A Study on Evolving Optimal Cropping Patterns in Groundwater Over-exploited Region of Perambalur District of Tamil Nadu

Falling groundwater tables and depletion of economically accessible groundwater resources would have major social and economic consequences. The present study has been taken up with the overall objective of evolving optimal crop plans to sustain the use of groundwater resources for irrigation. Perambalur district was purposively selected for the study as it mainly depends on groundwater for its irrigation. Linear programming technique was used to evolve optimal crop plans. The constraints identified were primarily irrigation water, besides land availability during the cultivating seasons and capital. Six typical farms were selected, one each for the open well, wells in tank command area and tubewell-irrigated farms in critical and over-exploited groundwater regime and also for semi-critical and safe groundwater regime. The results of the optimal crop plans derived showed that the irrigation water-use in the critical period could be reduced by 24.30, 4.54 and 51.71 hours of pumping in ordinary wells, wells in tank command area and tubewell-irrigated farms, respectively in critical and over-exploited groundwater regime sample farms. In the semi-critical and safe groundwater regime sample farms, the optimal crop plans revealed that the irrigation water-use in the critical period could be reduced by 4.61, 3.99, and 4.73 hours of pumping in ordinary wells, wells in tank command area and tubewell-irrigated farms, respectively. Area under high water intensive crops namely, paddy and sugarcane declined almost in all the optimal crop plans. Area under low water intensive crops (groundnut, gingelly and tapioca) showed an increasing trend in all optimal crop plans. The net income of the sample farms increased marginally or considerably in the optimal crop plans of both the critical and overexploited groundwater regime sample farms and semi-critical and the safe groundwater regime sample farmsAgricultural and Food Policy,

Randomised positive control trial of NSAID and antimicrobial treatment for calf fever caused by pneumonia

One hundred and fifty-four preweaning calves were followed between May and October 2015. Calves were fitted with continuous monitoring temperature probes (TempVerified FeverTag), programmed so a flashing light emitting diode (LED) light was triggered following six hours of a sustained ear canal temperature of ≥39.7°C. A total of 83 calves (61.9 per cent) developed undifferentiated fever, with a presumptive diagnosis of pneumonia through exclusion of other calf diseases. Once fever was detected, calves were randomly allocated to treatment groups. Calves in group 1 (NSAID) received 2 mg/kg flunixin meglumine (Allevinix, Merial) for three consecutive days and group 2 (antimicrobial) received 6 mg/kg gamithromycin (Zactran, Merial). If fever persisted for 72 hours after the initial treatment, calves were given further treatment (group 1 received antimicrobial and group 2 received NSAID). Calves in group 1 (NSAID) were five times more likely (P=0.002) to require a second treatment (the antimicrobial) after 72 hours to resolve the fever compared with the need to give group 2 (antimicrobial) calves a second treatment (NSAID). This demonstrates the importance of ongoing monitoring and follow-up of calves with respiratory disease. However, of calves with fever in group 1 (NSAID), 25.7 per cent showed resolution following NSAID-only treatment with no detrimental effect on the development of repeated fever or daily live weight gain. This suggests that NSAID alone may be a useful first-line treatment, provided adequate attention is given to ongoing monitoring to identify those cases that require additional antimicrobial treatment

Shear Strength of Hollow Flange Channel Beams with Stiffened Web Openings

This LiteSteel beam (LSB) is a new cold-formed steel hollow flange channel section produced using a patented manufacturing process involving simultaneous cold-forming and dual electric resistance welding. The LSBs are commonly used as floor joists and bearers with web openings in buildings. Their shear strengths are considerably reduced when web openings are included for the purpose of locating building services. Shear tests of LSBs with web openings have shown that there is up to 60% reduction in the shear capacity. Hence there is a need to improve the shear capacity of LSBs with web openings. A cost effective way to eliminate the shear capacity reduction is to stiffen the web openings using suitable stiffeners. Hence numerical studies were undertaken to investigate the shear capacity of LSBs with stiffened web openings. In this research, finite element models of LSBs with stiffened web openings in shear were developed to simulate the shear behaviour and strength of LSBs. Various stiffening methods using plate and LSB stiffeners attached to LSBs using both welding and screw-fastening were attempted. The developed models were then validated by comparing their results with experimental results and used in further studies. Both finite element and experimental results showed that the stiffening arrangements recommended by past research for cold-formed steel channel beams are not adequate to restore the shear strengths of LSBs with web openings. Therefore new stiffener arrangements were proposed for LSBs with web openings. This paper presents the details of this research project using numerical studies and the results

