275 research outputs found
THE effects of ageing on driving related performance
No full textAccording to one estimate, about 40 percent of the driving population will be over the age of 60by the year 2020 in the UK and currently, several hundred thousand drivers with dementia holddriving licenses. The number of motor vehicle crashes per unit distance of automobile travel is“U”-shaped, with risk increasing slightly between the ages of 55 and 60, but risk increasing witheach successive five-year interval. Some individuals who have mild dementia possess sufficientdriving skills to be designated as fit drivers. The most challenging assessment and decision for thephysician/licensing authority as regards fitness to drive lies in drivers who are questionablydemented or are in a state of very mild dementia.In the absence of a reliable standard protocol, some clinicians make judgment based on selfreporting,which has risks associated with it as lack of insight and judgment are potential commontraits of the population experiencing cognitive decline. Seldom is recourse made by healthprofessionals to on-road assessment as a first alternative as it requires a fee and such testingcenters are not readily available everywhere. This research addresses this issue of theidentification of cognitive tests that can be used to assess an individual’s ability to drive andespecially of those individuals that are questionably demented and are the most difficult toidentify. A younger and an older group consisting of 56 drivers in total were administered ninedifferent cognitive tests and two drives (Drive-I and Drive-II) on the STISIM driving simulator.The cognitive test ufov3 (involving the identification of a central target and simultaneously theradial localization of a peripheral target embedded in distracter triangles), which is the thirdsubtest of the UFOV (Useful Field of View) test showed the highest discriminating ability inseparating “poor-drivers” from “not-poor-drivers”, with 92.86 % of the drivers correctlyclassified. The next best discriminating ability in decreasing order of strength was that of dichoticlistening test, trail making test, rey-copy test and paper folding test. Also, age was found to be anexcellent discriminator of “poor-drivers” and “not-poor-drivers” with 91.07 % of the driverscorrectly classified. A composite cognitive measure consisting of the sum of all nine cognitivetests was not a better predictor than the ufov3 test alone; overall it was still an excellentdiscriminator, classifying 89.29 % of drivers correctly. The commonly recommended ClockDrawing test and the Trail Making test did not emerge as significant predictors of driving ability.A general driving skills linear model for prediction purposes was derived that explained 59 % ofthe variation in a general driving performance index with the ufov3 test, the dichotic listening testand the rey-recall test as significant predictors. Recommendations are made as to how this testshould be used to screen potentially at risk drivers
Studies on Genetic Divergence of Rapeseed Genotypes Using SSR Markers
No full textThirty five Brassica napus genotypes were evaluated to check their genetic diversity on the basis of mapped 20 microsatellite markers. The genetic similarity values of coefficient ranged from 0.28 to 0.85. A dendrogram was generated based on UPGMA which showed that genotypes were divided into five major clusters. Cluster A had genotypes with higher similarity coefficient of 0.85 while Cluster E had only one genotype (pop 35) genetically distinct from other genotypes. PIC values were calculated for each of the 20 SSR primer pairs. Ten primers PIC value ranged from 0.30 (O110-A05) to 0.59 (Na10-D09 markers). This study would be helpful in assessing the genetic diversity. It was revealed that there was no correlation between the geographical distribution and genetic diversity of the studied germplasm, depicting their close genetic relationship
Hydraulic simulations to evaluate and predict design and operation of the Chashma Right Bank Canal
No full textIrrigation systems / Irrigation canals / Flow control / Velocity / Canal regulation techniques / Hydraulics / Simulation models / Design / Operations / Crop-based irrigation / Distributary canals / Water delivery / Policy / Protective irrigation / Water allocation / Water requirements / Sedimentation / Water distribution / Equity / Water conveyance / Pakistan / Chashma Right Bank Canal
Beberapa Isu Haraki di dalam Karya-karya Hadis Sayyid Muhammad Nuh
