Liming of alfalfa in a greenhouse study

The use of agricultural lime has been recognized down through the ages as a practice that is basic to good soil management in humid regions. The effects of liming are a complex of many contributing physical, chemical. microbiological and physiological factors. Its direct function is to correct soil acidity, improve soil structure and create an environment suitable to the growth and development of plants. Liming enhances the availability and plant uptake of elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus, molybdenum, calcium, and magnesium. At the same time it drastically reduces the concentration of iron, aluminum and manganese, which under very acid conditions are apt to be present in toxic quantities. In at least some soils, it enhances the availability of potassium. Lime stimulates the general-purpose. heterotrophic soil organisms, thereby increasing their activity on organic matter and the releasing of nitrogen. This favors the formation of humus and also encourages the elimination of certain intermediate products that might be toxic to higher plants. Within the plant, too, lime performs many functions. Calcium is essential for the growth of the meristems. the development and functioning of root tips, and for certain enzymatic reactions involved in respiration. The uptake of nutrients by roots of plants from the soil medium is a complex physiological process, the rate of which is greatly influenced by environmental factors. Greenhouse experiments have several advantages in this regard, most important of which is the control of numerous environmental factors. It is also possible under greenhouse conditions to design experiments to include a large number of treatments and a variety of soils; they can be carried out at any time of the year Irrespective of the season. Furthermore, Investigations of a fundamental nature such as soil-plant relationships, can be made in a greenhouse without the involvement of elaborate field studies, high cost and undue labor. At the same time, they can serve as pilot projects for appropriate field studies in the future. The influence of lime on acid soils in promoting the growth, yield and uptake of nutrients is one of fundamental importance and immediate concern to the agronomist. Lime-fertilizer experiments in the greenhouse involving the use of calcium, phosphorus and potassium on acid infertile soils are therefore very important in giving some indication as to the wise use of these nutrients. Since root development of crops in acid soils is very much dependent on the soil condition, its lime content and the nature of its zone of penetration, the placement of lime as an additional factor in the balance of fertilization assumes relatively great importance. This work was undertaken with the following objectives in view: 1. To study the influence of liming and fertilization of an acid soil on growth, yield, root development and uptake of various cations by plants. 2. To study the influence of placement of lime in different layers of the soil on the above factors. Hartsells loam was the soil used for the study. It was low in all nutrients. Alfalfa was used as the indicator plant because it is known to be sensitive to soil acidity

Computational analysis of third-grade liquid flow with cross diffusion effects: application to entropy modeling

The key goal of this current study is to analyze the entropy generation with cross diffusion effects. The third-grade type non-Newtonian fluid model is used in this study. The current flow problem is modelled with stretching plate. Modified Fourier heat flux is replaced the classical heat flux. The appropriate transformation is availed to convert the basic boundary layers equations into ODEs and then verified by homotopy algorithm. The consequences of various physical quantities on temperature, velocity, entropy and concentration profile are illustrated graphically

Factors influencing the Middle East tourist travelling to Malaysia: The quantile estimates

This research examines the possible impacts of global oil prices, exchange rate and tourism prices on Malaysia’s demand for the Middle East tourists’ arrivals using monthly data covering the period from 1995 to 2017. We covered the 5 major sources of Middle East tourism to Malaysia in the last 2 decades, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, Syria and the United Arab Emirates. The estimates of the quantile regression reveal that the global oil price fluctuation has affected the Middle East tourist arrivals to Malaysia. First, we found that there is a positive quantile effect of tourism, domestic tourism prices and global oil prices with Middle East tourism demand in Malaysia throughout the estimated quantiles. Secondly, we could not find any specific influence of exchange rate and this shows that the fluctuating Malaysia’s currency is not a major issue for the Middle East tourists. Overall, this finding can be useful for policymakers while improving their future tourism planning and in attracting more tourists to visit Malaysia in the upcoming years

Financial instability, trade openness and energy prices on leading african countries sustainable growth

This study aimed to examine the effect of financial instability, energy prices and trade openness on economic growth for leading African countries (Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa). We employed the second-generation cointegration test and the Dumitrescu and Hurlin (DH) heterogeneous panel Granger causality test over the period from 1970 to 2016. The result of cointegration analysis revealed that, there is the existence of a cointegration relationship between the financial instability, oil prices, and trade openness on economic growth sustainability for leading African countries. While, the causality test has revealed a unidirectional causal relationship, which running from financial instability to real economic growth, oil price to real economic growth; and a bidirectional causality running between trade openness and economic growth. The empirical results also showed that, the intervention by leading African country's policymakers could create rigidity or financial repression policies rather than a more stable financial system which could achieve by financial rules and regulations being designed to widen the space for the growth and stability of oriented macroeconomic policies

