Adoption Of Alternative Technologies Research Articles

Using X-ray Technology to Sterilize Medical Devices

Half of single-use medical devices are sterilized using irradiation. Probably more than 80% of the industrial irradiation capacity is dedicated to sterilization of disposable or single-use medical devices. There are three main industrial irradiation technologies: gamma (based on 60Cobalt radioactive sources) which counts for about 80% of radiation capacity installed worldwide; electron beam which counts for about 20% of the total radiation capacity installed; and X-ray which has started to gain a foothold in the irradiation market. The adoption of alternative technologies is of highest importance to many medical device manufacturers due to the fact that the 60Cobalt sources in the world are ending and thus the price for the gamma sterilization services is increasing. Alternate sterilization method is X-Ray which is comparable to gamma. High-energy X-rays are similar to gamma rays. Radiation sterilization by X-rays is another option for sterilization of medical devices and other products.

Adoption and ex-post impact of alternative teff production technologies: micro-level evidence from Ethiopia

ABSTRACT Using plot-level data from Ethiopia, this study aims to examine the determinants and impact of alternative teff production technologies on the productivity and profitability of smallholder teff producers. The study employed a multinomial endogenous switching regression (MESR) model that accounts for selection bias due to observable and unobservable factors. The authors’ results show that technology adoption has a positive association with education, farm size, extension visits, community meetings and asset ownership. On the contrary, distance to input and output markets have a negative and significant effect on the adoption of alternative teff production technologies. The MESR model results reveal that, while full technology adoption is the most productive and profitable option, adopting any of the alternative technologies also substantially improves the productivity and profitability of smallholder teff producers. The results also suggest that row-planting technology has a positive impact on the productivity and profitability of smallholder teff producers only when it is adopted with improved seed technology.

Neonicotinoids in global agriculture: evidence for a new pesticide treadmill?

Bakker, L., W. Van der Werf, P. Tittonell, K. A. G. Wyckhuys, and F. J. J. A. Bianchi. 2020. Neonicotinoids in global agriculture: evidence for a new pesticide treadmill? Ecology and Society 25(3):26. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-11814-250326

A review of wind energy literature: alternative technologies for Central America

Wind energy has proven to be one of the most viable sources of renewable energy. In this sense, although wind power generation systems have evolved considerably in size, capacity and design, it has not been possible to build an ideal system, due to the behaviour of the wind, which varies temporarily, being something uncontrollable that depends of its direction and affects the efficiency of a wind system. Specifically, this paper focuses on making a first literature review that identifies the best technologies that can be implemented in Central America (CA). Although the types of wind turbines most used in CA are three-blade horizontal axis, since they take advantage of the variability of the winds, this review shows there are other technologies in developed countries for obtaining kinetic energy, by means of vertical Rotors that can be implemented. The results obtained have practical implications in the adoption of alternative technologies for developing countries in CA.

The history and current status of glyphosate.

Glyphosate is the only herbicide to target the enzyme 5-enolpyruvyl-3-shikimate phosphate synthase (EPSPS). It is a high use rate, non-selective herbicide that translocates primarily to metabolic sinks, killing meristematic tissues away from the application site. Its phloem-mobile properties and slow action in killing weeds allow the herbicide to move throughout the plant to kill all meristems, making it effective for perennial weed control. Since commercialization in 1974, its use has grown to dominate the herbicide market. Much of its use is on transgenic, glyphosate-resistant crops (GRCs), which have been the dominant transgenic crops worldwide. GRCs with glyphosate provided the most effective and inexpensive weed management technology in history for a decade or more. However, as a consequence of the rapid increase in glyphosate-resistant (GR) weeds, the effectiveness of glyphosate use in GRCs is declining. Critics have claimed that glyphosate-treated GRCs have altered mineral nutrition and increased susceptibility to plant pathogens because of glyphosate's ability to chelate divalent metal cations, but the complete resistance of GRCs to glyphosate indicates that chelating metal cations do not contribute to the herbicidal activity or significantly affect mineral nutrition. The rates of increases in yields of maize, soybean, and cotton in the USA have been unchanged after high adoption rates of GRCs. Glyphosate is toxic to some plant pathogens, and thereby can act as a fungicide in GRCs. Ultra-low doses of glyphosate stimulate plant growth in glyphosate-susceptible plants by unknown mechanisms. Despite rapid and widespread increases in GR weeds, glyphosate use has not decreased. However, as GR weeds increase, adoption of alternative technologies will eventually lead to decreased use. Published 2017. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

