Sleep Efficiency Modulates Associations Between Family Stress and Adolescent Depressive Symptoms and Negative Affect.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiang, Jessica J; Kim, Joanna J; Almeida, David M; Bower, Julienne E; Dahl, Ronald E; Irwin, Michael R; McCreath, Heather; Fuligni, Andrew J

2017-10-01

The goal of this study was to determine whether sleep moderates the associations between family-related stress and depressive symptoms and negative affect outcomes during adolescence. We combined traditional survey measures of stress and depressive symptoms with daily assessments of stress and negative affect to examine whether sleep differentially impacts the link between chronic and acute experiences of stress and affect. Participants were 316 adolescents from ethnically diverse backgrounds. Primary caregivers and adolescents reported on stressful family events during the past 12 and 3 months, respectively. Adolescents also reported on their daily experiences of family demands for 15 days and wore actigraph watches for the assessment of sleep during the first eight nights. Regression analyses revealed that more stressful family events were related to more depressive symptoms. This relation was stronger among adolescents with lower sleep efficiency. The same pattern emerged for the relation between daily family demands and negative affect aggregated across the 15 days. Daily-level analyses indicated that daily negative affect was related to daily family demands when sleep efficiency was higher than usual, but only among European American adolescents. These findings suggest that chronic experiences of lower sleep efficiency, but not sleep duration, may render adolescents more vulnerable to the negative effects of family stress on emotional adjustment. A more complex picture emerged for the role of prior night's sleep in the day-to-day variation in negative affect reactivity to family stress. Copyright © 2017 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Energy Choices. Efficient Energy Use - possibilities and barriers; Vaegval Energi. Energieffektivisering - moejligheter och hinder

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jagemar, Lennart (CIT Energy Management AB, Goeteborg (Sweden)); Pettersson, Bertil (Chalmers EnergiCentrum, CEC, Chalmers Univ. of Technology, Goeteborg (Sweden))

2009-02-15

Sweden's total energy supply in 2006 amounted to a total of 624 TWh and was dominated by crude oil, nuclear fuels, biofuels and hydropower. Different types of losses in the system accounts for one third of the energy. The final energy consumption, i.e. delivery minus losses, was divided in the following way: industry 157 TWh, the habitat of 145 TWh (of which 19 TWh relates to Agriculture, Forestry, Fishery and other service and secondary homes) and transport of 101 TWh. For the transport sector, studies show that combinations of various efficiency measures ideally can achieve an reduction in energy use by between 60 and 75 percent. The Governmental Energy Efficiency Inquiry (EnEff - 2008) estimated that the domestic transport techno-economic efficiency potential up to 2016 is 13 TWh (mainly fuel) of the total delivered energy is 87 TWh under EnEff. The potential about 5 TWh is expected to be completed by current instruments. The study assesses that despite the increased need for transport in 2016 the sector's energy use can remain at the same level or even be reduced. Buildings have a large technical and economic energy efficiency potential. According to EnEff's assessment, the streamlining potential is 33 TWh of which 8 TWh can implemented in 2016 with today's instruments. This compares with the total delivered energy is 151 TWh under EnEff. The total energy efficiency potential for buildings by 2020 is considered to be substantially higher, about 41 TWh, and affect the use of district heating, fuel and electricity. New powerful tools must be implemented for the building sector in order to realize the potential energy efficiency measures. Industry's total energy potential is assessed to be around 13 TWh by 2016. Industry's total energy use is 155 TWh according to EnEff. Only 2 TWh can realistically be saved up to 2016 taking into account a reasonable acceptance factor. The beneficiaries of the carbon emissions trade account for about

Effect of elasticity during viscoelastic polymer flooding : a possible mechanism of increasing the sweep efficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Urbissinova, T.S.; Trivedi, J.J.; Kuru, E. [Alberta Univ., Edmonton, AB (Canada). Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering

2010-12-15

This paper discussed a laboratory experiment undertaken to study how the elasticity of polymer-based fluids affects microscopic sweep efficiency, which has implications for enhanced oil recovery processes. In a series of experiments, polymer solutions with the same shear viscosity but notably different elastic characteristics were injected through a mineral-oil-saturated sandpack. The experiments involved a special core holder that was designed to simulate radial flow. The solution was injected via a perforated injection line located in the centre of the cell, and fluids were produced by way of 2 production lines located at the periphery. The shear rate used in the experiments was within the range of field applications. Using polymer solutions with similar shear viscosity behaviour and different elasticity allowed the effect of elasticity on sweep efficiency to be singled out. It was concluded that adjusting the molecular weight distribution of the solution at a constant shear viscosity and polymer concentration could improve the sweep efficiency of a polymeric fluid. The higher-elasticity polymer solution had a higher resistance to flow through porous media, resulting in better sweep efficiency and lower residual oil saturation. The objective of the study was to isolate elasticity from the other parameters that affect displacement efficiency to show the individual effect of elasticity on oil recovery. 20 refs., 5 tabs., 14 figs.

Possibility of increasing the efficiency of laser-induced tattoo removal by optical skin clearing

Science.gov (United States)

Genina, E. A.; Bashkatov, A. N.; Tuchin, V. V.; Altshuler, G. B.; Yaroslavskii, I. V.

2008-06-01

The possibility of selective laser photothermolysis improvement for the removal of tattoo pigments due to the optical clearing of human skin is investigated. It is shown experimentally that the optical skin clearing increases the tattoo image contrast. Computer Monte Carlo simulations show that by decreasing the laser beam scattering in upper skin layers, it is possible to reduce the radiation power required for tattoo removal by 30%—40% and, therefore, to increase the the photothermolysis efficiency.

Variables affecting energy efficiency and CO2 emissions in the steel industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siitonen, Sari; Tuomaala, Mari; Ahtila, Pekka

2010-01-01

Specific energy consumption (SEC) is an energy efficiency indicator widely used in industry for measuring the energy efficiency of different processes. In this paper, the development of energy efficiency and CO 2 emissions of steelmaking is studied by analysing the energy data from a case mill. First, the specific energy consumption figures were calculated using different system boundaries, such as the process level, mill level and mill site level. Then, an energy efficiency index was developed to evaluate the development of the energy efficiency at the mill site. The effects of different production conditions on specific energy consumption and specific CO 2 emissions were studied by PLS analysis. As theory expects, the production rate of crude steel and the utilisation of recycled steel were shown to affect the development of energy efficiency at the mill site. This study shows that clearly defined system boundaries help to clarify the role of on-site energy conversion and make a difference between the final energy consumption and primary energy consumption of an industrial plant with its own energy production.

Factors affecting the technical efficiency of dairy farms in Kosovo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Egzon BAJRAMI

2017-11-01

Full Text Available A possible accession into the World Trade Organization (WTO and an expected membership in the European Union raise significant opportunities and challenges for the agricultural sector in Kosovo. As a result of these changes, the sector will have to improve efficiency and competitiveness. This research is motivated by the need to understand better the forces that drive competitiveness in the Kosovo dairy sector. This study estimates the technical efficiency (TE of 243 dairy farms in Kosovo and relates TE variation to farm size and other primary determinants of TE. A stochastic frontier production function is estimated using a two-stage procedure. Results reveal that concentrate feed intake, land use per cow, and the number of days cows had been kept on pasture have statistically significant impacts on milk productivity per cow. The mean technical efficiency of dairy farms was estimated at 0.72. The major determinants that increase efficiency are breed improvement, intensification of corn production on the farm, improving concentrate feed intake, and using free-range production systems. Given the results from the technical efficiency analysis, it is crucial for the Government of Kosovo to redesign their dairy policy—specifically their grant investment schemes—and target assistance on improving national herd genetics, promoting free range systems and expanding area planted in corn.

Studies of Some Parameters Affecting The Efficiency and Accuracy of The Neutron Activation Analysis Technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdel-Haleem, A.S.; Zaghloul, R.A.; Sroor, A.; Abdel Sabour, M.F.

2000-01-01

The present studies deal with the optimum physical conditions which seriously affect the neutron activation analysis technique efficiency. An experimental work for the efficiency calibration of hyper pure germanium detectors especially for environmental studies is presented. This work showed that the tested parameters, under consideration, distance, mass and measured time, reveal a significant effect on the obtained data. These results, intern, affect the accuracy of the measurements. Further work on the test of other parameters is planned in our laboratory using special treatments and applying special computer programs

Market conditions affecting energy efficiency investments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seabright, J.

1996-01-01

The global energy efficiency market is growing, due in part to energy sector and macroeconomic reforms and increased awareness of the environmental benefits of energy efficiency. Many countries have promoted open, competitive markets, thereby stimulating economic growth. They have reduced or removed subsidies on energy prices, and governments have initiated energy conservation programs that have spurred the wider adoption of energy efficiency technologies. The market outlook for energy efficiency is quite positive. The global market for end-use energy efficiency in the industrial, residential and commercial sectors is now estimated to total more than $34 billion per year. There is still enormous technical potential to implement energy conservation measures and to upgrade to the best available technologies for new investments. For many technologies, energy-efficient designs now represent less than 10--20% of new product sales. Thus, creating favorable market conditions should be a priority. There are a number of actions that can be taken to create favorable market conditions for investing in energy efficiency. Fostering a market-oriented energy sector will lead to energy prices that reflect the true cost of supply. Policy initiatives should address known market failures and should support energy efficiency initiatives. And market transformation for energy efficiency products and services can be facilitated by creating an institutional and legal structure that favors commercially-oriented entities

How did China's foreign exchange reform affect the efficiency of foreign exchange market?

Science.gov (United States)

Ning, Ye; Wang, Yiming; Su, Chi-wei

2017-10-01

This study compares the market efficiency of China's onshore and offshore foreign exchange markets before and after the foreign exchange reform on August 11, 2015. We use the multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis of the onshore and offshore RMB/USD spot exchange rate series as basis. We then find that the onshore foreign exchange market before the reform has the lowest market efficiency, which increased after the reform. The offshore foreign exchange market before the reform has the highest market efficiency, which dropped after the reform. This finding implies the increased efficiency of the onshore foreign exchange market and the loss of efficiency in the offshore foreign exchange market. We also find that the offshore foreign exchange market is more efficient than the onshore market and that the gap shrank after the reform. Changes in intervention of the People's Bank of China since the reform is a possible explanation for the changes in the efficiency of the foreign exchange market.

Possibility of increasing the efficiency of laser-induced tattoo removal by optical skin clearing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Genina, E A; Bashkatov, A N; Tuchin, V V; Yaroslavskii, I V; Altshuler, G B

2008-01-01

The possibility of selective laser photothermolysis improvement for the removal of tattoo pigments due to the optical clearing of human skin is investigated. It is shown experimentally that the optical skin clearing increases the tattoo image contrast. Computer Monte Carlo simulations show that by decreasing the laser beam scattering in upper skin layers, it is possible to reduce the radiation power required for tattoo removal by 30%-40% and, therefore, to increase the the photothermolysis efficiency. (special issue devoted to application of laser technologies in biophotonics and biomedical studies)

Factors affecting the efficiency of foal production by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grady ST

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Equine embryo production by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI is currently effective enough to be used clinically. However, there are several factors that affect the efficiency of this procedure because, in addition to specialized equipment, skill in oocyte and embryo handling, and sperm preparation as well as knowledge of oocyte and embryo culture are required. To the best of our knowledge, there are currently only a couple of reports available on the expected efficiency of foal production by ICSI. Here we discuss the parameters that pertain to the Texas A&M Equine Embryo Laboratory only, as other laboratories may have different results.

Environmentally assisted cracking of non-sensitized stainless steels - possible affecting phenomena

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ehrnsten, Ulla; Haenninen, Hannu

2006-09-01

Intergranular, environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) has been observed, not only in sensitized austenitic stainless steels, but also in non-sensitized stainless steels. This type of cracking has so far been connected to cold-worked stainless steels and it has been reported to occur in the oxidising environments, but it may also be a potential degradation mode in non-oxidising environments (i.e., both in BWR and PWR conditions). Localisation of plastic deformation and the interactions between oxidation and strain localisation are most probably playing the key role in cracking of cold-worked stainless steels. In this paper, the possible affecting phenomena are reviewed with the main emphasis on dynamic strain ageing. However, also environmentally enhanced creep, dynamic recovery, microstructures of the cold-worked austenitic stainless steels and relaxation are briefly discussed. Mechanistic understanding of the effects of these main factors affecting intergranular stress corrosion cracking of cold-worked, non-sensitized austenitic stainless steels is important, especially as the trend in the NDE inspection strategy is moving towards risk informed inspection. (authors)

Has the 2008 financial crisis affected stock market efficiency? The case of Eurozone

Science.gov (United States)

Anagnostidis, P.; Varsakelis, C.; Emmanouilides, C. J.

2016-04-01

In this paper, the impact of the 2008 financial crisis on the weak-form efficiency of twelve Eurozone stock markets is investigated empirically. Efficiency is tested via the Generalized Hurst Exponent method, while dynamic Hurst exponents are estimated by means of the rolling window technique. To account for biases associated with the finite sample size and the leptokurtosis of the financial data, the statistical significance of the Hurst exponent estimates is assessed through a series of Monte-Carlo simulations drawn from the class of α-stable distributions. According to our results, the 2008 crisis has adversely affected stock price efficiency in most of the Eurozone capital markets, leading to the emergence of significant mean-reverting patterns in stock price movements.

Fenton-like reaction: a possible way to efficiently remove illicit drugs and pharmaceuticals from wastewater.

Science.gov (United States)

Mackuľak, Tomáš; Mosný, Michal; Grabic, Roman; Golovko, Oksana; Koba, Olga; Birošová, Lucia

2015-03-01

We analyzed 13 psychoactive pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs and their metabolites in wastewater treatment plant influent and effluent and the possibility of their degradation by biological and chemical processes. Tramadol (413-853 ng/L) and methamphetamine (460-682 ng/L) were the most concentrated compounds in the wastewater in winter and summer, respectively. A significant decrease in the concentration of tramadol in wastewater was measured during the summer. The lowest efficiency was observed for tramadol, venlafaxine, citalopram and oxazepam (∼ 10%) and the highest efficiency was observed for amphetamine and THC-COOH (∼ 80%). The efficiency of compound degradation via the Fenton reaction, a modified Fenton reaction and different degradation (by algae, wood-rotting fungi and enzymes at influent versus effluent) was determined. The Fenton reaction and its modification were efficient at eliminating these substances in comparison with the tested biological processes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Radial Head Subluxation: Possible Effective Factors on Time to Re-use the Affected Limb

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Farhad Heydari

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Radial head subluxation (RHS is a common disorder in children. Although it is not accompanied by any important short- or long-term sequel, it could make the parents worried about. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the possible effective factors that may influence time to use the affected limb. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted prospectively during the years 2014 to 2016. All children under the age of 6 years who visited the emergency department (ED and were diagnosed as having RHS were eligible. The patients’ baseline information was recorded. After the reduction, the time until the affected arm use returned was recorded. The possible relationship between the baseline data and time to re-use the affected limb was assessed. Results: During the study period, 112 children with a mean age of 30.18 ± 18.18 months were evaluated (53% male. Among the children who visited the ED during the first 4 hours and thereafter, 84% and 60%, respectively, re-used their limb in less than 10 minutes after reduction (p = 0.004. Also, 55% of children less than or equal to 24 months and 89% over the age of 24 months re-used the arm in 10 minutes (p < 0.001. The success rate of the first reduction maneuver was significantly lower in children with a recurrent dislocation (p = 0.001. Conclusion: It is likely that age less than or equal to 24 months and ED visit after 4 hours of the event lead to a longer duration for re-using the affected arm following reduction.

Affective Assessment Is Necessary and Possible.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Lorin W.; Anderson, Jo Craig

1982-01-01

Presents information that teachers need when undertaking affective assessment: why such assessment should be done, what should be assessed, what instruments are available, how to determine the quality of the instrument, and how to interpret scores. (Author/JM)

What factors affect the productivity and efficiency of physician practices?

Science.gov (United States)

Sunshine, Jonathan H; Hughes, Danny R; Meghea, Cristian; Bhargavan, Mythreyi

2010-02-01

Increasing the productivity and efficiency of physician practices could help relieve the rapid growth of US healthcare costs and the expected physician shortage. Radiology practices are an attractive specific focus for research on practices' productivity and efficiency because they are home to many purportedly productivity-enhancing operational technologies. This affords an opportunity to study the effect of production technology on physicians' output. As well, radiology is a leader in the general movement of physicians out of very small practices. And imaging is by the fastest-growing category of physician expenditure. Using data from 2003 to 2007 surveys of radiologists, we estimate a stochastic frontier model to study the effects of practice characteristics, such as work hours, practice size, and output mix, and technologies used in work production, on practices' productivity and efficiency. At the mean, the elasticities of output with respect to practice size and annual hours worked per full-time physician were 0.73 and 0.51, respectively. Some production technologies increase productivity by 15% to 20%; others generate no increase. Using "nighthawks"--ie, contracting out after-hours work to external firms that consolidate workflow--significantly increases practice efficiency. The general US trend toward larger practice size is unlikely to relieve cost or physician shortage pressures. The actual effect of purportedly productivity-enhancing operational technologies needs to be carefully evaluated before they are widely adopted. As the recently-developed innovations of nighthawks and hospitalists show, practices should give more attention to a possible choice to "buy," rather than "make," part of their output.

Possible affection of psychic health with regard to exposure to ionizing radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Otten, W.; Vlek, C.A.J.

1988-12-01

This report makes part of a series of eight reports which have been drawn up in behalf of the dutch Policy Notition Radiation Standards (BNS). It presents the results of an investigation into the possible affection of psychic health with regard to exposure to ionizing radiation. First the concept 'psychic health' is circumscribed. Subsequently the possible effects of ionizing radiation upon psychic health are entered by outlining two cause-effect chains, in which various variables are distinguished. Thus the framework in which the remainder of the report has been written, is described (ch.2). Ch. 3 deals with the measurability of psychic health and of the various variables in two cause-effect chains. In ch. 4 the found empirical evidence of the effects of ionizing radiation upon psychic health is described. This chapter is especially based upon study of literature. In ch. 5 interviews with users of various radiation sources are reported. In ch. 6 the question of standardization of ionizing radiation with regard to possible (psychic) damage is entered. It is looked if one can speak in terms of 'standards' in case of psychic damage. As far as standardization does not seem to be possible practical alternatives are presented with which eventual psychic damage from ionizing (radiation) sources may be limited. Finally in ch. 7 a comparison is made between the theoretical framework of the (possible) effects of ionizing radiation upon psychic health and the measurability of the therein distinguishable variables on the one hand, and, on the other hand, the empirical materials obtained from the study of the literature and the interviews. (H.W.) 103 refs.; 8 figs

Possibilities of increasing the efficiency of track-bound haulage in roadways, particularly diesel locomotive haulage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arnold, H; Zubiller, H

1977-12-15

This paper discusses ways of increasing the efficiency of monorail transport systems by changes in the design of trains and tracks. It is important that the slope of roadways should be as even as possible, thus avoiding steep sections. The tracks should be kept clean, and critical parts should be covered to protect them from dirt. (In German)

Factors that affect the reproductive efficiency of the recipient within a bovine embryo transfer program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arturo Duica A.

2007-12-01

Full Text Available The embryo transfer is a biotechnological technique that allows increasing the descendant of animals with high genetic value. The positive results, represented in pregnancy after the application of this technique, are affected by some factors that are inherent to the donor, the embryo, the technique, and the recipients which receive a strange embryo in the uterus allowing pregnancy. This review describes some factors affecting the reproductive efficiency of the recipients of bovine embryos within a program of embryo transfer. Its important to evaluate the parameters in this kind of recipients, as race, age, physiological status, health status, weight, reproductive tract integrity and management, and also too monitoring the ovarian structures while the estrus synchronization, and within previous and posterior stages in embryo transfer procedure. Therefore an optimum follicular development will be determinant to corpus luteum formation which generates enough serum progesterone concentrations to offer a right uterine environment allowing the optimum embryo development. Controlling the factors that affect the efficiency of the embryo transfer, it will obtain an increasing of positive results represented in pregnancies and births of individuals come from animals with high genetic value.

Affect asymmetry and comfort food consumption.

Science.gov (United States)

Dubé, Laurette; LeBel, Jordan L; Lu, Ji

2005-11-15

It is proposed that the emotional triggers of comfort food consumption can reliably be predicted by factors tied to affect asymmetry whereby negative affects dominate one's experience, decision making and behaviors in some instances while positive emotions prevail in others. Specifically, we relate three of these factors (age, gender, and culture) to differences in the emotional triggers of comfort food consumption and we further explore the possibility that the type of food eaten during comfort-seeking episodes can also be tied to affect asymmetry. Two hundred and seventy-seven participants completed a web-based survey conducted to assess the emotional antecedents and consequences of comfort food consumption. Consistent with expectations, results indicate that men's comfort food consumption was motivated by positive emotions whereas women's consumption was triggered by negative affects. Consumption of comfort foods alleviated women's negative emotions but also produced guilt. Positive affect was a particularly powerful trigger of comfort food consumption for older participants and for participants with French cultural background. Younger participants and participants with English background reported more intense negative emotions prior to consuming comfort foods. Foods high in sugar and fat content were more efficient in alleviating negative affects whereas low-calorie foods were more efficient in increasing positive emotions.

Negative Affectivity, Depression, and Resting Heart Rate Variability (HRV as Possible Moderators of Endogenous Pain Modulation in Functional Somatic Syndromes

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Maaike Van Den Houte

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Several studies have shown that patients with functional somatic syndromes (FSS have, on average, deficient endogenous pain modulation (EPM, as well as elevated levels of negative affectivity (NA and high comorbidity with depression and reduced resting heart rate variability (HRV compared to healthy controls (HC. The goals of this study were (1 to replicate these findings and (2 to investigate the moderating role of NA, depression, and resting HRV in EPM efficiency within a patient group with fibromyalgia and/or chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS. Resting HRV was quantified as the root mean square of successive differences between inter-beat intervals (RMSSD in rest, a vagally mediated time domain measure of HRV.Methods: Seventy-eight patients with fibromyalgia and/or CFS and 33 HC completed a counter-irritation paradigm as a measure of EPM efficiency. Participants rated the painfulness of electrocutaneous stimuli (of individually calibrated intensity on the ankle before (baseline phase, during (counter-irritation phase and after (recovery phase the application of a cold pain stimulus on the forearm. A larger reduction in pain in the counter-irritation phase compared to the baseline phase reflects a more efficient EPM.Results: In contrast to our expectations, there was no difference between pain ratings in the baseline compared to counter-irritation phase for both patients and HC. Therefore, reliable conclusions on the moderating effect of NA, depression, and RMSSD could not be made. Surprisingly, patients reported more pain in the recovery compared to the counter-irritation and baseline phase, while HC did not. This latter effect was more pronounced in patients with comorbid depression, patients who rated the painfulness of the counter-irritation stimulus as high and patients who rated the painfulness of the electrocutaneous stimuli as low. We did not manage to successfully replicate the counter-irritation effect in HC or FSS patients

POSSIBILITIES OF INCREASING EFFICIENCY WITHIN SERIAL PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CODRUŢA DURA

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Under the impact of transition to the new post-industrial society, massproduction recently faced the most numerous difficulties. They are caused by turbulences in theexternal environment in which companies operate, manifested in particular by enhancing thedynamism of markets and by deep changes in the structure of consumers’ demands. In thiscontext, specialized literature records the concerns for increasing the efficiency and flexibilityof products, elements involving radical changes of management and manufacturingtechnologies methods. Given these issues, the paper approaches two separate ways to improvethe management of serial production: increasing economic efficiency by optimizing the size ofbatches and flexible production systems by implementing techniques to reduce the change-overtime.

Does environmental regulation affect energy efficiency in China's thermal power generation? Empirical evidence from a slacks-based DEA model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bi, Gong-Bing; Song, Wen; Zhou, P.; Liang, Liang

2014-01-01

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) has gained much popularity in performance measurement of power industry. This paper presents a slack-based measure approach to investigating the relationship between fossil fuel consumption and the environmental regulation of China's thermal power generation. We first calculate the total-factor energy efficiency without considering environmental constraints. An environmental performance indicator is proposed through decomposing the total-factor energy efficiency. The proposed approach is then employed to examine whether environmental regulation affects the energy efficiency of China's thermal power generation. We find that the environmental efficiency plays a significant role in affecting energy performance of China's thermal generation sector. Decreasing the discharge of major pollutants can improve both energy performance and environmental efficiency. Besides, we also have three main findings: (1) The energy efficiency and environmental efficiency were relatively low. (2) The energy and environmental efficiency scores show great variations among provinces. (3) Both energy efficiency and environmental efficiency are of obvious geographical characteristics. According to our findings, we suggest some policy implications. - Highlights: • We assess the energy efficiency and the environmental efficiency of China's thermal power generation simultaneously. • The energy efficiency and the environmental efficiency were relatively low during 2007–2009. • The energy efficiency and environmental efficiency show obvious geographic characters. • The environmental performance of a DMU plays a decisive role in the energy performance

Factors affecting study efficiency and item non-response in health surveys in developing countries: the Jamaica national healthy lifestyle survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bennett Franklyn

2007-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Health surveys provide important information on the burden and secular trends of risk factors and disease. Several factors including survey and item non-response can affect data quality. There are few reports on efficiency, validity and the impact of item non-response, from developing countries. This report examines factors associated with item non-response and study efficiency in a national health survey in a developing Caribbean island. Methods A national sample of participants aged 15–74 years was selected in a multi-stage sampling design accounting for 4 health regions and 14 parishes using enumeration districts as primary sampling units. Means and proportions of the variables of interest were compared between various categories. Non-response was defined as failure to provide an analyzable response. Linear and logistic regression models accounting for sample design and post-stratification weighting were used to identify independent correlates of recruitment efficiency and item non-response. Results We recruited 2012 15–74 year-olds (66.2% females at a response rate of 87.6% with significant variation between regions (80.9% to 97.6%; p Conclusion Informative health surveys are possible in developing countries. While survey response rates may be satisfactory, item non-response was high in respect of income and sexual practice. In contrast to developed countries, non-response to questions on income is higher and has different correlates. These findings can inform future surveys.

Derivation of main drivers affecting the possibility of human errors during low power and shutdown operation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Ar Ryum; Seong, Poong Hyun [KAIST, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Park, Jin Kyun; Kim, Jae Whan [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

In order to estimate the possibility of human error and identify its nature, human reliability analysis (HRA) methods have been implemented. For this, various HRA methods have been developed so far: techniques for human error rate prediction (THERP), cause based decision tree (CBDT), the cognitive reliability and error analysis method (CREAM) and so on. Most HRA methods have been developed with a focus on full power operation of NPPs even though human performance may more largely affect the safety of the system during low power and shutdown (LPSD) operation than it would when the system is in full power operation. In this regard, it is necessary to conduct a research for developing HRA method to be used in LPSD operation. For the first step of the study, main drivers which affect the possibility of human error have been developed. Drivers which are commonly called as performance shaping factors (PSFs) are aspects of the human's individual characteristics, environment, organization, or task that specifically decrements or improves human performance, thus respectively increasing or decreasing the likelihood of human errors. In order to estimate the possibility of human error and identify its nature, human reliability analysis (HRA) methods have been implemented. For this, various HRA methods have been developed so far: techniques for human error rate prediction (THERP), cause based decision tree (CBDT), the cognitive reliability and error analysis method (CREAM) and so on. Most HRA methods have been developed with a focus on full power operation of NPPs even though human performance may more largely affect the safety of the system during low power and shutdown (LPSD) operation than it would when the system is in full power operation. In this regard, it is necessary to conduct a research for developing HRA method to be used in LPSD operation. For the first step of the study, main drivers which affect the possibility of human error have been developed. Drivers

Derivation of main drivers affecting the possibility of human errors during low power and shutdown operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Ar Ryum; Seong, Poong Hyun; Park, Jin Kyun; Kim, Jae Whan

2016-01-01

In order to estimate the possibility of human error and identify its nature, human reliability analysis (HRA) methods have been implemented. For this, various HRA methods have been developed so far: techniques for human error rate prediction (THERP), cause based decision tree (CBDT), the cognitive reliability and error analysis method (CREAM) and so on. Most HRA methods have been developed with a focus on full power operation of NPPs even though human performance may more largely affect the safety of the system during low power and shutdown (LPSD) operation than it would when the system is in full power operation. In this regard, it is necessary to conduct a research for developing HRA method to be used in LPSD operation. For the first step of the study, main drivers which affect the possibility of human error have been developed. Drivers which are commonly called as performance shaping factors (PSFs) are aspects of the human's individual characteristics, environment, organization, or task that specifically decrements or improves human performance, thus respectively increasing or decreasing the likelihood of human errors. In order to estimate the possibility of human error and identify its nature, human reliability analysis (HRA) methods have been implemented. For this, various HRA methods have been developed so far: techniques for human error rate prediction (THERP), cause based decision tree (CBDT), the cognitive reliability and error analysis method (CREAM) and so on. Most HRA methods have been developed with a focus on full power operation of NPPs even though human performance may more largely affect the safety of the system during low power and shutdown (LPSD) operation than it would when the system is in full power operation. In this regard, it is necessary to conduct a research for developing HRA method to be used in LPSD operation. For the first step of the study, main drivers which affect the possibility of human error have been developed. Drivers which

Undergoing Diagnostic Evaluation for Possible Cancer Affects the Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients Presenting with Non-Specific Symptoms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Ellen Frøsig Moseholm; Rydahl Hansen, Susan; Lindhardt, Bjarne Ørskov

2016-01-01

Aim Undergoing diagnostic evaluation for possible cancer can affect health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The aims of this study were to examine the HRQoL in patients undergoing a diagnostic evaluation for possible cancer due to non-specific symptoms and further to investigate the impact of socio...... diagnosis had the greatest effect on HRQoL around the time of diagnosis. Conclusions Patients with non-specific symptoms reported an affected HRQoL while undergoing a diagnostic evaluation for possible cancer. Morbidity, being unemployed and receiving a cancer diagnosis had the greatest effect on HRQo...... in the study; 680 (81%) also completed follow-up. Twenty-two percent of the patients received a cancer diagnosis at the end of follow-up. Patients presented initially with a high burden of symptoms, less role and emotional functioning and a lower global health/QoL. Most domains improved after diagnosis...

Autologous peripheral blood stem cell harvest: Collection efficiency and factors affecting it

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Aseem K Tiwari

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Harvest of hematopoietic progenitor cells via leukapheresis is being used increasingly for transplants in India. Adequate yield of cells per kilogram body weight of recipient is required for successful engraftment. Collection efficiency (CE is an objective quality parameter used to assess the quality of leukapheresis program. In this study, we calculated the CE of the ComTec cell separator (Fresenius Kabi, Germany using two different formulae (CE1 and CE2 and analyzed various patient and procedural factors, which may affect it. Materials and Methods: One hundred and one consecutive procedures in 77 autologous donors carried out over 3 years period were retrospectively reviewed. Various characteristics like gender, age, weight, disease status, hematocrit, preprocedure total leukocyte count, preprocedure CD34 positive (CD34+ cells count, preprocedure absolute CD34+ cell count and processed apheresis volume effect on CE were compared. CE for each procedure was calculated using two different formulae, and results were compared using statistical correlation and regression analysis. Results: The mean CE1 and CE2 was 41.2 and 49.1, respectively. CE2 appeared to be more accurate indicator of overall CE as it considered the impact of continued mobilization of stem cells during apheresis procedure, itself. Of all the factors affecting CE, preprocedure absolute CD34+ was the only independent factor affecting CE. Conclusion: The only factor affecting CE was preprocedure absolute CD34+ cells. Though the mean CE2 was higher than CE1, it was not statistically significant.

Selected factors affecting the efficiency of wheelchair mobility in individuals with spinal cord injury

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Przysada Grzegorz

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Locomotion efficiency levels in individuals with spinal cord injury deal cord injury depend upon the level of spinal cord injury. Rehabilitation of people with spinal cord injury aims to prepare them to function in society in the best possible manner. One of the significant tasks of rehabilitation is to develop the skill of moving in a wheelchair, which becomes the only means of locomotion for most people. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of selected factors such as age, sex, time from the occurrence of the injury, the level of spinal cord injury, participation in Active Rehabilitation camps and the level of physical activity on the efficiency of locomotion in a wheelchair in individuals with spinal cord injury.

Factors affecting commuter rail energy efficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-02-17

The objective of this study is to develop a planninglevel model of commuter rail energy efficiency. The : environmental benefits of commuter rail are often cited as one of the key benefits and motivators for its rapid development as a public trans...

Study of Core Competency Elements and Factors Affecting Performance Efficiency of Government Teachers in Northeastern Thailand

Science.gov (United States)

Chansirisira, Pacharawit

2012-01-01

The research aimed to investigate the core competency elements and the factors affecting the performance efficiency of the civil service teachers in the northeastern region, Thailand. The research procedure consisted of two steps. In the first step, the data were collected using a questionnaire with the reliability (Cronbach's Alpha) of 0.90. The…

Possibilities for the Rehabilitation of Settlements Affected by Large Scale Radioactive Contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zombori, P.; Roed, J.; Matveenko, S.

2001-01-01

Full text: Rehabilitation of contaminated settlements is an important issue in planning nuclear emergency management. The decisions must be based on the calculation of the dose avertable by certain decontamination methods and on the optimisation of the reclamation strategy applying the best of these techniques, with the full consideration of all possible aspects. The optimisation procedure requires the knowledge of the efficiency of different techniques, in terms of avertable dose, costs, public acceptance, feasibility etc. With the support of the IAEA a decontamination study was conducted in the highly contaminated area of Masany, Belarus, an abandoned settlement in the exclusion zone, close to the Ukrainian border and only a few kilometres away from the Chernobyl NPP. The study was conducted in and around a village house, trying several traditional and new techniques to reduce the potential indoor and outdoor doses to the inhabitants who would live in such buildings. The following methods were tested on the surfaces of the house: cleaning the roof with a high pressure hot water jet and with the use of a special roof-cleaning trolley, cleaning the wooden outer walls with the hot water jet and with planning these walls, vacuum cleaning the inner walls. The decontamination factors obtained for the roof cleaning were up to 5, the effect of the inner wall decontamination was less pronounced. Several techniques of decontamination of the land around the house were tested: normal digging, triple digging and removal of topsoil. The latter two proved to be equally efficient with a dose reduction of about 3-5 fold. The details and results of the study will be given in the paper. (author)

POSSIBILITIES OF APPLYING THE DEA METHOD IN THE ASSESSMENT OF EFFICIENCY OF COMPANIES IN THE ELECTRIC POWER INDUSTRY: REVIEW OF WIND ENERGY COMPANIES

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Dario Maradin

2014-07-01

Full Text Available One of the fundamental tasks of modern power system is finding ways to produce stable and continuous electricity from scarce energy resources. One of the possible solutions is introduction, implementation and improvement of alternative forms of energy such as renewable energy sources, particularly wind energy as an increasingly important energy source which is expected to further increase its share in total electricity production. Numerous methods can be used in assessing the efficiency of wind energy companies, and in the focus of this research is the Data Envelopment Analysis method (DEA, a widely accepted methodology given its interdisciplinary approach and flexibility. This method represents a step forward in the field of renewable energy management, because it provides the possibility to compare the selected companies with the best in the industry (the most efficient and the possibility of determining sources of inefficiency and, consequently, the possibilities of their elimination.

Spatial working memory load affects counting but not subitizing in enumeration.

Science.gov (United States)

Shimomura, Tomonari; Kumada, Takatsune

2011-08-01

The present study investigated whether subitizing reflects capacity limitations associated with two types of working memory tasks. Under a dual-task situation, participants performed an enumeration task in conjunction with either a spatial (Experiment 1) or a nonspatial visual (Experiment 2) working memory task. Experiment 1 showed that spatial working memory load affected the slope of a counting function but did not affect subitizing performance or subitizing range. Experiment 2 showed that nonspatial visual working memory load affected neither enumeration efficiency nor subitizing range. Furthermore, in both spatial and nonspatial memory tasks, neither subitizing efficiency nor subitizing range was affected by amount of imposed memory load. In all the experiments, working memory load failed to influence slope, subitizing range, or overall reaction time. These findings suggest that subitizing is performed without either spatial or nonspatial working memory. A possible mechanism of subitizing with independent capacity of working memory is discussed.

Electrochemical extraction of chlorides from reinforced concrete: variables affecting treatment efficiency

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Climent, M. A.

2006-12-01

Full Text Available This paper reports the results of applying electrochemical chloride extraction (ECE to a series of chloride-contaminated concrete specimens. Experimental conditions were varied to study the efficiency of this technique under different circumstances. The survey covered the possible relationship between efficiency and the location of the sampling point, current density, type of concrete and treatment intermittence. Experiments were also conducted with different reinforcement configurations used in standard structural members such as columns and beams to ascertain the impact of rebar geometry.Este documento aporta los resultados de investigaciones realizadas en diferentes estudios en los que se aplicó la técnica de Extracción Electroquímica de Cloruros (EEC a diferentes estructuras de hormigón contaminado con cloruros. Se cambiaron las condiciones experimentales con el fin de estudiar la eficiencia de la misma en cada una de ellas. Se estudió la dependencia con la posición del punto de toma de las muestras, con la densidad de corriente aplicada, con el tipo de hormigón utilizado y con las paradas realizadas en etapas intermedias del tratamiento. Para ver la influencia de la disposición geométrica de las armaduras,se realizó una experiencia con tipos diferentes de disposiciones de las armaduras, correspondiente a componentes estructurales típicos como los pilares y las vigas.

Comparative analysis of possibilities for raising the efficiency in thermal power plant by utilisation of waste heat energy

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Mijakovski Vladimir

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The possibility to use flue gases waste heat for increasing the efficiency of thermal power plant (TPP explained in this work refers to lignite fired TPP-Bitola in Macedonia (3x233 MW installed electric capacity. Possibility to utilize low-temperature heat energy at the plant’s cold end is also considered in the analysis. Specific fuel consumption is used as an analysis and comparison parameter. Its reduction, compared to the basic power unit ranges between 0.4% and 3.4%. An analysis presenting economic feasibility of the low-temperature heat energy utilization concept for two different refrigerants used in the heat pump is also presented.

Environmental conditions affecting the efficiency and efficacy of piscicides for use in nonnative fish eradication

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Peter James

2010-01-01

Conservation of native fish is a pressing issue for fisheries managers. Conservation efforts often require eliminating threats posed by nonnative fish by eradicating them with piscicides. The piscicides rotenone and antimycin are used for eradication but their application is often inefficient or ineffective. My goal was to increase the efficiency and efficacy of nonnative fish eradication using piscicides. I identified environmental conditions affecting piscicide application, researched methods to overcome these problems, and provided tools that piscicide applicators can use to make piscicide application more efficient and effective. Rotenone and antimycin were exposed to varying levels of sunlight, turbulence, and dissolved organic matter (DOM) to determine the effect these environmental conditions have on piscicides. Bioassay fish were used to determine the toxicity of the piscicides. Sunlight and turbulence affected rotenone and antimycin but DOM did not. Increasing the concentration of chemical can increase the resistance to the effects of these environmental conditions; however, the effects of these conditions are considerable in natural settings. Observations of bioassay fish in stream applications of rotenone were used to develop a statistical model to predict the persistence of the piscicide. The model can be used to predict rotenone persistence in small montane streams and to estimate where rotenone concentrations need to be fortified. I measured the mixing rate of a chemical plume in different channel morphologies and at center or edge applications. Center application had a significantly shorter mixing distance than edge application, but mixing distance was not different among meandering, straight, and riffle/pool morphologies. Application of my findings will increase the efficiency and efficacy of native fish conservation using piscicides.

Energy efficiency development possibilities in public transport; Joukkoliikenteen energiatehokkuuden kehittaemismahdollisuudet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Korteniemi, J.; Pasanen, P.; Latvala, M.; Pohjola, T. (Bionova Consulting, Helsinki (Finland))

2010-10-15

Environmental values, energy efficiency and climate impact have taken an essential role in the public affairs in the past years, and their weight in decision making is constantly increasing. One of HSL strategic goals is to promote low emissions transport. Public transport energy efficiency is good when compared to passenger cars today. However, the car energy and climate efficiency is improving substantially and the development is set to continue at least until 2020, supported by the EU directive on new car sales emission limits. The rapid development of passenger car emissions poses an increasing challenge for the energy and climate efficiency of public transport services. There are national and international binding goals for energy and climate efficiency development until the year 2020, and non-binding goals until the year 2050. The goals which impact public transport sector are 9 % improvement in energy efficiency by 2016 when compared to 2005 level, and national binding goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20 % and using 20 % of renewables in transport sector by 2020. By 2050, the targeted greenhouse gas reduction goals are up to 80 % of all emissions when compared to the 1990 emission levels. The public transport services provided by HSL use 628 GWh energy annually, which produces about 314 million public transport trips. The diesel and natural gas used by the buses represents two thirds of the energy consumption, whereas their share of the produced trips is about one half. The rail rolling stock energy consumption is one seventh of the whole. Circa one fifth of the energy is used by the transport infrastructure, such as stations, rail switch heating and the depots. In energy efficiency terms metro and train are clear leaders. One kilowatt hour of energy takes a passenger 10 km in metro and 29,9 km in a train. Correspondingly the passenger could travel in a tramway 4,4 km, in a diesel bus 2,7 km and in a natural gas bus 2,1 km and in a passenger car

Estimation of hospital efficiency--do different definitions and casemix measures for hospital output affect the results?

Science.gov (United States)

Vitikainen, Kirsi; Street, Andrew; Linna, Miika

2009-02-01

Hospital efficiency has been the subject of numerous health economics studies, but there is little evidence on how the chosen output and casemix measures affect the efficiency results. The aim of this study is to examine the robustness of efficiency results due to these factors. Comparison is made between activities and episode output measures, and two different output grouping systems (Classic and FullDRG). Non-parametric data envelopment analysis is used as an analysis technique. The data consist of all public acute care hospitals in Finland in 2005 (n=40). Efficiency estimates were not found to be highly sensitive to the choice between episode and activity descriptions of output, but more so to the choice of DRG grouping system. Estimates are most sensitive to scale assumptions, with evidence of decreasing returns to scale in larger hospitals. Episode measures are generally to be preferred to activity measures because these better capture the patient pathway, while FullDRGs are preferred to Classic DRGs particularly because of the better description of outpatient output in the former grouping system. Attention should be paid to reducing the extent of scale inefficiency in Finland.

A data envelope analysis to assess factors affecting technical and economic efficiency of individual broiler breeder hens.

Science.gov (United States)

Romero, L F; Zuidhof, M J; Jeffrey, S R; Naeima, A; Renema, R A; Robinson, F E

2010-08-01

This study evaluated the effect of feed allocation and energetic efficiency on technical and economic efficiency of broiler breeder hens using the data envelope analysis methodology and quantified the effect of variables affecting technical efficiency. A total of 288 Ross 708 pullets were placed in individual cages at 16 wk of age and assigned to 1 of 4 feed allocation groups. Three of them had feed allocated on a group basis with divergent BW targets: standard, high (standard x 1.1), and low (standard x 0.9). The fourth group had feed allocated on an individual bird basis following the standard BW target. Birds were classified in 3 energetic efficiency categories: low, average, and high, based on estimated maintenance requirements. Technical efficiency considered saleable chicks as output and cumulative ME intake and time as inputs. Economic efficiency of feed allocation treatments was analyzed under different cost scenarios. Birds with low feed allocation exhibited a lower technical efficiency (69.4%) than standard (72.1%), which reflected a reduced egg production rate. Feed allocation of the high treatment could have been reduced by 10% with the same chick production as the standard treatment. The low treatment exhibited reduced economic efficiency at greater capital costs, whereas high had reduced economic efficiency at greater feed costs. The average energetic efficiency hens had a lower technical efficiency in the low compared with the standard feed allocation. A 1% increment in estimated maintenance requirement changed technical efficiency by -0.23%, whereas a 1% increment in ME intake had a -0.47% effect. The negative relationship between technical efficiency and ME intake was counterbalanced by a positive correlation of ME intake and egg production. The negative relationship of technical efficiency and maintenance requirements was synergized by a negative correlation of hen maintenance and egg production. Economic efficiency methodologies are effective

European regional efficiency and geographical externalities: a spatial nonparametric frontier analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Ramajo, Julián; Cordero, José Manuel; Márquez, Miguel Ángel

2017-10-01

This paper analyses region-level technical efficiency in nine European countries over the 1995-2007 period. We propose the application of a nonparametric conditional frontier approach to account for the presence of heterogeneous conditions in the form of geographical externalities. Such environmental factors are beyond the control of regional authorities, but may affect the production function. Therefore, they need to be considered in the frontier estimation. Specifically, a spatial autoregressive term is included as an external conditioning factor in a robust order- m model. Thus we can test the hypothesis of non-separability (the external factor impacts both the input-output space and the distribution of efficiencies), demonstrating the existence of significant global interregional spillovers into the production process. Our findings show that geographical externalities affect both the frontier level and the probability of being more or less efficient. Specifically, the results support the fact that the spatial lag variable has an inverted U-shaped non-linear impact on the performance of regions. This finding can be interpreted as a differential effect of interregional spillovers depending on the size of the neighboring economies: positive externalities for small values, possibly related to agglomeration economies, and negative externalities for high values, indicating the possibility of production congestion. Additionally, evidence of the existence of a strong geographic pattern of European regional efficiency is reported and the levels of technical efficiency are acknowledged to have converged during the period under analysis.

Analysis of efficiency and factors affecting the production of cabbage farming (Brassica oleracea L. in Belung village, Poncokusumo, Malang, Indonesia

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G.M. Ningsih

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research was to analyze the efficiency and the factors that affect the production of cabbage farm in the village of Belung, Poncokusumo, Malang, Indonesia. Samples taken by census the number of respondents 36 farmers. The analysis used is descriptive qualitative and quantitative. Quantitative analysis include analysis of costs, revenues, income, efficiency and Cobb-Douglas. Based on the analysis, known that farmer acceptance is Rp. 43,767,361 and generated revenues of Rp. 30,124,372/ ha. Result relevaled that the Cabbage farm in the village of Belung, Poncokusumo, Malang was highly efficient and profitable with an efficiency of 3.2. Factors that effect significantly on cabbage farming production are labors, lands, pesticides and seeds. Input combinations are already efficient and optimal pesticides and seeds.

Succinate, iron chelation, and monovalent cations affect the transformation efficiency of Acinetobacter baylyi ATCC 33305 during growth in complex media.

Science.gov (United States)

Leong, Colleen G; Boyd, Caroline M; Roush, Kaleb S; Tenente, Ricardo; Lang, Kristine M; Lostroh, C Phoebe

2017-10-01

Natural transformation is the acquisition of new genetic material via the uptake of exogenous DNA by competent bacteria. Acinetobacter baylyi is model for natural transformation. Here we focus on the natural transformation of A. baylyi ATCC 33305 grown in complex media and seek environmental conditions that appreciably affect transformation efficiency. We find that the transformation efficiency for A. baylyi is a resilient characteristic that remains high under most conditions tested. We do find several distinct conditions that alter natural transformation efficiency including addition of succinate, Fe 2+ (ferrous) iron chelation, and substitution of sodium ions with potassium ones. These distinct conditions could be useful to fine tune transformation efficiency for researchers using A. baylyi as a model organism to study natural transformation.

Factors affecting the Faradaic efficiency of Fe(0) electrocoagulation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Genuchten, C.M.; Dalby, K.N.; Ceccato, M.; Stipp, S.L.S.; Dideriksen, K

2017-01-01

Electrocoagulation (EC) using Fe(0) electrodes is a low cost water treatment technology that relies on efficient production of Fe(II) from the electrolytic dissolution of Fe(0) electrodes (i.e. a high Faradaic efficiency). However, the (electro)chemical factors that favor Fe(0) oxidation rather than

Analysis of factors affecting the technical efficiency of cocoa ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The study estimated the technical efficiency of cocoa producers and the socioeconomic factors influencing technical efficiency and identified the constraints to cocoa production. A multi-stage random sampling method was used to select 180 cocoa farmers who were interviewed for the study. Data on the inputs used and ...

Carbonic Anhydrase: An Efficient Enzyme with Possible Global Implications

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Christopher D. Boone

2013-01-01

Full Text Available As the global atmospheric emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2 and other greenhouse gases continue to grow to record-setting levels, so do the demands for an efficient and inexpensive carbon sequestration system. Concurrently, the first-world dependence on crude oil and natural gas provokes concerns for long-term availability and emphasizes the need for alternative fuel sources. At the forefront of both of these research areas are a family of enzymes known as the carbonic anhydrases (CAs, which reversibly catalyze the hydration of CO2 into bicarbonate. CAs are among the fastest enzymes known, which have a maximum catalytic efficiency approaching the diffusion limit of 108 M−1s−1. As such, CAs are being utilized in various industrial and research settings to help lower CO2 atmospheric emissions and promote biofuel production. This review will highlight some of the recent accomplishments in these areas along with a discussion on their current limitations.

In vivo dendritic cell depletion reduces breeding efficiency, affecting implantation and early placental development in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Krey, Gesa; Frank, Pierre; Shaikly, Valerie; Barrientos, Gabriela; Cordo-Russo, Rosalia; Ringel, Frauke; Moschansky, Petra; Chernukhin, Igor V; Metodiev, Metodi; Fernández, Nelson; Klapp, Burghard F; Arck, Petra C; Blois, Sandra M

2008-09-01

Implantation of mammalian embryos into their mother's uterus ensures optimal nourishment and protection throughout development. Complex molecular interactions characterize the implantation process, and an optimal synchronization of the components of this embryo-maternal dialogue is crucial for a successful reproductive outcome. In the present study, we investigated the role of dendritic cells (DC) during implantation process using a transgenic mouse system (DTRtg) that allows transient depletion of CD11c+ cells in vivo through administration of diphtheria toxin. We observed that DC depletion impairs the implantation process, resulting in a reduced breeding efficiency. Furthermore, the maturity of uterine natural killer cells at dendritic cell knockout (DCKO) implantation sites was affected as well; as demonstrated by decreased perforin expression and reduced numbers of periodic-acid-Schiff (PAS)-positive cells. This was accompanied by disarrangements in decidual vascular development. In the present study, we were also able to identify a novel DC-dependent protein, phosphatidylinositol transfer protein beta (PITPbeta), involved in implantation and trophoblast development using a proteomic approach. Indeed, DCKO mice exhibited substantial anomalies in placental development, including hypocellularity of the spongiotrophoblast and labyrinthine layers and reduced numbers of trophoblast giant cells. Giant cells also down-regulated their expression of two characteristic markers of trophoblast differentiation, placental lactogen 1 and proliferin. In view of these findings, dendritic cells emerge as possible modulators in the orchestration of events leading to the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy.

Early appearance and possible roles of non-neuromuscular cholinesterases.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carla eFalugi

2012-04-01

Full Text Available The biological function of the cholinesterase (ChE enzymes is well known and has been studied since the beginning of the XXth century; in particular, acetylcholinesterase (AChE, E.C. 3.1.1.7 is an enzyme playing a key role in the modulation of neuromuscular impulse transmission. However, in the past decades, there has been increasing interest concerning its role in regulating non-neuromuscular cell-to-cell interactions mediated by intracellular ion concentration changes, like the ones occurring during gamete interaction and embryonic development. An understanding of the mechanisms of the cholinergic regulation of these events can help us foresee the possible impact on environmental and human health, including gamete efficiency and possible teratogenic effects on different models, and help elucidate the extent to which exposure to ChE inhibitors may affect human health.

A possible approach to estimating the operational efficiency of multiprocessor systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuznetsov, N.Y.; Gorlach, S.P.; Sumskaya, A.A.

1984-01-01

This article presents a mathematical model that constructs the upper and lower estimates evaluating the efficiency of solution of a large class of problems using a multiprocessor system with a specific architecture. Efficiency depends on a system's architecture (e.g., the number of processors, memory volume, the number of communication links, commutation speed) and the types of problems it is intended to solve. The behavior of the model is considered in a stationary mode. The model is used to evaluate the efficiency of a particular algorithm implemented in a multiprocessor system. It is concluded that the model is flexible and enables the investigation of a broad class of problems in computational mathematics, including linear algebra and boundary-value problems of mathematical physics

Mindfulness, Resilience, and Burnout Subtypes in Primary Care Physicians: The Possible Mediating Role of Positive and Negative Affect.

