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Nonprofit organizations often position their charitable efforts as fulfilling the immediate needs of those who are disadvantaged (termed "immediate aid appeals"). This study explores an alternative positioning strategy focused on the use of autonomous aid appeals, which promote the use of donated funds to facilitate the eventual self-sufficiency of those in need. Seven studies show that people are more likely to donate to a charity that uses autonomous aid appeals than immediate aid appeals. The authors generalize this effect to various contexts and examine it with actual donation behavior. They find that managerially relevant boundary conditions support a serial mediation model first through perceptions of impact and then by feelings of hope for the recipient's future. To support the proposed framework, they conduct mediation analyses and two process-by-moderation studies. The findings have practical implications for charities and their promotional messaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring tritium fuel self-sufficiency while maintaining continuous and high-specification fuel flow to the tokamak via a low tritium inventory and controllable fuel cycle is a significant challenge to the STEP plant design. Effective and high-quality fuelling and exhaust design is required to sustain and control a stable plasma, whereas fuel sufficiency is required to prevent depletion of available tritium supply. Concerns regarding the lack of tritium availability preventing continuous tritium import are countered by breeding, where highly energetic neutrons from the core fusion reactions interact with lithium atoms suspended in the surrounding breeder blanket to produce tritium. The compact nature of STEP prohibits the integration of inboard breeder blankets posing a significant challenge for the design team looking to ensure more tritium is bred and made available than consumed within the core plasma. This paper outlines how purposeful technology selection and system architecting has converged on the outline of a conceivable and tritium-capable fuel cycle and breeder blanket design. Before introducing the STEP fuel cycle design outline and summarizing the approach undertaken to address the challenges facing plasma fuelling, key aspects of fuel self-sufficiency are discussed. This includes discussing a proposed helium-cooled liquid lithium breeder blanket and possible technology options for tritium extraction from lithium. Lastly, there is a brief process modelling overview, which emphasizes the central contribution of various employed modelling methods. Reflections on the presented fuel cycle design outline conclude that substantial development work is still required to realize a continuous tritium fuel cycle design and overcome the major challenges posed by tritium and lithium handling. Reflections on the presented breeder blanket design proposal conclude that while many substantial risks and blockers remain to achieve fuel self-sufficiency, high breeding ratios are expected to be achievable with a compact spherical tokamak configuration. Nonetheless, it is recognized that further consideration is required to ensure that the selection of liquid lithium as a breeder medium provides the overall simplest route to a self-sufficient and realizable design. This article is part of the theme issue 'Delivering Fusion Energy – The Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP)'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the share of renewable energy generation continues to increase, the new-type power system exhibits the characteristics of coordinated operation between the main grid, distribution networks, and microgrids. The microgrid is primarily concerned with achieving self-balancing between power sources, the network, loads, and storage. In decentralized multi-microgrid (MMG) access scenarios, the aggregation of distributed energy within a region enables the unified optimization of scheduling, which improves regional energy self-sufficiency while mitigating the impact and risks of distributed energy on grid operations. However, the cooperative operation of MMGs involves interactions among various stakeholders, and the absence of a reasonable operational mechanism can result in low energy utilization, uneven resource allocation, and other issues. Thus, designing an effective MMG operation strategy that balances the interests of all stakeholders has become a key area of focus in the industry. This paper examines the definition and structure of MMGs, analyzes their current operational challenges, compiles existing research methods and practical experiences, explores synergistic operational mechanisms and strategies for MMGs under different transaction models, and puts forward prospects for future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the early twentieth century, the US federal government created homesteading programs to "Americanize" Hawai'i by encouraging the mass settlement of white families "of good character" to Hawai'i, but to little avail. This essay analyzes a 1912 hearing about the failure of white homesteading in the Territory of Hawai'i, focusing on discourses of race and land use by settler and 'Ōiwi testifiers. Federal leaders and Territory proponents of homesteading mapped the familiar racial formations of vanishing Natives, alien Asians, and white pioneers onto Kānaka 'Ōiwi, Asian plantation workers, and white American homesteaders to further their cause. 'Ōiwi political leaders Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana'ole and Charles Kahiliaulani Notley intervened; although they approached the question of "Americanization" differently from one another, both manipulated and rejected elements of that racial framework according to a shared goal: to get their people back on the land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring food security by Indonesia's Golden Year in 2045 presents a formidable challenge, with advancements in agricultural technology anticipated to play a crucial role in attaining this goal. Rice is the major food crop in Indonesia, and its consumption is still considerably high, indicating that daily nutrient uptake relies on its grain. However, the current population of Indonesia demanding rice is 31.2 million tons and this number of populations will grow at the rate of 0.41 percent. The rice consumption of the Indonesian people is quite high, namely 114.6 kg per person per year. The rice harvest area in 2023 decreased by 2.45%, from 10.45 million hectares to 10.20 million hectares, resulting in rice production which also decreased from 31.54 million tons to 30.90 million tons. The average conversion of paddy fields to non-harvest areas in Indonesia reached 100,000 hectares per year. Meanwhile, the average ability to print rice fields is only 60,000 hectares a year. This means that there is a difference in the conversion of paddy fields of around 40,000 hectares per year. