scholarly journals A Survey of Animal-Powered Logging in Alabama

2001 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher W. Toms ◽  
Mark R. Dubois ◽  
John C. Bliss ◽  
John H. Wilhoit ◽  
Robert B. Rummer
Keyword(s):  
Telephone Survey ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Urban Fringe ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Average Area ◽  
The Past ◽  
Logging Industry ◽  
Harvesting Systems ◽  
Privately Owned

Abstract In a state with a very large, highly mechanized timber harvesting industry, animal-powered logging still occupies a niche in Alabama as a small-scale harvesting alternative. This article summarizes the results from a study that examined the extent of animal logging in Alabama. We investigated this topic by asking who is logging with animals, where are they working, what equipment are they using, and what do they see as the future of animal-powered logging in Alabama. To answer these questions, we conducted a telephone survey of 33 owner-operators of horse and/or mule logging operations and on-site semi-structured interviews with a subsample of survey participants. Horse and mule loggers in Alabama work mostly on nonindustrial privately owned forests. The average animal logging operation consists of three people, two animals, and a side-loading truck. Most animal loggers find their niche in Alabama's logging industry by working on small tracts, tracts with low timber volumes, and harvests that use selective thinnings. With 90% of the animal loggers in Alabama over age 40, and with 27 loggers having retired in the past 5 yr, the number of animal loggers in Alabama is expected to decline, or, at best, hold steady, over the next 10 to 20 yr. As the average area of a nonindustrial privately owned forested tract in the Southeast continues to decrease, particularly along the urban fringe, the demand for small-scale harvesting systems, including systems using animals and farm tractor-sized implements to skid logs, may increase. South. J. Appl. For. 25(1):17–24.

scholarly journals Climate change adaptation challenges confronting small-scale farmers

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davison Mugiya ◽  
Costa Hofisi
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Resource Constraints ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Access To Credit ◽  
The Past ◽  
Qualitative Research Methodology ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Small Scale Farmers

Climate change adaptation issues have recently gained attention for the past few years in Zimbabwe. However, little has been done to explore the challenges, associated with climate change in the country. Therefore, this article explores the challenges affecting small-scale farmers in the Zvishavane District of Zimbabwe in coping with climate change vulnerability. The qualitative research methodology encompassing semi-structured interviews was used to collect data from small-scale farmers and other key informants in the study area. The study portrays that small-scale farmers are struggling to cope with climate change due to resource constraints, lack of access to credit and inputs, aid bottlenecks coupled with contradiction of programs among other critical issues.

Vom Forst zum Wald. Entwicklungstendenzen im naturnahen Waldbau | From a Production-Oriented Forest to a Multipurpose Forest. New Trends in Near-Natural Silviculture

1999 ◽  
Vol 150 (12) ◽  
pp. 484-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolf Hockenjos
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Natural Forest ◽  
The Other ◽  
Private Forest ◽  
Wide Spread ◽  
Great Demand ◽  
The Past ◽  
Forest Enterprises

Concepts of near-natural forestry are in great demand these days. Most German forest administrations and private forest enterprises attach great importance to being as «near-natural» as possible. This should allow them to make the most of biological rationalisation. The concept of near-natural forestry is widely accepted, especially by conservationists. However, it is much too early to analyse how successful near-natural forestry has been to date, and therefore to decide whether an era of genuine near-natural forest management has really begun. Despite wide-spread recognition, near-natural forestry is jeopardised by mechanised timber harvesting, and particularly by the large-timber harvester. The risk is that machines, which are currently just one element of the timber harvest will gain in importance and gradually become the decisive element. The forest would then be forced to meet the needs of machinery, not the other way round. Forests would consequently become so inhospitable that they would bear no resemblance to the sylvan image conjured up by potential visitors. This could mean taking a huge step backwards: from a near-natural forest to a forest dominated by machinery. The model of multipurpose forest management would become less viable, and the forest would become divided into areas for production, and separate areas for recreation and ecology. The consequences of technical intervention need to be carefully considered, if near-natural forestry is not to become a thing of the past.