Science.gov (United States)

Montero-Marin, Jesús; Tops, Mattie; Manzanera, Rick; Piva Demarzo, Marcelo M; Álvarez de Mon, Melchor; García-Campayo, Javier

2015-01-01

Primary care health professionals suffer from high levels of burnout. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the associations of mindfulness and resilience with the features of the burnout types (overload, lack of development, neglect) in primary care physicians, taking into account the potential mediating role of negative and positive affect. A cross-sectional design was used. Six hundred and twenty-two Spanish primary care physicians were recruited from an online survey. The Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), and Burnout Clinical Subtype Questionnaire (BCSQ-12) questionnaires were administered. Polychoric correlation matrices were calculated. The unweighted least squares (ULS) method was used for developing structural equation modeling. Mindfulness and resilience presented moderately high associations (φ = 0.46). Links were found between mindfulness and overload (γ = -0.25); resilience and neglect (γ = -0.44); mindfulness and resilience, and negative affect (γ = -0.30 and γ = -0.35, respectively); resilience and positive affect (γ = 0.70); negative affect and overload (β = 0.36); positive affect and lack of development (β = -0.16). The links between the burnout types reached high and positive values between overload and lack of development (β = 0.64), and lack of development and neglect (β = 0.52). The model was a very good fit to the data (GFI = 0.96; AGFI = 0.96; RMSR = 0.06; NFI = 0.95; RFI = 0.95; PRATIO = 0.96). Interventions addressing both mindfulness and resilience can influence burnout subtypes, but their impact may occur in different ways, potentially mediated by positive and negative affect. Both sorts of trainings could constitute possible tools against burnout; however, while mindfulness seems a suitable intervention for preventing its initial stages, resilience may be more effective for treating its advanced stages.

Mindfulness, resilience, and burnout subtypes in primary care physicians: the possible mediating role of positive and negative affect

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jesus eMontero-Marin

2015-12-01

Full Text Available AbstractPurpose: Primary care health professionals suffer from high levels of burnout. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the associations of mindfulness and resilience with the features of the burnout types (overload, lack of development, neglect in primary care physicians, taking into account the potential mediating role of negative and positive affect.Methods: A cross-sectional design was used. 622 Spanish primary care physicians were recruited from an online survey. The Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS and Burnout Clinical Subtype Questionnaire (BCSQ-12 questionnaires were administered. Polychoric correlation matrices were calculated. The unweighted least squares method was used for developing structural equation modelling. Results: Mindfulness and resilience presented moderately high associations (φ=0.46. Links were found between mindfulness and overload (γ=-0.25; resilience and neglect (γ=-0.44; mindfulness and resilience, and negative affect (γ=-0.30 and γ=-0.35 respectively; resilience and positive affect (γ=0.70; negative affect and overload (β=0.36; positive affect and lack of development (β=-0.16. The links between the burnout types reached high and positive values between overload and lack of development (β=0.64, and lack of development and neglect (β=0.52. The model was a very good fit to the data (GFI=0.96; AGFI=0.96; RMSR=0.06; NFI=0.95; RFI=0.95; PRATIO=0.96.Conclusions: Interventions addressing both mindfulness and resilience can influence burnout subtypes, but their impact may occur in different ways, potentially mediated by positive and negative affect. Both sorts of trainings could constitute possible tools against burnout; however, while mindfulness seems a suitable intervention for preventing its initial stages, resilience may be more effective for treating its advanced stages.

Temperature affects radiation use efficiency in maize

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrade, F.H.; Uhart, S.A.; Cirilo, A.

1993-01-01

The objective of this work was to study, under field conditions, the effect of temperature on radiation use efficiency (RUE) of maize. Field evidence of the negative effect of low temperature on this variable is lacking. Experiments with different sowing dates and five years of experimentation with October plantings provided a range of average temperatures during the vegetative period from 15.8 to 20.9°C. Delaying the sowing time from September to November produced a highly significant increase in RUE. There was a positive association between RUE and mean temperature from emergence to flowering. Efficiencies varied from 2.27 to 3.17 g of dry matter per MJ of intercepted photosynthetically active radiation for October plantings of five different years. With these data, a positive and significant association between RUE and mean temperature during the November–December vegetative period was found. Across years and planting dates, RUE and mean temperature during the vegetative period were closely correlated (r = 0.87). The regression equation was RUE = −1.8 + 0.07 T. Based on this evidence, it was concluded that low temperatures reduce RUE in maize. (author)

Highly efficient star formation in NGC 5253 possibly from stream-fed accretion.

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, J L; Beck, S C; Benford, D J; Consiglio, S M; Ho, P T P; Kovács, A; Meier, D S; Zhao, J-H

2015-03-19

Gas clouds in present-day galaxies are inefficient at forming stars. Low star-formation efficiency is a critical parameter in galaxy evolution: it is why stars are still forming nearly 14 billion years after the Big Bang and why star clusters generally do not survive their births, instead dispersing to form galactic disks or bulges. Yet the existence of ancient massive bound star clusters (globular clusters) in the Milky Way suggests that efficiencies were higher when they formed ten billion years ago. A local dwarf galaxy, NGC 5253, has a young star cluster that provides an example of highly efficient star formation. Here we report the detection of the J = 3→2 rotational transition of CO at the location of the massive cluster. The gas cloud is hot, dense, quiescent and extremely dusty. Its gas-to-dust ratio is lower than the Galactic value, which we attribute to dust enrichment by the embedded star cluster. Its star-formation efficiency exceeds 50 per cent, tenfold that of clouds in the Milky Way. We suggest that high efficiency results from the force-feeding of star formation by a streamer of gas falling into the galaxy.

Testing the Informational Efficiency on the Romanian Financial Market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bogdan Dima

2006-01-01

Full Text Available The classical models of portfolio selection could not be applied on a market were the efficient market hypothesis is not valid (at least in a "weak" sense. The aim of this paper is to enlighten the difficulties of portfolio construction in a financial market with institutional and structural deficiencies, like the Romanian one, and to propose an alternative approach to the problem. The main features of our analysis are: 1 an empirical test for the efficient market hypothesis in the Romanian financial market case; 2 a critical distinction between the concept of "risk" and the concept of "incertitude"; 3 the use of the individual yield/risk ratio versus the market one as a selection variable; 4 the renouncement at the use in the selection procedure of an "non-risky" asset; 5 an example of the proposed selection procedure. The output of this approach could be resumed by the thesis that, even in a situation when the financial market is affected by severe disfunctions, there is a possibility to build an "optimal" portfolio based on a yield-risk arbitrage inside an efficiency frontier and to obtain a "good" schema of an financial placement, in spite of the limited possibilities for a efficient portfolio management.

Testing the Informational Efficiency on the Romanian Financial Market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aurora Murgea

2006-03-01

Full Text Available The classical models of portfolio selection could not be applied on a market were the efficient market hypothesis is not valid (at least in a “weak” sense. The aim of this paper is to enlighten the difficulties of portfolio construction in a financial market with institutional and structural deficiencies, like the Romanian one, and to propose an alternative approach to the problem. The main features of our analysis are: 1 an empirical test for the efficient market hypothesis in the Romanian financial market case; 2 a critical distinction between the concept of “risk” and the concept of “incertitude”; 3 the use of the individual yield/risk ratio versus the market one as a selection variable; 4 the renouncement at the use in the selection procedure of an “non-risky” asset; 5 an example of the proposed selection procedure. The output of this approach could be resumed by the thesis that, even in a situation when the financial market is affected by severe disfunctions, there is a possibility to build an “optimal” portfolio based on a yield-risk arbitrage inside an efficiency frontier and to obtain a “good” schema of an financial placement, in spite of the limited possibilities for a efficient portfolio management.

Quantum interferences reconstruction with low homodyne detection efficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Esposito, Martina; Randi, Francesco [Universita degli studi di Trieste, Dipartimento di Fisica, Trieste (Italy); Titimbo, Kelvin; Zimmermann, Klaus; Benatti, Fabio [Universita degli studi di Trieste, Dipartimento di Fisica, Trieste (Italy); Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Trieste, Trieste (Italy); Kourousias, Georgios; Curri, Alessio [Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., Trieste (Italy); Floreanini, Roberto [Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Trieste, Trieste (Italy); Parmigiani, Fulvio [Universita degli studi di Trieste, Dipartimento di Fisica, Trieste (Italy); Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., Trieste (Italy); University of Cologne, Institute of Physics II, Cologne (Germany); Fausti, Daniele [Universita degli studi di Trieste, Dipartimento di Fisica, Trieste (Italy); Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., Trieste (Italy)

2016-12-15

Optical homodyne tomography consists in reconstructing the quantum state of an optical field from repeated measurements of its amplitude at different field phases (homodyne data). The experimental noise, which unavoidably affects the homodyne data, leads to a detection efficiency η<1. The problem of reconstructing quantum states from noisy homodyne data sets prompted an intense scientific debate about the presence or absence of a lower homodyne efficiency bound (η>0.5) below which quantum features, like quantum interferences, cannot be retrieved. Here, by numerical experiments, we demonstrate that quantum interferences can be effectively reconstructed also for low homodyne detection efficiency. In particular, we address the challenging case of a Schroedinger cat state and test the minimax and adaptive Wigner function reconstruction technique by processing homodyne data distributed according to the chosen state but with an efficiency η>0.5. By numerically reproducing the Schroedinger's cat interference pattern, we give evidence that quantum state reconstruction is actually possible in these conditions, and provide a guideline for handling optical tomography based on homodyne data collected by low efficiency detectors. (orig.)

Technical- and environmental-efficiency analysis of irrigated cotton-cropping systems in Punjab, Pakistan using data envelopment analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ullah, Asmat; Perret, Sylvain R

2014-08-01

Cotton cropping in Pakistan uses substantial quantities of resources and adversely affects the environment with pollutants from the inputs, particularly pesticides. A question remains regarding to what extent the reduction of such environmental impact is possible without compromising the farmers' income. This paper investigates the environmental, technical, and economic performances of selected irrigated cotton-cropping systems in Punjab to quantify the sustainability of cotton farming and reveal options for improvement. Using mostly primary data, our study quantifies the technical, cost, and environmental efficiencies of different farm sizes. A set of indicators has been computed to reflect these three domains of efficiency using the data envelopment analysis technique. The results indicate that farmers are broadly environmentally inefficient; which primarily results from poor technical inefficiency. Based on an improved input mix, the average potential environmental impact reduction for small, medium, and large farms is 9, 13, and 11 %, respectively, without compromising the economic return. Moreover, the differences in technical, cost, and environmental efficiencies between small and medium and small and large farm sizes were statistically significant. The second-stage regression analysis identifies that the entire farm size significantly affects the efficiencies, whereas exposure to extension and training has positive effects, and the sowing methods significantly affect the technical and environmental efficiencies. Paradoxically, the formal education level is determined to affect the efficiencies negatively. This paper discusses policy interventions that can improve the technical efficiency to ultimately increase the environmental efficiency and reduce the farmers' operating costs.

Breed of cow and herd productivity affect milk nutrient recovery in curd, and cheese yield, efficiency and daily production.

Science.gov (United States)

Stocco, G; Cipolat-Gotet, C; Gasparotto, V; Cecchinato, A; Bittante, G

2018-02-01

Little is known about cheese-making efficiency at the individual cow level, so our objective was to study the effects of herd productivity, individual herd within productivity class and breed of cow within herd by producing, then analyzing, 508 model cheeses from the milk of 508 cows of six different breeds reared in 41 multi-breed herds classified into two productivity classes (high v. low). For each cow we obtained six milk composition traits; four milk nutrient (fat, protein, solids and energy) recovery traits (REC) in curd; three actual % cheese yield traits (%CY); two theoretical %CYs (fresh cheese and cheese solids) calculated from milk composition; two overall cheese-making efficiencies (% ratio of actual to theoretical %CYs); daily milk yield (dMY); and three actual daily cheese yield traits (dCY). The aforementioned phenotypes were analyzed using a mixed model which included the fixed effects of herd productivity, parity, days in milk (DIM) and breed; the random effects were the water bath, vat, herd and residual. Cows reared in high-productivity herds yielded more milk with higher nutrient contents and more cheese per day, had greater theoretical %CY, and lower cheese-making efficiency than low-productivity herds, but there were no differences between them in terms of REC traits. Individual herd within productivity class was an intermediate source of total variation in REC, %CY and efficiency traits (10.0% to 17.2%), and a major source of variation in milk yield and dCY traits (43.1% to 46.3%). Parity of cows was an important source of variation for productivity traits, whereas DIM affected almost all traits. Breed within herd greatly affected all traits. Holsteins produced more milk, but Brown Swiss cows produced milk with higher actual and theoretical %CYs and cheese-making efficiency, so that the two large-framed breeds had the same dCY. Compared with the two large-framed breeds, the small Jersey cows produced much less milk, but with greater actual

Transition towards energy efficient machine tools

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zein, Andre [Technische Univ. Braunschweig (Germany). Inst. fuer Werkzeugmaschinen und Fertigungstechnik

2012-07-01

Provides unique data about industrial trends affecting the energy demand of machine tools. Presents a comprehensive methodology to assess the energy efficiency of machining processes. Contains an integrated management concept to implement energy performance measures into existing industrial systems. Includes an industrial case study with two exemplary applications. Energy efficiency represents a cost-effective and immediate strategy of a sustainable development. Due to substantial environmental and economic implications, a strong emphasis is put on the electrical energy requirements of machine tools for metalworking processes. The improvement of energy efficiency is however confronted with diverse barriers, which sustain an energy efficiency gap of unexploited potential. The deficiencies lie in the lack of information about the actual energy requirements of machine tools, a minimum energy reference to quantify improvement potential and the possible actions to improve the energy demand. Therefore, a comprehensive concept for energy performance management of machine tools is developed which guides the transition towards energy efficient machine tools. It is structured in four innovative concept modules, which are embedded into step-by-step workflow models. The capability of the performance management concept is demonstrated in an automotive manufacturing environment. The target audience primarily comprises researchers and practitioners challenged to enhance energy efficiency in manufacturing. The book may also be beneficial for graduate students who want to specialize in this field.

An Attempt at Quantifying Factors that Affect Efficiency in the Management of Solid Waste Produced by Commercial Businesses in the City of Tshwane, South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yohannes Worku

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. The objective was to investigate factors that affect the efficient management of solid waste produced by commercial businesses operating in the city of Pretoria, South Africa. Methods. Data was gathered from 1,034 businesses. Efficiency in solid waste management was assessed by using a structural time-based model designed for evaluating efficiency as a function of the length of time required to manage waste. Data analysis was performed using statistical procedures such as frequency tables, Pearson’s chi-square tests of association, and binary logistic regression analysis. Odds ratios estimated from logistic regression analysis were used for identifying key factors that affect efficiency in the proper disposal of waste. Results. The study showed that 857 of the 1,034 businesses selected for the study (83% were found to be efficient enough with regards to the proper collection and disposal of solid waste. Based on odds ratios estimated from binary logistic regression analysis, efficiency in the proper management of solid waste was significantly influenced by 4 predictor variables. These 4 influential predictor variables are lack of adherence to waste management regulations, wrong perception, failure to provide customers with enough trash cans, and operation of businesses by employed managers, in a decreasing order of importance.

An Attempt at Quantifying Factors that Affect Efficiency in the Management of Solid Waste Produced by Commercial Businesses in the City of Tshwane, South Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Worku, Yohannes; Muchie, Mammo

2012-01-01

Objective. The objective was to investigate factors that affect the efficient management of solid waste produced by commercial businesses operating in the city of Pretoria, South Africa. Methods. Data was gathered from 1,034 businesses. Efficiency in solid waste management was assessed by using a structural time-based model designed for evaluating efficiency as a function of the length of time required to manage waste. Data analysis was performed using statistical procedures such as frequency tables, Pearson's chi-square tests of association, and binary logistic regression analysis. Odds ratios estimated from logistic regression analysis were used for identifying key factors that affect efficiency in the proper disposal of waste. Results. The study showed that 857 of the 1,034 businesses selected for the study (83%) were found to be efficient enough with regards to the proper collection and disposal of solid waste. Based on odds ratios estimated from binary logistic regression analysis, efficiency in the proper management of solid waste was significantly influenced by 4 predictor variables. These 4 influential predictor variables are lack of adherence to waste management regulations, wrong perception, failure to provide customers with enough trash cans, and operation of businesses by employed managers, in a decreasing order of importance. PMID:23209483

An Attempt at Quantifying Factors that Affect Efficiency in the Management of Solid Waste Produced by Commercial Businesses in the City of Tshwane, South Africa

OpenAIRE

Worku, Yohannes; Muchie, Mammo

2012-01-01

Objective. The objective was to investigate factors that affect the efficient management of solid waste produced by commercial businesses operating in the city of Pretoria, South Africa. Methods. Data was gathered from 1,034 businesses. Efficiency in solid waste management was assessed by using a structural time-based model designed for evaluating efficiency as a function of the length of time required to manage waste. Data analysis was performed using statistical procedures such as frequency...

Mind the gap. Quantifying principal-agent problems in energy efficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2007-10-15

Energy efficiency presents a unique opportunity to address three energy-related challenges in IEA member countries: energy security, climate change, and economic development. Yet an energy-efficiency gap exists between actual and optimal energy use. That is, significant cost-effective energy efficiency potential is wasted because market barriers prevent countries from achieving optimal levels. Market barriers take many forms, from inadequate access to capital, isolation from price signals, information asymmetry, and split-incentives. Though many studies have reported the existence of such market barriers, none so far have attempted to quantify the magnitude of their effect on energy use and efficiency. This publication is an unprecedented attempt to quantify the size of one of the most pervasive barriers to energy efficiency - principal-agent problems, or in common parlance, variations on the 'landlord-tenant' problem. In doing so, the book provides energy analysts and economists with unique insights into the amount of energy affected by principal-agent problems. Using an innovative methodology applied to eight case studies (covering commercial and residential sectors, and end-use appliances) from five different IEA countries, the analysis identifies over 3,800 PJ/year of affected energy use - that is, around 85% of the annual energy use of a country the size of Spain. The book builds on these findings to suggest a range of possible policy solutions that can reduce the impact of principal-agent problems and help policy makers mind the energy efficiency gap.

Factor Analysis on Criteria Affecting Lean Retrofit for Energy Efficient Initiatives in Higher Learning Institution Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abidin Nur IzieAdiana

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The expansion of Higher Learning Institution (HLI is a global concerns on energy demand due to campus act like a small city. Intensive mode of operation of a building is correlated to the energy utilization. Improvement in the current energy efficiency is crucial effort to minimize the environmental effect through minimisation of energy in operation by retrofitting and upgrade the existing building system or components to be more efficient. Basically, there are three recommended steps for the improvement known as lean initiatives, green technology and clean energy in response to becoming zero energy solutions for building. The deliberation of this paper is aimed to highlight the criteria affecting in retrofitting of existing building in HLI with lean initiatives in order to achieve energy efficiency and reduction of energy comsumption. Attention is devoted to reviewing the lean energy retrofitting initiatives criteria for daylighting (side lighting, daylighting (skylight and glazing. The questionnaire survey was employed and distributed to the architects who has an expertise in green building design. Factor analysis was adopted as a method of analysis by using Principal Component with Varimax Rotation. The result is presented through summarizing the sub-criteria according to its importance with a factor loading 0.50 and above. The result found that majority of the criteria developed achieved the significant factor loading value and in accordance with the protocal of analysis. In conclusion the results from analysis of this paper assists the stakeholders in assessing the significant criteria based on the desired lean energy retrofitting initiatives and also provides a huge contribution for future planning improvement in existing buildings to become an energy efficient building.

Efficient shortcut techniques in evanescently coupled waveguides

Science.gov (United States)

Paul, Koushik; Sarma, Amarendra K.

2016-10-01

Shortcut to Adiabatic Passage (SHAPE) technique, in the context of coherent control of atomic systems has gained considerable attention in last few years. It is primarily because of its ability to manipulate population among the quantum states infinitely fast compared to the adiabatic processes. Two methods in this regard have been explored rigorously, namely the transitionless quantum driving and the Lewis-Riesenfeld invariant approach. We have applied these two methods to realize SHAPE in adiabatic waveguide coupler. Waveguide couplers are integral components of photonic circuits, primarily used as switching devices. Our study shows that with appropriate engineering of the coupling coefficient and propagation constants of the coupler it is possible to achieve efficient and complete power switching. We also observed that the coupler length could be reduced significantly without affecting the coupling efficiency of the system.

INFLUENCE OF RISKS ON THE IPO EFFICIENCY

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Dilshod M. Marupov

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The article studies the global IPO market and the key risks of the procedure during the IPO. Exogenous and endogenous risks affecting the efficiency of entering the public market are considered. Also the general stepwise policy of risk management has been suggested. It was identified that in addition to the proceeds from the sale of shares of funds, public status provides to the company the following benefits: increased goodwill and reputation in the market, the market value of the acquisition, which is crucial for entry into foreign markets, it is possible to obtain loans, issue bonds at lower interest, etc.

Factors that affect the quality and efficiency of artificial insemination in oestrus synchronization programmes in dairy cattle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pedroso, R.; Roller, F.; Gonzalez, N.; Felipe, N.; Bravo, M.

2001-01-01

Experiments were performed during a three-year period in order to identify the factors affecting quality and efficiency of artificial insemination (AI) when it is used in cattle subjected to oestrus induction and synchronization (OIS) programmes. The study took place in the Western part of the country and 3 herds with a total of 6357 animals were used. The first study was a survey to evaluate the factors affecting the efficiency of AI in OIS. The second study examined the effects of body condition score (BCS) and three different regimes of OIS on the results of AI. Progesterone levels were measured in blood and milk using radioimmunoassay to determine the incidence of acyclic animals in the herds. Data were recorded and analysed using the artificial insemination database application (AIDA) and further statistical analyses were done using Systat. The results found in the survey showed a low conception rate (18%) and a great variability in the period from calving to conception (154 ± 98.11 days). The latter parameter was significantly different between herds (P<0.001). A high percentage of animals selected for OIS programmes (37%) showed a poor BCS (<2.5 on a scale of 1-5). Motility of semen used for AI was low (<30%) in 47% of the samples evaluated. The results from progesterone measurements demonstrated that the reasons for poor fertility were low accuracy in oestrus detection, poor response to treatment for OIS, non-fertilization, embryo mortality and functional disturbances present after treatment. Under our field conditions during the dry season, acyclicity (anoestrus) is a frequent problem in primiparous cows and in those with poor BCS. The BCS in heifers and the quality of different treatments had a significant effect on the conception rate. These results confirm that the use of progesterone measurement together with data management using AIDA is a very appropriate way to evaluate and improve the quality and efficiency of AI in OIS programmes. (author)

Identification and quantification of principal–agent problems affecting energy efficiency investments and use decisions in the trucking industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vernon, David; Meier, Alan

2012-01-01

Energy related Principal–Agent (PA) problems cause inefficient combinations of investment, operating costs, and usage behavior. The complex market structure of the trucking industry contributes to split incentives because entities responsible for investments in energy efficiency do not always pay fuel costs and drivers are often not rewarded for fuel-efficient operation. Some contractual relationships exist in the trucking industry that hinder responses to fuel price signals. Up to 91% of total trucking fuel consumption in the U.S. is affected by “usage” PA problems, where the driver does not pay fuel costs and lacks incentive for fuel saving operation. Approximately 23% of trailers are exposed to an “efficiency problem” when owners of rented trailers do not pay fuel costs and therefore have little incentive to invest in efficiency upgrades such as improved trailer aerodynamics and reduced tire rolling resistance. This study shows that PA problems have the potential to significantly increase fuel consumption through avoided investments, insufficient maintenance, and fuel-wasting practices. Further research into the causes and effects of PA problems can shape policies to promote better alignment of costs and benefits, leading to reduced fuel use and carbon emissions. - Highlights: ► We identify and quantify principal agent market failures in the trucking industry. ► Up to 91% of truck fuel consumption is exposed to a usage principal–agent market failure. ► Twenty-three percent of trailers are exposed to an efficiency principal–agent market failure. ► These market failures at least partially insulate key decision makers from fuel price signals.

Spin-neurons: A possible path to energy-efficient neuromorphic computers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sharad, Mrigank; Fan, Deliang; Roy, Kaushik [School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 (United States)

2013-12-21

Recent years have witnessed growing interest in the field of brain-inspired computing based on neural-network architectures. In order to translate the related algorithmic models into powerful, yet energy-efficient cognitive-computing hardware, computing-devices beyond CMOS may need to be explored. The suitability of such devices to this field of computing would strongly depend upon how closely their physical characteristics match with the essential computing primitives employed in such models. In this work, we discuss the rationale of applying emerging spin-torque devices for bio-inspired computing. Recent spin-torque experiments have shown the path to low-current, low-voltage, and high-speed magnetization switching in nano-scale magnetic devices. Such magneto-metallic, current-mode spin-torque switches can mimic the analog summing and “thresholding” operation of an artificial neuron with high energy-efficiency. Comparison with CMOS-based analog circuit-model of a neuron shows that “spin-neurons” (spin based circuit model of neurons) can achieve more than two orders of magnitude lower energy and beyond three orders of magnitude reduction in energy-delay product. The application of spin-neurons can therefore be an attractive option for neuromorphic computers of future.

Technical evidence for assessing the performance of markets affecting energy efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koomey, J.G.; Sanstad, A.H.

1994-01-01

This paper focuses on the empirical basis for skepticism about the effectiveness of the market mechanism in promoting cost-effective energy efficiency improvements. It presents a framework for evaluating engineering economic evidence on the diffusion of energy-efficiency improvements, and then presents a series of examples within this framework that provide evidence for the existence of market imperfections related to energy efficiency. It concludes with a challenge to economists, policy analysts, and technologists to take this empirical evidence seriously and sponsor further collaborative research in this area. (author)

CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASES: THE POSSIBILITIES AND EFFICIENCY OF METABOLIC THERAPY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kh. Ya. Umarova

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Acute and chronic brain ischemia is accompanied by complex metabolic rearrangements in the neurons. The ability of the cells to survive is largely determined by the presence of energy substrates and oxygen, the synthesis of neurotransmitters, and some other factors. The increasedpersistence of nerve tissue in ischemia and chances of recovering the impaired function can be achieved by the use of neuroprotective and neurotrophic agents. The efficiency of neurometabolic therapy is considered using Ceraxon and Actovegin as an example. It is emphasized that theefficiency of their administration can be achieved by the mandatory concurrent use of a wide range of nondrug treatments.

The affect of erbium hydride on the conversion efficience to accelerated protons from ultra-shsort pulse laser irradiated foils

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Offermann, Dustin Theodore [The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States)

2008-01-01

This thesis work explores, experimentally, the potential gains in the conversion efficiency from ultra-intense laser light to proton beams using erbium hydride coatings. For years, it has been known that contaminants at the rear surface of an ultra-intense laser irradiated thin foil will be accelerated to multi-MeV. Inertial Confinement Fusion fast ignition using proton beams as the igniter source requires of about 10¹⁶ protons with an average energy of about 3MeV. This is far more than the 10¹² protons available in the contaminant layer. Target designs must include some form of a hydrogen rich coating that can be made thick enough to support the beam requirements of fast ignition. Work with computer simulations of thin foils suggest the atomic mass of the non-hydrogen atoms in the surface layer has a strong affect on the conversion efficiency to protons. For example, the 167amu erbium atoms will take less energy away from the proton beam than a coating using carbon with a mass of 12amu. A pure hydrogen coating would be ideal, but technologically is not feasible at this time. In the experiments performed for my thesis, ErH₃ coatings on 5 μm gold foils are compared with typical contaminants which are approximately equivalent to CH_1.7. It will be shown that there was a factor of 1.25 ± 0.19 improvement in the conversion efficiency for protons above 3MeV using erbium hydride using the Callisto laser. Callisto is a 10J per pulse, 800nm wavelength laser with a pulse duration of 200fs and can be focused to a peak intensity of about 5 x 10¹⁹W/cm². The total number of protons from either target type was on the order of 10¹⁰. Furthermore, the same experiment was performed on the Titan laser, which has a 500fs pulse duration, 150J of energy and can be focused to about 3 x 10²⁰ W/cm². In this experiment 10¹² protons were seen from both erbium hydride and

The many factors that affect the success of regulatory mechanisms designed to foster investments in energy efficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zarnikau [LBJ School of Public Affairs and Division of Statistics of the College of Natural Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78713 (United States)

2012-08-15

A utility's profit-maximizing level of investment in energy efficiency or demand-side management (DSM) programs and mix of programs is affected by natural load growth, the frequency of rate cases, program costs, and the structure of any mechanism designed to either compensate the utility for foregone profits or sever the link between sales and profits. Under a range of reasonable assumptions, decoupling can incent a utility to invest in DSM. However, a utility experiencing high natural load growth and little inflation is likely to resist the imposition of a decoupling mechanism, as it would tend to lower profits. A utility with low growth in per-customer sales will tend to favor decoupling, as it will tend to lead to higher profits than under traditional regulation. The results presented here are quite sensitive to the assumptions made regarding natural load growth, regulatory lag, the frequency of price changes, price elasticity of demand, and other factors. This suggests that there is not a single approach to promoting energy efficiency without penalizing utility profits that will work in all situations for all utilities.

Cycle affects imidacloprid efficiency by mediating cytochrome P450 expression in the brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, K; Yang, P; Pang, R; Yue, L; Zhang, W

2017-10-01

Circadian clocks influence most behaviours and physiological activities in animals, including daily fluctuations in metabolism. However, how the clock gene cycle influences insects' responses to pesticides has rarely been reported. Here, we provide evidence that cycle affects imidacloprid efficacy by mediating the expression of cytochrome P450 genes in the brown planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens, a serious insect pest of rice. Survival bioassays showed that the susceptibility of BPH adults to imidacloprid differed significantly between the two time points tested [Zeitgeber Time 8 (ZT8) and ZT4]. After cloning the cycle gene in the BPH (Nlcycle), we found that Nlcycle was expressed at higher levels in the fat body and midgut, and its expression was rhythmic with two peaks. Knockdown of Nlcycle affected the expression levels and rhythms of cytochrome P450 genes as well as susceptibility to imidacloprid. The survival rates of BPH adults after treatment with imidacloprid did not significantly differ between ZT4 and ZT8 after double-stranded Nlcycle treatment. These findings can be used to improve pesticide use and increase pesticide efficiency in the field. © 2017 The Royal Entomological Society.

High yield CTMP fibres as a possibility of the more efficient yield of wood raw material

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Klašnja Bojana A.

2004-01-01

Full Text Available The evident shortage of wood as a raw material has become a limiting factor in the pulp and paper industry which is the greatest consumer of wood in Europe. The situation in our country is similar. During the few past years, the production of poplar and willow pulpwood was 220.000 m3 per year, which is insufficient for the planned increase in the production of sulphate pulp (175.000 tons till 2005. This paper deals with the aspects of the more efficient yield of raw material, based on the significantly higher yield of CTMP fibres, as well as with the significance of the lower adverse effect on the environment. It also analyses the conditions of production and the quality of the obtained fibres, as a possible substitute for chemical pulp and secondary fibres in papers of different quality. The main reasons for the production and use of CTMP fibres in our country are reported.

Efficiency enhancement in IGCC power plants with air-blown gasification and hot gas clean-up

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giuffrida, Antonio; Romano, Matteo C.; Lozza, Giovanni

2013-01-01

Air-blown IGCC systems with hot fuel gas clean-up are investigated. In detail, the gas clean-up station consists of two reactors: in the first, the raw syngas exiting the gasifier and passed through high-temperature syngas coolers is desulfurized by means of a zinc oxide-based sorbent, whereas in the second the sulfided sorbent is duly regenerated. The hot fuel gas clean-up station releases H 2 S-free syngas, which is ready to fuel the combustion turbine after hot gas filtration, and a SO 2 -laden stream, which is successively treated in a wet scrubber. A thermodynamic analysis of two air-blown IGCC systems, the first with cold fuel gas clean-up and the second with hot fuel gas clean-up, both with a state-of-the-art combustion turbine as topping cycle, shows that it is possible to obtain a really attractive net efficiency (more than 51%) for the second system, with significant improvements in comparison with the first system. Nevertheless, higher efficiency is accomplished with a small reduction in the power output and no sensible efficiency improvements seem to be appreciated when the desulfurization temperature increases. Other IGCC systems, with an advanced 1500 °C-class combustion turbine as the result of technology improvements, are investigated as well, with efficiency as high as 53%. - Highlights: ► Hot fuel gas clean-up is a highly favorable technology for IGCC concepts. ► Significant IGCC efficiency improvements are possible with hot fuel gas clean-up. ► Size reductions of several IGCC components are possible. ► Higher desulfurization temperatures do not sensibly affect IGCC efficiency. ► IGCC efficiency as high as 53% is possible with a 1500°C-class combustion turbine

Prioritization of the Factors Affecting Bank Efficiency Using Combined Data Envelopment Analysis and Analytical Hierarchy Process Methods

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Mehdi Fallah Jelodar

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Bank branches have a vital role in the economy of all countries. They collect assets from various sources and put them in the hand of those sectors that need liquidity. Due to the limited financial and human resources and capitals and also because of the unlimited and new customers’ needs and strong competition between banks and financial and credit institutions, the purpose of this study is to provide an answer to the question of which of the factors affecting performance, creating value, and increasing shareholder dividends are superior to others and consequently managers should pay more attention to them. Therefore, in this study, the factors affecting performance (efficiency in the areas of management, personnel, finance, and customers were segmented and obtained results were ranked using both methods of Data Envelopment Analysis and hierarchical analysis. In both of these methods, the leadership style in the area of management; the recruitment and resource allocation in the area of financing; the employees’ satisfaction, dignity, and self-actualization in the area of employees; and meeting the new needs of customers got more weights.

Acute physical exercise affected processing efficiency in an auditory attention task more than processing effectiveness.

Science.gov (United States)

Dutke, Stephan; Jaitner, Thomas; Berse, Timo; Barenberg, Jonathan

2014-02-01

Research on effects of acute physical exercise on performance in a concurrent cognitive task has generated equivocal evidence. Processing efficiency theory predicts that concurrent physical exercise can increase resource requirements for sustaining cognitive performance even when the level of performance is unaffected. This hypothesis was tested in a dual-task experiment. Sixty young adults worked on a primary auditory attention task and a secondary interval production task while cycling on a bicycle ergometer. Physical load (cycling) and cognitive load of the primary task were manipulated. Neither physical nor cognitive load affected primary task performance, but both factors interacted on secondary task performance. Sustaining primary task performance under increased physical and/or cognitive load increased resource consumption as indicated by decreased secondary task performance. Results demonstrated that physical exercise effects on cognition might be underestimated when only single task performance is the focus.

How Does Electronic Health Information Exchange Affect Hospital Performance Efficiency? The Effects of Breadth and Depth of Information Sharing.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Na-Eun; Ke, Weiling; Atems, Bebonchu; Chang, Jongwha

2018-01-01

This research was motivated by the large investment in health information technology (IT) by hospitals and the inconsistent findings related to the effects of health IT adoption on hospital performance. Building on resource orchestration theory and the information systems literature, the authors developed a research model to investigate how the configuration strategies for sharing information under health IT systems affect hospital efficiency. The hypotheses were tested using data from the 2010 annual and IT surveys of the American Hospital Association, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services case mix index, and U.S. Census Bureau's small-area income and poverty estimates. The study revealed that in health IT systems, the breadth (extent) and depth (level of detail) of digital information sharing among stakeholders each has a curvilinear relationship with hospital efficiency. In addition, breadth and depth reinforce each other's positive effects and attenuate each other's negative effects, and their balance has a positive effect on hospital efficiency. The results of this research have the potential to enrich the literature on the value of adopting health IT systems as well as in providing practitioner guidelines for meaningful use.

Oxidative stress negatively affects human sperm mitochondrial respiration.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferramosca, Alessandra; Pinto Provenzano, Sara; Montagna, Daniela Domenica; Coppola, Lamberto; Zara, Vincenzo

2013-07-01

To correlate the level of oxidative stress in serum and seminal fluid and the level of sperm deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fragmentation with sperm mitochondrial respiratory efficiency. Sperm mitochondrial respiratory activity was evaluated with a polarographic assay of oxygen consumption carried out in hypotonically treated sperm cells. A possible relationship between sperm mitochondrial respiratory efficiency, the level of oxidative stress, and the level of sperm DNA fragmentation was investigated. Sperm motility was positively correlated with mitochondrial respiration but negatively correlated with oxidative stress and DNA fragmentation. Interestingly, sperm mitochondrial respiratory activity was negatively affected by oxidative stress and DNA fragmentation. Our data indicate that sperm mitochondrial respiration is decreased in patients with high levels of reactive oxygen species by an uncoupling between electron transport and adenosine triphosphate synthesis. This reduction in mitochondrial functionality might be 1 of the reasons responsible for the decrease in spermatozoa motility. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Possibility of Phase Change Materials (PCM Usage to Increase Efficiency of the Photovoltaic Modules

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Klugmann-Radziemska Ewa

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Solar energy is widely available, free and inexhaustible. Furthermore this source of energy is the most friendly to the environment. For direct conversion of solar energy into useful forms like of electricity and thermal energy, respectively photovoltaic cells and solar collectors are being used. Forecast indicate that the first one solution will soon have a significant part in meeting the global energy demand. Therefore it is highly important to increase their efficiency in the terms of providing better energy conversion conditions. It can be obtain by designing new devices or by modifications of existing ones. This article presents general issues of photovoltaic installations exposed to work in high temperatures and basic concepts about phase change materials (PCMs. The paper presents the possibility of PCM usage to receive heat from the photovoltaic module. Specially designed test stand, consisting of PV module covered with a layer of PCM has been build and tested. Current-voltage characteristics of the cell without PCM material and with a layer of PCM have been presented. Authors also describe the results of the electrical and thermal characteristic of a coupled PV-PCM system.

Another possible energy landscape; Un autre paysage energetique possible

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2002-06-01

This analysis presents the national energy balances from the national energy accounting. The first part presents the accounting analysis on the electric power consumption and production in France. The second part deals with the global energy accounting, for the energy sources and utilization, together. From these analysis the authors show how the global energy efficiency of production and utilization is possible. Solutions allowing the reduction of the non renewable energies consumption and solution for the nuclear power phaseout are also proposed. (A.L.B.)

Hydrodynamic cavitation as a strategy to enhance the efficiency of lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Terán Hilares, Ruly; Ramos, Lucas; da Silva, Silvio Silvério

2018-01-01

to accelerate certain chemical reactions. The application of cavitation energy to enhance the efficiency of lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment is an interesting strategy proposed for integration in biorefineries for the production of bio-based products. Moreover, the use of an HC-assisted process...... was demonstrated as an attractive alternative when compared to other conventional pretreatment technologies. This is not only due to high pretreatment efficiency resulting in high enzymatic digestibility of carbohydrate fraction, but also, by its high energy efficiency, simple configuration, and construction...... of systems, besides the possibility of using on the large scale. This paper gives an overview regarding HC technology and its potential for application on the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass. The parameters affecting this process and the perspectives for future developments in this area are also...

Lipoplex size determines lipofection efficiency with or without serum.

Science.gov (United States)

Almofti, Mohamad Radwan; Harashima, Hideyoshi; Shinohara, Yasuo; Almofti, Ammar; Li, Wenhao; Kiwada, Hiroshi

2003-01-01

In order to identify factors affecting cationic liposome-mediated gene transfer, the relationships were examined among cationic liposome/DNA complex (lipoplex)-cell interactions, lipoplex size and lipoplex-mediated transfection (lipofection) efficiency. It was found that lipofection efficiency was determined mainly by lipoplex size, but not by the extent of lipoplex-cell interactions including binding, uptake or fusion. In addition, it was found that serum affected mainly lipoplex size, but not lipoplex-cell interactions, which effect was the major reason behind the inhibitory effect of serum on lipofection efficiency. It was concluded that, in the presence or absence of serum, lipoplex size is a major factor determining lipofection efficiency. Moreover, in the presence or absence of serum, lipoplex size was found to affect lipofection efficiency by controlling the size of the intracellular vesicles containing lipoplexes after internalization, but not by affecting lipoplex-cell interactions. In addition, large lipoplex particles showed, in general, higher lipofection efficiency than small particles. These results imply that, by controlling lipoplex size, an efficient lipid delivery system may be achieved for in vitro and in vivo gene therapy.

Commentary on "Finance, Management, and Costs of Public and Private Schools in Indonesia" and "Do Local Contributions Affect the Efficiency of Public Primary Schools?"

Science.gov (United States)

Berger, Mark C.

1996-01-01

Studies on Indonesia and the Philippines in this special issue examine how local financial control affects costs of providing primary schooling. In both countries, schools with greater financial decentralization operated more efficiently. These results have important implications for U.S. schools, where decentralization reforms in Kentucky and…

Factors affecting energy and nitrogen efficiency of dairy cows: A meta-analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Phuong, H.N.; Friggens, N.C.; Boer, de I.J.M.; Schmidely, P.

2013-01-01

A meta-analysis was performed to explore the correlation between energy and nitrogen efficiency of dairy cows, and to study nutritional and animal factors that influence these efficiencies, as well as their relationship. Treatment mean values were extracted from 68 peer-reviewed studies, including

The impact of managed care penetration and hospital quality on efficiency in hospital staffing.

Science.gov (United States)

Mobley, Lee R; Magnussen, Jon

2002-01-01

The state of California has recently mandated minimum nurse-staffing ratios, raising concerns about possible affects on hospital efficiency. In this study, we examine how market factors and quality were related to staffing levels in California hospitals in 1995 (prior to implementation of the new law). We are particularly interested in the affect of managed care penetration on this aspect of hospital efficiency because the call to legislative action was predicated on fears that hospitals were reducing staffing below optimal levels in response to managed care pressures. We derive a unique measure of excess staffing in hospitals based on a data envelopment analysis (DEA) production function model, which explicitly includes ancillary care among the inputs and outputs. This careful specification of production is important because ancillary care use has risen relative to daily hospital services, with the spread of managed care and advances in medical technology. We find that market share (adjusted for size) and market concentration are the major determinants of excess staffing while managed care penetration is insignificant. We also find that poor quality (outcomes worse than expected) is associated with less efficient staffing. These findings suggest that the larger, more efficient urban hospitals will be penalized more heavily under binding staffing ratios than smaller, less-urban hospitals.

Energy efficiency in U.K. shopping centres

Science.gov (United States)

Mangiarotti, Michela

Energy efficiency in shopping centres means providing comfortable internal environment and services to the occupants with minimum energy use in a cost-effective and environmentally sensitive manner. This research considers the interaction of three factors affecting the energy efficiency of shopping centres: i) performance of the building fabric and services ii) management of the building in terms of operation, control, maintenance and replacement of the building fabric and services, and company's energy policy iii) occupants' expectation for comfort and awareness of energy efficiency. The aim of the investigation is to determine the role of the above factors in the energy consumption and carbon emissions of shopping centres and the scope for reducing this energy usage by changing one or all the three factors. The study also attempts to prioritize the changes in the above factors that are more cost-effective at reducing that energy consumption and identify the benefits and main economic and legal drivers for energy efficiency in shopping centres. To achieve these targets, three case studies have been analysed. Using energy data from bills, the performance of the selected case studies has been assessed to establish trends and current energy consumption and carbon emissions of shopping centres and their related causes. A regression analysis has attempted to break down the energy consumption of the landlords' area by end-use to identify the main sources of energy usage and consequently introduce cost-effective measures for saving energy. A monitoring and occupants' survey in both landlords' and tenants' areas have been carried out at the same time to compare the objective data of the environmental conditions with the subjective impressions of shoppers and shopkeepers. In particular, the monitoring aimed at assessing the internal environment to identify possible causes of discomfort and opportunities for introducing energy saving measures. The survey looked at

Efficient running of steam generator trims fuel cost

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Selim, M.; Eltouny, S.A.

1993-01-01

E scaling energy prices have led to drastic changes in the operating philosophy of the worldwide industry. About 50% of the thermal energy in industry is being consumed in steam boilers. The new energy reduction programs that have been adopted in egypt draw attention to the boilers, not only to trim energy consumption and improve the production of steam but also to save as much money as possible in doing it. Organization for energy planning (OEP) has started a program for 'Boiler efficiency improvement' in industry since 2 years. The program aimed at performing energy audits in a selective number of industries in both public and private sectors using fire tube boilers produced locally by El Nasr company. As a result of audits an evaluation of performance of this type of boilers was,performed. The energy profiles and the common problems affecting the efficiency of boilers were determined. Energy conservation opportunities (ECO) were identified. 9 figs

Gross efficiency during rowing is not affected by stroke rate

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hofmijster, M.J.; van Soest, A.J.; de Koning, J.J.

2009-01-01

Purpose: It has been suggested that the optimal stroke rate in rowing is partly determined by the stroke-rate dependence of internal power losses. This should be reflected in a stroke-rate dependency of gross efficiency (e

Recovery efficiencies for Burkholderia thailandensis from various aerosol sampling media

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paul eDabisch

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Burkholderia thailandensis is used in the laboratory as a surrogate of the more virulent B. pseudomallei. Since inhalation is believed to be a natural route of infection for B. pseudomallei, many animal studies with B. pseudomallei and B. thailandensis utilize the inhalation route of exposure. The aim of the present study was to quantify the recovery efficiency of culturable B. thailandensis from several common aerosol sampling devices to ensure that collected microorganisms could be reliably recovered post-collection. The sampling devices tested included 25-mm gelatin filters, 25-mm stainless steel disks used in Mercer cascade impactors, and two types of glass impingers. The results demonstrate that while several processing methods tested resulted in significantly lower physical recovery efficiencies than other methods, it was possible to obtain culturable recovery efficiencies for B. thailandensis and physical recovery efficiencies for 1 μm fluorescent spheres of at least 0.95 from all of the sampling media tested given an appropriate sample processing procedure. The results of the present study also demonstrated that the bubbling action of liquid media in all-glass impingers (AGIs can result in physical loss of material from the collection medium, although additional studies are needed to verify the exact mechanisms involved. Overall, the results of this study demonstrate that the collection mechanism as well as the post-collection processing method can significantly affect the recovery from and retention of culturable microorganisms in sampling media, potentially affecting the calculated airborne concentration and any subsequent estimations of risk or dose derived from such data.

Dietary energy sources affect the partition of body lipids and the hierarchy of energy metabolic pathways in growing pigs differing in feed efficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Gondret, F; Louveau, I; Mourot, J; Duclos, M J; Lagarrigue, S; Gilbert, H; van Milgen, J

2014-11-01

The use and partition of feed energy are key elements in productive efficiency of pigs. This study aimed to determine whether dietary energy sources affect the partition of body lipids and tissue biochemical pathways of energy use between pigs differing in feed efficiency. Forty-eight barrows (pure Large White) from two divergent lines selected for residual feed intake (RFI), a measure of feed efficiency, were compared. From 74 d to 132 ± 0.5 d of age, pigs (n = 12 by line and by diet) were offered diets with equal protein and ME contents. A low fat, low fiber diet (LF) based on cereals and a high fat, high fiber diet (HF) where vegetal oils and wheat straw were used to partially substitute cereals, were compared. Irrespective of diet, gain to feed was 10% better (P energy sources modified the partition of energy between liver, adipose tissue, and muscle in a way that was partly dependent of the genetics for feed efficiency, and changed the activity levels of biochemical pathways involved in lipid and glucose storage in tissues.

Presence of nitrate NO 3 a ects animal production, photocalysis is a possible solution

Science.gov (United States)

Barba-Molina, Heli; Barba-Ortega, J.; Joya, M. R.

2016-02-01

Farmers and ranchers depend on the successful combination of livestock and crops. However, they have lost in the production by nitrate pollution. Nitrate poisoning in cattle is caused by the consumption of an excessive amount of nitrate or nitrite from grazing or water. Both humans and livestock can be affected. It would appear that well fertilised pasture seems to take up nitrogen from the soil and store it as nitrate in the leaf. Climatic conditions, favour the uptake of nitrate. Nitrate poisoning is a noninfectious disease condition that affects domestic ruminants. It is a serious problem, often resulting in the death of many animals. When nitrogen fertilizers are used to enrich soils, nitrates may be carried by rain, irrigation and other surface waters through the soil into ground water. Human and animal wastes can also contribute to nitrate contamination of ground water. A possible method to decontaminate polluted water by nitrates is with methods of fabrication of zero valent iron nanoparticles (FeNps) are found to affect their efficiency in nitrate removal from water.

Cross-scale interactions affect tree growth and intrinsic water use efficiency and highlight the importance of spatial context in managing forests under global change

Science.gov (United States)

Kenneth J. Ruzicka; Klaus J. Puettmann; J. Renée Brooks

2017-01-01

Summary1. We investigated the potential of cross-scale interactions to affect the outcome of density reduction in a large-scale silvicultural experiment to better understand options for managing forests under climate change. 2. We measured tree growth and intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) based on stable carbon isotopes (δ...

How does crisis affect efficiency? An empirical study of East Asian markets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Syed Aun R. Rizvi

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Much research has been undertaken in the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH over the preceding two decades. With Asian countries emerging as a global powerhouse in terms of regional economics, the interest in their stock markets has picked up recently. Asian markets traditionally comprised of many emerging markets are generally assumed to be more volatile and speculative in nature. Based on this crux, we focus specifically on the response of these markets efficiency to major crisis. In recent years, the Asian markets have experienced a phenomenal boom in attracting foreign capital inflow, with Singapore evolving into a global financial hub in terms of banking and financial services. Scepticism and cautious nature raises the question of whether these stock markets are efficient enough for further investment and development. Our study is unique in nature, as we focus on the efficiency of these market in response to crisis periods, comparing it with their pre-crisis period, both in shorter term of 1 year as well as longer term of 5 years post and pre crisis period. Taking Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and South Korea owing to their economic and financial development, we use MF-DFA to derive efficiency measure for comparative analysis with its own past. The findings put forth a notion of generally a deteriorating and negative impact of the Asian financial crisis, while the sub-prime crisis impact varies based on the economic structure of the economies. The findings concur with the mainstream literature and similar studies for other countries and region.

How Hinge Positioning in Cross-Country Ski Bindings Affect Exercise Efficiency, Cycle Characteristics and Muscle Coordination during Submaximal Roller Skiing

Science.gov (United States)

Bolger, Conor M.; Sandbakk, Øyvind; Ettema, Gertjan; Federolf, Peter

2016-01-01

The purposes of the current study were to 1) test if the hinge position in the binding of skating skis has an effect on gross efficiency or cycle characteristics and 2) investigate whether hinge positioning affects synergistic components of the muscle activation in six lower leg muscles. Eleven male skiers performed three 4-min sessions at moderate intensity while cross-country ski-skating and using a klapskate binding. Three different positions were tested for the binding’s hinge, ranging from the front of the first distal phalange to the metatarsal-phalangeal joint. Gross efficiency and cycle characteristics were determined, and the electromyographic (EMG) signals of six lower limb muscles were collected. EMG signals were wavelet transformed, normalized, joined into a multi-dimensional vector, and submitted to a principle component analysis (PCA). Our results did not reveal any changes to gross efficiency or cycle characteristics when altering the hinge position. However, our EMG analysis found small but significant effects of hinge positioning on muscle coordinative patterns (P skating klapskates. Finally, the within-subject results of the EMG analysis suggested that in addition to the between-subject effects, further forms of muscle coordination patterns appear to be employed by some, but not all participants. PMID:27203597

Possible efficiency improvement by application of various operating regimes for the cooling water pump station at thermal power plant - Bitola

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mijakovski Vladimir

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Thermal power plant (TPP - Bitola is the largest electricity producer in the Republic of Macedonia with installed capacity of 691 MW. It is a lignite fired power plant, in operation since 1982. Most of the installed equipment is of Russian origin. Power plant's cold end comprised of a condenser, pump station and cooling tower is depicted in the article. Possible way to raise the efficiency of the cold end by changing the operating characteristics of the pumps is presented in the article. Diagramic and tabular presentation of the working characteristics of the pumps (two pumps working in paralel for one block with the pipeline, as well as engaged power for their operation are also presented in this article.

Plant water use efficiency over geological time--evolution of leaf stomata configurations affecting plant gas exchange.

