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In the time of increased awareness about the environment problems by the public opinion and also intensive international efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, as well increase of the generation of electrical energy to facilitate industrial growth, the conference offers broad contribution towards achieving the goals of diversification and sustainable development.
Focus of the student conference is to promote the discussion of views from scientists and students from Wroclaw University of Technology, Technical University of Ostrava and Brandenburg Technical University of Cottbus.
The conference offers prominent academics and industrial practitioners from all over the world the forum for discussion about the future of electrical energy and environmental issues and presents a base for identifying directions for continuation of research.
In the time of increased awareness about the environment problems by the public opinion and also intensive international efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, as well increase of the generation of electrical energy to facilitate industrial growth, the conference offers broad contribution towards achieving the goals of diversification and sustainable development.
Focus of the student conference is to promote the discussion of views from scientists and students from Wroclaw University of Technology, Technical University of Ostrava and Brandenburg Technical University of Cottbus.
The conference offers prominent academics and industrial practitioners from all over the world the forum for discussion about the future of electrical energy and environmental issues and presents a base for identifying directions for continuation of research.
Novel oxide buffer approach for GaN integration on Si(111) platform through Sc₂O₃/Y₂O₃ bi-layer
(2012)
Motivation: Preparation of GaN virtual substrates on large-scale Si wafers is intensively pursued as a cost-effective approach for high power/high frequency electronics (HEMT's etc.) and optoelectronic applications (LED, LASER). However, the growth of high quality GaN layers on Si is hampered by several difficulties mainly related to a large lattice mismatch (-17%) and a huge difference in the thermal expansion coefficient (56%). As a consequence, GaN epitaxial layers grown on Si substrates show a high number of defects (threading dislocations etc.), which severely deteriorate the overall quality of the GaN films. Additionally, due to the different thermal expansion coefficients of the substrate and the film, µm-thick GaN layers crack during post-growth cooling. To solve these integration problems, different semiconducting (e.g. AlN, GaAs, ZnO, HfN) and insulating (e.g. Al₂O₃, MgO, LiGaO₂) buffer layers, separating the Si substrate from the GaN film, are applied. Goal: In this thesis, a novel buffer approach for the integration of GaN on Si is proposed and investigated. The new approach employs Sc₂O₃/ Y₂O₃ bilayer templates as a step-graded buffer to reduce the lattice mismatch between GaN and the Si(111) substrate. According to the bulk crystal lattices, since the Y₂O₃ has an in-plane lattice misfit of -2% to Si, Sc₂O₃ -7% to Y₂O₃, the lattice misfit between GaN and the substrate can be theoretically reduced by about 50% from -17% (GaN/Si) to -8% (GaN/Sc₂O₃). Experimental: The GaN/Sc₂O₃/ Y₂O₃/Si(111) heterostructures are prepared in a multichamber molecular beam epitaxy system on 4 inch Si(111) wafers. In order to obtain complete information on the structural quality of the oxide buffer as well as the GaN layer, synchrotron- and laboratory-based x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and photoluminescence measurements are performed. The topography of the films is characterized by scanning electron microscopy and chemical inter-diffusion is investigated by energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. The nucleation processes of the GaN onSc₂O₃ buff er are followed in-situ by reflection high energy electron diffraction and the interface chemistry is analyzed by means of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Results: It is found, that the Sc₂O₃/ Y₂O₃ buffer approach provides a template of high structural quality for GaN overgrowth. The bi-layer buffer plays a lattice match mediator role between GaN and Si and acts as a barrier against impurity diffusion. GaN grown on Sc₂O₃/ Y₂O₃/Si(111) templates is single crystalline with a wurtzite structure and (0001) oriented. Due to the -8% lattice mismatch between GaN and Sc₂O₃, GaN growth proceeds by the nucleation of 3D islands. The size of the islands, coalescence time and the relaxation process depend on the GaN growth conditions and have a strong influence on the topography of closed layers, crystalline quality (defect density) as well as optical properties. The best GaN material parameters are obtained for the layers grown in Ga-rich regime when the Ga/N ratio is slightly higher than unity. The main three defects found in the µm-thick GaN layers are a) threading dislocation, with density in the order of 10^10 cm-2, b) stacking faults, resulting in cubic inclusions in the hexagonal matrix and c) inversion domain boundaries causing Ga-polar regions in the mainly N-polar film. A theoretical GaN/Sc₂O₃ interface model is discussed to explain these experimental findings. Despite the relatively large number of structural defects, photoluminescence shows sharp and strong donor-bound exciton transition and very low intensity yellow emission, which indicate that GaN layers grown on Sc₂O₃/ Y₂O₃/Si(111) are promising for future optoelectronic applications. Outlook: Future growth strategies will focus on interface engineering approach to further reduce the lattice mismatch between GaN(0001) and Sc₂O₃ (111) surfaces, enable growth of unipolar GaN films and trigger the occurrence of an early 2D-like growth mode to avoid cubic GaN inclusions and guarantee low threading dislocation densities.
