208 research outputs found
Floods and flood management and its socio-economic impact on Pakistan: A review of the empirical literature
Get PDFFlood is one of the most damaging natural disasters as the recent floods have shown their serious impact on Pakistan. Flood control and regulation policies are essential to reduce the risks of economic downturn, a threat to human existence, and to sustain the ecology. The severity of flood catastrophe activities represents a constant and severe issue in the world. Floods are rising year by year in severity and duration, causing negative impacts on the social and economic conditions of the nation concerned. While the frequency of floods cannot be avoided, their adverse impacts can be considerably reduced by adopting careful planning and efficient training. This paper reviews the socioeconomic impact of floods, and the existing condition of flood control policies outlines the flood protection problems and discusses opportunities for successful and efficient flood control in Pakistan. The paper also intends to propose several suggestions for efficient and sustainable flood control in Pakistan
Echo of the Past: Nostalgia in Ancient Futures by Helena Norberg-Hodge
No full textThe present paper explores how the journey of Helena Norberg Hodge to Ladakh evokes nostalgia. Throughout the book, the author shows her fascination with the Ladakhi culture, which is deeply rooted in ancient tradition. It also shows how her fascination and curiosity about Ladakhi culture is a result of her modern world. It also reflects on how traditional societies were a universal element that was and is part of the ever-evolving modern societies
Analysis and behavior of preexisting landslides
No full textThe selection of shear strength parameters for the design and repair of landslide is important and difficult. Skempton (1964) concludes that if a failure has already occurred in clayey soils, any subsequent movement along the preexisting slip surface will be controlled by the drained residual strength. Skempton (1985) suggests that the strength of a clay also will be at or close to the residual value on slip surfaces in soliflucted slopes, bedding shears in folded strata, sheared joints or faults, and after an embankment failure. Therefore, the drained residual shear strength has been and still is being used for analysis of slopes that contain a preexisting shear surface.
Some recent research suggests that preexisting shear surfaces may exhibit a shear strength that is greater than the drained residual value after a period of time in which the slope remains stable, i.e., does not experience shear displacement. If so, strength recovery could impact landslide mitigation and remedial measures because the increased strength could result in savings to insurance companies and/or landslide mitigating agencies. Thus, it is important to determine if the shear strength after a long rest period during which no movement occurred still corresponds to the residual strength or has attained a strength that is greater than the residual value.
The main objectives of this research are to study the shear strength and long term behavior of landslides and in particular preexisting shear surfaces. The research involved laboratory testing to determine the strength recovery, if any, of cohesive soils with varying plasticity, effective normal stress, and the applicability of the recovered strength to remedial measures and the back-analysis of landslides. Some of the issues addressed include (a) if the shear strength increases from the residual value with time, (b) what is the maximum recovered strength, (c) how long does it take to reach the maximum recovered strength, (d) if the strength increases with time, does the strength return to the residual value with additional shear displacement and if so how much shear displacement is required to reduce the strength back to the residual value, and (d) what is the maximum shear strength that can be obtained from strength recovery and used for design purposes.
