Countdown to Six Billion Teaching Kit.

Science.gov (United States)

Zero Population Growth, Inc., Washington, DC.

This teaching kit features six activities focused on helping students understand the significance of the world population reaching six billion for our society and our environment. Featured activities include: (1) History of the World: Part Six Billion; (2) A Woman's Place; (3) Baby-O-Matic; (4) Earth: The Apple of Our Eye; (5) Needs vs. Wants; and…

Flowing-water optical power meter for primary-standard, multi-kilowatt laser power measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, P. A.; Hadler, J. A.; Cromer, C.; West, J.; Li, X.; Lehman, J. H.

2018-06-01

A primary-standard flowing-water optical power meter for measuring multi-kilowatt laser emission has been built and operated. The design and operational details of this primary standard are described, and a full uncertainty analysis is provided covering the measurement range from 1–10 kW with an expanded uncertainty of 1.2%. Validating measurements at 5 kW and 10 kW show agreement with other measurement techniques to within the measurement uncertainty. This work of the U.S. Government is not subject to U.S. copyright.

Ontario Hydro annual report, 1988

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-04-01

Ontario continues a strong growth in electricity consumption; over the past five years consumption has risen an average of 5 percent a year. In 1988 consumption rose by 6.5 percent to 133.1 billion kilowatt-hours. Peak demand was 23 million kilowatts. The top priority for the 1990s will be improving the energy efficiency of customers and the operating efficiency of the Corporation, with a target saving of 4500 megawatts through demand management and energy efficiency by the year 2000. A new environmental division has been formed, as well as a division for non-utility generation. Safety is of particular importance to the Nuclear Generating Division; in all nuclear operations, after 143 million hours worked from 1955 to 1988, there has never been a work-related fatality or a detectable injury due to radiation. The average radiation dose per worker continues to decline and is now under 10 percent of the legal dose limit. Retubing of Pickering Nuclear Generating Station unit 2 has been completed. Retubing of unit 1 is under way, and work on units 3 and 4 has been approved. Construction continues on the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, where the first unit is expected to go into service in 1989. The Darlington Tritium Removal Facility was completed

Moderator configuration options for a low-enriched uranium fueled Kilowatt-class Space Nuclear Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

King, Jeffrey C.; Mencarini, Leonardo de Holanda; Guimaraes, Lamartine N. F.

2015-01-01

The Brazilian Air Force, through its Institute for Advanced Studies (Instituto de Estudos Avancados, IEAv/DCTA), and the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) are studying the feasibility of a space nuclear reactor with a power of 1-5 kW e and fueled with Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU). This type of nuclear reactor would be attractive to signatory countries of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) or commercial interests. A LEU-fueled space reactor would avoid the security concerns inherent with Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) fuel. As an initial step, the HEU-fueled Kilowatt Reactor Using Stirling Technology (KRUSTY) designed by the Los Alamos National Laboratory serves as a basis for a similar reactor fueled with LEU fuel. Using the computational code MCNP6 to predict the reactor neutronics performance, the size of the resulting reactor fueled with 19.75 wt% enriched uranium-10 wt% molybdenum alloy fuel is adjusted to match the excess reactivity of KRUSTY. Then, zirconium hydride moderator is added to the core to reduce the size of the reactor. This work presents the preliminary results of the computational modeling, with special emphasis on the comparison between homogeneous and heterogeneous moderator systems, in terms of the core diameter required to meet a specific multiplication factor (k eff = 1.035). This comparison illustrates the impact of moderator configuration on the size and performance of a LEU-fueled kilowatt-class space nuclear reactor. (author)

Moderator configuration options for a low-enriched uranium fueled Kilowatt-class Space Nuclear Reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

King, Jeffrey C., E-mail: kingjc@mines.edu [Nuclear Science and Engineering Program, Colorado School of Mines (CSM), Golden, CO (United States); Mencarini, Leonardo de Holanda; Guimaraes, Lamartine N. F., E-mail: guimaraes@ieav.cta.br, E-mail: mencarini@ieav.cta.br [Instituto de Estudos Avancados (IEAV), Sao Jose dos Campos, SP (Brazil). Divisao de Energia Nuclear

2015-07-01

The Brazilian Air Force, through its Institute for Advanced Studies (Instituto de Estudos Avancados, IEAv/DCTA), and the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) are studying the feasibility of a space nuclear reactor with a power of 1-5 kW{sub e} and fueled with Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU). This type of nuclear reactor would be attractive to signatory countries of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) or commercial interests. A LEU-fueled space reactor would avoid the security concerns inherent with Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) fuel. As an initial step, the HEU-fueled Kilowatt Reactor Using Stirling Technology (KRUSTY) designed by the Los Alamos National Laboratory serves as a basis for a similar reactor fueled with LEU fuel. Using the computational code MCNP6 to predict the reactor neutronics performance, the size of the resulting reactor fueled with 19.75 wt% enriched uranium-10 wt% molybdenum alloy fuel is adjusted to match the excess reactivity of KRUSTY. Then, zirconium hydride moderator is added to the core to reduce the size of the reactor. This work presents the preliminary results of the computational modeling, with special emphasis on the comparison between homogeneous and heterogeneous moderator systems, in terms of the core diameter required to meet a specific multiplication factor (k{sub eff} = 1.035). This comparison illustrates the impact of moderator configuration on the size and performance of a LEU-fueled kilowatt-class space nuclear reactor. (author)

Superphenix set to rise again

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dorozynski, A.

1993-01-01

Superphenix, France's seemingly jinxed fast breeder reactor, which has not produced a single kilowatt of energy in more than 3 years, looks set to rise up next year like the mythical bird it is named after. The $5 billion reactor, the largest fast breeder in the world, has just been given the seal of approval by a public commission ordered by the government to look at the pros and cons of restarting. It still has hoops to jump through: a safety check and approval from the ministries of industries and environment. But the consortium of French, Italian, and German power utilities that run the plant are confident they can get it running by next summer. The Superphenix that rises out of the ashes will, however, be a different species of bird from the one planned 20 years ago. The consortium plans to turn the reactor into a debreeder, one that will incinerate more plutonium than it produces and so eat into Europe's plutonium stockpile. Calculations by Superphenix staff and the Atomic Energy Commission indicate that a plutonivorous fast breeder could incinerate 15 to 25 kilograms of plutonium while producing 1 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity-scarcely enough to make a dent in the tonnes of plutonium produced by Electricite de France's reactors each year. The Superphenix consortium is anxious to get the reactor back on line. The annual cost of upkeep and repair of the idle plant and salaries for its 700 staff may reach $140 million this year, 20% more than if the plant was running normally. If restarted, the existing core and a second one ready on the shelf will generate electricity worth $1.3 billion

Kilowatt isotope power system. Phase II plan. Volume V. Safety, quality assurance and reliability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-01-01

The development of a Kilowatt Isotope Power System (KIPS) was begun in 1975 for the purpose of satisfying the power requirements of satellites in the 1980's. The KIPS is a 238 PuO 2 -fueled organic Rankine cycle turbine power system to provide a design output of 500 to 2000 W. Included in this volume are: launch and flight safety considerations; quality assurance techniques and procedures to be followed through system fabrication, assembly and inspection; and the reliability program made up of reliability prediction analysis, failure mode analysis and criticality analysis

Kilowatt-Class Fission Power Systems for Science and Human Precursor Missions

Science.gov (United States)

Mason, Lee S.; Gibson, Marc Andrew; Poston, Dave

2013-01-01

Nuclear power provides an enabling capability for NASA missions that might otherwise be constrained by power availability, mission duration, or operational robustness. NASA and the Department of Energy (DOE) are developing fission power technology to serve a wide range of future space uses. Advantages include lower mass, longer life, and greater mission flexibility than competing power system options. Kilowatt-class fission systems, designated "Kilopower," were conceived to address the need for systems to fill the gap above the current 100-W-class radioisotope power systems being developed for science missions and below the typical 100-k We-class reactor power systems being developed for human exploration missions. This paper reviews the current fission technology project and examines some Kilopower concepts that could be used to support future science missions or human precursors.

Organic Rankine Kilowatt Isotope Power System. Final phase I report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-01-01

On 1 August 1975 under Department of Energy Contract EN-77-C-02-4299, Sundstrand Energy Systems commenced development of a Kilowatt Isotope Power System (KIPS) directed toward satisfying the higher power requirements of satellites of the 1980s and beyond. The KIPS is a 238 PuO 2 fueled organic Rankine cycle turbine power system which will provide design output power in the range of 500 to 2000 W/sub (e)/ with a minimum of system changes. The principal objectives of the Phase 1 development effort were to: conceptually design a flight system; design a Ground Demonstration System (GDS) that is prototypic of the flight system in order to prove the feasibility of the flight system design; fabricate and assemble the GDS; and performance and endurance test the GDS using electric heaters in lieu of the isotope heat source. Results of the work performed under the Phase 1 contract to 1 July 1978 are presented

Calabashes for kilowatt-hours. Rural energy and market failure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Howells, Mark I.; Jonsson, Sandra; Kaeck, Emilia; Lloyd, Philip; Bennett, Kevin; Leiman, Tony; Conradie, Beatrice

2010-01-01

This paper describes how management and information failures can retard transitions from the traditional use of biomass fuel by low income rural consumers and micro-producers. In general, societies move away from traditional biomass use as economic development takes place. If one accepts the doctrine of revealed preference (built on the initial work of), then these trends imply that such transitions provide net gains in utility. This paper shows how various 'failures' entrench existing fuel use patterns - hindering the transition to new fuel use patterns. In order to qualitatively discuss how these transitions may take place, an indicative neo-classical description of consumer and producer behavior is used. Three types fuel-transition 'driver' are identified. The effect of information and management failures on these drivers, and thus the energy transition, is discussed. Reference is made to a specific case study in which a partial transition from biomass occurred in response to an intervention to address an environmental management failure (the deforesting of a carbon sink.) It is concluded that interventions to encourage transitions to cleaner sustainable fuel use may need to recognize and address management and information failures in a systematic manner. (author)

Areva excellent business volume: backlog as of december 31, 2008: + 21.1% to 48.2 billion euros. 2008 revenue: + 10.4% to 13.2 billion euros

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-01-01

AREVA's backlog stood at 48.2 billion euros as of December 31, 2008, for 21.1% growth year-on-year, including 21.8% growth in Nuclear and 16.5% growth in Transmission and Distribution. The Nuclear backlog came to 42.5 billion euros at December 31, 2008. The Transmission and Distribution backlog came to 5.7 billion euros at year-end. The group recognized revenue of 13.2 billion euros in 2008, for year-on-year growth of 10.4% (+9.8% like-for-like). Revenue outside France was up 10.5% to 9.5 billion euros, representing 72% of total revenue. Revenue was up 6.5% in the Nuclear businesses (up 6.3% LFL), with strong performance in the Reactors and Services division (+10.9% LFL) and the Front End division (+7.2% LFL). The Transmission and Distribution division recorded growth of 17% (+15.8% LFL). Revenue for the fourth quarter of 2008 rose to 4.1 billion euros, up 5.2% (+1.6% LFL) from that of the fourth quarter of 2007. Revenue for the Front End division rose to 3.363 billion euros in 2008, up 7.1% over 2007 (+7.2% LFL). Foreign exchange (currency translations) had a negative impact of 53 million euros. Revenue for the Reactors and Services division rose to 3.037 billion euros, up 11.8% over 2007 (+10.9% LFL). Foreign exchange (currency translations) had a negative impact of 47 million euros. Revenue for the Back End division came to 1.692 billion euros, a drop of 2.7% (-2.5% LFL). Foreign exchange (currency translations) had a negative impact of 3.5 million euros. Revenue for the Transmission and Distribution division rose to 5.065 billion euros in 2008, up 17.0% (+15.8% LFL)

Winglets Save Billions of Dollars in Fuel Costs

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

The upturned ends now featured on many airplane wings are saving airlines billions of dollars in fuel costs. Called winglets, the drag-reducing technology was advanced through the research of Langley Research Center engineer Richard Whitcomb and through flight tests conducted at Dryden Flight Research Center. Seattle-based Aviation Partners Boeing -- a partnership between Aviation Partners Inc., of Seattle, and The Boeing Company, of Chicago -- manufactures Blended Winglets, a unique design featured on Boeing aircraft around the world. These winglets have saved more than 2 billion gallons of jet fuel to date, representing a cost savings of more than $4 billion and a reduction of almost 21.5 million tons in carbon dioxide emissions.

Proton collider breaks the six-billion-dollar barrier

CERN Multimedia

Vaughan, C

1990-01-01

The SSC will cost at least 1 billion more than its estimated final price of 5.9 billion dollars. Critics in congress believe the final bill could be double that figure. The director of the SSC blames most of the increase in cost on technical problems with developing the superconducting magnets for the SSC (1/2 page).

Development of water demand coefficients for power generation from renewable energy technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, Babkir; Kumar, Amit

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Water consumption and withdrawals coefficients for renewable power generation were developed. • Six renewable energy sources (biomass, nuclear, solar, wind, hydroelectricity, and geothermal) were studied. • Life cycle water footprints for 60 electricity generation pathways were considered. • Impact of cooling systems for some power generation pathways was assessed. - Abstract: Renewable energy technology-based power generation is considered to be environmentally friendly and to have a low life cycle greenhouse gas emissions footprint. However, the life cycle water footprint of renewable energy technology-based power generation needs to be assessed. The objective of this study is to develop life cycle water footprints for renewable energy technology-based power generation pathways. Water demand is evaluated through consumption and withdrawals coefficients developed in this study. Sixty renewable energy technology-based power generation pathways were developed for a comprehensive comparative assessment of water footprints. The pathways were based on the use of biomass, nuclear, solar, wind, hydroelectricity, and geothermal as the source of energy. During the complete life cycle, power generation from bio-oil extracted from wood chips, a biomass source, was found to have the highest water demand footprint and wind power the lowest. During the complete life cycle, the water demand coefficients for biomass-based power generation pathways range from 260 to 1289 l of water per kilowatt hour and for nuclear energy pathways from 0.48 to 179 l of water per kilowatt hour. The water demand for power generation from solar energy-based pathways ranges from 0.02 to 4.39 l of water per kilowatt hour, for geothermal pathways from 0.04 to 1.94 l of water per kilowatt hour, and for wind from 0.005 to 0.104 l of water per kilowatt hour. A sensitivity analysis was conducted with varying conversion efficiencies to evaluate the impact of power plant performance on

Cost implications of reduced work hours and workloads for resident physicians.

Science.gov (United States)

Nuckols, Teryl K; Bhattacharya, Jay; Wolman, Dianne Miller; Ulmer, Cheryl; Escarce, José J

2009-05-21

Although the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) limits the work hours of residents, concerns about fatigue persist. A new Institute of Medicine (IOM) report recommends, among other changes, improved adherence to the 2003 ACGME limits, naps during extended shifts, a 16-hour limit for shifts without naps, and reduced workloads. We used published data to estimate labor costs associated with transferring excess work from residents to substitute providers, and we examined the effects of our assumptions in sensitivity analyses. Next, using a probability model to represent labor costs as well as mortality and costs associated with preventable adverse events, we determined the net costs to major teaching hospitals and cost-effectiveness across a range of hypothetical changes in the rate of preventable adverse events. Annual labor costs from implementing the IOM recommendations were estimated to be $1.6 billion (in 2006 U.S. dollars) across all ACGME-accredited programs ($1.1 billion to $2.5 billion in sensitivity analyses). From a 10% decrease to a 10% increase in preventable adverse events, net costs per admission ranged from $99 to $183 for major teaching hospitals and from $17 to $266 for society. With 2.5% to 11.3% decreases in preventable adverse events, costs to society per averted death ranged from $3.4 million to $0. Implementing the four IOM recommendations would be costly, and their effectiveness is unknown. If highly effective, they could prevent patient harm at reduced or no cost from the societal perspective. However, net costs to teaching hospitals would remain high. 2009 Massachusetts Medical Society

Mild weather slows increase in Finnish electricity consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tiusanen, P.

2001-01-01

Electricity usage in Finland increased by 1.7%, equivalent to 2.8% when adjusted for temperature and calendar factors, and totalled 79.1 billion kWh, an increase of 1.3 billion kWh on 1999. If temperatures had followed the normal pattern last year, the 80 billion kilowatt hour-barrier would have been broken. Some 60% of the increase in consumption was covered by imports and 40% through domestic generation, which grew by less than 1%. Consumption is expected to grow by approximately 2% this year. More than 31% of the total electricity requirement was covered by combined heat and power (CHP), some 27% by nuclear power, approximately 18% by hydropower, and 8% by coal and other conventional condensing power. Net imports of electricity rose to 15%, an alltime high of 11.9 billion kWh, equivalent to 15% of the electricity used m Finland. This compares to 11.1 billion kWh in 1999 and 10.7 billion kWh in 1990. Net imports of electricity rose by 6.8% last year. Imports from Sweden increased by 25%, while imports from Russia fell by 13%. Exports of electricity from Finland were low, because of inexpensive electricity available in the Nordic countries. Due to the good hydropower situation and competition, electricity prices dropped again, by approximately 1%. Electricity trading grew rapidly, with almost one-fifth of all electricity used in Finland being traded through Nord Pool

The costs of disposing of radioactive waste in Switzerland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCombie, C.; Weyermann, P.; Lieb, R.

1996-01-01

Conservative estimates indicate that the cost of disposing of all radioactive waste arising from the operation and decommissioning of the Swiss nuclear power plants will be around 6 billion Francs, distributed over a period of almost 90 years. If the power plants are assumed to have an operational lifetime of 40 years, this adds around 0.7 Rappen (100 Rappen = 1 Swiss Franc) per kilowatt hour to electricity production costs. Although the majority of these costs will arise only in the relatively distant future, the waste producers attach great importance to securing the necessary financial means in good time. The practice followed to date for setting aside financial reserves has been confirmed by recent cost estimates and planning strategies.(author) 4 figs

Connecting the last billion

OpenAIRE

Ben David, Yahel

2015-01-01

The last billion people to join the online world, are likely to face at least one of two obstacles:Part I: Rural Internet AccessRural, sparsely populated, areas make conventional infrastructure investments unfeasible: Bigcorporations attempt to address this challenge via the launch of Low-Earth-Orbiting (LEO) satelliteconstellations, fleets of high-altitude balloons, and giant solar-powered drones; although thesegrandiose initiatives hold potential, they are costly and risky. At the same time...

The order for enforcing the law concerning indemnification of nuclear damage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

The cabinet ordinance is established under the law concerning the indemnification for atomic energy damages. The matters stipulated by the ordinance in the law include the following matters: the operation of reactors; the processing of nuclear fuel materials, such as uranium 235, specified uranium and its compounds, plutonium and its compounds, etc.; reprocessing; the employment of such nuclear fuel materials; the transportation, storage and disposal of such materials, particular spent fuels and the things contaminated by nuclear fuel materials, which occur according to the operation of reactors and other practices above mentioned. The amounts of indemnification are respectively 10 billion yen for the operation of reactors whose thermal outputs are more than 10,000 kilowatts and reprocessing, 2 billion yen for the operation of reactors whose thermal outputs are more than 100 kilowatts and less than 10,000 kilowatts and the transportation of spent fuel accompanying the operation of reactors or reprocessing, 200 million yen for the operation of reactors whose thermal outputs are less than 100 kilowatts, and the processing and employment of nuclear fuel materials, the transportation of nuclear fuel materials accompanying the operation of reactors, and the processing, reprocessing and employment of nuclear fuel materials. The payment of casualty indemnification includes that according to the provisions of the government official casualty indemnification law and that due to official causes under the provisions of the seamen insurance law. (Okada, K.)

Photoelectric installations in Tunisia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Darkazalli, G

1983-01-01

Four autonomous photoelectric power plants (FEU) have been in operation since February, 1983 in the village of Hamman Biadha. One of them based on a solar battery (SB) with a capacity of 29 kilowatts made of modules by the Solar Power Corporation (U.S.A.), has a storage battery (AB) with a capacity of 360 kilowatts per hour, and serves to supply alternating current, 220 volt voltage electric power to stores, a mill, a hospital, a school and streetlights near them and 22 houses. The solar battery is maintained in a maximal power mode which increases the energy production by 5 to 10 percent. As the charge of the storage battery is reduced below the assigned levels, the appropriate consumers are shut off. The daily energy productivity of the photoelectric power plant is 119 kilowatt hours per day in July and 65 kilowatt hours per day in December. A smaller variant of this photoelectric power plant with a capacity of 1.5 kilowatts provides electric power to a farm. The other two photoelectric power plants drive the irrigation systems for a greenhouse with an area of 10exp4 square meters and a fruit garden. The maximum productivity of each of them is 750 cubic meters per month with a delivery of 17 meters.

12 billion DM for Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1975-01-01

The German atomic industry has achieved the break-through to the world market: Brazil orders eight nuclear electricity generating plants from Siemens-AEG daughter Kraftwerk-Union. US concerns attacked the twelve billion DM deal, the biggest export order in the history of German industry. Without avail - the contract is to be signed in Bonn this week. (orig./LH) [de

White Paper Powering Sustainable Low-Carbon Economies: Some Fact and Figures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gilles J. Youinou

2015-04-01

In 2011, the world production of electricity was about 22.1 trillion kilowatt-hour1 (kWhe): 9.1 from coal, 4.8 from gas, 2.6 from nuclear, 1.1 from oil, 3.5 from hydropower and 1.0 from other sources (geothermal, solar, wind, biofuels). With a world population of about 7 billion in 2011, it corresponds to an average of 3,160 kWhe/year/capita. While most industrialized countries enjoy a high standard of living with, at least, 8,000 kWhe per year and per person, most developing countries live with less than 3,000 kWhe per year per person. The need for electricity is growing fast, especially in developing countries, and by 2040 the world production of electricity is projected to reach about 40 trillion kWhe.2 Assuming a world population of 10 billion and an average consumption of 6,000 kWhe per year per person in 2100 the world annual production of electricity could reach 60 trillion kWhe.

Kilowatt isotope power system. Phase II plan. Volume I. Phase II program plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-01-01

The development of a Kilowatt Isotope Power System (KIPS) was begun in 1975 for the purpose of satisfying the power requirements of satellites in the 1980's. The KIPS is a 238 PuO 2 -fueled organic Rankine cycle turbine power system to provide a design output of 500 to 2000 W. Phase II of the overall 3-phase KIPS program is described. This volume presents a program plan for qualifying the organic Rankine power system for flight test in 1982. The program plan calls for the design and fabrication of the proposed flight power system; conducting a development and a qualification program including both environmental and endurance testing, using an electrical and a radioisotope heat source; planning for flight test and spacecraft integration; and continuing ground demonstration system testing to act as a flight system breadboard and to accumulate life data

Financial analysis of wind power projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Juanico, Luis E.; Bergallo, Juan E.

1999-01-01

In this work a financial assessment of the economic competitiveness of wind power projects in Argentina compared with other no CO 2 emission sources, such as nuclear, was developed. Argentina has a market driven electrical grid system, and no greenhouse gas emissions penalty taxes, together with a very low natural gas cost and a sustained nuclear development program. For the financial analysis an average wind velocity source of 8 m/s, on several wind farms (from 2 machines to 60) built with new technology wind generators (750 kilowatts power, 900 dollar/kilowatt cost) operating over 20 years, was considered. The leveled cost obtained is decreasing while the number of machines is increasing, from 0,130 dollar/kilowatt-hour to 0,090 dollar/kilowatts-hour. This poor performance can be partially explained considering the higher interest rates in the argentine financial market (15%) than the ones in developed countries

Financial analysis of wind power projects; Analisis financiero de proyectos eolicos de generacion electrica

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Juanico, Luis E; Bergallo, Juan E [Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica, San Carlos de Bariloche (Argentina). Centro Atomico Bariloche

1999-07-01

In this work a financial assessment of the economic competitiveness of wind power projects in Argentina compared with other no CO{sub 2} emission sources, such as nuclear, was developed. Argentina has a market driven electrical grid system, and no greenhouse gas emissions penalty taxes, together with a very low natural gas cost and a sustained nuclear development program. For the financial analysis an average wind velocity source of 8 m/s, on several wind farms (from 2 machines to 60) built with new technology wind generators (750 kilowatts power, 900 dollar/kilowatt cost) operating over 20 years, was considered. The leveled cost obtained is decreasing while the number of machines is increasing, from 0,130 dollar/kilowatt-hour to 0,090 dollar/kilowatts-hour. This poor performance can be partially explained considering the higher interest rates in the argentine financial market (15%) than the ones in developed countries.

Potential effects of the next 100 billion hamburgers sold by McDonald's.

Science.gov (United States)

Spencer, Elsa H; Frank, Erica; McIntosh, Nichole F

2005-05-01

McDonald's has sold >100 billion beef-based hamburgers worldwide with a potentially considerable health impact. This paper explores whether there would be any advantages if the next 100 billion burgers were instead plant-based burgers. Nutrient composition of the beef hamburger patty and the McVeggie burger patty were obtained from the McDonald's website; sales data were obtained from the McDonald's customer service. Consuming 100 billion McDonald's beef burgers versus the same company's McVeggie burgers would provide, approximately, on average, an additional 550 million pounds of saturated fat and 1.2 billion total pounds of fat, as well as 1 billion fewer pounds of fiber, 660 million fewer pounds of protein, and no difference in calories. These data suggest that the McDonald's new McVeggie burger represents a less harmful fast-food choice than the beef burger.

Seven Billion People: Fostering Productive Struggle

Science.gov (United States)

Murawska, Jaclyn M.

2018-01-01

How can a cognitively demanding real-world task such as the Seven Billion People problem promote productive struggle "and" help shape students' mathematical dispositions? Driving home from school one evening, Jaclyn Murawska heard a commentator on the radio announce three statements: (1) experts had determined that the world population…

Fixing hydro - The forgotten renewable

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nalder, N.

1992-01-01

Since the dawn of civilization, man has captured the energy potential of falling water, from the water wheels in the fertile crescent of ancient times to today's highly sophisticated conventional and pumped storage projects. As we approach the 21st century, electric energy captured from falling water provides 2.0 trillion kilowatt-hours (21.23 quadrillion Btu), roughly 20% of the world's electric energy. Of the 2.56 billion kilowatts of the world's installed electric generating capacity, hydropower accounts for 24%. Between 1980 and 1989, world generation of hydroelectric power rose from 1.7 trillion kWh to 2.0 trillion kWh. As of January 1, 1988, the US has 90.5 million kW of installed hydro capacity - 70.8 million kW of it under license by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission - with annual generation estimated at just under 300 billion kWh. Hydro's share, which not long ago comprised 13% of the nation's total capacity, now is just a 9% share. The US has the option to choose one or another path for hydro. If policy makers are willing to coast on a cushion of cheap natural gas, they will continue to shun hydro and put obstacles in its path. But if they come to regard hydro as an attractive resource - as they did only recently - economically and environmentally, they will encourage more balance in resource policies. Believing that interest in a balanced national resource portfolio will grow, the author reviews the past and suggests a possible future course of reasonable development for hydro. The article concludes with some suggested principles that will be needed if the appropriate balance is to be found

Regional Feedstock Partnership Summary Report: Enabling the Billion-Ton Vision

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Owens, Vance N. [South Dakota State Univ., Brookings, SD (United States). North Central Sun Grant Center; Karlen, Douglas L. [Dept. of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA (United States). National Lab. for Agriculture and the Environment; Lacey, Jeffrey A. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States). Process Science and Technology Division

2016-07-12

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Sun Grant Initiative established the Regional Feedstock Partnership (referred to as the Partnership) to address information gaps associated with enabling the vision of a sustainable, reliable, billion-ton U.S. bioenergy industry by the year 2030 (i.e., the Billion-Ton Vision). Over the past 7 years (2008–2014), the Partnership has been successful at advancing the biomass feedstock production industry in the United States, with notable accomplishments. The Billion-Ton Study identifies the technical potential to expand domestic biomass production to offset up to 30% of U.S. petroleum consumption, while continuing to meet demands for food, feed, fiber, and export. This study verifies for the biofuels and chemical industries that a real and substantial resource base could justify the significant investment needed to develop robust conversion technologies and commercial-scale facilities. DOE and the Sun Grant Initiative established the Partnership to demonstrate and validate the underlying assumptions underpinning the Billion-Ton Vision to supply a sustainable and reliable source of lignocellulosic feedstock to a large-scale bioenergy industry. This report discusses the accomplishments of the Partnership, with references to accompanying scientific publications. These accomplishments include advances in sustainable feedstock production, feedstock yield, yield stability and stand persistence, energy crop commercialization readiness, information transfer, assessment of the economic impacts of achieving the Billion-Ton Vision, and the impact of feedstock species and environment conditions on feedstock quality characteristics.

40 CFR 90.207 - Credit calculation and manufacturer compliance with emission standards.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... = Production×(Standard—FEL)×Power×Useful life×Load Factor Where: Production = eligible production as defined in this part. Annual production projections are used to project credit availability for initial... kilowatt hour. Power = the maximum modal power of the certification test engine, in kilowatts, as...

Nuclear budget for FY1991 up 3.6% to 409.7 billion yen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1991-01-01

A total of yen409.7 billion was approved for the Governmental nuclear energy draft budget for fiscal 1991 on December 28, as the Cabinet gave its approval. The total, the highest ever, was divided into yen182.6 billion for the general account and yen227.1 billion for the special account for power resources development, representing a 3.6% increase over the ongoing fiscal year's level of yen395.5 billion. The draft budget will be examined for approval of the Diet session by the end of March. The nuclear energy budget devoted to research and development projects governed by the Science and Technology Agency amounts yen306.4 billion, up 3.5% exceeding yen300 billion for the first time. The nuclear budget for the Ministry of International Trade and Industry is yen98.1 billion, up 3.5%. For the other ministries, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, yen5.1 billion was allotted to nuclear energy-related projects. The Government had decided to raise the unit cost of the power plant siting promotion subsidies in the special account for power resources development by 25% --- from yen600/kw to yen750/kw --- in order to support the siting of plants. Consequently, the power resources siting account of the special accounts for both STA and MITI showed high levels of growth rates: 6.3% and 7.5%, respectively. (N.K.)

Building opportunities for photovoltaics in the U.S. Final report [PV BONUS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Michael Nicklas

1999-09-08

The objective of the North Carolina's PV Bonus Team was to develop and demonstrate a commercially viable, building-integrated, photovoltaic system that, in addition to providing electricity, would capture and effectively utilize the thermal energy produced by the photovoltaic array. This project objective was successfully achieved by designing, testing, constructing, and monitoring two roof integrated photovoltaic systems--one on a Applebee's Restaurant in Salisbury, North Carolina and the second on a Central Carolina Bank in Bessemer City, North Carolina. The goal of Innovative Design is to now use these successful demonstrations to facilitate entry of building integrated, pv/thermal systems into the marketplace. The strategy was to develop the two systems that could be utilized in future applications. Both systems were designed and then constructed at the North Carolina Solar Center at North Carolina State University. After extensive testing at the North Carolina Solar Center, the systems were moved to the actual construction sites and implemented. The Applebee's Restaurant system was designed to substitute for the roof assembly of a low sloping, south-facing sunspace roof that typically incorporated clay tile. After monitoring the installed system for one year it was determined that the 1.2 kilowatt (peak) system produces an average peak reduction of 1 kilowatt (rated peak is 1.7 kiloWatts), saves 1,529 kilowatt-hours of electricity, and offsets 11,776 kilowatt-hours of thermal energy savings used to pre-heat water. A DC fan connected directly to eight of the thirty-two amorphous modules moves air through air passages mounted on the backside of the modules and into a closed loop duct system to a heat exchanger. This heat exchanger is, in turn, connected to a pre-heat hot water tank that is used to heat the water for the restaurant. The Central Carolina Bank system was designed to substitute for the roof assembly of the drive-in window area of the

Community access networks: how to connect the next billion to the ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Community access networks: how to connect the next billion to the Internet. Despite recent progress with mobile technology diffusion, more than four billion people worldwide are unconnected and have limited access to global communication infrastructure. The cost of implementing connectivity infrastructure in underserved ...

Generating a high brightness multi-kilowatt laser by dense spectral combination of VBG stabilized single emitter laser diodes

Science.gov (United States)

Fritsche, H.; Koch, Ralf; Krusche, B.; Ferrario, F.; Grohe, Andreas; Pflueger, S.; Gries, W.

2014-05-01

Generating high power laser radiation with diode lasers is commonly realized by geometrical stacking of diode bars, which results in high output power but poor beam parameter product (BPP). The accessible brightness in this approach is limited by the fill factor, both in slow and fast axis. By using a geometry that accesses the BPP of the individual diodes, generating a multi kilowatt diode laser with a BPP comparable to fiber lasers is possible. We will demonstrate such a modular approach for generating multi kilowatt lasers by combining single emitter diode lasers. Single emitter diodes have advantages over bars, mainly a simplified cooling, better reliability and a higher brightness per emitter. Additionally, because single emitters can be arranged in many different geometries, they allow building laser modules where the brightness of the single emitters is preserved. In order to maintain the high brightness of the single emitter we developed a modular laser design which uses single emitters in a staircase arrangement, then coupling two of those bases with polarization combination which is our basic module. Those modules generate up to 160 W with a BPP better than 7.5 mm*mrad. For further power scaling wavelength stabilization is crucial. The wavelength is stabilized with only one Volume Bragg Grating (VBG) in front of a base providing the very same feedback to all of the laser diodes. This results in a bandwidth of BPP better than 7.5 mm*mrad, which can easily coupled into a 100 μm fiber and 0.15 NA.

Four billion people facing severe water scarcity.

Science.gov (United States)

Mekonnen, Mesfin M; Hoekstra, Arjen Y

2016-02-01

Freshwater scarcity is increasingly perceived as a global systemic risk. Previous global water scarcity assessments, measuring water scarcity annually, have underestimated experienced water scarcity by failing to capture the seasonal fluctuations in water consumption and availability. We assess blue water scarcity globally at a high spatial resolution on a monthly basis. We find that two-thirds of the global population (4.0 billion people) live under conditions of severe water scarcity at least 1 month of the year. Nearly half of those people live in India and China. Half a billion people in the world face severe water scarcity all year round. Putting caps to water consumption by river basin, increasing water-use efficiencies, and better sharing of the limited freshwater resources will be key in reducing the threat posed by water scarcity on biodiversity and human welfare.

The MTX computer control system for the 400 kilowatt 140 Ghz gyrotron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jackson, M.C.; Ferguson, S.W.; Petersen, D.E.

1992-01-01

This paper reports on a 400 kilowatt, 140 Ghz gyrotron employed on MTX as a source of direct plasma heating and, additionally, as a driver for a free electron laser, which is used for plasma heating. The control system that operates this gyrotron uses a new graphics oriented software system called TACL (Thaumaturgic Automated Control Logic) developed by the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) and owned by DOE. This control language does not require a software specialist, but is easily handled by the engineer or technician working on the system. All control logic and custom displays are entered via graphics oriented editors and no actual lines of code need to be written. The graphics displays make the gyrotron operation quite simple and allow individual users to define displays to meet their own needs or develop one for a specific set of tests to be run. The system, additionally, can be used for data logging functions, which have been found quite useful in tracking long term trends in vacion current and calorimetry of gyrotron cooling circuits

Overview of Multi-Kilowatt Free-Piston Stirling Power Conversion Research at GRC

Science.gov (United States)

Geng, Steven M.; Mason, Lee S.; Dyson, Rodger W.; Penswick, L. Barry

2008-01-01

As a step towards development of Stirling power conversion for potential use in Fission Surface Power (FSP) systems, a pair of commercially available 1 kW class free-piston Stirling convertors and a pair of commercially available pressure wave generators (which will be plumbed together to create a high power Stirling linear alternator test rig) have been procured for in-house testing at Glenn Research Center. Delivery of both the Stirling convertors and the linear alternator test rig is expected by October, 2007. The 1 kW class free-piston Stirling convertors will be tested at GRC to map and verify performance. The convertors will later be modified to operate with a NaK liquid metal pumped loop for thermal energy input. The high power linear alternator test rig will be used to map and verify high power Stirling linear alternator performance and to develop power management and distribution (PMAD) methods and techniques. This paper provides an overview of the multi-kilowatt free-piston Stirling power conversion work being performed at GRC.

Overview of Multi-kilowatt Free-Piston Stirling Power Conversion Research at GRC

Science.gov (United States)

Geng, Steven M.; Mason, Lee S.; Dyson, Rodger W.; Penswick, L. Barry

2008-01-01

As a step towards development of Stirling power conversion for potential use in Fission Surface Power (FSP) systems, a pair of commercially available 1 kW class free-piston Stirling convertors and a pair of commercially available pressure wave generators (which will be plumbed together to create a high power Stirling linear alternator test rig) have been procured for in-house testing at Glenn Research Center. Delivery of both the Stirling convertors and the linear alternator test rig is expected by October, 2007. The 1 kW class free-piston Stirling convertors will be tested at GRC to map and verify performance. The convertors will later be modified to operate with a NaK liquid metal pumped loop for thermal energy input. The high power linear alternator test rig will be used to map and verify high power Stirling linear alternator performance and to develop power management and distribution (PMAD) methods and techniques. This paper provides an overview of the multi-kilowatt free-piston Stirling power conversion work being performed at GRC.

How do you interpret a billion primary care records?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Heaven

2017-04-01

To establish this we explored just over 1 billion unique Read coded records generated in the time period 1999 to 2015 by GP practices participating in the provision of anonymised records to SAIL, aligning, filtering and summarising the data in a series of observational exercises to generate hypotheses related to the capture and recording of the data. Results A fascinating journey through 1 billion GP practice generated pieces of information, embarked upon to aid interpretation of our Supporting People results, and providing insights into the patterns of recording within GP data.

NASA Capabilities That Could Impact Terrestrial Smart Grids of the Future

Science.gov (United States)

Beach, Raymond F.

2015-01-01

Incremental steps to steadily build, test, refine, and qualify capabilities that lead to affordable flight elements and a deep space capability. Potential Deep Space Vehicle Power system characteristics: power 10 kilowatts average; two independent power channels with multi-level cross-strapping; solar array power 24 plus kilowatts; multi-junction arrays; lithium Ion battery storage 200 plus ampere-hours; sized for deep space or low lunar orbit operation; distribution120 volts secondary (SAE AS 5698); 2 kilowatt power transfer between vehicles.

Interactive (statistical) visualisation and exploration of a billion objects with vaex

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Breddels, M. A.

2016-01-01

With new catalogues arriving such as the Gaia DR1, containing more than a billion objects, new methods of handling and visualizing these data volumes are needed. We show that by calculating statistics on a regular (N-dimensional) grid, visualizations of a billion objects can be done within a second

The origins of a coming crisis : renewal of the Churchill Falls contract

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feehan, J.P.

2005-01-01

The renewal clause of the 1969 power contract between Hydro-Quebec and the Churchill Falls (Labrador) Corporation (CFLCo) takes effect in 2016. The contract concerns the development and sale of electricity from the Churchill Falls hydro site and has been a matter of discontent in Newfoundland and Labrador because it stipulates that almost all of the power be sold to Hydro-Quebec on a very long-term basis at very low and declining prices. The government of Newfoundland and Labrador has challenged the contract in several ways since the 1970s, all unsuccessfully. During the renewal period, the price is preset at 2 mills (0.2 cents) per kilowatt hour. Even in the late 1960s, this price was extraordinarily low and not achievable from any new energy source. The average wholesale price of electricity in Ontario in 2004 was 52.2 mills per kilowatt hour. With 30 million megawatt hours of electricity involved in this renewal, the potential gap between the value of the power and the amount paid to CFLCo was about $1 billion a year by 2004 and rising. This paper presents the results of the first systematic investigation into how such an extraordinary onerous condition got into the contract. It considers the process that led to the contract and related arrangements. It also presents uncited archival documentation that gives new and revealing facts about the origins of the renewal clause. The findings give rise to questions of business ethics and law. This paper also reviews the early discussions and the interrelated commercial and political challenges that had to be overcome for the two provinces to come to an agreement on a comprehensive Letter of Intent. The contract negotiations and events that led to the renewal clause were outlined along with the implications for Hydro-Quebec, CFLCo and the government of Newfoundland. 13 refs., 2 appendices

2016 Billion-Ton Report: Advancing Domestic Resources for a Thriving Bioeconomy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2016-07-06

This product builds on previous efforts, namely the 2005 Billion-Ton Study (BTS) and the 2011 U.S. Billion-Ton Update (BT2).With each report, greater perspective is gained on the potential of biomass resources to contribute to a national energy strategy. Similarly, each successive report introduces new questions regarding commercialization challenges. BTS quantified the broad biophysical potential of biomass nationally, and BT2 elucidated the potential economic availability of these resources. These reports clearly established the potential availability of up to one billion tons of biomass resources nationally. However, many questions remain, including but not limited to crop yields, climate change impacts, logistical operations, and systems integration across production, harvest, and conversion. The present report aims to address many of these questions through empirically modeled energy crop yields, scenario analysis of resources delivered to biorefineries, and the addition of new feedstocks. Volume 2 of the 2016 Billion-Ton Report is expected to be released by the end of 2016. It seeks to evaluate environmental sustainability indicators of select scenarios from volume 1 and potential climate change impacts on future supplies.

Cosmic rays and the biosphere over 4 billion years

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svensmark, Henrik

2006-01-01

Variations in the flux of cosmic rays (CR) at Earth during the last 4.6 billion years are constructed from information about the star formation rate in the Milky Way and the evolution of the solar activity. The constructed CR signal is compared with variations in the Earths biological productivit...... as recorded in the isotope delta C-13, which spans more than 3 billion years. CR and fluctuations in biological productivity show a remarkable correlation and indicate that the evolution of climate and the biosphere on the Earth is closely linked to the evolution of the Milky Way....

$17 billion needed by year 2000.

Science.gov (United States)

Finger, W R

1995-09-01

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that US$17 billion will be needed to fund reproductive health care in developing countries by the year 2000. About US$10 billion of would go for family planning: currently, the amount spent on family planning is about US$5 billion. Donors are focusing on fewer countries because of limited resources. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is planning to phase out support for family planning in Jamaica and Brazil because the programs there have advanced sufficiently. Resources will be shifted to countries with more pressing needs. Dr. Richard Osborn, senior technical officer for UNFPA, states that UNFPA works with national program managers in allocating resources at the macro level (commodities, training). Currently, two-thirds of family planning funds spent worldwide come from developing country governments (mainly China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, Turkey, and Bangladesh). Sustaining programs, much less adding new services, will be difficult. User fees and public-private partnerships are being considered; worldwide, consumers provide, currently, about 14% of family planning funds (The portion is higher in most Latin American countries.). In a few countries, insurance, social security, and other public-private arrangements contribute. Social marketing programs are being considered that would remove constraints on prescriptions and prices and improve the quality of services so that clients would be more willing to pay for contraceptives. Although governments are attempting to fit family planning into their health care budgets, estimates at the national level are difficult to make. Standards are needed to make expenditure estimates quickly and at low cost, according to Dr. Barbara Janowitz of FHI, which is developing guidelines. Studies in Bangladesh, Ecuador, Ghana, Mexico, and the Philippines are being conducted, with the assistance of The Evaluation Project at the Population

Development of advanced types of fuel at JSC 'UMP'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gagarin, A.E.; Kuchkovskiy, A.; Bezhetskiy, S.V.; Vachnenko, V.V.; Manych, A.V.; Russin, Y.G.

2009-01-01

As compared with all acting today techniques of power generation only nuclear power engineering has the real reserve of fuel and contaminate the environment minimum. As IAEA expert assessments show, up to 130 new power generating units with total power 430 gigaWt and annual energy production up to 3000 billion kilowatt-hours will be built in the world to 2020 year. It can be up to 30% of the world power balance. Kazakhstan today has unprecedented positions for nuclear power engineering development in the Republic as well as possibility to have an influence on its development in the world. Actually for today National Atomic Company (NAC) 'Kazatomprom' has the 4th position in the world in satisfaction of world demand for uranium, but to 2010 Kazakhstan should be the world leader in uranium mining in accordance with the company strategy

Correlation of 2 hour, 4 hour, 8 hour and 12 hour urine protein with 24 hour urinary protein in preeclampsia.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Savita Rani Singhal

2014-09-01

Full Text Available To find shortest and reliable time period of urine collection for determination of proteinuria.It is a prospective study carried out on 125 pregnant women with preeclampsia after 20 weeks of gestation having urine albumin >1 using dipstick test. Urine was collected in five different time intervals in colors labeled containers with the assistance of nursing staff; the total collection time was 24 hours. Total urine protein of two-hour, four-hour, eight-hour, 12-hour and 24-hour urine was measured and compared with 24-hour collection. Data was analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient.There was significant correlation (p value < 0.01 in two, four, eight and 12-hour urine protein with 24-urine protein, with correlation coefficient of 0.97, 0.97, 0.96 and 0.97, respectively. When a cut off value of 25 mg, 50 mg. 100 mg, and 150 mg for urine protein were used for 2-hour, 4-hours, 8-hour and 12-hour urine collection, a sensitivity of 92.45%, 95.28%, 91.51%, and 96.23% and a specificity of 68.42%, 94.74%, 84.21% and 84.21% were obtained, respectively.Two-hour urine proteins can be used for assessment of proteinuria in preeclampsia instead of gold standard 24-hour urine collection for early diagnosis and better patient compliance.

Integrated power-saving motor for power-demands of less than one kilowatt; Integral-Sparmotor im Leistungsbereich < 1 kW

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lindegger, M.; Kreuzer, H.H.; Lischer, G.

2005-10-15

This annual report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) takes a look at the results of the second phase of a project concerning the development of integrated energy-saving electrical motors in the power range less than one kilowatt. The search for industrial partners is commented on and the publishing of an initial functional prototype on the Internet is mentioned. Participation at various fairs and the publication of articles in the technical press are mentioned. Further work on the motor is described, as is development work done on the drive electronics and the associated software. Further work planned is described.

Remarks on energy and development at IAEA Scientific Forum, 15 September 2009, Vienna, Austria. 12th Scientific Forum during the 53rd Session of the IAEA General Conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ElBaradei, M.

2009-01-01

My purpose this morning is to stimulate thinking about how the world might deal effectively with two major problems, energy poverty and energy insecurity. Energy poverty is widespread and persistent. Some 2.4 billion people still rely on traditional biomass fuels, and 1.6 billion people have no access to electricity. Africa suffers particularly severely. Annual electricity use in some African countries is only 50 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per person, an average of 6 watts, less than a normal light bulb. Average annual consumption in the OECD is 8600 kWh/person, roughly 170 times higher. Energy insecurity also persists. Even affluent nations have seen major blackouts and price escalation. Insecure energy markets due to political instability and price volatility are as unwelcome to producers as they are to consumers. I have argued for some time that one way of improving the way we address these problems is to create a new global energy organization to complement, not replace, existing bodies. At the moment, many institutions deal with energy, but none with a mandate that is global, comprehensive and encompasses all energy forms

Operational Efficiencies and Simulated Performance of Big Data Analytics Platform over Billions of Patient Records of a Hospital System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dillon Chrimes

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Big Data Analytics (BDA is important to utilize data from hospital systems to reduce healthcare costs. BDA enable queries of large volumes of patient data in an interactively dynamic way for healthcare. The study objective was high performance establishment of interactive BDA platform of hospital system. A Hadoop/MapReduce framework was established at University of Victoria (UVic with Compute Canada/Westgrid to form a Healthcare BDA (HBDA platform with HBase (NoSQL database using hospital-specific metadata and file ingestion. Patient data profiles and clinical workflow derived from Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA, Victoria, BC, Canada. The proof-of-concept implementation tested patient data representative of the entire Provincial hospital systems. We cross-referenced all data profiles and metadata with real patient data used in clinical reporting. Query performance tested Apache tools in Hadoop’s ecosystem. At optimized iteration, Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS ingestion required three seconds but HBase required four to twelve hours to complete the Reducer of MapReduce. HBase bulkloads took a week for one billion (10TB and over two months for three billion (30TB. Simple and complex query results showed about two seconds for one and three billion, respectively. Apache Drill outperformed Apache Spark. However, it was restricted to running more simplified queries with poor usability for healthcare. Jupyter on Spark offered high performance and customization to run all queries simultaneously with high usability. BDA platform of HBase distributed over Hadoop successfully; however, some inconsistencies of MapReduce limited operational efficiencies. Importance of Hadoop/MapReduce on representation of platform performance discussed.

BUILDING A BILLION SPATIO-TEMPORAL OBJECT SEARCH AND VISUALIZATION PLATFORM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Kakkar

2017-10-01

Full Text Available With funding from the Sloan Foundation and Harvard Dataverse, the Harvard Center for Geographic Analysis (CGA has developed a prototype spatio-temporal visualization platform called the Billion Object Platform or BOP. The goal of the project is to lower barriers for scholars who wish to access large, streaming, spatio-temporal datasets. The BOP is now loaded with the latest billion geo-tweets, and is fed a real-time stream of about 1 million tweets per day. The geo-tweets are enriched with sentiment and census/admin boundary codes when they enter the system. The system is open source and is currently hosted on Massachusetts Open Cloud (MOC, an OpenStack environment with all components deployed in Docker orchestrated by Kontena. This paper will provide an overview of the BOP architecture, which is built on an open source stack consisting of Apache Lucene, Solr, Kafka, Zookeeper, Swagger, scikit-learn, OpenLayers, and AngularJS. The paper will further discuss the approach used for harvesting, enriching, streaming, storing, indexing, visualizing and querying a billion streaming geo-tweets.

Building a Billion Spatio-Temporal Object Search and Visualization Platform

Science.gov (United States)

Kakkar, D.; Lewis, B.

2017-10-01

With funding from the Sloan Foundation and Harvard Dataverse, the Harvard Center for Geographic Analysis (CGA) has developed a prototype spatio-temporal visualization platform called the Billion Object Platform or BOP. The goal of the project is to lower barriers for scholars who wish to access large, streaming, spatio-temporal datasets. The BOP is now loaded with the latest billion geo-tweets, and is fed a real-time stream of about 1 million tweets per day. The geo-tweets are enriched with sentiment and census/admin boundary codes when they enter the system. The system is open source and is currently hosted on Massachusetts Open Cloud (MOC), an OpenStack environment with all components deployed in Docker orchestrated by Kontena. This paper will provide an overview of the BOP architecture, which is built on an open source stack consisting of Apache Lucene, Solr, Kafka, Zookeeper, Swagger, scikit-learn, OpenLayers, and AngularJS. The paper will further discuss the approach used for harvesting, enriching, streaming, storing, indexing, visualizing and querying a billion streaming geo-tweets.

$35 billion habit: will nuclear cost overruns bankrupt the utilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morgan, R.E.

