• Title/Summary/Keyword: Semi-Arid

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Brazing Adhesion Properties of Ag Coated W-Ag Electric Contact on the Cu Substrate (Ag 코팅한 W-Ag 전기접점/Cu 모재간의 브레이징 접합 특성)

  • Kang Hyun-Goo;Kang Yun-Sung;Lee Jai-Sung
    • Journal of Powder Materials
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    • v.13 no.1 s.54
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    • pp.18-24
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    • 2006
  • The brazing adhesion properties of Ag coated W-Ag electric contact on the Cu substrate have been investigated in therms of microstructure, phase equilibrium and adhesion strength. Precoating of Ag layer ($3{\mu}m$ in thickness) on the $W-40\%Ag$ contact material was done by electro-plating method. Subsequently the brazing treatment was conducted by inserting BCuP-5 filler metal (Ag-Cu-P alloy) layer between Ag coated W-Ag and Cu substrate and annealing at $710^{\circ}C$ in $H_2$ atmosphere. The optimum brazing temperature of $710^{\circ}C$ was semi-empirically calculated on the basis of the Cu atomic diffusion profile in Ag layer of commercial electric contact produced by the same brazing process. As a mechanical test of the electric contact after brazing treatment the adhesion strength between the electric contact and Cu substrate was measured using Instron. The microstructure and phase equilibrium study revealed that the sound interlayer structure was formed by relatively low brazing treatment at $710^{\circ}C$. Thin Ag electro-plated layer precoated on the electric contact ($3{\mu}m$ in thickness) is thought to be enough for high adhesion strength arid sound microstructure in interface layer.

Present and Future of Agricultural Extension System in Uganda (우간다 농촌지도사업의 현재와 미래)

  • Oumo, Florence Imaikorit;Cho, Gyoung-Rae
    • Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
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    • v.21 no.1
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    • pp.245-272
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    • 2014
  • This study aims to explore the present and future of agricultural extension system in Uganda. Though Uganda has used many approaches in its agricultural extension, very little has been registered in farm productivity and profitability. Too many reforms some of them some are top-down while others are bottom - up. In most cases these reforms may not be given a chance to develop to show their impact. Future success of agricultural extension and rural development efforts in Uganda will depend not only on the presence of technical expertise and availability of resources but also on each government's willingness to redefine the role of its institutions and to allow the active participation of rural people in formulating and implementing and agricultural extension and rural development programs. As result the public extension systems in Uganda needs to be demand-driven so to make it relevant and important to the beneficiary.

Modeling the potential climate change-induced impacts on future genus Rhipicephalus (Acari: Ixodidae) tick distribution in semi-arid areas of Raya Azebo district, Northern Ethiopia

  • Hadgu, Meseret;Menghistu, Habtamu Taddele;Girma, Atkilt;Abrha, Haftu;Hagos, Haftom
    • Journal of Ecology and Environment
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    • v.43 no.4
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    • pp.427-437
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    • 2019
  • Background: Climate change is believed to be continuously affecting ticks by influencing their habitat suitability. However, we attempted to model the climate change-induced impacts on future genus Rhipicephalus distribution considering the major environmental factors that would influence the tick. Therefore, 50 tick occuance points were taken to model the potential distribution using maximum entropy (MaxEnt) software and 19 climatic variables, taking into account the ability for future climatic change under representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5, were used. Results: MaxEnt model performance was tested and found with the AUC value of 0.99 which indicates excellent goodness-of-fit and predictive accuracy. Current models predict increased temperatures, both in the mid and end terms together with possible changes of other climatic factors like precipitation which may lead to higher tick-borne disease risks associated with expansion of the range of the targeted tick distribution. Distribution maps were constructed for the current, 2050, and 2070 for the two greenhouse gas scenarios and the most dramatic scenario; RCP 8.5 produced the highest increase probable distribution range. Conclusions: The future potential distribution of the genus Rhipicephalus show potential expansion to the new areas due to the future climatic suitability increase. These results indicate that the genus population of the targeted tick could emerge in areas in which they are currently lacking; increased incidence of tick-borne diseases poses further risk which can affect cattle production and productivity, thereby affecting the livelihood of smallholding farmers. Therefore, it is recommended to implement climate change adaptation practices to minimize the impacts.

