Irrigation performance of centre pivot end-guns operating in windy conditions

Sprinkler irrigated areas are increasing rapidly around Australia and the world. Wind is the main factor that affects sprinkler irrigation performance of all systems, especially those sprinklers that throw into higher elevations above the ground or crop surface. Two sprinkler irrigation systems that are most prone to being impacted by wind are travelling big gun irrigation machines, and end-guns on centre pivot machines. A lot of research has been conducted to identify the effect of wind for the large impact sprinklers, for solid set sprinkler systems, and movable sprinkler system, using different approaches. The TravGUN irrigation model was developed to simulate big-gun irrigation performance, and has the capability to calculate the radial leg and calibrate the model, from three measured sets of data, one in quiescent wind, and two in different wind speed and directions, and then simulate the wind effect for any wind speed and direction, for a limited combination of wetted sector and side sector angles. End-guns are a large impact sprinkler which are commonly attached on the distal end of the centre pivot machine to extend the irrigated radius by up to 50 metres. The end-gun sprinkler configurations are very similar to travelling big guns. But, there are two main differences between them. The first difference is that the end-gun side sector angle is perpendicular and asymmetrical to the direction of travel, while big guns have side sector angles parallel to the direction of travel. The second difference is that end-gun on centre pivot travels on curved path, while big guns travel on straight paths. The literature review addressed low irrigation performance under end-gun irrigated areas, comparing to the irrigated area under regular sprinklers on the centre pivot machine. In addition, there is a lack of studies that investigate the end-gun performance as a separate pattern from the regular sprinkler pattern on the centre pivot under different windy conditions. Therefore, the research problem that is addressed in this dissertation, aims to develop a new methodology and software tools in order to simulate end-gun performance under different wind speed and directions. The special focus is on a new mathematical model and a new methodology for data collection, to overcome research limitations and answer the research question: Does TravGUN have the capability to simulate end-gun performance in windy conditions? Six research objectives have been identified to achieve the main aim of this dissertation: - First, there is a need to develop a new mathematical model (for inclusion in TravGUN V3.1) to produce radial leg data for end-gun and big gun sprinklers from transect data of any combination of wetted sector and side sector angles. - Second, there is a need to develop a new methodology for data collection for an end-gun on centre pivots under different wind conditions. - Third, any new model should be validated by comparing simulated radial leg data for different transect data sets from a range of wetted sector and side sector angles, with measured radial leg data of the same configuration. - Fourth, simulate end-gun patterns under a constant wind speed and direction for the eight cardinal points of the compass, to represent a full irrigated rotation for all end-gun travel directions on a centre pivot machine, and calculate the application uniformity at each of these eight end-gun travel directions. - Fifth, the effect of the curved movement on the simulated water depth in the transect data, need to be corrected according to the value of the centre pivot radius. - Finally, the combined and overlapped normalised end-gun and regular sprinkler patterns from zero wind conditions should be analysed, to evaluate the irrigation performance of both patterns. Then the combined results from eight simulated and corrected end-gun patterns under constant wind speed and direction with eight simulated and normalised regular sprinkler patterns for a centre pivot in the same wind conditions can be simulated, in order to calculate the application uniformity for the entire irrigation system at each the eight cardinal compass points. The novelty of research lies in developing a new version of TravGUN software to simulate end-gun pattern in different wind conditions. The study concluded that the empirical simulation result under zero wind speed from TravGUN V3.1 for the combination of a wetted sector angle of 130° and side sector angle of 60°, provides the optimum transect for an end-gun on a centre pivot. These simulation results for a centre pivot operating with an end-gun at the eight cardinal positions of the compass under constant speed and direction revealed that the application patterns were distorted, the length of the transect was greatly shortened, and the coefficient of uniformity decreased when the end-gun was travelling crosswind, and upwind. The simulated results adjusted, by the correction factor for curved movement, revealed that the applied water depth decreased. This depth decrease depended on the radius of the centre pivot. The results of the correction factor for three different pivot radii revealed that the curved movement of pivots with radii equal to and less than 400 m have a significant effect, of up to 8.8 % decrease, in the applied water depth

