WorldWideScience

Sample records for minerals underlying private

  1. 22 CFR 201.23 - Procurement under private sector procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Procurement under private sector procedures... § 201.23 Procurement under private sector procedures. (a) General requirements. Procurements under private sector procedures will normally be carried out by importers using negotiated procurement...

  2. Reducing Mineral and Vitamin Deficiencies through Biofortification: Progress Under HarvestPlus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bouis, Howarth

    2018-01-01

    Fundamentally, the prevalence of mineral and vitamin deficiencies is high in developing countries due to the fact that agricultural systems do not produce sufficient foods rich in minerals and vitamins. Biofortification involves breeding staple food crops to increase their micronutrient content, targeting staple foods widely consumed by low-income families globally. In so doing, biofortification contributes to solving the underlying problem of mineral and vitamin deficiencies by increasing the amount of iron, zinc, and provitamin A produced by food systems. When HarvestPlus first started in 2003, there was much doubt among a range of stakeholders, that biofortification would work. First, we had to prove to the plant science community that higher target levels iron, zinc, and provitamin A could be bred into high-yielding, profitable varieties. Presently, over 150 varieties of 12 biofortified crops have passed the agronomic tests of varietal release committees in 30 developing countries. In 3-5 years, biofortified varieties will be available to farmers and consumers in an additional 25 countries. The nutrition community initially questioned the efficacy of biofortified crops - would the levels of retained nutrients and absorption be high enough? HarvestPlus has commissioned 15 efficacy trials, all undertaken in developing countries. While 5 of these studies are still in process, there is already sufficient positive published evidence for iron and provitamin A. Can adoption of biofortified crops by farmers be scaled up, and a public health impact demonstrated? HarvestPlus estimates that 20 million farmers and consumers presently grow and consume biofortified crops in 8 target countries. The final and major challenge is to mainstream biofortification into the fabric of "business-as-usual" of a range of organizations - public and private agricultural research, institutions that focus on bringing improved agricultural technologies to farmers including multi

  3. Privatization of Land Plot Under Integral Real Estate Complex

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maruchek A. A.

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with the questions concerning the privatization of a land plot under integral real estate complex. The authors come to conclusion that a number of legislation norms relating to privatization of a land plot do not take into account the construction of an integral real estate complex that could cause some problems in the realization of the right to privatization of the land plot

  4. The Impact of Organo-Mineral Complexation on Mineral Weathering in the Soil Zone under Unsaturated Conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michael, H. A.; Tan, F.; Yoo, K.; Imhoff, P. T.

    2017-12-01

    While organo-mineral complexes can protect organic matter (OM) from biodegradation, their impact on soil mineral weathering is not clear. Previous bench-scale experiments that focused on specific OM and minerals showed that the adsorption of OM to mineral surfaces accelerates the dissolution of some minerals. However, the impact of natural organo-mineral complexes on mineral dissolution under unsaturated conditions is not well known. In this study, soil samples prepared from an undisturbed forest site were used to determine mineral weathering rates under differing conditions of OM sorption to minerals. Two types of soil samples were generated: 1) soil with OM (C horizon soil from 84-100cm depth), and 2) soil without OM (the same soil as in 1) but with OM removed by heating to 350°for 24 h). Soil samples were column-packed and subjected to intermittent infiltration and drainage to mimic natural rainfall events. Each soil sample type was run in duplicate. The unsaturated condition was created by applying gas pressure to the column, and the unsaturated chemical weathering rates during each cycle were calculated from the effluent concentrations. During a single cycle, when applying the same gas pressure, soils with OM retained more moisture than OM-removed media, indicating increased water retention capacity under the impact of OM. This is consistent with the water retention data measured by evaporation experiments (HYPROP) and the dew point method (WP4C Potential Meter). Correspondingly, silicon (Si) denudation rates indicated that dissolution of silicate minerals was 2-4 times higher in OM soils, suggesting that organo-mineral complexes accelerate mineral dissolution under unsaturated conditions. When combining data from all cycles, the results showed that Si denudation rates were positively related to soil water content: denundation rate increased with increasing water content. Therefore, natural mineral chemical weathering under unsaturated conditions, while

  5. Economic evaluation of private power production under uncertainties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weiguo Xing; Wu, F.F. [University of Hong Kong (China). Centre for Electrical Energy Systems

    2003-02-01

    Private power production is becoming an increasingly important source of electricity generation. In developing countries, build-operate-transfer (BOT) arrangement has emerged as a dominant form of private investment. Pricing private power production at its avoided cost is the breakeven point for the utility in economic evaluation, and uncertainties must be taken into account. In this paper, an approach of calculating the breakeven cost to the utility of a BOT power plant whose contract lasts for 10-25 years is proposed. The proposed approach requires the computation of production costs from long-term generation expansion planning (GEP) under future uncertainties. To facilitate the inclusion of constraints introduced by BOT plants in GEP and uncertainties, a genetic algorithm method is utilized in GEP. The breakeven cost is a useful measure in the economic evaluation of BOT power plants. An example is presented to illustrate the economic evaluation of BOT plants using the concept of breakeven cost.(author)

  6. Airborne Geophysical/Geological Mineral Inventory CIP Program

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    1999-01-01

    The Airborne-Geophysical/Geological Mineral Inventory project is a special multi-year investment to expand the knowledge base of Alaska's mineral resources and catalyze private-sector mineral development...

  7. Quantifying exhaustible resource theory: an application to mineral taxation policy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ward, F.A.; Kerkvliet, J.

    1993-01-01

    The paper presents the results of a dynamic nonlinear programming model of a mineral resource market with several features of heterogeneous quality in the mineral, links with related product markets, incorporation of institutional constraints, resource allocations for each year in the planning period, and analysis of outcomes under various severance tax rates. The model computes privately efficient competitive use paths to perform cost-benefit analysis of public mineral policies. Policy variables are evaluated for their impact on both private behaviour and public benefits. The application is to New Mexico's linked coal and electric power markets. Findings reveal that scarcity rents are currently 4% of coal's price, and peak at 27% in 43 years. Increasing the present 1 dollar/ton New Mexico severance tax to 11 dollars reduces current annual coal output by 25%, prolongs the life of the state's coal industry by three years, and increases discounted severance tax revenues by 850% or 4.2 billion dollars. 38 refs., 2 figs., 4 tabs

  8. 5 CFR 2641.207 - One-year restriction on any former private sector assignee under the Information Technology...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... private sector assignee under the Information Technology Exchange Program representing, aiding, counseling... CONFLICT OF INTEREST RESTRICTIONS Prohibitions § 2641.207 One-year restriction on any former private sector... one year after the termination of his assignment from a private sector organization to an agency under...

  9. Comparing replacement rates under private and federal retirement systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Patricia P

    One measure of the adequacy of retirement income is replacement rate - the percentage of pre-retirement salary that is available to a worker in retirement. This article compares salary replacement rates for private-sector employees of medium and large private establishments with those for federal employees under the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees Retirement System. Because there is no standard benefit formula to represent the variety of formulas available in the private sector, a composite defined benefit formula was developed using the characteristics of plans summarized in the Bureau of Labor Statistics Medium and Large Employer Plan Survey. The resulting "typical" private-sector defined benefit plan, with an accompanying defined contribution plan, was then compared with the two federal systems. The Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) is a stand-alone defined benefit plan whose participants are not covered by Social Security. Until passage of the 1983 Amendments to Social Security Act, it was the only retirement plan for most federal civilian employees. Provisions of the 1983 Amendments were designed to restore long-term financial stability to the Social Security trust funds. One provision created the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), which covers federal employees hired after 1983. It was one of the provisions designed to restore long-term financial stability to the Social Security trust funds. FERS employees contribute to and are covered by Social Security. FERS, which is a defined benefit plan, also includes a basic benefit and a 401(k)-type plan known as the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). To compare how retirees would fare under the three different retirement systems, benefits of employees retiring at age 65 with 35 years of service were calculated using hypothetical workers with steady earnings. Workers were classified according to a percentage of the average wage in the economy: low earners (45 percent), average earners

  10. 20 CFR 641.630 - What private sector training activities are allowable under section 502(e)?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 20 Employees' Benefits 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What private sector training activities are... Sector Training Projects Under Section 502(e) of the OAA § 641.630 What private sector training...: (a) Providing participants with services leading to transition to private sector employment...

  11. Socio-economic development of territories based on the principles of public-private partnership in the sphere of comprehensive mineral exploration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nikitenko, S. M.; Goosen, E. V.

    2017-09-01

    The article explores the possibility of using instruments of public-private partnership for a paradigm shift in subsoil use in the fuel and energy complex of Russia. The modern Russian fuel and energy complex (FEC) is characterized by high depreciation of production assets, technological inferiority compared to the developed countries, etc. The solution to all these problems seems to be closely connected with the transition from extensive use of natural resources to comprehensive mineral exploration (CME), with a stable socio-economic development of territories and mutually beneficial partnership between science, business and government based on the principles of public-private partnership (PPP). The article discussed the three main directions of PPP projects development in subsoil use. The first direction comprises the projects aimed at the establishment of core mineral resource businesses on the basis of concession agreements and production sharing contracts. The second direction concerns the projects focused on the development of territories and objects of industrial and social infrastructure in resource regions. The third direction is formed by the projects aimed at the development of new industries, focused on the creation of centers of innovative development, formation of markets for innovative products and innovative clusters in the energy industry.

  12. COEXISTENCE OF PRIVATE FIRMS AND OPEN SOURCE FIRMS UNDER SPILLOVERS AND CONSUMER BIAS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Murat YILMAZ

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Open source technologies have been an important divergence from the private produc- tion, and some markets have accommodated both open source firms and private firms. We explore the conditions under which such a coexistence of both type of firms can be seen. Through a simple and tractable game theoretical model, with spillovers on the open source production and positive consumer bias for the privately produced good, we analyze the conditions for which, in the equilibrium, a private firm and an open source firm share the market. We find that for large enough consumer bias, the two types cannot coexist, however when the consumer bias is relatively low and the spillover effect is not too strong, then we get a coexistence result.

  13. 77 FR 56273 - Conflict Minerals

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-09-12

    ... auditor and to certify the audit. In addition, Section 13(p) requires the report to include a description.... Auditor Independence iii. Audit Objective 4. Recycled and Scrap Minerals a. Proposed Rules b. Comments on... Minerals Report must also identify the independent private sector auditor \\23\\ and certify the independent...

  14. 20 CFR 641.640 - How do the private sector training activities authorized under section 502(e) differ from other...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 20 Employees' Benefits 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false How do the private sector training activities... COMMUNITY SERVICE EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM Private Sector Training Projects Under Section 502(e) of the OAA § 641.640 How do the private sector training activities authorized under section 502(e) differ from other...

  15. The Rights of Private Economic Actors Under the World Trade Organization Agreements in Indonesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Intan Soeparna

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Nothing in the Uruguay Round mentions directly about rights of private economic actors. It seems that the relationship to private economic actors (or may be individual does not exist within the WTO Agreements, because as a general rule, private parties are not legal subjects of the international legal order. However, this article will prevail upon this situation, by looking closer at the essence of the WTO Agreements to discern the rights of private economic actors that derive from the WTO. The main question of this article is to what extent then Indonesia is dealing with the rights of private economic actors under the WTO Agreements? The background of this questionis because four years after ratifying the WTO Agreements, Indonesia has been facing what is arguably the most serious multidimensional crisis in 1997, some difficult situations have arisen from the crisis; therefore, the society hesitated to accept the open world trading system. The society seemed look askance to the implementation of the WTO Agreements. But Indonesian Government took major step to reduce the skepticism of society toward liberalization, by readjusting its national laws conform to the WTO Agreements with the intention to support the rights of national economic actors under the WTO Agreements in order to achieve total benefits of the WTO rules.

  16. Mechanism and kinetics of mineral weathering under acid conditions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Anbeek, C.

    1994-01-01

    This study deals with the relationships between crystal structure, grain diameter, surface morphology and dissolution kinetics for feldspar and quartz under acid conditions.

    Intensively ground samples from large, naturally weathered mineral fragments are frequently used in

  17. Particulate Organic Matter Affects Soil Nitrogen Mineralization under Two Crop Rotation Systems.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rongyan Bu

    Full Text Available Changes in the quantity and/or quality of soil labile organic matter between and after different types of cultivation system could play a dominant role in soil nitrogen (N mineralization. The quantity and quality of particulate organic matter (POM and potentially mineralizable-N (PMN contents were measured in soils from 16 paired rice-rapeseed (RR/cotton-rapeseed (CR rotations sites in Hubei province, central China. Then four paired soils encompassing low (10th percentile, intermediate (25th and 75th percentiles, and high (90th percentile levels of soil PMN were selected to further study the effects of POM on soil N mineralization by quantifying the net N mineralization in original soils and soils from which POM was removed. Both soil POM carbon (POM-C and N (POM-N contents were 45.8% and 55.8% higher under the RR rotation compared to the CR rotation, respectively. The PMN contents were highly correlated with the POM contents. The PMN and microbial biomass N (MBN contents concurrently and significantly decreased when POM was removed. The reduction rate of PMN was positively correlated with changes in MBN after the removal of POM. The reduction rates of PMN and MBN after POM removal are lower under RR rotations (38.0% and 16.3%, respectively than CR rotations (45.6% and 19.5%, respectively. Furthermore, infrared spectroscopy indicated that compounds with low-bioavailability accumulated (e.g., aromatic recalcitrant materials in the soil POM fraction under the RR rotation but not under the CR rotation. The results of the present study demonstrated that POM plays a vital role in soil N mineralization under different rotation systems. The discrepancy between POM content and composition resulting from different crop rotation systems caused differences in N mineralization in soils.

  18. Design of exploration and minerals-data-collection programs in developing areas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Attanasi, E.D.

    1981-01-01

    This paper considers the practical problem of applying economic analysis to designing minerals exploration and data collection strategies for developing countries. Formal decision rules for the design of government exploration and minerals-data-collection programs are derived by using a minerals-industry planning model that has been extended to include an exploration function. Rules derived are applicable to centrally planned minerals industries as well as market-oriented minerals sectors. They pertain to the spatial allocation of exploration effort and to the allocation of activities between government and private concerns for market-oriented economies. Programs characterized by uniform expenditures, uniform information coverage across regions, or uniform-density grid drilling progrmas are shown to be inferior to the strategy derived. Moreover, for market-oriented economies, the economically optimal mix in exploration activities between private and government data collection would require that only private firms assess local sites and that government agencies carry out regional surveys. ?? 1981.

  19. 20 CFR 641.600 - What is the purpose of the private sector training projects authorized under section 502(e) of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 20 Employees' Benefits 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What is the purpose of the private sector... EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM Private Sector Training Projects Under Section 502(e) of the OAA § 641.600 What is the purpose of the private sector training projects authorized under section 502(e) of the OAA? The purpose of...

  20. 23 CFR 636.119 - How does this part apply to a project developed under a public-private partnership?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... public-private partnership? 636.119 Section 636.119 Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT... does this part apply to a project developed under a public-private partnership? (a) In order for a... Federal-aid procurement procedures will depend on the nature of the public-private agreement. (1) If the...

  1. Mineralization of 14C-labelled aromatic pesticide molecules in Egyptian soils under aerobic and anaerobic conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zayed, S.M.A.D.; Earghaly, M.; Mahdy, F.; El-Maghraby, S.; Taha, H.; Soliman, S.M.

    2001-01-01

    The mineralization of 2,4-D, carbofuran and pirimiphos-methyl in Egyptian soils was studied over a period of 90 days. Laboratory studies under aerobic and anaerobic conditions were conducted using 14 C-ring labelled pesticides. Under anaerobic conditions 10-14% of applied ring labelled 2,4-D mineralized during 90 days with no significant variations due to soil type. Under aerobic conditions, 2,4-D mineralized more readily in clay soil to reach 29-34% of applied dose within 90 days. In clay loam soil, 14 C-carbofuran and 14 C-pirimiphos-methyl mineralized at a rather slow rate to reach 12-14% and 12-13% of applied dose in 90 days, respectively under aerobic conditions. Generally, soils repeatedly treated with pesticides gave a slightly lower percentage of mineralization than control soils. In all studies, the soil extractable pesticide residues decreased with time and the bound residues gradually increased. The highest binding affinity of about 26-29% was observed with 2,4-D in clay soil under aerobic conditions in 90 days. Carbofuran, and pirimiphos-methyl, on the other hand, had lower binding capacity that did not exceed 16% of applied radioactivity. (author)

  2. The microeconomics of mineral extraction under capacity constraints

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cairns, R.D. [McGill University, Montreal, PQ (Canada). Dept. of Economics

    1998-09-01

    The mineral investment decision under certainty is discussed in the context of broad microeconomic features of the industry, the central one being that production is constrained by capacity. The assumptions of the economic literature on natural resources are evaluated in the context of these features and the assumptions that permit the modeling of such facts are examined. Several characteristics of extraction and equilibrium, and some implications of uncertainty, are considered. 38 refs., 1 app.

  3. Silicon in vascular plants: uptake, transport and its influence on mineral stress under acidic conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pontigo, Sofía; Ribera, Alejandra; Gianfreda, Liliana; de la Luz Mora, María; Nikolic, Miroslav; Cartes, Paula

    2015-07-01

    So far, considerable advances have been achieved in understanding the mechanisms of Si uptake and transport in vascular plants. This review presents a comprehensive update about this issue, but also provides the new insights into the role of Si against mineral stresses that occur in acid soils. Such information could be helpful to understand both the differential Si uptake ability as well as the benefits of this mineral element on plants grown under acidic conditions. Silicon (Si) has been widely recognized as a beneficial element for many plant species, especially under stress conditions. In the last few years, great efforts have been made to elucidate the mechanisms involved in uptake and transport of Si by vascular plants and recently, different Si transporters have been identified. Several researches indicate that Si can alleviate various mineral stresses in plants growing under acidic conditions, including aluminium (Al) and manganese (Mn) toxicities as well as phosphorus (P) deficiency all of which are highly detrimental to crop production. This review presents recent findings concerning the influence of uptake and transport of Si on mineral stress under acidic conditions because a knowledge of this interaction provides the basis for understanding the role of Si in mitigating mineral stress in acid soils. Currently, only four Si transporters have been identified and there is little information concerning the response of Si transporters under stress conditions. More investigations are therefore needed to establish whether there is a relationship between Si transporters and the benefits of Si to plants subjected to mineral stress. Evidence presented suggests that Si supply and its subsequent accumulation in plant tissues could be exploited as a strategy to improve crop productivity on acid soils.

  4. Does plant uptake or low soil mineral-N production limit mineral-N losses to surface waters and groundwater from soils under grass in summer?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhatti, Ambreen; McClean, Colin J.; Cresser, Malcolm S.

    2013-01-01

    Summer minima and autumn/winter maxima in nitrate concentrations in rivers are reputedly due to high plant uptake of nitrate from soils in summer. A novel alternative hypothesis is tested here for soils under grass. By summer, residual readily mineralizable plant litter from the previous autumn/winter is negligible and fresh litter input low. Consequently little mineral-N is produced in the soil. Water-soluble and KCl-extractable mineral N in fresh soils and soils incubated outdoors for 7 days have been monitored over 12 months for soil transects at two permanent grassland sites near York, UK, using 6 replicates throughout. Vegetation-free soil is shown to produce very limited mineral-N in summer, despite the warm, moist conditions. Litter accumulates in autumn/winter and initially its high C:N ratio favours N accumulation in the soil. It is also shown that mineral-N generated monthly in situ in soil substantially exceeds the monthly mineral-N inputs via wet deposition at the sites. -- Highlights: •Soil mineral-N has been measured over a year at two grassland sites in the UK. •Rates of mineral-N production have also been measured in vegetation-free soils. •In summer, though soils were warm and moist, rate of mineral-N production was low. •The effect is attributed to low litter inputs in summer when grass is growing well. •Low mineral-N production in summer must be limiting N losses to fresh waters. -- Low mineral-N production in soils under grass limits summer N losses to surface- and ground-waters

  5. Clay mineral formation under oxidized conditions and implications for paleoenvironments and organic preservation on Mars.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gainey, Seth R; Hausrath, Elisabeth M; Adcock, Christopher T; Tschauner, Oliver; Hurowitz, Joel A; Ehlmann, Bethany L; Xiao, Yuming; Bartlett, Courtney L

    2017-11-01

    Clay mineral-bearing locations have been targeted for martian exploration as potentially habitable environments and as possible repositories for the preservation of organic matter. Although organic matter has been detected at Gale Crater, Mars, its concentrations are lower than expected from meteoritic and indigenous igneous and hydrothermal reduced carbon. We conducted synthesis experiments motivated by the hypothesis that some clay mineral formation may have occurred under oxidized conditions conducive to the destruction of organics. Previous work has suggested that anoxic and/or reducing conditions are needed to synthesize the Fe-rich clay mineral nontronite at low temperatures. In contrast, our experiments demonstrated the rapid formation of Fe-rich clay minerals of variable crystallinity from aqueous Fe 3+ with small amounts of aqueous Mg 2+ . Our results suggest that Fe-rich clay minerals such as nontronite can form rapidly under oxidized conditions, which could help explain low concentrations of organics within some smectite-containing rocks or sediments on Mars.

  6. Clay mineral formation under oxidized conditions and implications for paleoenvironments and organic preservation on Mars

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gainey, Seth R.; Hausrath, Elisabeth M.; Adcock, Christopher T.; Tschauner, Oliver; Hurowitz, Joel A.; Ehlmann, Bethany L.; Xiao, Yuming; Bartlett, Courtney L. (CIW); (UNLV); (CIT); (SBU)

    2017-11-01

    Clay mineral-bearing locations have been targeted for martian exploration as potentially habitable environments and as possible repositories for the preservation of organic matter. Although organic matter has been detected at Gale Crater, Mars, its concentrations are lower than expected from meteoritic and indigenous igneous and hydrothermal reduced carbon. We conducted synthesis experiments motivated by the hypothesis that some clay mineral formation may have occurred under oxidized conditions conducive to the destruction of organics. Previous work has suggested that anoxic and/or reducing conditions are needed to synthesize the Fe-rich clay mineral nontronite at low temperatures. In contrast, our experiments demonstrated the rapid formation of Fe-rich clay minerals of variable crystallinity from aqueous Fe3+ with small amounts of aqueous Mg2+. Our results suggest that Fe-rich clay minerals such as nontronite can form rapidly under oxidized conditions, which could help explain low concentrations of organics within some smectite-containing rocks or sediments on Mars.

  7. Demand for private tuition classes under the free education policy. Evidence based on Sri Lanka

    OpenAIRE

    Pallegedara, Asankha

    2011-01-01

    Private tuition classes are growing phenomenon in Sri Lanka especially among students who prepare for competitive national school qualifying examinations. It is one of major education issues under the free education policy in Sri Lanka. It can tarnish the real purpose of free education policy. In this paper, we examine the demand for private tuition classes in Sri Lanka by using two waves of Household Income and Expenditure Surveys (HIES) conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics (...

  8. Role of biotransformation, sorption and mineralization of (14)C-labelled sulfamethoxazole under different redox conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alvarino, T; Nastold, P; Suarez, S; Omil, F; Corvini, P F X; Bouju, H

    2016-01-15

    (14)C-sulfamethoxazole biotransformation, sorption and mineralization was studied with heterotrophic and autotrophic biomass under aerobic and anoxic conditions, as well as with anaerobic biomass. The (14)C-radiolabelled residues distribution in the solid, liquid and gas phases was closely monitored along a total incubation time of 190 h. Biotransformation was the main removal mechanism, mineralization and sorption remaining below 5% in all the cases, although the presence of a carbon source exerted a positive effect on the mineralization rate by the aerobic heterotrophic bacteria. In fact, an influence of the type of primary substrate and the redox potential was observed in all cases on the biotransformation and mineralization rates, since an enhancement of the removal rate was observed when an external carbon source was used as a primary substrate under aerobic conditions, while a negligible effect was observed under nitrifying conditions. In the liquid phases collected from all assays, up to three additional peaks corresponding to (14)C-radiolabelled residues were detected. The highest concentration was observed under anaerobic conditions, where two radioactive metabolites were detected representing each around 15% of the total applied radioactivity after 180 h incubation. One of the metabolites detected under anoxic and anaerobic conditions, is probably resulting from ring cleavage of the isoxazole ring. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Soil phosphorus redistribution among iron-bearing minerals under redox fluctuation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Y.; Bhattacharyya, A.; Campbell, A.; Nico, P. S.; Pett-Ridge, J.; Silver, W. L.

    2016-12-01

    Phosphorus (P) is a key limiting nutrient in tropical forests that governs primary production, litter decomposition, and soil respiration. A large proportion of P in these highly weathered soils is bound to short-range ordered or poorly crystalline iron (Fe) minerals. It is well-documented that these Fe minerals are redox-sensitive; however, little is known about how Fe-redox interactions affect soil P turnover. We evaluated the impacts of oxic/anoxic fluctuation on soil P fractions and reactive Fe species in a laboratory incubation experiment. Soils from a humid tropical forest were amended with plant biomass and incubated for up to 44 days under four redox regimes: static oxic, static anoxic, high frequency fluctuating (4-day oxic/4-day anoxic), and low frequency fluctuating (8-day oxic/4-day anoxic). We found that the static anoxic treatment induced a 10-fold increase in Fe(II) (extracted by hydrochloric acid) and a 1.5-fold increase in poorly crystalline Fe (extracted by ammonium oxalate), suggesting that anoxic conditions drastically increased Fe(III) reduction and the formation of amorphous Fe minerals. Static anoxic conditions also increased Fe-bound P (extracted by sodium hydroxide) and increased the oxalate-extractable P by up to 110% relative to static oxic conditions. In two fluctuating treatments, Fe(II) and oxalate-extractable Fe and P were all increased by short-term reduction events after 30 minutes, but fell back to their initial levels after 3 hours. These results suggest that reductive dissolution of Fe(III) minerals mobilized a significant amount of P; however, this P could be rapidly re-adsorbed. Furthermore, bioavailable P extracted by sodium bicarbonate solution was largely unaffected by redox regimes and was only increased by static anoxic conditions after 20 days. Overall, our data demonstrate that a significant amount of soil P may be liberated and re-adsorbed by Fe minerals during redox fluctuation. Even though bioavailable P appears to be

  10. The Private Lives of Minerals: Social Network Analysis Applied to Mineralogy and Petrology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hazen, R. M.; Morrison, S. M.; Fox, P. A.; Golden, J. J.; Downs, R. T.; Eleish, A.; Prabhu, A.; Li, C.; Liu, C.

    2016-12-01

    Comprehensive databases of mineral species (rruff.info/ima) and their geographic localities and co-existing mineral assemblages (mindat.org) reveal patterns of mineral association and distribution that mimic social networks, as commonly applied to such varied topics as social media interactions, the spread of disease, terrorism networks, and research collaborations. Applying social network analysis (SNA) to common assemblages of rock-forming igneous and regional metamorphic mineral species, we find patterns of cohesion, segregation, density, and cliques that are similar to those of human social networks. These patterns highlight classic trends in lithologic evolution and are illustrated with sociograms, in which mineral species are the "nodes" and co-existing species form "links." Filters based on chemistry, age, structural group, and other parameters highlight visually both familiar and new aspects of mineralogy and petrology. We quantify sociograms with SNA metrics, including connectivity (based on the frequency of co-occurrence of mineral pairs), homophily (the extent to which co-existing mineral species share compositional and other characteristics), network closure (based on the degree of network interconnectivity), and segmentation (as revealed by isolated "cliques" of mineral species). Exploitation of large and growing mineral data resources with SNA offers promising avenues for discovering previously hidden trends in mineral diversity-distribution systematics, as well as providing new pedagogical approaches to teaching mineralogy and petrology.

  11. A historical perspective on the economics of the ownership of mineral rights ownership

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cawood, F.T.; Minnitt, R.C.A. [Technikon SA, Florida (South Africa). Dept. of Engineering

    1998-11-01

    Inauguration of the new political dispensation in South Africa, initiated a dynamic period in the historical development of its minerals policy. The process of substituting the current South African mineral policy framework with an acceptable `post apartheid` system, started soon after the 1994 election of the African National Congress (ANC) government. The Green Paper on a Minerals and Mining Policy for South Africa released for public discussion in February 1998, calls for radical transformation in mineral rights ownership. A shift towards exclusive state ownership of mineral rights, away from the present dual system of private and state ownership, is the most significant proposal. The current holders of mineral rights, or their nominees, who lawfully enjoyed security of tenure under past and present mineral laws are opposed to this transformation because mineral rights were often acquired at considerable cost. The situation is compounded by poor public record-keeping and passive mineral rights administration over a very long period. This paper represents a summary of the historical developments leading to the current legislative environment and forms the basis for any discussion on which future sculpturing of South Africa`s policy regarding mineral rights can take place. One cannot plan for the future without considering the past. 21 refs.

  12. Solid waste management practices under public and private sector in Lahore, Pakistan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Usman Ashraf

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Solid waste management (SWM practices in Lahore, provincial capital of Punjab, were privatised in 2012. This study draws a comparison of solid waste management practices by public and private sector in Lahore. The comparison is done by taking following factors in consideration; administrative structure, waste collection, street sweeping, waste storage capacity and logistics, disposal, mechanical sweeping and washing, monitoring system. Privatisation of solid waste management in Lahore is celebrated as complete success story. In contrast to this, we found the results of privatisation are mixed. Privatisation has improved some components of the system. Monitoring system has been the key innovation under private sector. It has enabled better allocation, management and channelization of available resources. Yet little to no improvement has been done in street sweeping, disposal of waste and administrative structure of waste management in the city.

  13. Study on the Impact of the Private Credit Excess on the Credit Risk under the Massive Capital Inflows Risk under the Massive Capital Inflows

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jong-Hee Kim

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available By examining the relationship between private credit growth and the possibility of credit risk while focusing on international capital in 21 countries over the period 2000:1Q-2015:2Q, this paper shows that the impact of private credit growth on credit risk is apparent under the high ratio of capital inflows, and its impact on credit risk in the seven Asian countries is even stronger. And the possibility of credit risk caused by private credit is mainly coming from portfolio inflows rather than direct inflows. Finally, portfolio inflows strengthen the positive relationship between credit excess and credit risk in Asian countries, and this trend is seen more in these after the global financial crisis. Taken together, the stronger positive relationship between credit excess and credit risk can be strengthen under the massive portfolio inflows in particular in the seven Asian countries such as Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.

  14. We do not recognise anything 'private': public interest and private law under the socialist legal tradition and beyond

    OpenAIRE

    Mańko, R.; Sitek, B.; Szczerbowski, J.J.; Bauknecht, A.W.; Szpanowska, M.; Wasyliszyn, K.

    2015-01-01

    In line with Lenin’s famous quote that Bolsheviks "do not recognise anything private" and that private law must be permeated with public interest, the private (civil) law of the USSR and other countries of the Soviet bloc, including Poland underwent reform aimed at furthering the public interest at the expense of the private one. Specific legal institutions were introduced for this purpose, in the form of legal innovations, loosely, if at all, based on pre-existing Western models. In the Poli...

  15. Mineral Content and Biochemical Variables of Aloe vera L. under Salt Stress

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murillo-Amador, Bernardo; Córdoba-Matson, Miguel Víctor; Villegas-Espinoza, Jorge Arnoldo; Hernández-Montiel, Luis Guillermo; Troyo-Diéguez, Enrique; García-Hernández, José Luis

    2014-01-01

    Despite the proven economic importance of Aloe vera, studies of saline stress and its effects on the biochemistry and mineral content in tissues of this plant are scarce. The objective of this study was to grow Aloe under NaCl stress of 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 mM and compare: (1) proline, total protein, and enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEP-case) in chlorenchyma and parenchyma tissues, and (2) ion content (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Cl, Fe, P. N, Zn, B, Mn, and Cu) in roots, stems, leaves and sprouts. Proline and PEP-case increased as salinity increased in both parenchyma and chlorenchyma, while total protein increased in parenchyma and decreased in chlorenchyma, although at similar salt concentrations total protein was always higher in chlorenchyma. As salinity increased Na and Cl ions increased in roots, stems, leaves, while K decreased only significantly in sprouts. Salinity increases typically caused mineral content in tissue to decrease, or not change significantly. In roots, as salinity increased Mg decreased, while all other minerals failed to show a specific trend. In stems, the mineral concentrations that changed were Fe and P which increased with salinity while Cu decreased. In leaves, Mg, Mn, N, and B decreased with salinity, while Cu increased. In sprouts, the minerals that decreased with increasing salinity were Mg, Mn, and Cu. Zinc did not exhibit a trend in any of the tissues. The increase in protein, proline and PEP-case activity, as well as the absorption and accumulation of cations under moderate NaCl stress caused osmotic adjustment which kept the plant healthy. These results suggest that Aloe may be a viable crop for soil irrigated with hard water or affected by salinity at least at concentrations used in the present study. PMID:24736276

  16. We do not recognise anything 'private': public interest and private law under the socialist legal tradition and beyond

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mańko, R.; Sitek, B.; Szczerbowski, J.J.; Bauknecht, A.W.; Szpanowska, M.; Wasyliszyn, K.

    2015-01-01

    In line with Lenin’s famous quote that Bolsheviks "do not recognise anything private" and that private law must be permeated with public interest, the private (civil) law of the USSR and other countries of the Soviet bloc, including Poland underwent reform aimed at furthering the public interest at

  17. Private management of public schools of Basic Education: a new market under the auspices of the State

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bruno Gawryszewski

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper aims to present the private management of public schools of Basic Education as one of the pillars that support a private-market agenda in the Brazilian contemporary field, based on the belief of greater efficiency and quality in order to ensure equal opportunity to all. The theoretical and methodological approach was the analysis of the current Brazilian situation included in the structural crisis of the capital, followed by the examination of private management in American schools, known as charter schools, and initiatives for the education networks in Brazil. We conclude by stating that the private management of public schools can be seen as a resource to prevent the cyclical crises of capital, which has opened up new market opportunities in the education field under the auspices of the Brazilian state.

  18. Role of biotransformation, sorption and mineralization of "1"4C-labelled sulfamethoxazole under different redox conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alvarino, T.; Nastold, P.; Suarez, S.; Omil, F.; Corvini, P.F.X.; Bouju, H.

    2016-01-01

    "1"4C-sulfamethoxazole biotransformation, sorption and mineralization was studied with heterotrophic and autotrophic biomass under aerobic and anoxic conditions, as well as with anaerobic biomass. The "1"4C-radiolabelled residues distribution in the solid, liquid and gas phases was closely monitored along a total incubation time of 190 h. Biotransformation was the main removal mechanism, mineralization and sorption remaining below 5% in all the cases, although the presence of a carbon source exerted a positive effect on the mineralization rate by the aerobic heterotrophic bacteria. In fact, an influence of the type of primary substrate and the redox potential was observed in all cases on the biotransformation and mineralization rates, since an enhancement of the removal rate was observed when an external carbon source was used as a primary substrate under aerobic conditions, while a negligible effect was observed under nitrifying conditions. In the liquid phases collected from all assays, up to three additional peaks corresponding to "1"4C-radiolabelled residues were detected. The highest concentration was observed under anaerobic conditions, where two radioactive metabolites were detected representing each around 15% of the total applied radioactivity after 180 h incubation. One of the metabolites detected under anoxic and anaerobic conditions, is probably resulting from ring cleavage of the isoxazole ring. - Highlights: • New procedure based on "1"4C to determine sulfamethoxazole (SMX) removal • Complete SMX mass balances in solid, liquid and gas phases • Quantification of SMX biotransformation, mineralization and sorption • Influence of the primary metabolism and redox potential on SMX removal • SMX metabolites have been detected and a possible chemical structure was proposed.

  19. Role of biotransformation, sorption and mineralization of {sup 14}C-labelled sulfamethoxazole under different redox conditions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alvarino, T., E-mail: teresa.alvarino@usc.es [Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Technology, University of Santiago de Compostela, E-15782 Santiago de Compostela (Spain); Nastold, P. [Institute for Ecopreneurship, School of Life Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, 40 Grundenstrasse, CH 4132 Muttenz (Switzerland); Suarez, S.; Omil, F. [Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Technology, University of Santiago de Compostela, E-15782 Santiago de Compostela (Spain); Corvini, P.F.X. [Institute for Ecopreneurship, School of Life Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, 40 Grundenstrasse, CH 4132 Muttenz (Switzerland); State Key Laboratory for Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Bouju, H. [Institute for Ecopreneurship, School of Life Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, 40 Grundenstrasse, CH 4132 Muttenz (Switzerland)

    2016-01-15

    {sup 14}C-sulfamethoxazole biotransformation, sorption and mineralization was studied with heterotrophic and autotrophic biomass under aerobic and anoxic conditions, as well as with anaerobic biomass. The {sup 14}C-radiolabelled residues distribution in the solid, liquid and gas phases was closely monitored along a total incubation time of 190 h. Biotransformation was the main removal mechanism, mineralization and sorption remaining below 5% in all the cases, although the presence of a carbon source exerted a positive effect on the mineralization rate by the aerobic heterotrophic bacteria. In fact, an influence of the type of primary substrate and the redox potential was observed in all cases on the biotransformation and mineralization rates, since an enhancement of the removal rate was observed when an external carbon source was used as a primary substrate under aerobic conditions, while a negligible effect was observed under nitrifying conditions. In the liquid phases collected from all assays, up to three additional peaks corresponding to {sup 14}C-radiolabelled residues were detected. The highest concentration was observed under anaerobic conditions, where two radioactive metabolites were detected representing each around 15% of the total applied radioactivity after 180 h incubation. One of the metabolites detected under anoxic and anaerobic conditions, is probably resulting from ring cleavage of the isoxazole ring. - Highlights: • New procedure based on {sup 14}C to determine sulfamethoxazole (SMX) removal • Complete SMX mass balances in solid, liquid and gas phases • Quantification of SMX biotransformation, mineralization and sorption • Influence of the primary metabolism and redox potential on SMX removal • SMX metabolites have been detected and a possible chemical structure was proposed.

  20. Reagan issues mineral policy

    Science.gov (United States)

    The National Materials and Minerals Program plan and report that President Reagan sent to Congress on April 5 aims to ‘decrease America's minerals vulnerability’ while reducing future dependence on potentially unstable foreign sources of minerals. These goals would be accomplished by taking inventory of federal lands to determine mineral potential; by meeting the stockpile goals set by the Strategic and Critical Material Stockpiling Act; and by establishing a business and political climate that would encourage private-sector research and development on minerals.Now that the Administration has issued its plan, the Subcommittee on Mines and Mining of the House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs will consider the National Minerals Security Act (NMSA), which was introduced 1 year ago by subcommittee chairman Jim Santini (D-Nev.) [Eos, May 19, 1981, p. 497]. The bill calls for establishing a three-member White-House-level council to coordinate the development of a national minerals policy; amending tax laws to assist the mining industry to make capital investments to locate and produce strategic materials; and creating a revolving fund for the sale and purchase of strategic minerals. In addition, the NMSA bill would allow the secretary of the interior to make previously withdrawn public lands available for mineral development. The subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Administration's plan on May 11. Interior Secretary James Watt has been invited to testify.

  1. China's mineral resources security under economic globalization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Y. [China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou (China). College of Environment and Spatial Informatics

    2002-10-01

    The concept and intention of mineral resources security are introduced. From the insurance and leverage that mineral resources has on China's socio-economic development, the strength of support, the opportunity and challenge imposed by globalised economy, the effect of mineral resource development on the safety of the eco-environment, the author analyses the basic situation and existing problem of the mineral resources security in China; summarizes the current research situation of mineral resources security and the main tactics which are used to ensure mineral resources security in the developed countries; presents the essence of mineral resources security, the basic principles of research and the problems focused; and points out the research areas and goals that should be strengthened urgently. 15 refs.

  2. Mineral composition of durum wheat grain and pasta under increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beleggia, Romina; Fragasso, Mariagiovanna; Miglietta, Franco; Cattivelli, Luigi; Menga, Valeria; Nigro, Franca; Pecchioni, Nicola; Fares, Clara

    2018-03-01

    The concentrations of 10 minerals were investigated in the grain of 12 durum wheat genotypes grown under free air CO 2 enrichment conditions, and in four of their derived pasta samples, using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Compared to ambient CO 2 (400ppm; AMB), under elevated CO 2 (570ppm; ELE), the micro-element and macro-element contents showed strong and significant decreases in the grain: Mn, -28.3%; Fe, -26.7%; Zn, -21.9%; Mg, -22.7%; Mo, -40.4%; K, -22.4%; and Ca, -19.5%. These variations defined the 12 genotypes as sensitive or non-sensitive to ELE. The pasta samples under AMB and ELE showed decreased mineral contents compared to the grain. Nevertheless, the contributions of the pasta to the recommended daily allowances remained relevant, also for the micro-elements under ELE conditions (range, from 18% of the recommended daily allowance for Zn, to 70% for Mn and Mo). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Mars analog minerals' spectral reflectance characteristics under Martian surface conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poitras, J. T.; Cloutis, E. A.; Salvatore, M. R.; Mertzman, S. A.; Applin, D. M.; Mann, P.

    2018-05-01

    We investigated the spectral reflectance properties of minerals under a simulated Martian environment. Twenty-eight different hydrated or hydroxylated phases of carbonates, sulfates, and silica minerals were selected based on past detection on Mars through spectral remote sensing data. Samples were ground and dry sieved to <45 μm grain size and characterized by XRD before and after 133 days inside a simulated Martian surface environment (pressure 5 Torr and CO2 fed). Reflectance spectra from 0.35 to 4 μm were taken periodically through a sapphire (0.35-2.5 μm) and zinc selenide (2.5-4 μm) window over a 133-day period. Mineral stability on the Martian surface was assessed through changes in spectral characteristics. Results indicate that the hydrated carbonates studied would be stable on the surface of Mars, only losing adsorbed H2O while maintaining their diagnostic spectral features. Sulfates were less stable, often with shifts in the band position of the SO, Fe, and OH absorption features. Silicas displayed spectral shifts related to SiOH and hydration state of the mineral surface, while diagnostic bands for quartz were stable. Previous detection of carbonate minerals based on 2.3-2.5 μm and 3.4-3.9 μm features appears to be consistent with our results. Sulfate mineral detection is more questionable since there can be shifts in band position related to SO4. The loss of the 0.43 μm Fe3+ band in many of the sulfates indicate that there are fewer potential candidates for Fe3+ sulfates to permanently exist on the Martian surface based on this band. The gypsum sample changed phase to basanite during desiccation as demonstrated by both reflectance and XRD. Silica on Mars has been detected using band depth ratio at 1.91 and 1.96 μm and band minimum position of the 1.4 μm feature, and the properties are also used to determine their age. This technique continues to be useful for positive silica identifications, however, silica age appears to be less consistent

  4. Contractual Obligations under the Private International Law in Albania.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ervis Çela

    2014-07-01

    This work as based on the ex-positio sinkronik system aims at giving a minimum contribution in the application of the international private law and clarifies the omission, collision and legal problematic aspects in practice. At the end of this work, there are our conclusions which serve as a deduction over the analysis and studies done to this part of the private international law.

  5. [The ultrastructure of Leydig cells under the influence of drinking mineral water and electromagnetic radiation under the stress conditions in the rats].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geniatulina, M S; Korolev, Yu N; Nikulina, L A

    The objective of the present study was elucidate the peculiar features of low-intensity electromagnetic radiation (LI EMR) and mineral water (MW) on the ultrastructure of rat Leydig cells under conditions of immobilization stress. The experiments were carried out on outbred male rats with the use of electron microscopy. It has been demonstrated that the prophylactic consumption of drinking sulfate-containing mineral water and the application low-intensity electromagnetic radiation (with the flow power density of 1 mcW/cm2 and frequency around 1,000 Hz) or the combination of these two modalities under conditions of immobilization stress reduced the degree of ultrastructural derangement in the rat Leydig cells and stimulated the development of regenerative processes. In the cases of the single-factor impact, drinking mineral water exerted more pronounced action than low-intensity electromagnetic radiation on mitochondrial regeneration. In case of the simultaneous application of the two factors their protective action on the Leydig cells was much more conspicuous than that of either of them applied alone. It is concluded that drinking sulfate-containing mineral water in combination with the application of low-intensity electromagnetic radiation enhances resistance of the rat Leydig cells to stress.

  6. The Hungarian environmental private law under the influence of jus publicum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julesz Máté

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The relationship between environmental public law and environmental private law is of a growing significance. Not only environmental criminal law has an effect on environmental private law, but, since the beginning of the new legal, economic and political era in 1989, private law elements are also to be found in the environmental administrative law. The reciprocity between environmental private and administrative law is clear-cut. Private law institutions, like injunction or deposit, are upheld in environmental administrative contracts. The effect of an administrative ruling has legal consequences in the relationship between, e.g., neighbors: there are cases in which a noisy neighbor can be brought before the public administration. The objective liability in the field of environmental private law is accepted by the courts and by the citizens. The level of objectivity may, though, vary from country to country. In the practice of the Hungarian environmental private law, after 3 years, the objective liability is subrogated by a subjective liability, this latter one making exculpation easier. The res ipsa loquitur liability in space law is not an absolute liability, though it establishes a praesumptio juris that the environmental damage caused by a space object (e.g. a satellite is to be covered by the state which has sent the satellite into space. The presumption is, though not easily, rebuttable. In the Hungarian case law, objective environmental liability has been applied sub judice since the novella of the Civil Code in 1977. This novella made environmental private law a part of environmental law. The novella of the Civil Code was preceded by the Act on Environmental Protection of1976. The importance of economics in environmental private law has only recently been accepted by the Hungarian legal science. The role of the Coase theory is indisputable. The environmental private law is quite a new phenomenon in the Hungarian legal science, however

  7. Management of Canadian mineral resources: an industry viewpoint

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Powis, A

    1976-03-01

    Federal and provincial governments in Canada are developing strategies for a national mineral policy, the theme being to obtain optimum benefit for Canada from present and future use of minerals. The provisions of the British North America Act, the centerpiece of Canada's constitution, place ownership of natural resources under the jurisdiction of the province in which they are found, although it retains exclusive authority for the Federal government over the export and interprovincial trade of such resources. Contradiction and challenges are now being experienced between these two levels of government, resulting in excess taxation policies in the minerals industry. Mr. Powis discussed these issues at the 32nd Annual Conference of Provincial Ministers of Mines in Saskatoon on September 15, 1975. The roles of the private sector and governments, the Economic Council of Canada trade strategy report, the mineral area planning study, and the public and political perceptions are reviewed. Options for the future are summarized. Mr. Powis concludes that the atmosphere of confrontation in Canadian mineral policy leads to irrational management of Canadian resources; further, he sees a lack of communication between industry and government as complicating the issue. The Canadian mining industry also faces the other serious problems: (1) mining problems in inhospitable areas; (2) continuing difficulty in attracting and retaining trained labor forces; (3) increasing costs of exploration and transport; (4) competing with larger and more accessible deposits in other parts of the world; and (5) the impact of inflation in all areas of the industry. (MCW)

  8. Mineralized breccia clasts: a window into hidden porphyry-type mineralization underlying the epithermal polymetallic deposit of Cerro de Pasco (Peru)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rottier, Bertrand; Kouzmanov, Kalin; Casanova, Vincent; Bouvier, Anne-Sophie; Baumgartner, Lukas P.; Wälle, Markus; Fontboté, Lluís

    2018-01-01

    also contains secondary, low-temperature ( 300 °C) brine and aqueous fluid inclusions that record the cooling of the system. Both vein types are locally crosscut and/or reopened by a pre-diatreme polymetallic event consisting of pyrite, sphalerite with "chalcopyrite disease," galena, chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite-tennantite, and minor quartz. LA-ICP-MS analyses of mineral and high-temperature fluid inclusions hosted in HT1 and HT2 veins and in situ secondary-ion mass spectrometry oxygen isotope analyses of vein quartz indicate a magmatic signature for the mineralizing fluids with no major meteoric water input and allow reconstruction of the source and chemical evolution of fluids that formed these porphyry-style veins as snapshots of the early and deep mineralizations at Cerro de Pasco. This detailed study of the porphyry-type mineralization hosted in clasts offers a unique opportunity to reconstruct the late magmatic and early hydrothermal evolutions of porphyry mineralization underlying the world-class Cerro de Pasco epithermal polymetallic (Zn-Pb-Ag-Cu-Bi) deposit.

  9. Soil carbon and nitrogen mineralization under different tillage systems and Permanent Groundcover cultivation between Orange trees

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elcio Liborio Balota

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this work was to evaluate the alterations in carbon and nitrogen mineralization due to different soil tillage systems and groundcover species for intercropped orange trees. The experiment was established in an Ultisol soil (Typic Paleudults originated from Caiuá sandstone in northwestern of the state of Paraná, Brazil, in an area previously cultivated with pasture (Brachiaria humidicola. Two soil tillage systems were evaluated: conventional tillage (CT in the entire area and strip tillage (ST with a 2-m width, each with different groundcover vegetation management systems. The citrus cultivar utilized was the 'Pera' orange (Citrus sinensis grafted onto a 'Rangpur' lime rootstock. The soil samples were collected at a 0-15-cm depth after five years of experiment development. Samples were collected from under the tree canopy and from the inter-row space after the following treatments: (1 CT and annual cover crop with the leguminous Calopogonium mucunoides; (2 CT and perennial cover crop with the leguminous peanut Arachis pintoi; (3 CT and evergreen cover crop with Bahiagrass Paspalum notatum; (4 CT and cover crop with spontaneous B. humidicola grass vegetation; and (5 ST and maintenance of the remaining grass (pasture of B. humidicola. The soil tillage systems and different groundcover vegetation influenced the C and N mineralization, both under the tree canopy and in the inter-row space. The cultivation of B. humidicola under strip tillage provided higher potential mineralization than the other treatments in the inter-row space. Strip tillage increased the C and N mineralization compared to conventional tillage. The grass cultivation increased the C and N mineralization when compared to the others treatments cultivated in the inter-row space.

  10. Challenges of medicines management in the public and private sector under Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme - A qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashigbie, Paul G; Azameti, Devine; Wirtz, Veronika J

    2016-01-01

    Ghana established its National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in 2003 with the goal of ensuring more equitable financing of health care to improve access to health services. This qualitative study examines the challenges and consequences of medicines management policies and practices under the NHIS as perceived by public and private service providers. This study was conducted in health facilities in the Eastern, Greater Accra and Volta regions of Ghana between July and August 2014. We interviewed 26 Key Informants (KIs) from a purposively selected sample of public and private sector providers (government and mission hospitals, private hospitals and private standalone pharmacies), pharmaceutical suppliers and NHIS district offices. Data was collected using semi-structured interview guides which covered facility accreditation, reimbursement practices, medicines selection, purchasing and pricing of medicines, and utilization of medicines. Codes for data analysis were developed based on the study questions and also in response to themes that emerged from the transcripts and notes. Most KIs agreed that the introduction of the NHIS has increased access to and utilization of medicines by removing cost barriers for patients; however, some pointed out the increased utilization could also be corollary to moral hazard. Common concerns across all facilities were the delays in receiving NHIS reimbursements, and low reimbursement rates for medicines which result in providers asking patients to pay supplementary fees. KIs reported important differences between private and public sectors including weak separation of prescribing and dispensing and limited use of drugs and therapeutic committees in the private sector, the disproportionate effects of unfavorable reimbursement prices for medicines, and inadequate participation of the private sector providers (especially pharmacies and licensed chemical sellers) in the NHIS. Health providers generally perceive the NHIS to have had a

  11. Global transcriptional responses of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans Wenelen under different sulfide minerals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Latorre, Mauricio; Ehrenfeld, Nicole; Cortés, María Paz; Travisany, Dante; Budinich, Marko; Aravena, Andrés; González, Mauricio; Bobadilla-Fazzini, Roberto A; Parada, Pilar; Maass, Alejandro

    2016-01-01

    In order to provide new information about the adaptation of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans during the bioleaching process, the current analysis presents the first report of the global transcriptional response of the native copper mine strain Wenelen (DSM 16786) oxidized under different sulfide minerals. Microarrays were used to measure the response of At. ferrooxidans Wenelen to shifts from iron supplemented liquid cultures (reference state) to the addition of solid substrates enriched in pyrite or chalcopyrite. Genes encoding for energy metabolism showed a similar transcriptional profile for the two sulfide minerals. Interestingly, four operons related to sulfur metabolism were over-expressed during growth on a reduced sulfur source. Genes associated with metal tolerance (RND and ATPases type P) were up-regulated in the presence of pyrite or chalcopyrite. These results suggest that At. ferrooxidans Wenelen presents an efficient transcriptional system developed to respond to environmental conditions, namely the ability to withstand high copper concentrations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Molecular Dynamics Simulation and Analysis of Interfacial Water at Selected Sulfide Mineral Surfaces under Anaerobic Conditions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jin, Jiaqi; Miller, Jan D.; Dang, Liem X.

    2014-04-10

    In this paper, we report on a molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) study of the behavior of interfacial water at selected sulfide mineral surfaces under anaerobic conditions. The study revealed the interfacial water structure and wetting characteristics of the pyrite (100) surface, galena (100) surface, chalcopyrite (012) surface, sphalerite (110) surface, and molybdenite surfaces (i.e., the face, armchair-edge, and zigzag-edge surfaces), including simulated contact angles, relative number density profiles, water dipole orientations, hydrogen-bonding, and residence times. For force fields of the metal and sulfur atoms in selected sulfide minerals used in the MDS, we used the universal force field (UFF) and another set of force fields optimized by quantum chemical calculations for interactions with interfacial water molecules at selected sulfide mineral surfaces. Simulation results for the structural and dynamic properties of interfacial water molecules indicate the natural hydrophobic character for the selected sulfide mineral surfaces under anaerobic conditions as well as the relatively weak hydrophobicity for the sphalerite (110) surface and two molybdenite edge surfaces. Part of the financial support for this study was provided by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under Basic Science Grant No. DE-FG-03-93ER14315. The Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences, Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES), of the DOE, funded work performed by Liem X. Dang. Battelle operates Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for DOE. The calculations were carried out using computer resources provided by BES. The authors are grateful to Professor Tsun-Mei Chang for valuable discussions.

  13. Soil mineral assemblage influences on microbial communities and carbon cycling under fresh organic matter input

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finley, B. K.; Schwartz, E.; Koch, B.; Dijkstra, P.; Hungate, B. A.

    2017-12-01

    The interactions between soil mineral assemblages and microbial communities are important drivers of soil organic carbon (SOC) cycling and storage, although the mechanisms driving these interactions remain unclear. There is increasing evidence supporting the importance of associations with poorly crystalline, short-range order (SRO) minerals in protection of SOC from microbial utilization. However, how the microbial processing of SRO-associated SOC may be influenced by fresh organic matter inputs (priming) remains poorly understood. The influence on SRO minerals on soil microbial community dynamics is uncertain as well. Therefore, we conducted a priming incubation by adding either a simulated root exudate mixture or conifer needle litter to three soils from a mixed-conifer ecosystem. The parent material of the soils were andesite, basalt, and granite and decreased in SRO mineral content, respectively. We also conducted a parallel quantitative stable isotope probing incubation by adding 18O-labelled water to the soils to isotopically label microbial DNA in situ. This allowed us to characterize and identify the active bacterial and archaeal community and taxon-specific growth under fresh organic matter input. While the granite soil (lowest SRO content), had the largest total mineralization, the least priming occurred. The andesite and basalt soils (greater SRO content) had lower total respiration, but greater priming. Across all treatments, the granite soil, while having the lowest species richness of the entire community (249 taxa, both active and inactive), had a larger active community (90%) in response to new SOC input. The andesite and basalt soils, while having greater total species richness of the entire community at 333 and 325 taxa, respectively, had fewer active taxa in response to new C compared to the granite soil (30% and 49% taxa, respectively). These findings suggest that the soil mineral assemblage is an important driver on SOC cycling under fresh

  14. Selenium behaviour in the presence of minerals and under hydrogen atmosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeanson, A.; Gebala, N.; Fattahi, M.; Landesman, C.; Granbow, B.

