Report on water user group support activities along IWRM Ferghana Project

Water users Associations / Farmer participation / Irrigation programs / Central Asia / Uzbekistan / Tajikistan

“Bright spots” in Uzbekistan, reversing land and water degradation while improving livelihoods: key developments and sustaining ingredients for transition economies of the former Soviet Union

Irrigated farming / Water quality / Drainage / Soil fertility / Crop yield / Investment / Uzbekistan / Bukhara Province / Zarafshan River / Dijzzakh Province / Syrdarya Province

Institutional reforms at main canal level and their water allocation and yield impacts : A case from South Ferghana Canal, Uzbekistan

Institutional development / Organizational change / Water users associations / Irrigation management / Canals / Water allocation / Water distribution / Irrigated farming / Cotton / Wheat / Yields / Uzbekistan / South Ferghana Canal

INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL RESOURCES ON THE INNOVATIVE ACTIVITY IN CONDITIONS OF FINANCIAL GLOBALIZATION

The analysis of changes in the state of social resources of scientific and technological areas in terms of financial globalization is made in the article. An assessment of their impact on the development of industrial and innovational processes is given. Measures to improve the efficiency of social resources of the innovative, small businesses are proposed.

INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY OF SOCIAL INVESTMENTS THROUGH THE USE OF THE PORTFOLIO FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

The author presents bases of the modern portfolio-based financial analysis and features of use of portfolio technology in analysis and assessment of social investments in conditions of globalization of national economy.Measures for improvement of efficiency of social investments on the basis of use of portfolio innovations taking into account the experience of CIS countries are offered

Inter-scale energy transfer in turbulent premixed combustion

Turbulent premixed combustion is widely used for energy conversion in power generation and propulsion devices. However, our understanding of the underlying fluid dynamics, combustion, and their interaction is still incomplete. The complexity of turbulent combustion arises from the non-linear, multi-scale, and multi-physics nature of the problem, which involves interactions between fluid dynamic and chemical processes across a myriad of length and time scales. The existing literature demonstrates that the dynamics of reacting turbulence does not necessarily follow the same phenomenology as in non-reacting incompressible turbulence. One of the key differences in reacting and compressible flows is the reversal of the classical turbulent energy cascade in a process termed as ‘backscatter’. Moreover, backscatter was shown to potentially depend on the magnitude of the pressure gradients across the flame; this is reflected in the sub-filter-scale pressure-work. Previous studies have predominantly focused on flames in homogeneous isotropic turbulence (HIT), in which the pressure gradients are associated with the flame and turbulence themselves. In contrast, practical combustors have mean pressure fields generated by the flow, which can induce significantly different turbulence dynamics as compared to non-reacting turbulence. The presented research explores the conditions at which energy backscatter occurs in an aerospace relevant configuration and attempts to identify the underlying physical mechanisms that have a leading order impact on these processes. This is done through systematic variation of the global equivalence ratio, the jet flow velocity, and the swirl number. The impact of these controlling parameters on turbulence production and energy backscatter is assessed through the analysis of filtered kinetic energy transport equations. Tomographic particle image velocimetry (TPIV) and planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) are used to measure the 3D velocity fields and planar distribution of formaldehyde, respectively; the relevant thermodynamic properties (e.g., density and progress variable) are estimated from PLIF data. Ultimately, this work provides both an assessment of the validity of current turbulence modeling paradigms employed in aerospace relevant combustion, as well as the data necessary to develop and validate new models if required.Ph.D

RESEARCH UNIVERSITY AS THE MECHANISM OF SOLUTION OF MODERN PROBLEMS IN EDUCATION AND SCIENCE WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE BOLOGNA PROCESS

Correspondence of the development strategy in scientific and educational sector through the transformation of leading universities into research universities to the national priorities is presented. Authors present methodological aspects and principles of formation of research university and the innovation cluster as the main organizational mechanism in the basis of its work. Suggestions concerning further development of these universities and their financial mechanisms improvement are given. 

Groundwater use in irrigated agriculture in Amudarya River Basin in socio-economic dimensions

Presented during the Third international conference on irrigation and drainage held March 30 - April 2, 2005 in San Diego, California. The theme of the conference was "Water district management and governance."Includes bibliographical references.The paper analyses groundwater resources use in socio-economic context in Amudarya River Basin. The paper discusses present extent of groundwater resources use and special focus is on agriculture, livestock use and small farmers in their homegardens. Institutional and social pattern of groundwater resources use, allocation, monitoring and distribution are other aspects that reviewed. After the collapse of former Soviet Union with its old water resources management mechanism and infrastructure, new underdeveloped systems are being practiced over Amudarya River Basin. Many assessment reports haven't considered Afghanistan in their analysis for water allocation. In Afghanistan, after the end of civil war, irrigated lands are being expanded and the share of groundwater use is increasing too according to the recent reports and assessment projects by international institutions and local scholars. Local farmers use water from boreholes and wells for their water supply systems in order to range livestock and grow crops for sustaining their livelihoods. For example, in Afghanistan karezes (traditional groundwater extraction structure) are widely documented as main extraction methods. Many farmers and settlements use different water extraction mechanisms for withdrawing water. Some drill new boreholes and some renovate old wells. Majority of locals does not have access to machinery pumps and do not have funds for purchasing or renting such pumps for practicing irrigated agriculture. Economic aspects are discussed in broader sense and results are taken from farmers' interviews, personal communication with national hydrogeologists. In general, may farmers claim that it is worth to invest in finding groundwater for producing agricultural products and rearing livestock. Groundwater resources becoming alternative source of supply for irrigated agriculture, livestock ranching worldwide. Amudarya River basin (Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan) countries due to its climatic characteristics, economic development strategies and geopolitical situation have been experiencing everlasting competition over water resources. Mostly arid, agrarian countries pursue their own development and integration into global community through expanding irrigated lands, growing cash crops such as cotton, rice and wheat for meeting their domestic food security.Sponsored by USCID; co-sponsored by Association of California Water Agencies and International Network for Participatory Irrigation Management

NEOLIBERAL REFORMS IN THE CIS AND THE SOCIAL MODERNIZATION IN CONDITIONS OF THE WORLD CRISIS

The authors analyze the results of radical market reforms undertaken in the post-Soviet countries on the basis of recommendations given by the international monetary organizations. On the background of the global crisis, authors assess the impact and consequences of these reforms in the social sector of these countries. On the basis of international experience, current trends in social processes development and considering their status and national characteristics authors determine strategic directions and necessary steps for social modernization in these countries