Applications study of advanced power generation systems utilizing coal-derived fuels. Volume 1: Executive summary

The technology status of phosphoric acid and molten carbon fuel cells, combined gas and steam turbine cycles, and magnetohydrodynamic energy conversion systems was assessed and the power performance of these systems when operating with medium-Btu fuel gas whether delivered by pipeline to the power plant or in an integrated mode in which the coal gasification process and power system are closely coupled as an overall power plant was evaluated. Commercially available combined-cycle gas turbine systems can reach projected required performance levels for advanced systems using currently available technology. The phosphoric acid fuel cell appears to be the next most likely candidate for commercialization. On pipeline delivery, the systems efficiency ranges from 40.9% for the phosphoric acid fuel cell to 63% for the molten carbonate fuel cell system. The efficiencies of the integrated power plants vary from approximately 39-40% for the combined cycle to 46-47% for the molden carbonate fuel cell systems. Conventional coal-fired steam stations with flue-gas desulfurization have only 33-35% efficiency

The spatial construction of young people's livelihoods in rural southern Africa

Young people in southern Africa, in common with young people around the world, are social agents, constructing their own lives, albeit within significant structural constraints. Unlike young people in some regions, for most the need to generate a livelihood is a key consideration. Livelihood construction is a profoundly spatial activity, yet while there have been a number of studies of the spatial construction of young people's livelihoods in African cities, the spatiality of rural livelihoods has received less attention. Rural environments pose particular challenges for livelihood construction, and require particular spatial strategies. Four are discussed here: accessing education and training; migration for work; developing extensive social networks; and producing for markets. There are, however, aspects of the spatial structuring of rural southern African societies that seriously constrain the pursuit of productive livelihoods by young people. Two are considered: migration (for reasons unconnected with young people's livelihoods) and marriage practices

Rural young people's opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship in globalised southern Africa: The limitations of targeting policies

This paper is based on a study with rural young people in Malawi and Lesotho, focusing on their possibilities for accessing (self)employment in the face of the various constraints imposed by their poor rural situations. Participatory group exercises, combined with individual interviews in two rural villages, provided personal stories about jobs and businesses that the young people were engaged in, as well as previous experiences and future plans. Constraints, as well as enabling factors, working at both individual and structural levels were analysed. Policies intended to address the needs of young people tend to seek to target the most vulnerable, often on the basis of individual-and household-level characteristics (e.g. women, orphans and AIDS-affected households). We argue that this: (1) neglects the structural factors operating at national and global levels; and (2) fails to recognise that factors interact to produce vulnerability, rather than this being rooted in separate characteristics. We demonstrate that an intersectional approach, drawn from feminist studies, is a useful theoretical lens, which, in combination with a livelihoods perspective, helps illuminate the needs of rural young people. In situations characterised by high levels of poverty and multiple vulnerabilities, we argue that it can be costly and ineffective to try to decide 'who is most vulnerable'; rather, resources can be more effectively spent in trying to improve conditions that will benefit all rural young people

On the divided power structures in super-rings

Given a super-commutative ring A=A 0 direct summed with A 1 , does (A 0 ,A 1 A 1 ) always have a divided power structure? We give an example proving the answer is no. There exists a super-commutative ring SR=SR 0 direct summed with SR 1 with no divided power structure possible on (SR 0 ,SR 1 SR 1 ). Also, we study super divided power structures and the properties they force onto divided power structures on the even part of a ring-ideal pair. We show that there can exist a divided power structure on the even part that is incompatible with the super divided power structure. Also, just for fun, we explore the phenomenon of upper-Sierpinski-triangular matrices and where they manifest

Socio-economic causes of food insecurity in Malawi

The food crisis that Malawi experienced in 2002 led to hundreds – maybe thousands – of hunger-related deaths, which is more than any famine in living memory. During this famine, maize production fell by over 30% and maize prices rose by over 300% (Devereux, 2002). At the peak of the crisis, nearly a third of the population were dependent on food aid (USAID/Malawi, 2004)

Income-generating activities for young people in southern Africa: Exploring AIDS and other constraints

Copyright @ 2010 The Authors. The Geographical Journal © 2010 Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers). The published version of the article can be accessed via the link below.This paper reports on a study with rural young people (aged 10–24 years) in Malawi and Lesotho, focusing on their opportunities to learn skills and access capital and assets to engage in incomegenerating activities (IGAs). Participatory group exercises and individual interviews provide many examples of how young people learn skills and start small businesses, as well as an insight into their strategic thinking about engaging in these livelihood options. Various factors, including the effects of AIDS, are shown to affect young people’s prospects of succeeding in their ventures.Young people are very keen on starting IGAs, and are supported by adult members of their communities in asking for interventions to help them. We argue that expanded vocational and business training, focusing on locally appropriate types and scale of businesses, coupled with help to raise start-up capital has the potential to improve the chances of young people who are poor and/or AIDS-affected securing sustainable rural livelihoods in their futures. Since AIDS is intertwined with many other issues affecting young people’s livelihoods, it is problematic to single out and target only AIDS-affected young people with interventions on skills building and IGAs. Policymakers’ attitudes to vocational skills training and support for IGAs in Malawi and Lesotho are also explored, and policy recommendations made to support vulnerable rural young people in their attempts to build sustainable livelihoods.ESRC/DFI

