SabaBank is a large submerged platform (∼2200 km2), average depth 30 m, located 4 km southwest of Saba Island in Netherlands Antilles, Caribbean Sea. Ships traveling to and from...Full Text Available
Examines the potential of the World Bank scheme, outlined in its 1980 Education Sector Policy Paper, for helping Bangladesh achieve universal basic education. Considers such issues as formal vs. nonformal schooling, costs, and teacher training. Part of a theme issue on the World Bank Paper and Third World educational development. (SJL)
This article reports on the UN Environment Programme's (UNEP's) work in supporting the banking and financing sector by creating clean energy finance markets in developing countries. Details are given of the shifting of cash markets to credit, financing solar home systems in India, solar thermal lending in Tunisia, the financing of hotel based solar water heating in Morocco, and the Green Village Credit initiatives in the Yunnan province of China. The importance of providing banks with information needed to gain awareness and experience of renewable energy systems is stressed. The fundamentals of a bank engagement programme, financial catalysts, structuring market oriented approaches, and linking bank lending to policy making are discussed along with the need to shift to credit enhancements to help banks set up their first loan portfolios.
The problems of introducing renewable energy systems into communities having meagre resources are analysed. Topics covered include financial and economic barriers, subsidies and bankpolicy. It is concluded that without satisfactory financing mechanisms, renewable energies are unlikely to be widespread in the developing world. (UK)
Changes in technology have resulted in new ways for bankers to deliver their services to costumers. Electronic banking systems in various forms are the evidence of such advancement. However, information security threats also evolving along this trend. This paper proposes the application of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) methodology to guide decision makers in banking industries to deal with information security policy. The model is structured according aspects of information security policy in conjunction with information security elements. We found that cultural aspect is valued on the top priority among other security aspects, while confidentiality is considered as the most important factor in terms of information security elements.
The paper deals briefly with the basic nature of financial activity and markets and of the intermediaries, including banks, within these markets. It is argued that efforts by the authorities to affect monetary policy through controls on bank lending (quantitative and interest rates) are inefficient and only lead to circumvention. To the degree that prices (interest rates) are kept down in one area, they will be higher in another, and supply of credit reduced from one source will encourage a greater supply from another. The Campbell Committee's recommendations, if implemented, are likely to result in freer financial markets and to improve the resource development sector's access to finance. Clear examples would be the removal of foreign exchange restrictions and the setting up of a market-oriented exchange rate system. However, in one sense this access may be narrowed as the extension of ...
The 8 papers in the report deal with the following areas: Introduction to diesel particulate emissions, alternative fuels, and the transit industry; Technical problems and policy issues associated with the 1991 bus emissions standards; Reducing transit bus emissions: comparative costs and benefits of methanol, particulate traps, and fuel modification; Effects of applying emissions averaging, trading, and banking to transit buses; Strategic review of heavy-duty engine emission regulations and alternate fuels; Meeting bus emissions standards--a perspective; Economic evaluation of bus maintenance contracting; Objectives for a transit-bus-fleet management data, information, and knowledge exchange.
The World Bank is analyzing the role of economic policy instruments for the control of air pollution in Poland, in cooperation with Polish and international experts. The first stage, covering Poland as a whole, was recently completed, jointly financed with the U.S. E.P.A. and the Government of the Netherlands. The second stage, now under way, will extend the analysis into a specific regional framework. Stage 2 is financed by the World Bank, the Polish Government, and the U.K. Environment Know-How Fund. Air Pollution in Poland is overwhelmingly caused by energy production and uses, due to the fact that the Polish economy depends heavily on coal and lignite. At present, vehicles contribute less to total emissions than do coal burning and industrial processes, although they account for 25-35% of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and lead; and the concentrated in areas of high population density. The paper shows ...
A large number of proven technical solutions exists for the use of renewable energies (RE). However, their dissemination is still too slow to meet the political goal of substituting 12 % of the primary energy demand in the European Union by the year 2010. Even renewable energy systems (RES) with economic potential are only partly exploited. There is a long literature concerning the barriers to RE use. In particular it has become clear that the availability of finance and the forms and conditions upon which it is lent have a major impact on RE deployment. An area of importance is the deficiency of appropriate ownership forms and properly adapted financing instruments in certain countries. Moreover, different regulations and institutional barriers in the European countries hinder the free flow of capital for RES within the European common market. On the other hand, solutions have been developed very successfully in individual countries. Differences in cultures and institutions have ...
Abstract: The current financial crisis has now led most major central banks to rely on quantitative easing. The unique Japanese experience of quantitative easing is the only experience which enables us to judge this therapy's effectiveness and the timing of the exit strategy. In this paper, we provide a new empirical framework to examine the effectiveness of Japanese monetary policy during the ''lost'' decade and quantify the effect of quantitative easing on Japan's activity and prices. We combine advantages of Markov-switching VAR methodology with those of factor analysis to establish two major findings. First, we show that the decisive change in regime occurred in two steps: it crept out from late 1995 and established itself durably in February 1999. Second, we show for the first time th...
Climate change is no longer questioned. Meeting growing global energy needs - while limiting the rate of climate change over the long term - will require both developed and developing countries to move to fuels with lower emissions of greenhouse gases and to adopt more energy-efficient technologies. Investment decisions made today will be pivotal in determining the path of global energy consumption for decades to come. Energy markets, financial markets, and the markets in which greenhouse gas emissions are traded - the so-called 'carbon markets' - together determine which technologies are adopted, and how quickly. Over the next half-century, energy demand will grow almost four times as rapidly in developing countries as in developed countries. Consequently, finding ways to increase investment in cleaner energy technologies in rapidly-growing economies in the developing world will be an essential component of global efforts to alter the path of greenhouse gas ...
The Chinese banking sector has undergone noteworthy financial reforms, which significantly metamorphosed the banking system. This article seeks to examine the determinants of the profitability of the Chinese banking sector. The empirical analysis is confined to the four State Owned Commercial Banks (SOCBs) and the 12 Joint Stock Commercial Banks (JSCBs) during the postreform period of 2000-2007. The empirical findings of this study suggest that size, credit risk, and capitalization are positively related to the profitability of China banks, whereas liquidity, overhead costs, and network embeddedness have negative impacts. However, the impact of liquidity is not uniform across bank types. We find that the SOCBs with higher level of liquidity tend to be relatively more profitable, which coul...
Many banks are under pressure to increase funding by capital, especially equity capital. Return on assets increases, the leverage multiplier declines and the return required by investors should decline as banks increase reliance on equity financing. This article empirically demonstrates the importance of risk and profitability on bank value, and then conceptually illustrates how the price/book ratio and related value should be affected by those banking units either able to issue equity capital or change their capital structure.
The Protein Data Bank in Europe (PDBe; pdbe.org) is actively involved in managing the international archive of biomacromolecular structure data as one of the partners in the Worldwide Protein Data Bank...Full Text Available
The primary goal was to address several questions with regard to how soil seed banks change in a successional series. How does the composition of the viable seed bank change, and how does the relationship of the soil seed bank and vegetation change with succession? Can the seed bank be regarded as a potential as a source of seeds for wetland restoration? We collected soil seed bank samples and sampled the vegetation in four different successional stages and used the NMDS (nonmetric multidimensional scaling) to evaluate the relationship of species composition between the seed banks and vegetation. The difference of seed density and species richness in different habitats and soil depths also was compared. Viable seeds of half (37) the species in the early-successional stage were found in all...
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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...
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.
AIMS: To examine the frequency of intraocular metastases in patients who had died of cancer, in an eye bank and necropsy population sample. METHODS: The first group included 302 cancer cases received...Full Text Available
Evaluates a mathematical model that describes subsidence of spoil banks in surface brown coal mines. The model is based on the results of geodetic surveys carried out in 1974-1985. Twelve spoil banks from 4 to 61 m high were considered. Ground subsidence and deformation along 12 measuring lines and 6 measuring networks were measured. Ground subsidence during a period of 18 to 241 months was evaluated using regression analysis. The mathematical model considered effects of spoil bank design (number and thickness of rock layers), rock mechanical and physical properties and service time. 6 refs.
This publication, part of the series titled Market Guide for Steam Coal Exports from Appalachia provides information on export markets, contracts, and related matters for producers and others involved in mining, selling, and shipping Appalachian coal to foreign buyers. It also includes information on the financial institutions that provide export finance and how they are used. Senior officers of more than 40 banks ranged from the largest money center bank and a major foreign bank in New York City to small banks in Appalachia.
Bank sediments along a 40km reach of the South River, downstream of Waynesboro, VA, store mercury from historical contamination as a result of textile manufacturing. Knowledge of the rate at which contaminated sediment is released to the stream channel through bank erosion is required to implement restoration programs designed, for example, to minimize its ecological impact and to reduce risk to human health. Digitized stream channel boundaries based on visual interpretations of georeferenced aerial imagery from 1937 and 2005 were compared to calculate a minimum estimate of the total area of bank sediment eroded between Waynesboro and Port Republic, Virginia. Estimates of riverbank height were extracted from aerial LIDAR data, allowing areal estimates of bank retreat to be converted to vol...
Optimal capacitor placement determines the size, type, and location of capacitors to be installed on a radial distribution feeder that will reduce peak power and energy losses while minimizing the costs of investment and installation of the capacitor banks. This paper describes a sensitivity-based optimal placement of capacitors that employs a new load characterization scheme using a voltage-current-angle-logger. The proposed method allows modeling of loads of different power factors for different portions of the distribution feeder. The optimal solution is obtained by testing various combinations of capacitor banks (based on the smallest bank size specified by the user) and candidate nodes along the distribution feeder, and calculating the resultant savings. In order to reduce solution time, the candidate nodes are ranked according to their sensitivity factors. The highest ranking nodes are considered first in the ...
Trials were carried out with cuttings of Salix alba, S. viminalis and S. x holosericea. Short (25-30 cm) and long (50-60 cm) cuttings were taken, and were planted at the bottom and the top of the bank. Long cuttings survivied better than short cuttings. For S. viminalis and S. X holosericea, growth was better at the bottom of the bank; S. alba grew better at the top. S. viminalis showed the greatest survival % and the best growth.
World oil prices are responsible for new concerns about the health of the international banking system, particularly the $60 billion in annual deficits of the developing countries. If the banks continue lending money to these countries in hopes of repayment in better times, they could jeopardize their financial position; but if they stop the loans, they will jeopardize repayment of the present debts. High US interest rates, heavy goods and technology, economic sanctions imposed by the US in response to Russia's invasion of Afghanistan, and the unregulated Eurocurrency market have contributed to the problem. No one knows how great a loss the capital markets can sustain and still survive. New banking arrangements by the World Bank and other institutions are still unproven. 19 references. (DCK)
Recent Reviews in Carcinogenesis is a service of the International Cancer Research Data Bank (ICRDB) Program of the National Cancer Institute, intended to facilitate and promote the exchange of information between cancer scientists. It contains abstracts ...
... 2008. Characterizing the relative contributions of large vessels to total ocean noise fields: a case study using the Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank ...
BackgroundPublicly available DNA sequence databases such as GenBank are large, and are growing at an exponential rate. The sheer volume of data being dealt with presents serious...Full Text Available
... World Bank-run Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund. ... No funds for Afghanistan have been held up ... Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, TTP) is primarily ...
... of "position error" in the AGARD Multilingual Aeronautical ... when it cones into the aircraft flow field it ... on actual bank angle and separation, may be - ...
The Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine (SBMM) is a 65 ha site located on the eastern shore of the Oaks Arm of Clear Lake, Lake County, California. Between 1864 and 1957, SBMM was the site of underground and open pit mining operations for S and Hg, coinciding with past and present hot spr...
Innumerable fissures were formed widely in Hanshin area in Japan by the former southern Hyogo prefectural earthquake occurred on Jan.17, 1995. In this study, as a preliminary investigation, we applied passive type radon detector Pico-Rad (U.S. Packard Instrument Co. Ltd.) with hemispheric plastic cover over them around the fissure along on the bank of two reservoirs to examine whether there is possibility to find fissures using the characteristics of "2"2"2Rn migration. One of the reservoir, Taniyamakami-ike, is located at the north of the Awaji-shima island at a distance of about 4 km from the seismic center of this earthquake. On the whole, "2"2"2Rn exhalation rates were high on a line of 2 m below the edge of the bank and got lower in proportion to the distance from this line. Those top of the bank had middle values among the lines. The mean "2"2"2Rn exhalation rate was 4.7 mBq m"-"2 s"-"1, and in these data we found ...
...2010-10-01 false Preferences under the Energy Policy Act. 926.7005 Section...Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS OTHER SOCIOECONOMIC...Implementation of Section 3021 of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 926.7005...
A government would like to subsidize an indivisible good. Consumers? valuations of the good vary according to their wealth and benefits from the good. A subsidy scheme may be based on consumers? wealth or benefit information. We translate a wealth-based policy to a benefit-based policy, and vice versa, and give a necessary and sufficient condition for the pair of policies to implement the same assignment: consumers choose to purchase the good under the wealth-based policy if and only if they choose to do so under the translated benefit-based policy. General taxation allows equivalent policies to require the same budget.
... development of SC policy within DOD, because it describes the necessary link between DOD ... strategy convolutes USG efforts to develop SC policy. ...
Abstract Policy-makers are increasingly recognising that the promotion of more sustainable consumption patterns is an indispensable prerequisite for achieving sustainable development in the long term. Policy documents and action plans have been published, and a wide array of policy instruments has been implemented with the aim of reducing the environmental and social burdens of consuming goods and services. But what are the latest trends and innovative approaches in sustainable consumption (SC) policies? What could be learnt for future policy-making? Based on an overview of European policy instruments and several case studies, the paper discusses instructive examples of SC policy instruments, in particular the Danish information campaign "One Tonne Less", the Dutch tax incentive scheme "Gr...
The Georges Bank, off southwestern Nova Scotia, is one of the most biologically productive continental shelf ecosystems in the world. It supports a wide diversity of species, including many seabirds. In 1988, federal and provincial legislation placed a moratorium on petroleum exploration and drilling on the Georges Bank, directing the ministers of Natural Resources Canada, and of the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources to make a decision regarding the moratorium by January 1, 2000. This report by the Ecology Action Centre (EAC) asks the Georges Bank Review Panel to recommend extending the moratorium on Georges Bank and adjacent areas until 2012, in part to match the American moratorium. Other reasons why the panel made this recommendation were explored. The principal reason is the EAC concern that when the moratorium is lifted, several oil and gas developments will proceed in this ecologically ...
The report, Water Resources Management in Asia, has three objectives: To describe the situation confronting the region's borrowers, devise approaches to better deal with the present and future water related problems that affect their well-being and equip the staff to actively participate in the regional and Bank-wide efforts to strengthen the sector. The principal water resources problems and issues have been placed in four categories: Institutional, long-term management and planning, real-time management and operations, and financial. Such an arrangement provides a perspective for examining concerns across all economic sectors and allows formulation of solutions that will constitute a truly comprehensive, balanced approach to the critical situation encountered in managing these resources. A summary of past Bank activities has confirmed that an historic approach is not adequate to address the pressing problems of today and the future.
Abstract The World Bank is the largest international funder of biodiversity conservation. It invests in protected areas to conserve species and spaces, protect ecosystems, and provide food, shelter, and other ecosystem services to local communities. It spends on average, $275 million annually supporting parks in developing countries. We examined their protected areas investment portfolio from 1988 to 2008 to understand how they allocate these funds. We found that more money is allocated to countries with progressively larger GDPs. Many, but not all, of these investments correlate with consensus opinions of high biodiversity priorities. But the World Bank's investments are not proportional; poorer countries receive relatively more funds than richer ones, regardless of biodiversity importanc...
Purpose - Mobile phones have provided an opportunity for banking institutions to introduce new services to the public. The latest service, which is now available in Malaysian banking institutions, is the mobile phone credit card. The purpose of this paper is to provide a preliminary investigation of the factors that determine whether Malaysia's bank customers will use the new mobile phone credit card technology. Design/methodology/approach - This paper extends the applicability of the technology acceptance model (TAM) to mobile phone credit cards and includes "perceived credibility (PC)", the "amount of information about mobile phone credit cards (AIMCs)" and "perceived expressiveness (PE)", in addition to "perceived usefulness (PU)" and "perceived ease of use (PEOU)". Findings - The resul...
Biological wound dressings sterilized with gamma radiation, such as amnion and pig skin, are a reality in Mexico. These tissues are currently processed in the tissue bank and sterilized in the Gamma Industrial Irradiation Plant; both facilities belong to the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares (ININ) (National Institute of Nuclear Research). With the strong support of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the bank was established at the ININ and the Mexican Ministry of Health issued its sanitary license on July 7, 1999. The Quality Management System of the bank was certified by ISO 9001:2000 on August 1, 2003; the scope of the system is "Research, Development and Processing of Biological Tissues Sterilized with Gamma Radiation". At present, more than 150 patients from 16 hosp...
...this page document analysis carried out during the policy development of the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme. policy, background, carbon, reduction,...commitment, energy efficiency, CRC, Policy background Spending Review Announcement In the October 2010 Spending Review, the UK Government announced that the CRC ... Revenue from the sale of CRC allowances, totalling ٟ billion a year by 2014/15, will be used to support ... The implications of this announcement for CRC are: In order to clarify the price signal to participants and to support the public ...
The viroid and viroid-like RNA database is a compilation of all natural sequences published in journals or available from the GenBank and EMBL nucleotide sequence libraries. Several information regarding...Full Text Available
The UNITIL Companies have identified the need to undertake new economic development initiatives and to respond to an increasingly competitive energy marketplace. The economy of UNITIL`s service areas and New England generally have suffered from the perception that energy prices, and electricity prices in particular, are very high and non-competitive. However, opportunities now exist for more competitive priced electricity services to be made available to meet the needs of economic development. The introduction of Energy Bank{trademark} was designed to meet this objective through a competitively priced, market-based option for new or expanding industrial loads. The Energy Bank{trademark} is priced at about 5 cents/kWh, a rate 40% below the regional average industrial rate. As Energy Bank{trademark} grows, it will yield substantial benefits to all customers in UNITIL`s service areas, through increased local economic activity, ...
The possibility of a positive agricultural use of flue gas filter ash from brown coal power plants is investigated. The suggested measure is mixing ash dump surfaces with extremely acidic spoil bank soils, which balances the high pH value of the alkaline ash and contributes to improved nutrient and soil sorptive conditions. Optimum quantity of spoil bank sands in the mixture with ash is between 10% and 40%. The optimum quantity must be determined for each type of ash considering improvement of soil chemical conditions and water retention capacity. Filter ash properties vary widely; the required amount of spoil bank sand added to investigated ash surfaces near 3 brown coal power plants was between 25% and 30% of the mixture. The same favourable soil and ash mixture can be produced by adding 60% to 75% filter ash to acidic raw spoil bank soil surfaces forming a top soil layer in a thickness of minimum 60 ...
BackgroundAn earlier study showed that a week of yoga practice was useful in stress management after a natural calamity. Due to heavy rain and a rift on the banks of the Kosi river,...Full Text Available
Israel has faced the challenge presented by epidemic poliomyelitis by using different immunization strategies. In the 1950s, inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) helped to reduce the total burden of...Full Text Available
Since the inception of blood banking, refinements in laboratory processes have allowed for progressively longer storage times of red blood cells. Whilst advantageous for the logistics of stock management,...Full Text Available
The hyaluronic acid capsule of Streptococcus uberis has been implicated in conferring resistance to phagocytosis by bovine neutrophils. Construction of a bank of random insertion mutants...Full Text Available
The Protein Data Bank contains the description of more than 45,000 three-dimensional protein and nucleic-acid structures today. Started to exist as the computer-readable depository of crystallographic...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe fast growing Protein Data Bank contains the three-dimensional description of more than 45000 protein- and nucleic-acid structures today. The large majority of the data...Full Text Available
This paper describes the electrical design and mechanical construction of a 50 kA step switched'' battery bank. Individual fuses protect each of the forty parallel isolated strings of three series (12 V) batteries. Step current waveforms of 12.5 kA, 25 kA, 37.5 kA, and 50 kA are produced by 8 sets of pneumatically driven 20 pole step switches and current limiting stainless steel trombone'' resistors. Inexpensive, yet conservatively designed, Group 65 Motorcraft car batteries are used to give an I{sup 2}t capability of better than 5 {times} 10{sup 9}. The battery bank has well over 1500 shots, with testing of commercial switchgear continuing. In addition to the battery bank engineering data, results of repetitive testing of vacuum interrupters at their I{sup 2}t limit will be provided. 8 figs.
A reduced-form model including nonlinearities is estimated from pooled data from nine European countries during 1982-2004 to show the effects of macroeconomic shocks and financial fragility on bank loan losses. The main ingredients of the model are unanticipated-output and interest-rate shocks estimated from published macroeconomic and naive forecasts. The model fits the data well, capturing the extremely high levels of loan losses witnessed in different financial crises.
...review on the Bank Simpanan Nasional (National Savings Bank) in Malaysia by Mohd. Fuad Md. Sawari & Razi Hassan & ...crisis and Islamic stock markets integration by Bakri Abdul Karim & Nor Akila Mohd. Kassim & Mohammad Affendy Arip [Downloadable! (...Index and the Dow Jones Islamic Market Index by Azhar Abdul Rahman & Mohd Azlan Yahya & Mohd Herry Mohd Nasir [Downloadable! ...at the International Islamic University Malaysia by Noor Hazilah Abd Manaf & Dinon Mohd & Kalthom Abdullah [Downloadable! (restricted)] ...
Environmental information has been described as central to the issues of solid waste management and disposal. This study investigated the availability and accessibility of environmental information to the solid waste policy formulators and implementors with regard to the media/channels used for disseminating environmental information to the public. A descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. A purposive sampling technique was used to select the sample and the method produced 205 respondents that consisted of 185 Policy Implementors and 20 Policy Formulators. A total of 147 cases were finally analyzed, which included 16 Policy Formulators (80% of total sample) and 131 Policy Implementors (71% of total sample). Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as perc...
This article aims to open up the biographical black box of three experts working in the boundary zone between science, policy and public debate. A biographical-narrative approach is used to analyse...Full Text Available
This report presents the full texts of the allocution delivered during the colloquium on the renewable energies and the public policies. It takes stock on the strategical environment and the political will of the renewable energies, the tracks of development in France and the necessity of a law on the renewable energies. (A.L.B.)
Medical treatment of heroin addiction with methadone and other pharmacotherapies has important benefits for individuals and society. However, regulatory policies have separated this treatment from the...Full Text Available
This article explores the effects of reimbursement and utilization control policies on utilization patterns and spending for physician and hospital outpatient services under state Medicaid programs....Full Text Available
Health has long been intertwined with the foreign policies of states. In recent years, however, global health issues have risen to the highest levels of international politics and have become accepted...Full Text Available
... Mission Research Local Events Advocacy Professional Resources Privacy policy Welcome Back! Use your existing or March for ... or email address Password Forgot username/password Privacy policy Welcome Back! Enter your e-mail address to ...
...comply with funding body archiving policies, including the policies put in place by the National Institutes of Health, The Wellcome Trust and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute . Delayed Access Select journals provide content to some or all of a journalrsquo;s backfile. For example, articles in ...
"Correctional Health Care: Implications for Public Health Policy" is the first in a series of articles that examines the special health care needs of persons who are incarcerated in America's correctional...Full Text Available
Researches and production of radio-isotopes, radio-pharmaceuticals and cold kits are carried out in the Radio-isotope Production Facility (RIPF). Four concrete hot cells in Bank-1 are to produce the Ir-192 source for NDT. Eleven lead hot cells in Bank-2 are to produce Ho-166, Cr-51, P-32/33, Tc-99m, Lu-177, Sr-90/Y-90 and W-188/Re-188 for research purpose. Six lead hot cells in Bank-3 are used for the production of I-131 for diagnosis and therapy of cancer in the hospital. A hot cell in Bank-3 is also utilized for the research of I-125 and Br-82. Four lead hot cells in Bank-4 are utilized for the production of Mo-99/Tc-99m generators since 2005. The major systems including the Heat and Ventilated Air Conditioning (HVAC) system and the air cleaning system such as charcoal and HEPA filter trains to filter the radioactive contaminants are in operation. So are the systems such as power ...
As a financial institution o the European Union, The European Investment Bank is working and to add substance to the commitments made by the Union and its Member States at Kyoto and subsequently at Johannesburg. Over the last two years, renewable energy sources have attracted funding of more than 1.1 billion from the bank, equivalent to 14% of the total loans granted to the energy sector 7.8 billion), compared to an average o 7.9 % over the previous five years. In order to obviate the detrimental characteristics presented by these investments from a financial viewpoint, in March, 2004 the bank set up a 'CCFF' (Climate Change Financing Facility) of 500 million. Additionally, along with the other financial institutions, the EIB is looking into he possibility of supporting the establishment of European carbon credit trading hubs. Where the economic assessment of these projects is concerned, the ...
The authors describe parts of three third-order depositional sequences and their associated system tracts within seismic-scale outcrops of the Lower-Middle Guadalupian Northwestern shelf-to-Delaware basin transition. These sequences are well exposed along a 20-km dip-oriented transect in the western Guadalupe Mountains, Texas and New Mexico. Systems tracts are defined on the basis of lithofacies distribution, stratal geometry, and bounding (stratal termination) surfaces. These Lower-Middle Guadalupian sequences record (1) carbonate platform retrogradation, basin margin erosion, and sediment starvation followed by platform aggradation and progradation (lower San Andres Formation-Cutoff Formation; transgressive and highstand systems tracts), (2) major basin infill by terrigenous clastics bypassed over the underlying lower San Andres highstand carbonate bank and development of a shelf-margin-restricted carbonate bank and coeval base-of-slope apron ...
Both the nature of international climate policy architectures and the development and diffusion of new energy technologies could dramatically influence future costs of reducing global emissions of greenhouse gases. This paper explores the implications of interactions between technology availability and performance and international policy architectures for technology choice and the social cost of limiting atmospheric CO2 concentrations to 500 ppm by the year 2095. Key issues explored in the paper include the role of bioenergy production with CO2 capture and storage (CCS), overshoot concentration pathways, and the sensitivity of mitigation costs to policy and technology.
... to integrate and synchronize SC efforts and capabilities, as noted in the SC Roadmap, the joint community needs to publish SC policy and expand ...
The aim of this work is to suggest steps and policies to increase the introduction of cost-effective energy in conservation measures in Brazil. This report first addresses the motivations for a policy of energy efficiency and summarizes experiences in Brazil. It then considers the roles and perspectives of the diverse agents and review the instruments of policy. It concludes with an overview of strategic needs and lines of action.
This article analyzes the philosophical, sociological, and legal imperatives of including students with disabilities in ordinary schools. Some important global events that support inclusive education are discussed. The author reflects on Nigeria's newly revised National Policy on Education with its emphasis on inclusive education (2008), and the Universal Basic Education policy (1999). The article concludes with recommendations to improve the status quo.
... Operational aspects of fiscal policy making in oil-producing countries , in J. Davis, R. Ossowski and A. Fedelino (...), Fiscal Policy Formulation and Implementation in Oil-Producing Countries , International Monetary Fund, Washington, D.C. Barro, R. (...
...2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Energy Policy Act target group certification...Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY CLAUSES AND FORMS SOLICITATION...Provisions and Clauses 952.226-73 Energy Policy Act target group...
The Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) was designed to test fast-reactor fuels and other nonfuel materials. In its 37 reactor cycles of operations, the FFTF reactor has performed very well and successfully completed all the irradiation testings with an operating efficiency factor as high as 98%. Since FFTF is an experimental reactor, its core loading changed from cycle to cycle. Depending on the number of test assemblies in the core and their location, the core loading can change significantly from an essentially homogeneous core loading to a relatively nonhomogeneous or even highly localized heterogeneous loading. Consequently, the core reload design and initial criticality analyses were required for each operating cycle. The zero power initial critical control rod bank height was predicted before each reactor startup. The initial critical prediction depends on the reactivity conditions at the end of the previous cycle, the temperature feedback reactivities, the ...
