Water-atmosphere greenhouse gas exchange measurements using FTIR spectrometry

In the context of climate change, rivers and estuaries have been increasingly studied in terms of carbon and nutrient cycling. A focus of recent research has been the greenhouse gas (GHG) production in and emission from these aquatic systems. Global estimates of riverine and estuarine evasion of GHGs usually suffer from a poor data coverage in the tropics. Southeast Asia, in particular, is considered a hotspot in the global carbon cycle, but few data exist on aquatic GHG emissions in this region. Southeast Asian rivers export large amounts of organic carbon to the ocean, due to both high rates of runoff and the presence of tropical peatlands. These carbon-rich soils are an important source of carbon to rivers, but the fate of this material remained unknown. This study investigated the relevance of rivers and estuaries in western Sarawak, Malaysia, as sources of GHGs to the atmosphere using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometry

Between Democracy and Inclusiveness. Conditions for Development Progress in the United Arab Emirates

Màster Oficial d'Internacionalització, Facultat d'Economia i Empresa, Universitat de Barcelona, Curs: 2020-2021, Tutor: Prof. Dr. Patricia García-Durán HuetThis work contributes to the literature on the role of inclusiveness in a country’s development. The growing promotion and relevance of the concept of inclusive growth, as part of the Sustainable Development Goals on the Agenda 2030 of the United Nations, together with the rise of China, a non-democratic country, underlines the importance to understanding the relationship between democracy and development on one hand, and between inclusiveness and development on the other. With regards to the latter, part of the literature sustains that growth can occur in extractive institutions so long they make an effort to become inclusive. If inclusiveness is inherent in liberal democracies but can also be found in authoritarian regimes with rich economies, is democracy necessary for development? To test the hypothesis that liberal democracy is not a necessary condition for the development of a country, this thesis employs both qualitative and quantitative methods to study the counterfactual case of the United Arab Emirates. The results show that is indeed possible for a country with an authoritarian regime to experience economic progress when inclusiveness is introduced in its economic and political institutions. It also shows that growth is already possible when the degree of inclusiveness is higher in only one of these dimensions, hence laying the foundation for the conclusion that liberal democracy is indeed not necessary for development (at least in the first stages)

Does subsidized care for toddlers increase maternal labor supply? Evidence from a large-scale expansion of early childcare

This paper assesses whether there is a causal link between the provision of publicly subsidized childcare and the labor supply of mothers. We contribute to the related quasi-experimental literature by focusing on mothers with children aged 1 to 3. The effects of full-time and part-time care are disentangled. We exploit spatial and temporal variation in the expansion of publicly subsidized childcare triggered by comprehensive policy reforms. The utilization of various data sets and a systematic comparison of estimation frameworks sheds light on this relationship under different identifying assumptions. The crucial point is whether identification is restricted to quasi-experimental variation within regions. We confirm previous findings by showing the sensitivity of results to the choice of the research design, in particular the source of variation. Relying on credible exogenous variation we do not find a significant impact of childcare expansion on mothers' extensive labor supply margin. We find, however, a significant effect at the intensive margin. Our results cast doubt on previous empirical findings in terms of identification and effect size

A rapid method for an offline glycerol determination during microbial fermentation

Background: The purpose of this work was to find a rapid method for glycerol detection during microbial fermentations. The method requirements were, first, to avoid sample pretreatment, and second, to measure glycerol precisely especially out of fermentation broth. Results: This was achieved by combining two reaction principles — the Malaprade reaction and the Hantzsch reaction. In the Malaprade reaction, glycerol is converted into formaldehyde. This forms a dye in the Hantzsch reaction after which adsorption is than detected. The subsequent assay was investigated with two different fermentation media, a chemically undefined and a chemically defined media, used for Pichia pastoris fermentation. In both media, as well as in real fermentation samples, glycerol content could be reproducibly detected with the method. Moreover, measurements were more precise than using a standard glycerol detection kit. Conclusions: With this rapid assay, glycerol could be detected easily in microbial fermentation broth. It is reliable over a wide concentration range including advantages such as an easy assay set-up, a short assay time and no sample pretreatment.Citation: Kuhn J, H Müller, D Salzig, P Czermak:A rapid method for an offline glycerol determination during microbial fermentation, Electronic Journal of Biotechnology 18 (2015) 3, 252-255 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2015.01.00

Comunicação e educação ambiental ecosófica: as imagens como possibilidade poética para o desenvolvimento comunitário

