British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract We provide the first firm-level evidence of the impact of the trade in producer services (-offshoring-) on the labour market. Using a new data set from the UK that measures trade in services at the firm level, we find no evidence that importing intermediate services is associated with job losses or greater worker turnover. Using regression to control for observable differences between firms that import service inputs and those that do not, we show that firms that start importing intermediate services experience faster employment growth than equivalent firms that do not. This seems likely to be the result of positive demand shocks, which cause a simultaneous increase in employment, output, and use of imported service inputs.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The cattle industry in Canada has changed greatly over the past several decades. Size of the national dairy herd has reduced steadily but this reduction has been more than offset by an increase in...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The purpose of this study was to assess changes in dairy herd milk production and milk composition associated with changes in Salmonella contamination of bulk milk on dairy farms in southwestern Ontario....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

A potent link to dairy seems to exist for three hormone-responsive glands. Acne, breast cancer and prostate cancer have all been linked epidemiologically to dairy intake. Although mechanisms postulated...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malaysia's petroleum industry is looking forward to an expansionary period until the end of the century, with the role of gas being greatly enhanced. The state oil firm Petronas sees increasing oil and gas reserves, making fuller use of abundant gas reserves, an exploration thrust into deepwater areas and the intensification of environmental protection as some of the points of emphasis in its current programme. The state firm president Tan Sri Datuk Azizan Zainul Abidin says that in the past few years a national economic growth rate of 8 percent has resulted in rising energy demand. Economic growth is projected to continue, so that an increase in power demand can be expected for the next few years. 'Fortunately, we are experiencing the same bullish trend in oil exploration and development,' he says. (author).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper reported on a life cycle assessment (LCA) study that compared the environmental impacts of business-as-usual manure management with those of a manure management operation incorporating anaerobic digestion with combined heat and power generation. The case study was based on a medium sized dairy farm in northern New York State. The study identified the benefits resulting from the displacement of fossil fuels, and reduction of related emissions. Although anaerobic digestion of dairy manure with energy recovery through biogas combustion is viewed as a positive environmental approach to increase the use of renewable energy, there are potential negative impacts that can counteract the environmental benefits. The negative impacts are associated with emissions of methane and nitrogen species during digestion and after spreading of digester effluent. The environmental impacts and their causes should be evaluated in order ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The recent literature in the field of supply chain management emphasizes the role of inter-organizational networks and the integration of vertical reproduction networks (supply chains) in particular as a key factor for value creation. However, the literature includes little empirical evidence. This situation suggests the need to appraise investments in such networks or supply chains carefully. How can a decision maker reliably assess the effect of investing in inter-organizational network arrangements on firm value? This article takes up this issue and suggests a framework consisting of five components to help answer the question. The task of the framework is to support the structuring and revelation of the causal chain between investments in the network on the one hand and the effect of t...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Dairy cattle of three genetic lines maintained year round in total confinement (either in loose housing or tie stall barn) were monitored for estrous cycle activity and reproductive performance. Only...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Pulmonary function tests were performed on seven adult dairy cows with an expanded lung field (ExLF) and the results were compared to the values from seven cows with normal lung fields. The cows with...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Peripartal serum alkaline phosphatase activity and lactate dehydrogenase activity were measured in 30 dairy cows in order to examine the association between retained fetal membranes and enzyme activity....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Path analysis was used to determine the interrelationships between ambient temperature, age at calving, postpartum reproductive events and reproductive performance in dairy cows. The data used in the...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

A microcomputer-based herd management information system was implemented as part of the herd health program provided to 13 dairy clients by the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph. The...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

This study examines the results of bacterial culture from 159 endometrial biopsy samples from 97 commercial dairy cows and correlations between bacteriological and histological findings. Bacteria were...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The effects of gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) on the reproductive performance of dairy cows with retained placenta were studied. Three hundred and seventy-eight cows diagnosed as having retained...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Data from an epidemiological study in Ontario, involving 304 dairy herds, were used to identify associations between selected production indices and lipoarabinomannan antigen serological test results...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This paper explores the potential of combining substance-flow modelling with water and wastewater sampling to trace consumption-related substances emitted through the urban wastewater. The method is exemplified on sucralose. Sucralose is a chemical sweetener that is 600 times sweeter than sucrose and has been on the European market since 2004. As a food additive, sucralose has recently increased in usage in a number of foods, such as soft drinks, dairy products, candy and several dietary products. In a field campaign, sucralose concentrations were measured in the inflow and outflow of the local wastewater treatment plant in Linkoping, Sweden, as well as upstream and downstream of the receiving stream and in Lake Roxen. This allows the loads emitted from the city to be estimated. A method c...

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

1. The aim of the paper is to investigate the relative importance of three sets of sources of competitive advantages on business performance in a specific industry context, ie the European meat processing industry. The three sets of competitive sources are Firm Specific Advantages (FSAs), Localizational Specific Advantages (LSAs) and Relationship Specific Advantages (RSAs). Based on a literature study, each set of competitive advantages is briefly described in terms of their theoretical antecedents. Seven hypotheses are formulated regarding the direct as well as the indirect relationships between the FSAs, LSAs and RSAs and business performance. Also, the direction of causality between the various sets of explanatory variables is considered. The hypotheses are combined in a structural modelling of firm competition. 2. Data and measurements are derived from a survey in the European meat processing industry in which 133 meat processors from 10 EU ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of moral conflicts in information systems development by studying student perceptions in an information systems (IS) project course implemented in close collaboration with information technology firms. Design/methodology/approach - The paper is based on an empirical case study. Students' perceptions of moral conflicts were gathered through diaries, drawings, and questionnaires; and the analysis was inspired by phenomenography. Findings - The analysis reveals six types of moral conflicts. Students face conflicts related to their work tasks and to human and outside parties, and inherent in them is an inclination to moral failure in terms of doing something they perceive to be morally wrong, and also the desire for moral success...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The aim of this paper is to analyze the influence of the legal and institutional environment on bidder firm returns around the announcement date of cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions (M&As). The database includes 469 M&As of European (221 cross-border and 248 domestic) listed firms, with target firms being worldwide public or private firms (40 countries), over the 2002-2006 period. Shareholders of acquiring firms place greater value on cross-border M&A announcements than on domestic ones. The stronger (weaker) the legal and institutional environment of the acquirer firm country in comparison with that of the target firm country, the more positive (negative) the effect on acquiring-firm shareholders' valuation of M&As.

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Science.gov (United States)

Yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Dairy: Ice cream, chocolate. Ice cream, strawberry. Ice cream, vanilla. Yogurt, frozen ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis (EKC) predicts an inverse U-shaped relationship between environmental pollution and per capita income. The literature with respect to the EKC is vast but far from conclusive. This paper adds firm size to the standard EKC reduced form regression and analyses whether firm size matters once income and composition are controlled for. Results suggest that large firm countries are initially associated with higher levels of environmental damage. However, as economies develop, large firm countries find it easier to adopt more stringent environmental legislation. Once environmental damage starts to decrease, the decrease is much larger in large firm countries.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

We use panel data from nine countries over the period 1996-2008 to test how revenue diversification affects bank value. Relying on a comprehensive framework for bank performance measurement, we find robust evidence against a conglomerate discount, unlike studies concerned with industrial firms. Rather, diversification increases bank profitability and, as a consequence also market valuations. This indirect performance effect does not depend on whether diversification was achieved through organic growth or through M&A activity. We further demonstrate that previous results in the literature on the impact of diversification on bank value presumably differ due to the way diversification is measured, and the negligence of the indirect value effect via bank profitability. Our evidence against a c...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

New market based approaches are becoming increasingly important as instruments of environmental policy. The two main market approaches, i.e., transferable pollution permits (experimented in America), and 'green' energy surcharges (European philosophy), are described and discussed. An analysis of information on their state of implementation shows that, in the case of the former method, the greatest sources of difficulty arise in the determination of acceptable ceiling levels of emissions, in the distribution of permits among the various polluting firms, and in the legality of granting rights to pollute. Instead, the European experience has evidenced that energy surcharges motivated by environmental policy cannot have an appreciable positive impact on consumers or the economic system in general unless they are accompanied by well defined measures geared towards the promotion or creation of alternative solutions such as to ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Since Taiwan lacks sufficient self-produced energy, increasing energy efficiency and energy savings are essential aspects of Taiwan's energy policy. This work summarizes the energy savings implemented by 303 firms in Taiwan's textile industry from the on-line Energy Declaration System in 2008. It was found that the total implemented energy savings amounted to 46,074 ton of oil equivalent (TOE). The energy saving was equivalent to 94,614 MWh of electricity, 23,686 kl of fuel oil and 4887 ton of fuel coal. It represented a potential reduction of 143,669 ton in carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to the annual carbon dioxide absorption capacity of a 3848 ha plantation forest. This study summarizes energy-saving measures for energy users and identifies the areas for making energy saving to provide an energy efficiency baseline.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Veterinarians and farmers employing multivalent killed vaccines in lactating dairy cows have reported transient losses in milk production. Few studies have quantified this loss. In this report, effects...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The aim of this project was to develop an understanding of the dynamical processes that evolve within an electric utility firm, and without it. This volume covers organizational dynamics and control, and planning under uncertainty. (DLC)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Burrard Thermal Generating Station is located at Port Moody, British Columbia, and burns natural gas to supply steam to six turbine units for generating up to 912 MW of electricity. The Burrard plant accounts for ca 8.7% of the provincial generating capability. Burrard is expected to continue to fill a vital role as a supplier of displaceable firm energy to the British Columbia Hydro system. In parallel with a renewed focus on Burrard from a system planning perspective, there have also been concerns about air pollution from the plant in the context of its possible effect on the region's air quality. To address this and other issues surrounding Burrard's future, B.C. Hydro established a project team to conduct a utilization study. The team's work focused on the role of Burrard in providing a reliable and profitable role in electricity generation, the options for dealing with the air quality issue, and the implications of choosing one ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The purpose of the study was to optimise the technique employed for AP shoulder and lateral cervical spine examinations following an investigation into image quality, based on clinical assessment, and effective dose, calculated from patient entrance surface dose measurements. A study was therefore conducted in an attempt to determine whether the increased radiation dose to the patient following the introduction of an anti-scatter grid was justified by the level of improvement in image quality. The study, involving 100 patients, was able to demonstrate that the increase in radiation dose to the patient when using an anti-scatter grid for AP shoulder examinations is not justified by the improved image quality. A poor level of inter-rater reliability between the consultants scoring the lateral cervical spine images prevented a firm conclusion from being reached. The fact that all images were of diagnostic quality, however, ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Successfully using artificial insemination (AI) is defined as getting cows pregnant when the farmer wants them in-calf and making the best use of appropriate genetic potential. Over the past...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The objective of the current research was to examine the association of herd level disease incidence with the return over feed (ROF) (milk income minus feed cost) herd profit index offered through Canwest...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

