Appropriate technologies for the future

1980 ◽  
Vol 209 (1174) ◽  
pp. 183-186 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Cost Of Energy ◽  
Prophylactic Measures ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Third World

Crystal ball gazing is a hazardous occupation: the sharper the picture, the greater the possibility of error. In the future, appropriate technologies that will raise standards of health and diminish the prevalence of disease in the Third World must take cognizance of such factors as burgeoning population growth, impossibly high cost of energy sources, a widening gap between food requirements and food production, increasing urbanization, and inherent difficulties of control of disease vectors and water-borne diseases. The technologies that must be made available will be both large-scale and small-scale, low-cost and simple, improving life for the individual and the community, mediated by appropriately trained and adequately supervised polycompetent auxiliaries. The present reappraisal of health needs in the context of food (seeds, soils, irrigation, protection against loss of the harvested products) and of prevention of disease by appropriate prophylactic measures and its treatment, will necessitate hard thinking and greater cooperation between all concerned.

scholarly journals Using Participatory Spatial Tools to Unravel Community Perceptions of Land-Use Dynamics in a Mine-Expanding Landscape in Ghana

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane J. Aggrey ◽  
Mirjam A. F. Ros-Tonen ◽  
Kwabena O. Asubonteng
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Eastern Region ◽  
Food Crop ◽  
Mosaic Landscape ◽  
Rural Landscapes ◽  
The Future

AbstractArtisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in sub-Saharan Africa creates considerable dynamics in rural landscapes. Many studies addressed the adverse effects of mining, but few studies use participatory spatial tools to assess the effects on land use. Hence, this paper takes an actor perspective to analyze how communities in a mixed farming-mining area in Ghana’s Eastern Region perceive the spatial dynamics of ASM and its effects on land for farming and food production from past (1986) to present (2018) and toward the future (2035). Participatory maps show how participants visualize the transformation of food-crop areas into small- and large-scale mining, tree crops, and settlement in all the communities between 1986 and 2018 and foresee these trends to continue in the future (2035). Participants also observe how a mosaic landscape shifts toward a segregated landscape, with simultaneous fragmentation of their farming land due to ASM. Further segregation is expected in the future, with attribution to the expansion of settlements being an unexpected outcome. Although participants expect adverse effects on the future availability of food-crop land, no firm conclusions can be drawn about the anticipated effect on food availability. The paper argues that, if responsibly applied and used to reveal community perspectives and concerns about landscape dynamics, participatory mapping can help raise awareness of the need for collective action and contribute to more inclusive landscape governance. These findings contribute to debates on the operationalization of integrated and inclusive landscape approaches and governance, particularly in areas with pervasive impacts of ASM.

1-D Model Analysis of Tesla Turbine for Small Scale Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) System

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Song ◽  
Chun-wei Gu
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Expansion Ratio ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
D Model

Energy shortage and environmental deterioration are two crucial issues that the developing world has to face. In order to solve these problems, conversion of low grade energy is attracting broad attention. Among all of the existing technologies, Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) has been proven to be one of the most effective methods for the utilization of low grade heat sources. Turbine is a key component in ORC system and it plays an important role in system performance. Traditional turbine expanders, the axial flow turbine and the radial inflow turbine are typically selected in large scale ORC systems. However, in small and micro scale systems, traditional turbine expanders are not suitable due to large flow loss and high rotation speed. In this case, Tesla turbine allows a low-cost and reliable design for the organic expander that could be an attractive option for small scale ORC systems. A 1-D model of Tesla turbine is presented in this paper, which mainly focuses on the flow characteristics and the momentum transfer. This study improves the 1-D model, taking the nozzle limit expansion ratio into consideration, which is related to the installation angle of the nozzle and the specific heat ratio of the working fluid. The improved model is used to analyze Tesla turbine performance and predict turbine efficiency. Thermodynamic analysis is conducted for a small scale ORC system. The simulation results reveal that the ORC system can generate a considerable net power output. Therefore, Tesla turbine can be regarded as a potential choice to be applied in small scale ORC systems.

scholarly journals Large-Scale Additive Manufacturing for Low Cost Small-Scale Wind Turbine Manufacturing

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Post ◽  
Phillip Chesser ◽  
Alex Roschli ◽  
Lonnie Love ◽  
Katherine Gaul
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Small Scale

scholarly journals Variational data assimilation with superparameterization

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 513-536 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Grooms ◽  
Y. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Data Assimilation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Variational Data Assimilation ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
New Applications ◽  
Lorenz 96

