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Finizola e Silva M, Cools J, Cools J, Van Passel S (2024) A systematic review identifying the drivers and barriers to the adoption of climate-smart agriculture by smallholder farmers in Africa. 1356335–14
Abstract: Climate change impact, food security concerns, and greenhouse gas emissions are pressuring agricultural production systems in developing countries. There is a need for a shift toward sustainable food systems. One of the concepts introduced to drive this shift is climate-smart agriculture (CSA), endorsed by international organizations to address multifaceted challenges. Despite widespread attention and support, the adoption of CSA among African farmers remains low. This systematic literature review aims to shed light on the factors influencing CSA adoption amongst African farmers. Within the articles identified as relevant, over 50 CSA practices and more than 40 factors influencing CSA adoption were distinguished. These influencing factors can be categorized as personal, farm- related, financial, environmental, and informational. The focus of this review is to identify and explain the overall impact (positive, negative, or mixed) of these factors on CSA adoption. Overall, many factors result in mixed effects, only some factors have an unambiguous positive or negative effect on CSA adoption. For instance, educational level emerges as a key personal factor, positively impacting CSA adoption, along with positive influences from farmers’ experience and farm size among farm-related factors. Financial factors reveal distinct patterns, with income from farming and access to credit positively influencing adoption, while off-farm income exhibits a negative effect. Environmental factors, though less researched, indicate positive impacts related to changes in rainfall patterns, temperature, and droughts. Lastly, informational factors consistently exhibit a positive effect on CSA adoption, with training, access to extension, group memberships, climate information, and CSA awareness playing crucial roles. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers seeking to enhance CSA adoption in Africa, offering a nuanced understanding of the multifaceted dynamics at play.
Keywords: Administrative Services; A3 Journal article; Economics; Engineering sciences. Technology; Engineering Management (ENM)
DOI: 10.3389/FREVC.2024.1356335
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Ramirez-Rojas I (2024) Underground connections : the interplay between tropical rainforest trees and soil microbial communities. 205 p
Abstract: Tropical rainforests host an exceptional biodiversity and play a fundamental role in the regulation of global climatic cycles. Soil fungi and bacteria are key players in the transformation and processing of nutrients in terrestrial ecosystems while having an essential role as tree mutualists or antagonists. Still, there are gaps in our understanding of the main variables driving soil microbes on these forests and it is unclear how future climate change scenarios may impact soil microbes and further affect the ecosystem. In this thesis, we first explored the drivers of the microbial community composition in two pristine forests in French Guiana by using amplicon DNA sequencing. The neighboring tree species were found to be a crucial factor influencing the fungal and bacterial community composition at our sites regardless of the season. Additionally, within the environmental factors explored, soil moisture, phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) availability were consistently the main soil properties controlling the composition of soil microbial communities. Secondly, as increased nutrient deposition due to anthropogenic activities are expected to affect tropical forests ecosystems N and P availability, a factorial N and P nutrient addition experiment in the same sites was used to assess the effects of changes in the soil nutrient stoichiometry on the soil microbial communities. These results showed that after 3 years of nutrient additions, the bacterial and fungal community composition was affected by both the N and P additions. Besides, the fungal community composition had a stronger response to the nutrient addition, especially when P was added. Moreover, when the nutrient addition effect was assessed in bacteria and fungi with different life strategies, we found different nutrient optima between them. Furthermore, to study the effect of the connection to an existing mycorrhizal mycelium on tree seedlings, I established a mycelium exclusion experiment. Interestingly, we could not detect an effect of the mycorrhizal mycelium exclusion on the seedling N uptake, performance, or fungal community composition in roots after one year. All together this work provides a deeper understanding of the factors influencing the soil microbial communities on these lowland tropical forests, demonstrating that the tree community composition exerts a higher influence on the soil microbial community composition than previously expected. Moreover, our results show that the fungal and bacterial community composition and its relationship with trees in the vicinity is highly dependent on the ecosystem nutrient availability.
