Soil Carbon in Agroforestry Systems: An Unexplored Treasure?

Soil organic matter (SOM), which contains more reactive organic carbon (C) than any other single terrestrial pool, plays a major role in determining C storage in ecosystems and regulating atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2)^1^. Agroforestry, the practice of growing trees and crops in interacting combinations on the same unit of land^2^, primarily by resource-poor smallholder farmers in developing countries, is recognized as a strategy for soil carbon sequestration (SCS) under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol^3^. The understanding about C storage and dynamics under agroforestry systems (AFS), however, is minimal. Our studies under various AFS in diverse ecological conditions in five countries showed that tree-based agricultural systems, compared to treeless systems, stored more C in deeper soil layers up to 1 m depth under comparable conditions. More C is stored in soil near the tree than away from the tree; higher SOC content is associated with higher species richness and tree density; and C3 plants (trees) contribute to more C in the silt- + clay-sized (<53 µm) fractions that constitute more stable C, than C4 plants, in deeper soil profiles4 - 8. These results provide clear indications of the possibilities for climate change mitigation through SCS in AFS, and opportunities for economic benefit - through carbon trading - to millions of smallholder farmers in developing countries

Imperative Role Of Human Resource Management In Organizational Activities

Human Resource Management is the strategic approach to the effective management of people in a company or Organization such that they help their business gain a competitive advantage. The overall purpose of Human Resource is to ensure that the organizational is able to achieve success through people. It practices on organizational performance. The job of HRM is the job of all such departments to ensure that the business gets the most out of its employees. The Human Resources Management needs to provide a high return on the business investment in its people and deals with not just management issues but also human as well. It has widely spread over different channels receiving an application, selection, placement, Training and development, promotional activities, performance appraisal, job definition, compensation, reward and employee participation. In this paper we discuss the reasons for organizations to have a HRM strategy as well as the business drivers that make the strategy imperative for Organizational achievement. HRM becomes a valuable tool for management to ensure the organizational success. In today’s world the human resource management plays a very vital role in the daily life. On the one hand the soft and hard human resource management influence on the business and let them develop rapidly for organizational growth and success

Navigating nanotechnology : unveiling the role of government pressure and organizational culture in enhancing environmental performance in printing and coatings industry

This research aims to explore the existing relationship of nanotechnology innovation with organizational culture and the environmental performance of organizations. Moreover this research used organizational culture as a mediating variable and government pressure as a moderating variable among the relationship of nanotechnology innovation and environmental performances of organizations. This research was conducted in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and collected data from 187 employees working in different organizations of printing and coatings industry. To achieve the aim of this research this study has employed the STATA software with structural equation modeling approach. Findings of this research have shown a significant association among direct relationships of nanotechnology innovation and environmental performances of organizations. Moreover, a significant relationship was also found among nanotechnology innovation and organizational culture. The findings also confirmed that the relationship between nanotechnology innovation and environmental performance is also moderated by government pressure and mediated by organizational culture. This study demonstrates that nanotechnology possesses the capability to completely transform organizations. This study highlights the importance of a conducive business culture and environmentally conscious regulatory requirements with the aim of enhancing environmental sustainability.Vimala Venugopal Muthuswamy (Department of Management, College of Business Administration, King Faisal University), B. Sudhakar (Director -MBA, Hindusthan College of Arts and Science)Includes bibliographical reference

Bilingual sentiment detection - Investigating impact of tweet translation

This paper looks at how translating tweets from Malay to English may impact its sentiment score, and if at all the score can be improved in case a tweet is translated compared to just translating the keywords. Tweets written in Malay were translated using an online dictionary before proceeding for analysis. An online sentiment analysis tool, Twin word was used to perform the sentiment analysis on both translated and untranslated tweets. The results of the analysis showed translating tweets did not create a significant impact on the overall sentiment score; therefore translating the whole length of the tweet would not affect the accuracy score

Physical losses could partially explain modest carotenoid retention in dried food products from biofortified cassava

Gari, a fermented and dried semolina made from cassava, is one of the most common foods in West Africa. Recently introduced biofortified yellow cassava containing provitamin A carotenoids could help tackle vitamin A deficiency prevalent in those areas. However there are concerns because of the low retention of carotenoids during gari processing compared to other processes (e.g. boiling). The aim of the study was to assess the levels of true retention in trans–β-carotene during gari processing and investigate the causes of low retention. Influence of processing step, processor (3 commercial processors) and variety (TMS 01/ 1371; 01/1368 and 01/1412) were assessed. It was shown that low true retention (46% on average) during gari processing may be explained by not only chemical losses (i.e. due to roasting temperature) but also by physical losses (i.e. due to leaching of carotenoids in discarded liquids): true retention in the liquid lost from grating negatively correlated with true retention retained in the mash (R = -0.914). Moreover, true retention followed the same pattern as lost water at the different processing steps (i.e. for the commercial processors). Variety had a significant influence on true retention, carotenoid content, and trans-cis isomerisation but the processor type had little effect. It is the first time that the importance of physical carotenoid losses was demonstrated during processing of biofortified crops

PROJECT PERFORMANCE: ROLE OF OPERATIONAL SAFETY, HEALTH PERFORMANCE AND SAFETY PREPARATION

Contemporary construction companies are placing emphasis on implementing various safety and health strategies in order to attain a favorable safety climate within the industry and enhance operational effectiveness. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of operational safety (OS), health performance (HP), and safety preparation (SP) on the project performance of construction companies in Saudi Arabia. In order to effectively accomplish the stated objectives and yield optimal outcomes, data was gathered from a sample size of 316 employees employed in construction companies. The findings of the study emphasize that operating systems (OS), human resources practices (HP), and strategic planning (SP) have a significant influence on the project performance of construction companies. The mediation of open-source software (OSS) has demonstrated significant effects on the relationships between operating systems (OS), hardware providers (HP), software providers (SP), and platform providers (PP). This study renders a valuable contribution to the existing body of knowledge on safety by investigating the effects of pertinent factors within the construction industry. The results of this study provide valuable insights for professionals in the construction industry, enabling them to enhance the efficacy of safety management systems within their respective work environments. Furthermore, it serves as a driving force for the development of programs and policies aimed at facilitating the effective implementation of operating systems (OS), scheduling practices (SP), and health and safety protocols (HP) in order to attain optimal performance in construction projects