Analysis of Macro and Micronutrients in Soils from Palestine Using Ion Exchange Membrane Technology

Ion Exchange membrane technology (IEM) is a method that allowed a single extraction process and a single subsequent measurement of different elements that are available in soil. The values of the available forms of the different macro- and micronutrients obtained by IEM extraction were compared with the values of the soluble form obtained by conventional extraction methods. In surface soil sample, the concentrations of available potassium, nitrate, phosphate, iron and boron were 37.7 mg kg–1, 17.5 mg kg–1, 3.6 mg kg–1, 171.0 μg kg–1, and 4.2 μg kg–1 respectively were greater than that of soluble forms of the same elements which were 7.0 mg kg–1, 9.2 mg kg–1, 0.4 mg kg–1, 109.0 μg kg–1, and 1.9 μg kg–1 respectively.

Overall Assessment of Heat Transfer for a Rarefied Flow in a Microchannel with Obstacles Using Lattice Boltzmann Method

The objective of this investigation is to assess the effect of obstacles on numerical heat transfer and fluid flow momentum in a rectangular microchannel(MC).Two distinct configurations were studied:one without obstacles and the other with alternating obstacles placed on the upper and lower walls.The research utilized the thermal lattice Boltzmann method(LBM),which solves the energy and momentum equations of fluids with the BGK approximation,implemented in a Python coding environment.Temperature jump and slip velocity conditions were utilized in the simulation for the MC and extended to all obstacle boundaries.The study aims to analyze the rarefaction effect,with Knudsen numbers(Kn)of 0.012,0.02,and 0.05.The outcomes indicate that rarefaction has a significant impact on the velocity and temperature distribution.The presence of nine obstacles led to slower fluid movement inside the microchannel MC,resulting in faster cooling at the outlet.In MCs with obstacles,the rarefaction effect plays a crucial role in decreasing the Nusselt number(Nu)and skin friction coefficient(Cf).Furthermore,the study demonstrated that the obstacles played a crucial role in boosting fluid flow and heat transfer in the MC.The findings suggest that the examined configurations could have potential applications as cooling technologies in micro-electro-mechanical systems and microdevice applications.

Effect of Using Magnetic Brackish Water on Irrigated Bell Pepper Crop （Capsicum annuum L.） Characteristics in Lower Jordan Valley/West Bank

Increasing salinity of the groundwater is one of major challenges faced by agricultural sector in West Bank/Palestine. This study was carried out in the Lower Jordan Valley （LJV） under greenhouse field condition, where an area of 0.12 ha was irrigated with 3.5 dS/m magnetic treated water during the growing season 2012/2013. The results of this pilot project show that there are significant increases in the yield of red and yellow bell pepper of about 20% and 18% on fresh weight basis, respectively. Water use efficiency increased by 15% and an increase in shelf time of 7 d were also recorded. The chlorophyll content raised significantly in the leaves of treated plants compared to the controlled one by 2.5 mg/g. Bell pepper irrigated with magnetic water produces 37% more four champers than that of the controlled one. On the other hand, there were no clear significant effects on the height of the plant, number of fruits, distance between nods, size of fruits, number and thickness of walls and sugar contents. Applying visible/near infrared （VIS/N｜R） spectroscopy test shows that it is possible to distinguish between treated and controlled bell pepper fruits. Multivariate data analysis （MVDA） method was used to test the classification of chemical elements in the fruit and it was found that treated and controlled fruit samples are divided into two groups according to their water treatment. An increase in all nutrient concentrations was found in fruits irrigated with magnetic treated water compared with the controlled one. Further testing is needed especially by involving other variables such as decreasing the volume of irrigated water and fertilizers.

Effect of Saline Water Application through Different Irrigation Intervals on Tomato Yield and Soil Properties

A field study was conducted on the experimental farm of ministry of agriculture, located at Palestine Technical University-Kadoorie, to investigate the effects of saline water irrigation through three irrigation intervals on yield of tomato crop and soil properties. The land was prepared and divided into 12 treatments, each of 48 square meters on the first of April. Tomato seedlings were planted on 25 April 2010;the seedlings were irrigated with fresh water for a period of 10 days after planting. Three levels of saline water irrigation (3, 5, 7 dS/m) plus fresh water as control were applied during the growing season. The four irrigation water treatments were applied through three irrigation intervals (every day, every second day and every three days). Gravimetric soil moisture content and soil electrical conductivity were monitored every two weeks during the growing period. Yield measurements were taken for total fruit yield, marketable yield as a percent of total yield, and average fruit weight of each treatment. Results of this study indicated that, plant treatments irrigated with saline water gave the highest yield for treatments irrigated every day compared to the treatments irrigated every second day and every three days. Statistical analysis showed significant differences in yield reduction between every second day and every three days irrigation intervals under 5 and 7 dS/m saline irrigation levels, while there was no significant difference between irrigation intervals under 3 dS/m salinity level.

