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Addition of biochar and fertiliser drives changes in soil organic matter and humic substance content in Haplic Luvisol
Get PDFHumic substances (HS) constitute a primary component of soil organic matter (SOM) and play a crucial role in soil formation and fertility. However, comprehensive information regarding quantitative and qualitative changes in HS following biochar application to soil still needs to be improved. This research reports on the impact of biochar application at rates of 0, 10, and 20 t ha⁻¹ (B0, B10, B20), both with and without nitrogen fertilisation at varying levels (N0, N1, N2), on SOM and HS throughout the cropping seasons between 2014 and 2019. The findings reveal changes in SOM and HS due to biochar addition and fertilisation. Notably, the most substantial increase in soil organic carbon content was observed in B20N1 and B10N1 treatments, in stark contrast with the reference B0N0 treatment. A decrease in humification of SOM was noted across all treatments involving biochar, either alone or combined with different N fertilisation levels. An interesting positive change was observed in HS in B10N2 where an increase in humic acids and a decrease in fulvic acids enhanced HS stability and improved HS quality. These findings shed light on the intricate dynamics of SOM and HS in response to biochar application and nitrogen fertilisation over multiple vegetation seasons of crops on loamy Haplic Luvisol in Central Europe
Family planning in Bangladesh: a mixed method study to investigate the challenges of reducing unmet need for better service provision
Get PDFIn recent years, Bangladesh has undergone rapid fertility transition, along with notable progress in
various family planning determinants, which is largely attributed to the Government Family Planning
programme. Demographic and Health Survey data reveal that despite the formidable success in family
planning, the programme has experienced slow progress overall and a plateau situation has been reached,
specifically with regard to stagnant fertility, slow progress in unmet need reduction, and contraceptive
use in the last decade. This study investigated and analysed potential gaps in family planning programme
in order to improve contraceptive services and their provision and delivery, where the aim is to reduce
unmet need which highlights the socio-cultural settings of the community and has shed light on the
factors behind the slow progress of the current programme. The exploration of the existing gaps in unmet
need for family planning has warranted some ways out for the increase of contraceptive use among
married women, particularly by upholding their choices and preferences to have an impact on the
reduction of maternal and child mortality generally.
The study employed a mixed method approach, with greater emphasis placed on the qualitative online
semi structured interviews conducted with 28 diverse stakeholders, including family planning
practitioners, local government representatives, teachers, and religious leaders from both field and
policy levels. The interviews were conducted between February to April 2022 during the peak time of
the Covid-19 pandemic. Critical reviews of various Bangladesh demographic and health surveys with
other national and international organization data contributed to the quantitative part of the research.
Selected variables from robust BDHS data sets facilitated the initial foundation of the research on which
extensive analysis with qualitative data was conducted leading it to a mixed method study. Quantitative
data supplement the views and opinions revealed by the respondents in the qualitative interviews.
The findings revealed that needs, preferences, and choices of women regarding access to contraceptives
are often impacted by their autonomy along with sociocultural and religious factors embedded in the
study settings. The influence within the family of husbands and in-laws and the socio-cultural and
economic factors operating beyond the family have been identified as contributing factors in the creation
of women’s unmet need for family planning. The lack of domiciliary and clinical staff, poor operational
functions within the government facilities, and lack of policy initiatives from the organisational point of
view, are also revealed as potential factors which have resulted in slow progress in fertility reduction,
increased contraceptive use, and reduction in maternal and child mortality. The thesis concludes with
recommendations for policy initiatives to address the service provisions and to improve the existing
service provision to improve family planning outcomes in the community
A charge emitter for use in evaluating aircraft rainfall enhancement
Get PDFCharging of droplets is known to influence their properties and interactions, such as through modifying their evaporation, collisions or stability. Introducing additional charge into a droplet system, such as a natural fog or cloud may therefore provide a route to modify its behaviour. As aircraft are already used in rainfall enhancement activities by some national meteorological services, adapting their existing delivery systems to include charge release provides a convenient method with which to pursue this. Rainfall enhancement aircraft typically carry an array of under-wing tubes into which cloud seeding agents (e.g. salt or silver iodide) are contained in flares which are loaded pre-flight. Our approach for a charge release system is to construct a stand-alone device able to fit within an existing flare housing, to provide controlled release of ions by corona emission. The “flare emitter” device is battery powered and able to release either polarity of corona ions. It contains a programmable microcontroller (Arduino Nano) able to operate in a fixed sequence and record data to an internal memory card at 10Hz. Monitoring systems for the corona emission voltage and current are included, as well as environmental sensors for pressure, temperature and relative humidity
Customer engagement strategies within family businesses in emerging economies: a multi-method study
Get PDFCustomer Engagement (CE) research has been growing considerably over time, however, most of this research emanates from developed economies and large organizational contexts. Little is known about CE strategies when it comes to family-owned businesses in emerging market context. This paper tries to synthesize the extant literature on CE to identify the state of research concerning CE practices followed in family-owned businesses from emerging markets. To achieve this objective, we first conducted a structured literature review of CE research published in last two decades in the top tier management and marketing journals. Second, drawing from the insights received from the findings of the structured review, we design a structured interview schedule to collect first-hand data from the managers working in family-owned businesses in India. This rich data is then analyzed using a qualitative data analysis package. Findings from our analysis reveal that social media platforms, continuous monitoring of the customer feedback and reviews, importance to non-financial goals, safeguarding the reputation, and maintaining the trustful relationship are critical aspects of family-owned firms’ CE strategy. Another interesting aspect about the CE strategies in family businesses vis-à-vis non-family-businesses, specifically from an emerging country context is the reliance on the third-party agencies to manage the content creation and digital marketing. Study findings not only help advance the scholarship within the twin fields of customer engagement and family business, but also provide valuable insights to the practitioners of family-owned businesses
Evaluating atmospheric electricity changes as an indicator of fog formation
Get PDFFog is a high-impact weather phenomenon which is challenging to forecast accurately. Measuring changes in atmospheric electricity has been proposed as a complement to other fog prediction methods, since fog is known to produce changes in the potential gradient (PG). Many aspects of the relationship between PG and fog remain unexplored, to which modern instrumentation for continuous monitoring of PG and visibility brings a new perspective. We describe several automatic methods of detecting fog events and apply them to a large dataset to understand the evolution of the PG during fog development. The median PG increase in fog is found to be 58 V/m, which is statistically significant compared with the 17 V/m standard deviation of PG in the pre-fog hours. However, the median lead time of this increase before the fog onset was found to be 0.4 hours, compared to 0.6 hours using solely visibility data. While fewer fog events were able to be predicted using PG (55% of cases) than visibility (64% of cases), the PG was much more likely to give a longer lead time (of over 2 hours) than visibility (30% versus 13% respectively). This indicates that PG measurements would be a useful additional tool in fog prediction
Residue dynamics of a contact and a systemic fungicide in pollen, nectar, and other plant matrices of courgette (Cucurbita pepo L.)