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to elucidate how agricultural technology can enhance rice production across different land types in Indonesia, thus supporting food security efforts. To achieve the objectives of this research, a systematic literature review method was used. The result of this study shows that the amalgamation of diverse technological advancements and innovative practices in rice cultivation holds immense promise in bolstering productivity, bolstering sustainability, and tackling nutritional deficiencies. Prospectively, the use of cutting-edge technology offers some insights that can be input for policy formulation, technological innovation, and community engagement strategies aimed at creating a safer, fairer, and more sustainable food future for Indonesia to achieve food security by 2045. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study posits that U.S.-China technology competition has promoted the spread of techno-economic statecraft in East Asia. The emergence of techno-economic statecraft in East Asia requires systematic analysis because it affects not only the dynamics of U.S.-China technology competition but also the restructuring of the regional order. Since both the United States and China do not have complete self-sufficiency in the high-tech innovation ecosystem, it has become an urgent task for them to reduce their vulnerability to winning technological competition. Against this backdrop, East Asian countries have emerged as actors playing an important role in technological competition. Since East Asian countries are key players in the supply chain of high-tech industries, cooperation with East Asian countries has emerged as a factor that can influence the landscape of U.S.-China technology competition. Based on these observations, this study aims to explain the following four phenomena: First, it explains the process by which the United States and China seek to securitize high technology as a means of reducing their own structural vulnerabilities while redrawing new boundaries for cooperation with East Asian countries. Second, I argue that U.S.-China technology competition has accelerated the rise of techno-economic statecraft in East Asia. Third, I assert that there are significant differences in the techno-economic statecraft pursued by East Asian countries in the U.S.-China technology competition. Fourth, the divergence of techno-economic statecraft in East Asian countries has created systemic effects in the regional order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human exploration of Mars and beyond will demand unprecedented levels of self-sufficiency due to the exceedingly far distances from Earth and lengthy mission durations. As such, astronaut crews must be able to function in a progressively autonomous manner, as they will be unable to rely on timely logistical resupply and/or operational guidance from ground-based mission support teams. One means of increasing autonomy is by incorporating intelligent (i.e., smart) technologies into the mission architecture and habitat design. As plans for sending humans to deep space continue to develop and mature, identifying current and emerging smart technologies and which have the potential to enable these missions or maintain habitability for the crew can be used to explore design options prioritized for autonomous operations. This paper surveys select commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technologies currently available and marketed terrestrially for use in integrated smart homes and aligns them for consideration by their functional relevance toward potential Smart Habitat (SmartHab) applications in deep-space. • Self-sufficiency becomes increasingly necessary as distance from Earth prohibits timely communication and resupply capability. • Habitability affects a crew's physical, physiological, psychological, and social health, as well as human performance. • Self-sufficiency and habitability for deep space missions may benefit from utilizing 'smart systems'to enable autonomy. • Over 90 smart technologies were reviewed resulting in 97 space-relevant applications for deep space missions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plants used in landscaping, which typically grow in the wild, along roads, or on homestead land, produce flowers in different shades of colors, from which pigments in other hues can be derived. In this study, six aqueous extraction techniques were used to extract pigments from three plant species, Lagerstroemia sp., Clitoria sp., and Eichhorniacrassipesthat, which produce blue-colored flowers. This study aimed to standardize the processes for extracting pigments from flowers of naturally occurring plant species, identify potential sources of blue-colored natural pigments and assess the durability and quality of the pigments. Clitoria sp. had the highest anthocyanin concentration (64.44 mg/l) when extracted with microwave assistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian-Ukrainian war, and challenges associated with sustainable development have emphasized the need for local food to increase the food system's resilience. Therefore, this research analyzes the food self-sufficiency ratio (SSR) and revealed comparative advantage (RCA) of cereals in Western Balkan countries (Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, and North Macedonia) and compares them with the same indicators for all European countries. The methodological framework of this research examined the food self-sufficiency and macro-level competitiveness for cereals in Western Balkan countries, as well as in Europe. The results of the research showed that all European countries have higher self-sufficiency in cereals (109.12%) and higher revealed comparative advantage (2.21) compared to the group of Western Balkans countries (71.89%; 1.53), which have lower values of the mentioned indicators. The results of econometric modeling for the Western Balkan countries showed that GDP per capita negatively influences the SSR of cereals, and agriculture value added per worker and area harvested under cereals positively influence the SSR of cereals. When it comes to the influence on the RCA of cereals in the Western Balkan region, the critical influence is GDP per capita, political stability, and agriculture value added per worker, all of which positively influence the RCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community microgrids hold significant promise to address the challenges posed by the growing electrification of transportation and other energy-intensive demands, such as the electrification of heating. This potential is further supported by rigorous scientific research, which highlights their capacity to enhance energy resilience, reliability, and sustainability. In the specific context of Aotearoa New Zealand, community microgrids exhibit the potential to significantly improve energy resilience and self-sufficiency. This article outlines the evidence-based benefits, challenges, and high-potential use cases of community microgrids in Aotearoa New Zealand, drawing on both domestic and international research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic leakages in tourism are an under-researched area that requires special emphasis from the tourism academia. Leakages persist in a destination and obstruct the economic development of the region. Though mainstream literature highlighted more about the positive side of tourism development, relatively limited literature discussed about leakages. This study critically examines the existing body of knowledge on economic leakages in tourism destinations in order to ascertain