Geostationary earth climate sensor: Scientific utility and feasibility, phase A

The possibility of accurate broad band radiation budget measurements from a GEO platform will provide a unique opportunity for viewing radiation processes in the atmosphere-ocean system. The CSU/TRW team has prepared a Phase 1 instrument design study demonstrating that measurements of radiation budget are practical from geosynchronous orbit with proven technology. This instrument concept is the Geostationary Earth Climate Sensor (GECS). A range of resolutions down to 20 km at the top of the atmosphere are possible, depending upon the scientific goals of the experiment. These tradeoffs of resolution and measurement repeat cycles are examined for scientific utility. The design of a flexible instrument is shown to be possible to meet the two goals: long-term, systematic monitoring of the diurnal cycles of radiation budget; and high time and space resolution studies of regional radiation features

Is it possible to increase the sustainability of arable and ruminant agriculture by reducing inputs?

Until recently, agricultural production was optimised almost exclusively for profit but now farming is under pressure to meet environmental targets. A method is presented and applied for optimising the sustainability of agricultural production systems in terms of both economics and the environment. Components of the agricultural production chain are analysed using environmental life-cycle assessment (LCA) and a financial value attributed to the resources consumed and burden imposed on the environment by agriculture, as well as to the products. The sum of the outputs is weighed against the inputs and the system considered sustainable if the value of the outputs exceeds those of the inputs. If this ratio is plotted against the sum of inputs for all levels of input, a diminishing returns curve should result and the optimum level of sustainability is located at the maximum of the curve. Data were taken from standard economic almanacs and from published LCA reports on the extent of consumption and environmental burdens resulting from farming in the UK. Land-use is valued using the concept of ecosystem services. Our analysis suggests that agricultural systems are sustainable at rates of production close to current levels practiced in the UK. Extensification of farming, which is thought to favour non-food ecosystem services, requires more land to produce the same amount of food. The loss of ecosystem services hitherto provided by natural land brought into production is greater than that which can be provided by land now under extensive farming. This loss of ecosystem service is large in comparison to the benefit of a reduction in emission of nutrients and pesticides. However, food production is essential, so the coupling of subsidies that represent a relatively large component of the economic output in EU farming, with measures to reduce pollution are well-aimed. Measures to ensure that as little extra land is brought into production as possible or that marginal land is allowed to revert to nature would seem to be equally well-aimed, even if this required more intensive use of productive areas. We conclude that current arable farming in the EU is sustainable with either realistic prices for products or some degree of subsidy and that productivity per unit area of land and greenhouse gas emission (subsuming primary energy consumption) are the most important pressures on the sustainability of farming

Keragaman Plasma Nutfah Padi Gogo Lokal Sumba Barat Daya, Provinsi Nusa Tenggara Timur

Some cultivars of upland rice landraces in Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) Province had been collected and evaluated by a researcher team of Research Institute for Food Crop Biotechnology (RIFCB) in 1997. The team has collected 97 cultivars from 19 districts in NTT. The collection activity of upland landrace-rices in NTT was continued by Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology (AIAT) NTT in 2013–2015, which collected 61 cultivars from 11 districts in NTT. South-West Sumba is a district that has the highest cultivar number of the collected landrace-rices with 20 cultivars. The cultivars from South-West Sumba have been characterised and evaluated using Standard Evaluation System. The results indicated that there were a high variability in agronomic and phenotypic characteristics among the 20 cultivars of the South-West Sumba District upland landrace-rices. The most agronomic and phenologyc diversity of the landraces are the leaf length, leaf surface texture, flag leaf angle, stem leaf’s colour, palea’s colour, lemma’s colour, rice grain skin, the number of productive tiller, and productivity. Based on the similarity of agronomic and phenotypic characteristics, there were four groups of South-East Sumba upland rices landraces; there are a high similarity group (more than 85% similarity), a medium similarity group (75–85% similarity), and a low similarity group (less than 75% similarity)

