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Showing 16 results for Nain


Volume 0, Issue 0 (ARTICLES IN PRESS 2024)
Abstract

Entrepreneurship is vital for driving innovation, economic development, and sustainability in the agricultural sector, empowering farmers, and ensuring food security. Successful promotion of agri-entrepreneurship demands a nuanced approach that considers both the personal traits of entrepreneurs and the institutional factors. This study employed linear regression analysis and principal component analysis to examine the determinants of entrepreneurial success and identify factors contributing to effective interventions across three distinct entrepreneurial categories i.e., farm-based, off-farm based, and service/tech entrepreneurs. Data was gathered through structured interviews involving two hundred agri-entrepreneurs in Rajasthan and Telangana states. The regression analysis revealed that diverse psycho-personal and socioeconomic variables like marital status, income levels, and achievement motivation were of significant influence. The principal component analysis provided valuable insights into the institutional factors underpinning effective entrepreneurship promotion interventions. Technical factors like tailored project support, financial enablers including government funding and tax incentives, and robust implementation mechanisms involving stakeholder collaboration were highlighted. Operational elements such as; training institute-industry-market-entrepreneur linkages, administrative commitments, and policy consistency, collectively shaped intervention effectiveness across the entrepreneurial ecosystems. This comprehensive examination of individual and institutional determinants offered a holistic perspective on fostering successful agri-enterprises, emphasizing the need for contextualized approaches that align personal attributes with tailored institutional interventions.

Volume 2, Issue 3 (fall 2022)
Abstract

problem statement: Common values ​​between residents and citizens of a neighborhood are fundamental in having a collective and common mentality. The emergence of common values ​​in the neighborhood depends on several factors. One of the qualities and concepts that significantly impact these common values ​​is the spatial differentiation of the neighborhood. This article aims to investigate the effect of the degree of spatial differentiation of neighborhoods on the formation of common values ​​among citizens.
Method: This research has been done using a survey and based on field studies in the neighborhood of Ahvaz city and based on the opinions of 663 residents of selected neighborhoods.
Findings: Many of the city's problems and ills are caused by a lack of shared values ​​and collective mentality and understanding. Neighborhoods with unique characteristics, distinctiveness, and different spatial distinctions can provide many qualities. Shared values ​​lead to a shared understanding of the neighborhood, enhance collective and shared experiences, and thus add to neighborhood quality and urban quality.
Conclusion: The results show that the spatial differentiation of neighborhoods significantly leads to the formation and promotion of common and collective values ​​among citizens. Moreover, the distinction of physical appearance and neighborhood identification are among the most critical factors.

Volume 9, Issue 4 (Fall 2018)
Abstract

Aims: In nanoecotoxicology science, fish erythrocyte micronucleus assay for the monitoring genotoxic potential of nanoparticles is a powerful biomarker. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating genotoxicity of magnetic iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles in red blood cells of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) using micronucleus assay under acute and chronic treatment. Materials and Methods: In the current experimental study, the genotoxit toxicology of Fe3O4 nanoparticles was performed during an acute (96 hours; 5 concentrations including 0, 10, 100, 500, and 1000 mg/l) and chronic (14 days; 3 concentrations including 0, 100, and 500 mg/l) of Fe3O4 nanoparticles in three replications. The data were analyzed by IBM SPSS 19, using two-way ANOVA, and Duncan's new multiple range test.
Findings: Acute exposure to Fe3O4 nanoparticles had no acute toxicity effect juvenile carp (C. carpio). By increasing the concentration of nanoparticles in a 96-hour interval, the frequency of micronucleus () and other abnormal forms around the red blood cell nucleus of juvenile carps showed a significant increase compared to the control group (p<0.05). In the chronic treatment at concentrations of 100 and 500 mg/l of Fe3O4 nanoparticles, the rate of increase in the frequency of micronucleus was similar to the acute functional test of concentration.
Conclusion: Although Fe3O4 nanoparticles do not have acute toxicity effects in common carp and are non-toxic, they tend to induce genotoxic effects by increasing the frequency of micronucleus and other abnormalities of the red blood cell core during a concentration-dependent process. So, it seems that the release of FeO4NPs into the environment, it is probable adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems.


