Economics of organic versus chemical farming for three crops in Andhra Pradesh, India

To tackle the challenge of food grain production and food security, chemical agriculture advocates call for the continuing or higher use of chemical fertilizers and synthetic pesticides. However, the continuous use and higher reliance on these inputs can lead to a reduction in crop productivity, deterioration in the quality of natural resources and the eco-system. Organic farming offers a solution for sustainable agricultural growth and safeguarding the ecosystem. A conversion from chemical farming to organic farming can be a lengthy process, and during its course the farmer may incur a loss in income. The farmer will switch over only when he is convinced that in the long run, the benefits from organic farming are more than from chemical farming. A study of the economics of organic versus chemical farming may help policy makers to take appropriate measures for the spread of organic farming, which in turn has a bearing on the incomes of farmers, health conditions of the people and the environment. The present study compared the economics of organic farmers (N=350) and chemical farmers (N=200) for three crops, paddy, redgram, and groundnuts, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, a south eastern coastal state of India. It was found that organic farmers are earning a gross income of 5%, 10% and 7% more compared to the chemical farmers of paddy, redgram and groundnut, respectively, and with lower input costs the profits earned by the organic farmers are higher by 37%, 33% and 59% for the selected crops respectively. Organic farming is generally more profitable in terms of financial costs and returns than chemical farming, irrespective of the crop or the size of farm (the exceptions being small redgram farms and large goundnut farms). An analysis of the farmers’ perception of organic farming reveals that electronic media (television) is the prime motivator for farmers to adopt organic practices. Farmers believed that organic farming improves soil fertility and their profits in the long run

Modelling and Simulation of Hybrid Transformer Less Grid-tied Inverters for Dye Sensitized Photovoltaic System

AbstractDye-sensitized solar cells affords a technically and economically trustworthy alternative for p –n junction photovoltaic devices which made by silicon. In divergence to the conventional photovoltaic device the task of light absorption and charge carrier transport separately functioned. Photons absorbed by a sensitizer, which is moored to the surface of a wide band semiconductor. Charge separation occurs at the interface via photo-induced electron injection from the dye into the conduction band of the solid. Charge collector collects the carriers are from the conduction band of the semiconductor. Because of broad absorption band of sensitizers it permits to yield a large fraction of sunlight. The conversion of incident photons into electric current is attained over a large spectral range from the UV region to the near IR region. Power electronics, the technology of efficiently processing electric power, plays an essential part in the integration of the dispersed generation units for good efficiency and high performance of the power system. Due to the characteristics of low cost and high efficiency, the transformer less photo voltaic grid- connected inverters have been popularized in the application of solar electric generation system in the residential market. Unfortunately, the leakage currents through the stray capacitors between the PV array and the ground are harmful. This paper presents modelling and simulation of dye sensitized solar system with hybrid transformer less inverter topologies and proved that H6 topology by using neutral point clamped (NPC)method for suppressing of leakage currents and to obtain excellent common mode voltages are the best compared to other topologies

Spatio-Temporal Modelling of Groundwater Quality Using Artificial Neural Network In Palar River Basin, Tamil Nadu

Source: ICHE Conference Archive - https://mdi-de.baw.de/icheArchiv

Indacaterol and salmeterol in COPD patients: a comparative study of efficacy and safety

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an airway disorder characterized by airflow limitation that is not fully reversible. Indacaterol is a novel, inhaled, once-daily, ultra-long-acting β2-agonist bronchodilator recently approved in India for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of indacaterol compared to twice-daily β2-agonist, salmeterol, as an active control. Methods: The present study was open, randomized parallel group comparison of two active treatment groups over a 12 week period. A total of 60 patients with moderate-to-severe COPD were randomised to treatment either with indacaterol (150 μg once daily) or with salmeterol (50 μg twice daily) and 51 (85%) patients completed the study. The efficacy parameters were change in FEV1, health related quality of life by measuring St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) total score and severity of dyspnoea as measured by Transition Dyspnoea Index (TDI) score which were assessed at baseline first and at weeks 4, 8 and 12. Results: Indacaterol increased FEV1 at week 4 by 50 ml, at week 8 and at week 12 by 60 ml over salmeterol and the increase was highly significant (p<0.001) at all stages of the study. Both treatments improved health status (SGRQ total score) and dyspnoea (TDI score), with differences between them favouring indacaterol. Safety profiles were similar across the treatment groups, and both indacaterol and salmeterol were well tolerated without any severe adverse events. Conclusions: Once-daily treatment with 150 μg indacaterol had a significant and clinically relevant bronchodilator effect and improved health status and dyspnoea to a greater extent than twice-daily 50 μg salmeterol. Indacaterol should prove a useful addition in the treatment of patients with COPD