Reply to ``Comment on ``Lateral Casimir Force beyond the Proximity Force Approximation'' ''

We reply to the comment arXiv:quant-ph/0702060 on our letter arXiv:quant-ph/0603120 [Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 100402 (2006)]Comment: 1 pag

The freedom to choose: integrating communitybased reproductive health services with locally led marine conservation initiatives in southwest Madagascar

Madagascar’s diverse marine ecosystems serve as critical biodiversity habitats and are also essential to the livelihoods, food security and culture of coastal people, including semi-nomadic Vezo fishers based along the southwest coast. Commercialisation of their traditional fisheries, rapid coastal population growth related to unmet family planning needs, and lack of alternatives to fishing in this arid region are resulting in the unsustainable exploitation of coastal resources. In response to these challenges, marine conservation organisation Blue Ventures has developed an approach to community-based conservation and development that reflects the inextricable links between humans, their health and the environment. We describe how this model has evolved in the Velondriake locally managed marine area, home to approximately 1 0,000 people, over the last decade through strong cross-sector partnerships. It has entailed the integration of community-based reproductive health services with locally led marine conservation initiatives including temporary octopus fishery closures, permanent marine reserves and alternative coastal livelihood activities such as aquaculture. All of these programmes are underpinned by community education that engages men, women, youth and children in both health and conservation topics. The provision of voluntary family planning services in the Velondriake area is estimated to have averted more than 800 unintended pregnancies since 2007, and the temporary octopus fishery closure model has been implemented over 1 50 times along the southwest coast since 2004. Preliminary, anecdotal reports from community members and programme staff indicate that this integrated Population-Health-Environment approach enables couples to plan and better provide for their families, empowers women, improves food security and directly supports the sustainability of local conservation efforts. It is proving to be an easily replicable model for addressing community health needs and advancing biodiversity conservation efforts in some of Madagascar’s most remote and under-served areas. Non seulement les écosystèmes marins de Madagascar abritentils une biodiversité exceptionnelle mais ils sont également intrinsèquement liés au mode de vie et à la sécurité alimentaire des populations côtières, notamment des pêcheurs seminomades qui vivent le long de la côte sud-ouest. La commercialisation des produits de la pêche traditionnelle, la croissance rapide de la population qui est en partie liée à des défauts en matière de planification familiale et l’absence d’alternatives à la pêche dans cette région aride se traduisent par une exploitation non durable des ressources côtières. Pour trouver une solution à cette situation, l'organisation de conservation marine Blue Ventures a élaboré une approche holistique qui considère les liens obligés entre les Hommes, leur santé et l'environnement. L’évolution du modèle élaboré pour l’aire marine de Velondriake est décrite ici; elle concerne environ 10 000 personnes au cours de cette dernière décennie et des partenariats multisectoriels. Le modèle a intégré des services de santé reproductive avec des initiatives de conservation marine gérées localement, comme des fermetures temporaires de la pêche aux poulpes, des réserves marines permanentes et des activités génératrices de revenus telles que l'aquaculture. L’ensemble de ces programmes est soutenu par des actions d’éducation en mobilisant les hommes, femmes, jeunes et enfants sur des thèmes aussi variés que la santé ou la protection de l’environnement. Ainsi, on estime que la prestation des services de planification familiale volontaire dans la région de Velondriake a pu éviter plus de 800 grossesses non désirées depuis 2007, et des fermetures temporaires de la pêche aux poulpes plus de 1 50 fois le long de la côte sud-ouest depuis 2004. Des rapports préliminaires et anecdotiques de membres des communautés et des personnels du programmes indiquent que cette approche intégrée « Santé – Population – Environnement » permet aux couples de planifier et de mieux subvenir aux besoins de leurs familles, aux femmes de s’émanciper et aux familles d’améliorer leur sécurité alimentaire tout en soutenant directement la durabilité des activités de conservation marine gérées localement. Ce modèle s’est révélé être facilement reproductible pour répondre aux besoins de santé communautaire et pour faire avancer les efforts de conservation de la biodiversité dans les régions les plus reculées et les plus isolées de Madagascar