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Does no-till crop management mitigate gaseous emissions and reduce yield disparities : an empirical US-China evaluation
No full textGlobal agricultural systems face one of the greatest sustainability challenges: meeting the growing demand for food without leaving a negative environmental footprint. United States (US) and China are the two largest economies and account for 39 % of total global greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions into the atmosphere. No-till is a promising land management option that allows agriculture to better adapt and mitigate climate change effects compared to traditional tillage. However, the efficacy of no-till for mitigating GHG is still debatable. In this meta-analysis, we comprehensively assess the impact of no-till (relative to traditional tillage) on GHG mitigation potential and crop productivity in different agroecological systems and management regimes in the US and China. Overall, no-till in China did not change crop yields, although soil CO2 (8 %) and N2O (12 %) emissions decreased significantly, while soil CH4 emissions increased by 12 %. In contrast to Chinese no-till, a significant improvement in crop yields (up to 12 %) was recorded on US cropland under no-till. Moreover, significant decreases in soil N2O (21 %) and CH4 (12 %) emissions were observed. Of the three cropping systems, only wheat showed significant reduction in CO2, N2O and CH4 emissions in the Chinese no-till system. In the case of US, no-till soybean-rice and maize cropping systems demonstrated significant emission reductions for N2O and CO2, respectively. Interestingly, yields of no-till maize in China and rice in US exceeded those of other no-till cereals. In China, no-till on medium-texture soils resulted in significant reductions in GHG emissions and higher crop yields compared to other soil types. In both countries, the relatively higher crop yields under irrigated versus non-irrigated no-till and the significant yield differences on fine textured soils under US no-till are likely due to the substantial N2O reductions. In summary, crop yield disparities from no-till between China and the US were related to the insignificant effects on controlling CH4 emissions and successfully mitigating N2O, respectively. This study comprehensively demonstrates how cropping system and pedoclimatic conditions influence the relative effectiveness of no-till in both countries
Water quality of roof-harvested drinking water tanks in a rural area near a gold and copper mine : potential health risk from a layer of metal-enriched water and sediment
No full textThis study investigated the drinking water quality of house water tanks that harvested roof runoff in a rural area surrounding a large copper and gold mine in Central Western New South Wales (NSW). Water was sampled from (1) the tops of water tanks, (2) the bottoms of water tanks, and (3) kitchen taps. Water samples collected from the bottoms of tanks were turbid with suspended sediment. Concentrations of metals (lead, nickel, arsenic and manganese) from bottom-of-tank water samples often exceeded Australian drinking water guidelines. Overall, 37.2% of samples from bottoms of tanks exceeded arsenic guidelines (100 times. Our results highlight the risk of contaminated water and sediment at the bottoms of tanks. Further investigation of private household drinking water tanks is recommended for properties in other rural areas, including areas with and without nearby mining activity. We describe a layer of contaminated water and sediment at the bottoms of water tanks, near the water outlet, which is a potential contamination pathway and substantial health risk for house water supplies
From absences to emergences : foregrounding traditional and Indigenous climate change adaptation knowledges and practices from Fiji, Vietnam and the Philippines
No full textThe differential impacts of climate change have highlighted the need to implement fit-for-purpose interventions that are reflective of the needs of vulnerable communities. However, adaptation projects tend to favour technocratic, market-driven, and Eurocentric approaches that inadvertently disregard the place-based and contextual adaptation strategies of many communities in the Global South. The paper aims to decolonise climate change adaptation guided by the critical tenets of ‘Decolonising Climate Adaptation Scholarship’ (DCAS). It presents empirical case studies from Fiji, Vietnam, and the Philippines and reveals the different ways that Indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) and strategies are devalued and suppressed by modernist and developmentalist approaches to climate adaptation. The paper then foregrounds some of the adaptive techniques that resist and remain, or have been re-worked in hybrid ways with ILK. Ultimately, this paper combats the delegitimisation of ILK by mainstream climate change adaptation scholarship and highlights the need for awareness and openness to other forms of knowing and being
Annotated Leading Cases of International Criminal Tribunals. Volume 72: International Criminal Court, 4 May 2017 - 8 March 2018
No full textThis is the seventy-second volume in the series ‘Annotated Leading Cases of International Criminal Tribunals’ (ALC) and contains the most important decisions of the International Criminal Court (ICC) handed down in the period 4 May 2017 – 8 March 2018. It is the thirteenth volume in the series containing decisions of the ICC. Given the increasing jurisprudential output of, and increasing number of cases before that court, a significant number of further volumes on ICC case law will be published in the series in the coming years. This volume is in its approach and structure similar to the previous volumes when we slightly changed our process. Thus, the book contains the full text of all the annotated decisions and judgements, including any separate, concurring and dissenting opinions, as well as annexes to the decisions. As with previous volumes, the Editors have ensured that the decisions are identical to the written original text, as issued by the ICC Press and Information Office, and which bears the signatures of the Judges, as only these can be considered as authoritative versions. In the course of our editorial work on this and previous volumes, we have occasionally discovered inconsistencies between the written original version of the decision and any available internet versions
Effect of number of robots on perceived persuasion and competence
No full textPersuasive robotics has gained immense traction over the years, due to its potential to be used as a behavioral change system and to influence decision making in humans. With a plethora of existing studies in the field, this paper adds to the sea of knowledge by exploring the effect of number of robots on perceived persuasion and competence of a robot by revisiting Human-human Interaction theories of ‘multiple-source effect’ and ‘message reinforcement’. A simple two condition (one vs two robots) between-subjects experiment was conducted across two stages, and human participants engaged in a persuasive dialog-based interaction with the robot(s) Pepper and NAO where participants choose between two drink options and complete a survey. The results reveal a single robot is more persuasive and competent than multiple robots. Further analysis of qualitative data provides insights about the effect of robot morphology, social influence, familiarity with technology and intergroup dynamics, all of which collectively impact human perceptions and reactions. The implications of this research showcase the purposeful use of robots for marketing or brand promotion and further encourage better strategies of natural robot-robot & human-robot interactions
