scholarly journals Rainwater Harvesting for Agricultural Irrigation: An Analysis of Global Research

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Velasco-Muñoz ◽  
Aznar-Sánchez ◽  
Batlles-delaFuente ◽  
Fidelibus

Within a context of scarce water resources for agriculture, rainwater harvesting constitutes a promising alternative that has been studied by different disciplines in recent years. This article analyses the dynamics of global research on rainwater harvesting for agricultural irrigation over the last two decades. To do this, qualitative systematic analysis and quantitative bibliometric analysis have been carried out. The results reveal that this line of research is becoming increasingly important within research on irrigation. Environmental sciences and agricultural and biological sciences are the most relevant subject areas. Agricultural Water Management, Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, and Irrigation and Drainage are the journals that have published the most articles on the subject. India, China, the United States (USA), South Africa, and the Netherlands are the countries that lead this line of research. Although significant progress has been made in this subject area, it is necessary to increase the number of studies on the capacity of rainwater harvesting systems to cover irrigation needs in different farming contexts, the factors that determine their adoption by farmers, the economic and financial feasibility of their implementation, and their contribution to mitigating global climate change.

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 704
Author(s):  
Hussein Al-Ghobari ◽  
Ahmed Z. Dewidar

An increasing scarcity of water, as well as rapid global climate change, requires more effective water conservation alternatives. One promising alternative is rainwater harvesting (RWH). Nevertheless, the evaluation of RWH potential together with the selection of appropriate sites for RWH structures is significantly difficult for the water managers. This study deals with this difficulty by identifying RWH potential areas and sites for RWH structures utilizing geospatial and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) techniques. The conventional data and remote sensing data were employed to set up needed thematic layers using ArcGIS software. The soil conservation service curve number (SCS-CN) method was used to determine surface runoff, centered on which yearly runoff potential map was produced in the ArcGIS environment. Thematic layers such as drainage density, slope, land use/cover, and runoff were allotted appropriate weights to produced RWH potential areas and zones appropriate for RWH structures maps of the study location. Results analysis revealed that the outcomes of the spatial allocation of yearly surface runoff depth ranging from 83 to 295 mm. Moreover, RWH potential areas results showed that the study areas can be categorized into three RWH potential areas: (a) low suitability, (b) medium suitability, and (c) high suitability. Nearly 40% of the watershed zone falls within medium and high suitability RWH potential areas. It is deduced that the integrated MCDA and geospatial techniques provide a valuable and formidable resource for the strategizing of RWH within the study zones.


2009 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
pp. 9-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Vetter ◽  
Anna-Katharina Rieger ◽  
Alexander Nicolay

AbstractIn arid and semi-arid regions runoff-fed agriculture has been common for millennia. Recent geographical and archaeological investigations in the north-eastern part of ancient Marmarica (north-western Egypt) revealed a dense network of water harvesting systems associated with settlements and production sites dating back to Ptolemaic times. The environmental conditions and the ancient water management strategies are characterised by minimal intervention but maximised effect and optimised utilisation of the scarce water (100–150 mm seasonal discharge) and soil resources of the region.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhong Li ◽  
Sayward E. Harrison ◽  
Xiaoming Li ◽  
Peiyin Hung

Abstract Background Access to psychiatric care is critical for patients discharged from hospital psychiatric units to ensure continuity of care. When face-to-face follow-up is unavailable or undesirable, telepsychiatry becomes a promising alternative. This study aimed to investigate hospital- and county-level characteristics associated with telepsychiatry adoption. Methods Cross-sectional national data of 3475 acute care hospitals were derived from the 2017 American Hospital Association Annual Survey. Generalized linear regression models were used to identify characteristics associated with telepsychiatry adoption. Results About one-sixth (548 [15.8%]) of hospitals reported having telepsychiatry with a wide variation across states. Rural noncore hospitals were less likely to adopt telepsychiatry (8.3%) than hospitals in rural micropolitan (13.6%) and urban counties (19.4%). Hospitals with both outpatient and inpatient psychiatric care services (marginal difference [95% CI]: 16.0% [12.1% to 19.9%]) and hospitals only with outpatient psychiatric services (6.5% [3.7% to 9.4%]) were more likely to have telepsychiatry than hospitals with neither psychiatric services. Federal hospitals (48.9% [32.5 to 65.3%]), system-affiliated hospitals (3.9% [1.2% to 6.6%]), hospitals with larger bed size (Quartile IV vs. I: 6.2% [0.7% to 11.6%]), and hospitals with greater ratio of Medicaid inpatient days to total inpatient days (Quartile IV vs. I: 4.9% [0.3% to 9.4%]) were more likely to have telepsychiatry than their counterparts. Private non-profit hospitals (− 6.9% [− 11.7% to − 2.0%]) and hospitals in counties designated as whole mental health professional shortage areas (− 6.6% [− 12.7% to − 0.5%]) were less likely to have telepsychiatry. Conclusions Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, telepsychiatry adoption in US hospitals was low with substantial variations by urban and rural status and by state in 2017. This raises concerns about access to psychiatric services and continuity of care for patients discharged from hospitals.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sa’ed H. Zyoud

