Het Nieuwe Telen Anthurium: Ontwerpen en doorrekenen van een energiezuinig teeltconcept

“Het Nieuwe Telen” is substantieel energiezuiniger telen, met inzet van technieken om de warmtevraag te beperken en een optimaal teeltklimaat te handhaven. In diverse gewassen heeft het toepassen van verschillende elementen uit “Het Nieuwe Telen” geleid tot een substantiële verlaging van het energieverbruik en tegelijkertijd tot een verbetering van de kwaliteit bij gelijkblijvende productie. Anthuriumtelers zien in Het Nieuwe Telen ook interessante maatregelen voor hun gewas, die zouden kunnen bijdragen aan het verlagen van het energiegebruik en tegelijkertijd aan het oplossen van diverse kwaliteitsproblemen die zich in de huidige teeltwijze voordoen. De huidige teeltwijze kenmerkt zich door een, in vergelijking met andere teelten, laag energiegebruik. De lage bloemprijzen van de afgelopen jaren hebben ervoor gezorgd dat het besparen op de kosten (energie en arbeid) belangrijker is geworden dan de productie of de kwaliteit.In overleg met een groep telers en voorlichters uit diverse regio’s en uit België is een “referentieteelt” omschreven, met nadruk op energieverbruik en twee kwaliteitsaspecten: blauwverkleuring en glazigheid na de oogst (productkwaliteit) en rek van de internodia (gewaskwaliteit). Vervolgens zijn in een paar werkbijeenkomsten allerlei mogelijkheden besproken om energie te besparen met aandacht voor de genoemde kwaliteitsaspecten. Het energieverbruik van de meest kansrijke mogelijkheden is na selectie berekend met behulp van een kasklimaatmodel; de te verwachten effecten op de kwaliteit zijn met behulp van uit de literatuur beschikbare gegevens geanalyseerd. Het onderzoek is door Productschap Tuinbouw en Ministerie van LNV binnen het programma Kas als Energiebron gefinancier

Trilingual conversations: a window into multicompetence

A recurrent theme in the literature on trilingual language use is the question of whether there is a specific “trilingual competence.” In this paper we consider this question in the light of codeswitching patterns in two dyadic trilingual conversations between a mother and daughter conducted in (Lebanese) Arabic, French, and English. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of codeswitching in both conversants shows that, despite the fact that both subjects are fluent in all three languages, uses of switching are significantly different for mother and daughter across a number of features, including relative frequency of different switch types, and the incidence of hybrid constructions involving items from two or more languages. The subjects appear to display qualitatively distinct profiles of competence in the trilingual mode. This in turn leads to the conclusion that the facts of trilingual language use are best characterized in terms of “multicompetence” (Cook, 1991). The paper concludes with some further reflections on the uniqueness of trilingual language use (an “old chestnut” in trilingualism research, cf. Klein, 1995)

The Epidemiology of College Alcohol and Gambling Policies

Background: This article reports the first national assessment of patterns of drinking and gambling-related rulemaking on college campuses (e.g., punitive versus recovery oriented). Analyses relating school policies to known school rates of drinking or gambling identified potentially influential policies. These results can inform and encourage the development of guidelines, or "best practices," upon which schools can base future policy. Methods: The college policy information was collected from handbooks, Web sites and supplemental materials of 119 scientifically selected colleges included in the fourth (2001) Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study (CAS). A coding instrument of 40 items measured the scope and focus of school alcohol and gambling policies. This instrument included items to measure the presence of specific policies and establish whether the policies were punitive or rehabilitative. A total of 11 coders followed a process of information extraction, coding and arbitration used successfully in other published studies to codify policy information. Results: Although all schools had a student alcohol use policy, only 26 schools (22%) had a gambling policy. Punitive and restrictive alcohol policies were most prevalent; recovery-oriented policies were present at fewer than 30% of schools. Certain alcohol and gambling policies had significant relationships with student binge drinking rates. Conclusions: The relative lack of college recovery-oriented policies suggests that schools might be overlooking the value of rehabilitative measures in reducing addictive behaviors among students. Since there are few college gambling-related policies, schools might be missing an opportunity to inform students about the dangers of excessive gambling

Design and feasibility testing of a novel group intervention for young women who binge drink in groups

