scholarly journals Assessment of Electricity-Free Hydroponics in India: A Proof of Concept Field Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 45
Author(s):  
Indira Roy ◽  
Yelena Naumova ◽  
A. J. Both
Keyword(s):  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Chili Pepper ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Effective Option ◽  
Deccan Plateau ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Cost

Subsistence and smallholder farmers in the Deccan plateau region of India struggle with a predominantly hot and dry climate and often accumulated debt due to the cost of fertilizer that they need to increase yields for profitability. While a low-cost deep-flow technique hydroponic growing system (DFT) as a supplement to soil-based agriculture could help reduce debt, the cost of electricity needed to operate the DFT makes it inaccessible to these farmers. The objective of this project was to test the viability of electricity-free DFT which would substantially reduce production costs. Two DFT systems were set up in a shade net house and prepared with identical nutrients to grow chili pepper seedlings. Each DFT system was oxygenated for 30 minutes per day, one system using an electrical air pump, and the other system was oxygenated manually. After four weeks of growth, the dry mass of the shoots of the chili pepper seedlings in each system was measured. While the pump-oxygenated DFT system produced more dry matter, the manually-oxygenated system produced a larger number of visually healthier plants. Therefore, we conclude that electricity-free DFT hydroponics may be a viable alternative to pump-oxygenated DFT hydroponics, making hydroponic farming a cost-effective option for poor farmers.

scholarly journals Innovating Traditional Production Systems Through On-Farm Conservation Agriculture and Agroforestry Research

2022 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Fonteyne ◽  
Columba Silva Avendaño ◽  
Angel Ramos Sanchez ◽  
Juan Pablo Torres Zambrano ◽  
Fernando García Dávila ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Sustainable Intensification ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
On Farm Conservation ◽  
Input Use ◽  
Traditional Production ◽  
Set Up

Maize (Zea mays L.), the staple crop of Mexico, is often produced by smallholder farmers on sloping terrains. Historically, little agronomic research has been performed under the conditions of these farmers to support them in the sustainable intensification of their production systems. We set up trials at two locations in the state of Oaxaca to evaluate conservation agriculture and agroforestry in collaboration with local farmers. Crop diversification through crop rotations, multicropping, relay cropping or agroforestry increased system yields the most, by up to 1.4 t ha−1 in Teopoxco and 1.7 t ha−1 in Tamazulapam. Increased input use through increased fertilization or liming did not increase profitability enough to justify their use. Zero tillage and residue retention increased yields and reduced production costs. Conservation agriculture with agroforestry was a high-yielding, profitable system that also reduced farmers' risk by providing several harvests per year. The most profitable combinations of agroforestry and conservation agriculture could produce up to $4,854 USD ha−1 in Teopoxco and $2,143 USD ha−1 in Tamazulapam, while the control treatments in the same sites and years produced $175 USD ha−1 and $92 USD ha−1 respectively. In several years the main crop failed, while the trees were able to produce due to their different growing season compared to maize. Through adaptive investigation under farmers' conditions, sustainable intensification of traditional production system is possible with low-cost changes that are locally adapted and within farmers' possibilities.

Janus – A New Approach to Air Combat Pilot Training

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 (4) ◽  
pp. 7-22
Author(s):  
Georges Bridel ◽  
Zdobyslaw Goraj ◽  
Lukasz Kiszkowiak ◽  
Jean-Georges Brévot ◽  
Jean-Pierre Devaux ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Training System ◽  
Embedded Sensors ◽  
Pilot Training ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Combat Aircraft ◽  
Air Combat ◽  
The Cost

Abstract Advanced jet training still relies on old concepts and solutions that are no longer efficient when considering the current and forthcoming changes in air combat. The cost of those old solutions to develop and maintain combat pilot skills are important, adding even more constraints to the training limitations. The requirement of having a trainer aircraft able to perform also light combat aircraft operational mission is adding unnecessary complexity and cost without any real operational advantages to air combat mission training. Thanks to emerging technologies, the JANUS project will study the feasibility of a brand-new concept of agile manoeuvrable training aircraft and an integrated training system, able to provide a live, virtual and constructive environment. The JANUS concept is based on a lightweight, low-cost, high energy aircraft associated to a ground based Integrated Training System providing simulated and emulated signals, simulated and real opponents, combined with real-time feedback on pilot’s physiological characteristics: traditionally embedded sensors are replaced with emulated signals, simulated opponents are proposed to the pilot, enabling out of sight engagement. JANUS is also providing new cost effective and more realistic solutions for “Red air aircraft” missions, organised in so-called “Aggressor Squadrons”.

