Archives-October 2011

Teachers’ professional training and socialization was strict and disciplined already at the beginning of the 19th century in Finland. A teacher’s job was not just to teach in the classroom; the requirements insisted that after the school day the teachers continued their work by offering activities to the villagers. The purpose of this research is to show how the prospective teachers of the Finnish early primary school were socialized for this demanding job in the college of Tornio. The teacher college of Tornio was founded in 1921 and its purpose was to educate women from northern Finland. This research answers the following questions: 1) What kind of free time activities did the teaching staff offer for the teacher students? 2) What kind of behavioral expectations were leveled at the students’ free time activities? This research is mainly based on the archive sources, which were carefully studied using the pedagogical history method. The ideals and values of the Finnish culture have always reverberated to teacher education.

As scientists we tend to view technology as a scientific system but in fact the success of a particular technology at a particular time may rest less on its efficient performance and more on its 'social' relevance and impact. We now need to identify sustainable design investments for a very uncertain future of expanding populations, scarcer resources and climate change. Buildings in the Iranian desert regions are constructed according to the specific climatic conditions and differ with those built in other climates. Desert buildings are equipped with air traps, arched roofed, water reservoirs with arched domes and ice stores for the preservation of ice. The operation of modern coolers is similar to the old Iranian air traps which were built at the entrance of the house over underground water reservoirs or ponds built inside the house. Lofty walls, narrow and dry streets, highly elevated air traps, big water reservoirs and arched roofed chambers, are the outstanding features of desert towns in Iran. The ever shining scorching sun of the desert has rendered life very difficult for its hardy and warm-blooded inhabitants and has compelled them to resort to facilities that can moderate the unbearable heat. In the following paper, subjects relating to the building materials of desert towns and the method of operation of the traditional cooling systems in the cities with warm and arid climates are described. Herein the great wind catchers of Iran are a zero carbon cooling technology, but because the high towers of the region grew too large during a period of economic boom and soaring social hubris these structures may survive less well than if they had been more modest in their design.

The Manya Krobo area is bounded in the east by Lake Volta which resulted after the construction of the Akosombo dam since 1965. The groundwater quality of 25 samples in the study area was evaluated for its suitability for drinking and irrigation purposes by estimating pH, EC, TDS, hardness and alkalinity besides major ions, isotopes, SAR, % Na, RSC, RSBC, chlorinity index, SSP, non-carbonate hardness, Potential Salinity, Permeability Index, Magnesium hazard and Index of Base Exchange. The percentage sodium, sodium absorption (SAR), and residual sodium carbonate (RSC) indices show that the groundwaters are generally suitable for irrigation purposes. Negative Index of Base Exchange indicates the chloro-alkaline disequilibrium in the study area and all the water samples fall in the rock dominance field based on Gibbs’ ratio. Based on total hardness, the groundwater in the area is soft. Na-K-HCO3-Cl (48%), Na-HCO3 (40%), and Na-Cl (12%) water types were delineated from the area. Stable isotope analysis of water samples indicates meteoric origin of recharge.

Failures of equipments and process costs money. The reasons for failure could be either a bad design, improper working conditions, failure of system components as they approaches the wear out stage or a combination of these factors. There is no way of completely eliminating failures. However, a better understanding of the causes and mechanisms of equipment failure can allow failure control measures to be developed and implemented. Unreliability is the costly part of the economic equation and adopting measures to improve reliability and availability of the system will ultimately result in economic gain. The present work attempts to provide an estimate of the net effect of modification that is required for a system by using the control chart procedure. The method involves plotting control charts for each of the components using the time to fail. The central line of the control chart corresponds to the Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) and the control limits are placed at a distance of from the mean line and is based on t- distribution. The components that require an improvement with regard to failure rate is identified by analysing the control charts. The desired change in the component availabilities as well as the system availability can be obtained and an estimate of the net effect of modification is also arrived. The model can provide a measure of the performance of the components as well as that of the system. The quantification of the improvements required, if any, can be obtained using the model. A 11 step algorithm is also developed based on the model. It is hoped that the developed model and algorithm will prove to be a powerful tool in process reliability analysis.