Enhanced oxidative stability of meat by including tannin-rich leaves of woody plants in goat diet

  • Garcia, Elisa Mariana;Lopez, Agustin;Zimerman, Maria;Hernandez, Olegario;Arroquy, Jose Ignacio;Nazareno, Monica Azucena
    • Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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    • v.32 no.9
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    • pp.1439-1447
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    • 2019
  • Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary incorporation of tanninrich woody species on meat oxidative stability, carcass traits and meat quality in goats. Methods: Two tannin-rich species were tested using a three-treatments feeding trial, where treatments consisted of: Larrea divaricata and Acacia aroma both at 12.5% in dry matter basis of the diet and a control diet (alfalfa hay). All feeding diets were iso-protein and iso-energy. Carcass conformation, carcass compactness, carcass fatness and subcutaneous fat deposition were evaluated. Intake, liveweigh, Longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscles of goats were analyzed in order to evaluate quality parameters such as pH value, instrumental color evaluation, water holding capacity, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, meat oxidative stability and fatty acid profiles in meat. Results: Feed intake, liveweight gain, carcass, and meat traits did not differ among treatments. Changes in meat lipid profile among treatments were observed for oleic and elaidic acid contents. Meat total phenolic content and antioxidant activity did not differ among treatments; although, meat oxidative status after storage at room temperature, as well as under refrigerated and frozen conditions were different between control and both supplemented groups. Conclusion: The inclusion of Acacia aroma and Larrea divaricata leaves in goat diet enhanced meat oxidative stability. Modulation of the ruminal biohydrogenation of fatty acids produced by condensed tannins of these plant species need to be further investigated.

Transcriptome Profiling of Differentially Expressed Genes in Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) Under Salt Stress

  • Byeong Hee Kang;Woon Ji Kim;Sreepama Chowdhury;Chang Yeok Moon;Sehee Kang;Bo-Keun Ha
    • Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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    • 2022.10a
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    • pp.261-261
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    • 2022
  • Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp] is one of the most important grain legumes that enhance soil fertility and is well-adapted to various abiotic stress. Also, it is cultivated worldwide as a tropical annual crop, and the semi-arid regions are known as the main cowpea-produced regions. However, accumulation of soil salinity induced by low rainfall in these regions is reducing crop yields and quality. In general, plants exposed to soil salinity cause an accumulation of high ion chloride, which leads to the degradation of root and leaf proteins. In this study, we identified candidate genes associated with salinity tolerance through an analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in four cowpea germplasms with contrasting salinity tolerance. A total of 553,776,035 short reads were obtained using the Illumina Novaseq 6000 platform for RNA-Seq, which were subsequently aligned to the reference genome of cowpea Vunguiculata v1.2. A total of9,806 DEGs were identified between NaCl treatment and control of four cowpea germplasms. Among these DEGs, functions related to salt stress such as calcium transporter and cytochrome-450 family were associated with salt stress. In GO analysis and KEGG analysis, these DEGs were enriched in terms such as the "phosphorylation", ''extracellular region", and "ion binding". These RNA-seq results will improve the understanding of the salt tolerance of cowpea and can be used as useful basic data for molecular breeding technology in the future.