SELF-ADAPTING PARALLEL FRAMEWORK FOR LONG-TERM OBJECT TRACKING

Object tracking is a crucial field in computer vision that has many uses in human-computer interaction, security and surveillance, video communication and compression, augmented reality, traffic control, etc. Many implementations are introduced in practice, and yet recent methods emphasize on tracking objects adaptively by learning the object’s perspectives and rediscovering it when it becomes untraceable, so that object’s absence problem (in case of occlusion, cluttering or blurring) is resolved. Most of these algorithms have high computational burden on the computational units and need powerful CPUs to attain real-time tracking and high bitrate video processing. These computational units may handle no more than a single video source, making it unsuitable for large-scale implementations like multiple sources or higher resolution videos. In this thesis, we choose one popular algorithm called TLD, Tracking-Learning-Detection, study the core components of the algorithm that impede its performance, and implement these components in a parallel computational environment such as multi-core CPUs, GPUs, etc., also known as heterogeneous computing. OpenCL is used as a development platform to produce parallel kernels for the algorithm. The goals are to create an acceptable heterogeneous computing environment through utilizing current computer technologies, to imbue real-time applications with an alternative implementation methodology, and to circumvent the upcoming limitations of hardware in terms of cost, power, and speedup. We are able to bring true parallel speedup to the existing implementations, which greatly improves the frame rate for long-term object tracking and with some algorithm parameter modification, it provides more accurate object tracking. According to the experiments, developed kernels have achieved a range of performance improvement. As for reduction based kernels, a maximum of 78X speedup is achieved. While for window based kernels, a range of couple hundreds to 2000X speedup is achieved. And for the optical flow tracking kernel, a maximum of 5.7X speedup is recorded. Global speedup is highly dependent on the hardware specifications, especially for memory transfers. With the use of a medium sized input, the self-adapting parallel framework has successfully obtained a fast learning curve and converged to an average of 1.6X speedup compared to the original implementation. Lastly, for future programming convenience, an OpenCL based library is built to facilitate the use of OpenCL programming on parallel hardware devices, hide the complexity of building and compiling OpenCL kernels, and provide a C-based latency measurement tool that is compatible with several operating systems

Spectrophotometric Determination of Bismuth(III) with Arsenazo(III) Reagent in Water samples and Veterinary Preparation

A simple , sensitive and accurate spectrophotometric method for the trace determination of bismuth (III) has been developed .This method is based on the reaction of bismuth (III) with arsenazo(III) in acid solution (pH=1.9) to form a blue water soluble complex which exhibits maximum absorption at 612nm .Beer's law is obeyed over the concentration range of 2-85 ?g bismuth (III) in a final volume of 20 mL( i.e. 0.1 – 4.25?g.mL-1) with a correlation coefficient of (0.9981) and molar absorptivity 1.9×104 L.mol-1.cm-1 . The limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantification (LOQ) are 0.0633 and 0.0847 ?g.mL-1 , respectively . Under optimum conditions,the stoichiometry of the reaction between bismuth (III) and arsenazo(III) reagent was found to be 1:2. The recoveries were obtained in the range of 98.9 - 100.0% and a relative standard deviation of ±0.59 to ±2.73% depending on the concentration level of bismuth. The effect of interferences by a number of common cations and anions in the presence of composite mixture has been studied .The proposed method has been applied successfully for determination of bismuth in water samples and veterinary preparation