Spectrophotometric Determination of Fluoride in Groundwater Using Resorcin Blue Complexes

New simple and sensitive spectrophotometric determination of fluoride in drinking groundwater has been developed using aluminium-resorcin blue complex. The method is based on the reaction of fluoride with the coloured complex to produce colourless aluminium fluoride complex and releasing of the free ligand. The relationship of the reaction of flu-oride with the complex is sixth-order polynomial function. The reaction reaches equilibrium at fluoride concentration of 0.054 mM. The equilibrium constant (Keq) was calculated as 1.12 × 1014. Beer-Lambert law is obeyed in the range 0.0 - 0.024 mM of fluoride (0.0 - 1.0 mg·L-1). The molar absorptivity at 502 nm is 6.45 × 103 L·mol-1·cm-1. Fluoride concentration higher than 1.0 mg·L-1 can be measured after proper dilution. The sensitivity, detection limit, quantitation limit, and the percentage recovery of 0.75 mg·L-1 fluoride for the method were found to be 0.357 μg·ml-1., 0.07 mg·L-1, 0.2 mg·L-1, and 101.1 respectively.

Determination of Inorganic Antimony Species Conversions during Its Speciation Analysis in Soil Using Isotope Dilution Techniques

A new method was developed in this work to account for inorganic Sb species interconversion during soil sample preparation and subsequent separation steps. The Sb(III) and Sb(V) concentrations at each investigated step in the analytical procedure were determined using species specific spikes (121Sb(III) with 81.18% and 123Sb(V) with 74.04% enrichment). The spiking of these enriched isotopes species solutions was done separately before soil sample extraction and before HPLC separation. Simply by subtracting the final concentration of each species done by on-line isotope dilution (ID) from its concentration at different stages of the analytical procedure done by species specific ID, the influence of each step on species transformation can be estimated. After optimization, the extraction procedure for inorganic Sb species 6% Sb(III) (1.3 RSD, n = 3) and 43.2% Sb(V) (2.9% RSD, n = 3) as percent of total Sb were detected in the examined soil sample using online ID. Using the above described methodology we found that there was no reduction of Sb(V) to Sb(III) during sample preparation or species separation. While about 9.3% of extractable Sb (4.6% of total) was converted from Sb(III) to Sb(V) during the extraction step, no conversion during HPLC separation step was observed. By compensating for Sb(III) transformation during the sample preparation step;the extractable Sb(III) and Sb(V) as percent of total Sb yielded 10.6% and 38.7%, respectively.

An Approximation for the Entropy Measuring in the General Structure of SGSP_(3)

In this article,we calculate various topological invariants such as symmetric division degree index,redefined Zagreb index,VL index,first and second exponential Zagreb index,first and second multiplicative exponential Zagreb indices,symmetric division degree entropy,redefined Zagreb entropy,VL entropy,first and second exponential Zagreb entropies,multiplicative exponential Zagreb entropy.We take the chemical compound named Proanthocyanidins,which is a very useful polyphenol in human’s diet.They are very beneficial for one’s health.These chemical compounds are extracted from grape seeds.They are tremendously anti-inflammatory.A subdivision formof this compound is presented in this article.The compound named subdivided grape seed Proanthocyanidins is abbreviated as SGSP_(3).This network SGSP_(3),is converted and modeled into its mathematical graphical formation with the support of the latest mathematical tools.We have also developed many closed formulas for the measurement of entropy for the general chemical structure of the subdivided grape seed Proanthocyanidins network.The achieved outcomes can be correlated with the chemical version of SGSP_(3) to get a better understanding of its biological as well as physical features.