USDA Programs to Support Development and Use of Biobased Industrial Products

Abstract Nonfood, nonfeed uses of agricultural and forestry materials offer the best opportunities to realize the full economic potential which agriculture and forestry can play, beyond the traditional food, feed, and fiber markets. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a portfolio of programs that support research, development, and commercialization of biobased lubricants as well as other industrial products that can replace petroleum-based products, such as plastics, paints, coatings, and adhesives. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) administers competitive grant programs to support basic and applied research through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, and pre-commercialization research is supported through the Small Business Innovation Research program www.nifa.usda.gov. NIFA collaborates with the Department of Energy through joint solicitations for the Biomass Research and Development Initiative, which supports developmental research and demonstration projects. USDA is the lead Federal agency for implementing the BioPreferredSM purchasing program. Many products, including lubricants, have been officially designated as biobased and must be given first preference for purchase by Federal agencies, thus creating a tremendous market pull for new products through the purchasing power of the Federal government. This program will allow agencies to meet their environmental goals with products that can also meet performance requirements and are cost competitive. (www.biopreferred.gov). Through partnerships with industry, Academia and other Federal agencies, these programs are making a significant contribution to the development and adoption of alternative technologies to increase energy independence and to open new opportunities for agriculture.

Exploring Links Between Innovation and Diffusion: Adoption of NOX Control Technologies at US Coal-fired Power Plants

While many studies have looked at innovation and adoption of technologies separately, the two processes are linked. Advances (and expected advances) in a single technology should affect both its adoption rate and the adoption of alternative technologies. This paper combines plant-level data on US coal-fired electric power plants with patent data pertaining to NOX pollution control techniques to study this link. As in other studies of environmental technologies, the effect of other explanatory variables is dominated by the effect of environmental regulations, demonstrating that the mere presence of environmental technologies is not enough to encourage its usage. Nonetheless, I do find that technological advances are important for the adoption of existing combustion modification technologies. However, these advances are less important for the adoption of newer post-combustion control techniques, which are adopted only when needed to comply with the strictest emission limits.

Farmers' welfare, food production and the environment: a model-based assessment of the effects of new technologies in the northern Philippines

Policy objectives of attaining food self-sufficiency and improving the well-being of subsistence farmers while protecting the environment have stimulated the development of many improved agricultural production technologies. With a choice of technologies, farm household decisions are governed not only by productivity and profitability considerations but also by factors such as available resources and their quality, family consumption preferences and attitudes towards risks, and prevailing policies. It is therefore necessary to analyse the adoption of such technologies from a whole-farm perspective. In this paper, a farm household model is used to assess possible technology adoption behaviour of farmers in Ilocos Norte Province, Philippines. Four alternative technologies were evaluated: hybrid rice production (HYR), balanced fertilization strategy (BFS), site-specific nutrient management (SSNM) and integrated pest management (IPM). Possible impacts of price policies and infrastructure improvements on technology adoption were assessed. The results show that all four alternative technologies considered are attractive to farmers, although simulations show differential adoption rates for poor, average and better-off households. IPM and HYR appear the most attractive amongst all technologies considered. In all technology simulations, relative profitability and risks, labour and capital requirements and availabilities are decisive factors in the adoption of alternative technologies. Adoption of alternative technologies would result in higher discretionary income, higher rice production and lower biocide use and nitrogen loss. Amongst policy simulations considered, availability of low-cost credit shows the largest improvements in farmer welfare for poor and average households, but its effect on simulated adoption of alternative technologies was variable. We argue that the methodology and results presented can contribute to ex ante assessments of policies targeted at stimulating technology adoption by farmers.

