developing world – Shamskm: A site to exchange knowledge and solutions

Berkeley Lab Startup Brings Fuel Cells to the Developing World

By Guest PostMay 18, 2013Environmentalameda, berkeley lab, california, ceo, ceramics, charging station, craig jacobson, developing world, electricity, fuel cells, greenhouse gases, kerosene, led bulb, lutgard dejonghe, magic, mike tucker, money, philosophy, point source power, startup, steve visco, unhealthy pollutants, voto, waste biomass, woman in kibera

Point Source Power’s cheap, rugged fuel cells can provide electricity where none exists.

In some parts of the developing world, people may live in homes without electricity or toilets or running water but yet they own cell phones. To charge those phones, they may have to walk for miles to reach a town charging station—and possibly even have to leave their phones overnight. Now a startup company spun off technology developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has created a simple, inexpensive way to provide electricity to the 2.5 billion people in the world who don’t get it reliably.

Point Source Power’s innovative device is based on a solid oxide fuel cell that is powered by burning charcoal, wood or other types of biomass—even cow dung—the types of fuel that many in the developing world use for cooking. The fuel cell sits in the fire and is attached to circuitry in a handle that is charged as the fuel cell heats up to temperatures of 700 to 800 degrees Celsius. The handle, which contains an LED bulb, can then be detached and used for lighting or to charge a phone. (more…)

Peer support shows promise in epilepsy fight

By Guest PostMarch 28, 2013General, Healthchildren, debilitating stigma, developing world, epilepsy, epilepsy in africa, epilepsy patients, epilepsy related stigma, epileptic seizures, gretchen birbeck, melissa elafros, michigan state university, peer support groups, treatment, village of chikankata, zambia

Peer support groups show promise for combating the debilitating stigma that surrounds epilepsy in much of the developing world, according to a new study led by a Michigan State University medical student.

The researchers report in the journal Epilepsy and Behavior that young people with the disease felt significantly less stigmatized after meeting regularly to discuss their illness. (more…)

Father’s Death Affects Early Adolescents’ Futures in Developing World, Says MU Anthropologist

By Guest PostDecember 31, 2012Economy, Generaladolescence, bangalore, brooke scelza, child, child outcomes, childhood, data, degree of risk, developing world, educational achievement, effect, evaluation, fathers death, harmful, India, loss of father, mary shenk, measurement tool, needy families, negative effect, offspring success, paternal investment, success in life, united states, university of missouri

Knowledge of effects could lead to better assistance for youths

COLUMBIA, Mo. – A father’s death can have long-term effects on a child’s later success in life and can be particularly harmful if the father passes away during a child’s late childhood or early adolescence, according to new research by a University of Missouri anthropologist. Recognizing the impact that a father’s death can have on adolescents could lead to improved counseling and assistance programs, especially for needy families in the developing world.

“Certain negative effects of a father’s death can’t be compensated for by the mother or other relatives,” said Mary Shenk, assistant professor of anthropology in MU’s College of Arts and Science. “The loss of a father can result in lower adult living standards for the bereaved children. Not only is a child emotionally affected, but the lack of a father’s earning power can cause children to get married younger or drop out of school in order to work.” (more…)

India’s Public School Students on Par with Private Students

By Guest PostOctober 11, 2012Educationamita chudgar, benefit, developing countries, developing world, Economics, education level, education researcher, education review, education system, educational administration, educational outcome, elizabeth quin, India, k 12, michigan, private school, privatization, public school, rural, state university, student, student achievement, united states, urban area

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Contrary to past research, private school students in India do not outperform their counterparts in public schools, finds a new study by a Michigan State University education researcher.

The study challenges the claim that private schools are superior – a hot issue in India and other developing countries that are expanding K-12 educational offerings. During the past decade, some 40 million children have entered India’s education system, giving rise to a growth in privately run schools. (more…)

Right to Science?

By Guest PostOctober 6, 2012Scienceaaas, abuja, africa, african university, apa, article 15, benefit, bill ullman, cultural rights, deborah ehrenthal, delaware, developing world, doug buttrey, doug doren, economic, human right, institution, intellectual property, international covenant, jessica wyndham, mark barteau, nelson mandela, nigeria, nmi, rights, Science, scientific advancement, scientific inquiry, sepp, social, steve dentel, sub-saharan, Technology, tom powers, ud campus, united nations, university, workshop, world bank

Workshop helps to define the human right to benefit from science

Conscience. Expression. Property. Fair trial. Peaceful assembly. And science?

Yes, says the University of Delaware’s Tom Powers, the international community has declared that there is an inalienable human right to science.

In 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees in Article 27 “the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.”

The same right was reaffirmed by the U.N. General Assembly in Article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 1966. (more…)

Passive Smoking Kills 600,000 Every Year

By PravdaNovember 26, 2010Healthafrica, betty mcbride, death, developing world, passive smoking, south asia, the lancet, tobacco, World Health Organisation

More than 600,000 people, including 165,000 children, die every year from passive smoking, a report from World Health Organisation experts says today. The estimates from the first analysis of the true global toll are based on the best available data across 192 countries and the known effects of exposure.

The biggest impact on children is in the developing world. “Two-thirds of these deaths occur in Africa and south Asia,” the authors write in the medical journal The Lancet. “Children’s exposure to second-hand smoke most likely happens at home, according to The Guardian. (more…)

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