Fluctuations in canal water supplies: a case study

Irrigation management / Water allocation / Canals / Water distribution / Water supply / Performance evaluation / Irrigated farming / Irrigation systems / Pakistan / Chishtian Sub-Division / Fordwah Distributary

Performance of Sahiwal in relation to environmental parameters in the dry zone of Sri Lanka

This study was conducted to assess the production and reproductive performance of the Sahiwal in relation to certain environmental factors in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. Data on calving, lactation, age at first calving and birth weight of calves were collected. The collected data were tabulated and analyzed in relation to ambient temperature (AT), relative humidity (RH) and rainfall (RF) during the period of 2005 to 2010. The mean AT fluctuated between 26.6 °C and 34.9 °C while RH varied between 64.7% and 87.6%. The annual RF showed a bimodal pattern, reaching the highest value from October to December with and a very small elevation in March to May. The majority of the calves (47%) were born between February to May. The average gestation length was 285.7 ± 56.24 days and the gestation length was not different between the two sexes of calves. Mean ambient temperature of the month is negatively (r=0.59, p<0.05) correlated to birth weight. The results suggested that the pre-partum period to be the most vulnerable to environmental stress. The temperature and relative humidity were the most import ant environmental factors affecting reproductive and productive performance of Sahiwal

Method on Anaerobic Biogas Generation From Cow Dung and Water Hyacinth With Reference to Quality of Gas and it’s Effect on Public Surroundings

Under the right conditions, liquid manure will break down into biogas and a low-odor effluent. Biogas can be burned to produce heat, electricity, or both the anaerobically-digested manure, can be stored and applied to fields with significantly less odor than stored, untreated liquid manure. Anaerobic digestion does not reduce the volume or nutrient value of manure. If dilution water is added to the system, the volume of material to handle is increased.The following test can help you determine if anaerobic digestion is a viable option for your farm. If most of the following statements describe your farm, anaerobic digestion may be compatible with your operation.Manure is currently handled as a liquid. Very little bedding or frozen manure is handled and the manure in the handling system is free from high levels of copper sulfate and antibiotics.Odor control is a major concern.There is space on the farm to expand the manure handling system with the possibility for gravity flow from a barn to an anaerobic digester or from a digester to a manure storage.Someone on the farm has the interest, time, and technical skills to learn about the anaerobic digestion process, make repairs, and perform general maintenance on equipment.Resources are available to finance an anaerobic digestion system.Adhering to recommended safety practices is standard procedure on the farm

Fabrication and characterization of CNT/ZnO thin film junction for photovoltaic application

Concern about energy supply and climate change has been brought into the essential discussion. There is a clear need to make energy cheap, readily accessible and green. The Photovoltaic cell (PV) is the energy source in the development of solar cell technology that can deliver low cost electricity generation. Therefore, this research work is conducted on the fabrication and characterization of CNT/ZnO thin films junction for photovoltaic application. The preparation procedure includes two parts: deposition of ZnO by the electrodeposition technique and coating of CNTs by the doctor-blade technique. Effect of different deposition temperatures at 60°C, 75°C and 90°C on the structural and morphological ZnO films was studied and the optimum deposition conditions have been outlined. XRD shows that the product presents a good crystallinity. The characterization of structural and morphological of CNT films were studied by using XRD and FESEM. The XRD results showed the crystalline size of CNTs in nano size. CNTs have been used as the component devices to help the charge conduction, improve electrode flexibility and in some cases as active light absorbing materials. The ultimate goal is to gain deeper understanding of the cathodic processes involved and to facilitate the optimization of operating conditions

Synthetic and Biocidal Studies of Zn-Hydrazone Complexes

A series of hydrazone derivatives were synthesized through multi-step reactions. The 2-(2-oxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline-7-yloxy)acetohydrazide was prepared from 7-hydroxy-3,4-dihydroquinolin-2(1H)-one as starting material. Then the condensation of 2-(2-oxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline-7-yloxy)acetohydrazide with different o-hydroxyaldehyde derivatives yielded into hydrazone derivatives . These hydrazone ligands were complexed with Zn (II) yielded complexes . The molecular structures of the hydrazones and Zn (II) complexes were characterized by FTIR, 1H and 13C NMR, LCMS, XRD, DSC-TGA, UV–Visible, Fluorescence and elemental analysis. The conductivity experiments showed that all the complexes are non-electrolytes. This is the first comprehensive review of the biological activity of hydrazone-transition metal complexes. Hydrazone complexes gained much attention because of their antifugial, antibacterial anticonvulsant, and analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, antimicrobial, antituberculosis, anticancer, and antiviral activities. Additionally, some of the hydrazone complexes were used in treatment of iron overload diseases. One application, which reflects the importance of hydrazone complexes, is their use in detection and determination of metals and some organic constituents in pharmaceutical formulations.The Zn-hydrazone complexes also have biocidal properties