Forecasting of Tornadoes and Downbursts

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Djordje Romanic
Keyword(s):  
Chaos Theory ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
Weather Prediction ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Weather Forecasts ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
The Past ◽  
Extreme Wind ◽  
Extreme Wind Speeds ◽  
Numerical Weather Prediction Models

Tornadoes and downbursts cause extreme wind speeds that often present a threat to human safety, structures, and the environment. While the accuracy of weather forecasts has increased manifold over the past several decades, the current numerical weather prediction models are still not capable of explicitly resolving tornadoes and small-scale downbursts in their operational applications. This chapter describes some of the physical (e.g., tornadogenesis and downburst formation), mathematical (e.g., chaos theory), and computational (e.g., grid resolution) challenges that meteorologists currently face in tornado and downburst forecasting.

scholarly journals NICU and postpartum nurse perspectives on involving fathers in newborn care: a qualitative study

BMC Nursing ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharine W. Buek ◽  
Dagoberto Cortez ◽  
Dorothy J. Mandell
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Father Involvement ◽  
Perinatal Care ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Newborn Care ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Provider Attitudes ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Sense Of Efficacy

Abstract Background Perinatal care nurses are well positioned to provide the education and support new fathers need to navigate the transition to fatherhood and to encourage positive father involvement from the earliest hours of a child’s life. To effectively serve fathers in perinatal settings, it is important to understand the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of healthcare providers that may encourage and engage them, or alternatively alienate and discourage them. Methods This qualitative study involved structured interviews with ten NICU and postpartum nurses from hospitals in two large Texas cities. The interview protocol was designed to elicit descriptive information about nurses’ attitudes and beliefs, sense of efficacy and intention for working with fathers, as well as their father-directed behaviors. Nurses were recruited for the study using a purposive sampling approach. Interviews were conducted by telephone and lasted approximately 25 to 35 min. Data were analyzed using a qualitative descriptive approach. Results Overall, study participants held very positive subjective attitudes toward fathers and father involvement. Nevertheless, many of the nurses signaled normative beliefs based on race/ethnicity, gender, and culture that may moderate their intention to engage with fathers. Participants also indicated that their education as well as the culture of perinatal healthcare are focused almost entirely on the mother-baby dyad. In line with this focus on mothers, participants comments reflected a normative belief that fathers are secondary caregivers to their newborns, there to help when the mother is unavailable. Conclusions Nurse attitudes and practices that place mothers in the role of primary caregiver may be interpreted by fathers as excluding or disregarding them. Further research is needed to validate the results of this small-scale study, and to assess whether and how provider attitudes impact their practices in educating and engaging fathers in newborn care.

scholarly journals PyroMEMS as Future Technological Building Blocks for Advanced Microenergetic Systems

Micromachines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 118
Author(s):  
Jean-Laurent Pouchairet ◽  
Carole Rossi
Keyword(s):  
Building Block ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Technological Evolution ◽  
Research Groups ◽  
Function Block ◽  
The Past ◽  
New Methods ◽  
Safety And Reliability ◽  
Electronically Controllable

For the past two decades, many research groups have investigated new methods for reducing the size and cost of safe and arm-fire systems, while also improving their safety and reliability, through batch processing. Simultaneously, micro- and nanotechnology advancements regarding nanothermite materials have enabled the production of a key technological building block: pyrotechnical microsystems (pyroMEMS). This building block simply consists of microscale electric initiators with a thin thermite layer as the ignition charge. This microscale to millimeter-scale addressable pyroMEMS enables the integration of intelligence into centimeter-scale pyrotechnical systems. To illustrate this technological evolution, we hereby present the development of a smart infrared (IR) electronically controllable flare consisting of three distinct components: (1) a controllable pyrotechnical ejection block comprising three independently addressable small-scale propellers, all integrated into a one-piece molded and interconnected device, (2) a terminal function block comprising a structured IR pyrotechnical loaf coupled with a microinitiation stage integrating low-energy addressable pyroMEMS, and (3) a connected, autonomous, STANAG 4187 compliant, electronic sensor arming and firing block.