Modern law and local tradition in forest heritage conservation in Cameroon : the case of Korup
(2012)
Cameroon’s forests are exceptionally rich in biodiversity but are among the most threatened forests in the Congo Basin. To safeguard the country’s forest heritage, the government resorted to the creation of protected areas such as the Korup National Park (KNP) but ignored the local traditional system of natural resource management and relied merely on modern law for its protection. But the protection of the park only through modern law has not yielded satisfactory results since it still faces numerous problems which exacerbate biodiversity loss. With many problems facing the park, there is growing concern with regards to government strategy to maintain its values and integrity merely through modern law. This dissertation aims at assessing the potentials of modern law and local traditional system of natural resource management as instruments for effective protection of the KNP in particular and other Cameroonian national parks in general. It further aims at exploring ways of adapting national law and policy to suit local reality. To realise the objectives of this study, legal science analytical method, instruments of both quantitative approach (questionnaire) and qualitative approach (semi-structured interviews) were used. An in-depth assessment of the degree of effectiveness of modern law application in Korup reveals that it is to a lesser extent effective and this impedes Cameroon’s adequate compliance with its biodiversity conservation obligations under international environmental agreements. The study finds that the park’s protection unit plays a commendable role in fighting against illegal activities but inadequate financial resources and logistics render the institution weak. Other institutions play a laudable role in enforcing the law but major weaknesses identified include bail abuses, leniency in punishing offenders and corruption. It was discovered that the Korup inhabitants are against resettlement and often reluctantly cooperate in enforcing modern law. The research reveals that cultural beliefs and traditional practices associated with totems, taboos and sacred forests exist in the Korup villages and contributed in protecting Korup forest heritage. It shows that the putting into practice of some aspects of the traditional cultural practices was often without conservation intention but paradoxically, this contributed to forest biodiversity conservation. The study finds that each village has customary laws and local bylaws which are binding on its inhabitants and contribute to rational use of forest resources. The chieftaincy, village council and the Ekpe society are revealed as traditional institutions that govern the Korup people and manage forest resources through the traditional system ignored by the state. The research shows that statutory law recognises only the chieftaincy institution but reduces traditional rulers to mere auxiliaries of the government thereby weakening traditional institutions that ought to contribute in protecting Korup forest heritage. It recommends that in addition to fighting corruption and building the capacity of law enforcement institutions, the government should adequately integrate traditional rulers and institutions into the modern governance structure. It should legally recognise the role of traditional authorities in safeguarding Korup forest heritage through the traditional system. The study concludes that a management and conservation strategy that involves the people of Korup through their traditional institutions and system of natural resource management, will lead to effective protection and sustainability of the KNP and thus, contribute in enhancing Cameroon’s compliance with biodiversity-related international environmental agreements.