In-situ Bioengineering of Arterial Vein Grafts

The autogenous saphenous vein remains the graft of choice for both coronary (500,000 annually in the US) and peripheral (80,000 annually) arterial bypass procedures. Failure of arterial vein grafts (AVGs) remains a major problem, and patients with failed grafts will die or require re-operation. Intimal hyperplasia (IH) accounts for 20% to 40% of all AVG failures. It is believed that this adverse pathological response by AVGs is largely due to their abrupt exposure to the significantly elevated circumferential wall stress (CWS) associated with the arterial system. We believe that if an AVG is given an ample opportunity to adapt and remodel to the stresses of its new environment, cellular injury may be reduced, thus limiting the initiating mechanisms of IH. The goal of this work was to develop a new mechanical conditioning paradigm, in the form of a peri-adventitially placed, biodegradable polymer wrap, to safely and functionally "arterialize" AVGs in situ. The polymer wrap was tuned so that as it degraded over a desired period of time, the mechanical support offered by it was reduced and the vein was exposed to gradually increasing levels of CWS in situ. To investigate the effects of mechanical conditioning on AVGs, we utilized both our well established, validated ex vivo vascular perfusion system (EVPS) as well as an appropriate preclinical animal model. The "engineering" component of this bioengineering study was to enhance our EVPS capabilities. Enhancements were made in the form of rigorous mathematical modeling, via subspace system identification, and automatic feedback control, via proportional integral and derivative control, of the arterial CWS and shear stress waveform generation capabilities of the EVPS. Pairs of freshly harvested porcine internal jugular veins (PIJVs) were perfused ex vivo under several biomechanical conditions. The acute hyperplastic response of PIJVs abruptly exposed to arterial hemodynamic conditions was compared to PIJVs perfused under normal venous conditions. In an attempt to attenuate this acute hyperplastic response, an ex vivo mechanical conditioning paradigm was imposed onto the PIJVs both via manual adjustment of EVPS parameters and via an adventitially placed tuned electrospun biodegradable polymer wrap. Early markers of IH were evaluated post-perfusion, and they included vascular smooth muscle cell apoptosis, proliferation, and phenotypic modulation. Quantification of these markers via immunohistochemical techniques provided the foundation for the final stage of this work. To assess the efficacy of the tuned electrospun biodegradable polymer wrap in attenuating the development of intimal hyperplasia in AVGs, a series of preclinical studies was performed in a pig model.PIJVs abruptly exposed to arterial levels of CWS showed a significant increase in apoptosis and in the number of synthetic smooth muscle cells, as well as a decrease in proliferation. Mechanical conditioning, via both manual adjustment of the EVPS parameters and placement of the biodegradable adventitial wrap, appeared to have beneficial effects on the acute hyperplastic response of PIJVs perfused ex vivo. The beneficial effects of the adventitially placed polymer wrap was also observed in vivo, however the results did not achieve significance over unwrapped controls. Future work should be aimed at enhancing the beneficial effects of the electrospun biodegradable polymer wrap by incorporating the delivery of drugs and/or stem cells in addition to the delivery of structural support to AVGs

Teachers' Beliefs And Self-Efficacy In Computer Technology Integration For Teaching And Learning : A Comparative Study Between Oman And Malaysia [LB1028.3. H155 2007 f rb].

Kajian ini dijalankan untuk mengkaji faktor-faktor berkaitan integrasi teknologi komputer untuk pengajaran dan pembelajaran. Kajian mengkaji kepercayaan guru dan efikasi kendiri guru dalam mengintegrasi teknologi komputer untuk pengajaran dan pembelajaran sebagai kajian perbandingan antara dua negara, Oman dan Malaysia. This study was designed to investigate factors related to computer technology integration for teaching and learning. The study examined teacher beliefs and self-efficacy with respect to computer technology integration for teaching and learning, as a comparative study across two countries, Oman and Malaysia

