Search

ConspectusThe interactions of hydrated ions with molecular and macromolecular solution and interface partners are strong on a chemical energy scale. Here, we recount the foremost ab initio theory for the evaluation of the hydration free energies of ions, namely, quasi-chemical theory (QCT). We focus on anions, particularly halides but also the hydroxide anion, because they have been outstanding challenges for all theories. For example, this work supports understanding the high selectivity for F

Electroluminescence (EL) images enable defect detection in solar photovoltaic (PV) modules that are otherwise invisible to the naked eye, much the same way an x-ray enables a doctor to detect cracks and fractures in bones. The prevalence of multiple defects, e.g. micro cracks, inactive regions, gridline defects, and material defects, in PV module can be quantified with an EL image. Modern, deep learning techniques for computer vision can be applied to extract the useful information contained in the images on entire batches of PV modules. Defect detection and quantification in EL images can improve the efficiency and the reliability of PV modules both at the factory by identifying potential process issues and at the PV plant by identifying and reducing the number of faulty modules installed. In this work, we train and test a semantic segmentation model based on the u-net architecture for EL image analysis of PV modules made from mono-crystalline and multi-crystalline silicon wafer-based solar cells. This work is focused on developing and testing a deep learning method for computer vision that is independent of the equipment used to generate the EL images, independent of the wafer-based module design, and independent of the image quality.

Photovoltaic modules are normally tested under standard test conditions defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission, but these conditions are different from typical field condition. The standard test conditions for PV modules is specified as 1000 W/m2 irradiance and 25°C cell temperature and reference spectral American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) G173. The light source may be natural or simulated, but it must match the reference standard as described in IEC 60904–3. The effect of spectral variations on the 1-V measurements can may have a big impact on the accuracy of the performance measurements. This effect was quantified during in this the study at the Indoor and Outdoor PV testing facility in Council for Scientific and Industrial research, Energy Initiative Pretoria campus. Results show different spectral mismatch values were obtained when two different spectral reference cells were used on the indoor measurements of modules under test. The obtained spectral mismatch values were affected by the absence of true spectral data of modules under test. The irradiance corrected Isc outdoor measurement values were higher than measured uncorrected Isc measurements due to the first order impact from the measured irradiance in the plane of array. The spectral mismatch between the reference device and the PV module results in an additional error for thin film modules.

Extended thermal cycling was carried out on commercial crystalline silicon solar cell modules with four different temperature profiles. The standard profile followed IEC 61215-2:2016 MQT 11, cycling between the standard temperature range from -45 and 85°C, with the standard ramp rate of 100°C/hr. A high-peak profile cycled between -45 and 100°C, with the standard ramp rate. A fast-ramp profile cycled the standard temperature range, with a faster ~180°C/hr ramp rate. Finally, a high-peak-and-fast-ramp profile cycled the extended temperature range (-45 to 100°C) with the faster ramp rate (~180°C/hr). STC power measurements were obtained after every 100 cycles. Our results show that the peak temperature has a statistically significant effect on the power loss, and that the effect can be explained with the Coffin-Manson-style relationship proposed in IEC 62892.

Among the most pressing threats to the global coffee trade are a widening gap between supply and demand, an exodus of young farmers, and the impact of climate change. If these and other factors, including economic volatility, are simply ignored, the industry faces a challenging future. This chapter uses the price , cost , and value of coffee as distinct but connected lenses to engender a deeper understanding of the economic challenges facing the sector. Taking this holistic view helps to emphasize how an obsession with price (at all levels of the value chain) is inhibiting improvement by relegating coffee to the status of a mere commodity. Although there is no panacea for the many challenges, we offer solutions built on data and models of economic theory. We aim to provoke both thought and action, advocating multilevel assistance to level the playing field for farmers trapped by systems that are failing, whereas trusting in the power of strong value propositions to foster innovation at the producer level. This chapter argues that solutions that truly work are likely to come from a shared belief in the creation of shared value . This chapter includes analyses from Fairtrade senior managers, global sustainability experts, and the son of a Colombian coffee farmer. To survive, the coffee industry must draw on its greatest asset—the creativity, entrepreneurship, and drive that exist from the bottom to the top of its unique and remarkable value chain.