The representation of Brazil in American mainstream cinema disseminates stereotypes that have their roots in narratives produced by European explorers during the colonial era. Films and other media from Brazil portray the country’s cultural and ethnic diversity more accurately, but due to media concentration and the global supremacy of the US-based film and television industry, only a few manage to reach international audiences and challenge widespread stereotypes. A critical examination of writings of Portuguese explorers produced in the centuries following the arrival of Pedro Álvares Cabral in Brazil provides the basis for the analysis of contemporary representations of Brazil in American cinema and reveals how early descriptions of Brazil have influenced these representations. In order to identify the main Brazilian stereotypes disseminated by feature films produced in the United States, a number of films released between 1984 and 2011 are analyzed. The results of the analysis allow for the identification of an ethnocentric regime of representation that is often employed by the world’s leading film and television industry to portray Otherness, reinforcing stereotypical ideas about racial difference and the culture and people of developing countries. The analysis is followed by a discussion of cultural imperialism, media concentration and its impact on cultural diversity and media pluralism. The investigation of the concentrated ownership of media, which raises concerns regarding cultural homogenization, the advancement of corporate interests over the public interest and loss of cultural diversity, indicates how media concentration contributes to the perpetuation of cultural, ethnic and national stereotypes that reinforce colonialist and reductionist ideas about developing countries. The results of the film analysis, combined with issues related to the increasing concentration of media ownership, confirm the proposition to revive the debate about a New World Information and Communication Order (NWICO), which emerged within UNESCO in the 1970s as a reaction of Third World nations to colonialism and the economic and cultural influence of Western nations. Finally, it is argued that, despite the failure of NWICO in the past, the concept has not lost relevance and it would be reasonable to bring it back to the international agenda.
Labor market perspectives of the Brazilian sugarcane agro-industry : prospects and challenges
(2012)
Brazil has five centuries of tradition in sugarcane production and is the world's largest producer and exporter of sugar. It is also the world’s largest exporter and the second largest producer of ethanol fuel. Economic, social and environmental aspects have caused structural modifications in the sugarcane production system including the mechanization of the harvesting operation. Mechanization has potential economic, environmental, agronomic and social impacts. From the economic point of view, it leads to cost reductions, and possibly higher productivity. Mechanization could also have a positive impact on the environmental dimension of the sector’s sustainability as it avoids the need for pre-burning practices, a point that is especially relevant for the ethanol supply chain. As mechanization enables the harvesting of raw sugarcane, dry leaves and tops (trash) are left on the field, which could have agronomic advantages. The recovery of a reasonable fraction of the sugarcane trash could potentially increase bioelectricity production. These energy gains could increase the sector’s competitiveness and to some extent avoid emissions from fossil fuels. On the other hand, agricultural mechanization can be considered a controversial agricultural technology as its increased intensity causes a negative balance in rural jobs creation. Mechanization simultaneously causes a demand increase for specialized agricultural workers and reduces the demand for non-specialized workers. Currently, the lack of qualified workforce is a challenge for the sector. In an attempt to bridge this gap, partially coordinated qualification strategies had emerged. Even when a number of additional jobs will be created, presumably the sector will not be able to relocate its current rural staffing. Large portions of these workers are temporary migrants from deprived regions of Brazil who typically have low levels of schooling, including a share of illiterate. Other agricultural products have also shown the tendency to reduce their number of workers, regardless of the increases in their production. This phenomenon, partially caused by increasing mechanization, could also hinder the opportunities of sugarcane harvesters to absorb into other rural activities. In addition, the changes undergone by the sector have been accelerated due to the introduction of environmental laws phasing out the sugarcane burning practice in various federal entities. The complexity of this transition and the remarkable heterogeneity of the sector were approached in this dissertation using the Human Capability Framework. The use of this tool led to the identification of key capacity and labor market influencing features based on stakeholders’ interaction and feedback. The framework was an instrumental part of understanding the multifaceted system of actors and structures, which have a stake in the developments of the sector. The identified capacity influencing features were: workers’ background, workers’ union affiliation, formal and informal skill formation, demographics and productivity. It was noted that key socio-economic indicators vary widely in a regional basis with a sharp substandard trend in the workers from the North and Northeast. The identified labor market influencing features were: national and international markets, legislation, agricultural trends, working conditions, the pace of mechanization, and Agro-environmental Zoning. The labor market is expected to undergo qualitative, quantitative, geographical and temporal changes depending of the interaction of these elements. It was concluded that there is an increasing influence of globalization on the developments of the sector and that these changes will heavily rely on the developments of production, area expansion, productivity, and the technology adopted. It was concluded that if coordinated policies in a number of separate but linked areas and plans for their implementation were developed, then labor supply and demand might be more constructively linked when dealing with economic, energy, and sustainability goals.
