Irrigation investment trends in Sri Lanka: new construction and beyond

Investment, Water management, Rehabilitation, Rice, Crop Production/Industries, Farm Management,

Aging Characteristics and Weld-solidified Structure in Al-Zn-Mg Alloy Welds

The aging characteristics and the weld-solidified structure of weld Al-Zn-Mg alloys, and the effects of grain and dendrite cell sizes on the aging characteristics of rapidly solidified Al-Zn-Mg alloys were examined by hardness measurements, the X-ray small-angle scattering and by optical- and transmission electron microscopies. Differences in macrostructures in weld Al-Zn-Mg alloys have no effect on their aging characteristics. Differences between microstructures of weld alloys and those of heat-affected zones in the alloy welds affect their aging characteristics. Sub-grains in the weld metals of Al-Zn-Mg alloy welds decrease their age-hardening capacities at 80°C, but increase them at 150°C. These results are discussed in terms of solute segregations and preferred precipitation η′ phases at sub-grain boundaries or on dislocations in the weld metals of Al-Zn-Mg alloy welds

Assessing Government Efforts to (Re)Build Trust in Government: Challenges and Lessons Learned from Japanese Experiences

The decline of trust in government has been a critical issue in many parts of the world. Various surveys have indicated that the public cast suspicious eyes on their government and become less trustful of performance of their public sector. The OECD labels trust in government as a fundamental element of the democratic “contract”, while its decline may have significant impacts on government activities. Likewise, the UN also refers to trust as the foundation for good governance; therefore, improving trust would help strengthen sound governance in any polity. As these examples demonstrate, trust in government has increasingly become a central concern for government reformers.In Japan, for a long time, bureaucrats have been perceived to be trustful social agents and they have enjoyed more confidence than those of party members. However, a series of scandals involving high-ranking bureaucrats, in addition to several policy failures and severe financial difficulties, have deteriorated the trustful image of Japanese public officials. Confronted with the problem, both central and local governments in Japan have attempted to improve their public perceptions and tried to rebuild trust in government by resorting to various types of administrative reform. However, the identification of reasons for the decline of public trust in government appear an awesome task and hard to come. While some of the reforms could have contributed rebuilding trust, others have further eroded the level of government confidence.Against these backgrounds, the paper aims to show the current level of trust in government, specifically in Japan. It tries to assess government efforts of rebuilding trust by discussing different government reforms at both the central and the local levels

Technical efficiency and production potential of selected cereal crops in Senegal

This study focused on the production outcomes for five crops cultivated in Senegal: upland rice, lowland rice, groundnut, maize, and pearl millet. Technical efficiency (TE) of the production of each crop was estimated using data envelopment analysis, and the determinants of TEs were assessed using generalised linear regression analyses. Data were collected in face-to-face interviews with 66 farmers in the Kaolack region of Central Senegal during November 2011–February 2012. Average TEs for upland rice, lowland rice, groundnut, maize, and pearl millet were estimated as 0.76, 0.88, 0.89, 0.94, and 0.90, respectively. The identified factors that had a positive impact on TE were years of cultivation experience, amount of nitrogen fertiliser applied, and participation in a farmers’ association. Weeding hours, seeding rate, size of the cultivated area, and delays in sowing time were negatively associated with TE. The factors that significantly affected TE differed among the crops. Optimising these factors could enable potential yield increase of upland rice, lowland rice, groundnut, maize, and pearl millet by 24, 12, 11, 6, and 10 %, respectively

Costs and performance of irrigation projects: A comparison of Sub-Saharan Africa and other developing regions

Poverty / Mapping