the current status of the research and identify any knowledge gaps. This study thoroughly examined theoretical and empirical data on economic leakages in tourism destinations and identified directions for future research. This study further goes into detail on how crucial leakage mitigation is to establishing resilience and self-sufficiency while rebuilding tourism destinations after the pandemic. Finally, theoretical and practical implications are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the trend toward microfinance institutions (MFIs) commercialization that fundamentally reshapes their capital structure, this meta‐analysis, by synthesizing data from a wide range of studies, aims to investigate the impact of different sources of finance on the financial sustainability of MFIs and determine the optimal order in which these sources should be utilized. In this study, 166 effect sizes were obtained from 64 studies. Overall, the findings indicate that equity and deposit financing enhance financial sustainability positively, whereas debt and donation financing exhibit an inverse relationship. However, variations exist based on the MFI charters. While equity financing adversely affects the financial sustainability of MFI banks, it also exerts positive effects on other types of MFIs. Similarly, deposit financing negatively affected MFI NGOs. Regarding financial sustainability proxies, debt and equity financing affect financial self‐sufficiency (FSS) and operating self‐sufficiency (OSS), unlike donation and deposit financing. Equity financing has a positive effect on OSS but a negative effect on FSS. In contrast, debt financing shows the opposite trend. The meta‐regression further reveals that, as capital structure variables, the sources of finance do not significantly explain the variance in MFIs' FSS but do so for OSS. These findings have implications for managers and for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The success of tribal farmers and rural youths in adopting advanced cultivation and processing techniques for lemongrass in Marayoor, Idukki district, Kerala, as part of the United Nations Development Programme and Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants collaboration is discussed in the present study. The project, implemented across four tribal clusters from 2020 to 2022, focused on re-evaluating and enhancing lemongrass essential oil production technology. Results showed a three to four-fold increase in tribal farmer's income and year-round job opportunities for rural youths in the aromatic industry. Improved cultivation and processing methods led to self-sufficiency among tribal farmers and rural youths, reducing reliance on forest resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although for decades, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishery of Japan has formed agricultural policies based on food self-sufficiency as a vital factor in securing the domestic food supply, the impacts of agricultural self-sufficiency on the relationship between international and domestic markets are not well understood. Most previous literature on agricultural price transmissions applies conventional error correction and vector autoregression models. However, we employ the state-of-the-art technique, namely the time-varying parameter vector autoregression (TVP-VAR) connectedness model, as well as the dynamic conditional correlations based on the asymmetric Baba – Engle–Kraft – Kroner method to investigate the effectiveness of beef self-sufficiency and its inventory in stabilizing local beef prices in Japan. Our primary results indicate that the global beef price is the net transmitter of shocks, while the home-grown beef price in Japan is the net receiver of shocks. Furthermore, we find that high self-sufficiency in beef does not significantly protect local beef markets from global beef markets, but the imported beef inventory effectively alleviates the wholesale price volatility of imported beef. One policy implication is that the government should not take protectionist policies to enhance beef self-sufficiency, and import beef stocks could be accumulated to stabilize imported beef markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review highlights the evolution in the scope of eye banking activities in India. The roles and responsibilities of the eye banks have expanded to match the requirements and necessities that arose because of advancements in keratoplasty techniques and the need for corneal surgeons. Adoption of different types of corneal preservation solutions and methods of donor cornea preservation was a consequence of the changing and unprecedented times. The growth of eye banking in India has been a commendable journey and has placed the country in an "almost sufficient" category in eye banking and corneal transplantation. There exists a potential to reach the status of cornea surplus country in the future. The rules and laws governing eye banking operations need dynamic amendments based on the trends in keratoplasty, surgical practice patterns, and status of self-sufficiency. Newer technological advances and quality measures must be adopted in donor cornea evaluation and tissue preparation. Research should be integrated as an important component of eye banking, especially in developing novel methods of donor preservation, and evaluating and validating the existing and changing practices of eye banking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the significance of rice in the Mexican diet and the country's dependence on imports to meet domestic demand, an examination of the food self-sufficiency index (SSI) for rice, which was 16.9 % in 2021, is required. The goal of this study was to examine the possibility of increasing the SSI to 66 % through crop area and yield increases, as well as to identify the most competitive regions in irrigated and rainfed agriculture under free trade conditions. A spatial equilibrium model that considered yield and potential area was obtained to analyze three scenarios that would place the SSI at 21, 46, and 66 %. The results show that to reach an SSI of 66 %, production would have to rise to 1139.7 thousand Mg, with 144.6 thousand ha of irrigated land and 18.2 thousand ha of rainfed areas, and an average yield of 7.4 and 4.2 Mg ha-1, respectively. The rice-producing states with the highest growth potential would be Nayarit, Campeche, and Michoacán, which have the potential to increase the cultivated area by more than 75 000 ha. Other regions with potential include Veracruz, Colima, and Jalisco. Due to the vulnerability of the domestic market to exogenous international changes resulting from its dependence on imports, it is recommended that the necessary measures be implemented to increase SSI for rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numbers of online postgraduate coursework students are increasing within higher education and this raises questions of identity – what being a student means to this more mature cohort. This in-depth qualitative investigation explores postgraduate student identities within online learning. We conducted interviews (14) and collected completed longitudinal audio diaries from students (3) enrolled in a range of postgraduate programs. We interpreted two social imaginaries or 'figured worlds' that