Determining appropriate mode and rate of applying lime to improve maize production in acid soils of north Kakamega and Siaya districts, Kenya

Abstract Résumé Research Application Summary Determining appropriate mode and rate of applying lime to improve maize production in acid soils of north Kakamega and Siaya districts, Kenya The heights taken 67 days after sowing were 43% higher than control for 6 t ha -1 banded lime plots in North Kakamega district and 38.07% higher than control for 4 t ha -1 broadcast lime in Siaya district. Key words: Lime application methods, maize, soil acidity, western Kenya L'acidité croissante du sol est une cause importante de la basse fertilité du sol au Kenya occidental où environ 57.670 hectares de terre sont acides. Tandis que le chaulage peut augmenter le pH du sol, la méthode d'application la plus appropriée doit être déterminée. Cette étude a visé à déterminer la meilleure façon d'appliquer la chaux en comparant trois méthodes : la semis à la volée, sur des planches de semis et des spots, en utilisant quatre taux de chaux (0, 2, 4 et 6 t ha -1 ) dans les districts du nord de Kakamega et de Siaya et en utilisant le maïs comme la culture d'essai. Une seule application de chaux employant les trois méthodes a été faite pendant la plantation avec 26 kg ha -1 de phosphore et 75 kg ha -1 d'azote appliqués comme couverture. Des données ont été rassemblées sur le pourcentage d'apparition de graine, la taille de culture, la composition chimique du tissu et le rendement en grain. Les résultats ont indiqué le Kiplagat J.K. et al. 69

Biennial Conference of the Australian Association for Caribbean Studies

The 12th conference of the Australian Association for Caribbean Studies (AACS) was hosted by the Australian National University in Canberra, from 9th to 11th February, 2017. The conference does not focus on education, but I am reporting on it in this journal because of the postcolonial ethos that characterises the meeting. It is an example of a gathering that investigates, discusses and celebrates the culture and society of the Caribbean as a postcolonial region.peer-reviewe

Photovoltaic solar energy applications in Malta

The paper presents the recent developments in the field of solar photovoltaic (PV) applications in Malta. The results obtained from testing the first stand-alone PV demonstration project with battery storage (Jul. '93 - Jun. '95), encouraged the setting-up of the present 1.8 kWp grid-connected PV system, which started operation in May, 1996. Detailed analysis of the stand-alone PV system has already been carried out, though some basic operational and costing results are described here, for general reference. Moreover, a description of the set-up of the 1.8 kWp roof-top grid-connected system is presented, together with a tentative description of its performance ratio and life-cycle costing. A possible scenario of the widespread applications of solar photovoltaic grid-connected systems in Malta is discussed. The factors that contribute to its realisation are also analysed.peer-reviewe

Maltese technological steps towards integrative cities

Understanding how urban ecologies operate and how one can relate to the changes required for social change, entails a deep understanding of the structures that make up that society. This scenario is evident when one tries to understand how policy makers present their studies for decision-takers to act upon. In an ideal world the decision taker would have acquired knowledge of what planning entails, the situation at hand, the acquisition of a mental image of the area under study and would theoretically be able to decide on an outcome as based on such knowledge. Reality shows otherwise, since this process entails the full knowledge of how the data process is handled, how that data delivers meaningful information, which results in knowledge and eventually an informed decision is taken. However, the entire enterprise is based on access to information or the lack of same, to acquisition of information on the urban/rural structures and the environment in its wider aspects. Dealing with advocacy groups, non-governmental organisations and interested parties requires that the planner has a solid understanding of the physical, natural and social parameters that society is permeated with. A planner debating a decision on how to mitigate on urban sprawl would be required to understand how such urban ecologies morph from small hamlets to town and cities and eventually to metropolis, in addition to an understanding of the interactivities that occur between the players as based on the sociological pillars: politics, religion, education, family and economy. Each part plays a crucial role in its attempts to sway a decision one way or another. Without basic information across the fields planners may find barriers being set up that may thwart informed decision-making.peer-reviewe

A database system with amnesia

Big Data comes with huge challenges. Its volume and velocity makes handling, curating, and analytical processing a costly affair. Even to simply “look at” the data within an a priori defined budget and with a guaranteed interactive response time might be impossible to achieve. Commonly applied scale-out approaches will hit the technology and monetary wall soon, if not done so already. Likewise, blindly rejecting data when the channels are full, or reducing the data resolution at the source, might lead to loss of valuable observations. An army of well-educated database administrators or full software stack architects might deal with these challenges albeit at substantial cost. This calls for a mostly knobless DBMS with a fundamental change in database management. Data rotting has been proposed as a direction to find a solution [10, 11]. For the sake of storage management and responsiveness, it lets the DBMS semi-autonomously rot away data. Rotting is based on the systems own unwillingness to keep old data as easily accessible as fresh data. This paper sheds more light on the opportunities and potential impacts of this radical departure in data management. Specifically, we study the case where a DBMS selectively forgets tuples (by marking them inactive) under various amnesia scenarios and with different implementation strategies. Our ultimate goal is to use the findings of this study to morph an existing data management engine to serve demanding big data scientific applications with well-chosen built-in data a

Community Maker Ceramic Product, British Ceramics Biennial, 2017.

Limited edition ceramic produce commissioned by British Ceramics Biennial, and sold within the retail shop at the BCB Spode Factory, 2017. The mug was designed for release at the festival, as a way to mark the end of the 3 year partnership project between AirSpace Gallery and The British Ceramics Biennial, and funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation

Community Maker, British Ceramics Biennial, 2017

Display of wares made with community members shown at the British Ceramics Biennial, Spode Factory, 2017. The ‘Community Maker’ project focused on the Portland Street area of Hanley, where 33 houses have been refurbished and sold for £1 each as part of a long-term process of social renewal and urban regeneration led by Stoke-on-Trent City Council. This housing intervention aimed to ‘change the rhythm’ of the area and support the development of a happier and healthier community. 2017 was the final year of the 3 year, Paul Hamlyn Funded project, lead by artist Anna Francis

Assessing Comfort in Open-Plan Offices on Campus – Which Comfort Parameters Matter?

PosterComfort is a highly individual and adaptive process, which is influenced by a multitude of environmental and social factors. In the scope of a pilot study, we conducted an online survey among PhD students, most of whom have desk spaces assigned in open-plan offices on campus, to uncover issues affecting their comfort from an individual perspective based on quantitative as well as qualitative information. We found that social aspects were cited most often as positive qualities of the workplace, whereas environmental factors were most often cited as sources of discomfort, with thermal and acoustic discomfort as well as matters of cleanliness leading the way. Participants indicated that some of these parameters also influenced their use or avoidance of their workplace, which reflected in their frequency of use and the use of other places to work. We consequently identified decision making processes based on indoor environmental quality parameters taking place in the choice of a work place as a possible area for further investigation, which could include looking at activity and work patterns alongside individual preferences.This work is supported by the Media & Arts Technology Programme, an EPSRC Doctoral Training Centre at Queen Mary University of London (EP/G03723X/1)