BRAMS: The Belgian RAdio Meteor Stations

In the last months, the Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy has been developing a Belgian network for observing radio meteors using forward scattering technique. This network is called BRAMS for Belgian RAdio Meteor Stations. Two beacons emitting a circularly polarized pure sine wave toward the zenith act as the transmitters at frequencies of 49.97 and 49.99 MHz. The first one located in Dourbes (Southern Belgium) emits a constant power of 150 Watts while the one located in Ieper (Western Belgium) emits a constant power of 50 Watts. The receiving network consists of about 20 stations hosted mainly by radio amateurs. Two stations have crossed-Yagi antennas measuring horizontal and vertical polarizations of the waves reflected off meteor trails. This will enable a detailed analysis of the meteor power profiles from which physical parameters of the meteoroids can be obtained. An interferometer consisting of 5 Yagi-antennas will be installed at the site of Humain in order to determine the angular detection of one reflection point, allowing us to determine meteoroid trajectories. We describe this new meteor observing facility and present the goals we expect to achieve with the network

Ultrahigh Surface Area Three-Dimensional Porous Graphitic Carbon from Conjugated Polymeric Molecular Framework

Porous graphitic carbon is essential for many applications such as energy storage devices, catalysts, and sorbents. However, current graphitic carbons are limited by low conductivity, low surface area, and ineffective pore structure. Here we report a scalable synthesis of porous graphitic carbons using a conjugated polymeric molecular framework as precursor. The multivalent cross-linker and rigid conjugated framework help to maintain micro- and mesoporous structures, while promoting graphitization during carbonization and chemical activation. The above unique design results in a class of highly graphitic carbons at temperature as low as 800 ??C with record-high surface area (4073 m2 g-1), large pore volume (2.26 cm-3), and hierarchical pore architecture. Such carbons simultaneously exhibit electrical conductivity >3 times more than activated carbons, very high electrochemical activity at high mass loading, and high stability, as demonstrated by supercapacitors and lithium-sulfur batteries with excellent performance. Moreover, the synthesis can be readily tuned to make a broad range of graphitic carbons with desired structures and compositions for many applications.clos

Development of a methodology for the valuation of public sector funded assets

The Treasury of the New Zealand Government must ensure that all public financial resources of the Crown are properly recorded in accordance with accepted accounting practices. Tertiary Education Institutions and Hospital Health Service Sector Crown Companies together comprise 16% of the total financial interest in State-Owned Entities, or, 19% of the Crown's total interest in physical assets. When State-Owned Enterprises (SOE's) are excluded the respective interests are 25% and 33% for Crown Entities. There are three accepted methods of valuing property; comparative market, present value of future income and depreciated replacement cost. Crown Entities are rarely if ever traded in the open market. It is argued that Discounted Free Cash Flow (DFCF) is the theoretically pure method of valuation but is not available for the valuation of an organisation with a service function. Depreciated Replacement Cost (DRC) is the adopted surrogate, refined by various degrees of optimisation. Refinements have included the development of the Modem Equivalent Asset (MEA) and recognition of all forms of depreciation in the calculation of Residual Lives (RL). Residual Life calculations invariably have regard to the age of the building. This is shown to be an incorrect approach under Optimised Depreciated Replacement Cost (ODRC). The business entity is rarely consulted in depth on the categorisation of assets, valuation methodology, the optimisation of assets, or total economic lives. This is contradictory to an optimisation process. The literature review traces the history of DRC and identifies defects in the existing procedures and definitions. Flaws in current methodology are exposed. A questionnaire was sent to all 23 Hospital and Health Service Sector organisations and 37 Tertiary Education Institutions in New Zealand to explore industry understanding and, if possible, to determine whether changes in methodology were required. Responses indicate a degree of industry confusion, the limitations of existing valuation standards, the need for a consistent methodology with some guidance on the direction methodology improvement should take. Valuation methodology changes are recommended, including full optimisation, the inclusion of comparative Net Realisable Values (NRV's) in valuation reports and the establishment of industry benchmarks. This approach should help to address criticisms raised by respondents. A non-market methodology is likely to exhibit unacceptable behavioural characteristics. ODRC methodology is a sound surrogate and can provide consistency but has limitations that must be acknowledged and understood. The quality of a valuation of Public Sector assets based on the recommended methodology will be more robust than existing practices, should satisfy accountants' expectations of reporting and provide the necessary industry consistency and accountability required of Crown Entities