BackgroundYoung women frequently drink alcohol in groups and binge drinking within these natural drinking groups is common. This study describes the design of a theoretically and empirically based group intervention to reduce binge drinking among young women. It also evaluates their engagement with the intervention and the acceptability of the study methods.MethodsFriendship groups of women aged 18–35 years, who had two or more episodes of binge drinking (>6 UK units on one occasion; 48g of alcohol) in the previous 30 days, were recruited from the community. A face-to-face group intervention, based on the Health Action Process Approach, was delivered over three sessions. Components of the intervention were woven around fun activities, such as making alcohol free cocktails. Women were followed up four months after the intervention was delivered. Results The target of 24 groups (comprising 97 women) was recruited. The common pattern of drinking was infrequent, heavy drinking (mean consumption on the heaviest drinking day was UK 18.1 units). Process evaluation revealed that the intervention was delivered with high fidelity and acceptability of the study methods was high. The women engaged positively with intervention components and made group decisions about cutting down. Twenty two groups set goals to reduce their drinking, and these were translated into action plans. Retention of individuals at follow up was 87%.ConclusionsThis study successfully recruited groups of young women whose patterns of drinking place them at high risk of acute harm. This novel approach to delivering an alcohol intervention has potential to reduce binge drinking among young women. The high levels of engagement with key steps in the behavior change process suggests that the group intervention should be tested in a full randomised controlled trial

Differential Microlensing Measurements of Quasar Broad Line Kinematics in Q2237+0305

The detailed workings of the central engines of powerful quasars remain a mystery. This is primarily due to the fact that, at their cosmological distances, the inner regions of these quasars are spatially unresolvable. Reverberation mapping is now beginning to unlock the physics of the Broad Emission Line Region (BELR) in nearby, low-luminosity quasars, however it is still unknown whether this gas is dominated by virial motion, by outflows, or infall. The challenge is greater for more distant, powerful sources due to the very long response time of the BELR to changes in the continuum. We present a new technique for probing the kinematic properties of the BELR and accretion disk of high-z quasars using differential microlensing, and show how substantial information can be gained through a single observation of a strongly-lensed quasar using integral field spectroscopy. We apply this technique to GMOS IFU observations of the multiply-imaged quasar Q2237+0305, and find that the observed microlensing signature in the CIII] broad emission line favours gravitationally-dominated dynamics over an accelerating outflow.Comment: 16 pages, 14 figure

Important components for Dutch in-home care based on qualitative interviews with persons with dementia and informal caregivers

Background Dementia care in the Netherlands is increasingly dependent on informal care and has the aim to keep persons with dementia at home for as long as possible. However, little is known about the preferences and needs of people with dementia living at home. Including people with dementia and their informal caregivers in research and policy creation could help to identify necessary forms of support, and tailor care to their personal preferences and needs. Objective To identify important components of in‐home care for persons with dementia and their informal caregivers in the Netherlands. Design Semi‐structured interviews across the Netherlands, between March and June 2019 using thematic analysis. Setting and participants Persons with dementia (n = 5) and informal caregivers (n = 14) were primarily recruited through dementia care organizations. Additionally, a case manager was recruited to reflect upon the semi‐structured interviews findings. Results Five themes concerning important care components were identified including the need for: a social network, formal care, information, emotional support and easier access to care. The complexity of the dementia care system posed a common difficulty for persons with dementia and informal caregivers. Conclusion This study suggests that a dementia care package should be developed that includes both informal and formal care, the provision of information and emotional support, and help with access to care. The creation of this care package could help to tailor dementia care to the preferences and needs of the persons with dementia and their informal caregivers

Unified understanding of intrinsic and extrinsic controls of dissolved organic carbon reactivity in aquatic ecosystems

Despite our growing understanding of the global carbon cycle, scientific consensus on the drivers and mechanisms that control dissolved organic carbon (DOC) turnover in aquatic systems is lacking, hampered by the mismatch between research that approaches DOC reactivity from either intrinsic (inherent chemical properties) or extrinsic (environmental context) perspectives. Here we propose a conceptual view of DOC reactivity in which the combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors controls turnover rates and determines which reactions will occur. We review three major types of reactions (biological, photochemical, and flocculation) from an intrinsic chemical perspective and further define the environmental features that modulate the expression of chemically inherent reactivity potential. Finally, we propose hypotheses of how extrinsic and intrinsic factors together shape patterns in DOC turnover across the land-to-ocean continuum, underscoring that there is no intrinsic DOC reactivity without environmental context. By acknowledging the intrinsic–extrinsic control duality, our framework intends to foster improved modeling of DOC reactivity and its impact on ecosystem services.publishedVersio