Science.gov (United States)

Assouline, Shmuel; Or, Dani

2013-01-01

Plant gas exchange is a key process shaping global hydrological and carbon cycles and is often characterized by plant water use efficiency (WUE - the ratio of CO2 gain to water vapor loss). Plant fossil record suggests that plant adaptation to changing atmospheric CO2 involved correlated evolution of stomata density (d) and size (s), and related maximal aperture, amax . We interpreted the fossil record of s and d correlated evolution during the Phanerozoic to quantify impacts on gas conductance affecting plant transpiration, E, and CO2 uptake, A, independently, and consequently, on plant WUE. A shift in stomata configuration from large s-low d to small s-high d in response to decreasing atmospheric CO2 resulted in large changes in plant gas exchange characteristics. The relationships between gas conductance, gws , A and E and maximal relative transpiring leaf area, (amax ⋅d), exhibited hysteretic-like behavior. The new WUE trend derived from independent estimates of A and E differs from established WUE-CO2 trends for atmospheric CO2 concentrations exceeding 1,200 ppm. In contrast with a nearly-linear decrease in WUE with decreasing CO2 obtained by standard methods, the newly estimated WUE trend exhibits remarkably stable values for an extended geologic period during which atmospheric CO2 dropped from 3,500 to 1,200 ppm. Pending additional tests, the findings may affect projected impacts of increased atmospheric CO2 on components of the global hydrological cycle.

Analysis of energy end-use efficiency policy in Spain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Collado, Rocío Román; Díaz, María Teresa Sanz

2017-01-01

The implementation of saving measures and energy efficiency entails the need to evaluate achievements in terms of energy saving and spending. This paper aims at analysing the effectiveness and economic efficiency of energy saving measures implemented in the Energy Savings and Efficiency Action Plan (2008–2012) (EAP4+) in Spain for 2010. The lack of assessment related to energy savings achieved and public spending allocated by the EAP4+ justifies the need of this analysis. The results show that the transport and building sectors seem to be the most important, from the energy efficiency perspective. Although they did not reach the direct energy savings that were expected, there is scope for reduction with the appropriate energy measures. For the effectiveness indicator, the best performance are achieved by public service, agricultural and fisheries and building sectors, while in terms of energy efficiency per monetary unit, the best results are achieved by transport, industry and agriculture sectors. Authors conclude that it is necessary that central, regional and local administrations will get involved, in order to get better estimates of the energy savings achieved and thus to affect the design of future energy efficiency measures at the lowest possible cost to the citizens. - Highlights: • Energy end-use efficiency policy is analysed in terms of energy savings and spending. • The energy savings achieved by some measures are not always provided. • The total energy savings achieved by transport and building sectors are large. • Different levels of administration should get involved in estimating energy savings.

Does microbial biomass affect pelagic ecosystem efficiency? An experimental study.

Science.gov (United States)

Wehr, J D; Le, J; Campbell, L

1994-01-01

Bacteria and other microorganisms in the pelagic zone participate in the recycling of organic matter and nutrients within the water column. The microbial loop is thought to enhance ecosystem efficiency through rapid recycling and reduced sinking rates, thus reducing the loss of nutrients contained in organisms remaining within the photic zone. We conducted experiments with lake communities in 5400-liter mesocosms, and measured the flux of materials and nutrients out of the water column. A factorial design manipulated 8 nutrient treatments: 4 phosphorus levels × 2 nitrogen levels. Total sedimentation rates were greatest in high-N mesocosms; within N-surplus communities, [Symbol: see text]1 µM P resulted in 50% increase in total particulate losses. P additions without added N had small effects on nutrient losses from the photic zone; +2 µM P tanks received 334 mg P per tank, yet after 14 days lost only 69 mg more particulate-P than did control communities. Nutrient treatments resulted in marked differences in phytoplankton biomass (twofold N effect, fivefold P effect in +N mesocosms only), bacterioplankton densities (twofold N-effect, twofold P effects in -N and +N mesocosms), and the relative importance of autotrophic picoplankton (maximum in high NY mesocosms). Multiple regression analysis found that of 8 plankton and water chemistry variables, the ratio of autotrophic picoplankton to total phytoplankton (measured as chlorophyll α) explained the largest portion of the total variation in sedimentation loss rates (65% of P-flux, 57% of N-flux, 26% of total flux). In each case, systems with greater relative importance of autotrophic picoplankton had significantly reduced loss rates. In contrast, greater numbers of planktonic bacteria were associated with increased sedimentation rates and lower system efficiency. We suggest that different microbial components may have contrasting effects on the presumed enhanced efficiency provided by the microbial loop.

How does crisis affect efficiency? An empirical study of East Asian markets

OpenAIRE

Syed Aun R. Rizvi; Shaista Arshad

2016-01-01

Much research has been undertaken in the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) over the preceding two decades. With Asian countries emerging as a global powerhouse in terms of regional economics, the interest in their stock markets has picked up recently. Asian markets traditionally comprised of many emerging markets are generally assumed to be more volatile and speculative in nature. Based on this crux, we focus specifically on the response of these markets efficiency to major crisis. In recent ...

Analyses of Blood Bank Efficiency, Cost-Effectiveness and Quality

Science.gov (United States)

Lam, Hwai-Tai Chen

In view of the increasing costs of hospital care, it is essential to investigate methods to improve the labor efficiency and the cost-effectiveness of the hospital technical core in order to control costs while maintaining the quality of care. This study was conducted to develop indices to measure efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and the quality of blood banks; to identify factors associated with efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and quality; and to generate strategies to improve blood bank labor efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Indices developed in this study for labor efficiency and cost-effectiveness were not affected by patient case mix and illness severity. Factors that were associated with labor efficiency were identified as managerial styles, and organizational designs that balance workload and labor resources. Medical directors' managerial involvement was not associated with labor efficiency, but their continuing education and specialty in blood bank were found to reduce the performance of unnecessary tests. Surprisingly, performing unnecessary tests had no association with labor efficiency. This suggested the existence of labor slack in blood banks. Cost -effectiveness was associated with workers' benefits, wages, and the production of high-end transfusion products by hospital-based donor rooms. Quality indices used in this study included autologous transfusion rates, platelet transfusion rates, and the check points available in an error-control system. Because the autologous transfusion rate was related to patient case mix, severity of illness, and possible inappropriate transfusion, it was not recommended to be used for quality index. Platelet-pheresis transfusion rates were associated with the transfusion preferences of the blood bank medical directors. The total number of check points in an error -control system was negatively associated with government ownership and workers' experience. Recommendations for improving labor efficiency and cost

Transmission prices in the electric system. Technical constraints and economic efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polidori, P.

1999-01-01

This article analyses the two main models at the core of today's theoretical discussion on transmission pricing in electricity sectors under competition. The first aim of the paper is showing how technical constraints that characterise transmission systems may affect energy production and transmission and therefore the definition of the price system for using the electric grid. The second aim of the paper is showing how it is possible to suggest solutions, although not free from limitations, that can be used for an efficient management of electric systems characterised by generation and consumption sectors under competition [it

On the Use of Student Data in Efficiency Analysis--Technical Efficiency in Swedish Upper Secondary School

Science.gov (United States)

Waldo, Staffan

2007-01-01

While individual data form the base for much empirical analysis in education, this is not the case for analysis of technical efficiency. In this paper, efficiency is estimated using individual data which is then aggregated to larger groups of students. Using an individual approach to technical efficiency makes it possible to carry out studies on a…

The role of crowding in parallel search: Peripheral pooling is not responsible for logarithmic efficiency in parallel search.

Science.gov (United States)

Madison, Anna; Lleras, Alejandro; Buetti, Simona

2018-02-01

Recent results from our laboratory showed that, in fixed-target parallel search tasks, reaction times increase in a logarithmic fashion with set size, and the slope of this logarithmic function is modulated by lure-target similarity. These results were interpreted as being consistent with a processing architecture where early vision (stage one) processes elements in the display in exhaustive fashion with unlimited capacity and with a limitation in resolution. Here, we evaluate the contribution of crowding to our recent logarithmic search slope findings, considering the possibility that peripheral pooling of features (as observed in crowding) may be responsible for logarithmic efficiency. Factors known to affect the strength of crowding were varied, specifically: item spacing and similarity. The results from three experiments converge on the same pattern of results: reaction times increased logarithmically with set size and were modulated by lure-target similarity even when crowding was minimized within displays through an inter-item spacing manipulation. Furthermore, we found logarithmic search efficiencies were overall improved in displays where crowding was minimized compared to displays where crowding was possible. The findings from these three experiments suggest logarithmic efficiency in efficient search is not the result peripheral pooling of features. That said, the presence of crowding does tend to reduce search efficiency, even in "pop-out" search situations.

On the (un)controllability of affective priming: strategic manipulation is feasible but can possibly be prevented

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Degner, J.

2009-01-01

Three studies are presented that explored if and to what extent affective priming effects in a standard affective priming paradigm are susceptible to voluntary control. Specifically, it was tested was whether participants were able to eliminate or amplify affective priming effects when instructed to

The Effect of Positive Mood on Flexible Processing of Affective Information.

Science.gov (United States)

Grol, Maud; De Raedt, Rudi

2017-07-17

Recent efforts have been made to understand the cognitive mechanisms underlying psychological resilience. Cognitive flexibility in the context of affective information has been related to individual differences in resilience. However, it is unclear whether flexible affective processing is sensitive to mood fluctuations. Furthermore, it remains to be investigated how effects on flexible affective processing interact with the affective valence of information that is presented. To fill this gap, we tested the effects of positive mood and individual differences in self-reported resilience on affective flexibility, using a task switching paradigm (N = 80). The main findings showed that positive mood was related to lower task switching costs, reflecting increased flexibility, in line with previous findings. In line with this effect of positive mood, we showed that greater resilience levels, specifically levels of acceptance of self and life, also facilitated task set switching in the context of affective information. However, the effects of resilience on affective flexibility seem more complex. Resilience tended to relate to more efficient task switching when negative information was preceded by positive information, possibly because the presentation of positive information, as well as positive mood, can facilitate task set switching. Positive mood also influenced costs associated with switching affective valence of the presented information. This latter effect was indicative of a reduced impact of no longer relevant negative information and more impact of no longer relevant positive information. Future research should confirm these effects of individual differences in resilience on affective flexibility, considering the affective valence of the presented information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

How Hinge Positioning in Cross-Country Ski Bindings Affect Exercise Efficiency, Cycle Characteristics and Muscle Coordination during Submaximal Roller Skiing.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Conor M Bolger

Full Text Available The purposes of the current study were to 1 test if the hinge position in the binding of skating skis has an effect on gross efficiency or cycle characteristics and 2 investigate whether hinge positioning affects synergistic components of the muscle activation in six lower leg muscles. Eleven male skiers performed three 4-min sessions at moderate intensity while cross-country ski-skating and using a klapskate binding. Three different positions were tested for the binding's hinge, ranging from the front of the first distal phalange to the metatarsal-phalangeal joint. Gross efficiency and cycle characteristics were determined, and the electromyographic (EMG signals of six lower limb muscles were collected. EMG signals were wavelet transformed, normalized, joined into a multi-dimensional vector, and submitted to a principle component analysis (PCA. Our results did not reveal any changes to gross efficiency or cycle characteristics when altering the hinge position. However, our EMG analysis found small but significant effects of hinge positioning on muscle coordinative patterns (P < 0.05. The changed patterns in muscle activation are in alignment with previously described mechanisms that explain the effects of hinge positioning in speed-skating klapskates. Finally, the within-subject results of the EMG analysis suggested that in addition to the between-subject effects, further forms of muscle coordination patterns appear to be employed by some, but not all participants.

Fungal interactions reduce carbon use efficiency

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Maynard, Daniel S.; Crowther, Thomas W.; Bradford, Mark A.

2017-01-01

The efficiency by which fungi decompose organic matter contributes to the amount of carbon that is retained in biomass vs. lost to the atmosphere as respiration. This carbon use efficiency (CUE) is affected by various abiotic conditions, including temperature and nutrient availability.

Phentermine, sibutramine and affective disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

An, Hoyoung; Sohn, Hyunjoo; Chung, Seockhoon

2013-04-01

A safe and effective way to control weight in patients with affective disorders is needed, and phentermine is a possible candidate. We performed a PubMed search of articles pertaining to phentermine, sibutramine, and affective disorders. We compared the studies of phentermine with those of sibutramine. The search yielded a small number of reports. Reports concerning phentermine and affective disorders reported that i) its potency in the central nervous system may be comparatively low, and ii) it may induce depression in some patients. We were unable to find more studies on the subject; thus, it is unclear presently whether phentermine use is safe in affective disorder patients. Reports regarding the association of sibutramine and affective disorders were slightly more abundant. A recent study that suggested that sibutramine may have deleterious effects in patients with a psychiatric history may provide a clue for future phentermine research. Three explanations are possible concerning the association between phentermine and affective disorders: i) phentermine, like sibutramine, may have a depression-inducing effect that affects a specific subgroup of patients, ii) phentermine may have a dose-dependent depression-inducing effect, or iii) phentermine may simply not be associated with depression. Large-scale studies with affective disorder patients focusing on these questions are needed to clarify this matter before investigation of its efficacy may be carried out and it can be used in patients with affective disorders.

THE FATTY ACIDS OF DIET AFFECT THE REPRODUCTIVE PHYSIOLOGY IN BOVINE FEMALE: A REVIEW

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Luis Espinoza Villavicencio

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Reproduction is the basis of bovine meat and milk production: As a direct result of reproduction, the cycles of calf and milk production are renewed. However, there are many limiting steps in this process as: low pregnancy rates and long open days that result in increasing parturition intervals. Reproductive efficiency in dairy and beef cattle is multifactorial. Nutrition is one of the most important factors affecting this efficiency, and some results have shown that feeding diverse sources of lipids and specifically, fatty acids (FA can result in a better reproductive efficiency. As a nutrition strategy to improve reproductive efficiency, FA of the omega 3 (n-3 and omega 6 (n-6 families have been studied, and it has been shown that these FA can control follicular development, production of progesterone in the corpus luteum, and secretion of PGF2α from the endometrium, increasing embryonic survival and pregnancy rates. The purpose of this revision is to analyze the possible mechanisms by which FA in the diet improve reproductive efficiency of cows, with especial emphasis on FA n-3 and n-6.

Efficiency and deregulation of the electricity market in Singapore

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Youngho Chang; Tuan Hin Tay

2006-01-01

This study examines production efficiency of electricity generation in the New Electricity Market of Singapore (NEMS), where deregulation is currently proceeding. Singapore is reliant on foreign direct investments and exports so competition from countries with lower costs such as China and India is exerting pressure on the government to reduce the costs of doing business here. Electricity cost is one of these. Deregulation is believed to be able to bring about lower electricity costs due to the various efficiency gains possible. This study concerns itself mainly with production efficiency and attempts to calculate possible production efficiency gains by using linear programming model. Production-efficiency gains are quantified by the base case scenario of continued regulation versus four counterfactual deregulation scenarios. The results indicate that cost gains could be about eight per cent of current production cost, and this is possibly a lower-bound estimate. However, whether the purported efficiency gains are realized is to be seen as the deregulation proceeds. (author)

Efficiency and deregulation of the electricity market in Singapore

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Youngho; Hin Tay, Tuan

2006-01-01

This study examines production efficiency of electricity generation in the New Electricity Market of Singapore (NEMS), where deregulation is currently proceeding. Singapore is reliant on foreign direct investments and exports so competition from countries with lower costs such as China and India is exerting pressure on the government to reduce the costs of doing business here. Electricity cost is one of these. Deregulation is believed to be able to bring about lower electricity costs due to the various efficiency gains possible. This study concerns itself mainly with production efficiency and attempts to calculate possible production efficiency gains by using linear programming model. Production-efficiency gains are quantified by the base case scenario of continued regulation versus four counterfactual deregulation scenarios. The results indicate that cost gains could be about eight per cent of current production cost, and this is possibly a lower-bound estimate. However, whether the purported efficiency gains are realized is to be seen as the deregulation proceeds

Determinants of eco-efficiency in the Chinese industrial sector.

Science.gov (United States)

Fujii, Hidemichi; Managi, Shunsuke

2013-12-01

This study measures productive inefficiency within the context of multi-environmental pollution (eco-efficiency) in the Chinese industrial sector. The weighted Russell directional distance model is applied to measure eco-efficiency using production technology. The objective is to clarify how external factors affect eco-efficiency. The major findings are that both foreign direct investment and investment for pollution abatement improve eco-efficiency as measured by air pollutant substances. A levy system for wastewater discharge improves eco-efficiency as measured by wastewater pollutant substances. However, an air pollutant levy does not significantly affect eco-efficiency as measured by air pollutants. Copyright © 2013 The Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

More efficient resource utilization of geothermal plants. Technical possibilities and their assessment; Effizientere Ressourcenausnutzung geothermischer Anlagen. Technische Moeglichkeiten und deren Bewertung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kock, Nils; Kaltschmitt, Martin [Technische Univ. Hamburg-Harburg, Hamburg (Germany). Inst. fuer Umwelttechnik und Energiewirtschaft

2011-12-15

The geological conditions in Germany allow maximum temperatures between 160 to 170 C free well head taking techno-economic constraint into consideration. This makes an electricity production for purely technical reasons possible, but only with low efficiencies due to physical constraints. That's why it assault big amounts of waste heat. For example, the existing geothermal power plants in Germany provide in average 18% of electricity and 82% of heat. This heat is use so far only to a very small degree. Even is a district heating system is operated to supply private households, this heat is used with less than 2.500 h per year. That's why the still hot thermal water is press back into the underground without any further utilization. For these reasons to achieve a technical and economic optimization it should be the aim to find different reasonable options to use this waste heat. One possibility is the coupling with a drying process at the location of the geothermal plant. Such options will be analyzed from a technical and economic point of view and some conclusions will be drawn. (orig.)

Flightless mutants in the melon fly and oriental fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) and their possible role in the sterile insect release method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCombs, S.D.; Saul, S.H.

1992-01-01

Two new mutants that affect adult wing morphology and render the flies incapable of flight.sbd.bubble wing (bw) in the melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), and small wing (sw) in the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel).sbd.are described. Both mutants have variable expression and are caused by autosomal, recessive genes. We discuss the possible role of these alleles in constructing genetic sex sorting systems to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the sterile insect release method

Efficiency of emergency exercises

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zander, N.; Sogalla, M.

2011-01-01

In order to cope with accidents beyond the design basis within German nuclear power plants which possibly lead to relevant radiological consequences, the utilities as well as the competent authorities exist emergency organisations. The efficiency, capacity for teamwork and preparedness of such organisations should be tested by regular, efficient exercise activities. Such activities can suitably be based on scenarios which provide challenging tasks for all units of the respective emergency organisation. Thus, the demonstration and further development of the efficiency of the respective organisational structures, including their ability to collaborate, is promoted. (orig.)

Energetic retrofitting of industrial heat supply systems. Possibilities of enhancing the efficiency and energy conservation at large combustion engineering plants; Energetische Modernisierung industrieller Waermeversorgungssysteme. Moeglichkeiten der Effizienzsteigerung und der Energieeinsparung an grossen feuerungstechnischen Anlagen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-12-15

In the contribution under consideration, the Deutsche Energie-Agentur GmbH (Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany) reports on an energetic modernization of industrial heat supply systems. Possibilities of an enhancement of the energetic efficiency and energy conservation at large combustion engineering plants are described. After an introduction to this theme, the author of this contribution provides an overview of the optimization of heat supply systems, and reports on the following aspects: Optimisation of the heat demand; energy efficient heat generation; heat recovery; energy efficient conversion technology and generation technology; associate partners for more energy efficiency in industry and commerce; best practice examples.

Benefits for whom? Energy efficiency within the efficient market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chello, Dario

2015-01-01

How should the lack of an efficient energy market affect the design of energy efficiency policies and their implementation? What the consequences of an inefficient energy market on end users’ behaviour? This article tries to give an answer to such questions, by considering the decision making of domestic users following a few fundamental concepts of behavioural economics. The mechanism of price formation in the market, with particular reference to the internal energy market in Europe, will be examined and we will show that price remains the inflexible attribute in making an energy choice. Then, some conclusions will be addressed to policy makers on how to overcome the barriers illustrated.

Energy efficiency; Energieffektivisering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2009-06-15

The Low Energy Panel will halve the consumption in buildings. The Panel has proposed a halving of consumption in the construction within 2040 and 20 percent reduction in the consumption in the industry within 2020. The Panel consider it as possible to gradually reduce consumption in buildings from the current level of 80 TWh with 10 TWh in 2020, 25 TWh in 2030 and 40 TWh in 2040. According the committee one such halving can be reached by significant efforts relating to energy efficiency, by greater rehabilitations, energy efficiency in consisting building stock and stricter requirements for new construction. For the industry field the Panel recommend a political goal to be set at least 20 percent reduction in specific energy consumption in the industry and primary industry beyond general technological development by the end of 2020. This is equivalent to approximately 17 TWh based on current level of activity. The Panel believes that a 5 percent reduction should be achieved by the end of 2012 by carrying out simple measures. The Low Energy Panel has since March 2009 considered possibilities to strengthen the authorities' work with energy efficiency in Norway. The wide complex panel adds up proposals for a comprehensive approach for increased energy efficiency in particular in the building- and industry field. The Panel has looked into the potential for energy efficiency, barriers for energy efficiency, assessment of strengths and weaknesses in the existing policy instruments and members of the Panel's recommendations. In addition the report contains a review of theoretical principles for effects of instruments together with an extensive background. One of the committee members have chosen to take special notes on the main recommendations in the report. (AG)

Bandwidth efficient coding

CERN Document Server

Anderson, John B

2017-01-01

Bandwidth Efficient Coding addresses the major challenge in communication engineering today: how to communicate more bits of information in the same radio spectrum. Energy and bandwidth are needed to transmit bits, and bandwidth affects capacity the most. Methods have been developed that are ten times as energy efficient at a given bandwidth consumption as simple methods. These employ signals with very complex patterns and are called "coding" solutions. The book begins with classical theory before introducing new techniques that combine older methods of error correction coding and radio transmission in order to create narrowband methods that are as efficient in both spectrum and energy as nature allows. Other topics covered include modulation techniques such as CPM, coded QAM and pulse design.

Possible limits of plasma linear colliders

Science.gov (United States)

Zimmermann, F.

2017-07-01

Plasma linear colliders have been proposed as next or next-next generation energy-frontier machines for high-energy physics. I investigate possible fundamental limits on energy and luminosity of such type of colliders, considering acceleration, multiple scattering off plasma ions, intrabeam scattering, bremsstrahlung, and betatron radiation. The question of energy efficiency is also addressed.

The smallest possible thermal machines and the foundations of thermodynamics

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2018-01-01

In my talk I raise the question on the fundamental limits to the size of thermal machines – refrigerators, heat pumps and work producing engines - and I will present the smallest possible ones. I will then discuss the issue of a possible complementarity between size and efficiency and show that even the smallest machines could be maximally efficient and I will also present a new point of view over what is work and what do thermal machines actually do. Finally I will present a completely new approach to the foundations of thermodynamics that follows from these results.

Impact of technical and technological changes on energy efficiency of production company - case study

Science.gov (United States)

Szwedzka, K.; Gruszka, J.; Szafer, P.

2016-08-01

Improving energy efficiency is one of the strategic objectives of the European Union for rational energy economy. To make efforts to improve energy efficiency have been obliged both small and large end-users. This article aims to show the possibilities of improving energy efficiency by introducing technical and technological process changes of pine lumber drying. The object of the research is process of drying lumber implemented in a production company, which is a key supplier of large furniture manufacturer. Pine lumber drying chamber consume about 45% of total electricity in sawmill. According to various sources, drying of 1m3 of lumber uses about 3060kWh and is dependent of inter alia: the drying process itself, the factors affecting the processing time and the desired output moisture content of the timber. The article proposals for changes in the process of drying lumber pine have been positively validated in the company, and as a result their energy consumption per 1 m3 of product declined by 18%.

78 FR 37995 - Energy Efficiency Standards for Manufactured Housing

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-25

... Efficiency Standards for Manufactured Housing AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy... in receiving information that relates to the relationship between energy efficiency and indoor air... higher energy efficiencies, and possible enforcement models for the DOE standards. This notice identifies...

The fuel cell; development and possibilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van Rijnsoever, J.W.M.

Activities on fuel cells and fuel cell development in the USA and Japan are surveyed. Possibilities for large scale application are mentioned. Attention is given to efficiency and environmental aspects. There are no problems about hazardous emissions. Besides electric power some heat is generated, which is not always a disadvantage. In many cases both are useful products. (A.V.)

Masticatory efficiency contributing to the improved dynamic postural balance: A cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Hae-Yun; Choi, Jun-Seon; Kim, Hee-Eun

2018-05-28

To evaluate whether masticatory efficiency is associated with dynamic postural balance. Masticatory dysfunction can cause deterioration of general health due to nutritional imbalances, thereby negatively affecting postural balance. However, few studies have investigated the association between masticatory efficiency and postural balance. The masticatory efficiency of 74 participants was evaluated by calculating mixing ability index (MAI) using a wax cube. The timed up and go test (TUGT) was used to measure dynamic balance. Participants with an MAI above or below the median value of 1.05 were defined as having high or low masticatory efficiency, respectively. An independent samples t-test was used to identify significant differences in TUGT, according to masticatory efficiency. Analysis of covariance was performed to adjust for confounding factors. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the correlation between masticatory efficiency and postural balance. The high masticatory efficiency group could complete the TUGT exercise approximately 1.67 seconds faster while maintaining the postural balance, compared to the low masticatory efficiency group (P = .005). Furthermore, the postural imbalance odds of the group with high mastication efficiency decreased by 0.14-fold, relative to the group with low mastication efficiency (95% confidence interval: 0.04-0.46). With some reservations about statistical power, the association found between masticatory efficiency and postural balance justifies further investigations to confirm the strength of the associations, and possibly to identify causal relationships between mastication and posture in old age. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S and The Gerodontology Association. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Theory and practice. Possible ways of putting fossil fuels to more efficient use in thermal power stations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peter, F

1986-02-01

In the past decade, the development of fuel and investment costs as it occurred has not given any crucial incentive for a necessary change in thermal efficiency. This can be partly attributed to the high level of technology, but also to the fact that the money spent on efficiency-improving measures increases exponentially for the most part. In any case, it should always be borne in mind in planning a new power station plant that the economic efficiency not only of the plant as a whole must be optimized, but also each individual component and system involved. All efforts to improve economic efficiency in systems and components should be harmonised to fit in with one another.

Energy efficiency: utopia or reality?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2006-01-01

In its 2006 allocution the world council on the energy WEC, analyzes the role of the energy efficiency in the energy life cycle. In spite of different objectives followed by the developing and developed countries, implement a world energy efficiency economy is a challenge possible by the cooperation.The WEC is an ideal forum for the information and experience exchange. (A.L.B.)

Comparison of Soybean Transformation Efficiency and Plant Factors Affecting Transformation during the Agrobacterium Infection Process.

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Yuying; Yao, Xingdong; Zhao, Mingzhe; Zhao, Qiang; Du, Yanli; Yu, Cuimei; Xie, Futi

2015-08-07

The susceptibility of soybean genotype to Agrobacterium infection is a key factor for the high level of genetic transformation efficiency. The objective of this study is to evaluate the plant factors related to transformation in cotyledonary nodes during the Agrobacterium infection process. This study selected three genotypes (Williams 82, Shennong 9 and Bert) with high transformation efficiency, which presented better susceptibility to Agrobacterium infection, and three low transformation efficiency genotypes (General, Liaodou 16 and Kottman), which showed a relatively weak susceptibility. Gibberellin (GA) levels and soybean GA20ox2 and CYP707A2 transcripts of high-efficiency genotypes increased and were higher than those of low-efficiency genotypes; however, the opposite performance was shown in abscisic acid (ABA). Higher zeatin riboside (ZR) content and DNA quantity, and relatively higher expression of soybean IPT5, CYCD3 and CYCA3 were obtained in high-efficiency genotypes. High-efficiency genotypes had low methyl jasmonate (MeJA) content, polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) activity, and relatively lower expression of soybean OPR3, PPO1 and PRX71. GA and ZR were positive plant factors for Agrobacterium-mediated soybean transformation by facilitating germination and growth, and increasing the number of cells in DNA synthesis cycle, respectively; MeJA, PPO, POD and ABA were negative plant factors by inducing defence reactions and repressing germination and growth, respectively.

Comparison of Soybean Transformation Efficiency and Plant Factors Affecting Transformation during the Agrobacterium Infection Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuying Jia

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The susceptibility of soybean genotype to Agrobacterium infection is a key factor for the high level of genetic transformation efficiency. The objective of this study is to evaluate the plant factors related to transformation in cotyledonary nodes during the Agrobacterium infection process. This study selected three genotypes (Williams 82, Shennong 9 and Bert with high transformation efficiency, which presented better susceptibility to Agrobacterium infection, and three low transformation efficiency genotypes (General, Liaodou 16 and Kottman, which showed a relatively weak susceptibility. Gibberellin (GA levels and soybean GA20ox2 and CYP707A2 transcripts of high-efficiency genotypes increased and were higher than those of low-efficiency genotypes; however, the opposite performance was shown in abscisic acid (ABA. Higher zeatin riboside (ZR content and DNA quantity, and relatively higher expression of soybean IPT5, CYCD3 and CYCA3 were obtained in high-efficiency genotypes. High-efficiency genotypes had low methyl jasmonate (MeJA content, polyphenol oxidase (PPO and peroxidase (POD activity, and relatively lower expression of soybean OPR3, PPO1 and PRX71. GA and ZR were positive plant factors for Agrobacterium-mediated soybean transformation by facilitating germination and growth, and increasing the number of cells in DNA synthesis cycle, respectively; MeJA, PPO, POD and ABA were negative plant factors by inducing defence reactions and repressing germination and growth, respectively.

Performance assessment of Portuguese wind farms: Ownership and managerial efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pestana Barros, Carlos; Sequeira Antunes, Olinda

2011-01-01

This paper analyzes ownership and unobserved managerial ability as factors affecting the performance of a representative sample of Portuguese wind farms by means of frontier models. These farms are ranked according to their technical efficiency during the period 2004-2008 and homogenous and heterogeneous variables are disentangled in the cost function, which leads us to advise the implementation of common policies as well as policies by segments. Economic implications arising from the study are also considered. - Research highlights: → Wind farms are heterogeneous displaying distinct ownership and managerial characteristics that affect efficiency. → Managerial practices has a positive impact on the efficiency. → Ownership has a positive impact on the efficiency. Large wind farms are more efficient.

How effective are energy-efficiency incentive programs? Evidence from Italian homeowners

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alberini, Anna; Bigano, Andrea

2015-01-01

We evaluate incentives for residential energy upgrades in Italy using data from an original survey of Italian homeowners. In this paper, attention is restricted to heating system replacements, and to the effect of monetary and non-monetary incentives on the propensity to replace the heating equipment with a more efficient one. To get around adverse selection and free riding issues, we ask stated preference questions to those who weren't planning energy efficiency upgrades any time soon. We argue that these persons are not affected by these behaviors. We use their responses to fit an energy-efficiency renovations curve that predicts the share of the population that will undertake these improvements for any given incentive level. This curve is used to estimate the CO_2 emissions saved and their cost-effectiveness. Respondents are more likely to agree to a replacement when the savings on the energy bills are larger and experienced over a longer horizon, and when rebates are offered to them. Reminding the respondents about possible CO_2 emissions reductions (our non-monetary incentive) had little effect. Even under optimistic assumptions, monetary incentives similar to those in the Italian tax credit program are generally not cost-effective.

Hospital efficiency and transaction costs: a stochastic frontier approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Ludwig, Martijn; Groot, Wim; Van Merode, Frits

2009-07-01

The make-or-buy decision of organizations is an important issue in the transaction cost theory, but is usually not analyzed from an efficiency perspective. Hospitals frequently have to decide whether to outsource or not. The main question we address is: Is the make-or-buy decision affected by the efficiency of hospitals? A one-stage stochastic cost frontier equation is estimated for Dutch hospitals. The make-or-buy decisions of ten different hospital services are used as explanatory variables to explain efficiency of hospitals. It is found that for most services the make-or-buy decision is not related to efficiency. Kitchen services are an important exception to this. Large hospitals tend to outsource less, which is supported by efficiency reasons. For most hospital services, outsourcing does not significantly affect the efficiency of hospitals. The focus on the make-or-buy decision may therefore be less important than often assumed.

Factors affecting the labeling efficiency and stability of technetium-99m-labeled glucoheptonate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zbrzeznj, D.J.; Khan, R.A.

1981-01-01

Factors influencing the labeling efficiency and in vitro stability of 99 mTc-labeled glucoheptonate (Tc-GH) were investigated. Using commercially available glucoheptonate kits (New England Nuclear), the following factors were studied: (1) amount of activity added to each kit vial, (2) different brands of 0.9% sodium chloride injection, (3) evaluation of eluates from three commercially available generators, (4) different chromatography systems, (5) storage of the preparation at room temperature and under refrigeration, and (6) labeling with eluates obtained at various times (6, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours) since previous elution of the generator. Results showed that Tc-GH prepared using 100 mCi of sodium pertechnetate from a Mallinckrodt generator, low-dissolved-oxygen 0.9% sodium chloride injection to make up a constant 5-ml volume, and chromatography with methyl ethyl ketone/sodium chloride on an ITLC-SG system gave the best labeling efficiency over a 24-hour period. Storage temperature and time since previous elution had no effect on labeling efficiency or stability

Research of Factors Affecting Pension Funds Efficiency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Virgilijus Sakalauskas

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Currently Lithuania has an old-age pension system of three pillars.Unfortunately, when making an investment decision, too few factors are used that affect strategy effectiveness. It is necessary to develop tools to better assess the risks and more accurately simulate the potential long-term investment scenarios.The article deals with the investment strategy to the second and third pillar pension funds in order to maximize investment returns and reduce risks. A smart software tool allows you to simulate an accrual depending on the rate of return, the accumulation period, the level of contributions, the fund’s profitability and other factors.The study shows that using the Social Insurance Fund contributions, personal contributions and the state provided additives can accumulate significantly greater amounts of money than collecting only the second pillar pension funds contributions. For implementation of the proposed methodology it is necessary to ensure a minimum level of personal pension scheme members fundraising to the third pillar pension funds. On the other hand, the study revealed that in some cases investment to private pension funds can be useless.Private pension funds have become popular between unprofessional investors who don’t have sufficient knowledge. Research shows that financial institutions do not always provide the optimal proposals. Advanced software tools can help make better investment decisions. Commercial tools usually show potential profits of investment, but not always pay sufficient attention to potential risks. This article analyzes both good and bad investment scenarios.

Research of Factors Affecting Pension Funds Efficiency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marius Liutvinavičius

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Currently Lithuania has an old-age pension system of three pillars. Unfortunately, when making an investment decision, too few factors are used that affect strategy effectiveness. It is necessary to develop tools to better assess the risks and more accurately simulate the potential long-term investment scenarios. The article deals with the investment strategy to the second and third pillar pension funds in order to maximize investment returns and reduce risks. A smart software tool allows you to simulate an accrual depending on the rate of return, the accumulation period, the level of contributions, the fund’s profitability and other factors. The study shows that using the Social Insurance Fund contributions, personal contributions and the state provided additives can accumulate significantly greater amounts of money than collecting only the second pillar pension funds contributions. For implementation of the proposed methodology it is necessary to ensure a minimum level of personal pension scheme members fundraising to the third pillar pension funds. On the other hand, the study revealed that in some cases investment to private pension funds can be useless. Private pension funds have become popular between unprofessional investors who don’t have sufficient knowledge. Research shows that financial institutions do not always provide the optimal proposals. Advanced software tools can help make better investment decisions. Commercial tools usually show potential profits of investment, but not always pay sufficient  attention to potential risks. This article analyzes both good and bad investment scenarios.

Hydraulic washing removal efficiencies of Orimulsion from rock surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harper, J.R.; Ward, S.; Sergy, G.

2002-01-01

Orimulsion is a fuel alternative composed of 70 per cent bitumen in 30 per cent water. It is shipped from Venezuela to New Brunswick where it is used as fuel oil for power plants. While there have not been any major spills of Orimulsion, it is recognized that very little is known regarding the dispersal and weathering processes of Orimulsion, or the behaviour and cleanup of the product on both rocky and course sediment shorelines. For that reason, this study was conducted to determine the efficiency of hydraulic washing under different water temperatures and pressures to remove bitumen from rocky shorelines. The results of the study make it possible to assess the physical effectiveness of the method and to determine the range of effective operational parameters. The coating protocol was refined to create uniform coating of both dispersed and coalesced bitumen of rock surfaces. The use of a chemical agent for enhancing removal efficiency was also assessed. Orimulsion could reach shorelines as low concentration dispersions of bitumen particles suspended in a water column, or as a high concentration mixture of bitumen, water and air. Granite tiles were coated with uniform coatings of both dispersed and coalesced bitumen. They were then washed under different pressures, temperatures and other treatments. Temperatures of more than 40 degrees C and pressures of more than 76 kPa were needed to effectively remove the bitumen coatings. Weathering significantly increased coating tenacity for dispersed coatings, but did not affect coalesced coating tenacity. Immediate washing was found to be very effective for removing dispersed coating, but not for coalesced coating. Coating tenacity was also affected by submergence times. Pre-treatment of the coating with a dispersion called Corexit significantly improved the removal efficiencies of dispersed coatings, but not coalesced coatings. 6 refs., 10 tabs., 5 figs

Perceptual Load Affects Eyewitness Accuracy and Susceptibility to Leading Questions.

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, Gillian; Greene, Ciara M

2016-01-01

Load Theory (Lavie, 1995, 2005) states that the level of perceptual load in a task (i.e., the amount of information involved in processing task-relevant stimuli) determines the efficiency of selective attention. There is evidence that perceptual load affects distractor processing, with increased inattentional blindness under high load. Given that high load can result in individuals failing to report seeing obvious objects, it is conceivable that load may also impair memory for the scene. The current study is the first to assess the effect of perceptual load on eyewitness memory. Across three experiments (two video-based and one in a driving simulator), the effect of perceptual load on eyewitness memory was assessed. The results showed that eyewitnesses were less accurate under high load, in particular for peripheral details. For example, memory for the central character in the video was not affected by load but memory for a witness who passed by the window at the edge of the scene was significantly worse under high load. High load memories were also more open to suggestion, showing increased susceptibility to leading questions. High visual perceptual load also affected recall for auditory information, illustrating a possible cross-modal perceptual load effect on memory accuracy. These results have implications for eyewitness memory researchers and forensic professionals.

Hydrodynamic cavitation as a strategy to enhance the efficiency of lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Terán Hilares, Ruly; Ramos, Lucas; da Silva, Silvio Silvério; Dragone, Giuliano; Mussatto, Solange I; Santos, Júlio César Dos

2018-06-01

Hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) is a process technology with potential for application in different areas including environmental, food processing, and biofuels production. Although HC is an undesirable phenomenon for hydraulic equipment, the net energy released during this process is enough to accelerate certain chemical reactions. The application of cavitation energy to enhance the efficiency of lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment is an interesting strategy proposed for integration in biorefineries for the production of bio-based products. Moreover, the use of an HC-assisted process was demonstrated as an attractive alternative when compared to other conventional pretreatment technologies. This is not only due to high pretreatment efficiency resulting in high enzymatic digestibility of carbohydrate fraction, but also, by its high energy efficiency, simple configuration, and construction of systems, besides the possibility of using on the large scale. This paper gives an overview regarding HC technology and its potential for application on the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass. The parameters affecting this process and the perspectives for future developments in this area are also presented and discussed.

Perceptual Load Affects Eyewitness Accuracy & Susceptibility to Leading Questions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gillian Murphy

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Load Theory (Lavie, 1995; 2005 states that the level of perceptual load in a task (i.e. the amount of information involved in processing task-relevant stimuli determines the efficiency of selective attention. There is evidence that perceptual load affects distractor processing, with increased inattentional blindness under high load. Given that high load can result in individuals failing to report seeing obvious objects, it is conceivable that load may also impair memory for the scene. The current study is the first to assess the effect of perceptual load on eyewitness memory. Across three experiments (two video-based and one in a driving simulator, the effect of perceptual load on eyewitness memory was assessed. The results showed that eyewitnesses were less accurate under high load, in particular for peripheral details. For example, memory for the central character in the video was not affected by load but memory for a witness who passed by the window at the edge of the scene was significantly worse under high load. High load memories were also more open to suggestion, showing increased susceptibility to leading questions. High visual perceptual load also affected recall for auditory information, illustrating a possible cross-modal perceptual load effect on memory accuracy. These results have implications for eyewitness memory researchers and forensic professionals.

Predicting the efficiency of deposit removal during filter backwash

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Abstract. The long-term performance of granular media filters used in drinking water treatment is ultimately limited by the efficiency ... efficiency) within each set of experiments appeared to affect the efficiency of backwash in addition to the parameters varied ... anisms involved in filter cleaning (Amirtharajah, 1978; Amirth-.

Dynamics of electricity efficiency in commercial air-distribution systems in Sweden

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Christiansson, Lena

1996-04-01

This paper illustrates the long-term potential for reducing future electricity demand for air-distribution in commercial buildings in Sweden. The objective has been to develop a general quantitative scenario-based framework to describe some possible paths for electricity demand for air distribution and to analyze how governmental and utility-sponsored policy measures can affect electricity demand. The focus is on improved electricity efficiency, i.e. a reduction of electricity demand for the same level of services. The results suggest that higher electricity prices will not be very effective in reducing electricity demand, whereas significant electricity savings can be reached by implementing various policy programs, particularly standards. 56 refs, 4 figs, 5 tabs

Efficient Semantics-Based Compliance Checking Using LTL Formulae and Unfolding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liang Song

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Business process models are required to be in line with frequently changing regulations, policies, and environments. In the field of intelligent modeling, organisations concern automated business process compliance checking as the manual verification is a time-consuming and inefficient work. There exist two key issues for business process compliance checking. One is the definition of a business process retrieval language that can be employed to capture the compliance rules, the other concerns efficient evaluation of these rules. Traditional syntax-based retrieval approaches cannot deal with various important requirements of compliance checking in practice. Although a retrieval language that is based on semantics can overcome the drawback of syntax-based ones, it suffers from the well-known state space explosion. In this paper, we define a semantics-based process model query language through simplifying a property specification pattern system without affecting its expressiveness. We use this language to capture semantics-based compliance rules and constraints. We also propose a feasible approach in such a way that the compliance checking will not suffer from the state space explosion as much as possible. A tool is implemented to evaluate the efficiency. An experiment conducted on three model collections illustrates that our technology is very efficient.

Biomass production and water use efficiency in perennial grasses during and after drought stress

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Kirsten Kørup; Lærke, Poul Erik; Sørensen, Helle Baadsgaard

2018-01-01

be suitable for assessment of drought stress. There were indications of positive associations between plants carbon isotope composition and water use efficiency (WUE) as well as DM under well-watered conditions. Compared to control, drought-treated plots showed increased growth in the period after drought...... stress. Thus, the drought events did not affect total biomass production (DMtotal) of the whole growing season. During drought stress and the whole growing season, WUE was higher in drought-treated compared to control plots, so it seems possible to save water without loss of biomass. Across soil types, M......Drought is a great challenge to agricultural production, and cultivation of drought-tolerant or water use-efficient cultivars is important to ensure high biomass yields for bio-refining and bioenergy. Here, we evaluated drought tolerance of four C3 species, Dactylis glomerata cvs. Sevenop and Amba...

Does Foreign Direct Investment Affect Green Growth? Evidence from China’s Experience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shujing Yue

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Foreign Direct Investment (FDI not only affects the economic growth but also affects the environmental protection of the host country. With China’s background of pursuing green growth, we need to consider the performance of FDI from the economic and environmental benefit aspects. On this basis, using slacks-based measure directional distance function (SBMDDF to build up green growth efficiency, economic efficiency and environmental efficiency indexes, empirical research on FDI in 104 Chinese cities from 2004 to 2011 has shown that: (1 Different cities have differences in their green growth efficiency. Shenzhen city is always efficient in green economic growth. (2 Overall, FDI is positive on Chinese cities’ green growth. (3 When the green growth efficiency is broken down into economic efficiency and environmental efficiency, FDI promotes China’s economic green growth through both environmental benefits and economic benefits. (4 The effect of FDI differs in different sectors. FDI in the emission-intensive sector promotes green efficiency mainly through the improvement of economic efficiency. FDI in the non-emission-intensive sector promotes economic efficiency, environmental efficiency and green efficiency.

Energy efficiency in South Africa: A decomposition exercise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inglesi-Lotz, R.; Pouris, A.

2012-01-01

Improvement of energy efficiency has been accepted as one of the most cost-effective approaches towards sustainable economic development and reduction of the continuously increasing energy consumption internationally. South Africa, being among the developing countries, is not an exception even though historically low energy prices and the lack of appropriate policies have created an energy intensive economy. This paper examines the factors affecting the trends in energy efficiency in South Africa from 1993 to 2006 and particularly the impact of structural changes and utilisation efficiency of the country's energy intensity. Identifying and understanding the driving forces are necessary ingredients in the development of appropriate policy-making. This paper also provides disaggregation of the energy efficiency trends in the main sectors of the economy. We determine that structural changes of the economy have played an important and negative role in the increasing economy-wide energy efficiency. On the other hand, the energy usage's intensity was a contributing factor to the decreasing trend of energy efficiency. We suggest that differentiated price policies may be required if South Africa is to create an effective energy efficiency policy. -- Highlights: ► Improving energy efficiency can lead to lower energy consumption and emissions. ► A decomposition analysis examines the factors affecting efficiency in South Africa. ► With unchanged economic structure, the energy efficiency would be 0.75 units lower. ► Intensity was a contributing factor to the decreasing trend of energy efficiency.

Efficient Intra-household Allocations and Distribution Factors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Browning, Martin; Bourguignon, François; Chiappori, Pierre-André

and general test of the Pareto efficiency hypothesis, which is consistent with all possible assumptions on the private or public nature of goods, all possible consumption externalities between household members, and all types of interdependent individual preferences and domestic production technology...

Efficient Online Aggregates in Dense-Region-Based Data Cube Representations

Science.gov (United States)

Haddadin, Kais; Lauer, Tobias

In-memory OLAP systems require a space-efficient representation of sparse data cubes in order to accommodate large data sets. On the other hand, most efficient online aggregation techniques, such as prefix sums, are built on dense array-based representations. These are often not applicable to real-world data due to the size of the arrays which usually cannot be compressed well, as most sparsity is removed during pre-processing. A possible solution is to identify dense regions in a sparse cube and only represent those using arrays, while storing sparse data separately, e.g. in a spatial index structure. Previous dense-region-based approaches have concentrated mainly on the effectiveness of the dense-region detection (i.e. on the space-efficiency of the result). However, especially in higher-dimensional cubes, data is usually more cluttered, resulting in a potentially large number of small dense regions, which negatively affects query performance on such a structure. In this paper, our focus is not only on space-efficiency but also on time-efficiency, both for the initial dense-region extraction and for queries carried out in the resulting hybrid data structure. We describe two methods to trade available memory for increased aggregate query performance. In addition, optimizations in our approach significantly reduce the time to build the initial data structure compared to former systems. Also, we present a straightforward adaptation of our approach to support multi-core or multi-processor architectures, which can further enhance query performance. Experiments with different real-world data sets show how various parameter settings can be used to adjust the efficiency and effectiveness of our algorithms.

78 FR 78340 - Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-26

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency... of an Open Meeting. SUMMARY: The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (RE&EEAC... affecting U.S. competitiveness in exporting renewable energy and energy efficiency (RE&EE) products and...

Circumstellar envelopes of Cepheids: a possible bias affecting the distance scale?

Science.gov (United States)

Kervella, Pierre; Gallenne, Alexandre; Mérand, Antoine

2013-02-01

Circumstellar envelopes (CSEs) have been detected around many Cepheids, first based on long-baseline interferometry, and now also using other observing techniques. These envelopes are particularly interesting for two reasons: their presence could impact the Cepheid distance scale, and they may be valuable tracers of stellar mass loss. Here we focus on their potential impact on the calibration of the Cepheid distance scale. We consider the photometric contribution of the envelopes in the visible, near-, and thermal-infrared domains. We conclude that the impact of CSEs on the apparent luminosities of Cepheids is negligible at visible wavelengths and generally weak (case. Overall, the contribution of CSEs to the usual period-luminosity relations (from the visible to the K band) is mostly negligible. They could affect calibrations at longer wavelengths, although the presence of envelopes may have been partially taken into account in the existing empirical calibrations.

Measuring efficiency in logistics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milan Milovan Andrejić

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Dynamic market and environmental changes greatly affect operating of logistics systems. Logistics systems have to realize their activities and processes in an efficient way. The main objective of this paper is to analyze different aspects of efficiency measurement in logistics and to propose appropriate models of measurement. Measuring efficiency in logistics is a complex process that requires consideration of all subsystems, processes and activities as well as the impact of various financial, operational, environmental, quality and other factors. The proposed models have a basis in the Data Envelopment Analysis method. They could help managers in decision making and corrective actions processes. The tests and results of the model show the importance of input and output variables selection.

Efficient Environmental Policy with Imperfect Compliance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sandmo, A. [Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration, Bergen (Norway)

2002-09-01

Discussions of efficient environmental policy tend to recommend taxes rather than quotas on grounds of efficiency; a uniform tax will equalize marginal abatement cost between polluters. When polluters' actions are imperfectly observable, the distinction between taxes and quotas becomes less clear. Taxes may be evaded by underreporting of emissions, while quota violations will not always be discovered. This paper explores the conditions under which the efficiency properties of taxes continue to hold even when evasion is possible, and the extent to which the fine for quota violations plays the same role as a tax on emissions with similar efficiency properties.

Electro-Optical Design for Efficient Visual Communication

Science.gov (United States)

Huck, Friedrich O.; Fales, Carl L.; Jobson, Daniel J.; Rahman, Zia-Ur

1995-01-01

Visual communication, in the form of telephotography and television, for example, can be regarded as efficient only if the amount of information that it conveys about the scene to the observer approaches the maximum possible and the associated cost approaches the minimum possible. Elsewhere we have addressed the problem of assessing the end to end performance of visual communication systems in terms of their efficiency in this sense by integrating the critical limiting factors that constrain image gathering into classical communications theory. We use this approach to assess the electro-optical design of image gathering devices as a function of the f number and apodization of the objective lens and the aperture size and sampling geometry of the phot-detection mechanism. Results show that an image gathering device that is designed to optimize information capacity performs similarly to the human eye. For both, the performance approaches the maximum possible, in terms of the efficiency with which the acquired information can be transmitted as decorrelated data, and the fidelity, sharpness, and clearity with which fine detail can be restored.

Electro-optical design for efficient visual communication

Science.gov (United States)

Huck, Friedrich O.; Fales, Carl L.; Jobson, Daniel J.; Rahman, Zia-ur

1995-03-01

Visual communication, in the form of telephotography and television, for example, can be regarded as efficient only if the amount of information that it conveys about the scene to the observer approaches the maximum possible and the associated cost approaches the minimum possible. Elsewhere we have addressed the problem of assessing the end-to-end performance of visual communication systems in terms of their efficiency in this sense by integrating the critical limiting factors that constrain image gathering into classical communication theory. We use this approach to assess the electro-optical design of image-gathering devices as a function of the f number and apodization of the objective lens and the aperture size and sampling geometry of the photodetection mechanism. Results show that an image-gathering device that is designed to optimize information capacity performs similarly to the human eye. For both, the performance approaches the maximum possible, in terms of the efficiency with which the acquired information can be transmitted as decorrelated data, and the fidelity, sharpness, and clarity with which fine detail can be restored.

Efficient Non Linear Loudspeakers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Bo R.; Agerkvist, Finn T.

2006-01-01

Loudspeakers have traditionally been designed to be as linear as possible. However, as techniques for compensating non linearities are emerging, it becomes possible to use other design criteria. This paper present and examines a new idea for improving the efficiency of loudspeakers at high levels...... by changing the voice coil layout. This deliberate non-linear design has the benefit that a smaller amplifier can be used, which has the benefit of reducing system cost as well as reducing power consumption....

Current-flow efficiency of networks

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Kai; Yan, Xiaoyong

2018-02-01

Many real-world networks, from infrastructure networks to social and communication networks, can be formulated as flow networks. How to realistically measure the transport efficiency of these networks is of fundamental importance. The shortest-path-based efficiency measurement has limitations, as it assumes that flow travels only along those shortest paths. Here, we propose a new metric named current-flow efficiency, in which we calculate the average reciprocal effective resistance between all pairs of nodes in the network. This metric takes the multipath effect into consideration and is more suitable for measuring the efficiency of many real-world flow equilibrium networks. Moreover, this metric can handle a disconnected graph and can thus be used to identify critical nodes and edges from the efficiency-loss perspective. We further analyze how the topological structure affects the current-flow efficiency of networks based on some model and real-world networks. Our results enable a better understanding of flow networks and shed light on the design and improvement of such networks with higher transport efficiency.

Entrapment of ovalbumin into liposomes--factors affecting entrapment efficiency, liposome size, and zeta potential.

