Ground-based active optical sensors (GBAOS) have been successfully used in agriculture to predict crop yield potential (YP) early in the season and to improvise N rates for optimal crop yield. However, the models were found weak or inconsistent due to environmental variation especially rainfall. The objectives of the study were to evaluate if GBAOS could predict YP across multiple locations, soil types, cultivation systems, and rainfall differences. This study was carried from 2011 to 2013 on corn (Zea mays L.) in North Dakota, and in 2017 in potatoes in Maine. Six N rates were used on 50 sites in North Dakota and 12 N rates on two sites, one dryland and one irrigated, in Maine. Two active GBAOS used for this study were GreenSeeker and Holl

The ability of four local fungal isolates for extracellular laccase production has been tested with five grams 1:1(w/v) humidified sawdust as substrate in mineral salt medium. After 21 day of incubation at 25±1 ? C and using one mycelial plug (5mm), higher level of laccase activity (0.15U/ml) and specific activity (15U/mg) were observed by Pleurotus ostreatus in comparison with other fungal isolates. The results of optimum conditions for laccase production from selected isolate showed that, the maximum laccase activity (0.55U/ml) and specific activity (55U/mg) were obtained at moisture ratio 1:3 (w/v), using 3 mycelial plugs (5 mm), after 15 days incubation period at 25±1 ? C. The results of phenol degradation by crud laccase revealed th

Peak ground acceleration (PGA) is one of the critical factors that affect the determination of earthquake intensity. PGA is generally utilized to describe ground motion in a particular zone and is able to efficiently predict the parameters of site ground motion for the design of engineering structures. Therefore, novel models are developed to forecast PGA in the case of the Iraqi database, which utilizes the particle swarm optimization (PSO) approach. A data set of 187 historical ground-motion recordings in Iraq’s tectonic regions was used to build the explicit proposed models. The proposed PGA models relate to different seismic parameters, including the magnitude of the earthquake (Mw), average shear-wave velocity (VS30), focal depth (FD

Poly(ethylene oxide) is a promising material for solid-state lithium batteries due to its safety, ease of processing, and compatibility with lithium. However, conventional linear PEO falls short of practical requirements due to its limited ionic conductivity, a consequence of the high crystallinity of its ethylene oxide chains. This crystallinity hinders the movement of lithium ions, limiting its performance in solid-state battery applications. In this study, we successfully prepared the plasticized solid polymer electrolytes (PSPEs) based on poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)/ tetracyanoethylene (TCE) complexed with lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) salt and studied the effect of TCE on structural, mechanical, electrical and elec

The development of a reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography fluorescence method for the determination of the mycotoxins fumonisin B1 and fumonisin B2 by using silica-based monolithic column is described. The samples were first extracted using acetonitrile:water (50:50, v/v) and purified by using a C18 solid phase extraction-based clean-up column. Then, pre-column derivatization for the analyte using ortho-phthaldialdehyde in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol was carried out. The developed method involved optimization of mobile phase composition using methanol and phosphate buffer, injection volume, temperature and flow rate. The liquid chromatographic separation was performed using a reversed phase Chromolith® RP-18e column

   There is a growing imperative to extract oil not only through primary and secondary means but also via tertiary recovery methods to meet the escalating global energy demands. Consequently, Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) is slated to increase significance in the oil industry in the coming years. The amalgamation of low salinity water (LSW) with chemicals to augment oil recovery has gained substantial traction in recent years owing to its demonstrated effectiveness. In this study, a systematic investigation utilizing contact angle measurements to elucidate the underlying mechanisms was undertaken. The results reveal that the contact angle (CA) demonstrated the effectiveness of the combined fluid in altering the wettability from oil-

Municipal solid waste generation in Babylon Governorate is often affected by changes in lifestyles, population growth, social and cultural habits and improved economic conditions. This effect will make it difficult to plan and draw up future plans for solid waste management.In this study, municipal solid waste was divided into residential and commercial solid wastes. Residential solid wastes were represented by household wastes, while commercial solid wastes included commercial, institutional and municipal services wastes.For residential solid wastes, the relational stratified random sampling was implemented, that is the total population should be divided into clusters (socio-income level), a random sample was taken in e

Low-level microbial activity due to the production of organic acids is a recognized problem during the initial phase of food waste composting. Increasing such activity levels by adjusting the pH values during the initial composting phase is the primary objective to be investigated. In this study, sodium acetate (NaoAc) was introduced as an amendment to an in-vessel composting system. NaoAc was added when the pH of the compost mixture reached a low level (pH < 5), the addition increased pH to 5.8. This had a positive effect on the degradation of organic materials i.e. the formation of methane gas compared to the results without NaoAc addition.

The results also proved that anaerobic-aerobic in-vessel composting could reduce the

Background/Objectives: The formulation development of Isotretinoin (ISN) is limited by its solubility and stability issues. This study aimed to characterise the BCS class II drug ISN, particularly the possible different solid state and formulate amorphous solid dispersion aiming for a supersaturation state. Methods: ISN’s physical states are investigated in its raw form, quench-cooled form, physical mixture with the polymer and corresponding solid dispersion form. Quench-cooled ISN was prepared in situ using DSC. Carrier stabilisation of ISN was attempted using the solid dispersion technique. Hereby, the solid dispersion of drug-polymer PVPVA at a ratio of 1:3 was prepared using the solvent evaporation method. Solid dispersion, ph