Adaptive Nonlinear Finite Element Analyses of High Strength Steel Cladding Systems

In this paper, an adaptive nonlinear finite element method was developed and applied to the ultimate strength analysis of light gauge high strength steel cladding. Effect of mesh refinement on the solution accuracy was investigated for the nonlinear analysis of steel cladding systems under wind uplift loading. A comparison of numerical solutions was made with experimental results and a good agreement is shown using the adaptive finite element method. A parametric study was also conducted to investigate the factors that affect the ultimate strength behavior of high strength steel cladding systems. This paper presents the details of this study and the results

Finite Element Analyses of Lipped Chanel Beams with Web Openings in Shear

Cold-formed steel members are increasingly used as primary structural elements in buildings due to the availability of thin and high strength steels and advanced cold-forming technologies. Cold-formed lipped channel beams (LCB) are commonly used as flexural members such as floor joists and bearers. Shear behaviour of LCBs with web openings is more complicated and their shear capacities are considerably reduced by the presence of web openings. However, limited research has been undertaken on the shear behaviour and strength of LCBs with web openings. Hence a numerical study was undertaken to investigate the shear behaviour and strength of LCBs with web openings. Finite element models of simply supported LCBs with aspect ratios of 1.0 and 1.5 were considered under a mid-span load. They were then validated by comparing their results with test results and used in a detailed parametric study. Experimental and numerical results showed that the current design rules in cold-formed steel structures design codes are very conservative for the shear design of LCBs with web openings. Improved design equations were therefore proposed for the shear strength of LCBs with web openings. This paper presents the details of this numerical study of LCBs with web openings, and the results

The Total Open Monophonic Number of a Graph

For a connected graph G of order n >- 2, a subset S of vertices of G is a monophonic set of G if each vertex v in G lies on a x-y monophonic path for some elements x and y in S. The minimum cardinality of a monophonic set of G is defined as the monophonic number of G, denoted by m(G).  A  monophonic set of cardinality m(G) is called a m-set of G. A set S of vertices  of a connected graph G is an open monophonic set of G if for each vertex v  in G, either v is an extreme vertex of G and v ˆˆ? S, or v is an internal vertex of a x-y monophonic path for some x, y ˆˆ? S. An open monophonic set of minimum cardinality is a minimum open monophonic set and this cardinality is the open monophonic number, om(G). A connected open monophonic set of G is an open monophonic set S such that the subgraph < S > induced by S is connected. The minimum cardinality of a connected open monophonic set of G is the connected open monophonic number of G and is denoted by omc(G). A total open monophonic set of a graph G is an open monophonic set S such that the subgraph < S > induced by S contains no isolated vertices. The minimum cardinality of a total open monophonic set of G is the total open monophonic number of G and is denoted by omt(G). A total open monophonic set of cardinality omt(G) is called a omt-set of G. The total open monophonic  numbers of certain standard graphs are determined. Graphs with total open monphonic number 2 are characterized. It is proved that if G is a connected graph such that omt(G) = 3 (or omc(G) = 3), then G = K3 or G contains exactly two extreme vertices. It is proved that for any integer n  3, there exists a connected graph G of order n such that om(G) = 2, omt(G) = omc(G) = 3. It is proved that for positive integers r, d and k  4 with 2r, there exists a connected graph of radius r, diameter d and total open monophonic number k. It is proved that for positive integers a, b, n with 4 <_ a<_ b <_n, there exists  a connected graph G of order n such that omt(G) = a and omc(G) = b