describe participants' sense of who they ought to be. The life-on-campus figured world projected a 'traditional' student who read textbooks, inhabits classrooms and talks with lecturers. Alternatively, my-time-and-screen figured world projected a technologically-enabled student whose world is mediated by software, devices, their own spaces and a sense of self-sufficiency. These insights afford new ways of thinking about the diversity of the student cohort and how course designs might accommodate the multiplicity of ways online postgraduate students view themselves and their studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes Antonio Colinas' "Treaties of Harmony" as an example of practical philosophy. These treaties seek harmony and fulfillment in life, and are compared to the practical philosophies of Hellenistic philosophers. Colinas' work invites reflection and seeks to find harmony in a complex world. The importance of freedom, self-sufficiency, poetry, and symbols in the search for fulfillment and happiness is highlighted. The connection between human beings and nature is also mentioned, as well as the importance of adopting an attitude of tolerance and flexibility in relation to the sacred. [Extracted from the article]

Motivated by Nigeria's persistent pursuit of rice self-sufficiency, this paper projects the country's future rice self-sufficiency levels. These projections could guide policy decisions in areas of the rice market that show potential for growth, aiding in the achievement of Nigeria's goal through improved planning strategies. Using time series data covering the period from 1980 to 2018, this study adopted an econometric technique to model Nigeria's rice market which was estimated using a dynamic Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach. The results revealed that paddy producer price elasticity was 0.206 and had no influence on paddy area harvested. On the other hand, the national policy of rice credit guarantee scheme variable displayed a positive relationship with paddy area harvested. Lagged yield and lagged area harvested had positive influences on yield and area harvested, respectively. This could mean that paddy producers were motivated by previous year's yield levels and area harvested. The demand own-price elasticity of rice was -0.321 and its cross-price elasticity was 0.193, with wheat revealed to be a substitute. The obtained elasticities were then used to make a ten-year projection. Results suggested that by 2028, increasing rice production relative to dwindling imports will boost rice self-sufficiency level to 71%. However, the average yearly rice self-sufficiency level was 53%, requiring 3.85 million Mt of rice imports. The projections revealed that Nigeria will not achieve rice self-sufficiency by 2028 unless intensive yield enhancing policy-supporting efforts are pursued. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homestead windbreaks are used on the Ryukyu Islands to protect houses from the tidal water blowing from the sea, strong typhoons in the summer, and monsoonal winds in the winter. The homestead windbreak landscape is believed to have been established approximately 300 years ago in the Ryukyu Kingdom. Garcinia subelliptica (Fukugi in Japanese) was dominant in this windbreak landscape. These windbreaks vanished on several islands soon after World War II. Many trees were burned during the war and removed to extend village roads in rural and recent resort development projects. This study surveyed the present spatial distribution of the remaining homestead windbreaks and conducted a tree inventory survey. We recorded the location and characteristics of trees damaged by the powerful typhoon and tentatively explored the causes of tree and house damage through a case study of Yonaguni Island, where one of the world's biggest typhoons occurred. Homestead windbreaks facing the wind direction, tree characters of cavities, unsound branching, and combined tree trunks were the significant factors contributing to tree damage. The remnant homestead windbreak belts in Yonaguni Island were fragmented and not continuous and may not offer consistent wind protection since there are open gaps between the sections. It suggests windbreaks should be replanted in the direction of the wind, and regular checks of tree health and tree structure are needed to reduce typhoon damage. The results are used to propose guidelines for windbreak management and conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dissemination of communal notifications across the proximally distant homesteads in a rural area is not an easy practice. Against this backdrop, this study investigates the forms of communal notifications and their role in sustaining the community-orientated lifestyle in an isiZulu-speaking rural community in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study adopted a qualitative research method which employed face-to-face interviews, in isiZulu, that involved 16 participants. The data revealed the prevalence of these forms of communal notifications: social occasion-related notifications, death-related notifications, izimbizo (open meetings)-related notifications, notifications instructing the community dwellers to clear footpaths, politics-related notifications, school meeting notifications, livestock or pet immunisation notifications, and land tilling-related notifications. The study maintained that the custodians who pronounce these notifications to the community employ strategies that aid their effective dissemination. Such strategies involve landscape usage, social occasion platform usage, whistle or horn blowing, loud shouting and the sending of messengers. Importantly, the study established that the communal notifications help inculcate the spirit of ubuntu or humanness among the community dwellers hence sustaining the community-orientated lifestyle, which finds expression in isiZulu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mountainous grassland landscapes are severely threatened by the proliferation of shrub encroachment. So far, it remains unclear though how slope aspect coupled with land disturbances linked to the proximity of homesteads to communal grazing sites affects the distribution, density and structure of the encroaching shrubs in these grassland ecosystems. In this study, we investigated the role that slope aspect plays in determining the density and structure of an encroaching shrub species Euryops floribundus N.E. Br in three communal grazing sites located at varying distances from rural homesteads in a semi-arid mountainous grassland in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Three sites were strategically chosen in Cala communal grazing lands in an encroached mountainous grassland landscape that depicted north and south-facing slope aspects. The selected sites were Tsengiwe; a site located in close proximity to homesteads at a distance of less than 100 m, Upper Mnxe situated at an intermediate distance ranging from 200 to 800 m away from homesteads and Manzimdaka, which was located furthest from homesteads at a distance greater than 1600 m. In each site and corresponding slope aspect, the density and structure of the shrub E. floribundus were evaluated on 36 randomly distributed plots, yielding a total of 108 plots across all sites. We