Avoiding The Ask: A Field Experiment on Altruism, Empathy, and Charitable Giving

What triggers giving? We explore this in a randomized natural field experiment during the Salvation Army's annual campaign. Solicitors were at one or both of two main entrances to a supermarket, making the solicitation either easy or difficult to avoid. Additionally, solicitors were either silent, or asked "please give" to passersby. We observed over 17,000 passings over four days, and found dramatic avoidance of the solicitors, but only during a direct ask. Furthermore, asking increased donations 75%. Across all conditions, seeking the solicitor was exceedingly rare. The results do not support static views of altruism, such as inequity aversion, and instead highlight the importance of social cues and psychological features of the giver-receiver interaction. We argue that avoidance could evidence a lack of altruism or self-control strategy to deal with empathic reflexes to give.

Evaluation of Ankom F58 Filter Bags Compared to Dacron Bags and Beakers for Analysis of Acid Detergent Fiber

Feed and fecal samples were analyzed to compare three methods of determining acid detergent fiber. Each sample was weighed into both Dacron and Ankom F58 fiber bags and then analyzed using an Ankom fiber analyzer. Results were then compared to the Van Soest beaker method. Ankom F58 bags helped reduce washout of small particles associated with Dacron bags, but fecal samples needed to be incubated in detergent for an extended amount of time to isolate acid detergent fiber material. Utilizing a technique that produces correct acid detergent fiber values is important for producers because these values are used as a proxy for calculating total digestible nutrients of feedstuffs

The economic impact of climate change in Namibia. How climate change will affect the contribution of Namibia’s natural resources to its economy

The IPCC recognises Africa as a whole to be “one of the most vulnerable continents to climate variability and change because of multiple stresses and low adaptive capacity. Climate change is likely to exacerbate the dry conditions already experienced in southern Africa. And when rainfall does come, it is likely to be more intense, leading to erosion and flood damage. This will affect the poor most, with resulting constraints on employment opportunities and declining wages. But at present these predictions gain little policy traction in southern African countries. The multilateral climate change process is complicated and slow, and policymakers often see serious action on climate change as a domestic ‘vote loser’. One way to raise climate change concerns further up the policymakers’ agenda is to try to put an economic value on the environmental impacts of climate change. Figures that provide a clear message about the expected impact of climate change will be powerful motivators for policymakers in developing countries to start considering climate change as a part of their national development policies. This study is a first attempt to provide some economic indicators of how climate change will affect Namibia – one of the most vulnerable countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Focusing on natural resources, the study aims to assess the likely economic values of some of the most important environmental and socio-economic impacts of climate change in Namibia, and also to capture how some of the most important impacts might affect the overall structure of the economy.Climate change, Economics, Namibia, Environmental Economics and Policy,

The Combined Elevation Test (CET) in Adolescent School Children: A Pilot Study

The Combined Elevation Test (CET) is a musculoskeletal screening technique (MST) that replicates the streamline position in swimming and is commonly used in various sports. Although CET is widely used, no normative data exist within an adolescent population. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a large data set for the CET within an adolescent population and to evaluate the influence of various demographic and anthropometric variables. Data were collected for 416 participants aged between 8 and 18 years old. Age and arm span showed a significant correlation with CET scores (arm span rs (105) = 0.478, p = 0.000; age rs (416) = 0.238, p = 0.000). Regression analysis further quantified the influence of arm span and age on CET scores, accounting for 23.1% and 5.3% of variability respectively. These results can be used as a reference point for clinicians and coaches who are using the CET within their assessments

