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The purpose of this paper is to design and develop an IR and sprinkler based embedded controller operated robotic arm for automatic dust removal system to mitigate the dust effect on the solar panel surface, since dust accumulation normally affected by real weather conditions is one of the serious concern for the deterioration of photovoltaic (PV) system output.

The system is a wet cleaning device which provides a cheap silicon rubber-based wiping operation controlled by the pulse width modulation-operated motors of robotic arm. The IEEE 1149.1-compliant mixed signal-embedded platform of C8051F226DK is involved to command the complete system.

A prototype of 30 W_P system is capable of producing an inspiring average value of 11.26 per cent in energy increase, 13.63 per cent in PV module efficiency and 85.20 per cent in performance ratio of the system after 73 days of cleaning in summer season. In addition, a total of 1,617.93 W power; 1,0516.55 Wh energy; and 350.55 KWh/KW_P final yield was found during the entire cleaning period.

A novel technique of the implementation of IR sensor and sprinkler in dust mitigation is proposed in this paper. The IR sensor is used as a versatile object which can manage the robotic arm setting and control the automatic switching between cleaning and charging, as well as identify the thermal condition of solar panel for overheating.

Maladies afflicting the higher education system in developing countries are well represented by what is happening in India and have been discussed in detail by many researchers and educationists (Anandakrishnan, 2008; Balram, 2005, 2008). The Government of India has formulated different projects and programmes for improving the education scenario in the country. The successive education commissions from Radhakrishnan (1949) through Kothari commission (1966) discussed various issues related to the higher education system and suggested many steps to resolve them. Recently, the Committee to Advice on Renovation and Rejuvenation of Higher Education (2009) headed by Yash Pal discussed the challenges faced by the Indian higher education system and recommended complete revamping of the higher education system and evolving it as an Indian model. The National Knowledge Commission (NKC, 2006–2009) in 2007 while recommending several measures to keep up the pace of higher education with the developments of knowledge society and knowledge economy observed that ‘We recognize that a meaningful reform of the higher education system with a long-term perspective is both complex and difficult. Yet it is imperative.’ The view that the reforms cannot easily be carried out is more strengthened by the fact that the vision and recommendations of the Kothari Commission of 1966 (based on which the 1968 educational policy was formulated) are still valid and useful even now (Sam Pitroda, 2007).

Reports on INFLIBNET’s annual convention International CALIBER – 2004 that was held at Jamia Millia Islamia, a central university in New Delhi on 11‐13 February. States that the theme of the convention was “Road Map to New Generation of libraries using emerging technologies” and papers were presented which emphasized the importance of the architecture of information for libraries and the need for a globalized information environment. The concluding session of the convention proposed that CALIBER – 2004 was an excellent opportunity for librarians and students to interact with experts in the field and that it would boost the ongoing initiatives for a library information system in agriculture libraries.

The purpose of this paper is to report on a national seminar held at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, on 29‐30 January 2009.

This is a descriptive report.

The national seminar focused on open access of textual and multimedia content looking at collaboration between two inter‐university centres of the University Grants Commission (UGC), INFLIBNET (Information and Library Network) Center in Ahmedabad and the Center for Educational Communication (CEC) in New Delhi.

It will be of interest to the library and information professionals especially to the media professionals across the country. It may also be helpful to the professionals of the Asian countries at some extend. A detailed version of this report published in the seminar website and it may also appear in the forthcoming INFLIBNET newsletter for the INFLIBNET members.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze and profile significant national developments in higher education for sustainable development in India and to compare different educational approaches emerging in connection with education for sustainable development.

This is an evaluative review of contrasting initiatives to provide environmental and sustainability education in different institutions, that takes into account philosophy, policy and practice in Indian higher education. Academic programmes, policy statements and education projects are analyzed, to highlight important developments, challenges and the prospects for future progress.

Several principles of sustainable development are embedded in India's education policy. It is perhaps the only country where the highest court has mandated environmental education at all levels of formal education, which includes a compulsory undergraduate course. However, the challenges of implementing this requirement effectively are hampered by lack of inter‐disciplinary competence among staff and students, and traditional methods of assessment in HE. India has examples of successful community‐based initiatives but these often have resource implications. Many efforts to develop learning opportunities in this field have emerged primarily from academic and student interests and priorities rather than from formal policy initiatives.

This paper provides an evaluative perspective on the diverse and innovative responses to sustainability emerging in Indian higher education, in curriculum development and to address issues of practice on campus and in local communities. The opportunity to analyse the implementation of a national initiative is unusual, particularly in the distinctive context of India, which has considerable prior engagement with sustainable development at the level of policy and practice.