A double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of a homeopathic treatment of neonatal calf diarrhoea was performed using 44 calves in 12 dairy herds. Calves with spontaneously derived diarrhoea were...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The purpose of this prospective cohort study was to identify factors that place a dairy cow with uncomplicated milk fever (MF) at significant risk of becoming an alert downer cow (ADC) and to verify...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Path analysis was used to determine the interrelationships between postpartum administration of gonadotrophin releasing hormone and cloprostenol and the occurrence of reproductive disease and reproductive...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundMastitis in dairy cattle results from infection of mammary tissue by a range of micro-organisms but principally coliform bacteria and Gram positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of dietary grain on calcium homeostasis. Six rumen-fistulated dairy cows with 3 or more previous lactations and no history of parturient...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The attitudes and expectations of producers toward the use of a microcomputer-based herd management information system were assessed. The study was conducted over a two-year period, beginning in January...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Since the 1970s, Danish electricity supply has been dependent on imported coal. This has lead to greater reliability of supply, as could be seen during the Gulf War when Danish electricity prices remained stable in contrast to conditions in other countries. The disadvantage is the air pollution caused by coal combustion. This is regulated, it is stated, by several international laws and agreements, and these are named here. The nature of this form of pollution is explained in relation to actual Danish power plants and their efforts to reduce emissions of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas, is also emitted. Danish environmental policy concentrates on these problems. The efforts of the electric power companies to reduce air pollution are detailed, both nationally and internationally, and their positive consequences are described. Desulphurization and denitrification costs are claimed to be 4.6 Danish oere and 1.9 Danish oere per year per kWh ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that affect the adoption of cloud computing by firms belonging to the high-tech industry. The eight factors examined in this study are relative advantage, complexity, compatibility, top management support, firm size, technology readiness, competitive pressure, and trading partner pressure. Design/methodology/approach - A questionnaire-based survey was used to collect data from 111 firms belonging to the high-tech industry in Taiwan. Relevant hypotheses were derived and tested by logistic regression analysis. Findings - The findings revealed that relative advantage, top management support, firm size, competitive pressure, and trading partner pressure characteristics have a significant effect on the adoption of cloud computing...

Science.gov (United States)

Sep 21, 2006 ... NASA has selected Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Allentown, Pa., to design, furnish and install a plant to produce liquid nitrogen for ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Arauzo-Carod J.-M. and Viladecans-Marsal E. Industrial location at the intra-metropolitan level: the role of agglomeration economies, Regional Studies. The objective of this paper is to analyse the influence of agglomeration economies on location decisions taken by new firms inside metropolitan areas. As it is assumed that these economies differ according to firms' level of technology, the sample comprises new firms from high-, intermediate- and low-technology industries. Of particularly interest is in analysing the effects of agglomeration economies that are felt over very short distances (inside the metropolitan areas). Introduced in the estimation is the effect of the central city as a determinant for the location of new firms in the rest of the metropolitan area. [image omitted] Arauzo...

CERN Document Server

We have conducted an agent-based simulation of chain bankruptcy. The propagation of credit risk on a network, i.e., chain bankruptcy, is the key to nderstanding largesized bankruptcies. In our model, decrease of revenue by the loss of accounts payable is modeled by an interaction term, and bankruptcy is defined as a capital deficit. Model parameters were estimated using financial data for 1,077 listed Japanese firms. Simulations of chain bankruptcy on the real transaction network consisting of those 1,077 firms were made with the estimated model parameters. Given an initial bankrupt firm, a list of chain bankrupt firms was obtained. This model can be used to detect high-risk links in a transaction network, for the management of chain bankruptcy.

Science.gov (United States)

Little recent research is available about where specific types of farm managers search for information about better production practices. The objective of this study was to investigate what information sources managers used and how they rated the usefulness of each source. The authors administered mail questionnaires to probability samples from sampling frames they developed for four groups: dairy and fresh market vegetable producers from Wisconsin and berry and nursery producers from a multistate region. Questionnaire items asked operation managers to check off, from a list of information sources, those that they used in the last year to learn about new equipment or procedures to improve their operations and then to rate the usefulness of each source. In the last year, nursery, dairy, and berry managers most often used information from print media (63% to 84%), followed by other farmers (50% to 80%). Fresh market vegetable growers used ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We have exploited {open_quotes}progeny testing{close_quotes} to map quantitative trait loci (QTL) underlying the genetic variation of milk production in a selected dairy cattle population. A total of 1,518 sires, with progeny tests based on the milking performances of >150,000 daughters jointly, was genotyped for 159 autosomal microsatellites bracketing 1645 centimorgan or approximately two thirds of the bovine genome. Using a maximum likelihood multilocus linkage analysis accounting for variance heterogeneity of the phenotypes, we identified five chromosomes giving very strong evidence (LOD score {ge} 3) for the presence of a QTL controlling milk production: chromosomes 1, 6, 9, 10 and 20. These findings demonstrate that loci with considerable effects on milk production are still segregating in highly selected populations and pave the way toward marker-assisted selection in dairy cattle breeding. 44 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs.

CERN Document Server

The historical background of the 19th century electromagnetic theory is revisited from the standpoint of the opposition between alternative approaches in respect to the problem of interactions. The 19th century electrodynamics became the battle-field of a paramount importance to test existing conceptions of interactions. Hertz's experiments were designed to bring a solid experimental evidence in favor of one of them. The modern scientific method applied to analyze Hertz's experimental approach as well as the analysis of his laboratory notes, dairy and private letters show that Hertz's "\\textit{crucial}" experiments cannot be considered as conclusive at many points as it is generally implied. We found that alternative Helmholtz's electrodynamics did not contradict any of Hertz's experimental observations of transverse components as Maxwell's theory predicted. Moreover, as we now know from recently published Hertz's dairy and private notes, his ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract The importance of evaluating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from dairy cows within the whole farm setting is being realized as more important than evaluating these emissions in isolation. Current whole farm models aimed at evaluating GHG emissions make use of simple regression equations to predict enteric methane (CH4) production. The objective of the current paper is to evaluate the performance of nine CH4 prediction equations that are currently being used in whole farm GHG models. Data used to evaluate the prediction equations came from a collection of individual (IND) and treatment averaged (TRT) data. Equations were compared based on mean square prediction error (MSPE) and concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) analysis. In general, predictions were poor, with root MSPE (as...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The purpose of this presentation is to provide an in-depth discussion of the possible evolution of unbundling of services in a competitive environment. The author discusses unbundling from both a technical/engineering and an economic perspective. The main thrust of the talk is threefold: (a) that in the long run the potential for unbundling of services is extremely large from an engineering perspective; (b) that the form of the initial industry structure will have an important impact on the extent of service unbundling; and (c) that unbundling of wholesale related services is where most of the initial demand will be. (A) Engineering Perspectives on Unbundling: A large proportion of ancillary services can be provided in a competitive framework with current technologies. The author discusses those that current technologies may not facilitate such a decentralized approach. (B) The relation between unbundling and industry structure: Not all industry structures provide the same incentives ...

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

One important market related capability for firms which seek to develop radical innovations is the competence to involve the 'right' users at the 'right' time in the 'right' form. While former studies have identified a rather passive role of users in the radical innovation process, this paper focuses on the involvement of such users that are in the position to play an active role as inventors and (co)-developers. A multiple case study analysis was conducted in the field of medical technology. Five radical innovation projects within four firms were selected including medical robots and computer-assisted navigation systems. The case study analysis reveals that firms who closely interact with specific users benefit significantly for their radical innovation work. These users have a high motivation toward new solutions, are open to new technologies, possess diverse competencies, and are embedded into a very supportive ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Purpose - Holding the number of outside directorships constant, this paper aims to test whether executive directors from superior performing firms are subsequently rewarded with better quality outside directorships. Design/methodology/approach - The quality of new outside directorship appointments is modelled using a two-step Heckman selection procedure to control for the probability of acquiring a new outside board seat. Outside directorship quality is estimated using an index formed from series of observable firm-specific characteristics proxying for the following three latent aspects of quality: prestige, reputational risk and monetary rewards. The index aggregates across these three dimensions to produce an overall quality score, with higher scores signifying higher quality directorshi...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

An enterotoxin D (SED)-producing strain of Staphylococcus aureus was used to infect one mammary gland of each of 17 lactating dairy cows. All glands became infected and shed bacteria...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Arriving at a firm diagnosis of neurosarcoidosis continues to pose serious problems, particularly when evidence of granulomatous disease outside the nervous system is lacking. The commonest mode of...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

The report presents detailed technical information concerning application of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems to industrial boilers. The information was obtained by a survey of plant personnel, control system vendors, regulatory agencies, and consulting engineering firms. T...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Most published estimates of the costs of the epidemic of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) have been developed from the societal perspective,...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The Regulation 761/2001 EMAS (Environmental Management and Audit Scheme), introduced by the 1836/93 Community regulation, is one of the tools activated by the European Union in order to apply the 5. and 6. Community Environmental Programme, in the field of firm-environment interactions at first (overcoming the old Command and Control logic), then by extending its applicability to ali Organisations. EMAS is a voluntary tool that enables Organisations to evaluate their own interaction with the Environment, to plan and check the yearly improvement of their environmental performance, providing the public documented relevant information. The report illustrates the procedure far applying this regulation, its implementation and new application trends in Italy and the advantages far firms.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

