Archives-August 2015

This study examined the wage distribution and differentials among the agricultural labourers in different crops both in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaire administered to a stratified proportionate random sample of 400 farmers consist of 50 farmers from each crop in both States. The data collected was analysed by operation wise wage distribution and wage differentials among the gender and using multiple regression analysis for estimation/predicting the mean values of dependent variable on the basis of known explanatory variables. The value of coefficients of all the crops reveals that the demand factors play a much more important role than its supply factors. man-land ratio, cropping intensity and proportion of non-farm workers to total work force found to be expected signs and statistically significant in Andhra Pradesh, whereas, employment opportunities from outside agriculture and cropping intensity engender wages in Tamil Nadu. The study was also found that the wage differences between male and female labourers is at higher level in wet crops than dry crops and this is not only from operation to operation but also from season to season. The study recommended that confirmatory action plan to be needed to trounce gender discrimination through promoting self-employment and expanding employment opportunities outside agriculture.

Malaysian SMEs are an important component of national economic development. According SMIDEC 2010, SMEs accounted for 93.8 percent in the manufacturing sector. Value added products from SMEs is expected to RM120 billion or 50 percent of total production in the manufacturing sector by 2020. The aim of this study to determine the performance of the employees of SME companies in the East Coast Economic Region (ECER). The study involved four determinants of system performance namely training and development, communication, work environment and reward. A total of 108 respondents were used to answer a questionnaire of selected companies that have been distributed to the respondents to obtain information related to the research carried out. The results of this study show that communication skills, reward, work environment and training & development are the success factors to improving their employee performance. In order to achieve national development goals of the management of SMEs companies need to take into account factors related to improving workers performance. This study show that all the determinants studied had a significant relationship at the significance level of p < 0.05.

The perturbation method and Runge-kutta shooting method has been carried out to study the influence of the effect of exponential viscosity-temperature relation, exponential thermal conductivity-temperature and the combined effects of the variable viscosity and the variable thermal conductivity on steady free convection flow in a vertical channel filled with porous medium. The Darcy-Brinkman model is used to predict the flow in porous medium. The walls are maintained at constant but different temperatures. Numerical results are presented for a wide range of parameters of variable viscosity parameter, variable thermal conductivity parameter, wall temperature ratio, buoyancy parameter and porous parameter on the velocity and temperature fields. Furthermore, the effect of the governing parameters on skin friction and Nusselt number are tabulated. The solutions obtained by Runge-Kutta shooting method are compared with perturbation method solutions and the results agree very well in the absence of buoyancy parameter.

Fully developed laminar mixed convection of permeable couple stress fluid in a vertical channel has been investigated analytically in the presence of heat generation or absorption. Uniform wall temperatures with asymmetric and symmetric heating have been considered. An analytical solution has been developed by using perturbation technique. Results are depicted graphically on the flow for different values of couple stress parameter, porous parameter, mixed convection parameter and heat generation or absorption coefficient. The results show that the flow reversal occurs near the walls of the channel for sufficiently large value of the ratio of Grashof number and Reynolds number.

For the appraisal of contamination of lake waters coliform count is generally used to review the infectivity echelon of potable water. The usual sources of coliform contamination at lake Sambhaji include discharges due to domestic wastes, laundry activities related to hospitals, natural surface runoff, rivulets, swimming activities, anthropogenic activities urban run-off, animal and human wastes. Lake water for the reason it had objectionable odour, was suspected for being contaminated. An attempt was made to comprehend the potable competence lake waters of lake Sambhaji, at Solapur district (MS), India, by specifying total coliforms counts employing the method of Multiple Tube Test with double strength MacConkey Broth Medium (Himedia M539S), the traditional method for presumptive isolation of coliform bacteria by MPN, incubating at 370C for 24 hours, in addition to other tests. Most Probable Number (MPN) of total coliforms was determined by referring to standard probability table for estimation of total coliforms for the determination of MPN. The investigation of the cultural response revealed 480 cfu/ml at site 2 and 220 cfu/ml at site 1, exceeding limits for recreational water. The highest fraction of indicator coliforms was detected in the water sample at site 2, of lake Sambhaji which has truly objectionable odour as compared to site 1 of lake Sambhaji. Taking into consideration the observations of high coliform count at lake Sambhaji results portray a tragic testimony of the deterioration of the ecological health of the lake and advocates dismissal of the consideration of water for being thought for its potable potential, portraying human malady if exposed to such unsanitary lake. The results encompass imperative repercussion directing prioritization to design restoration strategies.

