Forty years of Landscape Research

Papers of four decades published in Landscape Research are reviewed in order to chronicle the journal’s development and to assess the academic performance of the journal relative to its own aims. Landscape Research intends to reach a wide audience, to have a broad thematic coverage and to publish different types of papers with various methodological orientations. Cutting across these first aims are the interdisciplinary ambition of the journal, and its overall focus on landscape. These aims are evaluated based upon categorisation of article content, authorship and methodology, using data derived through interpretative inquiry and quantitative analyses. The results tell the story of how Landscape Research has developed from a newsletter of the Landscape Research Group, mainly aimed at practitioners, into an interdisciplinary, international journal with academic researchers as its primary community of interest. The final section discusses the current profile of the journal and identifies issues for its future direction and development.     

A polymer photodiode using vapour-phase polymerized PEDOT as an anode

We report the photovoltaic properties of devices made using a highly conducting polymer electrode, from vapour-phase polymerized poly (3,4-ethylenedioxy) thiophene (VPP PEDOT) on glass substrate as an anode and a polyfluorene copolymer poly[2,7-(9,9-dioctyl-fluorene)-alt-5,5-(4′,7′-di-2thienyl-2′,1′3′-benzothiadiazole)] (APFO-3) mixed with [6,6]-phenyl-C₆₁-butyric acid methylester (PCBM) in the ratio of 1:4 as the active layer. The device performance was compared with that of devices made with PEDOT-PSS on glass substrates. The surfaces of VPP PEDOT were imaged using atomic force microscopy (AFM).     

Rural people pay for solar: experiences from the Zambia PV-ESCO project

In the eastern province of Zambia, three companies for solar energy services have been operating for more than two years, with 400 clients paying for the use of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations. Clients do not become owners of the systems. Instead, the company continues to charge a fee for keeping the systems in operation. In this way, the useful lifetime of the solar systems is increased, and clients have local access to skilled service and spare parts. The fees for solar services cover the full operational costs of the companies, including battery replacement and makes them independent of further support from government or donors. Results to date show that clients are happy with their systems, which are of a standard solar home (SHS) size of 50 Wp, with four lights and a socket for radio or other light DC appliance. This is in spite of paying a higher price than what was previously spent on candles and kerosene for lighting. The most important benefit cited among the clients is that children now have the possibility to do their homework in the evening. The second most highly valued feature is entertainment, such as radio and video. Solar systems contribute to increased income earning opportunities especially in the service sector. The poorest rural people cannot afford to pay for a solar system in their house, but benefit from systems in the shops.     

Terahertz quantum cascade lasers

Recent developments in terahertz quantum cascade lasers are reviewed. Structures operating from a wavelength of lambda = 66 microm down to lambda = 87 microm are demonstrated. These devices used either a three-quantum-well chirped-superlattice active region or an active region based on a bound-to-continuum transition. The comparison between structures grown in a waveguide based on a single interface plasmon and a buried contact and (non-lasing) structures using a double plasmon waveguide demonstrates the importance of waveguide design on the operation of such devices. Continuous-wave operation up to a maximum temperature of 55 K with up to 15 mW output power at 10 K was demonstrated.     

Traffic encounters and Hocman: Associating motorcycle ethnography with design

Brief encounters between acquainted and unacquainted motorcyclists are enjoyable moments. This truly mobile form of social interaction is difficult to study through traditional ethnographic fieldwork. However, the method is applicable when integrated into a design approach where the participants collaborate to integrate the field study, the design, and the evaluation. This has made it possible to generate a novel mobile service. The service, named Hocman, is a peer-to-peer application with mobile wireless ad hoc networking for PDAs. It enhances brief traffic encounters between bikers by playing a sound clip and automatically exchanging personal HTML pages. We have positively demonstrated through performance tests and field trials that it is successful in doing this, and that bikers enjoy such added value to biking, especially hearing the sound clip when meeting other bikers.     

The effects of information relevancy on driving behavior

Cognition, Technology & Work - Bus driving is a complex and cognitively challenging task that places high demands on bus drivers’ working memory. Increasing use of “In-Vehicle...     

Terahertz LC Microcavities: From Quantum Cascade Lasers to Ultrastrong Light-Matter Coupling

We review research on the physics of intersubband transitions in the THz range in a sub wavelength microcavity environment. Laser action was achieved at 1.5 THz by inserting quantum cascade gain material between the capacitor plates of a new resonant LC cavity, achieving a normalized mode volume ratio of only $V_{eff}/(\lambda /2n)^{3}=0.12$ of the cavity mode $V_{eff}$ and the normalized optical volume $(\lambda /2n)^{3}$ . By using the same cavity as the constituting meta-atom of a THz metamaterial, strong and ultra strong light matter coupling was observed up to room temperature. Finally, the same metamaterial coupled to parabolic semiconductor quantum wells was investigated in the regime of electrical in-plane pumping, showing THz emission in the ultra strong coupling regime.     

Identification of the Aggregation-sex Pheromone of the Cerambycid Beetle <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phymatodes pusillus</Emphasis> ssp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">pusillus</Emphasis> and Evidence of a Synergistic Effect from a Heterospecific Pheromone Component

The longhorn beetle Phymatodes (Poecilium) pusillus ssp. pusillus is a rare, elusive species that is included on Red Lists of threatened species. Previously, 1-hexanol and 1-butanol were reported as putative components of the aggregation-sex pheromone of this species, but behavioral assays to confirm this have not been performed. In this study, we undertook a comprehensive examination of P. p. pusillus to verify the presence of a pheromone. Adult beetles were reared from colonized wood and used for headspace sampling. Analyses by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed that two compounds were present in large quantities in the extracts of males, but absent in extracts from females. Male and female antennae showed repeatable responses to the two compounds in electrophysiological recordings. Using synthetic standards, we were able to identify the compounds as 1-hexanol and 2-methyl-1-butanol. A field bioassay demonstrated that the two compounds were unattractive when applied singly, but elicited significant attraction of female and male beetles when applied in blends of different ratios. We also found that the species exhibited significant attraction to a blend of 3-hydroxy-2-hexanone and 2-methyl-1-butanol, which is the aggregation-sex pheromone of at least two closely related and sympatric species. The presence of the heterospecific component 3-hydroxy-2-hexanone synergized a response to 2-methyl-1-butanol. The pheromone of these species may function as a host cue for P. p. pusillus as the three species have similar phenology and substrate demands. The aggregation-sex pheromone of P. p. pusillus can be used for population monitoring and as a tool to study the general ecology and conservation requirements of this rare species.     

Differences in Wetting Characteristics of Bi2O3 Polymorphs in ZnO Varistor Materials

Detailed analysis of the microstructure of grain boundaries, especially triple-grain and multiple-grain junctions, in ZnO varistor materials has been performed using transmission electron microscopy. Different polymorphs of Bi₂O₃ are shown to exhibit different wetting properties on ZnO interfaces. Recent investigations suggest that the equilibrium configuration consists of crystalline Bi₂O₃ in the triple-grain and multiple-grain junctions and an amorphous bismuth-rich film in the ZnO/ZnO grain boundaries. The present investigation supports this suggestion for δ-Bi₂O₃ and also adds to the microstructural image and wetting properties of α-Bi₂O₃.