Water status and yield response to deficit irrigation and fertilization of three olive oil cultivars under the semi-arid conditions of Tunisia

Sustainability of olive production is possible by adopting the modern techniques of irrigation and fertilization. In Tunisia, olive trees are usually cultivated in poor soils, under semi-arid conditions characterized by water scarcity. This study investigated the effects of different water supply and fertilization on leaf water status and crop yield of three different olive oil varieties cultivated in central Tunisia, during four experimental seasons (2014-2017). Three treatments were examined: trees conducted under rainfed conditions (TRF), which represented the control treatment, trees irrigated with 50% ETc (T50) and, finally, trees irrigated with 50% ETc and with additional fertilization (T50F). Leaf water content and potential, yield and water use efficiency have been monitored on three different varieties, Chetoui, Chemlali, and Koroneiki, which are quite typical in the considered region. For all the growing seasons, midday leaf water potentials were measured from April to September. Midday leaf water potentials (MLWP) were generally higher for the two irrigated treatments (T50 and T50F) than for non-irrigated trees (TRF). As the season proceeded, MLWPs tended to decrease during summer for all the treatments and varieties. The lowest values were observed for the non-irrigated trees, varying between -3.25 MPa to -4.75 MPa. Relative leaf water content followed the same trends of midday leaf water potentials. Chetoui showed the lowest yield, which did not exceed 1530 Kg/(ha year), even for irrigated and fertilized trees. On the other hand, the yields of Chemlali and Koroneiki, cumulated in the four years, reached the maximum value of about 20 tons/ha. For these two varieties, the cumulated yield obtained in the control treatment (TRF) resulted significantly lower than the corresponding of the other two treatments (T50 and T50F). The highest irrigation water use efficiency (WUE) was estimated for Chemlali (T50) and (TRF). WUE was equal to 1.22 Kg/m3 for Koroneiki under fertigated treatment (T50F). Application of the only water supply (50% ETc) or associated with fertilizer improved the tree water status and increased the productivity of Chemlali and Koroneiki varieties

Flatness optimization of micro-injection moulded parts: The case of a PMMA microfluidic component

Micro-injection moulding (µ-IM) has attracted a lot of interest because of its potential for the production of low-cost, miniaturized parts in high-volume. Applications of this technology are, amongst others, microfluidic components for lab-on-a-chip devices and micro-optical components. In both cases, the control of the part flatness is a key aspect to maintaining the component's functionality. The objective of this work is to determine the factors affecting the flatness of a polymer part manufactured by µ-IM and to control the manufacturing process with the aim of minimizing the in-process part deformation. As a case study, a PMMA microfluidic substrate with overall dimensions of 10 mm diameter and 1 mm thickness was investigated by designing a µ-IM experiment having flatness as the experimental response. The part flatness was measured using a micro-coordinate measuring machine. Finite elements analysis was also carried out to study the optimal ejection pin configuration. The results of this work show that the control of the µ-IM process conditions can improve the flatness of the polymer part up to about 15 µm. Part flatness as low as 4 µm can be achieved by modifying the design of the ejection system according to suggested guideline

Evaluation of Chromosomal Instability in Diabetic Rats Treated with Naringin

We used the bone marrow DNA strand breaks, micronucleus formations, spermatocyte chromosomal aberrations, and sperm characteristic assays to investigate the chromosomal instability in somatic and germinal cells of diabetic rats treated with multiple doses of naringin. The obtained results revealed that naringin was neither cytotoxic nor genotoxic for the rats at all tested doses. Moreover, naringin significantly reduced the diabetes-induced chromosomal instability in somatic and germinal cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, diabetes induced marked biochemical alterations characteristic of oxidative stress including enhanced lipid peroxidation, accumulation of oxidized glutathione, reduction in reduced glutathione, and accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species. Treatment with naringin ameliorated these biochemical markers dose-dependently. In conclusion, naringin confers an appealing protective effect against diabetes-induced chromosomal instability towards rat somatic and germinal cells which might be explained partially via diminishing the de novo free radical generation induced by hyperglycemia. Thus, naringin might be a good candidate to reduce genotoxic risk associated with hyperglycemia and may provide decreases in the development of secondary malignancy and abnormal reproductive outcomes risks, which seems especially important for diabetic patients

Enhancement of On-grid PV System under Irradiance and Temperature Variations Using New Optimized Adaptive Controller

Solar Energy is one of the key solutions to future electrical power generation. Photovoltaic Plants (PV) are fast growing to satisfy electrical power demand. Different maximum power point tracking techniques (MPPT) are used to maximize PV systems generated power. In this paper, on grid PV system model in MATLAB SIMULINK is tested under sudden irradiance and cell temperature variations. Incremental Conductance MPPT is used to maximize generated power from the PV system with the help of new adaptive controller to withstand these heavy disturbances. The new adaptive controller is tuned for optimal operation using two different optimization techniques (Invasive weed and Harmony search).Optimization results for the two techniques are compared. .A robustness test is made to check system stability to withstand different random irradiance and cell temperature patterns without failure to track the maximum power point.Finally, a brief comparison is made with a previous literature and the new adaptive controller gives better results

Genetic Algorithm Based Control System Design of a Self-Excited Induction Generator