Understanding the Flesh Browning Disorder of Cripps Pink Apples

The Flesh Browning (FB) disorder of ‘Cripps Pink’ apples presents a significant threat to the established market identity of the ‘Cripps Pink’ apple in Australian and export markets. Climatic conditions during fruit growth and development predispose ‘Cripps Pink’ apples to developing the FB disorder during storage. The FB disorder can be classified into two distinct disorders based on their physiological and structural differences and by seasonal climatic conditions. The diffuse type of FB (DFB) is a chilling injury, occurring in districts or seasons accumulating less than 1100 growing degree days (GDD) above 10oC between full bloom and harvest. In these climatic conditions, ‘Cripps Pink’ apples have delayed postharvest ethylene production. Diffuse FB effects fruit cortex tissue and is characterised as cellular collapse. Storing fruit at 3oC can reduce the incidence of DFB. The radial type of FB (RFB) is primarily a senescent disorder, occurring in districts or seasons accumulating greater than 1400 GDD above 10oC between full bloom and harvest. In these climatic conditions, postharvest ethylene production is not delayed. Radial FB affects the cells adjacent to the vascular tissue of the fruit and is characterised by damaged cell walls. Storing fruit at 1oC can reduce the incidence of RFB. Harvest maturity and the level of CO2 in the storage atmosphere are additive influences on the development of RFB. Seasons or districts accumulating more than 1700 GDD have a very low risk for developing RFB. Seasonal climatic conditions can provide a guide for predicting the risk of developing RFB and DFB during storage

Comparing Terrestrial and Extraterrestrial Lava Surface Roughness Using Digital Elevation Models From High Resolution Topography and Structure From Motion

If patterns of lava flow surface roughness at large and small scales can be tied features at similar scales using observations of active volcanoes, then roughness across a lava flow can be related to eruption characteristics such as rate of flow, viscosity, and underlying slope. This will further current understanding of emplacement rates and styles during the volcanically active period of mars’ history. Additionally, describing the effect of the Martian environment on volcanism is necessary to learn the full range of possible volcanic activity in the Solar System. This will also provide insight regarding volcanic hazards here on Earth. To investigate lava flow roughness on Earth and Mars, I acquired high resolution topography for lava flows from Mauna Ulu, Hawaii, Obsidian Dome and Amboy, California using Structure from Motion and/or LiDAR, as well as topography data of Tharsis from the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Mauna Ulu and Amboy were used as earthly analogues for the range of possible lava flow surfaces on mars. I applied two new approaches to determining roughness on lava flows – the Topographic Position Index and Roughness Doughnut. The approaches presented here may allow scientists to observe much finer features in flow fields than previously possible, thus providing new insights about the quantitative relationships between surface morphology and eruption characteristics. Finally, I used Principal Component Analysis to better understand the relationships between terrestrial and martian roughness. iv The goal of this project was to develop an efficient and cost-effective method of roughness comparison that can be applied to a variety of volcanic environments and scales. Mauna Ulu offers an opportunity to observe young flows, but the dominant weathering processes in this humid, tropical location are significantly different from processes active on Mars. Lava flows at Amboy are older than those produced by Mauna Ulu, and display varying levels of mantling by wind-blown sand, similar to expectations of Mars. Using datasets from both locations, I described how martian lava flows compare to the range of roughness measurements at both terrestrial sites. I also sought to investigate the effect of mantling of aeolian material on lava flow roughness, and if roughness is a useful tool to detect mantled lava flow features on Mars. Additionally, I aimed to relate roughness data from the terrestrial locations to lava flow features visible in Structure from Motion and LiDAR digital elevation models. Finally, I discuss the use of these methods to map volcanic features and environments in new locations on Earth and on Mars. Though Obsidian Dome was not a central part of this project, 1 meter per pixel LiDAR data was used to illustrate the roughness differences between silicic and mafic lava flows. Roughness values are higher at Obsidian Dome than values at the other locations, at every scale tested. This is consistent with observations by Plaut et al. (2004). Results show that suspected basaltic lava flows on Mars show similarities to the range of roughness values for basaltic flows at Amboy, California and Mauna Ulu, Hawaii. Roughness values for the basaltic environments are significantly different from those of Obsidian Dome. I was able to use roughness of lava flows within and outside of the main wind shadow at Amboy to describe the effect of mantling on the lava topography. Though a roughness trend was observed across mantled surfaces in v California, it is not robust enough to be used as the only method to detect mantled lava flows on Mars. Finally, both the RD and TPI methods can be used to map volcanic environments but would benefit from additional datasets