1980-01-01

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has proposed some 150 modifications in the design and operation of nuclear power plants as a result of the accident at Three Mile Island. The Atomic Industrial Forum estimates the total cost of the NRC's proposed rule changes at $35.5 billion ($3.5 billion in capital costs for the entire industry, and $32 billion in outage and construction-delay costs to the utilities) for existing facilities and for those with construction well underway. The changes range from improved training for reactor workers to a major overhaul of the reactor-containment design. The nuclear industry is asking the NRC to modify the proposals citing excessive costs (like the $100 million changes needed for a plant that cost $17 million to build) and safety (some of the complex regulations may interfere with safety). Financing the changes has become a major problem for the utilities. If the regulators allow all the costs to be passed along to the consumer, the author feels electricity will be too expensive for the consumer

Backlog at December 31, 2007: euro 39,8 billion, up by 55% from year-end 2006. 2007 sales revenue: euro 11.9 billion, up by 9.8% (+10.4% like-for-like)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

The AREVA group's backlog reached a record level of euro 39.834 billion as of December 31, 2007, up by 55% from that of year-end 2006. In Nuclear, the backlog was euro 34.927 billion at year-end 2007 (+58%), due in particular to the signature of a contract in a record amount with the Chinese utility CGNPC. The series of agreements concluded provide among other things for the construction of two new-generation EPR nuclear islands and the supply of all of the materials and services needed for their operation through 2027. CGNPC also bought 35% of the production of UraMin, the mining company acquired by AREVA in August 2007. Industrial cooperation in the Back End of the cycle was launched with the signature of an agreement between China and France. In addition, the group signed several long-term contracts in significant amounts, particularly with KHNP of South Korea, EDF and Japanese utilities. The Transmission and Distribution division won several major contracts in Libya and Qatar at the end of the year approaching a total of euro 750 million. For the entire year, new orders grew by 34% to euro 5.816 billion. The backlog, meanwhile, grew by 40% to euro 4.906 billion at year-end. The group cleared sales revenue of euro 11.923 billion in 2007, up by 9.8% (+10.4% like-for-like) in relation to 2006 sales of euro 10.863 billion. Sales revenue for the 4. quarter of 2007 rose to euro 3.858 billion, for growth of 16.7% (+18.8% like-for-like) over one year. Sales revenue for the year was marked by: - Growth of 7.6% (+10.6% like-for-like) in Front End sales revenue, which rose to euro 3.140 billion. The division's Enrichment operations posted strong growth. - Sales were up by 17.5% (+15.2% like-for-like) to euro 2.717 billion in the Reactors and Services division. Sales revenue was driven in particular by the growth of Services operations, after weak demand in 2006, by progress on OL3 construction, and by the start of Flamanville 3, the second EPR. For the Back End division

A two-billion-year history for the lunar dynamo.

Science.gov (United States)

Tikoo, Sonia M; Weiss, Benjamin P; Shuster, David L; Suavet, Clément; Wang, Huapei; Grove, Timothy L

2017-08-01

Magnetic studies of lunar rocks indicate that the Moon generated a core dynamo with surface field intensities of ~20 to 110 μT between at least 4.25 and 3.56 billion years ago (Ga). The field subsequently declined to lunar dynamo by at least 1 billion years. Such a protracted history requires an extraordinarily long-lived power source like core crystallization or precession. No single dynamo mechanism proposed thus far can explain the strong fields inferred for the period before 3.56 Ga while also allowing the dynamo to persist in such a weakened state beyond ~2.5 Ga. Therefore, our results suggest that the dynamo was powered by at least two distinct mechanisms operating during early and late lunar history.

A Global Geospatial Ecosystem Services Estimate of Urban Agriculture

Science.gov (United States)

Clinton, Nicholas; Stuhlmacher, Michelle; Miles, Albie; Uludere Aragon, Nazli; Wagner, Melissa; Georgescu, Matei; Herwig, Chris; Gong, Peng

2018-01-01

Though urban agriculture (UA), defined here as growing of crops in cities, is increasing in popularity and importance globally, little is known about the aggregate benefits of such natural capital in built-up areas. Here, we introduce a quantitative framework to assess global aggregate ecosystem services from existing vegetation in cities and an intensive UA adoption scenario based on data-driven estimates of urban morphology and vacant land. We analyzed global population, urban, meteorological, terrain, and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) datasets in Google Earth Engine to derive global scale estimates, aggregated by country, of services provided by UA. We estimate the value of four ecosystem services provided by existing vegetation in urban areas to be on the order of 33 billion annually. We project potential annual food production of 100-180 million tonnes, energy savings ranging from 14 to 15 billion kilowatt hours, nitrogen sequestration between 100,000 and 170,000 tonnes, and avoided storm water runoff between 45 and 57 billion cubic meters annually. In addition, we estimate that food production, nitrogen fixation, energy savings, pollination, climate regulation, soil formation and biological control of pests could be worth as much as 80-160 billion annually in a scenario of intense UA implementation. Our results demonstrate significant country-to-country variability in UA-derived ecosystem services and reduction of food insecurity. These estimates represent the first effort to consistently quantify these incentives globally, and highlight the relative spatial importance of built environments to act as change agents that alleviate mounting concerns associated with global environmental change and unsustainable development.

Overview of Multi-Kilowatt Free-Piston Stirling Power Conversion Research at Glenn Research Center

Science.gov (United States)

Geng, Steven M.; Mason, Lee S.; Dyson, Rodger W.; Penswick, L. Barry

2008-01-01

As a step towards development of Stirling power conversion for potential use in Fission Surface Power (FSP) systems, a pair of commercially available 1 kW class free-piston Stirling convertors and a pair of commercially available pressure wave generators (which will be plumbed together to create a high power Stirling linear alternator test rig) have been procured for in-house testing at Glenn Research Center (GRC). Delivery of both the Stirling convertors and the linear alternator test rig is expected by October 2007. The 1 kW class free-piston Stirling convertors will be tested at GRC to map and verify performance. The convertors will later be modified to operate with a NaK liquid metal pumped loop for thermal energy input. The high power linear alternator test rig will be used to map and verify high power Stirling linear alternator performance and to develop power management and distribution (PMAD) methods and techniques. This paper provides an overview of the multi-kilowatt free-piston Stirling power conversion work being performed at GRC.

Fiscal 1988 draft budget for nuclear energy up 1.9% to yen 369 billion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1988-01-01

AT the cabinet meeting held on December 28, the government approved the fiscal 1988 draft budget, with a general account of yen 56.6 trillion. The nuclear energy related budget is yen 181.124 billion from the general account and yen 186.098 billion from the special account for power sources development, totalling yen 367.222 billion, up 1.9% on the previous year. The largest appropriation goes to the Science and Technology Agency (STA) totaling yen 271 billion. The STA is promoting safety studies and R and D for extensive nuclear energy utilization but the budget shows a 0.7% decrease from the previous year, reflecting completion of the construction of JT-60, which is one of the Agency's major projects. MITI, with its budget of yen 91 billion will carry on policies related to the promotion of commercial nuclear power program as well as support for the industrialization program of the nuclear fuel cycle. Nuclear related budget of Ministry of Foreign Affairs is yen 2.8 billion, consisting mainly of IAEA subscriptions and contributions and OECD/NEA subscriptions. Besides these three government agencies, a large sum of yen 1.2 billion is allocated to the Okinawa Development Agency for the prevention and elimination of melon-flies in Kume Island and islands around Okinawa main island. The draft government budget will be submitted to the ordinary session of the Diet when it resumes towards the end of January. After deliberation in the Budget Committees of the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors, the draft budget will be put to the vote in the plenary session. Assuming that all proceeds smoothly, the budget is expected to be approved by the end of March without any major revision. (author)

Defining a standard metric for electricity savings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koomey, Jonathan; Akbari, Hashem; Blumstein, Carl; Brown, Marilyn; Brown, Richard; Calwell, Chris; Carter, Sheryl; Cavanagh, Ralph; Chang, Audrey; Claridge, David; Craig, Paul; Diamond, Rick; Eto, Joseph H; Fulkerson, William; Gadgil, Ashok; Geller, Howard; Goldemberg, Jose; Goldman, Chuck; Goldstein, David B; Greenberg, Steve

2010-01-01

The growing investment by governments and electric utilities in energy efficiency programs highlights the need for simple tools to help assess and explain the size of the potential resource. One technique that is commonly used in this effort is to characterize electricity savings in terms of avoided power plants, because it is easier for people to visualize a power plant than it is to understand an abstraction such as billions of kilowatt-hours. Unfortunately, there is no standardization around the characteristics of such power plants. In this letter we define parameters for a standard avoided power plant that have physical meaning and intuitive plausibility, for use in back-of-the-envelope calculations. For the prototypical plant this article settles on a 500 MW existing coal plant operating at a 70% capacity factor with 7% T and D losses. Displacing such a plant for one year would save 3 billion kWh/year at the meter and reduce emissions by 3 million metric tons of CO 2 per year. The proposed name for this metric is the Rosenfeld, in keeping with the tradition among scientists of naming units in honor of the person most responsible for the discovery and widespread adoption of the underlying scientific principle in question-Dr Arthur H Rosenfeld.

Defining a standard metric for electricity savings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koomey, Jonathan [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Stanford University, PO Box 20313, Oakland, CA 94620-0313 (United States); Akbari, Hashem; Blumstein, Carl; Brown, Marilyn; Brown, Richard; Calwell, Chris; Carter, Sheryl; Cavanagh, Ralph; Chang, Audrey; Claridge, David; Craig, Paul; Diamond, Rick; Eto, Joseph H; Fulkerson, William; Gadgil, Ashok; Geller, Howard; Goldemberg, Jose; Goldman, Chuck; Goldstein, David B; Greenberg, Steve, E-mail: JGKoomey@stanford.ed

2010-01-15

The growing investment by governments and electric utilities in energy efficiency programs highlights the need for simple tools to help assess and explain the size of the potential resource. One technique that is commonly used in this effort is to characterize electricity savings in terms of avoided power plants, because it is easier for people to visualize a power plant than it is to understand an abstraction such as billions of kilowatt-hours. Unfortunately, there is no standardization around the characteristics of such power plants. In this letter we define parameters for a standard avoided power plant that have physical meaning and intuitive plausibility, for use in back-of-the-envelope calculations. For the prototypical plant this article settles on a 500 MW existing coal plant operating at a 70% capacity factor with 7% T and D losses. Displacing such a plant for one year would save 3 billion kWh/year at the meter and reduce emissions by 3 million metric tons of CO{sub 2} per year. The proposed name for this metric is the Rosenfeld, in keeping with the tradition among scientists of naming units in honor of the person most responsible for the discovery and widespread adoption of the underlying scientific principle in question-Dr Arthur H Rosenfeld.

Defining a Standard Metric for Electricity Savings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, Marilyn; Akbari, Hashem; Blumstein, Carl; Koomey, Jonathan; Brown, Richard; Calwell, Chris; Carter, Sheryl; Cavanagh, Ralph; Chang, Audrey; Claridge, David; Craig, Paul; Diamond, Rick; Eto, Joseph H.; Fulkerson, William; Gadgil, Ashok; Geller, Howard; Goldemberg, Jose; Goldman, Chuck; Goldstein, David B.; Greenberg, Steve; Hafemeister, David; Harris, Jeff; Harvey, Hal; Heitz, Eric; Hirst, Eric; Hummel, Holmes; Kammen, Dan; Kelly, Henry; Laitner, Skip; Levine, Mark; Lovins, Amory; Masters, Gil; McMahon, James E.; Meier, Alan; Messenger, Michael; Millhone, John; Mills, Evan; Nadel, Steve; Nordman, Bruce; Price, Lynn; Romm, Joe; Ross, Marc; Rufo, Michael; Sathaye, Jayant; Schipper, Lee; Schneider, Stephen H; Sweeney, James L; Verdict, Malcolm; Vorsatz, Diana; Wang, Devra; Weinberg, Carl; Wilk, Richard; Wilson, John; Worrell, Ernst

2009-03-01

The growing investment by governments and electric utilities in energy efficiency programs highlights the need for simple tools to help assess and explain the size of the potential resource. One technique that is commonly used in this effort is to characterize electricity savings in terms of avoided power plants, because it is easier for people to visualize a power plant than it is to understand an abstraction such as billions of kilowatt-hours. Unfortunately, there is no standardization around the characteristics of such power plants. In this letter we define parameters for a standard avoided power plant that have physical meaning and intuitive plausibility, for use in back-of-the-envelope calculations. For the prototypical plant this article settles on a 500 MW existing coal plant operating at a 70percent capacity factor with 7percent T&D losses. Displacing such a plant for one year would save 3 billion kW h per year at the meter and reduce emissions by 3 million metric tons of CO2 per year. The proposed name for this metric is the Rosenfeld, in keeping with the tradition among scientists of naming units in honor of the person most responsible for the discovery and widespread adoption of the underlying scientific principle in question--Dr. Arthur H. Rosenfeld.

Working Paper 5: Beyond Collier's Bottom Billion | IDRC ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2010-12-16

Dec 16, 2010 ... The heart of the narrative presented in the book is that a group of almost 60 countries, with a population of about a billion people, are caught in four main traps. Their prospects for escaping the traps are poor, and they need a set of actions from the international community to achieve the rapid rates of growth ...

Congress OKs $2 Billion Boost for the NIH.

Science.gov (United States)

2017-07-01

President Donald Trump last week signed a $1.1 trillion spending bill for fiscal year 2017, including a welcome $2 billion boost for the NIH that will support former Vice President Joe Biden's Cancer Moonshot initiative, among other priorities. However, researchers who rely heavily on NIH grant funding remain concerned about proposed cuts for 2018. ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

US energy for the rest of the century, 1984 edition

Science.gov (United States)

Gustaferro, J. F.

1984-07-01

The U.S. energy consumption and supply for two years 1983 and 2000 is presented. In 1983 the United States consumed about 70.5 quadrillion British thermal units of energy. A U.S. energy consumption of about 84 quadrillion British thermal units in the year 2000 is projected. The 84 quadrillion British thermal units consists of 13 million barrels per day of petroleum, 18 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 3.5 trillion kilowatt hours of electricity. Coal production is projected at 1,405 million tons which includes exports. The data presented in the 1984 forecast over the spectrum of U.S. energy requirements and focus on the end use of energy operational purposes, e.g., highway transportation, space heating, lighting, and construction. Data on fuel consumption by types and energy content for 1983 and as projected for the year 2000 is provided. End users of energy in the United States currently spend $441 billion annually for energy. This includes direct taxes.

Electric energy savings from new technologies. Revision 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harrer, B.J.; Kellogg, M.A.; Lyke, A.J.; Imhoff, K.L.; Fisher, Z.J.

1986-09-01

Purpose of the report is to provide information about the electricity-saving potential of new technologies to OCEP that it can use in developing alternative long-term projections of US electricity consumption. Low-, base-, and high-case scenarios of the electricity savings for 10 technologies were prepared. The total projected annual savings for the year 2000 for all 10 technologies were 137 billion kilowatt hours (BkWh), 279 BkWh, and 470 BkWh, respectively, for the three cases. The magnitude of these savings projections can be gauged by comparing them to the Department's reference case projection for the 1985 National Energy Policy Plan. In the Department's reference case, total consumption in 2000 is projected to be 3319 BkWh. Because approximately 75% of the base-case estimate of savings are already incorporated into the reference projection, only 25% of the savings estimated here should be subtracted from the reference projection for analysis purposes.

Documentation of input datasets for the soil-water balance groundwater recharge model of the Upper Colorado River Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Tillman, Fred D.

2015-01-01

The Colorado River and its tributaries supply water to more than 35 million people in the United States and 3 million people in Mexico, irrigating more than 4.5 million acres of farmland, and generating about 12 billion kilowatt hours of hydroelectric power annually. The Upper Colorado River Basin, encompassing more than 110,000 square miles (mi2), contains the headwaters of the Colorado River (also known as the River) and is an important source of snowmelt runoff to the River. Groundwater discharge also is an important source of water in the River and its tributaries, with estimates ranging from 21 to 58 percent of streamflow in the upper basin. Planning for the sustainable management of the Colorado River in future climates requires an understanding of the Upper Colorado River Basin groundwater system. This report documents input datasets for a Soil-Water Balance groundwater recharge model that was developed for the Upper Colorado River Basin.

1.6 billion euros for nuclear research through the 'Horizon 2020' program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2014-01-01

The European Union Council has approved the budget for the future European program for research and innovation called 'Horizon 2020'. A global funding of 77 billion euros has been allocated to 'Horizon 2020' for the 2014 to 2020 years. The share for nuclear sciences will reach 1.6 billion euros and will break down as follows: 316 million euros for fundamental research on fission, 728 million euros for fundamental research on fusion (ITER not included) and 560 million euros for the research projects of the European Joint Research Center (JRC). (A.C.)

Advanced design nuclear power plants: Competitive, economical electricity. An analysis of the cost of electricity from coal, gas and nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-06-01

This report presents an updated analysis of the projected cost of electricity from new baseload power plants beginning operation around the year 2000. Included in the study are: (1) advanced-design, standardized nuclear power plants; (2) low emissions coal-fired power plants; (3) gasified coal-fired power plants; and (4) natural gas-fired power plants. This analysis shows that electricity from advanced-design, standardized nuclear power plants will be economically competitive with all other baseload electric generating system alternatives. This does not mean that any one source of electric power is always preferable to another. Rather, what this analysis indicates is that, as utilities and others begin planning for future baseload power plants, advanced-design nuclear plants should be considered an economically viable option to be included in their detailed studies of alternatives. Even with aggressive and successful conservation, efficiency and demand-side management programs, some new baseload electric supply will be needed during the 1990s and into the future. The baseload generating plants required in the 1990s are currently being designed and constructed. For those required shortly after 2000, the planning and alternatives assessment process must start now. It takes up to ten years to plan, design, license and construct a new coal-fired or nuclear fueled baseload electric generating plant and about six years for a natural gas-fired plant. This study indicates that for 600-megawatt blocks of capacity, advanced-design nuclear plants could supply electricity at an average of 4.5 cents per kilowatt-hour versus 4.8 cents per kilowatt-hour for an advanced pulverized-coal plant, 5.0 cents per kilowatt-hour for a gasified-coal combined cycle plant, and 4.3 cents per kilowatt-hour for a gas-fired combined cycle combustion turbine plant

Empowering billions with food safety and food security

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pillai, Suresh D.

2009-01-01

Full text: There are virtually millions of people -who die needlessly every year due to contaminated water and food. There are virtually many millions more who are starving due to an inadequate supply of food. Billions of pounds of food are unnecessarily wasted due to insect and other damage. Deaths and illness due to contaminated food or inadequate food are at catastrophic levels in many regions of the world. A majority of the food and water borne illnesses and deaths are preventable. It can be prevented by improved food production methods, improved food processing technologies, improved food distribution systems and improved personal hygiene. Food irradiation technology is over 100 years old. Yet, this technology is poorly understood by governments and corporate decision makers all around the world. Many consumers also are unfortunately misinformed of this technology. There is an urgent need for nations and people around the world to empower themselves with the knowledge and the expertise to harness this powerful technology. Widespread and sensible adoption of this technology can empower billions around the world with clean and abundant food supplies. It is unconscionable in the 21st century for governments to allow people to die or go hungry when the technology to prevent them is readily available

Nuclear business worth billions begins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beer, G.; Marcan, P.; Slovak, K.

2005-01-01

specific data regarding the direct costs of decommissioning. Preliminary estimates state 50 billions Slovak crowns (1.28 billions EUR), but the actual costs will mainly depend on the volume of nuclear waste to be disposed of. (authors)

Price of next big thing in physics: $6.7 billion

CERN Multimedia

Overbye, Dennis

2007-01-01

The price of exploring inner space went up Thursday. The machine discusses in a news conference in Beijing, will be 20 miles long and would cost about $6.7 billion and 13'000 person-years of labor to be built. (1,5 page)

Organic Rankine kilowatt isotope power system. First annual summary report, August 1, 1975--August 1, 1976

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-01-01

Sundstrand Energy Systems is developing a Kilowatt Isotope Power System (KIPS) directed toward satisfying the higher power requirements of satellites of the 1980's. The KIPS is a plutonium oxide fueled organic Rankine cycle turbine power system which will provide design output power in the range of 500 to 2000 W(e) with a minimum of system changes. Research progress is reported on Phase I comprising: (1) flight system conceptual design and ground demonstration; (2) flight system design and ground qualification; and (3) flight system production, acceptance testing and delivery. The principal objectives of Phase I are to: (1) conceptually design the flight system, (2) based on the flight system concept, design and build the ground demonstration system (GDS), (3) conduct performance and endurance testing using electric heaters to simulate the radioisotope heat source, (4) identify and initiate long lead development efforts required to achieve the initial flight qualification hardware availability date of April 1981, and (5) finalize the flight concept design and prepare the program plan for the Phase II effort

Document de travail 5: Beyond Collier's Bottom Billion | CRDI ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

16 déc. 2010 ... L'ouvrage de Paul Collier, The Bottom Billion, suscite un grand intérêt dans le domaine du développement. Il repose sur la thèse selon laquelle un groupe de près de 60 pays, dont la population totale avoisine un milliard de personnes, sont pris dans quatre pièges principaux.

The MTX computer control system for the 400 kilowatt 140 GHz gyrotron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jackson, M.C.; Ferguson, S.W.; Petersen, D.E.

1991-09-01

A 400 kilowatt, 140 Ghz gyrotron is employed on MTX as a source of direct plasma heating and, additionally, as a driver for a free electron laser, which is used for plasma heating. The control system that operates this gyrotron uses a new graphics oriented software system called TACL (Thaumaturgic Automated Control Logic) developed by the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) and owned by DOE. This control language does not require a software specialist, but is easily handled by the engineer or technician working on the system. All control logic and custom displays are entered via graphics oriented editors and no actual lines of code need to be written. The graphics displays make the gyrotron operation quite simple and allow individual users to define displays to meet their own needs or develop one for a specific set of tests to be run. The system, additionally, can be used for logging functions, which have been found quite useful in tracking long term trends in vacion current and calorimetry of gyrotron cooling circuits. The system is composed of one computer (HP 9000 series 300) controlling multiple CAMAC crates located at the various components used in the system. A second series 300 computer is used as a supervisor and is located in the main tokamak control room. This supervisory computer provides remote operation of the gyrotron, and also provides a link to the microwave transport vacuum control (also TACL). The supervisory computer, additionally, is used as a subsystem status summary point for permissives to the gyrotron control system

Uji kinerja Turbin arus laut-Twin Hull 10 Kilowatt di Jembatan Suramadu

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Afian Kasharjanto

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Abstrak Melalui Program Pengembangan Teknologi Industri (PPTI - Ristekdikti tahun 2016 telah di lakukan uji fungsi Turbin arus laut Twin Turbine -10 Kilowatt selama 1 (satu bulan sejak 28 Nopember sampai dengan 30 Desember 2016. Turbin yang di gunakan adalah turbin yang pernah di uji pada tahun 2015 dilokasi yang sama  yaitu di bawah Jembatan Suramadu – Pile   56 tetapi rasio transmisi yang pada awalnya di buat 1 : 22,5 di turunkan menjadi 1: 12. Perubahan di lakukan karena putaran generator melebihi putaran maksimum yang di ijinkan generator sehingga terjadi beban arus besar (melebihi kapasitas Inverter sehingga Inverter dapat terbakar. Tujuan dari kegiatan adalah untuk mengetahui daya listrik yang dapat di hasilkan oleh turbin tipe dua rotor (Twin Turbine untuk operasional di bawah Jembatan.  Melalui pengukuran langsung selama 30 hari siang dan malam, akan di dapat data daya listrik maksimal sebagai fungsi dari kecepatan arus laut dan ukuran rotor Tubin. Data kemudian di olah untuk mendapatkan nilai besaran daya listrik dan efisiensi. Cutt-in speed terjadi pada kecepatan arus 0,6 m/dt dan menghasilkan daya minimal pada masing – masing generator sebesar 480 Watt dan kecepatan arus maksimal terjadi pada 1,10 m/dt , menghasilkan daya maksimal 2,230 watt.Beban lampu di distribusikan bukan hanya di dalam turbin tetapi juga di tempelkan pada tiang Plie – 56 sebagai uji coba untuk penerangan di sepanjang jalan raya pada Pile-56 Jembatan Suramadu.           Kata kunci : Uji Fungsi turbin, Jembatan Suramadu, Rasio transmisi mekanik, Cutt-in speed

A parts-per-billion measurement of the antiproton magnetic moment

CERN Document Server

Smorra, C; Borchert, M J; Harrington, J A; Higuchi, T; Nagahama, H; Tanaka, T; Mooser, A; Schneider, G; Blaum, K; Matsuda, Y; Ospelkaus, C; Quint, W; Walz, J; Yamazaki, Y; Ulmer, S

2017-01-01

Precise comparisons of the fundamental properties of matter–antimatter conjugates provide sensitive tests of charge–parity–time (CPT) invariance1, which is an important symmetry that rests on basic assumptions of the standard model of particle physics. Experiments on mesons2, leptons3, 4 and baryons5, 6 have compared different properties of matter–antimatter conjugates with fractional uncertainties at the parts-per-billion level or better. One specific quantity, however, has so far only been known to a fractional uncertainty at the parts-per-million level7, 8: the magnetic moment of the antiproton, . The extraordinary difficulty in measuring with high precision is caused by its intrinsic smallness; for example, it is 660 times smaller than the magnetic moment of the positron3. Here we report a high-precision measurement of in units of the nuclear magneton μN with a fractional precision of 1.5 parts per billion (68% confidence level). We use a two-particle spectroscopy method in an advanced cryogenic ...

International collaboration in SSC (or any $4 billion scientific project)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lederman, L.M.

1988-01-01

In this paper, the author discusses the superconducting supercollider. This is a project that costs U.S. $4.4 billion. The author spends a short time giving the motivation (which is a scientific motivation) and also giving the idea of how it is possible, with U.S. deficits

Oncology pharma costs to exceed $150 billion by 2020.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-10-01

Worldwide costs of oncology drugs will rise above $150 billion by 2020, according to a report by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics. Many factors are in play, according to IMS, including the new wave of expensive immunotherapies. Pembrolizumab (Keytruda), priced at $150,000 per year per patient, and nivolumab (Opdivo), priced at $165,000, may be harbingers of the market for cancer immunotherapies.

Cost of solving mysteries of universe: $6.7 billion

CERN Multimedia

Overbye, Dennis

2007-01-01

"An international consortium of physicists on Thursday released the first detailed design of what they believe will be the next big thing in physics. The machine, 20 miles long, will slam together electrons and their opposites, positrons, to produce fireballs of energy re-creating conditions when the universe was only a trillionth of a second old. It would cost about $6.7 billion." (1 page)

Impact on the steam electric power industry of deleting Section 316(a) of the Clean Water Act: Energy and environmental impacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Veil, J.A.; VanKuiken, J.C.; Folga, S.; Gillette, J.L.

1993-01-01

Many power plants discharge large volumes of cooling water. In some cases, the temperature of the discharge exceeds state thermal requirements. Section 316(a) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) allows a thermal discharger to demonstrate that less stringent thermal effluent limitations would still protect aquatic life. About 32% of the total steam electric generating capacity in the United States operates under Section 316(a) variances. In 1991, the US Senate proposed legislation that would delete Section 316(a) from the CWA. This study, presented in two companion reports, examines how this legislation would affect the steam electric power industry. This report quantitatively and qualitatively evaluates the energy and environmental impacts of deleting the variance. No evidence exists that Section 316(a) variances have caused any widespread environmental problems. Conversion from once-through cooling to cooling towers would result in a loss of plant output of 14.7-23.7 billion kilowatt-hours. The cost to make up the lost energy is estimated at $12.8-$23.7 billion (in 1992 dollars). Conversion to cooling towers would increase emission of pollutants to the atmosphere and water loss through evaporation. The second report describes alternatives available to plants that currently operate under the variance and estimates the national cost of implementing such alternatives. Little justification has been found for removing the 316(a) variance from the CWA

Areva - First quarter 2009 revenue climbs 8.5% to 3.003 billion euros

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-04-01

First quarter 2009 revenue was up 8.5% compared with the same period last year, to 3.003 billion euros. At constant exchange rates and consolidation scope, growth came to 3.9%. Currency translation had a positive impact of 57 million euros over the quarter. Changes in the consolidation scope had an impact of 66 million euros, primarily due to the consolidation of acquisitions made in 2008 in Transmission and Distribution and in Renewable Energies. The growth engines for first quarter revenue were the Reactors and Services division and the Transmission and Distribution division, with growth of 9.2% and 16.1% respectively. Outside France, revenue rose to 2.032 billion euros, compared with 1.857 billion euros in the first quarter of 2008, and represents 68% of total revenue. Orders were steady in the first quarter, particularly in the Front End, which posted several significant contracts with US and Asian utilities, and in Transmission and Distribution, with orders up sharply in Asia and South America. As of March 31, 2009, the group's backlog reached 49.5 billion euros, for 28.3% growth year-on-year, including 31.3% growth in Nuclear and 10.2% in Transmission and Distribution. For the year as a whole, the group confirms its outlook for backlog and revenue growth as well as rising operating income It should be noted that revenue may vary significantly from one quarter to the next in nuclear operations. Accordingly, quarterly data cannot be viewed as a reliable indicator of annual trends

75 FR 18492 - Southern Nevada Water Authority; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing, Ready for...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-12

.... Name of Project: Arrow Canyon Conduit Energy Recovery Hydroturbine. f. Project description: proposed... hydroturbine, the applicant would generate about 3.5 million kilowatt- hours (kWh) per year of renewable energy...

A guide to geothermal energy and the environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kagel, Alyssa; Bates, Diana; Gawell, Karl

2005-04-22

Geothermal energy, defined as heat from the Earth, is a statute-recognized renewable resource. The first U.S. geothermal power plant, opened at The Geysers in California in 1960, continues to operate successfully. The United States, as the world's largest producer of geothermal electricity, generates an average of 15 billion kilowatt hours of power per year, comparable to burning close to 25 million barrels of oil or 6 million short tons of coal per year. Geothermal has a higher capacity factor (a measure of the amount of real time during which a facility is used) than many other power sources. Unlike wind and solar resources, which are more dependent upon weather fluctuations and climate changes, geothermal resources are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. While the carrier medium for geothermal electricity (water) must be properly managed, the source of geothermal energy, the Earth's heat, will be available indefinitely. A geothermal resource assessment shows that nine western states together have the potential to provide over 20 percent of national electricity needs. Although geothermal power plants, concentrated in the West, provide the third largest domestic source of renewable electricity after hydropower and biomass, they currently produce less than one percent of total U.S. electricity.

EnviroAtlas - Annual average potential wind energy resource by 12-digit HUC for the Conterminous United States

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — This EnviroAtlas dataset shows the annual average potential wind energy resource in kilowatt hours per square kilometer per day for each 12-digit Hydrologic Unit...

New Approach To Hour-By-Hour Weather Forecast

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Q. Q.; Wang, B.

2017-12-01

Fine hourly forecast in single station weather forecast is required in many human production and life application situations. Most previous MOS (Model Output Statistics) which used a linear regression model are hard to solve nonlinear natures of the weather prediction and forecast accuracy has not been sufficient at high temporal resolution. This study is to predict the future meteorological elements including temperature, precipitation, relative humidity and wind speed in a local region over a relatively short period of time at hourly level. By means of hour-to-hour NWP (Numeral Weather Prediction)meteorological field from Forcastio (https://darksky.net/dev/docs/forecast) and real-time instrumental observation including 29 stations in Yunnan and 3 stations in Tianjin of China from June to October 2016, predictions are made of the 24-hour hour-by-hour ahead. This study presents an ensemble approach to combine the information of instrumental observation itself and NWP. Use autoregressive-moving-average (ARMA) model to predict future values of the observation time series. Put newest NWP products into the equations derived from the multiple linear regression MOS technique. Handle residual series of MOS outputs with autoregressive (AR) model for the linear property presented in time series. Due to the complexity of non-linear property of atmospheric flow, support vector machine (SVM) is also introduced . Therefore basic data quality control and cross validation makes it able to optimize the model function parameters , and do 24 hours ahead residual reduction with AR/SVM model. Results show that AR model technique is better than corresponding multi-variant MOS regression method especially at the early 4 hours when the predictor is temperature. MOS-AR combined model which is comparable to MOS-SVM model outperform than MOS. Both of their root mean square error and correlation coefficients for 2 m temperature are reduced to 1.6 degree Celsius and 0.91 respectively. The

Wind power systems for individual applications. [electric power supplies for homes

Science.gov (United States)

Clews, H. M.

1973-01-01

A small windpower system is described which is suitable for electrifying a house. The self-contained unit consists of a two kilowatt wind driven generator, a set of 19 storage batteries, a small dc to ac inverter, and a gasoline generator for use as an emergency backup system in case of prolonged calm periods. Cost effectiveness of the electricity generated by this windmill system comes out to about 15 cents per kilowatt hour - assuming a 10 year life for the batteries and a 20 year life for the other components. Some other small windpower systems are also described, and it is shown that a windpowered generator in the 15- to 25-kilowatt output range coupled to a direct heated water storage system is able to heat a typical New England home.

Ubiquitous Supercritical Wing Design Cuts Billions in Fuel Costs

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

A Langley Research Center engineer’s work in the 1960s and ’70s to develop a wing with better performance near the speed of sound resulted in a significant increase in subsonic efficiency. The design was shared with industry. Today, Renton, Washington-based Boeing Commercial Airplanes, as well as most other plane manufacturers, apply it to all their aircraft, saving the airline industry billions of dollars in fuel every year.

On China＇s Sustainable Development of Energy—Opportunity for the China＇s Nuclear Power Industry

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

ZengShaolun

2005-01-01

According to the poficy of reforming the power industry and accelerating the power construction of our country, by 2020, the national power consumption will be up to 3.6-3.7 trillion kilowatt-hours, the installed power-generating capacity is more than 800 million kilowatts. Therefore, the development of the China's nuclear power industry faces good international and domestic environments and good historical opportunities. From the point of national energy security, economic development, and resource distribution, it is analyzed that China must develop the nuclear power in a more cost-effective style in this paper.

On China's Sustainable Development of Energy--Opportunity for the China's Nuclear Power Industry%中国能源可持续发展研究--核电产业的机遇

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

曾绍伦

2005-01-01

According to the policy of reforming the power industry and accelerating the power construction of our country, by 2020, the national power consumption will be up to 3.6-3.7 trillion kilowatt-hours, the installed power-generating capacity is more than 800 million kilowatts. Therefore, the development of the China's nuclear power industry faces good international and domestic environments and good historical opportunities. From the point of national energy security, economic development, and resource distribution, it is analyzed that China must develop the nuclear power in a more cost-effective style in this paper.

Community access networks: how to connect the next billion to the ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Community access networks: how to connect the next billion to the Internet ... services is a prerequisite to sustainable socio-economic development. ... It will provide case studies and formulate recommendations with respect to ... An IDRC delegation will join international delegates and city representatives at the ICLEI World ...

Interactive (statistical) visualisation and exploration of a billion objects with vaex

Science.gov (United States)

Breddels, M. A.

2017-06-01

With new catalogues arriving such as the Gaia DR1, containing more than a billion objects, new methods of handling and visualizing these data volumes are needed. We show that by calculating statistics on a regular (N-dimensional) grid, visualizations of a billion objects can be done within a second on a modern desktop computer. This is achieved using memory mapping of hdf5 files together with a simple binning algorithm, which are part of a Python library called vaex. This enables efficient exploration or large datasets interactively, making science exploration of large catalogues feasible. Vaex is a Python library and an application, which allows for interactive exploration and visualization. The motivation for developing vaex is the catalogue of the Gaia satellite, however, vaex can also be used on SPH or N-body simulations, any other (future) catalogues such as SDSS, Pan-STARRS, LSST, etc. or other tabular data. The homepage for vaex is http://vaex.astro.rug.nl.

One billion cubic meters of gas produced in Kikinda area

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vicicevic, M; Duric, N

1969-10-01

The Kikinda gas reservoir has just passed a milestone in producing one billion cubic meters of natural gas. The reservoir was discovered in 1962, and its present production amounts to 26 million cu m. One of the biggest problems was formation of hydrates, which has successfully been solved by using methanol. Four tables show production statistics by years and productive formations.

Electric energy savings from new technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moe, R.J.; Harrer, B.J.; Kellogg, M.A.; Lyke, A.J.; Imhoff, K.L.; Fisher, Z.J.

1986-01-01

Purpose of the report is to provide information about the electricity-saving potential of new technologies to OCEP that it can use in developing alternative long-term projections of US electricity consumption. Low-, base-, and high-case scenarios of the electricity savings for ten technologies were prepared. The total projected annual savings for the year 2000 for all ten technologies were 137 billion kilowatt hours (BkWh), 279 BkWh, and 470 BkWh, respectively, for the three cases. The magnitude of these savings projections can be gauged by comparing them to the Department's reference case projection for the 1985 National Energy Policy Plan. In the Department's reference case, total consumption in 2000 is projected to be 3319 BkWh. Thus, the savings projected here represent between 4% and 14% of total consumption projected for 2000. Because approximately 75% of the base-case estimate of savings are already incorporated into the reference forecast, reducing projected electricity consumption from what it otherwise would have been, the savings estimated here should not be directly subtracted from the reference forecast.

Southwestern Power Administration Annual Report 2012

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2013-09-01

Dear Secretary Moniz: I am pleased to present the financial statements and operating data for Southwestern Power Administration (Southwestern) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2012. In FY 2012, Southwestern delivered over 4.1 billion kilowatt-hours of energy to its wholesale customers in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas, generating $195 million in revenue. In fulfilling its mission to market and reliably deliver renewable Federal hydroelectric power, Southwestern maintains 1,380 miles of high-voltage transmission lines, substations, and communications sites, contributing to the reliability of the regional and National electric grid. Southwestern also actively partners with the Department of Energy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Southwestern’s customers, and other Federal power stakeholders to most effectively balance their diverse interests with Southwestern’s mission while continuing to maximize Federal assets to repay the Federal investment in the 24 hydropower facilities within Southwestern’s marketing region. Southwestern is proud of its past successes, and we look forward to continuing to serve the Nation’s energy needs in the future. Sincerely, Christopher M. Turner Administrator

Southwestern Power Administration Annual Report 2010

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2012-09-01

Dear Secretary Chu: I am pleased to present the financial statements and operating data for Southwestern Power Administration (Southwestern) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010. In FY 2010, Southwestern delivered nearly 7.6 billion kilowatt-hours of energy to its wholesale customers in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Texas, and Oklahoma, generating $189 million in revenue. In fulfilling its mission to market and reliably deliver renewable Federal hydroelectric power, Southwestern maintains 1,380 miles of high-voltage transmission lines, substations, and communications sites, contributing to the reliability of the regional and National electric grid. Southwestern also actively partners with the Department of Energy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Southwestern’s customers, and other Federal power stakeholders to most effectively balance their diverse interests with Southwestern’s mission while continuing to maximize Federal assets to repay the Federal investment in the 24 hydropower facilities within Southwestern’s marketing region. Southwestern is proud of its past successes, and we look forward to continuing to serve the Nation’s energy needs in the future. Sincerely, Christopher M. Turner Administrator

Southwestern Power Administration Annual Report 2011

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2013-04-01

Dear Secretary Chu: I am pleased to present the financial statements and operating data for Southwestern Power Administration (Southwestern) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011. In FY 2011, Southwestern delivered over 4.1 billion kilowatt-hours of energy to its wholesale customers in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas, generating $167 million in revenue. In fulfilling its mission to market and reliably deliver renewable Federal hydroelectric power, Southwestern maintains 1,380 miles of high-voltage transmission lines, substations, and communications sites, contributing to the reliability of the regional and National electric grid. Southwestern also actively partners with the Department of Energy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Southwestern’s customers, and other Federal power stakeholders to most effectively balance their diverse interests with Southwestern’s mission while continuing to maximize Federal assets to repay the Federal investment in the 24 hydropower facilities within Southwestern’s marketing region. Southwestern is proud of its past successes, and we look forward to continuing to serve the Nation’s energy needs in the future. Sincerely, Christopher M. Turner Administrator

Spatial variability in oceanic redox structure 1.8 billion years ago

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poulton, Simon W.; Fralick, Philip W.; Canfield, Donald Eugene

2010-01-01

to reconstruct oceanic redox conditions from the 1.88- to 1.83-billion-year-old Animikie group from the Superior region, North America. We find that surface waters were oxygenated, whereas at mid-depths, anoxic and sulphidic (euxinic) conditions extended over 100 km from the palaeoshoreline. The spatial extent...

18 CFR 4.92 - Contents of exemption application.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... hydraulic turbine. (6) A description of how the plant is to be operated, manually or automatically, and... kilowatt hours; (ii) The average head of the plant; (iii) The hydraulic capacity of the plant (flow through...

2016 Billion-ton report: Advancing domestic resources for a thriving bioeconomy, Volume 1: Economic availability of feedstock

Science.gov (United States)

M.H. Langholtz; B.J. Stokes; L.M. Eaton

2016-01-01

This product builds on previous efforts, namely the 2005 Billion-Ton Study (BTS) and the 2011 U.S. Billion-Ton Update (BT2).With each report, greater perspective is gained on the potential of biomass resources to contribute to a national energy strategy. Similarly, each successive report introduces new questions regarding commercialization challenges. BTS quantified...

Gaia: Science with 1 billion objects in three dimensions

Science.gov (United States)

Prusti, Timo

2018-02-01

Gaia is an operational satellite in the ESA science programme. It is gathering data for more than a billion objects. Gaia measures positions and motions of stars in our Milky Way Galaxy, but captures many asteroids and extragalactic sources as well. The first data release has already been made and exploitation by the world-wide scientific community is underway. Further data releases will be made with further increasing accuracy. Gaia is well underway to provide its promised set of fundamental astronomical data.

Job search, hours restrictions, and desired hours of work

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bloemen, H.G.

2008-01-01

A structural empirical job search model is presented that incorporates the labor supply decision of individuals. The arrival of a job offer is modeled as a random draw from a wage-hours offer distribution. Subjective information is used on desired working hours to identify optimal hours from offered

Universities Report $1.8-Billion in Earnings on Inventions in 2011

Science.gov (United States)

Blumenstyk, Goldie

2012-01-01

Universities and their inventors earned more than $1.8-billion from commercializing their academic research in the 2011 fiscal year, collecting royalties from new breeds of wheat, from a new drug for the treatment of HIV, and from longstanding arrangements over enduring products like Gatorade. Northwestern University earned the most of any…

SunShot Initiative: Making Solar Energy Affordable for All Americans (Fact Sheet)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2013-10-01

Through SunShot, DOE supports efforts by private companies, universities, and national laboratories to drive down the cost of solar electricity to $0.06 per kilowatt-hour, making solar energy affordable for more American families and businesses.

Readability of the web: a study on 1 billion web pages

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Heus, Marije; Hiemstra, Djoerd

We have performed a readability study on more than 1 billion web pages. The Automated Readability Index was used to determine the average grade level required to easily comprehend a website. Some of the results are that a 16-year-old can easily understand 50% of the web and an 18-year old can easily

Neighborhood walkability, income, and hour-by-hour physical activity patterns.

Science.gov (United States)

Arvidsson, Daniel; Eriksson, Ulf; Lönn, Sara Larsson; Sundquist, Kristina

2013-04-01

This study aimed to investigate both the mean daily physical activity and the hour-by-hour physical activity patterns across the day using accelerometry and how they are associated with neighborhood walkability and individual income. Moderate physical activity (MPA) was assessed by accelerometry in 2252 adults in the city of Stockholm, Sweden. Neighborhood walkability (residential density, street connectivity, and land use mix) was objectively assessed within 1000m network buffers around the participants' residence and individual income was self-reported. Living in a high walkability neighborhood was associated with more mean daily MPA compared with living in a low walkability neighborhood on weekdays and weekend days. Hour-by-hour analyses showed that this association appeared mainly in the afternoon/early evening during weekdays, whereas it appeared across the middle of the day during weekend days. Individual income was associated with mean daily MPA on weekend days. On weekdays, the hour-by-hour analyses showed that high income was associated with more MPA around noon and in late afternoon/early evening, whereas low income was associated with more MPA at the hours before noon and in the early afternoon. During the weekend, high income was more consistently associated with higher MPA. Hour-by-hour accelerometry physical activity patterns provides a more comprehensive picture of the associations between neighborhood walkability and individual income and physical activity and the variability of these associations across the day.

The Boring Billion, a slingshot for Complex Life on Earth.

Science.gov (United States)

Mukherjee, Indrani; Large, Ross R; Corkrey, Ross; Danyushevsky, Leonid V

2018-03-13

The period 1800 to 800 Ma ("Boring Billion") is believed to mark a delay in the evolution of complex life, primarily due to low levels of oxygen in the atmosphere. Earlier studies highlight the remarkably flat C, Cr isotopes and low trace element trends during the so-called stasis, caused by prolonged nutrient, climatic, atmospheric and tectonic stability. In contrast, we suggest a first-order variability of bio-essential trace element availability in the oceans by combining systematic sampling of the Proterozoic rock record with sensitive geochemical analyses of marine pyrite by LA-ICP-MS technique. We also recall that several critical biological evolutionary events, such as the appearance of eukaryotes, origin of multicellularity & sexual reproduction, and the first major diversification of eukaryotes (crown group) occurred during this period. Therefore, it appears possible that the period of low nutrient trace elements (1800-1400 Ma) caused evolutionary pressures which became an essential trigger for promoting biological innovations in the eukaryotic domain. Later periods of stress-free conditions, with relatively high nutrient trace element concentration, facilitated diversification. We propose that the "Boring Billion" was a period of sequential stepwise evolution and diversification of complex eukaryotes, triggering evolutionary pathways that made possible the later rise of micro-metazoans and their macroscopic counterparts.

Galaxy growth in a massive halo in the first billion years of cosmic history

Science.gov (United States)

Marrone, D. P.; Spilker, J. S.; Hayward, C. C.; Vieira, J. D.; Aravena, M.; Ashby, M. L. N.; Bayliss, M. B.; Béthermin, M.; Brodwin, M.; Bothwell, M. S.; Carlstrom, J. E.; Chapman, S. C.; Chen, Chian-Chou; Crawford, T. M.; Cunningham, D. J. M.; De Breuck, C.; Fassnacht, C. D.; Gonzalez, A. H.; Greve, T. R.; Hezaveh, Y. D.; Lacaille, K.; Litke, K. C.; Lower, S.; Ma, J.; Malkan, M.; Miller, T. B.; Morningstar, W. R.; Murphy, E. J.; Narayanan, D.; Phadke, K. A.; Rotermund, K. M.; Sreevani, J.; Stalder, B.; Stark, A. A.; Strandet, M. L.; Tang, M.; Weiß, A.

2018-01-01

According to the current understanding of cosmic structure formation, the precursors of the most massive structures in the Universe began to form shortly after the Big Bang, in regions corresponding to the largest fluctuations in the cosmic density field. Observing these structures during their period of active growth and assembly—the first few hundred million years of the Universe—is challenging because it requires surveys that are sensitive enough to detect the distant galaxies that act as signposts for these structures and wide enough to capture the rarest objects. As a result, very few such objects have been detected so far. Here we report observations of a far-infrared-luminous object at redshift 6.900 (less than 800 million years after the Big Bang) that was discovered in a wide-field survey. High-resolution imaging shows it to be a pair of extremely massive star-forming galaxies. The larger is forming stars at a rate of 2,900 solar masses per year, contains 270 billion solar masses of gas and 2.5 billion solar masses of dust, and is more massive than any other known object at a redshift of more than 6. Its rapid star formation is probably triggered by its companion galaxy at a projected separation of 8 kiloparsecs. This merging companion hosts 35 billion solar masses of stars and has a star-formation rate of 540 solar masses per year, but has an order of magnitude less gas and dust than its neighbour and physical conditions akin to those observed in lower-metallicity galaxies in the nearby Universe. These objects suggest the presence of a dark-matter halo with a mass of more than 100 billion solar masses, making it among the rarest dark-matter haloes that should exist in the Universe at this epoch.

AREVA - First quarter 2011 revenue: 2.7% growth like for like to 1.979 billion euros

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

The group reported consolidated revenue of 1.979 billion euros in the 1. quarter of 2011, for 2.2% growth compared with the 1. quarter of 2010 (+ 2.7% like for like). The increase was driven by the Mining / Front End Business Group (+ 20.8% LFL). Revenue from outside France rose 12.0% to 1.22 billion euros and represented 62% of total revenue. The impacts of foreign exchange and changes in consolidation scope were negligible during the period. The March 11 events in Japan had no significant impact on the group's performance in the 1. quarter of 2011. The group's backlog of 43.5 billion euros at March 31, 2011 was stable in relation to March 31, 2010. The growth in the backlog of the Mining / Front End and Renewable Energies Business Groups offset the partial depletion of the backlog in the Reactors and Services and Back End Business Groups as contracts were completed

Two ten-billion-solar-mass black holes at the centres of giant elliptical galaxies.

Science.gov (United States)

McConnell, Nicholas J; Ma, Chung-Pei; Gebhardt, Karl; Wright, Shelley A; Murphy, Jeremy D; Lauer, Tod R; Graham, James R; Richstone, Douglas O

2011-12-08

Observational work conducted over the past few decades indicates that all massive galaxies have supermassive black holes at their centres. Although the luminosities and brightness fluctuations of quasars in the early Universe suggest that some were powered by black holes with masses greater than 10 billion solar masses, the remnants of these objects have not been found in the nearby Universe. The giant elliptical galaxy Messier 87 hosts the hitherto most massive known black hole, which has a mass of 6.3 billion solar masses. Here we report that NGC 3842, the brightest galaxy in a cluster at a distance from Earth of 98 megaparsecs, has a central black hole with a mass of 9.7 billion solar masses, and that a black hole of comparable or greater mass is present in NGC 4889, the brightest galaxy in the Coma cluster (at a distance of 103 megaparsecs). These two black holes are significantly more massive than predicted by linearly extrapolating the widely used correlations between black-hole mass and the stellar velocity dispersion or bulge luminosity of the host galaxy. Although these correlations remain useful for predicting black-hole masses in less massive elliptical galaxies, our measurements suggest that different evolutionary processes influence the growth of the largest galaxies and their black holes.

Origins fourteen billion years of cosmic evolution

CERN Document Server

Tyson, Neil deGrasse

2004-01-01

Origins explores cosmic science's stunning new insights into the formation and evolution of our universe--of the cosmos, of galaxies and galaxy clusters, of stars within galaxies, of planets that orbit those stars, and of different forms of life that take us back to the first three seconds and forward through three billion years of life on Earth to today's search for life on other planets. Drawing on the current cross-pollination of geology, biology and astrophysics, Origins explains the thrilling daily breakthroughs in our knowledge of the universe from dark energy to life on Mars to the mysteries of space and time. Distilling complex science in clear and lively prose, co-authors Neil deGrasse Tyson and Donald Goldsmith conduct a galvanising tour of the cosmos revealing what the universe has been up to while turning part of itself into us.

Renewable energies: A real option for the electrical generation in Mexico?; Energias renovables: opcion real para la generacion electrica en Mexico?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huacuz V, Jorge M. [Instituto de Investigaciones Electricas, Cuernavaca, Morelos (Mexico)

2003-07-01

The renewable energies offer additional benefits to the kilowatts (kW) and kilowatts-hour (kWh) that they produce, because they include the creation of new jobs, a cleaner mean of generation and power assurance, among others. In view of this, most of the countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and several developing nations have established goals for the renewable energies in their power plans. Many of these countries also have fomented the local development of industries of renewable energy and are penetrating aggressively in this new technology market. [Spanish] Las energias renovables ofrecen beneficios adicionales a los kilowatts (kW) y kilowatts-hora (kWh) que producen, pues incluyen la creacion de nuevos empleos, un medio mas limpio de generacion y seguridad energetica, entre otros. En vista de ello, la mayoria de los paises de la Organizacion de Cooperacion para el Desarrollo Economico (OCDE) y varias naciones en desarrollo han establecido metas para las energias renovables en sus planes energeticos. Muchos de estos paises tambien han fomentado el desarrollo local de industrias de energia renovable y estan penetrando agresivamente en este nuevo mercado de la tecnologia.

Lower wages for less hours? A simultaneous wage-hours model for Germany

OpenAIRE

Wolf, Elke

2000-01-01

In this paper the impact of working hours on the gross hourly wage rate of West German women is analyzed. We use a simultaneous wage-hours model which takes into account the participation decision. First, our estimates show that the hourly wage rate is strongly a¤ected by the working hours. In order to avoid any assumptions about the functional form, we estimate linear spline functions. Second, we detect di¤erent wage-hours profiles for specific groups of individuals. Despite these di¤erences...