ABSTRACT The relation between exports and productivity is analysed for the case of Morocco using annual panel data for the years 1985-1995 covering six large urban areas and 18 manufacturing sectors. In the empirical analysis two main features are distinguished, i.e. productivity differentials and export externalities. The former is the most dominant one for Morocco, i.e. sectors with low labour productivity export most and within-sectors exporting firms are more productive than nonexporting firms. Regarding the latter, only weakly significant evidence is found of both sector wide or within sector productivity externalities as a result of exporting.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The windmill industry in Denmark is currently confronted with making a choice between competing technologies so that the role of the stimulus of state subsidies for research has lately increased in importance. The Ministry of Energy, it is claimed, must be aware of this as possibilities for making use of research results are dictated by the market and competition. The industry is not sympathetic to the idea of state research contracts with specified goals for which manufacturers must produce a technical solution. Consultancy firms should work towards solving general problems which could help the industry as a whole. Wind turbines which are cheap to produce and operate are of more interest to industry than those which are technologically advanced or of a lighter construction. It is not thought to be advantageous to concentrate the allocation of subsidies on one key project chosen by the Ministry itself, such as the current intense interest in ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bangladesh, it is by now well-known, is at the receiving end, in the literal sense of the term, of the global climate change and its potential impacts. She contributes very little to the current global emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs). The Emission Inventory under the present umbrella project, Bangladesh Climate Change Study (BCCS), has found that her annual emission of carbon has been only 3.99 mn metric tons per year. An earlier study arrived at exactly the same figure. The figures for estimated release of methane is far less firm. The estimated methane emission in 1990 could be anywhere between 1 million and 6 million metric tons. In any case the total emission is unlikely to be more than one-half of one percent of the global total. On the other hand, however, she faces specter of widespread and more frequent floods, more frequent droughts, cyclones and above all sea-level rise (SLR) which may inundate a substantial part of the country all of these bringing ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Topics concerning the problems associated with older and aging dams are considered including: what can be done to extent the lifetime of an old dam, the decision to decommission a dam based on a value judgment that the risk of maintaining the dam is too great for society's acceptance, the possibility of change in the level of risk tolerance with time in a technological environment, traditional surveillance methods used by dam owners in the Y2K situation, and the unreality of dam immortality. Trends and means for preserving older dams for their owner's purposes are outlined, as well as their lifetime compared to that of the downstream systems they serve. Despite the fact that we live in a throwaway society, dam owners cannot just leave their dam asset when they are through with using it. Someone has to maintain the dam, or ensure that it is safely decommissioned when the owner is finished with it. On a worldwide scale the available pool of experienced dam engineers is ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Immobilization of a model liquid organic pollutant, i.e. the 2-chloroaniline (2-CA), into a cement matrix using organoclays as pre-sorbent agents was investigated. Five cement-clay pastes were prepared with different nominal water-to-cement ratios (w/c=0.40, 0.25 and 0.15 wt/wt) and various amounts of waste (waste-to-cement o/c=0.20, 0.60 and 1.00 wt/wt); for comparison, a neat cement paste was also prepared. Dynamic leach tests were performed on solidified monoliths in order to assess the successful immobilization of the 2-CA. In monoliths at constant w/c ratio (0.40) the total amount of pollutant released increases with its initial content, and ranges from 15 to 35% with respect to it. By lowering w/c from 0.40 to 0.15 at constant o/c, the performances improved (<25% released). The microstructure of the hardened cement-clay pastes was characterized by quantitative X-ray diffraction (QXRD) and electronic microscopy (SEM-EDS) techniques; hydration degree was ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The performance of binary geothermal power plants can be improved through the proper choice of a working fluid, and optimization of component designs and operating conditions. This paper reviews the investigations at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) which are examining binary cycle performance improvements: for moderate temperature (350 to 400 F) resources with emphasis on how the improvements may be integrated into design of binary cycles. These investigations are examining performance improvements resulting from the supercritical vaporization of mixed hydrocarbon working fluids and achieving countercurrent integral condensation with these fluids, as well as the modification of the turbine inlet state points to achieve supersaturated turbine vapor expansions. For resources where the brine outlet temperature is restricted, the use of turbine exhaust recuperators is examined. The baseline plant used to determine improvements in plant performance (characterized by the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The principal object of this trial was to evaluate the influence of three alternatives of feeding suplementation in dairy cows in the post-partum period in ecuadorian highlands. Thirty sic animals in fist lactation were used in this experiment and were divided in three groups according to the feed intake: Group A diet was 5 Kg. of a commercial concentrate mixture with 12 per cent of crude protein plus pasture ad libitum; Group B diet was green banans (Musa paradisiaca) and pasture and Group C diet was the control only pasture. Using Radioimmunoassay technique (RIA), progesterone values were determinated in milk from each cow. the sampling was sequential, two samples a week, starting 6 days after parturition, until the animal was pregnant or until the study was finished, 150 days after post-partum for each cow. This research allowed us to evaluate the ovaric post-partum activity of each group: Frequency and length of the oestrus cycles; efficiency of oestrus ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The EU emissions trading scheme (ETS) was launched in 2005 to cap CO2 emissions from large industrial facilities and electricity producers. The European Commission is currently designing the post 2012 EU ETS, as outlined in COM(2008)16. Novel to this system is that a greater part of the rights will be auctioned. Auctioning in general assures a greater deal of efficiency compared to (certain types of) free allocation, lowers the administrative costs and prevents eventual windfall profits. However, auctioning also implies a potential loss of competitiveness for industry. If no international agreement on future climate policies is reached, firms may not be able to pass on the higher costs to their customers and may be faced with a loss in profitability and the threat of import substitution. In any emission trading scheme with an absolute cap, a relocation of production that is not covered by CO2 targets implies an increase in global CO2 emissions. ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Implementation of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA) has provided a unique challenge for Federal Agencies, such as the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Waste Management (OWM). While performance measurement, as required by GPRA, is new to Federal Agencies, private industry has applied it at all organizational levels to better manage their operations for some time. There has been significant discussion about how the private sector uses performance measures, but there have been very few empirical studies systematically examining their use. To gather information on comparable private industry practices, waste management industry firms were surveyed through questionnaires and follow-on interviews. Questionnaires were sent to 75 waste management firms throughout the United States and Canada. Twenty-four percent of the firms responded to the questionnaire and participated in the follow-on interviews. The ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Purpose - Under the pressure of competition from non-state-owned enterprises (non-SOEs) since the Renovation in 1986, the Government of Vietnam has sought to reform state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in order to improve their productivity and efficiency. Whilst the theoretical efficiency benefits from the SOE reform have interested many, this study seeks to add empirical insights to this debate using Williamson's transaction cost economics (TCE). Design/methodology/approach - Organizational integration and transaction costs - two dimensions of firm efficiency - were compared between SOEs and non-SOEs using multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA). The analysis was conducted in the context of the within-firm logistics processes of international multimodal transport (IMT) in Vietnam. Findings ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The authors explain the bankers' point of view of the financial and economic aspects of developments in the energy sector, discussing the financing of natural gas pipelines (Muro, Megal, etc.), of nuclear power plant construction, of projects in the oil supply sector, and of pollution abatement measures and equipment for the power industry and other industries. The different financial situations of small firms or large firms supplying pollution control equipment are discussed referring to the financing schemes to be set up, explaining among other things the profitability assessment taking into account long-term development or delays in return on capital investment from borrowed funds as induced, e.g., by delays in the licensing procedure. Future demand for borrowed capital for pollution control or nuclear power plant development is difficult to assess by the banking circles. (orig./RST).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

By the year 2000, the Postal Service aims to reduce its diesel transport by around 15000 vehicles. The advisory service, Detecon, is reviewing alternatives for postal deliveries as part of the ''Post 2000'' initiative. One such system is an electric-powered vehicle with a zinc-air battery from the Israeli firm Electric Fluid Limited (EFL). (orig.)

Wastenet

... (restricted)] 2009, Volume 39, Issue 5 523-529 Parents, peers, or school inputs: Which components of school outcomes are capitalized into house value? by Brasington, David M. & Haurin, Donald R. [Downloadable! (restricted)] 530-541 Trade liberalisation and agglomeration with firm heterogeneity: Forward and backward linkages by Okubo, Toshihiro [Downloadable! (restricted)] 542-552 Alternative measures of homeownership gaps across segregated ...

Science.gov (United States)

I travelled to San Jose, Costa Rica on July 8, 1990 to evaluate all of the completed elements of the ongoing feasibility study for the San Lorenzo River hydroelectric project. The feasibility study is being supported by ORNL under the Renewable Energy Applications and Training Project. The project is being studied for implementation by CONELECTRICAS, a consortium of rural electric cooperatives and the study itself is being conducted by BEL Engineering, a Costa Rican consulting firm under contract to CONELECTRICAS, USAID/PIC and NRECA.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Treatment with gamma and electron radiation is becoming a common process for the sterilization of packages, mostly made of natural or synthetic plastics, used in the aseptic processing of foods and pharmaceuticals. The effect of irradiation on these materials is crucial for packaging engineering to understand the effects of these new treatments. Packaging material may be irradiated either prior to or after filling. The irradiation prior to filling is usually chosen for dairy products, processed food, beverages, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries in the United States, Europe, and Canada. Radiation effects on packaging material properties still need further investigation. This paper summarizes the work done by different groups and discusses recent developments in regulations and testing procedures in the field of packaging technology.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In 1998, EU legislation initiated a liberalisation process among European energy markets. The process of market opening has significantly changed the functioning of the markets and the competition conditions of the energy sector. At the same time, the industry witnessed a surge of mergers and far-reaching changes in the structure of German electricity and natural gas markets occurred. Against this background, the doctoral thesis at hand surveys the merger activities in the energy sector as well as the merger control policy of the German Federal Cartel Office during the first years of liberalisation. The study starts with a portrayal of the institutional framework of the German merger control regime and a survey of the relevant economic literature on horizontal and vertical mergers. Subsequent to the legal and theoretical considerations, the merger activities and the merger control policy of the German Federal Cartel Office are investigated empirically. The data set is based on ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Accurate engineering cost estimates are critical in developing bids for new work, and for effective resource allocation and project control. This study reports on design estimating methods found in the literature, and on the results of two empirical studies of how estimating techniques are used in professional practice and their accuracy. The study found great reliance on a classic {open_quotes}activity analysis{close_quotes} approach to estimating design resources, and significant hazards in commonly used parametric techniques. The study found that project managers expect their estimates to be accurate (with 80% confidence interval) of between -10% to +25%. The study also found that actual bids between engineering firms had a much greater range (-40% to +45%) than can be explained by accuracy. Perhaps most importantly the study found that none of the sampled design firms used probabilistic techniques to optimize their project bids or to manage ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Continually rising energy prices in global markets highlights a serious concern about the need to improve energy efficiency and the efficiency in energy sector in many countries. China, as one of the fastest growing countries in the world and the largest coal producer, has high coal consumption but a low recovery rate of coal utilization. Coal efficiency and the efficiency in coal industry have therefore attracted a great deal of attention from Chinese policy makers, coal firms and academics. This study attempts to compare the relative technical efficiency performance of listed coal mining companies in China and the US using CCR and BCC models in the advanced DEA linear programming. The results show that the level of relative efficiency in Chinese coal mining enterprises, regardless of total technical efficiency or decomposed pure technical and scale efficiency, is much lower than in American coal firms. The study also highlights the input ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Globalization and technological innovation are creating dynamic networks or chains of interconnected players, often known as value delivery networks or supply chains, in which a firm, whether manufacturing or service, holds the key to creating and delivering value in the form of offerings to the customers. This idea of value creation and exchange is the foundation stone of relationship marketing and it is considered successful when closeness is said to have been established in the relationship which subsequently leads toward the achievement of objectives. In order to study and understand the creation of value through relationship closeness in a value delivery network particularly at the backward end, a literature review is conducted. A framework is further developed with the help of Interp...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