Science.gov (United States)

Brgles, Marija; Jurasin, Darija; Sikirić, Maja Dutour; Frkanec, Ruza; Tomasić, Jelka

2008-01-01

Various amounts of Ovalbumin (OVA) were encapsulated into positively and negatively charged multilamellar liposomes, with the aim to investigate the entrapment efficiency in different buffers and to study their effects on the liposome size and zeta potential. Results showed that the entrapment efficiency of OVA in anionic liposomes was the same in 10 mM Phosphate Buffer (PB) as in Phosphate-Buffered Saline (PBS; PB + 0.15 M NaCl). Also, liposome size was approximately 1200 nm for all anionic liposomes incorporating OVA. The entrapment efficiency of OVA in cationic liposomes was highly dependent on ionic strength. The size of cationic liposomes was approximately 1200 nm in PBS, regardless of protein content, but increased with the amount of the incorporated protein in PB. Aggregation of cationic liposomes in PB was observed when the mass of the protein was 2.5 mg or greater. The zeta potential of anionic liposomes was negative and of cationic liposomes positive in the whole range of protein mass tested. These results show how different compositions of lipid and aqueous phases can be used to vary the entrapment efficiency, liposome size, and zeta potential--the factors that are of great importance for the use of liposomes as drug carriers.

Possible world based consistency learning model for clustering and classifying uncertain data.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Han; Zhang, Xianchao; Zhang, Xiaotong

2018-06-01

Possible world has shown to be effective for handling various types of data uncertainty in uncertain data management. However, few uncertain data clustering and classification algorithms are proposed based on possible world. Moreover, existing possible world based algorithms suffer from the following issues: (1) they deal with each possible world independently and ignore the consistency principle across different possible worlds; (2) they require the extra post-processing procedure to obtain the final result, which causes that the effectiveness highly relies on the post-processing method and the efficiency is also not very good. In this paper, we propose a novel possible world based consistency learning model for uncertain data, which can be extended both for clustering and classifying uncertain data. This model utilizes the consistency principle to learn a consensus affinity matrix for uncertain data, which can make full use of the information across different possible worlds and then improve the clustering and classification performance. Meanwhile, this model imposes a new rank constraint on the Laplacian matrix of the consensus affinity matrix, thereby ensuring that the number of connected components in the consensus affinity matrix is exactly equal to the number of classes. This also means that the clustering and classification results can be directly obtained without any post-processing procedure. Furthermore, for the clustering and classification tasks, we respectively derive the efficient optimization methods to solve the proposed model. Experimental results on real benchmark datasets and real world uncertain datasets show that the proposed model outperforms the state-of-the-art uncertain data clustering and classification algorithms in effectiveness and performs competitively in efficiency. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perspectives on implementing energy efficiency in existing Swedish detached houses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joelsson, Anna; Gustavsson, Leif [Ecotechnology, Department of Engineering, Physics and Mathematics, Mid Sweden University, SE-831 25 Oestersund (Sweden)

2008-01-15

of the country has the opposite effect. Also, the increase in real estate tax when implementing energy-efficiency measures gives a contradictory message. The price differences between energy suppliers has a larger impact on the house owners' economic conditions than both subsidies and tax rate changes, and possibly also affect the house owner's attitudes towards various systems. (author)

Perspectives on implementing energy efficiency in existing Swedish detached houses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joelsson, Anna; Gustavsson, Leif

2008-01-01

the country has the opposite effect. Also, the increase in real estate tax when implementing energy-efficiency measures gives a contradictory message. The price differences between energy suppliers has a larger impact on the house owners' economic conditions than both subsidies and tax rate changes, and possibly also affect the house owner's attitudes towards various systems. (author)

Power Plant Retirements: Trends and Possible Drivers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mills, Andrew D. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Wiser, Ryan H. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Seel, Joachim [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2017-11-29

This paper synthesizes available data on historical and planned power plant retirements. Specifically, we present data on historical generation capacity additions and retirements over time, and the types of plants recently retired and planned for retirement. We then present data on the age of plants that have recently retired or that have plans to retire. We also review the characteristics of plants that recently retired or plan to retire vs. those that continue to operate, focusing on plant size, age, heat rate, and SO₂ emissions. Finally, we show the level of recent thermal plant retirements on a regional basis and correlate those data with a subset of possible factors that may be contributing to retirement decisions. This basic data synthesis cannot be used to precisely estimate the relative magnitude of retirement drivers. Nor do we explore every possible driver for retirement decisions. Moreover, future retirement decisions may be influenced by different factors than those that have affected past decisions. Nonetheless, it is clear that recently retired plants are relatively old, and that plants with stated planned retirement dates are—on average—no younger. We observe that retired plants are smaller, older, less efficient, and more polluting than operating plants. Based on simple correlation graphics, the strongest predictors of regional retirement differences appear to include SO₂ emissions rates (for coal), planning reserve margins (for all thermal units), variations in load growth or contraction (for all thermal units), and the age of older thermal plans (for all thermal units). Additional apparent predictors of regional retirements include the ratio of coal to gas prices and delivered natural gas prices. Other factors appear to have played lesser roles, including the penetration variable renewable energy (VRE), recent non-VRE capacity additions, and whether the region hosts an ISO/RTO.

Milk pasteurization: efficiency of the HTST process according to its bacterial concentration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ari Ajzental

1993-12-01

Full Text Available The efficiency of milk pasteurization (HTST related to its standard plate count (SPC values were assessed in 41 milk samples using a laboratory designed pasteurizing equipment. Based on results, it is demonstrated that efficiency of the process is affected by its bacterial concentration, where lower SPC values mean decrease in efficiency and that the performance of the process is not affected in presence of high SPC values in raw product.

Empirical investigation of energy efficiency barriers in Italian manufacturing SMEs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trianni, Andrea; Cagno, Enrico; Worrell, Ernst; Pugliese, Giacomo

2013-01-01

The paper identifies and evaluates barriers to industrial energy efficiency through the investigation of 48 manufacturing Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Northern Italy. The research provides interesting suggestions both for enterprises and energy policy-makers. Firstly, economic and information barriers are perceived as the major obstacles to the adoption of energy-efficient technologies, whilst behavioural barriers do not seem to affect enterprises very much. Nonetheless, despite what declared, the most relevant barriers are the lack of interest in energy efficiency and the existence of other priorities, thus showing that decision-makers tend to downgrade energy efficiency to a marginal issue. Furthermore, perceived barriers do not take place exclusively in implementing energy-efficient technologies, but, with comparable importance, also in generating the interest and knowledge of the opportunities. Moreover, the study highlights that relevant differences can be appreciated for both perceived and real barriers even among SMEs, that thus should not be bundled together. In addition to that, other factors affect barriers, stimulating future research: indeed, lower real barriers can be observed with higher complexity of the production, high variability of the demand and strong competitors. -- Highlights: ► Evidence of existing misalignments between perceived and real barriers to the adoption of energy-efficient technologies. ► Relevance of barriers to the generation of interest towards energy efficiency. ► Evidence of firm's size (within SMEs) and energy expenditures on barriers to energy efficiency. ► Importance, for energy efficiency barriers, of avoid bundling SMEs as a whole. ► Preliminary evidence of factors related to supply chain complexity affecting barriers to energy efficiency.

Dimensions of energy efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramani, K.V.

1992-01-01

In this address the author describes three dimensions of energy efficiency in order of increasing costs: conservation, resource and technology substitution, and changes in economic structure. He emphasizes the importance of economic rather than environmental rationales for energy efficiency improvements in developing countries. These countries do not place high priority on the problems of global climate change. Opportunities for new technologies may exist in resource transfer, new fuels and, possibly, small reactors. More research on economic and social impacts of technologies with greater sensitivity to user preferences is needed

Determining the Factors Affecting Labor Productivity of Nurses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yurdanur Dikmen

2016-12-01

Results: It was found that the 45.5% of nurses participated in the study were in the 23-53 age group, 79.5% were women, 76.9% married, 41.1% associate degree graduates. 42.3% of nurses' durations of professional experience were 0-5 years, 22.4% of nurses were clinical chief, 69.2% were working as shifts. Participants believe that the factors affecting the labor productivity were respectively organizational factors, ergonomic factors and personal factors. When organizational factors was examined; nurses stated that the lack of working personnel in the section, the low wages and unequal wages for the same work, the long working hours and the system which based on personal relations instead of merit were affecting productivity. The factors affecting labor productivity of nurses were not different according to age, gender, education level and marital status (p>0.05, but different according to mode of operation and years of experience (p<0.05. Conclusion: According to this study, it was found that there are many factors that affect the efficiency of the nurses. The most important factors affecting nurses' efficiency were determined as wage and working conditions. [J Contemp Med 2016; 6(4.000: 334-342

Detailed Balance Limit of Efficiency of Broadband-Pumped Lasers.

Science.gov (United States)

Nechayev, Sergey; Rotschild, Carmel

2017-09-13

Broadband light sources are a wide class of pumping schemes for lasers including LEDs, sunlight and flash lamps. Recently, efficient coupling of broadband light to high-quality micro-cavities has been demonstrated for on-chip applications and low-threshold solar-pumped lasers via cascade energy transfer. However, the conversion of incoherent to coherent light comes with an inherent price of reduced efficiency, which has yet to be assessed. In this paper, we derive the detailed balance limit of efficiency of broadband-pumped lasers and discuss how it is affected by the need to maintain a threshold population inversion and thermodynamically dictated minimal Stokes' shift. We show that lasers' slope efficiency is analogous to the nominal efficiency of solar cells, limited by thermalisation losses and additional unavoidable Stokes' shift. The lasers' power efficiency is analogous to the detailed balance limit of efficiency of solar cells, affected by the cavity mirrors and impedance matching factor, respectively. As an example we analyze the specific case of solar-pumped sensitized Nd 3+ :YAG-like lasers and define the conditions to reach their thermodynamic limit of efficiency. Our work establishes an upper theoretical limit for the efficiency of broadband-pumped lasers. Our general, yet flexible model also provides a way to incorporate other optical and thermodynamic losses and, hence, to estimate the efficiency of non-ideal broadband-pumped lasers.

Unconventional, High-Efficiency Propulsors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Poul

1996-01-01

The development of ship propellers has generally been characterized by search for propellers with as high efficiency as possible and at the same time low noise and vibration levels and little or no cavitation. This search has lead to unconventional propulsors, like vane-wheel propulsors, contra-r...

China’s Water Utilization Efficiency: An Analysis with Environmental Considerations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hailiang Ma

2016-05-01

Full Text Available This paper estimates China’s water utilization efficiency using the directional distance function to take into account the environmental degradation affecting the economy. We further analyze the spatial correlation and the factors influencing the utilization efficiency using spatial panel data models. The results show that water utilization efficiency in China differs between provinces and regions. For example, water utilization efficiency in the eastern coastal provinces is significantly higher than that of inland provinces. The pattern of spatial auto-correlation Moran’s I index presents significant spatial auto-correlation and evident cluster tendencies in China’s inter-provincial water utilization. Factors that contribute to water utilization efficiency include economic development, technological progress, and economic openness. Negative factors affecting water utilization efficiency arise from industrial structure, government interference, and water resources endowment. In addition, the price of water resources is insignificant. The improvement of water utilization efficiency is essential to sustainable economic development. To raise the utilization efficiency of water resources, China should focus on transforming its industrial restructure, advancing technological development, enhancing economic openness, and encouraging entrepreneurial innovations. Moreover, establishing a mechanism to encourage water conservation and reduce wastewater pollution will further increase water utilization efficiency.

EXPLORING THE FACTORS AFFECTING EMPLOYEES’ ADOPTION AND USE OF INNOVATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Majharul Talukder

2010-01-01

Full Text Available This paper explores the factors affecting innovation adoption by individual employees within an organization in Australia. Following a qualitative research approach, this paper uses a series of in-depth interviews and focus group discussions involving academic and administrative employees at a tertiary educational institution in Australia. The qualitative approach is adopted to have a deeper insight into the complexities and dynamism associated with the factors influencing innovation adoption process in organizational settings. The findings of this research highlight the need for broadening an understanding of the key factors affecting employee’s decisions to uptake the adoption of innovation. The results provide important clues for comprehending the factors influencing and determining the employee’s adoption and continued use of innovation in the work environment. In the face of the current trend towards end-user applications of technological innovation, the results suggest some guidelines for management toward effective and efficient adoption and use of innovation in organizational settings. This paper has highlighted the above findings and their implications for management practices related to innovation management in an Australian organizational setting. This paper also identifies possible limitations and future research potential in the relevant field.

Higher-order Multivariable Polynomial Regression to Estimate Human Affective States

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Jie; Chen, Tong; Liu, Guangyuan; Yang, Jiemin

2016-03-01

From direct observations, facial, vocal, gestural, physiological, and central nervous signals, estimating human affective states through computational models such as multivariate linear-regression analysis, support vector regression, and artificial neural network, have been proposed in the past decade. In these models, linear models are generally lack of precision because of ignoring intrinsic nonlinearities of complex psychophysiological processes; and nonlinear models commonly adopt complicated algorithms. To improve accuracy and simplify model, we introduce a new computational modeling method named as higher-order multivariable polynomial regression to estimate human affective states. The study employs standardized pictures in the International Affective Picture System to induce thirty subjects’ affective states, and obtains pure affective patterns of skin conductance as input variables to the higher-order multivariable polynomial model for predicting affective valence and arousal. Experimental results show that our method is able to obtain efficient correlation coefficients of 0.98 and 0.96 for estimation of affective valence and arousal, respectively. Moreover, the method may provide certain indirect evidences that valence and arousal have their brain’s motivational circuit origins. Thus, the proposed method can serve as a novel one for efficiently estimating human affective states.

A primer on the energy efficiency of computing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koomey, Jonathan G. [Research Fellow, Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance, Stanford University (United States)

2015-03-30

The efficiency of computing at peak output has increased rapidly since the dawn of the computer age. This paper summarizes some of the key factors affecting the efficiency of computing in all usage modes. While there is still great potential for improving the efficiency of computing devices, we will need to alter how we do computing in the next few decades because we are finally approaching the limits of current technologies.

Fertilizer residence time affects nitrogen uptake efficiency and growth of sweet corn

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zotarelli, L.; Scholberg, J.M.S.; Dukes, M.D.; Munoz-Carpena, R.

2008-01-01

Understanding plant N uptake dynamics is critical for increasing fertilizer N uptake efficiency (FUE) and minimize the risk of N leaching. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of residence time of N fertilizer on N uptake and FUE of sweet corn. Plants were grown in 25 L columns

Energy efficient ammonia heat pump. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Madsen, Claus; Pijnenburg, B.; Schumann Grindorf, H. [Danish Technological Institute, Aarhus (Denmark); Christensen, Rolf [Alfa Laval, Lund (Sweden); Rasmussen, Bjarne D. [Grundfos, Bjerringbro (Denmark); Gram, S.; Fredborg Jakobsen, D. [Svedan Industri Koeleanlaeg, Greve (Denmark)

2013-09-15

The report describes the development of a highly effective ammonia heat pump. Heat pumps play an increasingly important role in the search for more effective use of energy in our society. Highly efficient heat pumps can contribute to reduced energy consumption and improved economy of the systems which they are a part of. An ammonia heat pump with high pressure reciprocating compressor and a novel split condenser was developed to prove potential for efficiency optimization. The split of the condenser in two parts can be utilized to obtain smaller temperature approaches and, thereby, improved heat pump efficiency at an equal heat exchanger area, when compared to the traditional solution with separate condenser and de-superheater. The split condenser design can also be exploited for heating a significant share of the total heating capacity to a temperature far above the condensing temperature. Furthermore, the prototype heat pump was equipped with a plate type evaporator combined with a U-turn separator with a minimum liquid height and a liquid pump with the purpose of creating optimum liquid circulation ratio for the highest possible heat transfer coefficients at the lowest possible pressure drop. The test results successfully confirmed the highest possible efficiency; a COP of 4.3 was obtained when heating water from 40 deg. C to 80 deg. C while operating with evaporating/condensing temperatures of +20 deg C/+73 deg C. (Author)

Trauma-Related Dissociation as a Factor Affecting Musicians' Memory for Music: Some Possible Solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Swart, Inette; van Niekerk, Caroline; Hartman, Woltemade

2010-01-01

An investigation of the influence of trauma on musicians revealed concentration and memory problems as two of the most common symptoms hampering the performance of affected individuals. In many instances where the causes of these problems were related to trauma sequelae, these could clearly be linked to dissociative symptoms. The following…

Possibility of high efficient beam extraction from the CERN SPS with a bent crystal. Simulation results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scandale, W. [CERN, European Organization for Nuclear Research, CH-1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Laboratoire de l' AccelerateurLineaire (LAL), Universite Paris SudOrsay, Orsay (France); INFN Sezione di Roma, Piazzale Aldo Moro 2, 00185 Rome (Italy); Kovalenko, A.D.; Taratin, A.M. [Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, 141980 Dubna, Moscow Region (Russian Federation)

2017-03-11

The extraction of the SPS beam of 270 GeV/c protons assisted by a bent crystal was studied by simulation. Two methods for delivering the SPS beam onto a crystal were considered: transverse diffusion and orbit bump of the beam. It was shown that the main condition for high efficient beam extraction with a bent crystal, which is a small divergence of the incident beam, can be fulfilled. Extraction efficiency up to 99% can be reached for both methods of the beam delivering. The irradiation of the electrostatic septum wires during the beam extraction can be considerably reduced.

Modeling of venturi scrubber efficiency

Science.gov (United States)

Crowder, Jerry W.; Noll, Kenneth E.; Davis, Wayne T.

The parameters affecting venturi scrubber performance have been rationally examined and modifications to the current modeling theory have been developed. The modified model has been validated with available experimental data for a range of throat gas velocities, liquid-to-gas ratios and particle diameters and is used to study the effect of some design parameters on collection efficiency. Most striking among the observations is the prediction of a new design parameter termed the minimum contactor length. Also noted is the prediction of little effect on collection efficiency with increasing liquid-to-gas ratio above about 2ℓ m-3. Indeed, for some cases a decrease in collection efficiency is predicted for liquid rates above this value.

Total Factor Productivity and Efficiency Analysis on Islamic Banks in Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siti Aisyah

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The aims of this study are to measure productivity and efficiency, to analyze factors which affect the level of efficiency and to analyze correlation between productivity and efficiency of Islamic Banking in Indonesia. The objects of this study are 11 (eleven Islamic Banks (BUS in Indonesia which are analyzed from the second quarter of 2010 to the third quarter of 2015. The result shows only six of the eleven banks that have a good productivity levels, otherwise for efficiency there are only three banks that efficient enough. Furthermore, the relationship between productivity and efficiency levels that are categorized into 4 (four quadrants. In quadrant I, three banks have high productivity and efficiency namely Syariah Mandiri, Panin Syariah and Victoria Syariah; quadrant IV two banks in low level of productivity and efficiency namely Mega Syariah and Bukopin Syariah. While the quadrant II namely BCA Syariah, BRI syariah and Muamalat and quadrant III namely BJB Syariah, BNI Syariah and Maybank Syariah required further research to determine the factors that affect the productivity and efficiency relationships that occur. 

Productivity and energy efficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lovins, H. [Rocky Mountain Inst., Snowmass, CO (United States)

1995-12-31

Energy efficient building and office design offers the possibility of significantly increased worker productivity. By improving lighting, heating and cooling, workers can be made more comfortable and productive. An increase of 1 percent in productivity can provide savings to a company that exceed its entire energy bill. Efficient design practices are cost effective just from their energy savings. The resulting productivity gains make them indispensable. This paper documents eight cases in which efficient lighting, heating, and cooling have measurably increased worker productivity, decreased absenteeism, and/or improved the quality of work performed. They also show that efficient lighting can measurably increase work quality by removing errors and manufacturing defects. The case studies presented include retrofit of existing buildings and the design of new facilities, and cover a variety of commercial and industrial settings. Each case study identifies the design changes that were most responsible for increased productivity. As the eight case studies illustrate, energy efficient design may be one of the least expensive ways for a business to improve the productivity of its workers and the quality of its product. (author). 15 refs.

[Experimental study on crop photosynthesis, transpiration and high efficient water use].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Huixiao; Liu, Changming

2003-10-01

It is well known that the development of water-saving agriculture is a strategic choice for getting rid of the crisis of water shortage. In this paper, the crop photosynthesis, transpiration, stomatic behavior, and their affecting factors were studied in view of increasing the crop water use efficiency. The experimental results showed that there was a parabola relationship between photosynthesis and transpiration. The transpiration at the maximum photosynthesis was a critical value, above which, transpiration was the luxurious part. The luxurious transpiration could be controlled without affecting photosynthetic production. It is possible that the measures for increasing stomatic resistance and preventing transpiration could save water, and improve photosynthesis and yield as well. The photosynthesis rate increased with photosynthetic active radiation, and the light saturation point for photosynthesis existed. The light saturation point of dry treatment was much lower than that of wet treatment, and the relationship between transpiration and radiation was linear. When the photosynthetic active radiation was bigger than 1,000 mumol.m-2.s-1, some treatments could be carried out for decreasing transpiration and improving photosynthesis.

Energy efficient aerobic treatment of forest industry wastewaters; Energieffektiv aerob rening av skogsindustriella avloppsvatten

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sandberg, Maria; From-Aldaron, Mattias

2011-01-15

There is great potential to reduce energy requirements in aerobic biological purification if the oxygen demand can be reduced and oxygen delivery, when process water is aerated, is made more efficient. A model was developed to estimate the possible reduction in oxygen demand. Model variables were COD reduction, sludge withdrawal, oxygen, and alpha-value. Attempts made in an aerator in the lab-scale process shows that water content strongly affects oxygen transport and alpha-value. Surface active extract substances such as fatty acids and resin acids have greatest significance. The effect increases with the concentration of extract substances and decreases with added sodium chloride content

Rearing environment affects development of the immune system in neonates

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Inman, C.F.; Haverson, K.; Konstantinov, S.R.; Jones, P.H.; Harris, C.; Smidt, H.; Miller, B.; Bailey, M.; Stokes, C.

2010-01-01

P>Early-life exposure to appropriate microbial flora drives expansion and development of an efficient immune system. Aberrant development results in increased likelihood of allergic disease or increased susceptibility to infection. Thus, factors affecting microbial colonization may also affect

True coincidence summing correction and mathematical efficiency modeling of a well detector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jäderström, H., E-mail: henrik.jaderstrom@canberra.com [CANBERRA Industries Inc., 800 Research Parkway, Meriden, CT 06450 (United States); Mueller, W.F. [CANBERRA Industries Inc., 800 Research Parkway, Meriden, CT 06450 (United States); Atrashkevich, V. [Stroitely St 4-4-52, Moscow (Russian Federation); Adekola, A.S. [CANBERRA Industries Inc., 800 Research Parkway, Meriden, CT 06450 (United States)

2015-06-01

True coincidence summing (TCS) occurs when two or more photons are emitted from the same decay of a radioactive nuclide and are detected within the resolving time of the gamma ray detector. TCS changes the net peak areas of the affected full energy peaks in the spectrum and the nuclide activity is rendered inaccurate if no correction is performed. TCS is independent of the count rate, but it is strongly dependent on the peak and total efficiency, as well as the characteristics of a given nuclear decay. The TCS effects are very prominent for well detectors because of the high efficiencies, and make accounting for TCS a necessity. For CANBERRA's recently released Small Anode Germanium (SAGe) well detector, an extension to CANBERRA's mathematical efficiency calibration method (In Situ Object Calibration Software or ISOCS, and Laboratory SOurceless Calibration Software or LabSOCS) has been developed that allows for calculation of peak and total efficiencies for SAGe well detectors. The extension also makes it possible to calculate TCS corrections for well detectors using the standard algorithm provided with CANBERRAS's Spectroscopy software Genie 2000. The peak and total efficiencies from ISOCS/LabSOCS have been compared to MCNP with agreements within 3% for peak efficiencies and 10% for total efficiencies for energies above 30 keV. A sample containing Ra-226 daughters has been measured within the well and analyzed with and without TCS correction and applying the correction factor shows significant improvement of the activity determination for the energy range 46–2447 keV. The implementation of ISOCS/LabSOCS for well detectors offers a powerful tool for efficiency calibration for these detectors. The automated algorithm to correct for TCS effects in well detectors makes nuclide specific calibration unnecessary and offers flexibility in carrying out gamma spectral analysis.

Factors affecting nuclear development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stevens, G.H.; Girouard, P.

1995-01-01

Among the factors affecting nuclear development, some depend more or less on public authorities, but many are out of public authorities control (foreign policies, market and deregulation, socials and environmental impacts, public opinion). As far as possible, the following study tries to identify those factors. (D.L.). 2 photos

Entanglement verification with detection efficiency mismatch

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yanbao; Lütkenhaus, Norbert

Entanglement is a necessary condition for secure quantum key distribution (QKD). When there is an efficiency mismatch between various detectors used in the QKD system, it is still an open problem how to verify entanglement. Here we present a method to address this problem, given that the detection efficiency mismatch is characterized and known. The method works without assuming an upper bound on the number of photons going to each threshold detector. Our results suggest that the efficiency mismatch affects the ability to verify entanglement: the larger the efficiency mismatch is, the smaller the set of entangled states that can be verified becomes. When there is no mismatch, our method can verify entanglement even if the method based on squashing maps [PRL 101, 093601 (2008)] fails.

CENTRIFUGAL COMPRESSOR EFFICIENCY CALCULATION WITH HEAT TRANSFER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valeriu Dragan

2017-12-01

and manner under which the efficiency itself is calculated. The paper  presents a more robust approach to measuring efficiency, regardless of the heat transfer within the turbomachinery itself. Possible applications of the study may range from cold-start regime simulation to the optimization of inter-cooling setup or even flow angle control without mechanically actuated OGV

I/O Standard Based Thermal/Energy Efficient Green Communication For Wi-Fi Protected Access on FPGA

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kumar, Tanesh; Pandey, Bishwajeet; Das, Teerath

2014-01-01

In this paper, we analyzed how does life and reliability of an integrated circuit is affected when it is operated in different regions under different temperatures. We have taken Fibonacci generator as our target circuit and LVCMOS as I/O standards. WPA and WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access) key can...... be generated with Fibonacci generator. Here, thermal efficient green Fibonacci Generator is used to generate key for Wi-Fi Protected Access in order to make green communication possible under different room temperature. By analysis it is observed that at standard normal temperature (21degrees C), LVCMOS12 have...

75 FR 15893 - Tire Fuel Efficiency Consumer Information Program

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-30

... how much the proposed consumer information program would affect consumer tire purchasing behavior and... 575 Tire Fuel Efficiency Consumer Information Program; Final Rule #0;#0;Federal Register / Vol. 75, No... 2127-AK45 Tire Fuel Efficiency Consumer Information Program AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety...

Prospecting for Sustainable Investment Possibilities in Financial Markets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aleksandras Vytautas Rutkauskas

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The main objective of the paper is to analyse the author's proposed model, which is adequate for stock prices and currency exchange rates markets stochasticity, as well as discuss its application to investor's possibilities research in those markets. The paper is grounded on the hypothesis of stratification of stock profitability ratios, traded on the market. In other words, the concept of stratification means concentration into certain groups in risk-profitability plane. If the hypothesis proved overall, then a constructive scheme for investor's possibilities research in exchange and capital markets would appear, as well as efficient investment strategies would develop.

Efficiency factors of singlet oxygen generation from core-modified expanded porphyrin: tetrathiarubyrin in ethanol

CERN Document Server

Ha, J H; Kim, Y R; Jung, G Y; Lee, Y H; Shin, K

2001-01-01

The photophysical properties and the singlet oxygen generation efficiency of tetrathiarubyrin have been investigated to elucidate the possibility of its use as a photodynamic therapy (PDT) photosensitizer by steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic methods. The observed photophysical properties were affected by various molecular aspects, such as extended pi conjugation, structural distortion, and internal heavy atom. The steady-state electronic absorption spectrum was red-shifted due to the extended pi-conjugation, and the spin orbital coupling was enhanced by the structural distortion and the internal heavy atom effect. As a result of the enhanced spin orbital coupling, the triplet quantum yield increased to 0.90 +- 0.10 and the triplet state lifetime was shortened to 7.0 +- 1.2 mu s. Since the triplet state decays at a relatively faster rate, the efficiency of the oxygen quenching of the triplet state decreases. The singlet oxygen quantum yield was estimated to be 0.52 +- 0.02, which is somewhat lower t...

Combustion phasing for maximum efficiency for conventional and high efficiency engines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caton, Jerald A.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Combustion phasing for max efficiency is a function of engine parameters. • Combustion phasing is most affected by heat transfer, compression ratio, burn duration. • Combustion phasing is less affected by speed, load, equivalence ratio and EGR. • Combustion phasing for a high efficiency engine was more advanced. • Exergy destruction during combustion as functions of combustion phasing is reported. - Abstract: The importance of the phasing of the combustion event for internal-combustion engines is well appreciated, but quantitative details are sparse. The objective of the current work was to examine the optimum combustion phasing (based on maximum bmep) as functions of engine design and operating variables. A thermodynamic, engine cycle simulation was used to complete this assessment. As metrics for the combustion phasing, both the crank angle for 50% fuel mass burned (CA 50 ) and the crank angle for peak pressure (CA pp ) are reported as functions of the engine variables. In contrast to common statements in the literature, the optimum CA 50 and CA pp vary depending on the design and operating variables. Optimum, as used in this paper, refers to the combustion timing that provides the maximum bmep and brake thermal efficiency (MBT timing). For this work, the variables with the greatest influence on the optimum CA 50 and CA pp were the heat transfer level, the burn duration and the compression ratio. Other variables such as equivalence ratio, EGR level, engine speed and engine load had a much smaller impact on the optimum CA 50 and CA pp . For the conventional engine, for the conditions examined, the optimum CA 50 varied between about 5 and 11°aTDC, and the optimum CA pp varied between about 9 and 16°aTDC. For a high efficiency engine (high dilution, high compression ratio), the optimum CA 50 was 2.5°aTDC, and the optimum CA pp was 7.8°aTDC. These more advanced values for the optimum CA 50 and CA pp for the high efficiency engine were

Resource allocation based on cost efficiency

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dehnokhalaji, Akram; Ghiyasi, Mojtaba; Korhonen, Pekka

2017-01-01

-objective linear programming problem using two different strategies. First, we propose an RA model which keeps the cost efficiencies of units unchanged. This is done assuming fixed technical and allocative efficiencies. The approach is based on the assumption that the decision maker (DM) may not have big changes......In this paper, we consider a resource allocation (RA) problem and develop an approach based on cost (overall) efficiency. The aim is to allocate some inputs among decision making units (DMUs) in such way that their cost efficiencies improve or stay unchanged after RA. We formulate a multi...... in the structure of DMUs within a short term. The second strategy does not impose any restrictions on technical and allocative efficiencies. It guarantees that none of the cost efficiencies of DMUs get worse after RA, and the improvement for units is possible if it is feasible and beneficial. Two numerical...

New Source Review and coal plant efficiency gains: How new and forthcoming air regulations affect outcomes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adair, Sarah K.; Hoppock, David C.; Monast, Jonas J.

2014-01-01

Forthcoming carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) regulations for existing power plants in the United States have heightened interest in thermal efficiency gains for coal-fired power plants. Plant modifications to improve thermal efficiency can trigger New Source Review (NSR), a Clean Air Act requirement to adopt of state-of-the-art pollution controls. This article explores whether existing coal plants would likely face additional pollution control requirements if they undertake modifications that trigger NSR. Despite emissions controls that are or will be installed under the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) and Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) or its replacement, 80% of coal units (76% of capacity) that are expected to remain in operation are not projected to meet the minimum NSR requirements for at least one pollutant: nitrogen oxides or sulfur dioxide. This is an important consideration for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state policymakers as they determine the extent to which CO 2 regulation will rely on unit-by-unit thermal efficiency gains versus potential flexible compliance strategies such as averaging, trading, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. NSR would likely delay and add cost to thermal efficiency projects at a majority of coal units, including projects undertaken to comply with forthcoming CO 2 regulation. - Highlights: • We explore the status of the U.S. coal-fired fleet relative to New Source Review (NSR) requirements. • Modifications to improve thermal efficiency can trigger NSR. • Thermal efficiency gains may also be an important strategy for forthcoming CO 2 regulation. • 80% Of non-retiring coal-fired units are projected not to meet minimum NSR requirements. • NSR is an important consideration for the design of CO 2 regulations for existing plants

Genetic defects in DNA repair system and enhancement of intergenote transformation efficiency in Bacillus subtilis Marburg

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsumoto, K.; Takahashi, H.; Saito, H.; Ikeda, Y.

1978-01-01

Mechanisms of inefficiency in heterospecies transformation were studied with a transformation system consisting of Bacillus subtilis 168TI (trpC2thy) as recipient and of DNA prepared from partially hybrid strains of B. subtilis which had incorporated trp + DNA of B. amyloliquefaciens 203 (formerly, B. megaterium 203) in the chromosome (termed intergenote). The intergenote transformation was not so efficient as the corresponding homospecies transformation and the efficiency appeared to relate inversely with the length of heterologous portion in the intergenote. When a variety of ultraviolet light (UV) sensitive mutants, deficient in host-cell reactivation capacity, were used as recipients for the intergenote transformation, 2 out of 16 mutants exhibited significantly enhanced transformation efficiency of the trpC marker. Genetic studies by transformation showed that the trait relating to the enhancement of intergenote-transformation efficiency was always associated with the UV sensitivity, suggesting that these two traits are determined by a single gene. The efficiency of intergenote transformation was highly affected also by DNA concentration; the lower the concentration, the less the efficiency. When, however, the UV sensitive mutant was used as recipient, the effect of DNA concentration was largely diminished, suggesting the reduction of DNA-inactivating activity in the UV sensitive recipient. These results were discussed in relation to a possible excision-repair system selectively correcting the mismatched DNA in the course of intergenote transformation. (orig.) [de

The RAE and University Efficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Mace, John

2000-01-01

Evaluates effects of the new British funding formula for universities, based on the research assessment exercise (RAE). Compares effects of the RAE on two contrasting universities and finds the RAE has dramatically affected university organization, teaching, and research. RAE may have increased efficiency in teaching and research but encourages…

Possibilities of an efficient noise damping in the large gas-fueled boilers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

This report describes a series of tests with the objective to develop a technique for active control, and suppression of unstable conditions of combustion in gas-fired boiler systems. The primary target group for this report are persons within the energy sector, including especially users of natural gas. Focus has been given more to the practical possibilities and limitations than to complicated acoustical theory. The technical background for this work is constituted by the latest innovations within active noise cancelling methods for low frequent noise in channel- and pipe shaped systems, such as heating-, air-and exhaust systems. The fundamental idea has been to implement already functioning and commercial available systems for active noise cancellation in an modified setup to a gasfired boiler system. A few examples of similar attempts are given. Latest a relatively successful example of actively controlling an unstable combustion in a channel shaped burner system (CNRS Paris 1993). The conclusion of the project is anyway, that unstable combustion in larger gasfired boilers can not be controlled by the active methods and systems known today. The reasons for this are: the flame and thus the noise source are distributed in space, the acoustical wave-propagation in the combustion chamber is complex and with low damping, several loops for unstable combustion are possible. Within this project special sensors for high temperatures are developed, e.g.: probe microphones, high temperature turbulence screens and a system for measuring of the variations in UV-light emission form the flame. These systems are applicable also for more 'traditional active noise cancellation' of low-frequent noise in exhaust pipes and chimneys. (au)

Implementing batteries in electrical grids. Possible operating modes for efficient business cases

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kittlaus, Barnabas; Schreider, Achim; Pour, Adel Hassan [Lahmeyer International GmbH, Bad Vilbel (Germany)

2010-07-01

For almost two decades, there has been a global trend towards the deregulation and the liberalisation of electricity markets. Previously, national or regional monopolistic utility companies provided services along the entire supply chain of electricity supply: Beginning with the operation of power plants and thus the generation of electricity, continuing through the development and the operation of transmission and local distribution grids, to the connection points. Since all assets belonged to the utility company, they could easily access generation units in order to provide balancing power for the safe and reliable operation of the electricity networks. With the objective of a more efficient and cheaper electricity supply by enabling competition, European Directive 96/92/EC (repealed by 2003/53/EC) enacted so-called ''unbundling'' which meant the break-up of utility companies as full service suppliers into the three service oriented entities; for electricity generation, transmission and supply. Whereas previously a single utility company provided the balancing of the electricity grid with its own assets, as a consequence of the directive, markets developed for the provision of diverse technical services. As long as the utility companies provided these services on their own, technical rather than economic aspects prevailed in their investment decisions. With the establishment of open markets for primary, secondary and tertiary reserve power, commercial interfaces had been established which force the respective specialised market actor to investment decisions driven primarily by economic aspects. At nearly the same time - around two decades ago, the first renewable energy systems (RES) provided electricity to public grids. In the 1990's their share of the overall electricity mix was negligible, but since the beginning of the new millennium more and more countries recognised the ecological and economic advantages of RES and established incentive systems for their

Possibilities for sustainable biorefineries based on agricultural residues – A case study of potential straw-based ethanol production in Sweden

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ekman, Anna; Wallberg, Ola; Joelsson, Elisabeth; Börjesson, Pål

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Biorefineries can produce ethanol, biogas, heat and power efficiently with profit. ► Location of plant is decided by raw material supply in the region. ► Increased production of high value compounds affects profitability. ► Energy efficiency is increased by availability of heat sinks. ► Several locations may be suitable for construction of a biorefinery plant. -- Abstract: This study presents a survey of the most important techno-economic factors for the implementation of biorefineries based on agricultural residues, in the form of straw, and biochemical conversion into ethanol and biogas, together with production of electricity and heat. The paper suggests locations where the necessary conditions can be met in Sweden. The requirements identified are regional availability of feedstock, the possibility to integrate with external heat sinks, appropriate process design and the scale of the plant. The scale of the plant should be adapted to the potential, regional, raw-material supply, but still be large enough to give economies of scale. The integration with heat sinks proved to be most important to achieve high energy-efficiency, but it was of somewhat less importance for the profitability. Development of pentose fermentation, leading to higher ethanol yields, was important to gain high profitability. Promising locations were identified in the county of Östergötland where integration with an existing 1st generation ethanol plant and district heating systems (DHSs) is possible, and in the county of Skåne where both a significant, potential straw supply and integration potential with DHSs are available.

Energy efficiency in Swedish industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Shanshan; Lundgren, Tommy; Zhou, Wenchao

2016-01-01

This paper assesses energy efficiency in Swedish industry. Using unique firm-level panel data covering the years 2001–2008, the efficiency estimates are obtained for firms in 14 industrial sectors by using data envelopment analysis (DEA). The analysis accounts for multi-output technologies where undesirable outputs are produced alongside with the desirable output. The results show that there was potential to improve energy efficiency in all the sectors and relatively large energy inefficiencies existed in small energy-use industries in the sample period. Also, we assess how the EU ETS, the carbon dioxide (CO_2) tax and the energy tax affect energy efficiency by conducting a second-stage regression analysis. To obtain consistent estimates for the regression model, we apply a modified, input-oriented version of the double bootstrap procedure of Simar and Wilson (2007). The results of the regression analysis reveal that the EU ETS and the CO_2 tax did not have significant influences on energy efficiency in the sample period. However, the energy tax had a positive relation with the energy efficiency. - Highlights: • We use DEA to estimate firm-level energy efficiency in Swedish industry. • We examine impacts of climate and energy policies on energy efficiency. • The analyzed policies are Swedish carbon and energy taxes and the EU ETS. • Carbon tax and EU ETS did not have significant influences on energy efficiency. • The energy tax had a positive relation with energy efficiency.

Radiochemical methods to enhance efficiency of α-spectral measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silkina, G.P.; Artem'ev, O.I.

2001-01-01

The paper describes possible ways to improve a plutonium radiochemical separation technique developed in the Khlopin Radium Institute and modify it to account for the site-specific features of samples from the former Semipalatinsk test site (STS) and enhance the alpha spectrometry efficiency.The paper describes possible ways to improve a plutonium radiochemical separation technique developed in the Khlopin Radium Institute and modify it to account for the site-specific features of samples from the former Semipalatinsk test site (STS) and enhance the alpha spectrometry efficiency. (author)

Electronic monitoring of patients with bipolar affective disorder

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacoby, Anne Sophie; Faurholt-Jepsen, Maria; Vinberg, Maj

2012-01-01

Bipolar disorder is a great challenge to patients, relatives and clinicians, and there is a need for development of new methods to identify prodromal symptoms of affective episodes in order to provide efficient preventive medical and behavioural intervention. Clinical trials prove that electronic...... monitoring is a feasible, valid and acceptable method. Hence it is recommended, that controlled trials on the effect of electronic monitoring on patients' course of illness, level of function and quality of life are conducted.......Bipolar disorder is a great challenge to patients, relatives and clinicians, and there is a need for development of new methods to identify prodromal symptoms of affective episodes in order to provide efficient preventive medical and behavioural intervention. Clinical trials prove that electronic...

Energy efficiency of high-rise buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Zhigulina, Anna Yu.; Ponomarenko, Alla M.

2018-03-01

The article is devoted to analysis of tendencies and advanced technologies in the field of energy supply and energy efficiency of tall buildings, to the history of the emergence of the concept of "efficiency" and its current interpretation. Also the article show the difference of evaluation criteria of the leading rating systems LEED and BREEAM. Authors reviewed the latest technologies applied in the construction of energy efficient buildings. Methodological approach to the design of tall buildings taking into account energy efficiency needs to include the primary energy saving; to seek the possibility of production and accumulation of alternative electric energy by converting energy from the sun and wind with the help of special technical devices; the application of regenerative technologies.

Parallel Plate Chambers and their possible use in LHC experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arefiev, A.; Bencze, Gy.L.; Bizzeti, A.; Choumilov, E.; Civinini, C.; D'Alessandro, R.; Dajko, G.; Fenyvesi, A.; Ferrando, A.; Fouz, M.C.; Iglesias, A.; Ivochkin, V.; Maggi, F.; Malinin, A.; Martinez-Laso, L.; Meschini, M.; Molnar, J.; Pojidaev, V.; Szoncso, F.; Wulz, C.E.

1995-01-01

Present status of Parallel Plate Chambers (PPC) is reviewed. After a description of this detector, results from tests concerning PPC efficiency uniformity, radiation hardness, and behaviour in electromagnetic calorimetry are presented. Some possible utilizations in LHC experiments are mentioned. (orig.)

Method of oocyte activation affects cloning efficiency in pigs.

Science.gov (United States)

Whitworth, Kristin M; Li, Rongfeng; Spate, Lee D; Wax, David M; Rieke, August; Whyte, Jeffrey J; Manandhar, Gaurishankar; Sutovsky, Miriam; Green, Jonathan A; Sutovsky, Peter; Prather, Randall S

2009-05-01

The following experiments compared the efficiency of three fusion/activation protocols following somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) with porcine somatic cells transfected with enhanced green fluorescent protein driven by the chicken beta-actin/rabbit beta-globin hybrid promoter (pCAGG-EGFP). The three protocols included electrical fusion/activation (NT1), electrical fusion/activation followed by treatment with a reversible proteasomal inhibitor MG132 (NT2) and electrical fusion in low Ca(2+) followed by chemical activation with thimerosal/dithiothreitol (NT3). Data were collected at Days 6, 12, 14, 30, and 114 of gestation. Fusion rates, blastocyst-stage mean cell numbers, recovery rates, and pregnancy rates were calculated and compared between protocols. Fusion rates were significantly higher for NT1 and NT2 compared to NT3 (P NT1 (71.4%, n = 28; P 0.05). All fusion/activation treatments produced live, pCAGG-EGFP positive piglets from SCNT. Treatment with MG132 after fusion/activation of reconstructed porcine embryos was the most effective method when comparing the overall pregnancy rates. The beneficial effect of NT2 protocol may be due to the stimulation of proteasomes that infiltrate donor cell nucleus shortly after nuclear transfer. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Innovative-Simplified Nuclear Power Plant Efficiency Evaluation with High-Efficiency Steam Injector System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shoji, Goto; Shuichi, Ohmori; Michitsugu, Mori

2006-01-01

It is possible to establish simplified system with reduced space and total equipment weight using high-efficiency Steam Injectors (SI) instead of low-pressure feedwater heaters in Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). The SI works as a heat exchanger through direct contact between feedwater from condensers and extracted steam from turbines. It can get higher pressure than supplied steam pressure. The maintenance and reliability are still higher than the feedwater ones because SI has no movable parts. This paper describes the analysis of the heat balance, plant efficiency and the operation of this Innovative-Simplified NPP with high-efficiency SI. The plant efficiency and operation are compared with the electric power of 1100 MWe-class BWR system and the Innovative-Simplified BWR system with SI. The SI model is adapted into the heat balance simulator with a simplified model. The results show that plant efficiencies of the Innovated-Simplified BWR system are almost equal to original BWR ones. The present research is one of the projects that are carried out by Tokyo Electric Power Company, Toshiba Corporation, and six Universities in Japan, funded from the Institute of Applied Energy (IAE) of Japan as the national public research-funded program. (authors)

SIMULATIONS OF BOOSTER INJECTION EFFICIENCY FOR THE APS-UPGRADE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Calvey, J.; Borland, M.; Harkay, K.; Lindberg, R.; Yao, C.-Y.

2017-06-25

The APS-Upgrade will require the injector chain to provide high single bunch charge for swap-out injection. One possible limiting factor to achieving this is an observed reduction of injection efficiency into the booster synchrotron at high charge. We have simulated booster injection using the particle tracking code elegant, including a model for the booster impedance and beam loading in the RF cavities. The simulations point to two possible causes for reduced efficiency: energy oscillations leading to losses at high dispersion locations, and a vertical beam size blowup caused by ions in the Particle Accumulator Ring. We also show that the efficiency is much higher in an alternate booster lattice with smaller vertical beta function and zero dispersion in the straight sections.

Regeneration in Jatropha curcas: Factors affecting the efficiency of in vitro regeneration

KAUST Repository

Sharma, Sweta K.; Kumar, Nitish Chandramohana; Reddy, Muppala P.

2011-01-01

Factors influencing in vitro regeneration through direct shoot bud induction from hypocotyl explants of Jatropha curcas were studied in the present investigation. Regeneration in J. curcas was found to be genotype dependent and out of four toxic and one non-toxic genotype studied, non-toxic was least responsive. The best results irrespective of genotype were obtained on the medium containing 0.5mgL-1 TDZ (Thidiazuron) and in vitro hypocotyl explants were observed to have higher regeneration efficiency as compared to ex vitro explant in both toxic and non-toxic genotypes. Adventitious shoot buds could be induced from the distal end of explants in all the genotypes. The number of shoot buds formed and not the number of explants responding to TDZ treatment were significantly affected by the position of the explant on the seedling axis. Explants from younger seedlings (≤15 days) were still juvenile and formed callus easily, whereas the regeneration response declined with increase in age of seedlings after 30 days. Transient reduction of Ca2+ concentrations to 0.22gL-1 in the germination medium increased the number of responding explants.Induced shoot buds, upon transfer to MS medium containing 2mgL-1 Kn (Kinetin) and 1mgL-1 BAP (6-benzylamino purine) elongated. These elongated shoots were further proliferated on MS medium supplemented with 1.5mgL-1 IAA (indole-3-acetic acid) and 0.5mgL-1 BAP and 3.01-3.91cm elongation was achieved after 6 weeks. No genotype specific variance in shoot elongation was observed among the toxic genotypes except the CSMCRI-JC2, which showed reduced response. And for proliferation among the toxic genotypes, CSMCRI-JC4 showed highest number of shoots formed. Among the rest, no significant differences were observed. The elongated shoot could be rooted by pulse treatment on half-strength MS medium supplemented with 2% sucrose, 3mgL-1 IBA (indole-3-butyric acid), 1mgL-1 IAA, 1mgL-1 NAA (α-naphthalene acetic acid) and subsequent transfer on 0

Regeneration in Jatropha curcas: Factors affecting the efficiency of in vitro regeneration

KAUST Repository

Sharma, Sweta K.

2011-07-01

Factors influencing in vitro regeneration through direct shoot bud induction from hypocotyl explants of Jatropha curcas were studied in the present investigation. Regeneration in J. curcas was found to be genotype dependent and out of four toxic and one non-toxic genotype studied, non-toxic was least responsive. The best results irrespective of genotype were obtained on the medium containing 0.5mgL-1 TDZ (Thidiazuron) and in vitro hypocotyl explants were observed to have higher regeneration efficiency as compared to ex vitro explant in both toxic and non-toxic genotypes. Adventitious shoot buds could be induced from the distal end of explants in all the genotypes. The number of shoot buds formed and not the number of explants responding to TDZ treatment were significantly affected by the position of the explant on the seedling axis. Explants from younger seedlings (≤15 days) were still juvenile and formed callus easily, whereas the regeneration response declined with increase in age of seedlings after 30 days. Transient reduction of Ca2+ concentrations to 0.22gL-1 in the germination medium increased the number of responding explants.Induced shoot buds, upon transfer to MS medium containing 2mgL-1 Kn (Kinetin) and 1mgL-1 BAP (6-benzylamino purine) elongated. These elongated shoots were further proliferated on MS medium supplemented with 1.5mgL-1 IAA (indole-3-acetic acid) and 0.5mgL-1 BAP and 3.01-3.91cm elongation was achieved after 6 weeks. No genotype specific variance in shoot elongation was observed among the toxic genotypes except the CSMCRI-JC2, which showed reduced response. And for proliferation among the toxic genotypes, CSMCRI-JC4 showed highest number of shoots formed. Among the rest, no significant differences were observed. The elongated shoot could be rooted by pulse treatment on half-strength MS medium supplemented with 2% sucrose, 3mgL-1 IBA (indole-3-butyric acid), 1mgL-1 IAA, 1mgL-1 NAA (α-naphthalene acetic acid) and subsequent transfer on 0

Energy Efficiency Indicators Methodology Booklet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sathaye, Jayant; Price, Lynn; McNeil, Michael; de la rue du Can, Stephane

2010-05-01

This Methodology Booklet provides a comprehensive review and methodology guiding principles for constructing energy efficiency indicators, with illustrative examples of application to individual countries. It reviews work done by international agencies and national government in constructing meaningful energy efficiency indicators that help policy makers to assess changes in energy efficiency over time. Building on past OECD experience and best practices, and the knowledge of these countries' institutions, relevant sources of information to construct an energy indicator database are identified. A framework based on levels of hierarchy of indicators -- spanning from aggregate, macro level to disaggregated end-use level metrics -- is presented to help shape the understanding of assessing energy efficiency. In each sector of activity: industry, commercial, residential, agriculture and transport, indicators are presented and recommendations to distinguish the different factors affecting energy use are highlighted. The methodology booklet addresses specifically issues that are relevant to developing indicators where activity is a major factor driving energy demand. A companion spreadsheet tool is available upon request.

Efficiency and Import Penetrationon the Productivity of Textile Industry and Textile Products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Catur Basuki Rakhmawan

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Although textile industry and textile products belong to the strategic sub-sector of manufacturing industry in Indonesia, they are facing problems on the availability of energy, old production machines, and the flooding of imported products into the domestic market. This study is aimed to analyze the efficiency and productivity as performance indicators and how the efficiency and import penetration affect the productivity of textile industry and textile products. The methods of data analysis used in this research are divided in two phases. The first phase, the non-metric approach of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA is applied to measure the efficiency and productivity. Secondly, the fixed effect model of econometric regression approach is used to find out the effects of efficiency and import penetration on the productivity of textile industry and textile products. The result shows that the ave-rage level of efficiency of textile industry and textile products during the period of 2004 – 2008 is about 40 percent with a growth rate of average productivity increases 2.4 percent. Whereas, the econometric estimation results indicate that the increase of efficiency will positively and significantly affect the productivity of textile industry and textile products. On the other hand, the increase of import penetration will negatively affect the productivity of this industry.

Cleanroom Energy Efficiency Workshop Proceedings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tschudi, Bill

1999-03-15

On March 15, 1999, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory hosted a workshop focused on energy efficiency in Cleanroom facilities. The workshop was held as part of a multiyear effort sponsored by the California Institute for Energy Efficiency, and the California Energy Commission. It is part of a project that concentrates on improving energy efficiency in Laboratory type facilities including cleanrooms. The project targets the broad market of laboratory and cleanroom facilities, and thus cross-cuts many different industries and institutions. This workshop was intended to raise awareness by sharing case study success stories, providing a forum for industry networking on energy issues, contributing LBNL expertise in research to date, determining barriers to implementation and possible solutions, and soliciting input for further research.