    2010-01-01

    Document available in extended abstract form only. In the framework of nuclear waste handling, radionuclide diffusion ability in soil has to be studied in order to better evaluate the risks of infiltration of radioactive elements in our environment. Indeed, radionuclide behaviour is deeply dependent of the soil characteristics, like its composition, pH, potentials, or the water composition. In the case of a deep geological depository, the high-level radioactive waste will be put in a glass matrix, confined in a steel container. Those containers are exposed to corrosion phenomena, forming ferrous minerals, hydrogen gas, and potentially leading to radionuclide leaks. In this case, radionuclides could be in the presence of minerals and hydrogen in a reducing environment. 79 Selenium is expected to be present as a fission product of 235 U. It is present at the oxidation state (+IV) in the glass matrix, but under reductive conditions ([-400;-300] mV (E.N.H.)) can be under the form of selenide (Se(-II)). Those reductive condition could exist in Callovo-Oxfordian soil (COX) in the presence of H 2 gas and Fe(II) coming from the containers corrosion. Thus, our study focuses on Se(IV) and Se(-II) behaviour in the presence of minerals (magnetite, and COX argillite), under hydrogen atmosphere. According to Martinez et al., selenium is sorbed on magnetite surface. When pH increases, selenium is less adsorbed on magnetite. Se(IV) sorption mechanism has been proposed by Mayant et al.: it implies the formation of two types of complexes in the inner sphere of magnetite surface. Moreover, Sheinost et al. show that synthetic nanoparticles of magnetite quantitatively reduce Se(IV) to Se(-II) in a few hours, leading to the formation of an iron selenide cluster close to Fe II 5 Fe III 2 Se 8 . While Se(IV) sorption on minerals has been broadly studied, very few data is found about Se(-II), due to its very high sensibility to oxidation causing its handling to be difficult. Suspensions of

  15. 7 CFR 701.57 - Private non-industrial forest land.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Private non-industrial forest land. 701.57 Section 701... RELATED PROGRAMS PREVIOUSLY ADMINISTERED UNDER THIS PART § 701.57 Private non-industrial forest land. (a..., assistance made available under this section with respect to private, non-industrial forest land in an...

  16. On the Real Effects of Private Equity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    P.G.J. Roosenboom (Peter)

    2009-01-01

    textabstractPrivate equity has become an increasingly important part of our economy. Around the world the companies owned by private equity investors account for a substantial percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and private sector employment. These investors have recently been under fire in

  17. Comparative Study of Breakdown Voltage of Mineral, Synthetic and Natural Oils and Based Mineral Oil Mixtures under AC and DC Voltages

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abderrahmane Beroual

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper deals with a comparative study of AC and DC breakdown voltages of based mineral oil mixtures with natural and synthetic esters mainly used in high voltage power transformers. The goal was to analyze the performances of oil mixtures from the dielectric withstand point of view and to predict the behavior of transformers originally filled with mineral oil and re-filled with synthetic or natural ester oils when emptied for maintenance. The study concerns mixtures based on 20%, 50%, and 80% of natural and synthetic ester oils. AC breakdown voltages were measured using a sphere-sphere electrode system according to IEC 60156 specifications; the same specification was adopted for DC measurements since there is no standard specifications for this voltage waveform. A statistical analysis of the mean values, standard deviations, and histograms of breakdown voltage data was carried out. The Normal and Weibull distribution functions were used to analyze the experimental data and the best function that the data followed was used to estimate the breakdown voltage with risk of 1%, 10%, and 50% probability. It was shown that whatever the applied voltage waveforms, ester oils always have a significantly higher breakdown voltage than mineral oil. The addition of only 20% of natural or synthetic ester oil was sufficient to considerably increase the breakdown voltage of mineral oil. The dielectric strength of such a mixture is much higher than that of mineral oil alone and can reach that of ester oils. From the point of view of dielectric strength, the mixtures constitute an option for improving the performance of mineral oil. Thus, re-filling of transformers containing up to 20% mineral oil residues with ester oils, does not present any problem; it is even advantageous when considering only the breakdown voltage. Under AC, the mixtures with natural ester always follow the behavior of vegetable oil alone. With the exception of the 20% mixture of natural

  18. 75 FR 68018 - Airport Privatization Pilot Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-11-04

    ... Privatization Pilot Program AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Notice of Receipt and... preliminary application for participation in the airport privatization pilot program received under 49 U.S.C... final application to the FAA for exemption under the pilot program. 49 U.S.C. Section 47134 establishes...

  19. 75 FR 39091 - Airport Privatization Pilot Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-07

    ... Privatization Pilot Program AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Notice of Receipt and... application for participation in the airport privatization pilot program received under 49 U.S.C. 47134. The... application to the FAA for exemption under the pilot program. 49 U.S.C. 47134 establishes an airport...

  20. [Analysis of the mineral elements of Lactuca sativa under the condition of different spectral components].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xiao-Li; Guo, Wen-Zhong; Xue, Xu-Zhang; Wang, Li-Chun; Li, Liang; Chen, Fei

    2013-08-01

    Mineral elements absorption and content of Lactuca sativa under different spectral component conditions were studied by ICP-AES technology. The results showed that: (1) For Lactuca sativa, the average proportion for Ca : Mg : K : Na : P was 5.5 : 2.5 : 2.3 : 1.5 : 1.0, the average proportion for Fe : Mn : Zn : Cu : B was 25.9 : 5.9 : 2.8 : 1.1 : 1.0; (2) The absorptions for K, P, Ca, Mg and B are the largest under the LED treatment R/B = 1 : 2.75, red light from fluorescent lamps and LED can both promote the absorptions of Fe and Cu; (3)The LED treatments exhibiting relatively higher content of mineral elements are R/B = 1 : 2.75 and R/W = 1 : 1 while higher dry matter accumulations are R/B = 1 : 2.75 and B/W = 1 : 1.

  1. Evolution of Morphology and Crystallinity of Silica Minerals Under Hydrothermal Conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Isobe, H.

    2011-12-01

    Silica minerals are quite common mineral species in surface environment of the terrestrial planets. They are good indicator of terrestrial processes including hydrothermal alteration, diagenesis and soil formation. Hydrothermal quartz, metastable low temperature cristobalite and amorphous silica show characteristic morphology and crystallinity depending on their formation processes and kinetics under wide range of temperature, pressure, acidity and thermal history. In this study, silica minerals produced by acidic hydrothermal alteration related to volcanic activities and hydrothermal crystallization experiments from diatom sediment are examined with crystallographic analysis and morphologic observations. Low temperature form of cistobalite is a metastable phase and a common alteration product occured in highly acidic hydrothermal environment around fumaroles in geothermal / volcanic areas. XRD analysis revealed that the alteration degree of whole rock is represented by abundance of cristobalite. Detailed powder XRD analysis show that the primary diffraction peak of cristobalite composed with two or three phases with different d-spacing and FWHM by peak profile fitting analysis. Shorter d-spacing and narrower FWHM cristobalite crystallize from precursor materials with less-crystallized, longer d-spacing and wider FWHM cristobalite. Textures of hydrothermal cristobalite in altered rock shows remnant of porphylitic texture of the host rock, pyroxene-amphibole andesite. Diatom has amorphous silica shell and makes diatomite sediment. Diatomite found in less diagenetic Quarternary formation keeps amorphous silica diatom shells. Hydrothermal alteration experiments of amorphous silica diatomite sediment are carried out from 300 °C to 550 °C. Mineral composition of run products shows crystallization of cristobalite and quartz progress depending on temperature and run durations. Initial crystallization product, cristobalite grains occur as characteristic lepispheres and

  2. Taxation of unmined minerals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bremberg, B.P.

    1989-01-01

    This paper reports on the Kentucky Revenue Cabinet which began implementing its controversial unmined minerals tax program. The Revenue Cabinet should complete its first annual assessment under this program in December, 1989. The Revenue Cabinet's initial efforts to collect basic data concerning the Commonwealth's coal bearing lands has yielded data coverage for 5 million of Kentucky's 10 million acres of coal lands. Approximately 1000 detailed information returns have been filed. The returns will be used to help create an undeveloped mineral reserves inventory, determine mineral ownership, and value mineral reserves. This new program is run by the Revenue Cabinet's Mineral Valuation Section, under the Division of Technical Support, Department of Property Taxation. It has been in business since September of 1988

  3. Offentlig privat samarbejde i Senegal

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Prag, Ebbe

    2012-01-01

    Artiklen undersøger baggrunden for Senegals regering og præsident Wades bestræbelser på at fremme ”privatisering” af nationalparken ”Niokolo Koba” og andre naturparker i Senegal gennem ”Public Private Partnership” (PPP) – det man på dansk vil kalde udlicitering. Jeg fokuserer på, hvilken form denne...... delvise privatisering tager, under påvirkning af de barrierer og interessekampe den støder på under den igangværende politiske proces. Det er i særdeleshed interessant, hvordan samspillet mellem internationale aktører på naturbevaringsområdet, udenlandske donorer, private investorer, Senegals regering...

  4. ASEAN Mineral Database and Information System (AMDIS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okubo, Y.; Ohno, T.; Bandibas, J. C.; Wakita, K.; Oki, Y.; Takahashi, Y.

    2014-12-01

    AMDIS has lunched officially since the Fourth ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Minerals on 28 November 2013. In cooperation with Geological Survey of Japan, the web-based GIS was developed using Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) and the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards. The system is composed of the local databases and the centralized GIS. The local databases created and updated using the centralized GIS are accessible from the portal site. The system introduces distinct advantages over traditional GIS. Those are a global reach, a large number of users, better cross-platform capability, charge free for users, charge free for provider, easy to use, and unified updates. Raising transparency of mineral information to mining companies and to the public, AMDIS shows that mineral resources are abundant throughout the ASEAN region; however, there are many datum vacancies. We understand that such problems occur because of insufficient governance of mineral resources. Mineral governance we refer to is a concept that enforces and maximizes the capacity and systems of government institutions that manages minerals sector. The elements of mineral governance include a) strengthening of information infrastructure facility, b) technological and legal capacities of state-owned mining companies to fully-engage with mining sponsors, c) government-led management of mining projects by supporting the project implementation units, d) government capacity in mineral management such as the control and monitoring of mining operations, and e) facilitation of regional and local development plans and its implementation with the private sector.

  5. White certificates — Energy efficiency programs under private information of consumers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wirl, Franz

    2015-01-01

    Energy efficiency is an objective of public interventions at least since the Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act of 1978 (PURPA). Recently, conservation has received considerable attention in the United States and in particular in the European Union but this time in order to mitigate global warming. Policy measures include regulations at the technical level and the introduction of white certificates in order to force utilities and firms to invest into conservation in a way similar to the already existing renewable energy quota. This paper derives the optimal mechanism if utilities must deal with white certificates facing consumers holding private information. The optimal mechanism has some theoretically interesting features like restricted participation and a discontinuity. - Highlights: • Energy efficiency programs are again an objective of public interventions. • White certificates force utilities to invest in conservation. • However, issues of private information are ignored. • Conservation program accounting for private information • The optimal contract has non-standard features like a discontinuity

  6. Effect of mineral nitrogen fertilization on growth characteristics of lucerne under induced water deficiency stress

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vasileva, V.; Vasilev, E.; Athar, M.

    2011-01-01

    Utility of lucerne crop fertilization with nitrogen fertilizer has been discussed in literature with controversy. In this study experiment was conducted to determine the effect of mineral nitrogen at the doses of 40, 80, 120 and 160 mg N/kg on some characteristics of lucerne under induced water deficiency stress at the stage of budding in a pot trial. It was found that mineral nitrogen at the doses of 120 and 160 mg N/kg soil increased the productivity of dry top mass by 17 and 23% in conditions of optimum moisture, and by 9% in conditions of water deficiency stress at the dose of 80 mg N/kg soil. Application of mineral nitrogen at the dose of 120 and 160 mg N/kg soil increased the quantity of dry root mass by 43 and 38% for the conditions of optimum moisture, and by 54-56% for conditions of water deficiency stress. Mineral nitrogen fertilizing at the dose of 40 mg N/kg soil had the lowest suppressive effect on the nodulation (11%). The dose of 160 mg N/kg soil was found to be toxic to nodulation. The dose of 80 mg N/kg soil, at which the crop had the lowest sensitivity to water deficiency stress, was optimal for lucerne development. (author)

  7. State-private partnership as anobject of corporative managment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chegrintceva Natalia Sergeevna

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Development of effective relations of state-private partnership - an actual problem for Russia. The concept of state-private partnership (SPP, directions of perfection of the account of expenses under book keeping articles non-material actives is specified. The system of private indicators of an estimation of productivity of relations SPPis offered.

  8. Carbon Mineralization Can Be Sustained or Even Stimulated under Fluctuating Redox Conditions in Tropical and Temperate Soils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, W.; Hall, S. J.

    2017-12-01

    Soil carbon (C) mineralization is widely thought to be affected by O2 availability, and anaerobiosis represents a significant global mechanism of C stabilization. However, mineral-associated organic C (e.g. Fe-bound organic C) may be vulnerable to redox fluctuations due to release following Fe reduction, which could counteract protective effects of anaerobiosis. Many soils, including temperate Mollisols and tropical Oxisols, experience fluctuating redox conditions following moisture variations that could impact C cycling and stabilization. Here we incubated two soils with C4 leaf litter at different duration and frequencies of anaerobic periods for 128 days to investigate how redox fluctuations affect soil C mineralization. The treatments included static aerobic (control), and 2-, 4-, 8- and 12- day anaerobic followed by 4-day aerobic. We measured CO2, CH4, and their C isotope ratios. Longer durations of anaerobic conditions promoted greater Fe reduction and more DOC released. Notably, in both soils despite their large differences in composition, the production of CO2 and CH4 was stimulated under aerobic conditions following anaerobic conditions (relative to the control), which compensated for the decrease under anaerobic conditions. After 128 days, cumulative C mineralization in the control was similar between the Mollisol (9.7 mg C g-1) and the Oxisol (10.1 mg C g-1). The value in the Mollisol was significantly higher in the 12-day anaerobic treatment (11.2 mg C g-1) than the aerobic control and the 2-day anaerobic treatment (9.7 mg C g-1). In the Oxisol, cumulative C mineralization was not significantly affected by any of the fluctuating redox treatments relative to the control. Our findings challenge theory by showing that redox fluctuations can counteract the suppressive effects of O2 limitation on decomposition.

  9. Preliminary Mineral Resource Assessment of Selected Mineral Deposit Types in Afghanistan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ludington, Steve; Orris, Greta J.; Bolm, Karen S.; Peters, Stephen G.; ,

    2007-01-01

    INTRODUCTION Wise decision-making and management of natural resources depend upon credible and reliable scientific information about the occurrence, distribution, quantity and quality of a country's resource base. Economic development decisions by governments require such information to be part of a Mineral Resource Assessment. Such Mineral Assessments are also useful to private citizens and international investors, consultants, and companies prior to entry and investment in a country. Assessments can also be used to help evaluate the economic risks and impact on the natural environment associated with development of resources. In February 2002, at the request of the Department of State and the then U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan (Robert P. Finn), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) prepared a detailed proposal addressing natural resources issues critical to the reconstruction of Afghanistan. The proposal was refined and updated in December 2003 and was presented as a 5-year work plan to USAID-Kabul in February 2004. USAID-Kabul currently funds this plan and this report presents a part of the preliminary results obligated for fiscal year 2006. A final Preliminary Assessment of the Non Fuel Mineral Resource of Afghanistan will be completed and delivered at the end of fiscal year 2007. Afghanistan has abundant metallic and non-metallic resources, but the potential resources have never been systematically assessed using modern methods. Much of the existing mineral information for Afghanistan was gathered during the 1950s and continued in the late 1980s until the departure of the geologic advisors from the Soviet Union. During this period, there were many mineral-related activities centered on systematic geologic mapping of the country, collection of geochemical and rock samples, implementation of airborne geophysical surveys, and exploration focused on the discovery of large mineral deposits. Many reports, maps, charts, and tables were produced at that time. Some of

  10. Understanding the role of clay minerals in the chromium(VI) bioremoval by Pseudomonas aeruginosa CCTCC AB93066 under growth condition: microscopic, spectroscopic and kinetic analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Chunxi; Wu, Pingxiao; Li, Yuewu; Ruan, Bo; Li, Liping; Tran, Lytuong; Zhu, Nengwu; Dang, Zhi

    2015-11-01

    Laboratory batch experiments were conducted to investigate the role of clay minerals, e.g., kaolinite and vermiculite, in microbial Cr(VI) reduction by Pseudomonas aeruginosa under growth condition in glucose-amended mediums as a method for treating Cr(VI)-contaminated subsurface environment such as soil. Our results indicated that glucose could acted as an essential electron donor, and clay minerals significantly enhanced microbial Cr(VI) reduction rates by improving the consumption rate of glucose and stimulating the growth and propagation of P. aeruginosa. Cr(VI) bioreduction by both free cells and clay minerals-amended cells followed the pseudo-first-order kinetic model, with the latter one fitting better. The mass balance analyses and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis found that Cr(VI) was reduced to Cr(III) and the adsorption of total chromium on clay minerals-bacteria complex was small, implying that Cr(VI) bioremoval was not mainly due to the adsorption of Cr(VI) onto cells or clay minerals or clay minerals-cells complex but mainly due to the Cr(VI) reduction capacity of P. aeruginosa under the experimental conditions studied (e.g., pH 7). Atomic force microscopy revealed that the addition of clay minerals (e.g. vermiculite) decreased the surface roughness of Cr(VI)-laden cells and changed the cell morphology and dimension. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that organic matters such as aliphatic species and/or proteins played an important role in the combination of cells and clay minerals. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the attachment of cells on the surface of clay minerals, indicating that clay minerals could provide a microenvironment to protect cells from Cr(VI) toxicity and serve as growth-supporting materials. These findings manifested the underlying influence of clay minerals on microbial reduction of Cr(VI) and gave an understanding of the interaction between pollutants, the environment and the biota.

  11. 26 CFR 509.114 - Private pensions and life annuities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 19 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Private pensions and life annuities. 509.114...) REGULATIONS UNDER TAX CONVENTIONS SWITZERLAND General Income Tax § 509.114 Private pensions and life annuities. (a) General. Private pensions and life annuities derived from sources within the United States and...

  12. A perspective on worldwide exploration for minerals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Crowson, P.C.F.

    1988-01-01

    The objective of this chapter is to provide as firm a factual basis as possible for debate about patterns of mineral exploration spending throughout the world, both geographically and over time. The data compiled for this purpose are presented in the chapter. After describing some of the major problems in gathering, arranging, and utilizing these data, the chapter focuses on a few of the many possible conclusions that can be drawn from them. The section summarize statistics on mineral exploration expenditures, discuss trends in these expenditures, consider aspects of exploration costs such as the relative effectiveness of expenditures in different parts of the world, and describe the roles of public and private organizations that are active in the various stages of exploration

  13. Outlook 96: Minerals and Energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1996-01-01

    Papers discussing the future of Australia's minerals and energy are presented under the following headings: Australia in the global minerals and energy markets; minerals exploration; steelmaking raw materials; aluminium and alumina; gold; nickel; base metals; titanium minerals; energy for a sustainable future; electricity; electricity in Asia; crude oil; coal trade; natural gas in Australia and uranium. Relevant papers are individually indexed/abstracted. Tabs., figs., refs

  14. 77 FR 57111 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request for the Mine, Development, and Mineral...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-09-17

    ...: Private sector: U.S. nonfuel minerals producers and exploration operations; Public sector: State and local.... While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public...

  15. Sales with Privately Made Deed Over The Object Under Hak Tanggungan Based on The Authorization to Sell in Banking Practice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sri Budi Purwaningsih

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available The extension of credit contain a risk that must be covered by the bank, because the credit is given now and pay later. To minimize the risk of loans, the bank will ask the debtor to provide collateral as a source of repayment of the debt if the debtor default or breach of the contract. According to Article 1131 Civil Code (KUH Perdata, all assets of a debtor, either moving or fixed objects, both existing and new will exist in the future, a guarantee for all debts of the engagement. This means that by itself or in order to pass laws providing collateral by a debtor to any creditor for all debtor's property. Sales with Privately Made Deed over the object in the hak tanggungan banking practices may be more effective and efficient both in terms of time and costs for the settlement of non-performing loans. But in practice, occurs some offense prescribed procedure leading to doubts about the legality aspect of sales with privately made deed over the object under hak tanggungan based on the authorization to sell in banking practice. How To Cite: Purwaningsih, S. (2014. Sales with Privately Made Deed Over The Object Under Hak Tanggungan Based on The Authorization to Sell in Banking Practice. Rechtsidee, 1(2, 191-204. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.21070/jihr.v1i2.100

  16. 26 CFR 514.6 - Private pensions and life annuities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 19 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Private pensions and life annuities. 514.6...) REGULATIONS UNDER TAX CONVENTIONS FRANCE Withholding of Tax § 514.6 Private pensions and life annuities. (a) Exemption from tax. Private pensions and life annuities as defined in paragraph (d) of this section, derived...

  17. Mineral legislations applicable to beach sand industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    D'Cruz, Eric

    2016-01-01

    India has got a wealth of natural resources in different geological environs and shoreline placers form an important constituent of the natural resources. Large reserves of beach sand minerals, viz. imenite, rutile, leucoxene, zircon, sillimanite, garnet and monazite are the economic minerals in the coastal and inland placer sands. In the federal structure of India, the State Governments are the owners of minerals located within their respective boundaries. The State Governments grant the mineral concessions for all the minerals located within the boundary of the State, under the provisions of the Acts and Rules framed for the purpose. Though the mineral wealth is under the control of the State, the power for framing the rules for the grant of mineral concessions vastly rest with the Central Government. Since mineral concessions are often granted for a longer duration of thirty to fifty years or more, a historical perspective of these rules are imperative in understanding the issues involved with BSM mining industry. Under the Govt. of India Act, 1935, Regulation of Mines and Oilfields and Mineral Development was kept under Federal control, declared by Federal Law. The word 'Federal' was substituted by the word 'Dominion' by the India (Provincial Constitution) Order, 1947. No legislation was, however, enacted in pursuance of above power until after Independence. However, the Govt. on India made the Mining Concession (Central) Rules, 1939 for regulating grants of prospecting license

  18. The Processes of Location Study for Developing Economic Zones under Public Private Partnership Model: Country Study on Bangladesh

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahmudul Alam

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available In spite of the complexity in defining the boundary, the concept of Economic Zones (EZ has been evolved as a way forward for the government of the developing countries for enhancing the national trade. Similarly the recent phenomenon of widespread Public Private Partnership (PPP practices especially in infrastructure sector is also providing a window to develop many of such economic zones through PPP model as EZ typically is capital intensive. Bangladesh has discrete success both under PPP and EZ regime. However, developing EZ under PPP model has few commercial complexities as both the public and private sector need to bear some roles and obligations one of which is selection of appropriate location for EZ development. The location study for PPP EZ development therefore receives paramount attention both from developer and lenders perspective. Such location study generally is not typical project site study by nature; rather it is more economic concentrated. This paper will try to identify the factors that are essential to consider for conducting these location studies based on the examples of Bangladesh. The paper will also identify the appropriate methods and approaches required for successful EZ development through PPP.

  19. Private expenditure and the role of private health insurance in Greece: status quo and future trends.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siskou, Olga; Kaitelidou, Daphne; Economou, Charalampos; Kostagiolas, Peter; Liaropoulos, Lycourgos

    2009-10-01

    The health care system in Greece is financed in almost equal proportions by public and private sources. Private expenditure, consists mostly of out-of-pocket and under-the-table payments. Such payments strongly suggest dissatisfaction with the public system, due to under financing during the last 25 years. This gap has been filled rapidly by the private sector. From this point of view, one might suggest that the flourishing development of private provision may lead in turn to a corresponding growth in private health insurance (PHI). This paper aims to examine the role of PHI in Greece, to identify the factors influencing its development, and to make some suggestions about future policies and trends. In the decade of 1985-1995 PHI show increasing activity, reflecting the intention of some citizens to seek health insurance solutions in the form of supplementary cover in order to ensure faster access, better quality of services, and increased consumer choice. The benefits include programs covering hospital expenses, cash benefits, outpatient care expenses, disability income insurance, as well as limited managed care programs. However, despite recent interest, PHI coverage remains low in Greece compared to other EU countries. Economic, social and cultural factors such as low average household income, high unemployment, obligatory and full coverage by social insurance, lead to reluctance to pay for second-tier insurance. Instead, there is a preference to pay a doctor or hospital directly even in the form of under-the-table payments (which are remarkably high in Greece), when the need arises. There are also factors endogenous to the PHI industry, related to market policies, low organisational capacity, cream skimming, and the absence of insurance products meeting consumer requirements, which explain the relatively low state of development of PHI in Greece.

  20. Degradative crystal–chemical transformations of clay minerals under the influence of cyanobacterium-actinomycetal symbiotic associations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ekaterina Ivanova

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Cyanobacteria and actinomycetes are essential components of soil microbial community and play an active role in ash elements leaching from minerals of the parent rock. Content and composition of clay minerals in soil determine the sorption properties of the soil horizons, water-holding capacity of the soil, stickiness, plasticity, etc. The transformative effect of cyanobacterial–actinomycetes associations on the structure of clay minerals – kaolinite, vermiculite, montmorillonite, biotite and muscovite – was observed, with the greatest structural lattice transformation revealed under the influence of association in comparison with monocultures of cyanobacterium and actinomycete. The range of the transformative effect depended both on the type of biota (component composition of association and on the crystal–chemical parameters of the mineral itself (trioctahedral mica – biotite, was more prone to microbial degradation than the dioctahedral – muscovite. The formation of the swelling phase – the product of biotite transformation into the mica–vermicullite mixed-layered formation was revealed as a result of association cultivation. Crystal chemical transformation of vermiculite was accompanied by the removal of potassium (К, magnesium (Mg and aluminum (Al from the crystal lattice. The study of such prokaryotic communities existed even in the early stages of the Earth's history helps to understand the causes and nature of the transformations undergone by the atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere of the planet.contribution of treatments on structure induces and model parameters are discussed in the paper.

  1. Peruvian projects, privatization proceeding

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1992-10-19

    This paper reports that Petroleos del Peru is forging ahead on several fronts despite Peru's political turmoil and uncertainty over where government ordered-privatization will take it. The state oil company: is expected to sign contract soon related to development of Chambira oil field in the northern jungle; let contract to a group of Peruvian and Brazilian companies for construction of an oil terminal at Talara on the Pacific coast; and received expressions of interest in participating in an operating contract on an offshore block operated by its Petromar SA offshore subsidiary under the government's privatization program.

  2. Peruvian projects, privatization proceeding

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1992-01-01

    This paper reports that Petroleos del Peru is forging ahead on several fronts despite Peru's political turmoil and uncertainty over where government ordered-privatization will take it. The state oil company: is expected to sign contract soon related to development of Chambira oil field in the northern jungle; let contract to a group of Peruvian and Brazilian companies for construction of an oil terminal at Talara on the Pacific coast; and received expressions of interest in participating in an operating contract on an offshore block operated by its Petromar SA offshore subsidiary under the government's privatization program

  3. Initial growth of Schizolobium parahybae in Brazilian Cerrado soil under liming and mineral fertilization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ademilson Coneglian

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT High prices and the scarcity of hardwoods require the use of alternative wood sources, such as the Guapuruvu (Schizolobium parahybae, an arboreal species native to the Atlantic Forest, which has fast growth and high market potential. However, there is no information on its cultivation in the Brazilian Cerrado. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the contribution of mineral fertilization and liming in a Cerrado soil on the initial growth of Schizolobium parahybae. The experiment was set in a randomized block design, with 4 treatments (Cerrado soil; soil + liming; soil + fertilizer; and soil + fertilizer + liming and 15 replicates. The following variables were analyzed: plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, total, shoot, leaf, root and stem dry matter, and root/shoot ratio. The obtained data were subjected to the analysis of variance, Tukey test and regression analysis. During the initial growth, Schizolobium parahybae can be cultivated in a Brazilian Cerrado soil only under mineral fertilization, with no need for soil liming.

  4. THE ACTIVITIES PERMITTED TO CREDIT INSTITUTIONS. PROMISSORY NOTES: TITLE CREDIT UNDER PRIVATE SIGNATURE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mariana Rodica ȚÎRLEA

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available The promissory note represents credit title under private signature, which is regulated by the Law no.58 / 1934 on bills of exchange and promissory notes, subsequently amended by Law no. 83/1994. The promissory note is a cashless payment instrument that takes the form of a printed double sided, on which is labeled information according to the regulations of NBR. Promissory notes issued by the NBR Printing and are approved by Department of Payment and Settlement Bank. In practice, the promissory note is used as cashless payment instrument which necessarily contains the name of the payer and the payee, and it represents unconditional order to pay a specified amount at a certain place at a precise date. The promissory note represents the solution to fluidize commercial transactions.

  5. Private Supplementary Tutoring in the Czech Republic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Štastný, Vít

    2016-01-01

    The study contributes to the literature on private supplementary tutoring by shedding light on this phenomenon in the Czech Republic. The aim of the paper is to identify the reasons for seeking out private supplementary tutoring and to assess the factors underlying its demand. In the representative sample of 1,265 senior upper-secondary school…

  6. Unge mangler ikke viden om privatøkonomi

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Munch, Jannie; Larsen, Jill Bach; Vollstedt, Peter

    2017-01-01

    En undersøgelse blandt unge mellem 15 og 30 år lavet af forskere på UCN viser, at det ikke er mangel på privatøkonomisk viden, som afgør deres adfærd inden for privatøkonomiske beslutninger....

  7. Marketing mix effects on private labels brand equity

    OpenAIRE

    Abril, Carmen; Rodriguez-Cánovas, Belén

    2017-01-01

    The present study explores some marketing mix effects on private labels brand equity creation. The research aims to study the effect of some elements under retailer's direct control such as in-store communications, in-store promotions and distribution intensity as well as other general marketing mix levers such as advertising, perceived price, and monetary promotions. The results indicate that the most efficient marketing mix tools for private label brand equity creation are private labels in...

  8. About a possibility of increasing the adhesion strength between mineral glass and polymeric binder under radio-frequency induction plasma treatment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miftakhov, I S; Trofimov, A V; Nagmutdinova, A I; Voznesensky, E F; Sharifullin, F S; Krasina, I V; Rakhmatullina, G R

    2017-01-01

    The paper investigated influences of radio-frequency induction plasma treatment on the surface of sheet mineral glasses for household purpose. Discussion for casting the most suitable treatment modes and theirs substantiation is shown. During the investigation the most productive plasma treatment modes for applied binders have been found. It is shown that the durability of adhesive joints between mineral glass and polymeric binder under low-temperature plasma treatment increase to 65%. (paper)

  9. FLUCTUATION IN PENSION FUND ASSETS PRIVATELY MANAGED UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF CERTAIN FACTORS. STATISTICAL STUDY IN ROMANIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dracea Raluca

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available On international level, the economic and financial crisis has determined a diminution of the asset value of compulsory pension funds, reflecting a reallocation of funds towards alternative or low-risk investments. The present paper indicates how the net asset value of privately managed pension funds in Romania may be affected or not by certain influence factors in direct correlation with different asset allocation strategies of pension funds. In this way, on literature review there are many studies which have analyzed the fluctuation of pension funds assets and a better reallocation of their investment in order to improve their efficiency. The experience of the value fluctuation of privately administered pension fund net assets is highly important, firstly beacause of its effects on the increase and the decrease of invested values for the insured persons’ accounts, under the circumstances of constantly maintaining their contributions and, implicitly, the results achieved through these investments. The research methodology consists in testing of five variables: currency exchange rate, credit interest rate, bank deposit interest rate, reference interest rate and value of the stock exchange market index (BET-C index, by means of the multiple linear regression method. The conclusion is that only two of these factors, namely, the currency exchange rate and the reference interest rate, influence net asset value of privately managed pension funds, the second pillar, one in direct and the other in indirect correlation. In order to neutralize the effects generated by the diminution of the net asset value of privately managed pension funds, considering a short time horizon, we shall elaborate a dynamic mix of their investments able to adapt to the fluctuations of the influence factors. Thus, new opportunities will be generated in order to achieve the efficiency of pension funds and to prevent the diminution of the value of insured individuals

  10. Raman Spectroscopic Analyses of Jaw Periosteal Cell Mineralization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eva Brauchle

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available To achieve safer patient treatments, serum-free cell culture conditions have to be established for cell therapies. In previous studies, we demonstrated that serum-free culture favored the proliferation of MSCA-1+ osteoprogenitors derived from the jaw periosteum. In this study, the in vitro formation of bone-specific matrix by MSCA-1+ jaw periosteal cells (JPCs, 3 donors was assessed and compared under serum-free and serum-containing media conditions using the marker-free Raman spectroscopy. Based on a standard fluorescence assay, JPCs from one patient were not able to mineralize under serum-containing culture conditions, whereas the other cells showed similar mineralization levels under both conditions. Raman spectra from mineralizing MSCA-1+ JPCs revealed higher levels of hydroxyapatite formation and higher mineral to matrix ratios under serum-free culture conditions. Higher carbonate to phosphate ratios and higher crystallinity in JPCs cultured under serum-containing conditions indicated immature bone formation. Due to reduced collagen production under serum-free conditions, we obtained significant differences in collagen maturity and proline to hydroxyproline ratios compared to serum-free conditions. We conclude that Raman spectroscopy is a useful tool for the assessment and noninvasive monitoring of in vitro mineralization of osteoprogenitor cells. Further studies should extend this knowledge and improve JPC mineralization by optimizing culture conditions.

  11. Some aspects of the responsibility of state for actions in private war campaigns

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Romić Miodrag

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper discusses the circumstances under which the misconduct of private security sector might engage the responsibility of their state sponsors under international law. From an international law perspective, stastes cannot evade responsibility merely by hiring a private actor to carry out certain functions. The conduct of private security companies is, under certain circumstances, attributed to the state, making that state responsible for any violation of international law committed by private security companies personnel. Even where no such attribution exists, the state might still be responsible for lack of due diligence to adequately regulate and control PMC conduct.

  12. Privately issued money reduces GDP.

    OpenAIRE

    Musgrave, Ralph S.

    2017-01-01

    The majority of the money supply is issued by private banks, not central banks. However a system that restricts money creation to central banks has been advocated for many years by leading economists. There is no reason interest rates would not be at some sort of genuine free market rate under the latter system. In contrast, when private bank money is allowed, those banks undercut the free market rate of interest because it costs them nothing to come by the money they lend out: they effective...

  13. Land and federal mineral ownership coverage for northwestern Colorado

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biewick, L.H.; Mercier, T.J.; Levitt, Pam; Deikman, Doug; Vlahos, Bob

    1999-01-01

    This Arc/Info coverage contains land status and Federal mineral ownership for approximately 26,800 square miles in northwestern Colorado. The polygon coverage (which is also provided here as a shapefile) contains two attributes of ownership information for each polygon. One attribute indicates where the surface is State owned, privately owned, or, if Federally owned, which Federal agency manages the land surface. The other attribute indicates which minerals, if any, are owned by the Federal govenment. This coverage is based on land status and Federal mineral ownership data compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and three Colorado State Bureau of Land Management (BLM) former district offices at a scale of 1:24,000. This coverage was compiled primarily to serve the USGS National Oil and Gas Resource Assessment Project in the Uinta-Piceance Basin Province and the USGS National Coal Resource Assessment Project in the Colorado Plateau.

  14. Nuclear privatization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeffs, E.

    1995-01-01

    The United Kingdom government announced in May 1995 plans to privatize the country's two nuclear generating companies, Nuclear Electric and Scottish Nuclear. Under the plan, the two companies will become operating divisions of a unified holding company, to be called British Electric, with headquarters in Scotland. Britain's nuclear plants were left out of the initial privatization in 1989 because the government believed the financial community would be unwilling to accept the open-ended liability of decommissioning the original nine stations based on the Magnox gas-cooled reactor. Six years later, the government has found a way around this by retaining these power stations in state ownership, leaving the new nuclear company with the eight Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor (AGR) stations and the recently completed Sizewell B PWR stations. The operating Magnox stations are to be transferred to BNFL, which operates two Magnox stations of their own at Calder Hall and Chapelcross

  15. Dietary fibers from mushroom Sclerotia: 2. In vitro mineral binding capacity under sequential simulated physiological conditions of the human gastrointestinal tract.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Ka-Hing; Cheung, Peter C K

    2005-11-30

    The in vitro mineral binding capacity of three novel dietary fibers (DFs) prepared from mushroom sclerotia, namely, Pleurotus tuber-regium, Polyporous rhinocerus, and Wolfiporia cocos, to Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe, and Zn under sequential simulated physiological conditions of the human stomach, small intestine, and colon was investigated and compared. Apart from releasing most of their endogenous Ca (ranged from 96.9 to 97.9% removal) and Mg (ranged from 95.9 to 96.7% removal), simulated physiological conditions of the stomach also attenuated the possible adverse binding effect of the three sclerotial DFs to the exogenous minerals by lowering their cation-exchange capacity (ranged from 20.8 to 32.3%) and removing a substantial amount of their potential mineral chelators including protein (ranged from 16.2 to 37.8%) and phytate (ranged from 58.5 to 64.2%). The in vitro mineral binding capacity of the three sclerotial DF under simulated physiological conditions of small intestine was found to be low, especially for Ca (ranged from 4.79 to 5.91% binding) and Mg (ranged from 3.16 to 4.18% binding), and was highly correlated (r > 0.97) with their residual protein contents. Under simulated physiological conditions of the colon with slightly acidic pH (5.80), only bound Ca was readily released (ranged from 34.2 to 72.3% releasing) from the three sclerotial DFs, and their potential enhancing effect on passive Ca absorption in the human large intestine was also discussed.

  16. Preparation of synthetic standard minerals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Herrick, C.C.; Bustamante, S.J.; Charls, R.W.; Cowan, R.E.; Hakkila, E.A.; Hull, D.E.; Olinger, B.W.; Roof, R.B.; Sheinberg, H.; Herrick, G.C.

    1978-01-01

    A number of techniques for synthetic mineral preparations have been examined. These techniques include hot-pressing in graphite dies at moderate pressures, high-pressure, high-temperature synthesis in a piston and cylinder apparatus, isostatic pressing under helium gas pressures, hydrous mineral preparations using water as the pressure medium, explosion-generated shock waves, and radiofrequency heating. Minerals suitable for equation-of-state studies (three-inch, high-density discs), for thermodynamic property determinations (low-density powders) and for microprobe standards (fusion-cast microbeads) have been prepared. Mechanical stress-strain calculations in the piston-cylinder apparatus have been initiated and their integration with thermal stress calculations is currently under investigation

  17. An update on synthetic dyes adsorption onto clay based minerals: A state-of-art review

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Ngulube, T

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available of Environmental Management An update on synthetic dyes adsorption onto clay based minerals: A state- of-art review Tholiso Ngulube a,*, Jabulani Ray Gumbo b, Vhahangwele Masindi c,d, Arjun Maity e a Department of Ecology and Resources Management..., University of Venda, Private Bag X5050, Thohoyandou, 0950, Limpopo, South Africa b Department of Hydrology and Water Resources, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Venda, Private Bag X5050, Thohoyandou, 0950, Limpopo, South Africa c Council...

  18. The influence of included minerals on the intrinsic reactivity of chars prepared under N{sub 2} and CO{sub 2} environment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Hong; Li, Huan; Chen, Jiabao; Zhao, Bo; Hu, Guangzhou [China Univ. of Mining and Technology, Jiangsu (China). School of Chemical Engineering

    2013-07-01

    Oxy-fuel technology could be successfully used to retrofit existing coal-fired power plants or alternatively be used to design and build new coal-fired power plants with almost zero emissions. Char reactivity under oxy-fuel conditions will have a significant impact on the coal burnout. In this paper, two fractions, representing organic-rich particles and organic particles with included minerals, were separated from each of three Chinese coals of different rank. They were then devolatilized at 1,450 C in a drop tube furnace (DTF) under N{sub 2} and CO{sub 2} environment, respectively. The chars were subjected to nitrogen adsorption study, thermogravimetric analysis and XRD analysis. It was found that char reactivity of all three pairs of chars were increased under CO{sub 2} environment as compared with that under N{sub 2} environment, but with differing trend. For the organic-rich samples the reactivity difference is increased with decreasing rank. On the contrary, for the samples of organic particles with included minerals, the reactivity difference is decreased with decreasing rank. Mechanism analysis showed that they are resulted not from gasification, but from a combination of changes in surface area and in the orderness of carbon structure in the chars, both of which, in turn, are resulted from the higher heat capacity of CO{sub 2} and the interaction between metastable liquid phase and the included minerals.

  19. Nitrogen balance as a tool to assess nitrogen mineralized from winery wastes under different irrigation strategies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Requejo, Maria Isabel; Castellanos, Maria Teresa; Villena, Raquel; Ribas, Francisco; Jesús Cabello, Maria; Arce, Augusto; Cartagena, Maria Carmen

    2013-04-01

    Grape marc is a by-product coming from the winery industry, composed of skins, seeds and stalks generated during the crushing process. In Spain, large quantities of wine are produced every year (3,610,000 tonnes in 2010 (FAO, 2010)) with the consequent waste generation. With an adequate composting treatment, this waste can be applied to soils as a source of nutrients and organic matter. Compost N forms added to soil are mostly organic N forms, so organic N can be mineralized during the crop period and thus be taken up by the plants, immobilised, or leached. Compost N mineralization depends on factors such as compost C/N ratio but also on climate conditions. Estimation of N mineralization is necessary to optimise crop yield and minimize the risk of N losses to the environment, especially in zones vulnerable to nitrate pollution. The aim of this work was to assess mineralized N during the crop season when applying grape marc compost as fertilizer in a melon crop cultivated under different drip irrigation rates. A nitrogen balance in field conditions was carried out with three different doses of compost: 0 (D0), 6.7 (D1), 13.3 (D2) and 20 T/ha (D3); and two irrigation rates (100% ETc and 120% ETc). The field experiment was carried out in Ciudad Real, designated "vulnerable zone" by the "Nitrates Directive" 91/676/CEE. The soil was a shallow sandy-loam (Petrocalcic Palexeralfs), with 0.6 depth and a discontinuous petrocalcic horizon between 0.6 and 0.7 m. Nitrogen plant uptake and nitrate losses were measured weekly; mineral N in soil was determined before compost addition and at the end of the crop cycle. An estimation of soil mineralized N during the crop season using nitrogen balance is presented. Results are compared with data obtained in laboratory conditions. Acknowledgements: This project has been supported by INIA-RTA2010-00110-C03-01.

  20. 43 CFR 19.7 - Private contributions and gifts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 43 Public Lands: Interior 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Private contributions and gifts. 19.7... National Wilderness Preservation System § 19.7 Private contributions and gifts. (a) The Secretary is... contributions and gifts to be used to further the purposes of the act. The Secretary, under the authorization of...

  1. An evaluation of major placer minerals along the Valinokkam - Tuticorin coast, southern Tamil Nadu, India

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Cherian, A.; Chandrasekar, N.; Rajamanickam, G.V.; Gujar, A.R.

    scientific advancements. The recent liberalisations of economic measures by the government of India and the exemption of certain minerals from the purview of mineral act have greatly enhanced the market potential of natural resources. Many private... of its resistive nature to rutile conversion. If the ilmenite along the study area is susceptible to rutile conversion, this material can be exploited and put up for sale in the market in the form of synthetic rutile. The separation of ilmenite...

  2. Miners' strike 1984-85

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brown, L; Salter, S [comps.

    1985-01-01

    References relating to the 1984-85 UK miners strike are listed under the following subject headings: events and analysis - a chronological record; short term effects - coal stocks and supplies, electricity supplies, financial, industrial and economic; the miners and their leadership; social aspects - civil liberties, media coverage, mining communities, picketing, policing, the future; pit closures. 240 references.

  3. Quantum Private Comparison of Equality Based on Five-Particle Cluster State

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Yan; Zhang, Wen-Bo; Zhang, Shi-Bin; Wang, Hai-Chun; Yan, Li-Li; Han, Gui-Hua; Sheng, Zhi-Wei; Huang, Yuan-Yuan; Suo, Wang; Xiong, Jin-Xin

    2016-12-01

    A protocol for quantum private comparison of equality (QPCE) is proposed based on five-particle cluster state with the help of a semi-honest third party (TP). In our protocol, TP is allowed to misbehave on its own but can not conspire with either of two parties. Compared with most two-user QPCE protocols, our protocol not only can compare two groups of private information (each group has two users) in one execution, but also compare just two private information. Compared with the multi-user QPCE protocol proposed, our protocol is safer with more reasonable assumptions of TP. The qubit efficiency is computed and analyzed. Our protocol can also be generalized to the case of 2N participants with one TP. The 2N-participant protocol can compare two groups (each group has N private information) in one execution or just N private information. Supported by NSFC under Grant Nos. 61402058, 61572086, the Fund for Middle and Young Academic Leaders of CUIT under Grant No. J201511, the Science and Technology Support Project of Sichuan Province of China under Grant No. 2013GZX0137, the Fund for Young Persons Project of Sichuan Province of China under Grant No. 12ZB017, and the Foundation of Cyberspace Security Key Laboratory of Sichuan Higher Education Institutions under Grant No. szjj2014-074

  4. EFFECT OF USING NUTRITION MINERALS AND GROWTH SUBSTANCE ON PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF ORANGE FRUITS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tarek FOUDA

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available This work was carried to investigate the characterization of orange fruits under using applications of nutrition minerals and one application of growth substance on physical properties of orange fruits at private farm in wadi el-netron, ELbehari governorate, Egypt during winter 2011to predict maturity stage of orange fruits . The physical properties including aspect ratio(AR, Area of flat surface(Af, Area of transverse surface (At, Arithmetic diameter (Da, Density (ρ, Geometric diameter (Dg, surface area (Sa, sphericity, Volume (V and weight and the results revealed that, the high increasing percentage of orange fruits were considered as follows 9.24, 17.08, 22.65, 9.70, 27.16, 9.70, 20.45, 6.38, 24.07 and 28.84 %

  5. Privatization considerations of environmental remediation of DOE wastes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zocher, M.A.; Paananen, O.H.; Kost, K.

    1997-01-01

    The US Department of Energy (DOE) is in the process of privatizing the application of environmental cleanup technologies to remediate nuclear waste within the DOE complex. These wastes are the legacy of the production of nuclear materials during the cold war era. It is anticipated that the privatization strategy will result in more efficient and less expensive approaches to the cleanup of DOE wastes. Similar privatization initiatives have the potential to achieve increased efficiency and cost savings at sites under the Department of Defense (DOD) and other Federal agencies. The DOE is privatizing a major, complex portion of the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Program at the Hanford nuclear reservation located in eastern Washington State. This effort will involve private companies that will design, permit, construct, operate, and finally deactivate waste treatment facilities that will be owned entirely by the private sector. The DOE will purchase treated waste products on a unit cost basis from the facilities after supplying the vendors with waste from the tank farm at Hanford. The privatization of selected United States and international Government functions involve decisions that are based on accurate and valid cost information. Private firms are beginning to privatize certain corporate activities so that they may concentrate business activities along main product or mission lines. In either the public or private sector, many aspects of cost engineering are utilized to make prioritization a success

  6. Private lenders’ demand for audit

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Baylis, R.M.; Burnap, P.; Clatworthy, M.A.; Gad, Mahmoud; Pong, C.K.M.

    We study clauses in private lending agreements requiring auditors to assure lenders of borrowers’ compliance with financial covenants. Auditors are required under general purpose financial reporting to review covenant compliance. However, by informing lenders directly that they have no knowledge of

  7. 76 FR 35006 - Recovery Policy RP9523.4, Demolition of Private Structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-06-15

    ...] Recovery Policy RP9523.4, Demolition of Private Structures AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS... (FEMA) is accepting comments on Recovery Policy RP9523.4, Demolition of Private Structures. DATES... guidance in determining the eligibility of demolition of private structures under the provisions of the...

  8. How private are Europe's private forests?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nichiforel, Liviu; Keary, Kevin; Deuffic, Philippe

    2018-01-01

    Private forests are widespread in Europe providing a range of ecosystem services of significant value to society, and there are calls for novel policies to enhance their provision and to face the challenges of environmental changes. Such policies need to acknowledge the importance of private...... across jurisdictions, we constructed an original Property Rights Index for Forestry encompassing five rights domains (access, withdrawal, management, exclusion and alienation). We documented substantial variation of the private forest owners' rights, and notably to i) make decisions in operational...... management and the formulation of management goals, ii) withdraw timber resources from their forest, and iii) exclude others from the use of forest resources. We identified broad relations between the scope for decision making of private forest owners and jurisdictions' former socio-political background...

  9. 36 CFR 254.34 - Mineral survey fractions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Mineral survey fractions. 254... LANDOWNERSHIP ADJUSTMENTS Conveyance of Small Tracts § 254.34 Mineral survey fractions. (a) Mineral survey fractions subject to conveyance under this subpart are limited to those tracts which: (1) Cannot be...

  10. Private Schools

    Data.gov (United States)

    Department of Homeland Security — This Private Schools feature dataset is composed of all Private elementary and secondary education features in the United States as defined by the Private School...

  11. Involvement of the Private Security Sector in African Conflicts ...

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

    In 2006, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) undertook a project entitled Regulation of the Private Security Sector in Africa that was supported by IDRC under project 103396. The project focused on the private security sector in South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The research reports were ...

  12. Osteocyte regulation of phosphate homeostasis and bone mineralization underlies the pathophysiology of the heritable disorders of rickets and osteomalacia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Jian Q.; Clinkenbeard, Erica L.; Yuan, Baozhi; White, Kenneth E.; Drezner, Marc K.

    2013-01-01

    Although recent studies have established that osteocytes function as secretory cells that regulate phosphate metabolism, the biomolecular mechanism(s) underlying these effects remain incompletely defined. However, investigations focusing on the pathogenesis of X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH), autosomal dominant hypophosphatemic rickets (ADHR), and autosomal recessive hypophosphatemic rickets (ARHR), heritable disorders characterized by abnormal renal phosphate wasting and bone mineralization, have clearly implicated FGF23 as a central factor in osteocytes underlying renal phosphate wasting, documented new molecular pathways regulating FGF23 production, and revealed complementary abnormalities in osteocytes that regulate bone mineralization. The seminal observations leading to these discoveries were the following: 1) mutations in FGF23 cause ADHR by limiting cleavage of the bioactive intact molecule, at a subtilisin-like protein convertase (SPC) site, resulting in increased circulating FGF23 levels and hypophosphatemia; 2) mutations in DMP1 cause ARHR, not only by increasing serum FGF23, albeit by enhanced production and not limited cleavage, but also by limiting production of the active DMP1 component, the C-terminal fragment, resulting in dysregulated production of DKK1 and β-catenin, which contributes to impaired bone mineralization; and 3) mutations in PHEX cause XLH both by altering FGF23 proteolysis and production and causing dysregulated production of DKK1 and β-catenin, similar to abnormalities in ADHR and ARHR, but secondary to different central pathophysiological events. These discoveries indicate that ADHR, XLH, and ARHR represent three related heritable hypophosphatemic diseases that arise from mutations in, or dysregulation of, a single common gene product, FGF23 and, in ARHR and XLH, complimentary DMP1 and PHEX directed events that contribute to abnormal bone mineralization. PMID:23403405

  13. Private Political Activists and the International Law Definition of Piracy: Acting for ‘Private Ends’

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Honniball, A.N.

    2015-01-01

    Piracy under international law grants states the right to exercise universal jurisdiction, provided that all conditions of its definition are cumulatively met. Yet academic debate continues as to whether the requirement that piratical acts be committed ‘for private ends’ excludes politically

  14. Do vouchers lead to sorting under random private-school selection? Evidence from the Milwaukee voucher program

    OpenAIRE

    Chakrabarti, Rajashri

    2009-01-01

    This paper analyzes the effect of school vouchers on student sorting - defined as a flight to private schools by high-income and committed public-school students - and whether vouchers can be designed to reduce or eliminate it. Much of the existing literature investigates sorting in cases where private schools can screen students. However, publicly funded U.S. voucher programs require a private school to accept all students unless it is oversubscribed and to pick students randomly if it is ov...

  15. Family mineral estate planning in Saskatchewan: a primer for members of the oil and gas industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elash, P.D.

    1997-01-01

    The estate and tax planning problems that are commonly encountered by private individuals who own mines and minerals situated in Saskatchewan were discussed. The basic concepts of legal ownership of mines and minerals, petroleum and natural gas leases, drilling licenses and spacing regulations were reviewed, followed by a summary of basic estate and tax planning strategies. These strategies emphasized the three fundamental objectives of estate and tax planning for family mineral holdings, namely (1) eliminating estate tax, (2) income splitting to minimize tax payable from year to year, and (3) title consolidation to simplify ownership. The various means by which an 'Estate Freeze' can be effected - sale/transfer to spouse and/or children, trust, incorporation, and subsequent sale of mineral assets to the corporation, and the basic tax planning instruments available to to the family mineral owner also have been addressed

  16. Private Equity and Regulatory Capital

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bongaerts, D.; Charlier, E.

    2008-01-01

    Regulatory Capital requirements for European banks have been put forward in the Basel II Capital Framework and subsequently in the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD) of the EU. We provide a detailed discussion of the capital requirements for private equity investments under the simple risk weight

  17. Bolivian Oil and Natural Gas under State and Private Control, 1910-2010

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Herbert S. Klein

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Since the 1920 discovery of oil in Bolivia, the country has experimented with varying systems of private control, monopoly state ownership and even mixed state and private ownership/rental of petroleum and gas fields. The aim of our analysis is to explain why these varying patterns of ownership occurred over time and to describe how they affected production in this industry. The analysis suggests that nationalizations have been successful insofar as they took advantage of previous private investment which, meanwhile, underscores the success of the legislation for opening up access to attract private investment. This relative success of the different legal frameworks permits us to understand why the state has been changing from one scheme to another over time. Some partial explanations are offered in order to understand why these schemes could succeed with such regularity.Desde el descubrimiento del petróleo en Bolivia en el año 1920, el país ha experimentado con una variedad de sistemas de control privado, de propiedad monopólica estatal e incluso con la propiedad o el alquiler de campos petroleros y de gas en manos privadas. El propósito de nuestro análisis es explicar por qué se han dado estos variados modelos de propiedad y describir cómo han afectado en la producción de esta industria. El análisis sugiere que las nacionalizaciones han sido exitosas en la medida en que tomaron ventaja de una inversión privada anterior, lo cual mientras tanto resalta el éxito de la legislación de “apertura” para atraer la inversión privada. El éxito relativo de los diferentes marcos legales nos permite comprender por qué el estado ha ido cambiando de un esquema a otro con el paso del tiempo. Se ofrecen algunas explicaciones parciales para entender por qué este esquema pudo dar resultado con tanta regularidad.

  18. Formation of secondary minerals and uptake of various anions under naturally-occurring hyper-alkaline conditions in Oman - 16344

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anraku, Sohtaro; Sato, Tsutomu; Yoneda, Tetsuro; Morimoto, Kazuya

    2009-01-01

    In Japanese transuranic (TRU) waste disposal facilities, 129 I is the most important key nuclide for the long-term safety assessment. Thus, the K d values of I to natural minerals are important factor in the safety assessment. However, the degradation of cement materials in the repositories can produce high pH pore fluid which can affect the anion transport behavior. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the behavior of anions such as I- under the hyper-alkaline conditions. The natural hyper-alkaline spring water (pH>11) in the Oman ophiolite is known to be generated from the partly serpentinized peridotites. The spring water is characteristically hyper-alkaline, reducing, low-Mg, Si and HCO 3 - , and high-Ca, while the river water is moderately alkaline, oxidizing, high-Mg and HCO 3 - . The mixing of these spring and river water resulted in the formation of secondary minerals. In the present study, the naturally occurring hyper-alkaline conditions near the springs in Oman were used as natural analogue for the interaction between cement pore fluid and natural Mg-HCO 3 - groundwater. The present aim of this paper is to examine the conditions of secondary mineral formation and the anion uptake capacity of these mineral in this system. Water and precipitate samples were collected from the different locations around the spring vent to identify the effect of mixing ratios between spring and river water on mineral composition and water-mineral distribution coefficient of various anions. On-site synthesis was also carried out to support these data quantitatively. Aragonite was observed in all precipitates, while calcite, brucite and Mg-Al hydrotalcite-like compounds (HTlc) were also determined in some samples. Calcite was observed only closed to the springs. At locations far from the springs, calcite formation was inhibited due to high-Mg fluid from river water. Brucite was observed from the springs with relatively low-Al concentration and HTlc was the opposite. During

  19. Models for assessment of public-private partnership projects in subsurface management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    И. С. Калгина

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Aims and goals of this paper. The article is devoted to analysis of issues related to development of public-private partnership (PPP projects in mineral resources sector of Russia. The special emphasis is given to the most common PPP model in the field of industrial infrastructure construction using the Investment Fund of RF. We offer specific tools to be used with Russian models for assessment of PPP projects and forecasting of its efficiency for its participants. This model allows evaluating the results of the whole deposit development process, constructing graphs of all types of expenditures and revenues (by years, and having rent assessment of deposit NPV (net present value and internal rent rate (IRR.Methods and results. The iteration process at each step enables assessment of budget revenue forecast, living standards indexes, ecological parameters and performance indicators, as well as a certain variant of PPP project implementation for investors (direct government expenses on implementation of infrastructure objects and environmental activities, tax benefits. We have a set of tools for supporting the management decision making process in developing efficient PPP mechanism, balancing long-term government interests, private sector and local people interests arising during socio-economic development of mineral resources area. This method using the suggested tools for analyzing efficiency of a specific partnership mechanism is shown on the examples of projects of developing different deposits in Transbaikal region.

