Fourteen Years of Sustainable Charcoal: The Case of Ankitsakalaninaomby

All over the world, different sources of energy are harnessed by populations looking to fulfill their needs, be it electricity, heating, or cooking. In Madagascar, fuel wood and wood charcoal provide the bulk of daily energy needs – for over 85% of the population they are the only available sources of domestic energy (GREEN-Mad 6). These two sources provide a cheap alternative to other fuels such as natural gas, which can be more than three times as expensive as charcoal (GREEN-Mad 51). In an impoverished country such as Madagascar, where 90% of the population live on less than two US dollars per day (PPP), inexpensive sources of energy are indispensable (World Bank). Madagascar’s population is growing rapidly, however, at a rate of nearly 3% annually (CIA World Factbook). This rapid growth has caused an increased burden on the island’s natural resources, particularly forests. Between 1990 and 2010, Madagascar experienced an average rate of deforestation of 0.42%, leading to a loss of 8.3% of its remaining forest cover (Mongabay). Traditionally, the majority of charcoal production has been carried out illegally in natural forests, contributing to these high rates of deforestation (GREEN-Mad 6). In 1994, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GTZ, now GIZ) in collaboration with the government of Madagascar, launched the project Gestion Rationnelle de l’Energie et de l’Environnement à Madagascar (GREEN-Mad), aimed at finding solutions to the problems of energy in Madagascar (GREEN-Mad 6). One of the first areas of focus for the project was the northern province of Antsiranana (now the region of Diana), centered on the urban center of Antsiranana (Diego Suarez) (GREEN-Mad 6). One of the early goals of the project was to find a way to reduce the domestic demand for charcoal in the province – an estimated 9,000 tons per year in 1992 (GREEN-Mad 6)

Expert knowledge based approach for automatic sorting and packing

The automatic sorting system is presented in this work which is based on expert knowledge and high resolution visual sensor. Proposed system was tested for natural amber sorting task. Five types of amber have been explored in this research. Experimental investigation involves amber classification in three different color spaces (RGB, HSV and Grayscale). The results have shown that the highest classification accuracy is reached using the combination of the most essential features sets acquired from different color spaces

Investigation of lanthanum substitution effects in yttrium aluminium garnet: importance of solid state NMR and EPR methods

Copyright © 2020, Springer Science Business Media, LLC, part of Springer NatureIn this study, yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG) specimens in which yttrium was partially substituted by lanthanum Y3-xLaxAl5O12 (YLaAG) were prepared by an aqueous sol-gel method. YLaAG samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) methods. The presence of Ce3+ ions as an impurity originating from starting material was determined, therefore, luminescence measurements of YLaAG samples were also recorded. It was demonstrated that luminescent properties are strongly dependent on the phase composition of synthesized species. The XRD analysis results showed that only low substitution of yttrium by lanthanum is possible in Y3-xLaxAl5O12 without destroying garnet crystal structure. It was also demonstrated, that solid state NMR and EPR methods are indispensable tools for the explanation of processes and properties observed in the newly synthesized Y3-xLaxAl5O12 compounds. ---- / / / ---- This is the preprint version of the following article: Laurikenas, A., Sakalauskas, D., Marsalka, A. et al. Investigation of lanthanum substitution effects in yttrium aluminium garnet: importance of solid state NMR and EPR methods. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-020-05445-2, which has been published in final form at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10971-020-05445-2. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Springer Terms and Conditions for Sharing and Self-Archiving.This work was supported by a Research grant NEGEMAT (No. S-MIP-19-59) from the Research Council of Lithuania. Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART²

A Collaboration between UTA and the Urban Inter-Tribal Center of Texas: Assessing the needs of the American Indian Population in Texas

**Please note that the full text is embargoed** ABSTRACT: Seventy-eight percent of all American Indians now live in cities, rather than on reservations. The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area illustrates this history of urbanization with its population of more than 60,000 American Indians. The Urban Inter-Tribal Center of Texas (UITCT) is a key community organization that provides limited social services and health care services to clients representing 174 federally recognized tribes of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs). Data limitations have impeded the center from obtaining funding to expand services or to fully assess the medical, social and cultural needs and interests that may exist in DFW. UT-Arlington faculty, UITCT staff, and community members collaborated in the development and conduction of a community-based needs assessment of the American Indian Population of North Texas. This research project developed a replicable and culturally appropriate measurement tool using 3 focus groups to design a survey instrument that was then distributed at 3 venues in DFW. The data is being analyzed and will be presented to The Urban Inter-Tribal Center of Texas in July 2017

