Traditional agriculture and rural living in Croatia: compatible with the new common agricultural policy?

This research explores the issues of family farming and sustainable practices at two levels. On one level, it compares and contrasts the sustainable farming practices of farming families in Štitar, Croatia with the smallholders as described by the theory of cultural ecology. On another level, it contrasts the European Union's (EU) Common Agricultural Policy's (CAP) vision of sustainability to that posited by cultural ecologists and it seeks to understand the reaction of Štitar farmers to the CAP. My research goal is to explore how the social, economic and environmental health and status of the village, which is influenced by local traditional ethics and agricultural practices, fits with the CAP goals of rural preservation and agricultural sustainability. My research questions explore how Croatian local farmers have adapted to the farming regulations of the past political regimes, in an attempt to provide an understanding of how current local agricultural practices fit the EU's visions of sustainable agricultural systems that are competitive, environmentally sound, and socially just. Hypotheses are framed to illuminate ways in which these rural dwellers and family farming households are adapting to the international policies that are pushing them toward the global market and away from their goals of subsistence and independent social viability

Integrated Energy Planning with a High Share of Variable Renewable Energy Sources for a Caribbean Island

Although it can be complex to integrate variable renewable energy sources such as wind power and photovoltaics into an energy system, the potential benefits are large, as it can help reduce fuel imports, balance the trade, and mitigate the negative impacts in terms of climate change. In order to try to integrate a very large share of variable renewable energy sources into the energy system, an integrated energy planning approach was used, including ice storage in the cooling sector, a smart charging option in the transport sector, and an excess capacity of reverse osmosis technology that was utilised in order to provide flexibility to the energy system. A unit commitment and economic dispatch tool (PLEXOS) was used, and the model was run with both 5 min and 1 h time resolutions. The case study was carried out for a typical Caribbean island nation, based on data derived from measured data from Aruba. The results showed that 78.1% of the final electricity demand in 2020 was met by variable renewable energy sources, having 1.0% of curtailed energy in the energy system. The total economic cost of the modelled energy system was similar to the current energy system, dominated by the fossil fuel imports. The results are relevant for many populated islands and island nations

Translucency of Human Dental Enamel

Translucency of human dental enamel was determined by total transmittance of wavelengths from 400 to 700 nm. The transmission coefficient at 525 nm was 0.481 mm-1. Total transmission of light through human dental enamel increased with increasing wavelength. Human tooth enamel is more translucent at higher wavelengths. The translucency of wet human enamel and enamel after dehydration was also measured by total transmittance. The transmission coefficient at 525 nm decreased from 0.482 to 0.313 mm-1 after dehydration and was reversed on rehydration. The decrease in translucency occurred as a result of the replacement of water around the enamel prisms by air during dehydration.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68115/2/10.1177_00220345810600100401.pd