High-technology elements for thin-film photovoltaic applications :a demand-supply outlook on the basis of current energy and PV market growths scenarios

On the basis of current energy and photovoltaic market outlooks and scenarios, the total growth rate potential of thin-film photovoltaic (PV) techniques have been analysed and calculated. For the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) Advanced Scenario [1] total thin-film PV annual production values of 2.4 GWp for 2010, 25 GWp for 2020 and 132 GWp for 2030, were calculated. These values were used to estimate individual annual production for each thin-film technology in order to predict the future thin-film PV material needs for indium, selenium, tellurium, germanium and gallium. Considering global reserve and refinery data, this work also provides estimations on the current static depletion time of these elements. Such estimations are of course an approximation but emphasise that some of the considered elements are highly constrained when assuming steady production rates. This is particularly the case for indium, for which we calculated a static depletion time of 22 years. Selenium and tellurium could be also in danger of running out soon if their consumption increases. This implies that additional efforts are needed in the exploration and evaluation of mineral deposits which can supply these scarce elements such as the deposits of the Iberian Pyrite Belt

Donkeys in transition: changing use in a changing world

Os jumentos têm uma longa história no desenvolvimento das sociedades humanas. Normalmente referidos como bestas de carga, seus usos tradicionais incluem o transporte de pessoas e bens, atividades agrícolas e florestais, acesso a água, assim como oferecer uma forma de rendimento para comunidades em países de rendimento baixo e médio. No entanto, o aumento da mecanização, o desenvolvimento de técnicas agrícolas modernas e maior disponibilidade de veículos motorizados fizeram com que os jumentos e os muares se  tornassem desnecessários nos seus papéis tradicionais em muitas partes do mundo. Neste artigo os autores fornecem exemplos onde os jumentos fizeram a transição, com sucesso, dos papéis tradicionais para novos papéis não tradicionais, tanto na Europa como na América do Norte; e demonstramos que, embora o papel e o uso de jumentos e muares estejam mudando num mundo em rápido desenvolvimento, podemos aprender lições com o passado e aplicá-las aos desafios atuais. À medida que diminui a necessidade de equídeos de trabalho no transporte e na agricultura, eles ainda têm grande valor no que toca a fins recreativos, terapêuticos e ecológicos no uso de tração animal.Donkeys have a long history in the development of human societies. Typically referred to as a beast of burden, traditional uses for donkeys have included the transportation of goods and people, use in agricultural and forestry activities, to access water, and provide citizens in low- and middle-income countries a means of making an income for communities. However, the rise of mechanization, the development of modern farming techniques, and the increasing availability of motorized vehicles have led to donkeys and mules becoming redundant from traditional roles in many parts of the world. We provide examples of where donkeys have successfully transitioned from traditional roles to new, non-traditional roles in Europe and North America, and demonstrate that, although the roles and use of donkeys and mules are changing in a rapidly developing world, we can learn lessons from the past and apply them to current challenges. As the need for working equids declines in transport and agriculture, they still hold great value for recreational, therapeutic, and environmentally friendly methods of animal traction.

High-tech element availability for sustainable energy systems in the 21st century : The Iberian Pyrite Belt as a potential supplier

This work provides estimations on the future raw material demand for the thin-film photovoltaic (PV) elements indium, selenium, tellurium, germanium and gallium. Data calculation has been carried out on the basis of current energy and PV market outlooks. For indium, our calculation yields a maximum cumulative demand of 12 kilotons for the period from 2008 to 2030. The minimum demand for the same period is of 8 kilotons. Additionally, static depletion times for the elements in question have been determined. For indium, the static depletion time of 22 years shows that its supply is highly endangered, particularly if indium consumption for LCD and solar panel production stays on a high level or even increases. The situation for selenium, with a static depletion time of 53 years, is not much better. Therefore, in addition to recycling, the fundamental way to enhance material supply is through intensified exploration for mineral deposits. Such exploration could focus in promising areas, where high-technology elements are already known to exist in sulphide ore deposits, e.g. the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB), a metallogenic province known for its massive sulphide ore resources

Iodixanol density gradients as an effective phytoplasma enrichment approach to improve genome sequencing