This study provides an overview of cruise tourism economics in Costa Rica. We focus on cruise passenger demographics, preferences and purchase behaviour, and crew purchase behaviour juxtaposed against information from the broader Costa Rican tourism sector. Costa Rica's cruise tourists are motivated by similar features as are other tourists and tend to visit at the same time as the broader tourism industry peaks. They are older and less wealthy, and spend less time and money than the average tourist, raising some concerns as to whether cruise tourism in Costa Rica should be encouraged.

In order to alleviate the impacts of the low coffee prices in recent years, sustainable coffee production and certification have been a logical strategy for many producers to: a) differentiate their product in the market place; and, b) shift their production cost structure away from more input intensive techniques. This paper explores the two most widely recognized certification schemes (organic and “fairtrade”) to determine whether certification to these systems is actually benefiting producers. It then explores the principal differences in production costs and price premiums for the two systems and their effect on different categories of producers. Finally, it considers the dynamics of the conventional and sustainable coffee markets to assess the likely medium to long-term economic outlook for producers involved in the certification schemes. The research is based on a combination of published sources and detailed primary source data (interviews and surveys) gathered by the CIMS Foundation.

Over the last several decades, Belize has built an international reputation for small-scale, nature and cultural tourism, widely known as 'ecotourism'. Ecotourism holds the promise of providing a nature-based solution to a country's economic development challenges by facilitating local capture of the valuable ecosystem services it nurtures. Since 2000, the cruise industry has also put down roots in Belize, and today cruise tourism is widely viewed as a permanent part of the country's tourism landscape. Beginning in 2002, cruise passenger numbers surpassed stayover visitors and, in 2010, more than 3.2 cruise passengers arrived for every stayover visitor (TEEB, 2010). From 2000 to 2005 in fact, Belize was the fastest growing cruise market in the Caribbean. Today, there are indications that cruise visitor numbers may have peaked and tapered off somewhat, but the sector remains vitally important to ongoing development efforts. The Belize government, like others in Central America and the Caribbean, is faced with choices about how best to use resources in the service of the country's tourism development. This study is intended to provide data and analysis to inform local decision-making and to illustrate an approach to facilitating better management of ecosystem services through their improved measurement. Globally, both 'experiential' forms of tourism (including ecotourism) and cruise tourism are growing rapidly (UNWTO, 2001). In Belize, perhaps more than anywhere else in either region, cruise tourism is competing with and in some instances colliding with ecotourism.

Summary The field of industrial environmental management has evolved rapidly in recent years. Environmental management has shifted its traditional focus from the development of technology to treat and dispose of industrial wastes and effluents to the redesign of industrial processes in order to minimize the initial production of waste. Countries currently in the process of industrializing have a unique opportunity to develop their emerging industries in concert with the modern trend of environmental management. This article examines an environmental management programme created by the Environmental Law Institute in Washington which emphasizes designing environmental management systems which can help companies eliminate waste at source rather than rely on capital-intensive technology to treat waste at the end of the manufacturing process. The programme has been specifically tailored to industry in Mexico. Consequently, the article examines not only those factors influencing environmental management in industrializing countries generally, but also considers the unique factors which could influence the way in which environmental management systems are created and implemented in Mexico.