Experiments with wireless sensor networks have shown that unidirectional communication links are quite common. What is even more, they have also shown that the range of a unidirectional link can exceed that of a bidirectional one by far. Still, most of todays routing protocols do not use them, they only eliminate their implications. Those protocols that do use unidirectional links introduce a lot of protocol overhead. One possible conclusion that is often drawn from this fact is that it does not pay to use unidirectional links in a routing protocol. An alternative one is that the overhead produced by the protocols needs to be reduced. This thesis follows the second line of reasoning, and introduces, describes and evaluates five new routing protocols for wireless sensor networks with unidirectional links.
The decrease in the maximum number of Purple Herons (Ardea purpurea) observed at Bung Khong Long Non-Hunting Area, northeastern Thailand since 2004 has been attributed to the changes in food supply in the lake. The aim of the present research was to investigate the actual food supply in the different periods of two migratory seasons of the bird (October 2009 – April 2010 and October 2010 – April 2011). Scarce food supply was hypothesized to be one of the most important reasons which provoke these birds to leave the lake to other wetlands during the migratory seasons. Six sampling stations were selected based on the foraging areas of Purple Heron around the lake where the water level did not exceed 1.5 m. The sampling was focused on fish, shrimps, amphibians, and insect larvae, which are the major food sources. Two kinds of equipment were used including fish net bags and fish traps. An investigation of amphibians was carried out during the night using light attack on their eyes. The wet biomass of these food sources was determined and compared with the daily food requirement of Purple Heron in each period of the migratory seasons. The local fishery was also taken into account as a habitat disturbance, and was subsequently analyzed using questionnaires. The actual food supply of Purple Herons at the foraging areas during the second migratory season decreased from the early to late period. This was in accordance with the reduction in the number of Purple Herons throughout the migratory season. It is shown that the biomass of medium size fish is the highest in every period. It is suggested that the major food source is from this group. Therefore, the reduction in fish biomass has influenced the total food supply of Purple Herons. Even though the bird forages on a wide range of prey types, other food sources showed a low biomass which could not support the maximum number of Purple Heron throughout the migratory season. Moreover, overfishing in the lake was reported and expected to be a major factor influencing the changes in the food supply of Purple Herons in this lake. Ultimately, the number of Purple Herons decreased from six in the early migratory period to two in the late migratory period.
Groundwater is an important resource in Sub-Saharan Africa to supply water for domestic, industrial, mining and irrigation for agricultural purposes. In Ghana, groundwater supply program is mostly pragmatic to give people drinking water, however to ensure sustainability a long term groundwater management system is essential. One such approach is the use source protection (well protection) with the declaration and installation of protection zones. To achieve the goal of this research three hypothetical questions were asked which relates to the Availability and Vulnerability of groundwater, and the use of an analytical model to estimate source protection zones (SPZ). The regions of Adansi, Lawra, Sunyani and Sekyere West were chosen as study areas to test the hypothesis of this research with detailed investigation concentrating on Adansi area. The overall aim from the study areas was to estimate SPZ for Granite, Phyllite, Schist, Sandstone and weathered materials and give recommendations as to which activity should be permitted or otherwise within each of these zones. The available groundwater for a particular well or location was determined based on its hydraulic conductivity and specific capacity of a well. Regionalization of the available groundwater was achieved by comparing the results of the hydraulic conductivity and specific capacity with the regional structural map. To determine the vulnerability of the available groundwater, the radius of influence (ROI) for the different boreholes was determined using Sichard and Dupuits formula whilst for Source protection zones, Darcy and the volumetric equation was used. Results of hydraulic conductivity estimated from pumping test data for the five major rock types showed a trimodal distribution (E-5, E-6 and E-7 m/s). There was a general trend of decreasing hydraulic conductivity to decreasing transmissivity. Results of plots of specific capacity verses hydraulic conductivity shows that only rock types with hydraulic conductivity greater than E-5 m/s yields sustainable groundwater supply. Three aquifer types were encountered in the study areas which were pore aquifers in shallow or alluvial, regolith and fracture aquifers in bedrocks. High hydraulic conductivity from the different rock types corresponds to higher ROI. The results of hydraulic conductivity, specific capacity, ROI and SPZ are used as input parameters for the estimation of the suitability of a groundwater source. A ranking matrix was developed for easy interpretation of hydrogeological data by combining the results of the input parameters into a single score. Results from the ranking matrix were used to determine specific regulations for the various aquifers in the study areas. Within the fractured crystalline rocks with k ≥E-5m/s siting of wells should target fracture zones whilst pumping during abstraction phase can exceed 15m3/s/m. The intermediate source protection zone should be at least 150m. Conclusions from the study could be applied in other areas of Ghana and be implemented during the initial development, abstraction and groundwater policy phases of other groundwater projects.
