Solar greenhouse technology for food security : a case study from Humla District, NW Nepal

Food security is a significant issue for many people who live in remote mountain areas around the world. Most of these people are also poor because of the lack of opportunity to earn cash. Malnutrition is common because the harsh climate restricts production and access to fresh food. Simple conventional greenhouses can provide some improvement of growing conditions, but the benefits are limited because of the high heat losses from these structures. Solar greenhouses, however, which are designed to store some of the heat generated within the structure can overcome these limitations. This article describes the experiences of a nongovernmental organization that has been introducing community and family-owned solar greenhouses into the remote villages of Humla, a mountainous district of northwest Nepal prone to food insecurity. The overall result has been positive. Family-owned greenhouses, which avoid the issues of community ownership and operation, have been more successful. A validated computer model based on the first solar greenhouse has been used to predict the thermal performance of a new family-sized design. Training and education are vital to the success of solar greenhouse technology in remote mountain areas.

Developing a presence in a mainstream market with a product perceived as offbeat

Generally when one thinks of Australian wine regions images of the Barossa Valley, the Hunter Valley or Margaret River may be conjured up as they have developed a presence in the mainstream market. Queensland, by contrast, may be perceived as offbeat, despite its similar quality and growing conditions. This study explores the plausibility of Queensland developing a presence in a mainstream market with findings from a survey completed by 347 people. The results indicate that when consumers choose their wine on the basis of terroir that personality, reputation and label design are the most important elements. Positioning wine from Queensland on its personality may hold the key to having an offbeat product compete in a mainstream market.

Thermal evaluation of a greenhouse in a remote high altitude area of Nepal

Remote communities in the high altitude areas of Nepal suffer both chronic and acute malnutrition. This is due to a shortage of arable land and a harsh climate. For seven months of the year, the harvesting of fresh vegetables is almost impossible. Greenhouse technology, if appropriate for the location and its community, can extend the growing season considerably. Experience in the Ladakh region of India indicates that year-round cropping is possible in greenhouses in cold mountainous areas. A simple 50-m2 greenhouse has been constructed in Simikot, the main town of Humla, northwest Nepal. This paper describes the evaluation of the thermal performance of that greenhouse. Both measurement and simulation were used in the evaluation. Measurements during the winter of 2006-7 indicate that the existing design is capable of producing adequate growing conditions for some vegetable crops, but that improvements are required if crops like tomatoes are to be grown successfully. Options to improve the thermal performance of the greenhouse have been investigated by simulation. Improvements to the building envelope such as wall insulation, double-glazing and using a thermal screen were simulated with a validated TRNSYS model. The impact of the addition of nighttime heat from internal passive solar water collectors was also predicted. The simulations indicate that the passive solar water collectors would raise the average greenhouse air temperature by 2.5°C and the overnight air temperature would increase by 4.0°C. When used in combination, overnight temperatures are predicted to by almost 7°C higher.

Sexual conflict and polyspermy under sperm-limited conditions : in situ evidence from field simulations with the free-spawning marine echinoid Evechinus chloroticus

For free‐spawning organisms that release gametes into the sea, sperm limitation (too few sperm to fertilize all eggs) is a major factor limiting reproductive success. Given such circumstances, the presence of several mechanisms to prevent polyspermy (too many sperm) may seem paradoxical; however, a growing body of data suggests that natural fertilization levels, though variable, can routinely be high. Under such conditions, polyspermy is much more likely. The tension between sperm limitation and polyspermy represents sexual conflict because males, in competing to fertilize as many eggs as possible, can impose lethal costs on eggs if multiple sperm gain entry. Here we present data for a marine invertebrate indicating high levels of polyspermy under sperm‐limited conditions. When the sea urchin Evechinus chloroticus was induced to spawn in situ, mean rates of polyspermy were 17.3% ±3.4%, and polyspermy was recorded at rates as high as 62.7%. Polyspermy was nearly always present, even when fertilization rates were <50%, confirming predictions that it should be present under sperm‐limited conditions. Both sperm limitation and polyspermy imposed substantial reproductive costs, and we conclude that both sexual conflict related to polyspermy and sperm limitation have been simultaneous strong selective forces shaping the evolution of reproductive traits in the sea.

Social stigma in diabetes : a framework to understand a growing problem for an increasing epidemic

A comprehensive understanding of the social and psychological impact of diabetes mellitus is important for informing policy and practice. One potentially significant, yet under-researched, issue is the social stigma surrounding diabetes. This narrative review draws on literature about health-related stigma in diabetes and other chronic conditions in order to develop a framework for understanding diabetes-related stigma. Our review of the literature found that people who do not have diabetes assume that diabetes is not a stigmatized condition. In contrast, people with diabetes report that stigma is a significant concern to them, experienced across many life domains, e.g., in the workplace, in relationships. The experience of diabetes-related stigma has a significant negative impact on many aspects of psychological well-being and may also result in sub-optimal clinical outcomes for people with diabetes. We propose a framework that highlights the causes (attitudes of blame, feelings of fear and disgust, and the felt need to enforce social norms and avoid disease), experiences (being judged, rejected, and discriminated against), and consequences (e.g., distress, poorer psychological well-being, and sub-optimal self-care) of diabetes-related stigma and also identifies potential mitigating strategies to reduce diabetes-related stigma and/or enhance coping and resilience amongst people with diabetes. The systematic investigation of the experiences, causes, and consequences of diabetes-related stigma is an urgent research priority.

Prediction of pedestrians routes within a built environment in normal conditions

Modelling and prediction of pedestrian routing behaviours within known built environments has recently attracted the attention of researchers across multiple disciplines, owing to the growing demand on urban resources and requirements for efficient use of public facilities. This study presents an investigation into pedestrians' routing behaviours within an indoor environment under normal, non-panic situations. A network-based method using constrained Delaunay triangulation is adopted, and a utility-based model employing dynamic programming is developed. The main contribution of this study is the formulation of an appropriate utility function that allows an effective application of dynamic programming to predict a series of consecutive waypoints within a built environment. The aim is to generate accurate sequence waypoints for the pedestrian walking path using only structural definitions of the environment as defined in a standard CAD format. The simulation results are benchmarked against those from the A* algorithm, and the outcome positively indicates the usefulness of the proposed method in predicting pedestrians' route selection activities. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.