Optimising contributions of goat farming to household economic success and food security in three production systems in Ethiopia

The study aims to analyse factors affecting contributions of goat farming to household economic success and food security in three goat production systems of Ethiopia. A study was conducted in three districts of Ethiopia representing arid agro-pastoral (AAP), semi-arid agro-pastoral (SAAP) and highland mixed crop-livestock (HMCL) systems involving 180 goat keeping households. Gross margin (GM) and net benefit (NB1 and NB2) were used as indicators of economic success of goat keeping. NB1 includes in-kind benefits of goats (consumption and manure), while NB2 additionally constitutes intangible benefits (insurance and finance). Household dietary diversity score (HDDS) was used as a proxy indicator of food security. GM was significantly affected by an off-take rate and flock size interaction (P<0.001). The increment of GM due to increased off-take rate was more prominent for farmers with bigger flocks. Interaction between flock size and production system significantly (P<0.001) affected both NB1 and NB2. The increment of NB1 and NB2 by keeping larger flocks was higher in AAP system, due to higher in-kind and intangible benefits of goats in this system. Effect of goat flock size as a predictor of household dietary diversity was not significant (P>0.05). Nevertheless, a significant positive correlation (P<0.05) was observed between GM from goats and HDDS in AAP system, indicating the indirect role of goat production for food security. The study indicated that extent of utilising tangible and intangible benefits of goats varied among production systems and these differences should be given adequate attention in designing genetic improvement programs.

Changes of traditional farming systems and their effects on land degradation and socio-economic conditions in the Inle Lake region, Myanmar

At many locations in Myanmar, ongoing changes in land use have negative environmental impacts and threaten natural ecosystems at local, regional and national scales. In particular, the watershed area of Inle Lake in eastern Myanmar is strongly affected by the environmental effects of deforestation and soil erosion caused by agricultural intensification and expansion of agricultural land, which are exacerbated by the increasing population pressure and the growing number of tourists. This thesis, therefore, focuses on land use changes in traditional farming systems and their effects on socio-economic and biophysical factors to improve our understanding of sustainable natural resource management of this wetland ecosystem. The main objectives of this research were to: (1) assess the noticeable land transformations in space and time, (2) identify the typical farming systems as well as the divergent livelihood strategies, and finally, (3) estimate soil erosion risk in the different agro-ecological zones surrounding the Inle Lake watershed area. GIS and remote sensing techniques allowed to identify the dynamic land use and land cover changes (LUCC) during the past 40 years based on historical Corona images (1968) and Landsat images (1989, 2000 and 2009). In this study, 12 land cover classes were identified and a supervised classification was used for the Landsat datasets, whereas a visual interpretation approach was conducted for the Corona images. Within the past 40 years, the main landscape transformation processes were deforestation (- 49%), urbanization (+ 203%), agricultural expansion (+ 34%) with a notably increase of floating gardens (+ 390%), land abandonment (+ 167%), and marshlands losses in wetland area (- 83%) and water bodies (- 16%). The main driving forces of LUCC appeared to be high population growth, urbanization and settlements, a lack of sustainable land use and environmental management policies, wide-spread rural poverty, an open market economy and changes in market prices and access. To identify the diverse livelihood strategies in the Inle Lake watershed area and the diversity of income generating activities, household surveys were conducted (total: 301 households) using a stratified random sampling design in three different agro-ecological zones: floating gardens (FG), lowland cultivation (LL) and upland cultivation (UP). A cluster and discriminant analysis revealed that livelihood strategies and socio-economic situations of local communities differed significantly in the different zones. For all three zones, different livelihood strategies were identified which differed mainly in the amount of on-farm and off-farm income, and the level of income diversification. The gross margin for each household from agricultural production in the floating garden, lowland and upland cultivation was US$ 2108, 892 and 619 ha-1 respectively. Among the typical farming systems in these zones, tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) plantation in the floating gardens yielded the highest net benefits, but caused negative environmental impacts given the overuse of inorganic fertilizers and pesticides. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and spatial analysis within GIS were applied to estimate soil erosion risk in the different agricultural zones and for the main cropping systems of the study region. The results revealed that the average soil losses in year 1989, 2000 and 2009 amounted to 20, 10 and 26 t ha-1, respectively and barren land along the steep slopes had the highest soil erosion risk with 85% of the total soil losses in the study area. Yearly fluctuations were mainly caused by changes in the amount of annual precipitation and the dynamics of LUCC such as deforestation and agriculture extension with inappropriate land use and unsustainable cropping systems. Among the typical cropping systems, upland rainfed rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivation had the highest rate of soil erosion (20 t ha-1yr-1) followed by sebesten (Cordia dichotoma) and turmeric (Curcuma longa) plantation in the UP zone. This study indicated that the hotspot region of soil erosion risk were upland mountain areas, especially in the western part of the Inle lake. Soil conservation practices are thus urgently needed to control soil erosion and lake sedimentation and to conserve the wetland ecosystem. Most farmers have not yet implemented soil conservation measures to reduce soil erosion impacts such as land degradation, sedimentation and water pollution in Inle Lake, which is partly due to the low economic development and poverty in the region. Key challenges of agriculture in the hilly landscapes can be summarized as follows: fostering the sustainable land use of farming systems for the maintenance of ecosystem services and functions while improving the social and economic well-being of the population, integrated natural resources management policies and increasing the diversification of income opportunities to reduce pressure on forest and natural resources.

