Engineering International

9-17

Authors: Md. Aminul Islam; M. Saidul Islam

This review explores the recent development in the synthesis process of platinum nanoparticles by electro deposition method. Various developed supporting electrodes used in synthesis process of platinum nanoparticles have been discussed. It is possible to control the particle size by adjusting electrolysis parameters and to improve homogeneity of platinum particles by changing the composition of electrolytic solutions. Various electrolytic compositions also discuss briefly for single or mixed electrodes.

27-39

Authors: Meles Mekonen; Kindie Tesfaye; Wondimu Bayu

Vertisols cover large part of the high rainfall areas of Ethiopia. However, the potential of these soils is not well exploited because of heavy water logging during the main rain season. A study was conducted to investigate the interactive effects of soil drainage and fertilizer application on the productivity of Vertisols. Factorial combinations of four planting beds (Broadbed and furrow (BBF) with 100 cm bed size, broadbed and furrow with 80 cm bed size, ridge and furrow (RF) with 30 cm bed size, and flatbed) and two fertilizer levels (unfertilized and fertilized with 64 kg N ha-1 & 46 kg P2O5 ha-1) in RCBD were experimented for the sustainable use and improved productivity of Vertisols in Northeastern Ethiopia in the 2006/2007 cropping season. Results revealed that ridge and furrow bed (RF) drained more excess water than the broadbed and furrow beds (BBF) and the flatbed (F), but with yield penalties. Soil drainage using broadbed and furrows (BBF) and nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization reduced days to heading and maturity by 12 and 15%, respectively. The broadbed and furrow and the nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization package increased grain yield by 90%, grain nitrogen and phosphorus uptakes by 183 and 252%, and stover nitrogen and phosphorus uptakes by 152 and 121%. Thus, planting in broadbed and furrows (BBF), disregard of the bed size, with fertilizer application is recommended for bread wheat production on vertisols in Northeastern Ethiopia.

48-60

Authors: Md. Masud Alam; Philippe Quevauviller

Until 90, water management plans in Bangladesh focused mainly to controlling floods and facilitates drainage and irrigation which were segregate plans, and caused detrimental effects of other sectors such as water supply, sanitation, industry, fisheries plus environmental and other in-stream demands. For avoiding the fragmentation, the country has achieved a remarkable progress in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) activities after the period of 90.The Flood Action Plan (FAP, 1989-1995) was the pioneer of IWRM plan in Bangladesh. In 1995, Government approved The Bangladesh Water and Flood Management Strategy (BWFMS) which was an outcome of FAP. Under the recommendation of BWFMS, Bangladesh prepared NWPo and NWMP which were the holistic and government approved documents for applying integrated water resources practice in Bangladesh.The European Union has a long experience for basin wide integrated water resources management within Europe. The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union established a framework for Community action in the field of water policy in 23 October 2000 European Union’s water policies such as the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC). The EU’s experience (including its 27 Member States) is based on the best scientific knowledge and available technologies. In particular, the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) mainly focuses on river basin management rules and principles. It is recognized that the Water Framework Directive (WFD) might be used as an example for basin wide IWRM implementation and economic development for the developing countries like Bangladesh, taking into account their socio-economic conditions.This study will show that, how the European Union Water Framework Directive (WFD) model can be adapted for the effective implementation of integrated water resources in Bangladesh. A Common Implementation Strategy (CIS) has been depicted for sustainable IWRM in Bangladesh.

9-17

Authors: Muhammad Aamir khan; M. Rahman; M. Hanif; Muhammad Israr; S. Fahad Shah

A high performance solar collector was developed to modify agricultural building environment such as dairy, poultry farm buildings and greenhouses. Moreover it should be efficiently utilized as a solar dryer for drying various agricultural products and by products. The materials used include steel sheet with high performance of reflecting light, absorber tube, and angle iron and fully insulated drying chamber. A CPTSC was a tilted at 340south (Equivalent to the latitude of Peshawar) Pakistan. A CPTSC a total reflecting surface area was 2.9 m2 respectively. The absorber tube having a surface of 0.376 m2 was fixed in front of the reflector at the distance equal to the focal length. The total volume of drying chamber was 0.3135 m3. An experiment was conducted to enhance the efficiency of the CPTSC and two air mass flow rate treatments were tested with normal and convective mass air flow rate, 0.6 kg. Min-1 and 1.72 kg. Min-1 under the average temperature of the month (January, February and March, 2012). Moreover, the process was replicated three times under the completely randomized design. The result showed that both air mass flow rate and average temperature of the month significantly effected the efficiency of a concentrating parabolic trough solar collector. The new model of a CPTSC increased the efficiency from 8 to 25 % with increase in both air mass flow rates and average temperature of the months. Therefore it is concluded that the solar collector efficiency increased with increasing air mass flow rate.

27-38

Authors: M. Venkateswarlu; G.V. Ramana Reddy; D.V.Lakshmi

In this paper, the study of the steady two-dimensional flow of an incompressible viscous fluid with heat and mass transfer and MHD heat generation past a moving vertical plate with suction in the presence of viscous dissipation and chemical reaction is investigated. Using similarity variables, the governing partial differential equations are transformed into non-linear ordinary differential equations. These equations are then solved numerically using fourth order Runge-Kutta method with shooting technique. The flow variables are presented graphically. The graphs showed that velocity rises for increasing Grashof number, mass Grashof numer, suction, heat generation and Eckert number while reducing with increasing magnetic parameter, Schmidt number, and chemical reaction parameter and Prandtl number. Comparisons with previously published work are performed and are found to be in an excellent agreement.

49-61

Authors: Stephen Waithaka Titus; Tom Kimani Mburu; Julius Korir; Stephen Muathe

Kenya government, in collaboration with other stakeholders involved in enhancing teaching and research in the learning institutions have constructed a terrestrial fiber-optic network that connects most institutions of higher learning to enable them integrate their facilities for the purpose of sharing resources. Despite these efforts, adoption of Inter-Organization Information Systems (IOIS) by universities in Kenya is far from being realized. This creates the need of finding out the relationship between the IOIS technological factors and the IOIS adoption. This study filled this gap by analyzing IOIS technological determinants of IOIS adopting in the universities in Kenya, given the mixed results from empirical evidence on IOIS adoption generally. A logit regression procedure was used to analyze the collected data. Two factors were found to hinder the IOIS adoption, while one factor was found to motivate IOIS adoption.