Get PDFPollen and nectar can be contaminated with a range of pesticides, including insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides. Since these matrices are important food sources for pollinators and other beneficial insects, their contamination can represent a key route of exposure. However, limited knowledge exists with respect to pesticide residue levels and their dynamics in these matrices for many crops and active ingredients (AIs). We used controlled glasshouse studies to investigate the residue dynamics of a systemic (cyprodinil) and a contact (fludioxonil) fungicide in the floral matrices and other plant parts of courgette/zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.). We aimed to better understand the processes behind residue accumulation and decline in pollen and nectar. Each AI was applied to plants, either by spraying whole plants or by targeted spraying onto leaves only. Samples of pollen, nectar, anthers, flowers, and leaves were taken on the day of application and each subsequent morning for up to 13 days and analysed for residues using LC-MS/MS. Significant differences in residue levels and dynamics were found between AIs and floral matrices. The present study allowed for the identification of potential routes by which residues translocate between tissues and to link those to the physicochemical properties of each AI, which may facilitate the prediction of residue levels in pollen and nectar. Residues of the contact AI declined more quickly than those of the systemic AI in pollen and nectar. Our results further suggest that the risk of oral exposure for pollinators may be considerably reduced by using contact AIs during the green bud stage of plants, but application of systemic compounds could still result in a low, but continuous long-term exposure for pollinators with limited decline
Alternative icons: rethinking symbols of power in the ‘World of Stonehenge’
Get PDFThis debate paper addresses a fundamental issue for archaeology: how we choose to represent the past through museum displays. It argues that current debates surrounding decolonisation and the democratisation of display are a critical issue for prehistoric collections as well as more recent material. The objects most likely to stand for prehistory in the popular imagination are a restricted group of iconic things. Made of precious, skilfully worked materials, they are often interpreted as reflecting social status rather than anything more personal or spiritual. Here we outline the findings of an experiment in displaying objects with more representative messages within the British Museum’s 2022 ‘World of Stonehenge’ exhibition
COVID-19 pandemic impact on adolescent mental health: a reassessment accounting for development
Get PDFCurrent prospective reports suggest a pandemic-related increase in adolescent mental health problems. We examine whether age-related change over 11-14 years accounts for this increase. Mothers and adolescents in a UK-based birth cohort (Wirral Child Health and Development Study; WCHADS; N = 737) reported on adolescent depression and behavioural problems pre-pandemic (December 2019-March 2020), mid-pandemic (June 2020-March 2021) and late pandemic (July 2021-March 2022). Analysis used repeated measures models for over-dispersed Poisson counts with an adolescent-specific intercept with age as a time-varying covariate. Maturational curves for girls, but not for boys, showed a significant increase in self-reported depression symptoms over ages 11-14 years. Behavioural problems decreased for both. After adjusting for age-related change, girls' depression increased by only 13% at mid-pandemic and returned to near pre-pandemic level at late pandemic (mid versus late - 12%), whereas boys' depression increased by 31% and remained elevated (mid versus late 1%). Age-adjusted behavioural problems increased for both (girls 40%, boys 41%) and worsened from mid- to late pandemic (girls 33%, boys 18%). Initial reports of a pandemic-related increase in depression in young adolescent girls could be explained by a natural maturational rise. In contrast, maturational decreases in boys' depression and both boys' and girls' behavioural problems may mask an effect of the pandemic
Digitizing observations from the 1861–1875 Met Office Daily Weather Reports using citizen scientist volunteers
Get PDFWe describe the transcription and quality control processes for rescuing around 570,000 sub-daily and daily weather observations which were recorded in the UK Met Office Daily Weather Reports during the 1861–1875 period. These data are from the start of coordinated weather observations and were collected with the aim of making the first-ever weather forecasts. The observations were rescued thanks to 3500 volunteers and include sub-daily sea-level pressure, dry and wet bulb temperatures, daily maximum and minimum temperatures, and daily rainfall amounts from 70 different locations across Western Europe, and one in Canada. We highlight how these observations will be used to fill gaps in existing pressure and temperature datasets and use two case studies to show how the pressure observations will likely better constrain the atmospheric circulation during two severe storms. We also compare a sub-sample of the newly rescued observations with data that were previously digitized for a small number of locations for the same dates, finding good agreement in general, although some discrepancies remain