No full textSayyid Muhammad Nuh is a prominent ‘haraki’ figure and has produced a number of works in the field of hadith studies. He has been involved in the dakwa movement of the Muslim Brotherhood which influenced his approach in the production of his works, in terms of the ‘haraki manhaj’ and methods. Almost all the works of Sayyid Muhammad Nuh emphasized issues of dakwa and tarbiyah, whether in the field of tafsir, hadith, history and issues of the Muslims’ society. Moreover, the issues that he highlighted were practical and the application of ‘haraki’ approach in production of writings brought about significant lesson to the dakwa movement, including the ones in the field of hadith. The author presents three of his works in the field of hadith which have been among the most referred and widely read in the dakwa circle, including the dakwa movement in Malaysia. His selected works in the field of hadith are ‘Tawjihat of the Prophet `ala al-Tariq’ (Hadiths of Guidance on the Dakwa Path), ‘Manhaj al -Rasul fi Ghars Ruh al-Jihad fi Nufus Ashabih’ (The Messenger’s Approach in Inspiring Spirit of al-Jihad in the Companions), and ‘Min Akhlaq al-Nasr fi Jiyl al-Sahabah’ (Winning Attitudes in the Generation of the Companions). Through this article, the authors highlights a number of ‘haraki’ issues based on the works of Sayyid Muhammad Nuh and the important lessons that he has highlighted for the people of dakwa in facing the dakwa path, based on the hadith of the Messenger
منہاج القرآن اور دعوتِ اسلامی کی خدمات کا تجزیاتی مطالعہ
No full textMinhaj-ul-Quran and Dawat-e-Islami is a global mission for the sace of Pakistan. The Islamic parties of Pakistan came into being with a very clear goal. Their goal was to spread Islam in the land of Allah and he was convinced and satisfied with the reality of this goal. Religious parties started when the fire of apostasy spread in the ignorant villages of Pakistan and Muslims who were ignorant of their religion and alienated from God and His Messenger were engulfed in this fire. To extinguish this fire, Muslims from all sides rose up and the preaching parties / Tablighi Jammat became enthusiastic. During this period, Dr. Muhammad Tahir ul Qadri, Syed Abu Ali Maududi, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Muhammad Ilyas Qadri tried to preach. And launched a universal movement for this purpose and performed the duty of reform and training for the propagation of Islam. And even today they are carrying out their duty of spreading Islam in the non-Muslim world. Minhaj-ul-Quran International and Da’wah-e-Islami are also such movements which have fulfilled their duty of reform, training and propagation of religion all over the world. Minhaj-ul-Quran International and Da’wah Islami are two such movements which are carrying out their duty of reform, training and propagation of religion all over the world. Under the title of the article, Minhaj-ul-Quran and the method of preaching of Da’wah Islami, comparative and research review, the method and services of preaching of Minhaj-ul-Quran and Da’wah Islami will be reviewed
Astrology in literature: how the prohibited became permissible in the Arabic poetry of the mediaeval period
No full textThis thesis is concerned to position the art of astrology within the context of classical Arabic poetry, primarily by investigating and elucidating attitudes to the notion of
qadar (fate) and the ideology in which it was embedded. These attitudes were revelatory of the broader world view of the Arabs of those periods, and their shifts from those held in the pre-Islamic and early Islamic eras tell us a good deal about the importance given to the nature and role of fate and about the various understandings of its influence. The pre-Islamic Arab's notion of qadar was in some ways similar to that of the early Muslims: both emphasised predetermination and the irresistible power of fate. But while the jahilf (Pre-Islamic) Arabs identified fate with the malign power of dahr (Time), the Muslims believed the power of fate lies in the hands of God the
Omnipotent, who alone is responsible for the fate of the whole universe. Thus the astrology of the pre-Islamic era was one aspect of divination (kihana) and claimed to be
able to reveal in advance an individual's destiny, which could be avoided by taking certain precautions. These precautions, however, were considered effective only in
relatively trivial cases; they were useless in the areas of major impact: a person's happiness or misery (shaqiiwa aw sa ada), sustenance (rizq) and one's term (ajal), the
three inevitable and irresistible manifestations of fate. In the Islamic period not only these major aspects of life are governed and controlled by the Omnipotent; the destiny
of the universe, in even its most minute details, is determined and controlled by God alone. Astrology was considered to be of no value whatsoever, and its practitioners were subject to the death penalty. These two irreconcilable views are evident in early Islamic poetry, which reflected clearly the response of poets, and society, to astrology from the perspective of qadar.