Volume 10, Issue 4 (Fall 2022)
Abstract

Aims: The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the global economy as well as the healthcare delivery systems. Without effective treatment and vaccines in the earlier phase of the pandemic, the public needs to engage in precautionary behaviors and disease surveillance and response at the policy level. This study aimed to describe the knowledge, attitude, and practice toward COVID-19 among the residents in Sabah, Malaysia.
Instruments & Methods: An online cross-sectional study was conducted using convenience sampling from March to April 2020. The chi-square test and multiple logistic regression were used to examine the association factors of knowledge, attitude, and practice towards the COVID-19 pandemic.
Findings: A total of 536 participants completed the questionnaire. The mean knowledge score was 10.1±1.2, and 84.2% had a correct rate of knowledge. The attitude towards the final success in controlling COVID-19 was significantly different in age groups, marital status, and occupation types (p<0.05). Those with higher knowledge scores were more likely to agree with the confidence of the final success in controlling COVID-19. 94.4% were confident that Malaysia will win the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. People in government sectors were 6.19 times more likely to wear masks than unemployed respondents.
Conclusion: The level of knowledge of the residents in Sabah, Malaysia, about COVID-19 is quite satisfactory. Meanwhile, attitudes and practices towards COVID-19 differ according to the socio-demography of the population in Sabah.
 

Volume 13, Issue 1 (Winter 2025)
Abstract

Aims: Excessive water extraction, inefficient management, climate change, and population growth have created significant global water supply challenges, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions such as Iran. Rainwater Harvesting Systems (RWHS) have emerged as an effective water management strategy. This study investigates the role of rainwater harvesting in fulfilling the water needs of dairy cattle and broiler chicken units in Gorgan County, Golestan Province.
Methods: This research analyzes annual precipitation levels, roof surface areas, and water requirements of livestock and poultry. It also evaluates the compatibility of collected rainwater with physical, chemical, and microbiological standards recommended by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL).
Findings: Rainwater harvesting can meet 87.07% of annual water requirements in broiler chicken facilities, equivalent to 214,711 m3. y-1, demonstrating significant potential to reduce dependency on alternative sources. In contrast, this percentage is only 1.05% for dairy cattle units, equivalent to 13,432 m3. y-1, due to their higher water consumption. The analysis of rainwater quality shows compliance with BMEL standards, indicating favorable water quality.
Conclusion: Rainwater harvesting effectively manages water resources in livestock and poultry farming, particularly in the poultry sector. These findings inform sustainable solutions for water scarcity challenges and highlight the potential of alternative water collection methods to alleviate resource pressures, especially in environmentally and agriculturally constrained regions. The study provides valuable insights for strategic water planning and sustainable agricultural development, emphasizing the varying efficiencies across farming sectors. 



Volume 15, Issue 5 (9-2013)
Abstract

Transgene integration and expression in host plant is quite unpredictable and is considered as the major problem in plant transformation. The variation in transgene copy number in transgenic plants influences the expression level and is one of such complication. In many plant species, the analysis of transgenic plants has shown that independent transgenic plants have one to many copies of transgenes. This study focused on molecular characterization of difference in copy number of transgenes and its impact on expression level on mRNA basis. Four advanced transgenic lines of phytochrome B were analyzed for the integration of the gene. These transgenic lines were taken out on the basis of difference in copy number as determined by Southern blot analysis and Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for transgene expression. Results taken by both real time PCR and Northern blot analysis determined high expression in Line QCC11 having two copies of transgenes in homozygous condition while the least expression was seen in lines QCC10 showing three copy number in heterozygous condition as multiple copies can be incorporated from one to few insertion sites.

Volume 15, Issue 11 (1-2016)
Abstract

In this paper, an explicit optimal line-of-sight guidance law for second-order binomial control systems is derived in closed-loop without acceleration limit. The problem geometry is assumed in one dimension and the final time and final position are fixed. The formulation is normalized in three forms to give more insight into the design and performance analysis of the guidance law. The computational burdun of the guidance law is reasonable for now-a-day microprocessors; however curve fitting or look-up table may be used for the implementation of the second-order optimal guidance law. The performance of the second-order optimal guidance law is compared in normalized forms with zero-lag and first-order optimal guidance laws using third-, fourth-, and sixth-order binomial control systems with/without acceleration limit. Moreover, the effect of the final time, the equivalent time constant of the vehicle control system, the vehicle-to-target line-of-sight weighting factor in cost function, and acceleration limit are investigated. Normalized miss distance analysis shows that the miss distance of the second-order guidance law is smaller than the two mentioned schemes for small total flight times, especially with large maneuvering capability.