Biological wound dressings sterilized with gamma radiation, such as amnion and pig skin, are a reality in Mexico. These tissues are currently processed in the tissue bank and sterilized in the Gamma Industrial Irradiation Plant; both facilities belong to the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares (ININ) (National Institute of Nuclear Research). With the strong support of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the bank was established at the ININ and the Mexican Ministry of Health issued its sanitary license on July 7, 1999. The Quality Management System of the bank was certified by ISO 9001:2000 on August 1, 2003; the scope of the system is 'Research, Development and Processing of Biological Tissues Sterilized with Gamma Radiation'. At present, more than 150 patients from 16 hospitals have been successfully treated with these tissues. This paper presents a brief description of the tissue processing, as well as the ...
The stability of a solid ice cover subjected to rapidly varying water levels and discharge was investigated. The support from the bank limits the stress in the ice cover and consequently bank contact must be maintained to ensure ice cover stability. An analysis was required of the stability of ice hinges, a flexible connection between a solid ice cover and the riverbank. Phase II and phase III of the research involved a field study of the Peace River, investigating the evolution of ice hinges with water level variation, from initial ice cover cracking parallel to the banks, to a fully developed hinge. A test program of midwinter discharge variations was undertaken to gather specific data and measurements of ice hinge link length, ice thickness, hinge joint behavior, riverbank geometry, and response of ice hinging to water level variation. This volume of appendices to the study presents detailed observations and comments ...
The stability of a solid ice cover subjected to rapidly varying water levels and discharge was investigated. The support from the bank limits the stress in the ice cover and consequently bank contact must be maintained to ensure ice cover stability. An analysis was required of the stability of ice hinges, a flexible connection between a solid ice cover and the riverbank. Phase II and phase III of the research involved a field study of the Peace River, investigating the evolution of ice hinges with water level variation, from initial ice cover cracking parallel to the banks, to a fully developed hinge. A test program of midwinter discharge variations was undertaken to gather specific data and measurements of ice hinge link length, ice thickness, hinge joint behavior, riverbank geometry, and response of ice hinging to water level variation. As a result of the program, concepts developed throughout the study were confirmed, ...
A report is given of a meeting of the Netherlands Association for Energy Legislation (NEVER), which was held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, April 2006. After the meeting a presentation was made about the report 'Government involvement in liberalised gas markets. A welfare-economic analysis of the Dutch gas-depletion policy' of the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB). This report analyses the welfare effects of two major components of the Dutch gas-depletion policy: the offtake guarantee for small-fields gas and the cap on production from the Groningen field. After the presentation a reaction was given to the report. Both presentations give an overview of the governmental policy and insight in the effects.
The changed political situation and recognition of the acute destruction of the natural environment in Poland have caused a series of actions aimed at preventing further deterioration of Polish environment. One of the most important events which took place in the last few years was the enactment by the Polish Parliament in May 1991 of the Act on the National Ecological Policy. The basic assumption of the new environmental policy is a declaration that sustainable development will in future direct economic development in Poland. The aim of the presented paper is to introduce existing policy of air protection and instruments which have been implemented to protect the air. Special attention is paid to legislation instruments, introduction and enforcement of proper economic mechanisms strengthening air protection and foreign policy aiming at increasing foreign assistance for this objective. Pollutants ...
U.S. nuclear policy has become the target of increasing criticism during the past decade. Critics often argue that the use of nuclear weapons would be irrational, would destroy humankind, and thus could not serve any rational policy goal. Other critics point to the immortality of the use of nuclear weapons. Both groups condemn U.S. military policy. In Nuclear War, James Child considers and rejects both these lines of criticism. He argues that a policy of deterrence can be both rational and moral; that U.S. nuclear policy is, on balance, based on rational and moral foundations. Child examines near-term consequences of a nuclear war and finds them ghastly but not unthinkable or incomparable to the havoc produced by previous wars. He also analyzes long-term consequences, such as those proposed by the ''nuclear winter'' theory, and finds the fear of ...
In recent years, the concept of sustainable consumption (SC) has received increased attention. Overconsumption in industrialized countries still presents major challenges to achieving sustainable development goals despite the global economic crisis. This paper offers an in-depth analysis of national influences on consumption patterns in the Republic of Ireland, focusing in particular on the role of governance in the design of policy instruments for sustainable consumption. It is argued that country-specific political conditions and policy frameworks fundamentally shape everyday household consumption. After an initial discussion of the effectiveness of three key types of policy instruments?legislative, economic, communicative?the paper compares SC policy making and implementation in Ireland...
We investigate optimal horizons for targeting inflation in response to different shocks and their properties. Our analysis is based on a well specified macroeconometric model of Norway. We find that optimal horizons are highly shock-specific and do not increase with concern for output and/or interest rate fluctuations beyond some shock-specific levels. Optimal horizons increase with the degree of persistence in shocks while they are not affected by the size of a shock unless the central bank is averse to interest rate volatility. In the face of multiple shocks, however, sizes as well as signs of shocks become important for optimal horizons even when the central bank is not averse to interest rate volatility. This is because shocks of different signs and sizes may amplify or outweigh each o...
The first 750 MW block of the new South Humber Bank gas-fired combined cycle power plant, sited about 300 km north from London, was officially commissioned in September 12th 1997. The project has been a major success story for Imatran Voima Oy (IVO), which developed the concept and managed the project and owns 22.5 % of the plant; and ABB Power Plants Limited, responsible for the turnkey delivery. IVO Generation Services (UK) is responsible for the running and maintenance of the facility. IVO also manages two other existing plants in Britain, at Brigg (240 MW) and Peterborough (360 MW)
The first 750 MW block of the new South Humber Bank gas-fired combined cycle power plant, sited about 300 km north from London, was officially commissioned in September 12th 1997. The project has been a major success story for Imatran Voima Oy (IVO), which developed the concept and managed the project and owns 22.5 % of the plant; and ABB Power Plants Limited, responsible for the turnkey delivery. IVO Generation Services (UK) is responsible for the running and maintenance of the facility. IVO also manages two other existing plants in Britain, at Brigg (240 MW) and Peterborough (360 MW).
The thymus is a key organ of the immune system in most vertebrates and, for this reason, it has been used in this paper for the generation of a normalized cDNA library from sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), one of the most extensively cultured species in South Mediterranean aquaculture. A total of 1632 ESTs from this library were initially analysed for sequence quality and vector sequences and, after this control, 1264 (77% of total clones sequenced) high-quality ESTs were further processed. The total collection of D. labrax thymus ESTs has been deposited in the EBI-GenBank-DBJ database (GenBank accession numbers from FN565576 to FN566839). The functional classification of ESTs was performed by Gene Ontology and KEGG annotation and, successively, the sequences were analysed using the Immuno...
The marketing strategy developed for use in international markets by the S. M. Group International of Longueuil, Quebec, a company with interest and well-developed expertise in the environmental and energy sector, was described. The strategy is designed to aid in the selection of countries or regions of interest, in determining the sector of activity to be emphasized, in selecting a local partner or local business representatives, and in making contact locally with the people responsible for the development banks in the target countries in an effort to create awareness of the company. The company also tries, wherever possible, to promote its services to local governmental agencies through the industrial cooperation program of CIDA. Since development banks have a very conservative behaviour, past performances and constant provision of high quality services are of prime importance.
...] Transmission of Exchange Rate Shocks into Domestic Inflation: The Case of the Czech Republic by Oxana Babetskaia-Kukharchuk [Downloadable!] Measuring the Financial Markets' Perception of EMU Enlargement: The Role of Ambiguity Aversion by Martin Cincibuch & Martina Hornikova [Downloadable!] Inflation Targeting and Communication: Should the Public Read Inflation Reports or Tea Leaves? by Ales Bulir & Katerina Smidkova & ...
Procedures are described for the use of synthetic oligonucleotides for Southern blot experiments and gene bank screening, and the effect of various mismatches on the efficiency of hybridization is demonstrated. The following topics are discussed: sensitivity vs. specificity, hybridization of a 12-mer to the lambda endolysin gene; hybridization of oligonucleotide probes to the E. coli lac operator; hybridization of synthetic probes to the CYC1 gene of yeast; and cloning eucaryotic genes. (HLW)
Focuses on the application of remote sensing techniques to the study of coal waste mounds. The situation at the coal waste mounds in Fukuoka, Japan is cited. Guidelines on film parameters, photographic keys and tasks required to inventory, monitor and manage coal waste mounds in Japan are addressed. Application of photogrammetry, remote sensing, aerial photography and satellite imagery techniques in monitoring spoil banks is reviewed. Applicability of the techniques is discussed. 24 refs.
This third report covers the period October 1 to November 30, 1991. During this period the authors: (1) fabricated a test fixture for studying hybrid armature brush behavior, (2) reactivated a 140kJ, 1MA capacitor bank, (3) reactivated 25 channels digital data acquisition and reduction system and (4) concluded the use of a DNA funded railgun would serve as the most expedient means to acquire a railgun test bed. Fabrication of a plasma brush test fixture for studying the formation, evolution and stability of plasma brushes was completed. The fixture will serve to study plasma brush parameters, such as brush length and voltage drop, as a function of initial solid foil mass, gap size and current concentration. A 4OkV, 168{mu}f, 140kJ capacitor bank capable of providing more than 1MA of current was reactivated. (The LLNL bank had been developed for opening switch research which was successfully completed.) The ...
One of the most challenging problems in Opportunistic Spectrum Access (OSA) is to design channel sensing-based protocol in multi secondary users (SUs) network. Quality of Service (QoS) requirements for SUs have significant implications on this protocol design. In this paper, we propose a new method to find joint policies for SUs which not only guarantees QoS requirements but also maximizes network throughput. We use Decentralized Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (Dec-POMDP) to formulate interactions between SUs. Meanwhile, a tractable approach for Dec-POMDP is utilized to extract sub-optimum joint policies for large horizons. Among these policies, the joint policy which guarantees QoS requirements is selected as the joint sensing strategy for SUs. To show the efficiency of the proposed method, we consider two SUs trying to access two-channel primary users (PUs) network modeled by discrete ...
National environmental policies have international repercussions: Thus the question arises as to how environmental policy should be designed in order to cope with international environmental problems in an efficient way. These topics were discussed in a conference held at the Kiel Institute of World Economics on July 5-6, 1990. The conference papers and comments are presented in this volume. Environmental scarcity has important international aspects. First, national environmental endowment and policy influence competitiveness and trade. Second, transfrontier pollution is a specific issue. Third, global environmental problems require a solution. This classification of the international aspects of the environmental issue provides the outline of the book. (orig./HSCH).
The paper considers the main components of energy policy, in particular the challenges of network security of supply, long-term contracts and the environmental constraints. It is argued that the United Kingdom's energy policy should take account of multiple market failures and context dependent. Given energy liberalisation in the 1980s and 1990s, it is argued that interventions based upon market-based instruments should be given greater importance. Institutional reform to reflect the shift in focus towards investment in non-carbon technologies and the security issues associated with networks is proposed, notably the creation of an energy agency. 15 refs., 2 figs.
This article presents a linear-analytical case study on the development of ICT within the educational systems of Chile and South Korea. Through a comprehensive meta-data analysis and bibliographic review, we collected information on both educational systems and their ICT adoption policies. Key differences necessary to understand how both countries have developed their educational systems by integrating ICT were analyzed, including the educational system structure, the organization of state entities responsible for educational ICT, cultural characteristics, the creation of policies regarding ICT in education, and the effectiveness of such policies for the expansion of infrastructure and the ICT curriculum integration. We analyze these key differences in order to understand two cases of ICT ...
This paper experimentally evaluates the effects of applying autonomic management to the scheduling of maintenance operations in a deployed Chord network, for various membership churn and workload patterns. Two versions of an autonomic management policy were compared with a static configuration. The autonomic policies varied with respect to the aggressiveness with which they responded to peer access error rates and to wasted maintenance operations. In most experiments, significant improvements due to autonomic management were observed in the performance of routing operations and the quantity of data transmitted between network members. Of the autonomic policies, the more aggressive version gave slightly better results.
I formulate a model in which money coexists with equity shares on a risky aggregate endowment. Agents can use equity as a means of payment, so shocks to equity prices translate into aggregate liquidity shocks that disrupt the mechanism of exchange. I characterize a family of optimal monetary policies and find that the resulting equity prices are independent of monetary considerations. I also study a perturbation of the family of optimal policies that targets a positive constant nominal interest rate and find that in this case the real equity return includes a liquidity return that depends on monetary considerations.
Careers Business / Policy USAID: From The American People - Link to USAID Home Page Health USAID's 50th Anniversary Health Overview ยป Overview Technical Areas Countries...
Enhancing transport sustainability is the password of national, European, and international policies. The development of innovative solutions is ranging from bio fuels to transport analysis models, materials, traction technologies, mobility management, freight villages.
The Directive establishes a single manager for the Department of Defense Military Working Dog Program, provides policy, prescribes procedures, and assigns responsibilities.
... terminals, popular tourist spots, political rallies, and subway ... Dynamic scheduling of a two-class queue with ... Stochastic Processes 2nd ed. Wiley. ...
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... far superior in its annual and sick leave policies. ... fair treatment with regard to leave requests, discipline ... Fifty-six percent of FERS employees use TSP ...
...policy issues global warming global climate change ? there's a famous hockey ...global warming the greatest hopes for betray them and kind of forgotten ...
Jul 15, 2004 ... Responding to the recommendations of the President's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy, NASA is teaming ...
The obligations of organisations associated with policy formation and implementation of international mass public health programmes are explored. Lines of responsibility are considered to become unclear...Full Text Available
This is Japan Report with Science and Technology. It contains the issues with different topics on biotecnology, defense industry, nuclear engineering, Marine technology, science and technology policy.
The Global Warming International Center (GWIC) is the international body disseminating information on global warming science and policy, serving both governamental, non-governamental ... ...
This article examines how politics and science interacted against a background of uncertainty to shape policy in the case of environmental contamination by polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) in Michigan....Full Text Available
The approval (2003) and enforcement (2005) of a smoking ban in Italy have been viewed by many as an unexpectedly successful example of policy change. The present paper, by applying a processualist approach, concentrates on two policy cycles between 2000 and 2005. These had opposing outcomes: an incomplete decisional stage and an authoritative decision, enforced two years later. Through the analysis of the different phases of agenda setting, alternative specification and decision making, we have compared the quality of participation of policy entrepreneurs in the two cycles, their political strategies and, in these, the relevance of issue image. The case allows us to direct the attention of scholars and practitioners to an early phase of the policy implementation process - which we have nam...
The activities and the policy in the Netherlands regarding the development of the title systems since 1990 are briefly outlined, focusing on the use of PV-systems in buildings. 5 figs., 1 tab.
Government policies that encourage exploitation--in particular excessive logging and clearing for ranches and farms--are largely to blame for the accelerating destruction of tropical forests. This paper surveys the problem in detail and briefly recommends potential solutions.
SUMMARYIncreasingly multiple outcomes are collected in order to characterize treatment effectiveness or to evaluate the impact of large policy initiatives. Often the multiple...Full Text Available
This paper uses selection criteria from various models in a bounds testing approach to cointegration to estimate the price and income elasticities of demand for total petroleum products (gasoline and diesel) and gasoline share in total products in Indonesia. The results suggest that both total products and gasoline share estimates are more responsive to changes in income than changes in the real price of petroleum products. These results have important policy implications as they suggest that policy makers may need to use market-based pricing policies and other policies such as public enlightenment in addition to regulations like minimum energy efficiency standards to promote efficiency and conservation and curb the rising consumption of petroleum products in Indonesia. (author)
Based on the view that major changes in the social and economic context in the United States require major policy changes related to early childhood education, this paper examines the factors supporting public policy changes and how advocates for change in early childhood education might incorporate effective strategies. The paper is presented in two parts. Part 1 reviews the research on state policy settings and the factors that tend to support policy change. This part focuses attention on the ways that state policymakers appear to learn from what is going on elsewhere and incorporate new ideas into their policy agendas. Several strategic implications for advocates of policy change are presented, such as brainstorming a list of potential obstacles to the introduction of a policy innovation or shaping the debate so the public will support ...
BackgroundThe evaluation of interventions and policies designed to promote resilience, and research to understand the determinants and associations, require reliable and valid measures...Full Text Available
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Energy sector is relatively easy to evaluate economically. There have existed reliable statistics on energy systems and consumption and the planning has been based on them. However the environmental factors have been integrated into the Danish energy policy first in the nineties, and the new socio-economic evaluations have to take the pollution abatement measures into account. (EG)
... Governing LawThese terms and conditions of use shall be governed by the laws of Scotland and are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Scottish Courts. Website Policies, Modification and SeverabilityWe reserve the right to make changes to this website, our policies and these terms and conditions of use at any time. If any of these conditions shall be deemed invalid, void or for any reason ...
Introduction:Exposure to secondhand smoke causes premature death and disease in non-smokers and indoor smoke-free policies have become increasingly prevalent worldwide. Although...Full Text Available
...Korea 2008 NOx charges as feebate in Sweden Pilot Project on Solid Waste Management in Khulna City: Community Organisation and Management Plastic Bag ban in Dhaka City, Bangladesh Policies on Conservation of the DMZ District Ecosystem Ministry of Environment Republic of Korea 2007 Policies on Promoting Environmental Industries and International Cooperation ...
The aim of this report is to show how Energetic Planning and Territorial Policy should be working together for a better integration of Renewable Energies into Region. This Integration should to contemplate social, economic and environmental aspects of the territory. The report has been classified into 7 items: planning, energetic scenarios, technology transfer for Renewable Energies dissemination, barriers for this dissemination, environmental aspects, European Union Policy and Decision Support Systems (and specially GIS). (Author) 54 refs.
Building materials contain low concentrations of natural radioactive materials, causing a radiation dose for occupants of houses. Governmental policies and regulations with respect to radon emission are or will be implemented. An overview is given of recent developments. 3 refs.
Designing efficient policies for curbing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is of particular interest for todays policy makers, in view of global climate change threats. This paper analyses the options Switzerland has for curbing its CO{sub 2} emissions. Using MARKAL and MARKAL-NACRO models, it investigates, in particular effects of national and international carbon taxes. (author) 3 figs., 1 tab., 6 refs.
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Policy 450.4, Safety Management System Policy commits to institutionalizing an Integrated Safety Management System (ISMS) throughout the DOE complex as a means of accomplishing its missions safely. DOE Acquisition Regulation 970.5204-2 requires that contractors manage and perform work in accordance with a documented safety management system.
...Older Siblings by Adriaan R Soetevent & Peter Kooreman 392-415 Vocational Training and Gender: Wages and Occupational Mobility among Young Workers by Bernd Fitzenberger & Astrid Kunze 416-438 Gender Role Attitudes and the Labour-market Outcomes of Women across OECD Countries by Nicole M Fortin 439-461 Gender, Time Use, and Public Policy over ...
The aim of this paper is to analyse the role that the Japanese Government has played in the development of alternatives to conventional vehicles, the effect of government programmes, and the importance of technical flexibility in government support schemes. The focus is on battery-powered electric vehicles (BPEVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles. The effects of government policy and the process of innovation are analysed from a systems approach drawing on the literature regarding technical change and innovation. The whole chain of government support, including the context in which these different policies have been implemented since the early 1970s, is studied. The Japanese Government has adopted a comprehensive strategy including R and D, demonstration programmes and market support guided by long-term strategic plans. The role of the Government has been that of a conductor in the development process supplying ...
... Hale, Markku Kulmala, 373.43 EUR; 225.00 USD; 276.00 GBP... Light Scattering Media Optics Alexander A. Kokhanovsky 159.00 USD; 123.00 EUR; 103.50 GBP... More Journals » MAGAZINES & JOURNALS Water Policy - Official Journal of the World... Water Policy publishes reviews, research papers... ...
Significant recent writings have suggested strong parallels and actual links between the historical legal architectures of Canadian Aboriginal policy and South African apartheid. This article's further probing of these claims shows them to be very doubtful. At the same time, some more limited legal parallels between the two systems shows the importance of undertaking further analysis of the transmission and exchange of legal ideas and norms within the Commonwealth order.
Recognizing the importance of energy as a vital component in economic development, the Taiwanese government has been continuously revising its energy policy, seeking to balance economic development, energy supply, and environmental protection (3E). Some measures, in an attempt to achieve the 3E balance, were previously implemented in Taiwan; nevertheless, some unresolved issues departing from certain core principles of Taiwan's sustainable energy policy and an international initiative for a low carbon society remain. The aim of this paper is to examine the energy supply and demand structure of Taiwan and the present status of individual energy carriers (including coal, petroleum, natural gas and electricity). In addition, it investigates the current energy policy framework and its implementation in Taiwan, identifies unresolved issues regarding sustainable energy development, and formulates key policy ...
The report examines the scientific progress which has been made over the past years on the climate change issue. It examines shifts in emphasis on climate change debates and the implications of scientific uncertainty for the policy maker. Information on the impact of climate on various sectors, such as agriculture and coastal zones is also provided, as well as a case study on the UK. Regional impacts of climate change and associated economic implications are considered. The report also documents some different considerations for a climate change policy in the context of the latest meeting of contracting parties to the Un Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Kyoto in December 1997. The report is divided into five sections: Introduction; Scientific progress; Climate change policy - the dilemma with implementation; Summary and conclusions; Summary of Kyoto`s results. 146 refs., 4 figs., 14 tabs., 2 apps.
Most of the tissue banks in the Asia Pacific region have been using ionising radiation at 25 kGy to sterilise human tissues for save clinical usage. Under tissue banking quality system, any dose employed for sterilisation has to be validated and the validation exercise has to be a part of quality document. Tissue grafts, unlike medical items, are not produced in large number per each processing batch and tissues relatively have a different microbial population. A Code of Practice established by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2004 offers several validation methods using smaller number of samples compared to ISO 11137 (1995), which is meant for medical products. The methods emphasise on bioburden determination, followed by sterility test on samples after they were exposed to verification dose for attaining of sterility assurance level (SAL) of 10{sup -1}. This paper describes our experience in using the IAEA Code of Practice in ...
This article briefly comments on some stumbling-blocks to climatic change modelling accuracy - in assessments of the greenhouse effect, 25% (missing link) of atmospheric carbon dioxide absorption is still unaccounted for; 1989 World Bank estimates of the Amazon rain forest deforestation rate have since proven to be inaccurate; there are difficulties in assessing the movement of the earth's crust relative to variations in sea level; and different studies vary in results relative to global temperature measurement and trend assessment. The need for an assessment of the economic impacts of increased atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide is also pointed out.
Delivering the promise of personalised medicine is the challenge that the current generation of scientists face. The variations in human physiology and disease are considerable, and designing appropriate strategies to deliver what has been promised will require access to tissue from a large number of volunteers. The NHS provides an ideal infrastructure for sample acquisition, but requires two things to make this available?public consent and support for extra manpower and administration. There is a disconnection between the NHS and tissue based research that needs to be addressed on a number of levels to provide a translational platform. This should enable the path to be beaten to provide the ideal tailored treatment for future patients; one that preserves quality of life by curing the dise...
An account of problems arising in the use of coal ash and red mud as filling or banking materials. The soil engineering properties of these materials are explained. Problems encountered in on-site use include difficulty in controlling moisture content, absorption swelling and strongly alkaline atmospheres. For long-term use, it will be necessary to minimize the variations in engineering characteristics and in quality that result from the method of discharge and from the raw materials themselves. There must also be thorough quality control during shipment. (7 refs.) (In Japanese)
A study was undertaken of problems encountered in the use of thermal power station coal ash and red mud (an aluminium smelting residue) as a banking or filling material, the aim being the effective utilization of these substances. Like clinker, coal ash and red mud can also be used as improvers, but there are various problems such as absorption swelling, strong alkalinity, and the difficulty of controlling the moisture content. Certain measures have to be carried out in on-site use to combat these problems. (11 refs.)
The twenty-three papers presented at this conference discussed requirements of land reclamation under the Federal surface mining regulations, evaluation techniques for assessing reclaimed land, spoil bank chemistry and its change with time, establishment techniques (vegetative propagation, containerized seedlings, nurse vegetation, nitrogen-fixing tree species, direct seeding, and general cultivation techniques), and results from early land reclamation trials. Twenty-two papers have been abstracted separately. 291 references, 16 figures, 80 tables.
We present large field HI-line emission maps obtained with the single-dish Green Bank Telescope centered on the dwarf irregular galaxies Sextans A, NGC 2366, and WLM. We do not detect the extended skirts of emission associated with the galaxies that were reported from Effelsberg observations (Huchtmeier et al. 1981). The ratio of HI at 10^19 atoms cm^-2 to optical extents of these galaxies are instead 2--3, which is normal for this type of galaxy. There is no evidence for a truncation in the HI distribution >/=10^19 atoms cm^-2.
Liberalisation of the power sector is on the increase on a global scale. Corporate-driven reforms are portrayed by international financial institutions and multilateral development banks as means of improving efficiency and attracting foreign investment for national economic growth. Most countries across the world are taking steps towards liberalisation, often to meet the conditions imposed by international donors or comply with regional or global trade agreements. This first issue of Power and Society attempts to look beyond the promised benefits of this trend and debunk some myths about privatisation and deregulation of the electricity sector.
Liberalisation of the power sector is on the increase on a global scale. Corporate-driven reforms are portrayed by international financial institutions and multilateral development banks as means of improving efficiency and attracting foreign investment for national economic growth. Most countries across the world are taking steps towards liberalisation, often to meet the conditions imposed by international donors or comply with regional or global trade agreements. This first issue of Power and Society attempts to look beyond the promised benefits of this trend and debunk some myths about privatisation and deregulation of the electricity sector.
... (restricted)] 406-419 E-auction in China: the case of Taobao by June Lu & Lu-Zhuang Wang & Chun-Sheng Yu [Downloadable! (restricted)] 420-441 The risks of business process outsourcing: a two-fold assessment in the German banking industry by Heiko Gewald & Jochen Franke [Downloadable! (restricted)] 442-459 Prediction of corporate financial health by Artificial Neural Network by Sumit Chakraborty & Sushil K. Sharma [Downloadable! (restricted)] 460-472 The development and performance evaluation of a Continuous Auditing Assistance System by ...
...soy, rights, justice, contamination, water, cargill, port soy, rights, justice, contamination, water, cargill, port Friends of the ... The global food giant Cargill has built its own port on the banks of the River Paraguay with plans to expand. It's ...allows Puerto Union, the port facility belonging to the transnational food giant Cargill, to continue operating. This decree was issued despite the ... The Cargill port facility represents a hazard to the water supply of the entire population of the city, and any accident such ...
A compact medical synchrotron is being developed which aims to promote the advanced radiotherapy based on the accelerator. As it is small-sized, a high field dipole magnet of 3 T at 200 kA is used. It is excited by the discharge current of the capacitor bank of which waveform is half sinusoidal. To provide with the flat field of 10 - 20 #mu#s duration for the multi-turn injection an additional power supply is developed. For the quadrupole magnet a 100 kHz switch-mode power supply is adopted as it requires the fine tuning and accurate field tracking to the dipole field. (author)
Over the past decade, the energy {open_quotes}paper{close_quotes} market has grown into one of the largest traded markets in the world providing hedging instruments for the producer as well as the enduser of energy products. Because banks, stockholders, and other financial providers rely on a borrower`s ability to generate cash flow to repay their investment, borrowers are increasingly turning to the derivatives markets to provide security against one of the most volatile markets in he world. The existence of this market has enhanced the ability of financial institutions to lend with confidence and appropriate aggressiveness to the oil and gas industry.
... So whatever banking issues you would like to discuss, there are a number of convenient ways to contact us. You write to us, phone one of our UK call centres, arrange a meeting with a financial adviser or, of course, visit your local branch. Telephone us Want to give us a call? Click here to see our full list of contact details. Remember, all our call centres are based in the UK. So we can deal with your call efficiently, please have all ...
...CanCom Dermatology Image Bank Dermatology Online Atlas Introduction to Skin Cancer Malignant Melanoma Skin Cancer (Not Melanoma) Comments: bubl@bubl.ac.... Covers anatomy, melanoma, infections, and dermatological disorders in AIDS. Author: University of Utah ...994 Resource type: document Malignant Melanoma This leaflet on malignant melanoma covers early detection, causes, clinical signs and symptoms, and provides ...9 Resource type: document Skin Cancer (Not Melanoma) Information on basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers. Author: ...
