Increasing paddy yields and improving farm management: results from participatory experiments with good agricultural practices (GAP) in Tanzania

Rice is an increasingly important commodity in sub-Saharan Africa. In Tanzania, the rice yield gap is as high as 87%, due to a combination of production constraints and sub-optimal crop management. Reducing this yield gap may be partly achieved through the introduction and dissemination of good agricultural practices (GAP). We conducted 18 farmer-managed on-farm trials in Tanzania, to test a set of GAP components against conventional farmers' practices (FP) for two consecutive growing seasons in 2013 and 2014. The objectives were: (1) to understand farmers' capabilities in implementing GAP; (2) to acquire better insights into the merits, relevance and suitability of individual GAP components; and (3) to provide a case study showing that exposure to good practices combined with the farmers' own experimentations can serve to improve and, trigger a positive change in the participating farmers' crop management. Compared to the farmers' own practices, average yield increases of 1 t paddy ha−1 in 2013 and 2.7 t ha−1 in 2014 were achieved when following GAP. These yield advantages were mainly obtained by a higher panicle number, improved harvest index and improved weed control. Farmers experienced difficulties with land levelling, planting or sowing in lines and using rotary weeders, but they were convinced that these technologies are important to boost their rice yields. The case of Tanzania shows that paddy yields can be substantially improved by GAP and that adoption of GAP by smallholder rice farmers can be triggered by stimulating experimentations with such practices on their own farms

Phase Synchronization in Unidirectionally Coupled Ikeda Time-delay Systems

Phase synchronization in unidirectionally coupled Ikeda time-delay systems exhibiting non-phase-coherent hyperchaotic attractors of complex topology with highly interwoven trajectories is studied. It is shown that in this set of coupled systems phase synchronization (PS) does exist in a range of the coupling strength which is preceded by a transition regime (approximate PS) and a nonsynchronous regime. However, exact generalized synchronization does not seem to occur in the coupled Ikeda systems (for the range of parameters we have studied) even for large coupling strength, in contrast to our earlier studies in coupled piecewise-linear and Mackey-Glass systems \cite{dvskml2006,dvskml2008}. The above transitions are characterized in terms of recurrence based indices, namely generalized autocorrelation function $P(t)$, correlation of probability of recurrence (CPR), joint probability of recurrence (JPR) and similarity of probability of recurrence (SPR). The existence of phase synchronization is also further confirmed by typical transitions in the Lyapunov exponents of the coupled Ikeda time-delay systems and also using the concept of localized sets.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure

Cyber Security Awareness Among College Students

This study reports the early results of a study aimed to investigate student awareness and attitudes toward cyber security and the resulting risks in the most advanced technology environment: the Silicon Valley in California, USA. The composition of students in Silicon Valley is very ethnically diverse. The objective was to see how much the students in such a tech-savvy environment are aware of cyber-attacks and how they protect themselves against them. The early statistical analysis suggested that college students, despite their belief that they are observed when using the Internet and that their data is not secure even on university systems, are not very aware of how to protect their data. Also, it appears that educational institutions do not have an active approach to improve awareness among college students to increase their knowledge on these issues and how to protect themselves from potential cyber-attacks, such as identity theft or ransomware

Global generalized synchronization in networks of different time-delay systems

We show that global generalized synchronization (GS) exists in structurally different time-delay systems, even with different orders, with quite different fractal (Kaplan-Yorke) dimensions, which emerges via partial GS in symmetrically coupled regular networks. We find that there exists a smooth transformation in such systems, which maps them to a common GS manifold as corroborated by their maximal transverse Lyapunov exponent. In addition, an analytical stability condition using the Krasvoskii-Lyapunov theory is deduced. This phenomenon of GS in strongly distinct systems opens a new way for an effective control of pathological synchronous activity by means of extremely small perturbations to appropriate variables in the synchronization manifold.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, Accepted for publication in Europhys. Let

A study on the Clinical Spectrum and Electrocardiographic changes in scorpion sting envenomation

INTRODUCTION: Scorpion stings, though not a big problem in many developed countries, it is a major public health problem in underdeveloped and in some developing countries all over the world. In India, many people are stung by the red scorpion (Mesobuthus tamulus) with recorded fatalities in both adults and children. Scorpion sting is considered as a life threatening medical emergency of villagers in India. Numerous envenomations go unreported. Hence, true incidence is frequently unavailable. Among the eighty six scorpion species in India, Mesobuthus tamulus and Palamneus swammwe-dami are of medical importance. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To study the clinical spectrum and electrocardiographic changes in scorpion sting envenomation. Study design: Prospective study. METHODOLOGY: 53 patients of scorpion sting envenomation who were admitted in thanjavur medical college and hospital were included in the study. The clinical spectrum, symptoms, signs, electrocardiogram, random blood glucose, complete hemogram, CK-MB were collected and analysed. RESULTS: 53 patients were included in the study out of which 30 were male and 23 were female. There was no significant difference in clinical presentation with respect to age group and gender. Hand was the commonest site of sting. Local pain was the most common symptom followed by local swelling, paaresthesias and redness. Tenderness at the sting site was the most common sign followed by tachycardia. Pulmonary edema was present in 3 patients.18 patients had grade 3 envenomation and all those 18 patients had significant ECG changes and serum CK-MB was elevated in all these 18 patients .Sinus tachycardia was the most common ECG abnormality. CONCLUSION: In this study eighteen out of 53 cases had ECG changes. Three of the patients presented with pulmonary edema. There was no mortality due to scorpion sting n the study period. There was significant correlation between the time delay and severity of envenomation. This indicates a need for immediate medical care following scorpion sting Following this study it is seen that patients were stung by the scorpions due to their lack of knowledge about scorpions and due to their carelessness, like putting their hands in to scorpion homes. Follow up studies are required to assess the long term complications of scorpion stings

Experimental confirmation of chaotic phase synchronization in coupled time-delayed electronic circuits

We report the first experimental demonstration of chaotic phase synchronization (CPS) in unidirectionally coupled time-delay systems using electronic circuits. We have also implemented experimentally an efficient methodology for characterizing CPS, namely the localized sets. Snapshots of the evolution of coupled systems and the sets as observed from the oscilloscope confirming CPS are shown experimentally. Numerical results from different approaches, namely phase differences, localized sets, changes in the largest Lyapunov exponents and the correlation of probability of recurrence ($C_{CPR}$), corroborate the experimental observations.Comment: Physical_Review_E_82_065201(R) 201

Phase synchronization in time-delay systems

Though the notion of phase synchronization has been well studied in chaotic dynamical systems without delay, it has not been realized yet in chaotic time-delay systems exhibiting non-phase coherent hyperchaotic attractors. In this article we report the first identification of phase synchronization in coupled time-delay systems exhibiting hyperchaotic attractor. We show that there is a transition from non-synchronized behavior to phase and then to generalized synchronization as a function of coupling strength. These transitions are characterized by recurrence quantification analysis, by phase differences based on a new transformation of the attractors and also by the changes in the Lyapunov exponents. We have found these transitions in coupled piece-wise linear and in Mackey-Glass time-delay systems.Comment: 4 pages, 3 Figures (To appear in Physical Review E Rapid Communication