Observation on Baseline Sensitivity of <i>Erysiphe necator</i>Genetic Groups to Azoxystrobin

Powdery mildew, caused by Erysiph necator, is a common and severe fungal disease of grapevine all over the world. The disease costs millions of dollars to vine growers, due to intensive use of fungicides and yield losses. Recently in population of E. necator two genetic groups have been described, the two groups seem to occupy different temporal niches, with a temporal alternation that is clear-cut in vineyards intensively treated with chemical fungicides. QoI-STAR (Quinol Outside Inhibitors-Strobilurin Type of Action and Resistance) fungicides are widely used to control the disease, and generally carry a high risk of pathogen resistance development. To clarify the behaviors of the biotrophic fungus when treated with azoxystrobin as a representative of QoI-STAR, baseline sensitivity of laboratory isolates were determined. A leaf bioassay and the primers RSCBF1 and RSCBR2 designed on the highly conserved regions of cytb gene in fungi were used. Partial sequence of E. necator cytb gene were obtained. Attempts to obtain a laboratory mutant were not totally successful. The sensitivity to azoxystrobin (EC50) in isolates of genetic group B was significantly higher than in isolates of group A, to which all the isolates collected later in the season belonged. The higher sensitivity to azoxystrobin fungicides observed in group B isolates can be at the basis of their precocious disappearance in vineyards, and can have important implications for powdery mildew control strategies.

Effectiveness of Bacterial and Fungal Isolates to Control <i>Phoma lingam</i>on Oilseed Rape <i>Brassica napus</i>

Blackleg disease caused by Phoma lingam is an important disease of oil seed rape (Brassica napus) causing losses up to 95%. The efficacy of microbial antagonists against P. lingam in greenhouse was tested. Serratia plymuthica HRO-C48 and Gliocladium catenulatum J1446 were able to reduce the disease intensity of OSR cotelydones infested with P. lingam at rates 44% and 52% respectively. The reduction of the infestation of the root collar in BBCH14/15 was evaluated as well. Plants treated with a suspension of the antagonists (2 × 105 cfu/plant) and inoculated with either pycnidiospore suspension (2 × 107 cfu/ml) or agar disks grown with P. lingam mycelium, showed a reduced infestation rate of 53% - 93% in the presence of S. plymuthica and 46% - 77% in the presence of G. catenulatum. The efficacy of the antagonist depends highly on their concentration inside OSR seeds. Below 105 cfu/seed no significant difference was recorded between control untreated and infested plants.

A Numerical Simulation of a Stationary Solar Field Augmented by Plane Reflectors: Optimum Design Parameters

In this study, a theoretical analysis of a solar field augmented by a fixed reflector placed in the front between the top of the preceding row and the bottom of the succeeding row is presented. An analytical model has been developed and used to estimate the solar irradiation. The analytical model is based on the anisotropic sky model, assuming an infinite length of collector and reflector rows. A simulation has been carried out in order to figure out the behavior of the solar field and to find the optimum design parameters of the solar field leading to a maximum solar energy augmentation. The results obtained are depicted synoptically as a relationship between the solar field design parameters and the latitude angle, and this presentation enables us to determine the optimum design parameters in order to achieve the intended percentage improvement of solar radiation incident on the solar field rows at any location on the Northern hemisphere, which presents the novelty of this research. Also we have introduced a new parameter named “the effective height of the collector”, which presents the portion of the collector’s height illuminated by the reflector. This parameter is very important especially in case of PV solar fields, because it determines the domain of the concentrated solar energy over the surface of the PV panel.

Tensiometer as an Irrigation Management Tool and Its Effect on Water Use and Yield of Open Field Grown Cucumber

Water is scarce in Palestine and water saving is becoming very important issue. Water management is one of the promising solutions to save water. The purpose of this work was to study the effect of two types of irrigation regimes on water consumption, yield and growth parameters of cucumber （Cucumis sativus L.） under open field conditions. Cucumbers were grown on a silty-clay soil in Palestinian local conditions. The irrigation regimes used were farmer based irrigation （FI） and tensiometer based irrigation （TI）. The results showed that there were no significant difference in crop yield between FI （3.5 kg/plant） and TI （3.4 kg/plant）. Dry matter was 14.7% less in TI treatment than that in FI treatment, while water saving was 35.7% in TI treatment. Thus, proper use of tensiometer could be utilized for a better use and management of water resource. Selection of proper water potential set-points according to the cultivation season is crucial for satisfactory results.