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Sandstone composition and Paleoclimate of cretaceous Jinju and Iljig Formations of the Western Euiseong Area in the northern Part of Kyongsang Basin (경상분지북부 의성서부지역 백악기 진주층.일직층의 사암성분 및 고기후)

  • 박진아;이용태;김상욱;고인석
    • The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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    • v.6 no.2
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    • pp.111-122
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    • 1997
  • Provenance type and paleoclimate of the Jinju and Iljig formation were studied on the basis of compositions of sandstones from the western Euiseong area in the northern part of Kyong-sang basin. The average compositions of quartz, feldspar and lithic grain(Q:F:L) from the sandstones are 53:40:7 and 50:46:4 for Jinju and Iljig formations, respectively. The values fall into the arkosic arenite field. Petrographic detrital modes of the sandstones mainly suggest transitional continental block for the tectonic setting of the provenance. All sandstones from the Jinju and IIjig formations show chemical compositions close to average values of arkose(Pettijohn, 1975). $Na_2O$ contents is relatively high. $Fe_2O_3$(total iron) and MgO contents decrease with increasing $SiO_2$ contents since the framework grains of arkoses supposed to be derived from granitic rocks are poor in ferromagnesian minerals. The detrital framework grains still possess climatic signs even though the grains were more or less altered during deep burial. Bivariant plot of Suttner and Dutta(1986) suggests semi-arid to semi-humid paleoclimate during the deposition of the Jinju and Iljig sandstones.

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Studies on the Desertification Combating and Sand Industry Development(I) - Present Status and Countermeasures for the Combating Desertification in China - (사막화방지(沙漠化防止) 및 방사기술개발(防沙技術開發)에 관한 연구(硏究)(I) - 중국(中國)의 사막화현황(沙漠化現況) 및 방지대책(防止對策) -)

  • Woo, Bo-Myeong;Lee, Kyung-Joon;Jeon, Gi-Seong;Kim, Kyung-Hoon;Choi, Hyung-Tae;Lee, Seung-Hyun;Lee, Byung-Kwon;Kim, So-Yeon;Lee, Sang-Ho;Jeon, Jeong-Ill
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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    • v.3 no.3
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    • pp.45-76
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    • 2000
  • The purposes of this study were to investigate and understand the present status of various types of "deserts", such as sand desert, gravel desert, rock desert, earth desert, salt desert, desert, rocky desert, gobi desert, sandy desert, clay desert, etc., and the general countermeasures for the combating "desertification" "desertization", and to develop the technologies on the revegetation and restoration for the combating desertification in China. The methods of this study were mainly composed of field surveys on the several experimental sites and research institutes related to combating desertification in China, and examinations on the various technologies for the combating desertification at the Daxing Experimental Station of Beijing Forestry University. The conclusion from this study may be summarized as follows; 1. Status and tendency of desertification in China : China is one of the countries seriously threatened by desertification. Desertification affected areas in China are mainly distributed in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas in China, covering the most regions of the Northeast China (eastern region of Inner-Mongolia), the northern part of the North China (middle and western region of Inner-Mongolia, Shaanxi, Ningsha, Gansu) and the western part of the Northwest China (Xinzang, Qinghai, Xizang). The total area affected by desertification in China is approximately 2.622 million $km^2$. It covers 27.3% of the total territory of China. Until recently, it is estimated that the annual spreading ratio of desertification in China is 2,460 $km^2$. Therefore, desertification is mostly serious problems facing to the Chinese people. 2. The causes and environmental effect of desertification : The desertification in China is mainly caused by compound factors, including natural condition and human activities. In China, the desertification is started by the decrease of precipitation, continuous dry and drought, strong wind, wind and water erosion, land degradation and loss of natural vegetation caused by climate variation, and accelerated by the human activities, such as over-cultivating, over-grazing, over-cutting of woods, irrational use of water resources. Because desertification has affected the geographical features, soil nutrients contents, salinity, vegetation coverage and the functions of ecosystem, the environmental deteriorations in the desertification affected areas are very seriously. 3. The fundamental strategies of combating desertification in China are the increase of education and awareness of people through various mass media, the revision of laws to guarantee operation of Desertification Combating Law and to improve many relating laws and regulations, the application of advanced technologies and training of experts, the establishment of discriminative policies, and increasing arrangement of budget-investment, and so on. China, as a signed country in UNCCD, has made efforts for the combating desertification. Korea is also signed country in UNCCD, so we should play an important role in the desertification combating projects of China for the northest asia and global environmental conservation as well as environmental conservation of Korea.