scholarly journals ANN-Based Decision Making in Station Keeping for Geotechnical Drilling Vessel

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 596
Author(s):  
Murugan Ramasamy ◽  
Mohammed Abdul Hannan ◽  
Yaseen Adnan Ahmed ◽  
Arun Kr Dev
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Water Depth ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Station Keeping ◽  
Operational Information ◽  
Effective Option ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Cost Factors

Offshore vessels (OVs) often require precise station-keeping and some vessels, for example, vessels involved in geotechnical drilling, generally use Spread Mooring (SM) or Dynamic Positioning (DP) systems. Most of these vessels are equipped with both systems to cover all ranges of water depths. However, determining which system to use for a particular operational scenario depends on many factors and requires significant balancing in terms of cost-benefit. Therefore, this research aims to develop a platform that will determine the cost factors for both the SM and DP station-keeping systems. Operational information and cost data are collected for several field operations, and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) are trained using those data samples. After that, the trained ANN is used to predict the components of cost for any given environmental situation, fieldwork duration and water depth. Later, the total cost is investigated against water depth for both DP and SM systems to determine the most cost-effective option. The results are validated using two operational scenarios for a specific geotechnical vessel. This decision-making algorithm can be further developed by adding up more operational data for various vessels and can be applied in the development of sustainable decision-making business models for OVs operators.

scholarly journals Damping Pressure Pulsations in a Wave-Powered Desalination System

2014 ◽  
Vol 136 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon J. Hopkins ◽  
Nikhil Padhye ◽  
Alison Greenlee ◽  
James Torres ◽  
Levon Thomas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Constant Pressure ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Pressure Fluctuations ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Coastal Communities ◽  
Pressure Pulsations ◽  
Pressure Flow ◽  
Reliable Source ◽  
Effective Option ◽  
Elastic Pipes

Wave-driven reverse osmosis desalination systems can be a cost-effective option for providing a safe and reliable source of drinking water for large coastal communities. Such systems usually require the stabilization of pulsating pressures for desalination purposes. The key challenge is to convert a fluctuating pressure flow into a constant pressure flow. To address this task, stub-filters, accumulators, and radially elastic-pipes are considered for smoothing the pressure fluctuations in the flow. An analytical model for fluidic capacitance of accumulators and elastic pipes are derived and verified. Commercially available accumulators in combination with essentially rigid (and low cost) piping are found to be a cost-effective solution for this application, and a model for selecting accumulators with the required fluidic-capacitance for the intended system is thus presented.

scholarly journals Growth and biochemical composition of Chlorella vulgaris in different growth media

2013 ◽  
Vol 85 (4) ◽  
pp. 1427-1438 ◽  
Author(s):  
MATHIAS A. CHIA ◽  
ANA T. LOMBARDI ◽  
MARIA DA GRACA G. MELAO
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Production ◽  
Chlorella Vulgaris ◽  
Biochemical Composition ◽  
Physiological Response ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Growth Media ◽  
Continuous Cultures ◽  
The Cost

The need for clean and low-cost algae production demands for investigations on algal physiological response under different growth conditions. In this research, we investigated the growth, biomass production and biochemical composition of Chlorella vulgaris using semi-continuous cultures employing three growth media (LC Oligo, Chu 10 and WC media). The highest cell density was obtained in LC Oligo, while the lowest in Chu medium. Chlorophyll a, carbohydrate and protein concentrations and yield were highest in Chu and LC Oligo media. Lipid class analysis showed that hydrocarbons (HC), sterol esthers (SE), free fatty acids (FFA), aliphatic alcohols (ALC), acetone mobile polar lipids (AMPL) and phospholipids (PL) concentrations and yields were highest in the Chu medium. Triglyceride (TAG) and sterol (ST) concentrations were highest in the LC Oligo medium. The results suggested that for cost effective cultivation, LC Oligo medium is the best choice among those studied, as it saved the cost of buying vitamins and EDTA associated with the other growth media, while at the same time resulted in the best growth performance and biomass production.