Understanding the Flesh Browning Disorder of Cripps Pink Apples

The Flesh Browning (FB) disorder of ‘Cripps Pink’ apples presents a significant threat to the established market identity of the ‘Cripps Pink’ apple in Australian and export markets. Climatic conditions during fruit growth and development predispose ‘Cripps Pink’ apples to developing the FB disorder during storage. The FB disorder can be classified into two distinct disorders based on their physiological and structural differences and by seasonal climatic conditions. The diffuse type of FB (DFB) is a chilling injury, occurring in districts or seasons accumulating less than 1100 growing degree days (GDD) above 10oC between full bloom and harvest. In these climatic conditions, ‘Cripps Pink’ apples have delayed postharvest ethylene production. Diffuse FB effects fruit cortex tissue and is characterised as cellular collapse. Storing fruit at 3oC can reduce the incidence of DFB. The radial type of FB (RFB) is primarily a senescent disorder, occurring in districts or seasons accumulating greater than 1400 GDD above 10oC between full bloom and harvest. In these climatic conditions, postharvest ethylene production is not delayed. Radial FB affects the cells adjacent to the vascular tissue of the fruit and is characterised by damaged cell walls. Storing fruit at 1oC can reduce the incidence of RFB. Harvest maturity and the level of CO2 in the storage atmosphere are additive influences on the development of RFB. Seasons or districts accumulating more than 1700 GDD have a very low risk for developing RFB. Seasonal climatic conditions can provide a guide for predicting the risk of developing RFB and DFB during storage

Future Makespaces and redistributed manufacturing

This paper sets out some of our vision of future makespaces and redistributed manufacture, a pragmatic future vision, that reflects the state of makespaces now, tests ideas and aspirations of education and circular economy, and uses insights from those studies to imagine a future and its implications. The context for this future scoping is the Future Makespaces in Redistributed Manufacture (FMs RdM) Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) project at the Royal College of Art. Over two years, we will be hosting symposia, funding feasibility studies and undertaking cross cutting research to understand the potential relationship of makespaces to redistributed manufacture and sustainability. ‘Re-Distributed Manufacturing’, is a term which aims to encapsulate the rapidly changing geographies, organizational structures, value chains and distribution networks associated with new advances in materials sciences, engineering, digital and enabling technologies. It is akin to ‘on shoring’, but recognizes that the future of manufacturing will operate on a variety of scales according to specialism and material flows. We consider that redistributed manufacture is a term that should not apply simply to the inevitable future of business as usual. Our framing of redistributed manufacture, taking advantage of ubiquitous computation and distributed infrastructure has the potential to apply to a different future state of production, one which is desirable not inevitable, which responds to the imperatives of our time and builds a production system fit for humans. As Sloan (2015) emphasises in his recent reflection on the sharing economy: We are alive at a time when huge systems—industrial, infrastructural—are being remade, and I think it’s our responsibility as we make choices both commercial and civic…to extrapolate forward, and ask ourselves: Is this a system I want to live inside? Is this a system fit for humans? (Sloan 2015

Attaining Aichi Target 11: How Well Are Marine Ecosystem Services Covered by Protected Areas?

The spatial coverage of marine and coastal protected areas worldwide has shown a rapid increase in recent years. Over 32% of the world's coral reefs and over 36% of the world's mangrove forests now fall within protected areas. However, simple measures of extent are insufficient for assessing progress toward achieving global targets. Notably, the CBD Aichi Target 11 calls for 'at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inland water areas, and 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services' to be protected. There is, therefore, an urgent need to assess how well protected areas cover these areas of importance for ecosystem services