This paper illustrates an economic approach to understanding the cruise tourism industry as a driver of economic development in Costa Rica. The objective is to describe the role and activities of the cruise ship industry and identify sources of economic benefit and cost such that more informed local policy decisions about the cruise ship tourism might be made. For example, our analysis indicates: the cruise tourism industry competes with the cargo shipping industry for port space at a significant cost to Costa Rican ports; the amount of money injected into the local economy per cruise tourist is substantially lower than for other types of tourism; Cruise ships purchase relatively few supplies in Costa Rica; Cruise ships generate a great deal of human waste, water and air pollution, which can create a serious health hazard, cleanup costs, and which are not commensurate with other types of tourism development available to Costa Rica; Decision makers may want to consider that investment in cruise tourism friendly ports may be less efficient from a national perspective than investment in infrastructure (e.g., airports) to increase more profitable types of tourism; And leaders may want to consider the encouragement of smaller “pocket” cruises over the current cruise version of mass tourism. This approach should be applicable to communities wherever cruise tourism currently exists or is under consideration to be included in the portfolio of community economic activities. Este documento ilustra un enfoque económico a la comprensión de la industria de turismo de cruceros como impulsora del desarrollo económico en Costa Rica. El objetivo es describir el papel y las actividades de la industria de cruceros e identificar fuentes de costo y beneficio económico, a fin de que se puedan tomar decisiones locales de política con más información sobre el turismo de cruceros. Por ejemplo, nuestro análisis indica que la industria de turismo de cruceros compite con la industria de despacho de carga por espacio portuario a un significativo costo para los puertos de Costa Rica: la cantidad de dinero inyectada a la economía local por turista de crucero es sustancialmente más baja que para otros tipos de turismo. Los cruceros de turismo compran relativamente pocos suministros en Costa Rica y generan una gran cantidad de desechos producidos por las personas así como contaminación de agua y aire, lo que puede crear un serio peligro para la salud y costos de limpieza que no son proporcionales con otros tipos de desarrollo turístico de los que dispone el país. Quizás los encargados de tomar decisiones quieran considerar que la inversión en puertos amistosos con el turismo de crucero podría ser menos eficiente desde una perspectiva nacional que la inversión en infraestructura (por ejemplo, aeropuertos) para aumentar tipos más rentables de turismo. Asimismo, quizás los líderes quieran pensar en estimular cruceros más pequeños “de bolsillo” más bien que la actual versión de turismo masivo. Este método debería ser aplicable a comunidades donde el turismo de crucero existe actualmente o se está considerando para incluirlo en la cartera de actividades económicas comunitarias.

The countries in Mesoamerica have achieved major advances in the field of environmental management over the last ten years. Both Mexico and the Central American nations have put a whole series of legal, institutional, and operating changes in place with regard to environmental management, both in the regulatory and non-regulatory arenas.Abstract: Este documento fue comisionado para el Diálogo Regional de Medio Ambiente Sub-región Mesoamérica. Los países de Mesoamérica han logrado importantes avances en materia de gestión ambiental en los últimos diez años. Tanto México como las naciones centroamericanas, han puesto en práctica toda una serie de cambios en materia jurídica, institucional y operativa en cuanto a la gestión ambiental, tanto de índole regulatorios como no regulatorios. Considerando lo dicho, este perfil ejecutivo busca identificar estos grandes retos, rescatando los logros de la década pasada y señalando los derroteros futuros que enfrenta la región mesoamericana en materia de gestión ambiental. Ante la complejidad de los desafíos que enfrenta la región mesoamericana en materia ambiental, INCAE-CLACDS ha agrupado estos temas en una propuesta en torno a tres ejes conceptuales que permiten abordar la problemática ambiental y los logros a nivel nacional y regional. Estos tres ejes conceptuales incluyen: temas relacionados con la gestión de los recursos naturales, temas relacionados con el impacto ambiental en el desarrollo urbano e industrial, y ambiente y competitividad.

The countries in Mesoamerica have achieved major advances in the field of environmental management over the last ten years. Both Mexico and the Central American nations have put a whole series of legal, institutional, and operating changes in place with regard to environmental management, both in the regulatory and non-regulatory arenas.