The Asejire dam at Ibadan, Nigeria was constructed in the late sixties for the purpose of providing water for the city of Ibadan (presently about 4,5 million inhabitants). It is located on the Oshun river approximately fifteen miles from the city. In 1982 cracks were observed on the wing walls and although these continued to develop, no attempt was made at that time to investigate their causes and no repair was carried out. In 1989 the SGI ENGINEERING Group of Geneva, Switzerland was appointed as the consultant for the complete refurbishment of the Asejire water scheme. The consortium Degremont-Poat-Clemessy was awarded the contract for the project. The African Development Bank and the Nigerian Government have provided the loan to finance the project.
This second report covers the period August 1 to September 30, 1991. During this period we modified our approach to Task 1 (Hybrid Armature study) with the addition of a numerical simulation of the steady state plasma brush length with a 1-D, four-phase equation of state code. A test fixture was designed and fabrication begun on a plasma brush test fixture for hybrid studies. It will be powered by a 140 kJ, 1 MA capacitor bank on loan to the project. Diagnostic data collection with 20 channels of digitizers and data reduction with a microvax were also arranged. Sliding friction of a solid armature was simulated and found to form a vapor layer at velocities below 2 km/s. The simulations indicated that higher interface pressure results in vapor boundary layer formation at lower velocity. If there is also a minimum interface pressure required to commutate high currents, then an optimum interface pressure will probably result. Plans for a launcher test bed were begun ...
An increased use of floating production facilities for offshore oil production in the past fifteen years was due in part to advances in technology, the opening of new frontiers and the increased emphasis on value driven development. Throughout the world, a total of 121 floating production systems were in operation in February 2001, and orders had been placed for an additional 27. Located near the nose of the Grand Banks, approximately 350 kilometres east-southeast of St. John's, Newfoundland is the Terra Nova development. Twelve years elapsed between the discovery of the field in 1984 and the granting of the approval for development in 1996. The decision was made to use a floating production system as the Terra Nova was not considered robust enough to support a gravity base, ice resistant structure development concept, especially considering that it came on the heels of the Hibernia development. The first Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) ...
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to show how Nigeria's current Universal Basic Education on primary schooling targets Muslim "Almajiri" street boys for basic literacy acquisition. The paper examines the policy's management implementation practices and challenges, as well as provides policy options that may minimize discrepancies for effective management. Design/methodology/approach: The discussion is guided by preliminary qualitative studies using phenomenology research philosophy to better understand the social realities of the boys' schooling. Using a descriptive case study approach, two schools in a major city of northern Nigeria served as research sites. Data collection process involved informal interviews, active observations, and discussions with a purpose with four boys, and two teachers as primary participants. Data analysis engaged the generation of themes from the transcribed interview and personal observation field notes, with ...
The prevention of subscriber churn through customer retention is a core issue of Customer Relationship Management (CRM). By minimizing customer churn a company maximizes its profit. This paper proposes a hybridized architecture to deal with customer retention problems. It does so not only through predicting churn probability but also by proposing retention policies. The architecture works in two modes: learning and usage.In the learning mode, the churn model learner seeks potential associations from the subscriber database. This historical information is used to form a churn model. This mode also calls for a policy model constructor to use the attributes identified in the churn model to divide all `churners' into distinct groups. The policy model constructor is also responsible for develop...
This article examines relevant government policy documents on education and culture and discovers that Nigerian education authorities do not "discriminate" against art and culture in its articulation of educational policies per se, but lack of administrative machinery or political will has resulted in the deprivation of the Nigerian child in the process of creative activity in early childhood development. The article argues that lack of creative ability in our educational products is perhaps a major setback in the nation's quest for industrial and technological development. In this article a new art curriculum for elementary schools is advocated as a means of engaging the young child in order to attain functional educational skills necessary in the world of work.
The article draws on interpretive frameworks from diffusion research and social network analysis to explore one particular "travelling reform"--outcomes-based education--that went global. The argument is made that by virtue of studying late adopters of a travelling reform one is examining globalisation. The cases in point for late adoption are Central Asian education systems (in particular Mongolia and Kyrgyz Republic) that borrowed outcomes-based education reforms at a time when the popularity of similar reforms were already in decline in other countries, notably in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. The emphasis of this study is on the timing of policy borrowing, and it is suggested that more attention is given to the economics of policy borrowing. (Contains 3 notes.)
From its inception in 1977, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has been responsible for maintaining the nations nuclear stockpile, leading the country in terms of basic research, setting national energy goals, and managing thousands of individual programs. Despite these gains, however, the DOE research and development (R&D) model does not appear to offer the nation an optimal strategy for assessing long-term energy challenges. American energy policy continues to face constraints related to three "Is": inconsistency, incrementalism, and inadequacy. An overly rigid management structure and loss of mission within the DOE continues to plague its programs and create inconsistencies in terms of a national energy policy. Various layers of stove-piping within and between the DOE and national labo...
In this article we explore ways in which pro-market discourses have been interpreted in policy initiatives in Argentina since the 1970s. Our argument is that even though pro-market discourses have guided reforms in many aspects of public policies in Argentina, the arena of education has overall been resistant to taking them up. The first part of the article analyses the origins of a strong discursive and symbolic link between notions of 'public education' and 'National State-centred education' in Argentina and then examines the development of private education in that country. The second section analyses economic change in Argentina and describes the influence that pro-market ideologies had on policies of the military dictatorship of the 1970s. Third, we present reforms implemented during ...
Full text.The electric energy demand in Lebanon is estimated to grow at an average of 3-5% per year for the coming 10 years. Such an increase in energy demand is problematic for Lebanon since its economy is almost totally dependent on imported fuel which contributes to 97% of the overall energy requirements. Solar water heaters (SWH) are regarded as the most important element in a long term energy conservation and management strategy for this country, but their promotion is a national issue requiring the participation of many stake holders and decision makers. Additionally, the success of solar energy penetration into the existing energy market is constrained by many factors such as technical and financial limitations, decision criteria and policy instruments. This paper will explore the feasibility of SWH, and will work out, using the Analytic Hierarchy Process technique, a policy to ensure a large scale diffusion of SWH in the energy market
Selected applications of novel techniques in Agricultural Biotechnology, Health Food formulations and Medical Biotechnology are being reviewed with the aim of unraveling future developments and policy changes that are likely to open new markets for Biotechnology and prevent the shrinking or closing of existing ones. Amongst the selected novel techniques with applications in both Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology are: immobilized bacterial cells and enzymes, microencapsulation and liposome production, genetic manipulation of microorganisms, development of novel vaccines from plants, epigenomics of mammalian cells and organisms, and biocomputational tools for molecular modeling related to disease and Bioinformatics. Both fundamental and applied aspects of the emerging new techniques are being discussed in relation to their anticipated, marked impact on future markets and present policy changes that are needed for success in either ...
There is a clear incentive, therefore, for early consideration of the measures required to meet noise and vibration standards. The platform or rig owner and the operator are jointly responsible for agreeing a noise and vibration control policy and approach at the conceptual design stage, and for then passing on their requirements to the engineering design teams. The engineering design teams and acoustic and vibration specialists for their part need to use all their skill and judgement to apply that policy to the intensely complex job of designing and fabricating topsides facilities. With these concerns as background, UEG started, and has nearly completed, a two-phase study to provide detailed guidance to project managers and designers to assist them to develop appropriate policy and procedures and to help them put those procedures into practice. This paper describes the development of UEG's study, its application ...
This paper provides a systematic empirical analysis of the role of the housing market in the macroeconomy in the US and the euro area. First, it establishes some stylised facts concerning key variables in the housing market on the two sides of the Atlantic, such as real house prices, residential investment and mortgage debt. It then presents evidence from Structural Vector Autoregressions (SVAR) by focusing on the effects of monetary policy, credit supply and housing demand shocks on the housing market and the broader economy. The analysis shows that similarities outweigh differences as far as the housing market is concerned. The empirical evidence suggests a stronger role for housing in the transmission of monetary policy shocks in the US. The evidence is less clear-cut for housing demand...
... s the matter with Kansas?Legislative debates over stem cell research in Kansas and MassachusettsBonnie StabileSchool of Public Policy, ... examines the contextual factors shaping legislative debates affec...
Clean Water Act You are here: Water Laws & Regulations Policy & Guidance Clean Water Act Water Quality and 401 Certification Water Quality and 401 Certification Water Quality...
Man-made endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) present a threat to biodiversity, even in remote areas. To date, numerous wildlife species have been affected by EDCs in the environment, but it is likely...Full Text Available
A discussion is given of uranium as an energy source in The Australian economy. Figures and predictions are presented on the world supply-demand position and also figures are given on the added value that can be achieved by the processing of uranium. Conclusions are drawn about Australia's future policy with regard to uranium (R.L.).
In a "nutrition transition", the consumption of foods high in fats and sweeteners is increasing throughout the developing world. The transition, implicated in the rapid rise of obesity and diet-related...Full Text Available
The aim was to assess options and cost of reducing emissions of greenhouse gases (with emphasis on carbon dioxide) from human activity in Zimbabwe. A brief description of the country's economy and energy sector, policy and pricing and regulations is given...
This study compares the attitudes of academic and government wetlands scientists about wetlands science and policy. Analysis of one thousand seven hundred responses to Delphi-type questions posed to twenty California scientists on a wide range of issues about California coastal wetlands found significant differences between academic and government scientists about wetlands definitions, threats to wetlands, wetlands policies, wetlands health, and wetlands mitigation strategies. These differences were consistent with descriptive models of political sociology developed by D. Price and C.P. Snow and with normative models of the philosophy of science developed in the renaissance by F. Bacon and R. Descartes. Characteristics, preferences, and personality attributes consistent with group functions and roles have been described in these models. These findings have serious implications for policy. When academic and government ...
In the Fourth Dutch National Environmental Outlook (NMP, abbreviated in Dutch) of the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (VROM), published in July 1997, possible future developments in the traffic and transport sector in the Netherlands are described for the period 1995-2020 and also evaluates present Dutch policies. NMP-4 also offers possible solutions for expected environmental problems. This report serves as a background document for the traffic and transport sector. With a view to present Dutch policies, the main conclusions drawn from the Outlook are that: (1) the policy targets for car and lorry use for 2010 will not be met, (2) the target for CO2 emissions from road transport for 2010 will not be met, (3) the NOx emission target for 2010 will be met for cars, but not for trucks, (4) the VOC emission target for 2010 will be met for cars, but not for trucks, and (5) the noise targets for road ...
Invasive species are increasingly becoming a policy priority. This has spurred researchers and managers to try to estimate the risk of invasion. Conceptually, invasions are dependent both on the receiving...Full Text Available
Many healthcare organizations utilize network "firewalls" to protect their networks from being accessed by unauthorized external entities. These same firewalls are also often configured to deny access...Full Text Available
... The main goal was the analysis of the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis for the Czech Republic. A paper by Bruha and Scasny, accepted to the European Society of Ecological Economics, ( Lisbon June 2005), analyses driving forces (including economic policy) on ...
Main results of 15-year SSTC NRS activity in the field of technical support of regulatory authority are presented. The article also described management policy, quality assurance system, personnel training system and international co-operation of SSTC. (author)
The proliferation of stem cell research, conflated with its ethical and moral implications, has led governments to attempt regulation of both the science and funding of stem cells. Due to a diversity...Full Text Available
Security of supply is defined as the availability and reliability of energy supply at acceptable prices. By security of energy supply we mean a globally large supply of reliable, affordable, clean energy. By virtue of its nature security of supply in the energy sector primarily requires making provisions for the future through exploration, innovation, research, diversification and investments in technology. Energy politics takes place in a tension field defined by the goals of economic efficiency, sustainability and security of supply. In the past there have been repeated shifts within this triad of goals. The task for a rational energy policy is to reconciliate these goals in a meaningful way. European energy policy is understood to comprise all sovereign measures taken by the European Union in the energy sector, in particular measures that impact on the supply and demand for energy resources. Energy law serves, or should serve, to bring ...
IntroductionResearch is an essential tool in facing the challenges of scaling up interventions and improving access to services. As in many other countries, the translation of research...Full Text Available
...same sort of handle ? religious that we have on global warming or energy policy or ...other words my claim is that we need to study religion the way we study global warming and all the other really serious phenomena on this planet ...
During the 1920s and 1930s, a number of physicians created model premature infant stations in select hospitals, arguing that medicine could successfully treat premature infants, most of whom could be...Full Text Available
Purpose of reviewPhysicians, researchers and policy makers must understand the myriad consequences of multidrug and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) within...Full Text Available
A short survey of the energy situation in Iran is given with the aid of some interesting figures. Following remarks on the national and international energy policy, the developments regarding individual energy sources and electricity production are described.
This paper examines the global impacts of a policy that internalizes the external costs (related to air pollution damage, excluding climate costs) of electricity generation using a combined energy systems and macroeconomic model. Starting point are estimates of the monetary damage costs for SO{sub 2}, NO {sub X} , and PM per kWh electricity generated, taking into account the fuel type, sulfur content, removal technology, generation efficiency, and population density. Internalizing these externalities implies that clean and advanced technologies increase their share in global electricity production. Particularly, advanced coal power plants, natural gas combined cycles, natural gas fuel cells, wind and biomass technologies gain significant market shares at the expense of traditional coal- and gas-fired plants. Global carbon dioxide emissions are lowered by 3% to 5%. Sulfur dioxide emissions drop significantly below the already low level. The ...
This paper examines the global impacts of a policy that internalizes the external costs (related to air pollution damage, excluding climate costs) of electricity generation using a combined energy systems and macroeconomic model. Starting point are estimates of the monetary damage costs for SO{sub 2}, NOX, and PM per kWh electricity generated, taking into account the fuel type, sulfur content, removal technology, generation efficiency, and population density. Internalizing these externalities implies that clean and advanced technologies increase their share in global electricity production. Particularly, advanced coal power plants, natural gas combined cycles, natural gas fuel cells, wind and biomass technologies gain significant market shares at the expense of traditional coal- and gas-fired plants. Global carbon dioxide emissions are lowered by 3% to 5%. Sulfur dioxide emissions drop significantly below the already low level. The policy ...
In 1991, the Peacock Hill Working Group provided the field of emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) a roadmap for improving the quality of services provided to students with EBD. The working group considered issues at every level of the educational system, from the classroom to federal policy. Although many strides have been made in the past 20 years regarding the education and treatment of students with EBD, the gap has persisted between empirically validated practices and the classroom routines of teachers serving students from this population. In the authors' view, the field of EBD would benefit greatly from conceptual and empirical developments to improve the mechanisms required to bring science to the classroom. Using the theoretical underpinnings of implementation science, the authors describe a transactional model for integrating research, policy, and practice to close the research-to-practice gap. Recommendations for researchers, ...
BackgroundThe prevalence of tobacco use among individuals with mental illness remains a serious public health concern. Tobacco control has received little attention in community...Full Text Available
BackgroundSurveillance data allow for analysis, providing public health officials and policy-makers with a basis for long-term priorities and timely information on possible outbreaks...Full Text Available
Policies and regulations in the current health care environment have impacted the manner in which patient data - especially protected health information (PHI) - are handled in the clinical and...Full Text Available
Objectives:Despite its impact on health policy, the relationship between geographical proximity and health care seeking has received scant attention in the medical literature. This...Full Text Available
... (restricted)] 24-53 Cyclicality of Fiscal Policy in Oil-Producing Countries by E. Gurvich & E. Vakulenko & P. Krivenko [Downloadable! (restricted)] 54-75 Russian Energy Efficiency Potential by I. Bashmakov [Downloadable! (restricted)] 76-94 Outlook and ...
Protected areas (PAs) dominate conservation efforts. They will probably play a role in future climate policies too, as global payments may reward local reductions of loss of natural land cover. We estimate...Full Text Available
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...
Drawing on published tobacco document research and related sources, this article applies Farnsworth and Holden's conceptual framework for the analysis of corporate power and corporate involvement...Full Text Available
BackgroundObesity is a major public health threat and policies aimed at curbing this epidemic are emerging. National calorie labeling legislation is forthcoming and requires rigorous...Full Text Available
This paper addresses the problem of fair equilibrium selection in graphical games. Our approach is based on the data structure called the {\\em best response policy}, which was proposed by Kearns et al. \\cite{kls} as a way to represent all Nash equilibria of a graphical game. In \\cite{egg}, it was shown that the best response policy has polynomial size as long as the underlying graph is a path. In this paper, we show that if the underlying graph is a bounded-degree tree and the best response policy has polynomial size then there is an efficient algorithm which constructs a Nash equilibrium that guarantees certain payoffs to all participants. Another attractive solution concept is a Nash equilibrium that maximizes the social welfare. We show that, while exactly computing the latter is infeasible (we prove that solving this problem may involve algebraic numbers of an arbitrarily high degree), there exists an FPTAS for ...
This article addresses the problem of how to ensure consistency in messages communicating public health recommendations on environmental health and on child health. The World Health Organization states...Full Text Available
Recently, there have been multiple high-profile incidents involving the release of classified government information. Perhaps most prominent was Wikileaks.org's unauthorized publication of more than 600,000 classified Department of Defense documents. Such...
Objective: The paper describes the information needs of a state public health agency, compares needs to its library's collection, and evaluates collection development policy accordingly.Methods:...Full Text Available
The objectives for the financial sector with regard to climate change investments are to regard to sustainability policies, not just for itself, but also for borrowers and investment portfolios, and to assist in developing frameworks and products that will enable shareholders and clients to invest in commercial solutions to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...
The failure of the standard Growth Approach to economic development to solve the problems of underdevelopment in LDCs has caused an alternative approach, Basic Needs Approach (BNA), to attain prominence in development thought. BNA emphasizes poverty-minimizing growth. Its strategy of direct attack on poverty has better potential for LDCs' development and fulfillment of their populations' basic needs than the trickle-down mechanism of the Growth Approach. BNA requires, among other things, (a) suitable rural financial markets (RFMs) as parts of the overall financial system, and (b) indigenous technological capabilities. The financial system, if it functions as a central element in an institutionalized technology policy, can link technology-related institutions that generate, evaluate, and promote appropriate technologies (ATs) with RFMs that can support adoption and diffusion of ATs in the agro-rural sector. The above argument uses Bangladesh as a ...
BackgroundThe composition of habitual diets is associated with adverse or protective effects on aspects of health. Consequently, UK public health policy strongly advocates dietary...Full Text Available
The Plan identifies the Army's organization, goals, objectives, and policies with respect to energy. It projects energy consumption and costs to the year 2000 and summarizes the programs required to support the long range goals. A summary of current and needed energy related legislation is included. (Author)
The search for alternative fuels and new fuel resources is a top priority for Turkey, as is the case in the majority of countries throughout the world. The fuel policies pursued by governmental or civil authorities are of key importance in the success of alternative fuel use, especially for widespread and efficient use. Following the 1973 petroleum crisis, many users in Turkey, especially in transportation sector, searched for alternative fuels and forms of transportation. Gasoline engines were replaced with diesel engines between the mid-1970s and mid-1980s. In addition, natural gas was introduced to the Turkish market for heating in the early 1990s. Liquid petroleum gas was put into use in the mid-1990s, and bio-diesel was introduced into the market for transportation in 2003. However, after long periods of indifference governmental action, guidance and fuel policies were so weak that they did not make sense. Entrepreneurs and users ...
Recent health care policies and regulations have impacted the manner in which patient data – especially protected health information (PHI) – are handled in both the clinical...Full Text Available
... (4) MP club. (5) MP working dogs. (6) Deadly force. (ยง 632...security duties. (e) Use MP working dogs in accordance with the provisions...dog. (2) Before releasing a military dog for attack, give a...
...undertake missions and tasks (on either a...Secretary of Defense to task the DoD Components...the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff any commitment of military forces assigned to the Unified... (9) Military forces employed in MSCA...approval from higher headquarters, local military...
The wastes management policy takes into account more and more often the environmental impacts mastership. This evolution is particularly appreciable when the wastes directly interact with the environment: storage, utilization for roads construction and so on. In this context the ADEME organized the 8 june 2000 a colloquium to present the new evaluation methods and tools, to describe the regulations and to identify the research programs needed for this environmental policy. Eleven papers are presented. (A.L.B.)
One of the most important goals of the Italian survey, initiated in 1989, was to promote ad hoc policies to reduce radon exposure of the population. In the survey a statistical representative sample of 5000 dwellings was chosen; two six-month measurements were made of the indoor radon concentration, in combination with one six-month measurement of gamma exposure. The results of the radon concentration measurements are reported here: they refer to 80% of the sample. The annual mean value was 81.5Bq.m{sup -3}, which is higher than that reported for other industrialised countries. (author).
Purpose - This paper seeks to analyse the hypothesis that sustainability is destined to become the operating paradigm for construction education in the UK. Design/methodology/approach - An international literature review is used to assess the relationship between sustainability and the built environment. The viewpoints of the construction-related professions are examined by analysing the accreditation policies of key professional bodies and through a survey of public sector-based UK building professionals. International and national policy initiatives on educating for sustainability are reviewed and a survey of UK universities delivering construction degrees is used to explore the environmental content of construction courses. A brief case study describes recent efforts to systematically e...
The section on environmental impacts covers global environmental concerns and air pollution. Energy systems includes the following: alternative fuels; co-generation; fossil fuels; mechanical thermal storage; fission/fusion; thermal management; electric and hybrid vehicles. The section on renewable energy sources includes biomass, hydrogen, and solar. This volume also contains separate sections for stirling cycles, policy issues, and new technologies for energy utilization. Separate abstracts were prepared for 150 papers of this volume.
The paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the energy conservation policy conducted in the Central and Eastern European countries - its development from the start of reforms and up to the present. The problems of rational energy consumption are shown to be closely connected with the concrete conditions of the transition from the economy based on the command principles to the market economy. The author indicates the main areas of application for energy conservation activities. He also describes the models for determination of energy intensity in different branches of energy economy, and organisational structure of the measures to be taken foe energy conservation. (author)
This paper presents a framework for creating a common spatial canvass that can bring together considerations of resource availability, infrastructure reliability, and development costs while strategizing renewable energy investment. We describe the underlying models and methodologies that annotate an investment plan for potential sites over a time-period with costs and constraints which may be imposed on distance from infrastructure, system impact on infrastructure, and policy incentives. The framework is intended as an enabler for visualization, optimization and decision making across diverse dimensions while searching for lucrative investment-plans.
This article examines the interplay between globalising and localising forces occurring in a child welfare reform project in South Korea. Focusing especially on care and education services for children and families provided by the Korean 'Dream Start' programme, which provides comprehensive health, parental involvement and welfare services to low-income children and their families, I discuss its involvement in the process of 'glocalisation'. Drawing on Foucaultian ideas, I conducted a critical discourse analysis of the policy documents of Dream Start. The article concludes by discussing local resistance to the creation of a cosmopolitan child and the dual qualities of inclusion/exclusion inscribed in the Dream Start project.
The fusion breeder is a fusion reactor designed with special blankets to maximize the transmutation by 14 MeV neutrons of uranium-238 to plutonium or thorium to uranium-233 for use as a fuel for fission reactors. Breeding fissile fuels has not been a goal of the US fusion energy program. This paper suggests it is time for a policy change to make the fusion breeder a goal of the US fusion program and the US nuclear energy program. The purpose of this paper is to suggest this policy change be made and tell why it should be made, and to outline specific research and development goals so that the fusion breeder will be developed in time to meet fissile fuel needs.
High-voltage transmission lines can pose an environmental problem, especially in countries where the electricity production is at a distance from the demand location. Planning, construction, and operation of high voltage transmission lines should be conducted within a comprehensive environmental policy, which may include assessment of visual impact, landscape and wildlife protection, and reduction of health risks. This paper reviews the environmental policies and action in planning, construction, and operation as developed by the utilities members of the Union Internationale des Producteurs et Distributeurs d`Energie Electrique (UNIPEDE). The paper also presents a brief outline of the health issues associated with the effects of electromagnetic fields to humans.
High-voltage transmission lines can pose an environmental problem, especially in countries where the electricity production is at a distance from the demand location. Planning, construction, and operation of high voltage transmission lines should be conducted within a comprehensive environmental policy, which may include assessment of visual impact, landscape and wildlife protection, and reduction of health risks. This paper reviews the environmental policies and action in planning, construction, and operation as developed by the utilities members of the Union Internationale des Producteurs et Distributeurs d'Energie Electrique (UNIPEDE). The paper also presents a brief outline of the health issues associated with the effects of electromagnetic fields to humans.
The authors trace the early history of nuclear power regulation in the US. Focusing on the Atomic Energy Commission, they describe the role of other groups that figured in the development of regulatory policies, including the Congressional Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, other federal agencies, state governments, the nuclear industry, and scientific organizations. They consider changes in public perceptions of and attitudes toward atomic energy and the dangers of radiation exposure. The basic purpose of the book is to provide the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the general public with information on the historical antecedents and background of regulatory issues so that there will be continuity in policy decisions. The book concludes with an annotated bibliography of selected references. 19 figures.
Due mainly to competitive pressures, the practice of offering electric and telephone service under contracts or special tariffs negotiated individually between a utility and its customers has increased in importance in recent years. Moreover, the practice is likely to become still more widespread in the future. This creates questions of public policy that are of interest to regulators and ratepayers alike such as how to supervise the practice, how to encourage utilities to compete while preventing cross-subsidization and anticompetitive behavior, and how the practice will ultimately affect utilities and ratepayers. This report sheds light on the topic by describing approaches that have been taken by the various regulatory commissions and by providing a framework for analyzing such contractors.
The justification, strategies, and technology options for implementing advanced district heating and cooling systems in the United States are presented. The need for such systems is discussed in terms of global warming, ozone depletion, and the need for a sustainable energy policy. Strategies for implementation are presented in the context of the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act and proposed new institutional arrangements. Technology opportunities are highlighted in the areas of advanced block-scale cogeneration, CFC-free chiller technologies, and renewable sources of heating and cooling that are particularly applicable to district systems.
... Biogas: The green gas? | EurActiv Biogas has become an attractive alternative source of energy in Europe as the renewable fuel ...Graduate Programme Research Analyst Junior Consultant Training Coordinator Post an EU job Biogas: The green gas? Published: 09 April 2010 |...Updated: 06 July 2010 Biogas has become an attractive alternative source of energy in Europe as the renewable fuel serves several policy priorities, ranging from ... Policy Summary Biogas is a renewable energy source that can be used for heating or electricity production. If compressed, it can ...
The objective of project is to derive the policy recommendations to improve the efficiency of CANDU plants regulation. These policy recommendations will eventually contribute to the upgrading of Korean nuclear regulatory system and safety enhancement. During the second phase of this 2 years study, following research activities were done. Review the technical basis and framework of the new Canadian Regulation System and IAEA. Analysis on the interview of Wolsung operation staffs to identify important safety issues and regulation problems experienced at operation. Providing a plan of CANDU regulation system enhancement program.
The Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 amended the Deepwater Port Act of 1974 to permit the construction of offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals. Terminals with environmentally destructive open-loop regasification systems were quickly approved in the Gulf of Mexico. This study analyzed the political methods of the George W. Bush administration to determine how it developed offshore LNG. Findings showed that the Bush administration worked closely with the energy industry to promote national energy security and limited the role of certain federal and state agencies through a centralized policy process.
Ensuring security of e-government applications and infrastructures is crucial to maintain trust among stakeholders to store, process and exchange information over the e-government systems. Due to dynamic and continuous threats on e-government information security, policy makers need to perform evaluation on existing information security strategy as to deliver trusted e-government services. This paper presents an information security evaluation framework based on new fuzzy multi criteria decision making (MCDM) to help policy makers conduct comprehensive assessment of e-government security strategy.