Anhui Tongling Invests 1 Billion Yuan to Set up “Copper Industry Fund”

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

2012-01-01

<正>On September 12, the signing ceremony for "Anhui Copper Industry Fund" set up by Anhui Tongling Development & Investment Group Co., Ltd. and Shanghai V. Stone Investment Management Co., Ltd. was held in Tongling. The fund is 1 billion yuan.

Electron capture detection of sulphur gases in carbon dioxide at the parts-per-billion level

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pick, M.E.

1979-01-01

A gas chromatograph with an electron capture detector has been used to determine sulphur gases in CO 2 at the parts-per-billion level, with particular application to the analysis of coolant from CO 2 cooled nuclear reactors. For COS, CS 2 , CH 3 SH, H 2 S and (CH 3 ) 2 S 2 the detector has a sensitivity comparable with the more commonly used flame photometric detector, but it is much less sensitive towards (CH 3 ) 2 S and thiophene. In addition, the paper describes a simple method for trapping sulphur gases which might enable detection of sub parts-per-billion levels of sulphur compounds. (Auth.)

Rapid emergence of subaerial landmasses and onset of a modern hydrologic cycle 2.5 billion years ago.

Science.gov (United States)

Bindeman, I N; Zakharov, D O; Palandri, J; Greber, N D; Dauphas, N; Retallack, G J; Hofmann, A; Lackey, J S; Bekker, A

2018-05-01

The history of the growth of continental crust is uncertain, and several different models that involve a gradual, decelerating, or stepwise process have been proposed 1-4 . Even more uncertain is the timing and the secular trend of the emergence of most landmasses above the sea (subaerial landmasses), with estimates ranging from about one billion to three billion years ago 5-7 . The area of emerged crust influences global climate feedbacks and the supply of nutrients to the oceans 8 , and therefore connects Earth's crustal evolution to surface environmental conditions 9-11 . Here we use the triple-oxygen-isotope composition of shales from all continents, spanning 3.7 billion years, to provide constraints on the emergence of continents over time. Our measurements show a stepwise total decrease of 0.08 per mille in the average triple-oxygen-isotope value of shales across the Archaean-Proterozoic boundary. We suggest that our data are best explained by a shift in the nature of water-rock interactions, from near-coastal in the Archaean era to predominantly continental in the Proterozoic, accompanied by a decrease in average surface temperatures. We propose that this shift may have coincided with the onset of a modern hydrological cycle owing to the rapid emergence of continental crust with near-modern average elevation and aerial extent roughly 2.5 billion years ago.

U of M seeking $1.1 billion in projects for Soudan Mine lab.

CERN Multimedia

2003-01-01

The University of Minnesota is hoping that groundbreaking research underway at its labs at the Soudan Underground Mine near Tower will help secure up to $1.1 billion in the next 5 to 20 years to expand its work into particle physics (1 page).

Uranium in Canada: Billion-dollar industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whillans, R.T.

1989-01-01

In 1988, Canada maintained its position as the world's leading producer and exporter of uranium; five primary uranium producers reported concentrate output containing 12,400 MT of uranium, or about one-third of Western production. Uranium shipments made by these producers in 1988 exceeded 13,200 MT, worth Canadian $1.1 billion. Because domestic requirements represent only 15% of current Canadian output, most of Canada's uranium production is available for export. Despite continued market uncertainty in 1988, Canada's uranium producers signed new sales contracts for some 14,000 MT, twice the 1987 level. About 90% of this new volume is with the US, now Canada's major uranium customer. The recent implementation of the Canada/US Free Trade agreement brings benefits to both countries; the uranium industries in each can now develop in an orderly, free market. Canada's uranium industry was restructured and consolidated in 1988 through merger and acquisition; three new uranium projects advanced significantly. Canada's new policy on nonresident ownership in the uranium mining sector, designed to encourage both Canadian and foreign investment, should greatly improve efforts to finance the development of recent Canadian uranium discoveries

76 FR 12354 - Cumberland System of Projects

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-07

... Third Scenario--Return to Original Marketing Policy Inside TVA Preference Customers Capacity and Base.... Discussion: The marketing policy for the Cumberland System of Projects provides peaking capacity, along with 1500 hours of energy annually with each kilowatt of capacity, to customers outside the Tennessee Valley...

Partnering for Success

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2002-04-01

Case study describing a project which configured a printing machine so that it consumes less compressed air and required lower pressure to operate effectively. Project replicated throughout the company, leading to energy cost savings of $200,000 per year, or 2.9 million kilowatt-hours.

Forecasting manpower requirements for nuclear power plant construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seltzer, N.; Schriver, W.R.

1978-01-01

This paper presents both the methodology and results of a segment of a comprehensive construction manpower demand forecasting system aimed at forecasting virtually all construction manpower requirements in the United States of America. The part of the system dealing with the demand for construction workers needed to build nuclear powered electricity generating plants is discussed here. The object of the system is to forecast manpower construction needs for each of 29 construction crafts on a monthly basis in each of 10 geographical regions of the United States. The method used is to establish profiles of the types of workers and time phasing required in the past. Profiling was done for different types of plants, different capacity classes, and different geographical locations. An appropriate worker profile matrix cannot simply be multiplied by the capacity of the proposed plant if the number of man-hours required per kilowatt of generating capacity is not constant. The value of this latter variable has changed considerably recently - presumably because of an increased awareness of environmental and safety considerations. Econometric techniques are used to forecast values for man-hours per kilowatt which are then multiplied by projected new capacity to be put in place. The resulting total man-hour requirement is then allocated over time and by craft through use of a worker profile matrix. The summary results indicate that 20 percent increases in man-hours required per kilowatt of capacity can be expected between 1977 and 1981. Total construction labour demand will rise from 65,700 work-years in 1977 to nearly 96,600 work-years in 1981. Forecasts of the actual number of different types of workers to be demanded in each month and in each region are available from the system. (author)

Deep venous thrombophlebitis: detection with 4-hour versus 24-hour platelet scintigraphy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seabold, J.E.; Conrad, G.R.; Ponto, J.A.; Kimball, D.A.; Frey, E.E.; Ahmed, F.; Coughlan, J.D.; Jensen, K.C.

1987-01-01

Thirty-one nonheparinized patients with suspected deep venous thrombophlebitis (DVT) underwent contrast venography and indium-111 platelet scintigraphy (In-111 PS). Venography permitted identification of acute DVT in 12 of 31 cases (39%). One additional patient was considered to have acute DVT despite nonconclusive venography results. In-111 PS results were positive at 4 hours in nine of 13 cases (69%) and at 24 hours in 12 of 13 cases (92%). Two of four patients with false-negative 4-hour In-111 PS studies had received warfarin. Thus, the sensitivity of 4-hour In-111 PS in patients not receiving anticoagulants was 82%. Venography results were negative for acute DVT in 18 cases, and 4-hour In-111 PS studies were negative or equivocal in each. In-111 PS is an alternative to contrast venography for detecting acute DVT. If 4-hour In-111 PS results are positive, anticoagulation can be initiated. Delayed images are necessary if the 4-hour images are negative or equivocal

Operational experience at Fort St. Vrain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bramblett, G. C.; Fisher, C. R.; Swart, F. E. [General Atomic Co., San Diego, CA (USA)

1981-01-15

The Fort St. Vrain (FSV) station, a 330-MW(e) single reheat steam cycle powered by a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR), is the first HTGR to enter commercial operation. Designed and built by General Atomic Company (GA), the plant is owned and operated by Public Service Company of Colorado (PSC). Many unique design features have been incorporated into this reactor system, including high-pressure helium as the primary system coolant, a graphite-moderated prismatic block core design, fission-product-containing carbide coatings on both fissile and fertile fuel particles, steam-driven helium circulators turning on water bearings, and once-through steam generators. All of these systems are contained in a prestressed concrete reactor vessel (PCRV). Extensive testing has been conducted during the rise to power following first criticality early in 1974 to verify system design performance. During this period, the plant has operated at power levels up to 70% and produced over one billion kilowatt hours of electricity. In 1979, the first refueling was conducted in conjunction with an extensive in-core inspection, the addition of in-core instrumentation, and a planned removal of a circulator for inspection.

Proceedings of the workshop on cool building materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Akbari, H.; Fishman, B. [Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States); Frohnsdorff, G. [National Inst. of Standards and Technology (NEL), Gaithersburg, MD (United States). Building Materials Div.] [eds.

1994-04-01

The Option 9, Cool Communities, of the Clinton-Gore Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) calls for mobilizing community and corporate resources to strategically plant trees and lighten the surfaces of buildings and roads in order to reduce cooling energy use of the buildings. It is estimated that Cool Communities Project will potentially save over 100 billion kilowatt-hour of energy per year corresponding to 27 million tons of carbon per year by the year 2015. To pursue the CCAP`s objectives, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL) on behalf of the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, in cooperation with the Building and Fire Research Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), organized a one-day meeting to (1) explore the need for developing a national plan to assess the technical feasibility and commercial potential of high-albedo (``cool``) building materials, and if appropriate, to (2) outline a course of action for developing the plan. The meeting took place on February 28, 1994, in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The proceedings of the conference, Cool Building Materials, includes the minutes of the conference and copies of presentation materials distributed by the conference participants.

Bird Mortaility at the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area: March 1998--September 2001

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smallwood, K. S.; Thelander, C. G.

2005-09-01

Over the past 15 years, research has shown that wind turbines in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area (APWRA) kill many birds, including raptors, which are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, and/or state and federal Endangered Species Acts. Early research in the APWRA on avian mortality mainly attempted to identify the extent of the problem. In 1998, however, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) initiated research to address the causal relationships between wind turbines and bird mortality. NREL funded a project by BioResource Consultants to perform this research directed at identifying and addressing the causes of mortality of various bird species from wind turbines in the APWRA.With 580 megawatts (MW) of installed wind turbine generating capacity in the APWRA, wind turbines there provide up to 1 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of emissions-free electricity annually. By identifying and implementing new methods and technologies to reduce or resolve bird mortality in the APWRA, power producers may be able to increase wind turbine electricity production at the site and apply similar mortality-reduction methods at other sites around the state and country.

Next generation 9xx/10xx nm high power laser diode bars for multi-kilowatt industrial applications

Science.gov (United States)

Commin, Paul; Todt, René; Krejci, Martin; Bättig, Rainer; Brunner, Reinhard; Lichtenstein, Norbert

2013-02-01

We report on the development of high power, 9xx-10xx nm laser diode bars for use in direct diode systems and for solidstate and fibre laser pumping with applications in industrial markets. For 1 cm wide bars on micro channel cooler (MCC) we have achieved a reliable output power of 250 W across the 900 nm - 1060 nm range. At this output power level we have achieved power conversion efficiencies of 65-66 % and 90 % power content slow axis beam divergence of ~6.5°. Results of a 6400 h life test show an average power degradation of 0.6 % per 1000 h at this operating power level. We will also show results of high power bars assembled on the new OCLARO conductive cooler, the BLM. This new cooler has a small footprint of 12.6 mm × 24.8 mm and is designed for lateral or vertical stacking of diodes in multi kilowatt systems but with the benefits associated with a conductive cooler. The thermal properties are shown to be the same as for a standard CS mount. 1 cm wide high fill factor bars and 0.5 cm wide low fill factor half bars assembled on the BLM operate at 63-64 % power conversion efficiency (PCE) with output powers of up to 250 W and 150 W, respectively.

Working Hours and Productivity

OpenAIRE

Collewet, Marion; Sauermann, Jan

2017-01-01

This paper studies the link between working hours and productivity using daily information on working hours and performance of a sample of call centre agents. We exploit variation in the number of hours worked by the same employee across days and weeks due to central scheduling, enabling us to estimate the effect of working hours on productivity. We find that as the number of hours worked increases, the average handling time for a call increases, meaning that agents become less productive. Th...

Comparison of 44-hour and fixed 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in dialysis patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Wenjin; Ye, Hong; Tang, Bing; Sun, Zhiping; Wen, Ping; Wu, Wenhui; Bian, Xueqing; Shen, Xia; Yang, Junwei

2014-01-01

The two most commonly used strategies to evaluate dialysis patients' blood pressure (BP) level are 44-hour and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). The objective of this study was to find an appropriate 24-hour period that correlated well with the 44-hour BP level and determine the differences between these strategies. In a group of 51 dialysis patients, the authors performed 44-hour ABPM and extracted data for a fixed 24-hour ABPM. The fixed 24-hour ABPM started at 6 am on the nondialysis day. A strong correlation was found between all parameters of 44-hour and the fixed 24-hour ABPM, with paired sample t test showing only small magnitude changes in a few parameters. Both 24-hour ABPM and 44-hour ABPM were superior to clinic BP in predicting left ventricular mass index (LVMI) by multiple regression analysis. It was found that 44-hour ambulatory arterial stiffness index (AASI), but not 24-hour AASI, had a positive association with LVMI (r=0.328, P=.021). However, after adjustment for 44-hour systolic blood pressure, this association disappeared. Fixed 24-hour ABPM is a good surrogate of 44-hour ABPM to some extent, while 44-hour ABPM can provide more accurate and detailed information. ©2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

10 CFR 436.31 - Definitions.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... building or facility that improves energy efficiency, are life-cycle cost-effective under subpart A of this... in operation and maintenance efficiencies, or retrofit activities. Energy cost savings means a... locations. Energy unit savings means the determination, in electrical or thermal units (e.g., kilowatt hour...

10 CFR 431.64 - Uniform test method for the measurement of energy consumption of commercial refrigerators...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... consumption of commercial refrigerators, freezers, and refrigerator-freezers. 431.64 Section 431.64 Energy... method for the measurement of energy consumption of commercial refrigerators, freezers, and refrigerator... energy consumption in kilowatt hours per day (kWh/day) for a given product category and volume or total...

Development of Avionics Installation Interface Standards. Revision.

Science.gov (United States)

1981-08-01

Shakil Rockwell Collins William Rupp Bendix Air Transport, Avionics Division * D. T. Engen Bendix Air Transport, Avionics Division J. C. Hoelz Bendix...flow is specified in recognition of the situation in whichj 220 kilograms per hour per kilowatt air flow available in a civil configuration D-1

75 FR 18015 - Credit for Renewable Electricity Production, Refined Coal Production, and Indian Coal Production...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-08

..., Refined Coal Production, and Indian Coal Production, and Publication of Inflation Adjustment Factors and... coal production, and Indian coal production under section 45. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Philip... Coal, and Indian Coal:'', Line 26, the language ``is 2.15 cents per kilowatt hour on the'' is corrected...

Guangdong Aluminum to Raise RMB 3 billion for New Production Base in Guizhou

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

2010-01-01

<正>On July 7, a loan signing ceremony was held between the Guangdong Aluminum Group, China Construction Bank, Hua Xia Bank and Guangzhou Bank Consortium. It is reported that these banks will provide Guangdong Aluminum Group with RMB 30 billion for an alu-minum oxide and supporting bauxite mining project in Guizhou.

Ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions: the first billion seconds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baym, Gordon

2016-12-15

I first review the early history of the ultrarelativistic heavy ion program, starting with the 1974 Bear Mountain Workshop, and the 1983 Aurora meeting of the U.S. Nuclear Science Committtee, just one billion seconds ago, which laid out the initial science goals of an ultrarelativistic collider. The primary goal, to discover the properties of nuclear matter at the highest energy densities, included finding new states of matter – the quark-gluon plasma primarily – and to use collisions to open a new window on related problems of matter in cosmology, neutron stars, supernovae, and elsewhere. To bring out how the study of heavy ions and hot, dense matter in QCD has been fulfilling these goals, I concentrate on a few topics, the phase diagram of matter in QCD, and connections of heavy ion physics to cold atoms, cosmology, and neutron stars.

Cost-Reduction Roadmap for Residential Solar Photovoltaics (PV),

Science.gov (United States)

Office (SETO) residential 2030 photovoltaics (PV) cost target of $0.05 per kilowatt-hour by identifying could influence system costs in key market segments. This report examines two key market segments that demonstrate significant opportunities for cost savings and market growth: installing PV at the time of roof

Energy Transition Initiative: Island Energy Snapshot - Bonaire; U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2015-06-01

This profile provides a snapshot of the energy landscape of Bonaire, a special municipality of the Kingdom of the Netherlands located off the coast of Venezuela. Bonaire’s utility rates are approximately $0.35 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), above the Caribbean regional average of $0.33/kWh.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Science.gov (United States)

are the potential health risks from transportation of depleted uranium metal or oxide? Other Skip Navigation Depleted UF6 Logo (Go to Home Page) Uranium Quick Fact Energy from Uranium One ton of natural uranium can produce more than 40 million kilowatt-hours of electricity. This is equivalent

10 CFR 451.7 - Metering requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Metering requirements. 451.7 Section 451.7 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION INCENTIVES § 451.7 Metering requirements. The net electric energy generated and sold (kilowatt-hours) by the owner or operator of a qualified...

Energy Transition Initiative: Island Energy Snapshot - Curacao; U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2015-06-01

This profile provides a snapshot of the energy landscape of Curacao, an autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands located off the coast of Venezuela. Curacao’s utility rates are approximately $0.26 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), below the Caribbean regional average of $0.33/kWh.

Mod-2 wind turbine system concept and preliminary design report. Volume 1: Executive summary

Science.gov (United States)

1979-01-01

The configuration development of the MOD-2 wind turbine system is presented. The MOD-2 is design optimized for commercial production rates which, in multi-unit installations, will be integrated into a utility power grid and achieve a cost of electricity at less than 4 cents per kilowatt hour.

LLNL's Big Science Capabilities Help Spur Over $796 Billion in U.S. Economic Activity Sequencing the Human Genome

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stewart, Jeffrey S. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2015-07-28

LLNL’s successful history of taking on big science projects spans beyond national security and has helped create billions of dollars per year in new economic activity. One example is LLNL’s role in helping sequence the human genome. Over $796 billion in new economic activity in over half a dozen fields has been documented since LLNL successfully completed this Grand Challenge.

Operator alertness and performance on 8-hour and 12-hour work shifts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, T.L.; Campbell, S.S.; Dawson, D.; Moore-Ede, M.

1989-01-01

Recently, much attention has been paid to the alertness and performance problems of rotational shiftworkers in the nuclear power industry. Growing awareness of higher rates of human errors and accidents on night shifts and reports of operations personnel falling asleep on the job have contributed to the heightened interest in this subject. The industry is now considering the effects of different shift rotation systems, including evaluation of the most recent of industry trends in shift scheduling-schedules that include 12 hour work shifts. Surveys show that within the past 5 years about 20% of commercially operational nuclear power plants have instituted schedules that use only 12 hour shifts, or schedules using a combination of 8-hour and 12-hour shifts. Many more plants routinely use 12-hour work shifts during plant outages and refueling operations. In response to this growing trend, the NRC has funded research which is a first attempt to compare alertness, operator performance, and sleep-wake patterns in subjects working simulated 8-hour and 12-hour shifts at the Human Alertness Research Center (HARC), located at the Institute of Circadian Physiology in Boston, MA. This paper will describe in greater detail the design of the study, measurement techniques for alertness and sleep, work routine, work task performance measures, and cognitive performance test protocols. It will review the role of circadian factors in human alertness and performance, and discuss previous research findings in this area. It will discuss other variables that are known to influence human alertness in the workplace, such as caffeine, alcohol, and working environment. The physiological basis for shift worker sleep problems will be explained in the context of the ongoing research project at HARC. Finally, the paper presents previous research on shift work and fatigue which may be relevant to a comparison of 8-hour and 12-hour shifts

Price

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1991-01-01

The price terms in wheeling contracts very substantially, reflecting the differing conditions affecting the parties contracting for the service. These terms differ in the manner in which rates are calculated, the formulas used, and the philosophy underlying the accord. For example, and EEI study found that firm wheeling rates ranged from 20 cents to $1.612 per kilowatt per month. Nonfirm rates ranged from .15 mills to 5.25 mills per kilowatt-hour. The focus in this chapter is on cost-based rates, reflecting the fact that the vast majority of existing contracts are based on rate designs reflecting embedded costs. This situation may change in the future, but, for now, this fact can't be ignored

Orbital forcing of climate 1.4 billion years ago

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Shuichang; Wang, Xiaomei; Hammarlund, Emma U

2015-01-01

Fluctuating climate is a hallmark of Earth. As one transcends deep into Earth time, however, both the evidence for and the causes of climate change become difficult to establish. We report geochemical and sedimentological evidence for repeated, short-term climate fluctuations from the exceptionally...... well-preserved ∼1.4-billion-year-old Xiamaling Formation of the North China Craton. We observe two patterns of climate fluctuations: On long time scales, over what amounts to tens of millions of years, sediments of the Xiamaling Formation record changes in geochemistry consistent with long-term changes...... reflect what appear to be orbitally forced changes in wind patterns and ocean circulation as they influenced rates of organic carbon flux, trace metal accumulation, and the source of detrital particles to the sediment....

Molecular dynamics beyonds the limits: Massive scaling on 72 racks of a BlueGene/P and supercooled glass dynamics of a 1 billion particles system

KAUST Repository

Allsopp, Nicholas

2012-04-01

We report scaling results on the world\\'s largest supercomputer of our recently developed Billions-Body Molecular Dynamics (BBMD) package, which was especially designed for massively parallel simulations of the short-range atomic dynamics in structural glasses and amorphous materials. The code was able to scale up to 72 racks of an IBM BlueGene/P, with a measured 89% efficiency for a system with 100 billion particles. The code speed, with 0.13. s per iteration in the case of 1 billion particles, paves the way to the study of billion-body structural glasses with a resolution increase of two orders of magnitude with respect to the largest simulation ever reported. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our code by studying the liquid-glass transition of an exceptionally large system made by a binary mixture of 1 billion particles. © 2012.

Energy tax price tag for CPI: $1.2 billion, jobs, and production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Begley, R.

1993-01-01

If President Clinton's proposed energy tax had been fully in place last year, it would have cost the US chemical industry an additional $1.2 billion and 9,900 jobs, according to Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA; Washington) estimates. It also would have driven output down 3% and prices up 5%, CMA says. Allen Lenz, CMA director/trade and economics, says the increase in production costs that would accompany the tax will not be shared by foreign competitors, cannot be neutralized with higher border taxes because of existing trade agreements, and provides another reason to move production offshore. Worse, the US chemical industry's generally impressive trade surplus declined by $2.5 billion last year, and a further drop is projected for this year. The margin of error gets thinner all the time as competition increases, Lenz says. We're not concerned only with the chemical industry, but the rest of US-based manufacturing because they taken half our output, he adds. One problem is the energy intensiveness of the chemical process industries-a CMA report says that 55% of the cost of producing ethylene glycol is energy related. And double taxation of such things as coproducts returned for credit to oil refineries could add up to $115 million/year, the report says

A parts-per-billion measurement of the antiproton magnetic moment.

Science.gov (United States)

Smorra, C; Sellner, S; Borchert, M J; Harrington, J A; Higuchi, T; Nagahama, H; Tanaka, T; Mooser, A; Schneider, G; Bohman, M; Blaum, K; Matsuda, Y; Ospelkaus, C; Quint, W; Walz, J; Yamazaki, Y; Ulmer, S

2017-10-18

Precise comparisons of the fundamental properties of matter-antimatter conjugates provide sensitive tests of charge-parity-time (CPT) invariance, which is an important symmetry that rests on basic assumptions of the standard model of particle physics. Experiments on mesons, leptons and baryons have compared different properties of matter-antimatter conjugates with fractional uncertainties at the parts-per-billion level or better. One specific quantity, however, has so far only been known to a fractional uncertainty at the parts-per-million level: the magnetic moment of the antiproton, . The extraordinary difficulty in measuring with high precision is caused by its intrinsic smallness; for example, it is 660 times smaller than the magnetic moment of the positron. Here we report a high-precision measurement of in units of the nuclear magneton μ N with a fractional precision of 1.5 parts per billion (68% confidence level). We use a two-particle spectroscopy method in an advanced cryogenic multi-Penning trap system. Our result  = -2.7928473441(42)μ N (where the number in parentheses represents the 68% confidence interval on the last digits of the value) improves the precision of the previous best measurement by a factor of approximately 350. The measured value is consistent with the proton magnetic moment, μ p  = 2.792847350(9)μ N , and is in agreement with CPT invariance. Consequently, this measurement constrains the magnitude of certain CPT-violating effects to below 1.8 × 10 -24 gigaelectronvolts, and a possible splitting of the proton-antiproton magnetic moments by CPT-odd dimension-five interactions to below 6 × 10 -12 Bohr magnetons.

A 17-billion-solar-mass black hole in a group galaxy with a diffuse core.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Jens; Ma, Chung-Pei; McConnell, Nicholas J; Greene, Jenny E; Blakeslee, John P; Janish, Ryan

2016-04-21

Quasars are associated with and powered by the accretion of material onto massive black holes; the detection of highly luminous quasars with redshifts greater than z = 6 suggests that black holes of up to ten billion solar masses already existed 13 billion years ago. Two possible present-day 'dormant' descendants of this population of 'active' black holes have been found in the galaxies NGC 3842 and NGC 4889 at the centres of the Leo and Coma galaxy clusters, which together form the central region of the Great Wall--the largest local structure of galaxies. The most luminous quasars, however, are not confined to such high-density regions of the early Universe; yet dormant black holes of this high mass have not yet been found outside of modern-day rich clusters. Here we report observations of the stellar velocity distribution in the galaxy NGC 1600--a relatively isolated elliptical galaxy near the centre of a galaxy group at a distance of 64 megaparsecs from Earth. We use orbit superposition models to determine that the black hole at the centre of NGC 1600 has a mass of 17 billion solar masses. The spatial distribution of stars near the centre of NGC 1600 is rather diffuse. We find that the region of depleted stellar density in the cores of massive elliptical galaxies extends over the same radius as the gravitational sphere of influence of the central black holes, and interpret this as the dynamical imprint of the black holes.

More hours, more jobs? The employment effects of longer working hours

OpenAIRE

Martyn Andrews; Hans-Dieter Gerner; Thorsten Schank; Richard Upward

2015-01-01

Increases in standard hours of work have been a contentious policy issue in Germany. Whilst this might directly lead to a substitution of workers by hours, there may also be a positive employment effect due to reduced costs. Moreover, the response of firms may differ between firms that offer overtime and those that do not. For a panel of German plants (2001–2006) drawn from the IAB Establishment Panel, we are the first to analyse the effect of increased standard hours on employment. Using dif...

Energy Transition Initiative: Island Energy Snapshot - Guadeloupe; NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2015-05-27

This profile provides a snapshot of the energy landscape of Guadeloupe, an overseas region of France located in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Guadeloupe’s utility rates are approximately $0.18 U.S. dollars (USD) per kilowatt-hour (kWh), below the Caribbean regional average of $0.33 USD/kWh.

Millwater Pumping System Optimization Improves Efficiency and Saves Energy at an Automotive Glass Plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2003-03-01

In 2001, the Visteon automotive glass plant in Nashville, Tennessee renovated its millwater pumping system. This improvement saved the plant $280,000 annually in energy and operating costs, reduced annual energy consumption by 3.2 million kilowatt-hours, reduced water consumption, improved system performance, and reduced use of water treatment chemicals.

an assessment of billing electricity consumers via analogue meters

African Journals Online (AJOL)

DR. AMINU

an online system and window driven and can be used for the purpose of e- billing (Advalorem, 2009). ... Source: Billing Operation Unit, Customer Services Department KED Plc, (2002). Kilowatt hour is equal to the amount of energy ..... but reaction of the respondent confirmed the conclusion of poor consumers' response to ...

76 FR 69147 - Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Proposed Determination To Treat Non-Compressor...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-08

... use for such products, (e.g., thermoelectric wine chillers) is likely to exceed the 100 kilowatt-hour.... DOE's analysis describes both the burdens and benefits of potential standards, pursuant to 42 U.S.C... efforts to amend the standards for these products, interested parties urged DOE to include wine chillers...

Tendances Carbone no. 75 'The CDM: let's not discard a tool that raised over US$ 200 billion'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shishlov, Igor

2012-01-01

Among the publications of CDC Climat Research, 'Tendances Carbone' bulletin specifically studies the developments of the European market for CO 2 allowances. This issue addresses the following points: Everyone wonders which miraculous instrument will enable the Green Climate Fund to mobilize the pledged US$100 billion per year in climate finance by 2020. Developing countries are now asking for interim targets to quench their mounting skepticism that this level of commitment can be reached. In the meantime paradoxically, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) - a tool that managed to leverage over US$200 billion of mostly private investment for climate change mitigation - is left dying without much regret

Working hours and productivity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Collewet, Marion; Sauermann, Jan

2017-01-01

This paper studies the link between working hours and productivity using daily information on working hours and performance of a sample of call centre agents. We exploit variation in the number of hours worked by the same employee across days and weeks due to central scheduling, enabling us to

29 CFR 778.320 - Hours that would not be hours worked if not paid for.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... working hours fall in this category. The agreement of the parties to provide compensation for such hours... regular rate of an employee if the hours are compensated at the same rate as other working hours. The.... Activities of this type include eating meals between working hours. Where it appears from all the pertinent...

Missing billions. How the Australian government's climate policy is penalising farmers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riguet, T.

2006-10-01

The Climate Institute analysis suggests ratifying the Kyoto Protocol and implementing a national emissions trading scheme today could provide Australian farmers with an income of $1.8 billion over the period 2008-2012, due to the emissions saved by limiting land clearing. Separately, a report to the National Farmers Federation by the Allen Consulting Group earlier this year concluded that a carbon emission trading system which recognised Kyoto Protocol rules could create an additional income stream of $0.7-0.9 billion over a five year period from revenue to farmers from forestry sinks. These two studies suggest that ratification of the Kyoto Protocol and the introduction of a national emissions trading scheme could provide farmers an income stream in the order of $2.5 billion. A central tenet of the Federal Government's greenhouse policy for over a decade has been to not ratify Kyoto, but to meet its Kyoto target - a national emissions increase of 8% from 1990 levels, in the period 2008-2012. Australia's National Greenhouse Gas Accounts show that farmers, by reducing land clearing rates since 1990, have offset substantial increases in greenhouse gas emissions from other sectors, mainly energy. Official Federal Government projections show that without land clearing reductions, Australia's greenhouse emissions would be 30% above 1990 levels by 2010. Australia's farmers have been responsible for virtually the entire share of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions reductions, but their efforts, worth around $2 billion, have not been recognised or financially rewarded by the Government. By reducing land clearing, farmers have already reduced greenhouse gas emissions by about 75 million tonnes since 1990. By 2010, the savings are projected to be about 83 million tonnes. This level of emissions reductions is equivalent to eliminating the total annual emissions of New Zealand or Ireland. Over that same period, emissions from energy and transport have and continue to sky

Mars’ First Billion Years: Key Findings, Key Unsolved Paradoxes, and Future Exploration

Science.gov (United States)

Ehlmann, Bethany

2017-10-01

In the evolution of terrestrial planets, the first billion years are the period most shrouded in mystery: How vigorous is early atmospheric loss? How do planetary climates respond to a brightening sun? When and how are plate tectonic recycling processes initiated? How do voluminous volcanism and heavy impact bombardment influence the composition of the atmosphere? Under what conditions might life arise? Looking outward to terrestrial planets around other stars, the record from Venus, Earth and Mars in this solar system is crucial for developing models of physical can chemical processes. Of these three worlds, Mars provides the longest record of planetary evolution from the first billion years, comprising >50% of exposed geologic units, which are only lightly overprinted by later processes.Orbital observations of the last decade have revealed abundant evidence for surface waters in the form of lakes, valley networks, and evidence of chemically open-system near-surface weathering. Groundwaters at temperatures ranging from just above freezing to hydrothermal have also left a rich record of process in the mineralogical record. A rsuite of environments - similar in diversity to Earth’s - has been discovered on Mars with water pH, temperature, redox, and chemistries varying in space and time.Here, I will focus on the consequences of the aqueous alteration of the Martian crust on the composition of the atmosphere based on recent work studying aspects of the volatile budget (Usui et al., 2015; Edwards & Ehlmann, 2015; Hu et al., 2015; Jakosky et al., 2017, Wordsworth et al., 2017, and Ehlmann, in prep.). The solid crust and mantle of Mars act as volatile reservoirs and volatile sources through volcanism, mineral precipitation, and release of gases. We examine the extent to which the budget is understood or ill-understood for hydrogen and carbon, and associated phases H2O, CO2, and CH4. Additionally, I identify some key stratigraphies where a combination of focused in

Working hours

OpenAIRE

Fialová, Lenka

2012-01-01

Working hours The aim of this thesis that I set was a comprehensive analysis of the working hours issue. The main purpose was to summarize this area of labor law while taking into account the Labour Code amendment which came into force on 1st January 2012. The changes in the related legal terms were also included into this thesis because of the mentioned changes. The thesis is composed of three chapters. Chapter One deals briefly with history of Labour Law and regulatory development. Author`s...

Galaxy evolution. Evidence for mature bulges and an inside-out quenching phase 3 billion years after the Big Bang.

Science.gov (United States)

Tacchella, S; Carollo, C M; Renzini, A; Förster Schreiber, N M; Lang, P; Wuyts, S; Cresci, G; Dekel, A; Genzel, R; Lilly, S J; Mancini, C; Newman, S; Onodera, M; Shapley, A; Tacconi, L; Woo, J; Zamorani, G

2015-04-17

Most present-day galaxies with stellar masses ≥10(11) solar masses show no ongoing star formation and are dense spheroids. Ten billion years ago, similarly massive galaxies were typically forming stars at rates of hundreds solar masses per year. It is debated how star formation ceased, on which time scales, and how this "quenching" relates to the emergence of dense spheroids. We measured stellar mass and star-formation rate surface density distributions in star-forming galaxies at redshift 2.2 with ~1-kiloparsec resolution. We find that, in the most massive galaxies, star formation is quenched from the inside out, on time scales less than 1 billion years in the inner regions, up to a few billion years in the outer disks. These galaxies sustain high star-formation activity at large radii, while hosting fully grown and already quenched bulges in their cores. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

A field like today's? The strength of the geomagnetic field 1.1 billion years ago

Science.gov (United States)

Sprain, Courtney J.; Swanson-Hysell, Nicholas L.; Fairchild, Luke M.; Gaastra, Kevin

2018-06-01

Palaeomagnetic data from ancient rocks are one of the few types of observational data that can be brought to bear on the long-term evolution of Earth's core. A recent compilation of palaeointensity estimates from throughout Earth history has been interpreted to indicate that Earth's magnetic field strength increased in the Mesoproterozoic (between 1.5 and 1.0 billion years ago), with this increase taken to mark the onset of inner core nucleation. However, much of the data within the Precambrian palaeointensity database are from Thellier-style experiments with non-ideal behaviour that manifests in results such as double-slope Arai plots. Choices made when interpreting these data may significantly change conclusions about long-term trends in the intensity of Earth's geomagnetic field. In this study, we present new palaeointensity results from volcanics of the ˜1.1-billion-year-old North American Midcontinent Rift. While most of the results exhibit non-ideal double-slope or sagging behaviour in Arai plots, some flows have more ideal single-slope behaviour leading to palaeointensity estimates that may be some of the best constraints on the strength of Earth's field for this time. Taken together, new and previously published palaeointensity data from the Midcontinent Rift yield a median field strength estimate of 56.0 ZAm2—very similar to the median for the past 300 Myr. These field strength estimates are distinctly higher than those for the preceding billion years (Ga) after excluding ca. 1.3 Ga data that may be biased by non-ideal behaviour—consistent with an increase in field strength in the late Mesoproterozoic. However, given that ˜90 per cent of palaeointensity estimates from 1.1 to 0.5 Ga come from the Midcontinent Rift, it is difficult to evaluate whether these high values relative to those estimated for the preceding billion years are the result of a stepwise, sustained increase in dipole moment. Regardless, palaeointensity estimates from the Midcontinent

Impact of states' nurse work hour regulations on overtime practices and work hours among registered nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Bae, Sung-Heui; Yoon, Jangho

2014-10-01

To examine the degree to which states' work hour regulations for nurses-policies regarding mandatory overtime and consecutive work hours-decrease mandatory overtime practice and hours of work among registered nurses. We analyzed a nationally representative sample of registered nurses from the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses for years 2004 and 2008. We obtained difference-in-differences estimates of the effect of the nurse work hour policies on the likelihood of working mandatory overtime, working more than 40 hours per week, and working more than 60 hours per week for all staff nurses working in hospitals and nursing homes. The mandatory overtime and consecutive work hour regulations were significantly associated with 3.9 percentage-point decreases in the likelihood of working overtime mandatorily and 11.5 percentage-point decreases in the likelihood of working more than 40 hours per week, respectively. State mandatory overtime and consecutive work hour policies are effective in reducing nurse work hours. The consecutive work hour policy appears to be a better regulatory tool for reducing long work hours for nurses. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

40 CFR 89.401 - Scope; applicability.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... subpart B of this part. (b) Exhaust gases, either raw or dilute, are sampled while the test engine is operated using the appropriate test cycle on an engine dynamometer. The exhaust gases receive specific... the power output during each mode. Emissions are reported as grams per kilowatt hour (g/kW-hr). (c...

The Productivity Of Working Hours

OpenAIRE

John Pencavel

2013-01-01

Observations on munition workers, most of them women, are organized to examine the relationship between their output and their working hours. The relationship is nonlinear: below an hours threshold, output is proportional to hours; above a threshold, output rises at a decreasing rate as hours increase. Implications of these results for the estimation of labor supply functions are taken up. The findings also link up with current research on the effects of long working hours on accidents and in...

Plate tectonic influences on Earth's baseline climate: a 2 billion-year record

Science.gov (United States)

McKenzie, R.; Evans, D. A.; Eglington, B. M.; Planavsky, N.

2017-12-01

Plate tectonic processes present strong influences on the long-term carbon cycle, and thus global climate. Here we utilize multiple aspects of the geologic record to assess the role plate tectonics has played in driving major icehouse­-greenhouse transitions for the past 2 billion years. Refined paleogeographic reconstructions allow us to quantitatively assess the area of continents in various latitudinal belts throughout this interval. From these data we are able to test the hypothesis that concentrating continental masses in low-latitudes will drive cooler climates due to increased silicate weathering. We further superimpose records of events that are believed to increase the `weatherability' of the crust, such as large igneous province emplacement, island-arc accretion, and continental collisional belts. Climatic records are then compared with global detrital zircon U-Pb age data as a proxy for continental magmatism. Our results show a consistent relationship between zircon-generating magmatism and icehouse-greenhouse transitions for > 2 billion years, whereas paleogeographic records show no clear consistent relationship between continental configurations and prominent climate transitions. Volcanic outgassing appears to exert a first-order control on major baseline climatic shifts; however, paleogeography likely plays an important role in the magnitude of this change. Notably, climatic extremes, such as the Cryogenian icehouse, occur during a combination of reduce volcanism and end-member concentrations of low-latitudinal continents.

Work shift duration: a review comparing eight hour and 12 hour shift systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, L; Folkard, S; Tucker, P; Macdonald, I

1998-04-01

Shiftwork is now a major feature of working life across a broad range of industries. The features of the shift systems operated can impact on the wellbeing, performance, and sleep of shiftworkers. This paper reviews the current state of knowledge on one major characteristic of shift rotas-namely, shift duration. Evidence comparing the relative effects of eight hour and 12 hour shifts on fatigue and job performance, safety, sleep, and physical and psychological health are considered. At the organisational level, factors such as the mode of system implementation, attitudes towards shift rotas, sickness absence and turnover, overtime, and moonlighting are discussed. Manual and electronic searches of the shiftwork research literature were conducted to obtain information on comparisons between eight hour and 12 hour shifts. The research findings are largely equivocal. The bulk of the evidence suggests few differences between eight and 12 hour shifts in the way they affect people. There may even be advantages to 12 hour shifts in terms of lower stress levels, better physical and psychological wellbeing, improved durations and quality of off duty sleep as well as improvements in family relations. On the negative side, the main concerns are fatigue and safety. It is noted that a 12 hour shift does not equate with being active for only 12 hours. There can be considerable extension of the person's time awake either side of the shift. However, the effects of longer term exposure to extended work days have been relatively uncharted in any systematic way. Longitudinal comparative research into the chronic impact of the compressed working week is needed.

Development program for MHD power generation. Interim technical report June 1974

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1974-06-01

A total of 33,000 kilowatt hours of accumulated operating experience has been built up on the Mark VI MHD generator experiment. A total absence of arcing during the last 68 hours indicates that this major determinant of long-duration reliability has been brought under control, and a new Avco-designed burner has been put in service which has made possible, on a routine basis, power-levels in the Mark VI of from 400 to 500 kilowatts. A metal tubular air preheater and compressor have been ordered for the purpose of reducing the hourly consumption of liquid oxidizer, thus allowing more hours of operation between refills. Testing of the high-temperature air heater has also yielded highly satisfactory results. To date, air preheat temperatures of 3000 0 F and higher have been reached in continuous cyclic operation for more than 600 hours. Alumina cored brick is the heater matrix and the mode of operation corresponds to separate firing. Air preheat temperature strongly influences the overall efficiency of an MHD plant and an efficiency of between 55-60 percent is possible with the performance obtained to date. Detailed analysis of the radiation cooling and kinetics of the MHD generator exhaust gas in the radiant section of the downstream boiler, have shown that the level of NO/sub x/ can be reduced to a fraction of the corresponding EPA standard in a furnace of reasonable size

Fixed Costs and Hours Constraints

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, William R.

2011-01-01

Hours constraints are typically identified by worker responses to questions asking whether they would prefer a job with more hours and more pay or fewer hours and less pay. Because jobs with different hours but the same rate of pay may be infeasible when there are fixed costs of employment or mandatory overtime premia, the constraint in those…

Swiss solar power statistics 2007 - Significant expansion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hostettler, T.

2008-01-01

This article presents and discusses the 2007 statistics for solar power in Switzerland. A significant number of new installations is noted as is the high production figures from newer installations. The basics behind the compilation of the Swiss solar power statistics are briefly reviewed and an overview for the period 1989 to 2007 is presented which includes figures on the number of photovoltaic plant in service and installed peak power. Typical production figures in kilowatt-hours (kWh) per installed kilowatt-peak power (kWp) are presented and discussed for installations of various sizes. Increased production after inverter replacement in older installations is noted. Finally, the general political situation in Switzerland as far as solar power is concerned are briefly discussed as are international developments.

Energy Transition Initiative: Island Energy Snapshot - Palau; U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2015-06-01

This profile provides a snapshot of the energy landscape of Palau, an independent island nation geographically located in the Micronesia region. Palau’s residential electricity rates are approximately $0.28 U.S. dollars (USD) per kilowatt-hour (kWh), more than twice the average U.S. residential rate of $0.13 USD/kWh.

CERN restaurants: opening hours during summer

CERN Document Server

2016-01-01

In the summer, the three CERN restaurants remain open during their usual hours. On Monday 1st August and Thursday 8 September, the Restaurant 1 will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.   The satellites will be open as follows: Building 6: normal hours Building 13: normal hours Building 30: normal hours Building 40: closing at 4:30 p.m. instead of 5:00 pm Building 54: normal hours in July, closed in August Building 864: normal hours Building 865: normal hours Building 774: normal hours

Unlocking the EUR53 billion savings from smart meters in the EU. How increasing the adoption of dynamic tariffs could make or break the EU's smart grid investment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faruqui, Ahmad; Hledik, Ryan; Harris, Dan

2010-01-01

We estimate the cost of installing smart meters in the EU to be EUR51 billion, and that operational savings will be worth between EUR26 and 41 billion, leaving a gap of EUR10-25 billion between benefits and costs. Smart meters can fill this gap because they enable the provision of dynamic pricing, which reduces peak demand and lowers the need for building and running expensive peaking power plants. The present value of savings in peaking infrastructure could be as high as EUR67 billion for the EU if policy-makers can overcome barriers to consumers adopting dynamic tariffs, but only EUR14 billion otherwise. We outline a number of ways to increase the adoption of dynamic tariffs. (author)

Surface Weather Observations Hourly

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Standard hourly observations taken at Weather Bureau/National Weather Service offices and airports throughout the United States. Hourly observations began during the...

Dongfeng has fixed a sales goal of 80 billion yuan supported by Nissan

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

2003-01-01

<正> The Nissan and Dongfeng Group-based Dongfeng Automobile Co., Ltd, which has the largest investment in the history of the industry, opened officially for business on July 1. With a total investment of USD 2 billion and 70,000 employees, the company is the first joint venture in China which plans a full range of truck, light commercial and passenger vehicles. According to president Nakamura, the company has established a management

Effective interventions for unintentional injuries: a systematic review and mortality impact assessment among the poorest billion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andres I Vecino-Ortiz, PhD

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Summary: Background: Between 1990 and 2015, the global injury mortality declined, but in countries where the poorest billion live, injuries are becoming an increasingly prevalent cause of death. The vulnerability of this population requires immediate attention from policy makers to implement effective interventions that lessen the burden of injuries in these countries. Our aim was two-fold; first, to review all the evidence on effective interventions for the five main types of unintentional injury; and second, to estimate the potential number of lives saved by effective injury interventions among the poorest billion. Methods: For our systematic review we used references in the Disability Control Priorities third edition, and searched PubMed and the Cochrane database for papers published until Sept 10, 2016, using a comprehensive search strategy to find interventions for the five major causes of unintentional injuries: road traffic crashes, falls, drowning, burns, and poisoning. Studies were included if they presented evidence with significant effects sizes for any outcome; no inclusions or exclusions made on the basis of where the study was carried out (ie, low-income, middle-income, or high-income country. Then we used data from the Global Burden of Disease 2015 study and a Monte Carlo simulation technique to estimate the potential annual attributable number of lives saved among the poorest billion by these evidence-based injury interventions. We estimated results for 84 countries where the poorest billion live. Findings: From the 513 papers identified, 47 were eligible for inclusion. We identified 11 interventions that had an effect on injury mortality. For road traffic deaths, the most successful interventions in preventing deaths are speed enforcement (>80 000 lives saved per year and drink-driving enforcement (>60 000 lives saved per year. Interventions potentially most effective in preventing deaths from drowning are formal swimming

$17 billion needed for population programme to year 2000: Dr. Nafis Sadik launches State of World Population Report.

Science.gov (United States)

1995-01-01

Dr. Nafis Sadik, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in her address on July 11 to the Foreign Press Association in London on the occasion of the release of the "1995 State of the World Population Report," stated that governments needed to invest in people, and that the estimated amount needed to reduce population numbers in developing countries was $17 billion for the year 2000. Two-thirds of the cost would be supplied by the developing countries. She said that coordinating population policies globally through such documents as the Programme of Action from the Cairo Conference would aid in slowing population growth. World population, currently 5.7 billion, is projected to reach 7.1-7.83 billion in 2015 and 7.9-11.9 billion in 2050. She also noted that certain conditions faced by women bear upon unsustainable population growth. The cycle of poverty continues in developing countries because very young mothers, who face higher risks in pregnancy and childbirth than those who delay childbearing until after the age of 20, are less likely to continue their education, more likely to have lower-paying jobs, and have a higher rate of separation and divorce. The isolation of women from widespread political participation and the marginalization of women's concerns from mainstream topics has resulted in ineffective family planning programs, including prevention of illness or impairment related to pregnancy or childbirth. Women, in most societies, cannot fully participate in economic and public life, have limited access to positions of influence and power, have narrower occupational choices and lower earnings than men, and must struggle to reconcile activities outside the home with their traditional roles. Sustainable development can only be achieved when social development expands opportunities for individuals (men and women), and their families, empowering them in the attainment of their social, economic, political, and cultural aspirations.

Energy Transition Initiative: Island Energy Snapshot - Antigua and Barbuda; NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2015-05-20

This profile provides a snapshot of the energy landscape of Antigua and Barbuda, an independent nation in the Leeward Islands in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Antigua and Barbuda’s utility rates are approximately $0.37 U.S. dollars (USD) per kilowatt-hour (kWh), which is above the Caribbean regional average of $0.33 USD/kWh.

Energy Transition Initiative: Island Energy Snapshot - Haiti; U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2015-06-01

This profile provides a snapshot of the energy landscape of Haiti, an independent nation that occupies the western portion of the island of Hispaniola in the northern Caribbean Sea. Haiti’s utility rates are roughly $0.35 U.S. dollars (USD) per kilowatt-hour (kWh), above the Caribbean regional average of $0.33 USD/kWh.

Energy Transition Initiative: Island Energy Snapshot - Trinidad and Tobago; NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2015-05-20

This profile provides a snapshot of the energy landscape of Trinidad and Tobago, a two-island nation located off the coast of Venezuela. Trinidad and Tobago’s electricity rates are some of the lowest in the Caribbean at approximately $0.04 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), well below the regional average of $0.33/kWh.

Notes for an address

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Welch, R.W.

