Archives-January 2013

Field evaluation to measuring combine losses was conducted typically on seed corn field because of high economic importance of seed corn in Iran. Because seed corn is alive, harvesting operation should be done precisely with fewer losses. For this purpose data were collected and analyzed for different cylinder and ground speeds. Pre-harvest, gathering, and processing losses were measured. The results showed the total harvesting loss was 9.30% which combine loss was almost 8.56% with feeding rate of 2.48 kg ears per second. The highest losses occur in processing (threshing) (5.39%) because of elimination all cracked seeds (any crack in seeds decrease the seed generation power). The effect of travel speed was significant for gathering and threshing (quality) losses while cylinder speed had a significant effect on threshing (quality and quantity) losses. The lowest total combine loss (7.60%) was measured at 3 km h-1 ground speed with 400 rpm cylinder speed and the highest value (7.19%) belonged to 5 km h-1 ground speed with 600 rpm cylinder speed. Energy consumption during harvesting seed corn was calculated 1.8 GJ ha-1 which the diesel fuel input was the highest energy consumer with almost 1.2 GJ ha-1 that was 70% of total energy use.

This moisture level detector has two alternative power sources (3W, 11.5V solar panel and 9V battery) which supply voltages to the system and then regulated by a 7805IC voltage regulator to 5V required by a programmable hardware (microcontroller) with embedded analog digital converter (ADC). The microcontroller receives information from the probe (sensor) inserted into the soil, processes the information and displays the output on a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) within few seconds. The moisture contents of four soil samples A, B, C and D (respectively clay soil, loamy soil, sandy soil and silt soil) obtained from different locations were determined using this detector. Samples A, B, C and D respectively showed moisture percentages of 85%, 71%, 43% and 21%. From the obtained results, sample A showed that the moisture level is above average, sample B showed that the moisture level is just average, sample C and D showed that the moisture levels are respectively below average and poor. From the obtained result, clay soil retained more water than other soil samples due to its high water holding capacity. The moisture level detector performed at an efficiency of 85%.

In this world of technology and scientific development, there has been great need to intensify researches on the development of security alarming systems in our agricultural farms and farmsteads. The pressure mat auto-light (PMAL) security control system is a sensory device consisting of two separate sensory units (Pressure Mat (PM) unit and Auto-Light (AL) unit) integrated into an efficient single sensory security system. It is designed and constructed with mat transmitter (MT) under a foot mat signaler receiver (FMSR) 12V, 223A buzzer, light emitting diode (LED), integrated circuit (IC), transistor (L8050), LM358N op-amp, a 2-1.5V battery, and resistors of 0.5? and 4.5? served as signaler receiver (SR), Light Dependent Resistor (LDR), a relay of 1000mA, 1000W/12V power transformation and power source of 220V to 240V. Efficiency of 70%, 95.8% and 90% for the frequency of loop gain , transmitter ( ) and receiver ( ) circuits respectively showed reliability of the PMAL designed and constructed. From evaluation and testing of the device, the receiver can sense any pressure or weight upon the triggering spring at a distance 150m away from its area of installation, within which the buzzer beeps (sounds out), signaling wave presence in the receiver unit, thereby alerting the presence of intruder(s) in farmstead(s) and thus automatically shut-close the farmstead with the aid of a LDR, so that wild animals such as fox, jackals, wolfs etc will be kept away from fields of forest nursery and confined animals.

Proximate, amino acids and fatty acids compositions of the leaves, stem and root were determined in Moringa oleifera. The proximate composition was determined in fresh samples while other parameters were determined on dry weight basis. Both crude protein and total ash followed the trend of (g/100 g): leaves > root > stem but the soluble carbohydrate had a trend of root > stem > leaves. Leaves had the highest level of total amino acids (76.4 g/100 g) and followed by the root (70.9 g/100 g) while stem had 65.4 g/100 g. For the EAA, it was 35.4 g/100 g (leaves) > 28.4 g/100 g (root) > 26.3 g/100 g (stem). The total sulphur amino acid was generally low at 2.81-3.06 g/100 g but the % Cys in TSAA was slightly high at 48.5-51.6 %. In the amino acids scores, the following amino acids had scores greater than 1.0 in comparison with whole hen’s egg: Gly (1.56-1.97), Glu (1.15-1.28), and Cys (1.14-1.16) whereas Met was the limiting amino acid in each of the three samples with values of 0.31 (leaves), 0.23 (stem) and 0.30 (root); in the pre-school children requirements, these amino acids had scores greater than 1.0: Met + Cys (1.12-1.22), Phe + Tyr (1.04-1.11) and His (1.02-1.08) whereas Lys was the limiting amino acid with values of 0.57 (leaves), 0.64 (stem) and 0.63 (root); on the provisional amino acid scoring pattern, only Phe + Tyr had scores greater than 1.0: Phe + Tyr (1.17, leaves), 1.09 (stem) and 1.10 (root), Val was the limiting amino acid here: 0.63 (leaves), 0.62 (stem) and 0.69 (root). P-PER had values of 1.60-1.72 and EAAI had values of 0.86-0.93. The samples were basically acidic with pI values of 5.4 to 5.8. The most concentrated fatty acid was SFA with values of (%): 97.5 (stem) > 58.0 (leaves) > 53.8 (root). Predominant MUFA was in root with a trend of (%): 38.7 (root) > 4.61 (leaves) > 1.00 (stem) and in PUFA, trend was 37.4 (leaves) > 7.54 (root) > 1.20 (stem). Under the fatty acid parameters, leaves were best in 4/6 (66.7 %) in EPSI, PUFA, PUFA/SFA and MUFA + PUFA whereas root was best in 2/6 (33.3 %) in LA/ALA and MUFA/SFA.