According to Schumpeter, the creative process of economic development can be divided into the stages of invention, innovation (commercialization) and imitation. Each stage is associated with specific skills. This paper examines whether Schumpeter?s assertion was correct, i.e. whether the invention and innovation stages should be undertaken by different agents. In addition, we examine whether there is a rationale for the Schumpeterian entrepreneur to include the inventor in the commercialization process. Combining the abilities of the entrepreneur and the inventor may serve to facilitate customer adaptation, strengthen knowledge transfers and reduce uncertainty, thereby expanding market opportunities. Based on a unique database covering Swedish patents granted to individuals and small firms...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Over the last year, the energy industry firmly established itself as the premier borrowing sector in the international financial markets. While Europe and North America's major energy companies continue to access the loan market as their main source of financing, with a steady flow of new international borrowings, their peers from other areas of the world, such as Latin America and the Middle East, are in the process of positioning themselves in the market as regular borrowers and have become an important new source of fee income for industry's bankers. (Author).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Financing space solar power generation programmes has several inherent difficulties. Such large-scale projects are usually easily defined with an expected economic return, construction time, useful service life and defined management structure. As yet, solar power satellites for power generation possess none of these as the idea exists conceptually and the technology still needs to be developed. Methods for overcoming these uncertainties and securing financial backing are described. Venture capital could finance a research/marketing firm. US Government support through a cost plus short-term monopoly to facilitate private debt financing could provide an answer. (UK)

Environmental Research Database

DescriptionFarm-level estimates of the financial impact of regulation are important indicators of the effect that a regulation have. Such estimates should be included in RIA, particularly within the Small Firms Impact Test. This farm-level analysis can be used in the RIA to inform judgements of the affordability of the regulation proposal. It will help to identify which farm types are likely to be financially had-hit from the regulation. Farm-level cost estimates for each regulation are also required t [continued...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This paper develops a model of nonlinear pricing with competition. The novel element is that each consumer's willingness to pay for quality is private information and is allowed to differ across brands. The consumer's preferences are represented by a multidimensional type containing the marginal value of quality for different products. Buyers with high willingness to pay for quality also display strong preferences for particular brands, and require higher discounts in order to switch away from their favorite product. Therefore, competition is fiercer for buyers with lower tastes for quality, and hence more elastic demands. This is in sharp contrast to earlier models in which competition is fiercer for higher-taste, more valuable buyers. In equilibrium, firms either compete intensively for ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A fast production scheduling algorithm suitable for generation expansion studies is described in this paper. It can handle several independent rivers, thermal plants, pumped storage plants, import, export, and internal non-firm markets. Inflows and load are deterministic and a one-reservoir limit is imposed on each river. The scheduling problem is formulated as a generalized network problem which is efficiently solved by an adaption of the simplex method. The algorithm is part of a program developed by Hydro-Quebec to conduct preliminary evaluations of alternative expansion plans. The program and the scheduling algorithm are presented.

Science.gov (United States)

The Economic Analysis (EA) report is written to address the impacts of this proposed Effluent Limitation Guidelines and Standards for Synthetic-Based and Other Non-Aqueous Drilling Fluids. Currently, effluent guidelines pertaining to the discharge of drilling fluids address two specific types of fluids: Oil-based drilling fluids (OBFs) that use diesel and mineral oil, which are prohibited from being discharged; and Water-based drilling Fluids (WBFs), which can be discharged subject to meeting certain discharge requirements, including a sheen test and an aqueous toxicity test, in certain limited offshore regions. Section Two presents sources of data, Section Three presents the industry profile, Section Four discusses the regulatory costs of options under consideration for the proposed rulemaking, and Section Five discusses the impacts of the proposed rule on firms, well drilling, and production, and also briefly discusses secondary impacts such as those on ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of partially substituting cottonseed cake with graded levels of baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) seed cake (BSC) on milk yield and quality in Guernsey cows. Sixteen cows in mid-lactation and in their third parity were allocated to diets containing 0% (control), 5%, 10%, and 15% BSC in a completely randomized design. Each cow was given a daily feed ration of 6?kg and a basal diet of soya bean stover ad libitum. There were no differences in daily feed intake (P?>?0.05), but basal intake differed among all treatment groups with cows on the control diet having the highest intake (30???0.34?kg/day). Mean daily milk yield differed (P?P?P?P?P?>?0.05). These results indicate that BSC can substitute soya bean cake in dairy diets, but milk produ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The U.S. Trade and Development Program (TDP) had received a request from the Hungarian Electricity Board (MVMT) for assistance in support of a feasibility study program to: (1) install new generation capability based on gas/oil fired combined cycle power plants, and (2) retrofit/refurbish a number of aging coal and oil fired steam plants. A Definitional Mission (DM) recommends that TDP fund the requested feasibility studies for new gas/oil fired combined cycle capabilities discussed in the Terms of Reference (TOR). Hungary will need to install significant new power capacity between now and the end of the century. Gas/oil fired combined cycle plants present probably the only option to install capacity rapidly. There is an opportunity for U.S. firms to supply technology and services with respect to these advanced power generation technologies.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Basic information on photovoltaic conversion technology is provided for those unfamiliar with the field. Various types of photovoltaic products and systems currently available off-the-shelf are described. These include products without batteries, battery chargers, power packages, home electric systems, and partial systems. Procedures are given for designing a photovoltaic system from scratch. A few custom photovoltaic systems are described, and a list is compiled of photovoltaic firms which can provide custom systems. Guidance is offered for deciding whether or not to use photovoltaic products. A variety of installations are described and their performance is appraised by the owners. Information is given on various financial incentives available from state and federal governments. Sources of additional information on photovoltaics are listed. A matrix is provided indicating the sources of various types of photovoltaic products. The addresses of suppliers are ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Based on the quarterly data from four open economies (the US, the UK, Canada, and Italy) and estimated correlations and impulse responses within the traditional vector autoregressive (VAR) analysis, we find that inflation, both in the short and long term, negatively affects consumption and investment, and has a positive influence on the current account. We propose an infinite-horizon optimizing model of an open economy with a fixed rate of time preference that explains these empirics. In this type of economy, households consume both durable and non-durable goods, firms operate under costly investment, and all the transactions involving consumption and investment are subject to cash-in-advance (CIA) constraints. Employing the new ?sign restriction? identification procedure due to Uhlig (J M...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Visits were made to selected manufacturing units with 25 or more employees. Information was gathered on energy consumption and advice was given on the opportunities available for improving the efficiency of energy use. Potential energy savings are estimated and recommendations are made on the action that should be taken to improve the efficiency of energy use. In the footwear industry space heating controls, improvements in boiler plant and steam services along with building insulation provide most of the savings potential. In the leather industries major energy saving opportunities can be found in low-temperature drying, and heat recovery, where the use of heat pumps could contribute substantial savings in drying and process water heating. Boiler controls and good housekeeping are areas where firms can make worthwhile savings at very little capital cost. (MCW)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Measurements and Characterization Branch actively supports the advancement of DOE/NREL goals for the development and implementation of the solar photovoltaic (PV) technology. The primary focus of the laboratories is to provide state-of-the-art analytical capabilities for materials and device characterization and fabrication. The branch houses a comprehensive facility that Is capable of providing information on the full range of PV components. A major objective of the branch is to aggressively pursue collaborative research with other government laboratories, universities, and industrial firms for the advancement of Pv technologies. Members of the branch disseminate research findings to the technical community in publications and presentations. The Measurements and Characterization Branch encompasses seven coordinated research groups, providing integrated research and development that covers all aspects of photovoltaic materials/devices characterization.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This article comments on the fact that there are only 17 energy-from-waste installations in operation in the U.S. and in this respect it lags behind other industrialized nations. Explanations for this gap include the relatively inexpensive garbage disposal as landfill, operating difficulties of some early plants and the high cost of building such facilities. There has been a recent push to build resource-recovery plants and it is believed that chemical companies will probably buy energy products from such plants. Hooker Chemical Co's new energy-from-waste plant at Niagra Falls, N.Y. is described, other companies involved in resource-recovery projects are mentioned, and it is hoped that more companies will invest in such plants.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Summary The steadily growing epidemic of diabetes mellitus poses a threat for global tuberculosis (TB) control. Previous studies have identified an important association between diabetes mellitus and TB. However, these studies have limitations: very few were carried out in low-income countries, with none in Africa, raising uncertainty about the strength of the diabetes mellitus-TB association in these settings, and many critical questions remain unanswered. An expert meeting was held in November 2009 to discuss where there was sufficient evidence to make firm recommendations about joint management of both diseases, to address research gaps and to develop a research agenda. Ten key research questions were identified, of which 4 were selected as high priority: (i) whether, when and how to sc...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Continually rising energy prices in global markets highlights a serious concern about the need to improve energy efficiency and the efficiency in energy sector in many countries. China, as one of the fastest growing countries in the world and the largest coal producer, has high coal consumption but a low recovery rate of coal utilization. Coal efficiency and the efficiency in coal industry have therefore attracted a great deal of attention from Chinese policy makers, coal firms and academics. This study attempts to compare the relative technical efficiency performance of listed coal mining companies in China and the US using CCR and BCC models in the advanced DEA linear programming. The results show that the level of relative efficiency in Chinese coal mining enterprises, regardless of tot...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The phenomenon of key supply management (KSM) in business companies is far less investigated than the phenomenon of key account management (KAM) which beneficiates, both in practice and in an academic context, from a growing interest. This article is based on the empirical analysis of a sample of 10 international companies which have recently launched KSM programmes or are currently working on launching such programs. It examines the difficulties these companies come up against when implementing such programmes and proposes to organize these difficulties around three dimensions: 1) the difficulties in implementing real supplier portfolio approaches; 2) the narrow view of value co-creation with suppliers, and 3) the persistent lack of integration of the purchasing function with other intern...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The article maps the risk management failures within Anglo Irish Bank, showing that, when banks are systemic in nature, poor internal corporate governance within a Minsky credit cycle can lead to destabilising macroeconomic conditions, which may prolong the effects of a credit-induced downturn. The article highlights a failure of management at Anglo Irish Bank to establish and measure firm-level risks and develop appropriate internal controls to support a culture of prudent credit management. We propose the adoption of a novel supervisory architecture based on the meta-risk regulatory philosophy, which is designed to strengthen risk management practices at banks.