This executive profile summarized here identifies the great environmental challenges of the Mesoamerican region, highlights the achievements of the last decade, and points out the future course that will guide the region's environmental management advancements. There are three main issues addressed here: natural resources management, environmental impact of urban and industrial development and the relationship between the environment and competitiveness. This document was presented at the Environment Network of the Regional Policy Dialogue's 1st Hemispheric Meeting: Towards an Effective Environmental Management held on April 4th and 5th, 2002.Abstract: El perfil ejecutivo que aquí se presenta identifica los grandes retos ambientales de la región de Mesoamérica, destaca los logros de la década pasada y señala los derroteros futuros que guíen los avances de la región mesoamericana en materia de gestión ambiental. Se han agrupado estos temas en torno a tres ejes conceptuales: la gestión de los recursos naturales, el impacto ambiental en el desarrollo urbano e industrial y la relación entre ambiente y competitividad. Este perfil ejecutivo fue comisionado por la Red de Medio Ambiente del Diálogo Regional de Política para la 1a Reunión: Hacia una Gestión Ambiental Eficaz, celebrada los días 4 y 5 de abril, 2002.

This executive profile summarized here identifies the great environmental challenges of the Mesoamerican region, highlights the achievements of the last decade, and points out the future course that will guide the region's environmental management advancements. There are three main issues addressed here: natural resources management, environmental impact of urban and industrial development and the relationship between the environment and competitiveness. This document was presented at the Environment Network of the Regional Policy Dialogue's 1st Hemispheric Meeting: Towards an Effective Environmental Management held on April 4th and 5th, 2002.

Many of the world’s poor at the base of the pyramid (BOP), estimated at 4 billion in a world population of 7 billion, live in the informal economy. These people find it difficult to increase their ...

not Available.

L ATE in 1945, with the wars in Europe and the Pacific safely over, the United States Congress began an investigation into the Pearl Harbour disaster of December 1941. In the course of subsequent hearings 1 Admiral Royal E. Ingersoll, USN, revealed that in his former capacity as Chief of the Plans Division of the Navy Department he had travelled to London in late December 1937 for secret exploratory talks on the Far East with the British Admiralty. His instructions, he said, had come directly from President Franklin Roosevelt and were, first, to discuss what America and Britain could do if they became involved in a war against Japan, and, second, to take up the question of the London Treaty of 1936. Ingersoll deprecated the significance of his mission: the agreed Record of Conversations had been superseded by the staff talks of 1940-41, and, beyond an exchange of codes, little was achieved. The British had had to be 'a little bit careful' because of their problems in Europe and consequently had been unable to 'state definitely what forces they could allocate to the Pacific'. No commitments had been entered into and the bulk of the information exchanged was about communication, liaison and so on. All of this was offered rather in the spirit of an academic aside to the main business of the hearings, the Pearl Harbour inquisition. Perhaps because they accepted Ingersoll's opinion that the conversations had not shaped later decisions, the investigating senators and congressmen made no attempt to probe into his mission or the circumstances which had given rise to it. This was understandable, but for those whose interest lies in the deeper origins of the Second World War it was also regrettable. For the Ingersoll mission was not only a key episode in the unexplored background to the unofficial Anglo-American alliance of 1940-41, but it is also of central importance to any study of western reactions to the Far Eastern crisis of 1937-41. The talks were neither as technical nor 'low-level' an Ingersoll implied; on the contrary, they explored the foundations of the two powers' navel strategies, and

From one of the lesser known Pulitzer's star reporters comes this account of “the merriest divertissement in the history of Park Row.” It concerns an attempt of Pulitzer to “revolutionize American journalism” and the possible role of Lily Langtry in ending it.

En los últimos años, el tema de la responsabilidad social de la empresa (RSE) ha adquirido gran relevancia en el mundo entero y en particular en los países de América Latina y del Caribe. Esta publicación pretende enriquecer el debate sobre la RSE en América Latina y el Caribe y sirve para que las empresas tengan una mejor apreciación del potencial impacto que las actividades responsables tienen sobre los beneficios y no sólo sobre los costos.