Keywords: Doctoral thesis; Plant and Ecosystems (PLECO) – Ecology in a time of change
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Li L (2023) Untangling microbial community assembly in rainforest and grassland soils under increasing precipitation persistence. 179 p
Abstract: Climate change is causing alterations in precipitation patterns, leading to adverse ecological consequences in many ecosystems. Recently, an increasingly persistent weather pattern has emerged, characterized by lengthening the duration of alternating dry and wet periods, which is more complex than exclusively drought or increasing precipitation. It is currently unclear how soil microbial communities respond to these new regimes in relation to their interactions with plants, especially in precipitation-sensitive ecosystems, such as tropical rainforests and grasslands. In this thesis, we explored responses of soil bacterial and fungal communities to increasing weather persistence in rainforests and grasslands, using high throughput sequencing technology. We firstly investigated the resistance and resilience of microbial communities to prolonged drought in a mature seasonal tropical rainforest which experiences unusually intensive dry seasons in the current century. Through excluding rainfall during and after the dry season, a simulated prolongation of the dry season by five months was compared to the control. Our results indicate that as rain exclusion progressed, the microbial communities increasingly diverged from the control, indicating a moderate resistance to prolonged drought. However, when the drought ceased, the composition and co-occurrence patterns of soil microbial communities immediately recovered to that in the control, implying a high resilience. To further investigate the ecological roles of soil microbial communities in response to increasing weather persistence, we set up grassland mesocosm experiments. In these experiments, precipitation frequency was adjusted along a series, ranging from 1 to 60 consecutive days alternating of dry and wet periods, while keeping the total precipitation constant. Our results show that microbial community assembly tended to be more stochastic processes at intermediate persistence of dry and wet alternations while more deterministic processes dominated at low and high persistence within 120 days regime exposure. Moreover, more persistent precipitation reduced the fungal diversity and network connectivity but barely impacted that of bacterial communities. The prior experiences of persistent weather events for one year caused legacy effects. The soil microbial legacy induced by soil microbial communities subjected to prior persistent weather events was more enduring in subsequent fungal communities than bacterial communities, likely due to slower growth of fungi compared to bacteria. However, a minor effect of soil microbial legacy was observed on plant performance. In addition, we kept the grassland mesocosm experiment for two growing seasons. The effects of precipitation persistence on soil microbial communities increased in the second year. The dissimilarities of microbial communities between the first and second year were less with more persistent precipitation, potentially resulting in more vulnerable microbial communities, due to some taxa disappearing and a reduction in functional redundancy under more persistent weather. To conclude, our findings provide a comprehensive theoretical understanding of soil microbial communities in response to the current and future climate change, drawing from both natural and experimental systems. It helps in predicting and managing the impacts of future climate change on ecosystems mediated by microbial communities. Additionally, the findings of microbe-mediated legacy effects on grassland ecosystems can provide practical guidance for their application in agriculture, specifically for using an inoculum to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Keywords: Doctoral thesis; Integrated Molecular Plant Physiology Research (IMPRES); Plant and Ecosystems (PLECO) – Ecology in a time of change
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Montiel FN (2024) Voltage against illicit drug trafficking : capabilities of electrochemical fingerprinting to detect illicit drugs. 256 p
Keywords: Doctoral thesis; Pharmacology. Therapy; Engineering sciences. Technology; Antwerp Electrochemical and Analytical Sciences Lab (A-Sense Lab)
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“Why, how, when, and for whom does digital disconnection work? A process-based framework of digital disconnection”. Vanden Abeele MMP, Vandebosch H, Koster EHW, De Leyn T, Van Gaeveren K, de Segovia Vicente D, Van Bruyssel S, van Timmeren T, De Marez L, Poels K, DeSmet A, De Wever B, Verbruggen M, Baillien E, Communication theory 34, 3 (2024). http://doi.org/10.1093/CT/QTAD016
Abstract: Digital disconnection has emerged as a concept describing the actions people take to limit their digital connectivity to enhance their well-being. To date, evidence on its effectiveness is mixed, leading to calls for greater consideration of why, how, when, and for whom digital disconnection works. This article responds to these calls, presenting a framework that differentiates four key harms that contribute to experiences of digital ill-being (time displacement, interference, role blurring, and exposure effects). Using these four harms as a starting point, the framework explains: (1) why people are motivated to digitally disconnect; (2) how specific disconnection strategies (i.e., placing limits on time, access, channels, and contents, interactions and features) may help them; and for whom (3) and under which conditions (when) these strategies can be effective.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Mass communications; Media, ICT and interpersonal relations in Organisations and Society (MIOS)
DOI: 10.1093/CT/QTAD016
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“Cation and anion disorder in HbBa2Can-1CunO2n+2+\delta”. Marezio M, Alexandre ET, Bordet P, Capponi J-J, Chaillout C, Kopnin EM, Loureiro SM, Radaelli PG, Van Tendeloo G, Journal of superconductivity 8 (1995)
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Times cited: 4
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“Cation ordering in Tl- and Hg-based superconducting materials”. Van Tendeloo G, De Meulenaere P, Hervieu M, Letouze F, Martin C, (1996)
Keywords: P3 Proceeding; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
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“Correlations géothermométriques des éléments-traces des hydrothermes de terrains granitiques (Bulgarie Méridionale)”. Pentcheva EN, Van 't dack L, Veldeman E, Gijbels R, Doklady na Balgarskata Akademija na Naukite 44, 85 (1992)
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
