant Genetic Resources Institute, NARC, Islamabad, and these 60 accessions were planted in the NARC field, using augmented design. Data was recorded for eight morphological characters, including branching pattern, calyx color, corolla color, flowering period, leaf senescence, petiole color, petiole length and twining tendency. Cluster analysis was conducted, using software Statistica through Ward’s method. The seed of all 60 accessions was subjected to SDS-PAGE analysis. Cluster analysis of seed storage proteins was conducted using Unweighted Pair-group Average method. Cluster analysis for morphological characters divided the accessions into four clusters of different species. In c...
Academic leaders in management from all over the world—including recent calls by the Academy of M... more Academic leaders in management from all over the world—including recent calls by the Academy of Management Shaw (Academy of Management Journal 60(3): 819–822, 2017)—have urged further research into the extent and use of questionable research practices (QRPs). In order to provide empirical evidence on the topic of QRPs, this work presents two linked studies. Study 1 determines the level of use of QRPs based on self-admission rates and estimated prevalence among business scholars in Indonesia. It was determined that if the level of QRP use identified in Study 1 was quite high, Study 2 would be conducted to follow-up on this result, and this was indeed the case. Study 2 examines the factors that encourage and discourage the use of QRPs in the sample analyzed. The main research findings are as follows: (a) in Study 1, we found the self-admission rates and estimated prevalence of business scholars’ involvement in QRPs to be quite high when compared with studies conducted in other countri...
An experiment was carried out to investigate the "Organic manures effect on the bulb production o... more An experiment was carried out to investigate the "Organic manures effect on the bulb production of onion cultivars under semiarid condition". The experimental design was Randomized Complete Block Design with split plot arrangement with three replications. The experiment was consisted of two factors i.e. the organic manures Farmyard manure (FYM), Poultry manure (PM), Spent mushroom compost (SMC), ½FYM + ½PM, ½FYM + ½SMC, ½PM + ½SMC and 1 /3FYM + 1 /3PM + 1 /3SMC were subjected to main plot at the rate of 10 tons ha-1 and onion cultivars (Parachinar-Local, Swat-1 and Swat-Local) were maintained to the sub plot. The onion yield and bulb production was significantly affected by both of organic manures application and onion cultivars. The application of organic manure (poultry manure) significantly improved the plant height (79.3cm),bulb diameter (10.2cm), average bulb weight (93.4g) and total yield ha-1 (33.9tones), while more number of bulb kg-1 (13.1) was noticed with control treatments. The organic manures alone and organic manures combination showed different variation in yield and bulb production of onion crop. In case of onion cultivars, Parachinar-Local cultivar increased significantly the plant height (69.5cm), bulb diameter (7.7cm), average bulb weight (88.1g) and total yield ha-1 (27.4tones), whereas the Swat-Local cultivar gave more number of bulb kg-1 (11.2). The interaction of organic manure (poultry manure) and onion cultivar (Parachinar-Local) also affected the yield of onion. In case of interaction the organic manure (poultry manure) @ 10 tons ha-1 with onion cultivar (Parachinar-Local) suited for the yield of onion crop. From results it is concluded that the onion cultivar (Parachinar-Local) received organic manure (poultry manure) @ 10 tons ha-1 showed best result in bulb yield at semi-arid condition.
Nitrogen plays an important role in protein formation, cell improvement and other physiological a... more Nitrogen plays an important role in protein formation, cell improvement and other physiological and agronomical activities, while genotypes also play an important role in increasing yield because different genotypes have different performance. This research mainly focuses on nitrogen application and genotypes performance in wheat production. Nitrogen application showed significant variation for all parameters and produced maximum tiller m-2 (366), grains spike-1 (52.5), biological yield (11775 kg ha-1), grain yield (4009 kg ha-1), nitrogen concentration in straw (0.50 %), protein concentration in straw (2.84 %), nitrogen concentration in grains (2.01 %) and protein concentration in grains (11.5 %) with nitrogen applied at the rate of 150 kg ha-1 while 120 kg nitrogen ha-1 gave maximum leaf area index (4.4 cm-2) and thousand grains weight (40.1 g). Genotypes showed differentiation for all parameters recorded during the experiment except nitrogen and protein content in grains and straw while between different genotypes, wheat genotype Pirsabak-2013 performed better and produced good performance and produce maximum tillers m-2 (372), grains spike-1 (52), leaf area index (4.4 cm-2), thousand grains weight (40.4 g), biological yield (10767 kg ha-1) and grain yield (3658 kg ha-1). Interaction between nitrogen application and wheat genotypes significantly differed tiller m-2 , leaf area index, thousand grains weight and biological yield. Wheat genotype Pirsabak-2013 with nitrogen applications 120 up to 150 kg ha-1 enhanced grain yield, protein content, nitrogen content and could be recommended for qualitative and quantitative production in wheat.
