Technology Platform Organics: Knowledge Generation and Exchange in Organic Food And Farming Research

The paper illustrates the role and activities of Technology Platform Organics (TP Organics) in addressing the requirement that research in organic food and farming systems generates output of relevance to wider end-users. It describes approaches to research and knowledge exchange and suggests that a more participatory approach can improve organic research outcomes. It describes different models of research and knowledge exchange and their pros and cons. The criteria for success of a participatory approach to research also need to be different. These are discussed

Knowledge Networks in Organic Fruit Production across Europe: A Survey Study

Limited data regarding the resources and methods used by organic fruit growers to learn about production practices are available, even though this information is crucial to improving the efficacy of knowledge transfer. Therefore, a survey to gain information from knowledge networks dealing with organic fruit production about their structural organisation, tasks and methods of communication was carried out in twenty-one countries from Europe and the Mediterranean basin. A total of 56 networks representing about 42,500 professionals were identified as a result of the survey. The vast majority of them were only active at the regional or national level and were composed of farmers, advisors and researchers. About 3/4 of the networks were developing improved strategies for agronomic practices and about half of them were also involved in different knowledge-transfer activities between their members. Personal contact was the most used method to exchange and disseminate information within the networks as well as to elaborate improved strategies. The findings were analysed in view of the methods and practices commonly used to share both explicit (scientific) and implicit (practical) knowledge among practitioners. It was concluded that knowledge networks play an important role in the development of more resilient organic cropping systems, frequently making organic fruit growers the drivers of innovation. Networking for knowledge exchange was considered a process that encourages the active involvement of farmers in experimentation and innovation applying a method of knowledge sharing that is rooted in the very foundation of organic philosophy. Some recommendations and future research were suggested to further foster the development and functioning of networks for knowledge exchange

Impact of Measurement Uncertainty on Building Modeling and Retrofitting Decisions

Retrofitting buildings is essential for improving the existing global building stock. Innovations in wireless sensor networks have provided new means for scalable and potentially low-cost solutions for evaluating optimal retrofit measures in a building. Building models are used to explore different retrofit options and to find effective combinations of retrofit measures for a building in question. This paper departs outlining a novel grey-box modeling process for building retrofit based on measurement data. However, it is unknown if the measurement data and, as a consequence, the retrofit analysis is affected by uncertainties due to measurement accuracy and other factors. Quantifying these uncertainties during the analysis process is important in the context of making effective retrofit decisions. Consequently, this work examines the influence of measurement uncertainties on the generation of the retrofit models and the suggested retrofit measures. The results illustrate that measurement uncertainty is manageable for retrofit decisions, i.e., the measurement uncertainties rarely influence the ranking of retrofit measures. However, reduced measurement uncertainties are beneficial for adequately sizing the building retrofit interventions. It is shown that measurement uncertainty of flow meter measurements and indoor temperature measurements have the biggest impact on the heat loss coefficient estimation error, which ranges overall from 3 to 26%. Further, it is shown that some retrofit measures are more sensitive to uncertainty in the input data, such as district heating and wood pellets boilers, compared to measures that include heat pumps.ISSN:2297-336

EGNOS-based positioning performance for nautical tasks and the potential of implementation in the maritime domain

Additional corrections from augmentation systems improve the Global Navigation Satellites Systems (GNSS) position accuracy up to one to two meters. As one of the satellite based augmentation systems (SBAS) the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) provides satellite clock, orbit as well as ionosphere corrections which improve ranging and positioning at user site. The investigation of the EGNOS Open Service in the maritime domain as an effective augmentation system for positioning and navigation is the topic of this paper. This includes a detailed positioning performance analysis as well as the future potential of implementation of EGNOS in the maritime domain. For evaluation of the EGNOS positioning performance the vessel "NAWIGATOR XXI" was travelling over 62 days in the year 2015 in the Baltic Sea. To obtain reference trajectories Precise Point Positioning (PPP) solutions were also generated. The intensive analysis results present a very high accuracy level for the position based on EGNOS corrections. The horizontal position error of GNSS augmented by EGNOS is lower than 0.9 m (95%) and fulfils many requirements of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) e.g. navigation in oceans, coastal areas, ports as well as inland waterways. Based on the individual horizontal and vertical position errors the RMS for the whole measurement campaign were calculated. These values achieved an accuracy level significantly below one meter in horizontal as well as in vertical position. Detailed and extensive analyses show that different surroundings or scenarios do almost not affect the EGNOS positioning as long as the reception of GPS and at least one EGNOS satellite is ensured. The first results of this analysis in respect of the achieved accuracy and availability emphasize a high potential of EGNOS in the maritime domain. The question therefore is how these useful augmentation data can be used by a DGPS receiver on board of a ship

Element- and momentum-resolved electronic structure of the dilute magnetic semiconductor manganese doped gallium arsenide.