Now, more than ever, there are serious health concerns for obese and overweight children. Schools are the perfect setting for children to learn, and this influence can play an important role in preventing children from becoming obese and overweight. The study concerns the behaviors of Health Promoting School (HPS) according to a broad definition of HPS in World Health Organization (WHO), or dependent on schools own health promoting policies. The purpose of study research is to examine whether promoting physical activity among the children at schools in relation to a school health policy such as Food and Nutrition Policy (FNP). This was determined through the comparisons between the FNP based schools and non policy based schools. The study undertook surveys among school food coordinators in the selected Danish primary schools through a web-based questionnaire. The questions in the survey were more ...
Like other Central European countries, Poland faces the twin challenges of improving environmental quality while also fostering sustainable economic development. In this study we examine the costs of different standards for air pollution control, and the cost savings from using incentive-based policy instruments in lieu of more rigid command-and-control policies. The comparisons are based on the results of a simulation model of energy use and air pollution control for the Polish economy over 1990-2015. The model simulates least-cost energy supply decisions under different environmental policy assumptions, the corresponding emissions, and the cost of achieving the specified policy objectives. The model results suggest that incentive-based policies will have efficiency gains over command policies that are at least worthy of consideration and may be quite ...
The Jodrell Bank MERLIN array was used to map the OH 1665-and 1667-MHz masers in the circumstellar envelope of U Orionis in 1984, 1986 and 1987. The OH masers lie within a region of extent 130 x 180 AU"2, and have complex distribtuions which are different for each line and polarization. The masers show clumpy structures with a typical clump size of #approx# 25 AU. The strongest emission is from a ring of radius 60 AU which we interpret as part of an expanding, tilted torus. Proper motions have been measured for the OH masers on the ring. The ring has a proper motion of 5.4#+-#1.4 mass yr"-"1 corresponding to a transverse expansion velocity of #approx# 7 km s"-"1 for the period-luminosity distance of U Orionis of 260 pc. (author).
In this paper, we investigate the relationship between the subprime asset-backed collateralized debt obligations (CDO) market and Large Complex Financial Institutions (LCFIs). We attempt to account for the dynamics between the ABX index returns and the banks' equity returns through conditioning our analysis on the historical correlation between the variables. Three key results emerge from the analysis. First, we find a positive correlation between movements of the ABX index and the equity returns for all the LCFIs. Second, the volatility of ABX index returns tend to be transmitted to the volatilities of the equity returns of the financial institutions. Third, ABX prices changes lead equity returns changes of the European-based LCFIs. For the US LCFIs a two-way linkage emerges.
Before expanding on the development of the Terra Nova oilfield, the author discussed the overall business strategy of Petro-Canada and identified where the Terra Nova and offshore Newfoundland oil have their place within this strategy. The principal basins and oilfields offshore Newfoundland were reviewed, then the emphasis shifted to rest on the Terra Nova development project. A whole range of topics were brought up, including the Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility, the modules layout, the FPSO located at Bull Arm, and the floating production systems. The physical environment of the Grand Banks was highlighted, and the next few sections were devoted to the Terra Nova FPSO, FPSO and drill centres, the Turret General Arrangement, and Spider buoy including the disconnect/reconnect. The last four sections dealt with the animation of riser movement, the wellhead protection animation, Henry Goodrich, and operations readiness.
Diesel power technology has been utilized worldwide, especially in remote regions, because of its low initial capital cost. But it has negative effects on the surrounding environment and causes global warming. On the other hand, depleting oil and fuel resources has made it inevitable to seek alternative/renewable energy resources. In Iran, the cost of fuel is highly subsidized. If Iran removes the fuel subsidy, the cost of diesel fuel would increase and the photovoltaic (PV) or hybrid PV/diesel systems would become more attractive. Hybrid photovoltaic/diesel/battery (PV/diesel/bat) systems which use PV energy, combined with diesel generation power and battery bank storage are an excellent solution to decrease diesel generator costs, pollution, and electrification of remote rural areas. In ...
CommAspen is a new agent-based model for simulating the interdependent effects of market decisions and disruptions in the telecommunications infrastructure on other critical infrastructures in the U.S. economy such as banking and finance, and electric power. CommAspen extends and modifies the capabilities of Aspen-EE, an agent-based model previously developed by Sandia National Laboratories to analyze the interdependencies between the electric power system and other critical infrastructures. CommAspen has been tested on a series of scenarios in which the communications network has been disrupted, due to congestion and outages. Analysis of the scenario results indicates that communications networks simulated by the model behave as their counterparts do in the real world. Results also show that the model could be used to analyze the economic impact of communications congestion and outages.
Deals with slope stability problems met in the D coalfield of the Tamnava-Iztok surface coal mine where 171 Mt of brown coal have been excavated and 520 Mm{sup 3} of overburden. Six geomechanical methods were used to verify the reliability of slope angels (Hoek, Froehlich, Janbu, Bishop, Reame and Swase) along with the theory of finite elements. All calculations were accomplished by means of computers. It was found that the Ream method (combined Bishop and Fellenius method) provides the most reliable results in determining general slope angles. The Janbu method is mostly suited for locations with complicated geological conditions (multi-layer benches); the Swase method may be considered as most reliable for locations with simple geological conditions and for spoil banks. 5 refs.
Spratly Islands, located in the southern part of the South China Sea (SCS), consist of more than 100 small islands, coral reefs and banks. Remote sensing is the only way to obtain a synoptic view of all of the islands in such a large area. It has been demonstrated that satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery is a very powerful tool for monitoring meso-scale and small-scale ocean processes in a large area. In this study, satellite SAR images were used to study the ocean environment in the area of Spratly Islands. The aim was to understand the capability of satellite remote sensing to monitor ocean processes and provide information for future field studies. Two sets of high-resolution European Remote Sensing satellite (ERS)-2 SAR images over the entire Spratly Islands area were coll...
Supplement 2 to the Safety Evaluation Report for Mississippi Power and Light Company, et. al, joint application for licenses to operate the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2, located on the east bank of the Mississippi River near Port Gibson, in Claiborne County, Mississippi, has been prepared by the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This supplement reports the status of certain items that had not been resolved at the time of publication of the Safety Evaluation Report.
To establish the phylogeographic relationships in rabies viruses in Brazil, we studied a dataset retrieved from GenBank consisting of 71 genetic sequences from the coding region of the N gene of rabies viruses isolated in dogs over a period of 22?years. The Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo method available in the BEAST package was used with the GTR+G+?4 evolutionary model in conjunction with the relaxed uncorrelated lognormal molecular clock model and an exponential growth tree prior. A discrete phylogeographic diffusion model was also analyzed using a standard continuous-time Markov chain viewed with Google Earth to provide a spatial projection of the diffusion of genetic lineages based on their phylogeographic relationships. The topology of the time and substitution phylogenetic trees a...
The presentation describes the status of modern weld overlay technology for refurbishment, upgrading and life extension of boilers. The approaches to life extension of boilers include field overlay application, shop-fabricated panels for replacement of the worn, corroded waterwall and shop-fabricated overlay tubing for replacement of individual tubes in superheaters, generating banks and other areas. The characteristics of weld overlay products are briefly described. Also discussed are successful applications of various corrosion-resistant overlays for life extension of boiler tubes in waste-to-energy boilers, coal-fired boilers and chemical recovery boilers. Types of corrosion and selection of weld overlay alloys in these systems are also discussed. (orig.) 14 refs.
As the world's largest creditor nation, with some of the world's largest banks and leading industries, Japan is often portrayed as an economic and financial superpower. With long-established 'Western-style' financial institutions to represent it in all the world's major financial capitals and markets, a technologically savvy Japan is often said to be positioning itself to lead Asia, the Asia/Pacific region, or even the entire world, into the marvels of the twenty-first century. Against this continuing rhetorical backdrop, however, fundamental questions arise as to Japan's ability to internationalize in today's increasingly globalized world economy. Domestically, only a very limited presence is permitted to the foreigner in the Japanese economy, especially in the commanding heights of finan...
Summary Indigenous people demonstrably lived along rivers and around lakes and wetlands of Australia's Murray-Darling Basin in pre-European times. Waterways were, and continue to be, of major significance to the society and culture of Aboriginal peoples throughout Australia. Historically, they exploited most of the fauna - from mussels and crayfish, to fish and birds - and either ate, or used for other purposes, many species of aquatic plants. Such practices placed them in the role of environmental modifiers, a role played by all human groups from both past and present. They built sophisticated fish traps, cut gaps in river banks to allow fish to move on to floodplains, and there is evidence that they practised a form of fish culture by creating small impoundments in which small fish could...
The purpose of the Energy Incentives and Agricultural Financial Resources Act of 1986 is to provide fair incentives for the domestic production of oil and gas, and to give flexibility to financial institutions with regard to energy and agricultural loans. The legislation reflects the current drop in activity and investment as a result of economic conditions and tax laws. It amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to assist troubled banks in providing capital and restructuring loans for energy development and agricultural pursuits. Title II repeals certain restrictions on the use of natural gas and petroleum imposed under the Fuel Use Act to open up markets and eliminate pricing requirements.
As part of three ongoing research projects, the Gas Research Institute (GRI) is studying the natural gas industry`s impacts on wetlands and how to manage operations so that impacts can be minimized or eliminated. The objective of the first project is to gain a better understanding of the causes and processes of wetland loss in the Louisiana deltaic plain and what role gas pipeline canals play in wetland loss. On the basis of information gathered from the first projects, management and mitigation implications for pipeline construction and maintenance will be evaluated. The objective of the second project is to assess the floral and faunal communities on existing rights-of-way (ROWs) that pass through numerous types of wetlands across the United States. The emphasis of the project is on pipelines that were installed within the past five years. The objective of the third project is to evaluate the administrative, jurisdictional, technical, and economic issues of wetland mitigation ...
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).
FIRESET is a PC-based computer code which calculates current as a function of time for an RLC circuit containing up to fifteen series conductors which undergo rapid heating and subsequent explosion as a consequence of an electric current which passes through them. In its original form, the code was developed to model electrical waveforms measured when a large, typically 25.4 x 25.4 x 0.051-mm, aluminum foil was exploded using a capacitor bank with tens of kilojoules of stored energy. The code proved to be useful for this purpose, and it was recognized that it could also be used for modeling the electrical response of detonator bridgewires. In view of the increasing use of slapper detonators for DOD applications, we wish to make the latest version of the code, available to DOD laboratories and contractors for use in designing firing systems which employ slapper or exploding bridgewire detonators. This document provides instructions for the code.
The aim of this study is to compare, from an environmental point of view, different alternatives for the management of municipal solid waste generated in the town of Castellon de la Plana (Spain). This town currently produces 207ton of waste per day and the waste management system employed today involves the collection of paper/cardboard, glass and light packaging from materials banks and of rest waste at street-side containers. The proposed alternative scenarios were based on a combination of the following elements: selective collection targets to be accomplished by the year 2015 as specified in the Spanish National Waste Plan (assuming they are reached to an extent of 50% and 100%), different collection models implemented nationally, and diverse treatments of both the separated biodegrad...
Problems relating to electromagnetic compatibility and power quality were discussed, combined with a discussion of the role that consulting engineers can play in resolving them. The need for the consulting engineer to be aware of design specifications of equipment was considered essential. Similarly, the interrelationship between installations using variable speed drives, halogenous lighting systems, capacitor banks, high-voltage power lines, power transformers, etc., and the need for familiarity with the operating characteristics of different types of power systems were stressed as key ingredients to success in ascertaining events and causes of equipment failure or power system problems on the network. The main sources of disturbances, impact of voltage variations, the importance of controlling voltage imbalance, and system protection were summarized. 4 figs.
Long term storage of viable pollen is important for bank germplasm constitution to preserve resources that can be used in breeding programs, biotechnologies and genetic engineering. Pollen from 12 olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivars was stored for 1?year in liquid nitrogen at ?196?C. The morphology of pollen grains and germination rates on fresh and long term stored pollen were observed. Results on in vitro pollen germinability, both before and after cryopreservation, showed highly significant responses among the 12 cultivars. The relationship between germinability and pollen grain size did not reveal any significant relationships in both treatments. Our findings will contribute to the improvement of olive pollen preservation and lead to find a more efficient method for its long term storag...
A dynamic control rod worth measurement was performed for control bank D, C, B, and A of Yonggwang unit 1 cycle 14 during its low power physics test. MASTER was used for three-dimensional core kinetics calculations required to convert excore detector signal into static rod worth, using the same modeling and cross sections as ANC which was used for the core static design. A signal curve fitting method was proposed to solve a low signal problem due to large amount of rod worth, which leads to the distortion of resulting static worth. The static worths measured in this test well agreed with the predicted worth of design within {+-}15% which is a test requirement of rod worth measurement.
A dynamic control rod worth measurement was performed for control bank D, C, B, and A of Yonggwang unit 1 cycle 14 during its low power physics test. MASTER was used for three-dimensional core kinetics calculations required to convert excore detector signal into static rod worth, using the same modeling and cross sections as ANC which was used for the core static design. A signal curve fitting method was proposed to solve a low signal problem due to large amount of rod worth, which leads to the distortion of resulting static worth. The static worths measured in this test well agreed with the predicted worth of design within #+-#15% which is a test requirement of rod worth measurement.
Phage display is effective in screening peptides that mimic venom's neutralizing epitopes. A phage display cyclized heptapeptide library (C7C library) was panned with purified divalent antivenin IgG, which neutralizes Naja naja atra venom (NAV) and Bungarus multicinctus venom (BMV). The selected heptapeptide sequences were aligned with known protein sequences of NAV and BMV in GenBank. One of the four consensus sequences, L/PKSSLL, mimicked the crucial epitope on Loop III of Taiwan cobra cardiotoxin that is associated with the venom's lethal potency. In dot blot analysis, several clones showed varying reactivities for NAV monovalent antivenin and lesser cross-reactions with BMV monovalent antivenin. The KSSLLRN-carrying phage occurred four times in selected clones and showed the strongest ...
The development and installation, by Hydro-Quebec, of a computerized pressure monitoring and control system on its fluid-filled high voltage underground cable network in Montreal, was described. The average age of these underground fluid-filled cables is more than 30 years and the cost to replace the circuits is estimated to be 230 million dollars. It is, therefore, crucial to maintain at all times and under all operating conditions a positive oil pressure in order to maintain the dielectric strength of paper insulation, and to prevent air and moisture from entering the cables and accessories. The monitoring and control system is reliable, flexible, user friendly and easy to upgrade. It reduces intervention time on the cables and ensures the protection of the cable network by remotely operating valves to connect oil reserve banks and by providing efficient maintenance management tools. 1 ref., 1 tab., 4 figs.
The Jeanne d`Arc Basin is located 320 km offshore in the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. It is a Mesozoic failed-rift basin with recoverable oil reserves of about 2 billion barrels. Its huge Hibernia Field will be in production by late 1997. The basin has been reappraised using sequence stratigraphic concepts, and renewed exploration in the area is expected. The Upper Jurassic - Lower Cretaceous sedimentary accumulation in the Basin was formed by the extensional tectonics that created the North Atlantic Ocean. The sedimentary packages were placed in chronostratigraphic order by calibrating the biostratigraphy of the Oxfordian to Maastrichtian section to the detailed ammonite zonation from the North Sea.
In view of the importance of the material Alloy 800 in high-temperature reactor plants (HTR), a material data bank was established which is used for statistical evaluation of mechanical and physical material behaviour. Based on investigations on the interconnection between the mechanical properties at high temperatures and the metallurgical parameters, different types of Alloy 800 were specified in compliance with the component requirements. In addition, aspects of corrosion and toughness behaviour were taken into consideration. The specifications and strength characteristics for the different variants of Alloy 800 were incorporated into draft DIN standards after discussion and approval in expert committees. Further important characteristics of the mechanical and physical material behaviour were summarized in HTR material data sheets so as to furnish an improved basis for the design and stress analyses of Alloy 800 components. (orig.).
In view of the importance of the material Alloy 800 in high-temperature reactor plants (HTR), a material data bank was established which is used for statistical evaluation of mechanical and physical material behaviour. Based on investigations on the interconnection between the mechanical properties at high temperatures and the metallurgical parameters, different types of Alloy 800 were specified in compliance with the component requirements. In addition, aspects of corrosion and toughness behaviour were taken into consideration. The specifications and strength characteristics for the different variants of Alloy 800 were incorporated into draft DIN standards after discussion and approval in expert committees. Further important characteristics of the mechanical and physical material behaviour were summarized in HTR material data sheets so as to furnish an improved basis for the design and stress analyses of Alloy 800 components. (orig.).
This paper presents efforts to date and prospective goals towards development of a modelling and analysis framework which is comprehensive enough to address the global climate crisis, and detailed enough to provide policymakers with concrete targets and achievable outcomes. In terms of energy efficiency policy, this requires coverage of the entire world, with emphasis on countries and regions with large and/or rapidly growing energy-related emissions, and analysis at the 'technology' level-building end use, transport mode or industrial process. These elements have not been fully addressed by existing modelling efforts, which usually take either a top-down approach, or concentrate on a few fully industrialized countries where energy demand is well-understood. Inclusion of details such as appliance ownership rates, use patterns and efficiency levels throughout the world allows for a deeper understanding of the demand for energy today and, more ...
The Chinese government has enacted policies to promote alternative vehicle fuels (AVFs) and alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), including city bus fleets. The life cycle (LC), energy savings (ES) and GHG reduction (GR) profiles of AVFs/AFVs are critical to those policy decisions. The well-to-wheels module of the Tsinghua-CA3EM model is employed to investigate actual performance data. Compared with conventional buses, AFVs offer differences in performance in terms of both ES and GR. Only half of the AFVs analyzed demonstrate dual benefits. However, all non-oil/gas pathways can substitute oil/gas with coal. Current policies seek to promote technology improvements and market creation initiatives within the guiding framework of national-level diversification and district-level uniformity. Combined with their actual LC behavior and in keeping with near- and long-term strategies, integrated policies should seek ...
The WAND (Waste Assay for Nonradioactive Disposal) system can scan thought-to-be-clean, low-density waste (mostly paper and plastics) to determine whether the levels of any contaminant radioactivity are low enough to justify their disposal in normal public landfills or similar facilities. Such a screening would allow probably at least half of the large volume of low-density waste now buried at high cost in LANL`s Rad Waste Landfill (Area G at Technical Area 54) to be disposed of elsewhere at a much lower cost. The WAND System consists of a well-shielded bank of six 5-in.-diam. phoswich scintillation detectors; a mechanical conveyor system that carries a 12-in.-wide layer of either shredded material or packets of paper sheets beneath the bank of detectors; the electronics needed to process the outputs of the detectors; and a small computer to control the whole system and to perform the data analysis. WAND system minimum detectable activities ...
In developing countries with rapidly growing economies, energy consumption will more than triple by 2030. This will require more than 8 trillion euros in investments in energy in these countries. The way these investments are made will be crucial in determining whether greenhouse gas emissions will rise proportionately. By creating a worldwide, lucrative market for clean technologies, countries can use the money they set aside for fighting climate change to stimulate large-scale private investment in clean energy production and efficient energy consumption. A well-functioning market ensures that money is invested where it will be the most cost-effective and will have the greatest impact in helping to solve a generally recognised problem. This also means making sure that innovations get to the market, so as to take advantage of economies of scale. The conference on 16 and 17 October 2006 in Amsterdam was the official start of the collaboration of governments, business and financial ...
A study was made for the purpose of electrification of unelectrified zones of the mountainous areas in developing countries using extremely small hydroelectric power facilities. The target for this project is a development of a micro hydroelectric power system with a size of about 5kW, which is estimated regarding that 1 village has 80 houses and each house needs electricity of 60W. In the study, the low-head system using a weir of irrigation channels in Subang pref. of West Java state was selected by the evaluation of access, stability of flow rate, natural conditions, etc. The hydroelectric power plant is of a flow-in method in which water is taken from the left bank and is injected/discharged to the downstream of the left bank. As the hybrid complementary power source, hybrid battery with a two-hour charging time at peak and a capacity of 3.5kWh was considered. When estimating the construction cost of the hybrid micro hydroelectric power ...
The Nuclear Renaissance is stumbling at the very same time it should speed up in order to help control the climate change and meet a fast growing energy need in a large part of the world. Rising costs of projects, uncertainties about their completion, rocketing safety requirements, and financial constraints are key factors which slow down the Nuclear Renaissance. Furthermore, the legal infrastructure required from any country to enter a commercial nuclear programme (safety authorities, fuel cycle, and waste disposal) is a major hurdle s which impedes consideration for small to mid size reactors, well suited for many countries. The paper prepared and presented by Alain Bugat (Chairman of NucAdvisor and former Head of the French Atomic Energy Commission), Dominique Vignon (CEO of NucAdvisor and former President and CEO of AREVA NP) and Michel Lecomte (Co-founder NucAdvisor) reviews the present status of the Nuclear Renaissance. Based on an analysis of initial versus actual plans for all ...
High concentrations of Cs-137 were detected in the muscles of Walleye Pollack (Theragra chalcogramm) collected from Kitamiyamato banks (sampling on 25 Jul. 2000), Kamui area (16 Oct. 2000) and Niigata coasts (31 Jan. 2001). The concentrations were 0.35 #+-# 0.01, 0.41 #+-# 0.01, and 0.63 #+-# 0.02 Bq/kg-wet, respectively. The average concentration in our past investigations was about 0.25 #+-# 0.01 Bq/kg-wet. Samples from other areas, the coat of Kushiro (8 May 2001), North Tishima (13 Nov. 2000) and the Sea of Okhotsk (6 May 2001), had the average concentrations. There were no such high concentrations of Cs-137 in other fish species collected from Kitamiyamato banks, Kamui area, and Niigata coasts. Fish samples with high concentrations all make the migration in the north of Japan sea. These results would indicated that samples took in Cs-137 elements from sea-water or foods on the migration route. Cs-137 concentrations in muscles of walleye ...
Radiation technology offers a very wide scope for utilisation and commercial exploitation in various field. All over the world, this technology is being favourably considered for different applications like radiation sterilisation of medical products, preservation of food by controlling the physiological processes for extending shelf-life and eradication of microbial and insect pests, radiation processing of polymeric materials and treatment of sewage sludge. Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission has taken radiation processing programmes in a big way right from its inception. This paper describes the studies carried out by various research groups in Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission mainly using Cobalt-60 gamma radiation. The investigation covers medical sterilisation, food preservation and development and modification of polymeric materials by gamma radiation. Both food preservation and radiation sterilisation of medical products are now being commercially carried out in the Gammatech ...
This paper reported on the number of seabirds impacted by the Terra Nova floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, which released 160,000 litres of crude oil after it struck the Grand Banks, an area located approximately 340 km east of St. John's, Newfoundland. An area of approximately 340 km{sup 2} was impacted by the spill, which occurred at a time when large numbers of dovekies and murres inhabit the region. After the spill, both vessel-based and helicopter-based surveys were conducted in order to estimate seabird densities in the immediate region. Densities were then compared to other data from similar time periods. The number of birds at risk was estimated base on seabird densities noted from on-vessel surveys. A mean density of 3.46 murres per km{sup 2} and 1.07 dovekies per km{sup 2} were recorded. Mean density increased when birds in flight were also considered. Density estimates were similar to data previously reported. The ...
This paper deals with estimating aircraft landing and take-off (LTO) emissions (HC, CO, NO_x, SO_2) at 40 Turkish airports including the biggest airports, i.e. Ataturk International Airport (AIA) in Istanbul, Antalya Airport in Antalya and Esenboga Airport in Ankara in 2001. The calculation model is based on flight data recorded by the State Airports Authority. The flight data include the type and number of aircraft, number of passengers, amount of cargo etc., which depend on day-time and date. For the emission calculations the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)-Engine emission data bank, which includes minimum and maximum values for both fuel flow rates and emissions factors, is used. By using first the minimum and then the maximum values from the data bank, two estimations of aircraft LTO emissions at Turkish airports are calculated: i.e. minimum and maximum estimations. Total LTO emissions from aircraft at Turkish airports are ...
This Maintenance Implementation Plan (MIP) is written to satisfy the requirements of the US Department of Energy (DOE) Order 4330.4B, Maintenance Management Program that specifies the general policy and objectives for the establishment of the DOE controlled maintenance programs. These programs provide for the management and performance of cost effective maintenance and repair of the DOE property, which includes facilities. This document outlines maintenance activities associated with the facilities operated by Waste Management Hanford, Inc. (WMH). The objective of this MIP is to provide baseline information for the control and execution of WMH Facility Maintenance activities relative to the requirements of Order 4330.4B, assessment of the WMH maintenance programs, and actions necessary to maintain compliance with the Order. Section 2.0 summarizes the history, mission and description of the WMH facilities. Section 3.0 describes maintenance scope and requirements, ...
The natural gas industry has proposed an increase in the DOE gas R&D budget from about $100 million to about $250 million per year for each of the next 10 years. The proposal includes four programs: natural gas supplies, fuel cells, natural gas vehicles and stationary combustion systems. This paper is a qualitative assessment of the gas industry proposal and recommends a natural gas R&D strategy for the DOE. The methodology is a conceptual framework based on an analysis of market failures and the energy policy objectives of the DOE`s (1991) National Energy Strategy. This framework would assist the DOE in constructing an R&D portfolio that achieves energy policy objectives. The natural gas supply program is recommended to the extent that it contributes to energy price stability. Stationary combustion programs are supported on grounds of economic efficiency and environmental quality. The fuel cell program is supported on grounds of ...
Since 1978 the United States Department of Energy`s (DOE) International Safeguards Program has conducted policy analysis, strategies and technology development, international cooperation and training to support the formulation and implementation of international safeguards. The end of the Gulf War (1991), the end of the Cold War (1992), and the trend towards regionalization of safeguards has led to increased US and international attention to the threat of nuclear weapons proliferation and the need for significantly greater support to nonproliferation policy making and implementation activities. As a result, DOE`s International Safeguards Program has undergone substantial growth and has continued to focus its resources on the priority issues which are part of today`s and tomorrow`s world. In order to effectively and efficiently conduct and manage these activities the International Safeguards Program has developed and continues to refine and ...
One of the aims of SILMU, the Finnish Research Programme for Climate Change, was to produce information for decision-makers concerning climate change and its mitigation. One integrative project for this purpose was PAATE, an inquiry into the present state and future possibilities of interaction between researchers and decision-makers. The aims of the PAATE project can be summarised as follows: (1) to conduct a survey of the state of climate change research and climate policy in Finland, (2) to develop the interaction between climate research, policy makers and different societal organisations, (3) to acquire methodological experiences on the realisation of projects of this type, (4) to provide material for the final report of the SILMU project and for further action, and (5) to promote the rational development of climate policy. Methodologically, the PAATE project used the Delphi technique employed chiefly in futurological ...
The Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste-Management in the Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for disposing of this nation`s spent fuel and high-level radioactive waste in a manner that protects the health and safety of the public and the quality of the environment. Although embodied in the Federal repository program that began with studies in the late 1950s, this mission was explicitly established by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 and reaffirmed by the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987. To fulfill our mission, we are developing a waste management system consisting of a geologic repository for permanent disposal deep beneath the surface of the earth, a facility for monitored retrievable storage, and a system for transporting the waste. This discussion draft was developed to help involve parties affected by or interested in the waste-management program in the formulation of the basic principles on which the program will be ...
This paper examines the dynamic international political economic environment in which petroleum exploration and production companies must operate when considering investments in the economically transitional nations of the former Soviet Union or developing nations In this period of critical global changes low oil prices is only one factor with which petroleum companies Must be. concerned in their investment decisions Other factors include the transition from a bipolar world to a multipolar world of free trade zones. the general malaise of the international economy public and political recognition that nations and industries can no longer practice environmental {open_quotes}beggar-thy-neighbor{close_quotes} policies, and the rejection of aggregate national economic growth policies for sustainable economic development policies in both the Developed and developing world This paper focuses on actions which investing petroleum ...