Knowledge Management & E-Learning: An International Journal, 2019
The theory of trying postulates that in the less technologically advanced developing countries, o... more The theory of trying postulates that in the less technologically advanced developing countries, online banking adoption behavior is a function of three attitudes rather a single attitude. These three attitudes are attitudes towards successes, failure, and learning that are expected to determine online banking adoption. These three attitudes, in turn, are dependent upon two crucial individual traits, overall self-confidence, and cynicism. However, the previous literature has not provided conclusive empirical evidence about this issue particularly in the less technologically advanced context of South Asia. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to test the role of these three attitudes and two traits as the determinants of the online banking adoption behavior. The data was collected from 215 customers who were already using the online banking in the District Attock, Pakistan. Structural equation modeling with partial least squares was applied for hypotheses testing. The results p...
The Indian-us nuclear deal brought about a tense scenario to the strategic stability of South Asi... more The Indian-us nuclear deal brought about a tense scenario to the strategic stability of South Asia in many ways. It intensified the already persistent political albatross between Islamabad and Delhi and Beijing and Delhi in general. The deal enables India to get access to the fissile materials across the world and enrolls it into the nuclear supplier groups lopsidedly, which poses much concern for Pakistan. The diplomatically biased overture of US in the wake of its nuclear wholehearted assistance to Indian pushed Pakistan into psychological isolation, to say the least. Given the fact that the U.S.-India nuclear deal has had a devastating regional impact, it seemed as precipitant to the already existing nuclear arms race among the regional triangle; Pakistan, China and India. Both Pakistan and china showed their loathsome response to the deal and considered it as a conceived blow to the regional strategic stability, for they have their longstanding territorial issues with India. Bes...
The present research work was conducted to explore and estimate the intra and inter specific gene... more The present research work was conducted to explore and estimate the intra and inter specific genetic variability amongfour species of Family Fabaceae. The method was used morphometric and protein profiling. The four species include Robina pseudoaccacia, Accacia modesta, Vachellia fernesiana and Leuceana Leucocephalla (Genus Leuceana). The twenty genotypes of each four species were collected from different zones of Dir and swat. In Robina pseudoaccacia the maximum coefficient of variation (CV %) showed byInternodes length (32.333%) and minimum by pod width (10.181%). Accacia modesta maximum coefficient of variation was noted in 100 seed weight (28.957%) and minimum in seed length (14.591%) and in Accacia Leuceana the maximum coefficient of variation (CV%) was noted in internodes length (22.959%) and minimum in seed width (7.553%). The comparative variability index of four species shows that, Robina pseudoaccacia have highest coefficient of variation (20.157%) fallowed by Accacia modesta (18.467%) and Vachellia fernesiana (17.922%) while Leuceana leucocephalla had the lowest coefficient of variation (16.07%). Seed storage proteins were detected through SDS-PAGE. In Accacia modesta variation (2.3%) was noted, in Loci B8 (0.45 %) followed by B4, B3 and B2 show (0.05%). In Vachellia fernesiana high level of genetic variability (6.25%) was noted in Loci B11 (0.85%) followed by B3(0.15%). In Robina pseudoaccacia high level of genetic diversity (2.8%) was found in B7 (0.60%) fallowed B3 (0.10%). In Leuceana leucocephalla the high level of genetic diversity (1.55%) was found inB4(0.45%) followed by B8 (0.25%).
Previous research on child development advocates that motivating children to make a choice to for... more Previous research on child development advocates that motivating children to make a choice to forfeit their own toys with others develop sharing behavior in later life. Borrowing the conceptual background from the child development theory, this study proposes a model of knowledge sharing behavior among individuals at the workplace. The study proposes a unique conceptual model that integrates the cognitive/behavioral, and other childhood theories to explain the knowledge sharing behavior among individuals. The study uses psychological, cognitive, behavioral and social learning theories to explain the development of altruistic behavior in childhood as a determinant of knowledge sharing behavior. This study develops and empirically tests a research framework which explains the role of childhood experiences in developing altruistic behavior among children and the translation of this altruistic behavior into knowledge sharing behavior later in their professional life. This study explores those relationships using PLS-SEM with data from 310 individuals from Pakistan. The study concludes the role of parents and child-rearing practices as central in developing children's altruistic attitude that leads to knowledge sharing behavior in their later life. The implications and future research directions are discussed in details.
