The objective of the current study was to investigate the role of waste stabilization ponds (WSP) and wastewater-irrigated sites for the production of mosquitoes of medical importance. Mosquito larvae were collected fortnightly from July 2001 to June 2002 in Faisalabad, Pakistan. In total, 3,132 water samples from WSP and irrigated areas yielded 606,053 Culex larvae of five species. In addition...

Due to insufficient clean water resources wastewater is largely used for irrigation of vegetables in many developing countries, particularly in Pakistan. As a result, vegetables in spite of providing nutrients also accumulate toxic metals and causes health risks. In the present study, comparison of heavy metal contents, using two digestion methods, in fresh and wastewater-irrigated vegetables w...

This study was designed to evaluate the effect on root dentin microhardness of 2.5% and 6% sodium hypochlorite solutions for various irrigation periods. Forty-two bovine roots were divided into seven groups. The control group was irrigated with saline. The experimental samples were continuously irrigated with 2.5% or 6% NaOCl for 5, 10, or 20 min. Microhardness was measured at depths of 500 mum...

This paper looks at differences in spatial and temporal variation of rice yields in China and Brazil. We find that rice yields in China have converged over time and that rice production has become more and more homogeneous. In contrast, rice yields in Brazil have diverged over time, primarily due to variations in upland rice yields. Three hypotheses are put forward to explain the different beha...

Paul Corral (American University) Most endogenous sample selection issues have been dealt with variants of Heckman's selection model. The model relies on the assumption of normality. However, when dealing with data where the data generating process is unknown, and the data may be less than ideal an information theoretic approach may be more suitable. During the summer I have been working on imp...

Data Farming is a process that has been developed to support decision-makers by answering questions that are not currently addressed. Data farming uses an inter-disciplinary approach that includes modeling and simulation, high performance computing, and statistical analysis to examine questions of interest with a large number of alternatives. Data farming allows for the examination of uncertain...

For a long time, agriculture and recurrent fires have been the main factors promoting diversity changes in Mediterranean areas. We examined the effect of irrigated and non-irrigated crops and fires on the epiphytic lichen diversity of holm oak trees in the Vall d’Albaida region (Valencia, Spain). Lichen diversity was studied by calculating the LDV (Lichen Diversity Value) and the proportion of ...

Pocket gophers were collected from irrigated alfalfa fields (IRR) and non-irrigated fallow fields (NIRR) in Davis, California, for 2 years. Reproduction was continuous in IRR fields with very little seasonal variation in reproductive activity. In contrast, reproduction in NIRR fields occurred primarily during the rainy season (winter and spring). Females in IRR fields produced approximately twi...

This paper conducts an empirical study on output, costs and incomes in organic farming with a sample of Spanish firms. Financial accounting data reveals that organic and partly or transitional to organic farming do not get significantly different output than intensive farming. Farms in transition to organic farming bear significantly higher costs and obtain significantly lower income than inten...

One ecological environment monitoring system of Litopenaeus vannamei farming has been developed in order to protect and regulate the ecological environment of Litopenaeus vannamei farming, halt and reverses the situations in the ecological environment deterioration of Litopenaeus vannamei farming and the little farming success rate. The early warning information of ecological environment degrad...