A Case Study of How Organisational Members do Affect the Balancing of Exploitation and Exploration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andreassen, Mads R.

2008-01-01

study using semi-structured interviews and observation techniques this paper explores exploitation and exploration in a Danish industrial manufacture. Findings suggest that conditions affecting the balance between exploitation and exploration activities would depend on how an organisational member......Combing operations between the main parties in integration of new products, efficiently, are in practice for most organisations a challenging task demanding strong organisational capabilities, and in accordance to literature, achieving a successfully combination would be possible through...... an organisation's ability to establish dual capabilities in terms of exploitation and exploration (March, 1991). Few studies, however, suggest a classification of which organisational conditions would support a balance allowing exploitation and exploration operating side by side. Based on a single indept case...

Human, donkey and cow milk differently affects energy efficiency and inflammatory state by modulating mitochondrial function and gut microbiota.

Science.gov (United States)

Trinchese, Giovanna; Cavaliere, Gina; Canani, Roberto Berni; Matamoros, Sebastien; Bergamo, Paolo; De Filippo, Chiara; Aceto, Serena; Gaita, Marcello; Cerino, Pellegrino; Negri, Rossella; Greco, Luigi; Cani, Patrice D; Mollica, Maria Pina

2015-11-01

Different nutritional components are able, by modulating mitochondrial function and gut microbiota composition, to influence body composition, metabolic homeostasis and inflammatory state. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects produced by the supplementation of different milks on energy balance, inflammatory state, oxidative stress and antioxidant/detoxifying enzyme activities and to investigate the role of the mitochondrial efficiency and the gut microbiota in the regulation of metabolic functions in an animal model. We compared the intake of human milk, gold standard for infant nutrition, with equicaloric supplementation of donkey milk, the best substitute for newborns due to its nutritional properties, and cow milk, the primary marketed product. The results showed a hypolipidemic effect produced by donkey and human milk intake in parallel with enhanced mitochondrial activity/proton leakage. Reduced mitochondrial energy efficiency and proinflammatory signals (tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin-1 and lipopolysaccharide levels) were associated with a significant increase of antioxidants (total thiols) and detoxifying enzyme activities (glutathione-S-transferase, NADH quinone oxidoreductase) in donkey- and human milk-treated animals. The beneficial effects were attributable, at least in part, to the activation of the nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor-2 pathway. Moreover, the metabolic benefits induced by human and donkey milk may be related to the modulation of gut microbiota. In fact, milk treatments uniquely affected the proportions of bacterial phyla and genera, and we hypothesized that the increased concentration of fecal butyrate in human and donkey milk-treated rats was related to the improved lipid and glucose metabolism and detoxifying activities. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Efficient GPU-based skyline computation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bøgh, Kenneth Sejdenfaden; Assent, Ira; Magnani, Matteo

2013-01-01

The skyline operator for multi-criteria search returns the most interesting points of a data set with respect to any monotone preference function. Existing work has almost exclusively focused on efficiently computing skylines on one or more CPUs, ignoring the high parallelism possible in GPUs. In...

Enhanced efficiency of internal combustion engines by employing spinning gas.

Science.gov (United States)

Geyko, V I; Fisch, N J

2014-08-01

The efficiency of the internal combustion engine might be enhanced by employing spinning gas. A gas spinning at near sonic velocities has an effectively higher heat capacity, which allows practical fuel cycles, which are far from the Carnot efficiency, to approach more closely the Carnot efficiency. A remarkable gain in fuel efficiency is shown to be theoretically possible for the Otto and Diesel cycles. The use of a flywheel, in principle, could produce even greater increases in efficiency.

Supernovae Discovery Efficiency

Science.gov (United States)

John, Colin

2018-01-01

Abstract:We present supernovae (SN) search efficiency measurements for recent Hubble Space Telescope (HST) surveys. Efficiency is a key component to any search, and is important parameter as a correction factor for SN rates. To achieve an accurate value for efficiency, many supernovae need to be discoverable in surveys. This cannot be achieved from real SN only, due to their scarcity, so fake SN are planted. These fake supernovae—with a goal of realism in mind—yield an understanding of efficiency based on position related to other celestial objects, and brightness. To improve realism, we built a more accurate model of supernovae using a point-spread function. The next improvement to realism is planting these objects close to galaxies and of various parameters of brightness, magnitude, local galactic brightness and redshift. Once these are planted, a very accurate SN is visible and discoverable by the searcher. It is very important to find factors that affect this discovery efficiency. Exploring the factors that effect detection yields a more accurate correction factor. Further inquires into efficiency give us a better understanding of image processing, searching techniques and survey strategies, and result in an overall higher likelihood to find these events in future surveys with Hubble, James Webb, and WFIRST telescopes. After efficiency is discovered and refined with many unique surveys, it factors into measurements of SN rates versus redshift. By comparing SN rates vs redshift against the star formation rate we can test models to determine how long star systems take from the point of inception to explosion (delay time distribution). This delay time distribution is compared to SN progenitors models to get an accurate idea of what these stars were like before their deaths.

Time step length versus efficiency of Monte Carlo burnup calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dufek, Jan; Valtavirta, Ville

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Time step length largely affects efficiency of MC burnup calculations. • Efficiency of MC burnup calculations improves with decreasing time step length. • Results were obtained from SIE-based Monte Carlo burnup calculations. - Abstract: We demonstrate that efficiency of Monte Carlo burnup calculations can be largely affected by the selected time step length. This study employs the stochastic implicit Euler based coupling scheme for Monte Carlo burnup calculations that performs a number of inner iteration steps within each time step. In a series of calculations, we vary the time step length and the number of inner iteration steps; the results suggest that Monte Carlo burnup calculations get more efficient as the time step length is reduced. More time steps must be simulated as they get shorter; however, this is more than compensated by the decrease in computing cost per time step needed for achieving a certain accuracy

Dopamine D4 Receptor Polymorphism and Sex Interact to Predict Children's Affective Knowledge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sharon eBen-Israel

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Affective knowledge, the ability to understand others’ emotional states, is considered to be a fundamental part in efficient social interaction. Affective knowledge can be seen as related to cognitive empathy, and in the framework of Theory of Mind (ToM as affective ToM. Previous studies found that cognitive empathy and ToM are heritable, yet little is known regarding the specific genes involved in individual variability in affective knowledge. Investigating the genetic basis of affective knowledge is important for understanding brain mechanisms underlying socio-cognitive abilities. The 7-repeat (7R allele within the third exon of the Dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4-III has been a focus of interest, due to accumulated knowledge regarding its relevance to individual differences in prosocial behavior. A recent study suggests that an interaction between the DRD4-III polymorphism and sex is associated with cognitive empathy among adults. We aimed to examine the same association in two childhood age groups. Children (N = 280, age 3.5 years, N = 283, age 5 years participated as part of the Longitudinal Israel Study of Twins (LIST. Affective knowledge was assessed through children’s responses to an illustrated story describing different emotional situations, told in a laboratory setting. The findings suggest a significant interaction between sex and the DRD4-III polymorphism, replicated in both age groups. Boy carriers of the 7R allele had higher affective knowledge scores than girls, whereas in the absence of the 7R there was no significant sex effect on affective knowledge. The results support the importance of DRD4-III polymorphism and sex differences to social development. Possible explanations for differences from adult findings are discussed, as are pathways for future studies.

Analysis of efficiency of the Brazilian international airports

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marina Rodriguez Brochado

2008-07-01

Brazil. Analysis of correlations was used to select the 0 variable most representative of this system and after that, it was calculated efficiency of the system for classic and inverted the borders by means of model BCC guided for output. Finally, it was possible to identify which improvements are necessary for the inefficient airports, in way to identify which improvements are necessary to operational level to reach the efficiency. Key-words: Data Envelopment Analysis, Efficiency, Airports.

The influence pattern of key factors affecting the purpose of organizational excellence consulting on the efficiency of businesses consulting services (A case study of small and medium-size food enterprises in Tehran province

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mansour Ezati Jivan

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Consulting helps managers or other people find appropriate solutions for challenges they face in their businesses. Most of the losses incurred by the people and the society could be prevented using appropriate consultation. Consultation, also, refers to people's participation in decision making. Despite dramatic development in management consulting industry in the world during the last three decades, consulting industry in Iran has faced numerous challenges. This study aims to examine the factors affecting the efficiency of management consulting services in small and medium-sized businesses and it focuses on food industries in Tehran as a real-world case study. The necessary suggestions regarding the hiring of a consultant and increasing the efficiency of management consulting services in business have been offered in this study. Some recommendations deal with the way that management consultants should respond to the managers' needs, act as a reliable and efficient adviser in public or private businesses and find their position in the Iranian market. The conceptual model of this study shows the influence of key factors affecting the purpose of consulting on the efficiency of management consulting services. To do the research, 90 people are selected as the sample size in a descriptive study with random sampling of the managers of aforementioned companies using a questionnaire. Cronbach’s alpha method was used to assess the reliability of the questionnaire. For assessing the validity of the questionnaire, we use standard questionnaire, which has already been used.

Harmful Effects of Formaldehyde and Possible Protective Effect of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2017-05-22

May 22, 2017 ... the ocular and respiratory system, but it also affects the nervous and genital system. ... possible protective effect of Nigella sativa on the trachea of rats. Niger ..... Vitamin A deficiency in the tracheal epithelium of rats has been ...

A Numerical and Experimental Study of Local Exhaust Capture Efficiency

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, U.; Breum, N. O.; Nielsen, Peter Vilhelm

1993-01-01

Direct capture efficiency of a local exhaust system is defined by introducing an imaginary control box surrounding the contaminant source and the exhaust opening. The imaginary box makes it possible to distinguish between contaminants directly captured and those that escape. Two methods for estim...... location is less important for the case studied. The choice of sampling strategy to obtain a representative background concentration is essential as substantial differences on direct capture efficiency are found. Recommendations are given......Direct capture efficiency of a local exhaust system is defined by introducing an imaginary control box surrounding the contaminant source and the exhaust opening. The imaginary box makes it possible to distinguish between contaminants directly captured and those that escape. Two methods...... for estimation of direct capture efficiency are given: (1) a numerical method based on the time-averaged Navier-Stokes equations for turbulent flows; and (2) a field method based on a representative background concentration. Direct capture efficiency is sensitive to the size of the control box, whereas its...

The experience sampling method: Investigating students' affective experience

Science.gov (United States)

Nissen, Jayson M.; Stetzer, MacKenzie R.; Shemwell, Jonathan T.

2013-01-01

Improving non-cognitive outcomes such as attitudes, efficacy, and persistence in physics courses is an important goal of physics education. This investigation implemented an in-the-moment surveying technique called the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) [1] to measure students' affective experience in physics. Measurements included: self-efficacy, cognitive efficiency, activation, intrinsic motivation, and affect. Data are presented that show contrasts in students' experiences (e.g., in physics vs. non-physics courses).

Efficiency of scanning automatons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shkundenkov, V.N.

1977-01-01

Investigated are the methods for improving the efficiency of the picture processing system based on an automatic scanner. Discussed are two types of such a system. In the first case the system contains both automatic and semi-automatic scanners. In the second case the system includes only the automatic scanners with the man-to-computer dialog facilities. For analyzing the role of the automatic scanner and the role of the operator in the processing system use is made of the processing system balance equation. It is proved that the picture processing system should be designed in two steps. The first step should, by all means, insure high efficiency in processing but the high capacity is not obligatory. The second step is aimed at higher capacity along with high efficiency. So, such a two-step designing makes it possible to solve the problem of higher capacity and lesser cost of picture processing

Production possibility frontier analysis of biodiesel from waste cooking oil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kagawa, Shigemi; Takezono, Kanako; Suh, Sangwon; Kudoh, Yuki

2013-01-01

This paper presents an assessment of the productive efficiency of an advanced biodiesel plant in Japan using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The empirical analysis uses monthly input data (waste cooking oil, methanol, potassium hydroxide, power consumption, and the truck diesel fuel used for the procurement of waste cooking oil) and output data (biodiesel) of a biodiesel fuel plant for August 2008–July 2010. The results of this study show that the production activity with the lowest cost on the biodiesel production possibility frontier occurred in March 2010 (production activity used 1.41 kL of waste cooking oil, 0.18 kL of MeOH, 16.33 kg of KOH, and 5.45 kW h of power), and the unit production cost in that month was 18,517 yen/kL. Comparing this efficient production cost to the mean unit production cost on the production possibility frontier at 19,712 yen/kL, revealed that the cost of producing 1 kL of biodiesel could be reduced by as much as 1195 yen. We also find that the efficiency improvement will contribute to decreasing the cost ratio (cost per sale) of the biodiesel production by approximately 1% during the study period (24 months) between August 2008 and July 2010. - Highlights: ► This paper analyzes the productive efficiency of an advanced biodiesel plant using DEA. ► We examine the optimal production activities of biodiesel from waste cooking oil. ► Considering the production frontier, the unit cost of biodiesel could be reduced by 1195 yen. ► The efficiency improvement contributes to decreasing the cost ratio of the biodiesel by 1%

Comparative Analysis of Possible Designs for Flexible Distribution System Operation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lin, Jeremy; Knezovic, Katarina

2016-01-01

for achieving the most efficient utilization of these resources while meeting the forecasted load. In this paper, we present possible system design frameworks proposed for flexible distribution system operation. Critical evaluations and comparison of these models are made based on a number of key attributes...

Possibility logic applied to pressure vessel residual lifetime prediction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garribba, S.; Lucia, A.C.; Volta, G.

1985-01-01

The adequacy is discussed of a probability measure to deal with the different types of uncertainty affecting any pressure vessel lifetime prediction. A more comprehensive framework derived from the fuzzy set theory and including as particular case possibility and probability measures is considered. With reference to the most critical step of lifetime assessment (the ND inspection), the paper compares the results, obtained adopting a possibility measure or a probability measure, in the representation models, fault tree-event tree, and in the decision models

Energy efficiency and renewables policies: Promoting efficiency or facilitating monopsony?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brennan, Timothy J.

2011-01-01

The cliche in the electricity sector, the 'cheapest power plant is the one we don't build,' neglects the benefits of the energy that plant would generate. That economy-wide perspective need not apply in considering benefits to only consumers if not building that plant was the exercise of monopsony power. A regulator maximizing consumer welfare may need to avoid rationing demand at monopsony prices. Subsidizing energy efficiency to reduce electricity demand at the margin can solve that problem, if energy efficiency and electricity use are substitutes. Renewable energy subsidies, percentage use standards, or feed in tariffs may also serve monopsony as well with sufficient inelasticity in fossil fuel electricity supply. We may not observe these effects if the regulator can set price as well as quantity, lacks buyer-side market power, or is legally precluded from denying generators a reasonable return on capital. Nevertheless, the possibility of monopsony remains significant in light of the debate as to whether antitrust enforcement should maximize consumer welfare or total welfare. - Research Highlights: → Subsidizing energy efficiency can promote monopsony, if efficiency and use are substitutes. → Renewable energy subsidies, portfolio standards, or feed-in tariffs may also promote monopsony. → Effects require buyer-side market power and ability to deny generators a reasonable return. → Monopsony is significant in light of whether antitrust should maximize consumer or total welfare.

Natural gas contracts in efficient portfolios

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sutherland, R.J.

1994-12-01

This report addresses the {open_quotes}contracts portfolio{close_quotes} issue of natural gas contracts in support of the Domestic Natural Gas and Oil Initiative (DGOI) published by the U.S. Department of Energy in 1994. The analysis is a result of a collaborative effort with the Public Service Commission of the State of Maryland to consider {open_quotes}reforms that enhance the industry`s competitiveness{close_quotes}. The initial focus of our collaborative effort was on gas purchasing and contract portfolios; however, it became apparent that efficient contracting to purchase and use gas requires a broader consideration of regulatory reform. Efficient portfolios are obtained when the holder of the portfolio is affected by and is responsible for the performance of the portfolio. Natural gas distribution companies may prefer a diversity of contracts, but the efficient use of gas requires that the local distribution company be held accountable for its own purchases. Ultimate customers are affected by their own portfolios, which they manage efficiently by making their own choices. The objectives of the DGOI, particularly the efficient use of gas, can be achieved when customers have access to suppliers of gas and energy services under an improved regulatory framework. The evolution of the natural gas market during the last 15 years is described to account for the changing preferences toward gas contracts. Long-term contracts for natural gas were prevalent before the early 1980s, primarily because gas producers had few options other than to sell to a single pipeline company, and this pipeline company, in turn, was the only seller to a gas distribution company.

Efficient pooling designs for library screening

OpenAIRE

Bruno, William J.; Knill, Emanuel; Balding, David J.; Bruce, D. C.; Doggett, N. A.; Sawhill, W. W.; Stallings, R. L.; Whittaker, Craig C.; Torney, David C.

1994-01-01

We describe efficient methods for screening clone libraries, based on pooling schemes which we call ``random $k$-sets designs''. In these designs, the pools in which any clone occurs are equally likely to be any possible selection of $k$ from the $v$ pools. The values of $k$ and $v$ can be chosen to optimize desirable properties. Random $k$-sets designs have substantial advantages over alternative pooling schemes: they are efficient, flexible, easy to specify, require fewer pools, and have er...

Digital voice recording: An efficient alternative for data collection

Science.gov (United States)

Mark A. Rumble; Thomas M. Juntti; Thomas W. Bonnot; Joshua J. Millspaugh

2009-01-01

Study designs are usually constrained by logistical and budgetary considerations that can affect the depth and breadth of the research. Little attention has been paid to increasing the efficiency of data recording. Digital voice recording and translation may offer improved efficiency of field personnel. Using this technology, we increased our data collection by 55...

Will we exceed 50% efficiency in photovoltaics?

Science.gov (United States)

Luque, Antonio

2011-08-01

Solar energy is the most abundant and reliable source of energy we have to provide for the multi-terawatt challenge we are facing. Although huge, this resource is relatively dispersed. High conversion efficiency is probably necessary for cost effectiveness. Solar cell efficiencies above 40% have been achieved with multijunction (MJ) solar cells. These achievements are here described. Possible paths for improvement are hinted at including third generation photovoltaics concepts. It is concluded that it is very likely that the target of 50% will eventually be achieved. This high efficiency requires operating under concentrated sunlight, partly because concentration helps increase the efficiency but mainly because the cost of the sophisticated cells needed can only be paid by extracting as much electric power form each cell as possible. The optical challenges associated with the concentrator optics and the tools for overcoming them, in particular non-imaging optics, are briefly discussed and the results and trends are described. It is probable that optical efficiency over 90% will be possible in the future. This would lead to a module efficiency of 45%. The manufacturing of a concentrator has to be addressed at three levels of integration: module, array, and photovoltaic (PV) subfield. The PV plant as a whole is very similar than a flat module PV plant with two-axes tracking. At the module level, the development of tools for easy manufacturing and quality control is an important topic. Furthermore, they can accommodate in different position cells with different spectral sensitivities so complementing the effort in manufacturing MJ cells. At the array level, a proper definition of the nameplate watts, since the diffuse light is not used, is under discussion. The cost of installation of arrays in the field can be very much reduced by self aligning tracking control strategies. At the subfield level, aspects such as the self shadowing of arrays causes the CPV subfields to

Relative benefits of technology and occupant behaviour in moving towards a more energy efficient, sustainable housing paradigm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pilkington, Brian, E-mail: bpilkington@plymouth.ac.uk [Energy and Sustainability in the Built Environment, Reynolds Building, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA (United Kingdom); Roach, Richard, E-mail: richard.roach@interserve.com [Interserve Project Services Ltd. (United Kingdom); Perkins, James, E-mail: artsresearch@plymouth.ac.uk [C/O Environmental Building Group, University of Plymouth (United Kingdom)

2011-09-15

Much focus is given to the energy efficiency of dwellings, in policy and regulation, in pursuance of reduced CO{sub 2} emissions for sustainability. This article examines a terrace of 6 similar, passive solar dwellings with sunspaces and the effects that occupants' behaviours have on their energy efficiency. It was found that average annual space heating demand was less than expected, indicating potential benefits from measuring passive solar gains as a form of renewable energy. Space heating demand per person varied by a factor of up to 14 between dwellings dependent on occupant behaviour. Further evidence showed a factor of 45 possible. Significant behaviours in this dwelling type were identified. A second study used 31 personal ecological footprint (PEF) accounts to assess the significance of dwelling energy efficiency in terms of environmental sustainability. A comparison was made between residents of contemporary eco-homes and practising permaculturists occupying a range of traditional house types. It was found that the PEF of the average eco-home dweller was 1.6 times higher than that of the permaculturists. It is argued that improved education for sustainability would be a more efficient way to reduce domestic energy demand than currently recognised. - Highlights: > Quantifies improvements to dwelling energy efficiency from behaviour and education. > Assesses balance of dwelling energy efficiency and sustainability. > Suggests education for sustainability be used more to reduce energy demand. > Indicates research directions to assess budgets for education in sustainability. > Identifies significant behaviour affecting energy efficiency with sunspace use.

Possibilities for electricity production from geothermal energy in Slovenia in the next decade

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dušan Rajver

2012-06-01

Full Text Available This article is intended to raise awareness of the public, with the aim that anyone can judge reality and accuracyof records that appear in the media on the exploitation of geothermal energy. It provides a comprehensive overviewof geothermal systems, potential of hydrothermal and enhanced geothermal systems, of mechanisms and characteristicsof middle and high enthalpy geothermal resources. It also deals with a mode of their conversion into electricity.Featured are the main factors affecting the decision on effectiveness of conversion of geothermal energy intoelectricity. Given are the review of the research necessary to establish the geothermal potential and assessment oftechnological and economic possibilities of installing geothermal power plants in Slovenia. The paper also describesthe state of knowledge of middle- and high temperature geothermal resources in Slovenia with initial conditions forconstructing geothermal power plants. In addition, we present theoretical calculations of the conversion efficiencyof geothermal energy into electricity with conventional turbines and present some problems for the exploitationof geothermal energy, which are associated with additional costs and further reduce the efficiency of investment.Described are the characteristics and performance of binary geothermal power plants and foreign experience inobtaining electricity from the EGS (Enhanced Geothermal System. We also address the overlapping of the oil andgas industry with the operation of the EGS and the possibility of exploiting oil and gas wells for producing thegeothermal electricity.

Parameters of electrostatic spraying and its influence on the application efficiency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robson Shigueaki Sasaki

2013-08-01

Full Text Available When the electrostatic spraying is used correctly, it provides advantages over conventional systems, however many factors can affect the system efficiency. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the charge/mass ratio (Q/M at different spraying distances (0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 m, and the liquid deposition efficiency on the target. Evaluating the Q/M ratio the Faraday cage method was used and to evaluate the liquid deposition efficiency the artificial targets were positioned longitudinally and transversely to the spray jet. It was found that the spraying distance affects the Q/M ratio, consequently, the liquid deposition efficiency. For the closest distance to the target the Q/M ratio was 4.11 mC kg-1, and at distances of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 m, the ratio decreased to 1.38, 0.64, 0.31, 0.17 and 0.005 mC kg-1, respectively. For the liquid deposition, the electrostatic system was affected by the target orientation and spraying distance. The target transversely to the jet of liquid did not improve the liquid deposition, but longitudinally increased the deposition up to 3 meters of distance.

Engineering crop nutrient efficiency for sustainable agriculture.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Liyu; Liao, Hong

2017-10-01

Increasing crop yields can provide food, animal feed, bioenergy feedstocks and biomaterials to meet increasing global demand; however, the methods used to increase yield can negatively affect sustainability. For example, application of excess fertilizer can generate and maintain high yields but also increases input costs and contributes to environmental damage through eutrophication, soil acidification and air pollution. Improving crop nutrient efficiency can improve agricultural sustainability by increasing yield while decreasing input costs and harmful environmental effects. Here, we review the mechanisms of nutrient efficiency (primarily for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and iron) and breeding strategies for improving this trait, along with the role of regulation of gene expression in enhancing crop nutrient efficiency to increase yields. We focus on the importance of root system architecture to improve nutrient acquisition efficiency, as well as the contributions of mineral translocation, remobilization and metabolic efficiency to nutrient utilization efficiency. © 2017 Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Nitrogen uptake efficiency of irrigated wheat in Egypt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdel Monem, M.A.S.

2000-01-01

Egypt's current wheat production would be impossible without N fertilizers, the consumption of which has increased more than 75% in the last 20 years. The efficiency of uptake of applied N is low, and better management of both fertilizer and irrigation is needed to improve N recovery by crops and reduce losses from the plant/soil system. Field trials were conducted over a 3-year period, on Egypt's three main soil types: old irrigated land of the Nile valley, newly reclaimed sandy and calcareous soils, and salt-affected soil of the north delta. The responses of wheat cultivars to N, and patterns of N uptake and N loss, as affected by irrigation regime, were examined using 15 N. Cultivar Sakha 69 was more responsive to applied N and assimilated N more efficiently than other varieties under different soil types. Nitrogen loss from the sandy soil was as high as 57% whereas average loss in the clay soil was 17%. A higher water table in the salt-affected soil negatively affected N uptake. Irrigation with 75% of the required water for wheat had no effect on yield or N-uptake. (author)

Interplay between Affect and Arousal in Recognition Memory

OpenAIRE

Greene, Ciara M.; Bahri, Pooja; Soto, David

2010-01-01

Background: Emotional states linked to arousal and mood are known to affect the efficiency of cognitive performance. However, the extent to which memory processes may be affected by arousal, mood or their interaction is poorly understood. Methodology/Principal Findings: Following a study phase of abstract shapes, we altered the emotional state of participants by means of exposure to music that varied in both mood and arousal dimensions, leading to four different emotional states: (i) positive...

Fuel-Efficient Road Vehicle Non-Engine Components

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2007-07-01

The need to address global energy issues, i.e. energy security and climate change, is more urgent than ever. Road vehicles dominate global oil consumption and are one of the fastest growing energy end-uses. This paper studies policies and measures to improve on-road fuel efficiency of vehicles by focusing on energy efficiency of automobile components not generally considered in official fuel efficiency test, namely tyres, cooling technologies and lightings. In this paper, current policies and industry activities on these components are reviewed, fuel saving potential by the components analysed and possible policies to realise the potential recommended.

Energy efficiency: Lever for the Energy Transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-12-01

The Eco-electric industry group (FFIE, FGME, Gimelec, IGNES, SERCE) has conducted a study to evaluate the energy saving potential of active energy efficiency solutions in the residential and commercial building sectors. Based on field implementations and demonstrators, it has been demonstrated that active energy efficiency can sustainably achieve substantial savings for households, companies and public authorities. Energy Efficiency - Lever for the energy transition presents the results and conclusions of that study, alongside with recommendations for public authority in terms of building retrofit policy for putting France on the best possible 'trajectory' from a budgetary and environmental point of view. (author)

Ecological efficiency in China and its influencing factors-a super-efficient SBM metafrontier-Malmquist-Tobit model study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Xiaojun; Wang, Changxin; Yu, Yuanbo; Li, Yudong; Dong, Biying; Zhang, Xinyu; Niu, Xueqi; Yang, Qian; Chen, Ruimin; Li, Yifan; Gu, Yihan

2018-05-15

Ecological problem is one of the core issues that restrain China's economic development at present, and it is urgently needed to be solved properly and effectively. Based on panel data from 30 regions, this paper uses a super efficiency slack-based measure (SBM) model that introduces the undesirable output to calculate the ecological efficiency, and then uses traditional and metafrontier-Malmquist index method to study regional change trends and technology gap ratios (TGRs). Finally, the Tobit regression and principal component analysis methods are used to analysis the main factors affecting eco-efficiency and impact degree. The results show that about 60% of China's provinces have effective eco-efficiency, and the overall ecological efficiency of China is at the superior middling level, but there is a serious imbalance among different provinces and regions. Ecological efficiency has an obvious spatial cluster effect. There are differences among regional TGR values. Most regions show a downward trend and the phenomenon of focusing on economic development at the expense of ecological protection still exists. Expansion of opening to the outside, increases in R&D spending, and improvement of population urbanization rate have positive effects on eco-efficiency. Blind economic expansion, increases of industrial structure, and proportion of energy consumption have negative effects on eco-efficiency.

Magnetic nanowires and hyperthermia: How geometry and material affect heat production efficiency

KAUST Repository

Contreras, Maria F.

2015-05-01

Magnetic hyperthermia, which refers to the production of heat by magnetic nanostructures under an alternating magnetic field (AMF), has been previously investigated with superparamagnetic nanobeads as a cancer therapy method. Magnetic nanowires (NWs) used in hyperthermia can be very promising, as it has been shown that they have a larger magnetic moment per unit of volume compared to the nanobeads. Moreover, Fe NWs proved to have a higher heating efficiency compared to Fe nanobeads, when exposed to an AMF at the same concentration [1].

Efficient quantum computing with weak measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lund, A P

2011-01-01

Projective measurements with high quantum efficiency are often assumed to be required for efficient circuit-based quantum computing. We argue that this is not the case and show that the fact that they are not required was actually known previously but was not deeply explored. We examine this issue by giving an example of how to perform the quantum-ordering-finding algorithm efficiently using non-local weak measurements considering that the measurements used are of bounded weakness and some fixed but arbitrary probability of success less than unity is required. We also show that it is possible to perform the same computation with only local weak measurements, but this must necessarily introduce an exponential overhead.

Affective spectrum disorders and role of serotonergic system of the brain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Timotijević Ivana P.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Affective spectrum disorders include mood and anxiety disorders, whereas the term functional somatic syndromes describes disorders in which the main symptom is chronic pain, with no pathognomonic tissue damage, such as fibromyalgia, irritable colon, tension headache. Pain as a symptom is often present in patients with depression and anxiety, and similarly, depressed mood, anxiety and other psychiatric symptoms are common in patients with functional somatic syndromes. This explains attitudes that affective disorders and functional somatic syndromes should be found along the same spectrum, due to a similar neurobiochemicalmehanism and dysfunction of these CNS structures and neurotransmitter systems, which lead to similar symptoms in both groups. The symptoms of affective disorders, including somatic are associated with serotonin and serotonergic transmission in the CNS. The existence of depressive and anxiety disorders, such as fatigue, sleep disorders, cognitive disorders, depressed mood, anxiety, and functional somatic syndromes code indicate a similar mechanism of origin. Hypothesis of central neuropathic pain explains the possibility of the descending inhibitory pain mechanisms, including serotonergic and noradrenergic projections and their receptors. Central suprasegmental senzitization in nociceptive pathways, also at the level of the thalamus and the sensory cortex, trigered by an emotional stressors can cause painful symptoms in both groups of disorders. Serotonergic and noradrenergic pathways and voltage sensitive channels of their receptors are included in the mechanism. Modern psychopharmacology can no longer ignore the existence of painful symptoms in affective disorder or depressive and anxiety symptoms in functional somatic syndromes and their treatment can improve. Therapeutic effects of SSRI and SNRI antidepressants and alpha 2 delta ligands for all kinds of painful symptoms in affective disorders - serotonergic spectrum is

Efficiency, R&D and ownership - some empirical evidence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dilling-Hansen, Mogens; Madsen, Erik Strøjer; Smith, Valdemar

2003-01-01

on the technical efficiency methodology using a stochastic frontier approach in order to investigate the influence of R&D activities on the technical efficiency of the firms. Using a sample of 2370 Danish firms, the analysis suggests that R&D-active firms are significantly more efficient than other firms......Investments in R&D create an immaterial capital asset, which is expected to have a positive influence on firms' efficiency and consequently on their profit. Nonetheless, the short-term effects of current investments in R&D are difficult to prove. Therefore, this paper focuses on analyses based....... The legal form of ownership also affects the efficiency significantly, whereas firms owned by large shareholders - who are expected to exert a disciplinary influence on the managers of the firm - do not seem to be more efficient than other firms. Udgivelsesdato: JAN 25...

Electrical energy efficiency technologies and applications

CERN Document Server

Sumper, Andreas

2012-01-01

The improvement of electrical energy efficiency is fast becoming one of the most essential areas of sustainability development, backed by political initiatives to control and reduce energy demand. Now a major topic in industry and the electrical engineering research community, engineers have started to focus on analysis, diagnosis and possible solutions. Owing to the complexity and cross-disciplinary nature of electrical energy efficiency issues, the optimal solution is often multi-faceted with a critical solutions evaluation component to ensure cost effectiveness. This single-source refer

Efficiency and Import Penetration on the Productivity of Textile Industry and Textile Products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Catur Basuki Rakhmawan

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Although textile industry and textile products belong to the strategic sub-sector of manufacturing industry in Indonesia, they are facing problems on the availability of energy, old production machines, and the flooding of imported products into the domestic market. This study is aimed to analyze the efficiency and productivity as performance indicators and how the efficiency and import penetration affect the productivity of textile industry and textile products. The methods of data analysis used in this research are divided in two phases. The first phase, the non-metric approach of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA is applied to measure the efficiency and productivity. Secondly, the fixed effect model of econometric regression approach is used to find out the effects of efficiency and import penetration on the productivity of textile industry and textile products. The result shows that the average level of efficiency of textile industry and textile products during the period of 2004 – 2008 is about 40 percent with a growth rate of average productivity increases 2.4 percent. Whereas, the econometric estimation results indicate that the increase of efficiency will positively and significantly affect the productivity of textile industry and textile products. On the other hand, the increase of import penetration will negatively affect the productivity of this industry.

Transition Towards Energy Efficient Machine Tools

CERN Document Server

Zein, André

2012-01-01

Energy efficiency represents a cost-effective and immediate strategy of a sustainable development. Due to substantial environmental and economic implications, a strong emphasis is put on the electrical energy requirements of machine tools for metalworking processes. The improvement of energy efficiency is however confronted with diverse barriers, which sustain an energy efficiency gap of unexploited potential. The deficiencies lie in the lack of information about the actual energy requirements of machine tools, a minimum energy reference to quantify improvement potential and the possible actions to improve the energy demand. Therefore, a comprehensive concept for energy performance management of machine tools is developed which guides the transition towards energy efficient machine tools. It is structured in four innovative concept modules, which are embedded into step-by-step workflow models. The capability of the performance management concept is demonstrated in an automotive manufacturing environment. The ...

Potential Therapeutic Effects of Meditation for Treating Affective Dysregulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalie T. Y. Leung

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Affective dysregulation is at the root of many psychopathologies, including stress induced disorders, anxiety disorders, and depression. The root of these disorders appears to be an attenuated, top-down cognitive control from the prefrontal cortices over the maladaptive subcortical emotional processing. A form of mental training, long-term meditation practice can trigger meditation-specific neuroplastic changes in the brain regions underlying cognitive control and affective regulation, suggesting that meditation can act as a kind of mental exercise to foster affective regulation and possibly a cost-effective intervention in mood disorders. Increasing research has suggested that the cultivation of awareness and acceptance along with a nonjudgmental attitude via meditation promotes adaptive affective regulation. This review examined the concepts of affective regulation and meditation and discussed behavioral and neural evidence of the potential clinical application of meditation. Lately, there has been a growing trend toward incorporating the “mindfulness” component into existing psychotherapeutic treatment. Promising results have been observed thus far. Future studies may consider exploring the possibility of integrating the element of “compassion” into current psychotherapeutic approaches.

Productive efficiency of tea industry: A stochastic frontier approach ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In an economy where recourses are scarce and opportunities for a new technology are lacking, studies will be able to show the possibility of raising productivity by improving the industry's efficiency. This study attempts to measure the status of technical efficiency of tea-producing industry for panel data in Bangladesh using ...

Wise use of water in smart cities - possibilities and limitations

Science.gov (United States)

Bąk, Joanna

2018-02-01

The need to save water is due, inter alia, to the paradigm of sustainable development. There are many ways to minimize the consumption of high quality water supplied by the water supply network. These include the simplest way and those complex, requiring additional installation. The lack of water is a big problem, but not only water deficit are dangerous. There is a possibility of secondary water pollution in the water supply network due to changes in network parameters. Changes in these parameters may occur due to reduced demand for water by residents and, as a result, reduced water flow - at the same pipe diameter. The article includes a review with comparative analysis of various classification systems for the tap fittings and other sanitary equipment, such as the Water Efficiency Label (WELL) in Europe or the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) in Australia. Several types of perlators and flow regulators were compared in the research section. This equipment was tested in the household. The possibilities of minimizing water consumption by using them was collated. In addition, the work also analyses the evolution of water consumption in Poland in recent years and their possible relationship with the threats quality of drinking water supplied to consumers.

Wise use of water in smart cities - possibilities and limitations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bąk Joanna

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The need to save water is due, inter alia, to the paradigm of sustainable development. There are many ways to minimize the consumption of high quality water supplied by the water supply network. These include the simplest way and those complex, requiring additional installation. The lack of water is a big problem, but not only water deficit are dangerous. There is a possibility of secondary water pollution in the water supply network due to changes in network parameters. Changes in these parameters may occur due to reduced demand for water by residents and, as a result, reduced water flow - at the same pipe diameter. The article includes a review with comparative analysis of various classification systems for the tap fittings and other sanitary equipment, such as the Water Efficiency Label (WELL in Europe or the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS in Australia. Several types of perlators and flow regulators were compared in the research section. This equipment was tested in the household. The possibilities of minimizing water consumption by using them was collated. In addition, the work also analyses the evolution of water consumption in Poland in recent years and their possible relationship with the threats quality of drinking water supplied to consumers.

Effects of Tryptophan Content and Backbone Spacing on the Uptake Efficiency of Cell-Penetrating Peptides

KAUST Repository

Rydberg, Hanna A.; Matson, Maria; Å mand, Helene L.; Esbjö rner, Elin K.; Nordé n, Bengt

2012-01-01

Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are able to traverse cellular membranes and deliver macromolecular cargo. Uptake occurs through both endocytotic and nonendocytotic pathways, but the molecular requirements for efficient internalization are not fully understood. Here we investigate how the presence of tryptophans and their position within an oligoarginine influence uptake mechanism and efficiency. Flow cytometry and confocal fluorescence imaging are used to estimate uptake efficiency, intracellular distribution and toxicity in Chinese hamster ovarian cells. Further, membrane leakage and lipid membrane affinity are investigated. The peptides contain eight arginine residues and one to four tryptophans, the tryptophans positioned either at the N-terminus, in the middle, or evenly distributed along the amino acid sequence. Our data show that the intracellular distribution varies among peptides with different tryptophan content and backbone spacing. Uptake efficiency is higher for the peptides with four tryptophans in the middle, or evenly distributed along the peptide sequence, than for the peptide with four tryptophans at the N-terminus. All peptides display low cytotoxicity except for the one with four tryptophans at the N-terminus, which was moderately toxic. This finding is consistent with their inability to induce efficient leakage of dye from lipid vesicles. All peptides have comparable affinities for lipid vesicles, showing that lipid binding is not a decisive parameter for uptake. Our results indicate that tryptophan content and backbone spacing can affect both the CPP uptake efficiency and the CPP uptake mechanism. The low cytotoxicity of these peptides and the possibilities of tuning their uptake mechanism are interesting from a therapeutic point of view. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Effects of Tryptophan Content and Backbone Spacing on the Uptake Efficiency of Cell-Penetrating Peptides

KAUST Repository

Rydberg, Hanna A.

2012-07-10

Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are able to traverse cellular membranes and deliver macromolecular cargo. Uptake occurs through both endocytotic and nonendocytotic pathways, but the molecular requirements for efficient internalization are not fully understood. Here we investigate how the presence of tryptophans and their position within an oligoarginine influence uptake mechanism and efficiency. Flow cytometry and confocal fluorescence imaging are used to estimate uptake efficiency, intracellular distribution and toxicity in Chinese hamster ovarian cells. Further, membrane leakage and lipid membrane affinity are investigated. The peptides contain eight arginine residues and one to four tryptophans, the tryptophans positioned either at the N-terminus, in the middle, or evenly distributed along the amino acid sequence. Our data show that the intracellular distribution varies among peptides with different tryptophan content and backbone spacing. Uptake efficiency is higher for the peptides with four tryptophans in the middle, or evenly distributed along the peptide sequence, than for the peptide with four tryptophans at the N-terminus. All peptides display low cytotoxicity except for the one with four tryptophans at the N-terminus, which was moderately toxic. This finding is consistent with their inability to induce efficient leakage of dye from lipid vesicles. All peptides have comparable affinities for lipid vesicles, showing that lipid binding is not a decisive parameter for uptake. Our results indicate that tryptophan content and backbone spacing can affect both the CPP uptake efficiency and the CPP uptake mechanism. The low cytotoxicity of these peptides and the possibilities of tuning their uptake mechanism are interesting from a therapeutic point of view. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

How will a credit crunch affect small business finance?

OpenAIRE

Gregory F. Udell

2009-01-01

This Economic Letter explores how the credit crunch might affect small business access to finance. While it is not possible to know how severe this credit crunch will become, researchers can explore how the crunch could affect small business finance. We begin our analysis by looking at how small businesses access external sources of finance. Then we consider how these sources might be affected by the crunch.

Saving, efficiency and management of electric sector demand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanchez de Tembleque, L. J.

2007-01-01

Spanish economic model of development is based on energy consumption, and its main source is imported fossil fuels, which have some environmental and scarcity consequences in the mid term, among others. These problems could be reduced in two ways: economic activity reduction or energy efficiency improvement. In the presence of these possibilities, It may be desirable to bet for saving and energy efficiency, to maintain the economic development. This assignment analyzes the main available regulatory and social mechanisms to promote saving and energy efficiency in the power sector, like systems to internalize social costs in the electricity price, efficiency standards, and encourage the new saving culture. (Author) 15 refs

Institutions, Behavior of Agents and Efficiency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sukharev Oleg, S.

2016-03-01

Full Text Available We study the efficiency criterion, describing the behavior and choices of agents, the influence of moral norms on the model of behavior, as well as the criterion of efficiency as an institution to assess the behavior and development of the economic system. Curve proposed institutional compromise that allows to determine the possibility of changes in the welfare of interacting agents and their compliance with ethical standards when welfare increases due to violation or compliance with these standards. For the purposes of this demonstration of the influence of the model of chart-based dilemmas Holmes-Moriarty. Incentives in determining the agents behaviors play a key role in their formation due to the moral principles of behavior. However, in economics there are situations when moral principles are derived certain behaviors or interactions agents. Holmes and Moriarty there is an alternative interaction, which they can not take advantage of, and there is a full range of alternatives that actually programs the strategic outcomes of interactions that reflect the curves of "institutional compromise." Choosing an agent of moral standards as a potential model determines its behavior and, most importantly, interaction with other agents, adhering to certain moral principles. Assess the condition and the possibility of using a static criterion of Pareto efficiency for the analysis of situations where it is important to measure the economic efficiency. Showing institutional aspects that must be considered in the application or formulation of new performance criteria. It is proved that there is a connection microeconomic efficiency / inefficiency and parameters of behavior of agents that actualizes the need to impact on the behavior of agents incentives to solve the task of changing the structure.

Demonstration of Detuning and Wavebreaking Effects on Raman Amplification Efficiency in Plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

N.A. Yampolsky; N.J. Fisch; V.M. Malkin; E.J. Valeo; R. Lindberg; J. Wurtele; J. Ren; S. Li; A. Morozov; S. Suckewer

2008-01-01

A plasma-based resonant backward Raman amplifier/compressor for high power amplification of short laser pulses might, under ideal conditions, convert as much as 90% of the pump energy to the seed pulse. While the theoretical highest possible efficiency of this scheme has not yet been achieved, larger efficiencies than ever before obtained experimentally (6.4%) are now being reported, and these efficiencies are accompanied by strong pulse compression. Based on these recent extensive experiments, it is now possible to deduce that the experimentally realized efficiency of the amplifier is likely constrained by two factors, namely the pump chirp and the plasma wavebreaking, and that these experimental observations may likely involve favorable compensation between the chirp of the laser and the density variation of the mediating plasma. Several methods for further improvement of the amplifier efficiency in current experiments are suggested

An aggregated perylene-based broad-spectrum, efficient and label-free quencher for multiplexed fluorescent bioassays.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Tao; Hu, Rong; Lv, Yi-Fan; Wu, Yuan; Liang, Hao; Huan, Shuang-Yan; Zhang, Xiao-Bing; Tan, Weihong; Yu, Ru-Qin

2014-08-15

Fluorescent sensing systems based on the quenching of fluorophores have found wide applications in bioassays. An efficient quencher will endow the sensing system a high sensitivity. The frequently used quenchers are based on organic molecules or nanomaterials, which usually need tedious synthesizing and modifying steps, and exhibit different quenching efficiencies to different fluorophores. In this work, we for the first time report that aggregated perylene derivative can serve as a broad-spectrum and label-free quencher that is able to efficiently quench a variety of fluorophores, such as green, red and far red dyes labeled on DNA. By choosing nucleases as model biomolecules, such a broad-spectrum quencher was then employed to construct a multiplexed bioassay platform through a label-free manner. Due to the high quenching efficiency of the aggregated perylene, the proposed platform could detect nuclease with high sensitivity, with a detection limit of 0.03U/mL for EcoRV, and 0.05U/mL for EcoRI. The perylene quencher does not affect the activity of nuclease, which makes it possible to design post-addition type bioassay platform. Moreover, the proposed platform allows simultaneous and multicolor analysis of nucleases in homogeneous solution, demonstrating its value of potential application in rapid screening of multiple bio-targets. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Impact of mergers and acquisitions on the efficiency of banking in Colombia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miguel Sarmiento

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This article evaluates the efficiency of Colombian banking using nonparametric border models. The results indicate that there has been a gradual increase in efficiency and that the global financial crisis of 2008 affected this trend. Since 2009 there has been a rapid recovery of efficiency measures, except for cost efficiency. This suggests that, in the face of external shocks, the adjustment costs of banks are greater. Mergers and acquisitions contribute to the increase in banking efficiency.

Improvement of powertrain efficiency through energy breakdown analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Damiani, Lorenzo; Repetto, Matteo; Prato, Alessandro Pini

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Energy breakdown analysis for the vehicular powertrain. • Model for road vehicles simulation in different missions. • Implemented powertrain management strategies: intelligent gearbox, Stop and Start, free wheel. • Innovative hybrid powertrain turned to engine thermodynamic cycles minimization. • Evaluation of fuel savings associated to each management strategy. - Abstract: A vehicular powertrain can be thought as an energy conversion chain, each component being characterized by its efficiency. Significant global efficiency improvements can be achieved once is identified the system energy breakdown, individuating the losses connected to each powertrain component; it is then possible to carry out the most appropriate interventions. This paper presents a simulation study of a diesel-fuelled commercial vehicle powertrain based on the above summarized point of view. The work aims at individuating the energy flows involved in the system during different missions, proposing an intelligent combination of technical solutions which minimize fuel consumption. Through a validated Matlab–Simulink model, able to indicate the powertrain energy breakdown, simulations are carried out to evaluate the fuel saving associated to a series of powertrain management logics which lead to the minimization of engine losses, the recovery of reverse power in deceleration and braking, the elimination of useless engine cycles. Tests were performed for different real missions (urban, extra-urban and highway). The results obtained point out a –23% fuel consumption (average value for urban, extra-urban and highway missions) compared to the traditional powertrain. Clearly, such result affects positively the CO 2 emission

Global climate change and the equity-efficiency puzzle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manne, Alan S.; Stephan, Gunter

2005-01-01

There is a broad consensus that the costs of abatement of global climate change can be reduced efficiently through the assignment of quota rights and through international trade in these rights. There is, however, no consensus on whether the initial assignment of emissions permits can affect the Pareto-optimal global level of abatement. This paper provides some insight into the equity-efficiency puzzle. Qualitative results are obtained from a small-scale model; then quantitative evidence of separability is obtained from MERGE, a multiregion integrated assessment model. It is shown that if all the costs of climate change can be expressed in terms of GDP losses, Pareto-efficient abatement strategies are independent of the initial allocation of emissions rights. This is the case sometimes described as 'market damages'. If, however, different regions assign different values to nonmarket damages such as species losses, different sharing rules may affect the Pareto-optimal level of greenhouse gas abatement. Separability may then be demonstrated only in specific cases (e.g. identical welfare functions or quasi-linearity of preferences or small shares of wealth devoted to abatement)

2.5% efficient organic plastic solar cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Shaheen, Sean E.; Brabec, Christoph J.; Sariciftci, N. Serdar; Padinger, Franz; Fromherz, Thomas; Hummelen, Jan C.

2001-01-01

We show that the power conversion efficiency of organic photovoltaic devices based on a conjugated polymer/methanofullerene blend is dramatically affected by molecular morphology. By structuring the blend to be a more intimate mixture that contains less phase segregation of methanofullerenes, and

On the possibilities for efficient simulation of leak rates through SG tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sorsek, I.; Cizelj, L.

1995-01-01

In this paper, the problem of predicting excessive leak rates through the through wall cracks in tubes at the tube - tube support plate intersections is discussed in some detail. Basically, we are able to define the leak rate through an individual defect. On the steam generator level, which actually means the sum of all individual leak rates, a new approach is introduced. The main characteristic of the new approach is seeking for a probability of exceeding the allowable leak rate rather than estimating more or less conservative highest expected leak rate value. This however introduces extensive computational effort which practically prevents the use of direct Monte Carlo simulations. Some possibilities to reduce the computational effort are discussed and their preliminary results compared. Also, some exact solutions were found and compared with numerical solutions achieved with the first order reliability method. Directions for future work in this important topic are given. (author)

Efficiency evaluation of the state owned electric utilities in India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thakur, Tripta; Deshmukh, S.G.; Kaushik, S.C.

2006-01-01

This paper presents a framework for accessing comparative efficiencies of Indian State Owned Electric Utilities (SOEU), which have been mainly responsible for the generation, distribution and transmission of electricity in India. Performance of 26 utilities was evaluated using the non-parametric technique of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), and the impact of scale on the efficiency scores was also evaluated. The results indicate that the performance of several SOEUs is sub-optimal, suggesting the potential for significant cost reductions. Separate benchmarks were derived for possible reductions in employees' number, and the results indicate that several utilities deploy a much larger number of employees than that required by a best practice utility, and significant savings are possible on this account. It was also found that the bigger utilities display greater inefficiencies and have distinct scale inefficiencies. Exploiting scale efficiencies by suitable restructuring and unbundling of SOEUs are therefore crucial measures that may foster efficiencies in the SOEUs. The paper discusses these results in the context of related policy issues

Substrate-Related Factors Affecting Enzymatic Saccharification of Lignocelluloses: Our Recent Understanding

Science.gov (United States)

Shao-Yuan Leu; J.Y. Zhu

2013-01-01

Enzymatic saccharification of cellulose is a key step in conversion of plant biomass to advanced biofuel and chemicals. Many substrate-related factors affect saccharification. Rather than examining the role of each individual factor on overall saccharification efficiency, this study examined how each factor affects the three basic processes of a heterogeneous...

Determining waste lipids stability and possible effects in bio diesel production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azocar, L.; Ciudad, G.; Navia, R.

2009-01-01

Waste lipids are a sustainable raw material alternative for bio diesel production, avoiding excessive use of agricultural soil. However, this raw material can be degraded in a short time of storage, affecting bio diesel production process and quality. The aim of this work was to investigate the possible degradation of waste frying oil (WFO) and animal fat (AF), monitoring parameters that could affect the bio diesel quality. (Author)

Possibilities of spatial hearing testing in occupational medicine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomasz Przewoźny

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Dysfunctions of the organ of hearing are a significant limitation in the performance of occupations that require its full efficiency (vehicle driving, army, police, fire brigades, mining. Hearing impairment is associated with poorer understanding of speech and disturbed sound localization that directly affects the worker’s orientation in space and his/her assessment of distance and location of other workers or, even most importantly, of dangerous machines. Testing sound location abilities is not a standard procedure, even in highly specialized audiological examining rooms. It should be pointed out that the ability to localize sounds which are particularly loud, is not directly associated with the condition of the hearing organ, but is rather considered an auditory function of a higher level. Disturbances in sound localization are mainly associated with structural and functional disturbances of the central nervous system and occur also in patients with normal hearing when tested with standard methods. The article presents different theories explaining the phenomenon of sound localization, such as interaural differences in time, interaural differences in sound intensity, monaural spectrum shape and the anatomical and physiological basis of these processes. It also describes methods of measurement of disturbances in sound localization which are used in Poland and around the world, also by the author of this work. The author analyzed accessible reports on sound localization testing in occupational medicine and the possibilities of using such tests in various occupations requiring full fitness of the organ of hearing.

The efficiency of drip irrigation unpacked

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kooij, van der S.; Zwarteveen, M.Z.; Boesveld, H.; Kuper, M.