Microgravity facilities for cold atom experiments

Microgravity platforms enable cold atom research beyond experiments in typical laboratories by removing restrictions due to the gravitational acceleration or compensation techniques. While research in space allows for undisturbed experimentation, technological readiness, availability and accessibility present challenges for experimental operation. In this work we focus on the main capabilities and unique features of ground-based microgravity facilities for cold atom research. A selection of current and future scientific opportunities and their high demands on the microgravity environment are presented, and some relevant ground-based facilities are discussed and compared. Specifically, we point out the applicable free fall times, repetition rates, stability and payload capabilities, as well as programmatic and operational aspects of these facilities. These are contrasted with the requirements of various cold atom experiments. Besides being an accelerator for technology development, ground-based microgravity facilities allow fundamental and applied research with the additional benefit of enabling hands-on access to the experiment for modifications and adjustments

Is the qualitative research interview an acceptable medium for research with palliative care patients and carers?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Contradictory evidence exists about the emotional burden of participating in qualitative research for palliative care patients and carers and this raises questions about whether this type of research is ethically justified in a vulnerable population. This study aimed to investigate palliative care patients' and carers' perceptions of the benefits and problems associated with open interviews and to understand what causes distress and what is helpful about participation in a research interview.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A descriptive qualitative study. The data were collected in the context of two studies exploring the experiences of care of palliative care patients and carers. The interviews ended with questions about patients' and carers' thoughts on participating in the studies and whether this had been a distressing or helpful event. We used a qualitative descriptive analysis strategy generated from the interviews and the observational and interactional data obtained in the course of the study.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The interviews were considered helpful: sharing problems was therapeutic and being able to contribute to research was empowering. However, thinking about the future was reported to be the most challenging. Consent forms were sometimes read with apprehension and being physically unable to sign was experienced as upsetting. Interviewing patients and carers separately was sometimes difficult and not always possible.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The open interview enables the perspectives of patients and carers to be heard, unfettered from the structure of closed questions. It also enables those patients or carers to take part who would be unable to participate in other study designs. The context is at least as important as the format of the research interview taking into account the relational circumstances with carers and appropriate ways of obtaining informed consent. Retrospective consent could be a solution to enhancing participants control over the interview.</p

Compatibility of organic farming treatments against Monosteira unicostata with non-target arthropod fauna of almond trees canopy

Field trials had shown that 1-2 applications of kaolin and potassium salts of fatty acids combined with thyme essential oil (PSTEO) reduced the abundance of the lace bug Monosteira unicostata (Mulsant & Rey) (Hemiptera: Tingidae), an important pest of almond trees in the Mediterranean region. These products could be useful for the control of this pest in organic production of almonds, but higher number of applications could be necessary. However, the possible detrimental effects on the almond orchard ecosystem should be evaluated. In the present work, the effects observed on the non-target arthropod fauna of the almond trees canopy in those field assays are shown. First, a comprehensive report of the non-target arthropod fauna of the almond tree is provided. Regarding natural enemies, most of the predatory arthropods captured were spiders belonging to different families like Salticidae, Thomisidae, Philodromidae, Theridiidae, Araneidae or Oxyopidae. Other predatory families that appeared in significant numbers were Chrysopidae, Anthocoridae, Aeolothripidae, Coccinellidae, Phytoseiidae, Erythraeidae or Forficulidae. Among parasitoids, the most abundant families were Eulophidae, Scelionidae and Dryinidae. Kaolin reduced the abundance of natural enemies and other non-target arthropods as well as their diversity and number of species. On the contrary, PSTEO only produced a slight reduction in the number of natural enemies, whereas no effect was found on the diversity and species richness. These effects were observed despite the reduced number of applications, so greater effect is expected if its frequency is increased in order to achieve an efficient control of M. unicostata