Food Waste Within South Africa and Saudi Arabia

The food waste reduction potential within the countries of the Middle East and Africa is large and understudied. Countries in the region are faced with food security and sovereignty issues, with over 50% of food imported in some countries. Due to the many differences in this region, this chapter highlights the state of food waste in two prominent countries: South Africa and Saudi Arabia. Both South Africa and Saudi Arabia have their own food waste challenges and solutions. This chapter summarises the current state of food waste research in each country, and reports the estimated volumes of food waste in South Africa and Saudi Arabia along with any notable policy developments

Human Embryos and Eggs::From long-term storage to biobanking

Genetic relatedness poses significant challenges to traditional practices of medical ethics as concerns the biobanking of human biological samples. In this paper, we first outline the ethical challenges to informed consent and confidentiality as these apply to human biobanks, irrespective of the type of tissue being stored. We argue that the shared nature of genetic information has clear implications for informed consent, and the identifying nature of biological samples and information has clear implications for promises of confidentiality. Next, with regard to the special case of biobanking human embryos and eggs, we consider issues arising from: first, the type of tissues being stored; second, the use to which these tissues are put; and third, how this plays out given the shared and identifying nature of these tissues. Specifically, we examine the differences between human bodily tissues and human reproductive tissues focusing on the assumed potential of the reproductive tissues and on the possible greater emotional attachment to these tissues because of their real and imagined kinship. For some donors there may be a sense of family connection with embryos and eggs they once thought of as ‘children-in-waiting’. Finally, we conclude by considering the implications for ethical practice

National Bureau of Standards Technical Note 1042

Abstract: A method is presented for determining the impulse and step responses of a shielded cable using time domain terminal measurements and a physically based mathematical model for the transmission line properties of the cable. The method requires a computer controlled time domain measurement system and was implemented using the NBS Automatic Pulse Measurement System (APMS). Data are also developed for the frequency domain complex propagation function (attenuation and its related minimum-phase shift). The method is applied to 12 shielded paired-conductor (balanced) cables and 5 coaxial cables. Time domain responses are presented for three nominal cable lengths, 60 m (200 ft), 150 m (500 ft), and 300 m (1000 ft). The time domain responses are applied to the estimation of bit error rate increases due to the insertion of the cables into a digital signaling system employing a balanced polar NRZ waveform. Also discussed is the application of the time domain responses to time domain reflectometry techniques for cable acceptance tests and field-site testing of installed cables

Atomic Energy Commission Report 1081

Abstract: The problem of measuring and characterizing complicated multiple-source, multiple-frequency electromagnetic environments is becoming more important and more difficult as electrical devices proliferate. This paper outlines three general approaches to the problem which are currently under investigation at the National Bureau of Standards. The three approaches are: 1) a statistical treatment of the spatial distribution of electromagnetic field intensities, 2) a numerical computation using a finite-difference (or lattice) form of the electromagnetic action functional, and 3) use of a directional probe to scan a volume. All three methods are still in the development stage, but each appears promising