Malaria Control Strategies in the Kilombero Valley, Tanzania

Malaria is major public health problem in Tanzania and increasing trends have been observed in the last two decades. A significant consequence of repeated malaria infections in high transmission areas is anaemia in very young children. The control of malaria in Tanzania includes both preventive and curative strategies. On the preventive side insecticide treated bed nets (ITNs) are a promising tool. ITNs have been shown to be effective in reducing malaria morbidity and mortality in controlled trials. Large-scale implementation of the technology is currently being initiated in many African countries. We report the impact of a large social marketing programme of ITNs on malaria morbidity through a series of studies, in a population of about 55,000 people in Tanzania. The ITNs social marketing programme resulted in a rapid increase in any net ownership (from 58 to 83%) and an increase in ITNs ownership (from 10 to 61%) in children under two years of age within 2 years of implementation. As a result the overall mean haemoglobin levels increased (from 8.0 to 8.9 g/dl) in the study children during the successive surveys. The prevalence of anaemia in the study population decreased from 49% to 26%. Comparison between children with ITNs and those without nets showed that ITNs had a protective efficacy of 63% (95% CI: 38 to 77) on the prevalence of parasitaemia, and 63% (95% CI: 27 to 82) on anaemia (haemoglobin £ 8 g/dl). These results endorse the wide scale implementation of ITNs in Tanzania. ITNs can only reduce the risk of malaria dis ease but cannot eliminate it. Hence, appropriate effective treatment is required. Chloroquine is a cheap and safe antimalarial and it was until recently the first line drug of choice in the National Malaria Treatment Policy. Resistance to chloroquine has been reported with increasing frequency in Tanzania and has been linked to the increasing admissions with severe disease in hospitals. A comparative randomised, open clinical trial of chloroquine against Co-artemâ (fixed combination of Artemether + Benflumetol) an alternative new antimalarial, showed seven-day parasitological cure rates of 94% for Co-artemâ and only 35% for chloroquine. Generally, Co-artemâ showed a superior clearance rate, successfully cleared higher parasite densities and suppressed new infections over a longer period of time. Furthermore, Co-artemâ suppressed more effectively gametocytes in these children, indicating a potential benefit for reducing malaria transmission. The unacceptably high chloroquine failure rates call for an urgent review of the National Malaria Treatment Guidelines. The decision to change the first line antimalarial and the choice of a new drug depend on a number of factors that include the clinical, epidemiological and social-economical factors, as well as the health infrastructure. Considering all of these dimensions, sulphadoxinepyrimenthamine (SP) was identified as a good interim replacement for chloroquine. Further Phase IV evaluation of Co-artemâ and other combination therapy regimens are required before considering their inclusion in the national treatment policy. Much work is also needed to identify suitable compounds to be used for home management of malaria, within the national treatment guidelines. Experience gained with these studies gives a description of the different methodologies and tools that can be used to evaluate different components of the National Malaria Control Programme. For example, it was difficult to assess the impact of the ITNs programme using the case-control approach. Repeated cross-sectional assessments were found to be more suitable for assessing the impact of ITNs under programme conditions, especially on malariarelated anaemia in this area of high transmission. Specific indicators for programme evaluation may need to be identified for specific interventions. These may be different from the ones used in randomised controlled trials. The use of molecular markers for monitoring and evaluation of antimalarial intervention programmes illustrate the need to develop and validate novel tools and approaches for programme evaluation. Better malaria control is expected by combining ITNs and an effective antimalarial, especially combination therapy. The evaluation, implementation, and monitoring of all these control activities requires a partnership between researchers, policy makers, health managers, in close collaboration with other stakeholders in the public and private domain, including the beneficiaries - the community

Group algebras whose group of units is powerful

A p-group is called powerful if every commutator is a product of pth powers when p is odd and a product of fourth powers when p=2. In the group algebra of a group G of p-power order over a finite field of characteristic p, the group of normalized units is always a p-group. We prove that it is never powerful except, of course, when G is abelian.Comment: 4 page

Prediction of Banks Financial Distress

In this research we conduct a comprehensive review on the existing literature of prediction techniques that have been used to assist on prediction of the bank distress. We categorized the review results on the groups depending on the prediction techniques method, our categorization started by firstly using time factors of the founded literature, so we mark the literature founded in the period (1990-2010) as history of prediction techniques, and after this period until 2013 as recent prediction techniques and then presented the strengths and weaknesses of both. We came out by the fact that there was no specific type fit with all bank distress issue although we found that intelligent hybrid techniques considered the most candidates methods in term of accuracy and reputatio

The Impact of Economic Diversification on Supply Chain of Government Revenues: The Application on Gulf Cooperation Council Countries

Abstract- This paper examines and analyses evidence pertaining to economic diversification in the six countries (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain) comprising the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) countries (2005_2017). The purpose of the paper is to test to what extent these countries have recognized the importance of economic diversification in the process of the supply chain of government revenue and hence what are the measures adopted aiming at improving government revenue. Based on the evidence, the paper goes on to identify the determinants of economic diversification in the GCC countries. This paper uses recent growth theories and statistical techniques to empirically test for the association between economic diversification and supply chain of government revenue from the point of contribution from GDP in the GCC countries. Results obtained from data analysis indicate a strong relationship between economic diversification and supply chain of government revenue in the panel of the GCC. This result supports the endogenous growth hypothesis; at least for this group of countries. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries share specific structural economic features. They depend heavily on the hydrocarbon sector, which was reflected in key macroeconomic indicators in 2014, as accounts for high budget receipts at 84 percent and approximately 69 percent of total GCC exports. Despite the huge accumulated financial surplus and the GCC governments investment in their economies, outcomes have fallen short of targets set out in their national visions, while the challenges of economic diversification persist. The overarching focus will be on the challenges of diversification in terms of strategic planning, policy-making, implementation, and global best practices. This study is expected to critically evaluate the current diversification strategies and underline some key assumptions that could lead, at a later stage, to the development of a new mode of diversification in the GCC context