found that shrub density was significantly higher (50%) on the north-facing slope compared to the south-facing slope in Tsengiwe, the site located near homesteads. Shrub height was significantly higher (53 and 17%) on the north-facing slope compared to the south-facing slope at Upper Mnxe and Manzimdaka, which were located at intermediate and furthest distances from the homesteads. Notably, shrub height was significantly lower (37%) in the north-facing slope compared to the south-facing slope in Tsengiwe. Following a similar pattern to shrub height, total stem number was significantly higher (20 and 85%) in the north-facing slope compared to the south-facing slope at Upper Mnxe and Tsengiwe, respectively. Shrub crown area was higher (33 and 11%) in the north-facing slope compared to the south-facing slope at Upper Mnxe and Manzimdaka, respectively. A strong positive relationship was established between the height of shrubs and their longest crown diameter, shortest crown diameter and shrub crown area across all sites, suggesting that the investigated shrub species E. floribundus employs its structural characteristics to survive, and thrive and this was more evident in the north-facing slope. The results highlight the importance of considering the proximity of homesteads into account in ecological studies, and puts emphasis on improved understanding of the vegetation patterns shaped by shrub encroachment in mountainous grasslands, which is crucial in the development of effective land management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the feasibility of implementing standalone hydrogen-based renewable energy systems in Spanish residential buildings, specifically analyzing the optimization of a solar-battery and solar-hydrogen system for a building with 20 dwellings in Spain. The study initially assesses two standalone setups: solar-battery and solar-hydrogen. Subsequently, it explores scenarios where these systems are connected to the grid to only generate and sell surplus energy. A scenario involving grid connection for self-consumption without storage serves as a benchmark for comparison. All system optimizations are designed to meet energy demands without interruptions while minimizing costs, as determined by a techno-economic analysis. The systems are sized using custom software that incorporates an energy management system and employs the Jaya algorithm for optimization. The findings indicate that selling surplus energy can be economically competitive and enhance the efficiency of grid-connected self-consumption systems, representing the study's main innovation. The conclusion highlights the economic and technical potential of an autonomous hybrid energy system that includes hydrogen, with the significant remaining challenge being the development of a regulatory framework to support its technical feasibility in Spain. • PV-battery and PV-H2 self-sufficient stand-alone systems for a 20-dwelling building. • Residential energy demand based on actual annual four-dwelling metering data. • Sale of surplus generation to the grid from a renewable stand-alone system. • Custom-made software and Jaya algorithm for system simulation and cost optimization. • PV-H2 integration in residential buildings leads to a reduction in grid dependency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cultural values of rural areas play a crucial role in influencing the retention of homesteads, as highlighted in insights gathered from residents engaged in rural tourism. This study aims to explore the relationship between residents' recognition of local cultural values in rural tourism areas and their intention to withdraw from homesteads. Employing quantitative methods, a random sampling technique was utilized to select 722 questionnaires for analysis. Descriptive statistics and SPSS were employed to assess residents' participation in community activities, social interactions, and the building process of public facilities. Findings indicate a negative relationship between residents' recognition of cultural values and homestead withdrawal intention, aligning with consistent withdrawal behavior. Additionally, the extent of residents' participation in community activities and building processes correlated positively with homestead withdrawal. The study contributes novel insights into the intricate dynamics of rural tourism areas, emphasizing the crucial role of cultural values and community engagement in homestead retention. The mean age of participants was determined to be 30 to 60 years, with a standard deviation of variables, providing demographic context. In conclusion, fostering residents' connection to cultural values and promoting active community involvement are key factors in mitigating homestead withdrawal in rural tourism areas. This research not only enhances our understanding of these dynamics but also offers valuable implications for sustainable land resource allocation in such regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is a valuable spice and despite having suitable climatic conditions, Bangladesh relies on imports to meet the demand. There is some homestead production of black pepper, but information available on the genotypes grown in Bangladesh is scanty. Here, we characterized black pepper genotypes in the Sylhet region for potential domestic production. Healthy, disease-free cuttings of eleven genotypes (G-1 to G-11) were collected and grown in nursery condition for characterization. Diverse traits were observed for lamina shape (ovate, ovate-lanceolate, ovate-elliptic, and cordate), leaf tip (acute, accuminate, and caudate), leaf base (cordate and rounded), shoot tip color (green, light green, yellowish-green, purple, and dark purple), and leaf margin (wavy and even). Quantitative parameters revealed substantial variation in leaf length (6.8 to 11.24 cm), leaf width (3.66 to 6.24 cm), leaf area (26.8 to 66.6 cm2), petiole length (2.3 to 5.0 cm), internode length (1.93 to 6.2 cm), and leaf dry matter content (19.6 to 30.4%). Notably, G-8 exhibited superior values for leaf dimensions, area, petiole and internode lengths, along with relatively higher leaf dry matter content (23.9%). This study provides a baseline for selecting and breeding high-yielding black pepper varieties in Bangladesh, potentially boosting domestic production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To alleviate the contradiction between supply and demand of urban and rural construction land and improve the utilization efficiency of rural homesteads, the state has issued policies to guide villagers withdrawing their homestead with subsidies or compensation. Previous studies have found that differentiation is one critical factor in villagers' withdrawal from homesteads, but how differentiation affects the villagers' withdrawal is not well interpreted. To explore and examine the homestead withdrawal mechanism, this paper identified and condensed the influence factors of villagers' willingness to withdraw from homesteads from the perspective of differentiation, taking Kuikeng Village in Puning City, China, as an example. The results indicated that: (1) villagers' differentiation has a significant impact on their willingness to withdraw from homesteads, and the higher the income differentiation level, the lower the willingness to withdraw from homesteads; (2) the health status of villagers, whether they are willing to change their identity, the confirmation of homestead rights, the holding period of homestead property rights, and the understanding of homestead exit policy are positively correlated with their willingness to withdraw from homesteads; and (3) villagers' psychosocial characteristics, villagers' differentiation, and government policy characteristics have a significant impact on homestead withdrawal. It is important to guide villagers to withdraw from homesteads and realize rational land use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes how Singapore achieved skin allograft self-sufficiency in 2017 by adopting 5 key strategies in 2012. Singapore General Hospital (SGH) established its own allograft recovery programme in 1998 but was still dependent on overseas allograft procurement. 