Reliability Indices Used in Design of Water Distribution Networks

Source: ICHE Conference Archive - https://mdi-de.baw.de/icheArchiv

Design and Implementation of an Integrated Fuzzy Logic Controller for a Multi-input Multi-output System

The design and real time implementation of an integrated fuzzy logic controller (IFLC) for a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system is presented. The design of IFLC for an uncoupled MIMO system has been discussed. This study develops a combination of fuzzy and PID controllers (PIDC) to improve the control performance of a two-input-two-output (TITO: angular position, and rotational speed) system. These parameters play a vital role in radar-tracking system for military applications. To verify the applicability of proposed controller, two-motor unit plant along with indigenously designed multi-channel analog interface board of 16-bit precision is used. The proposed MIMO control system is interfaced to a PC through its parallel port. The performance of the system is studied by subjecting it to various standard test signals. The IFLC performs better than the other two controllers in tracking the input command for linear as well as nonlinear inputs such as step, square, triangular, and sine waves is observed.Defence Science Journal, 2011, 61(3), pp.219-227, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.61.2

A Study On Influence Of Real Municipal Solid Waste Leachate On Properties Of Soils In Warangal, India

Warangal city generates three hundred tons of garbage daily which is dropped into the Rampur dump yard by Warangal Municipal Corporation (WMC). Dumping of wastes will lead to the formation of leachate which in turn will cause environmental issues like soil and ground water contamination. Chemical analysis of leachate indicates that calcium, chloride, sodium and magnesium are the major ions, along with organic content. This leads to contamination of soil as well as ground water bodies. In this study, authors have attempted to know the behavior of soil under the influence of leachate. Contaminated specimens were prepared and tested for Atterberg limits, shear strength, swell potential and hydraulic conductivity of CH and SC which are present in the dumping yard. Index properties, hydraulic conductivity and swell potential decreased with increase in leachate concentration. Unconfined compressive strength also showed an increase. The decrease in hydraulic conductivity indicated the clogging of pores. In a nutshell, the present work deals with the impact of leachate on the index and engineering properties of CH and red soil

Ferulic Acid: Therapeutic Potential Through Its Antioxidant Property

There has been considerable public and scientific interest in the use of phytochemicals derived from dietary components to combat human diseases. They are naturally occurring substances found in plants. Ferulic acid (FA) is a phytochemical commonly found in fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, sweet corn and rice bran. It arises from metabolism of phenylalanine and tyrosine by Shikimate pathway in plants. It exhibits a wide range of therapeutic effects against various diseases like cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative. A wide spectrum of beneficial activity for human health has been advocated for this phenolic compound, at least in part, because of its strong antioxidant activity. FA, a phenolic compound is a strong membrane antioxidant and known to positively affect human health. FA is an effective scavenger of free radicals and it has been approved in certain countries as food additive to prevent lipid peroxidation. It effectively scavenges superoxide anion radical and inhibits the lipid peroxidation. It possesses antioxidant property by virtue of its phenolic hydroxyl group in its structure. The hydroxy and phenoxy groups of FA donate electrons to quench the free radicals. The phenolic radical in turn forms a quinone methide intermediate, which is excreted via the bile. The past few decades have been devoted to intense research on antioxidant property of FA. So, the present review deals with the mechanism of antioxidant property of FA and its possible role in therapeutic usage against various diseases