Hydraulic factors limiting the use of subirrigation in fine textured soils : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Agricultural Engineering at Massey University

Subirrigation is a method of supplying water directly to the plant root zone under the ground surface by means of subsurfce drains which are also used to remove excess water from the root zone. Subsurface drainage systems are used to maintain appropriate levels of soil moisture in the root zone of a crop by managing the water table. Subirrigation is seen as being an economic alternative to conventional sprinkler irrigation systems on dairy farms where mole drainage systems are already installed. However, information on subirrigation of these fine textured soils is very limited. The primary focus of this study was to evaluate the hydraulic parameters limiting the use of subirrigation in fine textured soils. A field experiment was carried out on the Massey University No. 4 Dairy Farm in Palmerston North. During the study, a subsurface tile drainage system, with mole channels, was used to subirrigate 1248 m2 of Tokomaru silt loam soil. The depth of irrigation applied was 185.71mm (232 m3 of water added to the system). Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) was used to measure the soil moisture content to a depth of 400mm at three positions, 5 m away from the drainage lateral and at three control points in an adjacent unirrigated plot. A theoretical daily water balance was developed for the irrigated plot and unirrigated control, based on the available weather data. The results from field experiment showed that sufficient water did not move from the drainage lateral to the moles. Reasons for this may include: (a) Not enough water applied, (b) Not enough pressure head was available to force water from the drainage lateral to the moles or (c) hydraulic conductivity of the backfill was too low. Having identified, from the field experiment, that the hydraulic connection between the lateral and mole was a potential problem, a bin model experiment was carried out in the hydraulic laboratory of the Agricultural Engineering Department. Two different backfill materials (gravel and tokomaru silt loam soil) were used with two mole positions in the bin relative to the drainage lateral. The flow rate and head losses through the system were measured for different applied pressure heads. The saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) of the backfill materials were measured in the laboratory and were measured other relevant physical properties (bulk density, particle density and porosity). The bin model experiment showed that flow rate through the system increases as the pressure head increases for both gravel and Tokomaru silt loam soil backfills. The flow rate with gravel backfill was eight times more than the flow rate with Tokomaru silt loam soil. For a gravel backfill the efficiency of hydraulic connection between the lateral and moles must only be in the order of 2 to 3% for successful subirrigation. With a backfill of Tokomaru silt loam the efficiency of connection must be 10 to 20%. This may not be achieved in the field as the hydraulic conductivity of the backfill will be of a similar magnitude to the surrounding soil leading to significant water losses vertically downward as well as horizontally. It is recommended that further field studies be conducted using gravel backfill. Further laboratory studies using other alternative backfill materials are also suggested

Field Scale Simulation of Nitrogen Dynamics Using LEACHN and OVERSEER® Models

Computer models have been used extensively to study the dynamics of nitrogen (N) at effluent‐irrigated land treatment systems (LTS). Nitrogen version of leaching estimation and chemistry (LEACHN) model and OVERSEER® are two such models that have the ability to simulate N movement through the soil‐water‐plant system. This chapter covers brief description of two models, that is, LEACHN and OVERSEER® that were used in this study. This is the third phase of previously conducted studies, and the focus of this third phase was (i) to use the LEACHN model (as optimised based on best N transformation rate constants in a previous study) to simulate N dynamics (under different irrigation scenarios, that is, natural rainfall only, rainfall and irrigation with no N, and rainfall with irrigation containing N) for the medium effluent irrigation treatment plot at an existing land disposal site and (ii) to use another model (i.e., OVERSEER®) to simulate N movement at the same land disposal site and compare its prediction with LEACHN model’s predictions (for the low effluent irrigation treatment at the site). This study showed that the LEACHN model has the ability to simulate the fate and transport of N (under different irrigation scenarios) at field scale level. Also, OVERSEER® model could be used to simulate N dynamics at an effluent‐irrigated land disposal site. The amount of N leached as predicted by OVERSEER® was reasonably close to LEACHN model predictions