1981-06-01

The policy of the Ontario government is to ensure that consumers have access to a full range of competitively-priced energy forms. Nuclear power is more desirable than coal, both environmentally and from the point of view of cost, and the nuclear industry is also important to Ontario, providing jobs and contributing to the province's industrial development. The government of Ontario is exploring the possibility of exporting surplus electrical power when a profit can be made. Ontario Hydro has been exporting electricity for about 60 years, and sales to the United States have increased significantly since 1973, allowing rates to Ontario consumers to be lowered. Exports at present are from fossil-fired plants, increasing nuclear capacity frees the more expensive coal-fuelled capacity for export purposes. In past generating plants have not been built exclusively for the export market, and only short-term power surplusses have been exported. Over the next ten years exports are likely to remain about 10 billion kilowatt-hours per year. It would be environmentally advantageous for Ontario to build nuclear plants to generate electricity for the American market, rather than have to import acid rain from US coal-fired power plants. Much depends on public opinion and government policies at the federal level in both countries

Areva excellent business volume: backlog as of december 31, 2008: + 21.1% to 48.2 billion euros. 2008 revenue: + 10.4% to 13.2 billion euros; Areva excellent niveau d'activite: carnet de commandes au 31/12/2008: + 21,1% a 48,2 Mds d'euros. Chiffre d'affaires de l'exercice 2008: + 10,4% a 13,2 Mds d'euros

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2009-07-01

AREVA's backlog stood at 48.2 billion euros as of December 31, 2008, for 21.1% growth year-on-year, including 21.8% growth in Nuclear and 16.5% growth in Transmission and Distribution. The Nuclear backlog came to 42.5 billion euros at December 31, 2008. The Transmission and Distribution backlog came to 5.7 billion euros at year-end. The group recognized revenue of 13.2 billion euros in 2008, for year-on-year growth of 10.4% (+9.8% like-for-like). Revenue outside France was up 10.5% to 9.5 billion euros, representing 72% of total revenue. Revenue was up 6.5% in the Nuclear businesses (up 6.3% LFL), with strong performance in the Reactors and Services division (+10.9% LFL) and the Front End division (+7.2% LFL). The Transmission and Distribution division recorded growth of 17% (+15.8% LFL). Revenue for the fourth quarter of 2008 rose to 4.1 billion euros, up 5.2% (+1.6% LFL) from that of the fourth quarter of 2007. Revenue for the Front End division rose to 3.363 billion euros in 2008, up 7.1% over 2007 (+7.2% LFL). Foreign exchange (currency translations) had a negative impact of 53 million euros. Revenue for the Reactors and Services division rose to 3.037 billion euros, up 11.8% over 2007 (+10.9% LFL). Foreign exchange (currency translations) had a negative impact of 47 million euros. Revenue for the Back End division came to 1.692 billion euros, a drop of 2.7% (-2.5% LFL). Foreign exchange (currency translations) had a negative impact of 3.5 million euros. Revenue for the Transmission and Distribution division rose to 5.065 billion euros in 2008, up 17.0% (+15.8% LFL)

EDF group - Reference Document, Annual Financial Report 2012

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

The EDF Group is an integrated energy utility active in all areas of the electricity market: nuclear, renewable and fossil fuel energy generation, transmission, distribution and marketing, energy efficiency and management services, as well as energy trading. It is the leading player in the French electricity market, and holds strong positions in Europe (UK, Italy, Central and Eastern Europe) that make it one of the world's leading electricity utilities and a renowned player in the gas industry. With a net installed capacity of 139.5 GWe worldwide at 31 December 2012 (128.5 GWe in Europe), and global production of 642.6 TWh, the Group ranks among the world's leading energy utilities, with the biggest fleet emitting the least amount of CO 2 per kilowatt-hour generated 3 thanks to the proportion of nuclear, hydropower and other renewable energies in its generation mix. The EDF Group supplies electricity, gas and related services to more than 39.3 million customer accounts 4 worldwide (nearly 28.6 million in France). The Group's activities reflect the choice of a model balanced between France and international markets, spanning competitive and regulated operations and based on upstream-downstream integration. In 2012, the Group recorded consolidated revenue of euros 72.7 billion, operating profit before depreciation and amortisation of euros 16.1 billion and net income excluding non-recurring items of euros 4.2 billion. This document is EDF Group's Reference Document and Annual Financial Report for the year 2012. It contains information about: the Group activities, risk factors, Organisational charts, Property, plant and equipment, Operating and financial data, Cash flows and capital, Research and development, patents and licenses, Information on trends, Financial outlook, Administrative, management and supervisory bodies and Executive Management, Compensation and benefits, Functioning of administrative and management bodies, Employees - Human

EDF group - Reference Document, Annual Financial Report 2013

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

The EDF Group is an integrated energy utility active in all areas of the electricity market: nuclear, renewable and fossil fuel energy generation, transmission, distribution and marketing, energy efficiency and management services, as well as energy trading. It is the leading player in the French electricity market, and holds strong positions in Europe (UK, Italy, Central and Eastern Europe) that make it one of the world's leading electricity utilities and a renowned player in the gas industry. With a net installed capacity of 140.4 GWe worldwide at 31 December 2013 and global production of 653.9 TWh, the Group ranks among the world's leading energy utilities, with the biggest fleet emitting the least amount of CO 2 per kilowatt-hour generated 2 thanks to the proportion of nuclear, hydropower and other renewable energies in its generation mix. The EDF Group supplies electricity, gas and related services to more than 39.1 million customer accounts 3 worldwide (nearly 28.5 million in France). The Group's activities reflect the choice of a model balanced between France and international markets, spanning competitive and regulated operations and based on upstream-downstream integration. In 2013, the Group recorded consolidated revenue of euros 75.6 billion, operating profit before depreciation and amortisation of euros 16.8 billion and net income excluding non-recurring items of euros 4.1 billion. This document is EDF Group's Reference Document and Annual Financial Report for the year 2013. It contains information about: the Group activities, Organisational charts, Property, plant and equipment, Operating and financial data, Cash flows and capital, Research and development, patents and licenses, Information on trends, Financial outlook, Administrative, management and supervisory bodies and Executive Management, Compensation and benefits, Functioning of administrative and management bodies, Employees - Human Resources, Major Shareholders, Related

Searching for Organics Preserved in 4.5 Billion Year Old Salt

Science.gov (United States)

Zolensky, Michael E.; Fries, M.; Steele, A.; Bodnar, R.

2012-01-01

Our understanding of early solar system fluids took a dramatic turn a decade ago with the discovery of fluid inclusion-bearing halite (NaCl) crystals in the matrix of two freshly fallen brecciated H chondrite falls, Monahans and Zag. Both meteorites are regolith breccias, and contain xenolithic halite (and minor admixed sylvite -- KCl, crystals in their regolith lithologies. The halites are purple to dark blue, due to the presence of color centers (electrons in anion vacancies) which slowly accumulated as 40K (in sylvite) decayed over billions of years. The halites were dated by K-Ar, Rb-Sr and I-Xe systematics to be 4.5 billion years old. The "blue" halites were a fantastic discovery for the following reasons: (1) Halite+sylvite can be dated (K is in sylvite and will substitute for Na in halite, Rb substitutes in halite for Na, and I substitutes for Cl). (2) The blue color is lost if the halite dissolves on Earth and reprecipitates (because the newly-formed halite has no color centers), so the color serves as a "freshness" or pristinity indicator. (3) Halite frequently contains aqueous fluid inclusions. (4) Halite contains no structural oxygen, carbon or hydrogen, making them ideal materials to measure these isotopic systems in any fluid inclusions. (5) It is possible to directly measure fluid inclusion formation temperatures, and thus directly measure the temperature of the mineralizing aqueous fluid. In addition to these two ordinary chondrites halite grains have been reliably reported in several ureilites, an additional ordinary chondrite (Jilin), and in the carbonaceous chondrite (Murchison), although these reports were unfortunately not taken seriously. We have lately found additional fluid inclusions in carbonates in several additional carbonaceous chondrites. Meteoritic aqueous fluid inclusions are apparently relatively widespread in meteorites, though very small and thus difficult to analyze.

Hollow fiber contractors for simultaneous SOx/NOx removal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhown, A.S.; Pakala, N.R.; Riggs, T.

1995-01-01

Control of SO x and NO x emissions from coal-fired utility and industrial boilers is a topic of growing national and international importance. Whereas a host of commercial and semicommercial processes exist, increasingly stringent emission standards mandate that processes be low cost, highly efficient, and, ideally, produce marketable byproducts. Although a wide range of site-specific economic factors dictate the best choice of SO x and NO x control, removal of SO 2 by wet limestone scrubbing and removal of NO x by selective catalytic reduction (SCR) are regarded as the best commercialized technologies for this application. A typical wet limestone plant requires approximately $100 to $120 of capital investment per kilowatt of electric power generating capacity and has power and miscellaneous operating costs in the range of 5 to 6 mils per kilowatt hour (kWh). The SCR process requires approximately $70 to $100 of capital investment per kilowatt of electric power generating capacity. Its operating costs, including ammonia consumption, is in the range of 1.8 to 2.2 mils per kWh. These costs can add approximately 20% to the final cost of generated electricity, a significant burden on rate payers

Effective interventions for unintentional injuries: a systematic review and mortality impact assessment among the poorest billion.

Science.gov (United States)

Vecino-Ortiz, Andres I; Jafri, Aisha; Hyder, Adnan A

2018-05-01

Between 1990 and 2015, the global injury mortality declined, but in countries where the poorest billion live, injuries are becoming an increasingly prevalent cause of death. The vulnerability of this population requires immediate attention from policy makers to implement effective interventions that lessen the burden of injuries in these countries. Our aim was two-fold; first, to review all the evidence on effective interventions for the five main types of unintentional injury; and second, to estimate the potential number of lives saved by effective injury interventions among the poorest billion. For our systematic review we used references in the Disability Control Priorities third edition, and searched PubMed and the Cochrane database for papers published until Sept 10, 2016, using a comprehensive search strategy to find interventions for the five major causes of unintentional injuries: road traffic crashes, falls, drowning, burns, and poisoning. Studies were included if they presented evidence with significant effects sizes for any outcome; no inclusions or exclusions made on the basis of where the study was carried out (ie, low-income, middle-income, or high-income country). Then we used data from the Global Burden of Disease 2015 study and a Monte Carlo simulation technique to estimate the potential annual attributable number of lives saved among the poorest billion by these evidence-based injury interventions. We estimated results for 84 countries where the poorest billion live. From the 513 papers identified, 47 were eligible for inclusion. We identified 11 interventions that had an effect on injury mortality. For road traffic deaths, the most successful interventions in preventing deaths are speed enforcement (>80 000 lives saved per year) and drink-driving enforcement (>60 000 lives saved per year). Interventions potentially most effective in preventing deaths from drowning are formal swimming lessons for children younger than 14 years (>25 000 lives

The 2011-2015 physical and monetary balance for electricity: spending of over euro 50 billion in 2015

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guggemos, Fabien; Meilhac, Christophe; Riedinger, Nicolas; Martial, Elodie; Mombel, David; Moreau, Sylvain; Bottin, Anne; Lavail, Jennyfer

2017-09-01

Electricity consumers (excluding the electricity sector itself) spent euro 52 billion in 2015 to consume 446 TWh. Taxes accounted for 27% of that expenditure (of which around one-half contributed to financing renewable sources of electricity and to geographical price adjustments), the cost of transmission 27%, and that of supply (including production and sales) 46%. Trade with other countries showed a positive balance of euro 2.3 billion. The residential sector was the main consuming sector, accounting for 35% of physical deliveries. Given the transmission and sales costs, higher on average for households than for businesses, the residential sector accounted for a greater proportion of the spending (48%). Conversely, industry accounted for 24% of physical consumption but only 15% of spending. The share of the services sector was around one-third, in both physical-unit and monetary terms

Analysis of Office/Laboratory Staying Hour and Home Working Hour of Japanese Scientists and Engineers

Science.gov (United States)

Ejiri, A.

The second questionnaire for scientists and engineers was carried out in 2007, and status of Japanese scientists and engineers were analyzed and reported. A part of the data was reanalyzed from the viewpoint of work life balance. In particular, office/laboratory staying hour and home working hour were analyzed and dependences on various factors were investigated. It was found that these hours depend on gender, marital status, number of child, employment status and age. In addition, the total hours tend to be kept constant regardless of various factors.

Phipps Bend Nuclear Energy Project. Community impact assessment. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Snapp, P.C.; Teilhet, A.; Newsom, R.; Bond, M.; Garland, M.

1977-01-01

In late 1977, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) proposed to build a 2 unit nuclear plant at Phipps Bend on the Holston River east of Surgoinsville, Tennessee. Total estimated cost is 1.6 billion dollars, with a generating capacity of 2,600,000 kilowatts. The facility will have an impact on Hawkins, Greene and Sullivan counties with 2,500 construction employees, a permanent work force of 300, increased availability of energy to stimulate new capital investment and the local government will need to deal with these. This report analyzed the facilities of each community in the impacted area and recommended certain action for infrastructure acquisition or improvements

Unlocking the Euro 53 billion savings from smart meters in the EU: How increasing the adoption of dynamic tariffs could make or break the EU's smart grid investment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Faruqui, Ahmad, E-mail: ahmad.faruqui@brattle.co [Brattle Group, 353 Sacramento Street, Suite 1140, San Francisco, CA 94111 (United States); Harris, Dan, E-mail: Dan.Harris@brattle.co [Via Pozzuoli 7, Scala B3, Rome 00182 (Italy); Hledik, Ryan, E-mail: Ryan.Hledik@brattle.co [Brattle Group, 353 Sacramento Street, Suite 1140, San Francisco, CA 94111 (United States)

2010-10-15

We estimate the cost of installing smart meters in the EU to be Euro 51 billion, and that operational savings will be worth between Euro 26 and 41 billion, leaving a gap of Euro 10-25 billion between benefits and costs. Smart meters can fill this gap because they enable the provision of dynamic pricing, which reduces peak demand and lowers the need for building and running expensive peaking power plants. The present value of savings in peaking infrastructure could be as high as Euro 67 billion for the EU if policy-makers can overcome barriers to consumers adopting dynamic tariffs, but only Euro 14 billion otherwise. We outline a number of ways to increase the adoption of dynamic tariffs.

The Persistence of Long Work Hours

OpenAIRE

Robert Drago; David Black; Mark Wooden

2005-01-01

Previous research hypothesizes that long working hours are related to consumerism, the ideal worker norm, high levels of human capital, and a high cost-of-job-loss. The authors test these hypotheses using panel data on working hours for an Australian sample of full-time employed workers. Analyses include a static cross-sectional model and a persistence model for long hours over time. The results suggest that long hours (50 or more hours in a usual week) are often persistent, and provide stron...

10 CFR Appendix A1 to Subpart B of... - Uniform Test Method for Measuring the Energy Consumption of Electric Refrigerators and Electric...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... equivalent to: ET=(1440 × EP1/T1) + (EP2F − (EPF × T2/T1)) × 12/CTF + (EP2R − (EPR × T3/T1)) × 12/CTR Where 1440, EP1, T1, EP2, 12, and CT are defined in 5.2.1.2 EPF = energy expended in kilowatt-hours during...

10 CFR 26.205 - Work hours.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... an 8-hour break between successive work periods when a break of less than 10 hours is necessary to...) Individuals who are working 8-hour shift schedules shall have at least 1 day off per week, averaged over the shift cycle; (ii) Individuals who are working 10-hour shift schedules shall have at least 2 days off per...

Three Mile Island - The hour-by-hour account of what really happened

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stephens, M.

1980-01-01

An hour-by-hour account is given of the progression of events leading up to and during the accident at the Three Mile Island Unit 2 reactor. The emergency procedures followed, the evacuation of local residents and the decisions taken as the possibility of a meltdown became apparent are recorded in detail together with aspects of the media coverage and the problems of communication. (U.K.)

Data report for the Southwest Residential Experiment Station, January 1982

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lieberman, M.; Hai, O. Y.; Hocking, G.; Whitaker, C.

1982-02-23

Physical performance data obtained from the photovoltaic energy systems under test at the Southwest Residential Experiment Station in Las Cruces, New Mexico are tabulated and graphed for the month of January, 1982. Data drawn from the Residential Data System (RDS) appears in several formats. A one-page summary is provided as well as a more detailed hour-by-hour tabulation for an average day of the month. Energy histograms are provided, based on RDS data and recording kilowatt hour meters. The histograms also present horizontal and plane-of-array insolation data as well as comments that explain data and/or energy production anomalies. (LEW)

Constraint on a Varying Proton-Electron Mass Ratio 1.5 Billion Years after the Big Bang

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bagdonaite, J.; Ubachs, W.M.G.; Murphy, M.T.; Withmore, J.B.

2015-01-01

A molecular hydrogen absorber at a lookback time of 12.4 billion years, corresponding to 10% of the age of the Universe today, is analyzed to put a constraint on a varying proton-electron mass ratio, μ. A high resolution spectrum of the J1443+2724 quasar, which was observed with the Very Large

Hourly Precipitation Data (HPD) Publication

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Hourly Precipitation Data (HPD) Publication is archived and available from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). This publication contains hourly precipitation...

Projecting the Water and Electric Consumption of Polytechnic University of the Philippines

Science.gov (United States)

Urrutia, Jackie D.; Mercado, Joseph; Bautista, Lincoln A.; Baccay, Edcon B.

2017-03-01

This study investigates water and electric consumption in Polytechnic University of the Philippines - Sta. Mesa using a time series analysis. The researchers analyzed the water and electric usage separately. Electric consumption was examined in terms of pesos and kilowatt-hour, while water consumption was analyzed in pesos and cubic meter. The data are gathered from the university limited only from January 2009 to July 2015 in a monthly based record. The aim is to forecast the water and electric usage of the university for the years 2016 and 2017. There are two main statistical treatments that the researchers conducted to be able to formulate mathematical models that can estimate the water and electric consumption of the said school. Using Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA), electric usage was forecasted in peso and kilowatt-hour, and water usage in peso and cubic meter. Moreover, the predicted values of the consumptions are compared to the actual values using Paired T-test to examine whether there is a significant difference. Forecasting accurately the water and electric consumption would be helpful to manage the budget allotted for the water and electric consumption of PUP - Sta. Mesa for the next two years.

Long working hours and cancer risk

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heikkila, Katriina; Nyberg, Solja T.; Madsen, Ida E. H.

2016-01-01

in 116 462 men and women who were free of cancer at baseline. Incident cancers were ascertained from national cancer, hospitalisation and death registers; weekly working hours were self-reported. Results: During median follow-up of 10.8 years, 4371 participants developed cancer (n colorectal cancer: 393......Background: Working longer than the maximum recommended hours is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but the relationship of excess working hours with incident cancer is unclear. Methods: This multi-cohort study examined the association between working hours and cancer risk......; n lung cancer: 247; n breast cancer: 833; and n prostate cancer: 534). We found no clear evidence for an association between working hours and the overall cancer risk. Working hours were also unrelated the risk of incident colorectal, lung or prostate cancers. Working greater than or equal to55 h...

Energy price, Environmental policy, and technological bias of photovoltaics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stambouli, A. Boudghene; Larbi, N.; Traversa, E.

2006-01-01

Energy is the most important resource for the development of a country and the utilisation of energy per capita is increasing tremendously. In fact energy security, economic growth and environmental protection (the three E's) are the national energy policy drivers of any country of the world. Utilisation on conventional energy will course environment pollution such as major environmental accidents, water pollution, maritime pollution, land use and sitting impact, radiation and radioactivity, solid waste disposal, hazardous air pollutions, ambient air quality (CO, CO2, SOx, NOx effluent gas emissions), acid rain, stratospheric ozone depletion, and global warming. The world's energy consumption today is estimated to 40 billion kWh per year, about 10 billion metric tons carbon equivalent of greenhouse gas emission are released in the atmosphere to meet this energy demand. Approximately 80% is due to carbon emissions from the combustion of energy fuels. In fact 14 billion tons of greenhouse gas, that contributes to global warming entered the atmosphere in 2003. World Energy Council (WEC) study found that without any change in our current practice, the world energy demand expectation in 2020 would be 53 billion kWh or 50 to 80% higher than 1990 levels. Such ever-increasing demand could place significant strain on the current energy infrastructure and potentially damage the world environment and people's health with over 700.000 deaths resulting each year, according to the World Bank. World emissions of carbon are expected to increase by 54% above 1990 levels by 2020 making the earth likely a warm 1.7-4.9 degree centigrade over the period 1990-2100. During the past century, global surface temperatures have increased at a rate near 0.6 degree centigrade/century. This trend has dramatically increased during the past 25 years and the average temperature of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans has risen by 0.06 degree centigrade since 1995. Global temperatures in 2001were

CORRELATION OF SPOT URINE ALBUMIN AND 12-HOUR URINE PROTEIN WITH 24-HOUR URINE PROTEIN IN PRE-ECLAMPSIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Vinayachandran

2017-11-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Pre-eclampsia is defined as the development of new-onset hypertension in the second half of pregnancy often accompanied by new-onset proteinuria with other signs and symptoms. Proteinuria is defined by the excretion of 300 mg or more of protein in a 24-hour urine collection. To avoid time consumed in collection of 24-hour urine specimens, efforts have been made to develop faster methods to determine concentration of urine protein. Preliminary studies have suggested that 12-hour urine protein collection maybe adequate for evaluation of pre-eclampsia with advantage of early diagnosis and treatment of pre-eclampsia as well as potential for early hospital discharge and increased compliance with specimen collection. The aim of the study is to evaluate and correlate spot urine albumin and 12-hour urine protein with 24-hour urine protein in pre-eclampsia. MATERIALS AND METHODS A diagnostic evaluation study- a 24-hour urine protein, 12-hour urine protein and spot urine albumin results are analysed. Correlation of 12-hour urine protein and spot urine albumin with 24-hour urine protein is analysed using SPSS software. The strength of correlation was measured by Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r. Student’s t-test and Chi-square tests were used to compare patients with and without 24-hour urine protein ≥300 mg. Probability value of 165 mg with 24-hour urine protein ≥300 mg suggest that this test has role in the evaluation of women with suspected pre-eclampsia and could be substituted for 24-hour urine protein as a simple, faster and cheaper method.

US Naval Observatory Hourly Observations

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Hourly observations journal from the National Observatory in Washington DC. The observatory is the first station in the United States to produce hourly observations...

Hours Constraints Within and Between Jobs

OpenAIRE

Euwals, R.W.

1997-01-01

In the empirical literature on labour supply, several models are developed to incorporate constraints on working hours. These models do not address the question to which extent working hours are constrained within and between jobs. In this paper I investigate the effect of individual changes in labour supply preferences on actual working hours. The availability of subjective information on the individual’s preferred working hours gives direct measures on the degree of adjustment of working ho...

Long hours in paid and domestic work and subsequent sickness absence: does control over daily working hours matter?

Science.gov (United States)

Ala-Mursula, L; Vahtera, J; Kouvonen, A; Väänänen, A; Linna, A; Pentti, J; Kivimäki, M

2006-09-01

To explore the associations of working hours (paid, domestic, commuting, and total) with sickness absence, and to examine whether these associations vary according to the level of employee control over daily working hours. Prospective cohort study among 25 703 full-time public sector employees in 10 towns in Finland. A survey of working hours and control over working hours was carried out in 2000-01. The survey responses were linked with register data on the number of self-certified (3 days) sickness absences until the end of 2003. Poisson regression analyses with generalised estimating equations were used to take into account the fact that the employees were nested within work units. Adjustments were made for work and family characteristics and health behaviour. The mean follow-up period was 28.1 (SD 8.1) months. Long domestic and total working hours were associated with higher rates of medically certified sickness absences among both genders. In contrast, long paid working hours were associated with lower rates of subsequent self-certified sickness absences. Long commuting hours were related to increased rates of sickness absence of both types. Low control over daily working hours predicted medically certified sickness absences for both the women and men and self-certified absences for the men. In combinations, high control over working hours reduced the adverse associations of long domestic and total working hours with medically certified absences. Employee control over daily working hours may protect health and help workers successfully combine a full-time job with the demands of domestic work.

Heart Rate Variability in Obstetricians Working 14-Hour Call Compared to 24-Hour Call in Labour and Delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Thurman, Robin H; Yoon, Eugene; Murphy, Kellie E; Windrim, Rory; Farrugia, M Michéle

2017-12-01

Obstetricians have stressful and demanding jobs that may impact their health. A physiological measurement of cardiac function which varies with stress is heart rate variability (HRV). By measuring the cyclic variations in R-R intervals, or beat-to-beat differences, HRV reflects the continuous interplay of the controlling forces in the autonomic nervous system. Studies have shown HRV to be reduced during periods of work-induced stress, including 24-hour shifts. Our study aimed to determine if there was a correlation between length of shift worked and HRV. We hypothesised that working for a full 24-hour period is more stressful than a shorter, nighttime-only period, and HRV analyses were used to measure this objectively. Obstetricians wore an HRV monitor for 24 hours during both a regular day followed by a 14-hour night shift and a continuous 24-hour shift in labour and delivery. The 24-hour samples were analysed using standard HRV measurements. HRV measurements obtained from each physician were then compared according to shift type, with each physician acting as his or her own comparator. There were no statistically significant differences in the most important measures of HRV between 24-hour periods which included either a 14-hour overnight shift or a continuous 24-hour shift on labour and delivery. We found no significant differences in key HRV measures in obstetricians working 14 hours versus 24 hours in labour and delivery. An anecdotal increase in physician awareness of his/her own health related to working conditions was noted during the study. Future studies should attempt to control for the hours prior to a night shift, assess associated endocrine variations, and focus upon HRV in the post-shift period. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Energy Transition Initiative: Island Energy Snapshot - Federated States of Micronesia; U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2015-06-01

This profile provides a snapshot of the energy landscape of the Federated States of Micronesia, a sovereign nation and U.S.-associated state in the western Pacific Ocean. The Federated States of Micronesia’s electricity rates for residential customers exceed $0.48 U.S. dollars (USD)/per kilowatt-hour (kWh), nearly four times the average U.S. residential rate of $0.13 USD/kWh.

The EPR operators are trained on simulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maincent, G.

2009-01-01

Three years before the EPR reactor of Flamanville (Normandie, France) is generating its very first kilowatt hours, Electricite de France has started to train its teams on a simulator which reproduces the man-machine interface of the future nuclear power plant. The simulator used is an evolutive tool specific to the Flamanville reactor and capable to test about 20 different accidental situations. (J.S.)

Megacity Green Infrastructure Converts Water into Billions of Dollars in Ecosystem Services

Science.gov (United States)

Endreny, T. A.; Ulgiati, S.; Santagata, R.

2016-12-01

Cities can invest in green infrastructure to purposefully couple water with urban tree growth, thereby generating ecosystem services and supporting human wellbeing as advocated by United Nations sustainable development initiatives. This research estimates the value of tree-based ecosystem services in order to help megacities assess the benefits relative to the costs of such investments. We inventoried tree cover across the metropolitan area of 10 megacities, in 5 continents and biomes, and developed biophysical scaling equations using i-Tree tools to estimate the tree cover value to reductions in air pollution, stormwater, building energy, and carbon emissions. Metropolitan areas ranged from 1173 to 18,720 sq km (median value 2530 sq km), with median tree cover 21%, and potential additional tree cover 19%, of this area. Median tree cover density was 39 m2/capita (compared with global value of 7800 m2/capita), with lower density in desert and tropical biomes, and higher density in temperate biomes. Using water to support trees led to median benefits of 1.2 billion/yr from reductions in CO, NO2, SO2, PM10, and PM2.5, 27 million/yr in avoided stormwater processing by wastewater facilities, 1.2 million/yr in building energy heating and cooling savings, and 20 million/yr in CO2 sequestration. These ecosystem service benefits contributed between 0.1% and 1% of megacity GDP, with a median contribution of 0.3%. Adjustment of benefit value between different city economies considered factors such as purchasing power parity and emergy to money ratio conversions. Green infrastructure costs billions of dollars less than grey infrastructure, and stormwater based grey infrastructure provides fewer benefits. This analysis suggests megacities should invest in tree-based green infrastructure to maintain and increase ecosystem service benefits, manage their water resources, and improve human wellbeing.

Duty Hour Reporting: Conflicting Values in Professionalism.

Science.gov (United States)

Byrne, John M; Loo, Lawrence K; Giang, Dan W

2015-09-01

Duty hour limits challenge professional values, sometimes forcing residents to choose between patient care and regulatory compliance. This may affect truthfulness in duty hour reporting. We assessed residents' reasons for falsifying duty hour reports. We surveyed residents in 1 sponsoring institution to explore the reasons for noncompliance, frequency of violations, falsification of reports, and the residents' awareness of the option to extend hours to care for a single patient. The analysis used descriptive statistics. Linear regression was used to explore falsification of duty hour reports by year of training. The response rate was 88% (572 of 650). Primary reasons for duty hour violations were number of patients (19%) and individual patient acuity/complexity (19%). Junior residents were significantly more likely to falsify duty hours (R = -0.966). Of 124 residents who acknowledged falsification, 51 (41%) identified the primary reason as concern that the program will be in jeopardy of violating the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) duty hour limits followed by fear of punishment (34, 27%). This accounted for more than two-thirds of the primary reasons for falsification. Residents' falsification of duty hour data appears to be motivated by concerns about adverse actions from the ACGME, and fear they might be punished. To foster professionalism, we recommend that sponsoring institutions educate residents about professionalism in duty hour reporting. The ACGME should also convey the message that duty hour limits be applied in a no-blame systems-based approach, and allow junior residents to extend duty hours for the care of individual patients.

46 CFR 15.710 - Working hours.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Working hours. 15.710 Section 15.710 Shipping COAST... Limitations and Qualifying Factors § 15.710 Working hours. In addition to prescribing watch requirements, 46 U.S.C. 8104 sets limitations on the working hours of credentialed officers and crew members...

75 FR 285 - Hours of Service

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-05

... flexibility would not increase safety risks or adversely impact driver health? 3. How many hours per day and... period long enough to provide restorative sleep regardless of the number of hours worked prior to the... No. FMCSA-2004-19608] RIN 2126-AB26 Hours of Service AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety...

Comparison of electricity prices in major North American cities : rates effective May 1, 2001

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

This report presents the major findings of a comparative evaluation of electricity prices in major North American cities, by customer category, based on rates in effect on May 1, 2001. Besides Hydro-Quebec, the comparison includes 21 utilities, of which 11 serve the major cities across Canada and 10 utilities located in 10 American states. Hydro-Quebec is one of the largest electric utilities in North America with one of the most extensive systems. Of the 190 billion kilowatt-hours delivered annually, 37 billion are exported to neighbouring provinces in Canada and to the United States. 93 per cent of the generating facilities are hydroelectric. The report covers consumption levels, taxes, optional programs, location, time-of-use rates, exchange rates, and other factors that affect electricity prices such as fuel adjustment clauses for utilities that produce electricity in thermal power plants. It was noted that Hydro-Quebec has frozen its rates until April 2002, keeping them at the same level as those set on May 1, 1998. The report showed that Hydro-Quebec has maintained a competitive position at a level similar to or better than previous years. Three of the 11 Canadian utilities implemented rate increases between May 1, 2000 and May 1, 2001, and 2 utilities reduced their rates. Two utilities modified their rate structure following deregulation. During the same time period, 3 of the 10 utilities in the United States increased their rates, and one reduced them. The rates in the United States varied regardless of increases or freezes because many utilities had incorporated adjustment clauses. Quebec residential consumers enjoy the second lowest rates in North America. Only Winnipeg ranked higher. Hydro-Quebec has also remained competitive when it comes to small, medium and large power customers. It ranked fifth for small power customers, third for medium power customers, and third for large power customers. tabs., figs., appendices

On the Path to SunShot. The Environmental and Public Health Benefits of Achieving High Solar Penetrations in the United States

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiser, Ryan [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Mai, Trieu [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Millstein, Dev [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Macknick, Jordan [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Carpenter, Alberta [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Cohen, Stuart [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Cole, Wesley [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Frew, Bethany [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Heath, Garvin [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2016-05-01

Compared with fossil fuel generators, photovoltaics (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) produce far lower lifecycle levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and harmful pollutants including fine particular matter (PM2.5), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and nitrogen oxides (NO_x). In this report, we monetize the emission reductions from achieving the U.S. Department of Energy's SunShot deployment goals: 14% of U.S. electricity demand met by solar in 2030 and 27% in 2050. We estimate that achieving these goals could reduce cumulative power-sector GHG emissions by 10% between 2015 and 2050, resulting in savings of $238-$252 billion. This is equivalent to 2.0-2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour of solar installed (cents/kWh-solar). Similarly, realizing these levels of solar deployment could reduce cumulative power-sector emissions of PM2.5 by 8%, SO₂ by 9%, and NOx by 11% between 2015 and 2050. This could produce $167 billion in savings from lower future health and environmental damages, or 1.4 cents/kWh-solar--while also preventing 25,000-59,000 premature deaths. To put this in perspective, this estimated combined benefit of 3.5 cents/kWh-solar due to SunShot-level solar deployment is approximately equal to the additional levelized cost of electricity reduction needed to make unsubsidized utility-scale solar competitive with conventional generators today. In addition, the analysis shows that achieving the SunShot goals could save 4% of total power-sector water withdrawals and 9% of total power-sector water consumption over the 2015-2050 period--a particularly important consideration for arid states where substantial solar will be deployed. These results have potential implications for policy innovation and the economic competitiveness of solar and other generation technologies.

An ultraluminous quasar with a twelve-billion-solar-mass black hole at redshift 6.30.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Xue-Bing; Wang, Feige; Fan, Xiaohui; Yi, Weimin; Zuo, Wenwen; Bian, Fuyan; Jiang, Linhua; McGreer, Ian D; Wang, Ran; Yang, Jinyi; Yang, Qian; Thompson, David; Beletsky, Yuri

2015-02-26

So far, roughly 40 quasars with redshifts greater than z = 6 have been discovered. Each quasar contains a black hole with a mass of about one billion solar masses (10(9) M Sun symbol). The existence of such black holes when the Universe was less than one billion years old presents substantial challenges to theories of the formation and growth of black holes and the coevolution of black holes and galaxies. Here we report the discovery of an ultraluminous quasar, SDSS J010013.02+280225.8, at redshift z = 6.30. It has an optical and near-infrared luminosity a few times greater than those of previously known z > 6 quasars. On the basis of the deep absorption trough on the blue side of the Lyman-α emission line in the spectrum, we estimate the proper size of the ionized proximity zone associated with the quasar to be about 26 million light years, larger than found with other z > 6.1 quasars with lower luminosities. We estimate (on the basis of a near-infrared spectrum) that the black hole has a mass of ∼1.2 × 10(10) M Sun symbol, which is consistent with the 1.3 × 10(10) M Sun symbol derived by assuming an Eddington-limited accretion rate.

Poorer Health – Shorter Hours? Health and Flexibility of Hours of Work

OpenAIRE

Geyer, Johannes; Myck, Michal

2010-01-01

We analyse the role of health in determining the difference between desired and actual hours of work in a sample of German men using the Socio-Economic Panel Data for years 1996-2007. The effects of both self-assessed health and legal disability status are examined. About 60% of employees report working more than they would wish with the mean difference of -3.9 hours/week. We estimate static and dynamic model specifications allowing for auto-regressive nature of the dependent variable and tes...

[Relationships between walking hours, sleeping hours, meaningfulness of life (ikigai) and mortality in the elderly: prospective cohort study].

Science.gov (United States)

Seki, N

2001-07-01

The purpose of this study was to determine lifestyle factors in the elderly that affected longevity, using a population-based prospective study. The participants were 440 men and 625 women aged 60 to 74 living in a rural Japanese community. The baseline data such as age, sex, present illness, walking hours per day, sleeping hours per day, alcohol consumption, a history of smoking, and "ikigai" (meaningfulness of life) were collected in July 1990. During 90 months of follow-up from July 1990 to December 31 1997, there were 123 deaths. By Cox's multivariate hazard model adjusted age, sex, and medical histories, walking > or = 1 hour/day (HR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.44-0.91) and an "ikigai" (HR = 0.66, 95% CI 0.44-0.99) lowered the risk for all-cause mortality independently. In regard to hours of sleep, the cumulative survival curve showed that 7 hours/day was the border and sleeping > or = 7 hours/day lowered the risk (HR = 0.49 95% CI 0.33-0.74). Based on the findings in this study, walking > or = 1 hour/day, sleeping > or = 7 hours/day, and "ikigai" are important factors for longevity in the elderly.

Atrial Fibrillation Detection During 24-Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring: Comparison With 24-Hour Electrocardiography.

Science.gov (United States)

Kollias, Anastasios; Destounis, Antonios; Kalogeropoulos, Petros; Kyriakoulis, Konstantinos G; Ntineri, Angeliki; Stergiou, George S

2018-07-01

This study assessed the diagnostic accuracy of a novel 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) monitor (Microlife WatchBP O3 Afib) with implemented algorithm for automated atrial fibrillation (AF) detection during each ABP measurement. One hundred subjects (mean age 70.6±8.2 [SD] years; men 53%; hypertensives 85%; 17 with permanent AF; 4 paroxysmal AF; and 79 non-AF) had simultaneous 24-hour ABP monitoring and 24-hour Holter monitoring. Among a total of 6410 valid ABP readings, 1091 (17%) were taken in ECG AF rhythm. In reading-to-reading ABP analysis, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of ABP monitoring in detecting AF were 93%, 87%, and 88%, respectively. In non-AF subjects, 12.8% of the 24-hour ABP readings indicated false-positive AF, of whom 27% were taken during supraventricular premature beats. There was a strong association between the proportion of false-positive AF readings and that of supraventricular premature beats ( r =0.67; P ABP monitoring had 100%/85% sensitivity/specificity (area under the curve 0.91; P ABP monitor with AF detector has high sensitivity and moderate specificity for AF screening during routine ABP monitoring. Thus, in elderly hypertensives, a 24-hour ABP recording with at least 26% of the readings suggesting AF indicates a high probability for AF diagnosis and should be regarded as an indication for performing 24-hour Holter monitoring. © 2018 American Heart Association, Inc.

U.S. Billion-Ton Update: Biomass Supply for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Downing, Mark [ORNL; Eaton, Laurence M [ORNL; Graham, Robin Lambert [ORNL; Langholtz, Matthew H [ORNL; Perlack, Robert D [ORNL; Turhollow Jr, Anthony F [ORNL; Stokes, Bryce [Navarro Research & Engineering; Brandt, Craig C [ORNL

2011-08-01

The report, Biomass as Feedstock for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry: The Technical Feasibility of a Billion-Ton Annual Supply (generally referred to as the Billion-Ton Study or 2005 BTS), was an estimate of 'potential' biomass based on numerous assumptions about current and future inventory, production capacity, availability, and technology. The analysis was made to determine if conterminous U.S. agriculture and forestry resources had the capability to produce at least one billion dry tons of sustainable biomass annually to displace 30% or more of the nation's present petroleum consumption. An effort was made to use conservative estimates to assure confidence in having sufficient supply to reach the goal. The potential biomass was projected to be reasonably available around mid-century when large-scale biorefineries are likely to exist. The study emphasized primary sources of forest- and agriculture-derived biomass, such as logging residues, fuel treatment thinnings, crop residues, and perennially grown grasses and trees. These primary sources have the greatest potential to supply large, reliable, and sustainable quantities of biomass. While the primary sources were emphasized, estimates of secondary residue and tertiary waste resources of biomass were also provided. The original Billion-Ton Resource Assessment, published in 2005, was divided into two parts-forest-derived resources and agriculture-derived resources. The forest resources included residues produced during the harvesting of merchantable timber, forest residues, and small-diameter trees that could become available through initiatives to reduce fire hazards and improve forest health; forest residues from land conversion; fuelwood extracted from forests; residues generated at primary forest product processing mills; and urban wood wastes, municipal solid wastes (MSW), and construction and demolition (C&D) debris. For these forest resources, only residues, wastes, and small

Hollow fiber contractors for simultaneous SO{sub x}/NO{sub x} removal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bhown, A.S.; Pakala, N.R.; Riggs, T. [SRI International, Menlo Park, CA (United States)] [and others

1995-11-01

Control of SO{sub x} and NO{sub x} emissions from coal-fired utility and industrial boilers is a topic of growing national and international importance. Whereas a host of commercial and semicommercial processes exist, increasingly stringent emission standards mandate that processes be low cost, highly efficient, and, ideally, produce marketable byproducts. Although a wide range of site-specific economic factors dictate the best choice of SO{sub x} and NO{sub x} control, removal of SO{sub 2} by wet limestone scrubbing and removal of NO{sub x} by selective catalytic reduction (SCR) are regarded as the best commercialized technologies for this application. A typical wet limestone plant requires approximately $100 to $120 of capital investment per kilowatt of electric power generating capacity and has power and miscellaneous operating costs in the range of 5 to 6 mils per kilowatt hour (kWh). The SCR process requires approximately $70 to $100 of capital investment per kilowatt of electric power generating capacity. Its operating costs, including ammonia consumption, is in the range of 1.8 to 2.2 mils per kWh. These costs can add approximately 20% to the final cost of generated electricity, a significant burden on rate payers.

48 CFR 552.236-74 - Working Hours.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Working Hours. 552.236-74... Hours. As prescribed in 536.570-5, insert the following clause: Working Hours (APR 1984) (a) It is contemplated that all work will be performed during the customary working hours of the trades involved unless...

Living hours under pressure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ilsøe, Anna; Larsen, Trine Pernille; Felbo-Kolding, Jonas

2017-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of part-time work on absolute wages. The empirical focus is wages and working hours in three selected sectors within private services in the Danish labour market – industrial cleaning, retail, hotels and restaurants – and their agreem......Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of part-time work on absolute wages. The empirical focus is wages and working hours in three selected sectors within private services in the Danish labour market – industrial cleaning, retail, hotels and restaurants...... in industrial cleaning includes a minimum floor of 15 weekly working hours – this is not the case in retail, hotels and restaurants. This creates a loophole in the latter two sectors that can be exploited by employers to gain wage flexibility through part-time work. Originality/value The living wage literature...

Extended working hours: Impacts on workers

Science.gov (United States)

D. Mitchell; T. Gallagher

2010-01-01

Some logging business owners are trying to manage their equipment assets by increasing the scheduled machine hours. The intent is to maximize the total tons produced by a set of equipment. This practice is referred to as multi-shifting, double-shifting, or extended working hours. One area often overlooked is the impact that working non-traditional hours can have on...

Changing the formula of residents' work hours in internal medicine: moving from "years in training" to "hours in training".

Science.gov (United States)

Mansi, Ishak A

2011-03-01

In a recent report, the Institute of Medicine recommended more restrictions on residents' working hours. Several problems exist with a system that places a weekly limit on resident duty hours: (1) it assumes the presence of a linear relationship between hours of work and patient safety; (2) it fails to consider differences in intensity among programs; and (3) it does not address increases in the scientific content of medicine, and it places the burden of enforcing the duty hour limits on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. An innovative method of calculating credit hours for graduate medical education would shift the focus from "years of residency" to "hours of residency." For example, internal medicine residents would be requested to spend 8640 hours of total training hours (assuming 60 hours per week for 48 weeks annually) instead of the traditional 3 years. This method of counting training hours is used by other professions, such as the Intern Development Program of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. The proposed approach would allow residents and program directors to pace training based on individual capabilities. Standards for resident education should include the average number of patients treated in each setting (inpatient or outpatient). A possible set of "multipliers" based on these parameters, and possibly others such as resident evaluation, is devised to calculate the "final adjusted accredited hours" that count toward graduation. Substituting "years of training" with "hours of training" may resolve many of the concerns with the current residency education model, as well as adapt to the demands of residents' personal lives. It also may allow residents to pace their training according to their capabilities and learning styles, and contribute to reflective learning and better quality education.

2016 Billion-Ton Report: Environmental Sustainability Effects of Select Scenarios from Volume 1 (Volume 2)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Efroymson, R. A. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Langholtz, M. H. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Johnson, K. E. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Stokes, B. J. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2017-01-13

On behalf of all the authors and contributors, it is a great privilege to present the 2016 Billion-Ton Report (BT16), volume 2: Environmental Sustainability Effects of Select Scenarios from volume 1. This report represents the culmination of several years of collaborative effort among national laboratories, government agencies, academic institutions, and industry. BT16 was developed to support the U.S. Department of Energy’s efforts towards national goals of energy security and associated quality of life.

Germany: the year one for the photovoltaic; Allemagne: l'an 1 du photovoltaique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Piro, P.

2000-04-01

In Germany the state equips the solar industry with true economic tools to promote this energy development. The project called ''100000 solar roofs'', provides for financial assistance to solar investment by the way of 0% loan. Recently (june 1999) a new law fixed a very weak purchase price of the kilowatt-hour. These financing leads to the start of the solar industry. (A.L.B.)

Electric motors in the focus; Elektroantrieb im Focus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wilms, Jan

2013-05-15

In August 2013, the first electric series production model of Ford comes to the market: the Focus Electric. A 23-kWh lithium-ion battery supplies the 107 kilowatts (145 hp) electric motor of the Focus Electric with energy. This battery enables a range of 162 kilometers and a limited top speed of 136 kilometers per hour. However, with 40,000 Euro this electric-powered vehicles is too expensive.

MOD-2 wind turbine system concept and preliminary design report. Volume 2: Detailed report

Science.gov (United States)

1979-01-01

The configuration development of the MOD-2 wind turbine system (WTS) is documented. The MOD-2 WTS project is a continuation of DOE programs to develop and achieve early commercialization of wind energy. The MOD-2 is design optimized for commercial production rates which, in multiunit installations, will be integrated into a utility power grid and achieve a cost of electricity at less than four cents per kilowatt hour.

Logistics analysis in support of DOE fee adequacy report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McNair, G.W.; Wood, T.W.; Shay, M.R.; Cashwell, J.W.

1985-01-01

In compliance with the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, the US Department of Energy is required to determine annually the adequacy of the 1-mil per kilowatt-hour fee assessment of nuclear power plants. To support this determination, a series of analyses were performed to detail the anticipated costs that will be incurred to provide transportation equipment and services. The results of these analyses are documented in this presentation

Long working hours and depressive symptoms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Virtanen, Marianna; Jokela, Markus; Madsen, Ida Eh

2018-01-01

Objectives This systematic review and meta-analysis combined published study-level data and unpublished individual-participant data with the aim of quantifying the relation between long working hours and the onset of depressive symptoms. Methods We searched PubMed and Embase for published....... In the majority of cohorts, long working hours was defined as working ≥55 hours per week. In multivariable-adjusted meta-analyses of 189 729 participants from 35 countries [96 275 men, 93 454 women, follow-up ranging from 1-5 years, 21 747 new-onset cases), there was an overall association of 1.14 (95% confidence...... interval (CI) 1.03-1.25] between long working hours and the onset of depressive symptoms, with significant evidence of heterogeneity (I 2=45.1%, P=0.004). A moderate association between working hours and depressive symptoms was found in Asian countries (1.50, 95% CI 1.13-2.01), a weaker association...

Long working hours and depressive symptoms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Virtanen, Marianna; Jokela, Markus; Madsen, Ida Eh

2018-01-01

. In the majority of cohorts, long working hours was defined as working ≥55 hours per week. In multivariable-adjusted meta-analyses of 189 729 participants from 35 countries [96 275 men, 93 454 women, follow-up ranging from 1-5 years, 21 747 new-onset cases), there was an overall association of 1.14 (95% confidence......Objectives This systematic review and meta-analysis combined published study-level data and unpublished individual-participant data with the aim of quantifying the relation between long working hours and the onset of depressive symptoms. Methods We searched PubMed and Embase for published...... interval (CI) 1.03-1.25] between long working hours and the onset of depressive symptoms, with significant evidence of heterogeneity (I 2=45.1%, P=0.004). A moderate association between working hours and depressive symptoms was found in Asian countries (1.50, 95% CI 1.13-2.01), a weaker association...

75 FR 82170 - Hours of Service of Drivers

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-29

... drivers to take breaks when needed and would reduce safety and health risks associated with long hours... long work hours, without significantly compromising their ability to do their jobs and earn a living... between hours 3.5 and 7 of an 11-hour driving period. Working beyond the 7th hour without a break is...

Long Work Hours: Volunteers and Conscripts

OpenAIRE

Robert Drago; Mark Wooden; David Black

2006-01-01

Panel data from Australia are used to study the prevalence of work hours mismatch among long hours workers and, more importantly, how that mismatch persists and changes over time, and what factors are associated with these changes. Particular attention is paid to the roles played by household debt, ideal worker characteristics and gender. Both static and dynamic multinomial logit models are estimated, with the dependent variable distinguishing long hours workers from other workers, and within...

Preferred vs Actual Working Hours in Couple Households

OpenAIRE

Yi-Ping Tseng; Mark Wooden

2005-01-01

Working hours in Australia are quite widely distributed around the population mean. That is, there are relatively many people working both relatively short hours and relatively long hours each week. From a welfare perspective, however, it is not the actual number of hours worked that is of importance, but whether the hours being worked are consistent with individual preferences. In this paper the question of how closely hours preferences are being met is examined using data collected in the f...

Work Hours Constraints: Impacts and Policy Implications

OpenAIRE

Constant, Amelie F.; Otterbach, Steffen

2011-01-01

If individuals reveal their preference as consumers, then they are taken seriously. What happens if individuals, as employees, reveal their preferences in working hours? And what happens if there is a misalignment between actual hours worked and preferred hours, the so-called work hours constraints? How does this affect the productivity of workers, their health, and overall life satisfaction? Labor supply and corresponding demand are fundamental to production. Labor economists know for long t...

Breaking the Long Hours Culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Kodz, J.; Kersley, B.; Strebler, M. T.; O'Regan, S.

Case studies of 12 leading British employers were driven by employers' interest in issues related to working long hours in light of introduction of the Working Time Directive, a European Community initiative enacted into British law that sets limits on working hours per week. Data showed over one-fourth of full-time employees worked over 48 hours…

ICI bites demerger bullet, Zeneca guns for Brit-pounds 1.3-billion rights issue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jackson, D.; Alperowicz, N.

1993-01-01

Any lingering doubts as to ICI's (London) intentions to follow through its demerger proposals were dispelled last week. The company will hive off its bioscience business into Zeneca Group plc, which will make a Brit-pounds 1.3-billion ($1.9 billion) rights issue in June 1993. Shareholders, whose approval for the historic move will be sought in late May, will receive one fully paid Zeneca share for each ICI share. Proceeds from the rights issue will be used to reduce Zeneca's indebtedness to ICI by about 70%. Acknowledging that ICI had 'spread the jam too thinly' during its expansion in the 1980s, chief executive Ronnie Hampel says the new ICI will be a cost-conscious, no-frills' organization and that businesses that failed to perform would be restructured or closed. He is 'not expecting any help from the economy' in 1993. Of ICI's remaining petrochemicals and plastics businesses, Hampel says that despite 'stringent measures to reduce the cost base hor-ellipsis it is clear they will not reach a return on capital that will justify reinvestment by ICI.' He does not see them as closure candidates but as 'businesses that will require further restructuring.' Hampel notes 'a dozen clearly identified areas for expansion,' including paints, catalysts, titanium dioxide, and chlorofluorocarbon replacements. Losses in materials, where substantial rationalization has failed to halt the slide, will be reduced on completion of the DuPont deal - expected by midyear. 'Further measures' would be necessary for the 'residual bit of advanced materials in the US,' he says

Working hours: Past, present, and future

OpenAIRE

Dolton, Peter

2017-01-01

Working hours across the world are falling, but considerable variation remains. In some countries people work 70% more hours per year, on average, than in other countries. Much of this variation is due to differences in the prevalence of part-time work and patterns of female labor market participation. Looking ahead, the question of how reducing working hours will affect productivity is significant. In addition, how individuals divide up their leisure and work time and what the appropriate wo...

Making residency work hour rules work.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, I Glenn; Czeisler, Charles A; Landrigan, Christopher P

2013-01-01

In July 2011, the ACGME implemented new rules that limit interns to 16 hours of work in a row, but continue to allow 2nd-year and higher resident physicians to work for up to 28 consecutive hours. Whether the ACGME's 2011 work hour limits went too far or did not go far enough has been hotly debated. In this article, we do not seek to re-open the debate about whether these standards get matters exactly right. Instead, we wish to address the issue of effective enforcement. That is, now that new work hour limits have been established, and given that the ACGME has been unable to enforce work hour limits effectively on its own, what is the best way to make sure the new limits are followed in order to reduce harm to residents, patients, and others due to sleep-deprived residents? We focus on three possible national approaches to the problem, one rooted in funding, one rooted in disclosure, and one rooted in tort law. © 2013 American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics, Inc.

Is the Office Hour Obsolete?

Science.gov (United States)

Behrens, Susan

2013-01-01

A colleague can't make a coffee date at a time the author proposes because it would conflict with his office hour. No student has actually made an appointment with him during the hour, but he is committed to being in his office as promised in case someone drops by. The author's reaction to her colleague's faithfulness to his posted office hour…

Change from an 8-hour shift to a 12-hour shift, attitudes, sleep, sleepiness and performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Lowden, A; Kecklund, G; Axelsson, J; Akerstedt, T

1998-01-01

The present study sought to evaluate the effect of a change from a rotating 3-shift (8-hour) to a 2-shift shift (12 hour) schedule on sleep, sleepiness, performance, perceived health, and well-being. Thirty-two shift workers at a chemical plant (control room operators) responded to a questionnaire a few months before a change was made in their shift schedule and 10 months after the change. Fourteen workers also filled out a diary, carried activity loggers, and carried out reaction-time tests (beginning and end of shift). Fourteen day workers served as a reference group for the questionnaires and 9 were intensively studied during a week with workdays and a free weekend. The questionnaire data showed that the shift change increased satisfaction with workhours, sleep, and time for social activities. Health, perceived accident risk, and reaction-time performance were not negatively affected. Alertness improved and subjective recovery time after night work decreased. The quick changes in the 8-hour schedule greatly increased sleep problems and fatigue. Sleepiness integrated across the entire shift cycle showed that the shift workers were less alert than the day workers, across workdays and days off (although alertness increased with the 12-hour shift). The change from 8-hour to 12-hour shifts was positive in most respects, possibly due to the shorter sequences of the workdays, the longer sequences of consecutive days off, the fewer types of shifts (easier planning), and the elimination of quick changes. The results may differ in groups with a higher work load.

48 CFR 536.570-5 - Working hours.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Working hours. 536.570-5... CATEGORIES OF CONTRACTING CONSTRUCTION AND ARCHITECT-ENGINEER CONTRACTS Contract Clauses 536.570-5 Working hours. Insert 552.236-74, Working Hours, in solicitations and contracts if construction, dismantling...