Abstract. Superparameterization (SP) is a multiscale computational approach wherein a large scale atmosphere or ocean model is coupled to an array of simulations of small scale dynamics on periodic domains embedded into the computational grid of the large scale model. SP has been successfully developed in global atmosphere and climate models, and is a promising approach for new applications. The authors develop a 3D-Var variational data assimilation framework for use with SP; the relatively low cost and simplicity of 3D-Var in comparison with ensemble approaches makes it a natural fit for relatively expensive multiscale SP models. To demonstrate the assimilation framework in a simple model, the authors develop a new system of ordinary differential equations similar to the two-scale Lorenz-'96 model. The system has one set of variables denoted {Yi}, with large and small scale parts, and the SP approximation to the system is straightforward. With the new assimilation framework the SP model approximates the large scale dynamics of the true system accurately.

scholarly journals Low-cost Large Scale Vermicompost Unit

2021 ◽  
Vol 2115 (1) ◽  
pp. 012026
Author(s):  
Sonam Solanki ◽  
Gunendra Mahore
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Scale Production ◽  
Key Innovation ◽  
Main Challenge ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Large Scale Production ◽  
Term Maintenance

Abstract In the current process of producing vermicompost on a large-scale, the main challenge is to keep the worms alive. This is achieved by maintaining temperature and moisture in their living medium. It is a difficult task to maintain these parameters throughout the process. Currently, this is achieved by building infrastructure but this method requires a large initial investment and long-run maintenance. Also, these methods are limited to small-scale production. For large-scale production, a unit is developed which utilises natural airflow with water and automation. The main aim of this unit is to provide favourable conditions to worms in large-scale production with very low investment and minimum maintenance in long term. The key innovation of this research is that the technology used in the unit should be practical and easy to adopt by small farmers. For long-term maintenance of the technology lesser number of parts are used.

scholarly journals Low-Cost IoT Remote Sensor Mesh for Large-Scale Orchard Monitorization

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 44
Author(s):  
Leonor Varandas ◽  
João Faria ◽  
Pedro Gaspar ◽  
Martim Aguiar
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Experimental Tests ◽  
Remote Measurement ◽  
Land Protection ◽  
Remote Monitoring System ◽  
Solar Powered ◽  
The Individual ◽  
System Nodes

Population growth and climate change lead agricultural cultures to face environmental degradation and rising of resistant diseases and pests. These conditions result in reduced product quality and increasing risk of harmful toxicity to human health. Thus, the prediction of the occurrence of diseases and pests and the consequent avoidance of the erroneous use of phytosanitary products will contribute to improving food quality and safety and environmental land protection. This study presents the design and construction of a low-cost IoT sensor mesh that enables the remote measurement of parameters of large-scale orchards. The developed remote monitoring system transmits all monitored data to a central node via LoRaWAN technology. To make the system nodes fully autonomous, the individual nodes were designed to be solar-powered and to require low energy consumption. To improve the user experience, a web interface and a mobile application were developed, which allow the monitored information to be viewed in real-time. Several experimental tests were performed in an olive orchard under different environmental conditions. The results indicate an adequate precision and reliability of the system and show that the system is fully adequate to be placed in remote orchards located at a considerable distance from networks, being able to provide real-time parameters monitoring of both tree and the surrounding environment.

scholarly journals Gloxinia—An Open-Source Sensing Platform to Monitor the Dynamic Responses of Plants

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (11) ◽  
pp. 3055
Author(s):  
Olivier Pieters ◽  
Tom De Swaef ◽  
Peter Lootens ◽  
Michiel Stock ◽  
Isabel Roldán-Ruiz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Dynamic Responses ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Data Logging ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Sensing Platforms

The study of the dynamic responses of plants to short-term environmental changes is becoming increasingly important in basic plant science, phenotyping, breeding, crop management, and modelling. These short-term variations are crucial in plant adaptation to new environments and, consequently, in plant fitness and productivity. Scalable, versatile, accurate, and low-cost data-logging solutions are necessary to advance these fields and complement existing sensing platforms such as high-throughput phenotyping. However, current data logging and sensing platforms do not meet the requirements to monitor these responses. Therefore, a new modular data logging platform was designed, named Gloxinia. Different sensor boards are interconnected depending upon the needs, with the potential to scale to hundreds of sensors in a distributed sensor system. To demonstrate the architecture, two sensor boards were designed—one for single-ended measurements and one for lock-in amplifier based measurements, named Sylvatica and Planalta, respectively. To evaluate the performance of the system in small setups, a small-scale trial was conducted in a growth chamber. Expected plant dynamics were successfully captured, indicating proper operation of the system. Though a large scale trial was not performed, we expect the system to scale very well to larger setups. Additionally, the platform is open-source, enabling other users to easily build upon our work and perform application-specific optimisations.

scholarly journals Fast high-energy X-ray imaging for Severe Accidents experiments on the future PLINIUS-2 platform