Science.gov (United States)

This paper builds upon previous work [Sprigg and Ehlen, 2004] by introducing a bond market into a model of production and employment. The previous paper described an economy in which households choose whether to enter the labor and product markets based on wages and prices. Firms experiment with prices and employment levels to maximize their profits. We developed agent-based simulations using Aspen, a powerful economic modeling tool developed at Sandia, to demonstrate that multiple-firm economies converge toward the competitive equilibria typified by lower prices and higher output and employment, but also suffer from market noise stemming from consumer churn. In this paper we introduce a bond market as a mechanism for household savings. We simulate an economy of continuous overlapping generations in which each household grows older in the course of the simulation and continually revises its target level of savings according to a life-cycle ...

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

This project analyzes Nordic trends in the development and industrial uptake of green nanotechno-logy in construction. The project applies an evolutionary economic perspective in analyzing the innovation dynamics and firm strategies in the window value chains in three Nordic countries, Denmark, Finland and Sweden. Hence the project investigates two pervasive parallel market trends: The emergence of the green market and the emergence of nanotechnology. The analysis investigates how a traditional economic sector such as the construction sector reacts to such major trends. Conclusions are multiple, but among the most important are: Eco-innovation has become the perhaps most important driver for innovation in the construction sector. Search into eco-innovative business opportunities is intense among all companies along the three analyzed Nordic window chains. While we generally find a low uptake of nanotechnology in the construction sector in the Nordic countries we do ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A complete analysis is performed to simulate biomass production incorporated into a realistic whole farm situation, including or replacing a typical crop mix. Representative farms are constructed to accommodate such simulation. Four management systems are simulated for each firm, with each simulation depicting a different crop mix and/or use of different farming technologies and production methods. The first simulation was a base farm plan in which the operator would maintain the historical crop mix for the area, participate in all price support programs, and not participate in either a conservative reserve or a biomass production program. In the second simulation, the operator would again maintain the historical crop mix, would not participate in a conservation reserve or biomass production program, and would be ineligible to participate in any price support system. The third simulation introduced the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and included participation ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Estuaries and coastal regions are highly variable in the physical and hydrographic conditions. As a result of heavy urbanization and industrialization of the head waters of most estuaries, there are substantial localized inputs of contaminants to the estuary. These factors combined with the flushing characteristics of individual estuaries to create relatively unique features that result in variation in the typical levels of trace metals for these systems. This makes intercomparison of the estuaries difficult. Comparability among estuaries becomes even more difficult when metals analyses are conducted without proper control of field and laboratory contamination, now firmly established in the trace metal analytical literature as a prerequisite for reliable marine trace metals analysis. This paper compares the concentrations of selected trace metal (Ag, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) concentrations in the waters of several major estuaries of the United States. The basis of ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The electricity industry in the US today is at a crossroads. The restructuring debate going on in most regions has made it clear that the traditional model of vertically integrated firms serving defined franchise areas and regulated by state commissions may not be the pattern for the future. The demands of large customers seeking direct access to power markets, the entry of new participants, and proposed reforms of the regulatory process all signify a momentum for fundamental change in the organization of the industry. This paper addresses electricity restructuring from the perspective of bulk power markets. The authors focus attention on the organization of electricity trade and the various ways it has been and might be conducted. Their approach concentrates on conceptual models and empirical case studies, not on specific proposals made by particular utilities or commissions. They review literature in economics and power system engineering that is relevant to the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Industrial facilities offer a wide variety of design challenges to engineers, including the mechanical engineers who design the HVAC, the process, exhaust, and other required mechanical systems; the mechanical contractors who install and maintain the systems (and who also may do design work); and the owners` engineers who are responsible for the day-to-day operation of their facilities. Along with the responsibility to see that all systems function as intended is the responsibility to ensure that all worker health concerns are addressed. These include heat stress avoidance and the proper control of harmful substances. The services of industrial hygienists may be required to ensure this. These may be independent consultants or the staff members of mechanical design firms. In addition, it is not unusual for major corporations that own manufacturing plants to have staff industrial hygienists. The accompanying sidebar presents a checklist of items to be considered when ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Even as the recession begins to subside, the energy sector is still likely to experience challenging conditions as we enter 2011. It should be remembered how very important a role energy plays in driving the global economy. Serving as a simple yet global and unified measure of economic recovery, it is oil's price range and the strength and sustainability of the recovery which will impact the ways in which all forms of energy are produced and consumed. The report aims for a closer insight into these predictions: What will happen with M and A (Mergers and Acquisitions) in the energy industry?; What are the prospects for renewables?; Will the water-energy nexus grow in importance?; How will technological leaps and bounds affect E and P (exploration and production) operations?; What about electric cars? This is the second year Deloitte's Global Energy and Resources Group has published its predictions for the year ahead. The report is based on in-depth interviews with clients, industry ...

Science.gov (United States)

We report on the contents and results for 360 students of a mathematics assessment administered at the start of the second-semester introductory chemistry course required for science and engineering majors at the University of Minnesota. This calculator-free, 20-question, 30-minute, multiple-choice, diagnostic quiz includes questions selected specifically for their relevance to this course, concerning logarithms, scientific notation, graphs, and algebra. For the 325 students in degree-granting programs, significant correlations are reported between their mathematics assessment scores and success in this course, as measured by performance on exams (for which scientific calculators were permitted) and course grades. These observations suggest that responses to the simple questions on this unannounced quiz have some predictive utility as signatures of underlying thinking and learning patterns that are associated with success in this course. In addition, we argue that these results ...

CERN Document Server

Accretion processes in quasars and active galactic nuclei are still poorly understood, especially as far as the connection between observed spectral properties and physical parameters is concerned. Quasars show an additional degree of complexity compared to stars that is related to anisotropic emission/obscuration influencing the observed properties in most spectral ranges. This complicating factor has hampered efforts to define the equivalent of an Hertzsprung-Russel diagram for quasars. Even if it has recently become possible to estimate black hole mass and Eddington ratio for sources using optical and UV broad emission lines, the results are still plagued by large uncertainties. Nevertheless, robust trends are emerging from multivariate analysis of large spectral datasets of quasars. A firm observational basis is being laid out by accurate measurements of broad emission line properties especially when the source rest-frame is known. We consider the most widely ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Heart failure has been singled out as an emerging epidemic, which could be the result of increased incidence and/or increased survival leading to increased prevalence. Knowledge of the responsibility...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

... increasing photorealism. Furthermore, developments in audio technology continue to increase the spatial awareness of users in VEs. ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The aim of this case study is to analyse the socio-economic effects of forest fuel supply and use chains. Two of the four cases are rural district heating plants. In Perho, the co-operative organisation of forest owners maintains the fuel supply and operates the plant. In Ruukki, the local forestry association supplies forest chips to the plant. These medium-scale plants use small-sized trees from young thinning stands as their main fuel. The trees are felled manually. The other two cases are large power plants. Alholmens Kraft's new power plant in Pietarsaari aim to use 250 000 solid-m3 of forest chips annually. The logging residues are hauled to the plant as bales using traditional timber harvesting equipment or as bulk material. At young thinning stands the trees are harvested using an accumulating feller buncher. The Toppila I and II power plants in the city of Oulu used about 36 000 solid-m3 of forest chips. Over 300 000 solid-m3 can potentially be used. There are three ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

ORNL has conducted a Nuclear Power Options Viability Study for the Department of Energy. That study is primarily concerned with new technology which could be developed for initial operation in the 2000 to 2010 time frame. Such technology would have to compete not only with coal options but with incrementally improved commercial light-water-reactors. This survey reported here was undertaken to gain an understanding of the nuclear commercial technology likely to be offered in the late 1980s and perhaps beyond. The three US vendors actively marketing NSSSs are each developing a product for the future which they expect to be more reliable, more maintainable, more economical, and safer than the present plants. These are all essentially 3800-MW(t) designs, although all are studying smaller plants. They apparently will be off offered as standard prelicensed designs with much larger scope than earlier NSSS offerings, with the possibility of firm prices. Westinghouse with ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smugglers, who make use of the Ukraine-Slovak border for their business, might be satisfied after last week. The Slovak government ordered the switching off of scanning equipment monitoring the movement of goods by train through the Matovce border line. The modern equipment was substituted by people, who aren't able to check freight cars as effectively as gadgets. Not only in Ukraine are they celebrating this success in corruption, who demanded the shut-off of the scanning equipment The bosses on the Slovak side are also rubbing their hands. As told to TREND by Margareta Grecova, spokeswoman for Cargo Slovakia, 90% of goods that cross through the border at Matovce are unloaded. The most frequently transported commodities are ore, coal, chemical and petroleum products. Smugglers put their consignments among iron ore and coal. They prefer goods with high consumer taxes. Besides alcohol, there are mainly cigarettes. These are put into boxes which are concealed in various parts of the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

United Solar completed its Phase 1 report and its proposal for Phase 2 of the PVBONUS Two program at the end of March 1998. At the same time, it also completed and submitted a proposal to the California Energy Commission PIER program for additional funding to cost-share development and testing of a pre-production model of the PVT-14. It was unsuccessful in both of these proposed efforts. While waiting for the proposal decisions, work continued in April and May to analyze the system design and component decisions described below. This document is a final summation report on the Phase 1 effort of the PVBONUS Two program that describes the key technical issues that United Solar and its subcontractor, Industrial Solar Technology Corporation, worked on in preparation of a Phase 2 award. The decisions described were ones that will guide the design and fabrication of a pre-production prototype of a 1500:1 mirrored concentrator with gallium arsenide cells when United solar resumes its ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We present a collisional-radiative approach of the theoretical analysis of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) plasmas. This model, which relies on an optimized effective potential atomic structure code, was used to simulate a pure aluminum plasma. The description of aluminum involved a set of 220 atomic levels representative of three different stages of ionization (Al{sup 0}, Al{sup +} and Al{sup ++}). The calculations were carried for stationary plasmas, with input parameters (n{sub e} and T{sub e}) ranging respectively between 10{sup 13-18} cm{sup -3} and 0.3-2 eV. A comparison of our atomic data with some existing databases is made. The code was mainly developed to address the validity of the local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) assumption. For usual LIBS plasma parameters, we did not reveal a sizeable discrepancy of the radiative equilibrium of the plasma towards LTE. For cases where LTE was firmly believed to stand, the Boltzmann plot outputs of this ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report was prepared in response to a request from the Nuclear Energy Research Advisory Committee (NERAC) subcommittee on ''Long-Term Isotope Research and Production Plans.'' The NERAC subcommittee has asked for a reply to a number of questions regarding (1) ''How well does the Department of Energy (DOE) infrastructure sme the need for commercial and medical isotopes?'' and (2) ''What should be the long-term role of the federal government in providing commercial and medical isotopes?' Our report addresses the questions raised by the NERAC subcommittee, and especially the 10 issues that were raised under the first of the above questions (see Appendix). These issues are related to the isotope products offered by the DOE Isotope Production Sites, the capabilities and condition of the facilities used to produce these products, the management of the isotope production programs at DOE ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We carry out investigation on the establishment of a program to cultivate a nuclear fusion workforce effectively, which is the most important resource in the fusion energy development. Acquisition of fresh fusion technologies is essentially required to pursue R and D efficiently and to ensure fusion initiatives firmly in the international community. As the time has come to cultivate the fusion workforce and to enhance the workforce's expertise, the universities, research institutes and industries involved in fusion energy development are supposed to adjust fast technology shifts and to accommodate international trends toward collaboration. We establish systematic schemes to develop a professional workforce and to assign the right jobs to the right people timely through the research-academic-industry cooperation. After carrying out domestic and oversea surveys on the education and training programs of various institutes, we evaluate an over-all manpower ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In response to the Energy Policy Act of 1992 and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission`s subsequent rulemaking on transmission access, many states are exploring options to restructure their electric industries. In their deliberations on restructuring, policymakers should consider (1) the reliability of the electric system; (2) income-distribution effects on ratepayers and utilities; (3) social consequences such as effects on energy conservation, renewable energy, and the environment; and (4) economic efficiency. We address economic-efficiency considerations in this study. Economic efficiency is important because it is one of the primary reasons that policymakers should consider restructuring in the first place: improving the electric-industry`s efficiency lowers costs and, hence, electric prices. In this study, we look at the sources of (in)efficiency in existing and proposed electric markets with the objective of guiding policymakers to design efficient electric markets. The ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