2013-01-01

Drip irrigation figures prominently in water policy debates as a possible solution to water scarcity problems, based on the assertion that it will improve water use efficiencies. We use this article to carefully trace the scientific basis of this assertion. Through a systematic review of the

Plastome-Genome Interactions Affect Plastid Transmission in Oenothera

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, W. L.; Sears, B. B.

1993-01-01

Plastids of Oenothera, the evening primrose, can be transmitted to the progeny from both parents. In a constant nuclear background, the frequency of biparental plastid transmission is determined by the types of plastid genomes (plastomes) involved in the crosses. In this study, the impact of nuclear genomes on plastid inheritance was analyzed. In general, the transmission efficiency of each plastome correlated strongly with its compatibility with the nuclear genome of the progeny, suggesting that plastome-genome interactions can influence plastid transmission by affecting the efficiency of plastid multiplication after fertilization. Lower frequencies of plastid transmission from the paternal side were observed when the pollen had poor vigor due to an incompatible plastome-genome combination, indicating that plastome-genome interactions may also affect the input of plastids at fertilization. Parental traits that affect the process of fertilization can also have an impact on plastid transmission. Crosses using maternal parents with long styles or pollen with relatively low growth capacity resulted in reduced frequencies of paternal plastid transmission. These observations suggest that degeneration of pollen plastids may occur as the time interval between pollination and fertilization is lengthened. PMID:8462856

Analysis of China department water consumption efficiency

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Wei; Wang, Xi-Feng; Liu, Jia-Hong

2018-03-01

The water comparable non-competitive input-out model of China in 2002, 2007 and 2012 is established to calculate the department water consumption efficiency. The water direct and complete consumption coefficients of 38 departments are analysed. Agriculture and Electricity and steam supply have the highest water consumption coefficients and utilize water resource mainly by the direct way. Manufacture of food products and tobacco products, Manufacture of textiles, Manufacture of wearing apparel and leather products and Information service activities have high water complete consumption coefficients and affect water consumption mainly by the indirect way. Water complete consumption efficiency measures the efficiency from the view of final product, which reflected the department water use driving force more precisely.

POST OCCUPANCY EVALUATION OF ENERGY-EFFICIENT BUILDINGS IN TROPICAL CLIMATES – MALAYSIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ban-Huat Ng

2013-07-01

Full Text Available There exists a well-known gap between occupants and building’s energy-efficient designs. A comprehensive building performance diagnostic technique, Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE may surpass the current evaluation method by reducing the gap between occupants and building’s energy-efficient design. Due to these reasons, the aim of this research is to identify the problems with respect to energy-efficient design which affect occupants’ comfort. This research focuses on the application of energy-efficient design in office building and was conducted on energy-efficient buildings in Malaysia. A building performance survey framework, Energy-efficient Building Environmental Quality Questionnaire (EBEQ2, was  used to identify the problems affecting occupants’ comfort and buildings’ Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ. The result was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS. The research outcome shows that majority of occupants are not satisfied  with the thermal comfort and lighting condition of  the buildings. Building certified with sustainable building rating tools does not guarantee better IEQ performance. Thus  continuous research is needed to ensure energy-efficient building concept is applied effectively in each type of building.

Selected Banks Economic Efficiency Indicators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adam Szafarczyk

2007-04-01

Full Text Available There are a lot of economic efficiency indicators in theory. It is necessary to choice some of them for concrete purposes. ROA, ROE and C/I play important role due to last experience of polish banks.Cost to Income Ratio plays very important role affecting not only efficiency monitoring process in the banks but also becoming a very important target in strategy or finance plan. There are several methodological approaches to construct this index in detail. Results are differing due to implementing methodology. This article describes trends C/I concerning both polish and foreign banks. It is difficult to compare banks in emerging country and real giants in finance mature economies.

A possible contribution of mRNA secondary structure to translation initiation efficiency in Lactococcus lactis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Guchte, Maarten van de; Lende, Ted van der; Kok, Jan; Venema, Gerard

1991-01-01

Gene expression signals derived from Lactococcus lactis were linked to lacZ-fused genes with different 5'-nucleotide sequences. Computer predictions of mRNA secondary structure were combined with lacZ expression studies to direct base-substitutions that could possibly influence gene expression.

Electronic monitoring of patients with bipolar affective disorder

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacoby, Anne Sophie; Faurholt-Jepsen, Maria; Vinberg, Maj

2012-01-01

Bipolar disorder is a great challenge to patients, relatives and clinicians, and there is a need for development of new methods to identify prodromal symptoms of affective episodes in order to provide efficient preventive medical and behavioural intervention. Clinical trials prove that electronic...

Affect and Public Support for Military Action

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dukhong Kim

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This study examines the effects of affect on public opinion on foreign policy. It extends the existing studies which show a significant role that affect, as measured by feelings toward a country, plays in shaping public opinion on military action. According to the existing theory, the mass public, which does not have high levels of political information and knowledge, can rely on affect to make reasonable decisions and opinions. This is possible because affect works as an information shortcut or heuristic that can help those individuals who lack cognitive capacity to engage in a systematic search for information and a decision-making process. The research finding confirms this theory. More importantly, this study extends the existing studies by elaborating the conditions under which affect works in accounting for individuals’ support for military intervention. The effect of affect is conditioned by the level of political knowledge, which shows that knowledgeable individuals are more adept at using affect as a heuristic tool.

Efficiency of Management Systems, Based on International Standards

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Elena B. Gafforova

2012-03-01

Full Text Available The article considers major trends of management systems standardization development and efficiency. The authors determine possible structure of effects in the process of integrated management systems implementation.

Possibility of Coal Combustion Product Conditioning

Science.gov (United States)

Błaszczyński, Tomasz Z.; Król, Maciej R.

2018-03-01

This paper is focused on properties of materials known as green binders. They can be used to produce aluminium-siliceous concrete and binders known also as geopolymers. Comparing new ecological binders to ordinary cements we can see huge possibility of reducing amount of main greenhouse gas which is emitted to atmosphere by 3 to even 10 times depending of substrate type used to new green material production. Main ecological source of new materials obtaining possibility is to use already available products which are created in coal combustion and steel smelting process. Most of them are already used in many branches of industry. They are mostly civil engineering, chemistry or agriculture. Conducted research was based on less popular in civil engineering fly ash based on lignite combustion. Materials were examine in order to verify possibility of obtaining hardened mortars based of different factors connected with process of geopolymerization, which are temperature, amount of reaction reagent and time of heat treatment. After systematizing the matrices for the basic parameters affecting the strength of the hardened mortars, the influence of the fly ash treatment for increasing the strength was tested.

The effect of economic factors and energy efficiency programs on residential electricity consumption

Science.gov (United States)

Sakai, Mihoko

Many countries have implemented policies to correct market and behavioral failures that lead to inefficient energy use. It is important to know what factors and policies can effectively overcome such failures and improve energy efficiency; however, a comprehensive analysis has been difficult because of data limitations. Using state scores compiled by American organizations recently, and adopting fixed-effects regression models, I analyze the joint impacts of relevant factors and policy programs on residential electricity consumption in each U.S. state. The empirical results reveal that increases in electricity price have small and negative effects, and increases in personal income have positive effects on residential electricity sales per capita (a measure of energy efficiency). The results suggest that it may take time for economic factors to affect electricity sales. The effects of personal income suggest the difficulty of controlling residential electricity consumption; however, they also imply that there is some room in households to reduce electricity use. The study also finds that programs and budgets of several policies seem to be associated with electricity sales. The estimates from a model including interaction terms suggest the importance of including multiple policies when analyzing and designing policies to address electricity efficiency. The results also imply the possibility of rebound effects of some policies, whereby improvements in energy efficiency lead to increases in energy consumption due to the associated lower per unit cost. Future studies should analyze both short-term and long-term effects of economic factors and policies, based on improved and accumulated time series and panel data, in order to design more effective policies for improving residential electricity efficiency.

Relative benefits of technology and occupant behaviour in moving towards a more energy efficient, sustainable housing paradigm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pilkington, Brian; Roach, Richard; Perkins, James

2011-01-01

Much focus is given to the energy efficiency of dwellings, in policy and regulation, in pursuance of reduced CO 2 emissions for sustainability. This article examines a terrace of 6 similar, passive solar dwellings with sunspaces and the effects that occupants' behaviours have on their energy efficiency. It was found that average annual space heating demand was less than expected, indicating potential benefits from measuring passive solar gains as a form of renewable energy. Space heating demand per person varied by a factor of up to 14 between dwellings dependent on occupant behaviour. Further evidence showed a factor of 45 possible. Significant behaviours in this dwelling type were identified. A second study used 31 personal ecological footprint (PEF) accounts to assess the significance of dwelling energy efficiency in terms of environmental sustainability. A comparison was made between residents of contemporary eco-homes and practising permaculturists occupying a range of traditional house types. It was found that the PEF of the average eco-home dweller was 1.6 times higher than that of the permaculturists. It is argued that improved education for sustainability would be a more efficient way to reduce domestic energy demand than currently recognised. - Highlights: → Quantifies improvements to dwelling energy efficiency from behaviour and education. → Assesses balance of dwelling energy efficiency and sustainability. → Suggests education for sustainability be used more to reduce energy demand. → Indicates research directions to assess budgets for education in sustainability. → Identifies significant behaviour affecting energy efficiency with sunspace use.

Quantitative limitations to photosynthesis in K deficient sunflower and their implications on water-use efficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Jákli, Bálint; Tavakol, Ershad; Tränkner, Merle; Senbayram, Mehmet; Dittert, Klaus

2017-02-01

Potassium (K) is crucial for crop growth and is strongly related to stress tolerance and water-use efficiency (WUE). A major physiological effect of K deficiency is the inhibition of net CO 2 assimilation (A N ) during photosynthesis. Whether this reduction originates from limitations either to photochemical energy conversion or biochemical CO 2 fixation or from a limitation to CO 2 diffusion through stomata and the leaf mesophyll is debated. In this study, limitations to photosynthetic carbon gain of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) under K deficiency and PEG- induced water deficit were quantified and their implications on plant- and leaf-scale WUE (WUE P , WUE L ) were evaluated. Results show that neither maximum quantum use efficiency (F v /F m ) nor in-vivo RubisCo activity were directly affected by K deficiency and that the observed impairment of A N was primarily due to decreased CO 2 mesophyll conductance (g m ). K deficiency additionally impaired leaf area development which, together with reduced A N , resulted in inhibition of plant growth and a reduction of WUE P . Contrastingly, WUE L was not affected by K supply which indicated no inhibition of stomatal control. PEG-stress further impeded A N by stomatal closure and resulted in enhanced WUE L and high oxidative stress. It can be concluded from this study that reduction of g m is a major response of leaves to K deficiency, possibly due to changes in leaf anatomy, which negatively affects A N and contributes to the typical symptoms like oxidative stress, growth inhibition and reduced WUE P . Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Trends and Possible Future Developments in Global Forest-Product Markets—Implications for the Swedish Forest Sector

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Ragnar Jonsson

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This paper analyzes trends and possible future developments in global wood-product markets and discusses implications for the Swedish forest sector. Four possible futures, or scenarios, are considered, based on qualitative scenario analysis. The scenarios are distinguished principally by divergent futures with respect to two highly influential factors driving change in global wood-product markets, whose future development is unpredictable. These so-called critical uncertainties were found to be degrees to which: (i current patterns of globalization will continue, or be replaced by regionalism, and (ii concern about the environment, particularly climate change, related policy initiatives and customer preferences, will materialize. The overall future of the Swedish solid wood-product industry looks bright, irrespective of which of the four possible futures occurs, provided it accommodates the expected growth in demand for factory-made, energy-efficient construction components. The prospects for the pulp and paper industry in Sweden appear more ambiguous. Globalization is increasingly shifting production and consumption to the Southern hemisphere, adversely affecting employment and forest owners in Sweden. Further, technical progress in information and communication technology (ICT is expected to lead to drastic reductions in demand for newsprint and printing paper. Chemical pulp producers may profit from a growing bio-energy industry, since they could manufacture new, high-value products in integrated bio-refineries. Mechanical pulp producers cannot do this, however, and might suffer from higher prices for raw materials and electricity.

Frontier technologies to improve efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalhammer, F.R.

1992-01-01

The author discusses conservation technology to improve the efficiency of energy production. Although coal is seen as the largest source of fuel for producing electricity until the year 2040, the heating value of coal is expected to be increased by using Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) technology. Use of fuel cells to produce electricity will be a viable option only if costs can be reduced to make the technology competitive. By coupling IGCC with fuel cells it may be possible to increase total conversion efficiency of coal to electricity at 50%. Photovoltaics technology is more likely to be used in developing countries. Electric utilities target power electronics, lighting fixtures, heat pumps, plasma processing, freeze concentration and application of superconductivity as electricity end use technologies that have the most potential for efficiency improvement. The impact of these technologies in coping with the greenhouse effect was not addressed

Ground source heat pumps versus high efficiency natural gas furnaces in Alberta

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shaw, J.

2003-02-02

For the past twenty years or so, the heating and cooling of numerous buildings in northern Europe has been accomplished using ground source heat pumps (GSHPs), while in North America they have been in use for approximately ten years. In the Prairies, natural gas furnaces dominate, while GSHP are more popular in eastern Canada. The author noted that natural gas furnaces have an efficiency of 80 per cent or less, while high efficiency natural gas (HENG) furnaces, more expensive, have an efficiency in the 90 per cent range. A brief outline of the principles behind GSHPs was provided. The Coefficient of Performance (COP) of GSHP reaches up to 500 per cent depending whether the unit is cooling or heating. The amount of heat produced by a heating system expressed as a percentage of the energy input required to operate the system is the definition used for the efficiency. In those cases where it is possible to amortize the initial costs, pay now or obtain a subsidy, the installation of GSHP is advantageous. Several factors affect the total cost of heating a building, such as the airtightness of the building and its insulation, the coldness of the climate, and the inside controlled temperature setting. The author then examined the cost of operating a GSHP versus a natural gas furnace. In most examples studied, the cost of operating a GSHP was less than the cost of operating a natural gas furnace. The Total Equivalent Warming Impact (TEWI) of GSHPs and HENG furnaces was examined. The author concluded that the cost of heating by GSHP in Alberta will be lower than the cost of heating by HENG which requires a separate air conditioning unit for the summer months, with additional improvements in efficiency and insulation. 7 refs., 4 tabs.

Effect of Energy Efficiency Standards on Natural Gas Prices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carnall, Michael; Dale, Larry; Lekov, Alex

2011-07-26

A primary justification for the establishment of energy efficiency standards for home appliances is the existence of information deficiencies and externalities in the market for appliances. For example, when a long-term homeowner purchases a new gas-fired water heater, she will maximize the value of her purchase by comparing the life-cycle cost of ownership of available units, including both total installed cost - purchase price plus installation costs - and operating cost in the calculus. Choice of the appliance with the lowest life-cycle costs leads to the most economically efficient balance between capital cost and fuel cost. However, if the purchaser's expected period of ownership is shorter than the useful life of the appliance, or the purchaser does not pay for the fuel used by the appliance, as is often the case with rental property, fuel cost will be external to her costs, biasing her decision toward spending less on fuel efficiency and resulting in the purchase of an appliance with greater than optimal fuel usage. By imposing an efficiency standard on appliances, less efficient appliances are made unavailable, precluding less efficient purchases and reducing fuel usage. The reduction in fuel demanded by residential users affects the total demand for such fuels as natural gas, for example. Reduced demand implies that residential customers are willing to purchase less gas at each price level. That is, the demand curve, labeled D{sub 0} in Figure 1, shifts to the left to D{sub 1}. If there is no change in the supply function, the supply curve will intersect the demand curve at a lower price. Residential demand is only one component of the total demand for natural gas. It is possible that total demand will decline very little if demand in other sectors increases substantially in response to a decline in the price. If demand does decrease, modeling studies generally confirm the intuition that reductions in demand for natural gas will result in reductions

Possible factors affecting pregnancy rate of cows in the Amazon Ecuatorian

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Yánez D

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The objective of this work was to assess how the cow pregnancy depends on the type of service as, race and follicular development in cattle with dual purpose in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The 341 records of the individual services were evaluated from January 2015 to December 2015 that corresponds to cows of different genotypes and cross: Brown Swiss (BS n = 135, Charolais (Ch n = 24, Holstein Friesian (HF n = 104, Jersey (J n = 12, Normando (N n = 21, x Brown Swiss Holstein Friesian (HFxBS n = 35 and Holstein Friesian x Normando (HFxN n = 10. The work was conducted in the Cantons and Santa Clara which is located in the Pastaza Province (Ecuador. The Two insemination techniques were performed: a estrus detected (natural 136 cows and a Insemination Time (TAI. The independent variables are "Race" (BS, CH, HF, J, HFxBS and HFxN, the "Technical Service" (N and IATF and "Follicular Development" (DF. An additive model was adjusted and it was not significant for the interactions between independent variables and the result of the model. It was found that the variable DF is the only that contributes significantly to the model. That is, pregnancy is significantly affected by follicular development (p-value <0.0001, but is not related to the technical service and race. Maximum Credible estimates the coefficients model and calculated odds ratios. For every unit increase in the value of follicular development, the chance of "pregnant" is 14 times higher than "empty". Keeping fixed the categories for race and service. To conclude that there was no difference between races and insemination technique that was used, even if a relationship between follicular development in proestrus and pregnancy in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Encouraging energy efficiency: Policies and programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

Successfully overcoming the barriers to higher energy efficiency requires development of policies designed for specific users and locations. Reform of energy pricing, which entails removing subsidies and beginning internalization of externalities, is critical to give technology producers and users proper signals for investment and management decisions. But while a rise in energy prices increases the amount of energy-efficiency improvement that is cost-effective, it does not remove other barriers that deter investment. Minimum efficiency standards or agreements can raise the market floor, and are important because they affect the entire market in the near-term. But they may not raise the celining very much, and do little to push the efficiency frontier. To accomplish these goals, incentives and other market-development strategies are needed. Utility programs in particular can play a key role in pushing energy efficiency beyond the level where users are likely to invest on their own. Policies, programs, and pricing should complement one another. Pricing reform alone will not overcome the many entrenched barriers to higher energy efficiency, but trying to accelerate energy efficiency improvement without addressing energy pricing problems will lead to limited success. Whether tagerting new equipment or management of existing systems, policies must reflect a thorough understanding of the particular system and an awareness of the motivations of the actors. 25 refs

Cell wall composition contributes to the control of transpiration efficiency in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Yun-Kuan; Xie, Xiaodong; Lindsay, Shona E; Wang, Yi Bing; Masle, Josette; Williamson, Lisa; Leyser, Ottoline; Hetherington, Alistair M

2010-11-01

To identify loci in Arabidopsis involved in the control of transpirational water loss and transpiration efficiency (TE) we carried out an infrared thermal imaging-based screen. We report the identification of a new allele of the Arabidopsis CesA7 cellulose synthase locus designated AtCesA7(irx3-5) involved in the control of TE. Leaves of the AtCesA7(irx3-5) mutant are warmer than the wild type (WT). This is due to reduced stomatal pore widths brought about by guard cells that are significantly smaller than the WT. The xylem of the AtCesA7(irx3-5) mutant is also partially collapsed, and we suggest that the small guard cells in the mutant result from decreased water supply to the developing leaf. We used carbon isotope discrimination to show that TE is increased in AtCesA7(irx3-5) when compared with the WT. Our work identifies a new class of genes that affects TE and raises the possibility that other genes involved in cell wall biosynthesis will have an impact on water use efficiency. © 2010 The Authors. The Plant Journal © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Experiments on high efficiency aerosol filtration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mazzini, M.; Cuccuru, A.; Kunz, P.

1977-01-01

Research on high efficiency aerosol filtration by the Nuclear Engineering Institute of Pisa University and by CAMEN in collaboration with CNEN is outlined. HEPA filter efficiency was studied as a function of the type and size of the test aerosol, and as a function of flowrate (+-50% of the nominal value), air temperature (up to 70 0 C), relative humidity (up to 100%), and durability in a corrosive atmosphere (up to 140 hours in NaCl mist). In the selected experimental conditions these influences were appreciable but are not sufficient to be significant in industrial HEPA filter applications. Planned future research is outlined: measurement of the efficiency of two HEPA filters in series using a fixed particle size; dependence of the efficiency on air, temperatures up to 300-500 0 C; performance when subject to smoke from burning organic materials (natural rubber, neoprene, miscellaneous plastics). Such studies are relevant to possible accidental fires in a plutonium laboratory

Organisation development possibilities of Croatian electricity markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toljan, I.

1999-01-01

Organisational development of the European Union members' power sector is defined by the obligatory legislative document D irectives 92/96 EC, 19.12.1996 . The development goal is a natural monopoly decrease and introduction of competition, having in mind environmental protection which will enable sustainable development of each member. This would provide the European economy to become globally more competitive and to protect macro economic stability more efficiently. The EU members are allowed to make their own decisions regarding the mode of implementation they will use to establish the organisation of electricity market. Non-members of EU are also involved in defining future changes. Developed non-members are more efficient in that process and promptly follow all changes. Transition countries, among them also Croatia, are trying to adjust to such demands, with different success. The aim of this paper is analyse the current Croatian power system and the possibilities if its modernisation. (author)

Identification of some factors affecting pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs) removal in real wastewater. Case study of fungal treatment of reverse osmosis concentrate.

Science.gov (United States)

Badia-Fabregat, Marina; Lucas, Daniel; Gros, Meritxell; Rodríguez-Mozaz, Sara; Barceló, Damià; Caminal, Glòria; Vicent, Teresa

2015-01-01

Many technologies are being developed for the efficient removal of micropollutants from wastewater and, among them, fungal degradation is one of the possible alternative biological treatments. In this article, some factors that might affect pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) removal in a fungal treatment of real wastewater were identified in batch bioreactor treating reverse osmosis concentrate (ROC) from urban wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). We found that degradation of PhACs by Trametes versicolor was enhanced by addition of external nutrients (global removal of 44%). Moreover, our results point out that high aeration might be involved in the increase in the concentration of some PhACs. In fact, conjugation and deconjugation processes (among others) affect the removal assessment of emerging contaminants when working with real concentrations in comparison to experiments with spiked samples. Moreover, factors that could affect the quantification of micropollutants at lab-scale experiments were studied. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Efficiency of Finish power transmission network companies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2001-01-01

The Finnish Energy Market Authority has investigated the efficiency of power transmissions network companies. The results show that the intensification potential of the branch is 402 million FIM, corresponding to about 15% of the total costs of the branch and 7.3 % of the turnout. Energy Market Authority supervises the reasonableness of the power transmission prices, and it will use the results of the research in supervision. The research was carried out by the Quantitative Methods Research Group of Helsinki School of Economics. The main objective of the research was to create an efficiency estimation method for electric power distribution network business used for Finnish conditions. Data of the year 1998 was used as basic material in the research. Twenty-one of the 102 power distribution network operators was estimated to be totally efficient. Highest possible efficiency rate was 100, and the average of the efficiency rates of all the operators was 76.9, the minimum being 42.6

THE EFFICIENCY OF TENNIS DOUBLES SCORING SYSTEMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geoff Pollard

2010-09-01

Full Text Available In this paper a family of scoring systems for tennis doubles for testing the hypothesis that pair A is better than pair B versus the alternative hypothesis that pair B is better than A, is established. This family or benchmark of scoring systems can be used as a benchmark against which the efficiency of any doubles scoring system can be assessed. Thus, the formula for the efficiency of any doubles scoring system is derived. As in tennis singles, one scoring system based on the play-the-loser structure is shown to be more efficient than the benchmark systems. An expression for the relative efficiency of two doubles scoring systems is derived. Thus, the relative efficiency of the various scoring systems presently used in doubles can be assessed. The methods of this paper can be extended to a match between two teams of 2, 4, 8, …doubles pairs, so that it is possible to establish a measure for the relative efficiency of the various systems used for tennis contests between teams of players.

The transition to efficiency in minority games

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galla, Tobias; De Martino, Andrea

2008-01-01

The existence of a phase transition with diverging susceptibility in batch minority games (MGs) is the mark of informationally efficient regimes and is linked to the specifics of the agents' learning rules. Here, we study how the standard scenario is affected in a mixed population game in which agents with the 'optimal' learning rule (i.e. the one leading to efficiency) coexist with those whose adaptive dynamics is sub-optimal. Our generic finding is that any non-vanishing intensive fraction of optimal agents guarantees the existence of an efficient phase. Specifically, we calculate the dependence of the critical point on the fraction q of 'optimal' agents focusing our analysis on three cases: MGs with market impact correction, grand-canonical MGs and MGs with heterogeneous comfort levels

Investigation of Factors Affecting Microdialysis Probe Delivery and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Purpose: To investigate in vitro the factors affecting microdialysis probe delivery and recovery of puerarin. Methods: The recovery and delivery of puerarin were tested for extraction efficiency and retro-dialysis methods. Factors such as drug concentration, stirring speed, additives and length of membrane were studied to ...

Investigation of Factors Affecting Microdialysis Probe Delivery and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Purpose: To investigate in vitro the factors affecting microdialysis probe delivery and recovery of puerarin . Methods: The recovery and delivery of puerarin were tested for extraction efficiency and retro-dialysis methods. Factors such as drug concentration, stirring speed, additives and length of membrane were studied to ...

Effects of electrode settings on chlorine generation efficiency of electrolyzing seawater.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Guoo-Shyng Wang; Hsia, Chih-Wei; Hsu, Shun-Yao

2015-12-01

Electrolyzed water has significant disinfection effects, can comply with food safety regulations, and is environmental friendly. We investigated the effects of immersion depth of electrodes, stirring, electrode size, and electrode gap on the properties and chlorine generation efficiency of electrolyzing seawater and its storage stability. Results indicated that temperature and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) of the seawater increased gradually, whereas electrical conductivity decreased steadily in electrolysis. During the electrolysis process, pH values and electric currents also decreased slightly within small ranges. Additional stirring or immersing the electrodes deep under the seawater significantly increased current density without affecting its electric efficiency and current efficiency. Decreasing electrode size or increasing electrode gap decreased chlorine production and electric current of the process without affecting its electric efficiency and current efficiency. Less than 35% of chlorine in the electrolyzed seawater was lost in a 3-week storage period. The decrement trend leveled off after the 1 st week of storage. The electrolyzing system is a convenient and economical method for producing high-chlorine seawater, which will have high potential applications in agriculture, aquaculture, or food processing. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Effects of electrode settings on chlorine generation efficiency of electrolyzing seawater

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guoo-Shyng Wang Hsu

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Electrolyzed water has significant disinfection effects, can comply with food safety regulations, and is environmental friendly. We investigated the effects of immersion depth of electrodes, stirring, electrode size, and electrode gap on the properties and chlorine generation efficiency of electrolyzing seawater and its storage stability. Results indicated that temperature and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP of the seawater increased gradually, whereas electrical conductivity decreased steadily in electrolysis. During the electrolysis process, pH values and electric currents also decreased slightly within small ranges. Additional stirring or immersing the electrodes deep under the seawater significantly increased current density without affecting its electric efficiency and current efficiency. Decreasing electrode size or increasing electrode gap decreased chlorine production and electric current of the process without affecting its electric efficiency and current efficiency. Less than 35% of chlorine in the electrolyzed seawater was lost in a 3-week storage period. The decrement trend leveled off after the 1st week of storage. The electrolyzing system is a convenient and economical method for producing high-chlorine seawater, which will have high potential applications in agriculture, aquaculture, or food processing.

The PO production chain and possibilities for energy saving. Public summary

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Donszelmann, E.; De Buck, A.; Croezen, H.; Wielders, L.

2012-01-15

The Dutch Industry and the Dutch government have made long term agreements on energy efficiency (LEE) for companies that are under the European Trading Scheme (ETS). These companies have to report frequently on their possibilities and achievements in energy efficiency. These reports describe the current state of energy use, the possible measures that can be taken and the measures already taken and their results. LyondellBasell is one of the companies that take part in LEE. Based on the agreements of LEE linked to ETS, companies make an effort to realise a significant energy saving within their business community, and the government supports them by means of process coordination and financing additional studies. Agentschap NL coordinates the governmental support. LyondellBasell asked Agentschap NL for support in assessing their energy efficiency on site and through the chain of its products. CE Delft has been commissioned by Agentschap NL and LyondellBasell to determine the carbon footprint and cumulative energy demand of the two production sites of LyondellBasell in the Rotterdam area. Purpose of the project is to identify energy saving potential within the PO (propylene oxide), Styrene and tert-butyl alcohol production chains. This study also focuses on those options that require cooperation with other companies or yield savings for more than one company within the PO production chains. The project consisted of two pathways. The first assessed the possibilities of energy saving in the supply chain. Both the Maasvlakte and the Botlek site of LyondellBasell were addressed. The second pathway focused on three product chains: Styrene, Polyols and ETBE/MTBE. This report presents the results of the projects second pathway: the product chains.

Measuring efficiency of cotton cultivation in Pakistan: a restricted production frontier study.

Science.gov (United States)

Watto, Muhammad Arif; Mugera, Amin

2014-11-01

Massive groundwater pumping for irrigation has started lowering water tables rapidly in different regions of Pakistan. Declining water tables have thus prompted research efforts to improve agricultural productivity and efficiency to make efficient use of scarce water resources. This study employs a restricted stochastic production frontier to estimate the level of, and factors affecting, technical efficiency of groundwater-irrigated cotton farms in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The mean technical efficiency estimates indicate substantial technical inefficiencies among cotton growers. On average, tube-well owners and water buyers can potentially increase cotton production by 19% and 28%, respectively, without increasing the existing input level. The most influential factors affecting technical efficiency positively are the use of improved quality seed, consultation with extension field staff and farmers' perceptions concerning the availability of groundwater resources for irrigation in the future. This study proposes that adopting improved seed for new cotton varieties and providing better extension services regarding cotton production technology would help to achieve higher efficiency in cotton farming. Within the context of falling water tables, educating farmers about the actual crop water requirements and guiding them about groundwater resource availability may also help to achieve higher efficiencies. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

EXPLORING THE POSSIBILITY OF O AND Ne CONTAMINATION IN ULYSSES OBSERVATIONS OF INTERSTELLAR HELIUM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wood, Brian E.; Müller, Hans-Reinhard; Bzowski, Maciej; Sokół, Justyna M.; Möbius, Eberhard; Witte, Manfred; McComas, David J.

2015-01-01

We explore the possibility that interstellar O and Ne may be contributing to the particle signal from the GAS instrument on Ulysses, which is generally assumed to be entirely He. Motivating this study is the recognition that an interstellar temperature higher than any previously estimated from Ulysses data could potentially resolve a discrepancy between Ulysses He measurements and those from the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX). Contamination by O and Ne could lead to Ulysses temperature measurements that are too low. We estimate the degree of O and Ne contamination necessary to increase the inferred Ulysses temperature to 8500 K, which would be consistent with both the Ulysses and IBEX data given the same interstellar flow speed. We find that producing the desired effect requires a heavy element contamination level of ∼9% of the total Ulysses/GAS signal. However, this degree of heavy element contribution is about an order of magnitude higher than expected based on our best estimates of detection efficiencies, ISM abundances, and heliospheric survival probabilities, making it unlikely that heavy element contamination is significantly affecting temperatures derived from Ulysses data

EXPLORING THE POSSIBILITY OF O AND Ne CONTAMINATION IN ULYSSES OBSERVATIONS OF INTERSTELLAR HELIUM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wood, Brian E. [Naval Research Laboratory, Space Science Division, Washington, DC 20375 (United States); Müller, Hans-Reinhard [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755 (United States); Bzowski, Maciej; Sokół, Justyna M. [Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Ul. Bartycka 18 A, 00-716 Warsaw (Poland); Möbius, Eberhard [Space Science Center and Department of Physics, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824 (United States); Witte, Manfred [Max-Planck-Institute for Solar System Research, Katlenburg-Lindau (Germany); McComas, David J., E-mail: brian.wood@nrl.navy.mil [Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78228 (United States)

2015-10-15

We explore the possibility that interstellar O and Ne may be contributing to the particle signal from the GAS instrument on Ulysses, which is generally assumed to be entirely He. Motivating this study is the recognition that an interstellar temperature higher than any previously estimated from Ulysses data could potentially resolve a discrepancy between Ulysses He measurements and those from the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX). Contamination by O and Ne could lead to Ulysses temperature measurements that are too low. We estimate the degree of O and Ne contamination necessary to increase the inferred Ulysses temperature to 8500 K, which would be consistent with both the Ulysses and IBEX data given the same interstellar flow speed. We find that producing the desired effect requires a heavy element contamination level of ∼9% of the total Ulysses/GAS signal. However, this degree of heavy element contribution is about an order of magnitude higher than expected based on our best estimates of detection efficiencies, ISM abundances, and heliospheric survival probabilities, making it unlikely that heavy element contamination is significantly affecting temperatures derived from Ulysses data.

Effect of timber supplies on the efficiency of coal mining

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kulish, S A; Ponikarov, V D

1977-01-01

An analysis is made of the system of supplying coal mining production associations with timber materials. The potential for greater efficiency in the use and processing of timber is indicated. The possibility of using methods of mathematical modelling and forecasting to improve the efficiency of supplying timber to coal associations is demonstrated. 1 table.

DEA Window Analysis for Measuring Port Efficiencies in Serbia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danijela Pjevčević

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of the paper is to apply Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA method in measuring and analyzing the efficiencies of ports on the river Danube. DEA window analysis is used to determine the efficiency of ports and to observe the possibility of changes in the port efficiency over time. A study is conducted to evaluate the efficiencies of ports on the territory of Serbia in order to identify the sources of inefficiencies and formulate proposals for improving the services of those ports and their operations through a four-year window analysis with port efficiency trends and average efficiencies. The progress is made in the measurement of port efficiency in relation to port productive activities - total area of warehouses, quay length, number of cranes and port throughput, for the Serbian river ports. Keywords: river ports, total area of warehouses, quay length, number of cranes, port throughput, port efficiency, DEA window analysis

Efficiency of RAFT-synthesized PDMAEMA in gene transfer to the retina.

Science.gov (United States)

Bitoque, Diogo B; Simão, Sónia; Oliveira, Ana V; Machado, Susana; Duran, Margarita R; Lopes, Eduardo; da Costa, Ana M Rosa; Silva, Gabriela A

2017-01-01

Gene therapy has long been heralded as the new hope to evolve from symptomatic care of genetic pathologies to a full cure. Recent successes in using gene therapy for treating several ocular and haematopoietic pathologies have shown the great potential of this approach that, in the early days, relied on the use of viral vectors, which were considered by many to be undesirable for human treatment. Therefore, there is considerable interest and effort in developing non-viral vectors, with efficiency close to that of viral vectors. The aim of this study was to develop suitable non-viral carriers for gene therapy to treat pathologies affecting the retina. In this study poly(2-(N,N-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate), PDMAEMA was synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) and the in vitro cytocompatibility and transfection efficiency of a range of polymer:DNA ratios evaluated using a retinal cell line; in vivo biocompatibility was evaluated by ocular injection in C57BL/6 mice. The results showed that through RAFT, it is possible to produce a defined-size polymer that is compatible with cell viability in vitro and capable of efficiently directing gene expression in a polymer-DNA ratio-dependent manner. When injected into the eyes of mice, these vectors induced a transient, mild inflammation, characteristic of the implantation of medical devices. These results form the basis of future studies where RAFT-synthesized PDMAEMA will be used to deliver gene expression systems to the retina of mouse models of retinal pathologies. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Economics of appliance efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tiedemann, K.H.

2009-01-01

Several significant developments occurred in 2001 that affect the impact of market transformation programs. This paper presented and applied an econometric approach to the identification and estimation of market models for refrigerators, clothes washers, dishwashers and room air conditioners. The purpose of the paper was to understand the impact of energy conservation policy developments on sales of energy efficient appliances. The paper discussed the approach with particular reference to building a database of sales and drivers of sales using publicly available information; estimation of the determinants of sales using econometric models; and estimation of the individual impacts of prices, gross domestic product (GDP) and energy conservation policies on sales using regression results. Market and policy developments were also presented, such as change a light, save the world promotion; the California energy crisis; and the Pacific Northwest drought induced hydro power shortage. It was concluded that an increase in GDP increased the sales of both more efficient and less efficient refrigerators, clothes washers, dishwashers, and room air conditioners. An increase in electricity price increased sales of Energy Star refrigerators, clothes washers, dishwashers, and room air conditioners. 4 refs., 8 tabs.

Environment-adjusted regional energy efficiency in Taiwan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu, Jin-Li; Lio, Mon-Chi; Yeh, Fang-Yu; Lin, Cheng-Hsun

2011-01-01

This study applies the four-stage DEA procedure to calculate the energy efficiency of 23 regions in Taiwan from 1998 to 2007. After controlling for the effects of external environments, only Taipei City, Chiayi City, and Kaohsiung City are energy efficient. Note that Kaohsiung City reaches the efficiency frontier due to the adjustment via partial environmental factors such as higher education attainment and transport vehicles. We also find a worsening trend for Taiwan's energy efficiency. Not only is there a gap of energy efficiency between Taiwan's metropolitan areas and the other regions, but the gap has also widened in recent years. Those inefficient counties should be given priority and the savings potential. Except for road density, the evidence indicates that each environmental factor has partial incremental effects on input slacks. As more cars and motorcycles are unfavorable externalities affecting partial energy efficiency, the central government should help local governments retire inefficient old motor vehicles, encourage energy-saving vehicle models, and provide convenient mass transportation systems. Besides, people with higher education cause industrial energy inefficient in Taiwan. The conscious of effective energy saving is necessary to schools, communities, and employee accordingly.

Second best efficiency and the English auction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Michelucci, F.; Hernando-Veciana, Á.

2009-01-01

We characterize the incentive compatible allocation that maximizes the expected social surplus in a single-unit sale when the efficient allocation is not implementable. We then show that allowing for the possibility that the good remains unsold may increase the expected social surplus even when

Flow cytometry for feline lymphoma: a retrospective study about pre-analytical factors possibly affecting the quality of samples

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Serena Bernardi

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction Flow cytometry (FC is an increasingly required technique on which veterinary oncologists rely to have an accurate, fast, minimally invasive lymphoma or leukemia diagnosis. FC has been studied and applied with great results in canine oncology, whereas in feline oncology the use of this technique is still to be experienced. This is mainly due to a supposed discomfort in sampling, because of the high prevalence of intra-abdominal lymphomas. The purpose of the present study is to investigate whether any pre-analytical factor might affect the quality of suspected feline lymphoma samples for FC analysis. Methods 97 consecutive samples of suspected feline lymphoma were retrospectively selected from the authors’ institution FC database. The referring veterinarians were recalled and interrogated about several different variables, including signalling, features of the lesion, features of the sampling procedure and the experience of veterinarians performing the sampling. Statistical analyses were performed to assess the possible influence of these variables on the cellularity of the samples and the likelihood of being finally processed for FC. Results None of the investigated variables significantly influenced the quality of the submitted samples, but the needle size, with 21G needles providing the highest cellularity (Table 1. Notably, the samples quality did not vary between peripheral and intra-abdominal lesions. Sample cellularity alone influenced the likelihood of being processed. About a half of the cats required pharmacological restraint. Side effects were reported in one case only (transient swelling after peripheral lymph node sampling. Conclusions FC can be safely applied to cases of suspected feline lymphomas, even for intra-abdominal lesions. 21G needle should be preferred for sampling. This study provides the bases for the spread of this minimally invasive, fast and cost-effective technique in feline medicine.

Flow cytometry for feline lymphoma: a retrospective study regarding pre-analytical factors possibly affecting the quality of samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Martini, Valeria; Bernardi, Serena; Marelli, Priscilla; Cozzi, Marzia; Comazzi, Stefano

2018-06-01

Objectives Flow cytometry (FC) is becoming increasingly popular among veterinary oncologists for the diagnosis of lymphoma or leukaemia. It is accurate, fast and minimally invasive. Several studies of FC have been carried out in canine oncology and applied with great results, whereas there is limited knowledge and use of this technique in feline patients. This is mainly owing to the high prevalence of intra-abdominal lymphomas in this species and the difficulty associated with the diagnostic procedures needed to collect the sample. The purpose of the present study is to investigate whether any pre-analytical factor might affect the quality of suspected feline lymphoma samples for FC analysis. Methods Ninety-seven consecutive samples of suspected feline lymphoma were retrospectively selected from the authors' institution's FC database. The referring veterinarians were contacted and interviewed about several different variables, including signalment, appearance of the lesion, features of the sampling procedure and the experience of veterinarians performing the sampling. Statistical analyses were performed to assess the possible influence of these variables on the cellularity of the samples and the likelihood of it being finally processed for FC. Results Sample cellularity is a major factor in the likelihood of the sample being processed. Moreover, sample cellularity was significantly influenced by the needle size, with 21 G needles providing the highest cellularity. Notably, the sample cellularity and the likelihood of being processed did not vary between peripheral and intra-abdominal lesions. Approximately half of the cats required pharmacological restraint. Side effects were reported in one case only (transient swelling after peripheral lymph node sampling). Conclusions and relevance FC can be safely applied to cases of suspected feline lymphomas, including intra-abdominal lesions. A 21 G needle should be preferred for sampling. This study provides the basis for

How differentiated do children experience affect? An investigation of the within- and between-person structure of children's affect.

Science.gov (United States)

Leonhardt, Anja; Könen, Tanja; Dirk, Judith; Schmiedek, Florian

2016-05-01

Research on the structure of children's affect is limited. It is possible that children's perception of their own affect might be less differentiated than that of adults. Support for the 2-factor model of positive and negative affect and the pleasure-arousal model suggests that children in middle childhood can distinguish positive and negative affect as well as valence and arousal. Whether children are able to differentiate further aspects of affect, as proposed by the 3-dimensional model of affect (good-bad mood, alertness-tiredness, calmness-tension), is an unresolved issue. The aim of our study was the comparison of these 3 affect models to establish how differentiated children experience their affect and which model best describes affect in children. We examined affect structures on the between- and within-person level, acknowledging that affect varies across time and that no valid interpretation of either level is feasible if both are confounded. For this purpose, 214 children (age 8-11 years) answered affect items once a day for 5 consecutive days on smartphones. We tested all affect models by means of 2-level confirmatory factor analysis. Although all affect models had an acceptable fit, the 3-dimensional model best described affect in children on both the within- and between-person level. Thus, children in middle childhood can already describe affect in a differentiated way. Also, affect structures were similar on the within- and between-person level. We conclude that in order to acquire a thorough picture of children's affect, measures for children should include items of all 3 affect dimensions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Optimal shaping and positioning of energy-efficient buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barović Dušan D.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Due to the number of variables and the complexity of objective functions, optimal design of an energy-efficient building is hard combinatorial problem of multi-objective optimisation. Therefore, it is necessary to describe structure and its position in surroundings precisely but by as few variables as possible. This paper presents methodology for finding adequate methodology for defining geometry and orientation of a given building, as well as its elements of importance for energy-efficiency analysis.

Modelling and design of high efficiency radiation tolerant indium phosphide space solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goradia, C.; Geier, J.V.; Weinberg, I.

1987-01-01

Using a fairly comprehensive model, the authors did a parametric variation study of the InP shallow homojunction solar cell with a view to determining the maximum realistically achievable efficiency and an optimum design that would yield this efficiency. Their calculations show that with good quality epitaxial material, a BOL efficiency of about 20.3% at 1AMO, 25 0 C may be possible. The design parameters of the near-optimum cell are given. Also presented are the expected radiation damage of the performance parameters by 1MeV electrons and a possible explanation of the high radiation tolerance of InP solar cells

High-Efficiency Photovoltaic System Using Partially-Connected DC-DC Converter

Science.gov (United States)

Uno, Masatoshi; Kukita, Akio; Tanaka, Koji

Power conversion electronics for photovoltaic (PV) systems are desired to operate as efficiently as possible to exploit the power generated by PV modules. This paper proposes a novel PV system in which a dc-dc converter is partially connected to series-connected PV modules. The proposed system achieves high power-conversion efficiency by reducing the passing power and input/output voltages of the converter. The theoretical operating principle was experimentally validated. Resultant efficiency performances of the proposed and conventional systems demonstrated that the proposed system was more efficient in terms of power conversion though the identical converter was used for the both systems.

Accuracy and simultaneous selection gains for N-stress tolerance and N-use efficiency in maize tropical lines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leandro de Freitas Mendonça

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Maize plants can be N-use efficient or N-stress tolerant. The first have high yields in favorable environments but is drastically affected under stress conditions; whereas the second show satisfactory yields in stressful environments but only moderate ones under optimal conditions. In this context, our aim was to assess the possibility of selecting tropical maize lines that are simultaneously N-stress tolerant and N-use efficient and check for differences between simultaneous selection statistical methods. Sixty-four tropical maize lines were evaluated for Nitrogen Agronomic Efficiency (NAE and Low Nitrogen Tolerance (LNTI response indices and two per se selection indices, Low Nitrogen Agronomic Efficiency (LNAE and Harmonic Mean of Relative Performance (HMRP. We performed eight selection scenarios: LNAE; HMRP; Additive index; Mulamba-Mock index; and Independent culling levels. The last three was predicted by REML/BLUP single-trait and multi-trait using genotypic values of NAE and LNTI. The REML/BLUP multi-trait analysis was superior to the single-trait analysis due to high unfavorable correlation between NAE and LNTI. However, the accuracy and genotypic determination coefficient of NAE and LNTI were too low. Thus, neither single- nor multi-trait analysis achieved a good result for simultaneous selection nor N-use efficiency nor N-stress tolerance. LNAE obtained satisfactorily accurate values and genotypic determination coefficient, but its performance in selection gain was worse than HMRP, particularly in terms of N-use efficiency. Therefore, because of the superior performance in accuracy, genotypic determination coefficient and selection, HMRP was considered the best simultaneous selection methodology of the scenarios tested for N-use efficiency and N-stress tolerance.

Technical Efficiency and Organ Transplant Performance: A Mixed-Method Approach

Science.gov (United States)

de-Pablos-Heredero, Carmen; Fernández-Renedo, Carlos; Medina-Merodio, Jose-Amelio

2015-01-01

Mixed methods research is interesting to understand complex processes. Organ transplants are complex processes in need of improved final performance in times of budgetary restrictions. As the main objective a mixed method approach is used in this article to quantify the technical efficiency and the excellence achieved in organ transplant systems and to prove the influence of organizational structures and internal processes in the observed technical efficiency. The results show that it is possible to implement mechanisms for the measurement of the different components by making use of quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The analysis show a positive relationship between the levels related to the Baldrige indicators and the observed technical efficiency in the donation and transplant units of the 11 analyzed hospitals. Therefore it is possible to conclude that high levels in the Baldrige indexes are a necessary condition to reach an increased level of the service offered. PMID:25950653

Innovation and adoption of energy efficient technologies: An exploratory analysis of Italian primary metal manufacturing SMEs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trianni, Andrea; Cagno, Enrico; Worrell, Ernst

2013-01-01

Additional efforts will be needed by European countries to improve the energy efficiency, as with current trends the 20% objective will be missed. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) manufacturing sector is a promising field, as SMEs are less energy-efficient than larger enterprises. Several studies investigated the barriers to the diffusion of technologies and practices for industrial energy efficiency, but little attention has been paid to understand the factors affecting the perception of such barriers by SMEs. In this multiple case-study, we have investigated 20 Primary Metal manufacturing SMEs in Northern Italy. Economic and information barriers are perceived as the major issues. Interestingly, firm's size, innovativeness of the market in which enterprises operate, as well as product and process innovation are factors affecting barriers to energy efficiency. Differences have been observed within SMEs, especially for information and competence-related barriers. In particular, a more innovative external context in which enterprises operate and a greater production process complexity seem to reduce barriers. Moreover, more product innovative enterprises seem to have a lower perception of behavioral and technology-related barriers. The results of this exploratory investigation provide useful suggestions for policy design and further research on industrial energy efficiency. - highlights: • Economic and Information emerge as the most relevant barriers to energy efficiency. • Market, product and process innovation seem relevant factors affecting barriers. • Firm's size is a factor affecting barriers' perception

3-dimensional charge collection efficiency measurements using volumetric tomographic reconstruction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dobos, Daniel [CERN, Geneva (Switzerland)

2016-07-01

For a better understanding of the electrical field distribution of 3D semiconductor detectors and to allow efficiency based design improvements, a method to measure the 3D spatial charge collection efficiency of planar, 3D silicon and diamond sensors using 3D volumetric reconstruction techniques is possible. Simulation results and first measurements demonstrated the feasibility of this method and show that with soon available 10 times faster beam telescopes even small structures and efficiency differences will become measurable in few hours.

The economic impacts of energy efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jean, R.

1990-01-01

Hydro Quebec's energy efficiency initiatives are reviewed and the economic benefits it expects to garner from such programs are described. Energy efficiency programs affect the cost of supplying electricity, and rates usually rise during the early years and are subsequently offset by the benefits the program generates. Energy efficiency programs should allow Hydro Quebec to avoid $6 billion in expenditures for electricity supply, while entailing contributions of $1.4 billion for the efficiency measures. Evaluation of the potential for efficiency has allowed Hydro Quebec to set a target of 12.9 TWh/y in 1999 on a potential estimated at 18% of regular sales in Quebec in 1989, namely 23.3 TWh. Customers, who contribute $1.4 billion of their own funds to efficiency programs will realize savings of $3.2 billion. Hydro Quebec programs insist strongly on replacement of appliances and motors of all sorts, and in the residential sector, purchases of slightly less than $0.5 billion will consist of electric lamps (3%), water heaters (2.4%), insulation products (32%), hardware (2.5%), and various electric appliances (33%). In the commercial sector, expenditures will be higher, reaching ca $650 million. These are allocated to purchases of electric lamps (18%), heating equipment (12%), insulation products (24%), street lighting (4%), and various electric devices such as controls (39%). 2 figs., 4 tabs

High-efficiency photovoltaic technology including thermoelectric generation

Science.gov (United States)

Fisac, Miguel; Villasevil, Francesc X.; López, Antonio M.

2014-04-01

Nowadays, photovoltaic solar energy is a clean and reliable source for producing electric power. Most photovoltaic systems have been designed and built up for use in applications with low power requirements. The efficiency of solar cells is quite low, obtaining best results in monocrystalline silicon structures, with an efficiency of about 18%. When temperature rises, photovoltaic cell efficiency decreases, given that the short-circuit current is slightly increased, and the open-circuit voltage, fill factor and power output are reduced. To ensure that this does not affect performance, this paper describes how to interconnect photovoltaic and thermoelectric technology into a single structure. The temperature gradient in the solar panel is used to supply thermoelectric cells, which generate electricity, achieving a positive contribution to the total balance of the complete system.

The energy-efficiency business - Energy utility strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loebbe, S.

2009-01-01

This article takes a look at the energy-efficiency business and the advantages it offers. The author quotes that energy-efficiency can contribute to making savings in primary energy, minimise the economic impact of global warming, improve reliability of supply and protect the gross national product. The advantages of new products for the efficient use of energy are reviewed and the resulting advantages for power customers are noted. Also, possibilities for the positioning of electricity suppliers in the environmental niche is noted. The partial markets involved and estimates concerning the impact of energy-efficiency measures are reviewed. Climate protection, co-operation with energy agencies, consulting services and public relations aspects are also discussed. The prerequisites for successful marketing by the utilities are examined and new business models are discussed along with the clear strategies needed. The development from an electricity utility to a system-competence partner is reviewed

Affective cycling in thyroid disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tapp, A.

1988-01-01

Depression in an elderly man with primary recurrent unipolar depression responded to radioactive iodine treatment of a thyrotoxic nodule, without the addition of psychotropic medications. Two months later, manic symptoms developed concomitant with the termination of the hyperthyroid state secondary to the radioactive iodine treatment. Clinical implications of these findings in relation to the possible mechanism of action of thyroid hormones on affective cycling are discussed

An Efficiency Model For Hydrogen Production In A Pressurized Electrolyzer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smoglie, Cecilia; Lauretta, Ricardo

2010-09-15

The use of Hydrogen as clean fuel at a world wide scale requires the development of simple, safe and efficient production and storage technologies. In this work, a methodology is proposed to produce Hydrogen and Oxygen in a self pressurized electrolyzer connected to separate containers that store each of these gases. A mathematical model for Hydrogen production efficiency is proposed to evaluate how such efficiency is affected by parasitic currents in the electrolytic solution. Experimental set-up and results for an electrolyzer are also presented. Comparison of empirical and analytical results shows good agreement.