Working 40 Hours or Not Working 39: Lessons from the 1981 Mandatory Reduction of Weekly Working Hours

OpenAIRE

Crépon, Bruno; Kramarz, Francis

1999-01-01

We use longitudinal individual wage, hours, and employment data to investigate the effect of the 1981 mandatory reduction of weekly working hours in France. A few months after François Mitterrand's election of May 1981, the government, applying its programme decided first to increase the minimum wage by 5% and, second, to reduce weekly working hours - from 40 to 39 - together with mandatory stability of monthly earnings of minimum wage workers and strong recommendation for stability of monthl...

White Light Demonstration of One Hundred Parts per Billion Irradiance Suppression in Air by New Starshade Occulters

Science.gov (United States)

Levinton, Douglas B.; Cash, Webster C.; Gleason, Brian; Kaiser, Michael J.; Levine, Sara A.; Lo, Amy S.; Schindhelm, Eric; Shipley, Ann F.

2007-01-01

A new mission concept for the direct imaging of exo-solar planets called the New Worlds Observer (NWO) has been proposed. The concept involves flying a meter-class space telescope in formation with a newly-conceived, specially-shaped, deployable star-occulting shade several meters across at a separation of some tens of thousands of kilometers. The telescope would make its observations from behind the starshade in a volume of high suppression of incident irradiance from the star around which planets orbit. The required level of irradiance suppression created by the starshade for an efficacious mission is of order 0.1 to 10 parts per billion in broadband light. This paper discusses the experimental setup developed to accurately measure the suppression ratio of irradiance produced at the null position behind candidate starshade forms to these levels. It also presents results of broadband measurements which demonstrated suppression levels of just under 100 parts per billion in air using the Sun as a light source. Analytical modeling of spatial irradiance distributions surrounding the null are presented and compared with photographs of irradiance captured in situ behind candidate starshades.

Hourly Electricity Prices in Day-Ahead Markets

NARCIS (Netherlands)

R. Huisman (Ronald); C. Huurman; R.J. Mahieu (Ronald)

2007-01-01

textabstractThis paper focuses on the characteristics of hourly electricity prices in day-ahead markets. In these markets, quotes for day-ahead delivery of electricity are submitted simultaneously for all hours in the next day. The same information set is used for quoting all hours of the day. The

How extreme is extreme hourly precipitation?

Science.gov (United States)

Papalexiou, Simon Michael; Dialynas, Yannis G.; Pappas, Christoforos

2016-04-01

The importance of accurate representation of precipitation at fine time scales (e.g., hourly), directly associated with flash flood events, is crucial in hydrological design and prediction. The upper part of a probability distribution, known as the distribution tail, determines the behavior of extreme events. In general, and loosely speaking, tails can be categorized in two families: the subexponential and the hyperexponential family, with the first generating more intense and more frequent extremes compared to the latter. In past studies, the focus has been mainly on daily precipitation, with the Gamma distribution being the most popular model. Here, we investigate the behaviour of tails of hourly precipitation by comparing the upper part of empirical distributions of thousands of records with three general types of tails corresponding to the Pareto, Lognormal, and Weibull distributions. Specifically, we use thousands of hourly rainfall records from all over the USA. The analysis indicates that heavier-tailed distributions describe better the observed hourly rainfall extremes in comparison to lighter tails. Traditional representations of the marginal distribution of hourly rainfall may significantly deviate from observed behaviours of extremes, with direct implications on hydroclimatic variables modelling and engineering design.

5 CFR 551.421 - Regular working hours.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Regular working hours. 551.421 Section... Activities § 551.421 Regular working hours. (a) Under the Act there is no requirement that a Federal employee... distinction based on whether the activity is performed by an employee during regular working hours or outside...

Long working hours and alcohol use

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Virtanen, Marianna; Jokela, Markus; Nyberg, Solja T

2015-01-01

.20) in the analysis of prospective published and unpublished data. In the 18 studies with individual participant data it was possible to assess the European Union Working Time Directive, which recommends an upper limit of 48 hours a week. Odds ratios of new onset risky alcohol use for those working 49-54 hours......OBJECTIVE: To quantify the association between long working hours and alcohol use. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies and unpublished individual participant data. DATA SOURCES: A systematic search of PubMed and Embase databases in April 2014 for published studies......, supplemented with manual searches. Unpublished individual participant data were obtained from 27 additional studies. REVIEW METHODS: The search strategy was designed to retrieve cross sectional and prospective studies of the association between long working hours and alcohol use. Summary estimates were...

The present state of development and the future of the high-temperature reactor in the United States of America

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simon, W.A.; Chi, H.W.

1982-01-01

The American prototype high-temperature reactor at Fort St. Vrain has been operating successfully for years. To date it has produced more than 3.000.000.000 kilowatt hours of electricity and a short while ago was cleared for operation at full load. Operating experience justifies expectations that the combined cycle HTR plant of 2240 MW thermal output favoured by the US Government and industry will offer significant economic advantages. (orig.) [de

The economics of Magnox reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watts, P.E.

1982-01-01

The CEGB regularly publishes figures for generation costs per kilowatt hour (kWh) at Magnox and several coal and oil stations. These have been criticized by Select Committees and most recently by Professor Jeffery for being expressed in historic cost accounting terms rather than in constant price terms. How the economic performance of Magnox reactors can best be judged is discussed. Headings are: post audit of past investment; future investment choice; inflation corrected assets. (author)

The existence and persistence of long work hours

OpenAIRE

Drago, Robert William; Black, David; Wooden, Mark

2005-01-01

Previous research hypothesizes that long working hours are related to consumerism, the ideal worker norm, high levels of human capital, and a high cost-of-job-loss. The authors test these hypotheses using panel data on working hours for an Australian sample of full-time employed workers. Analyses include a static cross-sectional model and a persistence model for long hours over time. The results suggest that long hours (50 or more hours in a usual week) are often persistent, and provide stron...

Fuel efficient stoves for the poorest two billion

Science.gov (United States)

Gadgil, Ashok

2012-03-01

About 2 billion people cook their daily meals on generally inefficient, polluting, biomass cookstoves. The fuels include twigs and leaves, agricultural waste, animal dung, firewood, and charcoal. Exposure to resulting smoke leads to acute respiratory illness, and cancers, particularly among women cooks, and their infant children near them. Resulting annual mortality estimate is almost 2 million deaths, higher than that from malaria or tuberculosis. There is a large diversity of cooking methods (baking, boiling, long simmers, brazing and roasting), and a diversity of pot shapes and sizes in which the cooking is undertaken. Fuel-efficiency and emissions depend on the tending of the fire (and thermal power), type of fuel, stove characteristics, and fit of the pot to the stove. Thus, no one perfect fuel-efficient low-emitting stove can suit all users. Affordability imposes a further severe constraint on the stove design. For various economic strata within the users, a variety of stove designs may be appropriate and affordable. In some regions, biomass is harvested non-renewably for cooking fuel. There is also increasing evidence that black carbon emitted from stoves is a significant contributor to atmospheric forcing. Thus improved biomass stoves can also help mitigate global climate change. The speaker will describe specific work undertaken to design, develop, test, and disseminate affordable fuel-efficient stoves for internally displaced persons (IDPs) of Darfur, Sudan, where the IDPs face hardship, humiliation, hunger, and risk of sexual assault owing to their dependence on local biomass for cooking their meals.

19 CFR 101.6 - Hours of business.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Hours of business. 101.6 Section 101.6 Customs... GENERAL PROVISIONS § 101.6 Hours of business. Except as specified in paragraphs (a) through (g) of this section, each CBP office shall be open for the transactions of general CBP business between the hours of 8...

The future of work hours--the European view.

Science.gov (United States)

Akerstedt, Torbjörn; Kecklund, Göran

2005-01-01

In Europe the way work hours are handled varies between different countries. However, there are some issues that dominate the discussion in Europe and seem representative for what is happening. One such is the reduction of working hours--which was attempted in several countries but which now seems to be backfiring--probably related to the competition from countries outside Europe. Another area is compressed work hours--the drive towards maximizing the hours per work day in order to increase the number of days off. The health effects are debated--some find clear positive effects. A third area is company oriented flexible work hours, permitting the employer to make moderate changes in work hours when needed. The health impacts have not been evaluated but the loss of individual influence at work is obvious. In some parts of Europe self-determined work hours have been tried with very positive effects. The EU work hour directive is intended to provide uniformity but permits a counterproductive "opting out", creating problems of imbalance.

New 5 Kilowatt Free-piston Stirling Space Convertor Developments

Science.gov (United States)

Brandhorst, Henry W., Jr.; Chapman, Peter A., Jr.

2007-01-01

The NASA Vision for Exploration of the moon may someday require a nuclear reactor coupled with a free-piston Stirling convertor at a power level of 30-40 kW. In the 1990s, Mechanical Technology Inc. s Stirling Engine Systems Division (some of whose Stirling personnel are now at Foster-Miller, Inc.) developed a 25 kW free piston Stirling Space Power Demonstrator Engine under the SP-100 program. This system consisted of two 12.5 kW engines connected at their hot ends and mounted in tandem to cancel vibration. Recently, NASA and DoE have been developing dual 55 W and 80 W Stirling convertor systems for potential use with radioisotope heat sources. Total test times of all convertors in this effort exceed 120,000 hours. Recently, NASA began a new project with Auburn University to develop a 5 kW, single convertor for potential use in a lunar surface reactor power system. Goals of this development program include a specific power in excess of 140 W/kg at the convertor level, lifetime in excess of five years and a control system that will safely manage the convertors in case of an emergency. Auburn University awarded a subcontract to Foster-Miller, Inc. to undertake development of the 5 kW Stirling Convertor Assembly. The characteristics of the design along with progress in developing the system will be described.

Hydro-power installation on the Prascherbach, Nufenen, Switzerland; Wasserkraftwerk Prascherbach, Nufenen. Programm Kleinwasserkraftwerke - Schlussbericht

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marugg, R.

2008-07-01

This final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) describes project variants for the replacement of an 80-year old hydro-power plant in Nufenen, Switzerland. Details on the new power station, which is to produce 300 kilowatts of electrical power using a height difference of 340 metres is to provide 1.3 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. The report reviews the history of the project, which goes back to the 1990s and describes the project approved in 1999 as well as the updates made afterwards. The financial aspects of the project and remuneration for the power generated are examined. Environmental issues connected with the project are also discussed. The proposed course of events involved in taking further steps toward the realisation of the installation are discussed. An appendix includes copies of the various documents pertaining to cost estimation, water quantities, environmental protection and the granting of building permission.

Designing powerplants for today's competitive environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Makansi, J.

1994-01-01

Deregulation continues to unfold. Certainty about what the impact will be is as scarce as new US powerplant development opportunities. But one thing industry observers seem clear on is that the priorities for powerplant design will shift as competitive forces are rolled out. Powerplants will have to be developed, designed, and operated as a bottom-line business, not as part of a regulated industry. Thus, the design must enable the facility to accomplish this goal. In the emerging fully competitive environment, that bottom line applies to both the kilowatt and the kilowatt-hour. The entrepreneurial and business skills and talents of the independent power producer (IPP) have mostly been brought to bear on capital costs and project development thus far, with electricity sold under long-term power-purchase agreements. If retail wheeling takes hold, future plants must also be designed to merchandise power to a variety of customers scattered around the grid. This article provides insight into how powerplant design will accommodate new priorities

Providing safe drinking water to 1.2 billion unserved people

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gadgil, Ashok J.; Derby, Elisabeth A.

2003-06-01

Despite substantial advances in the past 100 years in public health, technology and medicine, 20% of the world population, mostly comprised of the poor population segments in developing countries (DCs), still does not have access to safe drinking water. To reach the United Nations (UN) Millennium Goal of halving the number of people without access to safe water by 2015, the global community will need to provide an additional one billion urban residents and 600 million rural residents with safe water within the next twelve years. This paper examines current water treatment measures and implementation methods for delivery of safe drinking water, and offers suggestions for making progress towards the goal of providing a timely and equitable solution for safe water provision. For water treatment, based on the serious limitations of boiling water and chlorination, we suggest an approach based on filtration coupled with ultraviolet (UV) disinfection, combined with public education. Additionally, owing to the capacity limitations for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to take on this task primarily on their own, we suggest a strategy based on financially sustainable models that include the private sector as well as NGOs.

Effectiveness of the Twelve-Hour Shift.

Science.gov (United States)

Brinton, Robert D.

1983-01-01

Although labor unions traditionally have fought for shorter working hours, there have been recent reversals in this trend. The Pulp and Paperboard Division of Temple-Eastex Incorporated converted to a 12-hour shift and found that safety improved, productivity increased, and overtime decreased. (JOW)

Development of high-power dye laser chain

Science.gov (United States)

Konagai, Chikara; Kimura, Hironobu; Fukasawa, Teruichiro; Seki, Eiji; Abe, Motohisa; Mori, Hideo

2000-01-01

Copper vapor laser (CVL) pumped dye laser (DL) system, both in a master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) configuration, has been developed for Atomic Vapor Isotope Separation program in Japan. Dye laser output power of about 500 W has been proved in long-term operations over 200 hours. High power fiber optic delivery system is utilized in order to efficiently transport kilowatt level CVL beams to the DL MOPA. Single model CVL pumped DL oscillator has been developed and worked for 200 hours within +/- 0.1 pm wavelength stability. Phase modulator for spreading spectrum to the linewidth of hyperfine structure has been developed and demonstrated.

Hourly awakening vs continuous contact lens sensor measurements of 24-hour intraocular pressure: effect on sleep macrostructure and intraocular pressure rhythm.

Science.gov (United States)

Aptel, Florent; Tamisier, Renaud; Pépin, Jean-Louis; Mottet, Benjamin; Hubanova, Ralitsa; Romanet, Jean-Paul; Chiquet, Christophe

2014-10-01

All studies of 24-hour intraocular pressure (IOP) rhythm conducted to date have used repeated IOP measurements requiring nocturnal awakenings, potentially disturbing sleep macrostructure. To evaluate the effects on sleep architecture and IOP rhythm of hourly awakening vs a contact lens sensor (CLS) to continuously monitor IOP without awakening. Cross-sectional study at a referral center of chronobiology among 12 young healthy volunteers, with a mean (SD) age of 22.3 (2.3) years. Volunteers underwent two 24-hour IOP measurement sessions during a 2-month period. The eye order and session order were randomized. During one session, the IOP of the first eye was continuously monitored using a CLS, and the IOP of the fellow eye was measured hourly using a portable noncontact tonometer (session with nocturnal hourly awakening). During the other session, the IOP of the first eye was continuously monitored using a CLS, and the IOP of the fellow eye was not measured (session without nocturnal awakening). Overnight polysomnography was performed during the 2 sessions. A nonlinear least squares, dual-harmonic regression analysis was used to model the 24-hour IOP rhythm from the CLS data. Comparisons of acrophase, bathyphase, amplitude, and the midline estimating statistic of rhythm were used to evaluate the effect of hourly awakening on IOP rhythm. To evaluate the effects of hourly awakening on sleep architecture, comparisons of sleep structure were used, including total sleep period, rapid eye movement, wake after sleep onset, absolute and relative total sleep time, and non-rapid eye movement sleep (N1, N2, and N3). A 24-hour IOP rhythm was found in all individuals for the sessions with and without awakening (P  .30). Hourly awakening during noncontact tonometer IOP measurements did not seem to alter the mean variables of the 24-hour IOP pattern evaluated using CLS, including signal, maximum signal, minimum signal, acrophase, and bathyphase (P > .15). The 24-hour IOP

Use and Underlying Reasons for Duty Hour Flexibility in the Flexibility in Duty Hour Requirements for Surgical Trainees (FIRST) Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Bilimoria, Karl Y; Quinn, Christopher M; Dahlke, Allison R; Kelz, Rachel R; Shea, Judy A; Rajaram, Ravi; Love, Remi; Kreutzer, Lindsey; Biester, Thomas; Yang, Anthony D; Hoyt, David B; Lewis, Frank R

2017-02-01

The Flexibility in Duty Hour Requirements for Surgical Trainees (FIRST) Trial randomly assigned surgical residency programs to either standard duty hour policies or flexible policies that eliminated caps on shift lengths and time off between shifts. Our objectives were to assess adherence to duty hour requirements in the Standard Policy arm and examine how often and why duty hour flexibility was used in the Flexible Policy arm. A total of 3,795 residents in the FIRST trial completed a survey in January 2016 (response rate >95%) that asked how often and why they exceeded current standard duty hour limits in both study arms. Flexible Policy interns worked more than 16 hours continuously at least once in a month more frequently than Standard Policy residents (86% vs 37.8%). Flexible Policy residents worked more than 28 hours once in a month more frequently than Standard Policy residents (PGY1: 64% vs 2.9%; PGY2 to 3: 62.4% vs 41.9%; PGY4 to 5: 52.2% vs 36.6%), but this occurred most frequently only 1 to 2 times per month. Although residents reported working more than 80 hours in a week 3 or more times in the most recent month more frequently under Flexible Policy vs Standard Policy (19.9% vs 16.2%), the difference was driven by interns (30.9% vs 19.6%), and there were no significant differences in exceeding 80 hours among PGY2 to 5 residents. The most common reasons reported for extending duty hours were facilitating care transitions (76.6%), stabilizing critically ill patients (70.7%), performing routine responsibilities (67.9%), and operating on patients known to the trainee (62.0%). There were differences in duty hours worked by residents in the Flexible vs Standard Policy arms of the FIRST trial, but it appeared that residents generally used the flexibility for patient care and educational opportunities selectively. Copyright © 2016 American College of Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hours Constraints Within and Between Jobs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Euwals, R.W.

1997-01-01

In the empirical literature on labour supply, several models are developed to incorporate constraints on working hours. These models do not address the question to which extent working hours are constrained within and between jobs. In this paper I investigate the effect of individual changes in

Employer Attitudes towards Peak Hour Avoidance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vonk Noordegraaf, D.M.; Annema, J.A.

2012-01-01

Peak Hour Avoidance is a relatively new Dutch mobility management measure. To reduce congestion frequent car drivers are given a financial reward for reducing the proportion of trips that they make during peak hours on a specific motorway section. Although previous studies show that employers are

Employer attitudes towards peak hour avoidance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Noordegraaf, D.M.V.; Annema, J.A.

2012-01-01

Peak Hour Avoidance is a relatively new Dutch mobility management measure. To reduce congestion frequent car drivers are given a financial reward for reducing the proportion of trips that they make during peak hours on a specific motorway section. Although previous studies show that employers are

Cost-efficient staffing under annualized hours

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Veen, Egbert; Hans, Elias W.; Veltman, Bart; Berrevoets, Leo M.; Berden, Hubert J.J.M.

2012-01-01

We study how flexibility in workforce capacity can be used to efficiently match capacity and demand. Flexibility in workforce capacity is introduced by the annualized hours regime. Annualized hours allow organizations to measure working time per year, instead of per month or per week. An additional

The Credit Hour and Public Budgeting.

Science.gov (United States)

Wellman, Jane V.

2003-01-01

Discusses the ways the credit hour has come to be used by public funding systems in higher education. The literature review shows that the credit hour has become a barrier to innovation and a way to create systemic inequities between institutions or sectors in resource allocation. (SLD)

5 CFR 610.408 - Use of credit hours.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Flexible and Compressed Work Schedules § 610.408 Use of credit hours. Members of the Senior Executive Service (SES) may not accumulate credit hours under an alternative work schedule. Any credit hours...

Association between sleeping hours, working hours and obesity in Hong Kong Chinese: the 'better health for better Hong Kong' health promotion campaign.

Science.gov (United States)

Ko, G T C; Chan, J C N; Chan, A W Y; Wong, P T S; Hui, S S C; Tong, S D Y; Ng, S-M; Chow, F; Chan, C L W

2007-02-01

To study the inter-relationships between sleeping hours, working hours and obesity in subjects from a working population. A cross-sectional observation study under the 'Better Health for Better Hong Kong' Campaign, which is a territory-wide health awareness and promotion program. 4793 subjects (2353 (49.1%) men and 2440 (50.9%) women). Their mean age (+/-s.d.) was 42.4+/-8.9 years (range 17-83 years, median 43.0 years). Subjects were randomly selected using computer-generated codes in accordance to the distribution of occupational groups in Hong Kong. The mean daily sleeping time was 7.06+/-1.03 h (women vs men: 7.14+/-1.08 h vs 6.98+/-0.96 h, Pworking hours reaching significance in the whole group as well as among male subjects. Those with short sleeping hour (6 h or less) and long working hours (>9 h) had the highest BMI and waist in both men and women. Based on multiple regression analysis with age, smoking, alcohol drinking, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, mean daily sleeping hours and working hours as independent variables, BMI was independently associated with age, systolic and diastolic blood pressure in women, whereas waist was associated with age, smoking and blood pressure. In men, blood pressure, sleeping hours and working hours were independently associated with BMI, whereas waist was independently associated with age, smoking, blood pressure, sleeping hours and working hours in men. Obesity is associated with reduced sleeping hours and long working hours in men among Hong Kong Chinese working population. Further studies are needed to investigate the underlying mechanisms of this relationship and its potential implication on prevention and management of obesity.

Construction-man hour estimation for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paek, J.H.

1987-01-01

This study centers on a statistical analysis of the preliminary construction time, main construction time, and total construction man hours of nuclear power plants. The use of these econometric techniques allows the major man hour driving variables to be identified through multivariate analysis of time-series data on over 80 United States nuclear power plants. The analysis made in this study provides a clearer picture of the dynamic changes that have occurred in the man hours of these plants when compared to engineering estimates of man hours, and produces a tool that can be used to project nuclear power plant man hours

17 CFR 201.104 - Business hours.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Business hours. 201.104 Section 201.104 Commodity and Securities Exchanges SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION RULES OF PRACTICE Rules of Practice General Rules § 201.104 Business hours. The Headquarters office of the Commission, at...

Experience With Flexible Hours of Work

Science.gov (United States)

Hartley, Jo

1976-01-01

A summary of an 80-page booklet called Hours of Work When Workers Can Choose is presented. The booklet reports a survey and focuses on the benefits of flexible hours of work. It was published by the Business and Professional Women's Foundation and is available from that organization. (EC)

Six-Hours-Rule - A Dogma for Military Surgery?

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Gerngross, Heinz; Kahle, Wilhelm

2004-01-01

Today, the six-hours-rule is a delicate item for military logistics and it is a great challenge for medical services to provide an adequate treatment during the first hours after wounding. DEFINITION: Six-hour-rule...

"Hour of Code": A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Jie; Wimmer, Hayden; Rada, Roy

2018-01-01

This study investigates the delivery of the "Hour of Code" tutorials to college students. The college students who participated in this study were surveyed about their opinion of the Hour of Code. First, the students' comments were discussed. Next, a content analysis of the offered tutorials highlights their reliance on visual…

Changing the Formula of Residents' Work Hours in Internal Medicine: Moving From “Years in Training” to “Hours in Training”

Science.gov (United States)

Mansi, Ishak A

2011-01-01

Background In a recent report, the Institute of Medicine recommended more restrictions on residents' working hours. Several problems exist with a system that places a weekly limit on resident duty hours: (1) it assumes the presence of a linear relationship between hours of work and patient safety; (2) it fails to consider differences in intensity among programs; and (3) it does not address increases in the scientific content of medicine, and it places the burden of enforcing the duty hour limits on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Proposal An innovative method of calculating credit hours for graduate medical education would shift the focus from “years of residency” to “hours of residency.” For example, internal medicine residents would be requested to spend 8640 hours of total training hours (assuming 60 hours per week for 48 weeks annually) instead of the traditional 3 years. This method of counting training hours is used by other professions, such as the Intern Development Program of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. The proposed approach would allow residents and program directors to pace training based on individual capabilities. Standards for resident education should include the average number of patients treated in each setting (inpatient or outpatient). A possible set of “multipliers” based on these parameters, and possibly others such as resident evaluation, is devised to calculate the “final adjusted accredited hours” that count toward graduation. Anticipated Benefits Substituting “years of training” with “hours of training” may resolve many of the concerns with the current residency education model, as well as adapt to the demands of residents' personal lives. It also may allow residents to pace their training according to their capabilities and learning styles, and contribute to reflective learning and better quality education. PMID:22379516

Flexible forms of working hours

OpenAIRE

Knapp, Viktor

2017-01-01

66 Abstract - Flexible forms of working hours This diploma thesis deals with the flexible forms of working hours and its goal is to describe this issue in intelligible and comprehensive way. It is being very interesting and current theme which is to a great extent not subject to direct legal regulations and provides its contracting parties with a big amount of freedom of contract. This fact assists in bigger flexibilization of labour market and represents a significant instrument in the fight...

20 CFR 801.304 - Business hours.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Business hours. 801.304 Section 801.304 Employees' Benefits BENEFITS REVIEW BOARD, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF THE BOARD Action by the Board § 801.304 Business hours. The office of the Clerk of the Board at Washington, DC...

Fission, fusion and the energy crisis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hunt, S E [Aston Univ., Birmingham (UK)

1980-01-01

The subject is covered in chapters, entitled: living on capital (energy reserves and consumption forecasts); the atom and its nucleus, mass and energy; fission and the bomb; the natural uranium reactor; enriched reactors; control and safety; long-term economics (the breeder reactions and nuclear fuel reserves); short-term economics (cost per kilowatt hour); national nuclear power programmes; nuclear power and the environment (including reprocessing, radioactive waste management, public relations); renewable energy sources; the fusion programme; summary and comment.

''The manure now is here.'' Only the cows get grass and maize while the Novatech farm biogas plant gets the manure; ''Die Guelle ist ja da.'' Gras und Mais bekommen nur die Kuehe, die Novatech-Hofbiogasanlage nur Guelle

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meier, Dorothee

2013-04-01

Actually biogas was out of the question for the dairy farmer Marco Friedrich farming about 200 acres of land. But then, the EEG 2012 (Energy Economy Law) came with the new category 'Manure - Farm - Biogas plant', enabling 25 Cents per kilowatt hour of electricity fed into the grid. In cooperation with the plant manufacturer Novatech GmbH (Wolpertshausen, Federal Republic of Germany), a biogas plant was built, which is described in detail in the contribution under consideration.

Impact of Working Hours on Work-Life Balance

OpenAIRE

Sarah Holly; Alwine Mohnen

2012-01-01

To examine the influence of working hours on employees' satisfaction, this article uses a large, representative set of panel data from German households (GSOEP). The results show that high working hours and overtime in general do not lead to decreased satisfaction. Rather, increasing working hours and overtime have positive effects on life and job satisfaction, whereas the desire to reduce working hours has a negative impact on satisfaction. In 2009, nearly 60% of employees wanted to reduce t...

Do difficulties in accessing in-hours primary care predict higher use of out-of-hours GP services? Evidence from an English National Patient Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Yin; Abel, Gary; Warren, Fiona; Roland, Martin; Campbell, John; Lyratzopoulos, Georgios

2015-05-01

It is believed that some patients are more likely to use out-of-hours primary care services because of difficulties in accessing in-hours care, but substantial evidence about any such association is missing. We analysed data from 567,049 respondents to the 2011/2012 English General Practice Patient Survey who reported at least one in-hours primary care consultation in the preceding 6 months. Of those respondents, 7% also reported using out-of-hours primary care. We used logistic regression to explore associations between use of out-of-hours primary care and five measures of in-hours access (ease of getting through on the telephone, ability to see a preferred general practitioner, ability to get an urgent or routine appointment and convenience of opening hours). We illustrated the potential for reduction in use of out-of-hours primary care in a model where access to in-hours care was made optimal. Worse in-hours access was associated with greater use of out-of-hours primary care for each access factor. In multivariable analysis adjusting for access and patient characteristic variables, worse access was independently associated with increased out-of-hours use for all measures except ease of telephone access. Assuming these associations were causal, we estimated that an 11% relative reduction in use of out-of-hours primary care services in England could be achievable if access to in-hours care were optimal. This secondary quantitative analysis provides evidence for an association between difficulty in accessing in-hours care and use of out-of-hours primary care services. The findings can motivate the development of interventions to improve in-hour access. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Standard deviation of wind direction as a function of time; three hours to five hundred seventy-six hours

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Culkowski, W.M.

1976-01-01

The standard deviation of horizontal wind direction sigma/sub theta/ increases with time of averaging up to a maximum value of 104 0 . The average standard deviation of horizontal wind directions averaged over periods of 3, 5, 10, 16, 24, 36, 48, 72, 144, 288, and 576 hours were calculated from wind data obtained from a 100 meter tower in the Oak Ridge area. For periods up to 100 hours, sigma/sub theta/ varies as t/sup .28/; after 100 hours sigma/sub theta/ varies as 6.5 ln t

Analysis of 24-hour versus 48-hour traffic counts for HPMS sampling.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-04-01

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has requested a waiver from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to : allow IDOT to implement a 24-hour traffic-count program on the non-state HPMS routes, as opposed to the current Highway : Perf...

A new approach for evaluating flexible working hours.

Science.gov (United States)

Giebel, Ole; Janssen, Daniela; Schomann, Carsten; Nachreiner, Friedhelm

2004-01-01

Recent studies on flexible working hours show at least some of these working time arrangements seem to be associated with impairing effects of health and well-being. According to available evidence, variability of working hours seems to play an important role. The question, however, is how this variability can be assessed and used to explain or predict impairments. Based on earlier methods used to assess shift-work effects, a time series analysis approach was applied to the matter of flexible working hours. Data on the working hours of 4 week's length of 137 respondents derived from a survey on flexible work hours involving 15 companies of different production and service sectors in Germany were converted to time series and analyzed by spectral analysis. A cluster analysis of the resulting power spectra yielded 5 clusters of flexible work hours. Analyzing these clusters for differences in reported impairments showed that workers who showed suppression of circadian and weekly rhythms experienced severest impairments, especially in circadian controlled functions like sleep and digestion. The results thus indicate that analyzing the periodicity of flexible working hours seems to be a promising approach for predicting impairments which should be investigated further in the future.

Gender-specific dynamics in hours worked : Exploring the potential for increasing hours worked in an ageing society

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Noback, Inge; Broersma, Lourens; van Dijk, Jouke; Karlsson, Charlie; Andersson, Martin; Norman, Therese

2015-01-01

The Dutch labour market differs from that of other countries due to a unique combination of high employment rates and a low average number of hours worked. Dutch employment rates are among the highest in the world, at 77 per cent in 2011. At the same time, the average number of hours worked annually

Interns shall not sleep: the duty hours boomerang

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Quan SF

2017-04-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. On March 10, 2017, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME announced revisions to its common program requirements related to duty hours (1. Effective on July 1, 2017, the most important change will be an increase in the maximum consecutive hours that an intern may work. Interns will now be able to continuously perform patient care work up to a maximum of 24 hours with an additional 4 hours for managing care transitions. This reverses the controversial reduction to 16 hours that occurred in 2011 (2. The regulation of house staff duty hours formally began in the late 1980s. It was precipitated largely because of the publicity resulting from the 1984 death of Libby Zion in a New York teaching hospital that was attributed partly to poor decisions made by fatigued and overworked house staff (3. Consequently, the state of New York in 1989 passed laws restricting the …

Economic Analysis of Long Working Hours (Japanese)

OpenAIRE

OHTAKE Fumio; OKUDAIRA Hiroko

2008-01-01

In this paper we set out the economic grounds for restrictions on long working hours and conduct an empirical analysis using surveys from the perspective of behavioral economics. The results of the analysis indicate that, on a year-on-year basis, if state of health improves, the probability of working more than 60 hours per week increases significantly, but that even when state of health deteriorates there is no decrease in the probability of working long hours. Moreover, among male managemen...

Southwestern Power Administration Annual Report 2008

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2010-12-01

Dear Secretary Chu, I am pleased to present the financial statements and operating data for Southwestern Power Administration (Southwestern) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008. In FY 2008, Southwestern delivered over 7.3 billion kilowatt-hours of energy to its wholesale customers – nearly 31% more than average due to numerous record rainfall amounts in the southwest region. These record amounts produced revenues which exceeded the average annual revenue requirement by nearly $20 million and resulted in over $200 million in economic benefits to the region. Yet even as Southwestern exceeded its goals of marketing and delivering Federal hydroelectric power to our customers, we stayed focused on safety, security, and reliability. For example, we maintained our nearly 1,400 miles of high-voltage transmission lines, substations, and communications sites while achieving a Recordable Accident Frequency Rate of 0.0, a record that reflects Southwestern’s safety achievement of no recordable injuries for every 200,000 hours worked. We kept our rights-of-way secure from vegetation and other obstacles, work that not only supports our mission but also promotes reliability of the regional and National grid. We exceeded all North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Control Performance Standards (CPS- 1 and CPS-2), and maintained regulation and reserve obligations and reactive reserve margins to ensure the reliability of the bulk electric system, even during extended periods of restricted hydro operations due to unusually high project inflows. Finally, we continued our partnerships with the Department of Energy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, our customers, and other Federal power stakeholders, partnerships that are vital to our continued success in marketing and delivering carbon-free, renewable, and domestically produced energy to our customers and to the Nation. Sincerely, Jon Worthington Administrator

Health problems due to long working hours in Japan: working hours, workers' compensation (Karoshi), and preventive measures.

Science.gov (United States)

Iwasaki, Kenji; Takahashi, Masaya; Nakata, Akinori

2006-10-01

Late in the 1970s, serious social concern over health problems due to long working hours has arisen in Japan. This report briefly summarizes the Japanese circumstances about long working hours and what the Government has achieved so far. The national statistics show that more than 6 million people worked for 60 h or more per week during years 2000 and 2004. Approximately three hundred cases of brain and heart diseases were recognized as labour accidents resulting from overwork (Karoshi) by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) between 2002 and 2005. Consequently, the MHLW has been working to establish a more appropriate compensation system for Karoshi, as well as preventive measures for overwork related health problems. In 2001, the MHLW set the standards for clearly recognizing Karoshi in association with the amount of overtime working hours. These standards were based on the results of a literature review and medical examinations indicating a relationship between overwork and brain and heart diseases. In 2002, the MHLW launched the program for the prevention of health impairment due to overwork, and in 2005 the health guidance through an interview by a doctor for overworked workers has been enacted as law. Long working hours are controversial issues because of conflicts between health, safety, work-life balance, and productivity. It is obvious that we need to continue research regarding the impact on worker health and the management of long working hours.

Nuclear Power: Is It a New Clear Choice for Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Besar, Idris B.

2008-05-01

Energy is essential for socio-economic development. Any nation's standard of living is closely related to its access to energy. To put into perspective, the per capita electricity consumptions in developed countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is currently estimated at 8600 kilowatts-hour per year as compared to the consumption rates in Malaysia and some African countries of 3300 and 50 kilowatts-hour per year, respectively. Energy is therefore an important pre-requisite for achieving the Malaysian vision of becoming a developed nation by the year 2020, in that it is needed not only for industrialization programme but also in maintaining quality of life. In Malaysia, the main concern currently is still on the supply in term of adequacy, reliability and quality; and moving slowly but steadily towards security, sustainability, environmentally friendly and contribution to climate change. With this new dimension, nuclear power emerged as a good match to a possible alternative in the comprehensive national energy policy. Many studies presented the positive aspects of nuclear power while others indicated the bad sides and potential risks. This paper will highlight some of those pros and cons as well as the potential risks beside a discussion on relevant requirements for a nuclear power programme in particular those of interest to the professionals in the physical sciences.

Optimisation models and solution methods for load management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gustafsson, Stig-Inge [Linkoeping Univ. (Sweden). Div. of Wood Science and Technology; Roennqvist, Mikael; Claesson, Marcus [Linkoeping Univ. (Sweden). Div. of Optimisation

2001-02-01

The electricity market in Sweden has changed during recent years. Electricity for industrial use can nowadays be purchased from a number of competing electricity suppliers. Hence, the price for each kilowatt-hour is significantly lower than just two years ago and the interest for electricity conservation measures has declined. Part of the electricity tariff is, however, almost the same as before, i.e. the demand cost expressed in Swedish Kronor, SEK, for each kilowatt. This has put focus on load management measures in order to decrease this specific cost. Saving one kWh might lead to monetary savings between 0.22 to 914 SEK and this paper shows how to save only those kWh which really save money. A load management system has been installed in a small carpentry factory and the device can turn off equipment due to a certain priority and for a number of minutes each hour. The question is now, what level on the electricity load is optimal in a strict mathematical sense, i.e. how many kW should be set in the load management computer in order to get the best profitability? In this paper we develop a mathematical model which can be used both as a tool to find a best profitable subscription level and as a tool to control the turn of choices. Numerical results from a case study are presented.

Optimisation models and solution methods for load management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gustafsson, Stig-Inge; Roennqvist, Mikael; Claesson, Marcus

2001-02-01

The electricity market in Sweden has changed during recent years. Electricity for industrial use can nowadays be purchased from a number of competing electricity suppliers. Hence, the price for each kilowatt-hour is significantly lower than just two years ago and the interest for electricity conservation measures has declined. Part of the electricity tariff is, however, almost the same as before, i.e. the demand cost expressed in Swedish Kronor, SEK, for each kilowatt. This has put focus on load management measures in order to decrease this specific cost. Saving one kWh might lead to monetary savings between 0.22 to 914 SEK and this paper shows how to save only those kWh which really save money. A load management system has been installed in a small carpentry factory and the device can turn off equipment due to a certain priority and for a number of minutes each hour. The question is now, what level on the electricity load is optimal in a strict mathematical sense, i.e. how many kW should be set in the load management computer in order to get the best profitability? In this paper we develop a mathematical model which can be used both as a tool to find a best profitable subscription level and as a tool to control the turn of choices. Numerical results from a case study are presented

Nuclear Power: Is It a New Clear Choice for Malaysia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Besar, Idris B.

2008-01-01

Energy is essential for socio-economic development. Any nation's standard of living is closely related to its access to energy. To put into perspective, the per capita electricity consumptions in developed countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is currently estimated at 8600 kilowatts-hour per year as compared to the consumption rates in Malaysia and some African countries of 3300 and 50 kilowatts-hour per year, respectively. Energy is therefore an important pre-requisite for achieving the Malaysian vision of becoming a developed nation by the year 2020, in that it is needed not only for industrialization programme but also in maintaining quality of life. In Malaysia, the main concern currently is still on the supply in term of adequacy, reliability and quality; and moving slowly but steadily towards security, sustainability, environmentally friendly and contribution to climate change. With this new dimension, nuclear power emerged as a good match to a possible alternative in the comprehensive national energy policy. Many studies presented the positive aspects of nuclear power while others indicated the bad sides and potential risks. This paper will highlight some of those pros and cons as well as the potential risks beside a discussion on relevant requirements for a nuclear power programme in particular those of interest to the professionals in the physical sciences

A practical technique for on-line monitoring of a photovoltaic plant connected to a single-phase grid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yahyaoui, Imene; Segatto, Marcelo E.V.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Automatic detection of main faults in PV systems is presented and tested. • Specific indicators detect bypass module, open-circuit string and partial shading. • The strategy efficiency is validated by experiments for two days. • The strategy allows the number of faulty PV modules and strings to be determined. • The method is effective and minimizes the use of sensors in the monitoring system. - Abstract: Improving the reliability and enhancing the performance of photovoltaic (PV) plants are important objectives that increase the competitiveness of the PV systems, especially for grid connected PV plants, for which, every kilowatt-hour is crucial, since only kilowatt-hours that are fed into the grid are remunerated. Therefore, monitoring and automatic faults detection during the PV panels operation are necessary to ensure the optimal use of the energy generated by the PV plant, and to provide a reliable power supply. In this research paper, two current and voltage indicators are used to analyze and to distinguish, in real-time, the faults related to bypassed PV modules, open-circuits strings and partial shading for a PV plant connected to a single-phase grid. Moreover, the presented strategy allows determining the total number of faulty PV modules and/or strings. The efficiencies of these indicators are tested by experiments, using a Control and Data Acquisition System, which proved the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Annual report, 1981

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-01-01

In 1981 the government of the province of Ontario announced a major industrial expansion program that gave Ontario Hydro a key role in contributing to the development of the provincial economy. The program looked to an economic structure based increasingly on electricity produced mainly from indigenous fuel sources - uranium and water power - and on nuclear technology. The construction schedule for the Darlington nuclear power station was accelerated as a result. Primary electrical demand reached 101.7 billion kilowatt hours, 36.9 kWh from nuclear sources. An extra 12.5 megagrams of coal would have been naeded to produce this power if nuclear plants had not been available. Of the eight reactors operating at Bruce and Pickering, seven had capacity factors in the top 10 of the world's 130 largest power reactors. Two units at Bruce Heavy Water Plant B were declared in service in 1981. Hydro produced 810 megagrams of heavy water, and bought 970 Mg uranium. The search for alternate energy sources includes active involvement in the fusion energy program and a study of hydrogen supply technology and costs. Employees have been sent to South Korea and Argentina to help commission CANDU nuclear power plants there, and assistance was given to Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. in preparing a bid for a Mexican station. Radioactive emissions sere cenerally under one percent of the Atomic Energy Control Board limits, and no staff or public injuries or fatalities occurred as a result of the nuclear power program

Long working hours and physical activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Angrave, David; Charlwood, Andy; Wooden, Mark

2015-08-01

It is widely believed that persons employed in jobs demanding long working hours are at greater risk of physical inactivity than other workers, primarily because they have less leisure time available to undertake physical activity. The aim of this study was to test this hypothesis using prospective data obtained from a nationally representative sample of employed persons. Longitudinal data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey (93,367 observations from 17,893 individuals) were used to estimate conditional fixed effects logistic regression models of the likelihood of moderate or vigorous physical exercise for at least 30 min, at least four times a week. No significant associations between long working hours and the incidence of healthy levels of physical activity were uncovered once other exogenous influences on activity levels were controlled for. The odds of men or women who usually work 60 or more hours per week exercising at healthy levels were 6% and 11% less, respectively, than those of comparable persons working a more standard 35-40 h/week; however, neither estimate was significantly different from 0 at 95% CI. The findings suggest that there is no trade-off between long working hours and physical activity in Australia. It is argued that these findings are broadly consistent with previous research studies from Anglo-Saxon countries (where long working hours are pervasive) that employed large nationally representative samples. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Monte Carlo Study of Four-Dimensional Self-avoiding Walks of up to One Billion Steps

Science.gov (United States)

Clisby, Nathan

2018-04-01

We study self-avoiding walks on the four-dimensional hypercubic lattice via Monte Carlo simulations of walks with up to one billion steps. We study the expected logarithmic corrections to scaling, and find convincing evidence in support the scaling form predicted by the renormalization group, with an estimate for the power of the logarithmic factor of 0.2516(14), which is consistent with the predicted value of 1/4. We also characterize the behaviour of the pivot algorithm for sampling four dimensional self-avoiding walks, and conjecture that the probability of a pivot move being successful for an N-step walk is O([ log N ]^{-1/4}).

Flexible working hours and well-being in Finland.

Science.gov (United States)

Kandolin, I; Härmä, M; Toivanen, M

2001-12-01

Flexibility of working hours became more prevalent in the 1990s in Finland. According to a representative survey on Finnish wage and salary earners (n = 1790) at the beginning of 2000, a great majority of male (76%) and female (65%) employees regularly worked overtime and/or had irregular working hours every month. These employees were flexible in meeting the needs of their companies/employers. Individual flexibility of working hours was far less common, only one third of male and female employees were able to regulate their working hours. A better balance between company-controlled and individual flexibility would, however, improve the well-being of employees. Employees working overtime without being allowed to regulate their working hours felt more symptoms of distress and had more conflicts in combining workplace and family roles than those who could individually determine their working hours flexibly. An investment in individually determined flexibility, for example by means of participatory planning, would improve the well-being of employees, and thus also improve the productivity of the organization.

Excel VBA 24-hour trainer

CERN Document Server

Urtis, Tom

2015-01-01

Master VBA automation quickly and easily to get more out of Excel Excel VBA 24-Hour Trainer, 2nd Edition is the quick-start guide to getting more out of Excel, using Visual Basic for Applications. This unique book/video package has been updated with fifteen new advanced video lessons, providing a total of eleven hours of video training and 45 total lessons to teach you the basics and beyond. This self-paced tutorial explains Excel VBA from the ground up, demonstrating with each advancing lesson how you can increase your productivity. Clear, concise, step-by-step instructions are combined wit

A Century of Human Capital and Hours

OpenAIRE

Diego Restuccia; Guillaume Vandenbroucke

2012-01-01

An average person born in the United States in the second half of the nineteenth century completed 7 years of schooling and spent 58 hours a week working in the market. By contrast, an average person born at the end of the twentieth century completed 14 years of schooling and spent 40 hours a week working. In the span of 100 years, completed years of schooling doubled and working hours decreased by 30 percent. What explains these trends? We consider a model of human capital and labor supply t...

Regulating danger on the highways: hours of service regulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Mansfield, Daniel; Kryger, Meir

2015-12-01

Current hours of service regulations governing commercial truck drivers in place in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the European Union are summarized and compared to facilitate the assessment of the effectiveness of such provisions in preventing fatigue and drowsiness among truck drivers. Current hours of service provisions governing commercial truck drivers were derived from governmental sources. The commercial truck driver hours of service provisions in the United States, Canada, and the European Union permit drivers to work 14 hours and those of Australia permit drivers to work 12 hours a day on a regular basis. The regulations do not state what a driver may do with time off. They are consistent with a driver being able to drive after 24 hours without sleep. They do not take into account circadian rhythm by linking driving or rest to time of day. Current hours of service regulations governing commercial truck drivers leave gaps--permitting drivers to work long hours on a regular basis, permitting driving after no sleep for 24 hours, and failing to take into account the importance of circadian rhythm, endangering the public safety and the truck drivers themselves. Copyright © 2015 National Sleep Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Long working hours and alcohol use

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Virtanen, Marianna; Jokela, Markus; Nyberg, Solja T

2015-01-01

.2%). There was no difference in these associations between men and women or by age or socioeconomic groups, geographical regions, sample type (population based v occupational cohort), prevalence of risky alcohol use in the cohort, or sample attrition rate. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals whose working hours exceed standard......OBJECTIVE: To quantify the association between long working hours and alcohol use. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies and unpublished individual participant data. DATA SOURCES: A systematic search of PubMed and Embase databases in April 2014 for published studies......, supplemented with manual searches. Unpublished individual participant data were obtained from 27 additional studies. REVIEW METHODS: The search strategy was designed to retrieve cross sectional and prospective studies of the association between long working hours and alcohol use. Summary estimates were...

Migration plans and hours of work in Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Gillin, E D; Sumner, D A

1985-01-01

"This article describes characteristics of prospective migrants in the Malaysian Family Life Survey and investigates how planning to move affects hours of work. [The authors] use ideas about intertemporal substitution...to discuss the response to temporary and permanent wage expectations on the part of potential migrants. [An] econometric section presents reduced-form estimates for wage rates and planned migration equations and two-stage least squares estimates for hours of work. Men currently planning a move were found to work fewer hours. Those originally planning only a temporary stay at their current location work more hours." excerpt

Chapter 10: Peak Demand and Time-Differentiated Energy Savings Cross-Cutting Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurnik, Charles W [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Stern, Frank [Navigant, Boulder, CO (United States); Spencer, Justin [Navigant, Boulder, CO (United States)

2017-10-03

Savings from electric energy efficiency measures and programs are often expressed in terms of annual energy and presented as kilowatt-hours per year (kWh/year). However, for a full assessment of the value of these savings, it is usually necessary to consider the measure or program's impact on peak demand as well as time-differentiated energy savings. This cross-cutting protocol describes methods for estimating the peak demand and time-differentiated energy impacts of measures implemented through energy efficiency programs.

Wind energy as a significant source of electricity for the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nix, R.G.

1996-06-01

This paper discusses wind energy and its potential to significantly impact the generation of electricity within the US. The principles and the equipment used to convert wind energy to electricity are described, as is the status of current technology. Markets and production projections are given. There is discussion of the advances required to reduce the selling cost of electricity generated from the wind from today's price of about $0.05 per kilowatt-hour to full cost-competitiveness with gas- and coal-based electricity

Electric power: liberalization in half-measure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pradel, P.

1996-01-01

The European directive about the electric power liberalization concerns only big consumers. These manufacturers have privileged relations with E.D.F. for long years with a very attractive price for the kilowatt hour. The change should not be very important, only more transparency in accounts and change in tariffs of power transmission: for example, a small electric power producer will be authorized to contest the buying price that E.D.F. imposes to him to transport the energy he produces. (N.C.)

Windpower's future grows brighter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flavin, C.

1995-01-01

Modern technologies to generate electricity from windpower were introduced only 15 years ago. Today, equipment and control improvements have moved this benign process into a strong competitive position, both nationally and internationally. Altogether, the world had roughly 20,000 wind turbines in operation by the end of 1993, producing 3,000 megawatts of electricity. More than a dozen American and European companies, many with government assistance, are pursuing advanced wind technologies that are believed capable of closing the remaining cost gap with fossil fuel plants. According to one study, the average capacity factor of Californian wind turbines -- the percentage of their annual power potential generated -- rose from 13 in 1987 to 24 in 1990. These machines are now estimated to be ''available'' to operate 95 percent of the time, which is better than most fossil fuel plants. The machines now entering the market generate 300--750 kilowatts per turbine rather than the 100-kilowatt average of the late eighties' models. They have lighter and more aerodynamic blades made of synthetic materials, improved rotor-hub connections and drive trains, new blade controls, and more advanced power electronics, including some that operate at variable speeds, which allows the turbines to run more efficiently in a range of winds. The new designs are less expensive and can be deployed in more moderate wind regimes. In 1994, wind developers using the new technology signed contracts to sell wind-generated electricity for as low as 4--5 cents per kilowatt-hour

Are long physician working hours harmful to patient safety?

Science.gov (United States)

Ehara, Akira

2008-04-01

Pediatricians of Japanese hospitals including not only residents but also attending physicians work long hours, and 8% work for >79 h per week. Most of them work consecutively for >or=32 h when they are on call. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of long work hours on patient safety. The electronic databases MEDLINE and EMBASE to searched identify the English- and Japanese-language literature for studies on work hours, medical errors, patient safety, and malpractice for years 1966-2005. Studies that analyzed the relationship between physician work hours and outcomes directly related to patient safety were selected. Seven studies met the criteria. Four studies suggest that reduction of work hours has a favorable effect on patient safety indicators. In the other three studies no significant changes of the indicators were observed, but no report found that shorter work hours were harmful to patient safety. Decrease of physician work hours is not harmful but favorable to patient safety.

Work-hour restrictions as an ethical dilemma for residents.

Science.gov (United States)

Carpenter, Robert O; Austin, Mary T; Tarpley, John L; Griffin, Marie R; Lomis, Kimberly D

2006-04-01

We propose that the standardized work-hour limitations have created an ethical dilemma for residents. A survey tool was designed to assess factors that influence the number of hours residents work and report. The program directors of pediatrics, internal medicine, and general surgery at our institution supported their residents' participation. A voluntary, anonymous survey of these residents was performed. One hundred seventy of 265 eligible residents were surveyed. Eighty-one percent of residents surveyed responded. Eighty percent of respondents reported exceeding work-hour restrictions at least once within the past 6 months. The factor of greatest influence measured was concern for patient care (80%). Forty-nine percent of respondents admitted underreporting their work hours. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education work-hour restrictions have created an ethical dilemma for residents. Our data show that a significant number of residents feel compelled to exceed work-hour regulations and report those hours falsely.