During the years 1995-1999, an international effort was going on under the title DECOVALEX II, in order to study the coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) effects in the water containing fractured rock mass caused by the heat generation of spent fuel canisters in a repository. The project was a continuation project of DECOVALEX (1991-1996). The name comes from the acronym 'an international co-operative project for the DEvelopment of COupled models and their VALidation against EXperiments in nuclear waste isolation'. Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) was one of the eleven Funding Organizations in the international project. STUK's Research Team was the Technical Research Centre of Finland, VTT Communities and Infrastructure. To support and coordinate the national research work, STUK formed a National DECOVALEX II Group (NDG). The group had representatives from six research organisations and rock engineering firms interested in ...

Science.gov (United States)

This article is a case study of an Internet chat room outreach project in Perth, Western Australia. The CyberReach project sought to adapt current peer based health promotion outreach, training and supervision frameworks to an online outreach setting in a way that was effective and supported by the online community. It targeted marginalised groups to trial the provision of online mental and sexual health promotion incorporating a participatory action research model into its development and implementation. Three 6-week trial periods were conducted and significant changes were made in response to changes in the online environment and to improve sustainability and effectiveness of the protocols. Four themes arose from CyberReach's experience: online group processes are unique due to the creation of extensive personal networks and occurrence of disclosure without face-to-face contact across potentially large geographic barriers; flexibility is required to adapt to technological changes and ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Moderate doses of red (660 nanometer) irradiation cause a rapid increase in the translocation of fluorescein in dark-grown mung bean hypocotyl (Vigna radiata L.) segments. The increase...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

With advances in treatment, colorectal cancer is being transformed from a deadly disease to an illness that is increasingly curable. With this transformation has come increased interest in the...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Summary: The increasing emergence of antimicrobial-resistant organisms, especially methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), has resulted in the increased...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The series of cubic pyrochlore structure compounds, R_2Mo_2O_7 (R = Nd-Yb, Y; R not= Eu), were prepared as single phase materials by solid state reaction between R_2O_3 and MoO_2 at 1400 "0C in a CO/CO_2 = 1 buffer gas atmosphere. Lattice constants obtained from X-ray powder data compare well with results from previous studies. Magnetic susceptibility and magnetization data were obtained for all samples between 300 K and 4.2 K (700 K for R = Gd) and a range of applied fields. For R = Nd, Sm, and Gd magnetic ordering is observed at 97 K, 93 K and 83 K respectively which is assigned to ferromagnetism on the Mo(IV) sublattice. The Mo(IV) moment in the ordered state is about 1 #mu#/sub B/. At low temperatures, the Gd(III) and Mo(IV) moments are apparently coupled feromagnetically in Gd_2Mo_2O_7 yet the high temperature susceptibility data seem to indicate a ferrimagnetic (antiparallel) Gd(III)-Mo(IV) coupling. The low-temperature magnetic properties of Nd_2Mo_2O_7 and Sm_2Mo_2O_7 are ...

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It is shown that thermodynamic properties can be used to determine whether, the degradation in Tsub(c) with increasing disorder observed in some A-15 compounds, is due to a reduction in electronic density of states and/or electron-phonon interaction or is due instead to an increase in Coulomb repulsion ..mu..* coming from increased localization as suggested by Anderson et al.

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... Therefore, as the information management capabilities of military forces increase, there is a corresponding need for improved security for the ...

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PMID:21684613

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The effect of WC particle size with the addition of VC as a grain growth inhibitor was investigated during the liquid phase sintering of WC-Co system. With increasing WC particle size at the same VC content, the effect of grain growth inhibition was increased. Also, with increasing the VC content, the grain shape of WC was changed from the faceted shape to the distorted shape, and the step density of the WC grain was increased. (orig.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Published in summary form only.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In recent years, there has been increased emphasis on techniques to enhance two-phase flow heat transfer. The resulting increase in the use of heat transfer augmentation and the engineering importance of the subject presents this investigation in order to study the effect of different heater surface configurations on two-phase flow instabilities. The authors present the results of an experimental and theoretical study, summarized as: instabilities are not affected by small changes in heat transfer; nucleate boiling increases system unstability; amplitude of the oscillations increases as the axial temperature gradient over the heater increases; for the same type heater surfaces system stability increases with decreasing equivalent diameter; period of the oscillations depend on the heater surfaces; and linearized analysis and steady-state data can be used to ...

Science.gov (United States)

A sulfonated fluoroalkyl graft polymer (FGP) membrane was prepared as a polymer electrolyte. First, the FGP membrane was grafted with styrene under UV irradiation. The grafted FGP was then sulfonated to functionalize it for proton conductivity. The grafting degree of the membrane increased with increasing grafting time during UV irradiation. The proton conductivity of the membrane increased with increasing grafting degree. The swelling ratio was independent of the grafting time, however, the water uptake increased with increasing grafting degree. Based on these results, it was found that the UV-initiated styrene grafting occurred along the membrane thickness direction. Moreover, the membrane was embedded within the glass fibers of the composite. This composite electrolytic membrane had 1.15 times the proton conductivity of a Nafion 117 membrane.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Research highlights: #-># The Y-intermetallic can accelerate corrosion and Y can increase the protectiveness of the surface layer. #-># In 0.1 M NaCl, the corrosion rate of Mg-Y alloys increased with increasing Y due to the Y intermetallic. #-># In 0.1 M NaCl, there was filiform corrosion. #-># In 0.1 M Na_2SO_4, the corrosion rate of Mg-Y alloys decreased with increasing Y in the range 3-7%Y. #-># Hydrogen evolution was observed from particular parts of the alloy surface. - Abstract: Corrosion of Mg-Y alloys was studied using electrochemical evaluations, immersion tests and direct observations. There were two important effects. In 0.1 M NaCl, the corrosion rate increased with increasing Y content due to increasing amounts of the Y-containing intermetallic. In 0.1 M Na_2SO_4, the corrosion rate decreased with ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Partial bladder outlet obstruction (PBOO) induces remodeling of urinary bladder smooth muscle (detrusor). We demonstrate an increase in bladder wall mass, muscle bundle size, and a threefold increase...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Fruit of soursop, Annona muricata L., showed increased CO₂ production 2 days after harvest, preceding the respiratory increase that coincided with autocatalytic ethylene...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

A patient’s electronic medical record contains a large amount of unstructured textual information. As patient records become increasingly dense owing to an aging population and increased occurrence...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Increased oxidative stress is associated with perinatal asphyxia and respiratory distress in the newborn period. Induction of nuclear factor erythroid 2 p45-related factor (Nrf2) has been shown to decrease...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Kin form important political groups, which change in size and relative inequality with demographic shifts. Increases in the rate of population growth increase the size of kin groups but decrease their...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Increased sensitivity to light-induced melatonin suppression characterizes some, but not all, patients with bipolar illness or seasonal affective disorder. The aim of this study was to test...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

IL-4 and IL-13 are up-regulated during in vivo responses to many nematode parasites, but increasing evidence suggests that increases in IL-13 can also occur independently of...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Growth at increasing continuous irradiance (at high nutrient nitrate) and nutrient nitrate concentrations (at high continuous irradiance) furnished increases in the in vivo and in...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

There has been a major interest in the drug treatment of osteoporosis and an increase in the number of drugs available in most countries. The ideal drug (one which increases or restores bone density...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ObjectiveTo determine if an aggressive approach to coronary revascularisation with oversized balloons is counterproductive, we studied the effect of increasing balloon‐to‐artery...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) is increasing in incidence, creating worldwide public health concerns and impacting morbidity and mortality rates. An increasing number of studies have demonstrated shared...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundEvolutionary life history theory predicts that, in the absence of contraception, any enhancement of maternal condition can increase human fertility. Energetic...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The use of complementary and alternative medicines is becoming increasingly popular in Western society. As a result the number of reported adverse reactions is increasing. Glucosamine is a herbal remedy...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Increased oxidative stress with elevated levels of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) plays an important role in the pathophysiology of many disease states. Increased ROS/RNS can...Full Text Available

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of increasing numbers of vortices as a function of the thickness. Vortices are these whirlpool shaped structures. They are interesting because they come paired with...

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No abstract prepared.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

We have successfully grown single crystalline Formula Not Shown with the range of Formula Not Shown using the floating-zone method. All compounds show orthorhombic symmetry in this substitution range, but the difference between lattice constants a and b decreases with increasing Sr concentration and becomes almost zero at Formula Not Shown . Characteristic temperatures, which correspond to antiferromagnetic ordering and structural transition, decrease with increasing Sr concentration. The value of the magnetic susceptibility below 30K increases with increasing Sr concentration. The temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity revealed that Sr substitution significantly suppresses the highly anisotropic electric structure of Formula Not Shown .

Science.gov (United States)

... The maximum rate-of-deflection is not&d to decresse with increase of pedel force; or amount of resistance to deflection. ...