scholarly journals Planning for a neighborhood and city-scale green network system in Qatar: the case of MIA Park

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raffaello Furlan ◽  
Brian R. Sinclair
Keyword(s):  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Landscape Fragmentation ◽  
The State ◽  
Network System ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Main Mode ◽  
The Past ◽  
Neighborhood Scale

AbstractIn the past decade, Doha has witnessed fast-urban growth, an increased population rate, and an over-reliance on the automobile as the main mode of urban transportation. These factors caused social and environmental problems related to (1) the loss of a compact urban pattern, (2) an increased level of air pollution (3) high traffic congestions and (4) increasing landscape fragmentation. In consideration of such concerns, The State of Qatar invested large funds into the urban landscape development of Doha, as envisioned by Qatar National Vision 2030. As a result, in the past five years various parks and/or green areas, such MIA Park, a major public green space located around the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), were planned and developed within metropolitan Doha. The authors argue that this park is currently facing issues and challenges related to (1) accessibility to/from the neighboring districts, and (2) connectivity to/from the neighboring parks. Therefore, this research study aims at assessing the existing conditions of MIA Park, at considering the broader city context and, at recommending strategies for implementing MIA Park’s green network system. It approached the investigative challenge using a multi-pronged comprehensive methodology, that deployed focus groups, semi-structured interviews and a comprehensive network analysis based on graph theory. The findings, revealed through these hybrid research tactics, allowed the researchers to generate a framework to enhance accessibility and connectivity of MIA Park through a green network system, planned at inter-related neighborhood-scale and city-scale levels. While the research examines most notably a single case, it is advocated that the proposed framework represents not just an optional feature pertaining to the case in Doha, but a valuable reference for the sustainable master planning of future cities in the State of Qatar and across the GCC. The paper proffers numerous key contributions, including the critical exploration of manufactured landscapes in Doha Qatar and the delineation of broadly applicable environmental design strategies to improve the fabric and livability of cities.

scholarly journals Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo: Enhancing Indonesia’s Multilateral Defence Diplomacy?

2021 ◽  
pp. 186810342110089
Author(s):  
Frega Wenas Inkiriwang
Keyword(s):  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Past ◽  
Documentary Analysis

Defence diplomacy has gained attention in the past decades. Hence, Indonesia has also developed its defence diplomacy for achieving its strategic interests. In Indonesia’s defence diplomacy, bilateral forms have dominated the practice of joint exercises with its defence partners. However, under the Yudhoyono administration in 2014, Indonesia hosted its first multilateral joint exercise, the Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo (MNEK), which aimed at facilitating multilateral engagement with greater international partners. This exercise was continued by the Widodo administration as a biannual event in the following years. Since this multilateral exercise has rarely been studied, this article attempts to qualitatively examine how this exercise has developed and contributed to Indonesia’s multilateral defence diplomacy. To support the analysis, this article relies on a combination of documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews, including with numerous participants of past MNEK exercises in 2014, 2016, and 2018.

scholarly journals Rethinking success, integrity, and culture in research (part 1) — a multi-actor qualitative study on success in science

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noémie Aubert Bonn ◽  
Wim Pinxten
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Research Integrity ◽  
Current Paper ◽  
Research Quality ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Past ◽  
Research Students

