Calendar of Future Meetings Involving IWRA

ABSTRACT

Irrigation-water-delivery systems are designed and managed to receive water from a source and to distribute it among farmers in order to meet their agricultural requirements. High system performance can be achieved through rehabilitation of deteriorating and inadequate physical facilities and through improved system management. Various design decisions must be made in order to rehabilitate or develop irrigation-water-delivery systems, including those related to specification of the characteristics of hydraulic structures used to convey regulate, or divert water

This study develops and applies a response surface methodology (RSM) for achieving optimal design for hydraulic structures in irrigation-water-delivery systems in canal networks. This approach provides a means of understanding system behavior through developing a response surface in terms of a mathematical expression representing system performance as affected by design decisions. Design decisions include pipe diameters for diversion and regulating structures. Simulation of steady spatially varied flow was incorporated into the response surface methodology to determine high-performance low-cost solutions.

Objectives of adequacy, efficiency dependability, and equity of water delivery were considered in defining water delivery performance. Fuzzy membership functions were used to address subjectivity associated with interpreting expected values of performance measures associated with each of the prescribed objectives.

This study is an extension of a previous study by Alshaikh [1]. That study reported the application of RSM on a single canal case while herein RSM was used for the case of a canal network. Though, in general, RSMs for large-scale branched systems are computationally intensive, this proposed methodology overcomes this drawback. The approach constitutes a significant easy-to-use step forward in the development of comprehensive systems-scale techniques for the design of structural components of irrigation-water-delivery systems.     

A review of heat pipe systems for heat recovery and renewable energy applications

Advancements into the computational studies have increased the development of heat pipe arrangements, displaying multiphase flow regimes and highlighting the broad scope of the respective technology for utilization in passive and active applications. The purpose of this review is to evaluate current heat pipe systems for heat recovery and renewable applications utility. Basic features and limitations are outlined and theoretical comparisons are drawn with respect to the operating temperature profiles for the reviewed industrial systems. Working fluids are compared on the basis of the figure of merit for the range of temperatures. The review established that standard tubular heat pipe systems present the largest operating temperature range in comparison to other systems and therefore offer viable potential for optimization and integration into renewable energy systems.     

Extraction optimisation,antioxidant activity and inhibition on α-amylase and pancreatic lipase of polyphenols from the seeds of Syzygium cumini

The objectives of this study were to determine the optimal extraction conditions of polyphenols from Syzygium cumini seeds by response surface methodology and investigate their antioxidant activity and inhibition on α-amylase and pancreatic lipase. As results, the optimal extraction conditions in the ultrasonic extraction process which maximised total polyphenols content, minimised the IC₅₀ values of α-amylase and pancreatic lipase were determined as follows: extraction time 60 min, ethanol concentration 63% and solvent/solid ratio 44 mL g⁻¹. The main phenolic compounds in partially purified fraction of Syzygium cumini seeds were catechin, epicatechin, kaempferol, gallic, 5-caffeoylquinic, caffeic and ferulic acids. In addition, the partially purified fraction inhibited 87.66 ± 5.55 and 86.61 ± 3.15% of α-amylase and pancreatic lipase, respectively. The results suggested that Syzygium cumini seeds could be explored as a natural antioxidant and could be used as a source of highly antidiabetic and anti-obesity bioactive compounds.     

Preparation and characterization of starch-based composite films reinforced by apricot and walnut shells

Starch-based biodegradable films were prepared by using solution-casting method and reinforced by agricultural residues [apricot and walnut shell (APS and WNS) powder]. The powder of both shells was added in different ratios (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10%) to investigate the microstructures and performances (mechanical and thermal properties) of the starch-based film. Different techniques such as impact, tensile testing, scanning electron microscope, optical microscope (OM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), and dynamic mechanical analysis were applied to study the thermomechanical and barrier properties of the composite films. Results showed that the incorporation of both shells significantly improved the WVTR and mechanical properties of starch-based films. The shells powder was significantly increased the Young's modulus and tensile strength of the starch-based films. Both OM and SEM results showed reasonably good compatibility between starch and reinforced shells. OM and XRD indicated that the APS and WNS not only retained their crystalline structure in the film but they also strengthened the peak intensity of the film. This phenomenon can be used to explain the mechanism of mechanical reinforcement. Since all the components used in the preparation of the films are food grade ingredients, it is expected that the films developed in this work will be used for food packaging applications. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47978.     

Spatial distribution of biomass consumption as energy in rural areas of the Indo-Gangetic plain

Biomass is widely used as energy source in rural households in India. Biomass samples and socio-economic data have been collected at district level in the rural areas of Indo-Gangetic plain (IGP), India to determine the emissions of trace gases and aerosols from domestic fuels. Dung cake, fuelwood and crop residue are main sources of energy in rural areas of the IGP. Dung cake is the major domestic fuel (80-90%) in the rural areas of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, whereas, 99% of rural households in Uttarakhand use wood as the main energy source. Using crop production data and usage of crop residues as energy, new consumption values have been estimated (21.13 Mt). Present information on the domestic fuel usage would be helpful in determining budgets estimates of trace gases and aerosols for India.     

Editorial: Security and Privacy Protection for Mobile Applications and Platforms

Mobile Networks and Applications -     

Exhaust emission profiling of fatty acid methyl esters and NOx control studies using selective synthetic and natural additives

Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy - The present study was focused on the optimized biodiesel production using Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera) and rice bran oils, characterization, and...