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exposed to persistent saltwater intrusion, a major factor in the decline of marsh ecosystems. The resulting increase in salinity from persistent flooding due to ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In the present thesis, the shell structure in exotic nuclei has been investigated. The focus of the work was on finding new experimental data in neutron-rich Cr and proton-rich Ca isotopes. The investigation of light Ca isotopes concentrated on the nucleus {sup 36}Ca which was produced in a knockout reaction from a radioactive {sup 37}Ca beam. For {sup 36}Ca, the excitation energy of the first 2{sup +} state has been measured for the first time. Furthermore, momentum distributions were analyzed using a Monte-Carlo simulation of the knockout reaction. This analysis yielded the contributions of neutrons from individual orbitals to the total knockout cross section. In principle, these may be used to calculate spectroscopic factors, but such a calculation is hampered by difficulties of present knockout-reaction models in predicting precise single-particle cross sections. The measured branching ratio to the ground and excited states, on the other hand, is close to the predicted value. A ...

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A method is described for increasing pressure in geologic oil-bearing structures by gas production due to microbial activity. There is added to an oil-bearing structure an anaerobic micro-organism (Methanobacterium termoautotroficum), a culture medium and formic acid. The formic acid is converted to carbon dioxide and methane gases resulting in increased pressure in the structures. Methanobacterium termoautotroficum cannot split formic acid into CO/sub 2/ and H/sub 2/ but it can produce methane from these 2 gases. 4 claims.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dynamical models are presented that start with interstellar gas in an initial diffuse state and consider their gravitational collapse and the formation of dense cores. Frozen-in tangled magnetic fields are included to mimic forces that might oppose gravitational contraction and whose effectiveness may increase with increasing core densities. Results suggest the possibility that dense cloud cores may be dynamically evolving ephemeral objects, such that their lifespan at a given core density decreases as that density increases. 66 refs.

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Nutrient elements contained in litter fall flux, that of uptake flux and turnover rate had generally tended to increase with the increase in the Warmth Index, while the amount of nutrient in the A[sub 0] horizon and nutrient use efficiency did not. However, it is suggested that topographic and climatic aridity, and the amount of available and exchangeable phosphorus, calcium and magnesium greatly affect the nutrient dynamics in a each forest ecosystem as the Warmth Index increases. (J.P.N.).

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nano structured carbon nitride thin films were deposited at different RF powers in the range of 50 W to 225 W and constant gas ratio of (argon: nitrogen) Ar:N_2 by RF magnetron sputtering. The atomic percentage of Nitrogen: Carbon (N/C) content and impedance of the films increased from 14.36% to 22.31% and 9 x 10"-"1 #OMEGA# to 7 x 10"5 #OMEGA# respectively with increase in RF power. The hardness of the deposited films increased from 3.12 GPa to 13.12 GPa. The increase in sp"3 hybridized C-N sites and decrease of grain size with increase in RF power is responsible for such variation of observed mechanical and electrical properties.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The effects of equal #SIGMA#Ai for different combinations of the annealing temperature and annealing time on corrosion resistance and evolution of precipitates of Zircaloy-2 were investigated. Nodular corrosion resistance in the out-of-pile corrosion test was degraded with increasing #SIGMA#Ai only when it was increased by extending the annealing time at 894 K but did not depend on #SIGMA#Ai which was increased by raising the annealing temperature for a constant annealing time of 2.5 h. Extensive observation and micro-analysis of precipitates by analytical electron microscope (AEM) suggested the cause of degradation of nodular corrosion resistance to be the remarkable increase in volume fraction of Si-containing precipitates such as Zr_3Si and Zr_2Si, which were observed more frequently in large #SIGMA#Ai only when it was increased by extending the annealing time at 894 K. On the ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

2,2,5,7,8-Pentamethyl-6-chromanol (PMCol) was administered by gavage in rats for 28 days at dose levels of 0, 100, 500, and 2000mg/kg/day. PMCol administration induced decreases in body weight gains and food consumption, hepatotoxicity (increased TBILI, ALB, ALT, TP; increased relative liver weights; increased T4 and TSH), nephrotoxicity (increased BUN and BUN/CREAT, histopathology lesions), effect on lipid metabolism (increased CHOL), anemia, increase in WBC counts (total and differential), coagulation (FBGNand PTdarr) and hyperkeratosis of the nonglandular stomach in the 2000mg/kg/day dose group (in one or both sexes). In the 500mg/kg/day dose group, toxicity was seen to a lesser extent. In the 100mg/kg/day dose group, only increased CHOL (females) was observed. To assess the toxicity of...

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Increasing photosynthesis rate by raising CO{sub 2} and lowering O{sub 2} usually results in measured rates lower than those expected from the kinetics of rubisco. The failure of leaves to utilize the increased efficiency of rubisco has been attributed to limitations in rates of either starch or sucrose synthesis, which lead to a lowering of Pi and a reduction in the rate of ATP synthesis. In sugar beet leaves, increasing CO{sub 2} from 350 to 600 {mu}L L{sup {minus}1} usually increased photosynthesis only about 10%, compared to the 45% expected, and lowering O{sub 2} from 2 to 21% increased photosynthesis only an additional 20%, compared to the additional 40% expected. In some cases, raising CO{sub 2} increased photosynthesis the full 30% with no further increase occurring upon lowering O{sub 2}. In all cases, rates of starch and sucrose ...

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A parametric experimental investigation of an 85 millimeter bore angular contact ball bearing running in RP-1 fuel was performed at speeds of 10,000 to 24,000 rpm. Thrust loads were varied from 4450 to 17,800 Newtons (1000 to 4000 lbs.). Radial loads were varied from 1335 to 13,350 Newtons (300 to 3000 lbs.). RP-1 lubrication for the bearing was provided through a stationary jet ring located adjacent to the test bearing outer ring. Increases in both the thrust and radial loads resulted in increased bearing temperature, while increases in shaft speed resulted in much more dramatic increases in bearing temperature. These trends are typical for ball bearings operating under these types of conditions. Results are given for outer ring temperatures of the test bearing at the various test conditions employed. In addition, the heat energy removed from the bearing by the RP-1 was determined by measuring the ...

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Fe-Cr-Mn stainless steel is one of the candidate materials for the 1`st wall materials and structural applications of fusion reactor as regards reduced radioactivation properties than Fe-Cr-Ni austenitic stainless steels. This report deals with the effects of annealing and aging heat treatment on the microstructure, mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of Fe-Cr-Mn alloys varying Mn and W contents, which were made using vacuum high frequency induction furnace. Increasing Mn contents, austenite phase was increased, and maximum .epsilon. martensite phase was formed at about 21% Mn. W-addition made small amount of ferrite phase in the matrix, and the ferrite contents were increased with raising annealing temperature. Increased Mn contents reduced tensile stress and yield stress but increased the elongation. W-addition raised the high temperature tensile properties. The ...

Science.gov (United States)

The magnetically fluidized bed (MFB) was used as the reactor in a novel semidry flue gas desulfurization (FGD) process to achieve high desulfurization efficiency. Experiments in a laboratory-scale apparatus were conducted to reveal the effects of approach to adiabatic saturation temperature, Ca/S molar ratio and applied magnetic field intensity on SO(2) removal. Results showed that SO(2) removal efficiency can be obviously enhanced by decreasing approach to adiabatic saturation temperature, increasing Ca/S molar ratio, or increasing applied magnetic field intensity. At a magnetic field intensity of 300Oe and a Ca/S molar ratio of 1.0, the desulfurization efficiency (excluding desulfurization efficiency in the fabric filter) was over 80%, while spent sorbent appeared in the form of dry powder. With the SEM, XRD and EDX research, it can be found that the increase of DC magnetic field intensity can make the surface morphology ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The mechanism of abrupt increase of the giant magneto impedance (GMI) ratio in the ion irradiated Co-based amorphous ribbon has been investigated. The grazing incident X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope were used to characterize the samples before and after ion irradiation. The GMI-ratio considerably increased in the ion irradiated samples and the GMI response showed strong dependence on the driving frequencies. The Barkhausen noise (BN) signals are increased for the Ar ion irradiated sample with dose of 1x10^1^7 ion/cm^2. The results are interpreted in terms of GMI variation associated with domain wall dynamics.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The sheath plasma characteristics changing with the negative bias applied to the substrate during electron cyclotron resonance plasma nitriding are studied. The sheath characteristics obtained by a Langmuir single probe and an ion energy analyzer show that when the negative bias applied to the substrate is increasing, the most probable energy of ions in the sheath and the full width of half maximum of ions energy distribution increase, the thickness of the sheath also increases, whereas the saturation current of ion decreases. It has been found from the optical emission spectrum that there are strong lines of N_2 and N_2"+. Based on the experiment results the mechanism of plasma nitriding is discussed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kinetics of decomposition of gallium and alkali metal intermetallic compounds in the systems LiGa-LiOH, LiGa-NaOH and LiGa-KON was studied in the temperature range of 40-80 deg C. It was ascertained that increase in temperature gives rise to increase in decomposition rate, whereas increase in hydroxide concentration involves the reaction deceleration. An assumption was made that the decomposition occurs with superimposing of two mechanisms, i.e. chemical and electrochemical decomposition. Basic kinetic characteristics of the process were determined - decomposition rate constant and current density

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Increased use of natural gas has positive effects for the environment and the climate, because it primarily replaces petroleum products. Moreover, the natural gas does not pose a threat to bio fuel in Norway. But introducing CO2 taxes on natural gas will significantly increase the emission of greenhouse gases, concludes a report conducted by Norsk Energi (Norwegian Energy) on behalf of Norsk Naturgassforening (Norwegian Natural Gas Association) and Norsk Gassforum (Norwegian Gasforum). A brief presentation of the main conclusions in the report (ml)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The marine environment is becoming increasingly contaminated by environmental pollutants with the potential to damage DNA, with marine sediments acting as a sink for many of these contaminants. Understanding genotoxic responses in sediment-dwelling marine organisms, such as polychaetes, is therefore of increasing importance. This study is an exploration of species-specific and cell-specific differences in cell sensitivities to DNA-damaging agents in polychaete worms, aimed at increasing fundamental knowledge of their responses to genotoxic damage. The sensitivities of coelomocytes from three polychaetes species of high ecological relevance, i.e. the lugworm Arenicola marina, the harbour ragworm Nereis diversicolor and the king ragworm Nereis virens to genotoxic damage are compared, and dif...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The adsorption and corrosion inhibition behavior of three selected thiosemicarbazone derivatives, namely 3-pyridinecarboxaldehyde thiosemicarbazone (META), isonicotinaldehyde thiosemicarbazone (PARA) and 2-pyridinecarboxaldehyde thiosemicarbazone (ORTHO) at the nickel surface were studied electrochemically by Tafel and impedance methods and computationally by carrying out Monte Carlo searches of configurational space on nickel/thiosemicarbazone derivative system. Electrochemical measurements showed that the inhibition efficiency of these compounds increased with increase in their concentration. The recorded inhibition efficiencies of the three tested thiosemicarbazone increase in the order: META>PARA>ORTHO. Polarization studies showed that these compounds act as mixed-type inhibitors for n...