Backlog at December 31, 2007: euro 39,8 billion, up by 55% from year-end 2006. 2007 sales revenue: euro 11.9 billion, up by 9.8% (+10.4% like-for-like); Carnet de commandes au 31 decembre 2007: 39,8 milliards d'euros, en progression de 55% par rapport a fin 2006. Chiffre d'affaires de l'exercice 2007: 11,9 milliards d'euros, en progression de 9,8% (+10,4% en donnees comparables)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2008-01-15

The AREVA group's backlog reached a record level of euro 39.834 billion as of December 31, 2007, up by 55% from that of year-end 2006. In Nuclear, the backlog was euro 34.927 billion at year-end 2007 (+58%), due in particular to the signature of a contract in a record amount with the Chinese utility CGNPC. The series of agreements concluded provide among other things for the construction of two new-generation EPR nuclear islands and the supply of all of the materials and services needed for their operation through 2027. CGNPC also bought 35% of the production of UraMin, the mining company acquired by AREVA in August 2007. Industrial cooperation in the Back End of the cycle was launched with the signature of an agreement between China and France. In addition, the group signed several long-term contracts in significant amounts, particularly with KHNP of South Korea, EDF and Japanese utilities. The Transmission and Distribution division won several major contracts in Libya and Qatar at the end of the year approaching a total of euro 750 million. For the entire year, new orders grew by 34% to euro 5.816 billion. The backlog, meanwhile, grew by 40% to euro 4.906 billion at year-end. The group cleared sales revenue of euro 11.923 billion in 2007, up by 9.8% (+10.4% like-for-like) in relation to 2006 sales of euro 10.863 billion. Sales revenue for the 4. quarter of 2007 rose to euro 3.858 billion, for growth of 16.7% (+18.8% like-for-like) over one year. Sales revenue for the year was marked by: - Growth of 7.6% (+10.6% like-for-like) in Front End sales revenue, which rose to euro 3.140 billion. The division's Enrichment operations posted strong growth. - Sales were up by 17.5% (+15.2% like-for-like) to euro 2.717 billion in the Reactors and Services division. Sales revenue was driven in particular by the growth of Services operations, after weak demand in 2006, by progress on OL3 construction, and by the start of Flamanville 3, the second EPR. For the Back End

Counting the kilowatts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moxon, Suzanne

1999-01-01

The potential for small-scale hydro power in the UK, and in the Stroud Valley in Gloucestershire in particular, is discussed. Historically (1540-1830), the River Frome, Slad Brook and Painswick and Nailsworth streams played an important role in local industry but by 1970 neglect meant that virtually all the hydro systems were in a poor state. In 1992, the government asked Local Authorities to consider local sustainable development options and Gloucestershire saw the potential for a return to hydro power. The article briefly discusses technical aspects of exploiting hydro in the area and the views of the Environment Agency. The article discusses one scheme in particular and remains optimistic about development at other sites in the area

Long working hours and alcohol use

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Virtanen, Marianna; Jokela, Markus; Nyberg, Solja T

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To quantify the association between long working hours and alcohol use. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies and unpublished individual participant data. DATA SOURCES: A systematic search of PubMed and Embase databases in April 2014 for published studies......, supplemented with manual searches. Unpublished individual participant data were obtained from 27 additional studies. REVIEW METHODS: The search strategy was designed to retrieve cross sectional and prospective studies of the association between long working hours and alcohol use. Summary estimates were...... countries. The pooled maximum adjusted odds ratio for the association between long working hours and alcohol use was 1.11 (95% confidence interval 1.05 to 1.18) in the cross sectional analysis of published and unpublished data. Odds ratio of new onset risky alcohol use was 1.12 (1.04 to 1...

Duty hour reform in a shifting medical landscape.

Science.gov (United States)

Jena, Anupam B; Prasad, Vinay

2013-09-01

The circumstances that led to the death of Libby Zion in 1984 prompted national discussions about the impact of resident fatigue on patient outcomes. Nearly 30 years later, national duty hour reforms largely motivated by patient safety concerns have demonstrated a negligible impact of duty hour reductions on patient mortality. We suggest that the lack of an impact of duty hour reforms on patient mortality is due to a different medical landscape today than existed in 1984. Improvements in quality of care made possible by computerized order entry, automated medication checks, inpatient pharmacists, and increased resident supervision have, among other systemic changes, diminished the adverse impact that resident fatigue is able to have on patient outcomes. Given this new medical landscape, advocacy towards current and future duty hour reforms may be best justified by evidence of the impact of duty hour reform on resident wellbeing, education, and burnout.

Work hours and absenteeism among police officers.

Science.gov (United States)

Fekedulegn, Desta; Burchfiel, Cecil M; Hartley, Tara A; Baughman, Penelope; Charles, Luenda E; Andrew, Michael E; Violanti, John M

2013-01-01

In this study, the cross-sectional association of paid work hours with episodes of work absence was examined in a cohort of police officers. Study subjects were participants from the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress (BCOPS) study examined between 2004 and 2009. Among 395 study participants with complete data, day-by-day work history records during the one-year period prior to date of examination were used to determine episodes of one-day and three day work absence. The Negative binomial regression analysis was used to examine rate ratios (RR) of work absence. Analyses were also stratified by gender. A one-hour increase in total work hours was associated with 5% reduction in rate of one-day work absence (RR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92 - 0.98) and with 8% reduction in rate of three-day work absence (RR = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.89 - 0.95). The association of total work hours with episodes of one-day work absence was significant only in men while the association with episodes of three-day work absence was evident in men and women. In conclusion, in this cohort of police officers, work hours were negatively associated with both durations of work absence (one-day, > or = 3 consecutive days).

Evaluation of a twelve-hour/day shift schedule

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, P.M.; Swaim, D.J.

1986-01-01

In April 1985, the operating crews at the Fast Flux Test Facility near Richland, Washington, changed their rotating shift schedule from an 8-hour to a 12-hour a day work schedule. The primary purpose of the change was to reduce the attrition of operators by increasing their job satisfaction. Eighty-four percent of the operators favored the change. A program was established to evaluate the effects on plant performance, operator alertness, attrition, sleep, health, job satisfaction, and off-the-job satisfaction. Preliminary results from that evaluation program indicate that the 12-hour shift schedule is a reasonable alternative to an 8-hour schedule at this facility

168 Hours Salt Fog Test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nur Ubaidah Saidin; Muhamad Daud; Siti Radiah Mohd Kamarudin

2011-01-01

This report explained the test conducted in salt fog chamber to evaluate the effectiveness of mild steel, coated with rust converter, for 168 hours in artificial seawater exposure. The samples were compared with mild steel coated with commercial primer. The tests were conducted followed ASTM B117. Individual pictures were taken of each sample before the tests began, at 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144 and 168 hours to see the progression of the corrosion. Results showed that the samples coated with rust converter provide a good significant protection against corrosion phenomenon than the samples coated with commercial primer that available in the market. (author)

Flexibility of working hours in the 24-hour society.

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, G

2006-01-01

The 24-hour Society undergoes an ineluctable process towards a social organisation where time constraints are no more restricting human life. The borders between working and social times are no more fixed and rigidly determined, and the value of working time changes according to the different economic and social effects you may consider. Shift and night work, irregular and flexible working hours, together with new technologies, are the milestone of this epochal passage. What are the advantages and disadvantages for the individual, the companies, and the society? What is the cost/benefit ratio in terms of health and social well-being? Coping properly with this process means avoiding a passive acceptance of it with consequent maladjustments at both individual and social level, but adopting effective preventive and compensative strategies aimed at building up a more sustainable society. Flexible working times now appear to be one of the best ways to cope with the demands of the modern life, but there are different points of view about labour and temporal 'flexibility" between employers and employees. For the former it means a prompt adaptation to market demands and technological innovations; for the latter it is a way to improve working and social life, by decreasing work constraints and increasing control and autonomy. Although it can be easily speculated that individual-based 'flexibility" should improve health and well-being, and especially satisfaction, whereas company-based flexibility" might interfere negatively, the effective consequences on health and well-being have still to be analysed properly.

Full-time Workers Want to Work Fewer Hours, Part-time Workers Want to Work Longer Hours

OpenAIRE

Holst, Elke

2009-01-01

Since the reunification of Germany, average working times for men and women have followed different trends. There are various reasons for the difference. More and more women are gainfully employed; they engage in part-time and marginal employment, both of which are on the rise. The importance of full-time employment has declined. This accounts for most of the reduction in their average workweek, which decreased by 2.3 hours to 31.9 hours between 1993 and 2007. The full-time employment of men ...

IRON AND {alpha}-ELEMENT PRODUCTION IN THE FIRST ONE BILLION YEARS AFTER THE BIG BANG

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Becker, George D.; Carswell, Robert F. [Kavli Institute for Cosmology and Institute of Astronomy, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HA (United Kingdom); Sargent, Wallace L. W. [Palomar Observatory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Rauch, Michael, E-mail: gdb@ast.cam.ac.uk, E-mail: acalver@ast.cam.ac.uk, E-mail: wws@astro.caltech.edu, E-mail: mr@obs.carnegiescience.edu [Carnegie Observatories, 813 Santa Barbara Street, Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States)

2012-01-10

We present measurements of carbon, oxygen, silicon, and iron in quasar absorption systems existing when the universe was roughly one billion years old. We measure column densities in nine low-ionization systems at 4.7 < z < 6.3 using Keck, Magellan, and Very Large Telescope optical and near-infrared spectra with moderate to high resolution. The column density ratios among C II, O I, Si II, and Fe II are nearly identical to sub-damped Ly{alpha} systems (sub-DLAs) and metal-poor ([M/H] {<=} -1) DLAs at lower redshifts, with no significant evolution over 2 {approx}< z {approx}< 6. The estimated intrinsic scatter in the ratio of any two elements is also small, with a typical rms deviation of {approx}< 0.1 dex. These facts suggest that dust depletion and ionization effects are minimal in our z > 4.7 systems, as in the lower-redshift DLAs, and that the column density ratios are close to the intrinsic relative element abundances. The abundances in our z > 4.7 systems are therefore likely to represent the typical integrated yields from stellar populations within the first gigayear of cosmic history. Due to the time limit imposed by the age of the universe at these redshifts, our measurements thus place direct constraints on the metal production of massive stars, including iron yields of prompt supernovae. The lack of redshift evolution further suggests that the metal inventories of most metal-poor absorption systems at z {approx}> 2 are also dominated by massive stars, with minimal contributions from delayed Type Ia supernovae or winds from asymptotic giant branch stars. The relative abundances in our systems broadly agree with those in very metal-poor, non-carbon-enhanced Galactic halo stars. This is consistent with the picture in which present-day metal-poor stars were potentially formed as early as one billion years after the big bang.

Long work hours and obesity in Korean adult workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Tae-Won; Kim, Hyoung-Ryoul; Lee, Hye-Eun; Myong, Jun-Pyo; Koo, Jung-Wan

2014-01-01

The present study was designed to identify the association between work hours and obesity in Korean adult manual and nonmanual workers, and to determine whether there is a gender difference in this association. The study was conducted using Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data collected between 2007 and 2010. Individuals aged below 25 or over 64 years, pregnant women, part-time workers, soldiers, housewives and students were excluded. The total number of individuals included in the analysis was 8,889 (5,241 male and 3,648 female subjects). The outcome variable was obesity, defined as body mass index ≥25 kg/m(2). Variables considered in the model were age, education, income, marital status, alcohol drinking, smoking, daily energy intake, physical activity, sleep hours per day, the type of job, work hours, and work schedule. Work hours were categorized as 60 hours per week. In the multiple SURVEYLOGISTIC regression analyses, the adjusted odds ratio of obesity for long work hours (>60 hours per week) in male manual workers was 1.647 (95% confidence interval 1.262-2.151). Long work hours did not significantly increase the odds ratio for obesity in male nonmanual workers and female manual and nonmanual workers. More than 60 work hours per week increased the risk of obesity in Korean male manual workers. This result might be helpful in preventing obesity in Korean adult workers, especially male manual workers.

Factors influencing accruement of contact hours for nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Kubsch, Sylvia; Henniges, Amy; Lorenzoni, Nancy; Eckardt, Sally; Oleniczak, Sandra

2003-01-01

A decline in attendance at continuing education (CE) in nursing activities was observed in a Midwest state where CE attendance is not required. The purpose of this research study was to identify the effect of attitude, extrinsic and intrinsic reinforcement, and deterrents on contact hour accrual. A convenience sample of 282 registered nurses was surveyed using a researcher-constructed instrument determined to be valid and reliable. Registered nurses earning 0 to 15 contact hours annually reported accruing fewer contact hours in 1999 than in an average year. Registered nurses who earned 16 to 45+ contact hours annually reported earning more contact hours in 1999 than in an average year. Intrinsic reinforcement was found to be a significant motivator (r [257] = .242; p Operant Conditioning Theory has use in explaining registered nurse attendance at CE activities. CE planners should consider placing more emphasis on intrinsic rather than extrinsic reinforcement to encourage staff to attend CE activities.

24-Hour Academic Libraries: Adjusting to Change

Science.gov (United States)

Bowman, Adam C.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the adaptive measures that academic libraries perform when implementing and operating a 24-hour schedule. Five in-depth interviews were conducted with current managerial-level librarians at 24-hour academic libraries. The exploratory interviews revealed similar measures for security, budgeting, employee…

On the Path to SunShot - The Environmental and Public Health Benefits of Achieving High Penetrations of Solar Energy in the United States

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiser, Ryan [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Mai, Trieu [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Millstein, Dev [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Macknick, Jordan [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Carpenter, Alberta [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Cohen, Stuart [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Cole, Wesley [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Frew, Bethany [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Heath, Garvin [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2016-05-01

Monetizing the environmental health benefits of solar could add ~3.5¢/kWh to the value of solar energy (see Wiser et al. 2016). The monetary impacts due to environmental degradation and public health impacts seem far removed from the apparent “sticker price” of electricity. Yet quantifying these impacts is essential to understanding the true costs and benefits of solar and conventional generating technologies. Compared with fossil fuel generators, PV and CSP produce far lower lifecycle levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and harmful pollutants including fine particular matter (PM2.5), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Achieving the SunShot-level solar deployment targets—14% of U.S. electricity demand met by solar in 2030 and 27% in 2050—could reduce cumulative power-sector GHG emissions by 10% between 2015 and 2050, resulting in savings of $238–$252 billion. This is equivalent to 2.0–2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour of solar installed (¢/kWh-solar). Similarly, realizing these levels of solar deployment could reduce cumulative power-sector emissions of PM2.5 by 8%, SO2 by 9%, and NOx by 11% between 2015 and 2050. This could produce $167 billion in savings from lower future health and environmental damages, or 1.4¢/kWh-solar—while also preventing 25,000–59,000 premature deaths. To put this in perspective, the estimated 3.5¢/kWh-solar in benefits due to SunShot-level solar deployment is approximately equal to the additional LCOE reduction needed to make unsubsidized utility-scale solar competitive with conventional generators today. In addition, water savings from achieving the SunShot goals, could result in the 2015–2050 cumulative savings of 4% of total power-sector withdrawals and 9% of total power-sector consumption—a particularly important consideration for arid states where substantial solar will be deployed. Improving public health and the environment is but one aspect of solar’s many costs and benefits. Clearly, however

How Brazil Transferred Billions to Foreign Coffee Importers: The International Coffee Agreement, Rent Seeking and Export Tax Rebates

OpenAIRE

Jarvis, Lovell S.

2003-01-01

Rent seeking is well known, but empirical evidence of its effects is relatively rare. This paper analyzes how the domestic and international rent seeking caused Brazil to provide coffee export tax rebates that transferred foreign exchange to coffee importers. Although Brazil was the world's largest exporter, it began to pay export tax rebates to selected coffee importers in 1965 and, by 1988, had paid rebates totaling $8 billion. Brazil explained these rebates as a mechanism to price disc...

“Friday off”: Reducing Working Hours in Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jack Rossiter

2013-04-01

Full Text Available This article explores the pros and cons for reducing working hours in Europe. To arrive to an informed judgment we review critically the theoretical and empirical literature, mostly from economics, concerning the relation between working hours on the one hand, and productivity, employment, quality of life, and the environment, on the other. We adopt a binary economics distinction between capital and labor productiveness, and are concerned with how working hours may be reduced without harming the earning capacity of workers. There are reasons to believe that reducing working hours may absorb some unemployment, especially in the short-run, even if less than what is advocated by proponents of the proposal. Further, there may well be strong benefits for the quality of peoples’ lives. Environmental benefits are likely but depend crucially on complementary policies or social conditions that will ensure that the time liberated will not be directed to resource-intensive or environmentally harmful consumption. It is questionable whether reduced working hours are sustainable in the long-term given resource limits and climate change. We conclude that while the results of reducing working hours are uncertain, this may be a risk worth taking, especially as an interim measure that may relieve unemployment while other necessary structural changes are instituted.

The Association between Long Working Hours and Self-Rated Health

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Objectives This study was conducted to determine the number of hours worked per week by full-time wage workers by using the data of the Korean Labor and Income Panel Study (KLIPS), which represents the domestic urban area household, and to determine the association between weekly working hours and the level of self-rated health. Methods We used data from the 11th KLIPS conducted in 2008. The subjects of this study were 3,699 full-time wage workers between the ages of 25 and 64 years. The association between weekly working hours and self-rated health was analyzed considering socio-demographic characteristics, work environment, and health-related behaviors. Results Among the workers, 29.7% worked less than 40 hours per week; 39.7%, more than 40 to 52 hours; 19.7%, more than 52 to 60 hours; and 10.9%, more than 60 hours per week. After controlling for socio-demographic variables, work environment-related variables, and health-related behavior variables, the odds ratio (OR) for poor self-rated health for the group working more than 40 hours and up to 52 hours was calculated to be 1.06 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.89-1.27) when the group working less than 40 hours per week was considered the reference. The OR for the group working more than 60 hours was 1.42 (95% CI, 1.10-1.83) and that for the group working more than 52 hours and up to 60 hours was 1.07 (95% CI, 0.86-1.33). After stratification by gender and tenure, the OR of the female workers group and that of the group with a tenure of more than 1 year were found to be significantly higher than those of the other groups. Conclusions This study showed that workers working more than 60 hours per week have a significantly higher risk of poor self-rated health than workers working less than 40 hours per week. This effect was more obvious for the female workers group and the group with a tenure of more than 1 year. In the future, longitudinal studies may be needed to determine the association between long working

The Association between Long Working Hours and Self-Rated Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Jun-Taek; Lee, Goeun; Kwon, Jongho; Park, Jung-Woo; Choi, Hyunrim; Lim, Sinye

2014-01-20

This study was conducted to determine the number of hours worked per week by full-time wage workers by using the data of the Korean Labor and Income Panel Study (KLIPS), which represents the domestic urban area household, and to determine the association between weekly working hours and the level of self-rated health. We used data from the 11th KLIPS conducted in 2008. The subjects of this study were 3,699 full-time wage workers between the ages of 25 and 64 years. The association between weekly working hours and self-rated health was analyzed considering socio-demographic characteristics, work environment, and health-related behaviors. Among the workers, 29.7% worked less than 40 hours per week; 39.7%, more than 40 to 52 hours; 19.7%, more than 52 to 60 hours; and 10.9%, more than 60 hours per week. After controlling for socio-demographic variables, work environment-related variables, and health-related behavior variables, the odds ratio (OR) for poor self-rated health for the group working more than 40 hours and up to 52 hours was calculated to be 1.06 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.89-1.27) when the group working less than 40 hours per week was considered the reference. The OR for the group working more than 60 hours was 1.42 (95% CI, 1.10-1.83) and that for the group working more than 52 hours and up to 60 hours was 1.07 (95% CI, 0.86-1.33). After stratification by gender and tenure, the OR of the female workers group and that of the group with a tenure of more than 1 year were found to be significantly higher than those of the other groups. This study showed that workers working more than 60 hours per week have a significantly higher risk of poor self-rated health than workers working less than 40 hours per week. This effect was more obvious for the female workers group and the group with a tenure of more than 1 year. In the future, longitudinal studies may be needed to determine the association between long working hours and various health effects in Korean

Software reliability for safety-critical applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Everett, B.; Musa, J.

1994-01-01

In this talk, the authors address the question open-quotes Can Software Reliability Engineering measurement and modeling techniques be applied to safety-critical applications?close quotes Quantitative techniques have long been applied in engineering hardware components of safety-critical applications. The authors have seen a growing acceptance and use of quantitative techniques in engineering software systems but a continuing reluctance in using such techniques in safety-critical applications. The general case posed against using quantitative techniques for software components runs along the following lines: safety-critical applications should be engineered such that catastrophic failures occur less frequently than one in a billion hours of operation; current software measurement/modeling techniques rely on using failure history data collected during testing; one would have to accumulate over a billion operational hours to verify failure rate objectives of about one per billion hours

“Friday off”: Reducing Working Hours in Europe

OpenAIRE

Kallis, Giorgos; Kalush, Michael; O.'Flynn, Hugh; Rossiter, Jack; Ashford, Nicholas A.

2013-01-01

This article explores the pros and cons for reducing working hours in Europe. To arrive to an informed judgment we review critically the theoretical and empirical literature, mostly from economics, concerning the relation between working hours on the one hand, and productivity, employment, quality of life, and the environment, on the other. We adopt a binary economics distinction between capital and labor productiveness, and are concerned with how working hours may be reduced without harming ...

Nursing work hours: individual needs versus working conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Amanda Aparecida; Rotenberg, Lúcia; Fischer, Frida Marina

2011-12-01

To assess factors associated with professional and total hours of work (work + home) among nursing staff. Cross-sectional study conducted in a university hospital in the city of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil, between 2004 and 2005. A total of 696 workers (nurses, nurse technicians and aids), mostly women (87.8%) working day and/or night shifts, participated in the study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collected information on demographic characteristics, and working and life conditions. Translated and adapted into Portuguese versions of the Job Stress Scale, Effort-reward imbalance, Short-Form-Health-related quality of life and the Work Ability Index were also administered. Logistic regression models were used for data analysis. Sole breadwinner, working night shifts and effort-reward imbalance were the variables associated with both professional (OR = 3.38, OR = 10.43, OR = 2.07, respectively) and total hours of work (OR = 1.57, OR = 3.37, OR = 2.75, respectively). There was no significant association between the variables related to hours of work and low Work Ability Index. Inadequate rest at home was statistically associated with professional (OR = 2.47) and total hours of work (OR = 1.48). Inadequate leisure time was significantly associated with professional hours of work (OR = 1.58) and barely associated with total hours of work (OR = 1.43). The sole breadwinner, working night shifts and effort-reward imbalance are variables that need to be further investigated in studies on work hours among nursing staff. These studies should explore workers' income and the relationship between effort and reward, taking into consideration gender issues.

Hourly temporal distribution of wind

Science.gov (United States)

Deligiannis, Ilias; Dimitriadis, Panayiotis; Koutsoyiannis, Demetris

2016-04-01

The wind process is essential for hydrometeorology and additionally, is one of the basic renewable energy resources. Most stochastic forecast models are limited up to daily scales disregarding the hourly scale which is significant for renewable energy management. Here, we analyze hourly wind timeseries giving emphasis on the temporal distribution of wind within the day. We finally present a periodic model based on statistical as well as hydrometeorological reasoning that shows good agreement with data. Acknowledgement: This research is conducted within the frame of the undergraduate course "Stochastic Methods in Water Resources" of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). The School of Civil Engineering of NTUA provided moral support for the participation of the students in the Assembly.

39 CFR 959.3 - Office, business hours.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 39 Postal Service 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Office, business hours. 959.3 Section 959.3 Postal Service UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE PROCEDURES RULES OF PRACTICE IN PROCEEDINGS RELATIVE TO THE PRIVATE EXPRESS STATUTES § 959.3 Office, business hours. The offices of the officials mentioned in these rules are...

39 CFR 952.4 - Office business hours.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 39 Postal Service 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Office business hours. 952.4 Section 952.4 Postal Service UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE PROCEDURES RULES OF PRACTICE IN PROCEEDINGS RELATIVE TO FALSE REPRESENTATION AND LOTTERY ORDERS § 952.4 Office business hours. The offices of the officials mentioned in these...

39 CFR 954.4 - Office business hours.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 39 Postal Service 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Office business hours. 954.4 Section 954.4 Postal Service UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE PROCEDURES RULES OF PRACTICE IN PROCEEDINGS RELATIVE TO THE DENIAL, SUSPENSION, OR REVOCATION OF PERIODICALS MAIL PRIVILEGES § 954.4 Office business hours. The offices of the...

MODELS OF HOURLY DRY BULB TEMPERATURE AND ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Hourly meteorological data of both dry bulb temperature and relative humidity for 18 locations in Nigeria for the period 1995 to 2009 were analysed to obtain the mean monthly average and monthly hourly average of each of the two meteorological variables for each month for each location. The difference between the ...

17 CFR 12.3 - Business address; hours.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... REPARATIONS General Information and Preliminary Consideration of Pleadings § 12.3 Business address; hours. The... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Business address; hours. 12.3..., DC 20581. It is open each day, except Saturdays, Sundays, and legal public holidays, from 8:15 a.m...

Effect of a 12-hour/day shift on performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, P.M.; Swaim, D.J.

1988-06-01

The operating crews at the Fast Flux Facility near Richland, Washington, changed their rotating shift schedule from an 8- to 12- hour/day work schedule. The primary reason for the change was to reduce the attrition of operators by increasing their job satisfaction. Eighty-four percent of the operators favored the change. Plant performance and safety were not adversely affected. A statistical analysis of 53 operator-related, off-normal events in 28 months concluded that there was no significant difference in either the number or the severity of off-normal events on the 12-hour shift. A statistical analysis of 200,000 log entries concluded that the error rate in completing logs actually declined by 25 percent on the 12-hour shift. Alertness, which was measured using computerized tests of mathematics and logical reasoning, reach a nadir on the first night shift for the 8- and 12-hour schedules alike, which indicates that the primary cause of fatigue was sleep disruption, not cumulative hours of work. All supervisors and 52 percent of the operators believe their crews work more effectively on the 12-hour shift; only 12 percent of the operators believe that their crews work less effectively. The evaluation indicated that the 12-hour shift scheduled is a reasonable alternative to an 8-hour schedule at this facility. 2 refs

Perspectives on the working hours of Australian junior doctors.

Science.gov (United States)

Glasgow, Nicholas J; Bonning, Michael; Mitchell, Rob

2014-01-01

The working hours of junior doctors have been a focus of discussion in Australia since the mid-1990s. Several national organizations, including the Australian Medical Association (AMA), have been prominent in advancing this agenda and have collected data (most of which is self-reported) on the working hours of junior doctors over the last 15 years. Overall, the available data indicate that working hours have fallen in a step-wise fashion, and AMA data suggest that the proportion of doctors at high risk of fatigue may be declining. It is likely that these changes reflect significant growth in the number of medical graduates, more detailed specifications regarding working hours in industrial agreements, and a greater focus on achieving a healthy work-life balance. It is notable that reductions in junior doctors' working hours have occurred despite the absence of a national regulatory framework for working hours. Informed by a growing international literature on working hours and their relation to patient and practitioner safety, accreditation bodies such as the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) and the Australian Medical Council (AMC) are adjusting their standards to encourage improved work and training practices.

Electrically Heated Testing of the Kilowatt Reactor Using Stirling Technology (KRUSTY) Experiment Using a Depleted Uranium Core

Science.gov (United States)

Briggs, Maxwell H.; Gibson, Marc A.; Sanzi, James

2017-01-01

The Kilopower project aims to develop and demonstrate scalable fission-based power technology for systems capable of delivering 110 kW of electric power with a specific power ranging from 2.5 - 6.5 Wkg. This technology could enable high power science missions or could be used to provide surface power for manned missions to the Moon or Mars. NASA has partnered with the Department of Energys National Nuclear Security Administration, Los Alamos National Labs, and Y-12 National Security Complex to develop and test a prototypic reactor and power system using existing facilities and infrastructure. This technology demonstration, referred to as the Kilowatt Reactor Using Stirling TechnologY (KRUSTY), will undergo nuclear ground testing in the summer of 2017 at the Nevada Test Site. The 1 kWe variation of the Kilopower system was chosen for the KRUSTY demonstration. The concept for the 1 kWe flight system consist of a 4 kWt highly enriched Uranium-Molybdenum reactor operating at 800 degrees Celsius coupled to sodium heat pipes. The heat pipes deliver heat to the hot ends of eight 125 W Stirling convertors producing a net electrical output of 1 kW. Waste heat is rejected using titanium-water heat pipes coupled to carbon composite radiator panels. The KRUSTY test, based on this design, uses a prototypic highly enriched uranium-molybdenum core coupled to prototypic sodium heat pipes. The heat pipes transfer heat to two Advanced Stirling Convertors (ASC-E2s) and six thermal simulators, which simulate the thermal draw of full scale power conversion units. Thermal simulators and Stirling engines are gas cooled. The most recent project milestone was the completion of non-nuclear system level testing using an electrically heated depleted uranium (non-fissioning) reactor core simulator. System level testing at the Glenn Research Center (GRC) has validated performance predictions and has demonstrated system level operation and control in a test configuration that replicates the one

No Correlation Between Work-Hours and Operative Volumes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjærgaard, Jane; Sillesen, Martin; Beier-Holgersen, Randi

2016-01-01

OBJECTIVE: Since 2003, United States residents have been limited to an 80-hour workweek. This has prompted concerns of reduced educational quality, especially inadequate operating exposure. In contrast, the Danish surgical specialty-training program mandates a cap on working hours of 37 per week....... We hypothesize that there is no direct correlation between work-hours and operative volume achieved during surgical residency. To test the hypothesis, we compare Danish and US operative volumes achieved during surgical residency training. DESIGN: Retrospective comparative study. PARTICIPANTS...... find no difference in overall surgical volumes between Danes and US residents during their surgical training. When time in training was accounted for, differences between weekly surgical volumes achieved were minor, indicating a lack of direct correlation between weekly work-hours and operative volumes...

The eighty-hour workweek: surgical attendings' perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Griner, Devan; Menon, Rema P; Kotwall, Cyrus A; Clancy, Thomas V; Hope, William W

2010-01-01

The year 2008 was a sentinel year in resident education; this was the first graduating general surgery class trained entirely under the 80-hour workweek. The purpose of this study was to evaluate attending surgeon perceptions of surgical resident attitudes and performance before and after duty-hour restrictions. An electronic survey was sent to all surgical teaching institutions in North Carolina. Both surgeon and hospital characteristics were documented. The survey consisted of questions designed to assess residents' attitudes/performance before and after the implementation of the work-hour restriction. In all, 77 surveys were returned (33% response rate). The survey demonstrated that 92% of educators who responded to the survey recognized a difference between the restricted residents (RRs) and the nonrestricted residents (NRRs), and most respondents (67%) attributed this to both the work-hour restrictions and the work ethic of current residents. Most attending surgeons reported no difference between the RRs and the NRRs in most categories; however, they identified a negative change in the areas of work ethic, technical skills development, decision-making/critical-thinking skills, and patient ownership among the RR group. Most surgeons expressed less trust (55%) with patient care and less confidence (68%) in residents' ability to operate independently in the RR group. Eighty-nine percent indicated that additional decreases in work hours would continue to hamper the mission of timely and comprehensive resident education. The perception of surgical educators was that RRs are clearly different from the NRRs and that the primary difference is in work ethic and duty-hour restrictions. Although similar in most attributes, RRs are perceived as having a lower baseline work ethic and a less developed technical skill set, decision-making ability, and sense of patient ownership. Subsequent study is needed to evaluate these concerns. Copyright 2010 Association of Program

Longer Opening Hours for the Library

CERN Multimedia

2001-01-01

The scientific information service. The CERN library is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. So how, you might be wondering, can they improve on that? The answer is in the detail. Although you can already use the library whenever you want, items can only be checked out when the front desk is staffed. A decision taken last week by the Scientific Information Policy Board now means that there will someone at the desk through out CERN's official working hours, with an extra 90 minutes at the end of the day so that people can check out material on their way home. In other words, the library will be open from 8:30 to 19:00, Monday to Friday. The library continues, of course, to be open 24 hours a day, all year round, and services provided via the digital library remain at your disposal day and night: http://library.cern.ch

29 CFR 778.318 - Productive and nonproductive hours of work.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Special Problems Effect of Failure to Count Or Pay for Certain Working Hours § 778.318 Productive and... Act; such nonproductive working hours must be counted and paid for. (b) Compensation payable for... which such nonproductive hours are properly counted as working time but no special hourly rate is...

Learning from the neighbours: Denmark

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Toeller, G.

1983-03-01

In Denmark the owners of wind power plants monthly notify, on a volunteer basis, what number of kilowatt hours they have produced during the past weeks. From the first beginnings in 1979, the number of Danish wind power plants, which take part in the capacity statistics, has now increased to about 300. In the windy month of November in 1982, a quarter per cent of the total Danish electrical power generation has been achieved by wind power plants according to statistics and estimates. It can also be seen from the statistics which types of plants were not ready for operation or which plants generate how much capacity. A seperate calculation also shows how many operation hours a wind energy plant achieves per annum. Plants which are in the power range of 10 kW to 30 kW reach, on average, 6000 working hours. The plants of the 55 kw-type which are equipped with higher towers reach an average value of 6300 hours per annum.

Freescale Semiconductor Successfully Implements an Energy Management System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2011-06-30

Through the Superior Energy Performance (SEP) plant certification program, Freescale Semiconductor implemented projects at the company's Oak Hill Fab plant that reduced annual energy consumption by 28 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity and 26,000 million British thermal units (Btu) of natural gas between 2006 and 2009, saving more than $2 million each year. The plant is now certified at the SEP silver level, and has a management system in place to proactively manage the facility's energy resources in the future.

Funding nuclear power research 1956 to 2015. Update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2016-01-01

In the debates about the use and the benefits of nuclear power plants the allegation is being made that nuclear power to this day had received public subsidies. That was the only reason why electricity from nuclear power plants was economically viable. That statement is wrong. A brief overview is given about the public funds for nuclear energy research and development. In relation to the electricity production less than 0.16 Euro Cents per kilowatt-hour have been spend by public funds for R and D.

Nuclear Waste Fund fee adequacy: An assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-11-01

The purpose of this report is to present the Department of Energy's (the Department) analysis of the adequacy of the 1.00 mill per kilowatt-hour (kWh) fee being paid by the utilities generating nuclear power for the permanent disposal of their spent nuclear fuel (SNF). In accordance with the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA), the SNF would be disposed of in a geologic repository to be developed by the Department. An annual analysis of the fee's adequacy is required by the NWPA

Health and psychosocial effects of flexible working hours.

Science.gov (United States)

Janssen, Daniela; Nachreiner, Friedhelm

2004-12-01

To examine whether any impairments in health and social lives can be found under different kinds of flexible working hours, and whether such effects are related to specific characteristics of these working hours. Two studies -- a company based survey (N=660) and an internet survey (N=528) -- have been conducted. The first one was a questionnaire study (paper and pencil) on employees working under some 'typical' kinds of different flexible working time arrangements in different companies and different occupational fields (health care, manufacturing, retail, administration, call centres). The second study was an internet-based survey, using an adaptation of the questionnaire from the first study. The results of both studies consistently show that high variability of working hours is associated with increased impairments in health and well-being and this is especially true if this variability is company controlled. These effects are less pronounced if variability is self-controlled; however, autonomy does not compensate the effects of variability. Recommendations for an appropriate design of flexible working hours should be developed in order to minimize any impairing effects on health and psychosocial well-being; these recommendations should include -- besides allowing for discretion in controlling one's (flexible) working hours -- that variability in flexible working hours should be kept low (or at least moderate), even if this variability is self-controlled.

Impacts of extended working hours in logging

Science.gov (United States)

Dana Mitchell; Tom Gallagher

2008-01-01

Last year at the 2007 AIM in Minneapolis, MN, the authors presented the human factors impacts to consider when implementing extended working hours in the logging industry. In a continuation of this project, we have researched existing literature to identify possible actions that logging business owners can take to reduce the impact of extended working hours on their...

Hourly wind speed analysis in Sicily

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bivona, S.; Leone, C. [Palermo Univ., Dip di Fisica e Technologie Relative, Palermo (Italy); Burlon, R. [Palermo Univ., Dip. di Ingegnaria Nucleare, Palermo (Italy)

2003-07-01

The hourly average wind speed data recorded by CNMCA (Centro Nazionale di Meteorologia e Climatologia Aeronautica) have been used to study the statistical properties of the wind speed at nine locations on Sicily. By grouping the observations month by month, we show that the hourly average wind speed, with calms omitted, is represented by a Weibull function. The suitability of the distribution is judged by the discrepancies between the observed and calculated values of the monthly average wind speed and of the standard deviation. (Author)

Constraint on a varying proton-electron mass ratio 1.5 billion years after the big bang.

Science.gov (United States)

Bagdonaite, J; Ubachs, W; Murphy, M T; Whitmore, J B

2015-02-20

A molecular hydrogen absorber at a lookback time of 12.4 billion years, corresponding to 10% of the age of the Universe today, is analyzed to put a constraint on a varying proton-electron mass ratio, μ. A high resolution spectrum of the J1443+2724 quasar, which was observed with the Very Large Telescope, is used to create an accurate model of 89 Lyman and Werner band transitions whose relative frequencies are sensitive to μ, yielding a limit on the relative deviation from the current laboratory value of Δμ/μ=(-9.5 ± 5.4(stat)± 5.3(syst))×10(-6).

Natural gas. The LNG trade exceeds the 100 billions of m3 limit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1997-01-01

1996 has been a particularly favourable year for the international natural gas industry with a 10% increase of the international trade. The worldwide commercialized production of natural gas (2310 billions of m 3 ) has shown a 5% increase with respect to the previous year, with a strong increase in the OECD countries (+15.5%), in particular in the North Sea. High growing rates were recorded also in Latin America (9.5%) and Middle East (8%). Natural gas production in the CIS (Community of Independent States) reached 714 Gm 3 in 1996 with 600 Gm 3 from the Russian federation. The international trade has shown a 10% increase and reached 429.3 Gm 3 . The methane tanker ship trade has shown a 10 Gm 3 increase mainly in the Asian market (Japan and South Korea). Natural gas consumption growth has been high too (+4.9%) and reached 11.6% in Europe due to the climate conditions and to an increasing electric power demand. (J.S.)

Forecasting Day-Ahead Electricity Prices: Utilizing Hourly Prices

OpenAIRE

Raviv, Eran; Bouwman, Kees E.; van Dijk, Dick

2013-01-01

This discussion paper led to a publication in 'Energy Economics' , 2015, 50, 227-239. The daily average price of electricity represents the price of electricity to be delivered over the full next day and serves as a key reference price in the electricity market. It is an aggregate that equals the average of hourly prices for delivery during each of the 24 individual hours. This paper demonstrates that the disaggregated hourly prices contain useful predictive information for the daily average ...

Relationship Between Long Working Hours and Metabolic Syndrome Among Korean Workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Jungok

2017-03-01

This study investigated gender differences in the relationship between long working hours and metabolic syndrome. Data based on the Sixth National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2014) pertaining to a total of 1,145 paid workers were analyzed. Working hours were divided into three groups (40-51 hours/week, 52-59 hours/week, ≥ 60 hours/week). The relationship between working hours and metabolic syndrome was then analyzed after adjusting for general and occupational characteristics, using a multiple logistic regression model. Working 40-51 hours per week was associated with the lowest metabolic syndrome among female workers (11.2%), whereas it was associated with the highest metabolic syndrome among male workers (28.0%). After adjusting for general and occupational characteristics, female workers working≥60 hours per week showed odds ratios of 2.21 [95% confidence interval (1.07, 4.57)], compared to those who worked 40-51 hours per week. However, no clear association between long working hours and metabolic syndrome was found among male workers. The results suggest that working long hours, especially≥60 hours per week, is related to metabolic syndrome among female Korean workers. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The effects of Smoke Free Work Hours in Danish municipalities

OpenAIRE

Tina Termansen; Simon Rask

2017-01-01

Since 2011, 15 Danish municipalities have implemented smoke free work hours, meaning that an employee working for the municipality may not smoke in his or her work time (about 7,5 hours a day). This is a much stricter prevention method, than former strategies preventing smoking mostly at locations and not during working hours. Research concerning the effects of smoke free work hours is non-existing. We therefore wish to look into the specific outcomes of smoke free work hours related to smoki...

The Associations Between Long Working Hours, Physical Inactivity, and Burnout.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Nien-Chih; Chen, Jong-Dar; Cheng, Tsun-Jen

2016-05-01

To examine the correlations between long working hours, physical activity, and burnout. A cross-sectional survey was administered to 1560 full-time employees, who underwent periodic health examinations in the year 2013. The subjects were divided into upper, middle, and lower tertiles according to the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) score. The comparison of the high- and low-burnout groups revealed that long working hours were significantly correlated with burnout in a dose-dependent manner. Long working hours were more significantly associated with burnout among individuals younger than 50 years, females, and physically inactive employees. Long working hours are correlated with burnout when working over 40 hours per week and is even stronger when working over 60 hours per week. Limiting working hours to 40 weekly may be beneficial for the prevention of burnout. Physical activity helps reduce the risk of burnout.

Long working hours and sickness absence-a fixed effects design.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernstrøm, Vilde Hoff

2018-05-02

While long working hours seem to lead to impaired health, several studies have also shown that long working hours are related to lower levels of sickness absence. Previous studies on the relationship between long working hours and sickness absence have compared those who work long hours to those who do not, looking only at between-individual correlations. Those results might therefore reflect relatively stable differences between employees who typically work long hours and employees who typically do not. The aim of the present study is to examine within-individual correlations between long working hours and sickness absence. Records from the Human Resources department in a large Norwegian hospital from 2012 to 2015 provided objective data on both working hours and sickness absence. Two analyses were performed: a prospective cohort analysis to replicate the results from previous between-individual analyses and a second analysis of within-individual correlations using a fixed effect design. In line with existing research, both between-individual and within-individual analyses showed a negative relationship between long working hours (> 48 h/week) and short-term sickness absence (1-8 days) and no significant difference in incidence of long-term sickness absence (> 8 days). The results indicate that the negative relationship between long working hours and sickness absence is not due only to relatively stable individual differences between those who typically work long hours and those who do not. The results from both analyses therefore still contrast with previous research showing a negative relationship between long working hours and other health indicators.

Two billion cars. Pt. 1. Sustainable mobility electric- and hybrid drive; Zwei Milliarden Autos. T. 1. Nachhaltige Mobilitaet Elektro- und Hybridantrieb

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sperling, Daniel [California Univ., Davis (United States). Inst. of Transportation Studies; Gordon, Deborah

2010-10-15

China, India - developing countries are booming, and car manufacturers are in competition to open new markets. Within the coming two decades cars will double up to two billions involving a fast increasing of carbon dioxide emissions. To avoid environmental impacts measures have to be introduced, which is presented in this contribution by advanced drive technologies. (GL)

Unsupervised/supervised learning concept for 24-hour load forecasting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Djukanovic, M [Electrical Engineering Inst. ' Nikola Tesla' , Belgrade (Yugoslavia); Babic, B [Electrical Power Industry of Serbia, Belgrade (Yugoslavia); Sobajic, D J; Pao, Y -H [Case Western Reserve Univ., Cleveland, OH (United States). Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

1993-07-01

An application of artificial neural networks in short-term load forecasting is described. An algorithm using an unsupervised/supervised learning concept and historical relationship between the load and temperature for a given season, day type and hour of the day to forecast hourly electric load with a lead time of 24 hours is proposed. An additional approach using functional link net, temperature variables, average load and last one-hour load of previous day is introduced and compared with the ANN model with one hidden layer load forecast. In spite of limited available weather variables (maximum, minimum and average temperature for the day) quite acceptable results have been achieved. The 24-hour-ahead forecast errors (absolute average) ranged from 2.78% for Saturdays and 3.12% for working days to 3.54% for Sundays. (Author)

Working hours and health behaviour among nurses at public hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandes, Juliana da Costa; Portela, Luciana Fernandes; Rotenberg, Lúcia; Griep, Rosane Harter

2013-01-01

To analyse the differences between genders in the description in the professional, domestic and total work hours and assess its association with health-related behaviour among nurses. This is a transversal study carried out in 18 different public hospitals in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. The data collection procedure was based on questionnaires. All nurses working with assistance were considered eligible (n=2,279). Men and women showed significant differences in relation to working hours. The female group showed longer domestic and total work hours when compared to the group of men. In contrast, the number of hours spent on professional work was higher among men. For the women, both the professional hours and total work hours were often associated with excessive consumption of fried food and also coffee, lack of physical exercise and also the greater occurrence of overweight and obesity. Both the professional hours and the domestic work hours need to be taken into account in studies about health, self-care and also the care provided within the context of nursing workers, particularly among women. The results add weight to the need for actions for health promotion in this occupational group and the importance of assessing the impact of long working hours on the health of workers.

ACGME proposes dropping the 16 hour resident shift limit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robbins RA

2016-11-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME is proposing that first-year residents would no longer be limited to 16-hour shifts during the 2017-2018 academic year under a controversial proposal released today (1. Instead, individual residency programs could assign first-year trainees to shifts as long as 28 hours, the current limit for all other residents. The 28-hour maximum includes 4 transitional hours that's designed in part to help residents improve continuity of care. The plan to revise training requirements does not change other rules designed to protect all residents from overwork. including the maximum80 hours per week. The ACGME capped the shifts of first-year residents at 16 hours in 2011 as a part of an ongoing effort to make trainee schedules more humane and avoid clinical errors caused by sleep deprivation. ACGME CEO Thomas Nasca, MD, told Medscape Medical News that the problem arises largely from first-year residents not being ...

Modeling Hourly Resident Productivity in the Emergency Department.

Science.gov (United States)

Joseph, Joshua W; Henning, Daniel J; Strouse, Connie S; Chiu, David T; Nathanson, Larry A; Sanchez, Leon D

2017-08-01

Resident productivity, defined as new patients per hour, carries important implications for emergency department operations. In high-volume academic centers, essential staffing decisions can be made on the assumption that residents see patients at a static rate. However, it is unclear whether this model mirrors reality; previous studies have not rigorously examined whether productivity changes over time. We examine residents' productivity across shifts to determine whether it remained consistent. This was a retrospective cohort study conducted in an urban academic hospital with a 3-year emergency medicine training program in which residents acquire patients ad libitum throughout their shift. Time stamps of all patient encounters were automatically logged. A linear mixed model was constructed to predict productivity per shift hour. A total of 14,364 8- and 9-hour shifts were worked by 75 residents between July 1, 2010, and June 20, 2015. This comprised 6,127 (42.7%) postgraduate year (PGY) 1 shifts, 7,236 (50.4%) PGY-2 shifts, and 998 (6.9%) PGY-3 nonsupervisory shifts (Table 1). Overall, residents treated a mean of 10.1 patients per shift (SD 3.2), with most patients at Emergency Severity Index level 3 or more acute (93.8%). In the initial hour, residents treated a mean of 2.14 patients (SD 1.2), and every subsequent hour was associated with a significant decrease, with the largest in the second, third, and final hours. Emergency medicine resident productivity during a single shift follows a reliable pattern that decreases significantly hourly, a pattern preserved across PGY years and types of shifts. This suggests that resident productivity is a dynamic process, which should be considered in staffing decisions and studied further. Copyright © 2016 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

29 CFR 778.114 - Fixed salary for fluctuating hours.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

..., whatever their number, rather than for working 40 hours or some other fixed weekly work period, such a... compensation to the employee at a rate not less than the applicable minimum wage rate for every hour worked in..., in addition to such salary, for all overtime hours worked at a rate not less than one-half his...

Work Hours, Social Value of Leisure and Globalisation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Jørgen Drud; Nielsen, Jørgen Ulff-Møller; Montagna, Catia

We examine how openness interacts with the coordination of consumption-leisure decisions in determining the equilibrium working hours and wage rate when there are leisure externalities (e.g., due to social interactions). The latter are modelled by allowing a worker's marginal utility of leisure...... to be increasing in the leisure time taken by other workers. Coordination takes the form of internalising the leisure externality and other relevant constraints (e.g., labour demand). The extent of openness is measured by the degree of capital mobility. We find that: coordination lowers equilibrium work hours...... and raises the wage rate; there is a U-shaped (inverse-U-shaped) relationship between work hours (wages) and the degree of coordination; coordination is welfare improving; and, the gap between the coordinated and uncoordinated work hours (and the corresponding wage rates) is affected by the extent and nature...

Work Hours, Social Value of Leisure and Globalisation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Jørgen Drud; Molana, Hassan; Montagna, Catia

2010-01-01

We examine how openness interacts with the coordination of consumption-leisure decisions in determining the equilibrium working hours and wage rate when there are leisure externalities (e.g., due to social interactions). The latter are modelled by allowing a worker's marginal utility of leisure...... to be increasing in the leisure time taken by other workers. Coordination takes the form of internalising the leisure externality and other relevant constraints (e.g., labour demand). The extent of openness is measured by the degree of capital mobility. We find that: coordination lowers equilibrium work hours...... and raises the wage rate; there is a U-shaped (inverse-U-shaped) relationship between work hours (wages) and the degree of coordination; coordination is welfare improving; and, the gap between the coordinated and uncoordinated work hours (and the corresponding wage rates) is affected by the extent and nature...

Work hours, social value of leisure and globalisation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Jørgen Drud; Molana, Hassan; Montagna, Catia

2012-01-01

We examine how openness interacts with the coordination of consumption-leisure decisions in determining the equilibrium working hours and wage rate when there are leisure externalities (e.g., due to social interactions). The latter are modelled by allowing a worker’s marginal utility of leisure...... to be increasing in the leisure time taken by other workers. Coordination takes the form of internalising the leisure externality and other relevant constraints (e.g., labour demand). The extent of openness is measured by the degree of capital mobility. We find that: coordination lowers equilibrium work hours...... and raises the wage rate; there is a U-shaped (inverse-U-shaped) relationship between work hours (wages) and the degree of coordination; coordination is welfare improving; and, the gap between the coordinated and uncoordinated work hours (and the corresponding wage rates) is affected by the extent and nature...

12-hour shifts: an ethical dilemma for the nurse executive.

Science.gov (United States)

Lorenz, Susan G

2008-06-01

Flexible work hours, including 12-hour shifts, have become a common scheduling option for nurses. The author explores whether 12-hour shifts are an ethical scheduling option for nurses because recent research suggests that 12-hour shifts are a potential hazard to patients. A multistep model for ethical decision making, reflecting the concept of procedural justice, is used to examine this issue.

Relationship Between Long Working Hours and Metabolic Syndrome Among Korean Workers

OpenAIRE

Jungok Yu, RN, PhD

2017-01-01

Purpose: This study investigated gender differences in the relationship between long working hours and metabolic syndrome. Methods: Data based on the Sixth National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2014) pertaining to a total of 1,145 paid workers were analyzed. Working hours were divided into three groups (40–51 hours/week, 52–59 hours/week, ≥ 60 hours/week). The relationship between working hours and metabolic syndrome was then analyzed after adjusting for general and occupationa...

Periodic self-rostering in shift work: correspondence between objective work hours, work hour preferences (personal fit), and work schedule satisfaction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ingre, M.; Äkerstedt, T.; Ekstedt, M.; Kecklund, L.G.

2012-01-01

Objectives The main objective of the present study was to investigate relative personal fit as the association between rated needs and preferences for work hours, on the one hand, and actual work hours, on the other hand, in three groups (hospital, call-center, and police) working with periodic

CERN takes part in Earth Hour

CERN Multimedia

Anaïs Vernède

2011-01-01

From 8.30 to 9.30 p.m. on Saturday, 26 March 2011, the Globe of Science and Innovation will be plunged into darkness to mark CERN's participation in Earth Hour. A growing number of countries and cities across the planet are involved in this global initiative against climate change, which was launched by the WWF in 2007.   The lights on the Globe were switched off for the 2009 Earth Hour event. Along with individuals, companies and tourist attractions in thousands of towns and cities all over the world participating in the fourth annual Earth Hour event, CERN will turn off the lights of the Globe for 60 minutes at 8.30 p.m. on Saturday 26 March. CERN's participation in the initiative is one of several examples of its commitment to respect the environment and keep its ecological footprint to the minimum. A recent example under the green transport heading was the replacement of part of CERN's petrol vehicle fleet with cars running on natural gas with a view to reducing air pollution. Other examples...