scholarly journals Economic Evaluation of Home Care for Stroke Patients Compared to Hospital Care: A Systematic Review

Health Scope ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Khoramrooz ◽  
Asra Asgharzadeh ◽  
Saeide Alidoost ◽  
Zeynab Foroughi ◽  
Saber Azami ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Economic Evaluation ◽  
Home Care ◽  
Hospital Care ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Life Years ◽  
Effective Option ◽  
The Cost

Context: Stroke is one of the main causes of premature death and disability, imposing significant costs on the healthcare system, especially due to expensive hospital care. Home care service is one of the interventions used in the last two decades to reduce the cost of services provided for stroke patients in different countries. Objectives: The present study aimed to systematically review studies related to the economic evaluation of home care compared to hospital care for stroke patients. Data Sources: A search was conducted between January 1990 and January 2021. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase databases were searched systematically. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were used to select the studies. Data Extraction: To evaluate the quality of studies included in this systematic review, Drummond’s ten-item checklist was used. Results: Five economic evaluation studies were included in this review. The included studies reported different results regarding the effect of home care on improving different indicators and the cost-effectiveness ratio of home care to hospital care. Most previous studies reported that home care is a more cost-effective option for improving many indicators, such as physical function and quality-adjusted life years (QALY), and for reducing mortality and institutionalization, compared to hospital care. Conclusions: Home care is a more cost-effective option than hospital care for stroke patients with regard to some indicators, such as the Barthel index for Activities of Daily Living, Modified Rankin Scale (mRS), quality of life, mortality, and institutionalization. However, there are some exemptions to this conclusion. Due to limitations, such as heterogeneity of interventions in the existing studies, different levels of patients’ disabilities, different perspectives toward economic evaluation, and differences in the healthcare systems of countries, further research is needed according to the context of each country based on clinical trials.

scholarly journals Protection of computers from side electromagnetic radiation during monitor images formation

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 377-385
Author(s):  
Volodymyr M. Lucenko ◽  
Dmytro O. Progonov
Keyword(s):  
Electromagnetic Radiation ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Switching Speed ◽  
Cost Effective Approach ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Confidential Data ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Communication Lines

Reliable protection of confidential data processed in critical information infrastructure elements of public institutions and private organizations is topical task today. Of particular interest are methods to prevent the leakage of confidential data by localizing informative (dangerous) signals that both carry an informative component, and have a signal level higher than predefined threshold. The increase in signal energy from personal computers is caused by increasing of its transistors switching speed. Modern passive shielding methods for secured computers, similar to the well-known program TEMPEST, require either costly and large shielding units or technological simplification by using of low-cost fragmentary shielding of computer’s individual elements. Therefore, localization of side electromagnetic radiation produced by personal computer is needed. The paper presents a cost-effective approach to reducing the level of computer’s electromagnetic radiation by passive method. The radiation are localized and measured by its estimation on personal computer’s elements, namely unshielded communication lines between video processor and a monitor, fragments of electric tracks on motherboards, etc. During experiments authors used ad-hoc miniature electric (ball antenna) and magnetic (Hall sensor) antennas connected to selective voltmeters. This approach significantly reduces the cost of equipment and measurements as well as requirements to analytics’ qualification for improving computer’s protection. Also, the alternative approach for computer protection is proposed. The approach is based on image content protection by distorting the image on the monitor instead of reducing electromagnetic radiation caused by signals from the monitor. The protection includes image scrambling using Arnold transform that randomly “shuffle” the lines in each frame.