Effect of laser drilling on biomorphically engineered hydroxyapatite scaffolds derived from rattan wood

The restoration of critical-size load-bearing bone defects calls for the application of bioactive scaffolds that are regenerative, osteoconductive, and demonstrate mechanical strength comparable with natural bone. Novel hydroxyapatite (HAp) scaffolds sourced and fabricated through the biomorphic transformation of rattan wood (GreenBone-GB) were laser-drilled (LD) with parallel and lateral sub-millimetre channels, which enhanced the overall porosity for promoting the flow of cells and fluids throughout the scaffolds. The compositional analysis of the LD scaffolds confirmed the presence of the Ca5(PO4)3OH and Ca3(PO4)2 phases, with no evidence of drilling contamination. Water jet laser drilling enhanced the interconnecting porosity of the morphogenic scaffolds by 22.5 %, without obstructing the intrinsic uniaxial fibrous structure inherited from rattan wood. Across eight varied drilled patterns, the resulting scaffolds preserved the structural integrity and exhibited compressive strength ranging from 6.74 ± 1.25 to 10.18 ± 0.43 MPa, while the Vickers Hardness was comparable with natural bone. Cell viability assessments confirmed that the LD scaffolds exhibited no toxicity and presented >90 % cell viability. We demonstrate that laser drilling effectively enhanced the pore volume for improved osteoconductivity via cell migration in the bio-morphogenic GB-structure. Since the GB scaffolds are CE-marked products, laser drilling for pore surface engineering could provide improved scaffolds for clinical use

Left ventricular T2 distribution in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although previous studies have helped define the natural history of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD)-associated cardiomyopathy, the myocardial pathobiology associated with functional impairment in DMD is not yet known.</p> <p>The objective of this study was to assess the distribution of transverse relaxation time (T2) in the left ventricle (LV) of DMD patients, and to determine the association of myocardial T2 heterogeneity to the severity of cardiac dysfunction. DMD patients (n = 26) and normal control subjects (n = 13) were studied by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR). DMD subject data was stratified based on subject age and LV Ejection Fraction (EF) into the following groups: A (<12 years old, n = 12); B (≥12 years old, EF ≤ 55%, n = 8) and C (≥12 years old, EF = 55%, n = 6). Controls were also stratified by age into Groups N1 (<12 years, n = 6) and N2 (>12 years, n = 5). LV mid-slice circumferential myocardial strain (ε_cc) was calculated using tagged CMR imaging. T2 maps of the LV were generated for all subjects using a black blood dual spin echo method at two echo times. The Full Width at Half Maximum (<it>FWHM</it>) was calculated from a histogram of LV T2 distribution constructed for each subject.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In DMD subject groups, <it>FWHM </it>of the T2 histogram rose progressively with age and decreasing EF (Group A <it>FWHM</it>= 25.3 ± 3.8 ms; Group B <it>FWHM</it>= 30.9 ± 5.3 ms; Group C <it>FWHM</it>= 33.0 ± 6.4 ms). Further, <it>FWHM </it>was significantly higher in those with reduced circumferential strain (|ε_cc| ≤ 12%) (Group B, and C) than those with |ε_cc| > 12% (Group A). Group A <it>FWHM </it>was not different from the two normal groups (N1 <it>FWHM </it>= 25.3 ± 3.5 ms; N2 <it>FWHM</it>= 24.0 ± 7.3 ms).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Reduced EF and ε_cccorrelates well with increased T2 heterogeneity quantified by <it>FWHM</it>, indicating that subclinical functional impairments could be associated with pre-existing abnormalities in tissue structure in young DMD patients.</p

Solving the multi-period water distribution network design problem with a hybrid simulated anealling

This work presents an optimization technique based on Simulated Annealing (SA) to solve the Water Distribution Network Design problem, considering multi-period restrictions with time varying demand patterns. The design optimization of this kind of networks is an important issue in modern cities, since a safe, adequate, and accessible supply of potable water is one of the basic necessities of any human being. Given the complexity of this problem, the SA is improved with a local search procedure, yielding a hybrid SA, in order to obtain good quality networks designs. Additionally, four variants of this algorithm based on different cooling schemes are introduced and analyzed. A broad experimentation using different benchmark networks is carried out to test our proposals. Moreover, a comparison with an approach from the literature reveals the goodness to solve this network design problem.Fil: Bermudez, Carlos Alberto. Universidad Nacional de la Pampa. Facultad de Ingeniería; ArgentinaFil: Salto, Carolina. Universidad Nacional de la Pampa. Facultad de Ingeniería; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Confluencia; ArgentinaFil: Minetti, Gabriela Fabiana. Universidad Nacional de la Pampa. Facultad de Ingeniería; Argentin