Using Nonconventional Water in Irrigation of Olive Trees and Its Effect on Olive Oil Properties

The response of olive orchard with same age and type to irrigation with treated municipal wastewater and freshwater was investigated in three years. Physical and chemical properties of the treated municipal wastewater reuse in agriculture (the effluent) produced by the Sheikh Ejleen wastewater treatment plant in Gaza Strip, freshwater, soil, and olive oil were determined and compared with Palestinian and international standards. The biological oxygen?demand (BOD) of Sheikh Ejleen effluent is 60 mg·l-1, which indicates low quality effluent. The results indicate that most of olive oil quality parameters—including heavy metals and trace elements for both fruits irrigated with treated wastewater or irrigated with freshwater—fall within the acceptable standard limit values. Moreover, soil analysis shows that organic content and cation exchange capacity were improved in soil irrigated with treated wastewater in comparison with that irrigated with freshwater. The results also show that there is no trace elements or heavy metals accumulation in soil.

Partial Shading of PV System Simulation with Experimental Results

In a solar photovoltaic array, it is possible that shadow may fall over some of its cells. Under partial shading conditions the PV characteristic gets more complex with multiple peaks. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate, by analyzing different shading situations, the effects that partial shading can cause in a PV array. First this is done by simulation using Matlab/Simulink, then the impact of shading is illustrated experimentally by measurements on a two commercial 140 W PV panels series connected.

Impact of Short Term Irrigation with Different Water Types on Some Chemical and Physical Soil Properties

The concern of this study is determine the quality of soil when irrigation used treated water and wastewater in comparison with soil irrigated with tap water on some chemical and physical soil properties. The experiment components were three trials carried out under greenhouse conditions, 10 pots for each trial. The first trial irrigated with tap water, the second trial irrigated by treated water and the third trial irrigated with wastewater. The experiment conducted to study the impact of water types on some soil physical and chemical properties. The experiment included important analysis for water and soil before and after irrigation. The results showed that the values for electrical conductivity (EC) were 0.850, 308 and 324 μs/cm for the treated soil with tap water, treated water and wastewater, respectively. The variation of pH values seems to be approximately constant between the different of water used. The percent of organic matter (OM) in soils receiving treated water and wastewater 4.7% and 5.2% respectively were higher than values in soil treated with tap water 3%. The same trend was in organic carbon (OC) in soils receiving treated water and wastewater 58.5% and 89% respectively, while soil treated with tap water showed the lowest value 27.7%. Soil particle density (SPD) increased significantly in both water treatments were the values was 2 g/cm3 in tap water but increased value 2.8 g/cm3 and 3.3 g/cm3 in treated water and wastewater used respectively. The Bulk Density (BD) values range 1.1 g/cm3 in soil irrigated with tap water 1.5 g/cm3 in soil irrigated with treated water and 1.85 g/cm3 in soil irrigated with treated water. The results of soil analysis before and after planting showed that most of the values increased for the physical and chemical soil properties.

Exploring public perception and willingness to pay for a renewable source of energy:evidence from an emerging economy of renewable-energy development

The study focuses on the transition from conventional energy sources to sustainable renewable energy(RE)in Palestine,particularly in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.The research aims to understand the relationship between key factors and residents’willingness to invest in the RE sector,with a specific focus on the impact of education.Using the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology,the study analyzes data from 400 residents through a questionnaire and employs ordinary least-squares regression analysis with Eviews 12.The key findings indicate that residents’inclination to invest in RE is significantly influenced by factors such as resource availability,knowledge level and power outages.Moreover,the study suggests that educated residents are more likely to invest in RE when factors such as knowledge,effort expectation,enabling conditions and resource availability are relatively high.The conclusion emphasizes the importance of policymakers’allocating sufficient funds to research and development to promote technological innovation in RE sources,thereby enhancing the population’s energy efficiency.

泊松比对内平衡Blatz-Ko材料模型的影响

基于将微积分变分理论应用于变形梯度的两因子乘性分解,最近开展了对内平衡可压缩超弹性材料的研究.这一新处理方法的有限元公式实现揭示了Blatz-Ko材料模型的一种特殊形式.尤其是通过使用泊松比的固定值简化了材料模型.这项工作证明了Blatz-Ko模型的内部平衡公式是可压缩变形范围内泊松比的函数.