When the orthodox caliphate was replaced by dynastic rule the status of astrology was changed dramatically. The idea that the stars, as indicators, play a role in the life of
human beings found popowerful supporters in some governors of the Islamic world, who allowed astrology to fulfil a public function regardless of the hostility of the official
religion of that society. This social phenomenon generated rich material of a controversial character in the realm of literature. Investigating the factors, motivations
and impact of mediaeval political, theological and philosophical attitudes to astrology, in relation to the notions of free will and predestination, is the concern of this study
Set-based design rules and implementation methods in concept development phase
No full textThesis: S.M. in Engineering and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2018.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (page 52).There are numerous methodologies that organizations employ during concept development cycles. These range from agile, waterfall, point-based designs etc. One of the emerging such methodologies is called Set-Based Design (SBD). There has been flurry of research conducted into SBD process. Most of the documentations about SBD highlight its general principles and characteristics. In this thesis, I have taken a more focused approach by targeting planning and concept development phases in particular. Rules to select or deselect concepts have been extensively discussed in this research followed by providing an effective structure to implement SBD in concept development process. The form and function distinction during the concept development cycle has been clearly examined and documented. The research has been conducted independent of any organization or product type and therefore is applicable to any product development scenario and can be easily adopted by any organization.by Muhammad Farzan Tariq.S.M. in Engineering and Managemen
ASSESSMENT OF GROUNDWATER QUALITY AND ASSOCIATED HEALTH RISKS IN RURAL AREAS OF SINDH (PAKISTAN)
No full textGroundwater quality has considerable impact on public health, especially in areas where majority of the people rely on groundwater for drinking purpose. In this scenario, investigation of 175 groundwater samples collected from district Jacobabad and Kashmor, Sindh Pakistan was carried out for physicochemical parameters (color, odor, taste, pH, EC, turbidity, alkalinity, hardness, Cl, SO4-2, NO3- and TDS), major cations (Na+, K+, Ca+2 and Mg+2), trace elements (F, As, Fe and Zn) and microbiological organisms (total coliform and faecal coliform). Analysis results showed high level of microbial contamination as 66 and 62% sampling sites were laden with total coliform and faecal coliform organisms respectively. On the other hand, chemicals constituents like hardness, Ca, Mg, Na, K, SO4, Cl, and TDS in 54, 72, 21, 47, 25, 73 and 49% water samples respectively were higher than GVs. Other than this, trace elements like F, Zn, As and Fe were also found in high concentration in 11, 04, 22 and 53% water samples respectively. Health risk assessment due to Fe, As and Zn revealed that arsenic HRI>1 in 22 and 13% water samples for children and adults respectively and overall CDIs and HRI were found in the order of As>Zn>Fe whereas, pollution index (Pi) for Fe was significant among all trace elements investigated
HAZARDOUS POLLUTANTS IN POTABLE GROUNDWATER SOURCES OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, SOUTHERN PUNJAB (PAKISTAN)
No full textDrinking water quality is considered to be of vital importance for all human beings and animals but its significance is much more heightened when consumer is a teenager. In view of foregone, groundwater quality assessment of 150 public schools situated in flooded areas of Southern Punjab, Pakistan, was carried out. Analysis results revealed that 49 and 37 % water samples are contaminated with coliform and faecal coliforms, respectively. On the other hand chemicals constituents in samples, including calcium (43 %), magnesium (11 %), potassium (37 %), sodium (31 %), sulphate (39 %), hardness (31 %), total dissolved solids (TDS) (35 %) and chloride (15 %) were higher than World Health Organization (WHO) limits. The situation is more serious as fluoride, iron and arsenic were also found in high concentration in 15, 60 and 58 % samples, respectively. Health risk assessment data indicated that mean chronic daily intake (CDI) values for children and adults were 0.592 and 0.537 μg/kg/day for arsenic and 0.012 and 0.011 μg/kg/day for iron, respectively. Calculated arsenic health risk index (HRI) > 1 for 88 and 58 % water samples for children and adults respectively, which highlights possible health risks associated with intake of contaminated water.Drinking water quality is considered to be of vital importance for all human beings and animals but its significance is much more heightened when consumer is a teenager. In view of foregone, groundwater quality assessment of 150 public schools situated in flooded areas of Southern Punjab, Pakistan, was carried out. Analysis results revealed that 49 and 37 % water samples are contaminated with coliform and faecal coliforms, respectively. On the other hand chemicals constituents in samples, including calcium (43 %), magnesium (11 %), potassium (37 %), sodium (31 %), sulphate (39 %), hardness (31 %), total dissolved solids (TDS) (35 %) and chloride (15 %) were higher than World Health Organization (WHO) limits. The situation is more serious as fluoride, iron and arsenic were also found in high concentration in 15, 60 and 58 % samples, respectively. Health risk assessment data indicated that mean chronic daily intake (CDI) values for children and adults were 0.592 and 0.537 μg/kg/day for arsenic and 0.012 and 0.011 μg/kg/day for iron, respectively. Calculated arsenic health risk index (HRI) > 1 for 88 and 58 % water samples for children and adults respectively, which highlights possible health risks associated with intake of contaminated water
Cointegration and error correction modelling of wheat consumption in Pakistan
No full textPurpose – The purpose of this paper is to estimate the short and the long run wheat demand elasticities in Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach – Using cointegration and vector error correction model (VECM) techniques, the main objective of the study has been achieved. Findings – The estimated long run and the short run elasticities suggest that income is the most significant determinant of wheat consumption in the long run while price of wheat is the major affecting factor of wheat consumption only in the short run. Practical implications – The estimated demand elasticites may be used for framing any future food security policy in Pakistan. The less elastic nature of wheat demand both in the short and the long run suggests that under the likely Doha Round agricultural trade liberalization, wheat price rise will harm the poor consumers. Originality/value – Wheat demand elasticities are estimated within the framework of cointegration and VECM to differentiate short run and long run elasticities in Pakistan.Justice, Poverty, Social welfare economics, World economy
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