Preconditioning and iterative solution of symmetric indefinite linear systems arising from interior point methods for linear programming

We study the preconditioning of symmetric indefinite linear systems of equations that arise in interior point solution of linear optimization problems. The preconditioning method that we study exploits the block structure of the augmented matrix to design a similar block structure preconditioner to improve the spectral properties of the resulting preconditioned matrix so as to improve the convergence rate of the iterative solution of the system. We also propose a two-phase algorithm that takes advantage of the spectral properties of the transformed matrix to solve for the Newton directions in the interior-point method. Numerical experiments have been performed on some LP test problems in the NETLIB suite to demonstrate the potential of the preconditioning method discussed.

Integration of knowledge-based, qualitative and numeric tools for real time dynamic systems supervision

The proposal presented in this thesis is to provide designers of knowledge based supervisory systems of dynamic systems with a framework to facilitate their tasks avoiding interface problems among tools, data flow and management. The approach is thought to be useful to both control and process engineers in assisting their tasks. The use of AI technologies to diagnose and perform control loops and, of course, assist process supervisory tasks such as fault detection and diagnose, are in the scope of this work. Special effort has been put in integration of tools for assisting expert supervisory systems design. With this aim the experience of Computer Aided Control Systems Design (CACSD) frameworks have been analysed and used to design a Computer Aided Supervisory Systems (CASSD) framework. In this sense, some basic facilities are required to be available in this proposed framework: ·

On logarithmic ratio quantities and their units

The use of special units for logarithmic ratio quantities is reviewed. The neper is used with a natural logarithm (logarithm to the base e) to express the logarithm of the amplitude ratio of two pure sinusoidal signals, particularly in the context of linear systems where it is desired to represent the gain or loss in amplitude of a single-frequency signal between the input and output. The bel, and its more commonly used submultiple, the decibel, are used with a decadic logarithm (logarithm to the base 10) to measure the ratio of two power-like quantities, such as a mean square signal or a mean square sound pressure in acoustics. Thus two distinctly different quantities are involved. In this review we define the quantities first, without reference to the units, as is standard practice in any system of quantities and units. We show that two different definitions of the quantity power level, or logarithmic power ratio, are possible. We show that this leads to two different interpretations for the meaning and numerical values of the units bel and decibel. We review the question of which of these alternative definitions is actually used, or is used by implication, by workers in the field. Finally, we discuss the relative advantages of the alternative definitions.

Natal nest locations of the Asian house rat (Rattus tanezumi) in lowland rice–coconut cropping systems: a coconut penthouse or rice bunds with water frontage?

CONTEXT. Rattus tanezumi is a serious crop pest within the island of Luzon, Philippines. In intensive flood-irrigated rice field ecosystems of Luzon, female R. tanezumi are known to primarily nest within the tillers of ripening rice fields and along the banks of irrigation canals. The nesting habits of R. tanezumi in complex rice–coconut cropping systems are unknown. AIMS. To identify the natal nest locations of R. tanezumi females in rice–coconut systems of the Sierra Madre Biodiversity Corridor (SMBC), Luzon, during the main breeding season to develop a management strategy that specifically targets their nesting habitat. METHODS. When rice was at the booting to ripening stage, cage-traps were placed in rice fields adjacent to coconut habitat. Thirty breeding adult R. tanezumi females were fitted with radio-collars and successfully tracked to their nest sites. KEY RESULTS. Most R. tanezumi nests (66.7%) were located in coconut groves, five nests (16.7%) were located in rice fields and five nests (16.7%) were located on the rice field edge. All nests were located above ground level and seven nests were located in coconut tree crowns. The median distance of nest sites to the nearest rice field was 22.5m. Most nest site locations had good cover of ground vegetation and understorey vegetation, but low canopy cover. Only one nest location had an understorey vegetation height of less than 20 cm. CONCLUSIONS. In the coastal lowland rice–coconut cropping systems of the SMBC, female R. tanezumi showed a preference for nesting in adjacent coconut groves. This is contrary to previous studies in intensive flood-irrigated rice ecosystems of Luzon, where the species nests mainly in the banks of irrigation canals. It is important to understand rodent breeding ecology in a specific ecosystem before implementing appropriate management strategies. IMPLICATIONS. In lowland rice–coconut cropping systems, coconut groves adjacent to rice fields should be targeted for the 20 management of R. tanezumi nest sites during the main breeding season as part of an integrated ecologically based approach to rodent pest management.