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Calcium and phosphorus were mainly responsible for reducing the gastrointestinal absorption of lead in human subjects. The effect of calcium was greater than phosphorus, and their combined effect was more than additive. Increasing weights of calcium and phosphorus progressively reduced lead absorption. The relationship between absorption and increasing weights could be described by two negative exponentials. These effects could be explained if lead competed with calcium and phosphorus for common transport mechanisms in the gut. Milk was also found to reduce lead absorption. Adding milk to the diet of people with low dietary calcium intake could reduce the possibility of increased absorption of ingested lead.

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The actual cost of constructing the LNG facility was about $589 million, an increase of approximately 258% over the $164 million cost estimate approved by the Federal Power Commission (FPC) in 1977. According to reports submitted by Trunkline LNG, the reasons for the increases included extensive modifications to plant design to ensure safe and reliable construction and greater operating efficiency and compliance with state and federal regulations. Also, extension beyond the original estimated completion date, various labor problems, and general inflation resulted in increased labor and interest costs.

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... upland development or destroyed during sand and gravel pit mining operations. Gains Increases in nonvegetated wetlands mainly through pond ... ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Addition of a vasoconstrictor to a local anesthetic may have several beneficial effects: a decrease in the peak plasma concentration of the local anesthetic agent, increase in the duration and the quality...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The effects of gamma irradiation at 0.2#approx#0.4 Mrad and condition for processing of buckwheat noodles on sensory quality and physical properties were investigated. The results were as follows: (1) Sensory evaluation of buckwheat noodles, prepared with the 70 % ratio of buckwheat flour, was decreased according to an increase of irradiation dose of buckwheat flour. Hardness and adhesiveness of buckwheat noodles caused by irradiation should be given large effect to the texture. Elasticity of buckwheat noodles was linearly decreased with increasing of irradiation dose of buckwheat flour, and elasticity of buckwheat noodles was decreased about 15 % by an increase of irradiation dose at 0.3 Mrad. (2) Maximum torque in Farinograph test was linearly decreased with increasing of irradiation dose of buckwheat flour, and maximum torque was decreased about 3 % by increasing of irradiation ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundIncrease in the incidence of hyperuricemia associated with gout as well as hypertension, renal diseases and cardiovascular diseases has been a public health concern. We...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

INTRODUCTION:Postprandial lipemia is characterized by an increased concentration of circulating lipids after fat intake and is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Denturism, an organized movement by dental laboratory technicians to increase their control over the provision of denture services to the public, has generated a great deal of controversy among members...Full Text Available

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Increasing the Mg(2+) concentration results in a depression of succincoxidase-linked state 3

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... PERSONAL AUTHOR(S) ROY A. BROOKS, LTC i3a. ... gave the impression of an immediate increase in the standard ... high rate by German standards. ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Background:Prolonged mechanical ventilation is increasingly common. It is expensive and associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Our objective is to comprehensively characterize...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

It has become increasingly clear that the standard nomenclature for many telencephalic and related brainstem structures of the avian brain is based on flawed once-held assumptions of homology...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

An industrial design of turbodrill with oil-filled gear reducer has been made and has passed comprehensive field tests. In its energy characteristics, durability and operating properties, it is acceptable for broad introduction into drilling practice. In all regions of drilling, the use of the reducer increases the drilling per drill bit, and with sufficient depth, the run velocity of drilling. In certain regions (for example, West Siberia) it is possible to increase the mechanical velocity by high torque at the reducer outlet. The inter-repair service life of the oil-filled reducers for West Siberia and Tatariya exceeds on the average 100 hours. For wells with high face temperatures (over 1502)C) it reaches 42.6 hours. Further increase in the service life is associated with an increase in the thermoresistance, primarily, of the lubricator assembly. The design of the oil-filled reducer makes it possible ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Object: To permit a valve operation test to be periodically made during plant operation without causing variations in plant power by detecting flow control valve defect on the basis of a valve aperture alteration instruction. Structure: Step signals which are equal in absolute value and opposite in sign are coupled to the input side of flow controllers provided on the recycling loops of two or more recycling flow control systems. With these inputs the aperture of the flow control valve on one side is increased (or reduced) while the aperture of the valve on the other side is reduced (or increased). As a result, the recycling flow rate in the loop on one side is increased (or reduced) while that on the other side is reduced (or increased). Whether the valve is normally operating or not is confirmed by checking the recycling flow rate and valve aperture. (Nakamura, S.).

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The Python programming language is steadily increasing in popularity as the language of choice for scientific computing. The ability of this scripting environment to access a huge code base in various...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundOrthology analysis is an important part of data analysis in many areas of bioinformatics such as comparative genomics and molecular phylogenetics. The ever-increasing flood...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wood-polymer composites (WPC) have been prepared of pinewood with different monomers using Gamma radiation: acrylamide, butyl acrylate, butyl methacrylate, styrene, acrylonitrile, and polyester. The polymer loading was determined as a function of monomer concentration and absorbed dose. The data show that polymer loading increases by increasing the monomer concentration. In two cases, BMA and polyester, the polymer loading decreases at high concentrations. This can be explained by the increase of the viscosity. Thus the diffusion of the compound into bulk would be slower. The absorbed dose seems to play a positive role in enhancing the polymer loading by increasing the dose. The mechanical properties, tensile and compression strength, have been improved in the most cases for all monomer concentrations or absorbed doses. Using polyester there was no improvement in the mechanical properties, and using ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Interest and research into the mechanisms and treatment of neuropathic pain have increased during recent years, but current treatment is still far from satisfactory (Dworkin...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A single cylinder diesel engine study of water-in-diesel emulsions was conducted to investigate the effect of water emulsification on the engine performance and gases exhaust temperature. Emulsified Diesel fuels of 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 water/diesel ratios by volume were used in a single cylinder, direct injection diesel engine, operating at 1200-3300 rpm. The results indicate that the addition of water in the form of emulsion improves combustion efficiency. The engine torque, power and brake thermal efficiency increase as the water percentage in the emulsion increases. The average increase in the brake thermal efficiency for 20% water emulsion is approximately 3.5% over the use of diesel for the engine speed range studied. The proper brake specific fuel consumption and gases exhaust temperature decrease as the percentage of water in the emulsion increases. (author)

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ObjectivesTo assess the magnitude of cigarette smuggling after the market opened in Taiwan.MethodsReview of tobacco industry documents for references...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BACKGROUND:Despite increasing attention to the epidemiology of pain, relatively little is known about the association between pain and health in children. In particular, no studies...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

the probability of its spontaneous radiation de-excitation increases. ... consider spontaneous radiation transitions. We will examine the ...

Science.gov (United States)

Novel in situ polymerizable liquid three-arm biodegradable oligomeric polyesters based upon glycolic acid (GA), L-lactic acid (LLA), and their copolymers are synthesized and characterized. Injectable and in situ curable polymer neat resins and their composites formulated with bioabsorbable beta-tricalcium phosphate are prepared at room temperature using photo- and redox-initiation systems, respectively. The cured neat resins show the initial compressive yield strength (YCS, MPa), modulus (M, MPa), ultimate compressive strength (UCS, MPa), and toughness (T, kN mm), ranging from 4.0 to 20.1, 201.5 to 730.2, 82.7 to 310.5, and 1.02 to 3.93. The cured composites show the initial YCS, M, UCS and T, ranging from 27.7 to 56.4, 1440 to 4870, 81.6 to 158.9, and 0.94 to 1.97. Increasing GA/LLA ratio increases all the initial compressive strengths of both neat resins and composites. Increasing filler content ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Schizophrenia is a heterogeneous psychiatric disorder in which multiple neurotransmitter systems have been implicated. Increased and decreased dopamine transmission in the subcortical meso-limbic and...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

heat transfer augmentation was found to increase with decreasing length scale but no optimum length scale was found. Heat transfer augmentation due to turbu- ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for separating high molecular weight molecules from low molecular weight molecules. More specifically, the invention relates to the use of microdialysis for removal of the salt (low molecular weight molecules) from a nucleotide sample (high molecular weight molecules) for ESI-MS analysis. The dialysis or separation performance of the present invention is improved by (1) increasing dialysis temperature thereby increasing desalting efficiency and improving spectrum quality; (2) adding piperidine and imidazole to the dialysis buffer solution and reducing charge states and further increasing detection sensitivity for DNA; (3) using low concentrations of dialysis buffer and shifting the DNA negative ions to higher charge states, producing a nearly 10-fold increase in detection sensitivity and a slightly decreased desalting efficiency, or (4) ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundAs long-term nursing home care is likely to increase with the aging of the population, identifying chronic medical conditions is of particular interest. Although need factors...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Mangroves are disappearing rapidly worldwide despite their well documented biodiversity and the ecosystem services they provide. Failure to link ecological processes and their societal benefits has...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Lens-induced glaucoma comprises a number of different glaucomatous processes occurring in the elderly that share in common the role of the crystalline lens in the mechanism of increase in intraocular...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The surface films formed on type 316LN stainless steels (SS) with different nitrogen contents, during potentiodynamic polarization in acidified 1 M NaCl solution, were characterized by Laser Raman Spectroscopy (LRS). LRS confirmed the presence of oxides and oxychlorides of iron and chromium, hydrated chlorides and nitrates in the film. Raman mapping showed increasing nitrate content in the film with increasing nitrogen content. The film on the uncorroded material showed the presence of chromium and molybdenum oxides. The improvement in pitting corrosion resistance of type 316LN SS with increasing nitrogen content was attributed to increased amount of nitrates in the passive film.

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... ahead. C. We strengthened tax management, plugged loopholes, and made every effort to increase revenues. Tax bureaus ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Erosion-corrosion (E-C) of 3003 aluminum (Al) alloy in ethylene glycol-water solutions were studied by weight-loss and electrochemical measurements as well as surface characterization through an impingement jet system. Al alloy E-C is dominated by erosion components, i.e., pure erosion and corrosion-enhanced erosion, which account for 92-97% of the total E-C rate under the various conditions in this work. Contribution from corrosion components, including pure corrosion and erosion-enhanced corrosion, is slight. With the increase of fluid flow velocity and sand concentration, the total E-C rate increases. Compared with the significant increase of the rates of erosion components, the increase of the rate of corrosion component is negligible. Upon fluid flow, passivity of Al alloy that develo...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Objective:The present study describes the effect of nebivolol (NBV) either alone or in combination with lamotrigine (LTG) using increasing current electroshock seizures...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Purpose: This preliminary report describes the development and implementation of a project to improve access to literature in Latin American social medicine (LASM).Methods:...Full Text Available