1. Expanding the donor pool: a. increasing coverage to all hospitals, b. adopting mobile recovery sets and c. increasing skin donor upper age limit from 75 to 90. 2. Reducing allograft usage by utilising Biobrane as part of SGH Burns protocol. 3. Extending allograft shelf-life by adopting cryopreservation. 4. Tapping on the existing national organ and tissue donation network. 5. Expanding public outreach efforts. The allograft recovery programme expanded from 4 to all 20 institutions. Donor referrals increased by 42.9% from 35 in 2014 to over 50 currently. Donor numbers increased by 210%, rising from 4.5 per year before 2015 to an average of 14 per year from 2015 to 2022. The total allografts recovered increased by 223%, climbing from 13,000 to 42,000 annually. Cryopreservation was adopted, extending shelf life to 5.5 years and doubling storage capacity to more than 140,000 cm2 in 2022. Singapore achieved skin allograft self-sufficiency with no overseas procurement since 2017. ● 5 key strategies were used to achieve skin allograft self-sufficiency. ● Donor pool was expanded. ● Allograft shelf-life was extended with cryopreservation. ● Allograft usage was reduced by adopting Biobrane as part of burns protocol. ● Donor referrals, donor numbers and total allografts recovered increased substantially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Four criconematid populations were uncovered in three avocado orchards in Homestead region, Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA, with three of them in relatively high densities. Two of the populations were identified as Criconema mutabile (Taylor, 1936) Raski & Luc, 1985 and Mesocriconema basili (Jairajpuri, 1964) Loof & De Grisse, 1989, whereas the other two populations were identified as Criconemoides sp. and Ogma sp. The identification of the nematodes was based on morphological analysis and C. mutabile was also confirmed based on the 28S rRNA gene. The molecular data of M. basili (18S and 28S rRNA genes) are presented for the first time and phylogenetic trees based on the genes are provided illustrating the relationships of M. basili with other criconematid species. This study further reports the presence of C. mutabile and M. basili for the first time in Florida, USA, and the association of the latter species with avocado rhizosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The archival memory of the Caribbean is built on the documentary legacies of colonialism. From slave registers to plantation deeds, the shelves of Caribbean Archives are filled with the records of colonial conquest, enslavement and suppression. Yet within these former Caribbean colonies—now small independent nations—is the evidence of human triumph over adversity, pride in self-sufficiency and a fierce and persistence dedication to political and social independence. That evidence is manifest through political movements, oral narratives, heroic legends and through alternate, different readings of the colonial records. These alternate readings are among the issues considered in this essay as it addresses the rethinking of a history that foregrounds the marginalized and highlights a dignity that has been suppressed. A case study of a website from the small island-nation of St. Kitts and Nevis demonstrates how the web is proving its agility in responding to complex understandings of history by enabling the uniting of both tangible and intangible community knowledge and heritage as it also eases access to official archival collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inland areas have been affected by demographic and economic decline over the past decades. New economic models, which are more focused on a humane quality of life, encourage a revival of these territories as newer, healthier places for living. This paper focuses on minor centers, rethought as energy communities and how these can sustain themselves and become new places of living. The first part of the research critically analyzes current strategies of SECAPs (Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans) in smaller historic urban centers. The second part of the paper starts with the typological, morphological, and technological interscalar analysis of two case studies, testing a repeatable expeditious knowledge collection and an intervention method on them. For urban environments, the hypothesized interventions include the management of energy production from renewable sources that are compatible with the presence and value of urban and built heritage; concerning rural territories, an agro-energy park is proposed. The document aims to provide a repeatable method for planning strategic actions within SECAPs in smaller urban centers with a high historical connotation. The case studies show that energy self-sufficiency can be an opportunity to valorize the urban center while favoring environmental sustainability and local development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities have a high environmental impact on boththe site and the surrounding area due to their energy requirements. In this article, we analyze the implementation of photovoltaic (PV) solar technology as a clean energy self-supply alternative in a mixedresidential sector in the Andean equatorial city of Cuenca, Ecuador. Based on the energy demands of the buildings in the selected area, LiDAR is used to identify rooftops that, due to their geometry, orientation, or location, are suitable for PV panel installation. Real energy consumption data are collected, and using SAM software with local climate data, the self-sufficiency capacity is simulated with the integration of PVs to achieve energy neutrality in each property. The combined electrical generation is determined and it is established that the energy demand can be met by 94.88%, with the installation of 427 PV panels of 335 Wp distributed across 29 properties and with a spatial occupation requirement of 11.95% of the available roofs. It is concluded that the entire electrical demand can be self-supplied through rooftop space, and this could even serve as an alternative to meet other demands such as cooking and transportation that are currently met with fossil fuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy is one of the primary challenges in the long-term operation of robotic fish. The research on combining wave energy-harvesting technology with robotic fish for energy supplementation is not extensive, and there is insufficient