Possibility of direct electricity production from waste canola oil

Science.gov (United States)

Włodarczyk, Paweł P.; Włodarczyk, Barbara; Kalinichenko, Antonina

2017-10-01

Powering high-efficiency devices, such as fuel cells, with waste products will allow for a broader development of renewable energy sources and utilisation of by- products. This publication presents the possibility of electrooxidation of the emulsion of waste rapeseed oil, prepared on the basis of the detergent Syntanol DS-10. The process of electrooxidation was carried out on platinum electrode in alkaline (KOH) and acidic (H2SO4) electrolyte, in the temperature range of 293-333 K. In each analysed case the process of electrooxidation took place. The maximum current density obtained was 7 mA cm-2. Thus, it has been shown that it is possible to generate electricity directly from the emulsion of the waste rapeseed oil.

Possibility of direct electricity production from waste canola oil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Włodarczyk Paweł P.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Powering high-efficiency devices, such as fuel cells, with waste products will allow for a broader development of renewable energy sources and utilisation of by- products. This publication presents the possibility of electrooxidation of the emulsion of waste rapeseed oil, prepared on the basis of the detergent Syntanol DS-10. The process of electrooxidation was carried out on platinum electrode in alkaline (KOH and acidic (H2SO4 electrolyte, in the temperature range of 293-333 K. In each analysed case the process of electrooxidation took place. The maximum current density obtained was 7 mA cm-2. Thus, it has been shown that it is possible to generate electricity directly from the emulsion of the waste rapeseed oil.

Structure And Efficiency Of Timber Markets

Science.gov (United States)

Brian C. Murray; Jeffrey P. Prestemon

2003-01-01

Perfect competition has long been the standard by which economists have judged the market's ability to achieve an efficient social outcome. The competitive process, unfettered by the imperfections discussed below, forges an outcome in which goods and services are produced at their lowest possible cost, and market equilibrium is achieved at the point at which the...

Security of supply in electricity markets: Improving cost efficiency of supplying security and possible welfare gains

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klinge Jacobsen, Henrik; Grenaa Jensen, Stine

2012-01-01

In liberalised markets the ability to maintain security of electricity supply is questioned because security is characterised as a public good. We discuss if this property can be modified with changing technology. Furthermore, we examine if construction of markets for security can be justified...... by possible welfare gains. From a welfare perspective it is possible that security levels are too high and obtained with too high costs. Adjusting the effort so that marginal cost for securing supply is at similar levels in generation capacity and in network maintenance could increase welfare even without...... the need to construct markets. Secondarily, a consumer defined average level of security might improve welfare. Finally, different willingness to pay among customers and construction of advanced markets might increase welfare further. We argue that several cost and welfare improvements can be achieved...

Novel concepts for high-efficiency white organic light-emitting diodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schwartz, Gregor

2007-07-01

This work deals with novel concepts to realize high efficiency white OLEDs by combining fluorescent blue and phosphorescent green and orange emitters. A key point determining the maximum efficiency possible, as well as the device structure to be chosen to reach high efficiency, is the triplet exciton energy of the fluorescent blue emitter. If its triplet state is lower than that of the phosphorescent emitters, mutual exciton quenching can occur. This problem is solved by the first concept with spatial separation of the fluorescent blue from the phosphorescent emitters by a large-gap exciton blocking layer. To still realize exciton generation on both sides, the interlayer has to be ambipolar. On the other hand, if the triplet exciton energy of the fluorescent blue is higher than that of at least one of the phosphorescent emitters, appropriate arrangement of the emission layers makes a separation layer obsolete, since phosphorescence quenching does not occur anymore. Moreover, the intrinsically non-radiative triplet excitons of the fluorescent blue emitter may be harvested by the phosphor for light emission, which means that even 100% internal quantum efficiency is possible. The last chapter 6 deals with this second concept, where the main issue is to simultaneously achieve exciton harvesting as complete as possible and a balanced white emission spectrum by appropriately distributing singlet and triplet excitons to the used emitters. All emitters used in this work are commercially available and their molecular structure is disclosed in order to make the results transparent. (orig.)

Efficient HVAC. New products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-01-01

Jung is responding to the challenge of energy efficiency, ease of operation and economic profitability in all of its solutions for the tertiary sector, whether for newly constructed buildings or refurbishments, for full management of the electrical system or the partial control of lighting, HVAC, mood settings, access control, etc., for the bedrooms or specific areas of the building. In the specific case of hotels, Jung offers each a custom-made solution in line with its possibilities and objectives. (Author)

Coal-fired boiler houses in Cracow present state and possibilities to improve their efficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cyklis, P. [Institute of Industrial Equipment and Power Engineering, Cracow (Poland); Butcher, T.A. [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)

1995-12-31

A significant amount of heat energy both for heating and process purposes is generated in Cracow, Poland in small-and medium size local boiler houses. The operating procedure of these boiler houses is most often economically and ecologically ineffective because of the bad condition of boilers and lack of funds to install automation, control and measurement equipment. Within the Polish-American Program of Elimination of Low Emission Sources financed by the US Department of Energy, the ENERGOEKSPERT Co., Ltd. investigated chosen boiler houses in Cracow, commissioned by the Cracow Development Office. The results of these investigations were subject of engineering analysis carried out at the Institute of Industrial Equipment and Power Engineering, Technical University, Cracow. The analysis proved that the low-cost improvement of economic efficiency and reduction of air pollutant emission is feasible for combustion of coal fuels.

Cooled solar PV panels for output energy efficiency optimisation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peng, Zhijun; Herfatmanesh, Mohammad R.; Liu, Yiming

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Effects of cooling on solar PV performance have been experimentally investigated. • As a solar panel is cooled down, the electric output can have significant increase. • A cooled solar PV system has been proposed for resident application. • Life cycle assessment suggests the cost payback time of cooled PV can be reduced. - Abstract: As working temperature plays a critical role in influencing solar PV’s electrical output and efficacy, it is necessary to examine possible way for maintaining the appropriate temperature for solar panels. This research is aiming to investigate practical effects of solar PV surface temperature on output performance, in particular efficiency. Experimental works were carried out under different radiation condition for exploring the variation of the output voltage, current, output power and efficiency. After that, the cooling test was conducted to find how much efficiency improvement can be achieved with the cooling condition. As test results show the efficiency of solar PV can have an increasing rate of 47% with the cooled condition, a cooling system is proposed for possible system setup of residential solar PV application. The system performance and life cycle assessment suggest that the annual PV electric output efficiencies can increase up to 35%, and the annual total system energy efficiency including electric output and hot water energy output can increase up to 107%. The cost payback time can be reduced to 12.1 years, compared to 15 years of the baseline of a similar system without cooling sub-system.

Soil macrofauna affect crop nitrogen and water use efficiencies in semi-arid West Africa.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ouédraogo, E.; Mando, A.; Brussaard, L.

2006-01-01

It is increasingly recognised that soil fauna have a significant role in soil processes affecting nutrient availability and crop performance. A field experiment was conducted in southern Burkina Faso (West Africa) to investigate the contribution of soil fauna to nutrient availability and crop

Possibilities of computer tomography in multiple sclerosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vymazal, J.; Bauer, J.

1983-01-01

Computer tomography was performed in 41 patients with multiple sclerosis, the average age of patients being 40.8 years. Native examinations were made of 17 patients, examinations with contrast medium of 19, both methods were used in the examination of 5 patients. In 26 patients, i.e. in almost two-thirds, cerebral atrophy was found, in 11 of a severe type. In 9 patients atrophy affected only the hemispheres, in 16 also the stem and cerebellum. The stem and cerebellum only were affected in 1 patient. Hypodense foci were found in 21 patients, i.e. more than half of those examined. In 9 there were multiple foci. In most of the 19 examined patients the hypodense changes were in the hemispheres and only in 2 in the cerebellum and brain stem. No hyperdense changes were detected. The value and possibilities are discussed of examinations by computer tomography multiple sclerosis. (author)

Energy efficiency: utopia or reality?; Efficacite energetique: utopie ou realite?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon

2006-04-15

In its 2006 allocution the world council on the energy WEC, analyzes the role of the energy efficiency in the energy life cycle. In spite of different objectives followed by the developing and developed countries, implement a world energy efficiency economy is a challenge possible by the cooperation.The WEC is an ideal forum for the information and experience exchange. (A.L.B.)

THE EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS OF SINGAPORE REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hui Chen Chiang

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Since the REIT industry is relatively new in Singapore, the objective of this research is to examine the operation efficiency among firms in the industry through the method of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA. In addition, the method of Tobit regression is applied to investigate the impact factors on efficiency. The results are as follows. First, none of 14 firms analyzed performs relatively efficiently based on the average efficiency scores over the sample periods of 2007 to first quarter of 2015. Nevertheless, it is found that First REIT and Suntec REIT are the most efficient and least efficient REITs respectively. Second, ROA is positively correlated to efficiency scores while the negative relationship is found with the debt ratio. Third, regarding property-type, retail REITSs perform better than commercial ones on average. However, the most efficient group is “others” which consists of one hospitality/residential REITs, one healthcare REITs, and three industrial REITs. Fourth, geographical diversification may not affect REIT’s efficiency. Meanwhile, REITs holding more properties overseas perform better than their counterparts on average. Last, in regards to size, small-size REITs significantly perform better in efficiency than those in other categories. Especially, medium-size and largesize REITs do not have significant differences on average in efficiency.

Energy efficiency in small houses and apartment blocks; Energieffektivitet i smaahus och flerbostadshus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Melin Ferdman, Ulrika

2001-05-01

The report shows examples of energy efficient small houses as a basis for estimation of the potentials for future small houses with low energy consumption. The study also describes building technology that affects the energy use in dwellings and how energy efficiency can be improved.

Subacute neuronopathy in a young man: a possible association with tetracycline treatment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Magnus Vrethem

2011-11-01

Full Text Available A young man with subacute neuronopathy following tetracycline treatment is described. The symptoms started as a sensory dorsal root affection but by time also involved motor nerves. He developed a severe sensory ataxia with pseudoathetotic movements. Other possible aetiologies were scrutinized and excluded. Tetracycline induced neuronopathy is hitherto not reported in the literature. We propose a possible association between treatment with tetracycline and the development of sensory neuronopathy in this patient.

Main determinants of efficiency and implications on banking concentration in the European Union

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafael Bautista Mesa

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This study aims to measure the main determinants influencing bank efficiency. We suggest that the bank efficiency ratio, obtained from the income statement, is positively related to the size of a bank in terms of total assets. However, we believe that such a relationship cannot be maintained for banks over a certain size. By the use of the regression analysis method, we analyze the link between bank efficiency and bank size, using a sample of 3952 banks in the European Union. Our results show that the efficiency ratio stops improving for banks with total assets over $25 billion. Previous literature, using different analysis techniques, does not reach an agreement on this point. Furthermore, our study identifies further variables which negatively affect the efficiency of banks, such as competition and lending diversification, or affect them positively, such as the wholesale funding ratio and income diversification. Our findings imply the need for different bank policies depending on total assets, in order to limit the size and activities of banks.

Efficiency of Polish metallurgical industry based on data envelopment analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Baran

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The main purpose of this paper is to compare the technical efficiency of 12 sectors manufacturing basic metals and metal products in Poland. This article presents the use of Data Envelopment Analysis models, to determine overall technical efficiency, pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency of metallurgical branches in Poland. The average technical efficiency of metallurgical industry in Poland was quite high. The analysis gives a possibility to create a ranking of sectors. Three branches were found to be fully efficient: manufacture of basic iron and steel and of ferroalloys, manufacture of basic precious and other non - ferrous metals and manufacture of tubes, pipes, hollow profiles and related fittings, of steel. The results point out the reasons of the inefficiency and provide improving directions for the inefficient sectors.

Sustainable income-generating projects for HIV-affected households in Zimbabwe: evidence from two high-density suburbs.

Science.gov (United States)

Mutenje, Munyaradzi J; Nyakudya, Innocent W; Katsinde, Constance; Chikuvire, Tichaedza J

2007-04-01

An estimated 25% of the adults in urban areas of Zimbabwe are living as HIV-positive. In HIV-affected households the need for income increases with the demand for medicines, food and funeral costs. One way to mitigate this effect of the epidemic is by expanding micro enterprises that can enhance the livelihoods of urban households affected by HIV. To identify viable income-generating projects for such households, five possible projects facilitated by two HIV/AIDS support organisations were selected for assessment. These were: selling second-hand clothing, poultry-keeping and nutritional/herbal gardens, freezit-making, mobile kitchens, and payphone set-ups. A case study of 200 households benefiting from one of these projects was done in two high-density suburbs in the town of Bindura, northern Zimbabwe. Information was collected from each household four times per year, over four years (2001-2004). Information on the income generated from the micro enterprises was collected monthly during the period. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse household demographic data; income data was analysed using cost-benefit analysis and analysis of variance. The results show that all five income-generating projects were viable for these households, although some were not feasible for the most vulnerable HIV-affected households. Making more efficient use of micro enterprises can be a valuable part of mainstreaming HIV-affected people and households in urban areas, and so allow people living with HIV to have longer and more meaningful lives.

Getting a grip on your feelings: Effects of action orientation and external demands on intuitive affect regulation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koole, S.L.; Jostmann, N.B.

2004-01-01

The authors propose that volitional action is supported by intuitive affect regulation, defined as flexible, efficient, and nonrepressive control of own affective states. Intuitive affect regulation should be most apparent among action-oriented individuals under demanding conditions. Consistent with

Gender Differences in Implicit and Explicit Memory for Affective Passages

Science.gov (United States)

Burton, Leslie A.; Rabin, Laura; Vardy, Susan Bernstein.; Frohlich, Jonathan; Wyatt, Gwinne; Dimitri, Diana; Constante, Shimon; Guterman, Elan

2004-01-01

Thirty-two participants were administered 4 verbal tasks, an Implicit Affective Task, an Implicit Neutral Task, an Explicit Affective Task, and an Explicit Neutral Task. For the Implicit Tasks, participants were timed while reading passages aloud as quickly as possible, but not so quickly that they did not understand. A target verbal passage was…

Design and Validation of Affective Warning Pictorial on Cigarette Labels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chanduen Pat-Arin

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of present study were to design and validate affective warning pictorials for cigarette label in Thailand. Brainstorming and survey techniques were used to collect the idea of possible warning pictorials. All ideas were grouped for finding candidated pictorials. Then, primary sixty warning pictorials were collected and equally classified into three affective warning pictorial groups as positive, neutral, and negative. Sixty Thai male engineering students participated in affective validation of warning pictorials using SAM rating. The International Affective Picture System (IAPS was used to manipulate the affective state of participants to neutral affective state before the experiments. The results revealed that all affective warning pictorials were successfully evoked target affective states on participants. After refining, thirty affective warning pictorials were provided as positive, neutral, and negative affective warning pictorials for using on cigarette labels. Implications on the affective warning pictorials design and validation.

PARTIAL TRAINING METHOD FOR HEURISTIC ALGORITHM OF POSSIBLE CLUSTERIZATION UNDER UNKNOWN NUMBER OF CLASSES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. A. Viattchenin

2009-01-01

Full Text Available A method for constructing a subset of labeled objects which is used in a heuristic algorithm of possible  clusterization with partial  training is proposed in the  paper.  The  method  is  based  on  data preprocessing by the heuristic algorithm of possible clusterization using a transitive closure of a fuzzy tolerance. Method efficiency is demonstrated by way of an illustrative example.

Present analytical possibilities in prompt γ-ray spectrometry with charged projectiles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borderie, B.

1980-01-01

This review article deals with γ-rays following bombardment by charged projectiles and the use of this process as an analytical method. A general enumeration of analytical possibilities with expected sensitivities is given. The basic principles and the different possible productions are summarized. A discussion of the physical background is included. Methods for quantitative analysis are discussed. Experimental arrangements are indicated and factors affecting the accuracy of analysis are considered. A number of applications are briefly described and a comparison with X-ray emission (PIXE) is made

Water use efficiency by coffee arabica after glyphosate application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Felipe Paolinelli de Carvalho

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Many coffee growers apply glyphosate in directed applications, but some phytotoxicity has been noted. It is believed some herbicides can exert a direct or indirect negative effect on photosynthesis by reducing the metabolic rate in a way that can affect the water use efficiency. The objective of this study was to investigate the variables related to water use among coffee cultivars subjected to the application of glyphosate and the effects of each dose. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse using three varieties of coffee (Coffea arabica, Acaiá (MG-6851, Catucaí Amarelo (2SL and Topázio (MG-1190, and three doses of glyphosate (0.0, 115.2 and 460.8 g acid equivalent ha-1, in a factorial 3 x 3 design. At 15 days after application, a reduction in stomatal conductance was observed, and smaller transpiration rate and water use efficiency were found in the fourth leaf at 15 days after application. There was a decrease in the transpiration rate at 45 DAA, with the Acaiá cultivar showing reductions with 115.2 g ha-1. There was transitory reduction in water use efficiency with glyphosate application, but can affect the growth and production. The Acaiá cultivar showed the highest tolerance to glyphosate because the water use efficiency after herbicide application.

Comparison of energy efficiency incentive programs: Rebates and white certificates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Transue, Morghan; Felder, Frank A. [Center for Energy, Economic, and Environmental Policy, Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, 33 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 (United States)

2010-06-15

With increased interest in energy efficiency in recent years, energy efficiency portfolio standards (EEPS) have gained popularity in state policymaking. This analysis employed New Jersey specific data to compare two incentive based approaches to EEPS implementation: rebates and white certificates. Quantitative modeling suggests that white certificate approaches that depend on market-clearing prices generate much larger upfront incentive outlays than rebate programs. They do not however increase societal burden. Both programs overcome high upfront efficiency measure costs and both recoup the expenses over the long run. Administration costs and participation rates can affect this dynamic however and require additional research to determine which approaches are most cost effective for various energy efficiency measures. (author)

Drones in cadastral applications: possible uses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Flavio C. Ferrante

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The considerable diffusion of technologies that use drones as the carriers that make it possible to bring photogrammetric sensors to heights for the acquisition of territorial information is arousing interest in a production sector, that of geotopographic information, which like other sectors, needs to find new stimulus in order to renew itself. The paper here proposed does not seek to analyse technical innovations of the sector, innovations allowed by new and increasingly efficient aircraft, by new sensors, by increasingly high performance software and more or less restrictive limitations imposed by the norms, all activities and regulations in rapid and, in some respects, tumultuous innovation and subject to other and more specific detail. The authors instead wish to propose a reflection on the actual possibilities, in the not too distant future, of the transposition of these technologies within the sphere of cadastral activities, so as to allow the economies and positive findings on photogrammetric measurement within the procedures of conservation of the Italian Cadastre. This work was drawn up within the framework of the activities of the CAT-APR Project, a scientific collaboration between the Revenue Agency and the Dipartimento Interateneo di Scienze, Progetto e Politiche del Territorio - Inter-university Department of Sciences, Project and Land Policies - (DIST of the Polytechnic and the University of Turin, which has as its object the testing of surveying methodologies based on the use of remotely piloted aerial vehicles designed for possible use in the cadastral field.

On arc efficiency in gas tungsten arc welding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nils Stenbacka

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to review the literature on published arc efficiency values for GTAW and, if possible, propose a narrower band. Articles between the years 1955 - 2011 have been found. Published arc efficiency values for GTAW DCEN show to lie on a wide range, between 0.36 to 0.90. Only a few studies covered DCEP - direct current electrode positive and AC current. Specific information about the reproducibility in calorimetric studies as well as in modeling and simulation studies (considering that both random and systematic errors are small was scarce. An estimate of the average arc efficiency value for GTAW DCEN indicates that it should be about 0.77. It indicates anyway that the GTAW process with DCEN is an efficient welding method. The arc efficiency is reduced when the arc length is increased. On the other hand, there are conflicting results in the literature as to the influence of arc current and travel speed.

Promoting Energy Efficiency Best Practices in Cities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2008-07-01

This pilot project is the first attempt to address the lack of rigorous and transparent approach to defining best practice in city energy efficiency programmes. The project has provided interesting insights into a range of exciting projects being implemented in cities around the world. However, the potential exists for far greater benefit. The study has found that it is possible to collate the detailed information needed to identify best practice energy efficiency projects in cities. However, gathering the data is not easy. The data is often not recorded in an easily accessible format. Nor is it easy to get city officials to allocate time to the necessary data collation given the many other competing demands on their time. A key area that this project identifies as requiring urgent attention is the development of a common data management format for energy efficiency projects by Cas. Further work could also focus on refining the criteria used to define best practice, and broadening the scope of projects beyond energy efficiency.

Efficiency improvement for vehicle powertrains using energy integration techniques

OpenAIRE

Dimitrova, Zlatina; Maréchal, François

2016-01-01

The main design criteria for the modern sustainable development of vehicle powertrains are the high energy efficiency of the conversion system, the competitive cost and the lowest possible environmental impacts. The need for efficiency improvement of the vehicle energy system induces the search for an innovative methodology during the design process. In this article the energy services for mobility and comfort are integrated. The energy integration of the mobility and the comfort service is a...

Measuring Energy Efficiency in China’s Transport Sector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Han Hao

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Energy efficiency is one of the key factors affecting energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG emissions. By focusing on China’s transport sector, this study comprehensively reviews and compares the energy efficiency performance of passenger vehicles, light-duty commercial vehicles, commercial road transport, commercial water transport, aviation transport and railway transport, and identifies the opportunities for further energy efficiency improvements. It is found that railway transport exhibited the greatest improvement in energy efficiency during the past decade, which was mainly driven by progress in its electrification. Passenger vehicles have also experienced considerable energy efficiency improvements, which can be mainly attributed to the establishment of mandatory fuel consumption standards. In contrast, commercial road transport has shown the least improvement, due to insufficient policy implementations. Based on the analysis, it is recommended that, as China’s present policy framework to improve energy efficiency in the transport sector is generally effective, it should be consistently maintained and successively improved. Electrification represents a major opportunity for improvement of energy efficiency in the transport sector. Such potential should be fully tapped for all transport modes. Greater effort should be put into improving the energy efficiency of commercial road transport. The policy instruments utilized to improve the energy efficiency of heavy-duty vehicles should be as intensive and effective as the policy instruments for passenger vehicles.

New advances in wet scrubbing improvement efficiencies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keen, A.R. [Altech Group, Toronto, ON (Canada)

2000-07-01

Wet scrubbing systems are the most versatile and cost efficient of all air pollution abatement technologies. This paper presented System REITHER{sup TM} which is a new generation of venturi scrubber. The advantages of this design are that it is simple and compact, has high removal efficiencies for sub-micron dusts or aerosols and it is flexible to handle any mass flow rate. It also provides high and constant reliability, is easy to control and has the potential to absorb gaseous pollutants. Another advantage is that it can handle corrosive streams through corrosion resistant materials. Innovations in wet scrubbing have made it possible to provide reliable and efficient separation of fine particles, corrosive aerosols and gases. New technology provides industrial engineers with a cost effective option when control air emissions is required. 1 fig.

Analysis of Production Funds Efficiency in the Country’s Crane Sector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edita Valėnaitė

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The article deals with methodological aspects of the production funds analysis. In this work the study of literature which examines the basic and transferable funds is presented. Much attention is paid to the analysis of basic production funds in the crane sector. Analysis of the basic production funds in the country’s crane sector is presented. Special attention is paid to the structure of the cranes park and crane utilization efficiency. In the analysis of basic production funds, the factors that impede the efficiency of production funds were established as follows: the greatest negative impact on basic production funds efficiency of businesses was in small tower crane fleet; a small range of tower cranes in the park is reducing the technical possibilities of the lease. Basing on the analysis and observation of tower cranes installation and dismantling, the poor supply of the parts for the work place, lack of competence and motivation of the support staff have been ascertained. After elimination of these factors it is possible to raise the efficiency of the main production funds.Article in Lithuanian

Drawing skill is related to the efficiency of encoding object structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Perdreau, Florian; Cavanagh, Patrick

2014-01-01

Accurate drawing calls on many skills beyond simple motor coordination. A good internal representation of the target object's structure is necessary to capture its proportion and shape in the drawing. Here, we assess two aspects of the perception of object structure and relate them to participants' drawing accuracy. First, we assessed drawing accuracy by computing the geometrical dissimilarity of their drawing to the target object. We then used two tasks to evaluate the efficiency of encoding object structure. First, to examine the rate of temporal encoding, we varied presentation duration of a possible versus impossible test object in the fovea using two different test sizes (8° and 28°). More skilled participants were faster at encoding an object's structure, but this difference was not affected by image size. A control experiment showed that participants skilled in drawing did not have a general advantage that might have explained their faster processing for object structure. Second, to measure the critical image size for accurate classification in the periphery, we varied image size with possible versus impossible object tests centered at two different eccentricities (3° and 8°). More skilled participants were able to categorise object structure at smaller sizes, and this advantage did not change with eccentricity. A control experiment showed that the result could not be attributed to differences in visual acuity, leaving attentional resolution as a possible explanation. Overall, we conclude that drawing accuracy is related to faster encoding of object structure and better access to crowded details.

The conversion factor of α radiation efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Weida; Zhou Zhixin; Xia Junding

1997-01-01

It is important in fine-grain TL dating that the full α dose must be converted into the equivalent β dose. Although the conversion coefficient K for internal radiation efficiency can not be measured directly for each sample, it is possible to measure the external radiation efficiency K 3.7 . For this purpose a special study for the conversion factor of K to K 3.7 has been made using ultrathin TLD. The results show that the conversion factor of the TLD for archaeological samples is 0.847, which is in agreement with the calculated value 0.85

ARTIE: An Integrated Environment for the Development of Affective Robot Tutors.

Science.gov (United States)

Imbernón Cuadrado, Luis-Eduardo; Manjarrés Riesco, Ángeles; De La Paz López, Félix

2016-01-01

Over the last decade robotics has attracted a great deal of interest from teachers and researchers as a valuable educational tool from preschool to highschool levels. The implementation of social-support behaviors in robot tutors, in particular in the emotional dimension, can make a significant contribution to learning efficiency. With the aim of contributing to the rising field of affective robot tutors we have developed ARTIE (Affective Robot Tutor Integrated Environment). We offer an architectural pattern which integrates any given educational software for primary school children with a component whose function is to identify the emotional state of the students who are interacting with the software, and with the driver of a robot tutor which provides personalized emotional pedagogical support to the students. In order to support the development of affective robot tutors according to the proposed architecture, we also provide a methodology which incorporates a technique for eliciting pedagogical knowledge from teachers, and a generic development platform. This platform contains a component for identiying emotional states by analysing keyboard and mouse interaction data, and a generic affective pedagogical support component which specifies the affective educational interventions (including facial expressions, body language, tone of voice,…) in terms of BML (a Behavior Model Language for virtual agent specification) files which are translated into actions of a robot tutor. The platform and the methodology are both adapted to primary school students. Finally, we illustrate the use of this platform to build a prototype implementation of the architecture, in which the educational software is instantiated with Scratch and the robot tutor with NAO. We also report on a user experiment we carried out to orient the development of the platform and of the prototype. We conclude from our work that, in the case of primary school students, it is possible to identify, without

Group Positive Psychotherapy and Depression of Females Affected by Multiple Sclerosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tayebeh Khayatan

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Objectives: Multiple Sclerosis is one of the most important and prevalent central nervous system diseases, causing disorders such as depression among affected patients. Positive psychotherapy is also a new approach that can be effective in reducing the depression of these people. This study aims to investigate the efficiency of group positive psychotherapy for decreasing the depression among females affected by Multiple Sclerosis. Methods: A samples of 30 females affected by Multiple Sclerosis with mild to moderate depression were participated, and were divided into two groups, intervention and control. Both groups completed Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II at the beginning, he intervention group received six sessions of positive psychotherapy. After the intervention both group completed the questionnaire again. Data was analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistical methods. Results: The result demonstrated that, the decline of depression was more in the intervention group than the control group. Moreover in the intervention group than control group, there was obtained significant reduction in both sub-scales of Beck Depression Inventory II. Discussion: Results of this study indicated that group positive psychotherapy is effective in reducing the depression of females affected by Multiple Sclerosis. This treatment can be widely used in the caring centers for treatment of people affected by Multiple Sclerosis and this can be justified because of its low cost and good efficiency.

Genome editing: The efficient tool CRISPR–Cpf1

KAUST Repository

Mahfouz, Magdy M.

2017-01-01

The novel features of the CRISPR–Cpf1 RNA-guided endonuclease system facilitate precise and efficient genome engineering. Application of CRISPR–Cpf1 in plants shows promise for robust gene editing and regulation, opening exciting possibilities for targeted trait improvement in crops.

Genome editing: The efficient tool CRISPR–Cpf1

KAUST Repository

Mahfouz, Magdy M.

2017-03-01

The novel features of the CRISPR–Cpf1 RNA-guided endonuclease system facilitate precise and efficient genome engineering. Application of CRISPR–Cpf1 in plants shows promise for robust gene editing and regulation, opening exciting possibilities for targeted trait improvement in crops.

Compressed air energy storage (CAES) - possibilities in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Elmegaard, Brian; Szameitat, Nicklas; Brix, Wiebke

2005-01-01

Through a systematic development of the Danish electrical supply system with wind power and CHP, problems with stability and electricity surplus have appeared. Therefore, the possibilities for profitably implementing a CAES plant for energy storage, peak shaving and electricity surplus reduction...... are investigated. Based on existing plants and the latest technology a simulation model of a 360 MW plant with an efficiency of 35 % has been developed and optimized to Danish conditions. An analysis of the economics in the plant, operating under market conditions, shows a growing potential, but the allocated...

Possibilities and Limitations of Thermally Activated Building Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Behrendt, Benjamin

The strong political market drive towards energy savings in the building sector calls for efficient solutions. Using so called low temperature heating and high temperature cooling systems such as for instance thermally activated building systems (TABS) has a significant impact on the required...... will be mostly needed to operate the building within acceptable boundaries. It will also allow the user to see if dehumidification will be needed for undisturbed operation of TABS. With the combination of both tools it is possible to provide a holistic evaluation of a building proposal at a very early design...

Energy sustainability: consumption, efficiency, and ...

Science.gov (United States)

One of the critical challenges in achieving sustainability is finding a way to meet the energy consumption needs of a growing population in the face of increasing economic prosperity and finite resources. According to ecological footprint computations, the global resource consumption began exceeding planetary supply in 1977 and by 2030, global energy demand, population, and gross domestic product are projected to greatly increase over 1977 levels. With the aim of finding sustainable energy solutions, we present a simple yet rigorous procedure for assessing and counterbalancing the relationship between energy demand, environmental impact, population, GDP, and energy efficiency. Our analyses indicated that infeasible increases in energy efficiency (over 100 %) would be required by 2030 to return to 1977 environmental impact levels and annual reductions (2 and 3 %) in energy demand resulted in physical, yet impractical requirements; hence, a combination of policy and technology approaches is needed to tackle this critical challenge. This work emphasizes the difficulty in moving toward energy sustainability and helps to frame possible solutions useful for policy and management. Based on projected energy consumption, environmental impact, human population, gross domestic product (GDP), and energy efficiency, for this study, we explore the increase in energy-use efficiency and the decrease in energy use intensity required to achieve sustainable environmental impact le

A fractional optimal control problem for maximizing advertising efficiency

OpenAIRE

Igor Bykadorov; Andrea Ellero; Stefania Funari; Elena Moretti

2007-01-01

We propose an optimal control problem to model the dynamics of the communication activity of a firm with the aim of maximizing its efficiency. We assume that the advertising effort undertaken by the firm contributes to increase the firm's goodwill and that the goodwill affects the firm's sales. The aim is to find the advertising policies in order to maximize the firm's efficiency index which is computed as the ratio between "outputs" and "inputs" properly weighted; the outputs are represented...

Factors affecting efficient in vitro micropropagation of Muscari muscarimi Medikus using twin bulb scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Ozel, Cigdem Alev; Khawar, Khalid Mahmood; Unal, Fatma

2015-03-01

Endemic Muscari muscarimi Medikus is the most fragrant plant among Muscari species and has a high ornamental potential. The natural populations of M. muscarimi, are severely affected by increased environmental pollution and urbanization. There is a need to develop a micropropagation method that should serve effectively for commercial propagation and conservation. Therefore, the study targeted to set up a strategy for efficient in vitro bulblet regeneration system of M. muscarimi using twin scale bulb explants on 1.0 × MS medium containing 4.44, 8.88, 17.76 μM BAP (6-Benzylaminopurine) plus 2.685, 5.37, 10.74 μM NAA (α-Naphthalene acetic acid). Maximum number of 19 daughter axillary bulblets and 16 daughter adventitious bulblets per twin bulb scale explant was regenerated on 1.0 × MS medium containing 17.76 μM BAP plus 10.74 μM NAA and 17.76 μM BAP plus 2.685 μM NAA respectively. The daughter bulblets regenerated on twin bulb scales on 8 out of 9 regeneration treatment could be easily rooted on 1.0 × MS medium containing 4.9 μM IBA (Indole-3-butyric acid). The daughter bulblets regenerated on 9th treatment (1.0 × MS medium containing 17.76 μM BAP plus 10.74 μM NAA) were transferred to 1.0 × MS medium containing 30 g/l sucrose to break negative carry over effect of this dose of BAP-NAA, where they grew 2-3 roots of variable length. Daughter bulblet diameter was increased by culturing them on 1.0 × MS medium containing 4.44 μM BAP plus 5.37 μM NAA. The results verified that both age and the source of explants had significant effect on regeneration. In another set of experiments, twin scales were obtained from in vitro regenerated daughter bulblets, although they induced bulblets, yet their bulblet regeneration percentage, mean number of bulblets per explant and their diameter were significantly reduced. In vitro regenerated bulblets were acclimatized in growth chamber under ambient conditions of temperature and humidity on

Assessment of thermal efficiency of heat recovery coke making

Science.gov (United States)

Tiwari, H. P.; Saxena, V. K.; Haldar, S. K.; Sriramoju, S. K.

2017-08-01

The heat recovery stamp charge coke making process is quite complicated due to the evolved volatile matter during coking, is partially combusted in oven crown and sole flue in a controlled manner to provide heat for producing metallurgical coke. Therefore, the control and efficient utilization of heat in the oven crown, and sole flue is difficult, which directly affects the operational efficiency. Considering the complexity and importance of thermal efficiency, evolution of different gases, combustion of gasses in oven crown and sole flue, and heating process of coke oven has been studied. A nonlinear regression methodology was used to predict temperature profile of different depth of coal cake during the coking. It was observed that the predicted temperature profile is in good agreement with the actual temperature profile (R2 = 0.98) and is validated with the actual temperature profile of other ovens. A complete study is being done to calculate the material balance, heat balance, and heat losses. This gives an overall understanding of heat flow which affects the heat penetration into the coal cake. The study confirms that 60% heat was utilized during coking.

Subclinical psychopathology and socio-economic status in unaffected twins discordant for affective disorder

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Maj Vinberg; Kyvik, Kirsten Ohm; Kessing, Lars Vedel

2006-01-01

BACKGROUND: The most potent risk factor for affective disorders is a family history of affective disorder but the specific factors that are transmitted in families are unknown. It is possible to investigate the relation between risk factors and affective disorder by using a high-risk design e.g.:...

Vacuum boilers developed heating surfaces technic and economic efficiency evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Slobodina, E. N.; Mikhailov, A. G.; Semenov, B. A.

2018-01-01

The vacuum boilers as manufacturing proto types application analysis was carried out, the possible directions for the heating surfaces development are identified with a view to improving the energy efficiency. Economic characteristics to evaluate the vacuum boilers application efficiency (Net Discounted Income (NDI), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), Profitability Index (PI) and Payback Period) are represented. The given type boilers application technic and economic efficiency criteria were established. NDI changing curves depending on the finning coefficient and operating pressure were obtained as a result of the conducted calculation studies.

EUE (energy use efficiency) of cropping systems for a sustainable agriculture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alluvione, Francesco; Moretti, Barbara; Sacco, Dario; Grignani, Carlo

2011-01-01

Energy efficiency of agriculture needs improvement to reduce the dependency on non-renewable energy sources. We estimated the energy flows of a wheat-maize-soybean-maize rotation of three different cropping systems: (i) low-input integrated farming (LI), (ii) integrated farming following European Regulations (IFS), and (iii) conventional farming (CONV). Balancing N fertilization with actual crop requirements and adopting minimum tillage proved the most efficient techniques to reduce energy inputs, contributing 64.7% and 11.2% respectively to the total reduction. Large differences among crops in energy efficiency (maize: 2.2 MJ kg -1 grain; wheat: 2.6 MJ kg -1 grain; soybean: 4.1 MJ kg -1 grain) suggest that crop rotation and crop management can be equally important in determining cropping system energy efficiency. Integrated farming techniques improved energy efficiency by reducing energy inputs without affecting energy outputs. Compared with CONV, energy use efficiency increased 31.4% and 32.7% in IFS and LI, respectively, while obtaining similar net energy values. Including SOM evolution in the energy analysis greatly enhanced the energy performance of IFS and, even more dramatically, LI compared to CONV. Improved energy efficiency suggests the adoption of alternative farming systems to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. However, a thorough evaluation should include net global warming potential assessment. -- Highlights: → We evaluated the energy flows of integrated as alternative to conventional Farming. → Energy flows, soil organic matter evolution included, were analyzed following process analysis. → Energy flows were compared using indicators. → Integrated farming improved energy efficiency without affecting net energy. → Inclusion of soil organic matter in energy analysis accrue environmental evaluation.

Engine-integrated solid oxide fuel cells for efficient electrical power generation on aircraft

Science.gov (United States)

Waters, Daniel F.; Cadou, Christopher P.

2015-06-01

This work investigates the use of engine-integrated catalytic partial oxidation (CPOx) reactors and solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) to reduce fuel burn in vehicles with large electrical loads like sensor-laden unmanned air vehicles. Thermodynamic models of SOFCs, CPOx reactors, and three gas turbine (GT) engine types (turbojet, combined exhaust turbofan, separate exhaust turbofan) are developed and checked against relevant data and source material. Fuel efficiency is increased by 4% and 8% in the 50 kW and 90 kW separate exhaust turbofan systems respectively at only modest cost in specific power (8% and 13% reductions respectively). Similar results are achieved in other engine types. An additional benefit of hybridization is the ability to provide more electric power (factors of 3 or more in some cases) than generator-based systems before encountering turbine inlet temperature limits. A sensitivity analysis shows that the most important parameters affecting the system's performance are operating voltage, percent fuel oxidation, and SOFC assembly air flows. Taken together, this study shows that it is possible to create a GT-SOFC hybrid where the GT mitigates balance of plant losses and the SOFC raises overall system efficiency. The result is a synergistic system with better overall performance than stand-alone components.

Energy efficiency practices among road freight hauliers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liimatainen, Heikki; Stenholm, Pekka; Tapio, Petri; McKinnon, Alan

2012-01-01

The reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG) is a highly prevalent public policy goal among European Union member countries. In the new White Paper on transport, the role of road freight transports in this is strongly emphasized. This far, however, the efficiency practices utilised in logistics firms are less studied. Drawing from policy goals and new survey data on 295 road transport firms our results show that hauliers are aware of the possible energy efficiency actions but lack the knowledge and resources to fully utilize them. Energy efficiency seems also to be unimportant for many shippers, so there are no incentives for hauliers to improve it. Examples from various countries show that clear energy efficiency improvements can be achieved with active cooperation between hauliers, shippers and policy makers. Such cooperation can be developed in Finland through the sectoral energy efficiency agreements. The novelty and the utility of these results allow scholars to answer important open questions in the national-level determinants of enhancing energy efficiency practices among road freight hauliers, and contribute to our understanding of how these can be fostered in public policies. - Highlights: ► Hauliers still monitor their fuel consumption with unsophisticated methods. ► Larger hauliers are more active in energy efficiency related issues than smaller ones. ► Hauliers are aware of energy efficiency actions, but lack knowledge of implementation. ► Finnish energy efficiency agreement provides a good framework for public policies. ► Companies that monitor and improve energy efficiency may gain competitive advantage.

Mimicking the phosphorylation of Rsp5 in PKA site T761 affects its function and cellular localization.

Science.gov (United States)

Jastrzebska, Zaneta; Kaminska, Joanna; Chelstowska, Anna; Domanska, Anna; Rzepnikowska, Weronika; Sitkiewicz, Ewa; Cholbinski, Piotr; Gourlay, Campbell; Plochocka, Danuta; Zoladek, Teresa

2015-12-01

Rsp5 ubiquitin ligase belongs to the Nedd4 family of proteins, which affect a wide variety of processes in the cell. Here we document that Rsp5 shows several phosphorylated variants of different mobility and the migration of the phosphorylated forms of Rsp5 was faster for the tpk1Δ tpk3Δ mutant devoid of two alternative catalytic subunits of protein kinase A (PKA), indicating that PKA possibly phosphorylates Rsp5 in vivo. We demonstrated by immunoprecipitation and Western blot analysis of GFP-HA-Rsp5 protein using the anti-phospho PKA substrate antibody that Rsp5 is phosphorylated in PKA sites. Rsp5 contains the sequence 758-RRFTIE-763 with consensus RRXS/T in the catalytic HECT domain and four other sites with consensus RXXS/T, which might be phosphorylated by PKA. The strain bearing the T761D substitution in Rsp5 which mimics phosphorylation grew more slowly at 28°C and did not grow at 37°C, and showed defects in pre-tRNA processing and protein sorting. The rsp5-T761D strain also demonstrated a reduced ability to form colonies, an increase in the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and hypersensitivity to ROS-generating agents. These results indicate that PKA may downregulate many functions of Rsp5, possibly affecting its activity. Rsp5 is found in the cytoplasm, nucleus, multivesicular body and cortical patches. The rsp5-T761D mutation led to a strongly increased cortical localization while rsp5-T761A caused mutant Rsp5 to locate more efficiently in internal spots. Rsp5-T761A protein was phosphorylated less efficiently in PKA sites under specific growth conditions. Our data suggests that Rsp5 may be phosphorylated by PKA at position T761 and that this regulation is important for its localization and function. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Using Power Ultrasound to Accelerate Food Freezing Processes: Effects on Freezing Efficiency and Food Microstructure.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Peizhi; Zhu, Zhiwei; Sun, Da-Wen

2018-05-31

Freezing is an effective way of food preservation. However, traditional freezing methods have the disadvantages of low freezing efficiency and generation of large ice crystals, leading to possible damage of food quality. Power ultrasound assisted freezing as a novel technique can effectively reduce the adverse effects during freezing process. This paper gives an overview on recent researches of power ultrasound technique to accelerate the food freezing processes and illustrates the main principles of power ultrasound assisted freezing. The effects of power ultrasound on liquid food, model solid food as well as fruit and vegetables are discussed, respectively, from the aspects of increasing freezing rate and improving microstructure. It is shown that ultrasound assisted freezing can effectively improve the freezing efficiency and promote the formation of small and evenly distributed ice crystals, resulting in better food quality. Different inherent properties of food samples affect the effectiveness of ultrasound application and optimum ultrasound parameters depend on the nature of the samples. The application of ultrasound to the food industry is more likely on certain types of food products and more efforts are still needed to realize the industrial translation of laboratory results.

Efficient Parallel Algorithms for Unsteady Incompressible Flows

KAUST Repository

Guermond, Jean-Luc; Minev, Peter D.

2013-01-01

The objective of this paper is to give an overview of recent developments on splitting schemes for solving the time-dependent incompressible Navier–Stokes equations and to discuss possible extensions to the variable density/viscosity case. A particular attention is given to algorithms that can be implemented efficiently on large parallel clusters.

Radiological consequences of possible irradiation scenarios in military practice in Ukraine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vyinnyikov, V.A.; Kulyinyich, G.V.; Chernyavs'kij, Yi.Yu.

2017-01-01

For the first time the logical and handy classification of possible radiation exposure scenarios in military practice is presented. It combines the causal situation, the type of battle task and early clinical effects, which lead to the reduction of the work efficiency of the personnel. Five causal situations are distinguished; each containing from one to three variants of the contact with ionizing radiation; and for each particular scenario the specific symptoms of early biomedical effects of the external and/or internal irradiation are presented. The assessment of the work efficacy of military units has to be based of the criteria of the grade and frequency distribution of the general primary reaction on the irradiation. The consequences of radiation exposure are listed in the ascending order of their health danger: from the radiophobia up to the toxaemic or cerebral forms of acute radiation syndrome, early transitive disability syndrome and combined radiation-traumatic or radiation-termal injuries. The clinical consequences of radiation exposure, which determine the loss of work efficiency of military subdivisions, vary essentially depending on the scenario of irradiation. The underestimation of the full possible spectrum of radiological effects beyond the acute radiation syndrome may lead to the mistakes in the evaluation of the personnel losses during the war time. Further optimization of the military radiation safety system requires the establishing of clear quantitative coefficients linking various clinical radiation symptoms and the losses of work efficiency in exposed military units.

Thermal desalination in GCC and possible development

KAUST Repository

Darwish, Mohamed Ali

2013-01-01

The Water Desalination and Reuse Center in King Abdulla University of Science and Technology, in Saudi Arabia, held a workshop on thermal desalination on the 11th and 12th of March, 2013. This paper was presented as part of a lecture at the workshop. It presents the status and possible developments of the two main thermal desalination systems processing large quantities of seawater in the Gulf Cooperation Council, multi-stage flash, and thermal vapor compression systems. Developments of these systems were presented to show how these systems are competing with the more energy-efficient seawater reverse osmosis desalting. © 2013 © 2013 Balaban Desalination Publications. All rights reserved.

Thermal desalination in GCC and possible development

KAUST Repository

Darwish, Mohamed Ali

2013-06-28

The Water Desalination and Reuse Center in King Abdulla University of Science and Technology, in Saudi Arabia, held a workshop on thermal desalination on the 11th and 12th of March, 2013. This paper was presented as part of a lecture at the workshop. It presents the status and possible developments of the two main thermal desalination systems processing large quantities of seawater in the Gulf Cooperation Council, multi-stage flash, and thermal vapor compression systems. Developments of these systems were presented to show how these systems are competing with the more energy-efficient seawater reverse osmosis desalting. © 2013 © 2013 Balaban Desalination Publications. All rights reserved.

Endogeneity Corrected Stochastic Production Frontier and Technical Efficiency

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Shee, A.; Stefanou, S.E.

2015-01-01

A major econometric issue in estimating production parameters and technical efficiency is the possibility that some forces influencing production are only observed by the firm and not by the econometrician. Not only can this misspecification lead to a biased inference on the output elasticity of

Evaluating potassium-use-efficiency of five cotton genotypes of pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hassan, Z.U.; Kubar, K.A.

2014-01-01

Potassium (K) deficiency in Pakistani soils has been recently reported as the major limiting factor affecting sustainable cotton production. The present study was conducted to envisage how K nutrition affect the growth, biomass production, yield and K-use-efficiency of five cotton genotypes, NIBGE-3701, NIBGE-1524 (Bt-transgenic), Sadori, Sindh-1 and SAU-2 (non-Bt conventional), commonly grown in Pakistan. All five genotypes were raised at deficient and adequate K levels, i.e. 0 and 60 kg K/sub 2/O ha-1, respectively. The experiment was performed in plastic pots following a completely randomized factorial design with three repeats. Adequate K nutrition significantly increased various plant growth traits and yield of all cotton genotypes under study, viz. number of sympodia (21%), number of leaves (34%), leaf dry biomass (30%), shoot dry biomass (31%), number of bolls (50%) and yield of seed cotton (92%). Substantial variations were observed among cotton genotypes for their K-use-efficiency and K-response-efficiency. Sadori and SAU-2 were screened as most K-use-efficient cotton genotypes, while Sindh-1 and SAU-2 were ranked as the most K-responsive cotton genotypes. Interestingly, Sadori did not respond to K nutrition. Moreover, Bt cotton genotypes accumulated more K as compared to non-Bt genotypes. The cotton genotype SAU-2 was identified as efficient-response genotype for better adaptation for both low- and high-K-input sustainable cotton agriculture systems. (author)

Energy efficiency in the world and Turkey and investigation of energy efficiency in Turkish Industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kavak, K.

2005-09-01

The reserves of fossil fuels which currently respond to the major part of world energy requirements are being running out very fast. Because it is forecasted that reserves of some fossil fuels like oil and natural gas will come to an end in the second half of this century, exploiting all energy resources in an efficient manner has great importance. Throughout the world where the energy demand grows continuously but the resources decrease gradually, many types of programs are implemented to provide efficient energy use. In Turkey, although there have been some efforts in last two decades, the importance of the issue could not be undersood yet. Turkey'sgeneral energy policy still focuses on supply security and finding ways to meet the growing demand, rather than decreasing the demand by energy efficiency. In this study, the possible opportunities and benefits that Turkey would gain by energy efficiency is pointed out. The studies about energy efficiency which have been conducted in the world and Turkey are examined. The measurement that can be taken in the sectors such as industry, power plants, buildings, transportation and the utilities of these measures for energy economy are indicated. The successful practices of energy efficiency studies in various countries, the state of some countries which pioneer efficiency implementations. Turkey's situation in energy in the light of basic indicators such as energy consumption per capita and enrgy intensity, the energy efficiency studies that have been done and should be done in various sectors of Turkey are also discussed in this thesis. Turkish industry's energy comsumption is analyzed as a seperate chapter by taking into consideration energy efficiency, energy intensity and energy resources. The general energy consumption and energy intensity tendencies of main manufacturing industries between 1995 and 2002 are explored and resource utilization ratios are investigated. This chapter provides to find out what kind of

Non-parametric analysis of production efficiency of poultry egg ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Non-parametric analysis of production efficiency of poultry egg farmers in Delta ... analysis of factors affecting the output of poultry farmers showed that stock ... should be put in place for farmers to learn the best farm practices carried out on the ...

Evaluate and Analysis Efficiency of Safaga Port Using DEA-CCR, BCC and SBM Models-Comparison with DP World Sokhna

Science.gov (United States)

Elsayed, Ayman; Shabaan Khalil, Nabil

2017-10-01

The competition among maritime ports is increasing continuously; the main purpose of Safaga port is to become the best option for companies to carry out their trading activities, particularly importing and exporting The main objective of this research is to evaluate and analyze factors that may significantly affect the levels of Safaga port efficiency in Egypt (particularly the infrastructural capacity). The assessment of such efficiency is a task that must play an important role in the management of Safaga port in order to improve the possibility of development and success in commercial activities. Drawing on Data Envelopment Analysis(DEA)models, this paper develops a manner of assessing the comparative efficiency of Safaga port in Egypt during the study period 2004-2013. Previous research for port efficiencies measurement usually using radial DEA models (DEA-CCR), (DEA-BCC), but not using non radial DEA model. The research applying radial - output oriented (DEA-CCR), (DEA-BCC) and non-radial (DEA-SBM) model with ten inputs and four outputs. The results were obtained from the analysis input and output variables based on DEA-CCR, DEA-BCC and SBM models, by software Max DEA Pro 6.3. DP World Sokhna port higher efficiency for all outputs were compared to Safaga port. DP World Sokhna position is below the southern entrance to the Suez Canal, on the Red Sea, Egypt, makes it strategically located to handle cargo transiting through one of the world's busiest commercial waterways.

Energy Efficient Payload Aggregation in WSNs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ákos MILÁNKOVICH

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Creating wireless sensor networks requires a different approach than traditional communication networks because energy efficiency plays a key role in sensor networks, which consist of devices without external power. The amount of energy used determines the lifetime of these devices. In most cases data packets are less sensitive to delay, thus can be aggregated, making it possible to gather more useful information reducing the energy required to transmit information. This article discusses the energy efficiency of different Forward Error Correction algorithms and presents a method to calculate the optimal amount of aggregation of the data packets in terms of power consumption, while taking into account the Bit Error Rate characteristics of the wireless channel. The contribution of this paper is a general method to improve the energy efficiency of wireless sensor networks by using the optimal amount of aggregation in case of different Forward Error Correction codes and channel characteristics. The presented results can be applied to any packet-based wireless protocol.

Energy Tax and Competition in Energy Efficiency. The Case of Consumer Durables

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conrad, K.