Using human capital theory and resource-based view (RBV), the authors argue that individuals and societies derive economic benefits from investments in people (Becker, 1992; Sweetland, 1996), thus effective management of talent is critical for economic development (Lepak and Snell, 2002; Khilji, 2012a). Next, the authors review governmental policies in three of the world's most populous countries, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, in order to highlight their national talent development efforts. The authors discuss how each country is meeting the challenge of making the talent they own, as well as buying diaspora talent in order to strengthen their local capabilities. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

The authors adopted a comparative analysis approach in order to frame our arguments and discussion.

The paper finds that Bangladesh, India and Pakistan have implemented a wide range of initiatives, from skill development programs to citizenship policies for its diaspora, in order to upgrade their local capabilities. In addition, these countries are simultaneously using inclusive, exclusive, and subject dimensions (Gallardo-Gallardo et al., 2013) in developing their national talent. The paper highlights prevalence of the paradox of development and retention particularly in Bangladesh and Pakistan, where youth is also being trained to emigrate.

Global talent management (GTM) has become an increasingly important policy initiative, in view of a global generational divide that will require youth-rich emerging economies and aging developed countries to implement policies that help them meet global talent needs.

This commentary advances a macro GTM view, and argues in favor of promoting a policy perspective to better connect policy, research and practice that may lead to maximizing human potential globally and addressing global talent shortages.

The following classified, annotated list of titles is intended to provide reference librarians with a current checklist of new reference books, and is designed to supplement the RSR review column, “Recent Reference Books,” by Frances Neel Cheney. “Reference Books in Print” includes all additional books received prior to the inclusion deadline established for this issue. Appearance in this column does not preclude a later review in RSR. Publishers are urged to send a copy of all new reference books directly to RSR as soon as published, for immediate listing in “Reference Books in Print.” Reference books with imprints older than two years will not be included (with the exception of current reprints or older books newly acquired for distribution by another publisher). The column shall also occasionally include library science or other library related publications of other than a reference character.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the role of universities in the service sector innovation system of India.

Use was made of secondary sources of data such as various reports, books and journals, to gather information on what constitutes the national innovation system (NIS) of a country. An attempt was made to assess the performance of India ' s innovation system, which comprises investment, infrastructure, knowledge and skill generation, and relations and linkages. The author made broad use of this conceptual framework to make an assessment of the performance of the changing service sector innovation system in India. To examine the performance of India ' s NIS, three elements were focused on: R & D, FDI in services, and status of higher education sector.

The paper concludes that India has a well-functioning service sector innovation system yet much needs to be done if India wants to keep alive her ambition of becoming a knowledge powerhouse or innovation superpower. Moreover, the private sector can play an important role in the improvement of quality of education, as has been revealed by the example of NASSCOM.

While there is some research on the NIS of India, not much has been written about the service sector innovation system of India. The paper fills this gap in the current literature to some extent.

This study aims to devise generalized unconstrained optimization models for ascertaining the optimal level of product quality and production capacity level by modeling both product price and production cost as a function of product quality. Further, interrelations among investment for quality, product quality and production volume are considered. This study contributes toward the extant research, in that nuances related to price, production volume, and product quality are fused together such that two broad operational strategies of product quality optimization and production capacity optimization can be contrasted.

To achieve the research objectives, the authors evolve unconstrained optimization models such that optimal product quality level and optimal production capacity level can be obtained employing the principles of differential calculus aimed at maximizing the manufacturer's profit. Specifically, nuances related to quality technology and efficiency, and quality loss cost has also been integrated in the integrated model. Thereafter, employing numerical analysis for a generalized product, the detailed workings of evolved models are demonstrated. The authors further carry out the sensitivity analysis to understand the impact of investment for quality onto the manufacturer's profit for both operational strategies.

The research demonstrates that the manufacturer would be better off adopting production capacity optimization strategy as an operational policy, as opposed to product quality optimization policy for the manufacturer's profit maximization. Further, considering the two operational strategies, the manufacturer does not obtain the highest possible theoretical profit when pertinent variables (product quality and production capacity) are set at highest possible theoretical level. This research discusses that in low-volume and high-margin products, it might be useful to adopt a product quality optimization strategy as a production capacity optimization strategy results in significantly high quality loss cost.

The findings of our study have a significant implication for industries such as steel-making, cement production, automotive industry wherein the conventional wisdom dictates that higher level of production capacity utilization always results in higher level of revenues. However, the authors deduce that beyond certain production capacity utilization, striving for higher utilization does not fetch additional profit. This work also adds to the extant research literature, in that it integrates the nuances of product quality, production volume and pricing in an integrative manner.