scholarly journals Case Study of a Pond Monitoring System and Supplemental Mechanical Aeration at a Small-Scale Aquaculture Farm

Author(s):  
Barrett Vaughan ◽  
Ramble Ankumah
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kingsley M Kamtambe ◽  
Jeremiah Kang'ombe ◽  
Emmanuel Kw Kaunda

Abstract The case study was undertaken to assess performance and sustainability of Hangere Agriculture-Aquaculture Integrated Farm. Data was collected during a seven-day visit at the farm (carried out on 7-14 June 2009), using a semi-structured questionnaire with open ended questions and a study of farm records and cash flows. Direct observations of farm operations were also reported. Hangere integrated agriculture-aquaculture farm is located in Mzuzu City, Mzimba District, Malawi and belongs to 37-year-old Mrs Liness Chavula. The farm has a total land holding of approximately 13 ha. Of this area, only 2.2 ha are used for aquaculture with three drainable ponds with a total area of 1804 m2. Of the remaining area, 4 ha are used for maize cultivation, 1.5 ha for growing sweet potatoes, and 1 ha is used for vegetables, including cassava and Rhodes grass Chloris gayana. The farm holds Tilapia rendalli and Oreochromis karongae in polyculture and Clarias gariepinus in monoculture. The fish are fed formulated diets and the ponds are fertilized with livestock manure. The fish are harvested three times yearly and are sold to wholesalers and retail with prices of K450/kg (US $3.21) and K500/kg (US $3.5), respectively. Pigs, goats and a dairy cow are also kept on the farm. In 2008 the farm made a profit of K289,000 (US $2,064), from the sale of field crops, livestock and fish. Of the K289,000 of profit, K100,000 (US $714) came from fish sales while K70,000 (US $500) came from maize sales, K28,000 (US $200) from pig sales and K50,000 (US $357) from sweet potatoes. The farm faces several challenges including labour shortages, absence of a hatchery facility for fingerling production and lack of available extension services. The farm experiences low water levels during the hot-dry season and pest infestation in the pond vicinity, both of which lower production. Hangere farm operates at a semi-intensive level, being integrated with other on-farm agriculture activities, and is a typical example of a small scale fish farm in Malawi. The farm has also begun cultivating new crops, mainly coffee and wheat, both of which are highly priced cash crops in Malawi. C. gariepinus (catfish) has also been introduced in ponds at the farm with the potential to reach 1 kg in body weight in 6 months.


2021 ◽  
pp. 136700692110231
Author(s):  
Francesca Romana Moro

Aims and Objectives/Purpose/Research Questions: The Alorese in eastern Indonesia are an Austronesian community who have inhabited two Papuan-speaking islands for approximately 600 years. Their language presents a paradox: contact with the neighbouring Papuan languages has led to both complexification and simplification. This article argues that these opposite outcomes of contact result from two distinct scenarios, and formulates a hypothesis about a shift in multilingual patterns in Alorese history. Design/Methodology/Approach: To formulate a hypothesis about the discontinuity of multilingual patterns, this article first sketches the past and present multilingual patterns of the Alorese by modelling language contact outcomes in terms of bilingual optimisation strategies. This is followed by a comparison of the two scenarios to pinpoint similarities and differences. Data and Analysis: Previous research shows that two types of contact phenomena are attested in Alorese: (a) complexification arising from grammatical borrowings from Papuan languages, and (b) morphological simplification. The first change is associated with prolonged child bilingualism and is the result of Papuan-oriented bilingual strategies, while the latter change is associated with adult second language (L2) learning and is the result of universal communicative strategies. Findings/Conclusions Complexification and simplification are the results of two different layers of contact. Alorese was first used in small-scale bilingual communities, with widespread symmetric multilingualism. Later, multilingualism became more asymmetric, and the language started to undergo a simplification process due to the considerable number of L2 speakers. Originality: This article is innovative in providing a clear case study showing discontinuity of multilingual patterns, supported by linguistic and non-linguistic evidence. Significance/Implications: This article provides a plausible explanation for the apparent paradox found in Alorese, by showing that different outcomes of contact in the same language are due to different patterns of acquisition and socialisation. This discontinuity should be taken into account by models of language contact.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 1862
Author(s):  
Alexandros-Georgios Chronis ◽  
Foivos Palaiogiannis ◽  
Iasonas Kouveliotis-Lysikatos ◽  
Panos Kotsampopoulos ◽  
Nikos Hatziargyriou

In this paper, we investigate the economic benefits of an energy community investing in small-scale photovoltaics (PVs) when local energy trading is operated amongst the community members. The motivation stems from the open research question on whether a community-operated local energy market can enhance the investment feasibility of behind-the-meter small-scale PVs installed by energy community members. Firstly, a review of the models, mechanisms and concepts required for framing the relevant concepts is conducted, while a clarification of nuances at important terms is attempted. Next, a tool for the investigation of the economic benefits of operating a local energy market in the context of an energy community is developed. We design the local energy market using state-of-the-art formulations, modified according to the requirements of the case study. The model is applied to an energy community that is currently under formation in a Greek municipality. From the various simulations that were conducted, a series of generalizable conclusions are extracted.


2021 ◽  
pp. 003452372198937
Author(s):  
Caroline Elbra-Ramsay

This paper reports the findings of a small-scale study seeking to investigate how student teachers, within a three-year undergraduate programme, understand feedback. Feedback has been central to debates and discussion in the assessment literature in recent years. Hence, in this paper, feedback is positioned within the often-contradictory discourses of assessment, including perspectives on student and teacher feedback. The study focused on two first year undergraduate student teachers at a small university in England and considered the relationships between their understanding of feedback as a student, their understanding of feedback as an emerging teacher, and the key influences shaping these understandings. A phenomenological case study methodology was employed with interviews as the prime method of data collection. Themes emerged as part of an Nvivo analysis, including emotional responses, relationships and dialogue, all of which appear to have impacted on the students’ conceptual understanding of feedback as indelibly shaped by its interpersonal and affective, rather than purely cognitive or ideational, dimensions. The paper therefore seeks to contribute to the wider feedback discourse by offering an analysis of empirical data. Although situated within English teacher education, there are tentative conclusions that are applicable to international teacher education and as well as higher education more generally.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 2293
Author(s):  
Marina Amadori ◽  
Virginia Zamparelli ◽  
Giacomo De Carolis ◽  
Gianfranco Fornaro ◽  
Marco Toffolon ◽  
...  

The SAR Doppler frequencies are directly related to the motion of the scatterers in the illuminated area and have already been used in marine applications to monitor moving water surfaces. Here we investigate the possibility of retrieving surface water velocity from SAR Doppler analysis in medium-size lakes. ENVISAT images of the test site (Lake Garda) are processed and the Doppler Centroid Anomaly technique is adopted. The resulting surface velocity maps are compared with the outputs of a hydrodynamic model specifically validated for the case study. Thermal images from MODIS Terra are used in support of the modeling results. The surface velocity retrieved from SAR is found to overestimate the numerical results and the existence of a bias is investigated. In marine applications, such bias is traditionally removed through Geophysical Model Functions (GMFs) by ascribing it to a fully developed wind waves spectrum. We found that such an assumption is not supported in our case study, due to the small-scale variations of topography and wind. The role of wind intensity and duration on the results from SAR is evaluated, and the inclusion of lake bathymetry and the SAR backscatter gradient is recommended for the future development of GMFs suitable for lake environments.


2019 ◽  
Vol 88 ◽  
pp. 104109
Author(s):  
Micah G. Scudder ◽  
Jack Baynes ◽  
Grahame Applegate ◽  
John Herbohn

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