Back-analysis of landslides is important for evaluating the mobilized recovered strength and thus back-analysis procedures were reviewed and augmented. Empirical correlations for drained residual and fully softened friction angles are important in the back-analysis of landslides because they provide estimates for use in preliminary design and serve as a check for laboratory test and back-analysis results. The empirical correlations for drained residual and fully softened friction angles proposed by Stark et al. (2005a) in graphical form are widely used in geotechnical practice. To capture the stress dependent nature of the residual and fully softened failure envelopes, a trend line for an effective normal stress of 50 kPa was developed to better describe the stress dependent nature of the drained residual strength and data for seven additional soils were added to the database. In addition, mathematical equations were developed for each trend line and which can be used to estimate stress dependent failure envelopes for use in stability analyses. These mathematical expressions were incorporated in a spreadsheet that can be used to estimate the shear strength parameters of a soil using only two index properties, i.e., liquid limit and clay-size fraction. These mathematical expressions were also coded in Microsoft Visual Basic (VB 6.0) that may facilitate slope stability software developers incorporating the expressions in software to facilitate the use of stress dependent strength parameters in stability analyses.Item withdrawn by Mark Zulauf ([email protected]) on 2010-04-20T19:02:43Z
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Influence of nematophagous fungi on populations of important phytoparasitic nematodes, family Heteroderidae, in the Czech Republic
No full textWe report on studies aimed to evaluate the effects of five nematophagous fungi on population dynamics of northern root knot nematode, Meloidogyne hapla and sugar beet cyst nematode, Heterodera schachtii in laboratory and greenhouse trials. During our biocontrol studies, mainly five fungal species Arthrobotrys oligospora, Dactylella oviparasitica, Clonostachys rosea, Stropharia rugosoannulata, and Lecanicillium muscarium were isolated from eggmasses of nematodes during root and soil samples collected in Czech Republic and tested against Meloidogyne hapla in carrots while Heterodera schachtii in sugar beet, both in-vitro and in-vivo fashions. All fungi exhibited varied type of infection on nematodes but L. muscarium proved to be the most potential bioagent in controlling nematode population enormously. Lecanicillium muscarium not only halted nematode reproduction factor (Pf/Pi) but also escalated plant growth. Plant root systems treated with L. muscarium were observed colonized by fungi while seen under microscope which depicted that fungi provided a protecting shield or body guard against plant parasitic nematodes. Moreover, L. muscarium was further compared with commercially available nematicides and a fertilizer to justify its highly potential for diminishing nematode population. L. muscarium along with nematicides and fertilizer had dramatic effects in reduction of both nematodes (M. hapla, H. schachtii) population in soil but improvement of plant growth was only noticed in case of L. muscarium. The chemical nematicide, Dazomet had some negative effects which appeared in the form of chlorotic spots on leaves which further suggested that there were some the phytotoxic effects
RETRACTED ARTICLE Fuzzy multicriteria analysis of “Better Cotton” farmers’ adoption and experts’ recommendation on cotton pest and disease management practices
No full textRETRACTATION
The SJAR Editorial Board, following the Guide to Good Practices of Editorial CSIC and the international recommendations of editorial ethics, due to a conflict of duplicity, has agreed to formally retract the following article: Fuzzy multicriteria analysis of “Better Cotton” farmers’ adoption and experts’ recommendation on cotton pest and disease management practices (2022), by Absar M. Jiskani, Manzoor A. Abro, M. Ibrahim Khaskheli and Khadim H. Wagan. Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research, Volume 20, Issue 4, e1006. https://doi.org/10.5424/sjar/2022204-18953.
The retractation is based on the following: in addition to authorship and funding disputes that we cannot arbitrate, the article was submitted to two journals at the same time: Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research (SJAR) and Academia Journal of Agricultural Research (AJAR). This evidence came to light once the article was published in SJAR.
The article was also published in AJAR 10(3), 042-053, March 2022: Fuzzy multi-critaria analysis of better Cotton farmers' adoption and experts' recommendation on Cotton pest and disease management practices, by Absar Mithal Jiskani, Noor Nabi Bhutto and Abdul Rehman, https://www.academiapublishing.org/journals/ajar/content/2022/Mar.htm, DOI: 10.15413/ajar.2021.0128. Currently there is neither access to the pdf nor there is any information.
Only the author Absar M. Jiskani is common to both articles.
Both journals indicate in their instructions the same. In the case of AJAR (https://www.academiapublishing.org/journals/ajar/policy.htm), “Authors must not submit the same work, in whole or in part, to two places of publication at the same time, or at any time while the manuscript is under review at ACADEMIA PUBLISHING”. In the case of SJAR (https://revistas.inia.es/index.php/sjar/about/submissions): “Submission of a manuscript implies the work described has not been published previously in any language (except in a book of abstracts, in the proceedings of a scientific meeting or as part of a thesis); the work is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, etc. “.