The fourth in a series of international Leak-Before-Break (LBB) Seminars supported in part by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission was held at the National Central Library in Taipei, Taiwan on May 11 and 12, 1989. The seminar updated the international polices and supporting research on LBB. Attendees included representatives from regulatory agencies, electric utilities, nuclear power plant fabricators, research organizations, and academic institutions. Regulatory policy was the subject of presentations by Mr. G. Arlotto (US NRC, USA) Dr. B. Jarman (AECB, Canada), Dr.P. Milella (ENEA-DISP, Italy), Dr. C. Faidy (EDF/Septen, France ), and Dr. K. Takumi (NUPEC, Japan). A paper by Mr. K. Wichman and Mr. A. Lee of the US NRC Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation is included as background material to these proceedings; it discusses the history and status of LBB applications in US nuclear power plants. In addition, several papers on the supporting research programs ...
Once the definition of the CHP (combined heat and power generation) certificate is clear, demand for it can be organised in several ways. A well-designed system of mandatory demand, by means of an obligation to acquire a certain amount of CHP certificates each year, is effective to meet the policy target. The voluntary willingness to pay for CHP certificates is likely to be small, resulting in a very thin market. Finally, instead of creating a demand solely targeted at the CHP certificates, demand could also result from interacting policy schemes such as emissions trading. Assuming that a CHP certificate scheme is going to be introduced, we would recommend to issue standard CHP certificates based on additional ('fuel-free') kWh output (substitution approach with standard certificates) and create demand by means of an incentive on electricity supply companies to purchase CHP certificates. The incentive could either be quantitative (an ...
In the present political climate, politicians are singling out children's programs and services for budget cuts. The need for teacher education programs to prepare early childhood teachers as children's advocates is becoming ever more evident. For years, the National Association for the Education of Young Children has called for greater involvement of early childhood educators as advocates for programs and services that promote children's health and education. In teacher education programs, however, this call has largely gone unheeded. The purpose of this article is to discuss the importance of involving teacher candidates in advocacy activities and policy research, the obstacles that teacher educators can face when incorporating advocacy components into their teacher education courses and programs, and resources and strategies they can use. This discussion builds upon a motivation-obstacles-resources framework developed for adoption of innovative practices ...
It is well known that for ergodic channel processes the Generalized Max-Weight Matching (GMWM) scheduling policy stabilizes the network for any supportable arrival rate vector within the network capacity region. This policy, however, often requires the solution of an NP-hard optimization problem. This has motivated many researchers to develop sub-optimal algorithms that approximate the GMWM policy in selecting schedule vectors. One implicit assumption commonly shared in this context is that during the algorithm runtime, the channel states remain effectively unchanged. This assumption may not hold as the time needed to select near-optimal schedule vectors usually increases quickly with the network size. In this paper, we incorporate channel variations and the time-efficiency of sub-optimal algorithms into the scheduler design, to dynamically tune the algorithm runtime considering the tradeoff between algorithm efficiency and ...
This paper evaluates the two well-known final waste disposal methods, incineration and landfilling. In particular we compare the social cost of two best-available technologies using a point estimate based on private and environmental cost data for the Netherlands. Not only does our comparison allow for Waste-to-Energy incineration plants but for landfills as well. The data provide support for the widespread policy preference for incineration over landfilling only if the analysis is restricted to environmental costs alone and includes savings of both energy and material recovery. Gross private costs, however, are so much higher for incineration, that landfilling is the social cost minimizing option at the margin even in a densely populated country such as the Netherlands. Furthermore, we show that our result generalizes to other European countries and probably to the USA. Implications for waste policy are discussed as well. Proper treatment of ...
Behavioral economics has captured the interest of scholars and the general public by demonstrating ways in which individuals make decisions that appear irrational. While increasing attention is being focused on the implications of this research for the design of risk-reducing policies, less attention has been paid to how it affects the economic valuation of policy consequences. This article considers the latter issue, reviewing the behavioral economics literature and discussing its implications for the conduct of benefit-cost analysis, particularly in the context of environmental, health, and safety regulations. We explore three concerns: using estimates of willingness to pay or willingness to accept compensation for valuation, considering the psychological aspects of risk when valuing mortality-risk reductions, and discounting future consequences. In each case, we take the perspective that analysts should avoid making judgments about whether ...
The paper investigates early Soviet policies regarding the institution of waqf (charitable endowment) in Turkestan, questioning the issue of the post-colonial character of the early Soviet administration. After taking into consideration practices related to waqf management in modern Muslim states and European colonial empires, the paper briefly describes the tsarist administrative approach to the issue. We then address the ambiguity inherent in Soviet policies on waqf requisition and restitution during Civil War years. In the section that follows we deal with different groups of Muslim intellectuals that attempted to use the Soviet state in their mutual struggle over authority in Central Asian society and describe the creation and functioning of the bureaucracies responsible for managing w...
For 21st century warfare, space is the unquestioned new high ground for military operations. The United States (U.S.) has relied on satellites for significant support to military operations and activities since Desert Storm in 1991. Indeed, the U.S. enjoys an asymmetric advantage in modern warfare utilizing our space capabilities. States with interests hostile to the U.S. believe that the significant dependence on space assets by the U.S. military could become its "Achilles heel" in future combat operations. What are the legal and policy bases for the U.S. to respond to threats to space systems that provide support to our military forces? Should the U.S. rely on space arms control initiatives to ensure security in space? This Viewpoint analyzes the international space law regime and U.S. N...
In the by now extended debate about the end of the Cold War and its causes, very little attention has been paid to the role played by historical memory in helping shape the way policy-makers approached the collapse of the post-war order. As this article shows, many, if not most policy elites at the time, confronted the passing of the old world with a great degree of caution and trepidation; and one of the key reasons they did so, it is argued here, is because of their reading of the past. This reading, I go on to suggest, made many of them especially cautious and fearful when faced with great change. In the end of course these changes proved irresistible, and for liberals at least seemed to augur in more peaceful and prosperous times. However, as we shall see here, this unguarded optimism ...
This study examined the relationship between the 1997 UPE policy and regional educational and poverty inequality and its impact on lifelong learning through a one-year field based critical ethnography in Uganda, between June 2007 and May 2008. It drew on the Government's assumption that through UPE the twin goals of the universalisation of primary education and lifelong learning would be attained. This led to the concentration of resources away from higher education, secondary education, and lifelong learning to primary education. This 'UPE centric' approach ignored the precarious situation of the large number of illiterate children, youths and adults who have never accessed UPE or dropped out without attaining literacy and numeracy skills. This paper will clarify the relationship between ...
The key to the future for electric utilities will not be found in legislation or regulation. Title VII of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 will prove to be just as ineffectual in improving the industry's position as was the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978. These legislative palliatives, which produced so much commotion and so many reams of heated commentary, are largely irrelevant to a successful future for electric utilities. The key will be found in economics, not in law, and the future will lie in completing Thomas A. Edison's century-old vision for the industry, half of which the industry has heretofore ignored. The industry must embrace the complete vision and evolve from electric utilities into [open quotes]end-use energy utilities.[close quotes
This article explores the extent to which and how non-formal education (NFE) contributes to the development of a more diversified basic education system and thus to the achievement of EFA. It outlines the current nature of NFE, the frameworks provided by the EFA movement, and the evolution of reflection, policies and practices in NFE in relation to basic education as a whole. Based on significant developments in various countries across the South, the article also discusses some key challenges that ministries of education and their partners need to face in moving towards relevant and equitable diversity in education. The article posits that, despite the many problems faced by NFE, there is justification for building on its experiences and integrating these within a larger policy and system...
After the publication of the 2nd progress report of geological disposal of TRU waste in Japan, policy and general scheme of future study for the waste disposal in Japan was published by ANRE and JAEA. This annual report summarized aim and progress of individual problem, which was assigned into JAEA in the published policy and general scheme. The problems are as follows; characteristics of TRU waste and its geologic disposal, treatment and waste production, quality control and inspection methodology for waste, mechanical analysis of near-field, data acquisition and preparation on radionuclides migration, cementitious material transition, bentonite and rock alteration in alkaline solution, nitrate effect, performance assessment of the disposal system and decomposition of nitrate as an alternative technology. (author)
Although managing fisheries is complex, policymakers must make decisions daily that affect the future of aquatic resources. To make these decisions, they often combine a mental model with lessons learned from formal models such as computer models. While such computer models are frequently interpreted as predictors of the future, they are often more valuable when used as tools for learning about fisheries and options for management. This approach, looking at computer simulations as learning laboratories, is what this study is all about since its objective is to investigate by means of a microworld if policymakers in Belgian fisheries have the policy instruments at hand to align the real fisheries world with their often completely different desired fisheries worlds. This study illustrates ba...
One of the most important aspects of security organization is to establish a framework to identify security significant points where policies and procedures are declared. The (information) security infrastructure comprises entities, processes, and technology. All are participants in handling information, which is the item that needs to be protected. Privacy and security information technology is a critical and unmet need in the management of personal information. This paper proposes concepts and technologies for management of personal information. Two different types of information can be distinguished: personal information and nonpersonal information. Personal information can be either personal identifiable information (PII), or nonidentifiable information (NII). Security, policy, and technical requirements can be based on this distinction. At the conceptual level, PII is defined and formalized by propositions over infons (discrete pieces of ...
This paper analyzes the F-policy M/M/1/K queueing system with working vacation and an exponential startup time. The F-policy deals with the issue of controlling arrivals to a queueing system, and the server requires a startup time before allowing customers to enter the system. For the queueing systems with working vacation, the server can still provide service to customers rather than completely stop the service during a vacation period. The matrix-analytic method is applied to develop the steady-state probabilities, and then obtain several system characteristics. We construct the expected cost function and formulate an optimization problem to find the minimum cost. The direct search method and Quasi-Newton method are implemented to determine the optimal system capacity K, the optimal thre...
Radioactive waste for legal and regulatory purposes may be defined as material that contains or is contaminated with radio-nuclides at concentrations or activities greater than clearance levels as established by the regulatory body, and for which no use is foreseen. Safe management of radioactive waste is essential to ensure protection of humans and environment. Radioactive waste management policy is a guideline for the safe management of radioactive waste. It expresses the commitment of the country towards the goal. Government should initiate investigation into best long-term option for management of spent nuclear fuels. Process of selecting option and eventual site should involve comprehensive public participation within set time frames (with deep geological disposal as preferred management option).
...the School, the research group structure was recently revised and now comprises the following teams: Drug Design and Analysis Pharmaceutics Pharmacy Practice and Policy Pharmacological and Biomedical Science The current structure was designed to take into account the future development of research in the academic area. The ...Discovery, Molecular Modelling, Pharmacology and Molecular Biology) and international recognition (Biological Sciences), which have now been re-organised into the Drug Design and Analysis and Pharmacological and Biomedical Sciences teams. The reorganisation also aimed to improve the research reputation of the other teams. The improvements in ... Email to a friend Print Within this area Drug design and analysis Pharmaceutics Pharmacy practice and policy Pharmacological and biomedical sciences Projects Publications Staff Considering a course? Research Degrees Course Finder Order a Prospectus Subject Areas Sunderland Facts ...
The first part of the study goes into the determination of efficient strategies for the reduction of air pollutants. The developed method is not only derived theoretically but is tested with the concrete example of emissions sources of a German state. The second part goes into the question what the government can do in order to attain that air pollution abatement measures recognized as being efficient will be put into practice. As market economy mechanisms have advantages over central state planning in the allocation of economic resources the question arises if not also for environmental protection market economy tools may contribute to an improvement of the efficiency of air pollution abatement. Therefore the suitability of different tools of environmental policy for the realization of efficient air pollution abatement is investigated and evaluated. This is again not done abstractly but with existing emission sources. (orig./HSCH). 32 figs., 12 tabs.
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 ...
The Low-Level Radioactive Waste Forum is an association of representatives of states and compacts established to facilitate state and compact commission implementation of the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act of 1980 and the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1985 and to promote the objectives of low-level radioactive waste regional compacts. The Forum provides an opportunity for states and compacts to share information with one another and to exchange views with officials of federal agencies. The Forum participants include representatives from regional compacts, designated host states, unaffiliated states, and states with currently-operating low-level radioactive waste facilities. This report contains information synthesizing the accomplishments of the Forum, as well as any new advances that have been made in the management of low-level radioactive wastes.
The study concerns the assessment of the state of the environment in Lebanon and the identification of policy options has three specific objectives namely to determine the conditions of the environment in Lebanon after years of wars (1975-1992); to identify environmentals trends associated with Lebanon's development and to assess their sustainability; to identify policy options for environmental management. Issues of the environment concerned are both the brown issues e.g. the management of wastes and effluent arising from human activitiesand green issues, the natural resource base defined through main receptors:air, water (including coastal waters), land and terrestrial ecology sectors such as agriculture, industry, energy, transport, tourism and fisheries, population and human settlements are also studied
This paper is part of a study that assessed the level of commitment of primary schools of remote area dwellers (RADs) to basic education between October 2004 and April 2005. The research question focused on the level of commitment of schools to universal basic education, school-community partnership in school governance and parental involvement in the way the curriculum was delivered. Questionnaire and interviews were used. The results show a significant relationship between teachers' perceptions and variables such as district, qualifications, age, location, and experience. There is consistency between teachers' perceptions and children's academic performance. It has been found that learner achievement in RADs schools is low and that parents are not actively involved in their children's education due to the policy environment and school management practices.
This article analyses the process of preparing the proposal for a new Finnish National Waste Plan (NWP 2007-2016). The focus of this study is on the use of the alternative concepts of waste prevention or material efficiency and on the shift in discourse from the former to the latter concept. The strengths and weaknesses of these competing concepts were analysed using criteria such as synergy, semantic aspects, legal context and applicability to monitoring. The discourse presented by different stakeholder groups was analysed. The implications of choosing either of the concepts were illustrated. The author concludes that waste prevention can be promoted just as well, or even better from the perspective of improving material efficiency. The concept must be complemented by policy instruments w...
The French agency of environment and energy mastery (Ademe) and Deutsche Energie Agentur (DENA) organised in Berlin on November 22 and 23, 2001, the first seminar and forum of ideas and exchanges on the implementation of energy efficiency and renewable energy policies in France and in Germany. On this occasion, Ademe asked Energie-Cites - an association of European cities with a long practical experience in 'good practice' exchanges - to prepare a publication describing the experience of about ten French cities or local energy agencies in energy management issues. The case studies presented in this document concern the following cities: Besancon, Dole, Dunkerque, Lille, Montpellier, and the local energy agencies of Clermont-Ferrand (Aduhme), Grenoble, Montreuil-Vincennes, Mulhouse and Rennes. (J.S.)
This study estimates the electricity demand function for the residential sector of South Korea with the aim of examining the effects of improved energy efficiency, structural factors and household lifestyles on electricity consumption. In the study, time series data for the period from 1973 to 2007 is used in a structural time series model to estimate the long-term price and income elasticities and annual growth of underlying energy demand trend (UEDT) at the end of the estimation period. The result shows a long-term income elasticity of 1.33 and a long-term price elasticity of -0.27% with -0.93% as the percentage growth of UEDT at the end of the estimation period. This result suggests that, in order to encourage energy efficiency in the residential sector, the government should complement the market based pricing policies with non-market policies such as minimum energy efficiency standards and public enlightenment.
This study estimates the electricity demand function for the residential sector of South Korea with the aim of examining the effects of improved energy efficiency, structural factors and household lifestyles on electricity consumption. In the study, time series data for the period from 1973 to 2007 is used in a structural time series model to estimate the long-term price and income elasticities and annual growth of underlying energy demand trend (UEDT) at the end of the estimation period. The result shows a long-term income elasticity of 1.33 and a long-term price elasticity of -0.27% with -0.93% as the percentage growth of UEDT at the end of the estimation period. This result suggests that, in order to encourage energy efficiency in the residential sector, the government should complement the market based pricing policies with non-market policies such as minimum energy efficiency standards and public enlightenment. (author)
Given a set of users, their friend relationships, and a distance threshold per friend pair, the proximity detection problem is to find each pair of friends such that the Euclidean distance between them is within the given threshold. This problem plays an essential role in friend-locator applications and massively multiplayer online games. Existing proximity detection solutions either incur substantial location update costs or their performance does not scale well to a large number of users. Motivated by this, we present a centralized proximity detection solution that assigns each mobile client with a mobile region. We then design a self-tuning policy to adjust the radius of the region automatically, in order to minimize communication cost. In addition, we analyze the communication cost of our solutions, and provide valuable insights on their behaviors. Extensive experiments suggest that our proposed solution is efficient and robust with respect to various ...
In this article I explore the political event of the Tanzanian government's interdiction of a prominent educational civil society organization in order to theorize the emerging policy heterarchy in Tanzania. In the context of the ensuing public debate about the interdiction, I ask two questions: (1) what tensions are emerging from the democratization reforms embedded in national iterations of international EFA policies and (2) to what end are such reforms taking place? I address these questions with ethnographic, documentary and interview data collected as part of a broader study of participation in development between 2004 and 2007 in Dar es Salaam and the Singida region of central Tanzania. My analysis draws on critical, anthropological and postcolonial theories to explore the tensions o...
The Department of Energy (DOE) policy requires that all DOE activities be conducted in a manner that protects the safety of the public and provides a safe and healthful workplace for employees. DOE has also prescribed that all personnel be protected in any explosives operation undertaken. The level of safety provided shall be at least equivalent to that of the best industrial practice. The risk of death or serious injury shall be limited to the lowest practicable minimum. DOE and contractors shall continually review their explosives operations with the aim of achieving further refinements and improvements in safety practices and protective features. This manual describes the Department's explosive safety requirements applicable to operations involving the development, testing, handling, and processing of explosives or assemblies containing explosives. It is intended to reflect the state-of-the-art in explosives safety. In addition, it is essential that ...
Policy makers are turning to market-based mechanisms to engender innovative ways of reducing polluting air emissions. As with any emerging market, environmental policies must be carefully crafted so that the institutions and incentives needed to form working markets are developed. Attention must be paid to creating avenues for communities and other 'non-moneyed' or unorganised interests to be involved in the new market processes. This paper proposes a strategy to create sustainable, community-based methods to reduce polluting air emissions within the context of market-based incentive programs. By enabling communities to effectively participate in environmental solutions, they will truly be able to 'think globally, act locally'. (author)
The purpose of this work is to characterize the role of the financial institutions in achieving sustainable development meaning a process of development which leaves at least the same amount of capital, natural and man-made, to future generations as current generations have access to. This makes it clear that sustainable development is about capital allocation and thus should be at the core of financial markets activity. On a more practical level the different ways banks affect environment are analyzed: as investors - supplying the investments with environmental perspective; as lenders - developing new financial products to encourage sustainable development; as valuers - estimating risks and opportunities in project-financing; as powerful stake holders - as shareholders and lenders they can exercise considerable influence over companies; - as polluters - while not dirty industries, financial institutions do consume natural resources. By the study of these ...
The paper brings forth the information related to the youth organizations acting at the factory, their policies, provisions of youth incentives, intake of employees to the company, labor motivation. There is also the information on the events, which take place on site, on the arrangements of the young employees' leisure, as well as on the creative and productive potential of the factory. (author)
This presentation outlined the energy policy in the United States and its impact on frontier development in Alaska, deepwater offshore fields and in the western oil shale resources. The energy strategy focuses on technologies that increase domestic production from existing resources as well as technologies that create new sources of energy. In addition to emphasizing the cooperation between Canada and the United States in ensuring energy supply security and stability, this paper discussed the importance of overall bilateral trade between the 2 countries. It was noted that Canada is the United State's most secure and reliable energy partner and is the number 1 supplier of imported oil, natural gas, electricity and uranium. The Bush administration's energy policy is based on the mandate to supply stable, reliable, secure, affordable and environmentally sound energy for the country's growing economy. The energy strategy ...
The Danish Ministry of Transportation has prepared a national plan of transportation, for the years until 2005. Official policy concerning land, maritime and air transport, personal and cargo transportation, investments and expenditures is outlined. Environmental impacts of energy consumption and air pollution abatement measures are considered. (EG)
Regularly considered as the 'success story' of the world environmental policy, the regulation relative to ozone destructive products should allow a recovery of the ozone layer around the middle of the 21. century. This article analyzes how, two decades after the signature of the Montreal protocol, such forecasts are still valid and how new parameters, like the increase of the greenhouse effect, will influence this recovery. (J.S.)
Current European and the US experiences in waste management are reviewed in the perspective of sustainable development. This publication questions the validity of the current approach taken by the Germany at ``closing the loop`` based on the example of packaging and packaging waste. The product item focus of current German legislation is compared with Danish and US approaches that are based on an integrated policy which covers the whole of waste generation and handling and is not product/item oriented. 1 fig., 2 tabs.
Atopic eczema is a chronic skin condition affecting between 5% and 20% of children aged up to 11 years at one time or other. Research suggests that prevalence is increasing and various environmental...Full Text Available
This paper presents the Asian landscape with its regional balances and imbalances and its changes after September 11 and subsequent events. The nuclear posture and the role of nuclear weapons inside the China-India-Pakistan triangle is analyzed with respect to the US non-proliferation policy and its expanding military presence over the Asian continent. (J.S.)
This document summarizes the degree to which State water quality standards include wetlands in their definitions of State waters. The detailed review of other elements of standards, such as uses, criteria and antidegradation, is beyond the scope of this review. The purpose of this review is to provide a baseline of information for the development of EPA guidance and policies related to water quality standards for wetlands.
Apart from the vulnerability implied by the START II treaty, it will bear the burden of the general political opposition to the Yeltsin administration. START II will be seen as part of an overall Yeltsin-Andrei Kozyrev foreign policy that is under fire for selling out Russian national interests in Yugoslavia, the Persian Gulf, and elsewhere. This article discusses public opinion concerning START II, the cost of its implementation, and the general purpose of the treaty.
Energy policy is discussed, with particular reference to Scotland. The plans for nuclear power are analyzed in comparison with developments in coal mining, use of oil and gas and other possible energy sources such as wind and wave power. Arguments against the development of nuclear power are raised on grounds of economics, employment potential, and problems of waste disposal. (U.K.).
The study required by the West German Ministry of Research and Technology (RS 605) for the Committee on 'Future Nuclear Energy Policy' of the 9th German Parliament is concerned with the following main points: 1) Assessment of technical risks from the social aspect; 2) Discussion of terms and quantification of risks; 3) 'Engineering judgment' and 'questionable' methods in the Fast Breeder analysis of the Society for Reactor Safety (GRS); 4) Assessment criteria of potential damage. (HP).
The FFTF is an ERDA facility which does not require licensing, but a technical review by NRC is required by ERDA policy. Safety issues which were not fully resolved in the course of the review for construction authorization have been the subject of continuing review since mid-1973. These issues included HCDA energetics, design fallback provisions for additional safety margins, piping integrity, and natural circulation core cooling.
In 1991 the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) continued it efforts to restructure the electric utility industry, emphasizing market-based pricing of wholesale power transactions and transmission access and pricing. Other issues covered in this report include pricing and policy initiatives, filing procedures, the generic rate of return on common equity, the price squeeze, contract interpretation, and legislative developments.
Previous models and evaluation techniques based on the Monte Carlo simulation for the reliability assessment of mixed hydrothermal generation systems are extended. Models for reservoirs on multiple rivers and pumped storage plants are developed. Operating and water management policies are extended to include the relative economical effects of operating alternative sources of generation. These effects and the benefits are described and discussed using an extended IEEE reliability test system. (Author).
... Rachel has also studied Geological Oceanography at the School of Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of Wales, Bangor, including a year spent at the Institute of Oceanographic Sciences Deacon Laboratory, Surrey, as a student researcher for the British Mid-Ocean Ridge Initiative (BRIDGE). Rachel has authored the following 1 Working Papers: 2002 ecm-2002-05 Towards Integrated Catchment/Coastal Management: Science, Policy ...
... Everyday Creativity as Civic Engagement: A Cultural Citizenship View of New Media. Paper presented at the Communications Policy & Research Forum (CPRF), Sydney, NSW. Foth, M., & Axup, J. (2006, Jul 31 - Aug 5). Participatory Design and Action Research: Identical Twins or Synergetic Pair? In G. Jacucci, F....
A tiered communications architecture for managing network traffic in a distributed system. Communication between client or control computers and a plurality of hardware devices is administered by agent and monitor devices whose activities are coordinated to reduce the number of open channels or sockets. The communications architecture also improves the transparency and scalability of the distributed system by reducing network mapping dependence. The architecture is desirably implemented in a proton beam therapy system to provide flexible security policies which improve patent safety and facilitate system maintenance and development.
...Pharmaceutics | Special Issue: Solid Dosage Forms LoginRegister mdpi.com Journals A-Z For Authors About Open Access Policy Title / Keyword Journal all Administrative Sciences Agriculture ...Establishing Differences from Adults Recent Developments and Future Perspectives in Dissolution Testing Solid Dosage Forms The 1st Electronic Conference on Pharmaceutical Science The Progress on Pharmaceutics ... 1 (2009) Special Issue \\
Governments around the world will soon make decisions on policies that could determine the fate of the ozone layer-the Earth's shield from harmful ultraviolet radiation. The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, signed on March 22, 1985, created a framework for scientific cooperation and information exchange that will form the basis for a protocol for controlling substances thought to threaten the ozone layer. As of mid-1987, 29 countries had signed the Convention, including the major producers and users of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), the most important of suspect chemicals.
This paper describes a maintenance problem in a fusion power plant. The problem is to specify which life limited parts should be replaced when there is an opportunity. The objective is to minimize the cost rate of replacement parts and of maintenance actions while satisfying a power plant availability constraint. The maintenance policy is to look ahead and replace all parts that will reach their life limits within a time called a screen. Longer screens yield greater system availabilities because more parts are replaced prior to their life limits.
China is continuing to extract oil from kerogen shale despite having a crude production capacity of 100 Mt a year. Among the reasons for this policy are the country's rich oil shale resources, comparatively mature extraction techniques, and a comprehensive utilization of the shale that has proved to be economically profitable. China has oil shale deposits of 340 Gt, equivalent to 24.5 Gt of shale oil, to rank fourth in the world after the U.S., Brazil, and the Soviet Union.
The global spread of HIV and AIDS has presented a major threat to development, affecting the health of the poor and many aspects of social and economic development. The greatest impact of the epidemic has been felt in sub-Saharan Africa, and Zambia ranks among the worst hit countries. The Free Basic Education Policy in Zambia upholds the right of all children to a universal basic education. This study explored staff and student perceptions of the impact of the epidemic on access to, and the quality of, basic education for AIDS-affected children, orphans and other vulnerable children (OVCs) in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia, where the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate ranges from 34 to 40%, and life expectancy has dropped to 33 years. Data were collected from education personnel in six districts of the Copperbelt with the highest prevalence of HIV and AIDS and from staff and students in six schools. The data indicated a range of factors that adversely affect the access ...
A range of lessons have been identified from previous attempts to implement long term radioactive waste management policy in the UK and internationally. Many of these relate to the way the decision-making process is undertaken and the fact that there needs to be an open, transparent process that enables continuous stakeholder involvement. Nirex believes that using the SEA and EIA frameworks will help to incorporate the lessons learned into the future decision-making process relating to long-term radioactive waste management.
Policy strategies for the promotion of electricity from renewable energy sources differ significantly among the Member States of the European Union with respect to the amount of additional installed capacity as well as concerning the country-specific support costs. The present report aims to assess the effectiveness and the economic efficiency of the support policies in the EU based on both historical experiences and prospective model-based analysis. The main message of the investigation is that the most effective policy instruments tend to be cost-efficient at the same time. In particular, feed-in tariff systems were identified as a successful instrument for supporting renewable energies in terms of effectiveness and efficiency, whereas quota systems still have to prove themselves in practice. (orig.) [German] Bezueglich des Erfolges bei der Foerderung erneuerbarer Energietraeger im Stromsektor bestehen deutliche ...
This article investigates the societal conditions that might help the establishment of peer-to-peer modes of production. First, the context within which such a new model is emerging - the neoliberal knowledge-based-societies - is described, and its shortcomings unveiled; and second, a robust argument is provided for the moral legitimation of an alternative societal vision, including two structural policies that are likely to facilitate the establishment and further development of peer-to-peer practices.