  20. Foliar spray of sodium antagonistic essential mineral elements- a technique to induce salt tolerance in plants growing under saline environment (abstract)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmad, R.; Jabeen, R.

    2005-01-01

    Plants growing at saline substrate practice deficiencies in absorption of some essential mineral elements through roots due to presence of excessive sodium in rhizosphere. Sodium being antagonistic to other cations does not let them enter in roots and hence apart from its own toxicity in metabolism, the plants suffer with deficiencies of some mineral elements, which are necessary for growth. Potassium being essential mineral element is much effected due to this antagonistic behavior of sodium ion. Lagenaria siceraria (var. Loki) being a broad leaf vegetable was selected for these experiments. Plant growing at saline substrate was sprayed with specially prepared spray materials containing different dilutions of potassium nitrate. The anatomy of leaf with special reference to that of stomata was also studied to ensure absorption of required minerals. Growth of plants in terms of leaf area is being monitored at present. Some preliminary experiments show betterment in production of fruits in plants undergoing foliar spray. This hypothesis has opened a new chapter demanding series of experiments dealing with recipe of spray materials, mechanism of minerals uptake through stomata, participation of absorbed minerals in metabolic activities around palisade tissue probably by activating potassium dependent enzyme system which otherwise is blocked by replaced sodium, translocation of these minerals from leaves through petiole in rest of plants and overall effect of such spray on vegetative as well as reproductive growth in plants under saline environment. Some of this work is in progress. (author)

  1. Private prisons

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dimovski Darko

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The author, based on the circumstances that contributed to the creation of private prisons, has explained the historical development of private prisons in the United States and Great Britain. After that, the author has analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of the prison run by private companies. Namely, the author has, stating the benefits of private prisons (reduced overcrowding penitencijarnih institution, cheaper accommodation cost per prisoner, provide better services, the possibility of applying a new philosophy in the manner of execution of sentence, with modern Penitentiary program, with the aim of re-socialization and the reduction of recidivism and weaknesses of the private prisons (the question of legitimac, a chronic lack of space in the Penitentiary system is not solved, business-oriented policies of private prisons, less salaries, poor performance of the security service, worst food, weak enforcement of parole, lack of appropriate penitentiary program, wanted to draw attention to the professional public about controversy of the introduction private companies in the management structure of penitentiary institutions . As the Republic of Serbia is, constantly in the last twenty years, faced with the increasing number of inmates, as well as the chronic shortage of money, which affects on the situation in industrial areas of prisons, there are options to give licenses to private companies to manage prisons. Therefore, the author has paid special attention to potential problems of introducing private prisons in the penitentiary system in Serbia.

  2. Response of soil organic carbon fractions, microbial community composition and carbon mineralization to high-input fertilizer practices under an intensive agricultural system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Xueping; Gebremikael, Mesfin Tsegaye; Wu, Huijun; Cai, Dianxiong; Wang, Bisheng; Li, Baoguo; Zhang, Jiancheng; Li, Yongshan; Xi, Jilong

    2018-01-01

    Microbial mechanisms associated with soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition are poorly understood. We aim to determine the effects of inorganic and organic fertilizers on soil labile carbon (C) pools, microbial community structure and C mineralization rate under an intensive wheat-maize double cropping system in Northern China. Soil samples in 0–10 cm layer were collected from a nine-year field trial involved four treatments: no fertilizer, CK; nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilizers, NP; maize straw combined with NP fertilizers, NPS; and manure plus straw and NP fertilizers, NPSM. Soil samples were analyzed to determine labile C pools (including dissolved organic C, DOC; light free organic C, LFOC; and microbial biomass C, MBC), microbial community composition (using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles) and SOC mineralization rate (from a 124-day incubation experiment). This study demonstrated that the application of chemical fertilizers (NP) alone did not alter labile C fractions, soil microbial communities and SOC mineralization rate from those observed in the CK treatment. Whereas the use of straw in conjunction with chemical fertilizers (NPS) became an additional labile substrate supply that decreased C limitation, stimulated growth of all PLFA-related microbial communities, and resulted in 53% higher cumulative mineralization of C compared to that of CK. The SOC and its labile fractions explained 78.7% of the variance of microbial community structure. Further addition of manure on the top of straw in the NPSM treatment did not significantly increase microbial community abundances, but it did alter microbial community structure by increasing G+/G- ratio compared to that of NPS. The cumulative mineralization of C was 85% higher under NPSM fertilization compared to that of CK. Particularly, the NPSM treatment increased the mineralization rate of the resistant pool. This has to be carefully taken into account when setting realistic and effective goals

  3. Physiology, Fe(II oxidation, and Fe mineral formation by a marine planktonic cyanobacterium grown under ferruginous conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elizabeth D. Swanner

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Evidence for Fe(II oxidation and deposition of Fe(III-bearing minerals from anoxic or redox-stratified Precambrian oceans has received support from decades of sedimentological and geochemical investigation of Banded Iron Formations (BIF. While the exact mechanisms of Fe(II oxidation remains equivocal, reaction with O2 in the marine water column, produced by cyanobacteria or early oxygenic phototrophs, was likely. In order to understand the role of cyanobacteria in the deposition of Fe(III minerals to BIF, we must first know how planktonic marine cyanobacteria respond to ferruginous (anoxic and Fe(II-rich waters in terms of growth, Fe uptake and homeostasis, and Fe mineral formation. We therefore grew the common marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus PCC 7002 in closed bottles that began anoxic, and contained Fe(II concentrations that span the range of possible concentrations in Precambrian seawater. These results, along with cell suspension experiments, indicate that Fe(II is likely oxidized by this strain via chemical oxidation with oxygen produced during photosynthesis, and not via any direct enzymatic or photosynthetic pathway. Imaging of the cell-mineral aggregates with scanning electron microscopy (SEM and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM are consistent with extracellular precipitation of Fe(III (oxyhydroxide minerals, but that >10% of Fe(III sorbs to cell surfaces rather than precipitating. Proteomic experiments support the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS in Fe(II toxicity to Synechococcus PCC 7002. The proteome expressed under low Fe conditions included multiple siderophore biosynthesis and siderophore and Fe transporter proteins, but most siderophores are not expressed during growth with Fe(II. These results provide a mechanistic and quantitative framework for evaluating the geochemical consequences of perhaps life’s greatest metabolic innovation, i.e. the evolution and activity of oxygenic photosynthesis, in ferruginous

  4. Style drift in private equity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cumming, D.; Fleming, G.; Schwienbacher, A.

    2009-01-01

    We introduce the concept of style drift to private equity investment. We present theory and evidence pertaining to style drifts in terms of a fund manager's stated focus on particular stages of entrepreneurial development. We develop a model that derives conditions under which style drifts are less

  5. Why Quorum Sensing Controls Private Goods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin Schuster

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Cell-cell communication, also termed quorum sensing (QS, is a widespread process that coordinates gene expression in bacterial populations. The generally accepted view is that QS optimizes the cell density-dependent benefit attained from cooperative behaviors, often in the form of secreted products referred to as “public goods.” This view is challenged by an increasing number of cell-associated products or “private goods” reported to be under QS-control for which a collective benefit is not apparent. A prominent example is nucleoside hydrolase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a periplasmic enzyme that catabolizes adenosine. Several recent studies have shown that private goods can function to stabilize cooperation by co-regulated public goods, seemingly explaining their control by QS. Here we argue that this property is a by-product of selection for other benefits rather than an adaptation. Emphasizing ecophysiological context, we propose alternative explanations for the QS control of private goods. We suggest that the benefit attained from private goods is associated with high cell density, either because a relevant ecological condition correlates with density, or because the private good is, directly or indirectly, involved in cooperative behavior. Our analysis helps guide a systems approach to QS, with implications for antivirulence drug design and synthetic biology.

  6. CRIMINAL PROTECTION OF PRIVATE LIFE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    RADU SLAVOIU

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available This study is meant, first of all, to analyze the incriminations that the new Romanian Criminal Code sets for the protection of a person’s private life as a social value of maximum significance both for the human being and for any democratic society as a whole.There are two criminal offences treated in this study that are not to be found in the current criminal legislation: violation of private life and criminal trespassing of a legal person’s property. Likewise, the study will bring forth the novelties and the differences regarding the offences of criminal trespassing of a natural person’s property, disclosure of professional secret, violation of secret correspondence, illegal access to computerized system and illegal interception of electronic data transfer – acts that when, directly or indirectly, committed can cause harm to the intimacy of a person’s life.As an expression of the interdisciplinary nature of this subject, the study also sets out, as a subsidiary aspect, an evaluation of the circumstances under which the new criminal proceeding legislation allows public authorities to interfere with an individual’s private life. Thus, the emphasis is on the analysis of the circumstances under which special surveillance and investigation techniques can be used as evidence proceedings regulated by the new Romanian Criminal Procedure Code.

  7. 75 FR 39090 - Airport Privatization Pilot Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-07

    ... Privatization Pilot Program AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Notice of Receipt and... pilot program received under 49 U.S.C. Section 47134. The preliminary application is accepted for review... operator, negotiate an agreement and submit a final application to the FAA for exemption under the pilot...

  8. Public Supervision over Private Relationships : Towards European Supervision Private Law?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cherednychenko, O.O.

    2014-01-01

    The rise of public supervision over private relationships in many areas of private law has led to the development of what, in the author’s view, could be called ‘European supervision private law’. This emerging body of law forms part of European regulatory private law and is made up of

  9. Arsenic and uranium in private wells in Connecticut, 2013-15

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flanagan, Sarah M.; Brown, Craig J.

    2017-05-03

    The occurrence of arsenic and uranium in groundwater at concentrations that exceed drinking-water standards is a concern because of the potential adverse effects on human health. Some early studies of arsenic occurrence in groundwater considered anthropogenic causes, but more recent studies have focused on sources of naturally occurring arsenic to groundwater, such as minerals within aquifer materials that are in contact with groundwater. Arsenic and uranium in groundwater in New England have been shown to have a strong association to the geologic setting and nearby streambed sediment concentrations. In New Hampshire and Massachusetts, arsenic and uranium concentrations greater than human-health benchmarks have shown distinct spatial patterns when related to the bedrock units mapped at the local scale.The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) reported that there are about 322,600 private wells in Connecticut serving approximately 823,000 people, or 23 percent of the State’s population. The State does not require that existing private wells be routinely tested for arsenic, uranium, or other contaminants; consequently, private wells are only sampled at the well owner’s discretion or when they are newly constructed. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the DPH, completed an assessment in 2016 on the distribution of concentrations of arsenic and uranium in groundwater from bedrock in Connecticut. This report presents the major findings for arsenic and uranium concentrations from water samples collected from 2013 to 2015 from private wells.

  10. Private and Non-Private Disc Herniation Patients: Do they Differ?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gregebo, Birgitta; Dai, Deliang; Schillberg, Birgitta; Baehr, Martin; Nyström, Bo; Taube, Adam

    2014-01-01

    In the 2006 yearly report from the Swedish National Register for Lumbar Spine Surgery it was claimed that international studies show obvious differences between private and non-private patients with regard to results from back surgery. Therefore our aim was to reveal such possible differences by comparing the two categories of patients at a private clinic. The material comprises 1184 patients operated on for lumbar disc herniation during the period of 1987 to 2007. Basic pre-operative data were obtained from the medical records and follow-up was performed by a questionnaire around 5 years post-operatively. Small but statistically significant differences between private and non-private patients were seen pre-operatively regarding the proportions of a/ men and women in the samples, b/ those with physically demanding jobs, c/ those on sick leave and d/ those with lumbar pain. Over the years the admitted private patients had a decreasing mean duration of symptoms which was not seen in the non-private patients. No apparent differences (n.s.) were seen between the two categories of patients pre-operatively regarding age, presence and level of leg pain or the proportion who smoked. Post-operative improvement in leg and lumbar pain was very similar in private and non-private patients as was satisfaction with the results and the proportion of patients returning to work. Despite small pre-operative differences concerning some variables and a significant difference in symptom duration between private and non-private disc herniation patients, the final clinical results were very similar.

  11. Public-private partnerships and responsibility under international law: a global health perspective

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Clarke, L.

    2014-01-01

    Partnerships between the public and private sectors are an increasingly accepted method to deal with pressing global issues, such as those relating to health. Partnerships, comprised of states and international organizations (public sector) and companies, non-governmental organizations, research

  12. Private healthcare quality: applying a SERVQUAL model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Butt, Mohsin Muhammad; de Run, Ernest Cyril

    2010-01-01

    This paper seeks to develop and test the SERVQUAL model scale for measuring Malaysian private health service quality. The study consists of 340 randomly selected participants visiting a private healthcare facility during a three-month data collection period. Data were analyzed using means, correlations, principal component and confirmatory factor analysis to establish the modified SERVQUAL scale's reliability, underlying dimensionality and convergent, discriminant validity. Results indicate a moderate negative quality gap for overall Malaysian private healthcare service quality. Results also indicate a moderate negative quality gap on each service quality scale dimension. However, scale development analysis yielded excellent results, which can be used in wider healthcare policy and practice. Respondents were skewed towards a younger population, causing concern that the results might not represent all Malaysian age groups. The study's major contribution is that it offers a way to assess private healthcare service quality. Second, it successfully develops a scale that can be used to measure health service quality in Malaysian contexts.

  13. Private power in China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Daniel, Martin

    1999-10-01

    Contains Executive Summary and Chapters on: Introduction; Political and economic background; Energy supply; The Chinese electricity sector; Private power in China; Issues for private investors; Fuel choice in private projects; Private investors in China; Listed Chinese generators; Private power prospects; Implemented private generation projects; Planned private Generation Projects; Plants owned by listed Chinese generators. (Author)

  14. Giemsa as a fluorescent dye for mineralizing bone-like nodules in vitro

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Querido, W; Farina, M; Balduino, A

    2012-01-01

    Giemsa was first used as a fluorescent dye for mineralized bone and cartilage in tissue sections. The aim of this study was to establish the use of Giemsa as a fluorescent dye for mineralizing bone-like nodules produced in cell cultures. Osteoblasts were grown under mineralizing conditions for 14 days, producing typical bone-like nodules. Upon staining with Giemsa stock solution for 1 min, the mineralizing nodules could be selectively visualized emitting intense green and red fluorescence when observed under blue and green illumination, respectively. The textural details of the nodules were clearly observed under fluorescence microscopy, allowing to identify regions with different degrees of mineralization. The mineralized nature of the nodules was confirmed using von Kossa's method, Alizarin Red S staining and x-ray mapping for Ca and P in a scanning electron microscope, showing a strong correlation between the mineralizing and the fluorescent nodules. The selective fluorescence was related to the mineral phase, being absent in decalcified samples. The use of Giemsa as a fluorescent dye for mineralizing bone-like nodules presents a simple alternative method to quickly analyze biomineralization assays in vitro under fluorescence microscopy, particularly in the biological evaluation of biomaterials. (communication)

  15. Decoherence-full subsystems and the cryptographic power of a private shared reference frame

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bartlett, Stephen D.; Rudolph, Terry; Spekkens, Robert W.

    2004-01-01

    We show that private shared reference frames can be used to perform private quantum and private classical communication over a public quantum channel. Such frames constitute a type of private shared correlation, distinct from private classical keys or shared entanglement, useful for cryptography. We present optimally efficient schemes for private quantum and classical communication given a finite number of qubits transmitted over an insecure channel and given a private shared Cartesian frame and/or a private shared reference ordering of the qubits. We show that in this context, it is useful to introduce the concept of a decoherence-full subsystem, wherein every state is mapped to the completely mixed state under the action of the decoherence

  16. Privatization and Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dash, Neena

    2009-01-01

    This paper highlights emerging trends, programmes and policies in privatization of education in Western countries. These trends are educational vouchers, choice of private schools, private school liberalization, private contracting of specific services, tuition tax credits and deductions for parents ,subsidies and assistance grants to private…

  17. Determinants of private fixed investment in emerging country

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Goitsemodimo Abel Molocwa

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The neoclassical and Keynesian theories regard private investment not only as a source of economic growth but also as a determinant of the potential extent of the national income. The aim of this research was to examine the determinants of private fixed investment in South Africa by employing the Johansen cointegration technique and the vector error correction model (VECM analysis. Based on the literature survey it appears that the previous studies mainly focused on private investment in manufacturing and infrastructure sectors therefore this is envisaged to add knowledge to a body of economics literature in this area by focusing more on private fixed investment and its determinants in South Africa. The study concludes that for the period under investigation GDP has the positive sign as expected. This suggests that in the long run it impact positively on private fixed investment. The findings of the study also confirmed that tax rate is a complementary to private fixed investment. Similarly, the real exchange rate coefficient was negative as expected which suggests that the depreciation of the currency stimulates the growth of South Africa private fixed investment. It is obvious that even the best economic model cannot achieve the expected outcomes immediately but these results encourage the study to believe that the South African monetary policy on exchange rate complements private fixed investment. Therefore, the study proposes that both even though both growth and general tax rate are difficult to accomplish simultaneously, they should be used to promote the flow of private fixed investment in South Africa.

  18. Role of the private sector in vaccination service delivery in India: evidence from private-sector vaccine sales data, 2009-12.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Abhishek; Kaplan, Warren A; Chokshi, Maulik; Zodpey, Sanjay P

    2016-09-01

    India's Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) provides basic vaccines free-of-cost in the public sector, yet national vaccination coverage is poor. The Government of India has urged an expanded role for the private sector to help achieve universal immunization coverage. We conducted a state-by-state analysis of the role of the private sector in vaccinating Indian children against each of the six primary childhood diseases covered under India's UIP. We analyzed IMS Health data on Indian private-sector vaccine sales, 2011 Indian Census data and national household surveys (DHS/NFHS 2005-06 and UNICEF CES 2009) to estimate the percentage of vaccinated children among the 2009-12 birth cohort who received a given vaccine in the private sector in 16 Indian states. We also analyzed the estimated private-sector vaccine shares as function of state-specific socio-economic status. Overall in 16 states, the private sector contributed 4.7% towards tuberculosis (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)), 3.5% towards measles, 2.3% towards diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus (DPT3) and 7.6% towards polio (OPV3) overall (both public and private sectors) vaccination coverage. Certain low income states (Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Assam and Bihar) have low private as well as public sector vaccination coverage. The private sector's role has been limited primarily to the high income states as opposed to these low income states where the majority of Indian children live. Urban areas with good access to the private sector and the ability to pay increases the Indian population's willingness to access private-sector vaccination services. In India, the public sector offers vaccination services to the majority of the population but the private sector should not be neglected as it could potentially improve overall vaccination coverage. The government could train and incentivize a wider range of private-sector health professionals to help deliver the vaccines, especially in the low

  19. Optimization of the mineralization of a mixture of phenolic pollutants under a ferrioxalate-induced solar photo-Fenton process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monteagudo, J M; Durán, A; Aguirre, M; San Martín, I

    2011-01-15

    The mineralization of solutions containing a mixture of three phenolic compounds, gallic, p-coumaric and protocatechuic acids, in a ferrioxalate-induced solar photo-Fenton process was investigated. The reactions were carried out in a pilot plant consisting of a compound parabolic collector (CPC) solar reactor. An optimization study was performed combining a multivariate experimental design and neuronal networks that included the following variables: pH, temperature, solar power, air flow and initial concentrations of H(2)O(2), Fe(II) and oxalic acid. Under optimal conditions, total elimination of the original compounds and 94% TOC removal of the mixture were achieved in 5 and 194 min, respectively. pH and initial concentrations of H(2)O(2) and Fe(II) were the most significant factors affecting the mixture mineralization. The molar correlation between consumed hydrogen peroxide and removed TOC was always between 1 and 3. A detailed analysis of the reaction was presented. The values of the pseudo-first-order mineralization kinetic rate constant, k(TOC), increased as initial Fe(II) and H(2)O(2) concentrations and temperature increased. The optimum pH value also slightly increased with greater Fe(II) and hydrogen peroxide concentrations but decreased when temperature increased. OH and O(2)(-) radicals were the main oxidative intermediate species in the process, although singlet oxygen ((1)O(2)) also played a role in the mineralization reaction. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Optimization of the mineralization of a mixture of phenolic pollutants under a ferrioxalate-induced solar photo-Fenton process

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Monteagudo, J.M., E-mail: josemaria.monteagudo@uclm.es [University of Castilla-La Mancha, Grupo IMAES, Department of Chemical Engineering, Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales, Avda. Camilo Jose Cela, 1, 13071 Ciudad Real (Spain); Duran, A.; Aguirre, M.; San Martin, I. [University of Castilla-La Mancha, Grupo IMAES, Department of Chemical Engineering, Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales, Avda. Camilo Jose Cela, 1, 13071 Ciudad Real (Spain)

    2011-01-15

    The mineralization of solutions containing a mixture of three phenolic compounds, gallic, p-coumaric and protocatechuic acids, in a ferrioxalate-induced solar photo-Fenton process was investigated. The reactions were carried out in a pilot plant consisting of a compound parabolic collector (CPC) solar reactor. An optimization study was performed combining a multivariate experimental design and neuronal networks that included the following variables: pH, temperature, solar power, air flow and initial concentrations of H{sub 2}O{sub 2}, Fe(II) and oxalic acid. Under optimal conditions, total elimination of the original compounds and 94% TOC removal of the mixture were achieved in 5 and 194 min, respectively. pH and initial concentrations of H{sub 2}O{sub 2} and Fe(II) were the most significant factors affecting the mixture mineralization. The molar correlation between consumed hydrogen peroxide and removed TOC was always between 1 and 3. A detailed analysis of the reaction was presented. The values of the pseudo-first-order mineralization kinetic rate constant, k{sub TOC}, increased as initial Fe(II) and H{sub 2}O{sub 2} concentrations and temperature increased. The optimum pH value also slightly increased with greater Fe(II) and hydrogen peroxide concentrations but decreased when temperature increased. {center_dot}OH and O{sub 2}{center_dot}{sup -} radicals were the main oxidative intermediate species in the process, although singlet oxygen ({sup 1}O{sub 2}) also played a role in the mineralization reaction.

  1. Vulnerability and the Right to Respect for Private Life as an Autonomous Source of Protection against Expulsion under Article 8 ECHR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sylvie Da Lomba

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper focuses on settled migrants and calls for the construction of the right to respect for private life as an autonomous source of protection against expulsion under Article 8 ECHR. I contend that, as a core part of human existence, private life warrants meaningful protection. I posit that the fact that all settled migrants have established private life in the host State brings it to the fore of Article 8 expulsion cases. This argument finds strong support in the concept of belonging and transnational migration theory; both tell us that settled migrants’ host State has become their ‘own country’. Drawing on earlier work, I reclaim vulnerability as a foundation and tool of International Human Rights Law with a view to recognising migrants within the jurisdiction of ECHR States as fully-fledged ECHR subjects and making the European Court of Human Rights responsive to their vulnerability. I make the case for absolute protection against expulsion for second (and subsequent-generation migrants and settled migrants who have spent most of their adult life in the host State. In respect of other settled migrants, I argue that the minimum protection standard should be that expulsion is only justifiable in exceptional circumstances.

  2. Privat boligudlejning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Hans Skifter

    2008-01-01

    for private udlejningsboligers pris, økonomi og kvalitet. Det økonomiske afkast af investering i private udlejningsejendomme har været højt i de sidste 10 år, men fortrinsvist pga. værdistigninger. For tiden er disse gået i stå, hvilket gør den økonomiske fremtid for den private udlejningssektor mindre...

  3. Retail private label’s strategies: A case study in a large brazilian Supermarket chain.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paula Bulamah Spineli

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available The present study approaches the advantages and risks related to private labels under a retailers’ perspective, as well as the private label strategies and its growth in the Brazilian market. The paper analyses the strategies used by a large Brazilian supermarket chain with regards to its private labels’ management, using the case study method. The results showed the existence of two private label lines of products, with different strategies: one line of light products (proprietary brand and another line of products that carry the name of the supermarket under study (retail brand endorsement, both classified as using the fantasy positioning strategy.

  4. [The mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of reflexotherapy and drinking mineral waters in the patients presenting with metabolic syndrome].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhernov, V A; Frolkov, V K; Zubarkina, M M

    Both acupuncture and drinking mineral water can influence the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids as well as their hormonal regulation, but the possibility of the application of these therapeutic factors for the correction of insulin resistance has not been studied in the patients presenting with metabolic syndrome. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects produced by the intake of drinking mineral water and acupuncture on the various parameters characterizing the patients suffering from metabolic syndrome in combination with altered insulin resistance. Ninety patients with this condition included in the study underwent the analysis of their the blood pressure, body mass index, blood glucose and lipid levels, insulin and cortisol secretion. We undertook the analysis of the effects of the single and repeated intakes of Essentuki No 17 mineral water included in the combined treatment of the patients with metabolic syndrome and revealed many common responses of the organism to its therapeutic action. Specifically, the stress-type reactions suggested the initiation of the adaptive processes in the system of hormonal regulation of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Simultaneously, the manifestations of insulin resistance became less pronounced indicating that both acupuncture and drinking mineral water suppressed the action of the main pathogenic mechanisms underlying the development of metabolic syndrome. Moreover, it was shown that acupuncture had a stronger hypotensive effect in the combination with the decrease of the overproduction of cortisol whereas the intake of the mineral water had a greater metabolic potential and contributed to the intensification of the basal secretion of glucocorticoids. Both reflexotherapy and drinking mineral water have a well apparent effect on the pathogenetic reactions of the metabolic syndrome and therefore can be used in addition to the standard therapy to activate the non-specific, phylogenetically

  5. Hydrogeochemical tracing of mineral water in Jingyu County, Northeast China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Baizhong; Xiao, Changlai; Liang, Xiujuan; Wu, Shili

    2016-02-01

    The east Jilin Province in China, Jingyu County has been explored as a potential for enriching mineral water. In order to assess the water quality and quantity, it is of crucial importance to investigate the origin of the mineral water and its flow paths. In this study, eighteen mineral springs were sampled in May and September of 2012, May and September of 2013, and May 2014 and the environment, evolvement, and reaction mechanism of mineral water formation were analysed by hydrochemical data analysis, geochemical modelling and multivariate statistical analysis. The results showed that the investigated mineral water was rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, bicarbonate, chloride, sulphate, fluoride, nitrate, total iron, silicate, and strontium, and mineral water ages ranged from 11.0 to more than 61.0 years. The U-shape contours of the mineral ages indicate a local and discrete recharge. The mineral compositions of the rocks were olivine, potassium feldspar, pyroxene, albite, and anorthite and were under-saturated in the mineral water. The origin of mineral water was from the hydrolysis of basalt minerals under a neutral to slightly alkaline and CO2-rich environment.

  6. Water Services in Chile : Comparing Private and Public Performance

    OpenAIRE

    Bitrán, Gabriel A.; Valenzuela, Eduardo P.

    2003-01-01

    In 1988, Chile put in place a new regulatory regime for water and sanitation, allowing rates to reflect the actual cost of providing services. The government then reorganized the sector under 13 state-owned regional water companies and, in 1998, started to partially privatize some of them. Four years after the first sale, it is now possible to assess the early results of privatization. Thi...

  7. Private Water Projects

    OpenAIRE

    Izaguirre, Ada Karina; Hunt, Catherine

    2005-01-01

    Drawing on the World Bank's Private Participation in Infrastructure Project Database, this Note reviews developments in the water and sewerage sector of developing countries in 2004 and changes in private participation in the sector since 2001. Data for 2004 show that total investment in water and sewerage projects with private participation amounted to nearly US$2 billion. Recent private ...

  8. Platelet Lysate: The Better Choice for Jaw Periosteal Cell Mineralization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yvonne Wanner

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Previously, we demonstrated a high quality of minerals formed by serum-free cultured jaw periosteal cells (JPCs by Raman spectroscopy but the mineralization extent was not satisfactory. In the present study, we analyzed the proliferation and mineralization potential of human platelet lysate- (hPL- cultured JPCs in comparison to that of FCS-cultured JPCs. By cell impedance measurements, we detected significantly higher population doubling times of PL-cultured JPCs in comparison to FCS-cultured JPCs. However, this result was not based on lower proliferation activities but on diminished cell sizes which JPCs develop under PL cultivation. The measurements of the metabolic activities clearly showed significantly higher cell proliferation rates under PL culturing. Equivalent levels of the mesenchymal cell markers CD29, CD45, CD73, CD90, and CD105 were detected, but there were significantly increased MSCA-1 levels under PL cultivation. While JPCs only occasionally mineralize under FCS culture conditions, the mineralization potential was significantly stronger under PL cultivation. Moreover, in 4 of 5 analyzed patient cells, the addition of dexamethasone was proved no longer necessary for strong mineralization of PL-cultured JPCs. We conclude that in vitro cultivation of JPCs with platelet lysate is a suitable alternative to FCS culture conditions and a powerful tool for the development of high-quality TE constructs using jaw periosteal cells.

  9. Platelet Lysate: The Better Choice for Jaw Periosteal Cell Mineralization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wanner, Yvonne; Umrath, Felix; Waidmann, Marc; Reinert, Siegmar; Alexander, Dorothea

    2017-01-01

    Previously, we demonstrated a high quality of minerals formed by serum-free cultured jaw periosteal cells (JPCs) by Raman spectroscopy but the mineralization extent was not satisfactory. In the present study, we analyzed the proliferation and mineralization potential of human platelet lysate- (hPL-) cultured JPCs in comparison to that of FCS-cultured JPCs. By cell impedance measurements, we detected significantly higher population doubling times of PL-cultured JPCs in comparison to FCS-cultured JPCs. However, this result was not based on lower proliferation activities but on diminished cell sizes which JPCs develop under PL cultivation. The measurements of the metabolic activities clearly showed significantly higher cell proliferation rates under PL culturing. Equivalent levels of the mesenchymal cell markers CD29, CD45, CD73, CD90, and CD105 were detected, but there were significantly increased MSCA-1 levels under PL cultivation. While JPCs only occasionally mineralize under FCS culture conditions, the mineralization potential was significantly stronger under PL cultivation. Moreover, in 4 of 5 analyzed patient cells, the addition of dexamethasone was proved no longer necessary for strong mineralization of PL-cultured JPCs. We conclude that in vitro cultivation of JPCs with platelet lysate is a suitable alternative to FCS culture conditions and a powerful tool for the development of high-quality TE constructs using jaw periosteal cells.

  10. Interplay between black carbon and minerals contributes to long term carbon stabilization and mineral transformation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, B.; Weng, Y. T.; Wang, C. C.; Chiang, C. C.; Liu, C. C.; Lehmann, J.

    2017-12-01

    Black carbon receives increasing global wide research attention due to its role in carbon sequestration, soil fertility enhancement and remediation application. Generally considered chemically stable in bulk, the reactive surface of BC can interplays with minerals and form strong chemical bondage, which renders physical protection of BC and contributes to its long term stabilization. Using historical BC-rich Amazonian Dark Earth (ADE), we probe the in-situ organo-mineral association and transformation of BC and minerals over a millennium scale using various synchrotron-based spectroscopic (XANES, FTIR) and microscopic (TXM) methods. Higher content of SRO minerals was found in BC-rich ADE compare to adjacent tropical soils. The iron signature found in BC-rich ADE was mainly ferrihydrite/lepidocrocite, a more reactive form of Fe compared to goethite, which was dominant in adjacent soil. Abundant nano minerals particles were observed in-situ associated with BC surface, in clusters and layers. The organo-mineral interaction lowers BC bioavailability and enhances its long-term stabilization in environment, while at the same time, transforms associated minerals into more reactive forms under rapid redox/weathering environment. The results suggest that mineral physical protection for BC sequestration may be more important than previous understanding. The scale up application of BC/biochar into agricultural systems and natural environments have long lasting impact on the in-situ transformation of associated minerals.

  11. Dynamic mechanical properties and anisotropy of synthetic shales with different clay minerals under confining pressure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gong, Fei; Di, Bangrang; Wei, Jianxin; Ding, Pinbo; Shuai, Da

    2018-03-01

    The presence of clay minerals can alter the elastic behaviour of reservoir rocks significantly as the type of clay minerals, their volume and distribution, and their orientation control the shale's intrinsic anisotropic behaviours. Clay minerals are the most abundant materials in shale, and it has been proven extremely difficult to measure the elastic properties of natural shale by means of a single variable (in this case, the type of clay minerals), due to the influences of multiple factors, including water, TOC content and complex mineral compositions. We used quartz, clay (kaolinite, illite and smectite), carbonate and kerogen extract as the primary materials to construct synthetic shale with different clay minerals. Ultrasonic experiments were conducted to investigate the anisotropy of velocity and mechanical properties in dry synthetic and natural shale as a function of confining pressure. Velocities in synthetic shale are sensitive to the type of clay minerals, possibly due to the different structures of the clay minerals. The velocities increase with confining pressure and show higher rate of velocity increase at low pressures, and P-wave velocity is usually more sensitive than S-wave velocity to confining pressure according to our results. Similarly, the dynamic Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio increase with applied pressure, and the results also reveal that E11 is always larger than E33 and ν31 is smaller than ν12. Velocity and mechanical anisotropy decrease with increasing stress, and are sensitive to stress and the type of clay minerals. However, the changes of mechanical anisotropy with applied stress are larger compared with the velocity anisotropy, indicating that mechanical properties are more sensitive to the change of rock properties.

  12. Bounds on the sample complexity for private learning and private data release

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kasiviswanathan, Shiva [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Beime, Amos [BEN-GURION UNIV.; Nissim, Kobbi [BEN-GURION UNIV.

    2009-01-01

    Learning is a task that generalizes many of the analyses that are applied to collections of data, and in particular, collections of sensitive individual information. Hence, it is natural to ask what can be learned while preserving individual privacy. [Kasiviswanathan, Lee, Nissim, Raskhodnikova, and Smith; FOCS 2008] initiated such a discussion. They formalized the notion of private learning, as a combination of PAC learning and differential privacy, and investigated what concept classes can be learned privately. Somewhat surprisingly, they showed that, ignoring time complexity, every PAC learning task could be performed privately with polynomially many samples, and in many natural cases this could even be done in polynomial time. While these results seem to equate non-private and private learning, there is still a significant gap: the sample complexity of (non-private) PAC learning is crisply characterized in terms of the VC-dimension of the concept class, whereas this relationship is lost in the constructions of private learners, which exhibit, generally, a higher sample complexity. Looking into this gap, we examine several private learning tasks and give tight bounds on their sample complexity. In particular, we show strong separations between sample complexities of proper and improper private learners (such separation does not exist for non-private learners), and between sample complexities of efficient and inefficient proper private learners. Our results show that VC-dimension is not the right measure for characterizing the sample complexity of proper private learning. We also examine the task of private data release (as initiated by [Blum, Ligett, and Roth; STOC 2008]), and give new lower bounds on the sample complexity. Our results show that the logarithmic dependence on size of the instance space is essential for private data release.

  13. Public-Private-Defense Partnering in Critical Infrastructure Protection

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Jaksec, Gregory M

    2006-01-01

    .... The challenge for the DHS is in motivating partnerships across the public, private, and DoD domains, each with different organizational and cultural objectives governed under a federalist system...

  14. Australian mineral industry annual review for 1982

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1984-01-01

    The Australian mineral industry annual review records the activities and development of the Australian mineral industry and reports production, consumption, treatment, trade, prices, new developments, exploration and resources for mineral commodities including fuels, and summarises equivalent developments abroad. The present volume reviews activities and developments in 1982. Part 1 (General Review) - after briefly surveying the world mineral industry, summarises developments in the Australian mineral industry as a whole, under the headings: the industry in the national economy; important recent developments; production; overseas trade; prices; exploration expenditure; investment; income tax; royalties; structural data; wages and salaries; industrial disputes; and government assistance, legislation and controls. Part 2 (Commodity Review) - covers industrial mineral commodities, from abrasives to zirconium. Part 3 (Mining Census) - tabulates statistics extracted from the mining census, together with some mineral processing statistics from the manufacturing census. Part 4 (Miscellaneous) - tabulates quantum and value data on mineral output provided by State departments of mines and their equivalents.

  15. Private Labels

    OpenAIRE

    Kolmačková, Zuzana

    2013-01-01

    This Bachelor Thesis titled Private labels deals with distribution strategy based on the introduction of private labels especially in retail chains. At the beginning it is focused on the general concept of private label offered by retailers, where is mentioned basic characteristics, history and structuring of distribution brands. Subsequently this thesis informs readers about the introduction of new special distribution brands, which focus primarily on the new consumption habits of customers....

  16. Australian mineral industry annual review for 1984

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1987-01-01

    This volume of the Australian Mineral Industry Annual Review records development and performance of the Australian mineral industry during the calendar year 1984. It reports production, consumption, treatment, trade, prices, new developments, exploration, and resources for mineral commodities including fuels, and summarises equivalent developments abroad. Part 1. 'general review' after briefly surveying the world mineral industry, summarises developments in the Australian mineral industry as a whole, under the headings: the industry in the national economy, prices, exploration expenditure, investment, income tax, royalties, structural data, wages and salaries, industrial disputes, and government assistance, legislation, and controls. Part 2. 'commodity review' covers individual mineral commodity groups, from abrasives to zirconium. Part 3, 'mining census', tabulates statistics extracted from the mining census, together with some mineral processing statistics from the manufacturing census. Part 4 tabulates quantity and value data on mineral output provided by state departments of mines and their equivalents. Listed in appendices are: principal mineral producers; ore buyers and mineral dealers; government mining services; analytical laboratories; state mines departments and equivalents; industry, professional and development organisations and associations, etc; summary of mineral royalties payable in the states and territories; and summary of income tax provisions and federal government levies.

  17. Mineralization of 14C-Pirimiphos-Methyl in Soil Under Aerobic and Anaerobic Conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zayed, S.M.A.D.; Farghly, M.; El-Maghrby, S.

    2006-01-01

    The mineralization of 14 C-ring labelled pirimiphos-methyl in clay loam soil was determined in a three months laboratory incubation period under anaerobic and aerobic conditions. Evolution of 14 CO2 increased with time and reached 9.2% and 12 %, of the initial 14 C-concentration , within 90 days in case of anaerobic and aerobic conditions, respectively, at that time, soil contained about 61.5% of the applied dose as extractable residues under anaerobic conditions and 59% under aerobic conditions. the unextractable pesticide residues gradually increased with time and the highest binding capacity of about 11%-13% was observed after 90 days of incubation. the total 14 C-activity recovered from soil was generally between 82% and 92% of the applied radiocarbon. the nature of methanolic 14 C-residues was determined by chromatographic analysis and the results revealed the presence of pirimiphos- methyl as a main product together with its phenol. the principle of radio-respirometry has been used for evaluating the effect of different application rates of pirimiphos-methyl on soil microbial activity using U- 14 C-glucose as a substrate. At two concentrations used, pirimiphos-methyl showed an inhibition in the rate of 14 Co2 evolution over 14 days of incubation as a result of oxidation of 14 C-glucose by microorganisms especially in case of high concentration

  18. Technical progress report. Private sector initiatives between the United States and Japan. January 1992 - December 1992

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-01-01

    OAK A271 This annual report for calendar year 1992 describes the efforts performed under the Private Sector Initiatives contract. The report also describes those efforts that have continued with private funding after being initiated under this contract

  19. Technical progress report. Private sector initiatives between the United States and Japan. January 1990 - December 1990

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-01-01

    OAK A271 This annual report for calendar year 1990 describes the efforts performed under the Private Sector Initiatives contract. The report also describes those efforts that have continued with private funding after being initiated under this contract

  20. The Private Tutoring Industry in Taiwan: Government Policies and Their Implementation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhan, Shengli

    2014-01-01

    Previous studies show that attending private tutoring has become a necessity to many primary and secondary students in East Asia. Educational policies and their effective implementation are crucial to guarantee the healthy development of the private tutoring industry and thus protect the rights of students and their families. Under the framework…

  1. Uranium fixation by mineralization at the redox front

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Isobe, Hiroshi

    1998-01-01

    The behavior of actinide elements including uranium in geomedia is controlled by redox conditions. Under the oxidized conditions, uranium forms uranyl ion (UO 2 2+ ) and its complexes, and dissolves in ground water. Under the reduced conditions, U(IV) has much lower solubility than uranyl ion. In the Koongarra uranium deposit, Australia, lead-bearing uraninite, uranyl lead oxide and uranyl silicate minerals occur in the unweathered, primary ore zone, and uranyl phosphate minerals occur in the weathered, secondary ore zone. Between unweathered and weathered zones, the transition zone exists as a redox front. In the transition zone, graphite and sulfide minerals react as reducing agents for species dissolved in ground water. By SEM, spherical grains of uraninite were observed in veins with graphite. Pyrite had coffinite rim with crystals of uraninite. Calculation based on the ground water chemistry and hydrology at Koongarra shows that the uranium in the transition zone may be fixed from the ground water. In the Koongarra transition zone, recent mineralization of uranium by reduction takes place. Mineralization is much stronger fixation mechanism than adsorption on clay minerals. Pyrite in the buffer materials of possible radioactive waste repositories can fix radionuclides in oxidized ground water by mineralization with reducing reactions. (author)

  2. 76 FR 71329 - Request for Information Regarding Private Education Loans and Private Educational Lenders

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-11-17

    ... Regarding Private Education Loans and Private Educational Lenders AGENCY: Bureau of Consumer Financial... Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, to prepare a Report on Private Education Loans and Private... Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, to prepare a Report on Private Education Loans and Private...

  3. Carbon and nitrogen in forest floor and mineral soil under six common European tree species

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vesterdal, Lars; Schmidt, Inger K.; Callesen, Ingeborg

    2007-01-01

    The knowledge of tree species effects on soil C and N pools is scarce, particularly for European deciduous tree species. We studied forest floor and mineral soil carbon and nitrogen under six common European tree species in a common garden design replicated at six sites in Denmark. Three decades...... on forest floor C and N content was primarily attributed to large differences in turnover rates as indicated by fractional annual loss of forest floor C and N. The C/N ratio of foliar litterfall was a good indicator of forest floor C and N contents, fractional annual loss of forest floor C and N...

  4. Geochemical Data for Upper Mineral Creek, Colorado, Under Existing Ambient Conditions and During an Experimental pH Modification, August 2005

    Science.gov (United States)

    Runkel, Robert L.; Kimball, Briant A.; Steiger, Judy I.; Walton-Day, Katherine

    2009-01-01

    Mineral Creek, an acid mine drainage stream in south-western Colorado, was the subject of a water-quality study that employed a paired synoptic approach. Under the paired synoptic approach, two synoptic sampling campaigns were conducted on the same study reach. The initial synoptic campaign, conducted August 22, 2005, documented stream-water quality under existing ambient conditions. A second synoptic campaign, conducted August 24, 2005, documented stream-water quality during a pH-modification experiment that elevated the pH of Mineral Creek. The experimental pH modification was designed to determine the potential reductions in dissolved constituent concentrations that would result from the implementation of an active treatment system for acid mine drainage. During both synoptic sampling campaigns, a solution containing lithium bromide was injected continuously to allow for the calculation of streamflow using the tracer-dilution method. Synoptic water-quality samples were collected from 30 stream sites and 11 inflow locations along the 2-kilometer study reach. Data from the study provide spatial profiles of pH, concentration, and streamflow under both existing and experimentally-altered conditions. This report presents the data obtained August 21-24, 2005, as well as the methods used for sample collection and data analysis.

  5. Public and private health-care financing with alternate public rationing rules.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuff, Katherine; Hurley, Jeremiah; Mestelman, Stuart; Muller, Andrew; Nuscheler, Robert

    2012-02-01

    We develop a model to analyze parallel public and private health-care financing under two alternative public sector rationing rules: needs-based rationing and random rationing. Individuals vary in income and severity of illness. There is a limited supply of health-care resources used to treat individuals, causing some individuals to go untreated. Insurers (both public and private) must bid to obtain the necessary health-care resources to treat their beneficiaries. Given individuals' willingnesses-to-pay for private insurance are increasing in income, the introduction of private insurance diverts treatment from relatively poor to relatively rich individuals. Further, the impact of introducing parallel private insurance depends on the rationing mechanism in the public sector. We show that the private health insurance market is smaller when the public sector rations according to need than when allocation is random. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  6. 31 CFR 50.35 - Entities that share profits and losses with private sector insurers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... losses with private sector insurers. 50.35 Section 50.35 Money and Finance: Treasury Office of the...' Compensation Funds § 50.35 Entities that share profits and losses with private sector insurers. (a) Treatment... and losses with a private sector insurer is not deemed to be a separate insurer under the Program. (b...

  7. Mineral transformations during the dissolution of uranium ore minerals by dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glasauer, S.; Weidler, P.; Fakra, S.; Tyliszczak, T.; Shuh, D.

    2011-12-01

    formed extensive biofilms or flocs that contained U and V in the exopolymer, but excluded these metals from the bacteria. This suggests a specific mechanism to inhibit metal sorption to cell wall components. The example illustrates the interplay between bacteria and minerals under conditions that model oligotrophic survival, and provides insight on U mobilization from common uranium ore minerals.

  8. Government Grants to Private Charities: Do They Crowd-Out Giving or Fundraising?

    OpenAIRE

    James Andreoni; A Abigail Payne

    2001-01-01

    When the government makes a grant to a private charitable organization, does it displace private giving? This is one of the fundamental policy questions in public finance, and much theoretical and empirical research has been devoted to understanding the relationship between private donations and government funding. Under the classic crowding-out hypothesis, donors let their involuntary tax contributions and substitute for their voluntary contributions. This paper raises the prospect of a seco...

  9. Technical progress report. Private sector initiatives between the United States and Japan. January 1989 - December 1989; ANNUAL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1990-01-01

    This annual report for calendar year 1989 describes the efforts performed under the Private Sector Initiatives contract. The report also describes those efforts that have continued with private funding after being initiated under this contract

  10. Technical progress report. Private sector initiatives between the United States and Japan. January 1991 - December 1991; ANNUAL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-01-01

    This annual report for calendar year 1991 describes the efforts performed under the Private Sector Initiatives contract. The report also describes those efforts that have continued with private funding after being initiated under this contract

  11. Deposit model for heavy-mineral sands in coastal environments: Chapter L in Mineral deposit models for resource assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Gosen, Bradley S.; Fey, David L.; Shah, Anjana K.; Verplanck, Philip L.; Hoefen, Todd M.

    2014-01-01

    This report provides a descriptive model of heavy-mineral sands, which are sedimentary deposits of dense minerals that accumulate with sand, silt, and clay in coastal environments, locally forming economic concentrations of the heavy minerals. This deposit type is the main source of titanium feedstock for the titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigments industry, through recovery of the minerals ilmenite (Fe2+TiO3), rutile (TiO2), and leucoxene (an alteration product of ilmenite). Heavy-mineral sands are also the principal source of zircon (ZrSiO4) and its zirconium oxide; zircon is often recovered as a coproduct. Other heavy minerals produced as coproducts from some deposits are sillimanite/kyanite, staurolite, monazite, and garnet. Monazite [(Ce,La,Nd,Th)PO4] is a source of rare earth elements as well as thorium, which is used in thorium-based nuclear power under development in India and elsewhere.

  12. Minerals Yearbook, volume I, Metals and Minerals

    Science.gov (United States)

    ,

    2018-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Minerals Yearbook discusses the performance of the worldwide minerals and materials industries and provides background information to assist in interpreting that performance. Content of the individual Minerals Yearbook volumes follows:Volume I, Metals and Minerals, contains chapters about virtually all metallic and industrial mineral commodities important to the U.S. economy. Chapters on survey methods, summary statistics for domestic nonfuel minerals, and trends in mining and quarrying in the metals and industrial mineral industries in the United States are also included.Volume II, Area Reports: Domestic, contains a chapter on the mineral industry of each of the 50 States and Puerto Rico and the Administered Islands. This volume also has chapters on survey methods and summary statistics of domestic nonfuel minerals.Volume III, Area Reports: International, is published as four separate reports. These regional reports contain the latest available minerals data on more than 180 foreign countries and discuss the importance of minerals to the economies of these nations and the United States. Each report begins with an overview of the region’s mineral industries during the year. It continues with individual country chapters that examine the mining, refining, processing, and use of minerals in each country of the region and how each country’s mineral industry relates to U.S. industry. Most chapters include production tables and industry structure tables, information about Government policies and programs that affect the country’s mineral industry, and an outlook section.The USGS continually strives to improve the value of its publications to users. Constructive comments and suggestions by readers of the Minerals Yearbook are welcomed.

  13. APPRAISAL OF THE SNAP MODEL FOR PREDICTING NITROGEN MINERALIZATION IN TROPICAL SOILS UNDER EUCALYPTUS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Philip James Smethurst

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available The Soil Nitrogen Availability Predictor (SNAP model predicts daily and annual rates of net N mineralization (NNM based on daily weather measurements, daily predictions of soil water and soil temperature, and on temperature and moisture modifiers obtained during aerobic incubation (basal rate. The model was based on in situ measurements of NNM in Australian soils under temperate climate. The purpose of this study was to assess this model for use in tropical soils under eucalyptus plantations in São Paulo State, Brazil. Based on field incubations for one month in three, NNM rates were measured at 11 sites (0-20 cm layer for 21 months. The basal rate was determined in in situ incubations during moist and warm periods (January to March. Annual rates of 150-350 kg ha-1 yr-1 NNM predicted by the SNAP model were reasonably accurate (R2 = 0.84. In other periods, at lower moisture and temperature, NNM rates were overestimated. Therefore, if used carefully, the model can provide adequate predictions of annual NNM and may be useful in practical applications. For NNM predictions for shorter periods than a year or under suboptimal incubation conditions, the temperature and moisture modifiers need to be recalibrated for tropical conditions.

  14. Private Equity Waves

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    J.T.J. Smit (Han); W.A. van den Berg (Ward)

    2006-01-01

    textabstractThis study presents a dynamic model for the private equity market in which information revelation and uncertainty rationally explain the cyclical pattern of investment flows into private equity. The net benefit of private equity over public equity is i) uncertain and ii) agents have

  15. Glycine Polymerization on Oxide Minerals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitadai, Norio; Oonishi, Hiroyuki; Umemoto, Koichiro; Usui, Tomohiro; Fukushi, Keisuke; Nakashima, Satoru

    2017-06-01

    It has long been suggested that mineral surfaces played an important role in peptide bond formation on the primitive Earth. However, it remains unclear which mineral species was key to the prebiotic processes. This is because great discrepancies exist among the reported catalytic efficiencies of minerals for amino acid polymerizations, owing to mutually different experimental conditions. This study examined polymerization of glycine (Gly) on nine oxide minerals (amorphous silica, quartz, α-alumina and γ-alumina, anatase, rutile, hematite, magnetite, and forsterite) using identical preparation, heating, and analytical procedures. Results showed that a rutile surface is the most effective site for Gly polymerization in terms of both amounts and lengths of Gly polymers synthesized. The catalytic efficiency decreased as rutile > anatase > γ-alumina > forsterite > α- alumina > magnetite > hematite > quartz > amorphous silica. Based on reported molecular-level information for adsorption of Gly on these minerals, polymerization activation was inferred to have arisen from deprotonation of the NH3 + group of adsorbed Gly to the nucleophilic NH2 group, and from withdrawal of electron density from the carboxyl carbon to the surface metal ions. The orientation of adsorbed Gly on minerals is also a factor influencing the Gly reactivity. The examination of Gly-mineral interactions under identical experimental conditions has enabled the direct comparison of various minerals' catalytic efficiencies and has made discussion of polymerization mechanisms and their relative influences possible Further systematic investigations using the approach reported herein (which are expected to be fruitful) combined with future microscopic surface analyses will elucidate the role of minerals in the process of abiotic peptide bond formation.

  16. Glycine Polymerization on Oxide Minerals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitadai, Norio; Oonishi, Hiroyuki; Umemoto, Koichiro; Usui, Tomohiro; Fukushi, Keisuke; Nakashima, Satoru

    2017-06-01

    It has long been suggested that mineral surfaces played an important role in peptide bond formation on the primitive Earth. However, it remains unclear which mineral species was key to the prebiotic processes. This is because great discrepancies exist among the reported catalytic efficiencies of minerals for amino acid polymerizations, owing to mutually different experimental conditions. This study examined polymerization of glycine (Gly) on nine oxide minerals (amorphous silica, quartz, α-alumina and γ-alumina, anatase, rutile, hematite, magnetite, and forsterite) using identical preparation, heating, and analytical procedures. Results showed that a rutile surface is the most effective site for Gly polymerization in terms of both amounts and lengths of Gly polymers synthesized. The catalytic efficiency decreased as rutile > anatase > γ-alumina > forsterite > α- alumina > magnetite > hematite > quartz > amorphous silica. Based on reported molecular-level information for adsorption of Gly on these minerals, polymerization activation was inferred to have arisen from deprotonation of the NH 3 + group of adsorbed Gly to the nucleophilic NH 2 group, and from withdrawal of electron density from the carboxyl carbon to the surface metal ions. The orientation of adsorbed Gly on minerals is also a factor influencing the Gly reactivity. The examination of Gly-mineral interactions under identical experimental conditions has enabled the direct comparison of various minerals' catalytic efficiencies and has made discussion of polymerization mechanisms and their relative influences possible Further systematic investigations using the approach reported herein (which are expected to be fruitful) combined with future microscopic surface analyses will elucidate the role of minerals in the process of abiotic peptide bond formation.

  17. IFC Jobs Study : Assessing Private Sector Contributions to Job Creation and Poverty Reduction

    OpenAIRE

    International Finance Corporation

    2013-01-01

    This report is the result of an open-source study to assess the direct and indirect effects of private sector activity on job creation. The report examines how and under what conditions the private sector can best contribute to job creation and poverty reduction. The private sector, which provides some 90 percent of jobs in developing countries, must be at the core of any response to this ...

  18. ROMANIA’S PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE MARKET POTENTIAL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    GHEORGHE MATEI

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available The significant gap between the quality of life and the level of health expenditure has led to the need to reconsider the modalities and the sources of collecting and redirecting the funds of the sanitary sector in such a way that sustainable medical results are generated for the entire population of the globe. Under these circumstances, the role of private health insurance is constantly increasing, even though its importance is still being influenced by the types of social policy and the dimension of the public health sector at national level. Due to the impact of these factors, the actual dimension of private health insurance market varies significantly across countries. In order to be able to realistically assess the level of development of the private health insurance market in Romania, the analysis has to be taken further than the simplistic measurement of indicators such as income and expenditure.

  19. Thermoelastic properties of minerals at high temperature

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    In our present study, we have investigated the thermophysical properties of two minerals (pyrope-rich garnet and MgAl2O4) under high temperatures and calculated the second-order elastic constant () and bulk modulus (T) of the above minerals, in two cases first by taking Anderson–Gruneisen parameter (T) as ...

  20. Privatization in economic theory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Drakić Maja

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available In reality privatization has never occurred according to the handbook rules of ordinary market transactions. Not even in advanced market economies can privatization transactions be described by the Walrasian or Arrowian, or Leontiefian equilibrium models, or by the equilibrium models of the game theory. In these economies transactions of privatization take place in a fairly organic way – which means that those are driven by the dominance of private property rights and in a market economy. But despite this fact Western privatization also some peculiar features as compared to ordinary company takeovers, since the state as the seller may pursue non – economic goals. Changes in the dominant form of property change positions and status of many individuals and groups in the society. That’s why privatization can even less be explained by ordinary market mechanisms in transition countries where privatizing state-owned property have happened in a mass scale and where markets and private property rights weren't established at the time process of privatization began. In this paper I’ll discuss and analyze the phenomenon of privatization in context of different economic theories arguing that empirical results go in favor of the public choice theory (Buchanan, 1978, theory of "economic constitution" (Brennan and Buchanan 1985, (Buchanan and Tullock, 1989, and theory of "collective action" (Olson, 1982. These theories argues that transition from one economic system into another, for example transition from collectivistic, socialistic system into capitalism and free market economy with dominant private property, will not happen through isolated changes of only few economic institutions, no matter how deep that changes would be. In other words privatization can not give results if it's not followed by comprehensive change of economic system because privatized companied wouldn't be able to operate in old environment.