2018 ◽  
Vol 170 ◽  
pp. 08003
Author(s):  
L. Berge ◽  
N. Estre ◽  
D. Tisseur ◽  
E. Payan ◽  
D. Eck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Spot Size ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Noise Sources ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Imaging ◽  
The Future ◽  
Set Up

The future PLINIUS-2 platform of CEA Cadarache will be dedicated to the study of corium interactions in severe nuclear accidents, and will host innovative large-scale experiments. The Nuclear Measurement Laboratory of CEA Cadarache is in charge of real-time high-energy X-ray imaging set-ups, for the study of the corium-water and corium-sodium interaction, and of the corium stratification process. Imaging such large and high-density objects requires a 15 MeV linear electron accelerator coupled to a tungsten target creating a high-energy Bremsstrahlung X-ray flux, with corresponding dose rate about 100 Gy/min at 1 m. The signal is detected by phosphor screens coupled to high-framerate scientific CMOS cameras. The imaging set-up is established using an experimentally-validated home-made simulation software (MODHERATO). The code computes quantitative radiographic signals from the description of the source, object geometry and composition, detector, and geometrical configuration (magnification factor, etc.). It accounts for several noise sources (photonic and electronic noises, swank and readout noise), and for image blur due to the source spot-size and to the detector unsharpness. In a view to PLINIUS-2, the simulation has been improved to account for the scattered flux, which is expected to be significant. The paper presents the scattered flux calculation using the MCNP transport code, and its integration into the MODHERATO simulation. Then the validation of the improved simulation is presented, through confrontation to real measurement images taken on a small-scale equivalent set-up on the PLINIUS platform. Excellent agreement is achieved. This improved simulation is therefore being used to design the PLINIUS-2 imaging set-ups (source, detectors, cameras, etc.).

scholarly journals A highly flexible laboratory setup to demonstrate granular flow characteristics

2020 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 1581-1596
Author(s):  
Thomas Heinze
Keyword(s):  
Granular Flow ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Experimental Investigations ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Local Pressure ◽  
Slope Length ◽  
Runout Distance ◽  
Laboratory Setup

Abstract Dynamics of snow avalanches or landslides can be described by rapid granular flow. Experimental investigations of granular flow at laboratory scale are often required to analyze flow behaviour and to develop adequate mathematical and numerical models. Most investigations use image-based analysis, and additional sensors such as pressure gauges are not always possible. Testing various scenarios and parameter variations such as different obstacle shapes and positions as well as basal topography and friction usually requires either the construction of a new laboratory setups for each test or a cumbersome reconstruction. In this work, a highly flexible and modular laboratory setup is presented based on LEGO bricks. The flexibility of the model is demonstrated, and possible extensions for future laboratory tests are outlined. The setup is able to reproduce published laboratory experiments addressing current scientific research topics, such as overflow of a rigid reflector, flow on a bumpy surface and against a rigid wall using standard image-based analysis. This makes the setup applicable for quick scenario testing, e.g. for hypothesis testing or for low-cost testing prior to large-scale experiments, and it can contribute to the validation of external results and to benchmarks of numerical models. Small-scale laboratory setups are also very useful for demonstration purposes such as education and public outreach, both crucial in the context of natural hazards. The presented setup enables variation of parameters such as of slope length, channel width, height and shape, inclination, bed friction, obstacle position and shape, as well as density, composition, amount and grain size of flowing mass. Observable quantities are flow type, flow height, flow path and flow velocity, as well as runout distance, size and shape of the deposited material. Additional sensors allow further quantitative assessments, such as local pressure values.

Access to art collections using Encoded Archival Description and beyond: the future of large-scale consortium projects

2001 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 33-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Rinehart
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Archival Description ◽  
Arts Organizations ◽  
Art Collections ◽  
Individual Institution ◽  
The Future ◽  
Online Archive ◽  
Cultural Content ◽  
The Individual

In a Herculean effort to distribute information about art collections on a previously unknown scale, museums, arts organizations, libraries, and archives have been hard at work developing standards and implementing testbed projects, large-scale union databases which integrate and disseminate information. Two such projects are ‘Conceptual and Intermedia Online’ (CIAO) and ‘Museums and the Online Archive of California’ (MOAC), both using the Encoded Archival Description to describe and provide access to art and other cultural collections. But what is the future of such collaborations and the content portals they spawn? Will they be able to scale up to include hundreds or thousands of institutions, using current models? What are the limitations for such consortia? What are the limitations for participating institutions? Several options appear on the horizon, and one simple need suggests looking to decentralization, and back to the individual institution, for the solution to sharing art and cultural content on a truly vast scale.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document