Kerala Libraries Network (KELNET): a Proposal

Visualizes the conceptual framework and propose the development of a Kerala Library Network (KELNET) by exploring and exploiting the available and the existing social infrastructures, social softwares, open standards and technologies

Content creation and E-learning in Indian Languages : a model

In the era of E-publishing and E-learning, numerous universities and cultural organizations around the world have launched initiatives to develop tools for multilingual learning and web publishing and have given preference to local content. India has different languages and different culture. Most of the knowledge and information related to people, culture, science and philosophy of India is available in Indian languages, which will be useful for learning and developing knowledge base. In India E-learning systems and online courses are already started, but as a multi lingual country, which gives importance to education through regional languages, there should be facilities for multi lingual E-learning. This paper covers the issues of Indian language knowledge base/content base, its requirement, and its implication in e learning. An Integrated multi lingual E-learning system for India is proposed in this paper, where importance given to multi lingual course content creation

Variations in aerosol optical and microphysical properties during an Indian festival observed with space-borne and ground-based observations

This study analyzes changes in the response of meteorological parameters, aerosol, ozone, and water vapor properties over a tropical urban station in Pune, India, using ground-based and satellite data sets from February 23 to March 4, 2010 covering the Holi festival period. Continuous ground-based measurements of Microprocessor-based Total Ozone Portable Spectrometer (Microtops II) were made. The variations in aerosol optical depth (AOD) showed higher values on March 1, 2010 which coincide with the peak festival time. Using the least squares method, A °ngström exponent (α) is calculated in the spectral interval of 340-1020 nm, along with the coefficient a2 of the second-order polynomial fit to the plot of log AOD versus the log wavelength. The correlation between the coefficient a2 vs. AOD 500 nm is discussed. Results from ground-based Microtops and CIMEL sun-sky radiometer observations are also found to match well with satellite retrievals. The aerosol index (AI) derived from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) along with AOD derived from the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) indicate positive correlation. This suggests that satellite observations over the region confirm the presence of absorbing aerosols mainly due to bio-mass burning and colored powder spray activities during the festival

Density of states of colloidal glasses

Glasses are structurally liquid-like, but mechanically solid-like. Most attempts to understand glasses start from liquid state theory. Here we take the opposite point of view, and use concepts from solid state physics. We determine the vibrational modes of a colloidal glass experimentally, and find soft low-frequency modes that are very different in nature from the usual acoustic vibrations of ordinary solids. These modes extend over surprisingly large length scales

The Role of the document delivery service at an evolving research library in Saudi Arabia

Purpose – This purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the document delivery service according to user perception, and a usage analysis was done to inform collection building and refining. This is especially important in a high-calibre research community, where the usage, interests and research groups and disciplines are still evolving. Design/methodology/approach – To collect the responses of document delivery service users, an online questionnaire was used with 12 multiple-choice questions and two open-ended questions. The questionnaires were sent only to the users of this service, and the responses were collected anonymously. Two surveys were conducted, in 2010 and 2013, with the same questions. The responses are displayed graphically prepared to compare the results. There were 71 responses in 2010 and 95 in 2013. Findings – In both surveys, the majority of users rated the service, staff behaviour, speed, quality, etc. with a high satisfaction level. Document delivery order statistics are a major decision-making tool, in addition to usage analysis, for developing a better, economical and highly utilized collection in brand new libraries. Originality/value – This is the first published study of user perception of document delivery in Saudi Arabi

Soil quality indicators based recommendation to maximize sugarcane productivity in Theni district of Tamil Nadu, India

An assessment study was conducted in five sugarcane yielding blocks of theni district viz., Jeyamangalam, P.C.Patti, Chinnamanur, Andipatti and Usilampatti.The cane yielding zones of the district was classified into three categories viz., low yielding (less than 75 t ha-1), medium (75 to 100 t ha-1) and high yielding (more than 100 t ha-1). The key physico-chemical and biological indicators of soil were assessed in the surface (0-15 cm) and subsurface (15-30 cm) soils samples of each zone. The indicators assessed in the low cane yielding zone reflected slightly acidic pH (6.70), lower CEC (11.9 cmol (p+) kg-1) and low organic carbon (0.14 percent). The positive effects of soil physico - chemical and biological indicators on the sugarcane yield was well proved through the yield data of the high yielding zone. Almost 93 percent of the farms surveyed in the high yielding zone registered an average cane yield of 120 t ha-1. This may be attributed to a neutral pH of 7.21, non-saline soil with an average EC of 0.36 dSm-1, maximum organic carbon status (0.59 percent) and higher range of soil Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) (20 to 58.0 cmol (p+)kg-1) which resulted in maximum cane productivity. It was concluded that application of organic matter, amendments rich in calcium and magnesium in acidic soil and application of gypsum and other amendments rich in sulphur in alkali soils of low cane yielding zone can maximize productivity of sugarcane