  1. Comparison of the capacity between public and private health facilities to manage under-five children with febrile illnesses in Uganda

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Buregyeya, Esther; Rutebemberwa, Elizeus; LaRussa, Phillip

    2017-01-01

    on drug stocks, availability of treatment guidelines, diagnostic equipment, and knowledge in management of malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea, using a structured questionnaire. Results: A total of 53 public and 241 private health facilities participated in the study. While similar proportions of private...... and public health facilities stocked Coartem, the first-line anti-malarial drug, (98 vs 95%, p = 0.22), significantly more private than public health facilities stocked quinine (85 vs 53%, p chloroquine, were reported in few public and private...

  2. Productivity and accumulation of nutrients in plants of jambu, under mineral and organic fertilizationProdutividade e acúmulo de nutrientes em plantas de jambu, sob adubação orgânica e mineral

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luciana da Silva Borges

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The organic production is a system that allows achieving good levels of productivity, while avoiding the risks of chemical contamination of farmers, consumers and the environment. Because jambu plant is widely used as alternative medicine and cosmetics industries, has been increasing interest in its cultivation. The aim of this study was to analyze the biomass, accumulation of nutrient, productivity and determine the pesticide residue in plant jambu when grown under organic and mineral fertilization. The experiment was conducted at the Experimental Farm São Manuel, FCA / UNESP. The experiment was conducted at São Manuel Experimental Farm UNESP. The statistical was arranged in the randomized block design, in a 2 x 6 factorial scheme, two sources of fertilizers (organic and mineral and six doses of nitrogen, with four replications. The characteristics evaluated were plant height, fresh and dry weight, nutrients of accumulation in shoots and productivity. Mineral fertilizer gave higher biomass, productivity and accumulation of N and K in relation to organic fertilizer used. It is recommended the dose of 90g m-2 of urea as appropriate to obtain these results. However the organic fertilization favored the accumulation of phosphorus in plants jambu in relation the mineral fertilizer, and the dose of 10 kg m-2 of cattle manure recommended to achieve this result in plants jambu. We did not detect the presence of phosphorous and carbamate on leaves of jambu under organic and mineral fertilization. However, we observed the presence of chlorine in the leaves used for the two fertilizations.A produção orgânica é um sistema que permite alcançar bons níveis de produtividade, evitando ao mesmo tempo os riscos de contaminação química do agricultor, dos consumidores e do meio ambiente. Pelo fato da planta de jambu ser bastante utilizada como medicamento alternativo e por indústrias de cosméticos, vem aumentando o interesse pelo seu cultivo. Assim, o

  3. Falling in love with minerals terra mineralia - a journey to the most beautiful minerals of the world

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anna, D.

    2013-12-01

    Is it possible to make people fall in love with minerals? Yes, it is. And it happens daily at terra mineralia, a permanent exhibition displaying a collection of 3500 rare and beautiful minerals, precious stones and meteorites in Freiberg/Saxony. The exhibits are part of one of the world's largest private collections of minerals and have been given to the TU Bergakademie Freiberg on permanent loan by Dr. Erika Pohl-Ströher. The exquisite pieces stem from sites on every continent, and as such, allow the visitor to virtually journey around the world to the world's most beautiful minerals - an amazing and unexpected experience. The specimen are so unique in quality and aesthetical appearance that scientists and private collectors from all over the world are overwhelmed by their display. However, the exhibition is less targeted towards the specialist or collector. Due to the close ties of the terra mineralia to its parent organization, the TU Bergakademie Freiberg, which is one of the leading universities dedicated to the geo-sciences, it has been primarily designed to attract young visitors, school children and students. It is the expressed goal of the University and Dr. Erika Pohl-Ströher to give young people the opportunity to discover the fascinating aspects natural sciences have to offer. Therefore, the efforts of the museums educational service focus on raising awareness and enticing the young 'scientists' to be. Why not continue a live of learning where the interest in natural sciences had been nurtured in first place - at the TU Bergakademie in Freiberg, for example with studies in the fields of mineralogy, geology or mining? And while you are at it, come back to terra mineralia as a student to help form and train the next generation of young talents. So, does it work? Yes, even if it is still too early to see the young enrolled in the University. What we already see, is a tremendous amount of positive feed back from the young, their parents and educators

  4. Legal significance of the private security sector in Kosovo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fidair Berisha

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Privatization of the security sector is considered a new phenomenon in the post communist society. The security system has been under a total monopol of the state institutions. Therefore, even the legal adjustment of this system is considered that only state institutions are entitled for provision of the security services, by excluding participation of civic organizations from this activity. Beside this, state enterprises have been obliged to establish its safet structures for property protection and involved employers in enterprises. Immediately after the conflictual period the privatization of the security sector was rapidly increased, including various parts of society. In Kosovo immediately after the conflictual period there was legal gaps, which means that the private security sector has not been adjusted and as a result of this has been uncontrolled and without supervision. Therefore in 2000 the UNMIK administration has undertaken measures and has carried out the first act which has regulated this sector in Kosova. The draft law has undergone significant changes starting from the title. Saying in more common manner, “Draft law for private security” is amended in the LAW no. 04/L-004.2001 for private security services, and this amendment of the private security sector is based in the above mentioned law.

  5. Private protected areas in Australia: current status and future directions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    James A. Fitzsimons

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Despite the recognised importance of private land for biodiversity conservation, there has been little research into systems of private protected areas at a country-wide level. Here I look at definitions, legislation, ownership, management approaches and effectiveness, distribution and incentives provided to private protected areas in Australia. The term ‘private protected areas’, although increasingly used, still suffers from a lack of a clear and concise definition in Australia. Australian states and territories have legislation enabling the application of conservation covenants over private land; covenants being the primary mechanism to secure conservation intent on the title of the land in perpetuity. If considering all ‘in perpetuity’ conservation covenants under a dedicated program to be private protected areas and land owned by non-government organisations and managed for the purpose of biodiversity conservation, there were approximately 5,000 terrestrial properties that could be considered private protected areas in Australia covering 8,913,000 ha as at September 2013. This comprises almost 4,900 conservation covenants covering over 4,450,000 ha and approximately 140 properties owned by private land trusts covering approximately 4,594,120 ha. Most conservation covenanting programs now seek to complement the comprehensiveness, adequacy and representativeness of the public reserve system, either stating so explicitly or by aiming to protect the highest priority ecosystems on private land. There are a range of incentives offered for private land conservation and requirements of owners of private protected areas to report on their activities vary in Australia. However, there are a number of key policy challenges that need to be addressed if private protected areas are to achieve their full potential in Australia, including managing broad-scale ecosystem processes, protection and tenure reform, improved financial incentives, and

  6. GHGRP Minerals Sector Industrial Profile

    Science.gov (United States)

    EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program periodically produces detailed profiles of the various industries that report under the program. The profiles available for download below contain detailed analyses for the Minerals industry.

  7. Minerals sustainability, emerging economies, the developing world and the ‘truth’ behind the rhetoric

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Petterson, Michael G.

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper reviews the principles and applications of sustainable development as applied to minerals (sustainable minerals. The key pillars of sustainable minerals are well known and include economic, community, environmental, and political considerations. The ideal solution is one that finds a balance between community benefit, economic development, profit, and minimal negative environmental and political impacts. This is, of course, fine in theory but in the ‘real world’ difficult to achieve. From a geoscience perspective this paper argues that non-private sector geoscientists have a crucial role to play in developing the sustainable minerals paradigm to an intellectually mature and usable form. The geoscience approach includes re-interpreting the rich legacy of geoscience data and acquisition of new data (geological mapping, 3 and 4D modelling, geophysical and geo­chemical information and contextualizing this information with socio-economic and environmental data (e.g. ethnicity, social mix, wealth indicators, environmental sensitivity indicators to assist with strategic and localized decision-making, maximizing benefits, and minimizing adverse impacts. This approach also involves modelling the full lifecycle of minerals, mines, mineral commodities, and mineral-bearing land in an attempt to quantify benefits and disbenefits of mineral extraction. One crucial key element of a sustainable minerals approach is a mix between ‘hard’ science and social science and genuine inclusion and consultation with stakeholders, especially impacted communities. As geoscientists we are in a position to explain clearly the benefits of mineral development to society and the disbenefits of ‘nimbyism’ (e.g. exporting problems to countries less able to manage mineral extraction and promote a ‘custodianship’ ethos of mineral development that is the only way to realizing the key principle of sustainability, i.e. leaving the planet in a state that our

  8. Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES Exploratory Data & Analytic Services Private Sector Pilot Project

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Schull

    2017-04-01

    ICES was able to work with private sector organizations without compromising the three principles. Based on the evaluation of the private sector pilot, and the findings from the focus groups, ICES will begin offering limited analytic services to private sector researchers beginning June 2016 under ICES’ existing corporate structure, and bring recommendations regarding ongoing operations to the ICES Board in June 2017.

  9. Enforcement Alert: Hazardous Waste Management Practices at Mineral Processing Facilities Under Scrutiny by U.S. EPA; EPA Clarifies 'Bevill Exclusion' Wastes and Establishes Disposal Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    This is the enforcement alert for Hazardous Waste Management Practices at Mineral Processing Facilities Under Scrutiny by U.S. EPA; EPA Clarifies 'Bevill Exclusion' Wastes and Establishes Disposal Standards

  10. Privatization Framework: Political Economy Perspective

    OpenAIRE

    Bastian, Indra

    2009-01-01

    Privatization has been recognized as a worldwide phenomenon. In this pa-per, a political economy approach is developed to analyze privatization. The ap-proach assumes that political economy and privatization overlap in people’s need. So, the framework of political economy in privatization is based on the ‘need’ phi-losophy. Government and private sectors are contrasted in this respect, leading to a conclusion on privatization as a method to manage the economy. Keywords: privatization, politic...

  11. Private Roads

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verhoef, Erik T.

    2007-01-01

    This paper studies the efficiency impacts of private toll roads in initially untolled networks. The analysis allows for capacity and toll choice by private operators, and endogenizes entry and therewith the degree of competition, distinguishing and allowing for both parallel and serial competition.

  12. Mechanism Analysis of Credit Risk Conduction of Goverment Departments under Public-PrivatePartnership%公私合作下政府部门信用风险传导机理分析

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    任志涛; 雷瑞波

    2017-01-01

    以风险共担、利益共享的理念剖析公私合作的内生机理,从系统视域构建公私合作下的政府部门信用风险的传导模型,揭示公私合作下政府部门信用风险的传导机理.研究表明公私合作模式所具有的信用风险内部化特征,促使政府部门信用风险沿着微分动力系统的演变轨迹进行传导,系统均衡状态的均衡点就是信用风险在政府和社会资本之间最优的配置点.在上述基础上,设计公私合作模式下政府部门信用风险管控机制.%This paper analyzes the endogenous mechanism of public-private partnerships based on the concept of risk sharing and benefit sharing. Then,constructs the conduction model of credit risk of government departments under public-private partnership from the point of view of system,andreveals the conduction mechanism of credit risk of government departments under public-private partnership. Research shows that the characteristics of internal credit risk model of public-private partnership promote the government credit risk to conduct along the evolution track of a differential dynamic system,the equilibrium point of system equilibrium state is the optimal allocation point of credit risk between government and social capital. On this basis,designs the credit risk control mechanism of government departments under public-private partnership.

  13. Review of Abiotic Degradation of Chlorinated Solvents by Reactive Iron Minerals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abiotic degradation of chlorinated solvents by reactive iron minerals such as iron sulfides, magnetite, green rust, and other Fe(II)-containing minerals has been observed in both laboratory and field conditions. These reactive iron minerals typically form under iron and sulfate ...

  14. 43 CFR 19.8 - Prospecting, mineral locations, mineral patents, and mineral leasing within National Forest...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... patents, and mineral leasing within National Forest Wilderness. 19.8 Section 19.8 Public Lands: Interior... § 19.8 Prospecting, mineral locations, mineral patents, and mineral leasing within National Forest... locations, mineral patents, and mineral leasing within National Forest Wilderness are contained in parts...

  15. Student Press Protected by Faculty Academic Freedom under Contract Law at Private Colleges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gray, John; Ciofalo, Andrew

    1989-01-01

    Absent the constitutional rights enjoyed by the student press at state institutions of higher education, the administration at a private institution is legally free to control the content of its student press. Explores a theory that shifts the focus to academic freedom protected by contracts between faculty and institutions. (MLF)

  16. Methylene blue photocatalytic mineralization under visible irradiation on TiO{sub 2} thin films doped with chromium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Diaz-Uribe, Carlos; Vallejo, William, E-mail: williamvallejo@mail.uniatlantico.edu.co; Ramos, Wilkendry

    2014-11-15

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • We used an easy and inexpensive technique to dope thin films of TiO{sub 2}. • We proved that hydroxyl radicals were generated under visible light irradiation by Cr:TiO{sub 2}. • We used a Haber–Weiss reaction through Cr:TiO{sub 2} catalyst to improve the photo-mineralization process. - Abstract: We studied changes in structural, optical and photocatalytic properties of TiO{sub 2} thin films due to doping process with chromium. Powders of undoped TiO{sub 2} and chromium-doped TiO{sub 2} (Cr:TiO{sub 2}) were synthesized by sol–gel method and, thin films were deposited by doctor blade method. The properties of the thin films were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR) and diffuse reflectance. The XRD patterns indicated that doping process changed the crystalline phases radio of TiO{sub 2} thin films, furthermore, the optical analysis showed that band gap value of Cr:TiO{sub 2} thin films was 31% fewer than undoped TiO{sub 2} thin films. Along, Langmuir–Hinshelwood model was used to obtain kinetic information of the photo-mineralization process; results indicated that photocatalytic activity of Cr:TiO{sub 2} thin films were four times better than undoped TiO{sub 2} thin films; finally the synergic effect was tested by addition of the H{sub 2}O{sub 2}, photocatalytic yield was improved from 26% to 61% when methylene blue photo-mineralization was assisted with slightly amount of H{sub 2}O{sub 2}.

  17. THE EFFICIENCY OF IMPLEMENTING PRIVATE MANAGEMENT IN STATE COMPANIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mungiu-Pupăzan Mariana Claudia

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available In 2012, nine state-owned companies are expected to have private management giving up the statemanagement. Therefore, a full debate of this issue is required, taking into consideration the fact that, in ouropinion, this process involves more than just the replacement of a manager with another. The implementationof private management in companies of national strategy, currently in state ownership, is desired to be aprofound and also very complex process, aiming to change organizational culture in depth, both verticallyand horizontally, so as to increase efficiency in these companies.Implementation of private management could be a good opportunity for an efficient development ofthese companies, for an increasing level of competitiveness on the international market, but only in terms ofa leadership team chosen on performance criteria, with a coherent set of objectives and a high independencelevel of decision.There are some opinions from people with experience in managing both private and statecompanies. They believe that the idea of establishing a private management in state companies, is, in themain, good, but it is essential to take into consideration the idea of a team trained to lead the company,instead of one person as a general manager.Another element to be taken into account, so that this idea of private management may have thedesired effect, is to precisely determine companies where private management teams should be installed. Notall companies are suitable for the same private management strategy. This type of leadership is better forcompanies with a real international perspective, such as Tarom, while strategic companies should be ratherreformed, including management privatization, and kept as state strategic areas. However, strict criteria ofstate intervention in decision-making process should be established, a striking question concerning thecircumstances under which such a management team could be successful, given that state firms are

  18. Interests and Advantages of the Private Sector in the State-Private Partnership

    OpenAIRE

    Brailovskiy Ilya A.

    2013-01-01

    The article is devoted to analysis of interests that stimulate a private partner to joint activity with the state and advantages they obtain from realisation of projects of the state-private partnership (SPP). It marks out main features and fields of application of the state-private partnership. It underlines that an important prerequisite for motivation of the private sector to enter into partnership relations with the state is observance of clear law competent formal rules in the institutio...

  19. [Private health insurance in Brazil: approaches to public/private patterns in healthcare].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sestelo, José Antonio de Freitas; Souza, Luis Eugenio Portela Fernandes de; Bahia, Lígia

    2013-05-01

    This article draws on a previous review of 270 articles on private health plans published from 2000 to 2010 and selects 17 that specifically address the issue of the relationship between the public and private healthcare sectors. Content analysis considered the studies' concepts and terms, related theoretical elements, and predominant lines of argument. A reading of the argumentative strategies detected the existence of a critical view of the modus operandi in the public/private relationship based on Social Medicine and the theoretical tenets of the Brazilian Health Reform Movement. The study also identified contributions based on neoliberal business approaches that focus strictly on economic issues to discuss private health insurance. Understanding the public/private link in healthcare obviously requires the development of a solid empirical base, analyzed with adequate theoretical assumptions due to the inherent degree of complexity in the public/private healthcare interface.

  20. Will Knjaz Miloš Belong to Foreigners? The Privatization and Image of Multinational Companies in the Serbian Media (2000-2005

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vladimir Miokov

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available This study analyses the media coverage of the privatization of Knjaz Miloš, Serbia’s most famous mineral water factory, as well as the manner in which the multinational companies were presented in this process. The focus of the paper is on the conflict between major stakeholders as they were presented in analyzed media texts. Three phases of the privatization process are analysed in this paper. The first phase is the period from October 2000 to September 2003, when the news about privatization came out in the media; the second phase is from August 2003 to December 2003, when the first potential buyers appeared; and third is the period from August 2004 to September 2005, when Knjaz Miloš was finally privatized. The conclusion of this analysis is that a negative image of multinational companies prevails in the domestic media. Such an image is not ideologically coloured (as it was in the 1990s and is seldom openly presented. The general attitude is sceptical, even though an awareness of the importance of the participation of multinational companies in the process of privatization is present.

  1. Mineral oil residues in soil and apple under temperate conditions of Kashmir, India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmad, Malik Mukhtar; Wani, Ashraf Alam; Sofi, Mubashir; Ara, Ishrat

    2018-03-09

    The study was undertaken to ascertain the persistence of Orchol-13, a mineral oil used against insect pests of horticultural fruit crops in soil and apple following the dormant and summer applications of 2 and 0.75% respectively. Soil samples were collected during dormant, while as both soil and apple samples were collected during summer season. Samples were collected at 0, 1, 3, and 5 days post treatment in both the seasons. Average recoveries of paraffinic constituents (which constitute about 60% of mineral oils by composition) from soil and apple at 1 μg ml -1 spiking level were found to be 74.18 and 76.81% respectively. The final quantification of paraffinic constituents was performed on gas chromatograph equipped with flame ionization detector (GC-FID). No paraffinic constituents of mineral oil could be detected in soil and apple at 0 day post treatment in both the seasons.

  2. Elevated moisture stimulates carbon loss from mineral soils by releasing protected organic matter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Wenjuan; Hall, Steven J

    2017-11-24

    Moisture response functions for soil microbial carbon (C) mineralization remain a critical uncertainty for predicting ecosystem-climate feedbacks. Theory and models posit that C mineralization declines under elevated moisture and associated anaerobic conditions, leading to soil C accumulation. Yet, iron (Fe) reduction potentially releases protected C, providing an under-appreciated mechanism for C destabilization under elevated moisture. Here we incubate Mollisols from ecosystems under C 3 /C 4 plant rotations at moisture levels at and above field capacity over 5 months. Increased moisture and anaerobiosis initially suppress soil C mineralization, consistent with theory. However, after 25 days, elevated moisture stimulates cumulative gaseous C-loss as CO 2 and CH 4 to >150% of the control. Stable C isotopes show that mineralization of older C 3 -derived C released following Fe reduction dominates C losses. Counter to theory, elevated moisture may significantly accelerate C losses from mineral soils over weeks to months-a critical mechanistic deficiency of current Earth system models.

  3. Methane oxidation in an intensively cropped tropical rice field soil under long-term application of organic and mineral fertilizers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nayak, D R; Babu, Y Jagadeesh; Datta, A; Adhya, T K

    2007-01-01

    Methane (CH4) oxidation is the only known biological sink process for mitigating atmospheric and terrestrial emissions of CH4, a major greenhouse gas. Methane oxidation in an alluvial soil planted to rice (Oryza sativa L.) under long-term application of organic (compost with a C/N ratio of 21.71), and mineral fertilizers was measured in a field-cum-laboratory incubation study. Oxidation rates were quantified in terms of decrease in the concentration of CH4 in the headspace of incubation vessels and expressed as half-life (t(1)2) values. Methane oxidation rates significantly differed among the treatments and growth stages of the rice crop. Methane oxidation rates were high at the maximum tillering and maturity stages, whereas they were low at grain-filling stage. Methane oxidation was low (t(1)2) = 15.76 d) when provided with low concentration of CH4. On the contrary, high concentration of CH4 resulted in faster oxidation (t(1)2) = 6.67 d), suggesting the predominance of "low affinity oxidation" in rice fields. Methane oxidation was stimulated following the application of mineral fertilizers or compost implicating nutrient limitation as one of the factors affecting the process. Combined application of compost and mineral fertilizer, however, inhibited CH4 oxidation probably due to N immobilization by the added compost. The positive effect of mineral fertilizer on CH4 oxidation rate was evident only at high CH4 concentration (t(1)2 = 4.80 d), while at low CH4 concentration their was considerable suppression (t(1) = 17.60 d). Further research may reveal that long-term application of fertilizers, organic or inorganic, may not inhibit CH4 oxidation.

  4. Setting up virtual private network

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang Hongmei; Zhang Chengjun

    2003-01-01

    Setting up virtual private network for business enterprise provides a low cost network foundation, increases enterprise's network function and enlarges its private scope. The text introduces virtual private network's principal, privileges and protocols that use in virtual private network. At last, this paper introduces several setting up virtual private network's technologies which based on LAN

  5. Setting up virtual private network

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang Hongmei; Zhang Chengjun

    2003-01-01

    Setting up virtual private network for business enterprise provides a low cost network foundation, increases enterprise network function and enlarges its private scope. This text introduces virtual private network principal, privileges and protocols applied in virtual private network. At last, this paper introduces several setting up virtual private network technologies which is based on LAN

  6. Evaluation of mineral resource potential of the Finnish precambrian

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peltonen, K.

    1993-05-01

    In the report the undiscovered mineral resource potential of metallogenic regions in Finland is evaluated. The evaluation is based on known deposits. The criteria of the evaluation were: ore and mineral deposit density, regional distribution of valuable metals, and the amount and the nature of prospecting methods used. The information for the study has been collected from the data base for ore minerals maintained by the Geological Survey of Finland. Regions with mineral resource potential conclusively under national average are Presvecokarelidic and Svecokarelidic granitoids and rapakivi Massif. The mineral resource potential of basic rocks in relation to their surface area is multiple compared to non-basic rocks

  7. PUBLIC ACCESS TO PRIVATE LAND IN SCOTLAND

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    David

    The Forum's work led to advice to the Scottish Government concluding that ... respect of the facilitation and upholding of access rights. This is ...... particular protection of a person's rights in respect of private and family life and the home under ... jurisprudence emphasising the necessity of a balancing-of-interests approach.

  8. Enel expects privatization to be completed

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon

    2006-01-01

    The collapse of the coalition will probably mean that the sale of state-owned stakes in two distribution companies and all the heating plants will not be completed and nor will privatisation at Zapadoslovenska energetika. Most important for the energy sector is uncertainty regarding the major privatization project of this government - finding a new owner of 66% of Slovenske elektrarne shares. The state expects to receive about 32 billion Slovak crowns (842.105 million EUR) from Enel for this stake. 'The cabinet has approved the privatization under certain conditions and those have to be met now,' answered the leader of the KDH deputy's club, Pavol Minarik, to the question whether the cabinet would still be able to muster sufficient votes in parliament to pass the Act on the national nuclear account. All other so-called delaying conditions are in the competence of the cabinet or the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic and the opposition, which opposes privatization, cannot influence them. The act will address the financing of debts related to the liquidation of the V1 and A1 nuclear power plants. (authors)

  9. Ferrous Iron Oxidation under Varying pO2 Levels: The Effect of Fe(III)/Al(III) Oxide Minerals and Organic Matter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Chunmei; Thompson, Aaron

    2018-01-16

    Abiotic Fe(II) oxidation by O 2 commonly occurs in the presence of mineral sorbents and organic matter (OM) in soils and sediments; however, this tertiary system has rarely been studied. Therefore, we examined the impacts of mineral surfaces (goethite and γ-Al 2 O 3 ) and organic matter [Suwannee River fulvic acid (SRFA)] on Fe(II) oxidation rates and the resulting Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides under 21 and 1% pO 2 at pH 6. We tracked Fe dynamics by adding 57 Fe(II) to 56 Fe-labeled goethite and γ-Al 2 O 3 and characterized the resulting solids using 57 Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. We found Fe(II) oxidation was slower at low pO 2 and resulted in higher-crystallinity Fe(III) phases. Relative to oxidation of Fe(II) (aq) alone, both goethite and γ-Al 2 O 3 surfaces increased Fe(II) oxidation rates regardless of pO 2 levels, with goethite being the stronger catalyst. Goethite surfaces promoted the formation of crystalline goethite, while γ-Al 2 O 3 favored nano/small particle or disordered goethite and some lepidocrocite; oxidation of Fe(II) aq alone favored lepidocrocite. SRFA reduced oxidation rates in all treatments except the mineral-free systems at 21% pO 2 , and SRFA decreased Fe(III) phase crystallinity, facilitating low-crystalline ferrihydrite in the absence of mineral sorbents, low-crystalline lepidocrocite in the presence of γ-Al 2 O 3 , but either crystalline goethite or ferrihydrite when goethite was present. This work highlights that the oxidation rate, the types of mineral surfaces, and OM control Fe(III) precipitate composition.

  10. Treatment practices in pulmonary tuberculosis by private sector physicians of Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yadav, A; Garg, S K; Chopra, H; Bajpai, S K; Bano, T; Jain, S; Kumar, A

    2012-01-01

    Majority of the qualified medical practitioners in the country are in the private sector and more than half of patients with tuberculosis (TB) seek treatment from them. The present study was conducted with the objective of assessing the treatment modalities in pulmonary tuberculosis by the private physicians in Meerut City, Uttar Pradesh, India. A cross-sectional study was carried out covering all the private physicians (graduates and postgraduates in Medicine and Chest Diseases) registered under the Indian Medical Association, Meerut Branch (n = 154). The physicians were interviewed by a pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire about the treatment modalities practiced by them. Only 43.5% private physicians had attended any Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) training in the past five years. Only 33.1% of them were aware of the International Standards of Tuberculosis Care (ISTC). Fifty-three different regimens were used to treat the patients. Majority of physicians (76%) prescribed daily regimens while 24% administered both daily and intermittent treatment. None of the private physicians prescribed exclusive intermittent regimen. Eighty-seven different treatment regimens were used for the treatment of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) with none of them prescribing standard treatment under RNTCP. As majority of private practitioners do not follow RNTCP guidelines for treating TB, there is an urgent need for their continued education in this area.

  11. Private sundhedsforsikringer og holdninger til det universelle skattefinansierede sundhedssystem

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dejgaard, Thomas Engel; Pedersen, Jesper Møller

    Vi kender historien: Antallet af borgere med en privat sundhedsforsikring er eksploderet siden 2002. Over 1.000.000 danskere har nu et regulært alternativ til behandling i det offentlige. Men er der tegn på, at borgerne også vælger den offentlige sundhedssektor fra? Vi tager temperaturen på...... borgernes holdninger til det danske sundhedssystem, der er blevet forandret væsentligt det sidste årti. Vi ønsker at undersøge, om de nye private forsikringsordninger har udkrystalliseret sig i forandringer i borgernes holdninger. For en lang række danskerne har nu et reelt alternativ til behandling i det...... offentlige. Vi bruger ISSP 2006 Role of Government (indsamlet 2008) til at undersøge forsikrede og ikke-forsikrede borgeres holdninger til sundhedssystemet....

  12. 31 CFR 50.33 - Entities that do not share profits and losses with private sector insurers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... and losses with private sector insurers. 50.33 Section 50.33 Money and Finance: Treasury Office of the...' Compensation Funds § 50.33 Entities that do not share profits and losses with private sector insurers. (a... share profits and losses with a private sector insurer is deemed to be a separate insurer under the...

  13. Private Water Districts

    Data.gov (United States)

    California Natural Resource Agency — Private Water District boundaries are areas where private contracts provide water to the district in California. This database is designed as a regions polygon...

  14. Doença celíaca em tratamento: avaliação da densidade mineral óssea Celiac disease under treatment: evaluation of bone mineral density

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cecília Noronha de Miranda Carvalho

    2003-08-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: comparar a densidade mineral óssea de crianças e adolescentes com doença celíaca em tratamento com controles sadios, e avaliar exames laboratoriais relacionados com o metabolismo do cálcio. MÉTODOS: foram estudados 30 pacientes com doença celíaca em dieta isenta de glúten, 17 crianças e 13 adolescentes, e 23 indivíduos saudáveis. Todos os pacientes e controles realizaram a densidade mineral óssea (DEXA, Lunar. Os pacientes realizaram dosagem sérica de cálcio total, cálcio ionizado, fósforo, magnésio, fosfatase alcalina e paratormônio. RESULTADOS: a média de peso, estatura e densidade mineral óssea dos adolescentes com doença celíaca foi menor do que dos controles (pOBJECTIVE: the present study was designed to compare the bone mineral density of children and adolescents with celiac disease to the bone mineral density of controls, and to evaluate laboratory analysis of calcium metabolism of celiac disease patients. METHODS: thirty celiac disease patients (17 children, 13 adolescents, on a gluten-free diet, and 23 healthy subjects were studied. Tests of bone mineral density of the lumbar spine (DEXA, Lunar were performed in all patients and controls. Laboratory analysis of calcium metabolism was performed in all patients. RESULTS: mean weight and height of adolescents with celiac disease were lower than mean weight and height of controls (p<0.05. Bone mineral density in adolescents with celiac disease was significantly reduced if compared to controls (p=0.015, whereas no significant difference was found among children with celiac disease and controls. The number of adolescents who had started a gluten-free diet after the age of 2 years was higher than in children (p=0.003. Serum levels of ionized calcium, total calcium and parathormone were normal. CONCLUSIONS: the one mineral density of adolescents with celiac disease was lower than controls; whereas, no difference was found between the bone mineral density of

  15. Minerals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Minerals are important for your body to stay healthy. Your body uses minerals for many different jobs, including keeping your bones, muscles, heart, and brain working properly. Minerals are also important for making enzymes and hormones. ...

  16. Minerals from Macedonia: XV. Sivec mineral assemble

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boev, Blazho; Jovanovski, Gligor; Makreski, Petre; Bermanec, Vladimir

    2005-01-01

    The paper presents investigations carried out on the collected minerals from the Sivec deposit. It is situated in the vicinity of the town of Prilep, representing a rare occurrence of sugary white dolomite marbles. The application of suitable methods of exploitation of decorative-dimension stones makes possible to obtain large amounts of commercial blocks well known in the world. Despite the existence of dolomite marbles, a series of exotic minerals are typical in Sivec mineralization. Among them, the most significant are: calcite, fluorite, rutile, phlogopite, corundum, diaspore, almandine, kosmatite (clintonite or margarite), clinochlore, muscovite, quartz, pyrite, tourmaline and zoisite. An attempt to identify ten collected minerals using the FT IR spectroscopy is performed. The identification of the minerals was based on the comparison of the infrared spectra of our specimens with the corresponding literature data for the mineral species originating all over the world. The coloured pictures of all studied silicate minerals are presented as well. (Author)

  17. Rn daughter exposure to U miners

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cohen, B L

    1982-04-01

    Radon exposures to U.S. uranium miners under present conditions average about 1.3 WLM per year approximately or equal to 60 WLM per full working lifetime. This is intermediate between the lowest exposures for which there have been excess lung cancers reported among U.S. miners (120-240 WLM) and average environmental radon exposures (16 WLM), so models based on these two situations are used to estimate expected effects on present uranium miners. In Model A, the loss of life expectancy is 45 days, the SMR (standardized mortality ratio) for lung cancer is 1.10, and the SMR for all causes between ages 18 and 65 is 1.013. In Model B these are 10 days, 1.03 and 1.002 respectively. It is shown that the radon exposures to miners are similar to those to millions of Americans from environmental exposure, and that miner health risks are comparable to those of other radiation workers. Their lung cancer risk from radon is 7-50 times less than their job-related accident mortality risk, and represents 0.7-4% of their total risk in mining. Miners suffer from many diseases with SMR very much larger than that for radon-induced lung cancer, and there are many other occupations and industries with far higher SMR for lung cancer than that from radon exposure to miners.

  18. A novel mineral flotation process using Thiobacillus ferrooxidans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagaoka, T; Ohmura, N; Saiki, H

    1999-08-01

    Oxidative leaching of metals by Thiobacillus ferrooxidans has proven useful in mineral processing. Here, we report on a new use for T. ferrooxidans, in which bacterial adhesion is used to remove pyrite from mixtures of sulfide minerals during flotation. Under control conditions, the floatabilities of five sulfide minerals tested (pyrite, chalcocite, molybdenite, millerite, and galena) ranged from 90 to 99%. Upon addition of T. ferrooxidans, the floatability of pyrite was significantly suppressed to less than 20%. In contrast, addition of the bacterium had little effect on the floatabilities of the other minerals, even when they were present in relatively large quantities: their floatabilities remained in the range of 81 to 98%. T. ferrooxidans thus appears to selectively suppress pyrite floatability. As a consequence, 77 to 95% of pyrite was removed from mineral mixtures while 72 to 100% of nonpyrite sulfide minerals was recovered. The suppression of pyrite floatability was caused by bacterial adhesion to pyrite surfaces. When normalized to the mineral surface area, the number of cells adhering to pyrite was significantly larger than the number adhering to other minerals. These results suggest that flotation with T. ferrooxidans may provide a novel approach to mineral processing in which the biological functions involved in cell adhesion play a key role in the separation of minerals.

  19. 20 CFR 641.660 - Who is eligible to participate in section 502(e) private sector training activities?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ...(e) private sector training activities? 641.660 Section 641.660 Employees' Benefits EMPLOYMENT AND... PROGRAM Private Sector Training Projects Under Section 502(e) of the OAA § 641.660 Who is eligible to participate in section 502(e) private sector training activities? The same eligibility criteria used in the...

  20. Photocatalytic degradation and mineralization of microcystin-LR under UV-A, solar and visible light using nanostructured nitrogen doped TiO2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Triantis, T.M.; Fotiou, T.; Kaloudis, T.; Kontos, A.G.; Falaras, P.; Dionysiou, D.D.; Pelaez, M.; Hiskia, A.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► N-TiO 2 exhibited effective degradation of MC-LR under UV-A, solar and visible light. ► Complete photocatalytic mineralization of MC-LR was achieved under UV-A and solar light. ► The organic nitrogen is mainly released as ammonium and nitrate ions. - Abstract: In an attempt to face serious environmental hazards, the degradation of microcystin-LR (MC-LR), one of the most common and more toxic water soluble cyanotoxin compounds released by cyanobacteria blooms, was investigated using nitrogen doped TiO 2 (N-TiO 2 ) photocatalyst, under UV-A, solar and visible light. Commercial Degussa P25 TiO 2 , Kronos and reference TiO 2 nanopowders were used for comparison. It was found that under UV-A irradiation, all photocatalysts were effective in toxin elimination. The higher MC-LR degradation (99%) was observed with Degussa P25 TiO 2 followed by N-TiO 2 with 96% toxin destruction after 20 min of illumination. Under solar light illumination, N-TiO 2 nanocatalyst exhibits similar photocatalytic activity with that of commercially available materials such as Degussa P25 and Kronos TiO 2 for the destruction of MC-LR. Upon irradiation with visible light Degussa P25 practically did not show any response, while the N-TiO 2 displayed remarkable photocatalytic efficiency. In addition, it has been shown that photodegradation products did not present any significant protein phosphatase inhibition activity, proving that toxicity is proportional only to the remaining MC-LR in solution. Finally, total organic carbon (TOC) and inorganic ions (NO 2 − , NO 3 − and NH 4 + ) determinations confirmed that complete photocatalytic mineralization of MC-LR was achieved under both UV-A and solar light.

  1. The Law of Contract and the Private School.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duncan, Deirdre J.; Duncan, Robyn M.

    1986-01-01

    Explores contract law governing relationships between the student and school authorities, the teacher and the school, and the school and third parties in Australian private schools. Shows that government schools do not meet the conditions for enforceable contracts under Australian law. Includes seven references. (MLH)

  2. Controlling factors of uranium mineralization and prospect prediction in Qimantage area

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yao Chunling; Zhu Pengfei; Cai Yuqi; Zhang Wenming; Zhao Yong'an; Song Jiye; Zhang Xiaojin

    2011-01-01

    Based on the analysis of regional geology in Qimantage area, the condition for uranium mineralization is summarized in regional geology setting, volcanic, granite and faults. This study shows that this area has favorable prospect for uranium mineralization. The metallogenic model is built up according to the controlling factors over uranium mineralization. Under this model, six potential areas are predicted in MRAS software with mineralization factors of synthetically geological information method. (authors)

  3. Prevalence of low bone mineral density in children and adolescents with celiac disease under treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Eugênia Farias Almeida Motta

    Full Text Available CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Low bone mineral density may be a finding among children and adolescents with celiac disease, including those undergoing treatment with a gluten-free diet, but the data are contradictory. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of bone mineral density abnormalities in patients on a gluten-free diet, considering age at diagnosis and duration of dietary treatment. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional prevalence study at the Pediatric Gastroenterology Outpatient Clinic of Instituto Materno Infantil Professor Fernando Figueira. METHODS: Thirty-one patients over five years of age with celiac disease and on a gluten-free diet were enrolled. Bone mineral density (in g/cm² was measured in the lumbar spine and whole body using bone densitometry and categorized using the criteria of the International Society for Clinical Densitometry, i.e. low bone mineral density for chronological age < -2.0 Z-scores. Age at diagnosis and duration of dietary treatment were confirmed according to the date of starting the gluten-free diet. RESULTS: Low bone density for chronological age was present in 3/31 patients in the lumbar spine and 1/31 in the whole body (also with lumbar spine abnormality. At diagnosis, three patients with low bone mineral density for the chronological age were more than 7.6 years old. These patients had been on a gluten-free diet for six and seven months and 3.4 years. CONCLUSION: Pediatric patients with celiac disease on long-term treatment are at risk of low bone mineral density. Early diagnosis and long periods of gluten-free diet are directly implicated in bone density normalization.

  4. Leveraging public private partnerships to innovate under challenging budget times.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Portilla, Lili M; Rohrbaugh, Mark L

    2014-01-01

    The National Institutes of Health (NIH), academic medical centers and industry have a long and productive history in collaborating together. Decreasing R&D budgets in both the private and public sector have made the need for such collaborations paramount to reduce the risk of further declines in the number of innovative drugs reaching the market to address pressing public health needs. Doing more with less has forced both industry and public sector research institutions (PSRIs) to leverage resources and expertise in order to de-risk projects. In addition, it provides an opportunity to envision and implement new approaches to accomplish these goals. We discuss several of these innovative collaborations and partnerships at the NIH that demonstrate how the NIH and industry are working together to strengthen the drug development pipeline.

  5. The Public/Private Figure Status of Corporate and Executive Libel Plaintiffs after "Gertz."

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drechsel, Robert E.; Moon, Deborah

    Since 1974, when the Supreme Court concluded in "Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc." that public figures and private figures deserve different treatment under libel law (with private figures needing a lower standard of proof), most lower courts have had to sort out the two categories. From the results in "Gertz" and other cases, three…

  6. Modeling CO2-Water-Mineral Wettability and Mineralization for Carbon Geosequestration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Yunfeng; Tsuji, Shinya; Jia, Jihui; Tsuji, Takeshi; Matsuoka, Toshifumi

    2017-07-18

    Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) capture and storage (CCS) is an important climate change mitigation option along with improved energy efficiency, renewable energy, and nuclear energy. CO 2 geosequestration, that is, to store CO 2 under the subsurface of Earth, is feasible because the world's sedimentary basins have high capacity and are often located in the same region of the world as emission sources. How CO 2 interacts with the connate water and minerals is the focus of this Account. There are four trapping mechanisms that keep CO 2 in the pores of subsurface rocks: (1) structural trapping, (2) residual trapping, (3) dissolution trapping, and (4) mineral trapping. The first two are dominated by capillary action, where wettability controls CO 2 and water two-phase flow in porous media. We review state-of-the-art studies on CO 2 /water/mineral wettability, which was found to depend on pressure and temperature conditions, salt concentration in aqueous solutions, mineral surface chemistry, and geometry. We then review some recent advances in mineral trapping. First, we show that it is possible to reproduce the CO 2 /water/mineral wettability at a wide range of pressures using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. As the pressure increases, CO 2 gas transforms into a supercritical fluid or liquid at ∼7.4 MPa depending on the environmental temperature. This transition leads to a substantial decrease of the interfacial tension between CO 2 and reservoir brine (or pure water). However, the wettability of CO 2 /water/rock systems depends on the type of rock surface. Recently, we investigated the contact angle of CO 2 /water/silica systems with two different silica surfaces using MD simulations. We found that contact angle increased with pressure for the hydrophobic (siloxane) surface while it was almost constant for the hydrophilic (silanol) surface, in excellent agreement with experimental observations. Furthermore, we found that the CO 2 thin films at the CO 2 -hydrophilic

  7. Privatization an a national business

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrzej Tokarski

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Privatization is a very complicated process that builds a market economy. It entails numerous problems, the overcoming of which depends on the pace and scale of privatization in a particular country. The privatization process of the Polish economy is assessed differently, and still raises a lot of controversy and debate, not only for the economy, but also politics. This is particularly the privatization of state assets. Privatization was one of the foundations for political transformation in Poland and other Central- and Eastern European countries. Some say that was a great success, while for others it was a field for plunder and affairs. Who is right? Is privatization a success or a failure? This paper aims to present the arguments posed by both supporters and opponents of the privatization in Poland.

  8. Private Tutoring: Evidence from India

    OpenAIRE

    Azam, Mehtabul

    2015-01-01

    Drawing on the nationally representative "Participation and Expenditure in Education" surveys, we document the incidence and cost of private tutoring at different stages of schooling over the last two decades in India. As private tutoring involve two decisions: a) whether to take private tuition or not, and b) how much to spend on private tutoring conditional on positive decision in (a), we analyze the determinants of the two decisions separately using a Hurdle model. We find that private tut...

  9. 25 CFR 213.17 - Government reserves right to purchase minerals produced.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Government reserves right to purchase minerals produced... Leases § 213.17 Government reserves right to purchase minerals produced. In time of war or other public... prevailing market price on the date of sale all or any part of the minerals produced under any lease. Rents...

  10. State-private partnership: aspects of application in the agricultural sphere

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. R. Zakirova

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The relevance of the study is determined by the importance of using the mechanism of public-private partnership in the agro-industrial complex, which allows, under conditions of mutual benefit for the state and business, to expand the resource base and channel untapped resources to sustainable agricultural development. The aim of the article is to study theoretical approaches and substantiate practical recommendations aimed at improving the mechanism of public-private partnership in the Russian agro-industrial complex. In preparing the article, general scientific methods of research were used: analysis and synthesis, generalization, comparison, classification. Results. The mechanism of public-private partnership in modern conditions is investigated, its definitions and essence are analyzed, its importance as an effective form of realization of investment activity is defined. The benefits of implementing public-private partnership projects for the state, business and the whole economy are systematized. Key risks for participants of public-private partnership are highlighted. The foreign experience of realization of joint projects of the state and business is analyzed. Features of public-private partnership in Russia are considered, tendencies of its development are determined. It is established that the agro-industrial complex as a sphere of application of public-private partnership needs special attention, since it is responsible for life support and ensures food security of the country. The program-targeted approach is analyzed, which is implemented in the form of the State Program for the Development of Agriculture and Regulation of Agricultural Products, Raw Materials and Foodstuffs of the Russian Federation. The government benefits from investing in the development of the agro-industrial complex are determined. The directions of methodical work in the sphere of the implementation of public-private projects are singled out. It is concluded

  11. Cottonseed protein, oil, and mineral status in near-isogenic Gossypium hirsutum cotton lines expressing fuzzy/linted and fuzzless/linted seed phenotypes under field conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nacer eBellaloui

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Cotton is an important crop in the world and is a major source of oil for human consumption and cotton meal for livestock. Cottonseed nutrition (seed composition: protein, oil, and minerals determine the quality of seeds. Therefore, maintaining optimum levels of cottonseed nutrition is critical. Physiological and genetic mechanisms controlling the levels of these constituents in cottonseed are still largely unknown. Our previous research conducted under greenhouse conditions showed that seed and leaf nutrition differed between fuzzless and fuzzy seed isolines. Therefore, the objective of this research was to investigate the seed fuzz phenotype (trait effects on seed protein, oil, N, C, S, and minerals in five sets of near-isogenic mutant cotton lines for seed fuzz in a two-year experiment under field condition to evaluate the stability of the effect of the trait on seed nutrition. The isolines (genotypes in each set differ for the seed fuzz trait (fuzzless/linted seed line, N lines, and fuzzy/linted seed line, F lines. Results showed that seed protein was higher in the fuzzy genotype in all sets, but seed oil was higher in fuzzless genotype in all sets. The concentrations of seed Ca and C were higher in all fuzzless genotypes, but N, S, B, Fe, and Zn were higher in most of the fuzzy genotypes. Generally, minerals were higher in leaves of F lines, suggesting the translocation of minerals from leaves to seeds was limited. The research demonstrated that fiber development could be involved in cottonseed composition. This may be due to the involvement of fiber development in carbon and nitrogen metabolism, and the mobility of nutrients from leaves (source to seed (sink. This information is beneficial to breeders to consider fuzzless cottonseed for potential protein and oil use and select for higher oil or higher protein content, and to physiologists to further understand the mobility of minerals to increase the quality of cottonseed nutrition for

  12. SWOT analysis & privatization in Croatia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Družić Ivo

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Legal framework for privatization in Croatia was based on two key laws: the Transformation Act of 1991, and the Privatization Act of 1993, amended in 1996. Early start of privatization process in 1990s in Croatia was marked by the transformation of socially-owned companies into stock holding companies or limited liability companies. The first step (1991-1993 of this process of almost 2700 companies which entered privatization was their evaluation and transformation into private ownership entities. The second step (1994- 1997 consisted of privatization of CPF portfolio. The portfolios change constantly, not only as a result of privatization but also because companies themselves change, as does their position in the market. The third step (1998 in the privatization process was voucher privatization. Privatization of large infrastructure and utility companies designated as public enterprises began in 1999 (Croatian Telecom and INA in 2002 (public enterprises are privatized on the basis of separate laws. Attempts to discuss privatization in Croatia in terms of SWOT analysis have been motivated by the stark difference among Croatian professional economists in an appraisal of Croatia's performance during the transition process in general and of the privatization process in particular. Therefore we considered the elements of SWOT analysis to be an acceptable way to delve into the confusing world of bickering arguments on the state and perspective of the Croatia's privatization process. In this paper we have tried to provide an impartial approach by employing two criteria i.e. strength and weaknesses in judging the events and results of the privatization process in Croatia. Strength of the overall privatization process can be mostly ascribed to the institutional swiftness on micro as well as on macro level. On the micro level 80% of the companies were formally privatized in the first two years despite unfavorable external conditions comprising the

  13. Practical applications of trace minerals for dairy cattle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Overton, T R; Yasui, T

    2014-02-01

    Trace minerals have critical roles in the key interrelated systems of immune function, oxidative metabolism, and energy metabolism in ruminants. To date, the primary trace elements of interest in diets for dairy cattle have included Zn, Cu, Mn, and Se although data also support potentially important roles of Cr, Co, and Fe in diets. Trace minerals such as Zn, Cu, Mn, and Se are essential with classically defined roles as components of key antioxidant enzymes and proteins. Available evidence indicates that these trace minerals can modulate aspects of oxidative metabolism and immune function in dairy cattle, particularly during the transition period and early lactation. Chromium has been shown to influence both immune function and energy metabolism of cattle; dairy cows fed Cr during the transition period and early lactation have evidence of improved immune function, increased milk production, and decreased cytological endometritis. Factors that complicate trace mineral nutrition at the farm level include the existence of a large number of antagonisms affecting bioavailability of individual trace minerals and uncertainty in terms of requirements under all physiological and management conditions; therefore, determining the optimum level and source of trace minerals under each specific situation continues to be a challenge. Typical factorial approaches to determine requirements for dairy cattle do not account for nuances in biological function observed with supplementation with various forms and amounts of trace minerals. Trace mineral nutrition modulates production, health, and reproduction in cattle although both formal meta-analysis and informal survey of the literature reveal substantial heterogeneity of response in these outcome variables. The industry has largely moved away from oxide-based programs toward sulfate-based programs; however, some evidence favors shifting supplementation strategies further toward more bioavailable forms of inorganic and organic trace

  14. Resource power and resource security: the politics of nonfuel minerals trade

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kahn, O.E.

    1985-01-01

    The developed producers, Canada, Australia, and South Africa, and not the developing producers, are the power wielders and major tracers in nonfuel minerals. Specific circumstances allow producers to obtain compliant behavior from consumers. These include: exporter's market share, importer's degree of dependence, the material's being critical to importer's economy, and the trading system's condoning nonmarket goals. These (and other) criteria comprise an analytical device, the strategic trading relationship, which is used to demonstrate developed producer commodity power and developed consumer vulnerability. Consuming country governments rely on the private sector to deal with national enmeshment in strategic trading relationships. Japan excepted, OECD members fail either to address their continued access to nonfuel minerals, or their ability to survive supply disruption with minimum dislocation. Producer power is exemplified by Canada's threat and use of embargo to make her uranium customers tighten their nonproliferation policies. Structural power deters South Africa's ability to head off wholehearted economic pressure is the classic case

  15. How a new 'public plan' could affect hospitals' finances and private insurance premiums.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dobson, Allen; DaVanzo, Joan E; El-Gamil, Audrey M; Berger, Gregory

    2009-01-01

    Two key health reform bills in the House of Representatives and Senate include the option of a "public plan" as an additional source of health coverage. At least initially, the plan would primarily be structured to cover many of the uninsured and those who now have individual coverage. Because it is possible, and perhaps even likely, that this new public payer would pay less than private payers for the same services, such a plan could negatively affect hospital margins. Hospitals may attempt to recoup losses by shifting costs to private payers. We outline the financial pressures that hospitals and private payers could experience under various assumptions. High uninsured enrollment in a public plan would bolster hospital margins; however, this effect is reversed if the privately insured enter a public plan in large proportions, potentially stressing the hospital industry and increasing private insurance premiums.

  16. Implementation of RNTCP in a private medical college: five years' experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arora, Vijay; Jaiswal, Ashish K; Gupta, Sonisha; Gupta, Mohan B; Jain, Vidhushi; Ghanchi, Firoz

    2012-07-01

    . The outcome in our study was in accordance with the outcome at national level under RNTCP. Because of extensive educational activities, single window information system and referring the patients back to private sector after completion of treatment increased the confidence amongst the private physicians. These results strengthen the Private-Private Collaboration and show that a stronger link can be developed between medical college and private setup, leading to implementation of successful Private-Private Strategy.

  17. The System Dynamics Research on the Private Cars' Amount in Beijing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Jie; Yan, Guang-Le

    The thesis analyzes the development problem of private cars’ amount in Beijing from the perspective of system dynamics. With the flow chart illustrating the relationships of relevant elements, the SD model is established by VENSIM to simulate the growth trend of private autos’ amount in the future on the background of “Public Transportation First” policy based on the original data in Beijing. Then the article discusses the forecasting impacts of “Single-and-double license plate number limit” on the number of city vehicles and private cars under the assumption that this policy implemented for long after the 2008 Olympic Games. Finally, some recommendations are put forward for proper control over this problem.

  18. Increasing Severity of Pneumoconiosis Among Younger Former US Coal Miners Working Exclusively Under Modern Dust-Control Regulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graber, Judith M; Harris, Gerald; Almberg, Kirsten S; Rose, Cecile S; Petsonk, Edward L; Cohen, Robert A

    2017-06-01

    Coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) steadily declined among US miners following dust control regulations in 1970. In 2000, severe forms of this disease reemerged among young miners, and are well described among working-but not former-miners. Black lung benefits program (BLBP) data (2001 to 2013) were used to estimate respiratory disease burden among former miners including: (1) CWP (simple; advanced CWP, and progressive massive fibrosis [CWP/PMF]); and (2) respiratory impairment (FEV1 percent reference: mild, moderate, ≥moderately-severe). Among 24,686 claimants, 8.5% had advanced CWP/PMF; prevalence was highest among younger (less than or equal to 56 years: 10.8%) and older (greater than 70 years: 8.4%) miners and those who began work after versus before 1970 (8.3% vs. 4.0%). BLBP claims provide potentially useful data for monitoring the burden and severity of coal mine dust lung disease, and assessing efficacy of protective regulations.

  19. Peronism, dictatorship and private universities in Argentina of the 1970s

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Víctor Hugo Algañaraz Soria

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Drawing from the analysis of university regulations, specialized literature and mainly documentary and testimonial sources, this paper addresses the weft of the private university sector during the complex interregnum that meant the seventies years for Argentina's recent history. We´ll observe that after the re-entry of Peronism to power State in 1973, the high sustainability acquired by the sector in previous years was put in check: student conflicts, political interventions and a restrained institutional growth, were some of its distinctive features. Regarding the last military dictatorship (1976-1983, opened a contradictory stage of development for private universities. Despite the alternating of conservative catholics in educative area and privatizing slant identified as a milestone of the implemented economic model, the private sector was contracted under the most brutal subjugation of the university system as a whole. However, some catholic universities were benefited with important economic stimulus

  20. [On the role of the state-private partnership in public health].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nechaev, V S; Nisan, B A

    2012-01-01

    The article deals with the issues of study of state-private partnership in the framework of development of strategic measures of regulation of this area in public health. It is demonstrated that the regulation of state-private partnership has to combine the dynamism inherent in entrepreneurship and the public stability needed for normal public health functioning. The control functions of state authorities in the area of public health policy developed into concept of "supervision" which obligates the state to manage the health system guided by norms of ethics and financial expediency. The regulation as a main tool of "supervision" in the state-private partnership has to meet the same two requirements. The activation of entrepreneur activity in public health by no means is caused by increase of privatization in this sector. Under these conditions, the implementation of market mechanisms in public health system make is more effective and efficient.

  1. Is there a duty for private employers to provide emergency mental health care services?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langlieb, Tammara F; Langlieb, Alan M; Everly, George S

    2006-01-01

    This article presents a discussion of whether employers in private companies have a duty to provide an emergency action plan with a mental health component for its employees. It discusses basic negligence concepts and focuses mainly on the "duty of care" component of negligence. It then applies the negligence concepts to private employers and discusses how private companies arguably might have a duty under the laws of negligence to provide employees with an emergency action plan, specifically a plan including mental health provisions.

  2. Effects of apple branch biochar on soil C mineralization and nutrient cycling under two levels of N.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Shuailin; Liang, Chutao; Shangguan, Zhouping

    2017-12-31

    The incorporation of biochar into soil has been proposed as a strategy for enhancing soil fertility and crop productivity. However, there is limited information regarding the responses of soil respiration and the C, N and P cycles to the addition of apple branch biochar at different rates to soil with different levels of N. A 108-day incubation experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of the rate of biochar addition (0, 1, 2 and 4% by mass) on soil respiration and nutrients and the activities of enzymes involved in C, N and P cycling under two levels of N. Our results showed that the application of apple branch biochar at rates of 2% and 4% increased the C-mineralization rate, while biochar amendment at 1% decreased the C-mineralization rate, regardless of the N level. The soil organic C and microbial biomass C and P contents increased as the rate of biochar addition was increased to 2%. The biochar had negative effects on β-glucosidase, N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase and urease activity in N-poor soil but exerted a positive effect on all of these factors in N-rich soil. Alkaline phosphatase activity increased with an increase in the rate of biochar addition, but the available P contents after all biochar addition treatments were lower than those obtained in the treatments without biochar. Biochar application at rates of 2% and 4% reduced the soil nitrate content, particularly in N-rich soil. Thus, apple branch biochar has the potential to sequester C and improve soil fertility, but the responses of soil C mineralization and nutrient cycling depend on the rate of addition and soil N levels. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. [The combined action of drinking mineral water and low-intensity electromagnetic radiation under the immobilization stress conditions (an experimental study)].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korolev, Yu N; Bobrovnitsky, I P; Geniatulina, M S; Mikhailik, L V; Nikulina, L A; Bobkova, A S; Yakovlev, M Yu

    2015-01-01

    The present study carried out on white male rats in experiments with the use of biochemical, radioimmunological, and electron- microscopic methods. It was shown that the combined treatment with potable mineral water (MV) and low-intensity electromagnetic radiation (LIEMR) of ultrahigh frequency (power density less than 1 pW/cm2, the frequency about 1000 MHz) facilitated the activation of metabolic and intracellular regenerative processes in the liver and testes. One of the advantages of the combined application of MV and LIEMR over the single-factor treatment manifested itself as the weakening of stress reactions, the increase in the frequency of the plastic processes, and the more harmonious development of different forms of intracellular regeneration. The results of the study provide a deeper insight ino the mechanisms underlying the combined actions of drinking mineral water and low-intensity electromagnetic radiation; also, they justify the application of these factors for the protection of the reproductive system and the entire body from stress-induced disorders.