Moderate drought alters biomass and depth distribution of fine roots in Norway spruce

A rain shelter experiment was conducted in a 90-year-old Norway spruce stand, in the Kysucké Beskydy Mts (Slovakia). Three rain shelters were constructed in the stand to prevent the rainfall from reaching the soil and to reduce water availability in the rhizosphere. Fine root biomass and necromass were repeatedly measured throughout a growing season by soil coring. We established the quantities of fine root biomass (live) and necromass (dead) at soil depths of 0-5, 5-15, 15-25, and 25-35 cm. Significant differences in soil moisture contents between control and drought plots were found in the top 15 cm of soil after 20 weeks of rainfall manipulation (lasting from early June to late October). Our observations show that even relatively light drought decreased total fine root biomass from 272.0 to 242.8 g m-2 and increased the amount of necromass from 79.2 to 101.2 g m-2 in the top 35 cm of soil. Very fine roots, i.e. those with diameter up to 1 mm, were more affected than total fine roots defined as 0-2 mm. The effect of reduced water availability was depth-specific, as a result we observed a modification of vertical distribution of fine roots. More roots in drought treatment were produced in the wetter soil horizons at 25-35 cm depth than at the surface. We conclude that fine and very fine root systems of Norway spruce have the capacity to re-allocate resources to roots at different depths in response to environmental signals, resulting in changes in necromass to biomass ratio.

Spatial variability of soil physical properties in two management systems in sugarcane crop

O objetivo deste trabalho foi caracterizar a variabilidade espacial da densidade do solo (Ds), teor de água no solo (θ) e porosidade total (Pt) em dois sistemas de manejo da colheita da cana-de-açúcar, com queima e sem queima, em um Latossolo Vermelho, na camada de 0-0,20 m. A área de estudo está localizada no município de Rio Brilhante-MS, na Usina Eldorado. A parcela de cada talhão apresentou malha com comprimento de 180 m e largura de 145,6 m, perfazendo 90 pontos distribuídos na forma de uma grade de nove colunas por dez linhas, com pontos distanciados 20 m de seu vizinho. Foram coletadas amostras de solo na camada de 0-0,20 m, nos anos agrícolas de 2007/2008 e 2008/2009. O sistema de colheita com queima apresentou maior densidade em relação ao mecanizado, nos dois períodos de análise. O teor de água no solo, assim como a porosidade, teve aumento proporcional com relação à diminuição da densidade do sistema de colheita com queima para com o mecanizado.

Effects of different soil tillage systems and coverages on soybean crop in the Botucatu Region in Brazil

Nowadays, agricultural practices should combine high yields with a sustainable use of resources. Different tillage practices and crop covers, if combined, may help to achieve both objectives. In this work, several traits of a soybean (Glycine max L. Merr) cultivar were studied under different conditions of tillage and previous soil coverages. The experiment was installed at Lageado Research Station, Botucatu county, SP, Brazil, on a Paleudult. It consisted of nine treatments (combining three systems of soil tillage and three cover crops) and 4 replicates, yielding 36 plots of a randomized block experimental design. The soil tillage systems considered were: (i) conventional tillage with two heavy harrowing and a levelling harrowing; (ii) chiseling, and (iii) no-tillage with chemical drying of vegetation. The three cover crops used were: black oat, sorghum and spontaneous vegetation. Analyzed variables were: plant height, initial and final plant densities, height of first pod insertion, weight of a thousand grains, number of pods per plant, number of grains per pod, and crop yield. No significant differences were observed for most of the analyzed variables; however, conventional tillage produced significantly heavier grains and a higher number of pods per plant. The selected covers were considered an excellent coverage prior to planting soybean in a crop rotation. The three tillage systems can be used for deployment of culture without compromising the development of soybean.

