Archives-June...  

Thirty-two male male Large White weanling pigs of 8-9 weeks of age averaging 7.50 + 0.36kg were used to evaluate the effect of dietary copper on fertility of pubertal sows. The animals were randomly assigned in a Completely Randomized Design experiment to 4 diets containing 0, 100, 200 and 300ppm Cu/kg constituting the control(diet 1), diets 2, 3 and 4 respectively, in a 6-month feeding trial such that each treatment had 8 animals. The feeding trial was divided into 3 physiological phases [weanling (starter), pre-pubertal (grower) and pubertal (finisher)]. At the end of the feeding trial, 4 treated boars selected at random from each treatment were mated to 8 gilts (i.e. 1 boar to 2 gilts) following the gilts’ synchronization to determine the fertility rate of the boars. The mated gilts were sacrificed at the end of the 1st trimester and their uteri cut open longitudinally to check for conception, count the number of embryos therein and the embryo survival rate determined. The results showed significant (p<0.05) difference on fertility parameters assessed except foetal crown-rump length and litter weight. The conception rate tended to be constant across the treatment except for treatment 3 with 75%. The study revealed that male weanling pigs for breeding can be fed dietary Cu of between 100-300ppm for optimum reproductive performance.

This study aimed to assess how markets affect smallholders’ decision-making about their arecanut, pepper and banana smallholders cropping systems in Sri Lanka. An economic assessment of the markets available for different crops was made using data obtained from a market survey and village study. Study found that farmers selected different crops based on market accessibility. Majority of farmers reluctant to grow banana as smallholdings in Pannila, whilst it was a popular choice on smallholdings in Pallekiruwa . Farmers faced high risk with perishables as their price variation was higher than that of storable crops. Study recommend to improve the market infrastructure for enabling farmers’ income.

Contract farming which was virtually unknown in the poultry sector half a century ago, has proliferated rapidly. The growth of poultry sector in India was also marked by an increase in the size of poultry farm. Like wise, the practice of integration or contract farming caught up the imagination of the people in the rural areas also. A study was conducted to know the reasons for preference towards contract broiler farming among 200 broiler farmers in Coimbatore and Erode districts. Conventional analysis like mean and percentages were used for the study. The results showed that, except for the chick quality the respondents were contented with all the inputs supplied.

The study of this paper is to estimate the impact of specific knowledge management resources (i.e. knowledge management enablers and processes) on organizational performance. The purpose of this study uses survey data from 189 managers and structural equation modelling to assess the links between specific knowledge management resources and organizational performance. The solution show that some knowledge resources (e.g. Organizational structure, knowledge application) are directly related to organizational performance, while others (e.g. technology, knowledge conversion), though important preconditions for knowledge management, are not directly related to organizational performance. The survey findings were based on a single dataset, so the same observations may not apply to other settings. The survey also did not provide in-depth insight into the key capabilities of individual firms and the circumstances under which some resources are directly related to organizational performance. The study provides to testify linking particular knowledge resources to organizational performance. Such insights can help firms’ better objective their investments and enhance the success of their knowledge management initiatives. Prior research often utilizes composite measures when examining the knowledge management-organizational performance link. This bundling of the dimensions of knowledge management allows managers and researchers to focus on main effects but leaves little room for understanding how particular resources relate to organizational performance. This study addresses this gap by assessing the links between specific knowledge management resources and organizational performance. The results show that some resources are directly related to organizational performance, while others are not.

Table of contents for the month of January 2011

Table of contents for the month of January 2019

A numerical study of viscoelastic buoyancy-driven unsteady natural convection boundary layer flow past a vertical cone embedded in a non-Darcian isotropic porous regime with transverse magnetic field applied normal to the surface is considered. The heat and mass flux at the surface of the cone is modeled as a power-law according to and respectively, where x denotes the coordinate along the slant face of the cone. Both Darcian drag and Forchheimer quadratic porous impedance are incorporated into the two-dimensional viscous flow model. The transient boundary layer equations are then non-dimensionalized and solved by the Crank-Nicolson implicit difference method. The velocity, temperature and concentration fields have been studied for the effect of Grashof number, Darcy number, Forchheimer number, Prandtl number, surface heat flux power-law exponent (m), surface mass flux power-law exponent (n), Schmidt number, buoyancy ratio parameter and semi-vertical angle of the cone. Present results for selected variables for the purely fluid regime are compared with the non-porous study by Hossain and Paul [9] and are found to be in excellent agreement. The local skin friction, Nusselt number and Sherwood number are also analyzed graphically. The study finds important applications in geophysical heat transfer, industrial manufacturing processes and hybrid solar energy systems.

chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome is a prevalent urological disorder among men of all ages. Risk factors include conditions that facilitate introduction of bacteria into the urethra and prostate,Patients with chronic prostatitis/pelvic pain syndrome typically report genital or pelvic pain (in or around the penis, perineum, scrotum) lasting > 3 months. Treatment remains controversial and not consensual, the purpose of this article is to remind different therapeutic options available trough a literature review.

Migration is caused by a push from behind and/or a pull from an appealing prospect in front. The combination of push and pull factors and research into which specific determinants play a significant role in migration patterns has received a lot of attention in the empirical literature. Immigration is the main demographic factor and the government is supposed to have the ability to control its size and skill composition. In high income countries natural population growth nowadays is low (or negative) and overall population growth is mostly driven by immigration. A statistically significant role of migration in affecting the tax rate is found after controlling for income inequality and for several social and demographic variables that would be expected to reflect the government’s revenue needs and thus determine the tax rate. The aim of the present study is to examine if and how much the amount of public expenditures on social services has been affected by the migration among some Middle East countries over 1990-2007. JEL classification: H24, H75, J4.

We are very happy to announce that from 13th December 2018, Mr. Abhisek Shrestha has joined the team of Elixir Editorial Advisory Board. He/She will carry a special responsibility for dealing with manuscripts based on Agriculture. The appointment of Mr. Abhisek Shrestha as member, Editorial Advisory Board strengthens the links and will make it easier for prospective authors to establish contact with the journal.