  4. Beyond the financial logic: realizing valuable outcomes in public-private partnerships in Flanders and Ontario

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van den Hurk, M.; Hueskes, M.

    2017-01-01

    The value of public–private partnerships has typically been sought in financial and budgetary benefits. In both research and practice, important aspects of nonfinancial value have remained under the radar. This article discusses four “white raven” public–private partnerships that have shown rather

  5. Public Versus Private: Does It Matter for Water Conservation? Insights from California

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kallis, Giorgos; Ray, Isha; Fulton, Julian; McMahon, James E.

    2010-01-01

    This article asks three connected questions: First, does the public view private and public utilities differently, and if so, does this affect attitudes to conservation? Second, do public and private utilities differ in their approaches to conservation? Finally, do differences in the approaches of the utilities, if any, relate to differences in public attitudes? We survey public attitudes in California toward (hypothetical but plausible) voluntary and mandated water conservation, as well as to price increases, during a recent period of shortage. We do this by interviewing households in three pairs of adjacent public and private utilities. We also survey managers of public and private urban water utilities to see if they differ in their approaches to conservation and to their customers. On the user side we do not find pronounced differences, though a minority of customers in all private companies would be more willing to conserve or pay higher prices under a public operator. No respondent in public utility said the reverse. Negative attitudes toward private operators were most pronounced in the pair marked by a controversial recent privatization and a price hike. Nonetheless, we find that California’s history of recurrent droughts and the visible role of the state in water supply and drought management undermine the distinction between public and private. Private utilities themselves work to underplay the distinction by stressing the collective ownership of the water source and the collective value of conservation. Overall, California’s public utilities appear more proactive and target-oriented in asking their customers to conserve than their private counterparts and the state continues to be important in legitimating and guiding conservation behavior, whether the utility is in public hands or private.

  6. The Growth of Private Regulation of Labor Standards in Global Supply Chains

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Knudsen, Jette Steen

    2013-01-01

    Multinational corporations (MNCs) have come under pressure to adopt private regulatory initiatives such as supplier codes of conduct in order to address poor working conditions in global supply chain factories. While a well-known literature explores drivers and outcomes of such monitoring schemes...... requirements in global supply chains even though compliance is a “mission impossible” for many smaller firms. As a result of this development, the private regulatory system is facing growing strain.......Multinational corporations (MNCs) have come under pressure to adopt private regulatory initiatives such as supplier codes of conduct in order to address poor working conditions in global supply chain factories. While a well-known literature explores drivers and outcomes of such monitoring schemes......, this literature focuses mainly on large firms and has ignored the growing integration of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) into global supply chains. Furthermore, the literature on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in SMEs primarily emphasizes domestic initiatives and not global challenges. Focusing...

  7. Registry of Mineral and Petroleum Titles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maclellan, I. M.; Kaizer, J. L.; McCulloch, P. D.; Ratcliffe, R.; Wenning, A. S. [Nova Scotia Dept. of Natural Resources, Halifax, NS (Canada)

    2000-07-01

    Activities of the Nova Scotia Registry of Mineral and Petroleum Titles are described, including statistical information about staking and mining activity in the province during 1999. In terms of activities, the Registry receives applications and issues licenses and leases for mineral and petroleum rights, receives statements of exploration expenditures and assessment reports that pertain to renewal of licenses and leases, maintains maps showing the disposition of lands under license or lease, and maintains a system of prospector registration. In addition, the Registry processes applications for underground gas storage rights and treasure trove rights and maintains a database of information concerning production and employment in Nova Scotia mines and quarries. At the end 1999 there were 230,660 hectares under exploration licence. Exploration expenditures, including engineering, economic and feasibility studies during 1999 totalled $4.2 million, mostly by junior mining companies searching for industrial mineral commodities. Mining activity during 1999 generated revenues of $340 million. Coal production dropped by 25 per cent, due mainly to the closure of the Phalen Mine. Gypsum production was up to 7.9 million tonnes; shipments of cement, barite and clay products also increased during 1999; salt production remained unchanged from 1998 with 842,000 tonnes. Production of construction aggregates totalled 10.6 million tonnes, down slightly from the year before. Mineral industry employment was roughly 2,500 persons, down by 24 per cent from 1998 levels, due primarily to the closure of the Phalen Mine.

  8. Challenges of local public services management through public-private partnership

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Violeta TINCU

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Under the legislation currently in force in the Republic of Moldova, public administration shall not bear the exclusive “burden” of organizing and managing public services on its own. Such a responsibility could be delegated to subjects outside the system of public administration. Scholars in the field call it an “indirect or delegated management” of public services. Public-private partnership is a new manner of delegating public services management. International experience has proven that such a partnership can be beneficial for public administration, contributing to improvements in public services quality. The reason is obvious: the private sector is competitive and client/user-oriented. However, the public-private partnership, which are not sufficiently operated in the legislation in force, also involves serious risks for the public partners.

  9. Public private partnerships

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Miranda Sarmento, J.J.

    2014-01-01

    Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are increasing in number worldwide and are used to build and manage large public infrastructure projects. In PPPs, the private sector plays a role in developing and maintaining public infrastructure and services, which is usually a public sector responsibility.

  10. Financial Private Regulation and Enforcement

    OpenAIRE

    MILLER, Geoffrey

    2011-01-01

    This paper has been delivered within the context of the research project "Transnational Private Regulatory Regimes: Constitutional foundations and governance design". This paper considers the topic of private regulation and enforcement for internationally active financial services firms. The paper documents the following types of regulation and enforcement that involve significant private input: house rules, contracts, internal compliance, management-based regulation, private standard-sett...

  11. 20 CFR 641.670 - May an eligible individual be enrolled simultaneously in section 502(e) private sector training...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... simultaneously in section 502(e) private sector training activities operated by one grantee and a community... EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM Private Sector Training Projects Under Section 502(e) of the OAA § 641.670 May an eligible individual be enrolled simultaneously in section 502(e) private sector training activities operated by one...

  12. Photocatalytic degradation and mineralization of microcystin-LR under UV-A, solar and visible light using nanostructured nitrogen doped TiO{sub 2}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Triantis, T.M.; Fotiou, T. [Laboratory of Catalytic - Photocatalytic Processes (Solar Energy - Environment), Institute of Physical Chemistry, National Center for Scientific Research ' Demokritos' , Neapoleos 25, 15310 Agia Paraskevi, Attiki (Greece); Kaloudis, T. [Organic Micropollutants Laboratory, Athens Water Supply and Sewerage Company (EYDAP SA), WTP Aharnon, Menidi (Greece); Kontos, A.G.; Falaras, P. [Laboratory of Photo-redox Conversion and Storage of Solar Energy, Institute of Physical Chemistry, National Center for Scientific Research ' Demokritos' , Neapoleos 25, 15310 Agia Paraskevi, Attiki (Greece); Dionysiou, D.D.; Pelaez, M. [Environmental Engineering and Science Program, School of Energy, Environmental, Biological and Medical Engineering, University of Cincinnati, OH 45221-0012 (United States); Hiskia, A., E-mail: hiskia@chem.demokritos.gr [Laboratory of Catalytic - Photocatalytic Processes (Solar Energy - Environment), Institute of Physical Chemistry, National Center for Scientific Research ' Demokritos' , Neapoleos 25, 15310 Agia Paraskevi, Attiki (Greece)

    2012-04-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer N-TiO{sub 2} exhibited effective degradation of MC-LR under UV-A, solar and visible light. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Complete photocatalytic mineralization of MC-LR was achieved under UV-A and solar light. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The organic nitrogen is mainly released as ammonium and nitrate ions. - Abstract: In an attempt to face serious environmental hazards, the degradation of microcystin-LR (MC-LR), one of the most common and more toxic water soluble cyanotoxin compounds released by cyanobacteria blooms, was investigated using nitrogen doped TiO{sub 2} (N-TiO{sub 2}) photocatalyst, under UV-A, solar and visible light. Commercial Degussa P25 TiO{sub 2}, Kronos and reference TiO{sub 2} nanopowders were used for comparison. It was found that under UV-A irradiation, all photocatalysts were effective in toxin elimination. The higher MC-LR degradation (99%) was observed with Degussa P25 TiO{sub 2} followed by N-TiO{sub 2} with 96% toxin destruction after 20 min of illumination. Under solar light illumination, N-TiO{sub 2} nanocatalyst exhibits similar photocatalytic activity with that of commercially available materials such as Degussa P25 and Kronos TiO{sub 2} for the destruction of MC-LR. Upon irradiation with visible light Degussa P25 practically did not show any response, while the N-TiO{sub 2} displayed remarkable photocatalytic efficiency. In addition, it has been shown that photodegradation products did not present any significant protein phosphatase inhibition activity, proving that toxicity is proportional only to the remaining MC-LR in solution. Finally, total organic carbon (TOC) and inorganic ions (NO{sub 2}{sup -}, NO{sub 3}{sup -} and NH{sub 4}{sup +}) determinations confirmed that complete photocatalytic mineralization of MC-LR was achieved under both UV-A and solar light.

  13. Argentina : Gender Equity in the Private Sector

    OpenAIRE

    World Bank

    2010-01-01

    First tested in Mexico in 2003, and most recently applied in 2009 in Argentina, the World Bank has developed a model to incorporate gender equity into private sector organizations while simultaneously enhancing their business. Under the model, participating organizations conduct a self-diagnosis to identify gender biases and gaps in the operations. This baseline is then used to create and ...

  14. Biologically controlled minerals as potential indicators of life

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwartz, D. E.; Mancinelli, R. L.; Kaneshiro, E.

    1991-01-01

    Minerals can be produced and deposited either by abiotic or biologic means. Regardless of their origin, mineral crystals reflect the environment conditions (e.g., temperature, pressure, chemical composition, and redox potential) present during crystal formation. Biologically-produced mineral crystals are grown or reworked under the control of their host organism and reflect an environment different from the abiotic environment. In addition, minerals of either biologic or abiotic origin have great longevities. For these reasons, biologically produced minerals have been proposed as biomarkers. Biomarkers are key morphological, chemical, and isotopic signatures of living systems that can be used to determine if life processes have occurred. Studies of biologically controlled minerals produced by the protist, Paramecium tetraurelia, were initiated since techniques have already been developed to culture them and isolate their crystalline material, and methods are already in place to analyze this material. Two direct crystalline phases were identified. One phase, whose chemical composition is high in Mg, was identified as struvite. The second phase, whose chemical composition is high in Ca, has not been previously found occurring naturally and may be considered a newly discovered material. Analyses are underway to determine the characteristics of these minerals in order to compare them with characteristics of these minerals in order to compare them with characteristics of minerals formed abiotically, but with the same chemical composition.

  15. 'Going private': a qualitative comparison of medical specialists' job satisfaction in the public and private sectors of South Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashmore, John

    2013-01-03

    There is a highly inequitable distribution of health workers between public and private sectors in South Africa, partly due to within-country migration trends. This article elaborates what South African medical specialists find satisfying about working in the public and private sectors, at present, and how to better incentivize retention in the public sector. Seventy-four qualitative interviews were conducted - among specialists and key informants - based in one public and one private urban hospital in South Africa. Interviews were coded to determine common job satisfaction factors, both financial and non-financial in nature. This served as background to a broader study on the impacts of specialist 'dual practice', that is, moonlighting. All qualitative specialist respondents were engaged in dual practice, generally working in both public and private sectors. Respondents were thus able to compare what was satisfying about these sectors, having experience of both. Results demonstrate that although there are strong financial incentives for specialists to migrate from the public to the private sector, public work can be attractive in some ways. For example, the public hospital sector generally provides more of a team environment, more academic opportunities, and greater opportunities to feel 'needed' and 'relevant'. However, public specialists suffer under poor resource availability, lack of trust for the Department of Health, and poor perceived career opportunities. These non-financial issues of public sector dissatisfaction appeared just as important, if not more important, than wage disparities. The results are useful for understanding both what brings specialists to migrate to the private sector, and what keeps some working in the public sector. Policy recommendations center around boosting public sector resources and building trust of the public sector through including health workers more in decision-making, inter alia. These interventions may be more cost

  16. Water for Life: The Impact of the Privatization of Water Services on Child Mortality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galiani, Sebastian; Gertler, Paul; Schargrodsky, Ernesto

    2005-01-01

    While most countries are committed to increasing access to safe water and thereby reducing child mortality, there is little consensus on how to actually improve water services. One important proposal under discussion is whether to privatize water provision. In the 1990s Argentina embarked on one of the largest privatization campaigns in the world,…

  17. Private placements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bugeaud, G. J. R.

    1998-01-01

    The principles underlying private placements in Alberta, and the nature of the processes employed by the Alberta Securities Commission in handling such transactions were discussed. The Alberta Securities Commission's mode of operation was demonstrated by the inclusion of various documents issued by the Commission concerning (1) special warrant transactions prior to listing, (2) a decision by the Executive Director refusing to issue a receipt for the final prospectus for a distribution of securities of a company and the reasons for the refusal, (3) the Commission's decision to interfere with the Executive Director's decision not to issue a receipt for the final prospectus, with full citation of the Commission's reasons for its decision, (4) and a series of proposed rules and companion policy statements regarding trades and distributions outside and in Alberta. Text of a sample 'short form prospectus' was also included

  18. Depth distribution of 137Cs adsorption property of clay minerals influenced by mineral weathering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakao, Atsushi; Funakawa, Shinya; Kosaki, Takashi

    2007-01-01

    Radiocesium adsorption potential of mica clay mineral can increase as it is weathered, because K depletion in mica interlayer sites generates new Cs selective sites. However, in soils weathered under field conditions, the increase in 137 Cs adsorption potential associated with mineral weathering has not been observed extensively. We investigated four soil profiles from Japan and Thailand with different soil pH ranges (3.3-4.0, 4.2-4.3, 5.0-5.7, and 5.5-7.3). The solid/liquid distribution coefficients of Cs ( Cs Kd) in clay ( 137 Cs adsorption potential of mica clay minerals. In three soil profiles, Cs Kd value in clay was the largest at a surface horizon and was decreased with depth, whereas in the most acidic of Podzolic soil profile, it was the largest at B horizon. The large Cs Kd value in surface clays relative to deeper horizons were well associated with that of 2.0-1.0 μm clay fraction. We assumed that the 137 Cs adsorption potential increased at surface horizons mainly because coarser clay micas were weathered and generated Cs selective sites. The exceptional result obtained in Podzolic soil profile suggests that too intensive weathering destruct mica structure and may decrease in Cs adsorption potential of mica clay minerals. (author)

  19. The mineral economy of Brazil--Economia mineral do Brasil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gurmendi, Alfredo C.; Barboza, Frederico Lopes; Thorman, Charles H.

    1999-01-01

    This study depicts the Brazilian government structure, mineral legislation and investment policy, taxation, foreign investment policies, environmental laws and regulations, and conditions in which the mineral industry operates. The report underlines Brazil's large and diversified mineral endowment. A total of 37 mineral commodities, or groups of closely related commodities, is discussed. An overview of the geologic setting of the major mineral deposits is presented. This report is presented in English and Portuguese in pdf format.

  20. Nineteenth Century Public And Private Spheres

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    SIMA REMINA

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to illustrate the public and private spheres. The former represents the area in which each of us carries out their daily activities, while the latter is mirrored by the home. Kate Chopin and Charlotte Perkins Gilman are two salient nineteenth-century writers who shape the everyday life of the historical period they lived in, within their literary works that shed light on the areas under discussion.

  1. From the Private to the Public to the Private?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kjær, Poul F.

    2018-01-01

    A central assumption in much contemporary scholarship is that a central shift has taken place over the course of the last four decades: a shift from a world largely centered on public authority to a world that is increasingly dominated by private authority. The central expression of this shift...... is seen to be a concurring move from public to private law and thus from legislation to contract as the central legal instrument structuring economic as well as other social processes. While developments in this direction can certainly be observed, this article provides a more nuanced perspective....... Outlining a long-term historical perspective, this article reconstructs the manifold and volatile dynamic between institutionalized forms of public and private authority. It does soon the basis of the argument that, in the course of this evolutionary process, the very function and meaning of both public...

  2. Estoques totais de carbono orgânico e seus compartimentos em argissolo sob floresta e sob milho cultivado com adubação mineral e orgânica Total stocks of organic carbon and its pools in acrisols under forest and under maize cultivated with mineral and organic fertilization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. F. C. Leite

    2003-10-01

    were: a to evaluate the effect of maize production systems under organic and mineral fertilization on total organic carbon (TOC and total nitrogen (TN stocks and on organic carbon pools (C in an Acrisol; and b to estimate the contribution of these systems in the atmospheric CO2 sequestration or emission. The production systems included two levels of organic compost: level 0 (control and level 1 (40 m³ ha-1; and three levels of mineral fertilizer (0, 1 and 2, which correspond to 0,250 (AM1, and 500 kg ha-1 (AM2 of the 4-14-8 formula. Organic and mineral fertilizer were combined and applied during 16 years. As a reference of the steady state, soil samples were collected from an adjacent area of the same soil type, under secondary Atlantic Forest (AF. Where organic compost was added, the production systems presented higher organic C and N soil storage, light fraction carbon (C LF and labile carbon (C L than production systems without fertilization or with mineral fertilizer only. This confirms the importance of organic fertilizer utilization as a management strategy to improve soil quality. However, the soil under AF showed higher values of organic C and N storage and carbon pools than soils under production systems. Due to their higher sensitivity, the stocks of the C LF and C L were more severely decreased than the TOC stocks and thus, may be used as indicators of the anthropogenic impact or the influence of management alterations on the soil organic matter.

  3. Private Capital, Public Goods: Forest Plantations' Investment in Local Infrastructure and Social Services in Rural Tanzania

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Degnet, M.B.; Werf, van der E.; Ingram, V.J.; Wesseler, Justus

    2017-01-01

    With the rapid expansion of private forest plantations worldwide, their impacts on local development are under scrutiny by NGOs and researchers alike. This study investigates the impacts of private forest plantations on local infrastructure and social services in rural Tanzania. We take a

  4. Serial private infrastructures

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van den Berg, V.A.C.

    2013-01-01

    This paper investigates private supply of two congestible infrastructures that are serial, where the consumer has to use both in order to consume. Four market structures are analysed: a monopoly and 3 duopolies that differ in how firms interact. It is well known that private supply leads too high

  5. The private partners of public health: public-private alliances for public good.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDonnell, Sharon; Bryant, Carol; Harris, Jeff; Campbell, Marci Kramish; Lobb, Ano; Hannon, Peggy A; Cross, Jeffrey L; Gray, Barbara

    2009-04-01

    We sought to convey lessons learned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Prevention Research Centers (PRCs) about the value and challenges of private-sector alliances resulting in innovative health promotion strategies. Several PRCs based in a variety of workplace and community settings contributed. We conducted interviews with principal investigators, a literature review, and a review of case studies of private-sector alliances in a microbusiness model, a macrobusiness model, and as multiparty partnerships supporting public health research, implementation, and human resource services. Private-sector alliances provide many advantages, particularly access to specialized skills generally beyond the expertise of public health entities. These skills include manufacturing, distribution, marketing, business planning, and development. Alliances also allow ready access to employee populations. Public health entities can offer private-sector partners funding opportunities through special grants, data gathering and analysis skills, and enhanced project credibility and trust. Challenges to successful partnerships include time and resource availability and negotiating the cultural divide between public health and the private sector. Critical to success are knowledge of organizational culture, values, mission, currency, and methods of operation; an understanding of and ability to articulate the benefits of the alliance for each partner; and the ability and time to respond to unexpected changes and opportunities. Private-public health alliances are challenging, and developing them takes time and resources, but aspects of these alliances can capitalize on partners' strengths, counteract weaknesses, and build collaborations that produce better outcomes than otherwise possible. Private partners may be necessary for program initiation or success. CDC guidelines and support materials may help nurture these alliances.

  6. Perempuan Gianyar dan Belenggu Ranah Publik dan Privat

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ni Made Ras Amanda Gelgel

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Women’s roles in political and social world have been looked down by the society. The patriarchy system adhered by the Balinese people make women’s position subordinated to men. Even though women have big roles not just in private sector but also in public sector, Balinese’s women still think they do not have big contribution in their family. It is also happening in Gianyar, Bali. People in Gianyar Bali have a strict Balinese’s culture that make women have more role besides the other women in Indonesia. The research problem is what are women’s perception about their role in private and public sectors? The research was based on quantitative method by using questionnaire to 400 sample in Gianyar Bali. Research came out that women in Gianyar were spending their time dealing with household job and customary matters. They did not have time for themselves and consider themselves remain in the subordinated position. Women in Gianyar live under high hegemonic of their roles both in private and public spheres.

  7. Using the competing values framework (CVF to investigate organisational culture in a major private security company

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D Kokt

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available The proliferation of crime, especially in the South African context, has placed considerable emphasis on the private security industry.  This has also increased fierce competition in the private security domain with both national and international private security companies infiltrating the South African market.  Like public policing private security has an important role to play in combating crime and other transgressions, with the exception that private security owes its existence to paying customers.  By using the Competing Values Framework (CVF as conceptual guide, the researchers are able to provide the managers of the company under investigation with insight on how their cultural orientation affects their functioning and ultimately their competitive advantage.

  8. The Face of Private Tutoring in Russia: Evidence from Online Marketing by Private Tutors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kozar, Olga

    2013-01-01

    Private tutoring is a common and worldwide phenomenon. However, there is a dearth of up-to-date research on private tutoring compared with that on institutional one-to-one teaching, which could be explained by challenges associated with data collection. This article proposes using publicly available online advertisements of private tutors as a…

  9. From Social to Private Ownership

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gregoric, Aleksandra; Masten, Arjana Brezigar; Zajc, Katarina

    2011-01-01

    of the multiple blockholder structures that these firms were assigned at privatization. We observe significant path dependence: patterns of ownership and control are in part determined by the persistence of the initial privatization owners (state funds, privatization investment funds, employees, and managers...

  10. Fe-Impregnated Mineral Colloids for Peroxide Activation: Effects of Mineral Substrate and Fe Precursor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yue; Machala, Libor; Yan, Weile

    2016-02-02

    Heterogeneous iron species at the mineral/water interface are important catalysts for the generation of reactive oxygen species at circumneutral pH. One significant pathway leading to the formation of such species arises from deposition of dissolved iron onto mineral colloids due to changes in redox conditions. This study investigates the catalytic properties of Fe impregnated on silica, alumina, and titania nanoparticles (as prototypical mineral colloids). Fe impregnation was carried out by immersing the mineral nanoparticles in dilute Fe(II) or Fe(III) solutions at pH 6 and 3, respectively, in an aerobic environment. The uptake of iron per unit surface area follows the order of nTiO2 > nAl2O3 > nSiO2 for both types of Fe precursors. Impregnation of mineral particles in Fe(II) solutions results in predominantly Fe(III) species due to efficient surface-mediated oxidation. The catalytic activity of the impregnated solids to produce hydroxyl radical (·OH) from H2O2 decomposition was evaluated using benzoic acid as a probe compound under dark conditions. Invariably, the rates of benzoic acid oxidation with different Fe-laden particles increase with the surface density of Fe until a critical density above which the catalytic activity approaches a plateau, suggesting active Fe species are formed predominantly at low surface loadings. The critical surface density of Fe varies with the mineral substrate as well as the aqueous Fe precursor. Fe impregnated on TiO2 exhibits markedly higher activity than its Al2O3 and SiO2 counterparts. The speciation of interfacial Fe is analyzed with diffuse reflectance UV-vis analysis and interpretation of the data in the context of benzoic oxidation rates suggests that the surface activity of the solids for ·OH generation correlates strongly with the isolated (i.e., mononuclear) Fe species. Therefore, iron dispersed on mineral colloids is a significant form of reactive iron surfaces in the aquatic environment.

  11. Opportunities for privatization and alliances in a deregulated marketplace

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Erling, J.M. [KPMG, Toronto, ON (Canada)

    1998-09-01

    The main implications for municipal electric utilities (MEUs) and businesses in a deregulated, open access energy market include a range of possible alternative business structures, constraints on choices, increased risks, the need to understand objectives, capabilities and capacity for bearing risks. The issue of what business MEUs are in, what services they provide and how those services should be delivered, was hotly debated. It was suggested that with increasing competition, the range of possible business structures and arrangements will widen significantly. The different public-private options available to MEUs are (1) the conventional tender process, (2) contracting out, (3) joint ventures with a private company, (4) franchising, (5) outsourcing of specific functions, (6) operating agreements, (7) lease arrangements, (8) build-operate-transfer options (BOTs), and (9) the full privatization scenario. It was noted that some forms of public-private partnerships are more suited to some businesses than others. Also, different partnership structures can be used in different parts of any business. Objectives for any partnership should include maximizing profitability, minimizing risk and promoting economic development but under competition. The ability to choose objectives will change significantly and the achievement of any of the objectives will be determined by the marketplace. Some guidelines on measuring success and on maximizing market value were offered. Global trends towards more unbundling and price transparency, more outsourcing to the private sector, more competition, less government, regulatory reform and blurring of the boundaries between utility sectors were predicted.

  12. Factors Influencing the Private Involvement in Urban Rail Public-Private Partnership Projects in China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yongjian Ke

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Private investors have been encouraged to participate in the development and operation of urban rail projects in China through Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs, given the fact that subnational governments are suffering from urgent development demands and severe fiscal pressure. However, there is no formal assessment to determine the private involvement in a PPP project. This problem is particularly critical in the sector of urban rail, in which the huge investment cannot rely on the private sector alone. This study hence aimed to uncover and identify the influencing factors. Multiple research methods, including content analysis, case study and focus group discussion were adopted to achieve the research purpose. Seven types of influencing factors were identified, including project financial model, government fiscal commitment, risk allocation, public accountability, efficiency considerations, policy and regulations, and organisational marketing strategies. The findings add to the current knowledge base by uncovering the drivers behind private involvement in a PPP project. They are also beneficial for industry practitioners as a basis/checklist to determine the private involvement.

  13. Does Society Win or Lose as a Result of Privatization? The Case of Water Sector Privatization in Colombia

    OpenAIRE

    Mauricio Olivera; Felipe Barrera

    2007-01-01

    This paper studies the effects of water sector privatization on consumers’ welfare in 46 municipalities in Colombia. First, the privatization process is described. Second, the paper evaluates the impact of privatization on access, price, and quality of water as well as health outcomes using differences-in-differences methodology with variation across time (before and after privatization) and between treatment and control groups (privatized and non-privatized municipalities) and controlling fo...

  14. A fase estrogênica altera a resposta do osso e do metabolismo mineral de ratas com hipertireoidismo? Does the estrogenic phase modify the bone and mineral metabolism response in rats under hyperthyroidism?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N.M. Ocarino

    2003-08-01

    Full Text Available The effect of the estrogenic phase in the bone and in the mineral metabolism was studied in Wistar adult female rats kept under euthyroidism or hyperthyroidism for 60 days. The rats were divided, according to the stage of the estrous cycle, into four groups: 1 euthyroid (proestrus-estrus, 2 euthyroid (metaestrus-diestrus, 3 hyperthyroid (proestrus-estrus, and 4 hyperthyroid (metaestrus-diestrus. After 60 days the blood plasma was collected and the concentrations of free T4, estradiol, progesterone, calcium, phosphorus, and of alkaline phosphatase were determined. The bones (femur and tibia were analysed microscopically. Despite of the functional state of the thyroid, the levels of estrogen were significantly higher in the proestrus-estrus. The estrogenic phase increased the plasmatic concentration of calcium significantly in the euthyroid rats but it did not alter the levels of phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase. In the hyperthyroid state no significant differences in the plasmatic concentrations of calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase throughout the cycle were found. The phases of the cycle did not also influence the bone morphology in the euthyroid and hyperthyroid states. It was concluded that the estrogenic phase increases the plasmatic concentration of calcium, even without altering the bone morphology of the euthyroid rats. In addition the estrogenic phase does not increase the plasmatic calcium and it does not modify the response of the bone as well as of the mineral metabolism under effect of the hyperthyroidism.

  15. Power development- private investment and initiatives

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gupta, B.P.

    1995-01-01

    In the context of paucity of resources with Central/State public sector companies and to bridge the gap between rapidly growing demand for electricity and supply, a policy to encourage greater investments by private enterprises in the power sector with the objective of mobilizing additional resources for capacity addition in power generation and distribution, had been formulated in 1991 and is currently under implementation. The policy also allows liberal capital structuring and an attractive return on investment

  16. Privatization and the globalization of energy markets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1996-10-01

    This report reviews recent global efforts to privatize energy resources and outlines the opportunities and challenges privatization has presented to U.S. and foreign multinational energy companies. The group of energy companies studied in this report includes the major U.S. petroleum companies and many foreign companies. The foreign companies reviewed include state-run energy enterprises, recently privatized energy enterprises, and foreign multinationals that have been privately held. The privatization of non-petroleum energy industries, such as electricity generation and transmission, natural gas transmission, and coal mining, are also discussed. Overseas investments made by electric companies, natural gas companies, and coal companies are included. The report is organized into six chapters: (1) economics of privatization; (2) petroleum privatization efforts among non-U.S. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development nations; (3) petroleum privatization efforts in Latin America; (4) privatization in socialist and former socialist regimes; (5) privatization efforts in global electric power generation, transmission, and distribution industries; and (6) privatization and globalization of world coal.

  17. [Mineral water as a cure].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nocco, Priska Binz

    2008-01-01

    resorts mentioned, especially regarding the quality and quantity aspects of the performed mineral water analyses, as well as in the reported written evidence and publications on the success of the therapies. Differences were also to be found in the conditions of the health resort facilities and in the medical support given. The therapy opportunities included mainly drinking and bath cures, which could occur alone or in combination. In the mentioned health resorts different clinical disease symptoms were treated. The most important baths were located in Acquarossa and Stabio, which were specialized in selected therapeutical domains, because of their particular water compositions. Numerous personalities from science and politics were concerned by the local springs and accepted to contribute to the promotion of these structures. Their engagement led to the integration of the native springs in the Farmacopea Ticinese. Since at that time it was extremely difficult to find experienced mineral water analysts in the region, the analyses of local native sources were assigned to qualified experts mainly coming from Italy. This scientific co-operation between the southern part of Switzerland and the northern part of Italy was, already at that time, active also in other work domains. The evaluation of the historical documentation available from the Farmacia Vantussi shows that this pharmacy supplied a considerable assortment of national and foreign spring waters, as well as foreign dried components. Of commercial interest was, to be noted, the free sale of the waters to hospitals, institutions, hotels, restaurants as well as to private households. The sales of waters and of their dried components upon prescription, however, constituted only the minor part. The introduction of the industrial bottling occurring in the first decades of the 20th century, led to a lowering price trend, through which the product 'mineral water' became accessible to a broader public. Henceforth its

  18. Private Sector in Indian Healthcare Delivery: Consumer Perspective and Government Policies to promote private Sector

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Utkarsh Shah, Ragini Mohanty

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available This research paper attempts to collate literature from various sources, in an attempt to answer three pertinent questions related to healthcare in India. Firstly, what is it meant by ‘private sector’ in healthcare delivery system of India, secondly how has the private sector evolved over the decades and what has been the role of the government in propelling the growth. Finally, the paper tries to highlight some of the factors that have promoted the growth of private sector in India with specific reference to quality of medical care. The paper explicitly indicates that the deficiencies in the public health delivery system of India, was the key to growth of private infrastructure in healthcare.The shift of hospital industry for ‘welfare orientation’ to ‘business orientation’ was marked by the advent of corporate hospitals, supported by various policy level initiatives made by the government. Today, there are over 20 international healthcare brands in India with several corporate hospitals.However, a large section of the ‘private healthcare delivery segment’ is scattered and quality of medical care continues to remain a matter of concern. This paper tracks the various government initiatives to promote private investment in healthcare and attempts to explore the reasons for preference of the private sector. Surprisingly, in contrast to contemporary belief, quality of medical care doesn’t seem to be the leading cause for preference of the private sector. Except for a few select corporate and trust hospitals, quality of medical care in private sector seems to be poor and at times compromised.

  19. South African Private Security Contractors Active in Armed Conflicts ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Not only is this legislation completely unique, but it appears wholly at odds with international opinion. In this article we place private security contractors (PSCs) under the microscope of international law, exploring the role they play in armed conflicts, and the status afforded them by international humanitarian law (IHL).

  20. THE USE OF EXCHANGEABLE BONDS DURING THE PRIVATIZATION PROCESS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Damian Kaźmierczak

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available In our article we present the use of hybrid securities in the privatization process. We show that exchangeable bonds may be successfully applied during privatization of state companies throughout the world. It may be profitable for many reasons. Firstly, the exchangeables offer a much lower coupon in comparison with the ordinary government bonds which may be crucial for highly indebted countries. Secondly, throughout the entire maturity period the state remains the owner of the privatized firm which means that the government can be a beneficiary of high dividends paid by the public enterprises and can actively manage them. Thirdly, in the case of unfavorable market conditions the authorities get an opportunity to wait for the end of economic turmoil in order to avoid selling the equity participations under their true value. Finally, the issue of certain types of exchangeables (e.g. callable exchangeables or mandatory exchangeables and adding several provisions (e.g. greenshoe option or clean-up call makes the instrument more flexible for the issuer. We also present a few examples of the privatization processes by means of exchangeable bonds i.a. in Germany and in Austria. Most of such operations, e.g. German Deutsche Post, Austrian Telekom Austria or Portuguese Galp Energia SGPS S.A. were completed with success.

  1. Effects of hydrogen peroxide pretreatment of clay minerals on the adsorption of Sr-85 and Tc-95m under anoxic conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Relyea, J.F.; Washburne, C.D.

    1979-01-01

    Treatment of three clay minerals with hydrogen peroxide affects the observed adsorption behavior of technetium relative to untreated clay under anoxic conditions. A possible adsorption mechanism of Tc is the reduction of TcO - 4 to a more positively charged or better adsorbed species. Oxidation of the clay by H 2 O 2 would hinder the reduction of TcO - 4 by buffering the clay-water system at a higher Eh value, although a difference in measured Eh value may go undetected. Sorption of strontium by the clays under the same conditions is not affected by a pretreatment with H 2 O 2 . The behavior of strontium follows that expected from ion exchange theory. 13 tables

  2. Manganese Supplementation in Deer under Balanced Diet Increases Impact Energy and Contents in Minerals of Antler Bone Tissue.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jamil Cappelli

    Full Text Available Bone ash, collagen, Ca and P composition, are considered the main factors affecting mechanical properties in bones. However, a series of studies in bone and antler have shown that some trace minerals, such as manganese, may play a role whose importance exceeds what may be expected considering their low content. A previous study showed that a reduction in manganese in antlers during a year of late winter frosts led to generalized antler breakage in Spain, which included a reduction of 30% of cortical thickness, 27% reduction in impact energy, and 10% reduction in work to peak force. Starting for this observation, we experimentally studied the effects of manganese supplementation in adults and yearling (yearlings red deer under a balanced diet. Subjects were 29 deer of different age classes (adult n = 19, yearlings n = 10 that were divided in a manganese injected group (n = 14 and a control group (n = 15. Antler content in ashes and minerals, intrinsic mechanical properties and cross section structure were examined at 4 points along the antler beam. A one way ANOVA (mean per antler showed that in yearlings, manganese supplementation only increased its content and that of Fe. However, in adults, Mn supplementation increased the mean content per antler of Ca, Na, P, B, Co, Cu, K, Mn, Ni, Se (while Si content was reduced, and impact work but not Young's modulus of elasticity, bending strength or work to peak force. A GLM series on characteristics in the uppermost part examined in the antler, often showing physiological exhaustion and depletion of body stores, showed also a 16% increase in work to peak force in the antlers of the treated group. Thus, manganese supplementation altered mineral composition of antler and improved structure and some mechanical properties despite animals having a balanced diet.

  3. Manganese Supplementation in Deer under Balanced Diet Increases Impact Energy and Contents in Minerals of Antler Bone Tissue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cappelli, Jamil; Garcia, Andrés; Ceacero, Francisco; Gomez, Santiago; Luna, Salvador; Gallego, Laureano; Gambin, Pablo; Landete-Castillejos, Tomás

    2015-01-01

    Bone ash, collagen, Ca and P composition, are considered the main factors affecting mechanical properties in bones. However, a series of studies in bone and antler have shown that some trace minerals, such as manganese, may play a role whose importance exceeds what may be expected considering their low content. A previous study showed that a reduction in manganese in antlers during a year of late winter frosts led to generalized antler breakage in Spain, which included a reduction of 30% of cortical thickness, 27% reduction in impact energy, and 10% reduction in work to peak force. Starting for this observation, we experimentally studied the effects of manganese supplementation in adults and yearling (yearlings) red deer under a balanced diet. Subjects were 29 deer of different age classes (adult n = 19, yearlings n = 10) that were divided in a manganese injected group (n = 14) and a control group (n = 15). Antler content in ashes and minerals, intrinsic mechanical properties and cross section structure were examined at 4 points along the antler beam. A one way ANOVA (mean per antler) showed that in yearlings, manganese supplementation only increased its content and that of Fe. However, in adults, Mn supplementation increased the mean content per antler of Ca, Na, P, B, Co, Cu, K, Mn, Ni, Se (while Si content was reduced), and impact work but not Young's modulus of elasticity, bending strength or work to peak force. A GLM series on characteristics in the uppermost part examined in the antler, often showing physiological exhaustion and depletion of body stores, showed also a 16% increase in work to peak force in the antlers of the treated group. Thus, manganese supplementation altered mineral composition of antler and improved structure and some mechanical properties despite animals having a balanced diet.

  4. Physiocochemical properties of blood serum proteins of coal miners

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nandakova, V N; Zemliakova, L F; Sukhanov, V V; Min' ko, L A

    1979-07-01

    Using disk electrophoresis in the polyacrylamide gel, blood serum proteins were studied in miners working under conditions of the combine (the control group) and drilling-and-blasting (the contact with carbon oxide, nitrogen oxides) driving technique under normal temperature conditions. 26 to 27 protein fractions characterized by mobility, thermolability under definite conditions of the experiment and the contitative content were obtained. It is shown that the contact with carbon oxide and nitrogen oxides causes changes in the properties of certain proteins (II3, globulins - 2 alpha 1, 3 alpha 1, 2 beta, 2 alpha 2, 5 alpha 2, 6 alpha 2, 7 alpha 2) of miners' blood serum. Some of these proteins are supposed to participate in the adaptation reactions of the organism.

  5. Low-activity waste envelope definitions for the TWRS Privatization Phase I Request For Proposal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Patello, G.K.; Lauerhass, L.; Myers, R.L.; Wiemers, K.D.

    1996-11-01

    Radioactive waste has been stored in large underground storage tanks at the Hanford Site since 1944. Approximately 212 million liters of waste containing approximately 240,000 metric tons of processed chemicals and 177 mega-curies of radionuclides are now stored in 177 tanks. These caustic wastes are in the form of liquids, slurries, saltcakes, and sludge. In 1991, the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Program was established to manage, retrieve, treat, immobilize, and dispose of these wastes in a safe, environmentally sound, and cost-effective manner. The Department of Energy (DOE) has believes that it is feasible to privatize portions of the TWRS Program. Under the privatization strategy embodied in the Request for Proposal (RFP), DOE will purchase services from a contractor-owned, contractor-operated facility under a fixed-price contract. Phase I of the TWRS privatization strategy is a proof-of-concept/commercial demonstration-scale effort. The objectives of Phase I are to demonstrate the technical and business viability of using privatized facilities to treat Hanford tank waste; define and maintain required levels of radiological, nuclear, process, and occupational safety; maintain environmental protection and compliance; and substantially reduce life-cycle costs and time required to treat Hanford tank waste. Three low-activity waste (LAW) envelopes are identified for Phase I of the privatization contract and are representative of the range of Hanford double-shelled tank (DST) waste

  6. Low-activity waste envelope definitions for the TWRS Privatization Phase I Request For Proposal

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Patello, G.K.; Lauerhass, L.; Myers, R.L.; Wiemers, K.D.

    1996-11-01

    Radioactive waste has been stored in large underground storage tanks at the Hanford Site since 1944. Approximately 212 million liters of waste containing approximately 240,000 metric tons of processed chemicals and 177 mega-curies of radionuclides are now stored in 177 tanks. These caustic wastes are in the form of liquids, slurries, saltcakes, and sludge. In 1991, the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Program was established to manage, retrieve, treat, immobilize, and dispose of these wastes in a safe, environmentally sound, and cost-effective manner. The Department of Energy (DOE) has believes that it is feasible to privatize portions of the TWRS Program. Under the privatization strategy embodied in the Request for Proposal (RFP), DOE will purchase services from a contractor-owned, contractor-operated facility under a fixed-price contract. Phase I of the TWRS privatization strategy is a proof-of-concept/commercial demonstration-scale effort. The objectives of Phase I are to demonstrate the technical and business viability of using privatized facilities to treat Hanford tank waste; define and maintain required levels of radiological, nuclear, process, and occupational safety; maintain environmental protection and compliance; and substantially reduce life-cycle costs and time required to treat Hanford tank waste. Three low-activity waste (LAW) envelopes are identified for Phase I of the privatization contract and are representative of the range of Hanford double-shelled tank (DST) waste.

  7. Microbial mineralization of cis-dichloroethene and vinyl chloride as a component of natural attenuation of chloroethene contaminants under conditions identified in the field as anoxic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bradley, Paul M.

    2012-01-01

    Chlororespiration is a key component of remediation at many chloroethene-contaminated sites. In some instances, limited accumulation of reductive dechlorination daughter products may suggest that natural attenuation is not adequate for site remediation. This conclusion is justified when evidence for parent compound (tetrachloroethene, PCE, or trichloroethene, TCE) degradation is lacking. For many chloroethene-contaminated shallow aquifer systems, however, non-conservative losses of the parent compounds are clear but the mass balance between parent compound attenuation and accumulation of reductive dechlorination daughter products is incomplete. Incomplete mass balance indicates a failure to account for important contaminant attenuation mechanisms, and is consistent with contaminant degradation to non-diagnostic mineralization products. An ongoing technical debate over the potential for mineralization of dichloroethene (DCE) and vinyl chloride (VC) to CO2 in the complete absence of diatomic oxygen has largely obscured the importance of microbial DCE/VC mineralization at dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations below the current field standard (DO conditions. This study demonstrates that oxygen-based microbial mineralization of DCE and VC can be substantial under field conditions that are frequently characterized as "anoxic." Because mischaracterization of operant contaminant biodegradation processes can lead to expensive and ineffective remedial actions, a modified framework for assessing the potential importance of oxygen during chloroethene biodegradation was developed.

  8. State Government, Its Relationship to Private Schools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cronin, Joseph M.; Kenyon, Regan

    1982-01-01

    In examining the state's role in private education, this article discusses court cases bearing on state services to private schools, state regulation of different types of private schools, collaborative efforts between public and private schools, and emerging state attitudes toward private education. (Author/WD)

  9. Tolerant indirect reciprocity can boost social welfare through solidarity with unconditional cooperators in private monitoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okada, Isamu; Sasaki, Tatsuya; Nakai, Yutaka

    2017-08-29

    Indirect reciprocity is an important mechanism for resolving social dilemmas. Previous studies explore several types of assessment rules that are evolutionarily stable for keeping cooperation regimes. However, little is known about the effects of private information on social systems. Most indirect reciprocity studies assume public monitoring in which individuals share a single assessment for each individual. Here, we consider a private monitoring system that loosens such an unnatural assumption. We explore the stable norms in the private system using an individual-based simulation. We have three main findings. First, narrow and unstable cooperation: cooperation in private monitoring becomes unstable and the restricted norms cannot maintain cooperative regimes while they can in public monitoring. Second, stable coexistence of discriminators and unconditional cooperators: under private monitoring, unconditional cooperation can play a role in keeping a high level of cooperation in tolerant norm situations. Finally, Pareto improvement: private monitoring can achieve a higher cooperation rate than does public monitoring.

  10. Judicial Protection of Private Property Rights in Ethiopia: Selected ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Hailu_Elias_&_Muradu

    “Property Rights Protection and Private Sector Development in Ethiopia” which was .... Even if land has come under public ownership in Ethiopia since 1975, these ... may be capital contributions and in effect, the ownership of the use right over ..... Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office (EIPO) did not hesitate to register this.

  11. International Science Olympiad participants' experiences and perceptions on private education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Kyeong jin; Ryu, Chun-Ryol; Choi, Jinsu

    2016-04-01

    The International Science Olympiad is an international intellectual olympic in which students, aging under 20 and who have not entered university, compete using their creative problem solving skills in the field of science. Many nations participate in the Olympiad with great interest, for this competition is a global youth science contest which is also used to measure national basic science levels. However in Korea, benefits for Olympiad participants were reduced because issues were risen that the Olympiad could intensify private education. This resulted in a continuous decrease in the number of applicants, bringing national competitiveness deterioration to concern. Therefore in this study, we identified the problems by analyzing the actual conditions of Olympiad participants' private education, and sought support plans to activate Olympiad participation. For this use, we conducted a survey of 367 summer school and winter school acceptees in 9 branches. 68.9% of the students were preparing for the Olympiad by private education, and the highest percentage answered that their private education expenses were an average of 3~5 million won. Olympiad preparation took up 30~50% of all private education, showing that private education greatly influences the preparing processes for the Olympiad. Meanwhile the participants perceived that in order to reduce Olympiad-related private education, the following should be implemented priority: supply of free high-quality on-line education materials, and easy access to Olympiad related information. It was also suggested that the most effective and needed education methods were school olympiad preparation classes, on-line education expansion, and special lectures and mentoring from olympiad-experienced senior representatives. Additionally, as methods to activate Olympiad participation, it was thought that award records should be allowed to be used in college applications by enabling award records into student records and special

  12. An overview of vertebrate mineralization with emphasis on collagen-mineral interaction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Landis, W. J.

    1999-01-01

    The nucleation, growth, and development of mineral crystals through their interaction principally with collagen in normal bone and calcifying tendon have been elaborated by applying a number of different techniques for analysis of the inorganic and organic constituents of these tissues. The methods have included conventional and high voltage electron microscopy, electron diffraction, microscopic tomography and 3D image reconstruction, and atomic force microscopy. This summary presents results of these studies that have now characterized the size, shape, and aspects of the chemical nature of the crystals as well as their orientation, alignment, location, and distribution with respect to collagen. These data have provided the means for understanding more completely the formation and strength of the collagen-mineral composite present in most vertebrate calcifying tissues and, from that information, a basis for the adaptation of such tissues under mechanical constraints. In the context of the latter point, other data are given showing effects on collagen in bone cell cultures subjected to the unloading parameters of spaceflight. Implications of these results may be particularly relevant to explaining loss of bone by humans and other vertebrate animals during missions in space, during situations of extended fracture healing, long-term bedrest, physical immobilization, and related conditions. In a broader sense, the data speak to the response of bone and mineralized vertebrate tissues to changes in gravitational loading and applied mechanical forces in general.

  13. Public lending to private hedge funds is inefficient, unstable, unconstitutional and unanimously disagreeable

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sankarshan Acharya

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Public funds include federally insured deposits held under the custody of private banks, central bank loans and taxpayer funds. The principal finding of this paper is that lending such public funds through a private banking system to private hedge funds allied with the banks is inefficient, unstable, fundamentally unfair (unconstitutional and unanimously disagreeable. This finding is akin to the unanimously agreeable safe central banking policy (Acharya, 1991-2016 which, in dynamic general equilibrium, (a eliminates federal guarantee of bank deposits, (b offers every business enterprise and household an option to keep in the central bank any part of its deposits it wants to be held absolutely safely, (c completely deregulates all private banks without any privilege to rob public or private wealth like too-big-to-fail or too-big-to-be-jailed status or the power of market making and clearing. Safe central banking is the only way to make private banks responsible to hold sufficient capital to attract uninsured private deposits like the trading houses currently do. The private banks will then have complete freedom to lend their uninsured deposits to private hedge funds. The Volker Rule (NYT, January 30, 2010, incorporated in the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010, is an infeasible and unworkable band-aid for the moral-hazard driven systemic robbery of wealth creators wrought by the government-ordained private banking custody of public funds. The established systemic moral-hazard problem can be efficiently and constitutionally resolved only through unanimously agreeable safe central banking. Current proposals on overhauling of Fannie and Freddie made by various pundits of systemic robbery amount to a gargantuan amount of public lending to private hedge funds and, hence, inefficient, unstable, unconstitutional and unanimously disagreeable.

  14. Financialisation in health care: An analysis of private equity fund investments in Turkey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eren Vural, Ipek

    2017-08-01

    The 2007-2008 global financial crisis revived interest in the impacts of financial markets and actors on our social and economic life. Nevertheless, research on health care financialisation remains scant. This article presents findings from research on one modality of financial investments in health care: global private equity funds' investments in private hospitals. Adopting a political economy approach, it analyses the drivers and impacts of the upsurge of global private equity investments in the Turkish private hospital sector amid the global financial crisis. The analysis derives from review of research and archival literature, as well as six in-depth interviews held with owners/executive board directors/general managers of the largest private hospital chains in Turkey and the general partners of their PE investors. The interviewing process took place between January and November 2016. All interviews were conducted by the author in Istanbul. The findings point to a mutually reinforcing relationship between neoliberal policies and financialisation processes in health care. The article shows that neoliberal healthcare reforms, introduced under consecutive Justice and Development Party (JDP) governments in Turkey, have been important precursors of private equity investments in healthcare services. These private equity investments, in turn, intensified and broadened the process of marketisation in health care services. Four impacts are identified, through which private equity investments hasten the marketisation of health care services. These relate to the impacts of private equity investments on a) advancing the process of chain formation by large hospital groups, b) spreading financial imperatives into the operations of private hospitals c) fostering internationalisation of capital, and d) augmenting inequities in access to health care services and standards. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. In Situ Mineralization of Magnetite Nanoparticles in Chitosan Hydrogel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yongliang; Li, Baoqiang; Zhou, Yu; Jia, Dechang

    2009-09-01

    Based on chelation effect between iron ions and amino groups of chitosan, in situ mineralization of magnetite nanoparticles in chitosan hydrogel under ambient conditions was proposed. The chelation effect between iron ions and amino groups in CS-Fe complex, which led to that chitosan hydrogel exerted a crucial control on the magnetite mineralization, was proved by X-ray photoelectron spectrum. The composition, morphology and size of the mineralized magnetite nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and thermal gravity. The mineralized nanoparticles were nonstoichiometric magnetite with a unit formula of Fe2.85O4 and coated by a thin layer of chitosan. The mineralized magnetite nanoparticles with mean diameter of 13 nm dispersed in chitosan hydrogel uniformly. Magnetization measurement indicated that superparamagnetism behavior was exhibited. These magnetite nanoparticles mineralized in chitosan hydrogel have potential applications in the field of biotechnology. Moreover, this method can also be used to synthesize other kinds of inorganic nanoparticles, such as ZnO, Fe2O3 and hydroxyapatite.

  16. In Situ Mineralization of Magnetite Nanoparticles in Chitosan Hydrogel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wang Yongliang

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Based on chelation effect between iron ions and amino groups of chitosan, in situ mineralization of magnetite nanoparticles in chitosan hydrogel under ambient conditions was proposed. The chelation effect between iron ions and amino groups in CS–Fe complex, which led to that chitosan hydrogel exerted a crucial control on the magnetite mineralization, was proved by X-ray photoelectron spectrum. The composition, morphology and size of the mineralized magnetite nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and thermal gravity. The mineralized nanoparticles were nonstoichiometric magnetite with a unit formula of Fe2.85O4and coated by a thin layer of chitosan. The mineralized magnetite nanoparticles with mean diameter of 13 nm dispersed in chitosan hydrogel uniformly. Magnetization measurement indicated that superparamagnetism behavior was exhibited. These magnetite nanoparticles mineralized in chitosan hydrogel have potential applications in the field of biotechnology. Moreover, this method can also be used to synthesize other kinds of inorganic nanoparticles, such as ZnO, Fe2O3and hydroxyapatite.

  17. 34 CFR 200.10 - Applicability of a State's academic assessments to private schools and private school students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... assessments to private schools and private school students. (a) Nothing in § 200.1 or § 200.2 requires a... 34 Education 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Applicability of a State's academic assessments to private schools and private school students. 200.10 Section 200.10 Education Regulations of the Offices of...

  18. Research of private label development in Croatia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sandra Horvat

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available Private labels have been present on the market since 19th century but their intensive market growth began in the last thirty years after retailers realized what their potential could be in the fight against ever-growing competition. Their market growth has not been distributed equally thought the world so Europe became the region with the highest private label market share, which exceeds 40% on some markets. Although the private label market share in Croatia is considerably smaller, it has also increased steadily over the last decade since private labels were introduced on the market. This paper presents the findings of a research conducted for the purpose of identifying trends in private label development on the Croatian market. The research was conducted through in-depth interviews with private label managers in retail companies in Croatia, and with the managers responsible for private label production in manufacturing companies. The research identified three expected trends of private label development in Croatia and these are: an increase in private label quality, the maintenance of a price gap between private labels and manufacturers’ brands and a further increase in the private label market share.

  19. 75 FR 66822 - Study on Extraterritorial Private Rights of Action

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-29

    ... cover transnational securities fraud. The Commission is soliciting comment on this question and on... United States to bring actions under Section 10(b) in cases involving transnational securities fraud... cases of transnational securities fraud should be extended to private rights of action to the same...

  20. Reasserting the commons: Pastoral contestations of private and state lands in East Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John G. Galaty

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The theory that land holding is inexorably evolving from common to private or state tenure is challenged by facts on the ground that this paper will examine. ‘Tenure’ is interpreted both in terms of formal law and informal practices. While the association between privatization and land fragmentation is clear, property theory has influenced privatization so the process cannot be used to validate the evolutionary model of transitions from open access to common property to private property. Although in many settings common and state property has given way to privatization, in other cases private or state property has reverted to common holdings. A dynamic tenure model would demonstrate the conditions under which tenure transitions occur between common, private and state property, as the balance between transaction and exclusion costs shifts, or when the boundaries of tenure forms weaken to allow open access to occur. Examining three scenes of tenure transitions involving Kenyan pastoralists (Laikipia County, the Rift Valley, Narok County and Kajiado County, this paper examines cases in which transaction and exclusion dynamics – which are metaphors for the institutional effects of social and territorial relations- lead to changing land-use practices and tenure transitions. In semi-arid pastoral regions, we find more fluid systems of tenure than the inexorable spread of privatization through formalized land rights and increasing land fragmentation would have suggested should occur in the 21st century.

  1. Public Sector Unions and Privatization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Foged, Søren Kjær; Aaskoven, Lasse

    2016-01-01

    Privatization varies considerably among local governments. One of the oft-listed explanations is the ability of public employees to block privatization. However, many studies on the influence of public employees on privatization do not use very precise measures of the influence of public employees...... Danish municipalities in 2012, we are able to measure the strength of the public eldercare union as well as the number of the public eldercare workers relative to the number of local voters. We find that the increased union strength measured in terms of union density at the municipal level leads...... to substantially and significantly less privatization through the voucher market. By comparison, the estimated relationship between the relative number of public workers and privatization does not reach statistical significance. Features of the voucher market and qualitative evidence suggest that the union...