When comparing the submitted version to SJAR to the article published in AJAR (pdf file supplied by the claimant), both articles present more than 80% similarity, with the abstract, tables and figures being identical. This similarity is unacceptable
Fabrication and in vivo evaluation of hydroxyapatite/carbon nanotube electrospun fibers for biomedical/dental application
No full textThe aim was to synthesize bioactive electrospun fibers for biomedical and dental application with improved biocompatibility. In situ precipitation of nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) was performed with various concentrations (0.5%, 1%, 2%, 3%, and 5% wt/wt) of functionalized multi-walled-carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by using microwave irradiation technique. The obtained composites were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric Analysis/Differential Scanning Calorimetry (TGA/DSC), and the cylindrical discs were made for mechanical testing. The failure behavior was analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). CNT and HA/CNT were silanized with gamma-methacryloxypropyl-trimethoxysilane (MPTS) and mixed with polyvinyl alcohol (10% wt/vol.) and electrospun to fabricate fibers. The biocompatibility of both fibers was accessed by their effects on angiogenesis in a chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. The electrospun fibers were analyzed by SEM. FTIR confirmed the structural behavior of pre and post-silanized HA/CNT. XRD showed the phase purity and crystallinity before and after heat treatment. Mechanical properties showed that 3% loaded HA/CNT has higher compressive strength (100.5 +/- 5.9 MPa) compared to others and the failure behavior exhibited dispersion of CNT in HA matrix. The HA/CNT electrospun fibers showed significantly more blood vessels formation compared to CNT fibers. These HA/CNT electrospun fibers showed promising results in terms of biocompatibility and with improved mechanical properties of CNT reinforced composites, they can be used in load bearing clinical applications. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
An Analysis of Energy-Efficient Approaches Used for Virtual Machines and Data Centres
No full text© 2017 IEEE. The adoption of cloud computing has increased significantly, but this has given rise to the problem of efficient energy usage. The efficient use of energy by data centers and the use of virtual machines can help to minimize cost deadlines, resources, and utilization and execution times. There is a consequent need for different approaches that can reduce energy consumption whilst still achieving the multiple objectives of cloud computing. In this study, we examine a number of different approaches that have been discussed in the recent literature w.r.t. energy-efficient cloud workflow management, and we compare these approaches for energy-efficient usage of data centers and virtual machines. The results show that virtual machine scheduling and virtual machine allocation approaches are the most commonly used approaches that achieve an optimal energy consumption
RETRACTED ARTICLE Fuzzy multicriteria analysis of “Better Cotton” farmers’ adoption and experts’ recommendation on cotton pest and disease management practices
No full textRETRACTATION
The SJAR Editorial Board, following the Guide to Good Practices of Editorial CSIC and the international recommendations of editorial ethics, due to a conflict of duplicity, has agreed to formally retract the following article: Fuzzy multicriteria analysis of “Better Cotton” farmers’ adoption and experts’ recommendation on cotton pest and disease management practices (2022), by Absar M. Jiskani, Manzoor A. Abro, M. Ibrahim Khaskheli and Khadim H. Wagan. Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research, Volume 20, Issue 4, e1006. https://doi.org/10.5424/sjar/2022204-18953.
The retractation is based on the following: in addition to authorship and funding disputes that we cannot arbitrate, the article was submitted to two journals at the same time: Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research (SJAR) and Academia Journal of Agricultural Research (AJAR). This evidence came to light once the article was published in SJAR.
The article was also published in AJAR 10(3), 042-053, March 2022: Fuzzy multi-critaria analysis of better Cotton farmers' adoption and experts' recommendation on Cotton pest and disease management practices, by Absar Mithal Jiskani, Noor Nabi Bhutto and Abdul Rehman, https://www.academiapublishing.org/journals/ajar/content/2022/Mar.htm, DOI: 10.15413/ajar.2021.0128. Currently there is neither access to the pdf nor there is any information.