This paper presents an application of the genetic algorithm (GA) for optimizing controller gains of the Self-Excited Induction Generator (SEIG) driven by the Wind Energy Conversion Scheme (WECS). The proposed genetic algorithm is introduced to adapt the integral gains of the conventional controllers of the active and reactive control loop of the system under study, where GA calculates the optimum value for the gains of the variables based on the best dynamic performance and a domain search of the integral gains. The proposed genetic algorithm is used to regulate the terminal voltage or reactive power control, by adjusting the self excitation, and to control the mechanical input power or active power control by adapting the blade angle of WECS, in order to adjust the stator frequency. The GA is used for optimizing these gains, for an active and reactive power loop, by solving the related optimization problem. The simulation results show a better dynamic performance using the GA than using the conventional PI controller for active and reactive control

Strukturna svojstva i UV – NIR apsorpcijski spektri bezmetalnih tankih slojeva ftalocijanina

The structural properties and absorption spectra of H2Pc thin films have been studied. The films used in these studies were thermally evaporated on glass/quartz substrates with thickness ranging from 60 to 460 nm. The XRD studies of H2Pc thin films showed that the as-deposited films have α-form with monoclinic system. The mean crystallite size (L), the dislocation density (δ) and the strain (ξ) were evaluated. The molecular structure of H2Pc thin films is confirmed by analysis of (FTIR) spectra. The surface morphology of H2Pc thin films was examined by scanning electron microscope. The absorption spectra of H2Pc recorded in the UV – VIS – IR region for the as-deposited and the annealed thin films of different thickness have been analyzed. The spectra showed two absorption bands namely the Q-band and the Soret (B)-band. The Q-band shows its characteristic splitting (Davydove splitting) with ∆Q = 0.21 eV. Values of some important optical parameters, namely optical absorption coefficient (α ′ ), molar extinction coefficient (εmolar), half-band-width (∆λ), electronic dipole strength (q 2 ) and oscillator strength (f) were calculated. The fundamental and the onset of the indirect energy gaps were also determined as 2.47 and 1.4 eV, respectively.Proučavali smo strukturna svojstva i apsorpcijske spektre tankih slojeva H2Pc. Te tanke slojeve, debljine 60 do 460 nm, naparavali smo na staklene i kremene ploče. Proučavanje rendgenograma je pokazalo da su neobrađeni tanki slojevi monokliničke α-strukture. Odredili smo srednju veličinu kristalita (L), gustoću dislokacija (δ) i naprezanje (ξ). Potvrdili smo molekulsku strukturu tankih slojeva H2Pc analizama FTIR spektara. Površine slojeva ispitivali smo pretražnim elektronskim mikroskopom. Analizirali smo apsorpcijske spektre neobrađenih i opuštenih tankih slojeva različite debljine u UV – VIS – IR području. Ti spektri pokazuju dvije apsorpcijske vrpce, Q-vrpcu i Soretovu B-vrpcu. Q-vrpca pokazuje svoju značajku (Davydovog) cijepanja sa ∆Q = 0.21 eV. Izveli smo vrijednosti važnih optičkih parametara: optičkog apsorpcijskog koeficijenta (α ′ ), molarnog koeficijenta gašenja (εmolar), poluširine pojasa (∆λ), elektronskih dipolnih jakosti (q 2 ) i oscilatornih jakosti (f). Odredili smo osnovne energijske procijepe i početke neizravnih energijskih procijepa od 2.47 odnosno 1.4 eV

Oil Extracted Moringa peregrina Seed Cake as a Feed Ingredient in Poultry: A Chemical Composition and Nutritional Value Study

The chemical composition, antioxidant activity, tannic acid content, mineral, fatty acid, and amino acid profiles of oil-extracted Moringa peregrina seed meal (OEMPSM) were determined. Apparent (AME) and true (AMEn) metabolizable energy and apparent (AAAU) and true (TAAU) amino acid utilization were evaluated using a precision feeding trial. The protein (CP) quality was evaluated by a total efficiency analysis method. The antioxidant activity, gauged by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), was 237, 353, and 15.2 mg/mL for the water and ethanol extracts, and ascorbic acid, respectively. Tannic acids were 131.4 mg/100 g dry weight. The OEMPSM had 27.2% CP and 22.4, 15.1, and 15.8 MJ/kg of gross energy, AME and AMEn, respectively. The neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and hemicellulose were 40.2, 29.7, and 10.5% DM, respectively. The 15.41% of total fatty acids were saturated and 84.57% unsaturated. The AAAU and TAAU of OEMPSM were 30.92% and 61.06%, respectively. From findings, OEMPSM comprises a valuable level of bioactive substances, amino acids, fatty acids, minerals, and energy; it can provide up to 1.12% of the requirements of total amino acids of chickens (1–21 days); however, the quality of its protein was found to be 44.6% less than that of protein of soybean meal

Power System Stabilizer Driven by an Adaptive Fuzzy Set for Better Dynamic Performance

This paper presents a novel application of a fuzzy logic controller (FLC) driven by an adaptive fuzzy set (AFS) for a power system stabilizer (PSS).The proposed FLC, driven by AFS, is compared with a classical FLC, driven by a fixed fuzzy set (FFS). Both FLC algorithms use the speed error and its rate of change as input vectors. A single generator equipped with FLC-PSS and connected to an infinite bus bar through double transmission lines is considered. Both FLCs, using AFS and FFS, are simulated and tested when the system is subjected to different step changes in the reference value. The simulation results of the proposed FLC, using the adaptive fuzzy set, give a better dynamic response of the overall system by improving the damping coefficient and decreasing the rise time and settling time compared with classical FLC using FFS. The proposed FLC using AFS also reduces the computational time of the FLC as the number of rules is reduced.