comprehensive analysis on energy harvesting from waves and energy costs during swimming. Therefore, the energy self-sufficiency of multi-joint robotic fish is investigated by employing the coupling method of smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) and multi-body dynamics in this study. A reversible energy conversion mechanism is applied to the robotic fish, serving as a driving system during swimming and as a power take-off (PTO) system during energy harvesting. The energy costs of the multi-joint robotic fish under various undulation parameters (including amplitude, frequency, and body wavelength) are analyzed, along with an examination of the influence of the PTO system on energy harvesting. The results show that, compared to the undulation amplitude and body wavelength, the undulation frequency has the greatest impact on swimming efficiency and energy costs, with low-frequency swimming being advantageous for efficient energy utilization. Additionally, the damping coefficient of the PTO system directly affects energy-harvesting efficiency, with higher energy-harvesting power achievable with an optimal PTO system parameter. Through a comprehensive analysis of energy costs and energy harvesting, it is concluded that the achievement of energy self-sufficiency for multi-joint robotic fish in marine environments is highly feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The orderly withdrawal from rural homesteads is an important path for the smooth promotion of rural revitalization and new urbanization. This study aims to explore the influence and mechanism of social networks on the willingness of farm households to withdraw from homesteads. The study is based on a sample of 1971 farmer households in Jiangsu Province and analyzes the data using the logit model and mediation effect model. The results show that the social network has a significant positive effect on farmers' willingness to withdraw from homesteads. As the social network expands, the probability for forming the willingness to withdraw from the homestead is higher for farmers with weaker social networks. In addition, the effect of social networks is different according to the level of regional economic development. The mechanism analysis suggests that social networks can indirectly increase the willingness to withdraw from homesteads by improving farmers' risk resilience. Based on these findings, this study puts forward targeted policy recommendations: focusing on the cultivation and enhancement of farmers' social networks, strengthening farmers' risk resilience, and designing differentiated homestead exit policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Article makes one simple, novel claim: crime is labor when it generates income, allows individuals to pursue self-sufficiency, or allows them to fulfill societal expectations of providing for or caring for dependents. When individuals engage in survival crimes, instead of seeing them as criminals, we should see them as workers engaged in survival labor. The carceral system continues to disproportionately harm racial minorities and people living in poverty. The foundations of many laws regulating and policing racialized bodies have created a culture where Blackness, in particular, is equivalent to criminality. While a penal abolitionist framework is helpful in getting rid of the harmful criminal and civil consequences of criminal penalties, a labor framework shifts the narrative in a way required to transform the perception of crime to one of labor. This shift is particularly important given the renewed attention to penal abolitionist logic and conservative and libertarian attempts to resurrect greater protection for economic liberty through the “right to earn a living.” In what will become a series of several pieces, this first Article proposes a narrative shift that allows us to critique and reimagine our conceptions of work. People engaged in survival crimes are often subject to the criticism that they should pursue “real work.” After reading this Article, I hope the legal community will question the continued criminalization of poverty, reconsider our understanding of work, and invest in this transformative project to protect the victims of state-sponsored oppression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article puts forward the argument for the acute and urgent need to move from ecclesial self-sufficiency to ecclesial interdependency in the ecumenical process. The difficulties in ecumenical cooperation mirror those in the climate crisis, as despite a global crisis of relevance for Christianity and for the ecumenical movement, individual Churches, much like individual states, fail to work together effectively as they negotiate their own internal challenges. Not dissimilar to the ecological climate breakdown, what we understand as the history-bound reality of the Church will not be safeguarded and will not be made relevant in today's globalised, pluralistic, interconnected, and dominantly secular, in many contexts, world, except by concerted action from all Churches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bartin University Journal of Faculty of Education is the property of Bartin University Journal of Faculty of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this study, we investigated the performance of air-to-water heat pump (AWHP) and energy recovery ventilator (ERV) systems combined with photovoltaics (PV) to achieve the energy independence of a dormitory building and conducted an analysis of the energy independence rate and economic feasibility by using energy storage devices. Our data were collected for 5 months from July to November, and the building energy load, energy consumption, and system performance were derived by measuring the PV power generation, purchase, sales volume, AWHP inlet and outlet water temperature, and ERV outdoor, supply, and exhaust temperature. When analyzing representative days, the PV–AWHP integrated system achieved an energy efficiency ratio (EER) of 4.49 and a coefficient of performance (COP) of 2.27. Even when the generated electrical energy exceeds 100% of the electricity consumption, the energy self-sufficiency rate remains at 24% due to the imbalance between energy consumption and production. The monthly average energy self-sufficiency rate changed significantly during the measurement period, from 20.27% in November to 57.95% in September, highlighting the importance of energy storage for self-reliance. When using a 4 kWp solar power system and 4 kWh and 8 kWh batteries, the annual energy self-sufficiency rate would increase to 67.43% and 86.98%, respectively, and our economic analysis showed it would take 16.5 years and more than 20 years, respectively, to become profitable compared to the operation of an AWHP system alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xiao Hong's literary classics have room for continuous development and interpretation. The narrative time and space in The Field of Life and Death is gyroscopic, which is composed of vague time marks and fragmented space scenes, and then its movement and development trajectory are changed by numerous internal and external forces. Market Street makes use of the elements and techniques of "vacuity" to deal with " Quasi-novelization", thus expanding and enhancing