The Impact of the Social Media Influencer Power on Consumer Attitudes toward the Brand: The Mediating/Moderating Role of Social Media Influencer Source Credibility

This paper presents a conceptual model of the impact of social media influencer power on consumer attitudes toward a brand. The research uses naïve theories of social influence, consumer socialization theory and market signaling theory to support the contention that social media influencer power will impact consumer brand attitudes. However, the impact of the social media influencer power on consumer brand attitudes is posited to be mediated and/or moderated by the social media influencer source credibility. In turn, the social media influencer source credibility is modeled as being positively related to the social media influencer’s expertise/competence with respect to the product, the social media influencer’s goodwill toward the consumer, and the social media influencer’s trustworthiness

Social Media Influencer Perceived Source Credibility Scale Validation and Consumer Attitudes Toward the Brand: An Exploratory Study in Urban India

This study explores the relationship between social media influencers (SMIs) perceived source credibility and the formation of brand attitudes of their followers from an urban Indian sample. SMIs have become a channel in shaping consumers’ brand perceptions for products and services across multiple industries worldwide. Using survey data from India, this research delves into the dimensions of SMI perceived source credibility and attitudes towards the brand. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) validated the concept that SMI perceived source credibility is a second order construct that is comprised of SMI perceived expertise, goodwill and trustworthiness. Also, that partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) suggests that SMI perceived source credibility is positively related to followers’ brand attitudes in India. These findings complement Hofstede Insights on cultural theory and suggest that culture plays an important role in determining the mechanics of influencer marketing

Effects of environmental and animal factors on conception rate at the time of insemination of shahiwal cattle in dry zone of Sri Lanka.

Study was conducted to assess the relationship of environmental and animal (cow) factors on conception rate at the time of insemination onSahiwal cattle and their crosses inBatticaloa District (dry zone) of Sri Lanka. Breedable female Sahiwal cattle and their crosses (204) were used in this study. All cows were artificially inseminated (AI) and selected 40 cows were used for the synchronization using PGF2α injection. Data on cow such as age, breed, parity, post-partum period (PPP) and milk yield were collected from the available records.Environmental temperature (ET), relative humidity (RH), rectal temperature (RT), respiratory rate (RR), body condition score (BCS), heat sign score and time interval between first detection of heat and the insemination were recorded at the time of insemination.Conception rate was assessed by per-rectal palpation at 90-120 days post insemination. The mean ± SD of the environmental temperature (ET) and the relative humidity (RH) at the time of insemination were 28.12 ± 2.08 0C and 77.29 ± 5.64%, respectively. Environmental Temperature (ET) at the period of insemination was (p<0.05) negatively correlated with the relative humidity. The overall conception rate (57.25%) was effected by ET>29ºC, RH>85% and RT>38ºC. Cattle those were supposed to be with the BCS of 3 and the intense of heat signs and used for synchronization had higher conception rate (p<0.05). The results recommended that the conception rate of cattle is significantly affected by the hot thermal environment, poor energy nutrition and the management practices. Synchronization increases the possibility of heat detection. Hence, inseminating healthy cows during the high heat sign by the skilful AI technician under the suitable environmental condition can improve the conception rate in breedable cows

Synthesis of heterogeneous catalyst for the production of biodiesel from soybean oil

This study explore the comparison of a suitable heterogeneous catalyst for conversion of triglyceride into fatty acid methyl ester. A series of heterogeneous cerium, manganese, and zinc oxide catalyst supported at mixture of cinder was prepared by co-precipitation and applied for conversion of triglyceride in oil to biodiesel using methanol as solvent. Results showed that a maximum TG conversion of 99% was obtained in the transesterification reaction catalyzed by CeSO4+MnSO4+K2CO3  catalyst calcinated in 5 h at 600oC under the optimal conditions as catalyst amount of 3%, Ce:Mn:K molar ratio of 1:1:1. The catalytic activity of catalyst at 70 ºC reaction temperature was over 90% after 6h. The experimental data were satisfactorily predicted at 99% confidence level. However, due to high and efficient yield CeSO4+MnSO4+K2CO3 catalyst was identified as the most potential catalyst.Keywords: biodiesel fuel; heterogeneous; trans-esterification; rare earth metals; eco-friendly regent; used oi