ALOE VERA: AN ASSURED WEIGHT LOSS DIET – AN APPROACH TOWARD IMPROVING THE JUICE PALATABILITY AND IN SILICO ANALYSIS

Objective: Obesity is an epidemic disease act as causative for global death. The principal aim of this study is to create an obesity treatment beverage that is palatable and readily acceptable to the public. Aloe vera juice is one such drink known to assist in reducing obesity. This juice is sold at several places in Chennai and more easily available for morning walkers along the Marina beach. Although known for its benefits in promoting a slim and fit physique, its taste is less palatable. The objective of this study is to develop a concoction that will make the A. vera juice tasty without compromising its nutritive value. Materials and Methods: The taste is achieved by the addition of various fruit juices such as orange, lime, sweet lime, muskmelon, and pineapple with honey and stevia for sweetening. The weight loss ability of the prepared drinks is evaluated using pancreatic lipase inhibitory and the presence of phytochemicals. To the credit, the present study also determines the efficiency of A. vera compounds for its antiobesity property through in silico techniques. The significant interaction exhibited by the compounds with the antiobesity target inositol hexakisphosphate kinase 1 (IP6K1) was discussed. Results: The recipe B containing orange juice: A. vera juice: stevia in the ratio 3:3:1 had good taste and the significant lipase activity. The phytochemicals present in the A. vera are tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, steroids, and polyphenols, and these phytochemicals are observed having significant interaction with protein IP6K1. Aloin A and aloe emodin had significant Glide score and interactions with active site residues. Conclusion: Natural herbal products for weight reduction may be effective in the treatment of obesity and associated disorders. The potential lipase inhibition activity of juice may be due to the presence of various phytochemicals such as flavonoids, polyphenol etc. in the Aloe vera

Numerical Studies of Rivet-Fastened Rectangular Hollow Flange Channel Beams

The rivet-fastened rectangular hollow flange channel beam (RHFCB) is a new cold-formed hollow section proposed as an alternative to welded hollow flange beams. It is a monosymmetric channel section made by rivet-fastening two torsionally rigid rectangular hollow flanges to a web plate. This method will allow the designers to develop optimum sections, with affordable rivet connection between their web and flange elements. In addition to this unique geometry, the rivet-fastened RHFCBs also have unique characteristics relating to their stress-strain characteristics, residual stresses, initial geometric imperfections and hollow flanges that are not encountered in conventional hot-rolled and cold-formed steel channel sections. Therefore detailed experimental and numerical studies were conducted to study the section moment capacities of rivet-fastened RHFCBs. This paper presents the details of the numerical study of rivet-fastened RHFCBs and the results. Finite element models of rivet-fastened RHFCBs were developed by including all the significant effects that influence their ultimate section moment capacities, including material inelasticity, and geometric imperfections. The results from finite element analyses were then compared with corresponding experimental results and the predictions from the current design rules. Test results showed that the developed finite element models were able to predict the behaviour and section moment capacities of RHFCBs. The validated model was then used in a detailed parametric study that produced additional section moment capacity data of the rivet-fastened RHFCBs

New Web Crippling Design Rules for Cold-Formed Steel Beams

Lipped channel beams (LCBs) and SupaCee sections are commonly used as floor joists and bearers in the construction industry. SupaCee section is one of the cold-formed steel members, which is increasingly used in the building construction sector. It is characterized by unique ribbed web and curved lip elements, and is claimed to be more economical with extra strength than the traditional channel sections. These thin-walled LCBs and SupaCee sections are subjected to specific local and global failures, one of them being web crippling. Several experimental and numerical studies have been conducted in the past to study the web crippling behaviour and capacities of different cold-formed steel sections under different concentrated load cases. However, due to the nature of the web crippling phenomenon and many factors influencing the web crippling capacities, capacity predictions given by most of the cold-formed steel design standards are either unconservative or conservative. Hence both experimental and finite element studies were conducted to assess the web crippling behaviour and strengths of LCBs and SupaCee sections under ETF, ITF, EOF and IOF load cases. New equations were proposed to determine the web crippling capacities of LCBs and SupaCee sections based on the results from experiments and finite element analyses. Suitable DSM based web crippling design equations were also developed

Section Moment Capacity Tests of Rivet-Fastened Rectangular Hollow Flange Channel Beams

The rivet-fastened rectangular hollow flange channel beam (RHFCB) is a new cold-formed hollow section proposed as an alternative to welded hollow flange steel beams. It is a mono-symmetric channel section made by rivet fastening two torsionally rigid rectangular hollow flanges to a web plate. This method will allow the designers to develop optimum sections, with affordable rivet connection between the web and flange elements. The new rivet-fastened RHFCB has unique characteristics that are not encountered in conventional hot-rolled and cold-formed steel channel sections. Therefore an experimental study consisting of 15 section moment capacity tests was conducted with different rivet spacings to investigate the flexural behaviour and strength of rivet-fastened RHFCB members. The ultimate moment capacities from the tests were compared with the capacities predicted by the current design rules for steel structures, and their suitability to predict the section moment capacities of RHFCBs was investigated. The applicability of the Direct Strength Method based design rules was also investigated. This paper presents the details of this experimental study and the results