Only the author Absar M. Jiskani is common to both articles.
Both journals indicate in their instructions the same. In the case of AJAR (https://www.academiapublishing.org/journals/ajar/policy.htm), “Authors must not submit the same work, in whole or in part, to two places of publication at the same time, or at any time while the manuscript is under review at ACADEMIA PUBLISHING”. In the case of SJAR (https://revistas.inia.es/index.php/sjar/about/submissions): “Submission of a manuscript implies the work described has not been published previously in any language (except in a book of abstracts, in the proceedings of a scientific meeting or as part of a thesis); the work is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, etc. “.
When comparing the submitted version to SJAR to the article published in AJAR (pdf file supplied by the claimant), both articles present more than 80% similarity, with the abstract, tables and figures being identical. This similarity is unacceptable
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Management of water resources under different socio-economic conditions
No full textThe industrial revolution was a turning corner in the history of water management. New techniques helped to design multipurpose projects. Industrial expansion, urbanization, and changing life styles in the developed countries have ultimately resulted in multiobject ive planning with environmental quality and national economic development as co-equal objectives. However, there are still big lags between the developed and developing countries in this respect, and even in the developed countries, theory and practices of water management are following different directions. It is also true that application of sophisticated computerized models alone do not guarantee planned objectives. Inadequate data, non-availability of funds, standard materials and equipment, skilled labor, and inadequate implementation capabilities retard the execution of plans and inappropriate operation can scale down actual achievements. This calls for a periodic hindsight evaluation of operating projects. The "cost-effectiveness approach" has been found to be the best technique as it can be applied for "ex-ante" as well as "ex-post" evaluation, comparative evaluation of more than one objective, and for both tangible and intangible measures of effectiveness. For evaluation of water management under different socioeconomic conditions, performances of the Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation District (WMID) in the U.S.A. and the Salinity Control and Reclamation Project No. 1 (SCARP-I) in Pakistan have been compared. While the American system is flexible enough to accommodate any subsequent technological innovation and can supply full water requirement for any cropping pattern, the water system in Pakistan is characterized by an inelastic 7-day fixed roster for water supply, not capable of meeting crop needs even for 500/ of the presently irrigated area. The shortfall in SCARP-I can be attributed to conceptual lapses, idealized planning assumptions, inappropriate engineering design, water quality and managerial constraints. It is also clear that the desalination plant for treating return flow from Wellton-Mohawk cannot be justified on technical, economic, and environmental reasons. The following suggestions can be made to remove management constraints in the developing countries in general, and Pakistan in particular. 1. Improved technologies may be introduced by renovating existing studies and research programs at the university level. Technical assistance available from a number of foreign sources may be pooled and reorganized to meet the desired objective. Instead of individuals of single discipline, multidisciplinary teams of professionals should be trained abroad to make the process of planning and management more effective. 2. Nucleus planning cells may be created at the subdivision level to benefit from farmers' participation in water management. 3. Implementation capabilities must be improved to accelerate the pace of project execution. 4. Operation criteria must be evolved objectively at the planning and design stages. 5. Adequate financial allocation must be made during implementation and operation. 6. More dams are needed for flexible water management, power generation, and flood control. Water control should be shifted from barrages to dams as early as possible. 7. Latest rain harvesting and runoff agricultural techniques must be introduced in dry farming areas in the upland plateau. 8. Small farms should be aggregated into cooperative units of 250 to 350 acres and farm layout redesigned, water courses realigned and lined in sandy reaches. 9. Extension service should be reactivated to educate farmers, in addition to launching a crash program on the pattern of the literacy campaign in Iran. 10. Private tubewells in sweet water zones and public tubewells in saline and marginal zones will improve flexibility of the system and save large public funds for executing important complementary programs to optimize benefits from water managements. 11. More emphasis should be laid on planning, operation, and expost evaluation of public investments in the water sector.hydrology collectio
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