A major focus of the National Nuclear Security Administration-led Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI) is the development of human capital to meet present and future challenges to the safeguards regime. An effective university-level education in safeguards and related disciplines is an essential element in a layered strategy to rebuild the safeguards human resource capacity. NNSA launched two pilot programs in 2008 to develop university level courses and internships in association with James, Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) at the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) and Texas A&M University (TAMU). These pilot efforts involved 44 students in total and were closely linked to hands-on internships at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The Safeguards and Nuclear Material Management pilot program was a collaboration between TAMU, LANL, and LLNL. The LANL-based coursework was shared with the ...
Assessing the potential environmental and human effects of deploying renewable energy on private and public lands, along our coasts, on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), and in the Great Lakes requires a new way of evaluating potential environmental and human impacts. The author argues that deployment of renewables requires a framework risk paradigm that underpins effective future siting decisions and public policies.
...Identification - ETI Food & Biobased Research (WUR) Freudenthal Institute - FIsme (UU) Holst Centre IKM Engineering Ltd Information Retrieval and Information Systems (KUN) Information Systems - INS Information Technology Group (WUR) Institute for Computing and Information Sciences - ICIS (KUN) Institute of Health Policy and Management (EUR) ...
Biomedical science researchers often express frustration that health physics practices vary widely between individual institutions. A survey examining both internal and external dose assessment practices was devised and mailed to fifty institutions supporting biomedical science research. The results indicate that health physics dose assessment practices and policies are highly variable. Factors which may contribute to the degree of variation are discussed. 2 tabs.
This document, the Standards/Requirements Identification Document (S/RID) Phase I Assessment Report for the subject facility, represents the results of an Administrative Assessment to determine whether S/RID requirements are fully addressed by existing policies, plans or procedures. It contains; compliance status, remedial actions, and an implementing manuals report linking S/RID elements to requirement source to implementing manual and section.
The Conference on Building Design and Architecture organized by Swedish Council for Building Research Contents included articles on building physics, thermal-climate technology, indoor-air-quality technology, construction materials, quality assurance, and building policy and regulation.
... Social Capital Social capital describes circumstances in which individuals and organisations can use membership in groups and networks to secure benefits. Connections within and between networks reinforce the belief that these social networks have a value and can be used as a platform for further social progress. In this light, natural capital and social capital are closely related, and policies that build or destroy one often build ...
DescriptionThe initiative on risk assessment and toxicology arose in 1995 when the limitations of current methods of risk assessment and the possibilities offered by new options were identified. Government Departments agreed to explore with the Research Councils how a joint strategy could be focused on the Departments' policy needs. In October 2002 the Steering Committee reviewed the work of IGHRC and recommended that the Initiative should continue for a further three years (October 2003 - September 2006 [continued...
...Studies People Projects Opportunities Framework Critical Sectors Development Goals Geographic Region Geographic Scale Research Themes Printer-Friendly MSU Environmental Science and Policy Program Michigan State University East Lansing , Michigan Type: Program Education Level: Graduate Event Duration: Ongoing Philosophy of the doctoral specialization: In the ...
The extent of exchange rate pass-through has been playing an increasingly pivotal role in the transmission of exchange rate shocks and adequate policy responses. We develop a model of exchange rate pass-through that allows the stochastic process of exchange rate to include the lagged values of the velocity of money. We show that the likelihood and extent of pass-through is sensitive to the lagged response.
...-such as the EU -suggests a considerably larger effect of such agreements on membersrsquo; trade than typical ex ante CGE models and traditional cross-section empirical analyses (using traditional ldquo;gravity equationsrdquo;). These larger estimated effects are more consistent with the active role of national governments ...
Since many years, people take care of hazardous consequences of a non controlled economic growth and the sustainable development concept gains on one. This situation leads to consequences in the building industry and in the energy policy: buildings insulation in consideration, demand of consultants. In this framework, the partnership between Gaz De France and CICF has to be built. (A.L.B.)
An overall review of status of energy in Lebanon is presented. Energy consumption and demand, in all sectors of economy, including renewable energy sources (biomass, solar energy, kerosene, gas oils...) are described, enhanced by figures and tables. Recommendations of energy development in Lebanon within national economic policy are formulated. 4 tabs.
Key elements in strategic planning in the nonferrous mining industry are discussed. Included are price forecasting, financial planning, government relations, research and development, and exploration. Financial planning is discussed in terms of 1) forecasting of earnings, 2) investment policy and 3) tax planning. Costs of environmental liabilities are expected to have a major impact on the industry. (JMT)
This retrospective bibliography contains citations concerning economic analysis of the techniques and technology for cogeneration and the effects of government policies and industrial attitudes toward cogeneration. Combined energy systems and combined manufacturing/energy systems which utilize waste heat and waste products as well as traditional fuels are included. (Contains 71 citations, fully indexed and including a table of contents.)
The added incentive to modify electric use under hourly versus monthly market-based pricing is small for most mass market customers in Upstate New York. If the ultimate policy goal of demand-response programs is to reduce peak load, then promoting conservation measures under monthly market-based pricing holds more promise. (author)
The objective of SCK-CEN's R and D programme on decision strategy research are (1) to support and advise the Belgian authorities on specific problems concerning existing and potential hazards from exposure to ionising radiation, both in normal and emergency situations; (2) to perform research on relevant topics that might have an important impact on decision making related to nuclear applications, including social and economic sciences. Main achievements in this area in 1999 are described.
The critical concentrations correspond to contamination thresholds of environments over which noxious effects can occur and deteriorate soils, water and vegetation. They are defined according to the type of pollutants and their mode of action. The aim of this document is to provide a scientific framework to the policies of reduction of atmospheric pollution negotiated at Geneva`s convention. The methodology of evaluation, the results obtained for surface waters and forest soils, the perspectives of French research and the integration of French knowledge in the European database are presented. (J.S.)
The development of a synthetic fuels industry in Australia is described in the context of overall energy policy. The national coal liquefaction research program is directed at three main routes to liquid fuels: hydroliquefaction, pyrolysis and indirect liquefaction. Australia is also contributing to technology development and assessment programs in cooperation with other countries, in particular Federal Republic of Germany and Japan.
The inevitability of sustainable economic development and its linkage to a gradual shift to renewable energy sources, especially solar energy, was discussed. Means to measure sustainability of technology were described, and policy instruments (essentially research, development and demonstration, and punitive taxes on conventional energy carriers) to accelerate the shift to renewable energy sources were outlined.
... There is an evident, growing public discontent among supervisors and regulators with quantitative risk evaluation techniques, including Value-at-Risk and similar methods, so it is surprising to see the same authorities now advocating their use in more doubtful circumstances to risk weight bonuses. Deferrals and claw backs ...
Mitsubishi Research Institute has analyzed the energy demand of a typical Japanese city, Yokohama, as well as the distribution of fossil-energy flow, and the final consumption by sectors. It has evaluated the effectiveness of various energy conservation measures, (e.g., cogeneration, electric cars, insulation,...) in countering the global warming trend. This study defines a viable methodology which may be utilized, in the future, in examining the effectiveness of environmental policies. (TEC). 1 tab., 4 figs.
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is establishing a local chapter of the University of California Energy Institute (UCEI). In order to most effectively contribute to the Institute, LLNL sponsored a workshop on energy and environmental issues in transportation. This workshop took place in Livermore on August 10 and brought together researchers from throughout the UC systems in order to establish a joint LLNL-UC research program in transportation, with a focus on energy and environmental impacts.
The developed countries are implementing a policy minimizing damage from environmental pollution by reducing discharge in advance as well as the aftermath of a pollutant. The typical example is to use BAT (Best Available Technology). This is to prevent environmental damage by reducing the discharge of pollutants with available technology and to secure environmental margin to enable industrial activities of future generation. Therefore, the feasibility of introducing BAT requirement system was reviewed by considering foreign examples and Korean situation. 38 refs., 8 figs., 69 tabs.
In January 2001, Husky Oil Operations Limited (Husky), in joint-venture with Petro-Canada submitted a Development Application (DA) to the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) for the White Rose Development. This DA was prepared following the Canada-Newfoundland Atlantic Accord Implementation Act and the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Atlantic Accord Implementation Newfoundland and Labrador Act. In December 2001, the C-NLOPB approved the White Rose DA. This document outlined a proposed amendment to the original Development Plan involving an expansion of its White Rose Development in the Jeanne d'Arc Basin on the Grand Bank. The expansion will consist of a subsea tie-back to the Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel through the existing Southern Glory Hole (SGH) and utilizing a new glory hole constructed approximately 4 km south of the SGH. The document presented an overview of the development; geology, ...
The surveillance systems have been widely used in automatic teller machines (ATMs), banks, convenient stores, etc. For example, when a customer uses the ATM, the surveillance systems will record his/her face information. The information will help us understand and trace who withdrew money. However, when criminals use the ATM to withdraw illegal money, they usually block their faces with something (in Taiwan, criminals usually use safety helmets or masks to block their faces). That will degrade the purpose of the surveillance system. In previous work, we already proposed a technology for safety helmet detection. In this paper, we propose a mask detection technology based upon automatic face recognition methods. We use the Gabor filters to generate facial features and utilize geometric analysis algorithms for mask detection. The technology can give an early warning to save-guards when any "customer" or "intruder" blocks his/her face information with a mask. Besides, ...
More details about the construction of the Terra Nova floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel are provided. The vessel was built in the Daewoo shipyard in South Korea, and is now undergoing final fitting at Bull Arm, near St. John's, Newfoundland. When complete, the vessel will operate 350 km offshore, southeast of St. John's. It is 291 metres long and 45.5 metres wide and has a capacity of 960,000 barrels of oil. Although the FPSO will hold less than half of the last giant supertanker which sailed for Irving Oil, it has a crew of 81, four times the size of the supertanker, reflecting the technical uniqueness of the vessel and the intense pre-occupation with safety associated with the combination of winds, ice, waves, and shallow water around the Grand Banks. Also described is the alliance system of partnership between the oil companies and the main contractors. The deal stipulates that if the project ran over its budget, the oil ...
The Savannah River Swamp is a 3,020 Ha forested wetland on the floodplain of the Savannah River and is located on the Department of Energy`s Savannah River Site (SRS). Major impacts to the swamp hydrology occurred with the completion of the production reactors and one coal-fired powerhouse at the SRS in the early 1950`s. Water was pumped from the Savannah River, through secondary heat exchangers of the reactors, and discharged into three of the tributary streams that flow into the swamp. This continued from 1954 to 1988 at various levels. The sustained increases in water volume resulted in overflow of the original stream banks and the creation of additional floodplains. Accompanying this was considerable erosion of the original stream corridor and deposition of a deep silt layer on the newly formed delta. Heated water was discharged directly into Pen Branch and water temperature in the stream often exceeded 50 C. The nearly continuous flood of the swamp, the ...
In 1982 the semi-submersible drilling unit Ocean Ranger capsized and sank off the Grand Banks, resulting in the loss of the entire 84-man crew. A Royal Commission was set up to conduct an enquiry into the incident, and to carry out a process of research and opinion-gathering towards providing recommendations to both federal and Newfoundland governments. The primary purpose of the Commission was to determine why the Ocean Ranger sank, why none of the crew were saved, and how to avoid similar disasters. A number of studies and seminars were held to focus expert knowledge and opinion in several key fields and to update studies and fill gaps in the data base. Summaries of selected study reports and the seminar proceedings are presented in the following areas: the environment, including ice, marine climatology, weather forecasting services, wave climatology, oceanographic information, and seabed information; design, including mobile offshore drilling rig design ...
After the construction of its wastewater treatment plants, the City of Quebec began to implement overflow control in wet weather to ultimately meet the effluent discharge objectives, i.e. no more than two overflows per summer season in the St. Lawrence River and no more than four in the St-Charles River. After several years of studies to determine which management strategies would best suit the purpose, and to propose optimum solutions, a first project to implement optimal and predictive management in real time, called "Pilot", came to life in 1999. Construction in phases soon followed and the work was completed in the fall of 2009. As a result, requirements with regard to environmental rejects were met in two sectors, namely the St-Charles River and the Jacques-Cartier Beach, and aquatic recreational activities could resume. Meanwhile, the City also worked at giving back access to the water courses to the public by developing sites at the Jacques-Cartier Beach and in the Bay of ...
The results of the liquid CO/sub 2/ injection pilots in the Granny's Creek field permit the following findings and conclusions: The pilots demonstrated that CO/sub 2/ can be used for tertiary recovery, and it will displace oil and form a high oil-cut bank in a watered-out reservoir. Oil production response in every case was almost immediate; and after CO/sub 2/ injection was stopped and water injection was started, the oil production declined rapidly over a period of 2-3 months to very low rates. Confinement of CO/sub 2/ to the pilot area was the principal problem. CO/sub 2/ spread rapidly to virtually all of the southern part of the reservoir of about 350 acres. Except for weather, there were practically no operational problems. Corrosion from the CO/sub 2/ was not observed. Pilot results did not demonstrate economic feasibility. The ratio of CO/sub 2/ to additional oil of 19,357 cu ft (14.696 psia and 60/sup 0/ F.) indicated the additional oil would not ...
A spectral element method embodying Large Eddy Simulation based on Re- Normalization Group theory for simulating Sub Grid Scale viscosity was chosen for this work. This method is embodied in a computer code called NEKTON. NEKTON solves the unsteady, 2D or 3D,incompressible Navier Stokes equations by a spectral element method. The code was later extended to include the variable density and multiple reactive species effects at low Mach numbers, and to compute transport of large particles governed by inertia. Transport of small particles is computed by treating them as trace species. Code computations were performed for a number of test conditions typical of flow past a deep tube bank in a boiler. Results indicate qualitatively correct behavior. Predictions of deposition rates and deposit shape evolution also show correct qualitative behavior. These simulations are the first attempts to compute flow field results at realistic flow Reynolds numbers of the order of ...
AGNES is a chopper spectrometer installed at the top of the C3 cold guide of JRR-3 (JAERI, Tokai). In 2004 - 2006, this spectrometer was greatly improved by installing (1) 208 new detectors to make the detector bank complete, (2) new radiation shields composed of Fe (14 mm), polyethylene (50 mm), B4C rubber (10 mm), and Cd (0.5 mm) sheets, (3) a new control system for the anti-frame-overlap chopper rotating simultaneously with the Fermi chopper, (4) a monitor counter at the space between the chopper and monochromator, (5) a neutron guide tube (50 cm) before the monochromator, (6) a new instrument control (monochromators, choppers, beam narrowers, etc.) and measurement control (real-time data monitoring, sample temperature control, etc.) systems, (7) a top-loading type cryostat workable at a wide temperature range of 6 - 480 K. As the results of these improvements, the signal intensity has been increased by 3.3 and the background has been reduced by 1/10 both ...
The DGs (Diesel Generators) in NPP (Nuclear Power Plant) has been used for the emergency electric power source to shot down the nuclear reactor safety in case of station blackout. The RCM (Reliability Centered Maintenance) has been applied to DGs for increasing the safety of NPP. The structured defects of DG were not remedied by the improvement of maintenance method. As the first stage of RCM, to find the structured defect, its failure= models were searched and analyzed through the ten year maintenance information. The structured defects such as the air compressor, the lubricating oil pressure, and the insufficient load were the root causes of main failures. The air reservoir reinstallation, the lubricating oil tube modification, the load bank installation, and the qualitative instrumentation were the solutions for the hardware oriented RCM of DGs. There remains the software oriented RCM such as the rejection of useless maintenance, the preventive maintenance, the ...
A review of energy use in Haiti, aimed at identifying possible projects to complement current A.I.D. support for institution building and energy planning within the Ministry of Mines and Energy Resources (MMRE), is presented. Key findings are that: (1) the sugar and manufacturing industries rely heavily on biomass fuels - wood, charcoal, and bagasse (sugar cane residue); and (2) demand for commercial energy and for electricity is growing rapidly despite supply constraints. The report calls for A.I.D. to: initiate a program to reduce biomass consumption (which is causing severe soil erosion and deforestation), especially in the small distilleries called guildives; collaborate with MMRE and the World Bank to develop a detailed workplan to promote energy efficiency in the guildives, focusing on technology development; help MMRE and the private sector to project Haiti's industrial energy and electricity needs through the year 2000; and sponsor a program of ...
As part of three ongoing research projects, the Gas Research Institute (GRI) is studying the natural gas industry's impacts on wetlands and how to manage operations so that impacts can be minimized or eliminated. The objective of the first project is to gain a better understanding of the causes and processes of wetland loss in the Louisiana deltaic plain and what role gas pipeline canals play in wetland loss. On the basis of information gathered from the first projects, management and mitigation implications for pipeline construction and maintenance will be evaluated. The objective of the second project is to assess the floral and faunal communities on existing rights-of-way (ROWs) that pass through numerous types of wetlands across the United States. The emphasis of the project is on pipelines that were installed within the past five years. The objective of the third project is to evaluate the administrative, jurisdictional, technical, and economic issues of wetland ...
Private transfers of capital from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to developing countries are intended to complement private transfers from the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) by tapping the emerging capital markets in the Middle East. Developing countries will be able to diversify their borrowing and gain additional financing. The long-term investment of oil-producing countries will benefit and the pressures on the banking institutions to recycle funds will lessen. Middle East capital markets include international loans and international bonds. The history of the Kuwaiti dinar (KD) bond market, with its advantages for both investors and borrowers, illustrates the successful development of a capital market. Financial intermediation needs to be improved, however, if the Middle East is to become efficient enough to compete with the Euromarkets. Efficiency will require different measures and should reflect ...
Low expression of osmotically responsive genes 2 (LOS2) encodes an enolase (2-phospho-D-glycerate hydrolase, EC 4.2.1.11) that converts 2-phospho-D-glycerate (PGA) to phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) in the glycolytic pathway in Arabidopsis. Meanwhile, it is a transcriptional activator of cold-responsive gene, negatively controlling the expression of STZ/ZAT10, a zinc finger transcriptional repressor of cold-responsive gene from Arabidopsis. A novel LOS2 gene, designated PtrLOS2 (GenBank accession number GQ144341), was isolated from trifoliate orange [Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf.]. The PtrLOS2 cDNA is 1 662 bp in length with a 1 338 bp open reading frame (ORF), encoding a deduced 445 amino acid residue protein with a predicted molecular mass of 47.79 kDa and an isoelectric point of 5.54. The ded...
For each sample, one 30-gallon drum containing approximately 90 lb of coal at {minus}1/4 inch was designated for headspace oxygen analysis and coal quality monitoring at yearly intervals. Headspace oxygen analysis and retrieval of a 5-lb sample for coal analysis have begun. Headspace oxygen contents are shown in Table 1. Preparation and analysis of these samples for the second yearly quality evaluation is in progress. We have initiated a study of different means of storage in preventing sample deterioration and in maintaining an inert headspace atmosphere. The work was performed with support from the Penn State Cooperative Program in Coal Research. A run-of-mine sample of medium-volatile bituminous Lower Kittanning coal was collected as PSOC-1536 and promptly processed. Gieseler fluidity FSI, alkali extraction and preparation of petrographic pellets were accomplished within 32 hours of extraction of the coal from the mine face. Splits of the sample were sealed under argon in several ...
An Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for the Jharia Coalfield (JCF) was recently completed as part of a World Bank funded project. The JCF, 260 km west of Calcutta, comprises 450 km{sup 2}. Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) operates an area of 258 km{sup 2}. Coal mining has been conducted for more than 100 years. There are severe constraints to mining due to geology, coal fires and the large population. BCCL counterpart staff participated actively in all aspects of the work. Air and water are heavily polluted, however, mining operations contribute only to a limited extent to the total pollution. Water contamination is generally due to inadequate sewage treatment and discharge from non-mine facilities such as power plants. The large area disturbed by mining to date will increase, as open pit mining operations are expected to expand significantly. Reclamation to date is generally confined to planting of trees. Areas where cost effective reclamation can be done were ...
Relativistic electron beams are used for generating high power microwaves. These microwave sources require electron beam generators spanning significant ranges in voltage and impedance. The pulsed power technology used to generate these electron beams is presented. Electron beam generators that produce beams with pulse durations in the 10-ns to 100-ns regime consist of an energy-storage section, pulse-shaping section, and an electron beam diode. The energy-storage section is either a Marx generator or capacitor bank-pulsed transformer. The pulse shaping is done with high-voltage transmission lines. The electron beam diode is usually a cold-cathode, space-charge-limited flow device. For longer pulses (/approximately/1 ..mu..s) the energy storage and pulse chaping can be combined. Lumped-element pulse-forming networks (PFN) can be designed to produce the desired pulse shape. The Marx generator becomes one of the elements of the PFN. Alternatively, a low voltage PFN ...
Relativistic electron beams are used for generating high power microwaves. These microwave sources require electron beam generators spanning significant ranges in voltage and impedance. The pulsed power technology used to generate these electron beams is presented. Electron beam generators that produce beams with pulse durations in the 10 ns to 100 ns regime consist of an energy storage section, pulse shaping section, and an electron beam diode. The energy storage section is either a Marx generator or capacitor bank-pulsed transformer. The pulse shaping is done with high-voltage transmission lines. The electron beam diode is usually a cold-cathode, space-charge-limited flow device. For longer pulses (approx.1 ..mu..s) the energy storage and pulse shaping can be combined. Lumped-element pulsed-forming networks (PFN) can be designed to produce the desired pulse shape. The Marx generator becomes one of the elements of the PFN. Alternatively, a low voltage PFN followed ...
The five thermal-hydraulic concepts chosen for advanced PWR have been studied as follows: (1) Critical Heat Flux: Review of previous works, analysis of parametric trends, analysis of transient CHF characteristics, extension of the CHF date bank, survey and assessment of correlations, design of a intermediate-pressure CHF test loop have been performed. (2) Passive Cooling Concepts for Concrete Containment system: Review of condensation phenomena with noncondensable gases, selection of a promising concept (i.e., use of external condensers), design of test loop according to scaling laws have been accomplished. and computer programs based on the control-volume approach, and the conceptual design of test loop have been accomplished. (4) Fluidic Diode Concepts: Review of previous applications of the concept, analysis major parameters affecting the performance, development of a computational code, and conceptual investigation of the verification test loop have been ...
Launched in 2006, over 8,700 residential energy upgrades have been completed through Austin Energy's Home Performance with Energy Star (HPwES) program. The program's lending partner, Velocity Credit Union (VCU) has originated almost 1,800 loans, totaling approximately $12.5 million. Residential energy efficiency loans are typically small, and expensive to originate and service relative to larger financing products. National lenders have been hesitant to deliver attractive loan products to this small, but growing, residential market. In response, energy efficiency programs have found ways to partner with local and regional banks, credit unions, community development finance institutions (CDFIs) and co-ops to deliver energy efficiency financing to homeowners. VCU's experience with the Austin Energy HPwES program highlights the potential benefits of energy efficiency programs to a lending partner.
A detailed model for the dynamic resistivity of an exploding conductor presents many difficulties. An electrically-exploded conductor undergoes significant hydrodynamic expansion as it is heated. Resistivity is a function of both the temperature and density of a conductor and realistic models for resistivity over the range of parameter space experienced by an exploding conductor are quite complex. See for example, the model of Lee and More (1984). Calculation of the hydrodynamic expansion of the conductor during and subsequent to the explosion is likewise dependent on detailed knowledge of the equation of state for the conductor in a range where few experimental data exist. A further complication is the strong magnetic field which couples the hydrodynamic expansion to the currents flowing in the expanding material. In spite of the difficulties, progress is being made on detailed modeling of fuses and exploding conductors (Lidemuth and co-workers, 1985). A simpler approach has proved to ...
To detect the gravitational-wave signal from binary neutron stars and extract information about the equation of state of matter at nuclear density, it is necessary to match the signal with a bank of accurate templates. We have performed the longest (to date) general-relativistic simulations of binary neutron stars with different compactnesses and used them to constrain a tidal extension of the effective-one-body model so that it reproduces the numerical waveforms accurately and essentially up to the merger. The typical errors in the phase over the $\\simeq 22$ gravitational-wave cycles are $\\Delta \\phi\\simeq \\pm 0.24$ rad, thus with relative phase errors $\\Delta \\phi/\\phi \\simeq 0.2%$. We also show that with a single choice of parameters, the effective-one-body approach is able to reproduce all of the numerically-computed phase evolutions, in contrast with what found when adopting a tidally corrected post-Newtonian Taylor-T4 expansion.
An aerial radiological survey of the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) and surrounding area in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was conducted during the period March 30 to April 14,1992. The purpose of the survey was to measure and document the terrestrial radiological environment of the Oak Ridge Reservation for use in environmental management programs and emergency response planning. The aerial survey was flown at an altitude of 150 feet (46 meters) along a series of parallel lines 250 feet (76 meters) apart and included X-10 (Oak Ridge National Laboratory), K-25 (former Gaseous Diffusion Plant), Y-12 (Weapons Production Plant), the Freels Bend Area and Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, the East Fork Poplar Creek (100-year floodplain extending from K-25 to Y-12), Elza Gate (former uranium ore storage site located in the city of Oak Ridge), Parcel A, the Clinch River (river banks extending from Melton Hill Dam to the city of Kingston), and the CSX Railroad Tracks ...
An aerial radiological survey was conducted over the Department of Energy's Hanford Site near Richland, Washington, during the period 5 July through 26 August 1988. The survey was expanded, and additional flights were conducted to the east of the site and along the banks of the Columbia River down to McNary Dam near Umatilla. The survey was flown at altitude of 61 meters (200 feet) by a helicopter containing 17 liters (eight 2 in. x 4 in. x 16 in.) of sodium iodide detectors. Gamma ray data were collected over the survey area by flying north-south lines spaced 122 meters (400 feet) apart. The processed data indicated that detected radioisotopes and their associated gamma ray exposure rates were generally consistent with those expected from normal background emitters and man-made fission/activation products resulting from activities at the site. External exposure rates were generally 10 microroentgens per hour (#mu#R/h) with some operating areas over 1000 #mu#R/h. ...
In an HTR plant high temperature components of Alloy 800 materials are subjected to temperatures from about 550 to 850degC in the long term; higher temperatures may occur in the short term. Thus the creep and stress-rupture parameters govern the design of these components. Since in recent years the scope of experimental data available for Alloy 800 materials has considerably increased, a new evaluation of the creep and creep-rupture properties was performed using a data bank computer. The relationships between the characteristics of the creep and creep-rupture behaviour and the metallurgical parameters were investigated by multilinear regression analyses. On the basis of the results of these analyses and after discussion in material expert committees new material specifications were determined for different types of Alloy 800. They were included into the draft standards DIN 17459 and DIN 17460 under the material standard nos. 1.4958, 1.4958 Rk and 1.4959. Besides ...
In an HTR plant high temperature components of Alloy 800 materials are subjected to temperatures from about 550 to 850degC in the long term; higher temperatures may occur in the short term. Thus the creep and stress-rupture parameters govern the design of these components. Since in recent years the scope of experimental data available for Alloy 800 materials has considerably increased, a new evaluation of the creep and creep-rupture properties was performed using a data bank computer. The relationships between the characteristics of the creep and creep-rupture behaviour and the metallurgical parameters were investigated by multilinear regression analyses. On the basis of the results of these analyses and after discussion in material expert committees new material specifications were determined for different types of Alloy 800. They were included into the draft standards DIN 17459 and DIN 17460 under the material standard nos. 1.4958, 1.4958 Rk and 1.4959. Besides ...
For a reliable design against fatigue failure of high-temperature components of different types of the heat resistant material Alloy 800, verified parameters of the low-cycle fatigue (LCF) behaviour are required. These parameters were obtained by a scatterband evaluation of the results of low-cycle fatigue tests, using a computerized data bank which includes all available actual data sets. The results of the evaluation are presented as mean fatigue curves with the upper and lower boundary limits of the scatterbands. For the type Alloy 800 in the recrystallization annealed condition, the results cover a temperature range from 20 to 750deg C; for the solution annealed types they cover a temperature range from 20 to 950deg C. Specimens tested in HTR helium at high temperatures had longer lives than specimens tested in air. This effect was represented quantitatively by the ratio of the total strain ranges from tests in HTR helium and air as a function of test ...
