Can a change in cropping patterns produce water savings and social gains: A case study from the Fergana Valley, Central Asia

Abstract The study examines possible water savings by replacing alfalfa with winter wheat in the Fergana Valley, located upstream of the Syrdarya River in Central Asia. Agricultural reforms since the 1990s have promoted this change in cropping patterns in the Central Asian states to enhance food security and social benefits. The water use of alfalfa, winter wheat/fallow, and winter wheat/green gram (double cropping) systems is compared for high-deficit, low-deficit, and full irrigation scenarios using hydrological modeling with the HYDRUS-1D software package. Modeling results indicate that replacing alfalfa with winter wheat in the Fergana Valley released significant water resources, mainly by reducing productive crop transpiration when abandoning alfalfa in favor of alternative cropping systems. However, the winter wheat/fallow cropping system caused high evaporation losses from fallow land after harvesting of winter wheat. Double cropping (i.e., the cultivation of green gram as a short duration summer crop after winter wheat harvesting) reduced evaporation losses, enhanced crop output and hence food security, while generating water savings that make more water available for other productive uses. Beyond water savings, this paper also discusses the economic and social gains that double cropping produces for the public within a broader developmental context

Pengaruh Pelatihan, Disiplin dan Motivasi terhadap Kinerja Pegawai pada Badan Pengelolaan Keuangan dan Asset Daerah Provinsi Sulawesi Tengah

The study is aimed to: 1) determine and analyze simultaneous influence of training, discipline, and motivation on the performance of officials in The Agency of Financial and Local Asset Administrator in Central Sulawesi; 2) determine and analyze the influence of training on the performance of officials in The Agency of Financial and Local Asset Administrator in Central Sulawesi; 3) determine and analyze the influence of discipline on the performance of officials in The Agency of Financial and Local Asset Administrator in Central Sulawesi; 4) determine and analyze the influence of motivation on the performance of officials in The Agency of Financial And Local Asset Administrator in Central Sulawesi. Sample consists of 79 officials who were selected through disproportionate stratified random sampling by which sample is randomly selected proportionally. Technique of analysis uses multiple linear regressions has shown that training, discipline, and motivation simultaneously have significant influence on the performance of officials in The Agency of Financial and Local Asset Administrator in Central Sulawesi with Sig F of 0.000 < α 0.05. Training has positive and significant influence on official\u27s performance with sig-t (X1) of 0.000 < α 0.05; discipline has positive and significant influence on the performance of officials in The Agency of Financial and Local Asset Administrator in Central Sulawesi with Sig-t (X2) of 0.035 < α 0.05; and motivation has positive and significant influence on the performance of officials with sig-t (X3) of 0.017 < α 0.05

The uptake and incorporation of exogenous fatty acids confer phenotypic advantages to acinetobacter baumannii

AIM: Acinetobacter baumannii is a ubiquitous gram-negative bacterium found on a variety of surfaces that include skin, hair, and soil. Some gram-negative bacteria like A. baumannii have the ability to acquire and incorporate fatty acids into their phospholipid membranes. Known as ‘Iraqibacter,’ A. baumannii has emerged as a significant cause of nosocomial infections in the United States and abroad. This study was designed to determine whether structural alterations occur in A. baumannii upon exposure to a wide range of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) as well as the significance of this phenomenon in terms of survival and resistance to stress. Thin layer chromatography of isolated phospholipids indicated phospholipid profile variation depending on the exogenous PUFA supplied. To assess the incorporation of exogenous fatty acids with A. baumannii phospholipids, isolated lipids were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS). Membrane permeability was assessed with a crystal violet hydrophobic compound uptake assay. An assay for biofilm formation was performed to indicate the production of biofilms among bacterial growth in the presence of each fatty acid. To observe additional phenotypic responses, environmental stresses such as hydrogen peroxide, antimicrobial peptide, and antibiotic pressures were assayed. The fatty acids affected membrane permeability, as determined by a hydrophobic compound uptake test. At least a 20% range of uptake was observed between the PUFAs examined. Bacterial growth in the presence of each PUFA caused an increase in biofilm production. As expected, numerous unique phospholipid species were identified and were bioinformatically predicted to contain the exogenously supplied PUFA as one of their acyl chains. While no differences in minimum inhibitory concentrations were observed with peroxide and beta-lactam antibiotic stresses, sensitivity of A. baumannii to two different antimicrobial peptides, colistin and polymyxin B, increased following growth in several of the PUFAs, with arachidonic acid displaying the highest inhibition. Since cationic antimicrobial peptides are believed to interact with bacterial lipid membranes for eventual pore formation, these results implicate exogenous fatty acids as modification moieties that may impact resistance to environmental stresses