Climatic Ignition of Motivation

Climatic demands of cold winters and hot summers help explain why, whereas poverty and riches help explain how, inhabitants adapt culturally to their place of residence, their habitat. Motivational goals, behavioral means, and behavioral outcomes differ systematically in the following four types of habitats: threatening (demanding, poor); unthreatening (undemanding, poor); unchallenging (undemanding, rich); and challenging (demanding, rich). Perhaps most notably, there are stepwise increases in freedom, individualism, cooperation and creativity from threatening to unthreatening to unchallenging to challenging habitats. Geographically viewed, north-south differences dwarf east-west differences in climatic demands and wealth resources, and thus in climato-economic habitats. As a consequence, north-south differences also dwarf east-west differences in motives and behaviors. Because of their climato-economic habitats, compared to southerners, northerners manifest higher levels of freedom, individualism, cooperation and creativity in the northern hemisphere, but lower levels of freedom, individualism, cooperation and creativity in the southern hemisphere. This pattern of findings contributes to the burgeoning field of latitudinal psychology—the long-term ambition to map and understand spatial variations of psychological phenomena along the north-south rather than the east-west axis of the Earth

Resultaat van 6 jaar Field Robot Event : studenten, netwerk en een prototype robot

In 2003 beleefde het Field Robot Event (FRE) in Wageningen zijn primeur. De FRE is een internationale wedstrijd, waarin field robots met elkaar de competitie aangaan om zo goed mogelijk autonoom door een perceel te navigeren en een landbouwkundige taak uit te voeren. Dit jaar wordt het Field Robot Event voor de 7e keer gehouden in een bijzondere editie: de samenwerkende Europese onderzoeksgroepen binnen het EU FutureFarm project demonstreren hun ‘prototype robotic systems’ en parallel aan het FRE wordt de Joint International Agricultural Congress gehouden. Nu de 7e editie in aantocht is, stellen we ons in dit artikel de vraag in hoeverre de afgelopen 6 edities hebben bijgedragen aan het realiseren van deze doelstellinge

Line-pack storage in biogas infrastructures at regional scale, a model approach

Previously, we reported on a biogas transport model; the model assesses transport costs in a grid with fishbone and star layout collecting biogas. Biogas collection from several digesters to a hub supports the efficient use of resources. A dedicated grid, used for transport, can serve as a form of biogas storage as well. So a model was developed to evaluate line-pack storage in a transport grid for different digester scale, number of digesters, region size, and grid type. Line-pack storage does not require additional investments, and variable costs consist of extra compression costs. In both fishbone lay-out and star lay-out estimated line-pack storage, costs are between 0.3 and 1.5 euroct m(-3)h(-1). In a star lay-out, line-pack storage volume increases with region size. In a fishbone lay-out, the maximum line-pack storage volume is small in both a small size region and in a large region, as a result of pipeline volume and pressure restriction. A comparison of storage costs shows that line-pack storage can compete on costs with pressureless storage, but pressurized pipes are preferred for seasonal storage. A method to describe enlargement of line-pack storage by increased investment in pipelines depending on maximum transport pressure is presented. Such enlargement by applying larger pipe diameters could be financially sensible

Anatomical, histomorphological and molecular classification of cholangiocarcinoma

Cholangiocarcinoma constitutes a heterogeneous group of malignancies that can emerge at any point of the biliary tree. Cholangiocarcinoma is classified into intrahepatic, perihilar and distal based on its anatomical location. Histologically, conventional perihilar/distal cholangiocarcinomas are mucin-producing adenocarcinomas or papillary tumours; intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas are more heterogeneous and can be sub-classified according to the level or size of the displayed bile duct. Cholangiocarcinoma develops through multistep carcinogenesis and is preceded by dysplastic and in situ lesions. Definition and clinical significance of precursor lesions, including biliary intraepithelial neoplasia, intraductal papillary neoplasms of the bile duct, intraductal tubulopapillary neoplasms and mucinous cystic neoplasm, are discussed in this review. A main challenge in diagnosing cholangiocarcinoma is the fact that tumour tissue for histological examination is difficult to obtain. Thus, a major clinical obstacle is the establishment of the correct diagnosis at a tumour stage that is amenable to surgery which still represents the only curable therapeutic option. Current standards, methodology and criteria for diagnosis are discussed. Cholangiocarcinoma represents a heterogeneous tumour with regard to molecular alterations. In intrahepatic subtype, mainly two distinctive morpho-molecular groups can currently be discriminated. Large-duct type intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma shows a high mutation frequency of oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes, such as KRAS and TP53 while Isocitrate Dehydrogenase 1/2 mutations and Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 2-fusions are typically seen in small-duct type tumours. It is most important to ensure the separation of the given anatomical subtypes and to search for distinct subgroups within the subtypes on a molecular and morphological basis