This paper proposes a hybrid genetic algorithm (HGA) with local search technique. For designing the HGA, a local search technique is incorporated in the loop of genetic algorithm (GA), and whether or not the local search technique is used in the GA is automatically determined by the local search scheme. A local search scheme is developed in this paper. which is to use the conditional local search method that can measure the average fitness values obtained from the continuous two generations of the HGA. To prove the efficiency of the algorithm, a basic GA (BGA) with local search technique and a hybrid GA (HGA) with local search technique and are also presented. In numerical example, both the algorithms (BGA, HGA) are tested and analyzed. Finally, the efficiency of the proposed HGA is proved by various measures of performance.

As our life becomes more complex, effective communication is vital in our life. In an organization, communication is an essence. Communication means transference and the understanding of meaning or an idea that is transmitted and understood by others. This paper seeks to understand how effective communication plays its role in an organization. The concept of 7Cs in communication which include completeness, conciseness, consideration, concreteness, clarity, courtesy and correctness are discussed and how this concept can be used to improve communication as well as productivity of an organization. By understanding the concept of 7Cs, it will be a good use for the managers to apply this concept in communicating with the employees thus improving the productivity of an organization.

Purpose- The primary aim of this research paper is to explore buyer-supplier relationships within telecom sector. Approach- To address the primary aim, both qualitative and quantitative approaches was utilized. A list of antecedents was prepared as discussed with telecom purchasing professionals who complemented with the schedule of enquiry for recording the impact of emphasis on these antecedents on the relationship between the buyer and suppliers of different categories from buyers’ perspective. Findings- The results of this research indicate that there are significant differences in the way relationship is maintained by the buyer with different suppliers thus making the buyer supplier management not a general but a specific and situational issue. Practical Implications- This research is of practical use to many organizations attempting to develop relationship orientation with their suppliers according to the importance in terms of profitability and options available of supply. Value- Not much has been written about the buyer supplier relationship in the Indian context and as such this paper provides an insight into various factors relating to management of relationship by the telecom buyers with different suppliers.

Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Pd(II) complexes of the Schiff base, 6-methyl-3-[[4-(methylsulfanyl)phenyl]imino}methyl]-3,4-dihydro-2H-chromen-4-ol are synthesized and characterized by microanalysis, conductance, 1H NMR, infrared and electronic spectral measurements. The ligand coordinates through the chromenol O and imine N atoms to the metal ions, and the Co(II) and Ni(II) complexes are in the trans-isomeric form as shown by IR measurements. All the complexes form as [ML2]xH2O with the exception of the Mn(II) complex which analyzed as [MLNO3]H2O. Electronic measurements are indicative of a four coordinate, tetrahedral /square-planar geometry for the complexes and none is an electrolyte in nitromethane. The antibacterial studies reveal that the Schiff base and its Cu(II) complex exhibit broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against Proteus mirabilis, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus with inhibitory zones range of 11.0-13.0 mm and 10.0-16.0 mm respectively. The cytotoxic study shows that the Cu(II) complex has the best in-vitro anticancer activity against both HT-29 (colon carcinoma) and MCF-7(human breast adenocarcinoma) cells with activities of about a half (17.02 ?M), and a fifth(9.78 ?M ) that of Cis-platin respectively.

North of the Punjab the land rises into the Himalayan foothills, towards the snows. Politically, the hills are divided between the states of Jammu and Kashmir. To the north, beyond the Banihal Pass, lies the Kashmir Valley, over 5000 feet above sea- level. The Vale and its fringes are rich in timber, which was and remains the primary building material. Tall houses lining the Jhelum River in Srinagar are wood-framed, as are more handsome mosques, which take a form unique to Kashmir. Persian influence on Indian Culture is a vast subject with many sides to it. This research is based on just one aspect of it, that is, the role of Persian architecture on Indian landscape architecture, and in particular Kashmir cultural architecture.

This study attempts to examine the relationship between the variables (communication for 5S System, training for 5S System, reward and recognition for 5S System and top management role for 5S System) with the employees’ motivation in implementing 5S System. The sample size of respondents is 150 and all of them are the employees from Nibong Tebal Paper Mill Sdn. Bhd (NTPM) and Muda Paper Mill Sdn. Bhd. This present study focused on manufacturing firms that are situated in northern area (Penang) and both are manufacturing paper based products. All the respondents are given the questionnaire and their responses are analyzed. In the findings of this present study shows that communication for 5S System and training for 5S System were found to have a positive significant relationship with the employees’ motivation in implementing 5S System while not for the other two variables (reward and recognition for 5S System and top management role for 5S System).