The ethnic groups that inhabit the mountainous Dir and Swat districts of northern Pakistan are ma... more The ethnic groups that inhabit the mountainous Dir and Swat districts of northern Pakistan are marked by high levels of cultural and phenotypic diversity. To obtain knowledge of the extent of genetic diversity in this region, we investigated Y-chromosomal diversity in five population samples representing the three main ethnic groups residing within these districts, including Gujars, Pashtuns and Kohistanis. A total of 27 Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (Y-STRs) and 331 Y-chromosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms (Y-SNPs) were investigated. In the Y-STRs, we observed very high and significant levels of genetic differentiation in nine of the 10 pairwise between-group comparisons (RST 0.179-0.746), and the differences were mirrored in the Y-SNP haplogroup frequency distribution. No genetic differences were found between the two Pashtun subethnic groups Tarklanis and Yusafzais (RST = 0.000). Utmankhels, also considered Pashtuns culturally, were not closely related to any of the oth...
This study examines the relative technical efficiency of 12 hospitals in Eastern Ethiopia. Using ... more This study examines the relative technical efficiency of 12 hospitals in Eastern Ethiopia. Using six-year-round panel data for the period between 2007/08 and 2012/13, this study examines the technical efficiency, total factor productivity, and determinants of the technical inefficiency of hospitals. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) and DEA- based Malmquist productivity index used to estimate relative technical efficiency, scale efficiency, and total factor productivity index of hospitals. Tobit model used to examine the determinants of the technical inefficiency of hospitals. The DEA Variable Returns to Scale (VRS) estimate indicated that 6 (50%), 5 (42%), 3 (25%), 3 (25%), 4 (33%), and 3 (25%) of the hospitals were technically inefficient while 9 (75%), 9 (75%), 7 (58%), 7 (58%), 7 (58%) and 8 (67%) of hospitals were scale inefficient between 2007/08 and 2012/13, respectively. On average, Malmquist Total Factor Productivity (MTFP) of the hospitals decreased by 3.6% over the panel pe...
Pakistan is confronting a chronic scarcity of domestic edible oil requirements. One of the major ... more Pakistan is confronting a chronic scarcity of domestic edible oil requirements. One of the major issues with brassica oil seed production is the water requirement of the brassica crop. Field experiments were laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with split plot arrangements at Malakandher Research Farm Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agricultural University Peshawar Pakistan to study the effect of different levels of irrigation and potassium on seed protein content of Brassica. Four varieties Wester, Rainbow, Oscar and Legend were selected on the basis of their good response to potassium application in water stress conditions. The data revealed that maximum seed protein content (21.98%) was observed in those treatments where 100% irrigation level was applied and minimum seed protein content (19.37%) was produced by plants where 60% irrigation level was applied. Maximum seed protein content (21%) was in plants treated with 120 kg K ha-1 and minimum seed protein content (20.14%) with...
Field experiments were laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with split plot arrang... more Field experiments were laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with split plot arrangements at Malakandher Research Farm Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agricultural University Peshawar Pakistan to study the effect of different levels of irrigation and potassium on seed protein content of Brassica. Four varieties Wester, Rainbow, Oscar and Legend were selected on the basis of their good response to potassium application in water stress conditions. maximum GSL content (49.2 µmol g -1) was observed in treatments of 100% irrigation while minimum GSL content (16.4 µmol g -1) was produced by plants where 60% irrigation was applied. potassium showed maximum GSL content (34.7 µmol g -1) with 60 kg K ha -1 and minimum GSL content (31.0 µmol g -1) was observed in treatments with 120 K kg ha -1 . The data shown in appendix A29 suggested that maximum GSL content (40.7 µmol g -1
One of the major issues with brassica oil seed production is the water requirement of the brassic... more One of the major issues with brassica oil seed production is the water requirement of the brassica crop. To address the problem, field experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of potassium (K) and water deficiency levels on canola (
This study designed primarily to explore conceptual difficulties of secondary school students to ... more This study designed primarily to explore conceptual difficulties of secondary school students to understand the basic features of the concept of electrochemistry like redox reactions, galvanic and electrolytic cells. Furthermore, the factors that cause the conceptual difficulties of secondary school students in electrochemistry also investigated. Mixed method research design adopted to achieve the objectives of the current study. Three (3) government secondary schools selected by using the cluster random sampling technique within Bahawalpur City of Pakistan. Then 144 chemistry students of IX class purposively selected as sample of the study. Conceptual difficulties of secondary school students in electrochemistry investigated by developing a special test instrument tagged as Test designed to measure the Conceptual Difficulties in Electrochemistry (TCDE). Eminent experts of chemistry education validated TCDE. A pilot test established to find its reliability by test re-tests method and the correlation coefficient (r) was 0.96. The Cronbach alpha coefficient also calculated to measure the internal consistency of instrument through SPSS, and its value was 0.87. Thirty students selected purposively based on the result of TCDE for semi-structured interview. The result showed that 67% of the concept-based items designed in electrochemistry were difficult to understand by secondary school students. Poor background of knowledge, absence of teaching aids, and misunderstanding of language caused conceptual difficulty in comprehension. The findings suggested some recommendations to expedite better understanding of the chemistry students.
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