Emerging & Unconventional Malware Detection Using a Hybrid Approach

Advancement in computing technologies made malware development easier for malware authors. Unconventional computing paradigms such as cloud computing, the internet of things, In-memory computing, etc. introduced new ways to develop more complex and effective malware. To demonstrate this, we designed and implemented a fileless malware that could infect any device that supports JavaScript and HTML5. In addition, another proof-of-concept is implemented that signifies the security threat of in-memory malware for in-memory data storage and computing platforms. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of unconventional malware has been performed using current state-of-the-art malware analysis and detection techniques. Our analysis shows that, by utilizing the unique characteristics of emerging technologies, malware attacks could easily deceive the anti-malware tools and evade themselves from detection. This clearly demonstrates the need for an innovative and effective detection mechanism. Because of the limitations of existing techniques, we propose a hybrid approach using specification-based and behavioral analysis techniques together as an effective solution against unconventional and emerging malware instances. Our approach begins with the specification development where we present the way of writing it in a succinct manner to describe the expected behavior of the application. Moreover, the behavior monitoring component of our approach makes the detection mechanism effective enough by matching the actual behavior with pre-defined specifications at run-time and alarms the system if any action violates the expected behavior. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach by applying it for the detection of in-memory malware that threatens the HazelCast in-memory data grid platform. In our experiments, we evaluated the performance and effectiveness of the approach by considering the possible use cases where in-memory malware could affect the data present in the storage space of HazelCast IMDG

Assessment of knowledge & practice of contraceptives in females of reproductive age group at a tertiary care hospital

Abstract Objectives: To assess the knowledge & practice of contraceptives in females of reproductive age group.Study Design: Cross sectional descriptive. Place and Duration of Study: OPD of Fauji Foundation Hospital from February 2008 – September 2008.Subjects and Method: 339 Females of age b/w of 15 – 49 years attending OPD of Fauji Foundation Hospital were included in study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data.Results: Eighty eight percent of the females in our study sample were familiar with one or more methods of contraception (72.7%were familiar with combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP), 60.7% were aware of intra uterine contraceptive device (IUCD) &76% knew about condoms) whereas 12% showed ignorance. 64.6% of the study population was contraceptive users & 35.4% were not using any method of contraception. Regarding preferred method of contraception 34.6% of females said they are using COCP, about 21.8% females said their tubes had been liagated whereas 26.9%& 16.7% were using IUCD & Condoms respectively. Almost 46%of our study population said that contraceptive method they were using was suggested by their husbands, 44 % said by health professional .Only 10 % of the study population were using a method of their own choice.Conclusion: The present study concludes that there is a gap between knowledge (88%) and use (64.6%) of contraceptives among females of reproductive age group. Another important inference drawn from the study is that men should be made equal targets of such programs in since 46% females in our study population were using method of contraceptive suggested by their husban

Assessment of active pharmaceutical ingredients in drug registration procedures in Pakistan : implications for the future

Introduction: There are concerns over the quality of generic medicines in Pakistan. This is due to perceived non-compliance with good manufacturing practice (GMP), whereby the quality of the raw materials is not being assessed. If not addressed, this will impact on the potential for generics exports from Pakistan, as well as on patient care. Consequently, there is a need to assess the current assessment and regulatory situation in Pakistan and to recommend a way forward that ensures the future quality of products. Objective: To assess the quality of the raw materials that are either imported to, or manufactured in Pakistan, that are then used to produce a leading analgesic (ibuprofen). As part of the assessment, the presence and levels of impurities will be determined. Subsequently, the findings will be used to recommend potential regulatory changes to improve patient care. Methods: The quality of 27 sourced raw materials and the reference product were assessed using a variety of quality assessment methodologies, including assay tests, and infrared spectroscopy and UV-spectrophotometry. The calculated values were then compared to values documented in the Certificate of Analysis (CoA), and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results: All but one sample passed the spectroscopy identification tests. However, 81.5% of samples failed to comply with pharmacopoeia assay limits. There were also concerns with the use of HPLC methods used to assess the quality of raw materials, and over the fact that assay values obtained were not the same as those listed in the CoA. In addition, where manufacturers had concerns over the amount of ibuprofen in the raw material, rather than rejecting the product, they typically used higher quantities to make up any shortfall. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate that there is an urgent need to improve the registration process for generic products in Pakistan. This should include implementing Common Technical Documents (CTDs) based on international standards. In this way, we will see generics being produced that result in improved patient care and that have potential for export from Pakistan