  2. PRIVATE SECTOR IN HEALTH CARE DELIVERY: A REALITY AND A CHALLENGE IN PAKISTAN.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaikh, Babar Tasneem

    2015-01-01

    Under performance of the public sector health care system in Pakistan has created a room for private sector to grow and become popular in health service delivery, despite its questionable quality, high cost and dubious ethics of medical practice. Private sector is no doubt a reality; and is functioning to plug many weaknesses and gaps in health care delivery to the poor people of Pakistan. Yet, it is largely unregulated and unchecked due to the absence of writ of the state. In spite of its inherent trait of profit making, the private sector has played a significant and innovative role both in preventive and curative service provision. Private sector has demonstrated great deal of responsiveness, hence creating a relation of trust with the consumers of health in Pakistan, majority of who spend out of their pocket to buy 'health'. There is definitely a potential to engage and involve private and non-state entities in the health care system building their capacities and instituting regulatory frameworks, to protect the poor's access to health care system.

  3. The mineralization and mechanism of the endogenetic mineral deposit in China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiang Yonghong

    2010-01-01

    In the process of mineralization, due to the difference in rank, scale and order of structures orebody, mine colomn or rich ore bag are often produced in the specific structural parts. Obviously, it is controlled by favourite structure. The important and direct control of the structure to metal endogenetic mineralization evolution are representative on the affect of pulse action of structure to the multi-stage of mineralization evolution. According to the formation environment of the mineralization, it can be classified as collision orogeny mineralization, release(extension)mineralization, slide draw-division basin mineralization and shear zone extension mineralization. Throng the discuss of endogenetic deposit in the geological evolution, structure and formation machenism, the metallogenic model was preliminary established,and the criteria for delineating favourable metallogenic area was identified. (authors)

  4. Private pensions for Europe

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bovenberg, L.; van Ewijk, C.

    2011-01-01

    Private pensions can enhance international and intergenerational risk-sharing and create a deeper European capital market, which allows for better diversification of country-specific risks and facilitates economic growth. Private funding of pensions creates a more integrated European capital market

  5. Effect of water content nitrogen gross mineralization and immobilization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Videla C, Ximena; Parada, Ana Maria; Nario M, Adriana; Pino N, Ines; Hood, Rebeca

    2005-01-01

    The decomposition of organic matter in soil, and the accompanying mineralization and immobilization of inorganic N, are key processes in the soil plant cycle. It is hypothesized that moisture regime may also play an important role on these processes. Two laboratory studies were carried out to investigate the effect of moisture regime on gross mineralization and immobilization of N, in and Ultisol soil, which was incubated at 25 o C, under two moisture regimes, field capacity (CC) (40% w/w) and 85% of field capacity (34% w/w): Using mirror image 15 N isotope dilution techniques, it was possible to determine gross nitrification and mineralization rates. The rates of gross mineralization and nitrification rate in this soil was extremely rapid and efficient, specially with 85% CC. The N transformations varied with moisture regime (author)

  6. Critical Minerals and Energy–Impacts and Limitations of Moving to Unconventional Resources

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benjamin C. McLellan

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available The nexus of minerals and energy becomes ever more important as the economic growth and development of countries in the global South accelerates and the needs of new energy technologies expand, while at the same time various important minerals are declining in grade and available reserves from conventional mining. Unconventional resources in the form of deep ocean deposits and urban ores are being widely examined, although exploitation is still limited. This paper examines some of the implications of the transition towards cleaner energy futures in parallel with the shifts through conventional ore decline and the uptake of unconventional mineral resources. Three energy scenarios, each with three levels of uptake of renewable energy, are assessed for the potential of critical minerals to restrict growth under 12 alternative mineral supply patterns. Under steady material intensities per unit of capacity, the study indicates that selenium, indium and tellurium could be barriers in the expansion of thin-film photovoltaics, while neodymium and dysprosium may delay the propagation of wind power. For fuel cells, no restrictions are observed.

  7. Private sector in public health care systems

    OpenAIRE

    Matějusová, Lenka

    2008-01-01

    This master thesis is trying to describe the situation of private sector in public health care systems. As a private sector we understand patients, private health insurance companies and private health care providers. The focus is placed on private health care providers, especially in ambulatory treatment. At first there is a definition of health as a main determinant of a health care systems, definition of public and private sectors in health care systems and the difficulties at the market o...

  8. Heterogeneous Reactions between Toluene and NO2 on Mineral Particles under Simulated Atmospheric Conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niu, Hejingying; Li, Kezhi; Chu, Biwu; Su, Wenkang; Li, Junhua

    2017-09-05

    Heterogeneous reactions between organic and inorganic gases with aerosols are important for the study of smog occurrence and development. In this study, heterogeneous reactions between toluene and NO 2 with three atmospheric mineral particles in the presence or absence of UV light were investigated. The three mineral particles were SiO 2 , α-Fe 2 O 3 , and BS (butlerite and szmolnokite). In a dark environment, benzaldehyde was produced on α-Fe 2 O 3 . For BS, nitrotoluene and benzaldehyde were obtained. No aromatic products were produced in the absence of NO 2 in the system. In the presence of UV irradiation, benzaldehyde was detected on the SiO 2 surface. Identical products were produced in the presence and absence of UV light over α-Fe 2 O 3 and BS. UV light promoted nitrite to nitrate on mineral particles surface. On the basisi of the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results, a portion of BS was reduced from Fe 3+ to Fe 2+ with the adsorption of toluene or the reaction with toluene and NO 2 . Sulfate may play a key role in the generation of nitrotoluene on BS particles. From this research, the heterogeneous reactions between organic and inorganic gases with aerosols that occur during smog events will be better understood.

  9. Response of nutrients, minerals, antioxidant leaf pigments, vitamins, polyphenol, flavonoid and antioxidant activity in selected vegetable amaranth under four soil water content.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarker, Umakanta; Oba, Shinya

    2018-06-30

    Four selected vegetable amaranths were grown under four soil water content to evaluate their response in nutrients, minerals, antioxidant leaf pigments, vitamins, polyphenol, flavonoid and total antioxidant activity (TAC). Vegetable amaranth was significantly affected by variety, soil water content and variety × soil water content interactions for all the traits studied. Increase in water stress, resulted in significant changes in proximate compositions, minerals (macro and micro), leaf pigments, vitamin, total polyphenol content (TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC) of vegetable amaranth. Accessions VA14 and VA16 performed better for all the traits studied. Correlation study revealed a strong antioxidant scavenging activity of leaf pigments, ascorbic acid, TPC and TFC. Vegetable amaranth can tolerate soil water stress without compromising the high quality of the final product in terms of nutrients and antioxidant profiles. Therefore, it could be a promising alternative crop in semi-arid and dry areas and also during dry seasons. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  10. Areva's privatization uncertainties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jemain, A.

    2004-01-01

    The French nuclear public group Areva (the fusion of CEA-Industrie, Framatome and Cogema companies) will actively prepare its privatization and stock exchange introduction before the end of the first half of 2005, in order to re-launch its acquisitions and associations policy. However, the advantages of this privatization with a preponderant public share-holding will depend on the intentions of the French government. Short paper. (J.S.)

  11. Microbial Mineralization of cis-Dichloroethene and Vinyl Chloride as a Component of Natural Attenuation of Chloroethene Contaminants under Conditions Identified in the Field as Anoxic

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    16 2. cis-DCE mineralization kinetics under hypoxic and anoxic conditions .............................17 Conversion Factors Inch/Pound...situ conditions. Vmax is influenced by micro- bial biomass , metabolic activity, and the availability of nutri- ents and substrates that support...were incapable of growth at atmospheric oxygen levels (Morris 1976). Enzymatic defenses against oxygen radicals have been documented 20 Microbial

  12. Soil seed-bank germination patterns in natural pastures under different mineral fertilizer treatments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Iannucci

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Degraded native grasslands in Mediterranean areas can be improved by encouraging seedling regeneration from soil seed banks using chemical fertilization. The effect of mineral fertilizers on soil seed banks was studied in natural pastures at two locations in southern Italy: Carpino and Rignano Garganico. The aim was to determine if nitrogen (N, phosphorus (P and combined nitrogen and phosphorus (NP fertilization can promote increased soil seed density. The seed-bank size and composition were analysed over two growth cycles (2004-2006 at two periods of the year: at the early summer and at the early autumn. The plant species were classified into three functional groups: grasses, legumes and other species (all other dicots. A two-pool model (ephemeral and base pools derived from the germination patterns was developed to quantify the dynamics of the germinated seed populations. The mean total seed number in the seed bank ranged from 2,915 to 4,782 seed m-2 with higher values in early summer than in early autumn. Mineral fertilizer applications increased the seed-bank size (by 27%, 23% and 46%, for N, P and NP, respectively and modified the composition in both localities. The three plant functional groups showed different potentials for ephemeral and persistent seed-bank production; however, within each plant group, the proportion between the ephemeral and base pool fractions did not change with fertilizer application. These data show that mineral fertilization can have positive effects on the seed-bank size of ungrazed natural pastures, and can be used to improve degraded Mediterranean pastures.

  13. Therapeutic touch affects DNA synthesis and mineralization of human osteoblasts in culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jhaveri, Ankur; Walsh, Stephen J; Wang, Yatzen; McCarthy, MaryBeth; Gronowicz, Gloria

    2008-11-01

    Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) techniques are commonly used in hospitals and private medical facilities; however, the effectiveness of many of these practices has not been thoroughly studied in a scientific manner. Developed by Dr. Dolores Krieger and Dora Kunz, Therapeutic Touch is one of these CAM practices and is a highly disciplined five-step process by which a practitioner can generate energy through their hands to promote healing. There are numerous clinical studies on the effects of TT but few in vitro studies. Our purpose was to determine if Therapeutic Touch had any effect on osteoblast proliferation, differentiation, and mineralization in vitro. TT was performed twice a week for 10 min each on human osteoblasts (HOBs) and on an osteosarcoma-derived cell line, SaOs-2. No significant differences were found in DNA synthesis, assayed by [(3)H]-thymidine incorporation at 1 or 2 weeks for SaOs-2 or 1 week for HOBs. However, after four TT treatments in 2 weeks, TT significantly (p = 0.03) increased HOB DNA synthesis compared to controls. Immunocytochemistry for Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA) confirmed these data. At 2 weeks in differentiation medium, TT significantly increased mineralization in HOBs (p = 0.016) and decreased mineralization in SaOs-2 (p = 0.0007), compared to controls. Additionally, Northern blot analysis indicated a TT-induced increase in mRNA expression for Type I collagen, bone sialoprotein, and alkaline phosphatase in HOBs and a decrease of these bone markers in SaOs-2 cells. In conclusion, Therapeutic Touch appears to increase human osteoblast DNA synthesis, differentiation and mineralization, and decrease differentiation and mineralization in a human osteosarcoma-derived cell line. (c) 2008 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  14. Effect of different management systems on the nitrogen mineralization and immobilization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Videla, Ximena; Leiva, Lucia; Luzio, Walter; Pino, Ines

    2005-01-01

    The soil organic matter decomposition, associated to the N mineralization and immobilization dynamic, are key processes in the soil-plant system. Hypothetically the different management systems have a significance influence over these processes. To study the effect of the management systems over the N mineralization and immobilization, were carried out laboratory assays on soil surface horizons samples from the Serie Metrenco, Family fine, mixed, mesic Typic Paleudults. Two management system, zero-tillage without burning (CL) and traditional burning residues (T). The study was done before and after fallow having a crop of oat and a wheat crop var. Kumpa at harvest. The samples were incubated at 15 o C with a 85% water field capacity. The gross N mineralization, nitrification and immobilization were determined using the 15 N isotopic dilution technique and the mirror image procedures. After a year the mineralization rates were higher in a soil under CL and the gross nitrification rates were higher in a soil under T. Statistical differences were not observed on the direct nitrification under both management systems. Nevertheless, statistical differences were observed for the ammonium immobilization for both till systems, being higher for zero tillage. The N transformation varied among management systems (AN)

  15. Miners' welfare

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Buckley, C

    1984-06-13

    The Miners' Welfare Committee (MWC) was formed in Britain in 1921 and initiated building programmes to provide welfare amenities for miners and families, using architecture to improve the quality of a miner's working and leisure time. The article reviews the MWC's work, and assesses the design and architecture at the Selby Coalfield. (7 refs.)

  16. [Autonomy for financial management in public and private healthcare facilities in Brazil].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santos, Maria Angelica Borges dos; Madeira, Fátima Carvalho; Passos, Sonia Regina Lambert; Bakr, Felipe; Oliveira, Klivia Brayner de; Andreazzi, Marco Antonio Ratzsch de

    2014-01-01

    Autonomy in financial management is an advantage in public administration. A 2009 National Healthcare Facility Survey showed that 3.9% of Brazil's 52,055 public healthcare facilities had some degree of financial autonomy. Such autonomy was more common in inpatient facilities (17.8%), those managed by State governments (26.3%), and in Southern Brazil (6.6%). Autonomy was mainly partial (for resources in specific areas, relating to small outlays, consumables and capital goods, and outsourced services or personnel). 74.3% of 2,264 public facilities with any financial autonomy were under direct government administration. Financial autonomy in public healthcare facilities appears to be linked to local political decisions and not necessarily to the facility's specific legal and administrative status. However, legal status displays distinct scopes of autonomy - those under direct government administration tend to be less autonomous, and those under private businesses more autonomous; 85.8% of the 45,394 private healthcare facilities reported that they were financially autonomous.

  17. Responsibility of international organizations under international law for the acts of global health public-private partnerships

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Clarke, L.C.

    2011-01-01

    Public-private partnerships governing global health are making progress in relation to the prevention and treatment of diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. This progress should not be underestimated as these partnerships are making strides above and beyond efforts of either the public

  18. Private Sector Savings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pitonáková Renáta

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The majority of household savings are in the form of bank deposits. It is therefore of interest for credit institutions to tailor their deposit policy for getting finances from non-banking entities and to provide the private sector with the loans that are necessary for investment activities and consumption. This paper deals with the determinants of the saving rate of the private sector of Slovakia. Economic, financial and demographic variables influence savings. Growth of income per capita, private disposable income, elderly dependency ratio, real interest rate and inflation have a positive impact on savings, while increases in public savings indicate a crowding out effect. The inflation rate implies precautionary savings, and dependency ratio savings for bequest. There are also implications for governing institutions deciding on the implementation of appropriate fiscal and monetary operations.

  19. Investigations needed to stimulate the development of Jordan's mineral resources

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKelvey, V.E.

    1979-01-01

    other chemical raw materials will not only satisfy her own needs, but will yield both raw materials and some manufactured products for export. And she has valuable resource of touristic interest in the form of incomparable scenery, antiquities, and holy places, which, if properly advertised, could well become her largest single source of foreign currency. Revenues obtained from this source and from the export of agricultural products, nonmetallic minerals, and mineral products should support foreign oil purchase of oil, machinery, and other products not mined or produced internally. Full development of Jordan’s economic potential will take years to achieve and involves many complex activities. One of the most essential is one that can be pressed in the early years, namely the gathering of facts and basic data concerning the character, extent, and distribution of her resources, and the uses that can be made of them. Without each fundamental data or the understanding of their meaning or the ways to use and apply them, costly developmental projects and similar efforts to raise the level of living are likely to have limited success at best. Basic data and mineral resources are best gathered and published by permanent government agencies, for private organizations and individual cannot afford to take the risks involved in gathering data that may not have an immediate economic return; and even if private parties do collect such data they are not likely to make them general available. Of the activities needed in the field of mineral resources, some are already underway as the established function of government agencies. No bureau however, seems to have responsibility for making geologic maps and for gathering data on such things as steam flow, composition and properties of minerals and rocks, or for investigating the uses to which Jordan’s minerals might be put. To satisfy these needs, a Geological Survey and a Bureau of Mineral Industries should be formed and placed in

  20. Women and Private Pensions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benson, Helene A.

    This speech focuses on women and private pension plans, such as private pension coverage and smaller benefit amounts. Pension issues affecting women as employees include participation in plans, vesting, break-in service, benefit accruals, integration with Social Security, sex-based actuarial tables, portability, inflation, and individual…

  1. Banana leaf and glucose mineralization and soil organic matter in microhabitats of banana plantations under long-term pesticide use.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blume, Elena; Reichert, José Miguel

    2015-06-01

    Soil organic matter (SOM) and microbial activity are key components of soil quality and sustainability. In the humid tropics of Costa Rica 3 pesticide regimes were studied-fungicide (low input); fungicide and herbicide (medium input); and fungicide, herbicide, and nematicide (high input)-under continuous banana cultivation for 5 yr (young) or 20 yr (old) in 3 microhabitats-nematicide ring around plants, litter pile of harvested banana, and bare area between litter pile and nematicide ring. Soil samples were incubated sequentially in the laboratory: unamended, amended with glucose, and amended with ground banana leaves. Soil organic matter varied with microhabitat, being greatest in the litter pile, where microbes had the greatest basal respiration with ground banana leaf, whereas microbes in the nematicide ring had the greatest respiration with glucose. These results suggest that soil microbes adapt to specific microhabitats. Young banana plantations had similar SOM compared with old plantations, but the former had greater basal microbial respiration in unamended and in glucose-amended soil and greater first-order mineralization rates in glucose-amended soil, thus indicating soil biological quality decline over time. High pesticide input did not decrease microbial activity or mineralization rate in surface soil. In conclusion, microbial activity in tropical volcanic soil is highly adaptable to organic and inorganic inputs. © 2015 SETAC.

  2. Improving Financial Education and Awareness on Insurance and Private Pensions

    Science.gov (United States)

    OECD Publishing (NJ3), 2008

    2008-01-01

    With public pensions under pressure and private pensions exposed to risk, individuals face an increasing variety of financial risks, particularly those linked to their retirement. This book analyzes the level of risk awareness of consumers and highlights good practices governments might initiate to enhance consumers' awareness and education on…

  3. Investigation of privatization by level crossing approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vahabi, M.; Jafari, G. R.

    2009-09-01

    Privatization - a political as well as an economic policy - is generally defined as the transfer of a property or the responsibility for it from the public to the private sector. But privatization is not merely the transfer of the ownership and efficiency of the market should be considered. A successful privatization program induces better profitability and efficiency, higher output, more investment, etc. The main method of privatization is through introducing new stocks to the market to motivate competition. However, for a successful privatization the capability of a market for absorbing the new stock should also be considered. Without paying attention to this aspect, privatization through the introduction of new stocks may lead to reduced market efficiency. We study, based on the complexity theory and in particular the concept of Level Crossing, the effect of the stages of the development, activity, risk, and the waiting times for special events on the privatization.

  4. Implementation of Strategies to Leverage Public and Private Resources for National Security Workforce Development

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2009-04-01

    This report documents implementation strategies to leverage public and private resources for the development of an adequate national security workforce as part of the National Security Preparedness Project (NSPP), being performed under a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) grant. There are numerous efforts across the United States to develop a properly skilled and trained national security workforce. Some of these efforts are the result of the leveraging of public and private dollars. As budget dollars decrease and the demand for a properly skilled and trained national security workforce increases, it will become even more important to leverage every education and training dollar. This report details some of the efforts that have been implemented to leverage public and private resources, as well as implementation strategies to further leverage public and private resources.

  5. VARIOUS HISTORICAL CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE PUBLIC LAW–PRIVATE LAW DICHOTOMY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emilian Ciongaru

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Throughout the history of law, has been structured logically in law institutions and branches being considered in a divided or unitary manner. But legal norms have obtained general recognition either taken as a unitary system or divided into divisions or branches as maximum logical-organizational structures. The law originally intersects with the process of formation and evolution of the state. The law has been formed unconsciously as the result of a psychological process in which the individual reacts to certain external stimuli. At the beginning, the law came under the form of nonunitary chaotic customs or practices. In the second phase, the law, though yet rudimentary, became a conscious action being imposed by a public force. The difference between the public law and the private law results from the fact that private law may be attributed to the structure of society, and the public law may be attributed to the superstructure of society. Even nowadays, the delimitation between the public law and the private law is not clear, because the most numerous legal relations refer both to the general interest and the private interest and, basically, the legal norms contribute to public order as the observation thereof brings social peace.

  6. Privatization Financing Alternatives: Blending Private Capital and Public Resources for a Successful Project

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    BT Oakley; JH Holbrook; L Scully; MR Weimar; PK Kearns; R DiPrinzio

    1998-10-19

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched the Contract Reform Initiative in 1994 in order to improve the effectiveness and effkiency of managing major projects and programs. The intent of this initiative is to help DOE harness both technical and market forces to reduce the overall cost of accomplishing DOE's program goals. The new approach transfers greater risk to private contractors in order to develop incentives that align contractor performance with DOE's objectives. In some cases, this goal can be achieved through public-private partnerships wherein the govermhent and the contractor share risks associated with a project in a way that optimizes its economics. Generally, this requires that project risks are allocated to the party best equipped to manage and/or underwrite them. While the merits of privatization are well documented, the question of how privatized services should be financed is often debated. Given the cost of private sector equity and debt, it is difficult to ignore the lure of the government's "risk free" cost of capital. However, the source of financing for a project is an integral part of its overall risk allocation, and therefore, participation by the government as a financing source could alter the allocation of risks in the project, diminishing the incentive structure. Since the government's participation in the project's financing often can be a requirement for financial feasibility, the dilemma of structuring a role for the government without undermining the success of the project is a common and difficult challenge faced by policymakers around the world. However, before reverting to a traditional procurement approach where the government enters into a cost-plus risk profile, the government should exhaust all options that keep the private entity at risk for important aspects of the project. Government participation in a project can include a broad range of options and can be applied with precision to bridge a

  7. Private support and social securityPrivate support and social security

    OpenAIRE

    Frans van Dijk

    1998-01-01

    The issue is addressed whether assistance to persons in need can be left to the `family' and the `community'. In that case people depend on their social networks. The support a person receives through a given network of social ties is examined. However, ties are diverse and subject to change. By means of a model of the dynamics of social ties, the conditions for adequate private support are analyzed. The sustainability of private support over time is examined by incorporating the impact on so...

  8. Public-private partnership in theory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Blaž Vrhnjak

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available Background: In political and other debates much of attention is paid to public – private partnerships (PPPs. These partnerships are perceived as a tool of meeting public demand by private supply. In theory there are at least four different forms of contract partnerships according to the amount of risks transferred to the private sector.Conclusions: Public – private partnerships are neither the only neither the preferred way of providing public service. On one hand they tend to lower financial burden of the public sector but on the other hand PPPs require complex ways of management and monitoring. It is highly important to consider specific circumstances of individual projects in question.

  9. Resources to Manage a Private Practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aigner, John; Cheek, Fredricka; Donati, Georgia; Zuravicky, Dori

    1997-01-01

    Includes four theme articles: "The Digital Toolkit: Electronic Necessities for Private Practice" (John Aigner); "Organizing a Private Practice: Forms, Fees, and Physical Set-up (Fredricka Cheek); "Career Development Resources: Guidelines for Setting Up a Private Practice Library" (Georgia Donati); and "Books to…

  10. Molecular Characterization of Bacterial Respiration on Minerals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blake, Robert C.

    2013-04-26

    The overall aim of this project was to contribute to our fundamental understanding of proteins and biological processes under extreme environmental conditions. We sought to define the biochemical and physiological mechanisms that underlie biodegradative and other cellular processes in normal, extreme, and engineered environments. Toward that end, we sought to understand the substrate oxidation pathways, the electron transport mechanisms, and the modes of energy conservation employed during respiration by bacteria on soluble iron and insoluble sulfide minerals. In accordance with these general aims, the specific aims were two-fold: To identify, separate, and characterize the extracellular biomolecules necessary for aerobic respiration on iron under strongly acidic conditions; and to elucidate the molecular principles whereby these bacteria recognize and adhere to their insoluble mineral substrates under harsh environmental conditions. The results of these studies were described in a total of nineteen manuscripts. Highlights include the following: 1. The complete genome of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans ATCC 23270 (type strain) was sequenced in collaboration with the DOE Joint Genome Institute; 2. Genomic and mass spectrometry-based proteomic methods were used to evaluate gene expression and in situ microbial activity in a low-complexity natural acid mine drainage microbial biofilm community. This was the first effort to successfully analyze a natural community using these techniques; 3. Detailed functional and structural studies were conducted on rusticyanin, an acid-stable electron transfer protein purified from cell-free extracts of At. ferrooxidans. The three-dimensional structure of reduced rusticyanin was determined from a combination of homonuclear proton and heteronuclear 15N- and 13C-edited NMR spectra. Concomitantly, the three-dimensional structure of oxidized rusticyanin was determined by X-ray crystallography to a resolution of 1.9 A by multiwavelength

  11. Private school location and neighborhood characteristics

    OpenAIRE

    Lisa Barrow

    2002-01-01

    Any voucher program that is going to have a major impact on the public education system is likely to require an expansion of private schools in order to accommodate increased demand; however, very little is known about where private schools open and, therefore, how a major voucher program might affect private school availability in various communities. This article examines the relationship between the location of private schools and local neighborhood characteristics, hoping to shed some lig...

  12. Heat-induced mineral imbalance in ruminants as diagnosed by radioisotopes turnover rate. Part of a coordinated programme on the use of isotope techniques to diagnose moderate mineral imbalances in farm animals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kamal, T.H.

    1980-12-01

    The mineral balance was determined in 14 Holstein heifers maintained in metabolic cages in a climatic chamber under temperate (19 0 C for 33 days) and tropical (40 0 C five hours daily and 19 0 C the remainder of the day for 11 days) conditions. Mineral balances were determined during the last 9 days of each trial. The data revealed that Ca, P and Mg balances decreased under conditions of thermal stress and that this decrease became more severe with increasing time under conditions of thermal stress. The results were attributed to destruction of tissue under heat stress with concommitant washing out of minerals due to increased water turnover. On the other hand, Na and K balances were not adversely affected by heat stress. Studies of the turnover rate of 131 I in rats under temperate (28 0 C) and tropical (35 0 C) conditions for 8 days revealed that the removal rate constant was larger and the half-life shorter under temperate conditions. These results suggest that iodine requirements for animals may be greater under mild as compared to tropical environmental conditions

  13. Private selective sweeps identified from next-generation pool-sequencing reveal convergent pathways under selection in two inbred Schistosoma mansoni strains.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julie A J Clément

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The trematode flatworms of the genus Schistosoma, the causative agents of schistosomiasis, are among the most prevalent parasites in humans, affecting more than 200 million people worldwide. In this study, we focused on two well-characterized strains of S. mansoni, to explore signatures of selection. Both strains are highly inbred and exhibit differences in life history traits, in particular in their compatibility with the intermediate host Biomphalaria glabrata. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We performed high throughput sequencing of DNA from pools of individuals of each strain using Illumina technology and identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP and copy number variations (CNV. In total, 708,898 SNPs were identified and roughly 2,000 CNVs. The SNPs revealed low nucleotide diversity (π = 2 × 10(-4 within each strain and a high differentiation level (Fst = 0.73 between them. Based on a recently developed in-silico approach, we further detected 12 and 19 private (i.e. specific non-overlapping selective sweeps among the 121 and 151 sweeps found in total for each strain. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Functional annotation of transcripts lying in the private selective sweeps revealed specific selection for functions related to parasitic interaction (e.g. cell-cell adhesion or redox reactions. Despite high differentiation between strains, we identified evolutionary convergence of genes related to proteolysis, known as a key virulence factor and a potential target of drug and vaccine development. Our data show that pool-sequencing can be used for the detection of selective sweeps in parasite populations and enables one to identify biological functions under selection.

  14. The U.S. Minerals Management Service - oil spill response research program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mullin, J.V.

    1998-01-01

    The Minerals Management Service (MMS), is the principal U.S. Government agency funding offshore oil spill response research. The MMS, a bureau of the Department of the lnterior, maintains a comprehensive Oil Spill Response Research program in support of oil spill prevention and response. Through funding provided by MMS, scientists and engineers from the public and private sectors worldwide are working to address outstanding gaps in information and technology concerning the cleanup of oil spills. A large portion of the program is executed through cooperation with major research centers to leverage funds and maximize sharing of research results. This paper outlines the program, its goals, results from recently funded projects and future research directions. (author)

  15. Reconsidering Privatization in Cross-Border Engagements: The Sometimes Public Nature of Private Activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lane, Jason E.; Kinser, Kevin

    2011-01-01

    Privatization trends in higher education have typically been analyzed from the perspective of the institution and its relationship with the sponsoring state. The recent phenomenon of international cross-border higher education, however, represents a more complicated picture of privatization. Geographic separation from the sponsoring state is an…

  16. U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Resources Program—Mineral resource science supporting informed decisionmaking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilkins, Aleeza M.; Doebrich, Jeff L.

    2016-09-19

    The USGS Mineral Resources Program (MRP) delivers unbiased science and information to increase understanding of mineral resource potential, production, and consumption, and how mineral resources interact with the environment. The MRP is the Federal Government’s sole source for this mineral resource science and information. Program goals are to (1) increase understanding of mineral resource formation, (2) provide mineral resource inventories and assessments, (3) broaden knowledge of the effects of mineral resources on the environment and society, and (4) provide analysis on the availability and reliability of mineral supplies.

  17. Private Speech in Ballet

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnston, Dale

    2006-01-01

    Authoritarian teaching practices in ballet inhibit the use of private speech. This paper highlights the critical importance of private speech in the cognitive development of young ballet students, within what is largely a non-verbal art form. It draws upon research by Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky and contemporary socioculturalists, to…

  18. Internationally Recommended Best Practices in Transportation Financing Public-Private Partnerships (P3s)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Martin, Lawrence; Lawther, Wendell; Hodge, Graeme

    2013-01-01

    Transportation financing public-private partnerships (P3s) are a common practice in many countries. However, they represent a relatively new approach to transportation infrastructure financing for state and local governments in the United States. In a transportation financing P3 project, a private...... sector partner designs-builds-finances-operates- maintains (DBFOM) a transportation infrastructure asset (road, highway, bridge, tunnel, etc.) with an emphasis on financing. Under this type of arrangement, the private sector partner is primarily responsible for securing all or substantially all...... of the funding necessary to construct new transportation infrastructure and/or rehabilitate existing transportation infrastructure. This study reviews the international experience of national and sub-national governments with transportation financing P3s. The primary purpose of this study is to identify...

  19. Feasibility of selected private money

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lukáš Nevěděl

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The goal of the entry: “Feasibility of selected private money” is the assessment of practicability of selected private money types as future currency especially in terms of attributes that the currency should meet to fulfil all claims required by its users. In the first step the features that the widely used currency has to have will be described and it will be analysed which of these features are characteristic for nowadays currencies (Czech crown and Euro too. In the second step private (unnationalized money will be described as well as several concepts derived from it. The paper will concern mainly on Hayek’s concept of private money and on particular variations of Local exchange trading systems. In the next part there will be pointed out good and bad features of these types of money, mainly from the view of characteristics that the proper currency should have. At the end it will be carried out the comparison of bad and good effects resulting from using of particular currencies types and I will decide about the applicability of analysed private money types. The paper uses the standard methods of scientific work. Firstly, the method of description is used to describe the development of private money concepts and characteristic features that the currency should have. Then, a comparative analysis is used to discuss the differences between contemporary currencies and unnationalized currencies as well as between required and real features of particular private money. At the end the method of synthesis, deduction and induction is used.

  20. Aggregate and Mineral Resources - Industrial Mineral Mining Operations

    Data.gov (United States)

    NSGIC Education | GIS Inventory — An Industrial Mineral Mining Operation is a DEP primary facility type related to the Industrial Mineral Mining Program. The sub-facility types are listed below:Deep...

  1. Defining the private partners in PPP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van der Vleuten-Balkema, F.; Stam, N.

    2004-01-01

    Now that the public private partnerships are seen to be the way forward in solar electrification in developing countries, it is important to question who will be the private partner in the partnership? For decentralized energy technologies such as solar home systems, that are being disseminated to vast numbers of highly dispersed end-users, the private partners of today are the hundreds or thousands of often non specialized local entrepreneurs. The public private partnerships of tomorrow should be reoriented accordingly. (authors)

  2. Comparison of three mineral candidates in middle and low-pressure condition. Experimental study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yan, Heng; Zhang, Jun-ying; Zhao, Yong-chun; Wang, Zhi-lang; Pan, Xia; Xu, Jun; Zheng, Chu-guang [Huazhong Univ. of Science and Technology, Wuhan (China). State Key Lab. of Coal Combustion

    2013-07-01

    ''Greenhouse Effect'', which is scientifically proven to be main caused by the increasing concentration of CO{sub 2}, has become a topic of national and international concern. Mineral carbonation, such as carbonation of alkaline silicate Ca/Mg minerals, analogous to natural weathering processes, is a potentially attractive route to mitigate possible global warming on the basis of industrial imitation of natural weathering processes. In this paper, three typical natural mineral candidates in China, serpentine, olivine and wollastonite, were selected as carbonation raw materials for direct mineral carbonation experiments under middle and low-pressure. A series number of experiments were carried out to investigate the factors that influence the conversion of carbonation reaction, such as reaction temperature, reaction pressure, particle size, solution composition and pretreatment. The solid products from carbonation experiments were filtered, collected, dried and analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (FSEM-EDX) to identify the reaction of mineral carbonation. And the method of mass equilibrium after heat decomposition was used to calculate the mineral carbonation conversion. All the XRD and FSEM analysis validate that carbonation reaction was occurred during the experiments and mineral carbonation is one of the potential techniques for carbon dioxide sequestration. The data of mass equilibrium after heat decomposition was collected and then the conversion formula was used to calculate the carbonation conversion of all the three mineral candidates. The mass equilibrium results show that, for all of the three mineral materials, the carbonation conversion increases with the increasing of reaction temperature. But once the temperature increases above 150 C, the conversion of serpentine decreases a little. Reaction pressure is also an important factor to mineral

  3. Study on mineral processing technology for abrasive minerals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hong, Seong Woong; Yang, Jung Il; Hwang, Seon Kook; Choi, Yeon Ho; Cho, Ken Joon; Shin, Hee Young [Korea Inst. of Geology Mining and Materials, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

    1995-12-01

    Buyeo Materials in Buyeogun, Choongnam province is a company producing feldspar concentrate, but does not yet utilize the garnet as abrasive material and other useful heavy minerals wasted out from the process of feldspar ore. The purpose of this study is to develop technology and process for the recovery of garnet concentrate. As results, the garnet is defined as ferro manganese garnet. The optimum process for recovery of garnet concentrate is to primarily concentrate heavy minerals from tailings of feldspar processing. And secondly the heavy minerals concentrated is dried and separated garnet concentrate from other heavy minerals. At this time, the garnet concentrate is yield by 0.176%wt from 0.31%wt of heavy minerals in head ore. The garnet concentrate contains 33.35% SiO{sub 2}, 12.20% Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, 28.47% Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}, 11.96% MnO. As for utilization of abrasive materials, a fundamental data was established on technology of grinding and classification. (author). 13 refs., 47 figs., 24 tabs.

  4. Microbially mediated mineral carbonation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Power, I. M.; Wilson, S. A.; Dipple, G. M.; Southam, G.

    2010-12-01

    implemented and economically efficient alternative to other technologies currently under development for mineral sequestration. Dismukes GC, Carrieri D, Bennette N, Ananyev GM, Posewitz MC (2008) Aquatic phototrophs: efficient alternatives to land-based crops for biofuels. Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 19, 235-240. Ferris FG, Wiese RG, Fyfe WS (1994) Precipitation of carbonate minerals by microorganisms: Implications of silicate weathering and the global carbon dioxide budget. Geomicrobiology Journal, 12, 1-13. Lackner KS, Wendt CH, Butt DP, Joyce EL, Jr., Sharp DH (1995) Carbon dioxide disposal in carbonate minerals. Energy, 20, 1153-1170. Power IM, Wilson SA, Thom JM, Dipple GM, Gabites JE, Southam G (2009) The hydromagnesite playas of Atlin, British Columbia, Canada: A biogeochemical model for CO2 sequestration. Chemical Geology, 206, 302-316. Thompson JB, Ferris FG (1990) Cyanobacterial precipitation of gypsum, calcite, and magnesite from natural alkaline lake water. Geology, 18, 995-998.

  5. Of Private, Common, and Public Property and the Rationale for Total Privatization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hans-Hermann Hoppe

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, first, I want to clarify the nature and function of private property. Second, I want to clarify the distinction between “common” goods and property and “public” goods and property, and explain the construction error inherent in the institution of public goods and property. Third, I want to explain the rationale and principle of privatization.

  6. Review of the President's Fiscal Year 2009 Budget Request for the Defense Health Program's Private Sector Care Budget Activity Group

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Fantone, Denise M; Pickup, Sharon

    2008-01-01

    ... Private Sector Care BAG. To do this, we reviewed (1) DOD's justification for the request for the Private Sector Care BAG, including the underlying estimates and the extent to which DOD considered historical information; and (2...

  7. Private Sector Credit and Inflation Volatility

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lorna Katusiime

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates the effect of inflation volatility on private sector credit growth. The results indicate that private sector credit growth is positively linked to the one period lagged inflation volatility. Given that past monetary policy actions continue to affect the targeted variables due to the substantial lags in the transmission mechanism, the positive response of private sector credit growth to past inflation volatility suggests a credible monetary policy regime in Uganda, which has led to a reduction in the level of macroeconomic uncertainty and the restoration of favorable economic conditions and prospects, thus increasing the demand for credit. Further, the study finds that the lagged private sector credit growth, nominal exchange rate, and inflation have a statistically significant effect on private sector credit growth while financial innovation, interest rates, and GDP growth appear not to be important determinants of private sector credit growth. The robustness of our findings is confirmed by sensitivity checks.

  8. GIS-based rare events logistic regression for mineral prospectivity mapping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiong, Yihui; Zuo, Renguang

    2018-02-01

    Mineralization is a special type of singularity event, and can be considered as a rare event, because within a specific study area the number of prospective locations (1s) are considerably fewer than the number of non-prospective locations (0s). In this study, GIS-based rare events logistic regression (RELR) was used to map the mineral prospectivity in the southwestern Fujian Province, China. An odds ratio was used to measure the relative importance of the evidence variables with respect to mineralization. The results suggest that formations, granites, and skarn alterations, followed by faults and aeromagnetic anomaly are the most important indicators for the formation of Fe-related mineralization in the study area. The prediction rate and the area under the curve (AUC) values show that areas with higher probability have a strong spatial relationship with the known mineral deposits. Comparing the results with original logistic regression (OLR) demonstrates that the GIS-based RELR performs better than OLR. The prospectivity map obtained in this study benefits the search for skarn Fe-related mineralization in the study area.

  9. Social economy partnerships and the public/private cleavages

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joxerramon Bengoetxea

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Public/Private Partnerships can be seen as one particular topos where the divide between the public domain, all levels of the Public Administration and the private initiative and private property is turned into a joint venture rather than a confrontation or a cleavage. Some of the possible combinations of public and private and where public/private partnerships might fit are displayed analytically. The importance of political theory or ideology in conceiving the relationships between ‘public’ and ‘private’, and the conceptions of a market economy as opposed to a social market economy cannot be exaggerated enough, but equally important are the legal or regulatory framework and the underlying dominant legal culture and legal principles, and of course the economic and financial situation. Public/private partnerships thrive in some conditions, but seem to wane in others, and the current predicament is not favourable, taking into account that only the regulatory framework is supportive of these ventures. Los partenariados público-privados se pueden entender como un espacio particular, en el que el sector público, todos los niveles de la administración pública, y la iniciativa privada y la propiedad privada, abordan una empresa conjunta, en lugar mantener posturas contrapuestas. Se muestran algunas de las posibles combinaciones del sector público y privado, en las que tendrían cabida los partenariados público/privados. Es patente la importancia de la teoría o la ideología política para entender las relaciones entre lo público y lo privado, y las concepciones de una economía de mercado frente a una economía social, pero tampoco se puede negar la importancia del marco legal o reglamentario y la cultura jurídica dominante subyacente, y los principios jurídicos, sin olvidar la situación económica y financiera. Los partenariados público-privados prosperan en algunas condiciones, pero no lo hacen siempre, y la situación econ

  10. Private patients in NHS hospitals: comparison of two sources of information.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, B T; Pearson, J

    1999-03-01

    The use of National Health Service (NHS) hospitals to treat private patients is debatable on the grounds of equity of access. Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES) annual reports are the only routine source of information on the scale of this activity. The accuracy of the information is doubted. This enquiry tested the completeness of HES data against information obtained directly from private patient unit managers. Managers of the 71 pay bed units in NHS hospitals in England were asked to supply from local registers and accounts the numbers of in-patients and day cases admitted in 1995-1996. Their reports were matched with the numbers of first consultant episodes for private in-patients and day cases shown for those hospitals in the HES data file for that year. Of the 71 units 62 responded; 53 of these gave usable data. The 53 included, and 18 excluded from the comparison, matched on median and range of bed numbers. Managers identified 16 per cent more total admissions than did HES, 62,572 against 54,131; 13 per cent more in-patient admissions, 39,776 against 35,319; and 21 per cent more day cases, 22,796 against 18,812. More total admissions were reported by managers of 38 pay bed units than were recorded in HES, fewer by 12, and equal numbers by three. Similar sized discrepancies were noted for in-patient admissions and day cases. Reasons for the under-reporting of private patients in HES included the use of separate patient administration systems for private patients with a failure to feed data to HES, and the omission of some provider units altogether by a minority of trusts from the returns made to the Department of Health. Overall, HES underestimates the amount of private patient activity reported directly by NHS hospitals. No method of validating private patient data is currently available. An amendment to an existing statistical return would provide a check on numbers. Central guidance on the inclusion of private patient activity in data transmitted by

  11. Private equity and public-to-private transactions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    P.G.J. Roosenboom (Peter)

    2013-01-01

    textabstractWhat considerations lie behind the decision to mount a management buy-out of a publicly listed firm, and should third party investors be involved? Indeed, does the involvement of private equity investors actually aid company performance after a deal is done?

  12. European Private Law - Survey 1998-2000

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hondius, E.H.

    2000-01-01

    From its conception, the European Review of Private Law has tried, sometimes in vain, to publish Chronicles (‘Chroniques’) or Surveys of the main areas of private law: Contract, Inheritance, Property, Tort, etc. The idea of these Chronicles or Surveys is that, within a specific area of private

  13. Private vs. Public Higher Education Budgeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beamer, Sarah A.

    2011-01-01

    Private higher education institutions are those entities owned and operated by the private sector, while public institutions are those established, supported, and controlled by a governmental agency, most often a state. Key differences exist between private and public institutions that affect budgeting in critical ways. Such differences include…

  14. Probing the rhizosphere to define mineral organic relationships

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schulz, M. S.; Dohnalkova, A.; Stonestrom, D. A.

    2016-12-01

    Soil organic matter (SOM) accumulation and stabilization over time is an important process as soils are a large carbon reservoir in which feedbacks under changing climates are unclear. The association of SOM with poorly crystalline or short-range-ordered secondary minerals has been shown to be important for carbon stabilization. Commonly used soil extraction techniques display correlations of SOM with secondary phases but do not show causation. The fate of root exudates in soils and processes controlling exudate associations with mineral phases are as yet structurally undefined. Sub-micron exploration of in-situ relations provides valuable information on SOM-mineral interactions. Soils of the Santa Cruz (California) marine terrace chronosequence are used to illustrate changes in deep (> 1 m) rhizosphere through time. Cracks and soil ped faces are sites of high root density and organic matter (biofilm or mucilage) deposition. We employ a variety of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) techniques for high resolution imaging and elemental analyses of deep rhizosphere and associated carbon mineral interactions. In these coastal prairie soils microscopy reveals secondary clay minerals associated with and possibly forming from organic-rich mucilage that occurs along the aforementioned rooting networks on fracture surfaces. We hypothesize that the production of secondary clays in the rhizosphere is an important mode of C incorporation into secondary minerals.

  15. Private Equity and Industry Performance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bernstein, Shai; Lerner, Josh; Sørensen, Morten

    2017-01-01

    The growth of the private equity industry has spurred concerns about its impact on the economy. This analysis looks across nations and industries to assess the impact of private equity on industry performance. We find that industries where private equity funds invest grow more quickly in terms...... of total production and employment and appear less exposed to aggregate shocks. Our robustness tests provide some evidence that is consistent with our effects being driven by our preferred channel....

  16. Does Private Tutoring Work? The Effectiveness of Private Tutoring: A Nonparametric Bounds Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hof, Stefanie

    2014-01-01

    Private tutoring has become popular throughout the world. However, evidence for the effect of private tutoring on students' academic outcome is inconclusive; therefore, this paper presents an alternative framework: a nonparametric bounds method. The present examination uses, for the first time, a large representative data-set in a European setting…

  17. Private food law : governing food chains through contracts law, self-regulation, private standards, audits and certification schemes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Meulen, van der B.M.J.

    2011-01-01

    Since the turn of the Millennium, world-wide initiatives from the private sector have turned the regulatory environment for food businesses upside down. For the first time in legal literature this book analyses private law initiatives relating to the food chain, often referred to as private

  18. South Africa's mineral industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1985-06-01

    The main aim of the Minerals Bureau in presenting this annual review is to provide an up-to-date reference document on the current state of the mineral industry in South Africa. This includes a brief look at the production, trade, economy, resources and deposits of precious metals and minerals, energy minerals, metallic minerals, and non-metallic minerals. One article discusses the production, trade, export, deposits and economy of uranium

  19. 45 CFR 605.39 - Private education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Private education. 605.39 Section 605.39 Public..., Elementary, and Secondary Education § 605.39 Private education. (a) A recipient that provides private elementary or secondary education may not, on the basis of handicap, exclude a qualified handicapped person...

  20. 38 CFR 18.439 - Private education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Private education. 18.439... Adult Education § 18.439 Private education. (a) A recipient that provides private elementary or secondary education may not on the basis of handicap, exclude a qualified handicapped person if the person...

  1. Assessing the Soil Physiological Potential Using Pedo-Biological Diagnosis Under Minimum-Tillage System and Mineral Fertilization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lazar Bireescu

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available The main objective of sustainable agriculture is the protection of environment and natural vegetal and soil resources. Accordingly, the objective of this research was to assess the impact of technological systems by minimum tillage on soil biological activity, using the Pedo-Biological Diagnosis of Soil Resources. Our research was conducted on haplic chernozem from Experimental Station of UASVM of Iasi, Romania, during the seasonal dynamic, to the soybean crop, on unfertilized and fertilized agrofond, using moderate mineral doses (N80P80 as average of 2009–2010 period, under minimum tillage (2x disk, paraplow, chisel compared to conventional (plugging at 20 cm and 30 cm. In the case of soil works with chisel and paraplow without return of furrow, the Pedo-Biological Diagnosis highlights an increase of soil physiological potential, in the both variants (unfertilized and fertilized, unlike the method of alternating the depth of plugging that proved to be ineffective.

  2. Radiological hazards to uranium miners

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1990-05-01

    The purpose of the present document is to review and assess the occupational hazards to uranium miners in Canada. Amendments to regulations set the maximum permissible dose to uranium miners at 50 mSv per year. Uranium miners are exposed to radon and thoron progeny, external gamma radiation and long-lived alpha-emitting radionuclides in dust. The best estimate for the lifetime risk of inhaled radon progeny is about 3 x 10 -4 lung cancers per WLM for the average miner, with a range of uncertainty from about 1 -6 x 10 -4 per WLM. This central value is nearly twice as high as that recommended by the ICRP in 1981. The probability of serious biological consequences following exposure to external gamma rays is currently under review but is expected to be in the range of 3 - 6 x 10 -2 Sv -1 . Dosimetric calculations indicate that the stochastic risks per WLM of thoron progeny are about one-third of those for radon progeny. The annual limits on intake of inhaled ore dusts recommended by the ICRP are probably too low by at least a factor of two for the type of ore and dust normally encountered in underground uranium mines in Ontario; this is due in part to the fact that the average diameter of these dusts is five times greater than the value used by the ICRP. Radiological exposures of uranium miners in Canada were reviewed. The biological impact of these exposures were compared with those of conventional accidents on the basis of the years of normal life expectancy that are lost or seriously impaired due to occupational hazards. The objectives in considering all occupational risks are to reduce the total risk from all causes and to use funds spent for health protection as effectively as possible

  3. 16 CFR 310.7 - Actions by states and private persons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Actions by states and private persons. 310.7 Section 310.7 Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION REGULATIONS UNDER SPECIFIC ACTS OF CONGRESS... complaint and any other pleadings to be filed with the court. If prior notice is not feasible, the state or...

  4. The Thermodynamics of Selenium Minerals in Near-Surface Environments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vladimir Krivovichev

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Selenium compounds are relatively rare as minerals; there are presently only 118 known mineral species. This work is intended to codify and systematize the data of mineral systems and the thermodynamics of selenium minerals, which are unstable (selenides or formed in near-surface environments (selenites, where the behavior of selenium is controlled by variations of the redox potential and the acidity of solutions at low temperatures and pressures. These parameters determine the migration of selenium and its precipitation as various solid phases. All selenium minerals are divided into four groups—native selenium, oxide, selenides, and oxysalts—anhydrous selenites (I and hydrous selenites and selenates (II. Within each of the groups, minerals are codified according to the minimum number of independent elements necessary to define the composition of the mineral system. Eh–pH diagrams were calculated and plotted using the Geochemist’s Workbench (GMB 9.0 software package. The Eh–pH diagrams of the Me–Se–H2O systems (where Me = Co, Ni, Fe, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Hg, Ag, Bi, As, Sb, Al and Ca were plotted for the average contents of these elements in acidic waters in the oxidation zones of sulfide deposits. The possibility of the formation of Zn, Cd, Ag and Hg selenites under natural oxidation conditions in near surface environments is discussed.

  5. PRIVATE SECURITY IN SPORT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dragan Vukasović

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Given the importance of sport for international integration, affirmation, a sense of belonging and other values of general interest, in order to maintain and open new prospects of development, it is necessary to form the private security system along with state security system, with a view to creating conditions for development sports athletes to achieve better results both in domestic and international competitions. Private security is only one element of an integrated security system which, with its efficient organization with the use of adequate means and measures should provide answers to new challenges, risks and threats. Private security in line with the new understanding of the concept of security has an important role in providing athletes.

  6. Sulfobetaine as a zwitterionic mediator for 3D hydroxyapatite mineralization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Pingsheng; Song, Jie

    2013-03-01

    Both positively and negatively charged residues play pivotal roles in recruiting precursor ions or ion clusters, and lowering interfacial energy in natural biomineralization process. Synergistic utilization of opposite charges, however, has rarely been implemented in the design of cytocompatible synthetic scaffolds promoting hydroxyapatite (HA)-mineralization and osteointegration. We report the use of cytocompatible zwitterionic sulfobetaine ligands to enable 3-dimensional in vitro mineralization of HA across covalently crosslinked hydrogels. The overall charge-neutral zwitterionic hydrogel effectively recruited oppositely charged precursor ions while overcame excessive swelling exhibited by anionic and cationic hydrogels under physiological conditions, resulting in denser and structurally well-integrated mineralized composites. Further controls over the size, content, and spatial distribution of the mineral domains within the zwitterionic hydrogel are accomplished by facile adjustments of hydrogel crosslinking densities and the supersaturation rate governing heterogeneous mineral nucleation and growth. These findings should inspire many creative uses of zwitterionic polymers and polymer coatings for skeletal tissue repair and regeneration. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. More "Private" than Private Institutions: Public Institutions of Higher Education and Financial Management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adams, Olin L., III; Robichaux, Rebecca R.; Guarino, A. J.

    2010-01-01

    This research compares the status of managerial accounting practices in public four-year colleges and universities and in private four-year colleges and universities. The investigators surveyed a national sample of chief financial officers (CFOs) at two points in time, 1998-99 and 2003-04. In 1998-99 CFOs representing private institutions reported…

  8. Linking landscape characteristics to mineral site use by band-tailed pigeons in Western Oregon: Coarse-filter conservation with fine-filter tuning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Overton, C.T.; Schmitz, R.A.; Casazza, Michael L.

    2006-01-01

    Mineral sites are scarce resources of high ion concentration used heavily by the Pacific Coast subpopulation of band-tailed pigeons. Over 20% of all known mineral sites used by band-tailed pigeons in western Oregon, including all hot springs, have been abandoned. Prior investigations have not analyzed stand or landscape level habitat composition in relation to band-tailed pigeon use of mineral sites. We used logistic regression models to evaluate the influence of habitat types, identified from Gap Analysis Program (GAP) products at two spatial scales, on the odds of mineral site use in Oregon (n = 69 currently used and 20 historically used). Our results indicated that the odds of current use were negatively associated with non-forested terrestrial and private land area around mineral sites. Similarly, the odds of current mineral site use were positively associated with forested and special status (GAP stewardship codes 1 and 2) land area. The most important variable associated with the odds of mineral site use was the amount of non-forested land cover at either spatial scale. Our results demonstrate the utility of meso-scale geographic information designed for regional, coarse-filter approaches to conservation in fine-filter investigation of wildlife-habitat relationships. Adjacent landcover and ownership status explain the pattern of use for known mineral sites in western Oregon. In order for conservation and management activities for band-tailed pigeons to be successful, mineral sites need to be addressed as important and vulnerable resources. Management of band-tailed pigeons should incorporate the potential for forest management activities and land ownership patterns to influence the risk of mineral site abandonment.

  9. Chemical, Mechanical, and Durability Properties of Concrete with Local Mineral Admixtures under Sulfate Environment in Northwest China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nie, Qingke; Zhou, Changjun; Shu, Xiang; He, Qiang; Huang, Baoshan

    2014-05-13

    Over the vast Northwest China, arid desert contains high concentrations of sulfate, chloride, and other chemicals in the ground water, which poses serious challenges to infrastructure construction that routinely utilizes portland cement concrete. Rapid industrialization in the region has been generating huge amounts of mineral admixtures, such as fly ash and slags from energy and metallurgical industries. These industrial by-products would turn into waste materials if not utilized in time. The present study evaluated the suitability of utilizing local mineral admixtures in significant quantities for producing quality concrete mixtures that can withstand the harsh chemical environment without compromising the essential mechanical properties. Comprehensive chemical, mechanical, and durability tests were conducted in the laboratory to characterize the properties of the local cementitious mineral admixtures, cement mortar and portland cement concrete mixtures containing these admixtures. The results from this study indicated that the sulfate resistance of concrete was effectively improved by adding local class F fly ash and slag, or by applying sulfate resistance cement to the mixtures. It is noteworthy that concrete containing local mineral admixtures exhibited much lower permeability (in terms of chloride ion penetration) than ordinary portland cement concrete while retaining the same mechanical properties; whereas concrete mixtures made with sulfate resistance cement had significantly reduced strength and much increased chloride penetration comparing to the other mixtures. Hence, the use of local mineral admixtures in Northwest China in concrete mixtures would be beneficial to the performance of concrete, as well as to the protection of environment.

  10. The privately owned timber resources of western Oregon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donald R. Gedney

    1983-01-01

    Timber resource statistics from a 1973-76 inventory are presented for private timberland in western Oregon. Inventories usually classify private owners as either forest industry or nonindustrial private. For this report, however, the nonindustrial private classification has been further disaggregated into farmer, individual, and corporate owners. For all private owner...

  11. Private Equity for Retail Investors : How to efficiently involve Finnish retail investors in private equity

    OpenAIRE

    Moita, Angelo

    2017-01-01

    Private equity has been the best performing asset class for institutional investors. Meanwhile, retail investors have been left out from the asset class for several reasons, such as legislation and wealth profiling. This study aims at assessing the types of private equity vehicles that could be the most appropriate for Finnish retail investors. The study solely focuses on the investment opportunities, hence it does not cover investment behaviour. Private equity should not be a primary as...

  12. 45 CFR 84.39 - Private education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Private education. 84.39 Section 84.39 Public... Secondary Education § 84.39 Private education. (a) A recipient that provides private elementary or secondary education may not, on the basis of handicap, exclude a qualified handicapped person if the person can, with...