the "truth" of the idea; Regardless of gender and age, the main characters in Tales of Hulan River can be analyzed from the perspective of self-sufficiency and inadequacy of childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, coal mine tunneling technology is developing in the direction of intelligence and unmanned. The piezoelectric vibration energy harvester can convert the vibration energy generated by the cutting part of roadheader into electrical energy and realize the energy self-sufficiency of the low-power wireless sensor. In practical applications, the vibration frequency of the cutting part of roadheader is different, and the working condition is complex, resulting in the energy recovery efficiency of the vibration energy harvester is not ideal. In order to improve its adaptability and reliability, a separated excitation broadband piezoelectric vibration energy harvester is proposed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, one of the main goals is to make municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) energy-neutral. However, advanced wastewater treatments and sewage sludge processing are still classified as highly energy-intensive. In this study, the energy self-sufficiency potential assessment of the WWTP located in Krosno (Poland) was evaluated. Moreover, the possible paths for improving the energy balance of the analyzed facility are presented in this paper. The performed evaluation indicated that in 2016–2019, the energy consumption at WWTP Krosno varied from 0.25 to 0.71 kWh/m3 of wastewater (average 0.51 kWh/m3), and the highest energy utilization values in each year were recorded around the summer season. An analysis of the data showed that as the pollutant load flowing into the WWTP increased, its energy utilization decreased. Such results indicate that the treatment cost per cubic meter decreases as the load increases due to the capital cost being the same. The estimated self-sufficiency of the facility in the years analyzed was 50.5%. The average energy recovery from 1 m3 of wastewater was 0.27 kWh/m3, and the average energy recovery from 1 m3 of biogas was 1.54 kWh/m3. Since the energy balance of this wastewater treatment plant, determined primarily by the continuously increasing cost of energy purchases, has to be improved, two courses of action were identified that will allow for increasing self-sufficiency. The co-digestion strategy was indicated as the easiest solution to implement, given the on-going anaerobic stabilization of sewage sludge at this WWTP. Moreover, the possible co-substrates that can be obtained from local suppliers were indicated. The second course of action, which requires a thorough economic analysis, is sludge pre-treatment, which might improve sewage sludge properties, resulting in a more favorable biogas yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the first Chilean authors to write extensively about Patagonia, Francisco Coloane has long been revered for his tales of life in the region. In Coloane's literature, murderous deluges sweep away entire homesteads and pinnipeds smother sealers to death, events that have often been interpreted as symptomatic of Patagonia's inhospitable climate and the difficulties settlers faced in the region. This article proposes a reading of Coloane's work in tandem with examples of recorded narratives of the Indigenous populations of Tierra del Fuego, many of which were recounted by Coloane himself in his journalistic publications. In so doing, I show how the violence that is common across Coloane's oeuvre constitutes just retribution whereby nonhuman life is exacting revenge for settler and hunter incursions. I therefore demonstrate that by reading Coloane alongside Fuegian narratives we can uncover new ecological and didactic currents in his writing that further complicate his reductive position as Chile's "Patagonian" writer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores radio's material legacies by exclusively focussing on the trajectories of radio-objects, which travelled between foreign broadcasting stations and their Indian listeners during the Cold War years. The presence of such objects in listeners' homesteads/private collections even today and their affective relationship(s) to them can enable us to examine how radio materially permeated the larger social fabric of listeners' everyday lives, not just through sound but also a plethora of things. Zooming in on gifts, souvenirs, letters, photographs and memorabilia, the article shows how radio-objects enabled Indian listeners to perform difference and distinction locally, to imagine and experience foreign countries through landscape-objects, to establish networks of South-South epistolary exchange, and to 'see' both co-listeners and radio hosts through travelling photographs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through five ethnographic stories, this article rethinks science from the African home and homestead. Focused on our interlocutors' efforts to heal and protect themselves and their families, these stories of experimentation challenge the ways science is often understood in science studies. Drawing on the literature on science and technology studies (STS) in Africa, postcolonial and feminist STS, medical pluralism, and ontological approaches to health, we argue that rooting our analysis in the worlds of our interlocutors and the practices through which they heal forces a rethinking of what we mean by science. In its place, we offer a science that attends to ontological multiplicity and exceeds and expands on more traditional definitions of science, which for Africa have been aligned with the field experiment and the laboratory. We conclude with the stakes of this intervention, arguing that a more unsettled science studies will decenter the Global North, universalisms, and whiteness, reshaping how we understand science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers' attention has been drawn to parallels between Homer's Odyssey and the Epic of Gilgamesh. However, hitherto, no connections have been observed between Kazantzakis's Sequel and the Mesopotamian work. Convergent are the primary motivations and actions undertaken by the protagonists of both poems, particularly their "peregrinations" to the boundaries of the world, dictated by eschatological anxieties. Moreover, the hero of Kazantzakis's Sequel undergoes a transformation analogous to the legendary ruler of Uruk: under the influence of concerns, the proud kings opt for solitary wanderings, which results in better self-understanding and higher axiological awareness. The comparison of symbols, such as the sun, fire, lightning, the Water of Life and Death, and theriomorphic allegories, indicates Kazantzakis's utilization of numerous intermediary sources stemming from the ancient Near Eastern tradition. An additional aim of the article is to indicate interpretative possibilities of books describing the wanderings of the Odyssean spirit after abandoning the project of building the "ideal city," as versions of ars moriendi: the art of overcoming the fear of death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseño y Comunicación is the property of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseno y Comunicacion and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)