Volume 16, Issue 4 (6-2016)
Abstract

In this paper, an approximate solution of zero-effort-miss distance in spherical earth model is obtained in Earth-centered inertial (ECI) coordinates. In this approach, the gravitational acceleration is assumed to be inversely proportional to the cubic distance of space vehicle from the earth center. The present solution gives an explicit formula in terms of initial conditions and flight time. Moreover, the piecewise solution, i.e., the connection of solutions, is utilized in order to increase the accuracy of the algorithm. For this propose, the total flight time is divided into several interval using middle points. In each interval, the gravitational acceleration is taken to be inversely proportional to the cubic distance, but the correction constant is updated for each interval. The accuracy of the proposed method and its computational burden are calculated for various numbers of time intervals. For comparison purpose, the piecewise solution is also applied to the linear gravity approximation. The simulation results and calculation of computational burden show that the presented method has better accuracy than linear solution in ECI reference and linearized solution for relative motion with the same computational burden.

Volume 16, Issue 7 (9-2016)
Abstract

In this paper, an explicit formulation of optimal line-of-sight strategy is derived in closed-loop for integrated guidance and control (IGC) system without consideration of fin deflection limit. The airframe dynamics is modeled by a second-order nonminimum phase transfer function, describing short period approximation. In the derivation of our optimal control problem, the actuator is assumed to be perfect and without limitation on fin deflection, whereas fin deflection limit is applied for the performance analysis of the presented optimal IGC solution. The problem geometry is assumed in one dimension and the final position and final time are fixed. The formulation is obtained in four different normalized forms to give more insight into the design and performance analysis of the optimal IGC strategy. In addition, guidance gains are obtained analytically in explicit form for steady-state solution. In overall, the performance of IGC is better than that of IGC with steady-state gains, but have more computational burden; however, it is reasonable for now-a-day microprocessors. Curve fitting or look-up table may be used instead for an implementation of optimal IGC strategy. Moreover, parametric study of nondimensional IGC parameters is carried out, such as weighing factor, dc gain, and short period frequency. Finally, the performance of the both IGC strategies is evaluated with airframe model uncertainties.

Volume 16, Issue 8 (10-2016)
Abstract

In this paper, the performance of a single-axis attitude control with pulse-width pulse-frequency (PWPF) modulation is enhanced using a modified proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller for a rigid satellite with on-off thruster actuators. For this purpose, the well-known observer-based PID approach is utilized. The on-off thruster actuator is modeled with a constant delay followed by a second-order binomial transfer function. The modulator update frequency is limited to 40 Hz as an input to the on-off thruster actuators. In this study, the design criteria of pointing accuracy, overshoot of the attitude response, fuel consumption, and the number of thruster firings are considered for a step external disturbance (with different values). The parameters of the observer-based PID controller are tuned using parametric search method. Simulation results show that the fuel consumption and settling time of the observer-based approach are considerably decreased with respect to those of PID controller with PWPF modulator. Moreover, the overshoot of the observer-based approach is omitted. Finally, the robustness of the observer-based modified PID controller is investigated in presence of uncertainties in satellite moment of inertia and thrust level of on-off actuators.

Volume 16, Issue 12 (2-2017)
Abstract

In this paper, the preferred regions of pulse-width pulse-frequency (PWPF) modulator parameters are obtained based on zero-input, static, and dynamic analysis in the presence of sensor noise as an input noise to PWPF modulator. The design parameters are reduced to 3 by using the quasi-normalized equations of PWPF modulator. Therefore, the results are applicable for grouped parameters, regardless of the value of each parameter, separately. Moreover, the computational burden is highly decreased, especially in a statistical analysis. The input noise of the modulator is constructed by a low pass filter driven by a white Gaussian noise. The fuel consumption and number of thruster firings are considered as performance indices. The modulator output frequency is also limited to 50 Hz. The preferred regions of quasi-normalized system are extracted based on eliminating the upper 30% (and 10%) of the plotted graphs for the above-mentioned performance indices. Finally, the preferred regions can simply be viewed in our resulting curves, i.e., normalized hysteresis plotted versus normalized PWPF on-threshold for different values of modulator time constant. Each of these curves is plotted for a specified value of input noise power spectral density.