Economic Evaluation of Kidney Transplantation versus Hemodialysis in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease in Hungary

2001 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 188-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoltán Kaló ◽  
Jeno Járay ◽  
Júlia Nagy
Keyword(s):  
Kidney Transplantation ◽  
Renal Disease ◽  
End Stage Renal Disease ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Effective Option ◽  
Hungarian Population ◽  
Cadaveric Kidney ◽  
Stage Renal Disease ◽  
End Stage ◽  
The Cost

Background— Kidney transplantation is generally acknowledged as the more clinically effective and more cost-effective option in managing patients with end-stage renal disease, compared with dialysis. This study looked for confirmatory evidence in a Hungarian population. Methods— Patients (n = 242) with end-stage renal disease who received cadaveric kidney transplantation during 1994 were followed up for 3 years. They were compared with patients (n = 840) receiving hemodialysis who were on a waiting list for transplantation. Data were collected retrospectively. Treatments were compared for clinical efficacy and for cost-effectiveness. Results— At month 36, the standard mortality hazard function was 3.5 times higher in the group receiving hemodialysis ( P<.0001) than in the transplant recipients. Average treatment costs per patient over the 3 years were also significantly higher ( P<.0001) in the hemodialysis group than in the group that received transplants. The cost of 1 year gained by transplantation was significantly less ( P<.0001) than the cost associated with hemodialysis. Conclusions— Compared with hemodialysis, kidney transplantation provides greater survival benefits to patients with end-stage renal disease, at less cost.

Kheyti: Product and Business Development at an AgTech Social Enterprise

2017 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Mohanbir Sawhney ◽  
Saumya
Keyword(s):  
Social Enterprise ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Agricultural Technology ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Early Adopters ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Income Variability ◽  
Cash Reserves

In early 2017, after launching its successful “Greenhouse-in-a-Box” pilot project in India with fifteen smallholder farmers, Kheyti, a non-profit agricultural technology (AgTech) social enterprise, was struggling with several decisions in developing and growing its business. Kheyti was launched in 2015 to help smallholder farmers battle poverty and income variability by providing affordable technologies bundled with services. Over eighteen months, the team had developed a low-cost and modular greenhouse product to which it added financing, inputs, training, and market linkages to create a comprehensive “full-stack” solution for small farmers. The pilot project was a success in many ways, but Saumya, Kheyti's co-founder and head of product, was concerned that it revealed shortcomings that could severely affect the viability and scalability of Kheyti's solution. Saumya had some important decisions to make. Should Kheyti redesign the product from scratch, or find other ways to reduce the cost for early adopters? Should it rely on upfront revenues from sales of the greenhouse, or consider developing an innovative financing or contract farming model? Kheyti's dwindling cash reserves meant that these decisions were urgent and critical. The path chosen now would determine whether the startup would move beyond the pilot stage and achieve its vision of serving 1 million farmers by 2025.

An Active Low Cost Mesh Networking Indoor Tracking System

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Carlin ◽  
Kevin Curran
Keyword(s):  
Tracking System ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Scalable Vector Graphics ◽  
Web Technologies ◽  
Working Environments ◽  
System A ◽  
The Cost

Indoor radio frequency tracking systems are generally quite expensive and can vary in accuracy due to interference, equipment quality or other environmental factors. Due to these limiting factors of the technology, many businesses today find it hard to justify investing in RFID tracking technologies to improve the safety, efficiency and security of their working environments. The aim of this project was to provide a budget RFID tracking system that was capable of tracking a person or object through an indoor environment. To minimize the cost of the RFID tracking system, the components of the system were built from existing electronic equipment and hardware. The software was also written to minimize licensing and support fees allowing a cost effective budget RFID tracking system to be developed. The tracking system consists of a tag, reader nodes and a PC reader which utilize synapse RF 100 engines with python scripts embedded on to the chips. The tracking system software operates through a web portal utilizing web technologies such as HTML, JavaScript and PHP to allow the tags location to be represented on a two dimensional map using scalable vector graphics. During development of the system a new trilateration algorithm was developed and used convert the signals received from the tag to a virtual position on the map correlating to the actual physical position of the tag. A unique contribution of this system is the low cost of building which we estimate as less than £200 UK sterling for a five node system.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document