Obtaining complete phytoplasma genomes is difficult due to the lack of a culture system for these bacteria. To improve genome assembly, a non-ionic, low- and iso-osmotic iodixanol (Optiprep™) density gradient centrifugation method was developed to enrich for phytoplasma cells and deplete plant host tissues prior to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction and high-throughput sequencing (HTS). After density gradient enrichment, potato infected with a ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma australasia’-related strain showed a ∼14-fold increase in phytoplasma HTS reads, with a ∼1.7-fold decrease in host genomic reads compared to the DNA extracted from the same sample without density gradient centrifugation enrichment. Additionally, phytoplasma genome assemblies from libraries equalized to 5 million reads were, on average, ∼15,000 bp larger and more contiguous (N50 ∼14,800 bp larger) than assemblies from the DNA extracted from the infected potato without enrichment. The method was repeated on capsicum infected with Sweet Potato Little Leaf phytoplasma (‘Ca. Phytoplasma australasia’-related strain) with a lower phytoplasma titer than the potato. In capsicum, ∼threefold more phytoplasma reads and ∼twofold less host genomic reads were obtained, with the genome assembly size and N50 values from libraries equalized to 3.4 million reads ∼137,000 and ∼4,000 bp larger, respectively, compared to the DNA extracted from infected capsicum without enrichment. Phytoplasmas from potato and capsicum were both enriched at a density of 1.049–1.058 g/ml. Finally, we present two highly contiguous ‘Ca. Phytoplasma australasia’ phytoplasma reference genomes sequenced from naturally infected Solanaceae hosts in Australia. Obtaining high-quality phytoplasma genomes from naturally infected hosts will improve insights into phytoplasma taxonomy, which will improve their detection and disease management

Iodixanol density gradients as an effective phytoplasma enrichment approach to improve genome sequencing

Obtaining complete phytoplasma genomes is difficult due to the lack of a culture system for these bacteria. To improve genome assembly, a non-ionic, low- and iso-osmotic iodixanol (Optiprep™) density gradient centrifugation method was developed to enrich for phytoplasma cells and deplete plant host tissues prior to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction and high-throughput sequencing (HTS). After density gradient enrichment, potato infected with a ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma australasia’-related strain showed a ∼14-fold increase in phytoplasma HTS reads, with a ∼1.7-fold decrease in host genomic reads compared to the DNA extracted from the same sample without density gradient centrifugation enrichment. Additionally, phytoplasma genome assemblies from libraries equalized to 5 million reads were, on average, ∼15,000 bp larger and more contiguous (N50 ∼14,800 bp larger) than assemblies from the DNA extracted from the infected potato without enrichment. The method was repeated on capsicum infected with Sweet Potato Little Leaf phytoplasma (‘Ca. Phytoplasma australasia’-related strain) with a lower phytoplasma titer than the potato. In capsicum, ∼threefold more phytoplasma reads and ∼twofold less host genomic reads were obtained, with the genome assembly size and N50 values from libraries equalized to 3.4 million reads ∼137,000 and ∼4,000 bp larger, respectively, compared to the DNA extracted from infected capsicum without enrichment. Phytoplasmas from potato and capsicum were both enriched at a density of 1.049–1.058 g/ml. Finally, we present two highly contiguous ‘Ca. Phytoplasma australasia’ phytoplasma reference genomes sequenced from naturally infected Solanaceae hosts in Australia. Obtaining high-quality phytoplasma genomes from naturally infected hosts will improve insights into phytoplasma taxonomy, which will improve their detection and disease management

Collar pressure mapping: an evaluation of seven collar types used on working donkeys in Europe

Background: Working donkeys represent an important source of energy worldwide. Poor working conditions and equipment affect their ability to work. Poorly designed, ill-fitted harness causes inefficient transfer of power and leads to health and welfare issues. Using technology to assess different types of collars provides a better understanding of those that are most efficient for working donkeys. Materials and methods: Seven different collars were tested using pressure pads. Contact area, median, maximum and peak pressures were obtained for the whole collar and critical points. Eight donkeys pulled 20% and 40% of their body weight, using each collar, under controlled conditions. Results: Contact area and pressures vary between collars and effort, with design and expansion capacity of the collars playing a major role. Simple collars designed specifically for donkeys performed well, with full collars designed for horses also having good results. Due to reduced expansion capacity and contact in the critical points, the breast collars were the least effective. Conclusion: Design, appropriate padding and manufacturing materials and adjustment capacity are key features for good collars, and such parameters are of paramount importance in terms of health and welfare for working donkeys. © 2021 British Veterinary Associationinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

‘Candidatus Phytoplasma stylosanthis’, a novel taxon with a diverse host range in Australia, characterised using multilocus sequence analysis of 16S rRNA, secA, tuf, and rp genes