Rapid quantification of biological nitrogen fixation using optical spectroscopy
No full textBiological nitrogen fixation (BNF) provides a globally important input of nitrogen (N); its quantification is critical but technically challenging. Leaf reflectance spectroscopy offers a more rapid approach than traditional techniques to measure plant N concentration ([N]) and isotopes (δ15N). Here we present a novel method for rapidly and inexpensively quantifying BNF using optical spectroscopy. We measured plant [N], δ15N, and the amount of N derived from atmospheric fixation (Ndfa) following the standard traditional methodology using isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) from tissues grown under controlled conditions and taken from field experiments. Using the same tissues, we predicted the same three parameters using optical spectroscopy. By comparing the optical spectroscopy-derived results with traditional measurements (i.e. IRMS), the amount of Ndfa predicted by optical spectroscopy was highly comparable to IRMS-based quantification, with R2 being 0.90 (slope=0.90) and 0.94 (slope=1.02) (root mean square error for predicting legume δ15N was 0.38 and 0.43) for legumes grown in glasshouse and field, respectively. This novel application of optical spectroscopy facilitates BNF studies because it is rapid, scalable, low cost, and complementary to existing technologies. Moreover, the proposed method successfully captures the dynamic response of BNF to climate changes such as warming and drought
[In Press] Taking action for athlete wellbeing : strengthening psychosocial support through interactive group work
No full textThis article provides an exploration into the social context of elite sport and details how a participatory action research methodology was used to develop, deliver, and evaluate two interactive group work interventions, “connection workshops” and “mental health literacy training.” Located within a professional Australian National Rugby League (NRL) and designed to strengthen the psychosocial support available to athletes within the high-performance environment, four connection workshops and three mental health literacy training sessions were facilitated within “The Club.” Qualitatively evaluated through seventeen one-on-one semi-structured interviews with athletes, coaches, and support staff, results indicated that these programs had strengthened the presence of psychosocial protective resources within the high-performance environment, with an increase in athletes’ help-seeking behavior resulting from improved accessibility and quality of interpersonal supports
[In Press] Numerical differentiation from noisy signals : a kernel regularization method to improve transient-state features for the electronic nose
No full textAs the simplest feature extraction, traditional hand- crafted transient-state features have been widely used in the area of electronic noses (e-noses). However, the influence of noise in the calculation of numerical differentiation leads to inaccuracy and instability in extracting these features. To tackle this issue, a novel numerical differentiation algorithm is proposed, which uses kernel-based regularization. The proposed method can provide accurate and stable transient-state features by directly estimating high-order derivatives from the noise-contaminated sensor’s reading. The feature representation is a prerequisite for the good performance of e-noses. Nevertheless, it should be noted that this performance in real applications can still be affected by other factors, such as sensor drift and the disturbance of nontarget odors. These issues can be addressed by applying a framework of domain adaptation and one-class classification. The proposed method and the adopted framework are verified in a field experiment, which identifies the odor of four targets and two disturbance whiskies measured by a self-designed e-nose system. The classification accuracy with traditional features is improved from 71.90% to 86.36%, showing the good potential of the proposed method for application in the area of e-noses
Millimetric devices for nerve stimulation : a promising path towards miniaturization
No full textNerve stimulation is a rapidly developing field, demonstrating positive outcomes across several conditions. Despite potential benefits, current nerve stimulation devices are large, complicated, and are powered via implanted pulse generators. These factors necessitate invasive surgical implantation and limit potential applications. Reducing nerve stimulation devices to millimetric sizes would make these interventions less invasive and facilitate broader therapeutic applications. However, device miniaturization presents a serious engineering challenge. This review presents significant advancements from several groups that have overcome this challenge and developed millimetric-sized nerve stimulation devices. These are based on antennas, mini-coils, magneto-electric and optoelectronic materials, or receive ultrasound power. We highlight key design elements, findings from pilot studies, and present several considerations for future applications of these devices
Fuzzy analysis of financial risk management strategies for sustainable public-private partnership infrastructure projects in Ghana
No full textPublic–private partnership (PPP) is a prominent tool for sustainable infrastructure development. However, the positive contributions of PPPs toward the attainment of sustainable, climate resilience and zero-carbon infrastructure projects are hampered by poor financial risk management. This problem is more prevalent in developing countries like Ghana where private investment inflow has plummeted due to the COVID-19 recession and poor project performance. Thus, this study aims to assess the key financial risk management strategies in ensuring sustainable PPP infrastructure projects in Ghana. The study utilised primary data from PPP practitioners in Ghana solicited through survey questionnaires. Factor analysis, mean scores and fuzzy synthetic analysis are the data analysis techniques for this study. The results revealed that sustainable and green funding models, effective cost-reduction initiatives, a competent team with committed leadership and emerging technologies and regulations constitute the key strategies for managing the financial risks of sustainable PPP infrastructure projects. Although future studies must expand the scope of data gathering, the findings of the study enrich the theoretical understanding of financial risks in sustainable investments in PPP infrastructures. Relevant remedies that will aid the development of practical financial risk management guidelines are also provided in this study for PPP practitioners