When a community university enables the creation of environmental education processes through collaborative educommunication activities (with images) that involve several social groups in order to provide them with access to their right to communication, the question that arises is how can the communicational perspective, which values collective knowledge, point towards a poetic possibility for community development? The objective of this study is to reflect upon the contribution of collaborative communication to development processes. Bibliographical research provides support to the reflections upon the research-intervention that generated the co-creation 28 amateur films. The contributions of Cultural Studies, Community Communication, and Educommunication are used as theoretical references. The processes built collaboratively have enabled community development in the field of Communication, exploring the creative possibilities offered by audiovisual media, which led to new perspectives about the participants themselves and the use of media, about being and acting in groups, and about the environment we inhabit.Cuando una universidad comunitaria posibilita la creación de procesos de educación ambiental a través de actividades colaborativas de educomunicación (utilizando imágenes), que involucran a diversos grupos sociales, con el fin de promover el acceso al derecho a la comunicación de los grupos sociales, la pregunta es ¿cómo la perspectiva comunicacional, que valora el conocimiento colectivo, puede apuntar a una posibilidad poética para el desarrollo comunitario? El objetivo del artículo es reflexionar sobre la contribución de la comunicación colaborativa a los procesos de desarrollo. La investigación bibliográfica apoya las reflexiones sobre la investigación-intervención que generó la experiencia de co-creación de 28 películas de aficionados. Las referencias teóricas se toman de los aportes de los Estudios Culturales, la Comunicación Comunitaria y la Educomunicación. Los procesos construidos colaborativamente posibilitaron el desarrollo comunitario desde el campo de la Comunicación, explorando las posibilidades creativas que ofrecen los audiovisuales, que se reflejaron en nuevas miradas sobre sí mismos y los usos de los medios, sobre el ser y el hacer en grupo y sobre el entorno habitado.Quando uma universidade de caráter comunitário possibilita a criação de processos de educação ambiental por meio de atividades colaborativas de educomunicação (com uso de imagens), que envolvem diversos grupos sociais, a fim de promover o acesso ao direito à comunicação a grupos sociais, questiona-se como a perspectiva comunicacional, que valoriza os saberes coletivos, pode apontar para uma possibilidade poética para o desenvolvimento comunitário? O objetivo do artigo é refletir sobre a contribuição da comunicação colaborativa para os processos de desenvolvimento. A pesquisa bibliográfica apoia as reflexões sobre a pesquisa-intervenção que gerou a experiência de co-criação de 28 filmes amadores. Tomam-se como referenciais teóricos as contribuições dos Estudos Culturais, da Comunicação Comunitária e da Educomunicação. Os processos construídos colaborativamente possibilitaram o desenvolvimento comunitário a partir do campo da Comunicação, explorando as possibilidades criativas que os audiovisuais oferecem, os quais refletiram-se em novos olhares sobre si e os usos das mídias, sobre o estar e o fazer em grupo e sobre o ambiente habitado

Nitrous oxide and methane in two tropical estuaries in a peat-dominated region of northwestern Borneo

Estuaries are sources of nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) to the atmosphere. However, our present knowledge of N2O and CH4 emissions from estuaries in the tropics is very limited because data are scarce. In this study, we present first measurements of dissolved N2O and CH4 from two estuaries in a peat-dominated region of northwestern Borneo. Two campaigns (during the dry season in June 2013 and during the wet season in March 2014) were conducted in the estuaries of the Lupar and Saribas rivers. Median N2O concentrations ranged between 7.2 and 12.3 nmol L−1 and were higher in the marine end-member (13.0 ± 7.0 nmol L−1). CH4 concentrations were low in the coastal ocean (3.6 ± 0.2 nmol L−1) and higher in the estuaries (medians between 10.6 and 64.0 nmol L−1). The respiration of abundant organic matter and presumably anthropogenic input caused slight eutrophication, which did not lead to hypoxia or enhanced N2O concentrations, however. Generally, N2O concentrations were not related to dissolved inorganic nitrogen concentrations. Thus, the use of an emission factor for the calculation of N2O emissions from the inorganic nitrogen load leads to an overestimation of the flux from the Lupar and Saribas estuaries. N2O was negatively correlated with salinity during the dry season, which suggests a riverine source. In contrast, N2O concentrations during the wet season were not correlated with salinity but locally enhanced within the estuaries, implying that there were additional estuarine sources during the wet (i.e., monsoon) season. Estuarine CH4 distributions were not driven by freshwater input but rather by tidal variations. Both N2O and CH4 concentrations were more variable during the wet season. We infer that the wet season dominates the variability of the N2O and CH4 concentrations and subsequent emissions from tropical estuaries. Thus, we speculate that any changes in the Southeast Asian monsoon system will lead to changes in the N2O and CH4 emissions from these systems. We also suggest that the ongoing cultivation of peat soil in Borneo is likely to increase N2O emissions from these estuaries, while the effect on CH4 remains uncertain