The objectives of this project are to support the DOE direct coal liquefaction process development program and to improve the useful application of analytical chemistry to direct coal liquefaction process development. Independent analyses by well-established methods will be obtained of samples produced in direct coal liquefaction processes under evaluation by DOE. Additionally, analytical instruments and techniques which are currently underutilized for the purpose of examining coal-derived samples will be evaluated. The data obtained from this study will be used to help guide current process development and to develop an improved data base on coal and coal liquids properties. A sample bank will be established and maintained for use in this project and will be available for use by other researchers. The reactivity of the non-distillable resids toward hydrocracking at liquefaction conditions (i.e., resid reactivity) will be examined. From the literature and data ...
This publication presents seven national case studies from a coordinated research project on Indicators for Sustainable Energy Development conducted during the 2002-2005 time period. The project was led by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in cooperation with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). The case studies were developed by research organizations from Brazil, Cuba, Lithuania, Mexico, Russia, Slovakia and Thailand. This publication is being issued just prior to the 15th session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development for which energy for sustainable development is a major theme. The 15th session of the Commission will focus on policy decisions on practical measures and options to expedite implementation in selected clusters of energy issues. The application the energy indicator, especially their quantification, enables systematic monitoring of progress made towards the implementation of ...
Studies have shown that Canada's national parks are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. A wide range of biophysical climate change impacts could affect the integrity of conservation lands in each region of Canada. This report examines the potential impact of climate change on landscape alterations and vegetation distribution in Canada's wide network of conservation lands. It also presents several ways to integrate climate change into existing conservation policy and adaptation strategies. Canada's conservation lands include provincial parks, migratory bird sanctuaries, national wildlife areas and wildlife protected areas. This is the first study to examine biome changes by applying an equilibrium Global Vegetation Model (GVM) to Canada's network of national park systems. Some of the policy and planning challenges posed by changes in landscape level vegetation were also addressed. The report indicates ...
In this paper, we put forward a systematic method to analyze, control and evaluate the safety issues of medical robotics. We created a safety model that consists of three axes to analyze safety factors. Software and hardware are the two material axes. The third axis is the policy that controls all phases of design, production, testing and application of the robot system. The policy was defined as hazard identification and safety insurance control (HISIC) that includes seven principles: definitions and requirements, hazard identification, safety insurance control, safety critical limits, monitoring and control, verification and validation, system log and documentation. HISIC was implemented in the development of a robot for urological applications that was known as URObot. The URObot is a universal robot with different modules adaptable for 3D ultrasound image-guided interstitial laser coagulation, radiation seed implantation, laser resection, ...
This paper reports some technical contributes related to the Kyoto Protocol and its application in Italian decision making policy. [Italian] Il presente volume raccoglie una decina di contributi tecnici originariamente preparati o commissionati dall'ENEA, Ente Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, l'Energia e l'Ambiente, in vista della Conferenza Nazionale Energia e Ambiente. Questa fotografia di una situazione in rapida evoluzione e' stata preparata da esperti del settore che contribuiscono a redigere il materiale tecnico di base utilizzato dai negoziatori nazionali durante le trattative internazionali e dai responsabili nazionali per avviare il processo di presa di decisioni in materia.
Material related to routine as well as sensitive aspects of parent/day care center relationships is presented in this training module, one of a series providing staff development information for programs operated for dependents of military personnel. The module offers a brief discussion of ways caregivers can help parents feel at ease about leaving their children in child care and presents a set of multiple-choice skill-building exercises for effectively working with parents. Exercises focus on various topics, including how parents can be approached when their child may have a health problem, when child abuse or neglect is suspected, and when parental cooperation is needed to stop a child's undesirable or disruptive behavior. Exercises are also devoted to the questions of whether or not caregivers should act as advisors to parents or tell parents about their child's behavior at the center. Concluding exercises indicate how caregivers can handle parent requests for privileges or ...
The Thai natural rubber economy is described in the context of the world rubber market. An econometric model is estimated for 15 structural equations; it includes the Thai, US, and rest-of-the-world rubber economies. Several simulation experiments are analyzed for the period from 1984 to 1995. Impact and dynamic multipliers are reported for major endogenous variables in response to changes in US GDP, world crude oil price, Thai replanting cess tax and Thai natural rubber production. A 1%, one-time increase in the US GDP has a positive effect on the Singapore natural rubber price. A world crude oil price decline shock has a negative effect in both the short-run and the long-run. The INRO buffer stock stabilization policy as well as alternative domestic Thai policies of market intervention are analyzed. The simulation results show that buffer stock management which allows a price band of +/-20% around the price target has the most stabilized ...
Many environmental impact statements (EIS) fail to predict environmental impacts, organize information about those impacts in a concise, logical way, and communicate that information intelligibly. This paper presents a systematic, auxiliary ''language'' for environmental analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), in an attempt to correct this problem. The approach improves communication among disciplinary specialists, between an interdisciplinary team and a decision-maker, and between a federal agency and the general public by helping to identify important issues and impacts, and by reducing time, effort, cost, and paperwork. The basis for the approach is found in the principal aims of the NEPA regulations and other criteria. The interdisciplinary language for environmental analysis consists of a small vocabulary, used in conjuction with a simple ''grammar'', a worksheet ...
This report provides an overview of the scope and status of the US Department of Energy (DOE`s) Salt Repository Project (SRP) at the time when the project was terminated by the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987. The report reviews the 10-year program of siting a geologic repository for high-level nuclear waste in rock salt formations. Its purpose is to aid persons interested in the information developed during the course of this effort. Each area is briefly described and the major items of information are noted. This report, the three salt Environmental Assessments, and the Site Characterization Plan are the suggested starting points for any search of the literature and information developed by the program participants. Prior to termination, DOE was preparing to characterize three candidate sites for the first mined geologic repository for the permanent disposal of high-level nuclear waste. The sites were in Nevada, a site in volcanic tuff; Texas, a site ...
The increase in world oil prices since 2003 has prompted renewed interest in producing and using liquid fuels from unconventional resources, such as biomass, oil shale, and coal. This book focuses on issues and options associated with establishing a commercial coal-to-liquids (CTL) industry within the United States. It describes the technical status, costs, and performance of methods that are available for producing liquids from coal; the key energy and environmental policy issues associated with CTL development; the impediments to early commercial experience; and the efficacy of alternative federal incentives in promoting early commercial experience. Because coal is not the only near-term option for meeting liquid-fuel needs, this book also briefly reviews the benefits and limitations of other approaches, including the development of oil shale resources, the further development of biomass resources, and increasing dependence on imported petroleum. A companion ...
The analysis described demonstrates the use of benefit/cost sensitivity analysis in examining the wide range of potential damages and savings associated with converting oil-fired electric utility boilers to burn coal in Florida. This model, for the first time incorporates, in quantitative terms, environmental economic externalities into a benefit/cost ratio sensitivity analysis framework. Five different dose-response estimates of morbidity and mortality costs, property devaluation, and willing-to-pay estimates are used in combination with four acid rain dose-response models to estimate the net present worth of externality costs. The model estimates the net present worth of benefits by incorporating into a dynamic framework all relevant construction, O + M, and fuel costs of converting an electrical generation facility from using oil to coal. These benefits of fuel savings are then weighted against various combinations of externality costs associated with increased sulfur oxide emission ...
Recent changes in the US liability regime for oil pollution damage have intensified a policy debate about environmental liability limits. Economic theory suggests that some type of limit may be needed under certain conditions, and that such a limit should be set so that the marginal social benefit and cost are equal. However, it is unclear how a liability limit may be determined specifically for tanker shipping in US waters. We first examine conditions under which corner solutions (no liability or unlimited liability) are desirable. We then formulate a model to determine a socially optimal liability limit for oil pollution damage in US waters when a non-zero, finite liability limit is desirable. The model captures the tradeoff between less expensive energy supply and more stringent protection of the marine environment. Numerical simulations illustrate the properties of the model and major factors affecting the public policy decision regarding a ...
Indicators are important tools for communicating and making accessible scientific and technical information to policymakers and the general public. They therefore play an important role in transforming information into action. Worldwide, many initiatives are underway to construct indicators for a variety of purposes, including those for reporting on sustainable development. This paper briefly describes the attempts made so far, but stresses that the users of the indicators should play a greater role in indicator construction. In developing countries, a substantial lack of data has meant that specific policy formulation may develop without adequate technical input. In developed countries also, data gaps may hinder policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation. However, the development of indicators as tools to assist in the management of hazardous wastes and toxic chemicals is still in the early stages of formulation. A more imaginative ...
First, attention is paid to the development and use of new construction techniques, including the use of new building materials, e.g. synthetic materials and the so-called steel frame method. Next, the reduction of the energy consumption during the service life of a house is discussed. The reduction can be realized by means of passive methods, e.g. improved windows, thermal insulation and design, or by means of active methods, e.g. electric load monitoring. The information in this article mainly concerns the housing construction in the USA and Canada. The purpose of this article to contribute to the discussion in the Netherlands on innovation in the building technology, e.g. formulated in the report `Bouwvisie 2010` (Vision on Buildings for the year 2010) of the Dutch Advisory Board Technology Policy for the Building Industry (ARTB, abbreviated in Dutch) and the building technology policy of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs (EZ). 4 figs., ...
A fuzzy-decision-making procedure is applied to find the optimal feed policy of a fed-batch fermentation process for fuel ethanol production using a genetically engineered Saccharomyces yeast 1400 (pLNH33). The policy consisted of feed flow rate, feed concentration, and fermentation time. The recombinant yeast 1400 (pLNH33) can utilize glucose and xylose simultaneously to produce ethanol. However, the parent yeast utilizes glucose only. A partially selective model is used to describe the kinetic behavior of the process. In this study, this partially selective fermentation process is formulated as a general multiple-objective optimal control problem. By using an assigned membership function for each of the objectives, the general multiple-objective optimization problem can be converted into a maximizing decision problem. In order to obtain a global solution, a hybrid method of differential evolution is introduced to solve the maximizing decision ...
The industrial policy of fine ceramics which is one of the new material expected to solve energy/environmental problem, is described. Fine ceramics are possessed with the characteristics like surpassing electromagnetic properties, heat resistance, high strength, etc. and its use as highly efficient power generation plant material, functional material for various sensors/electronic, and activation of existing industries are cited. As for the reclamation of global environment, promotion of saving energy in a global scale, development of innovative environmental technology and increase of carbon dioxide absorption source are described. Furthermore, research and development work in Japan on global environmental industrial technology for 1992 to 1993, new sunshine project and technical developments relating to fine ceramics are explained. As for the results of research and development, the results from the case study of 300kw type gas turbine are given, and the ...
This report documents a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model of the economy of Haiti, emphasizing energy use in agriculture. CGE models compare favorably with econometric models for developing countries in terms of their ability to take advantage of available data. The model of Haiti contains ten production sectors: manufacturing, services, transportation, electricity, rice, coffee, sugar cane, sugar refining, general agriculture, and fuelwood and charcoal. All production functions use functional forms which permit factor substitution. Consumption is specified for three income categories of consumers and a government sector with a linear expenditure system (LES) of demand equations. The economy exports four categories of products and imports six. Balanced trade and capital accounts are required for equilibrium. Total sectoral allocations of land, labor and capital are constrained to equal the quantities of these inputs in the Haitian economy as of the early 1980s. The model can ...
External inefficiency in education--inequity between the characteristics of graduates and the job market--is a problem in Indonesia and many other countries. Job markets at the junior secondary level are very tight in Indonesia with low levels of unemployment at all ages, short job-search times, and high real rates of return. Unemployment, however, among the senior secondary vocational and senior secondary general school graduates is high, even though the real rates of return are also high. The same is true for college and university graduates. Rates decrease, however, as years pass after graduation. There are several reasons for this external inefficiency: underinvestment in secondary education, increased use of market signals for planning and annual budgeting decisions, excess"social demand" for higher education and insufficient resource recovery, inaccurate selection criteria, and inadequate educational financing methods. Several policy options could be ...
This paper investigates the relationship between economic growth and pollutant emissions for a small and open developing country, Tunisia, during the period 1961-2004. The investigation is made on the basis of the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis, using time series data and cointegration analysis. Carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) and sulfur dioxide (SO{sub 2}) are used as the environmental indicators, and GDP as the economic indicator. Our results show that there is a long-run cointegrating relationship between the per capita emissions of two pollutants and the per capita GDP. An inverted U relationship between SO{sub 2} emissions and GDP has been found, with income turning point approximately equals to $1200 (constant 2000 prices) or to $3700 (in PPP, constant 2000 prices). However, a monotonically increasing relationship with GDP is found more appropriate for CO{sub 2} emissions. Furthermore, the causality results show that the relationship between income and pollution in Tunisia is ...
This paper investigates the relationship between economic growth and pollutant emissions for a small and open developing country, Tunisia, during the period 1961-2004. The investigation is made on the basis of the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis, using time series data and cointegration analysis. Carbon dioxide (CO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) are used as the environmental indicators, and GDP as the economic indicator. Our results show that there is a long-run cointegrating relationship between the per capita emissions of two pollutants and the per capita GDP. An inverted U relationship between SO2 emissions and GDP has been found, with income turning point approximately equals to $1200 (constant 2000 prices) or to $3700 (in PPP, constant 2000 prices). However, a monotonically increasing relationship with GDP is found more appropriate for CO2 emissions. Furthermore, the causality results show that the relationship between income and pollution in Tunisia is one of unidirectional ...
This paper investigates the relationship between economic growth and pollutant emissions for a small and open developing country, Tunisia, during the period 1961-2004. The investigation is made on the basis of the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis, using time series data and cointegration analysis. Carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) and sulfur dioxide (SO{sub 2}) are used as the environmental indicators, and GDP as the economic indicator. Our results show that there is a long-run cointegrating relationship between the per capita emissions of two pollutants and the per capita GDP. An inverted U relationship between SO{sub 2} emissions and GDP has been found, with income turning point approximately equals to 1200 (constant 2000 prices) or to 3700 (in PPP, constant 2000 prices). However, a monotonically increasing relationship with GDP is found more appropriate for CO{sub 2} emissions. Furthermore, the causality results show that the relationship between income and pollution in Tunisia is ...
Bayesian optimization (BO) algorithms try to optimize an unknown function that is expensive to evaluate using minimum number of evaluations/experiments. Most of the proposed algorithms in BO are sequential, where only one experiment is selected at each iteration. This method can be time inefficient when each experiment takes a long time and more than one experiment can be ran concurrently. On the other hand, requesting a fix-sized batch of experiments at each iteration causes performance inefficiency in BO compared to the sequential policies. In this paper, we present an algorithm that asks a batch of experiments at each time step t where the batch size p_t is dynamically determined in each step. Our algorithm is based on the observation that the sequence of experiments selected by the sequential policy can sometimes be almost independent from each other. Our algorithm identifies such scenarios and request those experiments at the same time ...
A fundamental problem facing those trying to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) centers around the word ''significantly''. Although the NEPA regulations discuss the term, they provide no clear definition of ''significance'' that can be applied objectively and uniformly to environmental issues and the consequences of man's activities. A major problem in trying to analyze environmental issues is caused by poor communication. The authors suggest common ''language'' for environmental analysis to organize and communicate information about environmental issues and impacts. An environmental issue is defined as an unresolved question or concern about an environmental consequence. Issues are analyzed using a simple worksheet that identifies who is concerned, what specific elements of the environment they are concerned about, and why they ...
The Department of Energy (DOE) policy requires that all activities be conducted in a manner that protects the safety of the public and provides a safe and healthful workplace for employees. DOE has also prescribed that all personnel be protected in any explosives operation undertaken. The level of safety provided shall be at least equivalent to that of the best industrial practice. The risk of death or serious injury shall be limited to the lowest practicable minimum. DOE and contractors shall continually review their explosives operations with the aim of achieving further refinements and improvements in safety practices and protective features. This manual describes the Department's explosive safety requirements applicable to operations involving the development, testing, handling, and processing of explosives or assemblies containing explosives. It is intended to reflect the state-of-the-art in explosives safety. In addition, it is essential that ...
Cooperative procurement is a variation of public purchasing which may be used as an instrument to transform the market and stimulate innovation enhancing environmental performance. The core of the procedure is the following: Coordinated by a central agency a group of buyers - public administrations, but also private companies, associations, etc. - gets together and jointly formulates a catalogue of performance requirements for a specific product truly suiting their preferences. This catalogue may contain (combinations of) requirements not yet available on the market and includes energy efficiency and/or environmental performance among other preferences important to the users. On the basis of the product requirements the buyer group launches a call for tenders, evaluates the bids received from the manufacturers and commits to buying the winning product. Thus, a market is provided for the most successful innovators in a given area of technology. The paper discusses the effectiveness of ...
This paper provides a snapshot of the computer network security industry and addresses specific issues related to network security in public education. The following topics are covered: (1) security policy, including reasons for establishing a policy, risk assessment, areas to consider, audit tools; (2) workstations, including physical security, protecting workstation components, and computer viruses; (3) the local network, including the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) reference model, protocols, network segmentation, network management, network sniffing, and data encryption; (4) servers, including UNIX and other server operating systems; (5) remote access, including technologies, remote access servers, protocols, and authentication/authorization; (6) crackers and hackers, including threats and hacking tools/techniques; (7) Internet firewalls, including functions, issues and problems, types, rules, logs, firewall accessories, buying a ...
Nowadays climate change is one of the environmental problems in the global policy agenda. However, in countries like United States and United Kingdom the media started to report regularly on this issue in 1988. Since then many researches have been carrying out focused on how the media influence, along with other factors, public understanding of climate change through the media construction of the problem in several countries. Given the implications of social acceptance for design and implementation of public policies on mitigation and adaptation to climate change, the overall aim of this report is to review the status of the issue from a qualitative and quantitative approach. Qualitatively, media construction of climate change is described as the result of different processes taking place at macro and micro scales. Interactions among scientists, politicians, industry, the media themselves and the social context are considered macro-scale ...
This study looks at how education policies in colonial Korea changed over time in order to accommodate the needs of the colonial authorities during the period of Japanese colonial rule in Korea (1910-1945). The colonial experience can be divided into four different periods according to the four Educational Ordinances issued in 1911, 1922, 1938, and 1943 by the colonial government with each period corresponding to a historic event or context. The constitutive relevance of colonial discourse for an understanding of education can be found in the gradual transformation of the education sector in Korea under colonial rule. It is evident that Japanese colonial policy was inherently contradictory in principle and in practice. On the one hand it sought the assimilation of the Koreans, while on the other it maintained its discriminatory and exploitative practices. Such contradiction was obvious within the colonial education system. As the principal ...
The disappointing progress in toxic emission reductions and sustainable economic development the world over, has been reviewed five years after the Rio de Janeiro Environmental Summit. The author`s conclusion is that there has been no progress at all, and that politicians, once again, seized on the language of sustainable development while emptying it of meaning. Sustainable development requires market regulation and the subordination of economic objectives to social need. Instead, there has been a rise of neo-liberalism. This is a type of historical counter-current that has been developing over the past two decades. It advocates unlimited deregulation, the weakening of governments, and the primacy of economic interests focused on the search for profits. It is the view of this author that so long as the conflict between sustainable development and extreme liberalism is not recognized and discussed, there is little chance that we can advance appreciably. Moreover, the debate cannot be ...
All African Nations belong to the category of third world underdeveloped countries of the world. UNDP Human Development Index uses factors like per capita income, health of the people, and educational attainment to classify countries. Adult literacy and gross enrolment ratios are indicators of education status. This paper uses Nigeria, a typical African country, to illustrate the problems posed by adult illiteracy to national development. Statistical data are used to show the low levels of adult literacy with disparities between males and females; urban and rural areas, and between different zones of Nigeria and the continent. Enrolments and completion rate in adult literacy programmes are presented. Nigeria's policy on adult and non formal education as reflected in the Nigerian constitution (1999), National Policy on Education (2004 edition), Decree 17 on the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non formal education (1990), and the ...
The risk of cyber attacks on process control networks (PCN) is receiving significant attention due to the potentially catastrophic extent to which PCN failures can damage the infrastructures and commodity flows that they support. Risk management addresses the coupled problems of (1) reducing the likelihood that cyber attacks would succeed in disrupting PCN operation and (2) reducing the severity of consequences in the event of PCN failure or manipulation. The Network Security Risk Model (NSRM) developed in this article provides a means of evaluating the efficacy of candidate risk management policies by modeling the baseline risk and assessing expectations of risk after the implementation of candidate measures. Where existing risk models fall short of providing adequate insight into the efficacy of candidate risk management policies due to shortcomings in their structure or formulation, the NSRM provides model structure and an associated ...
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This Maintenance Implementation Plan has been developed for maintenance functions associated with the Waste Sampling and Characterization Facility (WSCF). This plan is developed from the guidelines presented by Department of Energy (DOE) Order 4330.4A, Maintenance Management Program (DOE 1990), Chapter II. The objective of this plan is to provide baseline information for establishing and identifying WHC conformance programs and policies applicable to implementation of DOE order 4330.4A guidelines. In addition, this maintenance plan identifies the actions necessary to develop a cost-effective and efficient maintenance program at WSCF.
Although not Pakistan`s first independent power project, the 586 MW Uch plant is certainly one of the country`s most important. It is the first gas-fired combined cycle plant to be developed under Pakistan`s Private Power Policy, and uses low heating value natural gas previously thought worthless. The project also features some innovative financing arrangements, and with construction now at an advanced stage, it promises to kick-start the development of private power in Pakistan. (Author)
Although the oil price is still far from its historical maximum, the oil market is today in crisis. To explain this situation the author discusses the nature of the supply constraints. The reserves are today better known and so more plentiful than at a previous period of the oil history and the russian production since 2004 is stagnating. The main factor seems to be the OPEC policy and in particular the will of limiting the oil production to defend upper prices. (A.L.B.)
This study examines the degree of price-integration of equity indices between the major markets of Africa, namely Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Namibia and South Africa with the European markets of London and Paris. Vector Autoregressive and Autoregressive Distributed Lag methods reveal that African markets are largely price-segmented. The only markets that are price-integrated have shared economic and financial institutions, such as Namibia and South Africa, and Egypt, Tunisia and France. The evidence suggests that development policy should be focussed on enhancing existing institutions rather than embarking prematurely on regional integration.
Divergence between aircraft engine emission regulations proposed by EPA and ICAO is discussed. Every engine, upon entering service, requires a certificate as to its compliance with emission standards. It is shown that despite the large variability in the measurements, it is possible to devise a certification procedure requiring the testing of one engine only. Statistical modeling of such a test at the 5% significance level is described. Values of the parameter standard deviation/mean recommended as certification standards for various pollutants are given. Features of a rational certification scheme to be formulated are outlined.
This report discusses the current state and the future of the Dutch basic metal industry. The steel industry and the aluminium industry are discussed in detail. First their current energy use, the technology and their product markets are analysed. The competitiveness of Dutch and Western European producers is discussed. Main technological developments and other key issues (especially future CO2 policies) are analysed. Based on this analysis, scenarios are developed for the energy use in the basic metal industry for the period 2000-2020. 88 tabs., 55 figs., 143 refs.
Discusses the resolution of the 2. Congress of the Polish Nuclear Society on the energy situation in Poland and recommendations for energy policy. Recommendations for use of nuclear power plants in Poland are made considering environmental pollution from coal combustion (air pollution by sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide as well as water pollution by salt from mine water discharged to rivers), development of the Polish economy, forecast increase in energy consumption and the role of nuclear energy in other European countries. Research on nuclear power plants, safety and environmental aspects as well as comparative efficiency of coal-fired power plants and nuclear power plants is evaluated.
This paper explores the feasibility of integrating energyefficiency program evaluation with the emerging need for the evaluationof programs from different "energy cultures" (demand response, renewableenergy, and climate change). The paper reviews key features andinformation needs of the energy cultures and critically reviews theopportunities and challenges associated with integrating these withenergy efficiency program evaluation. There is a need to integrate thedifferent policy arenas where energy efficiency, demand response, andclimate change programs are developed, and there are positive signs thatthis integration is starting to occur.
The doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision is the terminal degree in the field of counselor education within the U.S. The authors surveyed CACREP-accredited doctoral programs to assess department characteristics, clinical experience and credentials, research experience, and the admission, retention, and evaluation of students. Results indicated that the PhD was a preferable degree to other degree offerings. Programs were found to be diverse in their policies and procedures relating to admissions and retention, time to complete the program, and student expectations. International students and faculty representation was found to be sparse in CACREP-doctoral programs. Implications for future research and practice are offered.
This paper summarizes the establishment and current development of space activities in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Space activities in Venezuela are focused on the areas of telecommunications, Earth observation and research on the physical properties of the Earth, and have as a primary goal the satisfaction of social needs. Current development of space activities started in 1999 when the new National Constitution recognized the value of outer space as the common heritage of mankind, and the key role of science and technology in promoting human welfare. The Bolivarian Agency for Space Activities (ABAE) was created in 2007. Its legal framework recognizes three key elements that drive its policy: the participation of society, capacity building and human training, and international c...
In accordance with the requirements of Section 113 (b) (3) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended (NWPA), the US Department of Energy (DOE) has prepared this report on the progress of site characterization activities at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, for the period October 1, 1990, through March 31, 1991. This report is the fourth in a series of reports that are issued at intervals of approximately six months during site characterization. The report covers a number of initiatives to improve the effectiveness of the site characterization program, and covers continued efforts related to preparatory activities, Study Plans, and performance assessment.
The study required by the West German Ministry of Research and Technology (RS 605) for the Committee on 'Future Nuclear Energy Policy' of the 9th German Parliament is concerned with the following main points: 1) Assessment of technical risks from the social aspect; 2) Discussion of terms and quantification of risks; 3) 'Engineering judgment' and 'questionable' methods in the Fast Breeder analysis of the Society for Reactor Safety (GRS); 4) Assessment criteria of potential damage.
The following Resolution has been stated because of the results of the workshops Elaboration of proposals for strategic guidelines held from 2 to May 5, 2006, elaboration of proposals for the Strategic Lines instruments held from 24 to July 28, 2006, as well as documents Proposal of politic energetic Uruguayan Energy Sector development and proposal of Energy Policy Instruments developed by the National Directorate of Nuclear Energy and Technology and the Energy Strategy Guidelines Uruguay 2006.
A conceptual framework is proposed within which the notion of risk as normally used in risk assessment (RA) could be enlarged in line with the real substance of social issues of technology policy, to help avoid RA's threatened irrelevance to social decision making. It is argued that the frequent organizational incoherence and thus the unviability of modern technology arises from 'social alienation' between the innovation-commitment phase and the implementation of the technology in society. The roles of technical elites and of particular concepts of technology in this alienation are emphasized. One of the case studies deals with 'Nuclear power - myths of scientific and organizational realism' and discusses the UK nuclear 'programme' and the Three Mile Island accident. (author).
The potential strategic impact of regime change in Iraq and Iran on OPEC in the long-run is explored. In the first part of the paper short overviews are given of the present international oil market; of US oil import issues and energy policy; of the strategic position of the US in the Persian Gulf and of geopolitical developments in the Persian Gulf at large. Also, attention is paid to the OPEC and the role of a 'new' Iraq. In the second part the game of 'boxed pigs' is used to explore the possible strategic impact of regime change in Iraq and possible regime change in Iran on OPEC. This exploration takes place within four possible futures for the Gulf.
To assist the Department of Energy (DOE) in fulfilling its responsibilities under the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1985, the National Low-Level Waste Management Program (NLLWMP) outlines the key activities tat the NLLWMP will accomplish in the following fiscal year. Additional activities are added during the fiscal year as necessary to accomplish programmatic goals. This report summarizes the activities and accomplishments of the NLLWMP during Fiscal Year 1996.
Forty-three patients with basal and squamous cell carcinomata arising on the pinna were treated radically using a 10 MeV electron beam. The technique and dosage are described and discussed. Primary cancer control with retention of the pinna was achieved in 34 patients. Salvage pinnectomy was performed in four patients for recurrence and one patient for radiation necrosis. Two patients with large primary tumours failed to resolve and died of their disease. The advantages for the patient of the policy of primary radical electron beam therapy are discussed.