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Review of Remote Sensing Studies on Groundwater Resources (원격탐사의 지하수 수자원 적용 사례 고찰)

  • Lee, Jeongho
    • Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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    • v.33 no.5_3
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    • pp.855-866
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    • 2017
  • Several research cases using remote sensing methods to analyze changes of storage and dynamics of groundwater aquifer were reviewed in this paper. The status of groundwater storage, in an area with regional scale, could be qualitatively inferred from geological feature, surface water altimetry and topography, distribution of vegetation, and difference between precipitation and evapotranspiration. These qualitative indicators could be measured by geological lineament analysis, airborne magnetic survey, DEM analysis, LAI and NDVI calculation, and surface energy balance modeling. It is certain that GRACE and InSAR have received remarkable attentions as direct utilization from satellite data for quantification of groundwater storage and dynamics. GRACE, composed of twin satellites having acceleration sensors, could detect global or regional microgravity changes and transform them into mass changes of water on surface and inside of the Earth. Numerous studies in terms of groundwater storage using GRACE sensor data were performed with several merits such that (1) there is no requirement of sensor data, (2) auxiliary data for quantification of groundwater can be entirely obtained from another satellite sensors, and (3) algorithms for processing measured data have continuously progressed from designated data management center. The limitations of GRACE for groundwater storage measurement could be defined as follows: (1) In an area with small scale, mass change quantification of groundwater might be inaccurate due to detection limit of the acceleration sensor, and (2) the results would be overestimated in case of combination between sensor and field survey data. InSAR can quantify the dynamic characteristics of aquifer by measuring vertical micro displacement, using linear proportional relation between groundwater head and vertical surface movement. However, InSAR data might now constrain their application to arid or semi-arid area whose land cover appear to be simple, and are hard to apply to the area with the anticipation of loss of coherence with surface. Development of GRACE and InSAR sensor data preprocessing algorithms optimized to topography, geology, and natural conditions of Korea should be prioritized to regionally quantify the mass change and dynamics of the groundwater resources of Korea.

Nutritive Evaluation of Some Browse Tree Legume Foliages Native to Semi-arid Areas in Western Tanzania