Vlasov simulations of parallel potential drops

An auroral flux tube is modelled from the magnetospheric equator to the ionosphere using Vlasov simulations. Starting from an initial state, the evolution of the plasma on the flux tube is followed in time. It is found that when applying a voltage between the ends of the flux tube, about two thirds of the potential drop is concentrated in a thin double layer at approximately one Earth radius altitude. The remaining part is situated in an extended region 1-2 Earth radii above the double layer. Waves on the ion timescale develop above the double layer, and they move toward higher altitude at approximately the ion acoustic speed. These waves are seen both in the electric field and as perturbations of the ion and electron distributions, indicative of an instability. Electrons of magnetospheric origin become trapped between the magnetic mirror and the double layer during its formation. At low altitude, waves on electron timescales appear and are seen to be non-uniformly distributed in space. The temporal evolution of the potential profile and the total voltage affect the double layer altitude, which decreases with an increasing field aligned potential drop. A current-voltage relationship is found by running several simulations with different voltages over the system, and it agrees with the Knight relation reasonably well

How do young men want to receive information about fertility?:Young men's attitudes towards a fertility campaign targeting men in Copenhagen, Denmark

STUDY QUESTION: What are young men’s attitudes towards the Danish fertility campaign ‘How’s your sperm?’ and how do they want to receive fertility information in the future? SUMMARY ANSWER: The young men found that the campaign had limited impact because it was not relevant to their current life situation and they believed general fertility awareness should be a mandatory part of education, while more targeted information would be helpful through web-based venues when it was more relevant to their lives (e.g. when ready to have children). WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: It is estimated that 16–26% of the Danish population who want children will experience infertility at some point in their lives. In Denmark, 25% of young healthy men have decreased sperm quality, and 20% of 50-year-old men are childless. Men play an important role in the fertility decision-making of couples, thus, it is important to target men and ensure that they have sufficient fertility knowledge. However, fertility awareness is limited among men and there have been few fertility awareness initiatives targeting men. In October 2018, the Municipality of Copenhagen launched the campaign ‘How’s your sperm?’ as a tool to increase fertility knowledge among men. To identify potential barriers for the effect of fertility campaigns targeting men, evaluations of such campaigns are needed. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: This study was a cross-sectional, qualitative study of six focus groups including a total of 27 currently childless young men from the Capital Region of Copenhagen, Denmark. Data collection took place between April and October 2019. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: The interviewed young men were currently childless and were all residents in the Capital Region of Copenhagen. They were between 23 and 32 years old with an average age of 26 years, and almost all were university students or had a university degree. The focus group discussions were audiotaped, anonymized and transcribed in full. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Overall, the campaign had limited influence on the young men because they believed the campaign was not relevant to their current life situation. Furthermore, the young men were confused about the aim and message of the campaign, as they thought it encouraged them to have their sperm quality tested. The young men also criticized the campaign for making a link between sperm quality and masculinity. They recognized the importance of knowledge about reproductive health but they wanted access to accurate information about fertility and risk factors for infertility. According to the young men, future initiatives should prioritize clear communication of accurate, reliable and understandable fertility information in web-based venues. In addition, the young men suggested that general fertility information should be a mandatory part of the (sexual) education curriculum in primary and secondary schools. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTIONS: Participants were young and highly educated; thus the findings cannot be generalized to all men of a similar age group or to men at older ages. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Different strategies that are relevant to the lifespan are needed to increase fertility awareness in the male population. The young men’s responses underscored that any fertility awareness strategy or campaign must convey respect for the individual’s autonomy. The findings highlight that how information is communicated and the quality or type of information that is disseminated are both important in acceptability by target users. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): No funding was received for this study. No conflicts were declared for all authors. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: N/A