Abstract Background Success shapes the lives and careers of scientists. But success in science is difficult to define, let alone to translate in indicators that can be used for assessment. In the past few years, several groups expressed their dissatisfaction with the indicators currently used for assessing researchers. But given the lack of agreement on what should constitute success in science, most propositions remain unanswered. This paper aims to complement our understanding of success in science and to document areas of tension and conflict in research assessments. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups with policy makers, funders, institution leaders, editors or publishers, research integrity office members, research integrity community members, laboratory technicians, researchers, research students, and former-researchers who changed career to inquire on the topics of success, integrity, and responsibilities in science. We used the Flemish biomedical landscape as a baseline to be able to grasp the views of interacting and complementary actors in a system setting. Results Given the breadth of our results, we divided our findings in a two-paper series, with the current paper focusing on what defines and determines success in science. Respondents depicted success as a multi-factorial, context-dependent, and mutable construct. Success appeared to be an interaction between characteristics from the researcher (Who), research outputs (What), processes (How), and luck. Interviewees noted that current research assessments overvalued outputs but largely ignored the processes deemed essential for research quality and integrity. Interviewees suggested that science needs a diversity of indicators that are transparent, robust, and valid, and that also allow a balanced and diverse view of success; that assessment of scientists should not blindly depend on metrics but also value human input; and that quality should be valued over quantity. Conclusions The objective of research assessments may be to encourage good researchers, to benefit society, or simply to advance science. Yet we show that current assessments fall short on each of these objectives. Open and transparent inter-actor dialogue is needed to understand what research assessments aim for and how they can best achieve their objective. Study Registration osf.io/33v3m.

Generative Textiles for Non-Rotary Power Production From Wind

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Lux ◽  
Christopher Foster ◽  
Meredith Sellers ◽  
Andrew Friedl ◽  
Carl Feickert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Probability Distributions ◽  
Human Locomotion ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Engineering Research ◽  
Design And Optimization ◽  
Wind Energy Generation ◽  
Harvesting Systems ◽  
Practical Engineering ◽  
Wind Simulation ◽  
Operational Envelope

The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (ERDC-CERL) is developing a new class of flexible, generative textile as a novel means of sustainable wind energy generation. Flexible, generative carbon nanotube (CNT)-based textiles may have excellent potential for electrical capacitive storage and reuse in conjunction with small-scale energy-harvesting systems, both from wind for fixed applications and from human locomotion. This paper describes the design and optimization of a three-layer generative textile composed of discrete layers for generation, distribution, and storage. Initial results suggest that improvement in the generation layer will provide the highest increase in overall performance. The output of the electromagnetic tests shows a power density of 0.17 mW/cm3. However, the efficiency can be significantly improved through increasing the voltage output of the generation layer from 20 mV to around 1V. In an analysis of the operational envelope, wind data collected locally at ERDC-CERL and at other sites around the world reveal close similarity in the probability distributions, which could allow for a practical engineering approach capable of harvesting the steady “ram” component in addition to a variable energy component of the wind. To further study the textile-wind interactions, a wind simulation environment is being developed and has been able to obtain reproducible wind speed data thus far.

Measurements of workplace productivity in the office context: A systematic review and current industry insights

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Bortoluzzi ◽  
D. Carey ◽  
J.J. McArthur ◽  
C. Menassa
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Knowledge Worker ◽  
Key Performance Indicators ◽  
Expert Interviews ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Productivity Measurement ◽  
The Past ◽  
Workplace Productivity ◽  
Comprehensive Survey

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to present a comprehensive survey of workplace productivity key performance indicators used in the office context. Academic literature from the past ten years is systematically reviewed and contextualized through a series of expert interviews. Design/methodology/approach – The authors present a systematic review of literature to identify Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and methods of workplace productivity measurement, complemented by insights semi-structured interviews to inform a framework for a benchmarking tool. 513 papers published since 2007 were considered, of which 98 full-length papers were reviewed, and 20 were found to provide significant insight and are summarized herein. Findings – Currently, no consensus exists on a single KPI suitable for measuring workplace productivity in an office environment, though qualitative questionnaires are more widely adopted than quantitative tools. The diversity of KPIs used in published studies indicates that a multidimensional approach would be most appropriate for knowledge-worker productivity measurement. Expert interviews further highlighted a shift from infrequent, detailed evaluation to frequent, simplified reporting across human resource functions and this context is important for future tool development. Originality/value – This paper provides a summary of significant work on workplace productivity measurement and KPI development over the past ten years. This follows up on the comprehensive review by B. Haynes (2007a), providing an updated perspective on research in this field with additional insights from expert interviews.

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