Ozone Nonattainment Areas - 1 Hour

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — This data layer identifies areas in the U.S. where air pollution levels have not met the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Ozone - 1hour (Legacy...

Field test report of the Department of Energy's 100-kW vertical axis wind turbine

Science.gov (United States)

Nellums, R. O.

1985-02-01

Three second generation Darrieus type vertical axis wind turbines of approximately 120 kW capacity per unit were installed in 1980-1981. Through March 1984, over 9000 hours of operation had been accumulated, including 6600 hours of operation on the unit installed in Bushland, Texas. The turbines were heavily instrumented and have yielded a large amount of test data. Test results of this program, including aerodynamic, structural, drive train, and economic data are presented. Among the most favorable results were an aerodynamic peak performance coefficient of 0.41; fundamental structural integrity requiring few repairs and no major component replacements as of March 1984; and an average prototype fabrication cost of approximately $970 per peak kilowatt of output. A review of potential design improvements is presented.

Molecular dynamics beyonds the limits: Massive scaling on 72 racks of a BlueGene/P and supercooled glass dynamics of a 1 billion particles system

KAUST Repository

Allsopp, Nicholas; Ruocco, Giancarlo; Fratalocchi, Andrea

2012-01-01

We report scaling results on the world's largest supercomputer of our recently developed Billions-Body Molecular Dynamics (BBMD) package, which was especially designed for massively parallel simulations of the short-range atomic dynamics

Working hours and health behaviour among nurses at public hospitals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juliana da Costa Fernandes

2013-09-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: to analyse the differences between genders in the description in the professional, domestic and total work hours and assess its association with health-related behaviour among nurses. METHODS: this is a transversal study carried out in 18 different public hospitals in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. The data collection procedure was based on questionnaires. All nurses working with assistance were considered eligible (n=2,279. RESULTS: men and women showed significant differences in relation to working hours. The female group showed longer domestic and total work hours when compared to the group of men. In contrast, the number of hours spent on professional work was higher among men. For the women, both the professional hours and total work hours were often associated with excessive consumption of fried food and also coffee, lack of physical exercise and also the greater occurrence of overweight and obesity. CONCLUSION: both the professional hours and the domestic work hours need to be taken into account in studies about health, self-care and also the care provided within the context of nursing workers, particularly among women. The results add weight to the need for actions for health promotion in this occupational group and the importance of assessing the impact of long working hours on the health of workers.

Do economic stresses influence child work hours on family farms?

Science.gov (United States)

Gadomski, Anne; de Long, Rachel; Burdick, Patrick; Jenkins, Paul

2005-01-01

Economic stresses are a frequently cited reason for children doing farm work. To explore the relationship between economic indicators and child agricultural work hours between January 2001 and October 2003. This ecologic study design compares trends in aggregate child work hours with national and regional economic indicators. Child work hours were obtained from quarterly surveillance data from a randomized field trial of agricultural task guidelines for children. 2,360 children living or working on 845 farms in central New York participated in the original study. The relationship between child work hours and three economic indicators: national all farm index (AFI) ratio, national fuel index, and regional milk prices was analyzed using times series plots, correlation, and multiple linear regression. The AFI ratio was positively correlated with child work hours (r = 0.49, p = 0.008) but there was no significant correlation between child work hours and fuel or milk prices. Multiple linear regression demonstrated that the relationship between AFI and child work hours is independent of a seasonal effect. Increased child work hours may be associated with periods of higher farm sector productivity, rather than economic stress per se. Findings are limited by the ecologic study design, use of national economic indicators, and the limited number of cycles of child work hours available for time series analysis. Economic conditions may influence decisions about children's farm work.

Energy-related inventions program invention 637. Final technical report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-07-31

The final technical report for the Pegasus plow, a stalk and root embedding apparatus, describes progress from the development stage to the product support stage. The US Department of Agriculture - Agriculture Research Service (ARS) is now in the second year of a three year study comparing the Pegasus to conventional tillage. So far, no downside has been with the Pegasus and the following benefits have been documented: (1) Energy savings of 65.0 kilowatt hours per hectare over conventional tillage. This is when the Pegasus plow is used to bury whole stalks, and represents a 70% savings over conventional tillage (92.5 kilowatt hours per hectare). (2) Four to seven fewer passes of tillage, depending on the particular situation. This represents a substantial time savings to farmers. (3) So far, no differences in cotton yields. Recent cotton boll counts in one study indicate a higher yield potential with the Pegasus. (4) No disease problems. (5) Significantly higher levels of organic matter in the soil. A hypothesis of the study is that whole stalk burial may reduce plant disease problems. This hypothesis has not yet been proven. (6) Significantly higher levels of nitrate nitrogen. Total nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen trended higher but were not significantly different. This shows that whole stalk burial does not adversely affect the nitrogen cycle in the soil and may actually improve it. The marketing support stage of the project is also described in the report.

Comparison of costs of electricity generation based on nuclear energy and pit coal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-01-01

Despite of a meanwhile considerable increase in costs of installation, especially of nuclear power stations, the differences in costs have increased in favour of nuclear electricity generation. The cost advantages are estimated 4 German Pfennig per kilowatt-hour in the base-load field for plants coming into operation at the end of this decade compared with the most profitable variant of pit coal utilization on which this investigation is based; compared to the use of German hard coal, assuming a relatively optimistic development of prices for domestic hard coal in the future, the cost advantage is estimated 8 German Pfennig per kilowatt-hour. The main reason is that in the past years the price for German hard coal as well as for imported coal considerably rose and for the future further increases have to be expected whereas the largest share of the costs of nuclear electricity generation doesn't increase, after the plant is completed. Considering the importance of the fuel costs within the total costs of electricity generation in coal power stations this must have its effects on the total result. These results also prove to be valid for a variation of important cost parameters. Only if the unlikely assumption that considerable variations of influences on costs - each unfavourable effecting nuclear electricity generation - would come together would prove to be true the economic efficiency of nuclear energy would be reduced or questioned. (UA) [de

29 CFR 785.21 - Less than 24-hour duty.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Sleeping Time and Certain Other Activities § 785.21 Less than 24-hour duty. An employee who is required to be on duty for less than 24 hours is working even though he is permitted to sleep or engage in other... 29 Labor 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Less than 24-hour duty. 785.21 Section 785.21 Labor...

Work-Family Conflict, Children, and Hour Mismatches in Australia

Science.gov (United States)

Reynolds, Jeremy; Aletraris, Lydia

2007-01-01

This article helps integrate research on work hours and work-family issues by examining how work-family conflict is related to the desire for more and fewer hours of work. Using the first wave of the Household Income and Labor Dynamics in Australia survey, we find that work-to-family conflict is associated with a desire for fewer hours of work.…

Planning Annuaulised hours when spike in demand exists

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MR Sureshkumar

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Manpower planning using annualised hours is an effective tool where seasonal demand for staff in industry exists. In annualised hours (AH workers are contracted to work for a certain number of hours per year. The workers are associated with relative efficiency for different types of tasks. This paper proposes a Mixed Integer linear Programming (MILP model to solve an annualised working hours planning problem when spike in demand exists. The holiday weeks for the workers are considered as partially individualised. If a worker has been assigned with more than one type of working week in a week, this will be compensated with one or more holiday week. The performance of the model is demonstrated with an example. It can be seen that this type of modelling helps to meet the spikes in demand with less capacity shortage compared with one working week in a week.

U.S. Hourly Precipitation Data

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Hourly Precipitation Data (HPD) is digital data set DSI-3240, archived at the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). The primary source of data for this file is...

One billion year-old Mid-continent Rift leaves virtually no clues in the mantle

Science.gov (United States)

Bollmann, T. A.; Frederiksen, A. W.; van der Lee, S.; Wolin, E.; Revenaugh, J.; Wiens, D.; Darbyshire, F. A.; Aleqabi, G. I.; Wysession, M. E.; Stein, S.; Jurdy, D. M.

2017-12-01

We measured the relative arrival times of more than forty-six thousand teleseismic P waves recorded by seismic stations of Earthscope's Superior Province Rifting Earthscope Experiment (SPREE) and combined them with a similar amount of such measurements from other seismic stations in the larger region. SPREE recorded seismic waves for two and a half years around the prominent, one billion year-old Mid-continent Rift structure. The curvilinear Mid-continent Rift (MR) is distinguished by voluminous one billion year-old lava flows, which produce a prominent gravity high along the MR. As for other seismic waves, these lava flows along with their underplated counterpart, slightly slow down the measured teleseismic P waves, on average, compared to P waves that did not traverse structures beneath the Mid-continent Rift. However, the variance in the P wave arrival times in these two groups is nearly ten times higher than their average difference. In a seismic-tomographic inversion, we mapped all measured arrival times into structures deep beneath the crust, in the Earth's mantle. Beneath the crust we generally find relatively high P velocities, indicating relatively cool and undeformable mantle structures. However, the uppermost mantle beneath the MR shows several patches of slightly decreased P velocities. These patches are coincident with where the gravity anomalies peak, in Iowa and along the northern Minnesota/Wisconsin border. We will report on the likelihood that these anomalies are indeed a remaining mantle-lithospheric signature of the MR or whether these patches indirectly reflect the presence of the lava flows and their underplated counterparts at the crust-mantle interface. Other structures of interest and of varying depth extent in our tomographic image locate at 1) the intersection of the Superior Craton with the Penokean Province and the Marshfield Terrane west of the MR in southern Minnesota, 2) the intersection of the Penokean, Yavapai, and Mazatzal Terranes

Long working hours and pregnancy complications: women physicians survey in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Takeuchi, Masumi; Rahman, Mahbubur; Ishiguro, Aya; Nomura, Kyoko

2014-07-23

Previous studies have investigated the impact of occupational risk factors on health outcomes among physicians. However, few studies have investigated the effects on pregnancy outcomes among physicians. In this study, we examined the association between working hours during pregnancy and pregnancy complications among physicians. A cross-sectional study was based on a survey conducted in 2009-2011 of 1,684 alumnae (mean age, 44 ± 8 years) who had graduated from 13 private medical schools in Japan. Data on threatened abortion (TA), preterm birth (PTB), and the number of working hours during the first trimester of pregnancy were obtained via retrospective assessments. Of the 939 physicians with a first pregnancy, 15% experienced TA and 12% experienced PTB. Women who experienced TA (mean weekly working hours: 62 h vs. 50 h, P working hours during the first trimester than did those without pregnancy complications. Compared with women who worked 40 hours or less per week, women who worked 71 hours or more per week had a three-fold higher risk of experiencing TA (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.7-6.0) even after adjusting for medical specialty, maternal age, and current household income. The risk of experiencing PTB was 2.5 times higher (95% CI:1.2-5.2) in women who worked 51-70 hours and 4.2 times higher (95% CI: 1.9-9.2) in women who worked 71 hours or more even after adjusting for specialty, maternal age, and current household income. The trend in the P statistic reflecting the effect of the quartile of hours worked per week (40 hours, 41-50 hours, 51-70 hours, ≥ 71 hours) on TA or PTB was 0.0001 in the multivariate logistic regression models. These results suggest that working long hours during the first trimester of pregnancy is associated with TA and PTB.

The effects of Smoke Free Work Hours in Danish municipalities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tina Termansen

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Since 2011, 15 Danish municipalities have implemented smoke free work hours, meaning that an employee working for the municipality may not smoke in his or her work time (about 7,5 hours a day. This is a much stricter prevention method, than former strategies preventing smoking mostly at locations and not during working hours. Research concerning the effects of smoke free work hours is non-existing. We therefore wish to look into the specific outcomes of smoke free work hours related to smoking prevalence, sickness leave and work place culture through a semi-experimental study. As the decision to implement smoke free work hours is administrative and/or political, we will not be able to randomize the intervention. Instead, we use one or more Danish municipality who are planning to implement smoke free work hours as an intervention-group and similar municipalities as control group. Data will be collected both through questionnaires about employees smoking prevalence, sickness leave and work place community, and through register data about the citizens employed in the municipalities in question. This will primarily be data on socio-economic status and health. In this way we can compare the municipalities implementing smoke free work hours with each other and find similar control municipalities. We hope, that this study can contribute to understanding the specific outcomes of implementing smoke free work hours, focusing both on health outcomes and work place culture.

Long working hours and emotional well-being in korean manufacturing industry employees.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Kyoung-Hye; Kim, Jong-Eun; Kim, Young-Ki; Kang, Dong-Mug; Yun, Myeong-Ja; Park, Shin-Goo; Song, Jae-Seok; Lee, Sang-Gil

2013-12-05

Korea is well known for its long work hours amongst employees. Because workers of the manufacturing industry are constantly exposed to extended work hours, this study was based on how long work hours affect their emotional well-being. The analysis was done using the secondary Korean Working Condition Survey (KWCS). Long work hours were defined to be more than 48 hours, and they were subcategorized into units of 52 hours and 60 hours. Based on the WHO (five) well-being index, emotional state was subdivided into three groups - reference group, low-mood group, and possible depression group- where 28 points and 50 points were division points, and two groups were compared at a time. Association between long work hours and emotional state was analyzed using binary and multinomial logistic regression analysis. Working for extended working hours in the manufacturing industry showed a statistically significant increase (t test p work-related characteristics were fixed as controlled variables, as work hours increased the odds ratio of the possible depression group increased compared to the reference group, and especially the odds ratio was 2.73 times increased for work hours between 48-52 and 4.09 times increased for 60 hours or more and both were statistically significant. In comparing the low-mood group and possible depression group, as work hours increased the odds ratio increased to 1.73, 2.39, and 4.16 times, and all work hours from working 48-52 hours, 53-60 hours, and 60 hours or more were statistically significant. Multinomial logistic regression analysis also showed that among the reference group and possible group, the possible depression group was statistically significant as odds ratio increased to 2.94 times in working 53-60 hours, and 4.35 times in 60 hours or more. Long work hours have an adverse effect on emotional well-being. A more diversified research towards variables that affect long work hours and emotional well-being and how they interact with each

Why the long hours? Job demands and social exchange dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Genin, Emilie; Haines, Victor Y; Pelletier, David; Rousseau, Vincent; Marchand, Alain

2016-11-22

This study investigates the determinants of long working hours from the perspectives of the demand-control model [Karasek, 1979] and social exchange theory [Blau, 1964; Goulder, 1960]. These two theoretical perspectives are tested to understand why individuals work longer (or shorter) hours. The hypotheses are tested with a representative sample of 1,604 employed Canadians. In line with Karasek's model, the results support that high job demands are positively associated with longer work hours. The social exchange perspective would predict a positive association between skill discretion and work hours. This hypothesis was supported for individuals with a higher education degree. Finally, the results support a positive association between active jobs and longer work hours. Our research suggests that job demands and social exchange dynamics need to be considered together in the explanation of longer (or shorter) work hours.

SunShot Initiative Fact Sheet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office

2015-04-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) SunShot Initiative is a collaborative national effort launched in 2011 that aggressively drives innovation to make solar energy fully cost competitive with traditional energy sources before the end of the decade. The SunShot fact sheet outlines goals and successes of the program as it works with private companies, universities, non-profit organizations, state and local governments, and national laboratories to drive down the cost of solar electricity to $0.06 per kilowatt-hour, without incentives, by the year 2020.

WindPACT Turbine Rotor Design Study: June 2000--June 2002 (Revised)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Malcolm, D. J.; Hansen, A. C.

2006-04-01

This report presents the results of the turbine rotor study completed by Global Energy Concepts (GEC) as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's WindPACT (Wind Partnership for Advanced Component Technologies) project. The purpose of the WindPACT project is to identify technology improvements that will enable the cost of energy from wind turbines to fall to a target of 3.0 cents/kilowatt-hour in low wind speed sites. The study focused on different rotor configurations and the effect of scale on those rotors.

Feasibility Study of Biomass Electrical Generation on Tribal Lands

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tom Roche; Richard Hartmann; Joohn Luton; Warren Hudelson; Roger Blomguist; Jan Hacker; Colene Frye

2005-03-29

The goals of the St. Croix Tribe are to develop economically viable energy production facilities using readily available renewable biomass fuel sources at an acceptable cost per kilowatt hour ($/kWh), to provide new and meaningful permanent employment, retain and expand existing employment (logging) and provide revenues for both producers and sellers of the finished product. This is a feasibility study including an assessment of available biomass fuel, technology assessment, site selection, economics viability given the foreseeable fuel and generation costs, as well as an assessment of the potential markets for renewable energy.

Electric power monthly, February 1999 with data for November 1998

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-02-01

The Electric Power Monthly presents monthly electricity statistics for a wide audience including Congress, Federal and State agencies, the electric utility industry, and the general public. The purpose of this publication is to provide energy decision makers with accurate and timely information that may be used in forming various perspectives on electric issues that lie ahead. Statistics are provided for net generation, fossil fuel consumption and stocks, quantity and quality of fossil fuels, cost of fossil fuels, electricity retail sales, associated revenue, and average revenue per kilowatt-hour of electricity sold.

Solar Energy Systems

Science.gov (United States)

1984-01-01

Calibrated in kilowatt hours per square meter, the solar counter produced by Dodge Products, Inc. provides a numerical count of the solar energy that has accumulated on a surface. Solar energy sensing, measuring and recording devices in corporate solar cell technology developed by Lewis Research Center. Customers for their various devices include architects, engineers and others engaged in construction and operation of solar energy facilities; manufacturers of solar systems or solar related products, such as glare reducing windows; and solar energy planners in federal and state government agencies.

Surgeon distress as calibrated by hours worked and nights on call.

Science.gov (United States)

Balch, Charles M; Shanafelt, Tait D; Dyrbye, Lotte; Sloan, Jeffrey A; Russell, Thomas R; Bechamps, Gerald J; Freischlag, Julie A

2010-11-01

The relationships of working hours and nights on call per week with various parameters of distress among practicing surgeons have not been previously examined in detail. More than 7,900 members of the American College of Surgeons responded to an anonymous, cross-sectional survey. The survey included self-assessment of their practice setting, a validated depression screening tool, and standardized assessments of burnout and quality of life. There was a clear gradient between hours and burnout, with the prevalence of burnout ranging from 30% for surgeons working hours/week, 44% for 60 to 80 hours/week, and 50% for those working >80 hours/week (p hours and nights on call (both p worked >80 hours/week reported a higher rate of medical errors compared with those who worked hours/week (10.7% versus 6.9%; p work and home conflicts were higher among surgeons who worked longer hours or had ≥2 nights on call. A significantly higher proportion of surgeons who worked >80 hours/week or had >2 nights on call/week would not become a surgeon again (p hours worked and nights on call per week appear to have a substantial impact on surgeons, both professionally and personally. These factors are strongly related to burnout, depression, career satisfaction, and work and home conflicts. Copyright © 2010 American College of Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Behind the ink : multi-billion dollar oil deal between Venezuela and China not necessarily bad for either the United States or Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bentein, J.

2009-01-01

Although China has recently signed large contracts with Venezuela for crude oil, experts are convinced that Chinese refiners will want more Canadian crude oil because they have greater confidence in Canada as a reliable provider. Production difficulties with nationalized oil industries in Venezuela and Mexico will create further opportunities for Canadian oil producers. The recent recession has caused delays in plans to increase pipeline capacity. China may invest $US 8 billion in Venezuelan oil in order to increase exports to China to over a million barrels per day by 2015. The Chinese government granted the Venezuelan government a $4 billion loan last year. The Venezuelan government has increased the maximum royalty rates paid by foreign oil companies. The Venezuelan-owned Citgo operates more than 7000 gasoline retail outlets in the United States. The country is capable of processing 1.3 million barrels per day. Studies have suggested that the Chinese see their investments as a business opportunity, and not as a means of antagonizing western countries. It was concluded that economists are predicting that Venezuela's currency will be devalued this year. 3 figs

Emotional exhaustion may trigger cut in working hours

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koppes, L.

2012-01-01

Researchers in the Netherlands have been examining to what extent workers are modifying their hours to cope with high levels of work-related emotional exhaustion. Findings reveal that most full-time employees would prefer a cut in their hours, with those reporting emotional exhaustion wanting a

Vizualization Challenges of a Subduction Simulation Using One Billion Markers

Science.gov (United States)

Rudolph, M. L.; Gerya, T. V.; Yuen, D. A.

2004-12-01

Recent advances in supercomputing technology have permitted us to study the multiscale, multicomponent fluid dynamics of subduction zones at unprecedented resolutions down to about the length of a football field. We have performed numerical simulations using one billion tracers over a grid of about 80 thousand points in two dimensions. These runs have been performed using a thermal-chemical simulation that accounts for hydration and partial melting in the thermal, mechanical, petrological, and rheological domains. From these runs, we have observed several geophysically interesting phenomena including the development of plumes with unmixed mantle composition as well as plumes with mixed mantle/crust components. Unmixed plumes form at depths greater than 100km (5-10 km above the upper interface of subducting slab) and consist of partially molten wet peridotite. Mixed plumes form at lesser depth directly from the subducting slab and contain partially molten hydrated oceanic crust and sediments. These high resolution simulations have also spurred the development of new visualization methods. We have created a new web-based interface to data from our subduction simulation and other high-resolution 2D data that uses an hierarchical data format to achieve response times of less than one second when accessing data files on the order of 3GB. This interface, WEB-IS4, uses a Javascript and HTML frontend coupled with a C and PHP backend and allows the user to perform region of interest zooming, real-time colormap selection, and can return relevant statistics relating to the data in the region of interest.

Long working hours and cancer risk: a multi-cohort study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heikkila, K.; Nyberg, S.T.; Madsen, I.E.; Vroome, E. de; Alfredsson, L.; Bjorner, J.B.; Borritz, M.; Burr, H.; Erbel, R.; Ferrie, J.E.; Fransson, E.; Geuskens, G.A.; Hooftman, W.E.; Houtman, I.L.; Jöckel, K.H.; Knutsson, A.; Koskenvuo, M.; Lunau, T.; Nielsen, M.L.; Nordin, M.; Oksanen, T.; Pejtersen, J.H.; Pentti, J.; Shipley, M.J.; Steptoe, A.; Suominen, S.B.; Theorell, T.; Vahtera, J.; Westerholm, P.J.M.; Westerlund, H.; Dragano, N.; Rugulies, R.; Kawachi, I.; Batty, G.D.; Singh-Manoux, A.; Virtanen, M.; Kivimäki, M.

2016-01-01

Background: Working longer than the maximum recommended hours is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but the relationship of excess working hours with incident cancer is unclear. Methods: This multi-cohort study examined the association between working hours and cancer risk

Characteristics and outcomes for women physicians who work reduced hours.

Science.gov (United States)

Carr, Phyllis L; Gareis, Karen C; Barnett, Rosalind C

2003-05-01

To understand the characteristics of women physicians who work reduced hours in dual-earner couples and how such work schedules affect the quality of the marital role, parental role, and job role, as well as indicators of psychological distress, burnout, career satisfaction, and life satisfaction. Survey of a random sample of female physicians between 25 and 50 years of age, working within 25 miles of Boston, whose names were obtained from the Registry of Board Certification in Medicine in Massachusetts. Interviewers conducted a 60-minute face-to-face close-ended interview after a 20-minute mailed questionnaire had been completed. Fifty-one full-time physicians and 47 reduced-hours physicians completed the study, for a completion rate of 49.5%. There was no difference in age, number of years as a physician, mean household income, number of children, or presence of an infant in the home between reduced-hours and full-time physicians. Reduced-hours physicians, however, were more likely to be in a generalist specialty (40% vs. 12%, p = 0.001) and to spend a greater portion of their time in patient care (64.5% vs. 50.1%, p = 0.003) and less time in research (4.9% vs. 18.0%, p = 0.002) than full-time physicians. In addition, there was no difference between the two groups in the perception of work interfering with family life (1.8 vs. 1.7, p = 0.17; scale 1-7 with 7 high) or family life interfering with work (1.4 vs. 1.5, p = 0.62). Physicians who worked their preferred number of hours (25% of full-time and 57% of reduced-hours physicians), regardless of full-time (self-reported hours 35-90 hours per week) or reduced-hours (20-60 hours per week) status, reported better job role quality (r = 0.35, p = 0.001), schedule fit (r = 0.41, p Women physicians who work their preferred number of hours achieve the best balance of work and family outcomes.

Working hours and common mental disorders in English police officers.

Science.gov (United States)

Houdmont, J; Randall, R

2016-12-01

There is a paucity of evidence on working hours and their psychological correlates in police officers of the federated ranks in England. An exploratory study to establish the extent to which a sample of English police officers worked long hours and the association between long working hours and common mental disorder (CMD). Officers of the federated ranks (constable, sergeant, inspector) from two English county forces completed a questionnaire to report their typical weekly working hours and symptoms of CMD. We also collected socio- and occupational-demographic data. We defined long working hours as ≥49 h in a typical week in accordance with 48-h weekly limit specified in the 1993 European Directive on the Organisation of Working Time. We established associations between long working hours and self-reported CMDs using binary logistic regression to generate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) adjusted for potential confounding variables. Twenty-seven per cent (n = 327/1226) of respondents reported long working hours. The ORs for psychological distress (OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.57-2.68), emotional exhaustion (OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.52-2.59), and depersonalization (OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.00-1.71) were significantly increased for long working hours after adjustment for socio- and occupational-demographic characteristics. More than one quarter of sampled police officers reported working long hours and were significantly more likely to report CMD. National and longitudinal research is required to confirm these findings, which suggest management of working hours may effectively promote psychological well-being. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Biomass as Feedstock for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry: The Technical Feasibility of a Billion-Ton Annual Supply, April 2005

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2005-04-01

The purpose of this report is to determine whether the land resources of the United States are capable of producing a sustainable supply of biomass sufficient to displace 30 percent or more of the country’s present petroleum consumption – the goal set by the Biomass R&D Technical Advisory Committee in their vision for biomass technologies. Accomplishing this goal would require approximately 1 billion dry tons of biomass feedstock per year.

Institutionalisation of Mediation for Dispute Resolution in the Field of Social Bankruptcy of Citizens in Russia or how to prevent losses of 300 billions rubles of Russian Federation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Avdyev Marat Aleksandrovich

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The important problem of modern Russia is poverty of about 22,1 billions citizens. because of illegal action or practice of lending money at unreasonably high rates of interest. About 4,2 billions citizens of Russian are social bankrupts. There are many obstacles for human right in court. Total budget for legal expenses may estimates over than 1,5-2 average annual income of household. Therefore author considers mediation as alternative procedure for dispute resolution between creditors and debtors. Some amendment of law desirable for institutionalization of mediation practice in this types conflicts such as mandatory mediation and so on.

12-hour-shift plant schedule improves operator productivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gould, S.

1989-01-01

Twelve-hour scheduling has been a mainstay of the petrochemical industry, is common in the papermill industry, and is relatively new to the nuclear utility industry. A review of industry experiences, research, and a federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) study of the 12-hour shift (NUREG/CR-4248) demonstrate that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The primary advantages are greater job satisfaction, fewer errors, and the better communications inherent in two shift turnovers versus three. Several companies that implemented the 12-hour shift found an increase in employee morale, no adverse effect on worker health, and no decline in safety. They experienced greater productivity, fewer operator errors, and better communication

Impact of working hours on sleep and mental health.

Science.gov (United States)

Afonso, P; Fonseca, M; Pires, J F

2017-07-01

The number of hours people are required to work has a pervasive influence on both physical and mental health. Excessive working hours can also negatively affect sleep quality. The impact at work of mental health problems can have serious consequences for individuals' as well as for organizations' productivity. To evaluate differences in sleep quality and anxiety and depression symptoms between longer working hours group (LWHG) and regular working hours group (RWHG). To examine factors influencing weekly working hours, sleep quality and anxiety and depressive symptoms. Participants were divided into two groups, RWHG and LWHG, based on working hours, with a cut-off of 48 h per week. We used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to assess anxiety and depression symptoms and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to measure the quality and patterns of sleep. The response rate was 23%. Among the 429 study participants, those in the LWHG group (n = 256, 53%) had significantly more depressive and anxiety symptoms and worse sleep quality than those in RWHG (n = 223, 47%). Working time was significantly positively correlated with higher corporate position and HADS scores. Moreover, HADS scores were positively correlated with PSQI scores and negatively correlated with age. This study suggests that longer working hours are associated with poorer mental health status and increasing levels of anxiety and depression symptoms. There was a positive correlation between these symptoms and sleep disturbances. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Forecasting Kp from solar wind data: input parameter study using 3-hour averages and 3-hour range values

Science.gov (United States)

Wintoft, Peter; Wik, Magnus; Matzka, Jürgen; Shprits, Yuri

2017-11-01

We have developed neural network models that predict Kp from upstream solar wind data. We study the importance of various input parameters, starting with the magnetic component Bz, particle density n, and velocity V and then adding total field B and the By component. As we also notice a seasonal and UT variation in average Kp we include functions of day-of-year and UT. Finally, as Kp is a global representation of the maximum range of geomagnetic variation over 3-hour UT intervals we conclude that sudden changes in the solar wind can have a big effect on Kp, even though it is a 3-hour value. Therefore, 3-hour solar wind averages will not always appropriately represent the solar wind condition, and we introduce 3-hour maxima and minima values to some degree address this problem. We find that introducing total field B and 3-hour maxima and minima, derived from 1-minute solar wind data, have a great influence on the performance. Due to the low number of samples for high Kp values there can be considerable variation in predicted Kp for different networks with similar validation errors. We address this issue by using an ensemble of networks from which we use the median predicted Kp. The models (ensemble of networks) provide prediction lead times in the range 20-90 min given by the time it takes a solar wind structure to travel from L1 to Earth. Two models are implemented that can be run with real time data: (1) IRF-Kp-2017-h3 uses the 3-hour averages of the solar wind data and (2) IRF-Kp-2017 uses in addition to the averages, also the minima and maxima values. The IRF-Kp-2017 model has RMS error of 0.55 and linear correlation of 0.92 based on an independent test set with final Kp covering 2 years using ACE Level 2 data. The IRF-Kp-2017-h3 model has RMSE = 0.63 and correlation = 0.89. We also explore the errors when tested on another two-year period with real-time ACE data which gives RMSE = 0.59 for IRF-Kp-2017 and RMSE = 0.73 for IRF-Kp-2017-h3. The errors as function

Long Working Hours and Emotional Well-Being in Korean Manufacturing Industry Employees

OpenAIRE

Lee, Kyoung-Hye; Kim, Jong-Eun; Kim, Young-Ki; Kang, Dong-Mug; Yun, Myeong-Ja; Park, Shin-Goo; Song, Jae-Seok; Lee, Sang-Gil

2013-01-01

Objectives Korea is well known for its long work hours amongst employees. Because workers of the manufacturing industry are constantly exposed to extended work hours, this study was based on how long work hours affect their emotional well-being. Methods The analysis was done using the secondary Korean Working Condition Survey (KWCS). Long work hours were defined to be more than 48 hours, and they were subcategorized into units of 52 hours and 60 hours. Based on the WHO (five) well-being index...

Surplus weapons-grade plutonium: a resource for exploring and terraforming Mars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muscatello, A.C.; Houts, M.G.

1996-01-01

With the end of the Cold War, greater than 100 metric tons (MT) of weapons-grade plutonium (WGPu) have become surplus to defense needs in the United States and the Former Soviet Union. This paper is a proposal for an option for WGPu disposition, i.e., use of the plutonium as a fuel for nuclear reactors for Mars exploration and eventual terraforming. WGPu was used in nuclear weapons because it has a much smaller critical mass than highly enriched uranium, allowing lighter weapons with consequent longer ranges. Similarly, WGPu reactors would also require smaller amounts of fuel to attain a critical mass, making the reactor much lighter overall and resulting in large savings in launch costs. The greater than 100 MT of WGPu would generate about 1000 billion kilowatt hours of heat energy, much of which could be converted into electricity. The waste heat would also be useful to a Martian outpost or colony. A potential way of getting the WGPu reactors into space is a large gas gun like that being developed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to orbit materials by achieving high velocity at the surface, greatly reducing launch costs and enhancing reliability. Reactor components would be launched on conventional rockets or space shuttles, the reactor fuel rods would be injected into orbit using the gas gun, and the reactor would be assembled in space. Implementation of this proposal would allow disposition of a serious, expensive problem on earth by removing the WGPu from the planet and simultaneously provide a very large energy resource for Mars exploration and terraforming

Surplus weapons-grade plutonium: a resource for exploring and terraforming Mars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muscatello, A.C.; Houts, M.G.

1996-12-31

With the end of the Cold War, greater than 100 metric tons (MT) of weapons-grade plutonium (WGPu) have become surplus to defense needs in the United States and the Former Soviet Union. This paper is a proposal for an option for WGPu disposition, i.e., use of the plutonium as a fuel for nuclear reactors for Mars exploration and eventual terraforming. WGPu was used in nuclear weapons because it has a much smaller critical mass than highly enriched uranium, allowing lighter weapons with consequent longer ranges. Similarly, WGPu reactors would also require smaller amounts of fuel to attain a critical mass, making the reactor much lighter overall and resulting in large savings in launch costs. The greater than 100 MT of WGPu would generate about 1000 billion kilowatt hours of heat energy, much of which could be converted into electricity. The waste heat would also be useful to a Martian outpost or colony. A potential way of getting the WGPu reactors into space is a large gas gun like that being developed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to orbit materials by achieving high velocity at the surface, greatly reducing launch costs and enhancing reliability. Reactor components would be launched on conventional rockets or space shuttles, the reactor fuel rods would be injected into orbit using the gas gun, and the reactor would be assembled in space. Implementation of this proposal would allow disposition of a serious, expensive problem on earth by removing the WGPu from the planet and simultaneously provide a very large energy resource for Mars exploration and terraforming.

Nuclear Waste Fund fee adequacy: an assessment. Nuclear Waste Policy Act

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-02-01

The principal recommendation of this year's analysis is that the ongoing disposal fee should remain at 1.0 mill per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for 1985, based on the following findings: The current 1.0 mill per kWh fee is projected to produce revenues sufficient to offset estimated total system life-cycle costs for a reasonable range of program cost, nuclear generation, and economic environment forecases, as detailed later in this report. For the near term, program indebtedness due to 1983 appropriations cannot be repaid until payment of a substantial fraction of the utilities' $2.3 billion debt from the one-time fee is received. Many of the cost and revenue forecasts analyzed, particularly those for the US Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Mid Case generation forecast, show margins of revenues over costs. Future program cost increases due to general inflation or real price increases could be recovered by indexing the fee to the inflation rate or another cost index. These findings are based on a cash flow analysis that utilized methods very similar to those employed in previous fee adequacy studies. Refinements were made in the areas of system logistics, repository acceptance schedules, repository operating profiles, real interest rates, and treatment of real cost increases. Nuclear wastes produced from defense activities are not considered quantitatively in this report. Preliminary analyses have indicated that economies of co-emplacing defense and civilian wastes could be beneficial to both, but methods of allocating common costs appropriately will not be recommended until cost impacts have been determined more accurately

Reliability through markets in Ontario : submission by the Independent Electricity Market Operator to the Minister of Energy's Consultation Process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

For the past five years, Ontario has invested $1 billion to restructure and open its electricity market to competition. In recent months, and in response to residential consumers pricing concerns, the Independent Electricity Market Operator (IMO) transferred credits to local distribution companies allowing them to issue $75 rebates to all affected customers as of December 1, 2002, and to bill low-volume and other designated customers at a rate of 4.3 cents per kilowatt hour for the commodity portion of their bills. This report addresses the concern that price responsiveness will be lost for those parts of the market with fixed prices. It was noted that the reliability of the power system could be placed at risk if the range of customers with fixed prices is broadened. Fixed prices would also jeopardize the province's ability to attract new supply and enhance competition in the electricity sector. The IMO believes that price responsiveness in the wholesale market is crucial to the reliability of the electricity system and recommends that a plan for any additional fixed pricing should include a clearly defined phase-out over the period ending in 2006 as new supply comes on-line. The IMO emphasizes that the lack of price responsiveness to the market, particularly in peak energy demand periods, is equivalent to adding hundreds of MW to the load. The report presents lessons learned in other jurisdictions and highlights noteworthy considerations such as the market power mitigation agreement, improving competition, a phased-in approach, and demand side initiatives

The 24-hour society between myth and reality.

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, G

2001-12-01

The 24-hour society appears to be an ineluctable process towards a social organisation where time constraints are no more "restricting" the human life. But, what kind of 24-hour society do we need? At what costs? Are they acceptable/sustainable? Shift work, night work, irregular and flexible working hours, together with new technologies, are the milestone of this epochal passage, of which shift workers are builders and victims at the same time. The borders between working and social times are no more fixed and rigidly determined: not only the link between work place and working hours is broken, but also the value of working time changes according to the different economic/productive/social effects it can make. What are the advantages and disadvantages for the individual, the companies, and the society? What is the cost/benefit ratio in terms of physical health; psychological well-being, family and social life? The research on irregular working hours and health shows us what can be the negative consequences of non-human-centered working times organisations. Coping properly with this process means avoiding a passive acceptance of it with consequent maladjustments at both individual and social level, but adopting effective preventive and compensative strategies aimed at building a more sustainable society, at acceptable costs and with the highest possible benefits.

Follow the money: how the billions of dollars that flow from smokers in poor nations to companies in rich nations greatly exceed funding for global tobacco control and what might be done about it.

Science.gov (United States)

Callard, Cynthia

2010-08-01

The business of selling cigarettes is increasingly concentrated in the hands of five tobacco companies that collectively control almost 90% of the world's cigarette market, four of which are publicly traded corporations. The economic activities of these cigarette manufacturers can be monitored through their reports to shareholders and other public documents. Reports for 2008 show that the revenues of these five companies exceeded $300 billion, of which more than $160 billion was provided to governments as taxes, and that corporate earnings of the four publicly traded companies were over $25 billion, of which $14 billion was retained after corporate income taxes were paid. By contrast, funding for domestic and international tobacco control is not reliably reported. Estimated funding for global tobacco control in 2008, at $240 million, is significantly lower than resources provided to address other highmortality global health challenges. Tobacco control has not yet benefited from the innovative finance mechanisms that are in place for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The Framework Convention On Tobacco Control (FCTC) process could be used to redirect some of the earnings from transnational tobacco sales to fund FCTC implementation or other global health efforts.

Psychological contracts: a new strategy for retaining reduced-hour physicians.

Science.gov (United States)

Hartwell, Jennifer K

2010-01-01

As a retention strategy, healthcare organizations offer reduced-hour schedules to physicians seeking better work-family balance. However, this quantitative study of 94 full-time and reduced-hour female physicians in the Boston area found that working fewer hours helps physicians achieve better balance but does not improve their burnout or career satisfaction, or impact their intention to quit or leave the field of medicine. Instead, the findings demonstrate that psychological contract fulfillment, which reflects the subjective nature of the employment relationship, is more important than work hours, an objective job condition, in predicting intention to quit and these other outcomes. A fine-grained analysis is initiated uncovering the multidimensionality of the psychological contract construct. To integrate successful reduced-hour arrangements for physicians, medical managers are directed to the importance of understanding the composition of reduced-hour physicians' psychological contracts, specifically, their need to do challenging work, receive high levels of supervisor support, and promotion opportunities.

Long working hours may increase risk of coronary heart disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Mo-Yeol; Cho, Soo-Hun; Yoo, Min-Sang; Kim, Taeshik; Hong, Yun-Chul

2014-11-01

To evaluate the association between long working hours and risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) estimated by Framingham risk score (FRS) in Korean adults. This study evaluated adult participants in Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey IV (2007-2009). After inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, the final sample size for this study model was 8,350. Subjects were asked about working hours and health status. Participants also completed physical examinations and biochemical measurement necessary for estimation of FRS. Multiple logistic regression was conducted to investigate the association between working hours and 10-year risk for CHD estimated by FRS. Compared to those who work 31-40 hr, significantly higher 10-year risk was estimated among subjects working longer hours. As working hours increased, odds ratio (OR) for upper 10 percent of estimated 10-year risk for CHD was increased up to 1.94. Long working hours are significantly related to risk of coronary heart disease. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Estimator's electrical man-hour manual

CERN Document Server

Page, John S

1999-01-01

This manual's latest edition continues to be the best source available for making accurate, reliable man-hour estimates for electrical installation. This new edition is revised and expanded to include installation of electrical instrumentation, which is used in monitoring various process systems.

Nurses' extended work hours: Patient, nurse and organizational outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Kunaviktikul, W; Wichaikhum, O; Nantsupawat, A; Nantsupawat, R; Chontawan, R; Klunklin, A; Roongruangsri, S; Nantachaipan, P; Supamanee, T; Chitpakdee, B; Akkadechanunt, T; Sirakamon, S

2015-09-01

Nursing shortages have been associated with increased nurse workloads that may result in work errors, thus impacting patient, nurse and organizational outcomes. To examine for the first time in Thailand nurses' extended work hours (working more than 40 h per week) and its relationship to patient, nurse and organizational outcomes. Using multistage sampling, 1524 registered nurses working in 90 hospitals across Thailand completed demographic forms: the Nurses' Extended Work Hours Form; the Patient, Nurse, Organizational Outcomes Form; the Organizational Productivity Questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Spearman's rank correlation and logistic regression. The average extended work hour of respondents was 18.82 h per week. About 80% worked two consecutive shifts. The extended work hours had a positive correlation with patient outcomes, such as patient identification errors, pressure ulcers, communication errors and patient complaints and with nurse outcomes of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Furthermore, we found a negative correlation between extended work hours and job satisfaction as a whole, intent to stay and organizational productivity. Nurses who had extended work hours of >16 h per week were significantly more likely to perceive all four adverse patient outcomes than participants working an extended ≤8 h per week. Patient outcomes were measured by respondents' self-reports. This may not always reflect the real occurrence of adverse events. Associations between extended work hours and outcomes for patients, nurses and the organization were found. The findings demonstrate that working two shifts (16 h) more than the regular work hours lead to negative outcomes for patients, nurses and the organization. Our findings add to increasing international evidence that nurses' poor working conditions result in negative outcomes for professionals, patients and health systems

12 CFR 905.3 - Location and business hours.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Location and business hours. (a) Location. All office units of the Finance Board are located at 1777 F... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Location and business hours. 905.3 Section 905.3 Banks and Banking FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE BOARD FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE BOARD ORGANIZATION AND...

Averaging and sampling for magnetic-observatory hourly data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. J. Love

2010-11-01

Full Text Available A time and frequency-domain analysis is made of the effects of averaging and sampling methods used for constructing magnetic-observatory hourly data values. Using 1-min data as a proxy for continuous, geomagnetic variation, we construct synthetic hourly values of two standard types: instantaneous "spot" measurements and simple 1-h "boxcar" averages. We compare these average-sample types with others: 2-h average, Gaussian, and "brick-wall" low-frequency-pass. Hourly spot measurements provide a statistically unbiased representation of the amplitude range of geomagnetic-field variation, but as a representation of continuous field variation over time, they are significantly affected by aliasing, especially at high latitudes. The 1-h, 2-h, and Gaussian average-samples are affected by a combination of amplitude distortion and aliasing. Brick-wall values are not affected by either amplitude distortion or aliasing, but constructing them is, in an operational setting, relatively more difficult than it is for other average-sample types. It is noteworthy that 1-h average-samples, the present standard for observatory hourly data, have properties similar to Gaussian average-samples that have been optimized for a minimum residual sum of amplitude distortion and aliasing. For 1-h average-samples from medium and low-latitude observatories, the average of the combination of amplitude distortion and aliasing is less than the 5.0 nT accuracy standard established by Intermagnet for modern 1-min data. For medium and low-latitude observatories, average differences between monthly means constructed from 1-min data and monthly means constructed from any of the hourly average-sample types considered here are less than the 1.0 nT resolution of standard databases. We recommend that observatories and World Data Centers continue the standard practice of reporting simple 1-h-average hourly values.

Social Norms on Working Hours, Work-Life Balance, and　Fertility Choice

OpenAIRE

大洞, 公平; 田畑, 顕

2013-01-01

This paper studies the role played by the social norms of working hours in a household labor- leisure and fertility decision model. We suppose that social norms enforce workers not to deviate from the ideal level of working hours, which depends on past and current observations of working hours in workplaces. We show that the social norms lead to multiple equilibria: one with long working hours and a low fertility rate and another with short working hours and a high fertility rate. Our results...

Review of 12-hour shifts at nuclear generating stations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smiley, A.; Moray, N.P.

1989-04-01

This project reviewed the practice of 12-hour shift work schedules at nuclear power plants, and its relationship to safety. The current literature was examined for information on accidents, fatigue and personal preferences. Interviews with operators and maintainers showed that these groups had attitude and preference differences related to both 12 hour shift schedules and overtime work opportunities. Several factors related to 12-hour schedules were identified which could affect safety, but which have not been adequately considered. (24 refs.)

Long working hours and cancer risk: a multi-cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Heikkila, Katriina; Nyberg, Solja T; Madsen, Ida E H; de Vroome, Ernest; Alfredsson, Lars; Bjorner, Jacob J; Borritz, Marianne; Burr, Hermann; Erbel, Raimund; Ferrie, Jane E; Fransson, Eleonor I; Geuskens, Goedele A; Hooftman, Wendela E; Houtman, Irene L; Jöckel, Karl-Heinz; Knutsson, Anders; Koskenvuo, Markku; Lunau, Thorsten; Nielsen, Martin L; Nordin, Maria; Oksanen, Tuula; Pejtersen, Jan H; Pentti, Jaana; Shipley, Martin J; Steptoe, Andrew; Suominen, Sakari B; Theorell, Töres; Vahtera, Jussi; Westerholm, Peter J M; Westerlund, Hugo; Dragano, Nico; Rugulies, Reiner; Kawachi, Ichiro; Batty, G David; Singh-Manoux, Archana; Virtanen, Marianna; Kivimäki, Mika

2016-03-29

Working longer than the maximum recommended hours is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but the relationship of excess working hours with incident cancer is unclear. This multi-cohort study examined the association between working hours and cancer risk in 116 462 men and women who were free of cancer at baseline. Incident cancers were ascertained from national cancer, hospitalisation and death registers; weekly working hours were self-reported. During median follow-up of 10.8 years, 4371 participants developed cancer (n colorectal cancer: 393; n lung cancer: 247; n breast cancer: 833; and n prostate cancer: 534). We found no clear evidence for an association between working hours and the overall cancer risk. Working hours were also unrelated the risk of incident colorectal, lung or prostate cancers. Working ⩾55 h per week was associated with 1.60-fold (95% confidence interval 1.12-2.29) increase in female breast cancer risk independently of age, socioeconomic position, shift- and night-time work and lifestyle factors, but this observation may have been influenced by residual confounding from parity. Our findings suggest that working long hours is unrelated to the overall cancer risk or the risk of lung, colorectal or prostate cancers. The observed association with breast cancer would warrant further research.

29 CFR 785.22 - Duty of 24 hours or more.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... employee is required to be on duty for 24 hours or more, the employer and the employee may agree to exclude... from hours worked, provided adequate sleeping facilities are furnished by the employer and the employee... of sleeping time and lunch periods constitute hours worked. (Armour v. Wantock, 323 U.S. 126 (1944...

76 FR 5324 - Hours of Service of Drivers

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-31

... and how frequently the 11th hour is used. It seeks data on how much of the 11th hour is used when a... soliciting information on patterns of work for night drivers: 2a. For drivers who always drive at night, what... Act restrictions which prohibit Agency officials from engaging in policy discussions about open...

Work Hours of Immigrant Versus U.S.-Born Female Workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Bae, Sung-Heui

2017-10-01

This study was a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data extracted from the 2011-2012 California Health Interview Survey. Data from 8,931 full-time (i.e., 21 hours or more per week) women workers aged 18 to 85 years were analyzed to examine the nature and prevalence of immigrant female workers' work hours, overtime, and related factors in the United States compared to U.S.-born female workers. Results showed that foreign-born female workers did not work longer hours than U.S.-born female workers. Foreign-born female workers who reported poor health worked longer hours than did their U.S.-born counterparts. Foreign-born female workers who were self-employed or worked in family businesses tended to work longer hours than did those women who worked for private companies or nonprofit organizations.

Missing data and the accuracy of magnetic-observatory hour means

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. J. Love

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Analysis is made of the accuracy of magnetic-observatory hourly means constructed from definitive minute data having missing values (gaps. Bootstrap sampling from different data-gap distributions is used to estimate average errors on hourly means as a function of the number of missing data. Absolute and relative error results are calculated for horizontal-intensity, declination, and vertical-component data collected at high, medium, and low magnetic latitudes. For 90% complete coverage (10% missing data, average (RMS absolute errors on hourly means are generally less than errors permitted by Intermagnet for minute data. As a rule of thumb, the average relative error for hourly means with 10% missing minute data is approximately equal to 10% of the hourly standard deviation of the source minute data.

2009 urban mobility report.

Science.gov (United States)

2009-07-01

Congestion is a problem in Americas 439 urban areas, and it has gotten worse in regions of all : sizes. In 2007, congestion caused urban Americans to travel 4.2 billion hours more and to : purchase an extra 2.8 billion gallons of fuel for a conges...

"Hour of Code": Can It Change Students' Attitudes toward Programming?

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Jie; Wimmer, Hayden; Rada, Roy

2016-01-01

The Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science organized by Code.org, a non-profit dedicated to expanding participation in computer science. This study investigated the impact of the Hour of Code on students' attitudes towards computer programming and their knowledge of programming. A sample of undergraduate students from two…

Prodigious degassing of a billion years of accumulated radiogenic helium at Yellowstone

Science.gov (United States)

Lowenstern, Jacob B.; Evans, William C.; Bergfeld, D.; Hunt, Andrew G.

2014-01-01

Helium is used as a critical tracer throughout the Earth sciences, where its relatively simple isotopic systematics is used to trace degassing from the mantle, to date groundwater and to time the rise of continents1. The hydrothermal system at Yellowstone National Park is famous for its high helium-3/helium-4 isotope ratio, commonly cited as evidence for a deep mantle source for the Yellowstone hotspot2. However, much of the helium emitted from this region is actually radiogenic helium-4 produced within the crust by α-decay of uranium and thorium. Here we show, by combining gas emission rates with chemistry and isotopic analyses, that crustal helium-4 emission rates from Yellowstone exceed (by orders of magnitude) any conceivable rate of generation within the crust. It seems that helium has accumulated for (at least) many hundreds of millions of years in Archaean (more than 2.5 billion years old) cratonic rocks beneath Yellowstone, only to be liberated over the past two million years by intense crustal metamorphism induced by the Yellowstone hotspot. Our results demonstrate the extremes in variability of crustal helium efflux on geologic timescales and imply crustal-scale open-system behaviour of helium in tectonically and magmatically active regions.

Resident duty hours in Canada: a survey and national statement.