  13. Private sector approaches to workforce enhancement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wendling, Wayne R

    2010-06-01

    This paper addresses the private practice model of dental care delivery in the US. The great majority of dental care services are delivered through this model and thus changes in the model represent a means to substantially change the supply and availability of dental services. The two main forces that change how private practices function are broad economic factors, which alter the demand for dental care and innovations in practice structure and function which alter the supply and cost of services. Economics has long recognized that although there are private market solutions for many issues, not all problems can be addressed through this model. The private practice of dentistry is a private market solution that works for a substantial share of the market. However, the private market may not work to resolve all issues associated with access and utilization. Solutions for some problems call for creative private - public arrangements - another form of innovation; and market-based solutions may not be feasible for each and every problem. This paper discusses these economic factors and innovation as they relate to the private practice of dentistry, with special emphasis on those elements that have increased the capacity of the dental practice to offer services to those with limited means to access fee-based care. Innovations are frequently described as new care delivery models or new workforce models. However, innovation can occur on an ongoing and regular basis as dental practices examine new ways to combine capital and human resources and to leverage the education and skill of the dentists to a greater number of patients. Innovation occurs within a market context as the current and projected economic returns reward the innovation. Innovation can also occur through private-public arrangements. There are indications of available capacity within the existing delivery system to expand service delivery. The Michigan Medicaid Healthy Kids Dental program is discussed as

  14. Petroleum and mineral resources of Antarctica

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kovar, Karel; Behrendt, John Charles

    1983-01-01

    No known petroleum or mineral resources occur in Antarctica. The data on these subjects have been collected, mainly since the IGY (International Geophysical Year), 1957-58, as a part of other research carried out by geologists and geophysicists from a number of countries. Specific resource-related studies have not been made. Wright and Williams (1974) summarized what was known of Antarctic mineral resources a decade ago.The U.S. Geological Survey has been actively pursuing various investigations in Antarctica since 194 7. In the course of this work and that of our colleagues elsewhere in the United States and in other countries, much information relevant to petroleum and mineral resources has been obtained. Since 1976, modern state-of-the-art multichannel seismic reflection and aeromagnetic surveys by several countries over the continental margin of Antarctica have indicated thick sedimentary basins. However, no offshore drilling beneath the continental shelf has taken place since the DSDP (Deep Sea Drilling Project) holes in the Ross Sea in 1973. Geologic field investigations begun at the turn of the twentieth century have been intensified in the past two decades; most rock outcrops have been visited and samples collected. Technology to exploit resources, particularly in the Arctic, has been developing at a rapid rate, and much of it could be applied to Antarctica. As a result of the petroleum price increases of the past decade, the attention of a number of countries has turned to Antarctica, but under the policy of "voluntary restraint" adopted by the Antarctic Treaty nations, no active petroleum or mineral exploration is taking place. The Antarctic treaty countries are in the process of negotiating an Antarctic mineral resources regime that is anticipated to be completed within the next several years. Therefore it seemed timely to us to readdress the question of petroleum and mineral resources. These reports review and summarize the available information. The

  15. Uranium redistribution under oxidizing conditions in Oklo natural reactor zone 2, Gabon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Isobe, H.; Ohnuki, T.; Murakami, T.; Gauthier-Lafaye, F.

    1995-01-01

    This mineralogical study was completed to elucidate the relationships between uranium distribution and alteration products of the host rock of natural reactor zone clays just below the reactor core. Uraninite is preserved without any alteration in the reactor core. Uranium minerals are found to be present in the fractures in the reactor zone clays associated with iron-mineral veins, galena and Ti-bearing minerals. Uranium, for which the phases could not be identified, occurs in iron-mineral veins and the iron-mineral rim of pyrite grains in the reactor zone clays. Uranium is not associated with granular iron minerals occurring in the illite matrix of the reactor zone clays. The degree of crystallinity and uranium content of the three iron-bearing alteration products suggest that they formed under different conditions; the granular iron minerals, under alteration conditions where uranium was not mobilized while the iron-mineral veins and the iron-mineral rim of pyrite, under conditions in which uranium is mobilized after the formation of the granular iron minerals

  16. Bolivian petroleum privatization taking shape

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1995-01-01

    Bolivia is boldly embracing a free market philosophy that extends to liberalization of the country's petroleum sector. Although petroleum industry privatization is being considered by several South American countries, only Argentina has so far completely opened its oil sector and fully privatized its state oil company. The Bolivian government's own version of privatization, capitalization, is a groundbreaking attempt to attract massive investment from the private sector without leaving the government open to accusations of stripping the country's assets for short term electoral gain. The paper discusses the government's strategy to sell the state owned company either as a single unit or to split it into upstream and downstream units. Questions still to be resolved, international interest in the move, bolivian potential, and the gas supply infrastructure are also discussed

  17. Private sector and stabilisation in Afghanistan

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Magaard, Tina

    I briefet opsummerer Tina Magaard de vigtigste konklusioner fra konferencen ”Private sector and stabilisation in Afghanistan – a neglected match?”, som blandt andet gav indsigt i udfordringerne og mulighederne for den private sektor i Afghanistan. Ved at kombinere perspektiver fra strategiske...... studier med forretnings- og udviklingsstudier tilbød konferencen en dybere indsigt i udfordringerne og mulighederne for den private sektor i Afghanistan. Samtidig blev der åbnet en række nye perspektiver for interaktionen mellem den private sektor og stabiliseringsoperationer i en post-krigskontekst som...... Afghanistan. Selvom udgangspunktet var Afghanistan, er konferencens konklusioner i høj grad relevante for andre konflikt/post-konfliktområder. Konferencen var organiseret i et samarbejde mellem Centre for Business and Development Studies (Copenhagen Business School), Public-Private Platform (Copenhagen...

  18. 41 CFR 102-75.105 - What responsibility does the Department of the Interior have if it determines that minerals in...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... the Department of the Interior have if it determines that minerals in the land are unsuitable for disposition under the public land mining and mineral leasing laws? 102-75.105 Section 102-75.105 Public... Interior have if it determines that minerals in the land are unsuitable for disposition under the public...

  19. Influence of oil and mineral characteristics on oil-mineral interaction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wood, P.A.; Lunel, T.; Daniel, F.; Swannell, R.; Lee, K.; Stoffyn-Egli, P.

    1998-01-01

    A laboratory study was conducted to simulate the process of oil-mineral interaction in seawater. Thirteen different crudes, emulsions and oil products were used in the study. The objective was to improve the fundamental understanding of the characteristics of oils and minerals that influence the process. The findings of an initial phase of studies based on the swirling flask and marine simulation procedures were also described. Oil content associated with flocs to oil and mineral characteristics were discussed. Emulsions were prepared at 10 degrees C by vigorously mixing the oil with excess artificial seawater in a Kilner jar using a high shear homogenizer. Topped oils were prepared by distillation to 250 degrees C. The biodegraded oil was prepared from the topped crude oil. Biodegradation was achieved over a 28 day period using natural seawater and naturally occurring hydrocarbon degraders. The relationships between oil concentration, oil density and mineral exchange capacity were determined. The study showed that greater oil concentrations in the water column could be expected with (1) the presence of mineral fines, (2) minerals with greater cation exchange rates, (3) minerals with finer sizes, and (4) oils of lower viscosity and density. It was determined that in coastal waters the viscosity of the oil/emulsion will likely be the main factor affecting oil-mineral interactions. The viscosity limit for allowing oil fines interaction is likely to be dependent on the energy in the coastal zone affected by the oil pollution. 18 refs., 5 tabs., 13 figs

  20. 75 FR 72965 - Federal Travel Regulation; Removal of Privately Owned Vehicle Rates; Privately Owned Automobile...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-11-29

    ... rate based on the type of POV you actually use (privately owned airplane, privately owned automobile... HOUSEHOLD GOODS AND PROFESSIONAL BOOKS, PAPERS, AND EQUIPMENT (PBP&E) 0 29. The authority citation for 41...

  1. Formation of secondary minerals in a lysimeter approach - A mineral-microbe interaction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schäffner, F.; Merten, D.; De Giudici, G.; Beyer, A.; Akob, D. M.; Ricci, P. C.; Küsel, K.; Büchel, G.

    2012-04-01

    Heavy metal contamination of large areas due to uranium mining operations poses a serious long-term environmental problem. In the Ronneburg district (eastern Thuringia, Germany), leaching of low grade uranium bearing ores (uranium content metals, especially Cd, Ni, Co, Cu and Zn due to a residual contamination even after remediation efforts. To reveal the processes of secondary mineral precipitation in the field a laboratory lysimeter approach was set up under in situ-like conditions. Homogenized soil from the field site and pure quartz sand were used as substrates. In general, in situ measurements of redox potentials in the substrates showed highly oxidizing conditions (200-750 mV). Water was supplied to the lysimeter from below via a mariottés bottle containing contaminated groundwater from the field. Evaporation processes were allowed, providing a continuous flow of water. This led to precipitation of epsomite and probably aplowite on the top layer of substrate, similar to what is observed in field investigations. After 4 weeks, the first iron and manganese bearing secondary minerals became visible. Soil water samples were used to monitor the behaviour of metals within the lysimeter. Saturation indices (SI) for different secondary minerals were calculated with PHREEQC. The SI of goethite showed oversaturation with respect to the soil solution. SEM-EDX analyses and IR spectroscopy confirmed the formation of goethite. Geochemical data revealed that goethite formation was mainly dominated by Eh/pH processes and that heavy metals, e.g. Zn and U, could be enriched in this phase. Although Eh/pH data does not support formation of manganese minerals, Mn(II)-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) could be isolated from field soil samples, supporting the fact that microorganisms may influence this natural attenuation process. Laser ablation ICP-MS data reveal accumulation of manganese in MOB biomass on Mn(II)-containing agar plates. Furthermore, it was possible to show the importance

  2. Private Sector in Indian Healthcare Delivery: Consumer Perspective and Government Policies to promote private Sector

    OpenAIRE

    Utkarsh Shah, Ragini Mohanty

    2011-01-01

    This research paper attempts to collate literature from various sources, in an attempt to answer three pertinent questions related to healthcare in India. Firstly, what is it meant by ‘private sector’ in healthcare delivery system of India, secondly how has the private sector evolved over the decades and what has been the role of the government in propelling the growth. Finally, the paper tries to highlight some of the factors that have promoted the growth of private sector in India with spec...

  3. Photocatalytic degradation of cylindrospermopsin under UV-A, solar and visible light using TiO2. Mineralization and intermediate products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fotiou, Theodora; Triantis, Theodoros; Kaloudis, Triantafyllos; Hiskia, Anastasia

    2015-01-01

    Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) are considered an important water quality problem, since several genera can produce toxins, called cyanotoxins that are harmful to human health. Cylindrospermopsin (CYN) is an alkaloid-like potent cyanotoxin that has been reported in water reservoirs and lakes worldwide. In this paper the removal of CYN from water by UV-A, solar and visible light photocatalysis was investigated. Two different commercially available TiO2 photocatalysts were used, i.e., Degussa P25 and Kronos-vlp7000. Complete degradation of CYN was achieved with both photocatalysts in 15 and 40 min under UV-A and 40 and 120 min under solar light irradiation, for Degussa P25 and Kronos vlp-7000 respectively. Experiments in the absence of photocatalysts showed that direct photolysis was negligible. Under visible light irradiation only the Kronos vlp-7000 which is a visible light activated catalyst was able to degrade CYN. A number of intermediates were identified and a complete degradation pathway is proposed, leading to the conclusion that hydroxyl radical attack is the main mechanism followed. TOC and inorganic ions (NO2-, NO3-, SO4(2-) and NH4+) determinations suggested that complete mineralization of CYN was achieved under UV-A in the presence of Degussa P25. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Private Security Contractors in Darfur

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Leander, Anna

    2006-01-01

    This article argues that the role of Private Security Contractors in Darfur reflects and reinforces neo-liberal governmentality in contemporary security governance. It is an argument (in line with other articles in this special issue) which is more interested in discussing how the privatization....... It underlines that governance is increasingly taking place through a set of (quasi-) markets, it is marked by entrepreneurial values, and a hands off approach to governance. We then discuss the way this overall change is reflected in and reinforced by the role of private security contractors in Darfur. Drawing...... at these processes is necessary to understand the role of private security contractors in Darfur. But more than this, practices in Darfur entrench neo-liberal governmentality in security more generally. The managerial and `de-politicizing' approach to security in Darfur displaces alternative views not only...

  5. Structure Integrity Testing of Mineral Feed by Means of Acoustic Emission

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jaroslav Začal

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This work deals with specific method of non-destructive testing – Acoustic emission (AE. Theoretical part of article is focused on underlying principle of this method and its applicability. The experimental part is focused on research of pressure resistance in mineral feed using the AE. Mineral feed is condensed cube of rock salt (sodium chloride with supplementary minerals, which is fed to livestock and game to supply the mineral elements necessary for their health and condition. Using the AE sensor is possible to provide monitoring of internal changes in the material. AE gives the overview of internal changes in material structure. With use of specific software we can interpret the acoustic signal and identify the current state of material integrity in real time.

  6. Heteroaggregation of graphene oxide with minerals in aqueous phase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Jian; Liu, Feifei; Wang, Zhenyu; Cao, Xuesong; Xing, Baoshan

    2015-03-03

    Upon release into waters, sediments, and soils, graphene oxide (GO) may interact with fine mineral particles. We investigated the heteroaggregation of GO with different minerals, including montmorillonite, kaolinite, and goethite, in aqueous phase. GO significantly enhanced the dispersion of positively charged goethite (>50%) via heteroaggregation, while there was no interaction between GO and negatively charged montmorillonite or kaolinite. Electrostatic attraction was the dominant force in the GO-goethite heteroaggregation (pH 4.0-8.5), and the dissolved Fe ions (formation of multilayered GO-goethite complex with high configurational stability. These findings are useful for understanding the interaction of GO with mineral surfaces, and potential fate and toxicity of GO under natural conditions in aquatic environments, as well as in soils and sediments.

  7. Degradation of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and its precursor dimethylamine (DMA) in mineral micropores induced by microwave irradiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Yuanzhen; Cheng, Hefa

    2016-05-01

    Removal of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in drinking water treatment poses a significant technical challenge due to its small molecular size, high polarity and water solubility, and poor biodegradability. Degradation of NDMA and its precursor, dimethylamine (DMA), was investigated by adsorbing them from aqueous solution using porous mineral sorbents, followed by destruction under microwave irradiation. Among the mineral sorbents evaluated, dealuminated ZSM-5 exhibited the highest sorption capacities for NDMA and DMA, which decreased with the density of surface cations present in the micropores. In contrast, the degradation rate of the sorbed NDMA increased with the density of surface cations under microwave irradiation. Evolutions of the degradation products and C/N ratio indicate that the sorbed NDMA and DMA could be eventually mineralized under continuous microwave irradiation. The degradation rate was strongly correlated with the bulk temperature of ZSM-5 and microwave power, which is consistent with the mechanism of pyrolysis caused by formation of micro-scale "hot spots" within the mineral micropores under microwave irradiation. Compared to existing treatment options for NDMA removal, microporous mineral sorption coupled with microwave-induced degradation has the unique advantages of being able to simultaneously remove NDMA and DMA and cause their full mineralization, and thus could serve as a promising alternative method. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Environmental impact of atomic minerals exploration and exploitation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dwivedy, K.K.

    1998-01-01

    Terrestrial radiation in the earth's environment is existing since its formation and is shared by all types of rocks, minerals, gases, and water, and to some extent aided by the interstellar radiation. Environmental radiation is ubiquitous and the man and other living beings have been living in such environment for thousands of years. Today they are much concerned about health and environmental risks so that a balance must be achieved between the activities that promote economic growth and the preservation of the natural environment. Atomic minerals are one of the main sources of natural environmental radiation and they are being explored by Atomic Minerals Division (AMD). Mining and milling activities sometimes may cause some radiological impacts but proper monitoring and remedial measures keep them under check. Some of the important aspects related to environmental impacts of uranium exploration and exploitation are presented

  9. Managing the relational character of public-private partnership contracts

    OpenAIRE

    Cvetković, Predrag

    2015-01-01

    A public-private partnership contract has the character of a relational contract. Relational contracts are incomplete agreements governing transactions where the contracting parties have mutually agreed that it is impossible or economically inefficient to contractually define ex ante possible difficulties and contingencies in the contract implementation, nor the difficulties and contingencies underlying the ex post control of contract performance by a third entity (court or arbitration). Cons...

  10. What is the private sector? Understanding private provision in the health systems of low-income and middle-income countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mackintosh, Maureen; Channon, Amos; Karan, Anup; Selvaraj, Sakthivel; Cavagnero, Eleonora; Zhao, Hongwen

    2016-08-06

    Private health care in low-income and middle-income countries is very extensive and very heterogeneous, ranging from itinerant medicine sellers, through millions of independent practitioners-both unlicensed and licensed-to corporate hospital chains and large private insurers. Policies for universal health coverage (UHC) must address this complex private sector. However, no agreed measures exist to assess the scale and scope of the private health sector in these countries, and policy makers tasked with managing and regulating mixed health systems struggle to identify the key features of their private sectors. In this report, we propose a set of metrics, drawn from existing data that can form a starting point for policy makers to identify the structure and dynamics of private provision in their particular mixed health systems; that is, to identify the consequences of specific structures, the drivers of change, and levers available to improve efficiency and outcomes. The central message is that private sectors cannot be understood except within their context of mixed health systems since private and public sectors interact. We develop an illustrative and partial country typology, using the metrics and other country information, to illustrate how the scale and operation of the public sector can shape the private sector's structure and behaviour, and vice versa. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Private Military and Security Contractors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    In Private Military and Security Contractors: Controlling the Corporate Warrior a multinational team of 16 scholars and a practitioner from political science, sociology, and law address a developing phenomenon: controlling the use of privatized force by states in international politics. Robust...

  12. Mineral Resource Information System for Field Lab in the Osage Mineral Reservation Estate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Carroll, H.B.; Johnson, William I.

    1999-04-27

    The Osage Mineral Reservation Estate is located in Osage County, Oklahoma. Minerals on the Estate are owned by members of the Osage Tribe who are shareholders in the Estate. The Estate is administered by the Osage Agency, Branch of Minerals, operated by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Oil, natural gas, casinghead gas, and other minerals (sand, gravel, limestone, and dolomite) are exploited by lessors. Operators may obtain from the Branch of Minerals and the Osage Mineral Estate Tribal Council leases to explore and exploit oil, gas, oil and gas, and other minerals on the Estate. Operators pay a royalty on all minerals exploited and sold from the Estate. A mineral Resource Information system was developed for this project to evaluate the remaining hydrocarbon resources located on the Estate. Databases on Microsoft Excel spreadsheets of operators, leases, and production were designed for use in conjunction with an evaluation spreadsheet for estimating the remaining hydrocarbons on the Estate.

  13. Public by Day, Private by Night: Examining the Private Lives of Kenya's Public Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wangenge-Ouma, Gerald

    2012-01-01

    This article examines the emergence of the public university in Kenya as a key provider of private higher education, characterised mainly by the phenomenon of the "private public university student." It probes the broader socio-economic reforms circumscribing the privatisation of Kenya's public universities and the local and global…

  14. A Failed Experiment: Georgia's Tax Credit Scholarships for Private Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Southern Education Foundation, 2011

    2011-01-01

    Georgia is one of seven states that currently allow tax credits for scholarships to private schools. Georgia's law was enacted in May 2008 in order to assist low income students to transfer out of low performing public schools. Operations under the new act began in late 2008. The law permits taxpayers in Georgia to reduce their annual state taxes…

  15. Government deficits, private investment and the current account: an intertemporal disequilibrium analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Wijnbergen, S.J.G.

    1987-01-01

    An analysis of the fiscal policy in the account of a model with intertemporal optimisation underlying private behaviour. Besides is incorporated explicitly the possibility of (short-run) labour and goods market disequilibrium caused by Fischer (1977)--Gray (1978) type contract-based real-wage

  16. Private benefits in corporate control transactions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Poulsen, Thomas

    This paper presents an analytical framework from which it can be inferred whether sellers or buyers in corporate control transactions value private benefits highest. I am thus able to suggest an answer to the question: Are blocks of shares traded because the buyer is a more efficient monitor...... with high security benefits, or because the buyer has high private benefits from the control rights that come with the shares? Using voting rights as the vehicle for private benefits, I find that the selling shareholders in block transactions attach more value to private benefits than the buyers. In tender...... offer transactions, the answer is that private benefits are insignificant to both sides of the transaction. As an alternative measure of the transaction premium, I calculate the abnormal return premium. This represents the stock market's valuation of the transaction. I find that the stock market puts...

  17. Molecular nanomechanics of nascent bone: fibrillar toughening by mineralization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buehler, Markus J.

    2007-07-01

    Mineralized collagen fibrils are highly conserved nanostructural building blocks of bone. By a combination of molecular dynamics simulation and theoretical analysis it is shown that the characteristic nanostructure of mineralized collagen fibrils is vital for its high strength and its ability to sustain large deformation, as is relevant to the physiological role of bone, creating a strong and tough material. An analysis of the molecular mechanisms of protein and mineral phases under large deformation of mineralized collagen fibrils reveals a fibrillar toughening mechanism that leads to a manifold increase of energy dissipation compared to fibrils without mineral phase. This fibrillar toughening mechanism increases the resistance to fracture by forming large local yield regions around crack-like defects, a mechanism that protects the integrity of the entire structure by allowing for localized failure. As a consequence, mineralized collagen fibrils are able to tolerate microcracks of the order of several hundred micrometres in size without causing any macroscopic failure of the tissue, which may be essential to enable bone remodelling. The analysis proves that adding nanoscopic small platelets to collagen fibrils increases their Young's modulus and yield strength as well as their fracture strength. We find that mineralized collagen fibrils have a Young's modulus of 6.23 GPa (versus 4.59 GPa for the collagen fibril), yield at a tensile strain of 6.7% (versus 5% for the collagen fibril) and feature a fracture stress of 0.6 GPa (versus 0.3 GPa for the collagen fibril).

  18. Molecular nanomechanics of nascent bone: fibrillar toughening by mineralization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buehler, Markus J

    2007-01-01

    Mineralized collagen fibrils are highly conserved nanostructural building blocks of bone. By a combination of molecular dynamics simulation and theoretical analysis it is shown that the characteristic nanostructure of mineralized collagen fibrils is vital for its high strength and its ability to sustain large deformation, as is relevant to the physiological role of bone, creating a strong and tough material. An analysis of the molecular mechanisms of protein and mineral phases under large deformation of mineralized collagen fibrils reveals a fibrillar toughening mechanism that leads to a manifold increase of energy dissipation compared to fibrils without mineral phase. This fibrillar toughening mechanism increases the resistance to fracture by forming large local yield regions around crack-like defects, a mechanism that protects the integrity of the entire structure by allowing for localized failure. As a consequence, mineralized collagen fibrils are able to tolerate microcracks of the order of several hundred micrometres in size without causing any macroscopic failure of the tissue, which may be essential to enable bone remodelling. The analysis proves that adding nanoscopic small platelets to collagen fibrils increases their Young's modulus and yield strength as well as their fracture strength. We find that mineralized collagen fibrils have a Young's modulus of 6.23 GPa (versus 4.59 GPa for the collagen fibril), yield at a tensile strain of 6.7% (versus 5% for the collagen fibril) and feature a fracture stress of 0.6 GPa (versus 0.3 GPa for the collagen fibril)

  19. Minerals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vaquero, M. P.

    1998-08-01

    Full Text Available The possible changes in the mineral composition of food during frying could be the consequence of losses by leaching, or changes in concentrations caused by exchanges between the food and culinary fat of other compounds. The net result depends on the type of food, the frying fat used and the frying process. Moreover, the modifications that frying produces in other nutrients could indirectly affect the availability of dietary minerals. The most outstanding ones are those that can take place in the fat or in the protein. With respect to the interactions between frying oils and minerals, we have recent knowledge concerning the effects of consuming vegetable oils used in repeated fryings of potatoes without turnover, on the nutritive utilization of dietary minerals. The experiments have been carried out in pregnant and growing rats, which consumed diets containing, as a sole source of fat, the testing frying oils or unused oils. It seems that the consumption of various frying oils, with a polar compound content lower or close to the maximum limit of 25% accepted for human consumption, does not alter the absorption and metabolism of calcium, phosphorous, iron or copper. Magnesium absorption from diets containing frying oils tends to increase but the urinary excretion of this element increases, resulting imperceptible the variations in the magnesium balance. The urinary excretion of Zn also increased although its balance remained unchanged. Different studies referring to the effects of consuming fried fatty fish on mineral bioavailability will also be presented. On one hand, frying can cause structural changes in fish protein, which are associated with an increase in iron absorption and a decrease in body zinc retention. The nutritive utilization of other elements such as magnesium, calcium and copper seems to be unaffected. On the other hand; it has been described that an excess of fish fatty acids in the diet produces iron depletion, but when fatty

  20. Beach sand mineral industries in India and challenges of value addition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Patra, R.N.

    2016-01-01

    Beach sand minerals (BSM) are a suite of seven minerals that often occur together in various proportions in the beach sands of coastal India. They are also called heavy minerals as they have densities in the range 3.2 gms/cc to 5.2 gms/cc, which are higher than the sand. Ilmenite, leucoxene and rutile are oxide minerals of titanium metal. Zircon is silicate of zirconium where as silimanite is silicate of aluminum. The titanium, zirconium and thorium bearing minerals are atomic minerals under the atomic energy act 1962 and need no objection from the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) for their mining. Further authorization is necessary from DAE to handle and process monazite as it contains thorium, as it is a prescribed substance under the notification issued under the atomic energy act. Radioactive nature of monazite also mandates obtaining permission from Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) with a view to ensure regulatory compliance with radiological safety. Monazite is processed to produce rare earths, trisodium phosphate (TSP) and thorium compounds.Thorium values are stockpiled in engineered trenches for use in nuclear power program of the country where as rare earths are used for manufacture of high power permanent magnets, energy efficient optical phosphors, metal alloys for battery to store electricity and hydrogen, as additives to glass for imparting special optical properties and myriads of applications in defence and strategic sectors. Rare earths of late have assumed importance as high power rare earths based permanent magnets are used in manufacture of wind mills, MRI machines, magnetic levitated bearings etc, having minimal impact on green house gas generation and use in renewable energy sector. The presentation brings out the limitation of value added product industries in India, the efforts taken by Indian Rare Earths Ltd. (IREL) in developing value added products in the face of technology denial regime and hostile market dynamics. The road map for

  1. Privatization of oil companies in Latin America

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Forsyth, A.; Mommer, B.; McBeth, B.

    1995-01-01

    Three linked articles explore the current movement towards privatization in the various countries of South America. While the progress away from state control varies from country to country, the first article argues that the movement will offer economic benefits to the Latin American petroleum industry as a whole, despite the political difficulties which must be overcome. In the second article, public distaste for the nationalization of the Venezuelan oil industry back in 1943, petroleum engineers, economists, private sector representatives and oil industry employees all oppose wholesale privatization, favouring national and private investment within Venezuela. The last author argues for an efficient regulatory framework to oversee privatization schemes. (UK)

  2. What Role for Private Higher Education in Europe?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Teixeira, Pedro N.; Biscaia, Ricardo; Rocha, Vera

    2016-01-01

    In recent decades, we have seen the emergence of private higher education in many European countries. This has been associated with the waves of significant expansion of the higher education system and with changes in regulation patterns, which have promoted a growing private-like behavior...... of public higher education institutions and the development of private provision in several European countries. The aim of this text is to discuss the relevance of the various dimensions of privatization in European higher education and to explore the relationship between public and private sectors...... in several European countries. This analysis points out some major patterns of the private higher education sector in Europe and reflects about the major issues faced by those systems regarding the potential contribution of private higher education....

  3. Health claims made on multivitamin and mineral supplements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jelena Jovičić

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Basic purpose of health claims is consumers' benefit by providing information about healthy eating habits. It is necessary for health claims to be scientifically substantiated and truthful. Health claims should not attribute to food the property of preventing, treating or curing a human disease. Use of health claims should be followed by a statement indicating the importance of a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. The objective of this research was to examine the compliance of health claims made on multivitamin and mineral dietary supplements' labels on the Serbian market with national regulation concerning health safety of dietary products.Methods: An assessment of labels of MVMs was done in two privately owned pharmacies in Novi Sad, Serbia in August 2010.Results: In total, 48 MVMs were sampled and 22 health claims were detected. Seven out of 22 health claims were in compliance with the national regulation. The main reason for health claims on foreign MVMs not to be compliant with the regulation in Serbia was inadequate or nonexistent translation of original labels.Conclusion: Detected use of terms such as "prevention", "treatment" and "indications" on vitamin and mineral dietary supplements' labels is both forbidden and misleading to consumers. Coupled with inadequate or nonexistent translation of the labels, it leads to a low level of protection of Serbian consumers. It is necessary to establish an effective monitoring system for dietary supplements' labeling on a national scale in order toprotect consumers and their wellbeing.

  4. The importance of mineral in animal foodstuff and its status in ruminants breeding in Malaysia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wan Zahari Mohamed

    1985-01-01

    A major constraint to maximizing productivity in ruminants in most developing countries are mineral imbalances; specifically deficiencies and toxicities. This paper attempts to present a comprehensive account of their occurences and the severity of mineral deficiencies in grazing ruminants in Malaysia, based on studies under extensive management and improved feeding systems. The importance of minerals in the nutrition of these animals will be highlighted. Data of mineral levels in the blood and tissues of indigenous swamp buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis), Kedah-Kelantan cattle, sheep and goats will be presented. This paper will also review the mineral levels in animal tissues, plants and soil and usage of these data for predicting the mineral status of ruminants as well as the methods of mineral supplementation for deficient animals (author)

  5. Government stewardship of the for-profit private health sector in Afghanistan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cross, Harry E; Sayedi, Omarzaman; Irani, Laili; Archer, Lauren C; Sears, Kathleen; Sharma, Suneeta

    2017-04-01

    Since 2003, Afghanistan's largely unregulated for-profit private health sector has grown at a rapid pace. In 2008, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) launched a long-term stewardship initiative to oversee and regulate private providers and align the sector with national health goals. We examine the progress the MoPH has made towards more effective stewardship, consider the challenges and assess the early impacts on for-profit performance. We reviewed publicly available documents, publications and the grey literature to analyse the development, adoption and implementation of strategies, policies and regulations. We carried out a series of key informant/participant interviews, organizational capacity assessments and analyses of hospital standards checklists. Using a literature review of health systems strengthening, we proposed an Afghan-specific definition of six key stewardship functions to assess progress towards MoPH stewardship objectives. The MoPH and its partners have achieved positive results in strengthening its private sector stewardship functions especially in generating actionable intelligence and establishing strategic policy directions, administrative structures and a legal and regulatory framework. Progress has also been made on improving accountability and transparency, building partnerships and applying minimum required standards to private hospitals. Procedural and operational issues still need resolution and the MoPH is establishing mechanisms for resolving them. The MoPH stewardship initiative is notable for its achievements to date under challenging circumstances. Its success is due to the focus on developing a solid policy framework and building institutions and systems aimed at ensuring higher quality private services, and a rational long-term and sustainable role for the private sector. Although the MoPH stewardship initiative is still at an early stage, the evidence suggests that enhanced stewardship functions in the MoPH are leading to a

  6. Calcium Bioavailability from Mineral Waters with Different Mineralization in Comparison to Milk and a Supplement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greupner, Theresa; Schneider, Inga; Hahn, Andreas

    2017-07-01

    The aim of the present study was to compare the bioavailability of calcium from 3 mineral waters with different concentrations of minerals with that of milk and a calcium supplement. A single-center, randomized controlled trial with a crossover design with 21 healthy men and women was conducted at the Institute of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Leibniz University Hannover. The participants consumed the 5 test products providing 300 mg of calcium each on 5 examination days with 1-week wash-out phases in between. Primary outcome variables were the area under the curve of serum calcium levels for 10-hour (AUC 0-10h ) and 24-hour urinary calcium excretion. In all groups, no significant differences in the AUC 0-10h of serum calcium levels as well as in the 24-hour urinary calcium excretion were observed. Likewise, mean changes in serum phosphate and urinary phosphate, as well as serum parathormone, showed no differences between the groups. Given an equivalent bioavailability of calcium in all test products, neither a high concentration of SO 4 2- or of HCO 3 influenced the bioavailability of calcium. Accordingly, the use of mineral water with high concentrations of calcium constitutes a calorie-free calcium source that can improve calcium supply.

  7. Dead public spaces - live private corners: (Recontextualization of musically public and private

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jakovljević Rastko

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available The expressions of private and public musical life and experience are mostly discussed separately. This article joins these two concepts into one scope and surveys the identity of both. In ideal (utopian? traditional context between private and public music experience (life, the context shows ideal vitality and consistence, while in an 'irregular' context these two concepts begin to distance themselves, opening space for marginality or so called 'errors'. This article studies bagpipe tradition in Serbia, at different stages of its development and in different periods, specifically focusing on rural and urban contexts in diverse sociopolitical conditions. Although bagpipe tradition still exists in Serbia it is far removed from what it once was, and the idea is to represent the contexts of that process, private and public, sociopolitical, and marginal aspects, from the 19th century (or hypothetically before then until today.

  8. The Myth of Free and Barrier-Free Access: India's Right to Education Act--Private Schooling Costs and Household Experiences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srivastava, Prachi; Noronha, Claire

    2016-01-01

    We examine relative household costs and experiences of accessing private and government schooling under India's "Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009" in the early implementation phase. The Act deems that no child should incur any fee, charges, or expenses in accessing schooling. Private schools are mandated to…

  9. The Large Margin Mechanism for Differentially Private Maximization

    OpenAIRE

    Chaudhuri, Kamalika; Hsu, Daniel; Song, Shuang

    2014-01-01

    A basic problem in the design of privacy-preserving algorithms is the private maximization problem: the goal is to pick an item from a universe that (approximately) maximizes a data-dependent function, all under the constraint of differential privacy. This problem has been used as a sub-routine in many privacy-preserving algorithms for statistics and machine-learning. Previous algorithms for this problem are either range-dependent---i.e., their utility diminishes with the size of the universe...

  10. Entrepreneurial Crowdfunding without Private Claims

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Boudreau, Kevin J.; Jeppesen, Lars Bo; Reichstein, Toke

    Today's crowdfunding raises funds for tiny, private entrepreneurial ventures without granting funders private claims to a project's future value. Rather than “investments,” these are “contributions.” This paper argues that for such crowdfunding neither producer nor consumer surplus – i.e., project...

  11. Is Nordic Private Equity Different?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Spliid, Robert

    2013-01-01

    Most research on private equity is based on American theory, tested on American empirical data. Nevertheless, the private equity concept has gained a solid foothold in the Nordic region, especially in Sweden. This article analyzes whether American-biased assumptions prevail in the Nordic countries...

  12. The structure of privatization plans

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Perotti, E.C.; Guney, S.E.

    1992-01-01

    In recent years a vast transfer of state-owned assets to the private sector has taken place in many countries, irrespective of their level of development or the political affiliation of their government. Privatization is believed to improve economic incentives; attract managerial and technological

  13. Interactions Between Snow-Adapted Organisms, Minerals and Snow in a Mars-Analog Environment, and Implications for the Possible Formation of Mineral Biosignatures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hausrath, E.; Bartlett, C. L.; Garcia, A. H.; Tschauner, O. D.; Murray, A. E.; Raymond, J. A.

    2015-12-01

    Increasing evidence suggests that icy environments on bodies such as Mars, Europa, and Enceladus may be important potential habitats in our solar system. Life in icy environments faces many challenges, including water limitation, temperature extremes, and nutrient limitation. Understanding how life has adapted to withstand these challenges on Earth may help understand potential life on other icy worlds, and understanding the interactions of such life with minerals may help shed light on the detection of possible mineral biosignatures. Snow environments, being particularly nutrient limited, may require specific adaptations by the microbiota living there. Previous observations have suggested that associated minerals and microorganisms play an important role in snow algae micronutrient acquisition. Here, in order to interpret micronutrient uptake by snow algae, and potential formation of mineral biosignatures, we present observations of interactions between snow algae and associated microorganisms and minerals in both natural, Mars-analog environments, and laboratory experiments. Samples of snow, dust, snow algae, and microorganisms were collected from Mount Anderson Ridge, CA. Some samples were DAPI-stained and analyzed by epifluorescent microscopy, and others were freeze-dried and examined by scanning electron microscopy, synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) and synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Xenic cultures of the snow alga Chloromonas brevispina were also grown under Fe-limiting conditions with and without the Fe-containing mineral nontronite to determine impacts of the mineral on algal growth. Observations from epifluorescent microscopy show bacteria closely associated with the snow algae, consistent with a potential role in micronutrient acquisition. Particles are also present on the algal cell walls, and synchrotron-XRD and XRF observations indicate that they are Fe-rich, and may therefore be a micronutrient source. Laboratory experiments indicated

  14. Peru turnaround tied to privatization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1993-01-01

    Petroleos del Peru predicts a 10% increase in Peru's oil production this year and a further increase in 1994. Petroperu also forecasts a sharp increase in drilling in Peru this year. After several years of declining oil production, a gradual turnaround in the cash strapped country's petroleum industry is largely tied to its progress in privatization. The government last year began a campaign to privatize all state owned companies by the end of July 1995. The paper discusses forecasts by Petroperu; the contract of Occidental del Amazonas Inc.; the Petromar privatization; Great Western's contract; development of the Aguaytia gas field; and refinery contracts

  15. Venture Capital and Other Private Equity: A Survey

    OpenAIRE

    Andrew Metrick; Ayako Yasuda

    2010-01-01

    We review the theory and evidence on venture capital (VC) and other private equity: why professional private equity exists, what private equity managers do with their portfolio companies, what returns they earn, who earns more and why, what determines the design of contracts signed between (i) private equity managers and their portfolio companies and (ii) private equity managers and their investors (limited partners), and how/whether these contractual designs affect outcomes. Findings highlig...

  16. Private labels : The brands of the future

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Keller, Kristopher

    2017-01-01

    This dissertation consists of three essays that study private labels’ evolution from private labels as brand class to individual private-label brands from three different perspectives. In the second chapter of this dissertation (essay 1), I study the antecedents and performance implications of

  17. Chain store management through private labels strategy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martina Sopta

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to examine the market shares of private labels in the European Union and on the global market, and to compare the results of the analysis with the level of presence of private labels on the Croatian market. Moreover, through the application of macro and microeconomic tools, the author tried to estimate the future trends of private labels in Croatia.For the purpose of the paper secondary and primary data was used in the research. Relevant scientific and professional literature of local and foreign authors was analyzed. In addition, a few recent research studies were analyzed and their results compared. Field research has been conducted by the survey method, with 225 respondents included in the intentional sample.The main hypothesis of the paper based on research is that, in total sales, private labels are gaining a growing share in all markets, regardless of the development level of those markets. Alongside the main hypothesis of the work, three supporting hypotheses were tested to see which private labels are a good alternative to other brands on the world market. Private labels are generally developed on generic products. The third supporting hypothesis starts from the assumption that the investments in the promotion of private labels are negligible, resulting in lower prices of thoseproducts. The results of research and analyses in the work indicate that the position of private labels will strengthen internationally, as part of the process of liberalization and globalization of trade flows. In the process of purchase of private labels the positioning of the point of sale and price have an increasing contribution. With the concentration of commerce in chain stores, the share of private labels grows, approaching a half of the total sales in some countries. Considering the Croatian market, according to the international product life cycle theory, the share of private labels in the total sales will grow in the future

  18. Marine Mineral Exploration

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    in EEZ areas are fairly unknown; many areas need detailed mapping and mineral exploration, and the majority of coastal or island states with large EEZ areas have little experience in exploration for marine hard minerals. This book describes the systematic steps in marine mineral exploration....... Such exploration requires knowledge of mineral deposits and models of their formation, of geophysical and geochemical exploration methods, and of data evaluation and interpretation methods. These topics are described in detail by an international group of authors. A short description is also given of marine...

  19. Does Private Tutoring Payoff?

    OpenAIRE

    Gurun, Ayfer; Millimet, Daniel L.

    2008-01-01

    We assess the causal effect of private tutoring on the probability of university placement in Turkey. We find that tutoring increases the probability of being placed in a university when non-random selection is ignored. Moreover, among those utilizing private tutoring, greater expenditure on tutoring is also positively associated with university placement. However, we find evidence of positive selection into tutoring, but negative selection into greater expenditures among those receiving tuto...

  20. Molecular Structural Transformation of 2:1 Clay Minerals by a Constant-Pressure Molecular Dynamics Simulation Method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, J.; Gutierre, M.S.

    2010-01-01

    This paper presents results of a molecular dynamics simulation study of dehydrated 2:1 clay minerals using the Parrinello-Rahman constant-pressure molecular dynamics method. The method is capable of simulating a system under the most general applied stress conditions by considering the changes of MD cell size and shape. Given the advantage of the method, it is the major goal of the paper to investigate the influence of imposed cell boundary conditions on the molecular structural transformation of 2:1 clay minerals under different normal pressures. Simulation results show that the degrees of freedom of the simulation cell (i.e., whether the cell size or shape change is allowed) determines the final equilibrated crystal structure of clay minerals. Both the MD method and the static method have successfully revealed unforeseen structural transformations of clay minerals upon relaxation under different normal pressures. It is found that large shear distortions of clay minerals occur when full allowance is given to the cell size and shape change. A complete elimination of the interlayer spacing is observed in a static simulation. However, when only the cell size change is allowed, interlayer spacing is retained, but large internal shear stresses also exist.

  1. Social Security privatization in Latin America.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kritzer, B E

    2000-01-01

    The new, partially privatized social security system adopted by Chile in 1981 has attracted attention in many parts of the world. Since then, a number of Latin American countries have implemented the Chilean model, with some variations: either with a single- or multi-tier system, or with a period of transition to take care of those in the labor force at the time of the change. The single-tier version consists of a privatized program with individual accounts in pension fund management companies. Multi-tier systems have a privatized component and retain some form of public program. This article describes each of the new programs in Latin America, their background, and similarities and differences among them. Much more information is available for Chile than for the other countries (in part because Chile has the oldest system), enough to be able to evaluate what, in most cases, is the most accurate information. That is often not the case for the other countries, especially when dealing with subjects such as transition costs and net rates of return (rates of return minus administrative fees). No country has copied the Chilean system exactly. Bolivia, El Salvador, and Mexico have closed their public systems and set up mandatory individual accounts. Argentina has a mixed public/private system with three tiers. In Colombia and Peru, workers have a choice between the public and private programs. Uruguay created a two-tier mixed system. Costa Rica has a voluntary program for individual accounts as a supplement to the pay-as-you-go program and has just passed a law setting up mandatory accounts containing employer contributions for severance pay. All of the countries continue to face unresolved issues, including: High rates of noncompliance--the percentage of enrollees who do not actively and regularly contribute to their accounts--which could lead to low benefits and greater costs to the governments that offer a guaranteed minimum benefit; Proportionately lower benefits for

  2. Privatization and Political Power in Representative Democracy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Morten Balle

    One of the main endeavors within ”New Public Management” (NPM) since the 1980s has been to encourage various forms of privatization in the public sector. In recent years, the involvement of private players in the provision of services in Danish municipalities has thus been increased, which makes...... it important to study the consequences of this development. In the present article, privatization is understood as the use of private service providers to provide services and focus is on what privatization means for the power of local political players. The point of departure is an expectation that a high...... degree of privatization can have far-reaching consequences for the distribution of local political power. This is illustrated empirically by a questionnaire survey of 896 municipal leaders. The main findings are that the local political actors generally have less power in municipalities with high degrees...

  3. The emergence of integrated private reporting

    OpenAIRE

    Atkins, Jill; Solomon, A.; Norton, S. D.; Joseph, N. L.

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: Private social and environmental reporting (SER) has grown considerably in recent years, consistent with a rise in institutional investor engagement and dialogue with investee companies. We interpret the emergence of integrated private reporting through the lens of institutional logics. We frame the emergence of integrated private reporting as a merging of two hitherto separate and possibly rival institutional logics.\\ud Methodology/Approach: We interviewed 19 companies listed on the...

  4. Private sector joins family planning effort.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1989-12-01

    Projects supported by the Directorate for Population (S&T/POP) of the U.S. Agency for International Development and aimed at increasing for-profit private sector involvement in providing family planning services and products are described. Making products commercially available through social-marketing partnerships with the commercial sector, USAID has saved $1.1 million in commodity costs from Brazil, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Indonesia, and Peru. Active private sector involvement benefits companies, consumers, and donors through increased corporate profits, healthier employees, improved consumer access at lower cost, and the possibility of sustained family planning programs. Moreover, private, for-profit companies will be able to meet service demands over the next 20 years where traditional government and donor agency sources would fail. Using employee surveys and cost-benefit analyses to demonstrate expected financial and health benefits for businesses and work forces, S&T/POP's Technical Information on Population for the Private Sector (TIPPS) project encourages private companies in developing countries to invest in family planning and maternal/child health care for their employees. 36 companies in 9 countries have responded thus far, which examples provided from Peru and Zimbabwe. The Enterprise program's objectives are also to increase the involvement of for-profit companies in delivering family planning services, and to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of private volunteer organizations in providing services. Projects have been started with mines, factories, banks, insurance companies, and parastatals in 27 countries, with examples cited from Ghana and Indonesia. Finally, the Social Marketing for Change project (SOMARC) builds demand and distributes low-cost contraceptives through commercial channels especially to low-income audiences. Partnerships have been initiated with the private sector in 17 developing countries, with examples provided from

  5. TWRS Privatization Phase I waste characterization data evaluation for the request for proposal

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Patello, G.K.; Wiemers, K.D.

    1996-09-01

    Radioactive wastes have been stored in large underground tanks at Hanford since 1944. In 1991, The Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) program was established to manage, retrieve, treat, immobilize, and dispose of these wastes in a safe, effective manner. DOE believes that it is feasible to privatize portions of the TWRS program. Under the Privatization strategy embodied in the request for proposal, DOE will purchase services from a contractor-owned, contractor-operated facility under a fixed-price type of contract. Phase I is a proof-of- concept/commercial demonstration-scale effort. Method used to achieve the objective of producing a technically reviewed inventory is outlined. Organic speciation and physical properties were gathered for the tank wastes and may be found in the individual tank section of this document; reference reviews and tank volume and sampling summary graphs are also provided for each tank.

  6. TWRS Privatization Phase I waste characterization data evaluation for the request for proposal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Patello, G.K.; Wiemers, K.D.

    1996-09-01

    Radioactive wastes have been stored in large underground tanks at Hanford since 1944. In 1991, The Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) program was established to manage, retrieve, treat, immobilize, and dispose of these wastes in a safe, effective manner. DOE believes that it is feasible to privatize portions of the TWRS program. Under the Privatization strategy embodied in the request for proposal, DOE will purchase services from a contractor-owned, contractor-operated facility under a fixed-price type of contract. Phase I is a proof-of- concept/commercial demonstration-scale effort. Method used to achieve the objective of producing a technically reviewed inventory is outlined. Organic speciation and physical properties were gathered for the tank wastes and may be found in the individual tank section of this document; reference reviews and tank volume and sampling summary graphs are also provided for each tank

  7. Mineral distribution in two southwest colombian coals using cyclone separation and oxidation at low temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rojas Andres F; Barraza, Juan M; Rojas, Andres F.

    2010-01-01

    It was studied the mineral distribution of two Colombian coals using a cyclone separation and oxidation at low temperature, OLT. The cyclone separation was carried out at two densities (1.3 and 1.4), three particle size (1000+ 600?m, 600+ 425?m and 425+ 250?m) and two processing stages. To determine the mineral matter, feed and under flow fractions from hydrocyclone were concentrated in mineral matter by OLT in a fluidized bed (T<300 celsius degrade). 18 minerals were identified by X Ray Diffraction, XRD. XRD results showed 13 minerals from Golondrinas and 15 minerals from Guachinte coal. It was found that kaolinite and quartz were the most abundant minerals in coal fractions from Golondrinas and Guachinte. Furthermore, it was found that mainly minerals kaolinite, quartz, dolomite, jarosite, gypsum and pyrite, exhibited affinity towards mineral matter, while siderite and valerite showed affinity towards organic matter.

  8. Managing the relational character of public-private partnership contracts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cvetković Predrag

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available A public-private partnership contract has the character of a relational contract. Relational contracts are incomplete agreements governing transactions where the contracting parties have mutually agreed that it is impossible or economically inefficient to contractually define ex ante possible difficulties and contingencies in the contract implementation, nor the difficulties and contingencies underlying the ex post control of contract performance by a third entity (court or arbitration. Considering the methodology of managing relational contracts, it is essential that the theory of relational contracts does not advocate for the establishment of relational contracts as a separate category of contracts, with specifically designated contractual instruments. This theory defines the relational contract as a category which legitimizes 'the relational mode' of a particular contract. The methodology of relational contracts is important for contracts on public-private partnership as it ensures that the contractual relationship is aligned with the changes in the immediate environment where the PPP contract operates. The aforementioned alignment has two aspects. The first one is the ex ante aspect of the alignment which is primarily aimed at preventing the detrimental effect of such alignment to the public partner's interests. Therefore, the intent to prevent such an effect shall be taken into account when defining the criteria for the selection of the most favorable private partner and the best offer. At the same time, it is essential to establish verifiable standards for measuring the private partner performance in the phase of contract implementation. For this goal to be achieved, it is crucial to specify the subject matter of the private partner's obligations, to establish the priority rank of PPP project objectives, to elaborate on the specific requirements governing the eligibility of private partners to participate in the bidding process, to specify

  9. More Haste, Less Speed: Could Public-Private Partnerships Advance Cellular Immunotherapies?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bubela, Tania; Bonter, Katherine; Lachance, Silvy; Delisle, Jean-Sébastien; Gold, E Richard

    2017-01-01

    Cellular immunotherapies promise to transform cancer care. However, they must overcome serious challenges, including: (1) the need to identify and characterize novel cancer antigens to expand the range of therapeutic targets; (2) the need to develop strategies to minimize serious adverse events, such as cytokine release syndrome and treatment-related toxicities; and (3) the need to develop efficient production/manufacturing processes to reduce costs. Here, we discuss whether these challenges might better be addressed through forms of public-private research collaborations, including public-private partnerships (PPPs), or whether these challenges are best addressed by way of standard market transactions. We reviewed 14 public-private relationships and 25 underlying agreements for the clinical development of cancer cellular immunotherapies in the US. Most were based on bilateral research agreements and pure market transactions in the form of service contracts and technology licenses, which is representative of the commercialization focus of the field. We make the strategic case that multiparty PPPs may better advance cancer antigen discovery and characterization and improved cell processing/manufacturing and related activities. In the rush toward the competitive end of the translational continuum for cancer cellular immunotherapy and the attendant focus on commercialization, many gaps have appeared in our understanding of cellular biology, immunology, and bioengineering. We conclude that the model of bilateral agreements between leading research institutions and the private sector may be inadequate to efficiently harness the interdisciplinary skills and knowledge of the public and private sectors to bring these promising therapies to the clinic for the benefit of cancer patients.

  10. Advanced Introduction to Private Law

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Smits, Jan

    2017-01-01

    In this Advanced Introduction, the reader is taken on an intellectual journey through the different facets and dimensions of private law, from the family home to Kuta Beach and from Thomas Piketty to Nina Hagen. This concise book provides an accessible and fresh introduction to private law,

  11. On Public–private Partnership Performance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hodge, Graeme A.; Greve, Carsten

    2017-01-01

    Private finance-based infrastructure public–private partnerships (P3s) are globally popular, including renewed interest in the United States, but their performance remains contested. This article explores the meaning of P3 and the notion of P3 success, and points to multiple interpretations of both...

  12. Comparing public and private sector switchers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frederiksen, Anders; Hansen, Jesper Rosenberg; Bozeman, Barry

    are related to sector switching and the pattern of sector switch, public to private versus private to public. We propose a life stage model arguing that people's needs change in different life stages of their lives. We further suggest that this can help explain why they switch sector. We use unique Danish...... labor market data that include information on all employees in Denmark (both private and public sector). The data are for the period 1980 to 2006, and this longitudinal database includes abundant information about job changes, including sector switching. Our findings indicate mixed support....... Finally, we find that people with more education are likely to switch from private to public sector....

  13. Advances in microbial leaching processes for nickel extraction from lateritic minerals - A review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Behra, Sunil Kumar; Mulaba-Bafubiandi, Antoine Floribert

    2015-01-01

    Lateritic nickel minerals constitute about 80% of nickel reserves in the world, but their contribution for nickel production is about 40%. The obstacles in extraction of nickel from lateritic minerals are attributed to their very complex mineralogy and low nickel content. Hence, the existing metallurgical techniques are not techno-economically feasible and environmentally sustainable for processing of such complex deposits. At this juncture, microbial mineral processing could be a benevolent approach for processing of lateritic minerals in favor of nickel extraction. The microbial mineral processing route offers many advantages over conventional metallurgical methods as the process is operated under ambient conditions and requires low energy input; thus these processes are relatively simple and environment friendly. Microbial processing of the lateritic deposits still needs improvement to make it industrially viable. Microorganisms play the pivotal role in mineral bio-processing as they catalyze the extraction of metals from minerals. So it is inevitable to explore the physiological and bio-molecular mechanisms involved in this microbe-mineral interaction. The present article offers comprehensive information about the advances in microbial processes for extraction of nickel from laterites.

  14. Advances in microbial leaching processes for nickel extraction from lateritic minerals - A review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Behra, Sunil Kumar; Mulaba-Bafubiandi, Antoine Floribert [Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of Johannesburg, (South Africa)

    2015-08-15

    Lateritic nickel minerals constitute about 80% of nickel reserves in the world, but their contribution for nickel production is about 40%. The obstacles in extraction of nickel from lateritic minerals are attributed to their very complex mineralogy and low nickel content. Hence, the existing metallurgical techniques are not techno-economically feasible and environmentally sustainable for processing of such complex deposits. At this juncture, microbial mineral processing could be a benevolent approach for processing of lateritic minerals in favor of nickel extraction. The microbial mineral processing route offers many advantages over conventional metallurgical methods as the process is operated under ambient conditions and requires low energy input; thus these processes are relatively simple and environment friendly. Microbial processing of the lateritic deposits still needs improvement to make it industrially viable. Microorganisms play the pivotal role in mineral bio-processing as they catalyze the extraction of metals from minerals. So it is inevitable to explore the physiological and bio-molecular mechanisms involved in this microbe-mineral interaction. The present article offers comprehensive information about the advances in microbial processes for extraction of nickel from laterites.

  15. 77 FR 58208 - Airport Privatization Pilot Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-09-19

    ... Privatization Pilot Program AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Notice of receipt of... International Airport, San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) in the Airport Privatization Pilot Program and has determined....S.C. Section 47134 establishes an airport privatization pilot program and authorizes the Department...

  16. Grouping Minerals by Their Formulas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mulvey, Bridget

    2018-01-01

    Minerals are commonly taught in ways that emphasize mineral identification for its own sake or maybe to help identify rocks. But how do minerals fit in with other science content taught? The author uses mineral formulas to help Earth science students wonder about the connection between elements, compounds, mixtures, minerals, and mineral formulas.…

  17. Private sector participation in power sector in India

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ranganathan, V.

    1992-01-01

    The Indian Government is currently thinking of allowing private sector to participate in power sector inviting private sector to generate electricity mainly from coal. The main motivation is resource mobilization from private sector, since the Plan funds are diverted to rural development away from power sector; and yet the massive expansion has to be financed. The paper analyzes the inherent difficulties and contradictions in the Government's proposal, such as co-existence of high cost private power and low cost public power, the potential goal-conflicts of private and public utilities and the constraints in raising finance. It suggests a different model in order to make the privatization proposition feasible. 12 refs

  18. Some aspects of mineral nutrition in animals and the use of radioisotope techniques for its study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Edwardly, J.S.

    1975-01-01

    Much work has been done to determine the physiological function of mineral nutrients in animals and to establish the dietary mineral requirements for optical growth, health, and productivity. These studies were directed towards: (a) the definition of mineral levels required in animal food under different circumstances, (b) mineral responsive diseases in livestock, and (c) the many interrelationships between minerals in their physiological functions in the animal body. Many diseases caused by deficiences and/or imbalances of essential minerals in animal food and pastures have been reported to occur in various regions of the world. This review examines some aspects of mineral nutrition in animals and describes some particular studies in which radioisotope techniques were used. (author)

  19. Potential function of added minerals as nucleation sites and effect of humic substances on mineral formation by the nitrate-reducing Fe(II)-oxidizer Acidovorax sp. BoFeN1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dippon, Urs; Pantke, Claudia; Porsch, Katharina; Larese-Casanova, Phil; Kappler, Andreas

    2012-06-19

    The mobility of toxic metals and the transformation of organic pollutants in the environment are influenced and in many cases even controlled by iron minerals. Therefore knowing the factors influencing iron mineral formation and transformation by Fe(II)-oxidizing and Fe(III)-reducing bacteria is crucial for understanding the fate of contaminants and for the development of remediation technologies. In this study we followed mineral formation by the nitrate-reducing Fe(II)-oxidizing strain Acidovorax sp. BoFeN1 in the presence of the crystalline Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides goethite, magnetite and hematite added as potential nucleation sites. Mössbauer spectroscopy analysis of minerals precipitated by BoFeN1 in (57)Fe(II)-spiked microbial growth medium showed that goethite was formed in the absence of mineral additions as well as in the presence of goethite or hematite. The presence of magnetite minerals during Fe(II) oxidation induced the formation of magnetite in addition to goethite, while the addition of humic substances along with magnetite also led to goethite but no magnetite. This study showed that mineral formation not only depends on the aqueous geochemical conditions but can also be affected by the presence of mineral nucleation sites that initiate precipitation of the same underlying mineral phases.