The collimator is the most important part in the installation of the Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis (PGAA). This collimator will be installed around the lateral Channel of the Moroccan TRIGA MARK II research reactor. The main purpose of this work is using the Monte Carlo simulation via the MCNP5 code to design the new collimator of the prompt gammas installation, to determine the optimal thickness of the bismuth (Bi) filter for gamma radiation. The obtained results of the collimator design and its filter are analyzed and discussed.

Due to public location and permanent availability multiple people depends on the automated teller machine (ATM). Due to that they can easily fall victim to manipulation. Frauds and security attacks based on observation by person or via various cameras also get increased. So, new methods for authentication mechanisms get developed to reduce the ATM security problems related to personal identification numbers (PIN). The user’s mobile phones play a central role in the trust establishment. Shift PIN entry away from possibly insecure ATMs PIN pad towards the user’s mobile phones & then transmit it securely for authentication. Dual tone modulated frequency (DTMF) plays a major role in this technique.

The transition of the students from secondary school to college/university level becomes a major challenge for majority of the students in Kenya. Moreover, compounding challenges have increasingly affected the student population towards adjusting in the university level. It is therefore recommended that a strategic orientation programme especially on guidance and counselling services for the first year diploma students. Accordingly, this paper advocates for the review of student support programmes towards the adjustment of first year students in the university/college environment. Finally, there is need for the inclusion of psychologists, counselling psychologists and psychiatrists in student support services.

A novel RF-MOSFET (Radio Frequency Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) model with PTM (Predictive technology model) for 90 nm CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) technology is presented. A simple and accuracy method is developed to directly extract all the high frequency parasitic effect from measured S-parameter biased at zero and linear region. This model is proposed to overcome some of short channel effects at nano-scale highly dopped drain and source based on the conventional small signal MOSFET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) equivalent circuit, RF (Radio Frequency) characterization of CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) has been taken up in terms of RF Figure of Merits. The excellent correspondence is achieved between simulated and measured S-parameter (Scattering parameter) from 1GHz to 10 GHz frequency range.

Graffiti takes the form of written language whose authorship always remains anonymous. It precisely refers to any wall writing, pictures and symbols or markings of any kind on any surface anywhere no matter what motivates the writer. Most graffiti are viewed as illegal or vandalism of property by those in authority. Secondary school students use graffiti as a form of communication when they feel other channels to express themselves, have been blocked by those in authority. The study at aimed at identifying the communicative strategies employed in graffiti writing and the influence of graffiti on learning of English language and classroom learning environment in our schools. Graffiti texts were collected in ten secondary schools purposively sampled in the Larger Laikipia East District in Laikipia County. Out of one thousand graffiti texts collected, two hundred were randomly sampled for analysis. Twenty English teachers were purposively sampled to take part in an interview. One hundred students were randomly sampled to fill in questionnaires. A Focused Group Discussion (FGD) was carried out with another group of five students randomly sampled across the classes in each school. The data collected from this exercise were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively to arrive at inferences and conclusions. The study used a sociolinguistic approach to the study of graffiti. The study was guided by General System Theory. The findings of the study were that students used varied communicative strategies like humour, symbolism, irony, short forms, acronyms and abbreviations in their graffiti writings. It was also established that teachers expressed varied opinions that graffiti influenced learning of English language and classroom learning environment in secondary schools. The findings of this research may contribute to the study of sociolinguistics in general and communication in schools in particular. It has been established that students use graffiti to communicate a lot of information that would be beneficial to the head teachers, quality assurance officers, students’ counsellors, policy makers and other stakeholders. Classroom teachers may also use graffiti to establish the unspoken students problems and behaviour and thus prevent entropy of the school system.