Groundwater resources are essential for drinking water, irrigation, and the economy mainly in semiarid environments where rainfall is limited. Currently, unpredictable rainfall due to climate change ...and pollution on the Earth’s surface directly affects groundwater resources. In this area, most people depend on groundwater resources for irrigation and drinking purposes, and every summer, most of the area depends on groundwater in a semiarid environment. Hence, we selected two popular methods, the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and multiple influence factor (MIF) methods, which can be applied to map groundwater potential zones. Nine thematic layers, such as land use and land cover (LULC), geomorphology, soil, drainage density, slope, lineament density, elevation, groundwater level, and geology maps, were selected for this study using remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) techniques. These layers are integrated in ArcGIS 10.5 software with the help of the AHP and MIF methods. The map of the groundwater potential zones in the study area revealed four classes, i.e., poor, moderate, good, and very good, based on the AHP and MF methods. The groundwater potential zone area is 241.50 (ha) Poor, 285.64 (ha) moderate, 408.31 (ha) good, and 92.75 (ha) very good using the AHP method. Similarly, the MIF method revealed that the groundwater potential classes were divided into four classes: 351.29 (ha) poor, 511.18 (ha), moderate, 123.95 (ha) good, and 41.78 (ha) very good. The results were compared to determine which methods are best for planning water and land resource development in specific areas that have basaltic rock and drought conditions. Both groundwater potential zone maps were validated with water yield data. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under the curve (AUC) model results are found to be 0.80 (good) and 0.93 (excellent) using the MIF and AHP methods, respectively; hence, the AHP method is best for delineation of groundwater potential zone maps and groundwater resource planning. The present study’s framework and the results will be valuable for improving the efficiency of irrigation, conserving rainwater and maintaining the ecosystem in India.
Soil carbon pools have a significant impact on the global carbon cycle and soil erosion caused by natural or human activities is one of the main drivers of changes in soil carbon sequestration. The ...present study aimed to estimate the carbon loss associated with soil loss in the watershed using remote sensing and GIS techniques. The study was carried out at the Central MPKV Campus Watershed, Rahuri, located in the rain shadow region of the Maharashtra state, India. The soil loss from the watershed was estimated using USLE model. The soil loss and carbon loss from the watershed were estimated before the implementation of conservation measures and after the implementation of conservation measures. It was found that the average annual soil loss from the watershed before and after conservation measures was 18.68 t/ha/yr and 9.41 t/ha/yr, respectively. Carbon loss was determined by soil loss rate, organic carbon content and the carbon enrichment ratio. The carbon loss from the watershed before and after conservation measures was 348.71 kgC/ha/yr and 205.52 kgC/ha/yr. The findings revealed that soil and carbon erosion was very severe on steep slopes without conservation measures and with limited vegetation cover. It was found that by reducing the carbon loss associated with soil loss, soil conservation measures not only aid in the conservation of natural resources but also serve as a climate change mitigation measure.
A sustainable method for protecting natural resources is the adoption of recommended soil and water conservation (SWC) measures. SWC measures are well recognized for their effective soil protection ...and water harvesting. Unfortunately, their significance in climate change mitigation has yet to receive global attention. The present study was conducted to highlight the applicability of SWC measures for carbon management in watersheds. In this study, the impact of SWC measures on land cover, soil erosion, carbon loss, and carbon sequestration were investigated using advanced techniques of remote sensing (RS) and geographic information systems (GIS). The study was conducted in the Central Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (MPKV) campus watershed, located in the rainfed region of Maharashtra, India. The watershed is already treated with various scientifically planned SWC measures. Following the implementation of conservation measures in the watershed, average annual soil loss was reduced from 18.68 to 9.41 t ha−1yr−1 and carbon loss was reduced from 348.71 to 205.52 kgC ha−1yr−1. It was found that deep continuous contour trenches (DCCT) constructed on barren, forest, and horticultural land have the soil carbon sequestration rates of 0.237, 0.723, and 0.594 t C ha−1yr−1, respectively, for 0–30 cm depth of soil. Similarly, compartment bunds constructed on agricultural land have a soil carbon sequestration rate of 0.612 t C ha−1yr−1. These findings can be of great importance in the planning and management of climate-resilient watersheds.