  20. Generating Private Recommendations Efficiently Using Homomorphic Encryption and Data Packing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Erkin, Zekeriya; Veugen, Thijs; Toft, Tomas

    2012-01-01

    Recommender systems have become an important tool for personalization of online services. Generating recommendations in online services depends on privacy-sensitive data collected from the users. Traditional data protection mechanisms focus on access control and secure transmission, which provide...... them under encryption to generate recommendations. By introducing a semitrusted third party and using data packing, we construct a highly efficient system that does not require the active participation of the user. We also present a comparison protocol, which is the first one to the best of our...... security only against malicious third parties, but not the service provider. This creates a serious privacy risk for the users. In this paper, we aim to protect the private data against the service provider while preserving the functionality of the system. We propose encrypting private data and processing...

  1. Methods of mineral potential assessment of uranium deposits: A mineral systems approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jaireth, S.

    2014-01-01

    Mineral potential represents the likelihood (probability) that an economic mineral deposit could have formed in an area. Mineral potential assessment and prospectivity analysis use a probabilistic concepts to mineral deposits, where the probability of an event (formation of a mineral deposit) is conditional on two factors : i) geological processes occurring in the area, and ii) the presence of geological features indicative of those process. For instance, one of the geological processes critical for the formation of sandstone-hosted uranium deposits in an area is transport of uranium in groundwaters. Geological features indicative of this process in an area comprise, i) presence of leachable source rocks of uranium; ii) presence of highly permeable sandstone; and iii) suitable hydrogeological gradient driving flow groundwaters. Mineral deposits can also be conceptualised as mineral systems with more emphasis on mineralising processes. This concept has some clear parallels with the petroleum systems approach which has proven to be a useful in oil and gas exploration. Mineral systems are defined as ‘all geological factors that control the generation and preservation of mineral deposits’. Seven important geological factors are outlined to define the characteristics of a hydrothermal mineral system. These factors include: i) source of the mineralising fluids and transporting legends; ii) source of metals and other ore components; iii) migration pathways which may include inflow as well as outflow zones; iv) thermal gradients; v) source of energy to mobilised fluids; vi) mechanical and structural focusing mechanism at the trap site; and vii) chemical and/or physical cause for precipitation of ore minerals at the trap site. This approach, commonly known as the ‘source’, ‘transport’ and ‘trap’ paradigm has been redefined to introduce five questions as a basis to understand spatial and temporal evolution of a mineral system at all scales (regional to

  2. Fissure minerals, literature review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Larsson, S.Aa.

    1980-01-01

    This paper is a review of methods used for direct and indirect dating of tectonic events. Isotope geochemistry including stable isotopes as well as fission track- dating, fluid inclusion and thermoluminescens techniques have been considered. It has been concluded that an investigation of tectonic (and thermal) events should start with a detailed study of the mineral phases grown in seald fissures as well as minerals from fissure walls. This study should include phase identification, textures as well as mineral chemistry. The information from this study is fundamental for the decision of further investigations. Mineral chemistry including isotopes and fluid inclusion studies will give an essential knowledge about crystallization conditions for fissure minerals concerned. Direct dating using fission tracks as well as radioactive isotopes could be useful for some minerals. Application of thermoluminescens dating on fissure minerals is doubtful. (Auth.)

  3. Public-private partnerships to improve primary healthcare surgeries: clarifying assumptions about the role of private provider activities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mudyarabikwa, Oliver; Tobi, Patrick; Regmi, Krishna

    2017-07-01

    Aim To examine assumptions about public-private partnership (PPP) activities and their role in improving public procurement of primary healthcare surgeries. PPPs were developed to improve the quality of care and patient satisfaction. However, evidence of their effectiveness in delivering health benefits is limited. A qualitative study design was employed. A total of 25 interviews with public sector staff (n=23) and private sector managers (n=2) were conducted to understand their interpretations of assumptions in the activities of private investors and service contractors participating in Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) partnerships. Realist evaluation principles were applied in the data analysis to interpret the findings. Six thematic areas of assumed health benefits were identified: (i) quality improvement; (ii) improved risk management; (iii) reduced procurement costs; (iv) increased efficiency; (v) community involvement; and (vi) sustainable investment. Primary Care Trusts that chose to procure their surgeries through LIFT were expected to support its implementation by providing an environment conducive for the private participants to achieve these benefits. Private participant activities were found to be based on a range of explicit and tacit assumptions perceived helpful in achieving government objectives for LIFT. The success of PPPs depended upon private participants' (i) capacity to assess how PPP assumptions added value to their activities, (ii) effectiveness in interpreting assumptions in their expected activities, and (iii) preparedness to align their business principles to government objectives for PPPs. They risked missing some of the expected benefits because of some factors constraining realization of the assumptions. The ways in which private participants preferred to carry out their activities also influenced the extent to which expected benefits were achieved. Giving more discretion to public than private participants over critical

  4. Potential for Sulfide Mineral Deposits in Australian Waters

    Science.gov (United States)

    McConachy, Timothy F.

    The world is witnessing a paradigm shift in relation to marine mineral resources. High-value seafloor massive sulfides at active convergent plate boundaries are attracting serious commercial attention. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, maritime jurisdictional zones will increase by extending over continental margins and ocean basins. For Australia, this means a possible additional 3.37 million km2 of seabed. Australia's sovereign responsibility includes, amongst other roles, the management of the exploitation of nonliving resources and sea-bed mining. What, therefore, is the potential in Australia's marine jurisdiction for similar deposits to those currently attracting commercial attention in neighboring nations and for other types/styles of sulfide deposits? A preliminary review of opportunities suggests the following: (i) volcanogenic copper—lead—zinc—silver—gold mineralization in fossil arcs and back arcs in eastern waters Norfolk Ridge and the Three Kings Ridge; (ii) Mississippi Valley-type lead—zinc—silver mineralization in the NW Shelf area; (iii) ophiolite-hosted copper mineralization in the Macquarie Ridge Complex in the Southern Ocean; and (iv) submerged extensions of prospective land-based terranes, one example being offshore Gawler Craton for iron oxide—copper—gold deposits. These areas would benefit from pre-competitive surveys of detailed swath bathymetry mapping, geophysical surveys, and sampling to help build a strategic inventory of future seafloor mineral resources for Australia.

  5. Hydrogen-isotopic composition of some hydrous manganese minerals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hariya, Y.; Tsutsumi, M.

    1981-01-01

    Initial data on the hydrogen-isotopic compositions in hydrous Mn minerals from various occurrences fall in a wide range from -298 to -84per thousand, relative to SMOW. deltaD-values of todorokite and cryptomelane from Tertiary deposits show -89 and -150per thousand. 10 A-manganite and delta-MnO 2 from deep-sea nodules have relatively restricted deltaD-values ranging from -96 to -84per thousand. The deltaD-values for manganese bog ores from recent hot springs show almost -105per thousand. It is recognized that the isotopic values obtained for the deep-sea nodules and recent bog ores are slightly different ranged. Manganite and groutite are unique in their hydrogen-isotopic compositions, having the most depleted deltaD-values ranging from -298 to -236per thousand. MnO(OH) minerals are more deuterium-depleted hydrous minerals than any other hydrothermal minerals from various ore deposits. Hydrogen-isotope fractionation factors between manganite and water were experimentally determined to be 0.7894, 0.7958 and 0.8078 at 150 0 , 200 0 and 250 0 C respectively. The present experimental results indicate that if manganites were formed at temperatures below 250 0 C, under isotopic equilibrium conditions most of the manganite mineralization in the Tertiary manganese deposits must have precipitated from meteoric hydrothermal solutions. (Auth.)

  6. Outsourcing Small Wars: Expanding the Role of Private Military Companies in U.S. Military Operations

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Jorgensen, Brent M

    2005-01-01

    "Outsourcing Small Wars: Expanding the Role of Private Military Companies in U.S. Military Operations" argues that, under current domestic and international laws, and current military regulations and doctrine...

  7. Effect of weightlessness on mineral saturation of bone tissue

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krasnykh, I. G.

    1975-01-01

    X-ray photometry of bone density established dynamic changes in mineral saturation of bone tissues for Soyuz spacecraft and Salyut orbital station crews. Calcaneus optical bone densities in all crew members fell below initial values; an increase in spacecrew exposure time to weightlessness conditions also increased the degree of decalcification. Demineralization under weightlessness conditions took place at a higher rate than under hypodynamia.

  8. The Causal Relationship of Organizational Performance of Thailand Private Higher Education Institutions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahasinpaisan, Tippaporn

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to propose causal model of the relationship among transformational leadership, organizational culture, knowledge management, and organizational performance. A sample of 389 was randomly drawn from instructors of private higher education institutions under the Office of the Higher Education Commission. Data were…

  9. Privatizing electricity: Pt. 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bindon, F.J.L.

    1991-01-01

    In February 1988, the Government announced their intention of privatizing the electricity supply industry of England, Wales and Scotland. The Government's proposals were outlined in two White Papers. Cm 322 covered the proposals for England and Wales and Cm 327 the proposals for Scotland. This article deals with the events covering the stages of the privatization process from just before passing of the Electricity Bill in July 1989 to December 1990. (author)

  10. Public and private schoolteachers' differences in terms of job attitudes in Albania.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buka, Migena; Bilgiç, Reyhan

    2010-06-01

    In the present study, the attitudinal differences between public and private schoolteachers in Albania were investigated. Since the type of the organization varies, one would expect different climates for the emergence of job attitudes--mainly job satisfaction, job involvement, and organizational commitment, the most frequently studied job attitudes in the industrial and organizational psychology literature. It was hypothesized that the private schoolteachers would be more satisfied than public schoolteachers, especially due to high levels of payment and other desirable conditions. However, the public schoolteachers will be more involved than the private schoolteachers since they have to justify their continued work under the undesirable conditions. The commitment level of the private schoolteachers will be higher than the public schoolteachers since there is usually high correlation between job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Data were gathered from a total of 429 teachers working in public (n = 254) and private (n = 175) schools in Albania, in high and middle schools. The data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance with age as a covariate. The results indicated that the private schoolteachers were more satisfied, as expected, revealed a weaker job involvement and were more committed to their school than their colleagues in the public sector. The results were found to be in line with previous studies conducted in the west. However, this study is believed to have a potential contribution to the literature in general, and to the Albanian local literature in particular. To the knowledge of the authors, there has been no similar study in Albania. Discussion is provided along with the limitations of the study and suggestions for future research.

  11. Thermoluminescence study of X-ray irradiated muscovite mineral under various heating rate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kalita, J.M.; Wary, G.

    2014-01-01

    The thermoluminescence (TL) glow curves of X-ray irradiated micro-grain natural muscovite were recorded within 298–520 K at various linear heating rates (2 K/s, 4 K/s, 6 K/s, 8 K/s and 10 K/s). Natural TL of muscovite was checked, but no significant TL was observed within 298–520 K in any heating rate. Within the heating rate 2–10 K/s only a low temperature distinct peak was observed in the temperature range 348–357 K. The TL parameters such as activation energy, order of kinetic, geometrical symmetry factor and pre-exponential frequency factor were investigated from the glow peak by Peak Shape (PS) method and Computerized Glow Curve Deconvolution (CGCD) technique. At lowest heating rate the glow peak obeys non-first order kinetic and at the highest heating rate it follows the second order kinetic. The variation of peak integrals, peak maximum temperatures, FWHM and activation energy with heating rates were investigated, and the glow curves at higher rates were found to be influenced by the presence of the thermal quenching. The thermal quenching activation energy and pre-exponential factor were calculated and found to be 2.31±0.02 eV and 3.46×10 14 s −1 , respectively. -- Highlights: • Muscovite is a silicate mineral with chemical formula KAl 2 (Si 3 Al)O 10 (OH,F) 2 . • TL of natural and X-ray induced muscovite was studied under various heating rates. • TL parameters were evaluated by Peak Shape and CGCD method. • Thermal quenching parameters (W and C) of muscovite were evaluated

  12. Integrating the NEPA 216 process with large-scale privatization projects under the US Department of Energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eccleston, C.H.

    1994-05-01

    The US Department of Energy (DOE) is considering the possibility of replacing the existing Hanford Site 200 Are steam system through a privatization effort. Such an action would be subject to requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969. Section 216 of the Doe NEPA Implementation Procedures (216 Process) provides a specific mechanism for integrating the DOE procurement process with NEPA compliance requirements

  13. Natural mineral bottled waters available on the Polish market as a source of minerals for the consumers. Part 2: The intake of sodium and potassium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gątarska, Anna; Ciborska, Joanna; Tońska, Elżbieta

    Natural mineral waters are purchased and consumed according to consumer preferences and possible recommendations. The choice of appropriate water should take into account not only the general level of mineralization but also the content of individual components, including electrolytes such as sodium and potassium. Sodium is necessary to ensure the proper physiological functions of the body. It is defined as a health risk factor only when its excessive intake occurs. Potassium acts antagonistically towards sodium and calcium ions, contributes to a reduction of the volume of extracellular fluids and at the same time reduces muscle tension and permeability of cell membranes. The demand for sodium and potassium is of particular importance in people expending significant physical effort, where an increased electrolyte supply is recommended. The aim of the study was to estimate the content of sodium and potassium in natural mineral waters available in the Polish market and to evaluate the intake of those components with the commercially available mineral waters by different groups of consumers at the assumed volume of their consumption. The research material consisted of natural mineral waters of forty various brands available on the Polish market. The examined products were either produced in Poland or originated in other European countries. Among the products under examination, about 30% of the waters were imported from Lithuania, Latvia, the Czech Republic, France, Italy and Germany. A sample for analyses consisted of two package units of the examined water from different production lots. Samples for research were collected at random. The study was conducted with the same samples in in which calcium and magnesium content was determined, which was the subject of the first part of the study. The content of sodium and potassium was determined using the emission technique (acetylene-air flame), with the use of atomic absorption spectrometer – ICE 3000 SERIES – THERMO

  14. Mental Health Services at Selected Private Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Hoof, Thomas J.; Sherwin, Tierney E.; Baggish, Rosemary C.; Tacy, Peter B.; Meehan, Thomas P.

    2004-01-01

    Private schools educate a significant percentage of US children and adolescents. Private schools, particularly where students reside during the academic year, assume responsibility for the health and well-being of their students. Children and adolescents experience mental health problems at a predictable rate, and private schools need a mechanism…

  15. 24 CFR 125.401 - Private Enforcement Initiative.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Private Enforcement Initiative. 125... FAIR HOUSING FAIR HOUSING INITIATIVES PROGRAM § 125.401 Private Enforcement Initiative. (a) The Private Enforcement Initiative provides funding on a single-year or multi-year basis, to investigate violations and...

  16. Public-private partnerships in Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Esbjerg, Lars; Grunert, Klaus G.; Bruun, Peter

    2004-01-01

    element of this project, this report presents an inventory of public-private partnerships in Denmark. More specifically, it provides an inventory of past, present and proposed research projects related to food quality and food safety involving both public and private partners. Furthermore it points...... to a number of opportunities for developing public-private partnerships.......Food safety and food quality are issues that are high on the public agenda. To ensure that consumers are able to buy and consume safe and high quality foods is not a trivial matter. It involves numerous actors in the food chain, often from several countries as many food products cross national...

  17. Australian mineral industry annual review 1977 (including information to June 1978)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ward, J

    1979-01-01

    This article records growth of the Australian mineral industry and reports production, consumption, treatment, trade, prices, new developments, exploration, and resources for all mineral commodities including fuels. Equivalent development abroad is summarized. Appendices include principal mineral producers, associations, etc. and royalties. Black coal is described under the headings: production, ex-mine value of output, employment, wages and salaries, production per manshift, interstate trade, port facilities, consumption, stock, prices, new developments, exploration, resources, world review, and coke. There are numerous tables of data and a flow chart of the Australian black coal industry, 1977. Brown coal includes production, consumption, new developments, exploration, resources, and world review.

  18. Phosphorus loss by surface runoff in no-till system under mineral and organic fertilization Perda de fósforo via escoamento superficial no sistema plantio direto sob adubação mineral e orgânica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oromar João Bertol

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available The no-till system has been intensively used in the state of Paraná, Brazil, and it has increased the nutrients level at the soil surface. This has contributed for nutrient losses via runoff and consequently, off-site water pollution. The objective of this study was to evaluate phosphorus loss in surface runoff by simulated rainfall on an Oxisol, under no-till system following application of mineral fertilizer and liquid swine manure. Nitrogen, soil and water losses from the same study are reported in a separated paper. The application of liquid swine manure, compared with mineral fertilization, increased runoff concentration of total P, particulate P and dissolved reactive P by 193%, 111% and 506%, respectively, averaged for all rainfall intensities. Independently on the fertilizer source, the highest rainfall intensity provided the greatest concentration and loads of P in runoff.O sistema plantio direto tem sito intensivamente utilizado no Estado do Paraná Brasil o qual tem aumentado os níveis de nutrientes na superfície do solo. Isto tem contribuído para a perda de nutrientes via escoamento superficial e consequentemente com a poluição não pontual das águas. Avaliou-se a perda de fósforo via escoamento superficial ocasionado por chuva simulada sobre um Latossolo originário de basalto, em sistema plantio direto submetido à aplicação de fertilizante mineral e dejeto líquido de suíno. As perdas de nitrogênio, solo e água deste mesmo estudo foram publicadas em outro artigo. A aplicação de dejeto líquido suíno, comparado com o fertilizante mineral, aumentou a concentração de P total, P particulado e P dissolvido reativo em 193%, 111% e 506%, respectivamente, na média das chuvas. Independentemente da fonte de fertilizante, a chuva de maior intensidade proporcionou maior concentração e quantidade perdida de P no escoamento superficial.

  19. Radioactive minerals - Multimedias strategies for their divulgation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cabral, João; Gomes, Ana; Aldano, Ana; Fonseca, Pedro; Cabral, Tiago; Nobre, José

    2014-05-01

    The region corresponding to Sortelha-Penalobo - Bendada, located deep in the transition zone between the Hesperian massif and the Cova da Beira in the central part of Portugal, more specifically in the Mountainous region of the province of Beira Alta, county Sabugal. This region is characterized by great mineral wealth combined with geomorphology of recognized landscape value. Under the scientific point of view, this region is the origin of the mineral sabugalite (HAl(UO2)4(PO4)4.16H2O) that was described by the famous American mineralogist Clifford Frondel (1907-2002) in the fifties of the 20th century. Uranium minerals of Sabugal region were also associated with the radioactivity studies made by the well-known French physicist Marie Curie (1867-1934). In 2007, U. Kolitsch et al described the Bendadaite (Fe (AsO4) 2 (OH) 2 • 4H2O), which corresponds to a new mineral from the group arthurite. The mineral wealth of this region is responsible for a rich history of mining and to highlight the importance until the 1990s the extraction of uranium minerals. The main uranium minerals extracted were the tobernite (Cu (UO2) 2 (PO4) 2 • 12 H2O), the metatobernite (Cu (UO2) 2 (PO4) 2 • 8 H 2 O), the autonite (Ca (UO2) 2 (PO4 ) 2 • 12H2O-10) and sabugalite (HAL (UO2) 4 (PO4) 4 16H2O). Due to the high radioactivity of these minerals, their handling becomes infeasible for disclosure purposes. An integrated and multidisciplinary museological strategy aims to access 3D images by QR codes, using multitouch as the primary means of interaction with the user, and can handle even the virtual samples, access various magnifications and enjoy explanations supplied by a mascot, in a fun way. All this framework and geological environment becomes an asset for the scientific, educational and economic development of the region. On the other hand, it has a vital importance in the context of a strategy of forming a geological park, in the point of view of tourism, research and

  20. The privatization mosaic: International power development agendas and opportunities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pfeffer, J.L.

    1992-01-01

    This article examines the international trend toward private ownership of state-owned power production, transmission and distribution systems. The topics of the article include trends towards private investment in electric power systems, alternative opportunities for private sector investment, investor objectives in private power development and utility privatization, and potential investors in overseas projects

  1. The Efficacy of Private Sector Providers in Improving Public Educational Outcomes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heinrich, Carolyn J.; Nisar, Hiren

    2013-01-01

    School districts required under No Child Left Behind (NCLB) to provide supplemental educational services (SES) to students in schools that are not making adequate yearly progress rely heavily on the private sector to offer choice in services. If the market does not drive out ineffective providers, students may not gain through SES participation.…

  2. Mathematic Achievement of Canadian Private School Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cadigan, Francoise Jane; Wei, Yichun; Clifton, Rodney A.

    2013-01-01

    Very little Canadian research has examined the academic achievement of private school students. Data from The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2003 were used to examine the achievement of private school students. The study found that private school students outperformed their public school peers. In addition, the students'…

  3. Private health insurance: implications for developing countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sekhri, Neelam; Savedoff, William

    2005-02-01

    Private health insurance is playing an increasing role in both high- and low-income countries, yet is poorly understood by researchers and policy-makers. This paper shows that the distinction between private and public health insurance is often exaggerated since well regulated private insurance markets share many features with public insurance systems. It notes that private health insurance preceded many modern social insurance systems in western Europe, allowing these countries to develop the mechanisms, institutions and capacities that subsequently made it possible to provide universal access to health care. We also review international experiences with private insurance, demonstrating that its role is not restricted to any particular region or level of national income. The seven countries that finance more than 20% of their health care via private health insurance are Brazil, Chile, Namibia, South Africa, the United States, Uruguay and Zimbabwe. In each case, private health insurance provides primary financial protection for workers and their families while public health-care funds are targeted to programmes covering poor and vulnerable populations. We make recommendations for policy in developing countries, arguing that private health insurance cannot be ignored. Instead, it can be harnessed to serve the public interest if governments implement effective regulations and focus public funds on programmes for those who are poor and vulnerable. It can also be used as a transitional form of health insurance to develop experience with insurance institutions while the public sector increases its own capacity to manage and finance health-care coverage.

  4. 25 CFR 215.25 - Other minerals and deep-lying lead and zinc minerals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Other minerals and deep-lying lead and zinc minerals. 215.25 Section 215.25 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ENERGY AND MINERALS LEAD AND ZINC MINING OPERATIONS AND LEASES, QUAPAW AGENCY § 215.25 Other minerals and deep-lying lead...

  5. Alcohol outlet densities and alcohol price: the British Columbia experiment in the partial privatization of alcohol sales off-premise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Treno, Andrew J; Ponicki, William R; Stockwell, Tim; Macdonald, Scott; Gruenewald, Paul J; Zhao, Jinhui; Martin, Gina; Greer, Alissa

    2013-05-01

    Alcohol beverage prices or taxes have been shown to be related to alcohol sales and use and related problems. What is not clear are the mechanisms underlying these relationships. This study examines the relationship between alcohol outlet density under conditions of the partial privatization of off-premise consumption in British Columbia (BC) occurring over the past decade. Two hypotheses are tested. First, reflecting basic supply-demand principles, greater geographic densities of alcohol outlets will be directly related to reductions in beverage prices in response to greater competition. Second, reflecting the effects of niche marketing and resulting market stratification, increased densities of private liquor stores will be especially related to reductions in beverage prices within this outlet category. Data were collected from: (i) a survey of BC private store prices and practices, (ii) alcohol outlet location information, and (iii) data on demographic characteristics. Multilevel models examine the relationships between prices at individual private liquor stores and the densities of government liquor stores, private liquor stores, bars, and restaurants, controlling for background demographics and geographic unit level effects. Spatial dependencies were also examined. Increased densities of private liquor stores were associated with lower mean prices of beer and all alcohol aggregated across brands at the store level. There appeared to be no outlet level effect on discounting patterns, however, with the mean price differences apparently reflecting differences in the quality of brands carried rather than unequal prices for any given brand. Increased densities of private off-sale alcohol outlets appear to result in lower prices charged at said establishments independently of other types of alcohol outlets suggesting that they represent an emerging marketing niche in the context of off-sale outlet privatization. Copyright © 2012 by the Research Society on

  6. At private den

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Winther, Ida

    2006-01-01

    ?To go private? As an object the cell phone is a diminutive phenomenon, but its power and importance in the social space is infinite. What happens in the social space when the cell phone is used and when it is turned off? As a point of departure observations from a field study conducted in a youth...... club (teens between 12-16 years) in Denmark will be presented. The teens are always situated end located when they use the cell phone. When they use it, temporary personal reserves are created, in which they do territorial demands. As the most obvious they forget themselves and ?go private?. It has...

  7. Public and private sector contributions to the discovery and development of "impact" drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reichert, Janice M; Milne, Christopher-Paul

    2002-01-01

    Recently, well-publicized reports by Public Citizen and the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) of the US Congress questioned the role of the drug industry in the discovery and development of therapeutically important drugs. To gain a better understanding of the relative roles of the public and private sectors in pharmaceutic innovation, the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development evaluated the underlying National Institutes of Health (NIH) and academic research cited in the Public Citizen and JEC reports and performed its own assessment of the relationship between the private and public sectors in drug discovery and development of 21 "impact" drugs. We found that, ultimately, any attempt to measure the relative contribution of the public and private sectors to the research and development (R&D) of therapeutically important drugs by output alone, such as counting publications or even product approvals, is flawed. Several key factors (eg, degree of uncertainty, expected market value, potential social benefit) affect investment decisions and determine whether public or private sector funds, or both, are most appropriate. Because of the competitiveness and complexity of today's R&D environment, both sectors are increasingly challenged to show returns on their investment and the traditional boundaries separating the roles of the private and public research spheres have become increasingly blurred. What remains clear, however, is that the process still starts with good science and ends with good medicine.

  8. Nuclear power and the private sector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, D.J.

    1989-01-01

    The world scene is sketched in which nuclear power already contributes 600 Mtce/year to world energy but where public attitudes in the developed world have become largely hostile. This is despite the proven technology of nuclear power, its safety record (Chernobyl notwithstanding) and its environmentally benign aspects. The United Kingdom government's determination to ensure a continuing role for nuclear power in a privatized electricity supply industry is seen against this background. The structure of the British nuclear power industry undoubtedly presents difficulties for privatization but solutions are available and precedents for private sector nuclear power exist in other countries. Private sector operators will be required to meet the exacting standards set by the independent licensing authority but in view of the public concern redoubled efforts and new approaches will be necessary in public persuasion. Waste disposal is another issue which may have implications for the acceptability of nuclear power in the public sector. Finally, the prospects for investment in new nuclear plant by private generation companies are examined. (U.K.)

  9. Information system of mineral deposits in Slovenia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hribernik, K.; Rokavec, D.; Šinigioj, J.; Šolar, S.

    2010-03-01

    At the Geologic Survey of Slovenia the need for complex overview and control of the deposits of available non-metallic mineral raw materials and of their exploitations became urgent. In the framework of the Geologic Information System we established the Database of non-metallic mineral deposits comprising all important data of deposits and concessionars. Relational database is built with program package MS Access, but in year 2008 we plan to transfer it on SQL server. In the evidence there is 272 deposits and 200 concessionars. The mineral resources information system of Slovenia, which was started back in 2002, consists of two integrated parts, mentioned relational database of mineral deposits, which relates information in tabular way so that rules of relational algebra can be applied, and geographic information system (GIS), which relates spatial information of deposits. . The complex relationships between objects and the concepts of normalized data structures, lead to the practical informative and useful data model, transparent to the user and to better decision-making by allowing future scenarios to be developed and inspected. Computerized storage, and display system is as already said, developed and managed under the support of Geological Survey of Slovenia, which conducts research on the occurrence, quality, quantity, and availability of mineral resources in order to help the Nation make informed decisions using earth-science information. Information about deposit is stored in records in approximately hundred data fields. A numeric record number uniquely identifies each site. The data fields are grouped under principal categories. Each record comprise elementary data of deposit (name, type, location, prospect, rock), administrative data (concessionar, number of decree in official paper, object of decree, number of contract and its duration) and data of mineral resource produced amount and size of exploration area). The data can also be searched, sorted and

  10. 47 CFR 80.373 - Private communications frequencies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... band for medical advisory communications. (1) Private coast stations may be authorized to use any... stations of radiotelephony frequencies in the 2000-27500 kHz band are subject to the following: (1) Private... stations serving lakes or rivers are not authorized on the 2000-2850 kHz band. (4) Private coast stations...

  11. Prescription. A private-law concept at the forefront of fundamental rights protection

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Graaff, de R.; Breedveld-de, Voogd C.G.; Castermans, A.G.; Knigge, M.W.; Linden, van der T.; Oever, ten H.A.

    2016-01-01

    Against the background of the relationship between the ECHR, national constitutional law and national private law, this contribution examines the influence of the right to access to a court under Article 6 ECHR on the core concept of prescription, with a focus on the prescription of ‘long-tail’

  12. Stockholders' interests in the energy system privatization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matei, Magdalena; Matei, Lucian

    2004-01-01

    The paper highlights the benefits and objectives of competition and privatization in the power sector. The reasons for electric utility privatization are numerous and vary from country to country. Some of the more evident reasons include the following: - Raising revenues for the state through asset sales; - Acquiring investment capital; - Improving managerial performance; - Moving toward market-determined prices; - Technology transfer; - Reducing the frequency of power shortages; - Reducing the cost of electricity to consumers through efficiency gain; - Taking advantage of creating national and regional power grids. Several objectives commonly associated with privatization, includes: - Improving access to private capital resources for the rehabilitation, replacement and eventual expansion of the electric power infrastructure; - Improving access to new technology and management practices designed to improve the performance of the sector; - Reducing corruption through the introduction of commercial practices which will lead to strengthened collections, transparent and accountable delivery of electricity and reduced political interference in commercial operations; - Improving customer service and customer choice through continued reform of the power sector as a result of innovation and reform introduced by the new owners; - Human resources development; - Improving environmental performance . The paper addresses the following items: - Some elements of a successful power sector privatization; - Stockholders' position versus privatization in Romania; - Managing 'The Change'; - Power sector privatization in Romania. The paper demonstrates that the power sector privatization is a key condition for EU's support for Romania accession. The international organization push towards this essential economic change, which will guarantee a real competition and a liberalized energy market in facto. Strategic privatization can be a positive step in improving energy service and

  13. Accelerated reforms in healthcare financing: the need to scale up private sector participation in Nigeria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ejughemre, Ufuoma John

    2014-01-01

    The health sector, a foremost service sector in Nigeria, faces a number of challenges; primarily, the persistent under-funding of the health sector by the Nigerian government as evidence reveals low allocations to the health sector and poor health system performance which are reflected in key health indices of the country.Notwithstanding, there is evidence that the private sector could be a key player in delivering health services and impacting health outcomes, including those related to healthcare financing. This underscores the need to optimize the role of private sector in complementing the government's commitment to financing healthcare delivery and strengthening the health system in Nigeria. There are also concerns about uneven quality and affordability of private-driven health systems, which necessitates reforms aimed at regulation. Accordingly, the argument is that the benefits of leveraging the private sector in complementing the national government in healthcare financing outweigh the challenges, particularly in light of lean public resources and finite donor supports. This article, therefore, highlights the potential for the Nigerian government to scale up healthcare financing by leveraging private resources, innovations and expertise, while working to achieve the universal health coverage.

  14. Production environment in mineral water plants; Mineral water kojo no seisan kankyo

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoshimatsu, A. [Morinaga Engineering Company, Tokyo (Japan)

    1996-01-05

    This paper summarizes mineral waters as commercial products, and the manufacturing facilities thereof. The most widely used pattern of packaging mineral waters is to use either PET bottle or back-in box. The manufacturing process consists generally of: rough filtration of natural water, storage, activated carbon filtration, filtration, sterilization, ultrafine filtration, warm water bottling, capping, cooling, cartoning, storage, and shipment. The rough filtration removes sands. The activated carbon filtration removes water soluble organics. The sterilization is carried out under conditions of retaining the water at 75{degree}C for 15 seconds or retaining at 120 to 140{degree}C for 2 seconds. The ultrafine filtration uses a ceramic filter with a thickness of 0.2{mu}m. Sterilizing harmful microorganisms uses heating operation and filters to remove bacteria. An example may be cited that uses a bio-clean room for the purpose of controlling the harmful microorganisms. Subject microorganisms include a variety of viruses, rickettsia, bacteria, and fungi. The super-high performance (HEPA) filter used in the sterilization is demanded of collecting dusts with sizes of 0.3{mu}m or larger at a collection efficiency of 99.97% or higher. 3 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.

  15. Energy and economic considerations for ex-situ and aqueous mineral carbonation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    O' Connor, William K.; Dahlin, David C.; Rush, G.E.; Gerdemann, Stephen J.; Penner, L.R.

    2004-01-01

    Due to the scale and breadth of carbon dioxide emissions, and speculation regarding their impact on global climate, sequestration of some portion of these emissions has been under increased study. A practical approach to carbon sequestration will likely include several options, which will be driven largely by the energy demand and economics of operation. Aqueous mineral carbonation of calcium and magnesium silicate minerals has been studied as one potential method to sequester carbon dioxide. Although these carbonation reactions are all thermodynamically favored, they occur at geologic rates of reaction. Laboratory studies have demonstrated that these rates of reaction are accelerated with increasing temperature, pressure, and particle surface area. Mineral-specific activation methods were identified, however, each of these techniques incurs energy as well as economic costs. An overview of the mineral availability, pretreatment options and energy demands, and process economics is provided.

  16. VEIN-TYPE URANIUM MINERALIZATION IN THE EASTERN DESERT OF EGYPT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. M. Ghoneim

    2018-03-01

    0.17 to 1.56 wt.% and CaO contents from 3.8 to 7.6 wt.%. Also, minor amounts of LREE and Y are present. Under reducing conditions, uraninite may be altered to coffinite, with loss of radiogenic Pb and Y with HREE. The main characteristics of El Sela veintype including mineral paragenesis and regional tectonic control show that it belongs to granite-related vein-type polymetallic deposits.

  17. Evaluation of Nevsehir mineral waters by using hydrochemical and isotopic data, central Anatolia, Turkey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Afsin, M.; Kavurmaci, M.

    2002-01-01

    Many mineral waters are located in Nevsehir and its vicinity. Corak, Karakaya and Guemueskent mineral waters are investigated in this study. The springs generally emerge along faults in the study area. The marbles of the Bozcaldag metamorphic basement rocks form the confined aquifer of the springs. The hydrochemical facies of the springs are Na-Ca-HCO 3 of Karakaya cold springs, Ca-HCO 3 of Guemueskent mineral waters; and Na-Cl-HCO 3 of Corak and Karakaya mineral waters, respectively. Because of the gas-mineral-water interaction, total mineralizations are high in a CO 2 dominated and low temperature mineral waters. The springs are of meteoric origin. Corak and Karakaya mineral waters might be contributed by older waters. The Karakaya cold spring is shallow circulated, while the mineral waters which have high the free CO 2 -gas are circulated groundwaters. In addition to the old travertines extending along faultlines, recent travertine depositions appear in places where mineral waters appear. The travertines in these regions are formed under certain conditions including low flow depth, turbulent flow, increasing pH values due to the loss of CO 2

  18. International mineral economics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gocht, W.R.; Eggert, R.G.

    1988-01-01

    International Mineral Economics provides an integrated overview of the important concepts. The treatment is interdisciplinary, drawing on the fields of economics, geology, business, and mining engineering. Part I examines the technical concepts important for understanding the geology of ore deposits, the methods of exploration and deposit evaluation, and the activities of mining and mineral processing. Part II focuses on the economic and related concepts important for understanding mineral development, the evaluation of exploration and mining projects, and mineral markets and market models. Finally, Part III reviews and traces the historical development of the policies of international organizations, the industrialized countries, and the developing countries. (orig.)

  19. Assessing the Contributions of Private Health Facilities in a Pioneer Private-Public Partnership in Childhood Immunization in Nigeria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oluoha, Chukwuemeka; Ahaneku, Hycienth

    2014-01-01

    The vision of Nigeria’s immunization program is to reach and sustain routine immunization coverage of greater than 90% for all vaccines by 2020. In order to achieve this, Abia state embarked on a unique private-public partnership (PPP) between private health facilities and the Abia state ministry of health. The aim of this partnership was to collaborate with private health facilities to provide free childhood immunization services in the state - the first of its kind in Nigeria. This is a retrospective study of the 2011 Abia state, Nigeria monthly immunization data. In the 4 local governments operating the PPP, 45% (79/175) of the health facilities that offered immunization services in 2011 were private health facilities and 55% (96/175) were public health facilities. However, 21% of the immunization services took place in private health facilities while 79% took place in public health facilities. Private health facilities were shown to have a modest contribution to immunization in the 4 local governments involved in the PPP. Efforts should be made to expand PPP in immunization nationally to improve immunization services in Nigeria. PMID:28299112

  20. Private randomness expansion with untrusted devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Colbeck, Roger; Kent, Adrian

    2011-01-01

    Randomness is an important resource for many applications, from gambling to secure communication. However, guaranteeing that the output from a candidate random source could not have been predicted by an outside party is a challenging task, and many supposedly random sources used today provide no such guarantee. Quantum solutions to this problem exist, for example a device which internally sends a photon through a beamsplitter and observes on which side it emerges, but, presently, such solutions require the user to trust the internal workings of the device. Here, we seek to go beyond this limitation by asking whether randomness can be generated using untrusted devices-even ones created by an adversarial agent-while providing a guarantee that no outside party (including the agent) can predict it. Since this is easily seen to be impossible unless the user has an initially private random string, the task we investigate here is private randomness expansion. We introduce a protocol for private randomness expansion with untrusted devices which is designed to take as input an initially private random string and produce as output a longer private random string. We point out that private randomness expansion protocols are generally vulnerable to attacks that can render the initial string partially insecure, even though that string is used only inside a secure laboratory; our protocol is designed to remove this previously unconsidered vulnerability by privacy amplification. We also discuss extensions of our protocol designed to generate an arbitrarily long random string from a finite initially private random string. The security of these protocols against the most general attacks is left as an open question.

  1. Private randomness expansion with untrusted devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colbeck, Roger; Kent, Adrian

    2011-03-01

    Randomness is an important resource for many applications, from gambling to secure communication. However, guaranteeing that the output from a candidate random source could not have been predicted by an outside party is a challenging task, and many supposedly random sources used today provide no such guarantee. Quantum solutions to this problem exist, for example a device which internally sends a photon through a beamsplitter and observes on which side it emerges, but, presently, such solutions require the user to trust the internal workings of the device. Here, we seek to go beyond this limitation by asking whether randomness can be generated using untrusted devices—even ones created by an adversarial agent—while providing a guarantee that no outside party (including the agent) can predict it. Since this is easily seen to be impossible unless the user has an initially private random string, the task we investigate here is private randomness expansion. We introduce a protocol for private randomness expansion with untrusted devices which is designed to take as input an initially private random string and produce as output a longer private random string. We point out that private randomness expansion protocols are generally vulnerable to attacks that can render the initial string partially insecure, even though that string is used only inside a secure laboratory; our protocol is designed to remove this previously unconsidered vulnerability by privacy amplification. We also discuss extensions of our protocol designed to generate an arbitrarily long random string from a finite initially private random string. The security of these protocols against the most general attacks is left as an open question.

  2. Private randomness expansion with untrusted devices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Colbeck, Roger; Kent, Adrian, E-mail: rcolbeck@perimeterinstitute.ca, E-mail: a.p.a.kent@damtp.cam.ac.uk [Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, 31 Caroline Street North, Waterloo, ON N2L 2Y5 (Canada)

    2011-03-04

    Randomness is an important resource for many applications, from gambling to secure communication. However, guaranteeing that the output from a candidate random source could not have been predicted by an outside party is a challenging task, and many supposedly random sources used today provide no such guarantee. Quantum solutions to this problem exist, for example a device which internally sends a photon through a beamsplitter and observes on which side it emerges, but, presently, such solutions require the user to trust the internal workings of the device. Here, we seek to go beyond this limitation by asking whether randomness can be generated using untrusted devices-even ones created by an adversarial agent-while providing a guarantee that no outside party (including the agent) can predict it. Since this is easily seen to be impossible unless the user has an initially private random string, the task we investigate here is private randomness expansion. We introduce a protocol for private randomness expansion with untrusted devices which is designed to take as input an initially private random string and produce as output a longer private random string. We point out that private randomness expansion protocols are generally vulnerable to attacks that can render the initial string partially insecure, even though that string is used only inside a secure laboratory; our protocol is designed to remove this previously unconsidered vulnerability by privacy amplification. We also discuss extensions of our protocol designed to generate an arbitrarily long random string from a finite initially private random string. The security of these protocols against the most general attacks is left as an open question.

  3. Assessment of private security guards by Suicide Probability Scale and Brief Symptom Inventory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dogan, Bulent; Canturk, Gurol; Canturk, Nergis; Guney, Sevgi; Özcan, Ebru

    2016-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of suicide probability and relevant sociodemographic features and to provide information for preventing suicide in private security guards working under the stressful conditions and continuous exposure to the negative and traumatic life events. 200 private security guards and 200 personnels of Ankara University participated in the study. A sociodemographic information questionnaire, the Suicide Probability Scale (SPS) and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) were used to collect the data. Gender, marital status, income, religious beliefs, experiencing a life-threatening situation, history of a suicide attempt, smoking and not having a chronic disease caused statistically significant differences in the scores for SPS between the private security guards group and the controls. Moreover there was a statistically significant positive correlation between the total scores of the subscales of SPS and the total scores of BSI. Like police officers and gendarmes, private security guards are at high risk of committing and attempting suicide because of being at stressful work settings and also suffering from secondary trauma. It is required that they should be aware of their tendency to commit suicide and have regular psychiatric screenings.

  4. 21st application of computers and operations research in the mineral industry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weiss, A [ed.

    1989-01-01

    Papers are presented under the following session headings, each session preceded by an introductory review: organization of data processing: the corporate perspective; computing in the executive suite; decision making in mineral exploration; computer-based analysis of geoscience data; geostatistics for the mineral industry; mine development planning; mine planning and scheduling applications; current developments in automatic mine scheduling and operations; computer graphics applied to mine planning and design; computer graphics applied to mineral resources and mapping; equipment selection and utilization; mine systems analysis and design; investment and project evaluation; plant design, operation and production; expert systems; and automation and robotics in mining.

  5. Toward a functional analysis of private verbal self-regulation.

    OpenAIRE

    Taylor, I; O'Reilly, M F

    1997-01-01

    We developed a methodology, derived from the theoretical literatures on rule-governed behavior and private events, to experimentally investigate the relationship between covert verbal self-regulation and nonverbal behavior. The methodology was designed to assess whether (a) nonverbal behavior was under the control of covert rules and (b) verbal reports of these rules were functionally equivalent to the covert rules that control non-verbal behavior. The research was conducted in the context of...

  6. Mechanism Research on Standardized Development of Rural Private Finance

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2010-01-01

    In generalizing the researching conditions of researchers on private finance,the paper introduces the connoted meaning of rural private finance broadly and narrowly.The paper states the forms of rural private finance(including private loaning,private bank,rural private collecting,financing organizations,cooperatives,NGO,small loaning organizations and so on),the relations between rural private finance and rural economic relations,pointing out that it is the combination of the strong and the weak,which may generate benefits with the operation of marketing mechanisms.The paper analyzes the historical causes,supervision causes and cultural causes of rural private finance,discussing mechanisms of standardized development of rural private finance:firstly,standardize the organization management mechanisms,including scaled controlling mechanisms and bank management mechanisms;secondly,complete finance supervision mechanisms;thirdly,moderate government intervention,including affording liberal policy environment and reducing the improper intervention;fourthly,upgrading qualities mechanisms,including cultivating the rural credit culture and improving the quality of regulatory personnel.

  7. 7 CFR 15b.28 - Private education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Private education. 15b.28 Section 15b.28 Agriculture... Education § 15b.28 Private education. (a) A recipient that provides private elementary or secondary education may not, on the basis of handicap, exclude a qualified handicapped person if the person can, with...

  8. Controls on Fe reduction and mineral formation by a subsurface bacterium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glasauer, Susan; Weidler, Peter G.; Langley, Sean; Beveridge, Terry J.

    2003-04-01

    The reductive dissolution of FeIII (hydr)oxides by dissimilatory iron-reducing bacteria (DIRB) could have a large impact on sediment genesis and Fe transport. If DIRB are able to reduce FeIII in minerals of high structural order to carry out anaerobic respiration, their range could encompass virtually every O 2-free environment containing FeIII and adequate conditions for cell growth. Previous studies have established that Shewanella putrefaciens CN32, a known DIRB, will reduce crystalline Fe oxides when initially grown at high densities in a nutrient-rich broth, conditions that poorly model the environments where CN32 is found. By contrast, we grew CN32 by batch culture solely in a minimal growth medium. The stringent conditions imposed by the growth method better represent the conditions that cells are likely to encounter in their natural habitat. Furthermore, the expression of reductases necessary to carry out dissimilatory Fe reduction depends on the method of growth. It was found that under anaerobic conditions CN32 reduced hydrous ferric oxide (HFO), a poorly crystalline FeIII mineral, and did not reduce suspensions containing 4 mM FeIII in the form of poorly ordered nanometer-sized goethite (α-FeOOH), well-ordered micron-sized goethite, or nanometer-sized hematite (α-Fe 2O 3) crystallites. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that all minerals but the micron-sized goethite attached extensively to the bacteria and appeared to penetrate the outer cellular membrane. In the treatment with HFO, new FeII and FeIII minerals formed during reduction of HFO-Fe in culture medium containing 4.0 mmol/L P i (soluble inorganic P), as observed by TEM with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, selected area electron diffraction, and X-ray diffraction. The minerals included magnetite (Fe 3O 4), goethite, green rust, and vivianite [Fe 3(PO 4) 2 · 8H 2O]. Vivianite appeared to be the stable end product and the mean coherence length was influenced by the rate of Fe

  9. Clinical education in private practice: an interdisciplinary project.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doubt, Lorna; Paterson, Margo; O'Riordan, Anne

    2004-01-01

    Education of rehabilitation professionals traditionally has occurred in acute care hospitals, rehabilitation centres, and other publicly funded institutions, but increasing numbers of rehabilitation professionals are now working in the community in private agencies and clinics. These privately owned clinics and community agencies represent underutilized resources for the clinical training of students. Historically, private practitioners have been less likely to participate in clinical education because of concerns over patient satisfaction and quality of care, workload, costs, and liability. Through a program funded by the Ministry of Health of Ontario, we conducted a series of interviews and focus groups with private practitioners, which identified that several incentives could potentially increase the numbers of clinical placements in private practices, including participation in the development of student learning objectives related to private practice, professional recognition, and improved relationships with the university departments. Placement in private practices can afford students skills in administration, business management, marketing and promotion, resource development, research, consulting, networking, and medical-legal assessments and processes. This paper presents a discussion of clinical education issues from the perspective of private practitioners, based on the findings of a clinical education project undertaken at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, and previous literature.

  10. Privately Provided Accommodation Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joshua Mugambwa

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Privately provided accommodation is a growing service in Uganda’s higher education sector due to education liberalization and demand for education. This research took a case study of Nsamizi Training Institute of Social Development (NTISD to determine the relationship between privately provided accommodation service quality and customer satisfaction. Specifically, the objectives of the study were (a to find out the relationship between security and NTISD students’ satisfaction with privately provided accommodation, and (b to find out the hierarchical level of importance of NTISD student satisfaction of the three service quality dimensions (reliability, security, and tangibles with privately provided accommodation. Using quantitative and qualitative modes of data analysis and a sample of 300 students from 20 private hostels, this study established a strong positive significant relationship between security and satisfaction regarding privately provided accommodation. This implies that accommodation service providers should increase the quality of security so as to increase the satisfaction of students regarding privately provided accommodation. The study established the hierarchical order of importance from the most important service quality dimension, respectively, as follows: reliability, security, and tangibles. Therefore, private accommodation service managers should pay extra attention to the dimensions in the same order.

  11. Personal Reflections on the Governing of Private Schools: A Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poultney, Val

    2013-01-01

    Much of what we understand about school governance is generally under-researched, and there has been almost no recent research undertaken into the governing of schools in the non-maintained, private or independent sectors that are financed by the payment of fees. These schools broadly follow a model of governance that is similar to that of the…

  12. The occurrence of ferropyrosmalite in the mineralized breccias from Igarape Bahia (North region, Brazil) Au-Cu (± ETR-U) deposit, Carajas mineral Province

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tazava, Edison; Gomes, Newton Souza; Oliveira, Claudinei Gouveia de

    1999-01-01

    In the last years, several works report the presence of pyrosmalite mineral series [(Fe, Mn) 8 Si 6 O 15 (OH, Cl) 10 ] commonly associated with volcanic exhalative massive sulphide or Fe-Mn metamorphosed deposits. In this paper, we present the inedit occurrence of ferropyrosmalite in the Au-Cu (± REE-U) of Igarape Bahia deposit, located in the Au-Cu district of the Carajas Mineral Province. We consider the Igarape Bahia mineralization as being related to the genesis of iron-oxide class deposit, like the Olympic Dam type. Ferropyrosmalite occurs in two different contexts: associated with carbonate veins; associated with heterolithic breccias, composed by BIF and mafic metavolcanic fragments immersed in a magnetic, chalcopyrite, bornite, pyrite, carbonates (calcite to siderite), uranium and REE minerals, and gold, - rich matrix. The growth of ferropyrosmalite is probably due to the substitution of iron rich minerals (chloride, magnetite and siderite), controlled by magmatic fluid influx rich in chlorine. The permeability of breccias and the discontinuity of veins favour fluid percolation. The mode of occurrence of ferropyrosmalite and its relation with amphibole (ferro-hornblende-actinolite) indicate metasomatic growth of the former under temperatures in the transition of greenschist/amphibolite facies. The ferropyrosmalite of the Igarape Bahia deposit represents an uncommon type of occurrence linked to hydrothermal/magmatic conditions. (author)

  13. Heavy mineral potential of Ramnad Sub-basin, Tamil Nadu

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shaji, T.S.; Alam, M.

    2016-01-01

    Atomic Minerals Directorate for the Exploration and Research (AMD) is actively engaged in the surveys and exploration of heavy mineral placers along 980 km long coast of Tamil Nadu since 1950's identifying many major heavy mineral deposits/occurrences of varying grade and dimensions in the beach, coastal dunes and Teri sand environs. Though most of the coastal stretch of Tamil Nadu is fairly understood for its heavy mineral potential, some of the coastal segments of the Ramnad basin of southeastern Tamil Nadu, a storehouse of heavy mineral placer repositories need intensive exploration inputs, to understand its potential completely. The 100 km long study area falls in parts of Ramnad sub basin from Vaippar in Tuticorin to Mandapam in Ramanathpuram districts, constitutes the southern part of Cauvery basin. The unconsolidated coastal sediments of the basin is under active exploration and evaluation since 2012, in a phased manner, to link the known deposits, and completely delineate geo-spatial disposition of the heavy mineral bearing sand bodies in different environs right from the present day shoreline to the inland. Geologically, the area is a part of a long narrow strip of Tertiary/Quaternary sediments which outcrops along the southern Tamil Nadu coast. Precambrian granulites terrain of Southern Granulitic Terrain (SGT) in the hinterland area consisting of predominantly charnockites, gneisses, leptynites with numerous pegmatitic, vein quartz injections. The geomorphological features identified include Holocene Beach ridges, swales, abandoned channels, coastal dunes, and alluvial delta plains of Vaippar

  14. Of minerals and men. [Discovery of new mineral species

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    De Waal, S.W. (Council for Mineral Technology, Randburg (South Africa))

    1983-01-01

    The rate of discovery of new mineral species appears to be on the increase in Southern Africa and classification and nomenclature, once haphazard, are now subject to international scientific screening and rules. Earlier names entrenched in the literature provide a fascinating background to the minerals scene.

  15. Private law

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    working and researching in the key areas of law, security and privacy in IT, international trade and private law. Now, in 2010 and some seven conferences later, the event moves to Barcelona and embraces for the first time the three conference tracks just described. The papers in this work have all been...... blind reviewed and edited for quality. They represent the contributions of leading academics, early career researchers and others from an increasing number of countries, universities and institutions around the world. They set a benchmark for discussion of the current issues arising in the subject area...... and continue to offer an informed and relevant contribution to the policy making agenda. As Chair of the Conference Committee, I am once more very proud to endorse this work "Private Law: Rights, Duties & Conflicts" to all those seeking an up to date and informed evaluation of the leading issues. This work...

  16. On the Adsorption of Some Anionic Collectors on Fluoride Minerals

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Emil

    1973-01-01

    Test flotations have been carried out in a small apparatus under standardized conditions in order to determine the dependence of the flotation yield on the reagent concentration for certain minerals and anionic collectors. The results suggest that a special adsorption mechanism is operating...... in the case of fluoride minerals, and a theory is presented which involves the joint action of ionic and hydrogen bonds. A precondition is the compatibility of the crystal geometry with the configuration of the polar group of the collector molecules....

  17. Private Loans: Facts and Trends

    Science.gov (United States)

    Institute for College Access & Success, 2014

    2014-01-01

    Private loans are one of the riskiest ways to finance a college education. Like credit cards, they typically have variable interest rates. Both variable and fixed rates are higher for those who can least afford them--as high as 13% in June 2014. Private loans are not eligible for the important deferment, income-based repayment, or loan forgiveness…

  18. Educational tools in the Museum of Rocks and Minerals

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Brito Barreto, S.; Ribeiro Sales, E.; de Lima Correia, A. Maria; Lima, M. Abreu e.; Bretas Bittar, S. Maria

    2012-04-01

    The Museum of Rocks and Minerals is a small museum which belongs to the Department of Geology of the Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil. It was founded in the 1950's and its main exhibits are samples of scarns and pegmatites from the Northeast of Brazil, especially from the Borborema Pegmatitic Region. This museum has been visited by a wide variety of people, but mainly students from private and state schools on scheduled visits. Over the years museum staff felt the necessity to develop some mediating tools to develop a relationship between exhibits and visitors. Due to a lack of technical staff and finance to create interactive exhibits as well as space limitations, the museum decided to produce some games such as memory games, puzzles and dominoes. These fifteen games deal with different subjects of geosciences, especially those more interesting for children. The subjects chosen were: minerals, industrial minerals, gems, dimension stones, rock cycle, fossils, dinosaur footprints (Ichnofossils), wood fossils, Mohs scale. The games were created by the authors, and undergraduate students were responsible for researching concepts and images. Each game presents a concept and images related to it. The interns are undergraduate students of geology and mining engineering and this experience gives them an opportunity to review and improve some concepts and discuss what is important such as pedagogical actions in museums and geology teaching. To give an example, the subject of the industry mineral was treated using two games - a memory game and a puzzle. The first one shows images of minerals related each one to an industrial product and in the second, children can see different parts of a house labeled with the minerals used in the production of that space. Another interesting example is the puzzle about dinosaur footprints that uses an image of a dinosaur footprint, part of the paleontological collection of the Departament, and a representative ichnofossil from the

  19. Recovering byproduct heavy minerals from sand and gravel, placer gold, and industrial mineral operations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gomes, J.M.; Martinez, G.M.; Wong, M.M.

    1979-01-01

    The Bureau of Mines, as part of an effort to maximize minerals and metals recovery from domestic resources, has investigated the feasibility of recovering heavy minerals as byproducts from sand and gravel, placer gold, and industrial mineral operations in northern California. Sand samples from about 50 locations were treated by gravity separation to yield heavy-mineral cocentrates (black sands). Mineral compositions of the concentrates were determined by chemical analysis and mineralogical examination. Individual zircon, ilmenite, magnetite, platinum-group metals, thoria, and silica products were prepared from heavy-mineral concentrates by selective separation using low- and high-intensity magnetic, high-tension, and flotation equipment.

  20. Analyzing the Market for Shadow Education in Pakistan: Does Private Tuition Affect the Learning Gap between Private and Public Schools?

    OpenAIRE

    Bisma Haseeb Khan; Sahar Amjad Shaikh

    2013-01-01

    Over the past decade, Pakistan has seen the rapid growth of a third sector in education: shadow education. According to the Annual Survey of Education Report (2013), 34 percent of private school students and 17 percent of public school students undertake private tuition in Punjab. Anecdotal evidence suggests that private tuition has a positive impact on learning outcomes. Keeping this in view, it is possible that private tuition, rather than a difference inschooling quality, is driving the ob...