  • Rubanza, C.D.K.;Shem, M.N.;Otsyina, R.;Ichinohe, T.;Fujihara, T.
    • Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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    • v.16 no.10
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    • pp.1429-1437
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    • 2003
  • Browse tree legume leaves from Acacia spp (A. nilotica, A. tortilis, A. polyacantha), Dichrostachys sp, Flagea villosa, Piliostigma thonningii, Harrisonia sp were evaluated for nutritive potential (chemical compositions and degradability characteristics) compared to Gliricidia sepium. Effect of tannins anti-nutritive activity on digestibility was also assessed by polyethylene glycol (PEG) tannin bioassay. Crude protein (CP), ash, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL) differed (p<0.05) between legume foliages. Mean CP, ash, NDF, ADF and ADL for fodder species tested were 158, 92, 385, 145, and 100 g/kg DM, respectively. CP ranged from 115 (P. thonningii) to 205 g/kg DM (G. sepium). Acacia spp had moderate CP values (g/kg DM) of 144 (A. nilotica), to high CP in A. tortilis (188) and A. polyacantha (194) comparable to G. sepium. The forages had relatively lower fiber compositions. A. nilotica had (p<0.05) lowest NDF, ADF and ADL (182, 68 and 44) compared to P. thonningii (619, 196 and 130) g/kg DM, respectively. Except G. sepium, all fodder species had detectable high phenolic and tannin contents greater than 5% DM, an upper beneficial level in animal feeding and nutrition. Mean total phenolics (TP), total tannins (TT) and condensed tannins (CT) (or proanthocyanidins) for fodder species tested were 139, 113 and 43 mg/g DM, respectively. F. villosa had (p<0.05) lowest TP and TT of 65 and 56 mg/g DM, respectively, compared to A. nilotica (237 and 236 mg/g DM, respectively). The CT varied (p<0.05) from 6 (F. villosa) to 74 mg/g DM (Dichrostachys sp). In vitro organic matter (OM) degradability (OMD) differed (p<0.05) between fodder species. G. sepium had (p<0.05) high degradability potential compared to A. polyacantha that had (p<0.05) the lowest OMD values. Forage degradability ranked: G. sepium>A. nilotica>P. thonningi>F. villosa>Dichrostachys sp>A. tortilis>A. polyacantha. Addition of PEG resulted to (p<0.05) improvement in in vitro OM digestibility (IVD). Increase in IVD was mainly due to binding action of PEG on tannins; and represents potential nutritive values previously depressed by tannins anti-nutritive activity. Browse fodder has potential as sources of ruminal nitrogen especially for ruminants consuming low quality roughages due to high protein, lower fiber compositions and high potential digestibility. However, utilization of browse supplements in ruminants is hampered by high phenolic and tannin contents. Deactivation of tannin anti-nutritive activity, possibly by feeding tanniniferous browse with other readily available nitrogen sources to dilute tannin anti-nutritive activity could improve utilization of browse fodder supplements. Further studies are needed to assess browse fodder palatability and intake, and their effect on growth performance in ruminants.

Effect of Flushing on Nutrient Utilization and Reproductive Performance of Ewes Grazing on Community Rangeland

  • Chaturvedi, O.H.;Bhatta, Raghavendra;Verma, D.L.;Singh, N.P.
    • Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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    • v.19 no.4
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    • pp.521-525
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    • 2006
  • The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of flushing of ewes with concentrate pellets just before the mating season on their nutrient utilization and reproductive performance on farms. Forty-eight Malpura ewes, 1-5 years old were randomly divided into 2 groups of 24 each (G1and G2). Ewes in both the groups were grazed on natural rangeland from 07.00 to 18.00 hr followed by night shelter in animal shed. G1 ewes were maintained on sole grazing while G2 ewes, in addition to grazing, received concentrate pellets at the rate of 1.5% of their body weight. The mean biomass yield of the community rangeland was 0.46 ton DM/hectare. The intakes of DM (g/kg $W^{0.75}$), DCP (g/kg $W^{0.75}$) and ME (MJ/kg $W^{0.75}$) were higher (p<0.01) in G2 as compared to that of G1 being 86.5, 10.2 and 1.15 and 57.5, 4.7 and 0.75, respectively. The digestibility of DM, OM, CP, NDF and hemicellulose were also higher (p<0.01) in G2 as compared to that of G1 being 57.2, 76.7, 78.9, 51.9 and 81.6 and 50.8, 68.7, 68.4, 45.4 and 74.4, respectively. The conception rate was higher (79.2%) in flushed ewes as compared to that of non-flushed (66.7%). Five of the pregnant ewes died and another 5 aborted in G1 while in G2, 5 ewes aborted with no mortality. The lambing was higher (73.7%) in G2 than that in G1 (37.5%). The birth weight of lambs was higher (p<0.05) in G2 (3.47 kg) than that in G1 (2.95 kg). Further, the birth weight of male lambs was higher (3.28) than that of female lambs (3.14). It is concluded that the biomass yield of the community rangeland in semi-arid region of India is low and insufficient to meet the nutrient requirement of ewes prior to mating season. However, concentrate supplementation at the rate of 1.5% of body weight to ewes during this critical stage enhanced their plane of nutrition, reproductive performance, body condition and birth weights of lambs.