In Australia, Stylosanthes little leaf (StLL) phytoplasma has been detected in Stylosanthes scabra Vogel, Arachis pintoi Krapov, Saccharum officinarum L., Carica papaya L., Medicago sativa L., and Solanum tuberosum L. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of StLL phytoplasma strains from S. scabra, C. papaya, S. officinarum and S. tuberosum were compared and share 99.93–100 % nucleotide sequence identity. Phylogenetic comparisons between the 16S rRNA genes of StLL phytoplasma and other ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma’ species indicate that StLL represents a distinct phytoplasma lineage. It shares its most recent known ancestry with ‘Ca. Phytoplasma luffae’ (16SrVIII-A), with which it has 97.17–97.25 % nucleotide identity. In silico RFLP analysis of the 16S rRNA amplicon using iPhyClassifier indicate that StLL phytoplasmas have a unique pattern (similarity coefficient below 0.85) that is most similar to that of ‘Ca. Phytoplasma luffae’. The unique in silico RFLP patterns were confirmed in vitro. Nucleotide sequences of genes that are more variable than the 16S rRNA gene, namely tuf (tu-elongation factor), secA (partial translocation gene), and the partial ribosomal protein (rp) gene operon (rps19-rpl22-rps3), produced phylogenetic trees with similar branching patterns to the 16S rRNA gene tree. Sequence comparisons between the StLL 16S rRNA spacer region confirmed previous reports of rrn interoperon sequence heterogeneity for StLL, where the spacer region of rrnB encodes a complete tRNA-Isoleucine gene and the rrnA spacer region does not. Together these results suggest that the Australian phytoplasma, StLL, is unique according to the International Organization for Mycoplasmology (IRPCM) recommendations. The novel taxon ‘Ca. Phytoplasma stylosanthis’ is proposed, with the most recent strain from a potato crop in Victoria, Australia, serving as the reference strain (deposited in the Victorian Plant Pathology Herbarium as VPRI 43683)

The surgical management of hidradenitis suppurativa in the United Kingdom: a national survey of care pathways informing the THESEUS study

Background The evidence-base underpinning treatment efficacy and effectiveness for hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is limited, as has been highlighted in the wide-ranging research priorities established by a James Lind Alliance priority-setting partnership (PSP). Understanding the landscape of surgical practice is a key step towards tackling undesired variation in care and resolving treatment uncertainties. This survey of current surgical practice aimed to describe care pathways involving surgeons for the management of HS and surgical approaches to management. Methods In the development of the prospective cohort Treatment of Hidradenitis Suppurativa Evaluation Study (THESEUS), a bespoke electronic surgeon survey was conducted to describe variation in care pathways and surgical preferences in the management of HS. This was disseminated to a pre-defined denominator list of surgeons using local collaborators through the reconstructive surgery trials network (RSTN). Results Key results were small numbers of surgeons working in formal multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) (8/198, 4%), heterogeneity of first-line intervention, low rates of guideline endorsed treatments (laser and deroofing in particular), variation in wound closure methods and follow-up length, and that over half of respondents do not use well-validated outcome instruments to determine treatment success/failure (110/198, 56%). Conclusions This survey demonstrated variation in care, which is likely to be undesirable. Surgeons treating HS patients might consider developing MDTs or referring patients to those with an interest in HS and considering routine outcome measurement. Such steps might reduce variation, increase standardisation of care and improve access to specific treatments

Primary care management of hidradenitis suppurativa: a cross-sectional survey of UK GPs

Background Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that causes painful discharging nodules and skin tunnels. HS has associations with several systemic diseases, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), anxiety, and depression. High levels of chronic morbidity suggest an important role for primary care. However, little evidence exists regarding current management of HS and its comorbidities in UK general practice.Aim To describe current practice among UK GPs in treating and referring people with HS.Design & setting A web-based survey was circulated to UK Primary Care Dermatology Society (PCDS) members and GPs in Forth Valley, Scotland.Method Survey responses were analysed with descriptive statistics.Results A total of 134 UK GPs completed the survey. Seventy per cent (n = 94) saw at least one patient with HS in the previous month. Ninety-four per cent (n = 125/133) reported confidence in diagnosis, and 89% (n = 120/134) in initial treatment of HS. Most GPs initiated topical treatments and extended courses of oral antibiotic for HS, and many gave advice on adverse lifestyle factors. A minority provided analgesia, or screening for CVD risk factors, and depression. Most GPs referred to dermatology if secondary care input was required, with few referrals to specialised multidisciplinary services.Conclusion GPs regularly diagnose and manage uncomplicated HS, but screening for important comorbidities associated with HS is not common practice