Alginate-chitosan systems: In vitro controlled release of triamcinolone and in vivo gastrointestinal transit

The aim of this study was to develop multiparticulate therapeutic systems of alginate (AL) and chitosan (CS) containing triamcinolone (TC) to colonic drug delivery. Multiparticulate systems of AL-CS, prepared by a complex coacervation/ionotropic gelation method, were characterized for morphological and size aspects, swelling degree, encapsulation content and efficiency, in vitro release profile in different environments simulating the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and in vivo gastrointestinal transit. The systems showed suitable morphological characteristics with particle diameters of approximately 1.6 mm. In simulated gastric environment, at pH 1.2, the capsules presented low degree of swelling and in vitro release of drug. A higher swelling degree was observed in simulated enteric environment, pH 7.5, followed by erosion. Practically all the drug was released after 6 h of in vitro assay. The in vivo analysis of gastrointestinal transit, carried out in rats, showed that the systems passed practically intact through the stomach and did not show the same profile of swelling observed in the in vitro tests. It was possible to verify the presence of capsules in the colonic region of GIT. The results indicate that AL-CS multiparticulate systems can be used as an adjuvant for the preparation of therapeutic systems to colonic delivery of drugs. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Interior point method for long-term generation scheduling of large-scale hydrothermal systems

This paper presents an interior point method for the long-term generation scheduling of large-scale hydrothermal systems. The problem is formulated as a nonlinear programming one due to the nonlinear representation of hydropower production and thermal fuel cost functions. Sparsity exploitation techniques and an heuristic procedure for computing the interior point method search directions have been developed. Numerical tests in case studies with systems of different dimensions and inflow scenarios have been carried out in order to evaluate the proposed method. Three systems were tested, with the largest being the Brazilian hydropower system with 74 hydro plants distributed in several cascades. Results show that the proposed method is an efficient and robust tool for solving the long-term generation scheduling problem.

Multistage and coordinated planning of the expansion of transmission systems

In this paper, an efficient genetic algorithm (GA) is presented to solve the problem of multistage and coordinated transmission expansion planning. This is a mixed integer nonlinear programming problem, difficult for systems of medium and large size and high complexity. The GA presented has a set of specialized genetic operators and an efficient form of generation of the initial population that finds high quality suboptimal topologies for large size and high complexity systems. In these systems, multistage and coordinated planning present a lower investment than static planning. Tests results are shown in one medium complexity system and one large size high complexity system.

Synthesis of PID controllers for a class of time delay systems

In this paper we use the Hermite-Biehler theorem to establish results on the design of proportional plus integral plus derivative (PID) controllers for a class of time delay systems. Using the property of interlacing at high frequencies of the class of systems considered and linear programming we obtain the set of all stabilizing PID controllers. As far as we know, previous results on the synthesis of PID controllers rely on the solution of transcendental equations. This paper also extends previous results on the synthesis of proportional controllers for a class of delay systems of retarded type to a larger class of delay systems. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Photoelastic Analysis of Stress Distribution in Different Retention Systems for Facial Prosthesis

The aim of this study was to assess the behavior and stress distribution of 3 retention systems associated with implant for facial prosthesis by using the photoelasticity method. A photoelastic model was made from the replica of the orbital region on the left side of a dry skull with two 4-mm implants fixed in the superior orbital region. Three facial prosthetic retention systems were made for this study: O'ring, bar-clip, and magnets. The set (model/retention systems/prosthesis) was placed in a polariscope, and then traction began to be applied to the retention systems. The limit values for removal of the retention system were obtained by tests performed in an EMIC Universal test machine. The results were obtained by observation during the experiments and by photographic record of the stress behavior in the photoelastic model, resulting from the traction of the retention systems. In the magnet system, a lowest formation of fringes was verified both around and between the implants; in the O'ring system, the formation of photoelastic fringes was noted between the implants in the apical region; and in the bar-clip system, there was a greater concentration of colored fringes in the regions between the implants and cervical area. Based on the results obtained, it was concluded that the retention systems produced different stress distribution characteristics that, in general, were concentrated in the area around the implants, and the highest concentration of fringes, in increasing order, occurred ill the retention systems of the magnets, O'ring, and bar-clip.

Universality of Brunnian (N-body Borromean) four- and five-body systems

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)