Volume 17, Issue 2 (3-2015)
Abstract

Manipulation of different genes in crop plants to get desirable characters has become an important tool of plant biotechnology. In the current study, cotton variety MNH-786 was modified for its characteristics to show resistance against lepidopteran insects and herbicide by transformation of Cry1Ac+Cry2A and GTGene cloned in a different cassette under 35S Promoter. Mature embryos of cotton MNH-786 were injured by a sharp blade at the shoot apex and infected with the Agrobacterim tumefaciens harboring transgene constructs. Transformed cotton plants were successfully acclimatized in pots and later the green house. Gene specific PCR and ELISA confirmed the transgene presence and its protein expression which was considerably higher in transformed plants. Overall transformation efficiency was 1.05%. All larvae of Helicoverpa armigera feeding on transgenic cotton leaves of T0 were found dead as compared to the control ones feeding on leaves from non-transgenic cotton. Transgenic plants also survived a glyphosate spray dose of 1,900 ml acre-1 as compared to herbs/weeds growing along with them, which burned completely five days post glyphosate application.

Volume 17, Issue 12 (2-2018)
Abstract

Various studies on cars aerodynamics focusing on the Ahmed body model as a standard and simplified shape of a road vehicle have been carried out in recent years. In this paper plasma actuator as an active flow control method has been employed to control flow around the rear part of an Ahmed body with the rear slant angle of 25°. Experiments performed in a wind tunnel in free stream velocity of U=10m/s using steady and unsteady plasma actuator excitations. Pressure distribution on the rear part was measured by 52 sensors, and also total drag force was extracted by a load cell. More over smoke flow visualization was carried out to determine the flow pattern around the body. The results showed that employing plasma actuator not only has an effective influence on pressure distribution on the rear slant surface, but also reduces total drag force in steady and unsteady excitations 7.3% and 5%, respectively. As a result, based on flow visualization and pressure distribution tests, plasma actuator in steady state actuation, could distract D-shape vortices and suppress the separated flow over the rear slant.

Volume 22, Issue 1 (1-2020)
Abstract

The pomegranate Punicagranatum fruit pericarp, contain polyphenolic compounds including alpha and beta punicalagins and ellagic acid, which exhibit remarkable antioxidant activities. The aim of this study was to purify and quantify the phenolic components from different varieties of Pomegranate Pericarp Extracts (PPEs) and determine their antioxidant properties. Methanolic and aqueous extracts of four pomegranate cultivars (Shahvar, Siahsorfeh, Torshsabz and Abdorahimkhany, from Shiraz, Iran) were prepared and total phenolic content of PPEs was determined. PPE components were further purified by XAD-16 column chromatography followed by LH-20 gel filtration. The eluted components were subjected to HPLC analysis to differentiate and quantify polyphenolic compounds. Antioxidant activity was measured using DPPH assay. The result revealed significant difference in total phenolic contents and phenolic components in four cultivars. Total phenolic content in methanolic PPE was significantly (P< 0.05) higher than aqueous extracts. Shahvar cultivar had the highest total phenols (11.72±0.01 mg mL-1 in water, 17.7±0.12 mg mL-1 in methanol) and exhibited the most antioxidant property among cultivars. Analysis of components of Shahvar PPE by HPLC showed that proportions of different phenolic components were alpha punicalagin (28.34±2.12%), beta punicalagin (39.75±2.14%) and ellagic acid (3.49±0.93%). Antioxidant activity of alpha punicalagin, beta punicalagin, punicalagin (sum of alpha+beta) and ellagic acid was 50.8, 60.5, 56, and 27%, respectively. Taken together, these results indicate that PPE of Shahvar cultivar is an excellent source of natural antioxidants and can potentially replace the current synthetic antioxidants in food and pharmaceutical industries.
 

Volume 22, Issue 6 (11-2020)
Abstract

Genetic manipulation to get desirable characters in cash crops like cotton remains the prime objective of crop biotechnology. To produce transgenic plants resistant against bollworms, newly emerged embryos of MNH-786 cotton variety were transformed with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA4404 harboring the plasmid pKHG4 vector containing Cry1Ac+Cry2A genes under the control of CaMV35S promoter. The integration and expression of these genes were evaluated by PCR, Florescent In-Situ Hybridization (FISH), and ELISA, respectively. Out of 700 putative transgenic cotton plants, 10 plants (1.03% transformation efficiency) showed the presence of genes Cry1Ac+Cry2A through PCR analysis. In vitro, insect feeding bioassay was done for estimation of mortality percentage of Helicoverpa armigera. Insect mortality rate and morphological characteristics of Bt cotton were analyzed by phenotypic correlation, path coefficient regression and covariance to evaluate the advantage of transgenic technology in numerical terms. Statistical analysis indicated significant positive correlation between insect mortality and cotton seed yield. Helicoverpa armigera mortality data produced a directly proportional relation with cotton seed yield. The results of this study support the improvement of cotton defense mechanism against insects and natural competitors through genetic modification.


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