The dilute magnetic semiconductors have promise in spin-based electronics applications due to their potential for ferromagnetic order at room temperature, and various unique switching and spin-dependent conductivity properties. However, the precise mechanism by which the transition-metal doping produces ferromagnetism has been controversial. Here we have studied a dilute magnetic semiconductor (5% manganese-doped gallium arsenide) with Bragg-reflection standing-wave hard X-ray angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, and resolved its electronic structure into element- and momentum- resolved components. The measured valence band intensities have been projected into element-resolved components using analogous energy scans of Ga 3d, Mn 2p, and As 3d core levels, with results in excellent agreement with element-projected Bloch spectral functions and clarification of the electronic structure of this prototypical material. This technique should be broadly applicable to other multi-element materials

CIRCE, the Coherent Infrared Center at the ALS

CIRCE (Coherent InfraRed CEnter) is a proposal for a new electron storage ring to be built at the Advanced Light Source (ALS) of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). The ring design is optimized for the generation of coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) in the terahertz frequency range. Among others, CIRCE operation includes three interesting CSR modes: ultra stable, femtosecond laser slicing and broadband bursting. CSR allows CIRCE to generate an extremely high flux in the terahertz frequency region. The many orders of magnitude increase in the intensity over that presently achievable by conventional sources, has the potential to enable new science experiments. The characteristics of CIRCE and of the different modes of operation are described in this paper

Epicardial fat volume assessment in cardiac CT

Epicardial fat, as other visceral fat localizations, is correlated with car- diovascular disease, cardiovascular risk factors and metabolic syndrome. However, many concerns remain about the method for measuring epi- cardial fat, its regional distribution on the myocardium, as well as the accuracy and reproducibility of such measurements. At present, dedi- cated software procedures to assess epicardial fat are lacking. On the other hand, manual fat segmentation requires a huge and tedious operator intervention, which is expected to cause inaccuracy and large observer- dependent variability. The aim of this study was twofold: (1) the devel- opment of a procedure devoted to assess the volume of epicardial fat, (2) the evaluation of the related intra and inter-observer variability in CT scans, both with and without contrast medium injection

A meteorological and chemical overview of the DACCIWA field campaign in West Africa in June–July 2016

International audienceIn June and July 2016 the Dynamics–Aerosol–Chemistry–Cloud Interactions in West Africa (DACCIWA) project organised a major international field campaign in southern West Africa (SWA) including measurements from three inland ground supersites, urban sites in Cotonou and Abidjan, radiosondes and three research aircraft. A significant range of different weather situations was encountered during this period, including the monsoon onset. The purpose of this paper is to characterise the large-scale setting for the campaign as well as synoptic and mesoscale weather systems affecting the study region in the light of existing conceptual ideas, mainly using objective and subjective identification algorithms based on (re-) analysis and satellite products. In addition, it is shown how the described synoptic variations influence the atmospheric composition over SWA through advection of mineral-dust, biomass-burning and urban-pollution plumes. The boreal summer of 2016 was characterised by Pacific La Niña, Atlantic El Niño and warm eastern Mediterranean conditions, whose competing influences on precipitation led to an overall average rainy season. During the relatively dusty pre-onset Phase 1 (1–21 June 2016), three westward propagating coherent cyclonic vortices between 4 and 13° N modulated winds and rainfall in the Guinea coastal area. The monsoon onset occurred in connection with a marked extratropical trough and cold surge over northern Africa, leading to a breakdown of the Saharan heat low and African easterly jet and a suppression of rainfall. During this period, quasi-stationary low-level vortices associated with the trough transformed into more tropical, propagating disturbances resembling an African easterly wave (AEW). To the east of this system, moist southerlies penetrated deep into the continent. The post-onset Phase 2 (22 June–20 July 2016) was characterised by a significant increase of low-level cloudiness, unusually dry conditions and strong northeastward dispersion of urban pollution plumes in SWA as well as rainfall modulation by westward propagating AEWs in the Sahel. Around 12–14 July 2016 an interesting and so-far undocumented cyclonic-anticyclonic vortex couplet crossed SWA. The anticyclonic centre had its origin in the southern hemisphere and transported unusually dry air filled with aged aerosol into the region. During Phase 3 (21–26 July 2016), a similar vortex couplet slightly farther north created enhanced westerly moisture transports into SWA and extraordinarily wet conditions, accompanied by a deep penetration of the biomass-burning plume from central Africa. Finally, a return to more undisturbed monsoon conditions took place during Phase 4 (27–31 July 2016). The in-depth synoptic analysis reveals that several significant weather systems during the DACCIWA campaign cannot be attributed unequivocally to any of the tropical waves and disturbances described in the literature, and thus deserve further study