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“Fullerenen: een nieuwe vorm van koolstof”. Van Tendeloo G, Echo 3: essays voor chemie-onderwijs , 79 (1995)
Keywords: A3 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
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“Review of phonon behaviour and microstructural development leading to martensitic transformations in NixAl100-x alloys”. Tanner LE, Shapiro SM, Schryvers D, Noda Y, Shape memory materials and phenomena: fundamental aspects and applications 246, 265 (1992)
Keywords: A3 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Times cited: 4
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“SAED and HREM results suggest a NiTi B19' based superstructure for CuZr martensite”. Schryvers D, Journal de physique: colloques, suppléments 5, 1047 (1995). http://doi.org/10.1051/jp4/1995581047
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Times cited: 2
DOI: 10.1051/jp4/1995581047
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“Sample erosion studies in a glow discharge ionization cell”. van Straaten M, Vertes A, Gijbels R, Spectrochimica acta 46b, 283 (1991)
Keywords: A3 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
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“The selective imaging of “substructures&rdquo, in the mixed layer compounds Ca0.85CuO2 and (Ca,Sr)14Cu24O41”. Amelinckx S, Milat O, Van Tendeloo G, , 240 (1992)
Keywords: P3 Proceeding; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
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“Self-consistent g* factor and spin-split Landau levels in strong magnetic fields and at low temperatures”. Xu W, Vasilopoulos P, Das MP, Peeters FM, , 743 (1995)
Keywords: P3 Proceeding; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
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“Shallow-donor states in strongly-coupled super-lattices”. Shi JM, Peeters FM, Devreese JT, Bulletin of the American Physical Society 39, 488 (1994)
Keywords: A3 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT); Theory of quantum systems and complex systems
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“Application of neural networks in image analysis: the classification of geometrical shapes”. Geuens I, Nys B, Gijbels R, Jacob W, CC-AI: the journal for the integrated study of artificial intelligence, cognitive science and applied epistemology 10, 61 (1993)
Keywords: A3 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
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“Binding of remote and spatial separated D- centers in double barrier resonant tunneling semiconductor devices”. Marmorkos IK, Schweigert VA, Peeters FM, Lok JGS, , 2769 (1996)
Keywords: P3 Proceeding; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
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“Charged-impurity correlations in Si ?-doped GaAs”. Shi JM, Koenraad PM, van de Stadt AFW, Peeters FM, Devreese JT, Wolter JH, , 2351 (1996)
Keywords: P3 Proceeding; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT); Theory of quantum systems and complex systems
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“Comparative bulk, surface and depth profile analyses on AIN and SiC-coated B4C powders”. Jenett H, Grallath E, Riedel R, Strecker K, Gijbels R, Kennis P, Fres J. Anal. Chem. 341, 265 (1991)
Keywords: A3 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Times cited: 2
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“The “oblique&rdquo, zone imaging of the superlattice in complex crystal structure”. Milat O, Krekels T, Van Tendeloo G, Amelinckx S, Icem 13, 859 (1994)
Keywords: A3 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
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Vertes A, Gijbels R, Adams F (1993) Laser ionization mass analysis. Wiley, New York
Keywords: ME1 Book as editor or co-editor; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
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“Restricted energy transfer in laser desorption of high molecular weight biomolecules”. Vertes A, Gijbels R, Scanning microscopy 5, 317 (1991)
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Times cited: 11
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“Sur les processus, controlant le caractère hydrochimique des eaux thermales profondes (Bulgarie Méridionale)”. Pentcheva E, Veldeman E, Van 't dack L, Gijbels R, Comptes rendus de l'Académie bulgare des sciences 44, 51 (1991)
Keywords: A3 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
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“Trace element and micro-mineral composition of some selected anhydrite samples from the Saint Ghislain drill hole (Hainaut, Belgium)”. Vandelannoote R, Van 't dack L, Gijbels R, Bulletin van de Belgische Vereniging voor Geologie 95, 101 (1986)
Keywords: A3 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
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“Copper oxycarbonates and mercury-based cuprates: promising high Tc superconductors”. Raveau B, Michel C, Hervieu M, Van Tendeloo G, Martin C, Maignan A, Journal of superconductivity 7, 9 (1994). http://doi.org/10.1007/BF00730359
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Times cited: 6
DOI: 10.1007/BF00730359
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“HREM study of Rb6C60 and helical shaped carbon nanotubules”. Bernaerts D, Zhang X, Zhang X, Van Tendeloo G, Vanlanduyt J, Amelinckx S, Sciences , 305 (1994)
Keywords: P1 Proceeding; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
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“HREM study of short-range order in Cu-Pd alloys”. Rodewald M, Rodewald K, De Meulenaere P, Van Tendeloo G, (1996)
Keywords: P3 Proceeding; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
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“HREM study of Rb6C60 and helical carbon nanotubules”. Bernaerts D, Zhang XB, Zhang XF, Van Tendeloo G, van Landuyt J, Amelinckx S, Icem 13, 305 (1994)
Keywords: A3 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
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“Modelling of a direct current glow discharge: combined models for the electrons, argon ions and metastables”. Bogaerts A, Gijbels R, , 292 (1995)
Keywords: P3 Proceeding; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
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“On the relationship between morphology, composition and structure of Al-Cu-Fe crystals and quasicrystals”. Balzuweit K, Meekes H, Van Tendeloo G, de Boer JL, Philosophical magazine: B: physics of condensed matter: electronic, optical and magnetic properties 67, 513 (1993). http://doi.org/10.1080/13642819308207689
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Times cited: 10
DOI: 10.1080/13642819308207689
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