Abstract Background At the global level and in the Arab world, particularly in low-income countries, COVID-19 remains a major public health issue. As demonstrated by an incredible number of COVID-19-related publications, the research science community responded rapidly. Therefore, this study was intended to assess the growing contribution of the Arab world to global research on COVID-19. Methods For the period between December 2019 and March 2021, the search for publications was conducted via the Scopus database using terms linked to COVID-19. VOSviewer 1.6.16 software was applied to generate a network map to assess hot topics in this area and determine the collaboration patterns between different countries. Furthermore, the research output of Arab countries was adjusted in relation to population size and gross domestic product (GDP). Results A total of 143,975 publications reflecting the global overall COVID-19 research output were retrieved. By restricting analysis to the publications published by the Arab countries, the research production was 6131 documents, representing 4.26% of the global research output regarding COVID-19. Of all these publications, 3990 (65.08%) were original journal articles, 980 (15.98%) were review articles, 514 (8.38%) were letters and 647 (10.55%) were others, such as editorials or notes. The highest number of COVID-19 publications was published by Saudi Arabia (n = 2186, 35.65%), followed by Egypt (n = 1281, 20.78%) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), (n = 719, 11.73%). After standardization by population size and GDP, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Lebanon had the highest publication productivity. The collaborations were mostly with researchers from the United States (n = 968), followed by the United Kingdom (n = 661). The main research lines identified in COVID-19 from the Arab world are related to: public health and epidemiology; immunological and pharmaceutical research; signs, symptoms and clinical diagnosis; and virus detection. Conclusions A novel analysis of the latest Arab COVID-19-related studies is discussed in the current study and how these findings are connected to global production. Continuing and improving future collaboration between developing and developed countries will also help to facilitate the sharing of responsibilities for COVID-19 in research results and the implementation of policies for COVID-19.


2005 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 371-382
Author(s):  
MICK GIDLEY

Marcus Cunliffe (1922–1990) was incontestably an important figure in American studies. In the early part of his academic career he helped to found the subject area in Britain, and he was later both awarded professorial appointments at the Universities of Manchester and Sussex and elected to the chairmanship of the British Association for American Studies, from which positions he served as a personal inspiration and professional mentor to several “generations” of UK American studies academics. Those who knew him and worked with him were invariably struck by his tall good looks, charisma and charm – characteristics that no doubt also contributed to his successful career, in Britain and in the United States, first as a visiting scholar, and later, during his final years, as the occupant of an endowed chair at George Washington University in Washington, DC. As the correspondence in his papers attest, he was held in high – and warm – regard by many of the leading US historians of his heyday. More might be said about his charm here because it also permeates his writing and persists there as a kind of afterglow, and not only for those who encountered him in person – but this essay is a critical reconsideration of his published work that, though appreciative, at least aspires towards objectivity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 147 (10) ◽  
pp. 04021061
Author(s):  
Mary Semaan ◽  
Susan D. Day ◽  
Michael Garvin ◽  
Naren Ramakrishnan ◽  
Annie Pearce

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul K MacDonald

Abstract How important are ambassadors in international politics? While a growing body of research stresses the importance of diplomacy in international politics, it remains unclear if individual ambassadors make a significant difference or what attributes make for an effective ambassador. This paper explores these questions through a systematic analysis of 2,730 US ambassadors between 1946 and 2014. The United States is distinctive in that it sends a sizable number of noncareer political appointees to serve as ambassadors. This provides a unique opportunity to examine how an ambassador's experience shapes where they are placed and how they perform. Using various techniques to address selection effects, including matching, I find that the United States is less likely to experience a militarized dispute with a host nation when it is represented by a political ambassador. Moreover, political ambassadors with professional experience in politics or the military, those who are close to the president, and those who are appointed in permissive congressional environments are less likely to experience militarized disputes during their tenure. Individual ambassadors matter, but diplomatic experience alone is not the only attribute that makes for an effective ambassador.


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