Science.gov (United States)

Masterson, Mark F; Shrichand, Pankaj; Maniate, Jerry M

2014-01-01

Physicians in general, and residents in particular, are adapting to duty schedules in which they have fewer continuous work hours; however, there are no Canadian guidelines on duty hours restrictions. To better inform resident duty hour policy in Canada, we set out to prepare a set of recommendations that would draw upon evidence reported in the literature and reflect the experiences of resident members of the Canadian Association of Internes and Residents (CAIR). A survey was prepared and distributed electronically to all resident members of CAIR. A total of 1796 eligible residents participated in the survey. Of those who responded, 38% (601) reported that they felt they could safely provide care for up to 16 continuous hours, and 20% (315) said that 12 continuous hours was the maximum period during which they could safely provide care (n=1592). Eighty-two percent (1316) reported their perception that the quality of care they had provided suffered because of the number of consecutive hours worked (n=1598). Only 52% (830) had received training in handover (n=1594); those who had received such training reported that it was commonly provided through informal modelling. On the basis of these data and the existing literature, CAIR recommends that resident duty hours be managed in a way that does not endanger the health of residents or patients; does not impair education; is flexible; and does not violate ethical or legal standards. Further, residents should be formally trained in handover skills and alternative duty hour models.

Appropriate working hours for surgical training according to Australasian trainees.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Grady, Gregory; Harper, Simon; Loveday, Benjamin; Adams, Brandon; Civil, Ian D; Peters, Matthew

2012-04-01

The demands of surgical training, learning and service delivery compete with the need to minimize fatigue and maintain an acceptable lifestyle. The optimal balance of working hours is uncertain. This study aimed to define the appropriate hours to meet these requirements according to trainees. All Australian and New Zealand surgical trainees were surveyed. Roster structures, weekly working hours and weekly 'sleep loss hours' (work practices were then correlated with sufficiency of training time, time for study, fatigue and its impacts, and work-life balance preferences. Multivariate and univariate analyses were performed. The response rate was 55.3% with responders representative of the total trainee body. Trainees who worked median 60 h/week (interquartile range: 55-65) considered their work hours to be appropriate for 'technical' and 'non-technical' training needs compared with 55 h/week (interquartile range: 50-60) regarded as appropriate for study/research needs. Working ≥65 h/week, or accruing ≥5.5 weekly 'sleep loss hours', was associated with increased fatigue, reduced ability to study, more frequent dozing while driving and impaired concentration at work. Trainees who considered they had an appropriate work-life balance worked median 55 h/week. Approximately, 60 h/week proved an appropriate balance of working hours for surgical training, although study and lifestyle demands are better met at around 55 h/week. Sleep loss is an important determinant of fatigue and its impacts, and work hours should not be considered in isolation. © 2012 The Authors. ANZ Journal of Surgery © 2012 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

A case study of cost-efficient staffing under annualized hours.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Veen, Egbert; Hans, Erwin W; Veltman, Bart; Berrevoets, Leo M; Berden, Hubert J J M

2015-09-01

We propose a mathematical programming formulation that incorporates annualized hours and shows to be very flexible with regard to modeling various contract types. The objective of our model is to minimize salary cost, thereby covering workforce demand, and using annualized hours. Our model is able to address various business questions regarding tactical workforce planning problems, e.g., with regard to annualized hours, subcontracting, and vacation planning. In a case study for a Dutch hospital two of these business questions are addressed, and we demonstrate that applying annualized hours potentially saves up to 5.2% in personnel wages annually.

When policy meets physiology: the challenge of reducing resident work hours.

Science.gov (United States)

Lockley, Steven W; Landrigan, Christopher P; Barger, Laura K; Czeisler, Charles A

2006-08-01

Considerable controversy exists regarding optimal work hours for physicians and surgeons in training. In a series of studies, we assessed the effect of extended work hours on resident sleep and health as well as patient safety. In a validated nationwide survey, we found that residents who had worked 24 hours or longer were 2.3 times more likely to have a motor vehicle crash following that shift than when they worked hours, and that the monthly risk of a crash increased by 16.2% after each extended duration shift. We also found in a randomized trial that interns working a traditional on-call schedule slept 5.8 hours less per week, had twice as many attentional failures on duty overnight, and made 36% more serious medical errors and nearly six times more serious diagnostic errors than when working on a schedule that limited continuous duty to 16 hours. While numerous opinions have been published opposing reductions in extended work hours due to concerns regarding continuity of patient care, reduced educational opportunities, and traditionally-defined professionalism, there are remarkably few objective data in support of continuing to schedule medical trainees to work shifts > 24 hours. An evidence-based approach is needed to minimize the well-documented risk that current work hour practices confer on resident health and patient safety while optimizing education and continuity of care.

U.S. Hourly Precipitation Data Publication

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This publication contains hourly precipitation amounts obtained from recording rain gages located at National Weather Service, Federal Aviation Administration, and...

Global Poverty and the New Bottom Billion: Three-Quarters of the World?s Poor Live in Middle-Income Countries

OpenAIRE

Andy Sumner

2011-01-01

In 1990, 93 per cent of the world?s poor people lived in poor countries?that is, low-income countries (LICs). For 2007?2008, our estimates suggest three things. First, three-quarters of the world?s poor, or almost 1 billion poor people, now live in middle-income countries (MICs). Second, just a quarter of the world?s poor live in 39 LICs. Third, in contrast to earlier estimates that a third of the poor live in fragile states, our estimate is about 23 per cent if one takes the broadest definit...

Broadcasts for a billion: the growth of commercial television in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmuck, C

1987-01-01

At present, Chinese television reaches 35% of the population (80-90% in urban areas) and is used by the government as a source of education and information. In recognition of the potential market represented by 1.1 billions consumers, Western advertisers have commissioned elaborate market research studies. Drama, sports, news, and movies are consistently identified as the favorite type of programming among Chinese television viewers. About 75% of Beijing adults watch television daily, making the medium both an important target for advertising campaigns and a way for Westerners to influence Chinese business and government leaders. Western advertisers have tended to concentrate their investments in the more urban, affluent regions where products have the greatest likelihood of being sold. There has been a recent trend, however, toward industrial commercials, with British and French companies buying television time to promote their image as partners in China's modernization. Key to the future of commercial advertising on Chinese Television. In many provinces, local television stations have developed a unique character and portray different sociocultural values than the national channel. Outside advertisers have sometimes experienced problems with local networks that substitute local advertising without informing the network. To correct this situation, the government is enacting pro-sponsor regulations that forbid the preemption of the national channel and its advertisements. At the same time, efforts are being made to improve relationships with local television stations by either paying them a fee or airing local commercials on the national network.

Hours Lost to Planned and Unplanned Dental Visits Among US Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Kelekar, Uma; Naavaal, Shillpa

2018-01-11

Poor oral health is associated with lost hours at work or school, which may affect a person's productivity. The objective of our study was to estimate work or school hours lost to dental visits among adults aged 18 and older by the types of visits (emergency or unplanned; routine, planned, or orthodontic; or cosmetic) and to determine the factors associated with hours lost. We used the most recent Oral Health Supplement data, from the 2008 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), to estimate the total hours lost at work or school for dental visits among adults in the United States. The associations of the hours lost in unplanned and planned dental visits with socioeconomic characteristics, oral health status, and affordability were calculated. We used χ 2 tests and logistic regression to determine associations at P work or school hours were lost annually for dental care in the United States, of which 92.4 million hours were for emergency (unplanned) care (0.99 h/adult), 159.8 million for routine (planned) care or orthodontic care (1.71 h/adult), and 68.6 million for cosmetic care (0.73 h/adult). Adults with poor oral health were more likely to lose one or more hours in unplanned dental visits (OR = 5.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.25-9.63) than those who reported very good oral health. Not being able to afford dental care was positively associated with more work hours lost in unplanned care (odds ratio [OR] = 2.56; 95% CI, 1.76-3.73). Compared with Hispanic adults, non-Hispanic white adults (OR = 2.09; 95% CI, 1.40-3.11) and non-Hispanic Asian adults and adults of other races/ethnicities (OR =1.91; 95% CI, 1.06-3.47) were more likely to lose any hours for planned care. Consistently, those with more than a high school education were more likely to lose any hours in planned care (OR = 1.39; 95% CI, 1.06-1.83) than those with a high school education or less. Dental problems result in hours lost from work and may adversely affect a person's productivity. There is

Impact of new duty-hour rules on residency training.

Science.gov (United States)

Duran-Nelson, Alisa; Van Camp, Joan; Ling, Louis

2010-11-01

On the surface, changing the rules related to the number of hours residents work per day and per week sounds like a good idea. Theoretically, residents who work fewer hours would be less tired and provide better patient care. But even small changes in residency training programs have implications for the quality of the educational experience and the cost of training, as well as patient care. This article highlights the challenges that two Minnesota residency programs are facing as they adapt to the new rules around residents' work hours.

Working hours and cardiovascular disease in Korean workers: a case-control study.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeong, Inchul; Rhie, Jeongbae; Kim, Inah; Ryu, Innshil; Jung, Pil Kyun; Park, Yoo Seok; Lim, Yong-Su; Kim, Hyoung-Ryoul; Park, Shin-Goo; Im, Hyoung-June; Lee, Mi-Young; Won, Jong-Uk

2014-01-01

Long working hours can negatively impact a worker's health. The objective of this study was to examine the association between working hours and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and compare the degree of risk based on CVD subtypes in Korean workers. This study was a case-control study of the patients registered in the Occupational Cardiovascular Diseases Surveillance 2010. The cases included 348 patients diagnosed with a CVD (123 cerebral infarction, 69 intracerebral hemorrhage, 57 subarachnoid hemorrhage, 99 acute myocardial infarction). Controls were 769 participants with no history of CVDs matched for gender, age, type of occupation, and region. Participants' working hours in the previous week and the average working hours over the past three months were assessed to examine short-term and long-term effects. After adjusting for confounding factors, the odds ratios (ORs) for CVDs in the short-term were 2.66 (95% Confidence interval (CI) :1.78-3.99) for working ≤40 hours, 1.85 (95% CI: 1.22-2.81) for working 50.1-60 hours and 4.23 (95% CI: 2.81-6.39) for working >60 hours compared with the 40.1-50-hour working group. The ORs in the long-term were 2.90 (95% CI: 1.86-4.52) for working ≤40 hours, 1.73 (95% CI: 1.03-2.90) for working 48.1-52 hours and 3.46 (95% CI: 2.38-5.03) for working >52 hours compared with the 40.1-48-hour working group. Long working hours are related to an increased risk of CVDs, and the degree of risk differs based on CVD subtype. Short working hours are also related to an increased risk for CVDs. More prospective studies targeting specific disease risks are required.

How many hours do you usually work? An analysis of the working hours questions in 26 large-scale surveys in six countries and the European Union

OpenAIRE

Tijdens, K.; Dragstra, A.

2007-01-01

This article reviews how working hours are asked for in 26 large-scale surveys in six countries plus the European Union. Four dimensions of working time were investigated, notably number of working hours, timing of work, predictability and control over hours, and commuting time. Although almost all questionnaires ask for hours worked, the terminology varies greatly. In only half of the cases a reference period is taken into account and in half the reasons for working more/less in the survey w...

How many hours do you usually work? An analysis of the working hours questions in 26 large-scale surveys in 6 countries and the European Union.

OpenAIRE

Dragstra, A.; Tijdens, K.

2004-01-01

This paper reviews how working hours are asked in 26 large-scale surveys in 6 countries plus the European Union. Four dimensions of working time were investigated, notably number of working hours, timing of work, predictability and control over hours, and commuting time. Although almost all questionnaires ask for hours worked, the terminology varies largely. In only half of the cases a reference period is taken into account and in half the reasons for working more/less in the survey week than...

How many hours do you usually work? An analysis of the working hours questions in 26 large-scale surveys in 6 countries and the European Union.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dragstra, A.; Tijdens, K.

2004-01-01

This paper reviews how working hours are asked in 26 large-scale surveys in 6 countries plus the European Union. Four dimensions of working time were investigated, notably number of working hours, timing of work, predictability and control over hours, and commuting time. Although almost all

How many hours do you usually work? An analysis of the working hours questions in 26 large-scale surveys in six countries and the European Union

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tijdens, K.; Dragstra, A.

2007-01-01

This article reviews how working hours are asked for in 26 large-scale surveys in six countries plus the European Union. Four dimensions of working time were investigated, notably number of working hours, timing of work, predictability and control over hours, and commuting time. Although almost all

Long working hours as a risk factor for atrial fibrillation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kivimäki, Mika; Nyberg, Solja T.; Batty, G. David

2017-01-01

long hours (≤55 per week) and those working standard 35-40 h/week. Methods and results In this prospective multi-cohort study from the Individual-Participant-Data Meta-Analysis in Working Populations (IPD-Work) Consortium, the study population was 85 494 working men and women (mean age 43.4 years...... of atrial fibrillation (10-year cumulative incidence 12.4 per 1000). After adjustment for age, sex and socioeconomic status, individuals working long hours had a 1.4-fold increased risk of atrial fibrillation compared with those working standard hours (hazard ratio = 1.42, 95% CI= 1.13-1.80, P= 0......Aims Studies suggest that people who work long hours are at increased risk of stroke, but the association of long working hours with atrial fibrillation, the most common cardiac arrhythmia and a risk factor for stroke, is unknown. We examined the risk of atrial fibrillation in individuals working...

Measuring excessive hours of work, low hourly pay, and informal employment through a labour force survey a pilot survey in the Philippines

OpenAIRE

Mehran, Farhad

2005-01-01

Using 2004 data of the Philippines' labour force survey, evaluates the hours of work at all jobs, hourly pay among time-rated wage and salary workers, informal employment etc., with the aim to quantify a decent-work situation (i.e. acceptable productive employment, social protection, social dialogue, and rights at work).

[A systematic review of working hours and mental health burden].

Science.gov (United States)

Fujino, Yoshihisa; Horie, Seichi; Hoshuyama, Tsutomu; Tsutsui, Takao; Tanaka, Yayoi

2006-07-01

There is growing concern over the possible increase in mental health problems among Japanese workers. This trend is generally regarded as a reflection of Japan's prolonged economic depression and changes in working environment. In fact, claims for compensation for industrial accidents related to mental health diseases have been rapidly increasing in recent years. Working hours, personal-relationships, support from supervisors/co-workers, job demand, job control, and payment are known to affect workers mental health. In 2004, the Government announced a guideline to combat overwork and mental health problems at work places. This guideline articulates that long overtime working is a major indicator, and workers who work over 100 h overtime in a month should be encouraged to see an occupational physician. This guideline takes into account the practicalities of occupational health at work places and the empiric knowledge that long working hours might associate with workers mental health status. It may be reasonable to assume that long working hours affect workers health status both psychologically and physiologically, interacting with a variety of occupational factors, particularly job stress. However, the association between working hours and workers mental health status has not been fully clarified. The present article aimed to provide a systematic review of the association between working hours and mental health problems. The authors conducted a systematic review of the published literature on the association between working hours and mental health problems using PubMed. Of 131 abstracts and citations reviewed, 17 studies met the predefined criteria. Ten of these are longitudinal studies, and the others are cross-sectional studies. Seven of the 17 studies report statistically significant associations between working hours and mental health problems, while the others report no association. In addition, comparison among these studies is difficult because a variety of

Double-trap measurement of the proton magnetic moment at 0.3 parts per billion precision.

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Georg; Mooser, Andreas; Bohman, Matthew; Schön, Natalie; Harrington, James; Higuchi, Takashi; Nagahama, Hiroki; Sellner, Stefan; Smorra, Christian; Blaum, Klaus; Matsuda, Yasuyuki; Quint, Wolfgang; Walz, Jochen; Ulmer, Stefan

2017-11-24

Precise knowledge of the fundamental properties of the proton is essential for our understanding of atomic structure as well as for precise tests of fundamental symmetries. We report on a direct high-precision measurement of the magnetic moment μ p of the proton in units of the nuclear magneton μ N The result, μ p = 2.79284734462 (±0.00000000082) μ N , has a fractional precision of 0.3 parts per billion, improves the previous best measurement by a factor of 11, and is consistent with the currently accepted value. This was achieved with the use of an optimized double-Penning trap technique. Provided a similar measurement of the antiproton magnetic moment can be performed, this result will enable a test of the fundamental symmetry between matter and antimatter in the baryonic sector at the 10 -10 level. Copyright © 2017, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Out of hours ophthalmic surgery: a UK national survey.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Colmain, U; Wright, M; Bennett, H; MacEwen, C J

2013-03-01

There have been significant changes in the management of out of hours services in ophthalmology recently. The European Working Time Directive (EWTD) and economic measures have anecdotally reduced the availability of staff and facilities outside normal working hours, and there have been various responses to the provision of emergency surgical care. There are disparate attitudes to the optimum management of the emergency surgical case. We sought to establish a nationwide picture of the management of out of hours surgery. A questionnaire was distributed to every consultant ophthalmologist working in the NHS and registered with the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (n=947). Information was requested regarding departmental and personal policies, local facilities, and personal beliefs regarding emergency surgery. A total of 440 (46.5%) questionnaires were returned from 155 units; 18.7% of the units had no out of hours services or no operating facilities. Sixty-three percent of units reported a local policy regarding a time after which patients should not be taken to theatre. For 57%, this time began between 2100 hours and midnight. The most common reasons for not operating after a certain time were 'belief that delay does not significantly affect the outcome' (41.6%), 'delayed access to theatre due to competition with other surgical specialities' (40%), and 'no specialist ophthalmic-theatre nursing input' (32.7%). We report the first nationwide study on out of hours ophthalmological surgical working practices. This demonstrates variation in work patterns. It is significant to patients and ophthalmologists that there should be units in United Kingdom without full local facilities and staff.

Work-hour restrictions and orthopaedic resident education: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Mauser, Nathan S; Michelson, James D; Gissel, Hannah; Henderson, Corey; Mauffrey, Cyril

2016-05-01

The ACGME (US) and The European Working Time Directive (UK) placed work-hour restrictions on medical trainees with the goal of improved patient safety. However, there has been concern over a potential decrease in medical education. Orthopaedic training is the focus of this study. We examined previously published subjective and objective data regarding education and work-hour restrictions and developed the questions: Do specific perceptions emerge within the subjective studies examined? Are there objective differences in educational measures before and after work-hour restrictions? Is there a difference between the subjective and objective data? A systematic review was conducted via MedLine, regarding orthopaedic studies in the USA and UK, with reference to work-hour restrictions and education. Subjective survey studies demonstrate that residents and attending physicians have a negative response to work-hour restrictions because of the perceived impact on their overall education and operating room experience. Conversely, limited objective studies demonstrated no change in operative volume before or after implementation of restrictions. This review highlights the need for more objective studies on the educational implications of work-hour restrictions. Studies to date have not demonstrated a measurable difference based on case logs or training scores. Opinion-based surveys demonstrate an overall negative perception by both residents and attending physicians, on the impact of work-hour restrictions on orthopaedic education. Current published data is limited and stronger evidence-based data are needed before definitive conclusions can be reached.

Safe working hours--doctors in training a best practice issue.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Andrew

2002-01-01

In 1995, the Australian Medical Association launched its Safe Working Hours campaign. By 1998, this had been developed into a National Code of Conduct that continues to resonate in the Australian public health system. However, and particularly in respect of Doctors in Training (DITs) who continue to work long hours, there are levels of resistance to proposals that seek to re-organise work or change prevailing professional and cultural expectations. Long working hours have substantial impacts on a DIT's capacity to consistently deliver high quality patient care, dilute the effectiveness of their training regime and have negative consequences on their health, social life and family responsibilities. While public hospitals often maintain the view that minimal budget flexibility restricts their capacity to affect change in a positive way, in fact devisable productivity and efficiency gains can be achieved by reducing working hours. Further, the medical profession needs to consider whether long hours provide an optimal environment for quality learning and performance.

SO2 8 Hour Nonattainment Areas

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — This data layer identifies areas in the U.S. where air pollution levels have not met the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Sulfur dioxide 8 hour...

Effect of nursing care hours on the outcomes of Intensive Care assistance.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tatiana do Altíssimo Nogueira

Full Text Available To correlate the average number of nursing care hours dedicated to Intensive Care Unit (ICU patients with nursing care indicators.Transverse, descriptive study conducted between 2011 and 2013. Data were obtained from the electronic records system and from the nursing staff daily schedule. Generalized Linear Models were used for analysis.A total of 1,717 patients were included in the study. The average NAS (Nursing Activities Score value was 54.87. The average ratio between the number of nursing care hours provided to the patient and the number of nursing care hours required by the patient (hours ratio was 0.87. Analysis of the correlation between nursing care indicators and the hours ratio showed that the indicators phlebitis and ventilator-associated pneumonia significantly correlated with hours ratio; that is, the higher the hours ratio, the lower the incidence of phlebitis and ventilator-associated pneumonia.The number of nursing care hours directly impacts patient outcomes, which makes adjustment of nurse staffing levels essential.

Validity and reproducibility of self-reported working hours among Japanese male employees.

Science.gov (United States)

Imai, Teppei; Kuwahara, Keisuke; Miyamoto, Toshiaki; Okazaki, Hiroko; Nishihara, Akiko; Kabe, Isamu; Mizoue, Tetsuya; Dohi, Seitaro

2016-07-22

Working long hours is a potential health hazard. Although self-reporting of working hours in various time frames has been used in epidemiologic studies, its validity is unclear. The objective of this study was to examine the validity and reproducibility of self-reported working hours among Japanese male employees. The participants were 164 male employees of four large-scale companies in Japan. For validity, the Spearman correlation between self-reported working hours in the second survey and the working hours recorded by the company was calculated for the following four time frames: daily working hours, monthly overtime working hours in the last month, average overtime working hours in the last 3 months, and the frequency of long working months (≥45 h/month) within the last 12 months. For reproducibility, the intraclass correlation between the first (September 2013) and second surveys (December 2013) was calculated for each of the four time frames. The Spearman correlations between self-reported working hours and those based on company records were 0.74, 0.81, 0.85, and 0.89 for daily, monthly, 3-monthly, and yearly time periods, respectively. The intraclass correlations for self-reported working hours between the two questionnaire surveys were 0.63, 0.66, 0.73, and 0.87 for the respective time frames. The results of the present study among Japanese male employees suggest that the validity of self-reported working hours is high for all four time frames, whereas the reproducibility is moderate to high.

Long working hours and psychological distress among school teachers in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Bannai, Akira; Ukawa, Shigekazu; Tamakoshi, Akiko

2015-01-01

Long working hours have the possibility to influence human health. In Japan, it is well known that teachers have long working hours, and the number of leaves of absence due to mental disorders among public school teachers increased from 2,687 in 2002 to 4,960 in 2012. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between long working hours and psychological distress among school teachers. This cross-sectional study was conducted from mid-July to September in 2013 in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. Questionnaires were distributed to 1,245 teachers in public junior high schools. Information about basic characteristics, including working hours, and responses to the General Health Questionnaire-28 were collected anonymously. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) for the association between long working hours and psychological distress by gender. Of the 1,245 teachers contacted, 558 (44.8%) responded. After excluding responses with missing data, the final sample included 522 teachers (337 males and 185 females). Psychological distress was identified in 47.8% of males and 57.8% of females. Our results showed a significantly increased risk only in males working >60 hours per week (adjusted OR=4.71 [95% CI 2.04-11.56]) compared with those working ≤40 hours per week. There were no significant associations between long working hours and psychological distress for females. There is a significant association between long working hours and psychological distress in male teachers. However, the causal relationship remains unclear. Further studies such as cohort studies with large sample sizes are needed.

Ethical aspects of limiting residents' work hours.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiesing, Urban

2007-09-01

The regulation of residents' work hours involves several ethical conflicts which need to be systematically analysed and evaluated. ARGUMENTS AND CONCLUSION: The most important ethical principle when regulating work hours is to avoid the harm resulting from the over-work of physicians and from an excessive division of labour. Additionally, other ethical principles have to be taken into account, in particular the principles of nonmaleficence and beneficence for future patients and for physicians. The article presents arguments for balancing the relevant ethical principles and analyses the structural difficulties that occur unavoidably in any regulation of the complex activities of physicians.

Results of the 1000 Hour Rotary Microfilter Endurance Test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herman, D.

2010-01-01

During operation, a primary concern is lifetime of the mechanical seal. Leakage from main shaft mechanical seal is expected to be first indication of wear on rotary filter but will not be the ultimate failure of the filter. Initial clearance inadequate to support thermal expansion resulted in initial scarring of journal. Tolerances adjusted and no journal issues were found during 1000 hour test. Disassembly and inspection of the rotary joint seals showed no unusual wear. No leakage observed during test. Total operation time over 1500 hours. Test summary successfully demonstrated: (1) Filtration of a 'challenging' SRS simulant up to 15 wt % insoluble solids in a 5.6 M salt simulant; (2) Sludge washing; (3) In-situ acid cleaning with dilute acid; (4) Over 1000 hours of operation on new journal material; and (5) Over 1500 hours of operation on all seals. The filter out lasted: 2 air compressors, 2 power outages (one planned), 2 chillers, 1 fire, 1 electrical breaker and 1 feed pump seal.

Hours of work and rest in the rail industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, C; Grunstein, R R; Rajaratnam, S M W

2013-06-01

Currently, the National Transport Commission is considering four options to form the regulatory framework for rail safety within Australia with respect to fatigue. While the National Transport Commission currently recommends no limitations around hours of work or rest, we provide evidence which suggests regulatory frameworks should incorporate a traditional hours of service regulation over more flexible policies. Our review highlights: Shift durations >12 h are associated with a doubling of risk for accident and injury. Fatigue builds cumulatively with each successive shift where rest in between is inadequate (hours of work and rest, including maximum shift duration and successive number of shifts. Appropriately, validated biomathematical models and technologies may be used as a part of a fatigue management system, to augment the protection afforded by limits on hours of work and rest. A comprehensive sleep disorder screening and management programme should form an essential component of any regulatory framework. © 2013 The Authors; Internal Medicine Journal © 2013 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

2011 Hours against hate

OpenAIRE

Cátedra Intercultural. UCO

2011-01-01

2011 Hours Against Hate is a campaign to stop bigotry and promote respect across lines of culture, religion, tradition, class, and gender. Launched by Special Representative to Muslim Communities Farah Pandith, and Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Hannah Rosenthal, the State Department is asking young people around the world to pledge their time to stop hate—to do something for someone who doesn’t look like you, pray like you, or live like you. We are asking the next generati...

Job mobility and hours of work: the effect of Dutch legislation

OpenAIRE

Fouarge, D.; Baaijens, F P.

2009-01-01

Previous research has pointed to the existence of hours constraints on the labour market: not all employees’ preferences with respect to the length of the working week seem to be fulfilled, and changes in the number of working hours often coincide with job mobility. In this paper, we test whether or not a recently introduced Dutch legislation providing employees with the right to adjust working hours within their job has reduced the correlation between changes in working hours and job mobilit...

With long hours of work, might depression then lurk?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Varma, Anshu; Marott, Jacob Louis; Stoltenberg, Christian Ditlev Gabriel

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine depression as a potential negative health effect of long work hours, anticipating an exposure-response relationship.......The aim of this study was to examine depression as a potential negative health effect of long work hours, anticipating an exposure-response relationship....

Mortality Pattern within Twenty-Four Hours of Emergency Paediatric ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The highest mortality within the first 24 hours of admission was recorded among patients with malaria (89.0%) followed by protein energy malnutrition. CONCLUSION: Majority of deaths among emergency paediatric admission occur within the first 24 hours of admission and are associated with clinical conditions such as ...

“Hour of Code”: Can It Change Students’ Attitudes toward Programming?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hayden Wimmer

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science organized by Code.org, a non-profit dedicated to expanding participation in computer science. This study investigated the impact of the Hour of Code on students’ attitudes towards computer programming and their knowledge of programming. A sample of undergraduate students from two universities was selected to participate. Participants completed an Hour of Code tutorial as part of an undergraduate course. An electronic questionnaire was implemented in a pre-survey and post-survey format to gauge the change in student attitudes toward programming and their programming ability. The findings indicated the positive impact of the Hour of Code tutorial on students’ attitude toward programming. However, the students’ programming skills did not significantly change. The authors suggest that a deeper alignment of marketing, teaching, and content would help sustain the type of initiative exemplified by the Hour of Code.

Restricted working hours in Austrian residency programs : Survey results.

Science.gov (United States)

Bergmeister, Konstantin D; Aman, Martin; Podesser, Bruno K

2018-04-27

New regulations for working hours of medical doctors have been implemented in Austria based on the European directive 2003/88/EG, limiting on-duty working hours to 48 h per week. Clinical work is, therefore, substantially reduced compared to previous decades, and little is known on physician and students' opinions on this matter. We illustrate survey results concerning on-job training, its difficulties, and implications for restricted working hours. We conducted an internal survey among M.D. and Ph.D. students and medical staff members at the Medical University of Vienna using the MedCampus system (CAMPUSOnline, Graz, Austria) and SPSS (V.21, IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, USA). Participants were 36.5% staff members and 63.5% students. Students rated continuous education of physicians high at 9.19 ± 1.76 and staff members at 8.90 ± 2.48 on a 1-10 (1 unimportant, 10 most important) scale. Students rated limited time resources, while staff considered financial resources as the greatest challenge for in-hospital education. Overall, 28.85% thought that restricted working hours can positively influence education, while 19.04% thought the opposite and 52.11% were undecided. Considering the limited available time and financial resources, education of tomorrow's medical doctors remains an important but difficult task. While participants of our survey rated education as very important despite its many challenges, the opinions towards limited working hours were not as clear. Given that over 50% are still undecided whether reduced work hours may also positively influence medical education, it clearly presents an opportunity to include the next generations of physicians in this undertaking.

A large neutral fraction of cosmic hydrogen a billion years after the Big Bang.

Science.gov (United States)

Wyithe, J Stuart B; Loeb, Abraham

2004-02-26

The fraction of ionized hydrogen left over from the Big Bang provides evidence for the time of formation of the first stars and quasar black holes in the early Universe; such objects provide the high-energy photons necessary to ionize hydrogen. Spectra of the two most distant known quasars show nearly complete absorption of photons with wavelengths shorter than the Lyman alpha transition of neutral hydrogen, indicating that hydrogen in the intergalactic medium (IGM) had not been completely ionized at a redshift of z approximately 6.3, about one billion years after the Big Bang. Here we show that the IGM surrounding these quasars had a neutral hydrogen fraction of tens of per cent before the quasar activity started, much higher than the previous lower limits of approximately 0.1 per cent. Our results, when combined with the recent inference of a large cumulative optical depth to electron scattering after cosmological recombination therefore suggest the presence of a second peak in the mean ionization history of the Universe.

Areva revenue growth in the first quarter of 2010: 8.4% like-for-like, i.e. 1.936 billion euros

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

The group's first quarter 2010 consolidated revenue rose 6.5% to 1.936 billion euros (+8.4% LFL) compared with the first quarter of 2009. Growth was driven by the Reactors and Services Business Group (+18.0% LFL). Revenue from exports was up 16.6% to 1.089 billion euros, representing 56.2% of total revenue. Foreign exchange had a negative impact of 26 million euros. Changes in consolidation scope were negligible during the period. The group's backlog of 43.6 billion euros at March 31, 2010 was stable in relation to December 31, 2009. Growth in the backlog of the Reactors and Services Business Group helped offset the drawdown of the backlog in the Back End Business Group as contracts were completed. For the full year of 2010, the group confirms its outlook for significant backlog and revenue growth, rising operating income, and a strong increase in net income attributable to owners of the parent. Mining/Front End Business Group: The Mining/Front End BG reported first quarter 2010 revenue of 674 million euros, which was stable on a reported basis and up 3.5% LFL1. Foreign exchange had a negative impact of 16 million euros. - In Mining, quarterly revenue was driven by volume growth due to a favorable delivery schedule. - In Enrichment and Fuel, volumes were down compared with the first quarter of 2009, particularly due to time-lag in customer deliveries. Reactors and Services Business Group: Revenue for the Reactors and Services BG was up 16.4% in the first quarter of 2010 (up 18.0% LFL1), to 775 million euros. Foreign exchange had a negative impact of 10 million euros. - The New Builds Business reported strong growth due to significant progress on major reactor construction projects, particularly Taishan in China. - Installed Base Business was also up due to buoyant engineering operations, particularly in Germany, and to the more favorable seasonality of unit outage campaigns than in the first quarter of 2009. Back End Business Group: First quarter 2010 revenue for

A proposed national wind power R and D program. [offshore wind power system for electric energy supplies

Science.gov (United States)

Heronemus, W.

1973-01-01

An offshore wind power system is described that consists of wind driven electrical dc generators mounted on floating towers in offshore waters. The output from the generators supplies underwater electrolyzer stations in which water is converted into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is piped to shore for conversion to electricity in fuel cell stations. It is estimated that this system can produce 159 x 10 to the ninth power kilowatt-hours per year. It is concluded that solar energy - and that includes wind energy - is the only way out of the US energy dilemma in the not too distant future.

Cost-effective Design and Operation of Variable Speed Wind Turbines. Closing the Gap between the Control Engineering and the Wind Engineering Community

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Molenaar, D.P.

2003-02-18

Wind has the potential to play a more important role in the future world electricity supply, provided that the cost per kilowatt hour is further reduced. The cost of wind-generated electricity can be effectively reduced by improvements in both wind turbine design and operation. In this thesis a design tool has been developed that offers the possibility to generate accurate and reliable dynamic models of the complete wind turbine. The models can be either used to evaluate the impact that design choices have on the economic viability, or to assess the dynamic behavior of the selected wind turbine configuration under various conditions.

Comparing the sustainability parameters of renewable, nuclear and fossil fuel electricity generation technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Evans, Annette; Strezov, Vladimir; Evans, Tim

2010-09-15

The sustainability parameters of electricity generation have been assessed by the application of eight key indicators. Photovoltaics, wind, hydro, geothermal, biomass, natural gas, coal and nuclear power have been assessed according to their price, greenhouse gas emissions, efficiency, land use, water use, availability, limitations and social impacts on a per kilowatt hour basis. The relevance of this information to the Australian context is discussed. Also included are the results of a survey on Australian opinions regarding electricity generation, which found that Australian prefer solar electricity above any other method, however coal, biomass and nuclear power have low acceptance.

Applied risk analysis to the future Brazilian electricity generation matrix

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maues, Jair; Fernandez, Eloi; Correa, Antonio

2010-09-15

This study compares energy conversion systems for the generation of electrical power, with an emphasis on the Brazilian energy matrix. The financial model applied in this comparison is based on the Portfolio Theory, developed by Harry Markowitz. The risk-return ratio related to the electrical generation mix predicted in the National Energy Plan - 2030, published in 2006 by the Brazilian Energy Research Office, is evaluated. The increase of non-traditional renewable energy in this expected electrical generating mix, specifically, residues of sugar cane plantations and wind energy, reduce not only the risk but also the average cost of the kilowatt-hour generated.

Effect of travoprost on 24-hour intraocular pressure in normal tension glaucoma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuya Nomura

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Yuya Nomura1, Shunsuke Nakakura2, Mitsuyasu Moriwaki1, Yasuhiro Takahashi1, Kunihiko Shiraki11Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka City University, Japan; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Saiseikai Gose Hospital, JapanPurpose: The effect of travoprost 0.004% on 24-hour intraocular pressure (IOP was examined in patients with normal tension glaucoma (NTG.Subjects and methods: This study included 17 patients with newly diagnosed unilateral NTG. IOP was measured at three-hour intervals over 24 hours by Goldman applanation tonometer in patients taking topical travoprost 0.004% and was compared retrospectively with 24-hour IOP data in untreated eyes.Results: IOP values were significantly reduced at individual time points after treatment (P < 0.01. Mean 24-hour IOP, maximum 24-hour IOP, minimum 24-hour IOP, and 24-hour IOP fluctuations at baseline (mean ± SD were 12.9 ± 2.2 mmHg, 15.4 ± 2.7 mmHg, 10.5 ± 2.2 mmHg, and 4.9 ± 1.2 mmHg, respectively, and were significantly reduced to 10.3 ± 2.0 mmHg, 12.4 ± 2.5 mmHg, 8.5 ± 1.9 mmHg (all P < 0.001, and 3.9 ± 1.5 mmHg (P < 0.05, respectively, after treatment. The rate of IOP reduction greater than 20% was 58.8% (10 eyes for maximum 24-hour IOP and 53.0% (nine eyes for mean 24-hour IOP.Conclusion: Travoprost reduced IOP throughout the 24-hour study period, with over half of the eyes examined showing IOP reduction exceeding 20%.Keywords: 24-hour intraocular pressure, fluctuation, normal tension glaucoma, travoprost, Travatan Z

Long working hours, occupational health and the changing nature of work organization.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Jeffrey V; Lipscomb, Jane

2006-11-01

The impact of long working hours on health has been of major concern since the late 19th Century. Working hours are again increasing in the US. An overview of historical, sociological, and health-related research presented at an international conference on long working hours is discussed as an introduction to a special section in this issue. Research indicates that long working hours are polarizing along class lines with professionals working regular though longer hours and less well-educated workers having fewer though more irregular hours. Extended and irregular hours are associated with acute reactions such as stress and fatigue, adverse health behavior such as smoking, and chronic outcomes such as cardiovascular and musculoskeletal disorders. Improved methodologies are needed to track exposure to long working hours and irregular shifts longitudinally. Research should focus on the adverse impact that sleep-deprived and stressed workers may have on the health of the public they serve. A variety of protective efforts should be undertaken and evaluated. Copyright (c) 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Working hours and common mental disorders in English police officers

OpenAIRE

Houdmont, Jonathan; Randall, Raymond

2016-01-01

Background: There is a paucity of evidence on working hours and their psychological correlates in police officers of the federated ranks in England.\\ud Aims: An exploratory study to establish the extent to which a sample of English police officers worked long hours and the association between long working hours and common mental disorder (CMD).\\ud Methods: Officers of the federated ranks (constable, sergeant, inspector) from two English county forces completed a questionnaire to report their ...

Studies on the T sub 3 suppression test with reference to the thyrodial sup 123 I uptake in Graves' disease; Comparison of 24-hour and 3-hour uptake

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamaguchi, Takahiko; Kobayashi, Isao; Yamaguchi, Yoshiyuki; Iwashita, Akira; Inukai, Toshihiko; Ohshima, Kihachi; Shimomura, Yohnosuke; Kobayashi, Setsuo (Gunma Univ., Maebashi (Japan). School of Medicine)

1990-06-01

Eighty-three patients with Graves' disease had been treated with methylmercaptoimidazole (MMI). They were prescribed a maintenance dose of antithyroid drug (MMI, 5 mg/day) at the time of a T{sub 3} suppression test. The 3-hour and 24-hour thyroidal {sup 123}I uptake after T{sub 3} administration (75 {mu}g/day, 2 weeks) were measured (post T{sub 3} uptake). In 38 patients whose post T{sub 3} uptake was below 35% in post T{sub 3} 24-hour uptake, treatment was stopped. The T{sub 3} suppression test was then repeated 1 and 3 months later. During a one-year follow up, 26 remained well, while 12 relapsed within 6 to 12 months. We have observed a good correlation between 3-hour uptake and 24-hour uptake of {sup 123}I after T{sub 3} administration (r=0.847, p<0.001). In 38 patients who showed positive T{sub 3} suppression, most patients with MMI withdrawal produced a marked overshoot of post T{sub 3} 3-hour and 24-hour uptake at one month. Retrospective analysis indicated that there was no significant difference in circulating thyroid hormone levels between remission and relapse groups. The present study provides evidence that 3-hour uptake values are able to be substituted for 24-hour uptake values during a T{sub 3} suppression test. In addition, overshoot of thyroidal uptake after antithyroid drug withdrawal was observed in 3-hour values, similar to 24-hour values. (author).

Resolving issues concerning Eskdalemuir geomagnetic hourly values

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Macmillan

2011-02-01

Full Text Available The hourly values of the geomagnetic field from 1911 to 1931 derived from measurements made at Eskdalemuir observatory in the UK, and available online from the World Data Centre for Geomagnetism at http://www.wdc.bgs.ac.uk/, have now been corrected. Previously they were 2-point averaged and transformed from the original north, east and vertical down values in the tables in the observatory yearbooks. This paper documents the course of events from discovering the post-processing done to the data to the final resolution of the problem. As it was through the development of a new index, the Inter-Hour Variability index, that this post-processing came to light, we provide a revised series of this index for Eskdalemuir and compare it with that from another European observatory. Conclusions of studies concerning long-term magnetic field variability and inferred solar variability, whilst not necessarily consistent with one another, are not obviously invalidated by the incorrect hourly values from Eskdalemuir. This series of events illustrates the challenges that lie ahead in removing any remaining errors and inconsistencies in the data holdings of different World Data Centres.

Duty hours and incidents in flight among commercial airline pilots.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Hagan, Anna Donnla; Issartel, Johann; Fletcher, Richard; Warrington, Giles

2016-01-01

Working long duty hours has often been associated with increased risk of incidents and accidents in transport industries. Despite this, information regarding the intermediate relationship between duty hours and incident risk is limited. This study aimed to test a work hours/incident model to identify the interplay of factors contributing to incidents within the aviation industry. Nine hundred and fifty-four European-registered commercial airline pilots completed a 30-item survey investigating self-report attitudes and experiences of fatigue. Path analysis was used to test the proposed model. The fit indices indicated this to be a good fit model (χ(2) = 11.066, df = 5, p = 0.05; Comparative Fit Index = 0.991; Normed Fit Index = 0.984; Tucker-Lewis Index = 0.962; Root Mean Square of Approximation = 0.036). Highly significant relationships were identified between duty hours and sleep disturbance (r = 0.18, p hours through to self-reported incidents in flight was identified. Further investigation employing both objective and subjective measures of sleep and fatigue is needed.

Organizational interventions in response to duty hour reforms.

Science.gov (United States)

Law, Madelyn P; Orlando, Elaina; Baker, G Ross

2014-01-01

Changes in resident duty hours in Europe and North America have had a major impact on the internal organizational dynamics of health care organizations. This paper examines, and assesses the impact of, organizational interventions that were a direct response to these duty hour reforms. The academic literature was searched through the SCOPUS database using the search terms "resident duty hours" and "European Working Time Directive," together with terms related to organizational factors. The search was limited to English-language literature published between January 2003 and January 2012. Studies were included if they reported an organizational intervention and measured an organizational outcome. Twenty-five articles were included from the United States (n=18), the United Kingdom (n=5), Hong Kong (n=1), and Australia (n=1). They all described single-site projects; the majority used post-intervention surveys (n=15) and audit techniques (n=4). The studies assessed organizational measures, including relationships among staff, work satisfaction, continuity of care, workflow, compliance, workload, and cost. Interventions included using new technologies to improve handovers and communications, changing staff mixes, and introducing new shift structures, all of which had varying effects on the organizational measures listed previously. Little research has assessed the organizational impact of duty hour reforms; however, the literature reviewed demonstrates that many organizations are using new technologies, new personnel, and revised and innovative shift structures to compensate for reduced resident coverage and to decrease the risk of limited continuity of care. Future research in this area should focus on both micro (e.g., use of technology, shift changes, staff mix) and macro (e.g., culture, leadership support) organizational aspects to aid in our understanding of how best to respond to these duty hour reforms.

Areva - First quarter 2009 revenue climbs 8.5% to 3.003 billion euros; Areva - Progression du chiffre d'affaires du 1. trimestre 2009: + 8,5% a 3003 millions d'euros

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2009-04-15

First quarter 2009 revenue was up 8.5% compared with the same period last year, to 3.003 billion euros. At constant exchange rates and consolidation scope, growth came to 3.9%. Currency translation had a positive impact of 57 million euros over the quarter. Changes in the consolidation scope had an impact of 66 million euros, primarily due to the consolidation of acquisitions made in 2008 in Transmission and Distribution and in Renewable Energies. The growth engines for first quarter revenue were the Reactors and Services division and the Transmission and Distribution division, with growth of 9.2% and 16.1% respectively. Outside France, revenue rose to 2.032 billion euros, compared with 1.857 billion euros in the first quarter of 2008, and represents 68% of total revenue. Orders were steady in the first quarter, particularly in the Front End, which posted several significant contracts with US and Asian utilities, and in Transmission and Distribution, with orders up sharply in Asia and South America. As of March 31, 2009, the group's backlog reached 49.5 billion euros, for 28.3% growth year-on-year, including 31.3% growth in Nuclear and 10.2% in Transmission and Distribution. For the year as a whole, the group confirms its outlook for backlog and revenue growth as well as rising operating income It should be noted that revenue may vary significantly from one quarter to the next in nuclear operations. Accordingly, quarterly data cannot be viewed as a reliable indicator of annual trends.

General practitioners' satisfaction with and attitudes to out-of-hours services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wesseling Geertjan

2005-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In recent years, Dutch general practitioner (GP out-of-hours service has been reorganised into large-scale GP cooperatives. Until now little is known about GPs' experiences with working at these cooperatives for out-of-hours care. The purpose of this study is to gain insight into GPs' satisfaction with working at GP cooperatives for out-of-hours care in separated and integrated cooperatives. Methods A GP cooperative separate from the hospital Accident and Emergency (A&E department, and a GP cooperative integrated within the A&E department of another hospital. Both cooperatives are situated in adjacent geographic regions in the South of the Netherlands. One hundred GPs were interviewed by telephone; fifty GPs working at the separated GP cooperative and fifty GPs from the integrated GP cooperative. Opinions on different aspects of GP cooperatives for out-of-hours care were measured, and regression analysis was performed to investigate if these could be related to GP satisfaction with out-of-hours care organisation. Results GPs from the separated model were more satisfied with the organisation of out-of-hours care than GPs from the integrated model (70 vs. 60 on a scale score from 0 to 100; P = 0.020. Satisfaction about out-of-hours care organisation was related to opinions on workload, guarantee of gatekeeper function, and attitude towards out-of-hours care as being an essential part of general practice. Cooperation with medical specialists was much more appreciated at the integrated model (77 vs. 48; P Conclusion GPs in this study appear to be generally satisfied with the organisation of GP cooperatives for out-of-hours care. Furthermore, GPs working at the separated cooperative seem to be more satisfied compared to GPs working at the integrated cooperative.

Hourly energy management for grid-connected wind-hydrogen systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernal-Agustin, Jose L.; Dufo-Lopez, Rodolfo

2008-01-01

This paper is a complete technical-economic analysis of the hourly energy management of the energy generated in wind-hydrogen systems. Wind power generation depends on the unpredictable nature of the wind. If the wind-power penetration becomes high in the Spanish electrical grid, energy management will be necessary for some wind farms. A method is proposed in this paper to adjust the generation curve to the demand curve, consisting of the generation of hydrogen and storing it in a hydrogen tank during off-peak (low demand) hours, while during the rest of the hours (peak hours, high demand) the stored hydrogen can be used to generate electricity. After revising the results obtained in this paper, for the current values of efficiency of the electricity-hydrogen-electricity conversion (approximately 30%) and due to the high cost of the hydrogen components, for a wind-hydrogen system to be economically viable the price of the sale of the energy generated by the fuel cell would be very high (approximately 171 cEUR/kWh). (author)

Month-hour distributions of zenith luminance and diffuse illuminance in Madrid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soler, Alfonso; Gopinathan, Kannam K.; Robledo, Luis; Ruiz, Enrique

2004-01-01

Month-hour equal mean zenith luminance contours are obtained from one year of data of zenith luminance measurements for cloudless, overcast and partly cloudy skies and also when the combined data for all sky types are considered. For many hours in different months, the overcast sky luminance values are roughly about three times the cloudless sky luminance values and one and a half times the partly cloudy sky values. The dependence of month-hour equal mean zenith luminance contours on the ratio of global to extraterrestrial illuminance on a horizontal surface is also given. From equal mean zenith luminance contours, the approximate values of the mean zenith luminance for different sky conditions and different hours and months of the year can be easily obtained. Month-hour equal mean diffuse illuminance contours are obtained from diffuse illuminance measurements performed during the period 1992-1998. The dependence on solar altitude of the monthly average hourly values of diffuse illuminance is given and compared to the corresponding one obtained from data for Bet Dagan (Israel)

[Organization of socially acceptable working hours in nursing].

Science.gov (United States)

Büssing, A; Glaser, J

1994-05-01

Three dimensions in the structure of the working hour system of nurses, rendering them socially acceptable, are becoming important: duration of the working day, the time of day which is being worked and the distribution of working hours. The latter two are of particular importance because flexible shift is becoming the dominant pattern in nursing. Six indicators are discussed as criteria for social acceptability: security of employment which includes access to the labour-market, level of income, health, opportunity for social relationships, social participation, and autonomy. Responses of 297 nurses in one General Hospital taking part in a study, were analysed to examine empirically the concept of 'socially acceptable structure of the working hours'. Ideal and factual patterns are considered first. Secondly aspects of autonomy are considered and the way this depends on time, thirdly the criteria used to define 'social acceptability' are examined for validity. Results show firstly the cross contrast between the hospital's expectation and the nurses' wishes with regard to working hours. Furthermore, inspite of the demand for flexibility, staff have very little choice and there is little sign of joint decision making. Thirdly results show that health, interpersonal and social aspects are of special importance and that, correspondingly, in the view of nurses, financial and practical problems are of lesser importance in their every day life.

Twenty-four hour care for schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Macpherson, Rob; Edwards, Thomas Rhys; Chilvers, Rupatharshini; David, Chris; Elliott, Helen J

2009-04-15

Despite modern treatment approaches and a focus on community care, there remains a group of people who cannot easily be discharged from psychiatric hospital directly into the community. Twenty-four hour residential rehabilitation (a 'ward-in-a-house') is one model of care that has evolved in association with psychiatric hospital closure programmes. To determine the effects of 24 hour residential rehabilitation compared with standard treatment within a hospital setting. We searched the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group Trials Register (May 2002 and February 2004). We included all randomised or quasi-randomised trials that compared 24 hour residential rehabilitation with standard care for people with severe mental illness. Studies were reliably selected, quality assessed and data extracted. Data were excluded where more than 50% of participants in any group were lost to follow-up. For binary outcomes we calculated the relative risk and its 95% confidence interval. We identified and included one study with 22 participants with important methodological shortcomings and limitations of reporting. The two-year controlled study evaluated "new long stay patients" in a hostel ward in the UK. One outcome 'unable to manage in the placement' provided usable data (n=22, RR 7.0 CI 0.4 to 121.4). The trial reported that hostel ward residents developed superior domestic skills, used more facilities in the community and were more likely to engage in constructive activities than those in hospital - although usable numerical data were not reported. These potential advantages were not purchased at a price. The limited economic data was not good but the cost of providing 24 hour care did not seem clearly different from the standard care provided by the hospital - and it may have been less. From the single, small and ill-reported, included study, the hostel ward type of facility appeared cheaper and positively effective. Currently, the value of this way of supporting people - which could be

Administrative Circular No. 23 (Rev. 4) - Special working hours

CERN Document Server

Department Head Office - HR Department

2016-01-01

Administrative Circular No. 23 (Rev. 4) entitled "Special working hours", approved by the Director-General following discussion in the Standing Concertation Committee meeting on 22 March 2016, will be available on 1st September 2016 via the following link: https://cds.cern.ch/record/2208539.   This revised circular cancels and replaces Administrative Circular No. 23 (Rev. 3) also entitled "Special working hours" of January 2013. This document contains modifications to reflect the new career structure and ensuring the provision consistent with practice that compensation or remuneration of special working hours performed remotely is possible only in case of emergency.   This circular will enter into force on 1st September 2016.

New gate opening hours

CERN Multimedia

GS Department

2009-01-01

Please note the new opening hours of the gates as well as the intersites tunnel from the 19 May 2009: GATE A 7h - 19h GATE B 24h/24 GATE C 7h - 9h\t17h - 19h GATE D 8h - 12h\t13h - 16h GATE E 7h - 9h\t17h - 19h Prévessin 24h/24 The intersites tunnel will be opened from 7h30 to 18h non stop. GS-SEM Group Infrastructure and General Services Department

29 CFR 778.319 - Paying for but not counting hours worked.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... working time under the Act, coupled with a provision that these hours will not be counted as working time... more hours have been worked, the employee must be paid overtime compensation at not less than one and... 29 Labor 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Paying for but not counting hours worked. 778.319 Section...