A unit hydrograph (UH) of a watershed may be viewed as the unit pulse response function of a linear system. In recent years, the use of probability distribution functions (pdfs) for determining a UH ...has received much attention. In this study, a nonlinear optimization model is developed to transmute a UH into a pdf. The potential of six popular pdfs, namely two-parameter gamma, two-parameter Gumbel, two-parameter log-normal, two-parameter normal, three-parameter Pearson distribution, and two-parameter Weibull is tested on data from the Lighvan catchment in Iran. The probability distribution parameters are determined using the nonlinear least squares optimization method in two ways: (1) optimization by programming in Mathematica; and (2) optimization by applying genetic algorithm. The results are compared with those obtained by the traditional linear least squares method. The results show comparable capability and performance of two nonlinear methods. The gamma and Pearson distributions are the most successful models in preserving the rising and recession limbs of the unit hydographs. The log-normal distribution has a high ability in predicting both the peak flow and time to peak of the unit hydrograph. The nonlinear optimization method does not outperform the linear least squares method in determining the UH (especially for excess rainfall of one pulse), but is comparable.
This dissertation asks, "How does television viewing change when the number of available channels increases?" Based on emerging theoretical perspectives regarding choice under abundance, we begin ...with a set of audacious hypotheses that an increase in the number of channels available will lead to (1)spending less time watching television, (2)choosing fewer channels, and (3)watching the same genres. Coupled with this, we hypothesize that news viewing will decline as the number of available channels increases. We also try to understand whether psychological constructs such as maximizing and satisficing influence television choice. In order to research these problems, we conducted two studies. First, we designed an experiment in which subjects, exposed to different numbers of channels, were asked to choose programs from a menu of evening viewing. Second, we analyzed two days of individual-level viewing data from the Nielsen National People Meter Sample. Four fundamental findings emerge from our research. (1)As the number of available channels increases, there is no corresponding increase in the number of channels or genres chosen; however, the amount of time spent watching television does increase. (2)In the on-demand condition where the number of alternatives available reaches the point of hyper-abundance, the number of chosen channels and genres actually decreases, as predicted by our hypothesis. Furthermore, less time is spent viewing television. (3)Time spent viewing the news declines somewhat as the number of available channels increases, but number of available channels is not a powerful predictor of news viewing. (4)At the level of the individual, we find that---no matter the number of available channels---more than 80% of viewing is of the same dozen channels. This research makes direct substantive contributions to the area of current and future television viewing and goes on to contribute to the emerging theoretical perspectives on choice. The findings have direct implications for the theory of choice under abundance, for individual television viewers, for media providers (e.g. networks and cable companies), and for public policy makers. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by addressing your request to ProQuest, 789 E. Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1346. Telephone 1-800-521-3042; email: disspub@umi.com
This dissertation asks, “How does television viewing change when the number of available channels increases?” Based on emerging theoretical perspectives regarding choice under abundance, we begin ...with a set of audacious hypotheses that an increase in the number of channels available will lead to (1) spending less time watching television, (2) choosing fewer channels, and (3) watching the same genres. Coupled with this, we hypothesize that news viewing will decline as the number of available channels increases. We also try to understand whether psychological constructs such as maximizing and satisficing influence television choice. In order to research these problems, we conducted two studies. First, we designed an experiment in which subjects, exposed to different numbers of channels, were asked to choose programs from a menu of evening viewing. Second, we analyzed two days of individual-level viewing data from the Nielsen National People Meter Sample. Four fundamental findings emerge from our research. (1) As the number of available channels increases, there is no corresponding increase in the number of channels or genres chosen; however, the amount of time spent watching television does increase. (2) In the on-demand condition where the number of alternatives available reaches the point of hyper-abundance, the number of chosen channels and genres actually decreases, as predicted by our hypothesis. Furthermore, less time is spent viewing television. (3) Time spent viewing the news declines somewhat as the number of available channels increases, but number of available channels is not a powerful predictor of news viewing. (4) At the level of the individual, we find that---no matter the number of available channels---more than 80% of viewing is of the same dozen channels. This research makes direct substantive contributions to the area of current and future television viewing and goes on to contribute to the emerging theoretical perspectives on choice. The findings have direct implications for the theory of choice under abundance, for individual television viewers, for media providers (e.g. networks and cable companies), and for public policy makers.
Continuation and maintenance electroconvulsive therapy (c/mECT) is a treatment alternative for the long-term management of mood and psychotic disorders, especially in chronic, recurring, ...medication-resistant illnesses and in patients who are medication-intolerant, are non-compliant, and have a high risk of suicide with medications. A MEDLINE search was performed with maintenance electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), continuation ECT, and prophylactic ECT as keywords. The relevant literature was obtained and reviewed. Despite methodologic flaws, the overwhelming majority of the studies report the effectiveness of c/mECT in bipolar mood disorder. We also reviewed the charts of 13 patients with mood disorder receiving maintenance ECT in the ECT service of a Veterans Administration medical center. Despite good results, c/mECT is underused in the treatment of bipolar mood disorder. More research with better study design is needed to define the predictors of response to c/mECT and to develop c/mECT treatment protocols for treatment-resistant bipolar patients.
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