Extreme rainfall, flood scaling and flood policy options in the United States

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2000.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 220-227).River flood and rainfall have been shown to exhibit scale invariance behavior over a range of space and time scales. Although various approaches have been taken to investigate and model the various scaling aspects of rainfall and floods, little theoretical work has been done on the relation between the scaling of rainfall and flood. If available, such a theory would provide frequency estimate for extreme rainfall and floods outside the range of observations and could also be used to estimate floods at ungaged basins. The relationship between rainfall and flood scaling is the main focus of this thesis. We use a two step approach to investigate the relationship between exponent of peak flows and the scaling of rain. First, we use data analysis to verify existing theories that relate the multi scaling behavior of rainfall to the simple scaling behavior of the IDFs. Second, we use a model to relate the scaling of the IDFs to the scaling of peak flows with basin area. We find that, although temporal rainfall shows multiscaling, the IDFs exhibit simple scaling and peak floods show simple or mild multiscaling. We validate our findings by using U.S. peak annual flow data and rainfall from a few New England stations. Extreme floods damage mitigation requires sound and integrated policy making. We review the flood disaster mitigation situation in the U.S., carry out policy analysis and recommend options for a successful and sustainable flood disaster policy in the U.S.by Babar Mahmood Bhatti.S.M

3-(3-Bromo­benz­yl)-1H-isochromen-1-one

In the title compound, C16H11BrO2, the isocoumarin ring system is planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.015 Å) and subtends a dihedral angle of 88.90 (2)° with the bromo­benzene ring. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked, forming a three-dimensional packing pattern involving C—H⋯O inter­actions, Br⋯O contacts [3.4734 (10) Å] and π–π stacking inter­actions with centroid–centroid distances ranging from 3.667 (2) to 3.765 (2) Å

2-(2-Fluoro­benzoyl­meth­yl)benzoic acid

In the title compound, C15H11FO3, the aromatic rings are oriented at a dihedral angle of 69.26 (3)°. In the crystal structure, inversion dimers arise from pairs of inter­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds further consolidate the packing. There are also C—H⋯π contacts between the benzoic acid and 2-fluoro­benzene rings

Enhancing the teaching and learning process using video streaming servers and forecasting techniques

© 2019 by the authors. Higher educational institutes (HEI) are adopting ubiquitous and smart equipment such as mobile devices or digital gadgets to deliver educational content in a more effective manner than the traditional approaches. In present works, a lot of smart classroom approaches have been developed, however, the student learning experience is not yet fully explored. Moreover, module historical data over time is not considered which could provide insight into the possible outcomes in the future, leading new improvements and working as an early detection method for the future results within the module. This paper proposes a framework by taking into account module historical data in order to predict module performance, particularly the module result before the commencement of classes with the goal of improving module pass percentage. Furthermore, a video streaming server along with blended learning are sequentially integrated with the designed framework to ensure correctness of teaching and learning pedagogy. Simulation results demonstrate that by considering module historical data using time series forecasting helps in improving module performance in terms of module delivery and result outcome in terms of pass percentage. Furthermore, the proposed framework provides a mechanism for faculties to adjust their teaching style according to student performance level to minimize the student failure rate

3-Benzyl­isochroman-1-one

In the mol­ecule of the title compound, C16H14O2, the aromatic rings are oriented at a dihedral angle of 78.49 (3)°. The heterocyclic ring adopts a twist conformation. In the crystal structure, inter­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules into chains along the c axis