The levels of fatty acids, phospholipids and sterols were determined in the testes of bulls, bucks (goats) and African giant pouch rats found in Nigeria. Results showed testes weights variations were (gram wet weight): 48.6-48.5 (bulls); 23.4-23.5 (bucks); 5.72-6.04 (African giant pouch rats). Crude fat range was 2.65-3.00 g/100 g dry weight; SFA varied from 27.0-48.0 % of total fatty acids; total unsaturated fatty acids varied from 52.0-73.0 %; PUFA range was 13.2-15.3 %; PUFA/SFA range was 0.274-0.565; MUFA/SFA range was 0.810-2.13; AA/DGLA range was 18.8-74.5; LA/ALA range was 2.81-19.1 whereas n-6/n-3 range was 4.38-10.4 and EPSI (PUFA/MUFA) range was 0.265-0.370. In the phospholipids, lecithin (phosphatidylcholine) was highest in all the samples with values of 236-307 mg/100 g or 44.7-45.7 %. Among the sterols only cholesterol was of any significant level with values of 260-378 mg/100 g or 99.992-99.994 %. Chi-square (X2) analysis showed that SFA, AA/DGLA and LA/ALA were significantly different among the samples. In phospholipids, the following parameters were signicantly different among the samples: Cephalin, Lecithin, Ptd-L-Ser (PS) whereas all phospholipid parameters were significantly different among themselves in the bulls, bucks and the African giant pouch rats. Cholesterol was also significantly different among the samples.

Almost all of us received our income either in the form of salary or profit through business activities. However we must always bear in mind that we cannot work or conduct our business activity for our entire life and there will be a point where we have to stop or retire. Thus it is very important for us to have a proper financial planning. Financial planning is most commonly associated with the main goal of achieving financial freedom which is achievable with a proper investment planning. Some people thought saving and investing are the same things. Nevertheless, each requires a different approach and a different way of judgment and consideration. Saving is usually associated with low risk, low return and sometimes a short term goal. Saving is simply putting aside some of our disposable income for a temporary period of time prior to achieving actual long term goal setting. Saving is a conservative outlay approach, taking very little risk with our money. A bank account or cash management trust is usually sufficient to reach the savings goal.

Concentrations of eight heavy metals: Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined and used to evaluate the heavy metal pollution index (HPI) adopting two different approaches. In the first instant heavy metals that were not detected by the instrument is assigned zero concentration. In the second instance, these heavy metals were assigned the limit of detection of the instrument as if they were present to that extent. The two approaches used in the computation of HPI for the groundwater based on the mean concentrations of the selected heavy metals and the limit of detection of the instrument gave similar results. The HPI of the groundwater was generally below the critical value of 100 with the exception of one point which has an overcritical HPI value of 102.97.

The aim of this study was to determine the types and levels of organochlorine pesticide residues in the breast milk of some first birth mothers in Ada, a rural community in the greater Accra region of Ghana. Liquid-liquid extraction procedure was employed and extract clean-up was done using silica gel solid phase extraction. Thirteen different organochlorine pesticides residues namely p,p’-DDT, p,p’-DDE, gamma-HCH, delta-HCH, heptachlor, aldrin, endrin, endrin-ketone, alpha-endosulphan, endosulphan-sulphate, gamma-chlordane, dieldrin, and methoxychlor were identified and quantified in the individual breast milk samples using a Gas Chromatograph (GC) with an Electron Capture detector. The GC recoveries of spiked samples were between 89 to 97%. Gamma-HCH recorded the highest incident ratio of 95.2% and p, p’-DDE, endosulphan sulphate, delta-HCH and dieldrin also recorded incidence ratios of 90.5%, 81.0%, 66.7% and 57.1% respectively in the twenty-one individual human breast milk samples. The mean concentrations of organochlorine pesticide residues in the human breast milk samples ranged from 0.682 to 63.803 µg/kg fats. Endosulphan-sulphate recorded the highest concentration of 63.803 µg/kg fats which is about three times greater than the Australian Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) of 20 µg/kg for milk. The mean concentrations for all the other organochlorines detected were below their respective maximum residue limits.

Nowadays, due to global competition the growing, e-commerce is faced with increasingly complex challenges. E-commerce has been greatly influenced by online advertising sites. Online advertising is a form of promotion that uses the Internet and World Wide Web for the expressed purpose of delivering marketing messages to attract customers. However, the question is, do the IT managements know how to choose the best advertising site to introduce products and services? To answer this, it is necessary to recognize influential factors on choosing the best advertising site and current competition position based on agile capabilities. They have to, because managers cannot expect to find the method to achieve this goal, if they don’t have accurate data about the ranking of advertising sites. The goal of this paper is identify of agile capabilities and ranking advertisement sites by presenting a model based on the knowledge of multi criteria decision making. After determining criteria, weight devoting was performed by using the expert's views in the IT departments. Ultimately, ranking of advertisement sites was done by applying the algorithm of PROMETHEE .

John Bunyan's The Pilgrim’s Progress, is one of the most important religious texts ever written in English. There are several important factors that have made for the perfect and excellent structure of this seventeenth century work of English literature. What follows is an attempt to analyze these elements in detail in order to find how such a masterpiece has been created and why it has gained such importance in realm of religious writings that has been given the title of Second Bible.