Prospects for phosphorus recovery from poultry litter

Land disposal of poultry litter is an environmental concern often associated to excess phosphorus (P) in soils and potential water pollution in regions with intense poultry production. Although poultry litter can be moved off the farm and traded as fertilizer, its transportation becomes less economical with increasing distances from the farm. Thus, new litter management alternatives are needed to reduce the environmental impact of P litter application to land. This paper summarizes established and emerging alternative technologies in the U.S. that facilitate handling, concentration, and transporting of litter P. Furthermore, it examines the potential integration of technologies into poultry litter management systems that could reduce poultry litter volume and increase P content in litter byproducts. The adoption of alternative technologies may encourage new opportunities to produce bio-energy, fertilizer, and other valuable P byproducts from poultry litter while reducing environmental impact and promoting sustainable poultry production.

The foundations of planetary agrarianism. Thomas Berry and Liberty Hyde Bailey

The challenge of pursuing sustainability in agriculture is often viewed as mainly or wholly technical in nature, requiring the reform of farming methods and the development and adoption of alternative technologies. Likewise, the purpose of sustainability is frequently cast in utilitarian terms, as a means of protecting a valuable resource (i.e., soil) and of satisfying market demands for healthy, tasty food. Paul B. Thompson has argued that the embrace of these views by many in the consumer/environmental movement enables easy co-optation by agribusiness. It also reflects a critical weakness in this movement: a lack of commitment to philosophical principles that depart from the utilitarian premises of the industrial model of agriculture. This paper draws on the writings of Thomas Berry and Liberty Hyde Bailey to identify the philosophical principles of what we call planetary agrarianism. From the perspective of planetary agrarianism, the pursuit of sustainability is a broad and challenging moral, educational, and political task. Berry helps us see that it is fundamentally a project of worldview transition, which requires a new cultural narrative that must rival, in form and appeal, the mythic power of the utilitarian industrial vision. Liberty Hyde Bailey, author of The Holy Earth (1915) and a leader in the land-grant education and nature-study movements, took up the project of worldview transition in his life work. While in some ways dated and flawed, Bailey’s writings are a valuable source of guidance for developing and pursuing a viable philosophy of agriculture for the 21st century.

Removal of contaminants from industrial wastewater through various non-conventional technologies: a review

It is difficult to separate industrial growth from environmental pollution but it can be minimised through cost-effective approaches of pollution abatement. To reach the full objectives of zero pollution, adoption of alternative technologies which suit the situation of low capital availability, minimum man-power and limited energy consumption are necessary. Adsorption through agricultural products such as rice husk, sugarcane bagasse, soybean hulls, saw dust, coconut shell, groundnut shell, apple-waste, fly-ash etc., has been demonstrated to be a useful alternative to the conventional treatment systems for the removal of toxic metals such as dyes/colour, chromium (Cr), mercury (Hg), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), etc., from aqueous solution. It could be considered as an eco-friendly device to the existing relatively more expensive treatment technologies. Various biological species such as algae, fungi and bacteria were found to be in extensive use for the removal of contaminants. In this review, an extensive list of sorbents literature has been compiled to provide a summary of available information on a wide range of potentially low-cost non-conventional sorbents and their effectiveness.

Rivalrous Telecommunications Networks With and Without Mandatory Sharing

The 1996 Telecoms Act featured policy successes and failures. Among the former are federal rules pre-empting state monopolies and the mandate for network interconnection. Among the latter is the mandatory sharing regime for fixed line telephone networks, over-turned by federal courts after eight years. Such regulation required delicate balancing in order to encourage competitive entry while simultaneously protecting investment incentives for new or existing service providers. Fortuitously, the emergence of competing voice and data networks has proceeded - not due to such rules, but despite them. Evidence indicates that wholesale price controls did not provide a stepping stone to facilities-based competition, while the elimination of such rules has. Marketplace experience suggests that competitive networks most likely develop not from opening existing delivery platforms to multiple operators, but from policies nurturing the development of rival infrastructure in adjacent markets or the adoption of alternative technologies. Foremost among these are policies to encourage investment in broadband and wireless communications networks.