The Marine Technology Society 1994 conference was held in Washington, D.C., September 7-9, 1994. Titled Challenges and Opportunities in the Marine Environment, the conference offered a wide variety of presentations. State-of-the-art technology, government policies and regulations, and environmental concerns were addressed. Offshore mining, coastal zone management, marine engineering, oceanographic research, educational issues, and global climate change were also well represented in the presentations. The conference proceedings are organized around the daily sessions and roughly 70% of the papers are included.
According to the Principles of Radioactive Waste Management, the IAEA SAFETY SERIES NO-111-F, IAEA declared 9 doctrines. The IAEA advised a country that operates nuclear power plant to adopt the principles. As a member of the IAEA, Korea has also discussed about a unified policy and enacting law for radioactive waste management to follow the doctrines. This study analyzed the recently enacted Korea Radioactive Waste Management Act and verified whether the Act successfully follows the doctrine or not
In the framework of the negotiations on the climatic changes, beginning at Rio in 1992, the France received an UN conference from the 4 to 15 of september 2000. This conference determined the necessary actions for the Kyoto protocol validation. This document presents in two part the program of these days. The first part is devoted to the world government policy and the second part defines the french actions decided to fight against the climatic change. A glossary of the main terms adapted to the climatic change domain, is also provided. (A.L.B.)
This forum provided insights into Ontario's new smart meter program. Challenges related to implementing the smart meter program were reviewed, and various functional and operational considerations of the meters were considered. The implications and benefits of using real time metering systems were discussed along with issues related to energy conservation and demand management. Various communications technologies were considered in relation to smart metering program implementation. Issues related to pricing and pricing policies were also discussed. The conference featured 11 presentations, of which 2 have been catalogued separately for inclusion in this database. refs., tabs., figs.
This report issued by the Energy Economics Group and the Laboratory for Energy Systems Analysis at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) analyses current and future trends in the area of energy and mobility on a global, European level as well as with respect to the German-speaking countries Austria, Germany and Switzerland. In a first step, developments with regard to how mobility is achieved and the energy consumption involved are examined and the impact of business-as-usual trends on global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and future fuel consumption is discussed. In a second step, the paper outlines potential alternative futures in terms of energy and mobility. Finally, the paper derives and presents recommendations for policy-makers.
This report issued by the Energy Economics Group and the Laboratory for Energy Systems Analysis at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) analyses current and future trends in the area of energy and mobility on a global, European level as well as with respect to the German-speaking countries Austria, Germany and Switzerland. In a first step, developments with regard to how mobility is achieved and the energy consumption involved are examined and the impact of business-as-usual trends on global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and future fuel consumption is discussed. In a second step, the paper outlines potential alternative futures in terms of energy and mobility. Finally, the paper derives and presents recommendations for policy-makers.
...] 2010, Volume 11, Issue 1 3-27 The European Economic and Monetary Union and Labour Market Reform by Elzbieta Bednarek-Sekunda & Richard Jong-A-Pin & Jakob de Haan [Downloadable!] 29-59 Educational Inequality in the EU: The Effectiveness of the National Education Policy by Raphaela Schlicht & Isabelle Stadelmann-Steffen & Markus Freitag [Downloadable!] 61-87 Opinion Polarization and Inter-Party Competition on Europe by Ian Down & Carole J. Wilson [Downloadable!] 89-117 EU Issue Voting: Asset or Liability?: How European Integration Affects Parties' Electoral Fortunes ...
With the increasing use of high voltage alternating current (HVAC) transmission lines there is a growing concern among the public about possible human health effects resulting from exposure to the electric fields associated with these lines. While there is no definitive evidence of such effects, mounting public fear and activism over hypothesized health risks is already causing delays in the licensing and constuction of major power transmission facilities, and is encouraging the formation of regulatory policy. This paper briefly reviews the concerns, biological effects data and standards for HVAC transmission lines.
...Heinz Dahl: presenting offshore wind energy for Australia NexTgen Wind. Next month, Heinz L Dahl will speak about offshore wind energy and its prospects for Australia. Skip to the navigation. Skip to the content. Events Models Movements Opinion Policies Research SCRT Videos Seeking ... August guest speaker: Heinz Dahl, managing director, NexTgen Wind. Next month, Heinz L Dahl will speak about offshore wind energy and its prospects for Australia. Heinz is the managing director of NexTgen Wind, a leading edge company that is focused on the cost ...
With increasing liberalization of the energy sector, German suppliers of line-transmitted energy find themselves in an utterly changed sales environment, forcing companies and utilities to elaborate for the first time management policies and strategies that will ensure loyalty of their present customers, and help to solicit new customers. The article here explains some major terms and instruments used in designing key-account management strategies, as well as general procedures for suitability assessment. (orig/CB)
A 1976 decision of the US Supreme Court made it clear that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (then the Federal Power Commission) has a responsibility to consider and determine allegations that proposed wholesale electric rates create a price squeeze against customers who compete with the wholesaler in making retail electric sales. This article reviews how the commission has approached the matter of discharging its newly recognized responsibility since that time, and describes its current position regarding the several issues and questions that price squeeze allegations raise. 35 references.
...Fransman - University of Edinburgh Patents: The next battleground for climate change - 07 May 2008 - Alison Brimelow - European Patents Office (EPO) Rethinking the EU budget - 23 Apr 2008 - Daniel Gros - Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) US needs a 'Science White House' - 23 Apr 2008 - David Baltimore - American Association for the Advancement of Science Addressing consumer concerns about climate change - 14 Apr 2008 - Various Authors - McKinsey Why the internal market needs ...
...Ethnic Diversity and Economic Performance Alberto Alesina & Eliana La Ferrara Alberto Alesina; Eliana La Ferrara This file is part of IDEAS, which ...Publisher info | Download info | Related research | StatisticsAuthor Info Alberto Alesina Eliana La Ferrara Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):...Alberto Alesina Eliana La Ferrara Abstract We survey and assess the literature on the positive and negative effects of ethnic diversity on economic policies ...research Keywords: Other versions of this item: Paper Alberto Alesina & Eliana La Ferrara, 2003. \\
The paper outlines the underlying physical mechanisms by which electric and magnetic fields exist, with particular reference to high voltage transmission lines. Epidemiological and laboratory studies are the two approaches used in research into the subject and the shortcomings and inconstancies in the results are mentioned. Recent epidemiological results are presented together with possible mechanisms between fields and the human body. Attention is drawn to the work of certain international and national bodies concerning the alleged association between electromagnetic fields and ill-health, and their conclusions are reported. Finally, the policy of the Electricity Supply Board in Ireland is outlined. 2 figs.
A complete guide to 7000 key decision makers and 2800 organizations actively involved in energy today, the 1983 Directory updates the changes in state and Congressional energy offices that resulted from the 1982 elections, the reshuffling at DOE, the shifts of jurisdiction at the Department of the Interior, and the increasing role of the private sector in funding energy research and development. New features include the addition of nearly 100 major venture-capital firms and key public-affairs contacts. The Directory also features an Annual Energy Review highlighting development that will have international effects in the coming year.
This document provides guidance for modeling and inspecting energy-efficient property in commercial buildings for certification of the energy and power cost savings related to Section 179D of the Internal Revenue Code enacted in Section 1331 of the 2005 Energy Policy Act and noted in Internal Revenue Service Notice 2006-52. Specifically, Section 179D provides federal tax deductions for energy-efficient property related to a commercial building's envelope; interior lighting; heating, ventilating, and air conditioning; and service hot water systems.
This document provides guidance for modeling and inspecting energy-efficient property in commercial buildings for certification of the energy and power cost savings related to Section 179D of the Internal Revenue Code enacted in Section 1331 of the 2005 Energy Policy Act and noted in Internal Revenue Service Notice 2006-52. Specifically, Section 179D provides federal tax deductions for energy-efficient property related to a commercial building's envelope; interior lighting; heating, ventilating, and air conditioning; and service hot water systems.
While the expenses of pollution abatement measures are clearly defined at least by orders of magnitude there are no similar - not even internationally comprehensive and methodologically secured data available on the total economic cost of environmental pollution. The research program ' the cost of environmental pollution (efficiency of environmental policies)' aims at establishing a reliable data base. It is expected to be terminated in 1988. Evaluations are being complicated by a still incomplete knowledge and information. It is therefore obvious that economic losses as a result of air pollution can at present not be expressed in concrete figures and that extrapolations, too, are out of the question. (org./HSCH).
Access for independents to retail gas markets was a central concern in European policy reform efforts in the 1990s. Upstream oil and gas companies reacted with strategic intentions of forward integration. By late 2004, forward integration was still weak, however. An important explanation of the gap between announced strategic re-orientation and actual strategy implementation lies in the political failure of EU member states to dismantle market barriers to entry for independents. Variations between companies in downstream strategy implementation are explained by variations in business opportunities and internal company factors.
Jim Rogers, president and chief executive officer of Duke Energy Corporation, examines how coal and climate change regulations can co-exist. He addresses the need for economically sound choices for future energy needs, which is complicated by what he refers to as 'the elephant in the room'climate change. He observes that new CO{sub 2} regulations would increase the USA's cost of generating electricity over time and result in higher prices for customers, and he advocates that a gradual, economy-wide, market-based U.S. climate policy is the best option. 1 ref., 1 fig.
CT colonography (CTC) is increasingly advocated as an effective initial screening tool for colorectal cancer. Nowadays, policy-makers are increasingly interested in cost-effectiveness issues. A number of studies assessing the cost-effectiveness of CTC have been published to date. The majority of findings indicate that CTC is probably not cost-effective when colonoscopy is available, but this conclusion is sensitive to a number of key parameters. This review discusses the findings of these studies, and considers those factors which most influence final conclusions, notably intervention costs, compliance rates, effectiveness of colonoscopy, and the assumed prevalence and natural history of diminutive advanced polyps. (orig.)
The establishment of workable collaborative relations with indigenous elites formed a vital part of the maintenance of the British Empire. This was especially so in the Malay States, where the Malay rulers enjoyed considerable local prestige as religious leaders and as the organising principle of Malay society itself. As the case of Sultan Ibrahim of Johore demonstrates, nevertheless, indigenous collaborators were no mere puppets and enjoyed considerable freedom of action to frustrate and impede the policies of their imperial overlords. Sultan Ibrahim presents a particularly interesting case study as his 64-year reign more or less spanned the entire period of formal British rule in Malaya.
The bibliography contains citations concerning the properties, industrial uses and federal regulation of asbestos. The references explore advantages and disadvantages associated with use of industrial robots in areas containing high concentrations of asbestos dust, the use of water as a cutting tool to control the generation of asbestos dust, and governmental policies and attitudes relative to the health and welfare of workers subjected to asbestos. Thermal insulation properties, wear characteristics, high temperature capabilities, use as a reinforcement in composite materials, and asbestos substitutes are included. (Contains a minimum of 69 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)
The global demand for platinum has consistently outgrown supply in the past decade. This trend likely will continue and the imbalance may possibly escalate into a crisis. Platinum plays pivotal roles in both conventional automobile emissions control and the envisioned hydrogen economy. A platinum crisis would have profound implications on energy and environment. On the one hand, inadequate platinum supply will prevent widespread commercialization of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. On the other hand, expensive platinum may enhance the competitiveness of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery-powered electric cars. Policymakers should weigh the potential impacts of a platinum crisis in energy policy.
The present research has been made to develop and review critically the functional requirements of the specific safety systems of CANDU such as SDS-1, SDS2, ECCS, and containment. Based on R documents for this, a systematic study was made to develop the domestic regulation statements. Also, the conventional laws are carefully reviewed to see the compatibility to CANDU. Also, the safety assessment method for CANDU was studied by reviewing C documents and recommendation of IAEA. Through the present works, the vague policy in the CANDU safety regulation is cleaning up in a systematic form and a new frame to measure the objective risk of nuclear power plants was developed.
The present research has been made to develop and review critically the functional requirements of the specific safety systems of CANDU such as SOS-1, SOS-2, ECCS and containment. Based on R documents for this, a systematic study was made to develop the domestic regulation statements. Also, the conventional laws are carefully reviewed to see the compatibility to CANDU. Also, the safety assessment method for CANDU was studied by reviewing C documents and recommendation of IAEA. Through the present works, the vague policy in the CANDU safety regulation is cleaning up in a systematic form and a new frame to measure the objective risk of nuclear power plants was developed.
This book proposed that a post-2012 climate regime will need to balance the needs of all countries while aiming to prevent the potentially serious economic and social consequences of the impacts of climate change. Four elements were presented to support the emergence of an internationally acceptable approach: (1) the need to ensure sustainable economic development; (2) the effective development and penetration of clean technologies; (3) the establishment of an effective international carbon market over the long term; and (4) the integration of adaptation in development and natural resource management decision-making. A series of discussion papers were presented which reviewed options on how best to create an effective and inclusive international climate regime that will achieve large reductions in global emissions and equitably reflect the diverse circumstances of countries while promoting sustainable economic development. The first paper highlighted some of the characteristics of an ...
The mass deployment of electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (EVs and PHEVs) that rely on low greenhouse gas (GHG) emission electricity generation has great potential to significantly reduce the consumption of petroleum and other high CO2-emitting transportation fuels. The vision of the Electric and Plug-in Hybrid (EV/PHEV) Vehicles Roadmap is to achieve by 2050 the widespread adoption and use of EVs and PHEVs, which together represent more than 50% of annual LDV (light duty vehicle) sales worldwide. In addition to establishing a vision, this roadmap sets strategic goals to achieve it, and identifies the steps that need to be taken to accomplish these goals. This roadmap also outlines the roles and collaboration opportunities for different stakeholders and shows how government policy can support the overall achievement of the vision. The strategic goals for attaining the widespread adoption and use of EVs and PHEVs worldwide by 2050 cover the development of ...
Most environmental policies provide for special emergency measures to be taken during phases of high pollution, such as smog alarm regulations. These measures serve several purposes and can have various impacts. First of all, they act as a warning to those parts of the population immediately threatened by health hazards (Warnfunktion). They may be directed at short-term pollution reduction via pollution abatement measures proscribed during smog alarm situations (unmittelbare Steuerungsfunktion). In addition, the announcement of emergency measures may signal that pollution levels in general have been too high, indicating that the environmental policies normally pursued do not sufficiently or effectively protect human beings and the environment from harm (Signalfunktion). Emergency measures often contain special regulations obliging industrial polluters to switch to costly, less polluting production processes, or to stop production altogether. ...
Government facilities and services are often the largest energy users and major purchasers of energy-using equipment within a country. In developing as well as industrial countries, government ''leadership by example'' can be a powerful force to shift the market toward energy efficiency, complementing other elements of a national energy efficiency strategy. Benefits from more efficient energy management in government facilities and operations include lower government energy bills, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, less demand on electric utility systems, and in many cases reduced dependence on imported oil. Even more significantly, the government sector's buying power and example to others can generate broader demand for energy-efficient products and services, creating entry markets for domestic suppliers and stimulating competition in providing high-efficiency products and services. Despite these benefits, with the exception of a few ...
In France, groundwater usage represents 40 per cent of volumetric use, outside of thermal power plants. Groundwater represents 60 per cent of domestic and public use, 40 per cent in the industrial sector, and is increasing in the agricultural sector where it accounts for 20 per cent. Groundwater withdrawal in France has slightly increased over the last twenty years and benefited the agricultural sector. Availability throughout the territory, the consistency of resupply and natural quality has rendered groundwater a prevailing source for drinking water. Water protection and management is important and led to the adoption of legislative and regulatory measures. The Mining Code (Code minier) allows for exploitation of underground resources starting at 10 metres. The Rural Code (Code rural) mandates the declaration of public utility for water collection for the public. Protection areas are to be provided under the Public Health Code (Code de sante publique). Proper permits and ...
This report provides a chronological history of policies and practices relating to the management of radioactive waste for which the US Atomic Energy Commission and its successor agencies, the Energy Research and Development Administration and the Department of Energy, have been responsible since the enactment of the Atomic Energy Act in 1946. The defense programs and capabilities that the Commission inherited in 1947 are briefly described. The Commission undertook a dramatic expansion nationwide of its physical facilities and program capabilities over the five years beginning in 1947. While the nuclear defense activities continued to be a major portion of the Atomic Energy Commission`s program, there was added in 1955 the Atoms for Peace program that spawned a multiplicity of peaceful use applications for nuclear energy, e.g., the civilian nuclear power program and its associated nuclear fuel cycle; a variety of industrial applications; and medical research, ...
Devolution, as other types of decentralization (e.g. deconcentration, delegation, privatization), profoundly changes governance relations in the health system. Devolution is meant to affect performance of the health system by transferring responsibilities and authority to locally elected governments. The key question of this article is: what does devolution mean for human resources for health in Mali?This article assesses the key advantages and dilemmas associated with devolution such as responsiveness to local needs, downward accountability and health worker retention. Challenges of politics and capacities are also addressed in relation to human resources for health at the local level. Examples are derived from experiences in Mali with a capacity development programme and from case studies of other countries. It is not research findings that are presented, but highlights of key issues at stake aimed at inspiring the debate in Mali and elsewhere.A first lesson from the discussion ...
The present position paper addresses contemporary waste management options, weaknesses and opportunities faced by Hellenic local authorities. It focuses on state-of-the-art, tested as well as innovative, environmental management tools on a municipal scale and identifies a range of different collaboration schemes between local authorities and related service providers. Currently, a policy implementation gap is still experienced among Hellenic local authorities; it appears that administration at the local level is inadequate to manage and implement many of the general policies proposed; identify, collect, monitor and assess relevant data; and safeguard efficient and effective implementation of MSWM practices in the framework of integrated environmental management as well. This shortfall is partly due to the decentralisation of waste management issues to local authorities without a parallel substantial budgetary and capacity support, thus ...
The advantages offered by green roofs range from improvement in architectural and landscape aesthetics to reductions in building energy costs. Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is encouraging sustainable community development through new policies and regulations that promote green roof installation on public and commercial rooftops in Seattle's urban center. An understanding of climate-specific green roof performance is required in order to develop an accurate representation of the stormwater benefits of green roofs. This paper explored the relative importance of green roofs in storm water management and low impact development (LID) in various areas of Seattle. It also examined the relative effectiveness and applicability of green roofs under various conditions and in various parts of the city compared to other LID strategies such as Seattle's natural drainage systems (NDS) designs, swales and ponds, rain gardens, rainwater harvesting, and porous ...
Purpose : To detect differentially expressed genes in the patients with uterine cervical cancer during the radiation therapy. Materials and Methods : In patients with biopsy proven uterine cervical cancer, we took a tumor tissue just before radiation therapy and at 40 minutes after external irradiation of 1.8 Gy. Total RNAs isolated from non-irradiated and irradiated tumor tissue samples were analyzed using the differential-display reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (DDRT-PCR). Complementary DNA (cDNA) fragments corresponding to differentially expressed messenger RNAs(mRNAs) were eluted, and cloned. The differential expression of the corresponding mRNAs was confirmed by reverse northern blot. Differentially expressed cDNA bands were sequenced. Nucleotide sequence data were analyzed in the Gene Bank and EMBL databases via the BLAST network server to identify homologies to known genes or cDNA fragments. Expression pattern of down-regulated clone was ...
A database has been developed before and after the dewatering of the Meigs number-sign 31 deep coal mine in Meigs County, Ohio, three years ago. This strategy was to compare potential recovery of the watershed in the mainstem of Leading Creek as well as to reconnaissance the tributaries for point-source input into the creek. After the dewatering process, #approx# half of the 31-mile Leading Creek mainstem received a discharge of conductivity, low pH, high metals (iron, manganese, copper, aluminum), and total suspended solids (TSS). Most forms of aquatic life in the creek were depleted in the impacted areas, but recovery has been encouraging. Relative fish abundance has returned to pre-event levels, while benthic macroinvertebrates show recovery in two key stream segments. Reconnaissance of the watershed indicated that the system is uniquely segregated with high sedimentation from agricultural input in the upper half and abandoned mined land (AML) discharges in the lower. The ...
It is well known that one of the main advantages of the high speed forming (HSF) processes is the improvement in the forming limits of the used materials.Using the Electromagnetic Forming (EMF) technology two materials have been tested with different mechanical and physical properties: the AA5754 aluminium and the AZ31B magnesium alloys.The EMF process principle can be described as follows: A significant amount of electrical energy is stored in a bank of capacitors which are suddenly discharged releasing all the stored energy. This electric discharge runs through a coil which generates an intense transient magnetic field. At the same time transient Eddy currents are induced in the electrically conductive part placed some millimetres far from the coil. Another intense magnetic field is generated due to those Eddy currents but on the opposite direction as the one generated by the coil. A big magnetic repulsion force is created between the part and the coil. This ...
It is well known that one of the main advantages of the high speed forming (HSF) processes is the improvement in the forming limits of the used materials.Using the Electromagnetic Forming (EMF) technology two materials have been tested with different mechanical and physical properties: the AA5754 aluminium and the AZ31B magnesium alloys.The EMF process principle can be described as follows: A significant amount of electrical energy is stored in a bank of capacitors which are suddenly discharged releasing all the stored energy. This electric discharge runs through a coil which generates an intense transient magnetic field. At the same time transient Eddy currents are induced in the electrically conductive part placed some millimetres far from the coil. Another intense magnetic field is generated due to those Eddy currents but on the opposite direction as the one generated by the coil. A big magnetic repulsion force is created between the part and the coil. This ...
The Gulf of California represents one of the most productive and unique marginal seas in the world. The mouth of the Gulf captures warm equatorial water while annual wind patterns assure major upwelling of nutrient-rich water leading to a rich marine biota. These conditions have created a wide array of tropical through warm temperate carbonate environments. The most unusual of these environments is located in the La Paz region of Baja California Sur where tropical-subtropical water temperatures and low rainfall have allowed growth of corals, calcareous red algae, and other shelled invertebrates to form a carbonate bank environment. Sampling and mapping transacts in shallow bays north of La Paz and on the adjacent Espiritu Santo island have revealed a full spectrum of subenvironments including mangrove bordered, terrigenous mud dominated coastal zones, which grade into carbonate tidal flats. In addition, single coral heads as well as incipient reef structures ...
Resistance to thyroid hormone (RTH) is an autosomal dominant disease caused by mutations in the human thyroid receptor beta gene on chromosome 3. Individuals with RTH have an increased incidence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The purpose of this study was to search for developmental brain malformations associated with RTH. Forty-three subjects (20 affected males [AM], 23 affected females [AF]) with resistance to thyroid hormone and 32 unaffected first degree relatives (18 unaffected males [UM], 14 unaffected females [UF]) underwent MRI brain scans with a volumetric acquisition that provided 90 contiguous 2 mm thick sagittal images. Films of six contiguous images beginning at a standard sagittal position lateral to the insula were analyzed by an investigator who was blind with respect to subject characteristics. The presence of extra or missing gyri in the parietal bank of the Sylvian fissure (multimodal association cortex) and multiple Heschl`s ...
Reinterpretation of the South Florida basin reveals that it was a keep-up carbonate shelf during the Lower Cretaceous. Until the Cenomanian, it was connected to the Bahamas and the Cay Sal Bank north of Cuba. The Cenomanian sea level rise was at least partially responsible for the formation of the Florida Straits, isolating the platform. The combination of an abrupt worldwide rise in sea level and subsidence caused the South Florida platform to founder, ending shallow-water and evaporitic sedimentation over the majority of the shelf. The Cay Sal and Bahamian platforms remained as active shallow shelves separated by the Old Bahamas Channel. The Lower Cretaceous sediments are characterized by shallow shelf limestones, dolomites, and evaporites (mostly anhydrite). The evaporite-rich sections, originally thought to represent basinal facies, are reinterpreted as supratidal to shallow subtidal evaporites, based on examination of core and cuttings. Influx of normal marine ...
The load-following operation of nuclear power plants will become inevitable due to the increased nuclear share in the total electricity generation. As a groundwork for the load-following capability of the Korean next generation PWRs, the state-of-the-art has been reviewed. The core control principles and methods are the main subject in this review as well as the impact of load-following operations on the fuel performance and on the mechanical integrity of components. To begin with, it was described what the load-following operation is and in what view point the technology should be reviewed. Afterwards the load-following method, performance and problems in domestic 900 MWe class PWRs were discussed, and domestic R and D works were summarized. Foreign technologies were also reviewed. They include Mode G and Mode X of Foratom, D and L bank method of KWU, the method using PSCEA of ABB-CE, and MSHIM of Westinghouse. The load-following related special features of ...
The feasibility was evaluated using MCNP-DSP, an analog Monte Carlo transport cod to simulate source-driven measurements. Models of an isolated Westinghouse 17x17 PWR fuel assembly in a 1500-ppM borated water storage pool were used. In the models, the fuel burnup profile was represented using seven axial burnup zones, each with isotopics estimated by the PDQ code. Four different fuel assemblies with average burnups from fresh to 32 GWd/MTU were modeled and analyzed. Analysis of the fuel assemblies was simulated by inducing fission in the fuel using a {sup 252}Cf source adjacent to the assembly and correlating source fissions with the response of a bank of {sup 3}He detectors adjacent to the assembly opposite the source. This analysis was performed at 7 different axial positions on each of the 4 assemblies, and the source-detector cross-spectrum signature was calculated for each of these 28 simulated measurements. The magnitude of the cross-spectrum signature ...
To evaluate the role of phytochelatins and metallothioneins in heavy metal tolerance of black mangrove Avicennia germinans, 3-month-old seedlings were exposed to cadmium or copper for 30 h, under hydroponic conditions. Degenerate Mt2 and PCS primers were synthesized based on amino acid and nucleotide alignment sequences reported for Mt2 and PCS in other plant species found in GenBank. Total RNA was isolated from A. germinans leaves and two partial fragments of metallothionein and phytochelatin synthase genes were isolated. Gene expression was evaluated with reverse transcripatase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification technique. Temporal analysis showed that low Cd{sup 2+} and Cu{sup 2+} concentrations caused a slight (but not significant) increase in AvMt2 expression after a 16 h exposure time, while AvPCS expression showed a significant increase under the same conditions but only after 4 h. Results strongly suggest that the rapid increase in AvPCS ...
To evaluate the role of phytochelatins and metallothioneins in heavy metal tolerance of black mangrove Avicennia germinans, 3-month-old seedlings were exposed to cadmium or copper for 30 h, under hydroponic conditions. Degenerate Mt2 and PCS primers were synthesized based on amino acid and nucleotide alignment sequences reported for Mt2 and PCS in other plant species found in GenBank. Total RNA was isolated from A. germinans leaves and two partial fragments of metallothionein and phytochelatin synthase genes were isolated. Gene expression was evaluated with reverse transcripatase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification technique. Temporal analysis showed that low Cd"2"+ and Cu"2"+ concentrations caused a slight (but not significant) increase in AvMt2 expression after a 16 h exposure time, while AvPCS expression showed a significant increase under the same conditions but only after 4 h. Results strongly suggest that the rapid increase in AvPCS expression ...
Molecular biologists, geneticists, and other life scientists use the BLAST homology search package as their first step for discovery of information about unknown or poorly annotated genomic sequences. There are two main variants of BLAST: BLASTP for searching protein collections and BLASTN for nucleotide collections. Surprisingly, BLASTN has had very little attention; for example, the algorithms it uses do not follow those described in the 1997 BLAST paper and no exact description has been published. It is important that BLASTN is state-of-the-art: Nucleotide collections such as GenBank dwarf the protein collections in size, they double in size almost yearly, and they take many minutes to search on modern general purpose workstations. This paper proposes significant improvements to the BLASTN algorithms. Each of our schemes is based on compressed bytepacked formats that allow queries and collection sequences to be compared four bases at a time, permitting very fast ...
The objectives of this project are to support the DOE direct coal liquefaction process development program and to improve the useful application of analytical chemistry to direct coal liquefaction process development. Independent analyses by well-established methods will be obtained of samples produced in direct coal liquefaction processes under evaluation by DOE. Additionally, analytical instruments and techniques which are currently underutilized for the purpose of examining coal-derived samples will be evaluated. The data obtained from this study will be used to help guide current process development and to develop an improved data base on coal and coal liquids properties. A sample bank will be established and maintained for use in this project and will be available for use by other researchers. The reactivity of the non-distillable resids toward hydrocracking at liquefaction conditions (i.e., resid reactivity) will be examined. From the literature and data ...