The aim of this work was to study in detail the physical-chemical aspects of water and wastewater treatment using different so-called “advanced oxidation systems”. Our target was to construct an annular multiphase falling film reactor with a fixed photocatalyst (TiO2) and to compare its performance with that of a planar reactor in different chemical oxidation regimes. The annular design of the falling film reactor was prepared for heterogeneous photocatalytic oxidation systems by combining three different phases (solid fixed photocatalyst, falling liquid wastewater and an ozone/oxygen gaseous mixture). UVA light sources were employed for irradiation of the photocatalyst surface. In the first step, the design, construction and characterisation of the reactor was performed. The next step was the assessment of the performance of the falling film reactor in the decomposition of selected organic chemicals as model compounds. Six different oxidation methods were evaluated for the degradation of model compounds. Photo-oxidation (UVA/O2), photo-ozonation (UVA/O3), ozonation (O3), catalytic ozonation (TiO2/O3), photocatalytic oxidation (TiO2/UVA/O2) and photocatalytic ozonation (TiO2/UVA/O3) processes were investigated in this study. It was shown that due to the synergetic effects between ozone molecules and the irradiated surface of TiO2, photocatalytic ozonation was the most effective oxidation process for the decomposition of model compounds. Oxalic acid, dichloroacetic acid, citric acid, terephthalic acid, p-chlorobenzoic acid, methyl tert-butyl ether, ethyl tert-butyl ether, tert-amyl ethyl ether and tert-butanol were chosen as model compounds. Two different immobilisation techniques were employed and evaluated for fixing TiO2 nanoparticles onto the reactor walls. The immobilisation of photocatalysts was performed on borosilicate glass and polymethylmethacrylate. It was observed that the photoactivity of fixed TiO2 particles on borosilicate glass was higher than that on polymethylmethacrylate. The stability of immobilised photocatalysts on both substrates was good. The influences of different experimental parameters, such as the initial concentration of model compounds, ozone concentration, solution pH, temperature and solution recycling rate on the degradation rate and efficiency of the oxidation systems were studied and discussed. In terms of the characterisation of the falling film reactor, different aspects were studied. The thickness and distribution pattern of falling films, the gas washing effects of falling films, the absorption of ozone in the falling films, the adsorption of organic pollutants on the photocatalyst surface, the effect of UVA irradiation on ozone decomposition, etc. were studied in detail. The concentration of model compounds was determined by ion chromatography (IC), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and headspace techniques. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) was applied to quantify the quality of wastewaters and total organic carbon (TOC) measurements were employed for the determination of model compound mineralisation. At the end of this study, treatment of real wastewater was performed by means of the falling film reactor as a case study. The real wastewater was produced in a pyrolysis process. More than 30 organic and inorganic compounds were included in the composition of this wastewater. The application of ozone-based advanced oxidation processes showed good results in terms of colour and odour removal of pyrolysis wastewater as well as in terms of decreasing its COD.