2000-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role of an energy tax on technical improvements and on prices of consumer durables induced by strategic competition in energy efficiency. If the gasoline tax is raised this does in principle not affect the producers of cars because the motorist pays for it in terms of a higher cost of using the car. This, however, affects the unit sales of car producers because of substitution towards other modes of transportation. A second element of reaction to energy price variation is an indirect one and relates to the effect of energy prices on technology. Competition forces car producers to develop more energy efficient cars in order to reduce the cost of using a car. This indirect effect can partly offset the direct effect of higher energy prices on demand if it is profitable for the automobile industry to engineer more energy efficient equipment. We will analyze the impact of an energy tax on energy efficiency and on the price of a durable good. This will be done within the framework of a duopoly competing in prices and in the energy efficiency of its products. The government chooses a welfare maximizing energy tax as an incentive to innovate. Then we will analyze a strategic two-stage decision process in which the duopolists first decide about energy efficiency and then compete in prices. 18 refs

Islamic Banking Efficiency: Comparative Studies Between Malaysia and Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ika Yulita

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to measure efficiency level of sharia banking in Malysia and Indonesia countries and to analyze the factors affecting the level of efficiency of sharia banking for both countries. This reseach uses DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis method in order to test the assumptions of Variabel Return to Scale (VRS, and uses Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Mann Whitney U-Test in order to test normality, and uses regression dummy variable of the data from the first quarter of 2011 until the fourth quarter of 2014. The research shows overall level of efficiency of sharia banking in Malaysia and Indonesia countries are fluctuating. Based on result, sharia banking in Indonesia more efficient than sharia banking in Malaysia; However, there is no significant differences among them. The reasons of this inefficiency are deposits, total  financing, fixed asset, and personnel cost. However, operational income is the most efficient variabel for both countriesDOI:  10.15408/sjie.v5i1.3129 

Spatial econometric analysis of factors influencing regional energy efficiency in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Malin; Chen, Yu; An, Qingxian

2018-05-01

Increased environmental pollution and energy consumption caused by the country's rapid development has raised considerable public concern, and has become the focus of the government and public. This study employs the super-efficiency slack-based model-data envelopment analysis (SBM-DEA) to measure the total factor energy efficiency of 30 provinces in China. The estimation model for the spatial interaction intensity of regional total factor energy efficiency is based on Wilson's maximum entropy model. The model is used to analyze the factors that affect the potential value of total factor energy efficiency using spatial dynamic panel data for 30 provinces during 2000-2014. The study found that there are differences and spatial correlations of energy efficiency among provinces and regions in China. The energy efficiency in the eastern, central, and western regions fluctuated significantly, and was mainly because of significant energy efficiency impacts on influences of industrial structure, energy intensity, and technological progress. This research is of great significance to China's energy efficiency and regional coordinated development.

Guided Seismic Waves: Possible Diagnostics for Hot Plumes in the Mantle

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, J. R.; Julian, B. R.; Foulger, G. R.

2005-12-01

Seismic waves potentially provide by far the highest resolution view of the three-dimensional structure of the mantle, and the hope of detecting wave-speed anomalies caused by hot or compositionally buoyant mantle plumes has been a major incentive to the development of tomographic seismic techniques. Seismic tomography is limited, however, by the uneven geographical distribution of earthquakes and seismometers, which can produce artificial tomographic wave-speed anomalies that are difficult to distinguish from real structures in the mantle. An alternate approach may be possible, because hot plumes and possibly some compositional upwellings would have low seismic-wave speeds and would act as efficient waveguides over great depth ranges in the mantle. Plume-guided waves would be little affected by bends or other geometric complexities in the waveguides (analogously to French horns and fiber-optic cables), and their dispersion would make them distinctive on seismograms and would provide information on the size and structure of the waveguide. The main unanswered question is whether guided waves in plumes could be excited sufficiently to be observable. Earthquakes do not occur in the deep mantle, but at least two other possible sources of excitation can be imagined: (1) shallow earthquakes at or near plume-fed hotspots; and (2) coupling of plume-guided waves to seismic body waves near the bottom of the mantle. In the first case, downward-traveling guided waves transformed to seismic body waves at the bottom of the waveguide would have to be detected at teleseismic distances. In the second case, upward-traveling guided waves generated by teleseismic body waves would be detected on seismometers at hotspots. Qualitative reasoning based on considerations of reciprocity suggests that the signals in these two situations should be similar in size and appearance. The focusing of seismic core phases at caustics would amplify plume waves excited by either mechanism (1) or (2) at

Induction Motors Most Efficient Operation Points in Pumped Storage Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Busca-Forcos, Andreea; Marinescu, Corneliu; Busca, Cristian

2015-01-01

A clear focus is nowadays on developing and improving the energy storage technologies. Pumped storage is a well-established one, and is capable of enhancing the integration of renewable energy sources. Pumped storage has an efficiency between 70-80%, and each of its elements affects it. Increased...... efficiency is desired especially when operating with renewable energy systems, which present low energy conversion factor (up to 50% - performance coefficient for wind turbines, and efficiency up to 40% for photovoltaic systems). In this paper the most efficient operation points of the induction motors...... in pumped storage systems are established. The variable speed operation of the pumped storage systems and motor loading conditions for pump applications have been the key factors for achieving the purpose of the paper....

Efficiency assessment of wind farms in China using two-stage data envelopment analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Yunna; Hu, Yong; Xiao, Xinli; Mao, Chunyu

2016-01-01

Highlights: • The efficiency of China’s wind farms is assessed by data envelopment analysis. • Tobit model is used to analyze the impact of uncontrollable factors on efficiency. • Sensitivity analysis is conducted to verify the stability of evaluation results. • Efficiency levels of Chinese wind farms are relatively high in general. • Age and wind curtailment rate negatively affect the productive efficiency. - Abstract: China has been the world’s leader in wind power capacity due to the promotion of favorable policies. Given the rare research on the efficiency of China’s wind farms, this study analyzes the productive efficiency of 42 large-scale wind farms in China using a two-stage analysis. In the first stage, efficiency scores of wind farms are determined with data envelopment analysis and the sensitivity analysis is conducted to verify the robustness of efficiency calculation results. In the second stage, the Tobit regression is employed to explore the relationship between the efficiency scores and the environment variables that are beyond the control of wind farms. According to the results, all wind farms studied operate at an acceptable level. However, 50% of them overinvest in the installed capacity and about 48% have the electricity-saving potential. The most important factors affecting the efficiency of wind farms are the installed capacity and the wind power density. In addition, the age of the wind farm and the wind curtailment rate have a negative effect on productive efficiency, whereas the ownership of the wind farm has no significant effect. Findings from this study may be helpful for stakeholders in the wind industry to select wind power projects, optimize operational strategies and make related policies.

Evaluation of the energy efficiency evolution in the European road freight transport sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruzzenenti, F.; Basosi, R.

2009-01-01

In this paper, we evaluate energy efficiency in the European freight transport sector over three decades, according to a variety of indicators, methodologies and databases. The aim is, on the one hand, of determining major drawbacks in energy efficiency metrics, on the other hand, identifying a possible trend in the sector. The present analysis shows that energy efficiency evaluation is generally subject to misinterpretation and distortion with regard to the methods and data source adopted. Two different indicators (energy intensity and fuel economy) were initially taken into account to select the most suitable for evaluating vehicles' efficiency. Fuel economy was then adopted and measured according to two different methodologies (top-down and bottom-up). We then considered all the possible sources of distortion (data sources employed, methods of data detection, speed of detection, power enhancement, size factor) with the aim of accomplishing a sound estimation. Fuel economy was eventually divided with the maximum power available (adjusted fuel economy), to account for the power shift of vehicles, that represents a further efficiency improvement.

Effects of scale and efficiency of rural traffic calming on safety, accessibility and wildlife

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jaarsma, C.F.; Langevelde, van F.

2011-01-01

This paper examines the effects of scale and efficiency of regional traffic calming on traffic safety, rural accessibility, and survival of wildlife. We distinguish by the scale of road networks affected and considered the efficiencies of various bundling of traffic flows on designated routes.

Improving STEM Undergraduate Education with Efficient Learning Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Godsk, Mikkel

2018-01-01

The project investigates the potential of Learning Design for efficiently improving STEM undergraduate education with technology. In order to investigate this potential, the project consists of two main studies at Aarhus University: a study of the perspectives of the main stakeholders on Learning...... Design uptake. The project concludes that it is possible to improve STEM undergraduate education with Learning Design for technology-enhanced learning efficiently and that Efficient Learning Design provides a useful concept for qualifying educational decisions....... provided by technology-enhanced learning based on Learning Design, and in particular students’ learning was of a high common interest. However, only the educators were directly interested in Learning Design and its support for design, reuse in their practice and to inform pedagogy. A holistic concept...

Environmental and societal consequences of a possible CO/sub 2/-induced climate change. Volume II, Part 8. Impacts of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels on agricultural growing seasons and crop water use efficiencies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Newman, J. E.

1982-09-01

The researchable areas addressed relate to the possible impacts of climate change on agricultural growing seasons and crop adaptation responses on a global basis. The research activities proposed are divided into the following two main areas of investigation: anticipated climate change impacts on the physical environmental characteristics of the agricultural growing seasons and, the most probable food crop responses to the possible changes in atmospheric CO/sub 2/ levels in plant environments. The main physical environmental impacts considered are the changes in temperature, or more directly, thermal energy levels and the growing season evapotranspiration-precipitation balances. The resulting food crop, commercial forest and rangeland species response impacts addressed relate to potential geographical shifts in agricultural growing seasons as determined by the length in days of the frost free period, thermal energy changes and water balance changes. In addition, the interaction of possible changes in plant water use efficiencies during the growing season in relationship to changing atmospheric CO/sub 2/ concentrations, is also considered under the scenario of global warming due to increases in atmospheric CO/sub 2/ concentration. These proposed research investigations are followed by adaptive response evaluations.

Eco-efficiency of solid waste management in Welsh SMEs

Science.gov (United States)

Sarkis, Joseph; Dijkshoorn, Jeroen

2005-11-01

This paper provides an efficiency analysis of practices in Solid Waste Management of manufacturing companies in Wales. We apply data envelopment analysis (DEA) to a data set compiled during the National Waste Survey Wales 2003. We explore the relative performance of small and medium sized manufacturing enterprises (SME; 10-250 employees) in Wales. We determine the technical and scale environmental and economic efficiencies of these organizations. Our evaluation focuses on empirical data collected from companies in a wide diversity of manufacturing industries throughout Wales. We find significant differences in industry and size efficiencies. We also find correlations that exist among environmental and economic efficiencies. These variations show that improvements can be made using benchmarks from similar and different size industries. Further pursuit of an investigation of possible reasons for these differences is recommended.

Efficiency in the European agricultural sector: environment and resources.

Science.gov (United States)

Moutinho, Victor; Madaleno, Mara; Macedo, Pedro; Robaina, Margarita; Marques, Carlos

2018-04-22

This article intends to compute agriculture technical efficiency scores of 27 European countries during the period 2005-2012, using both data envelopment analysis (DEA) and stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) with a generalized cross-entropy (GCE) approach, for comparison purposes. Afterwards, by using the scores as dependent variable, we apply quantile regressions using a set of possible influencing variables within the agricultural sector able to explain technical efficiency scores. Results allow us to conclude that although DEA and SFA are quite distinguishable methodologies, and despite attained results are different in terms of technical efficiency scores, both are able to identify analogously the worst and better countries. They also suggest that it is important to include resources productivity and subsidies in determining technical efficiency due to its positive and significant exerted influence.

Improving Energy Efficiency of Micro-Networks Connected to a Smart Grid

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grzegorz Błajszczak

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Technological development of distribution and transmission grids and building a so called smart grid also enable improving the efficiency of microgrids and microgenerators. Better coordination and scheduling of microgenerators operation make more effective adjustment to local conditions and achieving better overall energy efficiency possible. Due to smart communication interfaces the microgrids and microgenerators can also contribute to ancillary services.

Tax Efficiency vs. Tax Equity – Points of View regarding Tax Optimum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stela Aurelia Toader

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Objectives. Starting from the idea that tax equity requirements, administration costs and the tendency towards tax evasion determine the design of tax systems, it is important to identify a satisfactory efficiency/equity deal in order to build a tax system as close to optimum requirements as possible. Prior Work Previous studies proved that an optimum tax system is that through which it will be collected a level of tax revenues which will satisfy budgetary demands, while losing only a minimum ‘amount’ of welfare. In what degree the Romanian tax system meets these requirements? Approach We envisage analyzing the possibilities of improving Romanian tax system as to come nearest to optimum requirements. Results We can conclude fiscal system can uphold important improvements in what assuring tax equity is concerned, resulting in raising the degree of free conformation in the field of tax payment and, implicitly, the degree of tax efficiency. Implications Knowing to what extent it can be acted upon in the direction of finding that satisfactory efficiency/equity deal may allow oneself to identify the blueprint of a tax system in which the loss of welfare is kept down to minimum. Value For the Romanian institutions empowered to impose taxes, the knowledge of the possibilities of making the tax system more efficient can be important while aiming at reducing the level of evasion phenomenon.

Efficient Information Dissemination in Wireless Sensor Networks using Mobile Sinks

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Vincze, Zoltan; Vidacs, Attila; Vida, Rolland

2006-01-01

...; therefore, relaying information between sensors and a sink node, possibly over multiple wireless hops, in an energy-efficient manner is a challenging task that preoccupies the research community for some time now...

Nonverbal synchrony and affect in dyadic interactions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wolfgang eTschacher

2014-11-01

Full Text Available In an experiment on dyadic social interaction, we invited participants to verbal interactions in cooperative, competitive, and 'fun task' conditions. We focused on the link between interactants' affectivity and their nonverbal synchrony, and explored which further variables contributed to affectivity: interactants' personality traits, sex, and the prescribed interaction tasks. Nonverbal synchrony was quantified by the coordination of interactants' body movement, using an automated video-analysis algorithm (Motion Energy Analysis, MEA. Traits were assessed with standard questionnaires of personality, attachment, interactional style, psychopathology and interpersonal reactivity. We included 168 previously unacquainted individuals who were randomly allocated to same-sex dyads (84 females, 84 males, mean age 27.3 years. Dyads discussed four topics of general interest drawn from an urn of eight topics, and finally engaged in a fun interaction. Each interaction lasted five minutes. In between interactions, participants repeatedly assessed their affect. Using hierarchical linear modeling, we found moderate to strong effect sizes for synchrony to occur, especially in competitive and fun task conditions. Positive affect was associated positively with synchrony, negative affect was associated negatively. As for causal direction, data supported the interpretation that synchrony entailed affect rather than vice versa. The link between nonverbal synchrony and affect was strongest in female dyads. The findings extend previous reports of synchrony and mimicry associated with emotion in relationships and suggest a possible mechanism of the synchrony-affect correlation.

Possibility of reducing CO2 emissions from internal combustion engines

Science.gov (United States)

Drabik, Dawid; Mamala, Jarosław; Śmieja, Michał; Prażnowski, Krzysztof

2017-10-01

Article defines on the possibility of reduction CO2 of the internal combustion engine and presents the analysis based on originally conducted studies. The increase in overall engine efficiency is sought after by all engineers dealing with engine construction, one of the major ways to reduce CO2 emissions is to increase the compression ratio. The application of the compression ratio that has been increased constructional in the engine will, on one hand, bring about the increase in the theoretical efficiency, but, on the other hand, require a system for pressure control at a higher engine load in order to prevent engine knocking. For the purposes of the article there was carried out a number of studies and compiled results, and on their basis determined what have a major impact on the reducing CO2.

Barriers and possibilities for low-carbon-energy consuming technologies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjarklev, Araceli

consensus that one of the solutions to the current environmental challenge will be based on low-carbon-technologies, there are many issues that set a barrier for its adequate development and still many actors in these sectors are sceptical about the possibilities. Illumination is a very interesting sector...... to target, since it uses 19% of the total electricity produced in the world. Consequently, this paper takes the Danish office lighting sector as a study object and discusses the question: What are the main barriers and possibilities for the energy saving illumination technologies to efficiently reduce...... their ecological footprint. The discussion is supported by using relevant elements of the cradle-to-grave, eco-design and environmental-innovation theories. It is based on active participation in interdisciplinary projects and face-to-face in-depth interviews with relevant actors along the entire Danish...

Efficiency of Estonian grain farms in 2000 2004

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. VASILIEV

2008-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to analyse the efficiency of Estonian grain farms after Estonia’s transition to a market economy and during the accession period to the European Union (EU. The non-parametric method Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA was used to estimate the total technical, pure technical and scale efficiency of Estonian grain farms in 2000–2004. Mean total technical efficiency varied from 0.70 to 0.78. Of the grain farms 62% are operating under increasing returns to scale. Solely based on the DEA model it is not possible to determine optimum farm scale and the range of Estonian farm sizes operating efficiently is extensive. The most pure technically efficient farms were the smallest and the largest but the productivity of small farms is low compared to larger farms because of their small scale. Therefore, they are the least competitive. Since pre-accession period to the EU, large input slacks of capital have replaced the former excessive use of labour and land. This raises the question about the effects on efficiency of the EU’s investment support schemes in new member states.;

Taeniasis: A possible cause of ileal bleeding.

Science.gov (United States)

Settesoldi, Alessia; Tozzi, Alessandro; Tarantino, Ottaviano

2017-12-16

Taenia spp. are flatworms of the class Cestoda, whose definitive hosts are humans and primates. Human infestation (taeniasis) results from the ingestion of raw meat contaminated with encysted larval tapeworms and is considered relatively harmless and mostly asymptomatic. Anemia is not recognized as a possible sign of taeniasis and taeniasis-induced hemorrhage is not described in medical books. Its therapy is based on anthelmintics such praziquantel, niclosamide or albendazole. Here we describe a case of acute ileal bleeding in an Italian man affected with both Taenia spp. infestation resistant to albendazole and Helicobacter pylori -associated duodenal ulcers.

Generating Reliable and Affective Choreography through Engineering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jochum, Elizabeth

How do we define graceful motion? Is grace exclusively the province of living, sentient beings, or is it possible to automate graceful motion? The GRACE project (Generating Reliable and Affective Choreography through Engineering) uses these two questions to investigate what makes movement graceful....... The principal objective is to measure the role of kinesics on human-robot interactions through the development of an automated performance. If it is possible to create an automated program using autonomous, artificial agents that emulate aspects of human gracefulness, then we can apply this understanding more...... widely to contemporary robotics research and human-robot interaction (HRI)....

ANALYSIS OF THE FACTORS AFFECTING THE AVERAGE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmen BOGHEAN

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Productivity in agriculture most relevantly and concisely expresses the economic efficiency of using the factors of production. Labour productivity is affected by a considerable number of variables (including the relationship system and interdependence between factors, which differ in each economic sector and influence it, giving rise to a series of technical, economic and organizational idiosyncrasies. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the underlying factors of the average work productivity in agriculture, forestry and fishing. The analysis will take into account the data concerning the economically active population and the gross added value in agriculture, forestry and fishing in Romania during 2008-2011. The distribution of the average work productivity per factors affecting it is conducted by means of the u-substitution method.

PB2 amino acid at position 627 affects replicative efficiency, but not cell tropism, of Hong Kong H5N1 influenza A viruses in mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shinya, Kyoko; Hamm, Stefan; Hatta, Masato; Ito, Hiroshi; Ito, Toshihiro; Kawaoka, Yoshihiro

2004-01-01

A single amino acid substitution, from glutamic acid to lysine at position 627 of the PB2 protein, converts a nonlethal H5N1 influenza A virus isolated from a human to a lethal virus in mice. In contrast to the nonlethal virus, which replicates only in respiratory organs, the lethal isolate replicates in a variety of organs, producing systemic infection. Despite a clear difference in virulence and organ tropism between the two viruses, it remains unknown whether the dissimilarity is a result of differences in cell tropism or the reduced replicative ability of the nonlethal virus in mouse cells in general. To determine how this single amino acid change affects virulence and organ tropism in mice, we investigated the growth kinetics of the two H5N1 viruses both in vitro and in vivo. The identity of the PB2 amino acid at position 627 did not appreciably affect viral replicative efficiency in chicken embryo fibroblasts and a quail cell line; however, viruses with lysine at this position instead of glutamic acid grew better in the different mouse cells tested. When the effect of this substitution was investigated in mice, all of the test viruses showed the same cell tropism, but infection by viruses containing lysine at position 627 spread more rapidly than those viruses containing glutamic acid at this position. Further analysis showed a difference in local immune responses: neutrophil infiltration in lungs infected with viruses containing lysine at position 627 persisted longer than that associated with viruses lacking a glutamic acid substitution. Our data indicate that the amino acid at position 627 of the PB2 protein determines the efficiency of viral replication in mouse (not avian) cells, but not tropism among cells in different mouse organs. The presence of lysine leads to more aggressive viral replication, overwhelming the host's defense mechanisms and resulting in high mortality rates in mice

Detailed analysis of the effect of the turbine and compressor isentropic efficiency on the thermal and exergy efficiency of a Brayton cycle

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Živić Marija

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Energy and exergy analysis of a Brayton cycle with an ideal gas is given. The irreversibility of the adiabatic processes in turbine and compressor is taken into account through their isentropic efficiencies. The net work per cycle, the thermal efficiency and the two exergy efficiencies are expressed as functions of the four dimensionless variables: the isentropic efficiencies of turbine and compressor, the pressure ratio, and the temperature ratio. It is shown that the maximal values of the net work per cycle, the thermal and the exergy efficiency are achieved when the isentropic efficiencies and temperature ratio are as high as possible, while the different values of pressure ratio that maximize the net work per cycle, the thermal and the exergy efficiencies exist. These pressure ratios increase with the increase of the temperature ratio and the isentropic efficiency of compressor and turbine. The increase of the turbine isentropic efficiency has a greater impact on the increase of the net work per cycle and the thermal efficiency of a Brayton cycle than the same increase of compressor isentropic efficiency. Finally, two goal functions are proposed for thermodynamic optimization of a Brayton cycle for given values of the temperature ratio and the compressor and turbine isentropic efficiencies. The first maximizes the sum of the net work per cycle and thermal efficiency while the second the net work per cycle and exergy efficiency. In both cases the optimal pressure ratio is closer to the pressure ratio that maximizes the net work per cycle.

Heat conversion alternative petrochemical complexes efficiency

Science.gov (United States)

Mrakin, A. N.; Selivanov, A. A.; Morev, A. A.; Batrakov, P. A.; Kulbyakina, A. V.; Sotnikov, D. G.

2017-08-01

The paper presents the energy and economic efficiency calculation results of the petrochemical complexes based upon the sulfur oil shales processing by solid (ash) heat-carrier low-temperature carbonization plants by Galoter technology. The criterion for such enterprises fuel efficiency determining was developed on the base of the exergy methodology taking into account the recurrent publications consolidation. In this case, in supplying the consumers with paving bitumen, motor benzol, thiophene, toluene, 2-methylthiophene, xylene, gas sulfur, complex thermodynamic effectiveness was founded to amount to 53 %, and if ash residue realization is possible then it was founded to be to 70 %. The project economic attractiveness determining studies depending on the feedstock cost, its delivery way and investments amount changing were conducted.

Measuring Eco-efficiency of Production with Data Envelopment Analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kuosmanen, T.K.; Kortelainen, M.

2005-01-01

Aggregation of environmental pressures into a single environmental damage index is a major challenge of eco-efficiency measurement. This article examines how the data envelopment analysis (DEA) method can be adapted for this purpose. DEA accounts for substitution possibilities between different

Measurement of energy efficiency based on economic foundations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Filippini, Massimo; Hunt, Lester C.

2015-01-01

Energy efficiency policy is seen as a very important activity by almost all policy makers. In practical energy policy analysis, the typical indicator used as a proxy for energy efficiency is energy intensity. However, this simple indicator is not necessarily an accurate measure given changes in energy intensity are a function of changes in several factors as well as ‘true’ energy efficiency; hence, it is difficult to make conclusions for energy policy based upon simple energy intensity measures. Related to this, some published academic papers over the last few years have attempted to use empirical methods to measure the efficient use of energy based on the economic theory of production. However, these studies do not generally provide a systematic discussion of the theoretical basis nor the possible parametric empirical approaches that are available for estimating the level of energy efficiency. The objective of this paper, therefore, is to sketch out and explain from an economic perspective the theoretical framework as well as the empirical methods for measuring the level of energy efficiency. Additionally, in the second part of the paper, some of the empirical studies that have attempted to measure energy efficiency using such an economics approach are summarized and discussed.

Energy efficiency of milkmaid systems in Uruguay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

LLanos, E.; Astigarraga, L.; Jacques, R.; Picasso, V.

2013-01-01

Reducing fossil fuel consumption and increasing energy efficiency of agricultural systems may result in environmental and economic benefits. The aim of this study was to analyze dairy production systems from an energy perspective, to identify the main variables affecting energy efficiency and fossil energy consumption, through a model of inputs and outputs. The model included as inputs energy costs of food, labor, electricity, agrochemicals, fuels and machinery, and as outputs dairy and meat production. We analyzed a database of 30 dairy farms from southern Uruguay, from the Cooperative Nacional de Product ores de Leche (Conaprole), organized in three strata based on their dairy productivity per hectare. The fossil energy use was 2.40, 3.63 y 3.80 MJ.l-1 for productivity strata low, medium and high respectively (P<0.01). Energy efficiency averages were 1.40, 0.90 y 0.86 for the same strata (P<0.01). Fossil energy of agrochemicals and fuel accounted for more than 80% of the energy consumed in the three strata. The greater the percentage of concentrate in the diet, the lower energy efficiency (P<0.01). These results suggest the existence of a negative relationship between the intensification of dairy production and energy efficiency

Closing the Energy Efficiency Gap—A Systematic Review of Empirical Articles on Drivers to Energy Efficiency in Manufacturing Firms

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Mette Talseth Solnørdal

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Research has identified an extensive potential for energy efficiency within the manufacturing sector, which is responsible for a substantial share of global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The purpose of this study is to enhance the knowledge of vital drivers for energy efficiency in this sector by providing a critical and systematic review of the empirical literature on drivers to energy efficiency in manufacturing firms at the firm level. The systematic literature review (SLR is based on peer-reviewed articles published between 1998 and 2016. The findings reveal that organizational and economic drivers are, from the firms’ perspective, the most prominent stimulus for energy efficiency and that they consider policy instruments and market drivers to be less important. Secondly, firm size has a positive effect on the firms’ energy efficiency, while the literature is inconclusive considering sectorial impact. Third, the studies are mainly conducted in the US and Western European countries, despite the fact that future increase in energy demand is expected outside these regions. These findings imply a potential mismatch between energy policy-makers’ and firm mangers’ understanding of which factors are most important for achieving increased energy efficiency in manufacturing firms. Energy policies should target the stimulation of management, competence, and organizational structure in addition to the provision of economic incentives. Further understanding about which and how internal resources, organizational capabilities, and management practices impact energy efficiency in manufacturing firms is needed. Future energy efficiency scholars should advance our theoretical understanding of the relationship between energy efficiency improvements in firms, the related change processes, and the drivers that affect these processes.

Clean burn: Incinerators get more efficient

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Budd, G.

2003-01-01

Combustion efficiency and accuracy of today's new breed of incinerators is discussed. The latest of these units are capable of delivering 99.99 per cent combustion efficiency with no visible flame, black smoke or detectable odour. Near-complete combustion is achieved with incineration because of the very high temperatures reached in the enclosed combustion chamber as a combination of temperature, time for burning, and a good mix of gases and oxygen. Controlling these inputs is the key to efficient incineration, as is high quality fibre refractory lining; control means control of the stack top temperature, which will affect what comes out of the top water and how well the combustion byproducts are dispersed. Until recently, incinerators have not been highly regarded by the oil industry. However, with the growing concerns about greenhouse gases, carcinogens and in response to increasing regulations aimed at reducing venting and flaring, incinerators are coming into their own. Today they are seen more and more frequently in well testing, coalbed methane testing, at battery sites and at gas plants

Resource Efficient Metal and Material Recycling

Science.gov (United States)

Reuter, Markus A.; van Schaik, Antoinette

Metals enable sustainability through their use and their recyclability. However, various factors can affect the Resource Efficiency of Metal Processing and Recycling. Some typical factors that enable Resource Efficiency include and arranged under the drivers of sustainability: Environment (Maximize Resource Efficiency — Energy, Recyclates, Materials, Water, Sludges, Emissions, Land); Economic Feasibility (BAT & Recycling Systems Simulation / Digitalization, Product vis-à-vis Material Centric Recycling); and Social — Licence to Operate (Legislation, consumer, policy, theft, manual labour.). In order to realize this primary production has to be linked systemically with typical actors in the recycling chain such as Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Recyclers & Collection, Physical separation specialists as well as process metallurgical operations that produce high value metals, compounds and products that recycle back to products. This is best done with deep knowledge of multi-physics, technology, product & system design, process control, market, life cycle management, policy, to name a few. The combination of these will be discussed as Design for Sustainability (DfS) and Design for Recycling (DfR) applications.

ANALYSIS OF INFLUENCE FACTORS OF ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY ON THE ECONOMY OF THE INTEGRATED STRUCTURES

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I. P. Bogomolova

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Currently in Russia, special attention is paid to the food industry, providing a key influence on the state's economy and food security of the country. The food industry not only creates substantial part of the gross domestic product, which is one of the main sources of fillings budgets of all levels, and contributes to the strengthening of the state in world markets. These circum-stances make it necessary to increase the efficiency of industrial structures by mobilizing factors affecting the economy of enterprises, including by shifting emphasis on the integration of food industry enterprises in General competitiveness of the goods produced, the stability of the entire industry, its leading industries and organizations. The article substantiates the expediency of application of integrated structures, discusses the methods and tools of analysis of influence factors of economic efficiency on the economy of inte-grated structures. Evaluation is recommended in two key areas: assessment of the financial condition and evaluation of training and development of staff, taking into account the strategic objectives of integrated structures. The analysis makes it possible to correctly allocate financial resources and to achieve balanced economic performance management through more effective use of credit re-sources, the rational management of economic parameters optimization of the number of employees and production capacity.

The economic efficiency of allowing longer combination vehicles in Texas.

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-01

This paper shows the economic efficiency of allowing longer combination vehicles in Texas. First, an : overview of the truck size and weight policies is explained, with an emphasis on those that affect : Texas. Next, LCV operations in other countries...

Analysis of the energy efficiency of short rotation woody crops biomass as affected by different methods of soil enrichment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stolarski, Mariusz J.; Krzyżaniak, Michał; Tworkowski, Józef; Szczukowski, Stefan; Niksa, Dariusz

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine the energy input and energy efficiency of the production of willow, poplar and black locust chips in four-year harvest rotation. The highest energy input was made in poplar production when soil was enriched with lignin and by mineral fertilisation (33.02 GJ ha −1 ). For willow production it was 30.76 GJ ha −1 when lignin, mycorrhiza and mineral fertilisation were used. The energy input in the production of black locust was much lower. The largest energy gain was obtained in the production of poplar when soil was enriched with lignin and mineral fertilisation (673.7 GJ ha −1 ). A similar level of this parameter (669.7 GJ ha −1 ) was achieved in the production of willow when lignin, mycorrhiza and mineral fertilisation was used. In general, a higher energy gain was obtained in the production of willow and poplar than in the production of black locust. On the other hand, the best energy efficiency ratio was achieved for willow (28.9) in the option with lignin. The ratio for poplar production ranged from 19.7 to 25.9. On the other hand, the energy efficiency ratio for black locust ranged from 10.6 to 21.7. - Highlights: • The energy input ranged from 6.69 GJ ha −1 to 33.02 GJ ha −1 . • The largest energy gain was obtained for poplar (673.7 GJ ha −1 ). • The best energy efficiency ratio was achieved for willow (28.9). • The energy efficiency ratio for poplar ranged from 19.7 to 25.9. • The energy efficiency ratio for black locust ranged from 10.6 to 21.7.

Enzymes: The possibility of production and applications

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Petronijević Živomir B.

2003-01-01

Full Text Available Enzymes are biological catalysts with increasing application in the food pharmaceutical, cosmetic, textile and chemical industry. They are also important as reagents in chemical analysis, leather fabrications and as targets for the design of new drugs. Keeping in mind the growing need to replace classical chemical processes by alternative ones, because of ever growing environmental pollution, it is important that enzyme and other biotechnological processes are economical. Therefore, price decrease and stability and enzyme preparation efficiency increase are required more and more. This paper presents a short review of methods for yield increase and the improvement of the quality of enzyme products as commercial products, as well as a review of the possibilities of their application.

Options to improve energy efficiency for educational building

Science.gov (United States)

Jahan, Mafruha

The cost of energy is a major factor that must be considered for educational facility budget planning purpose. The analysis of energy related issues and options can be complex and requires significant time and detailed effort. One way to facilitate the inclusion of energy option planning in facility planning efforts is to utilize a tool that allows for quick appraisal of the facility energy profile. Once such an appraisal is accomplished, it is then possible to rank energy improvement options consistently with other facility needs and requirements. After an energy efficiency option has been determined to have meaningful value in comparison with other facility planning options, it is then possible to utilize the initial appraisal as the basis for an expanded consideration of additional facility and energy use detail using the same analytic system used for the initial appraisal. This thesis has developed a methodology and an associated analytic model to assist in these tasks and thereby improve the energy efficiency of educational facilities. A detailed energy efficiency and analysis tool is described that utilizes specific university building characteristics such as size, architecture, envelop, lighting, occupancy, thermal design which allows reducing the annual energy consumption. Improving the energy efficiency of various aspects of an educational building's energy performance can be complex and can require significant time and experience to make decisions. The approach developed in this thesis initially assesses the energy design for a university building. This initial appraisal is intended to assist administrators in assessing the potential value of energy efficiency options for their particular facility. Subsequently this scoping design can then be extended as another stage of the model by local facility or planning personnel to add more details and engineering aspects to the initial screening model. This approach can assist university planning efforts to

Benchmarking the energy efficiency of commercial buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, William; Hui, Y.V.; Lam, Y. Miu

2006-01-01

Benchmarking energy-efficiency is an important tool to promote the efficient use of energy in commercial buildings. Benchmarking models are mostly constructed in a simple benchmark table (percentile table) of energy use, which is normalized with floor area and temperature. This paper describes a benchmarking process for energy efficiency by means of multiple regression analysis, where the relationship between energy-use intensities (EUIs) and the explanatory factors (e.g., operating hours) is developed. Using the resulting regression model, these EUIs are then normalized by removing the effect of deviance in the significant explanatory factors. The empirical cumulative distribution of the normalized EUI gives a benchmark table (or percentile table of EUI) for benchmarking an observed EUI. The advantage of this approach is that the benchmark table represents a normalized distribution of EUI, taking into account all the significant explanatory factors that affect energy consumption. An application to supermarkets is presented to illustrate the development and the use of the benchmarking method

An interesting and efficient green corrosion inhibitor for aluminium ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

An interesting and efficient green corrosion inhibitor for aluminium from extracts of ... Journal Home > Vol 13, No 1 (2014) > ... possible applications in metal surface anodizing and surface coating in industries. Keywords: Moringa oleifera, Aluminium, Hydrochloric acid, Langmuir isotherm, Plant extracts, Corrosion inhibition ...

Meteorological impact assessment of possible large scale irrigation in Southwest Saudi Arabia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Maat, ter H.W.; Hutjes, R.W.A.; Ohba, R.; Ueda, H.; Bisselink, B.; Bauer, T.

2006-01-01

On continental to regional scales feedbacks between landuse and landcover change and climate have been widely documented over the past 10¿15 years. In the present study we explore the possibility that also vegetation changes over much smaller areas may affect local precipitation regimes. Large scale

Efficient chaotic based satellite power supply subsystem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramos Turci, Luiz Felipe; Macau, Elbert E.N.; Yoneyama, Takashi

2009-01-01

In this work, we investigate the use of the Dynamical System Theory to increase the efficiency of the satellite power supply subsystems. The core of a satellite power subsystem relies on its DC/DC converter. This is a very nonlinear system that presents a multitude of phenomena ranging from bifurcations, quasi-periodicity, chaos, coexistence of attractors, among others. The traditional power subsystem design techniques try to avoid these nonlinear phenomena so that it is possible to use linear system theory in small regions about the equilibrium points. Here, we show that more efficiency can be drawn from a power supply subsystem if the DC/DC converter operates in regions of high nonlinearity. In special, if it operates in a chaotic regime, is has an intrinsic sensitivity that can be exploited to efficiently drive the power subsystem over high ranges of power requests by using control of chaos techniques.

Efficient chaotic based satellite power supply subsystem

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramos Turci, Luiz Felipe [Technological Institute of Aeronautics (ITA), Sao Jose dos Campos, SP (Brazil)], E-mail: felipeturci@yahoo.com.br; Macau, Elbert E.N. [National Institute of Space Research (Inpe), Sao Jose dos Campos, SP (Brazil)], E-mail: elbert@lac.inpe.br; Yoneyama, Takashi [Technological Institute of Aeronautics (ITA), Sao Jose dos Campos, SP (Brazil)], E-mail: takashi@ita.br

2009-10-15

In this work, we investigate the use of the Dynamical System Theory to increase the efficiency of the satellite power supply subsystems. The core of a satellite power subsystem relies on its DC/DC converter. This is a very nonlinear system that presents a multitude of phenomena ranging from bifurcations, quasi-periodicity, chaos, coexistence of attractors, among others. The traditional power subsystem design techniques try to avoid these nonlinear phenomena so that it is possible to use linear system theory in small regions about the equilibrium points. Here, we show that more efficiency can be drawn from a power supply subsystem if the DC/DC converter operates in regions of high nonlinearity. In special, if it operates in a chaotic regime, is has an intrinsic sensitivity that can be exploited to efficiently drive the power subsystem over high ranges of power requests by using control of chaos techniques.

What Makes Urban Transportation Efficient? Evidence from Subway Transfer Stations in Korea

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Changhee Kim

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Subway stations have been proliferating underneath cosmopolitan metropolises with subway lines forming complex webs connected in strategic transfer stations. The efficiency of the subway system thus heavily weighs on the efficiency at these transfer stations. However, few studies have been conducted on transfer efficiency at transfer stations due to the complexities involved. As the first study of its kind in the subway context, we analyze the transfer efficiency of the subway transfer stations in Seoul, one of the megacities in the world, and demonstrate how transfer efficiency can be analyzed using bootstrap-based DEA technique. Based on the results, we discuss the reasons behind the inefficiency of subway transfer stations and possible ways to improve them into efficient decision-making units.

Achieving Efficient Spectrum Usage in Passive and Active Sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Huaiyi

Increasing demand for supporting more wireless services with higher performance and reliability within the frequency bands that are most conducive to operating cost-effective cellular and mobile broadband is aggravating current electromagnetic spectrum congestion. This situation motivates technology and management innovation to increase the efficiency of spectral use. If primary-secondary spectrum sharing can be shown possible without compromising (or while even improving) performance in an existing application, opportunities for efficiency may be realizable by making the freed spectrum available for commercial use. While both active and passive sensing systems are vitally important for many public good applications, opportunities for increasing the efficiency of spectrum use can be shown to exist for both systems. This dissertation explores methods and technologies for remote sensing systems that enhance spectral efficiency and enable dynamic spectrum access both within and outside traditionally allocated bands.

EFFICIENCY AND QUALITY OF UNIVERSITY'S PERFORMANCE: FACULTY OPINION

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Sergey Trapitsin

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The article dwells upon the issue of the quality and efficiency of higher education and presents the results of the survey which determines the readiness degree of the University teachers and management to the effective contract introduction. The contractual relationship is to be discussion based and similar to the social contract which is possible only if the upper and lower parts of the University structure will combine their efforts and effectively cooperate. The synthetic and multi-faceted socio-economic character of efficiency makes the development of practice-oriented tools for performance management of the University a burning issue.

THE ROLE OF EFFICIENCY AS MEDIATOR FOR THE INFLUENCE OF FIRM SIZE ON FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF BANKING THAT DO MERGER AND ACQUISITION IN INDONESIA

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Purbosanjoyo P.

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Banking in Indonesia has experienced a difficult period since the financial crisis in 1997 that directly or indirectly affected the banking sector. Many private banks have to be liquidated. The banking industry has decreased and stagnated due to many problems, such as decreased profitability, lack of capital and non-performing loans. National banks consolidate to improve financial performance, one of the ways to do is to merge and acquire. This study aims to test and prove empirically banks that do mergers and acquisitions: (1 Does firm size directly affect the efficiency and financial performance. (2 Whether efficiency directly affects financial performance (3 Does firm size indirectly affect financial performance mediated by efficiency. Theoretically, the result of this research is expected to enrich and complete the repertoire of science in the field of management science, especially the theory of financial management of banking, so it can be useful for academics and practitioners. The number of commercial banks in Indonesia reached 118 banks. The population of this research is commercial banks that merged and acquired post-1997 economic crisis until 2010. The sample of the study was taken from all banks that merged and acquired as many as 14 banks. Sampling using saturated sampling method (census. The design of this research using explanatory approach. Data analysis method used in hypothesis testing is path analysis and using Structural Equation Model analysis tool with WarpPLS 5.0 program. The results of this research indicate that: (1 The firm size directly affects the efficiency, but does not directly affect the financial performance. (2 efficiency directly affects financial performance. (3 The firm size indirectly affect the financial performance is mediated by efficiency. The conclusion of this research is efficiency has a dominant role to improve financial performance, while the novelty of this research is entering efficiency as

Aspects of volumetric efficiency measurement for reciprocating engines

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Pešić Radivoje B.

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The volumetric efficiency significantly influences engine output. Both design and dimensions of an intake and exhaust system have large impact on volumetric efficiency. Experimental equipment for measuring of airflow through the engine, which is placed in the intake system, may affect the results of measurements and distort the real picture of the impact of individual structural factors. This paper deals with the problems of experimental determination of intake airflow using orifice plates and the influence of orifice plate diameter on the results of the measurements. The problems of airflow measurements through a multi-process Otto/Diesel engine were analyzed. An original method for determining volumetric efficiency was developed based on in-cylinder pressure measurement during motored operation, and appropriate calibration of the experimental procedure was performed. Good correlation between the results of application of the original method for determination of volumetric efficiency and the results of theoretical model used in research of influence of the intake pipe length on volumetric efficiency was determined. [Acknowledgments. The paper is the result of the research within the project TR 35041 financed by the Ministry of Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia

Possible risk factors for increased suicide following bariatric surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, James E; Crosby, Ross; de Zwaan, Martina; Engel, Scott; Roerig, James; Steffen, Kristine; Gordon, Kathryn H; Karr, Trisha; Lavender, Jason; Wonderlich, Steve

2013-04-01

There is a growing research literature suggesting that there may be elevated risk of suicide following bariatric surgery. Most of the data reported thus far has been cross-sectional and observational, and very little is known about the possible specific causal variables involved. The purpose of this report is to review this literature and to review possible risk factors for increased suicidal risk following bariatric surgery, to delineate future research directions. First a variety of medical, biological, and genetic factors, including the persistence or recurrence of medical comorbidities after bariatric surgery, the disinhibition and impulsivity secondary to changes in the absorption of alcohol, hypoglycemia, as well as pharmacokinetic changes that may affect the absorption of various medications including antidepressant medications are reviewed. Also reviewed are possible mediating factors involving changes in various peptidergic systems such as GLP-1 and Ghrelin. A number of psychosocial issues that might be involved are discussed, including lack of improvement in quality of life after surgery, continued or recurrent physical mobility restrictions, persistence or recurrence of sexual dysfunction and relationship problems, low self-esteem, and a history of child maltreatment. Inadequate weight loss or weight regain are also discussed. A number of possible contributing factors have been identified. Possible theoretical models involved and directions for research are suggested. Copyright © 2012 The Obesity Society.

Carbon Efficient Building Solutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pellervo Matilainen

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Traditionally, the Finnish legislation have focused on energy use and especially on energy used for heating space in buildings. However, in many cases this does not lead to the optimal concept in respect to minimizing green house gases. This paper studies how CO2 emission levels are affected by different measures to reduce energy use in buildings. This paper presents two real apartment buildings with different options of energy efficiency and power sources. The calculations clearly show that in the future electricity and domestic hot water use will have high importance in respect to energy efficiency, and therefore also CO2 equivalent (eq emissions. The importance increases when the energy efficiency of the building increases. There are big differences between average Finnish production and individual power plants; CO2 eq emissions might nearly double depending on the energy source and the power plant type. Both a building with an efficient district heating as a power source, and a building with ground heat in addition to nuclear power electricity as a complimentary electricity source performed very similarly to each other in respect to CO2 eq emissions. However, it is dangerous to conclude that it is not important which energy source is chosen. If hypothetically, the use of district heating would dramatically drop, the primary energy factor and CO2 eq emissions from electricity would rise, which in turn would lead to the increase of the ground heat systems emissions. A problem in the yearly calculations is that the fact that it is very important, sometimes even crucial, when energy is needed, is always excluded.

Monitoring the ongoing deformation and seasonal behaviour affecting Mosul Dam through space-borne SAR data

Science.gov (United States)

Tessari, G.; Riccardi, P.; Pasquali, P.

2017-12-01

Monitoring of dam structural health is an important practice to control the structure itself and the water reservoir, to guarantee efficient operation and safety of surrounding areas. Ensuring the longevity of the structure requires the timely detection of any behaviour that could deteriorate the dam and potentially result in its shutdown or failure.The detection and monitoring of surface displacements is increasingly performed through the analysis of satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data, thanks to the non-invasiveness of their acquisition, the possibility to cover large areas in a short time and the new space missions equipped with high spatial resolution sensors. The availability of SAR satellite acquisitions from the early 1990s enables to reconstruct the historical evolution of dam behaviour, defining its key parameters, possibly from its construction to the present. Furthermore, the progress on SAR Interferometry (InSAR) techniques through the development of Differential InSAR (DInSAR) and Advanced stacking techniques (A-DInSAR) allows to obtain accurate velocity maps and displacement time-series.The importance of these techniques emerges when environmental or logistic conditions do not allow to monitor dams applying the traditional geodetic techniques. In such cases, A-DInSAR constitutes a reliable diagnostic tool of dam structural health to avoid any extraordinary failure that may lead to loss of lives.In this contest, an emblematic case will be analysed as test case: the Mosul Dam, the largest Iraqi dam, where monitoring and maintaining are impeded for political controversy, causing possible risks for the population security. In fact, it is considered one of the most dangerous dams in the world because of the erosion of the gypsum rock at the basement and the difficult interventions due to security problems. The dam consists of 113 m tall and 3.4 km long earth-fill embankment-type, with a clay core, and it was completed in 1984.The deformation

Quantifying and improving the efficiency of Gamma Knife treatment plans for brain metastases: results of a 1-year audit.

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, Gavin; Hatfield, Paul; Loughrey, Carmel; Reiner, Beatrice; Bownes, Peter

2014-12-01

plan efficiency and thus strongly influence treatment time. Through increased emphasis on efficiency, resulting from the introduction of PEI combined with a modified planning strategy informed by previous work, it has been possible to reduce times for metastatic plans without compromising their dosimetric quality. Although the average time savings achieved per lesion are moderate, the potential benefits per patient are greater for those with multiple metastases. Reducing treatment times has clear benefits with regard to patient comfort and throughput. In addition, optimization of plan efficiency may potentially affect the biologically effective dose from Gamma Knife treatments and offers opportunity for further work.

Determinants of energy efficiency across countries

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Guolin

With economic development, environmental concerns become more important. Economies cannot be developed without energy consumption, which is the major source of greenhouse gas emissions. Higher energy efficiency is one means of reducing emissions, but what determines energy efficiency? In this research we attempt to find answers to this question by using cross-sectional country data; that is, we examine a wide range of possible determinants of energy efficiency at the country level in an attempt to find the most important causal factors. All countries are divided into three income groups: high-income countries, middle-income countries, and low-income countries. Energy intensity is used as a measurement of energy efficiency. All independent variables belong to two categories: quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative variables are measures of the economic conditions, development indicators and energy usage situations. Qualitative variables mainly measure political, societal and economic strengths of a country. The three income groups have different economic and energy attributes. Each group has different sets of variables to explain energy efficiency. Energy prices and winter temperature are both important in high-income and middle-income countries. No qualitative variables appear in the model of high-income countries. Basic economic factors, such as institutions, political stability, urbanization level, population density, are important in low-income countries. Besides similar variables, such as macroeconomic stability and index of rule of law, the hydroelectricity share in total electric generation is also a driver of energy efficiency in middle-income countries. These variables have different policy implications for each group of countries.

Efficient quantum circuit implementation of quantum walks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Douglas, B. L.; Wang, J. B.

2009-01-01

Quantum walks, being the quantum analog of classical random walks, are expected to provide a fruitful source of quantum algorithms. A few such algorithms have already been developed, including the 'glued trees' algorithm, which provides an exponential speedup over classical methods, relative to a particular quantum oracle. Here, we discuss the possibility of a quantum walk algorithm yielding such an exponential speedup over possible classical algorithms, without the use of an oracle. We provide examples of some highly symmetric graphs on which efficient quantum circuits implementing quantum walks can be constructed and discuss potential applications to quantum search for marked vertices along these graphs.

Efficiencies of Tritium (3H) bubbling systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Duda, Jean-Marie; Le Goff, Pierre; Leblois, Yoan; Ponsard, Samuel

2018-09-01

Bubbling systems are among the devices most used by nuclear operators to measure atmospheric tritium activity in their facilities or the neighbouring environment. However, information about trapping efficiency and bubbling system oxidation is not accessible and/or, at best, only minimally supported by demonstrations in actual operating conditions. In order to evaluate easily these parameters and thereby meet actual normative and regulatory requirements, a statistical study was carried out over 2000 monitoring records from the CEA Valduc site. From this data collection obtained over recent years of monitoring the CEA Valduc facilities and environment, a direct relation was highlighted between the 3H-samplers trapping efficiency of tritium as tritiated water and the sampling time and conditions of use: temperature and atmospheric moisture. It was thus demonstrated that this efficiency originated from two sources. The first one is intrinsic to the bubbling system operating parameters and the sampling time. That part applies equally to all four bubblers. The second part, however, is specific to the first bubbler. In essence, it depends on the sampling time and the sampled air characteristics. It was also highlighted that the water volume variation in the first bubbler, between the beginning and the end of the sampling process, is directly related to the average water concentration of the sampled air. In this way, it was possible to model the variations in trapping efficiency of the 3H-samplers relative to the sampling time and the water volume variation in the first bubbler. This model makes it possible to obtain the quantities required to comply with the current standards governing the monitoring of radionuclides in the environment and to associate an uncertainty concerning the measurements as well as the sampling parameters. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cognitive and affective matching effects in persuasion: an amplification perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Clarkson, Joshua J; Tormala, Zakary L; Rucker, Derek D

2011-11-01

Past research suggests that cognitive and affective attitudes are more open to change toward cognitive and affective (i.e., matched) persuasive attacks, respectively. The present research investigates how attitude certainty influences this openness. Although an extensive literature suggests that certainty generally reduces an attitude's openness to change, the authors explore the possibility that certainty might increase an attitude's openness to change in the context of affective or cognitive appeals. Based on the recently proposed amplification hypothesis, the authors posit that high (vs. low) attitude certainty will boost the resistance of attitudes to mismatched attacks (e.g., affective attitudes attacked by cognitive messages) but boost the openness of attitudes to matched attacks (e.g., affective attitudes attacked by affective messages). Two experiments provide support for this hypothesis. Implications for increasing the openness of attitudes to both matched and mismatched attacks are discussed.

How do humans affect wildlife nematodes?

Science.gov (United States)

Weinstein, Sara B.; Lafferty, Kevin D.

2015-01-01

Human actions can affect wildlife and their nematode parasites. Species introductions and human-facilitated range expansions can create new host–parasite interactions. Novel hosts can introduce parasites and have the potential to both amplify and dilute nematode transmission. Furthermore, humans can alter existing nematode dynamics by changing host densities and the abiotic conditions that affect larval parasite survival. Human impacts on wildlife might impair parasites by reducing the abundance of their hosts; however, domestic animal production and complex life cycles can maintain transmission even when wildlife becomes rare. Although wildlife nematodes have many possible responses to human actions, understanding host and parasite natural history, and the mechanisms behind the changing disease dynamics might improve disease control in the few cases where nematode parasitism impacts wildlife.

Physical factors affecting the electrically assisted thermal bitumen recovery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bogdanov, I.I.; Torres, J.-A.; Kamp, A.M. [CHLOE, University of Pau (France); Corre, B. [CSTJF, Total (France)

2011-07-01

In the heavy oil industry, thermal processes are used to enhance oil recovery by increasing the reservoir temperature which results in better oil mobility. Low frequency heating (LFH) is a technology using electrical conductivity of connate water to propagate current between electrodes, thus generating heat in the reservoir through the Joule effect. During the preheating and production periods, many physical factors may affect the LFH process and the aim of this study was to determine which factors affect the process and how, using a particular pattern of electrodes. Simulations were conducted using the CMG Stars reservoir simulator under different configurations, conditions and parameters. Important physical properties and operational conditions affecting the LFH process were determined and results showed that convection heat, bulk electrical conductivity and power distribution can be improved by salt water circulation. This paper highlighted the physical factors affecting LFH efficiency and these findings will be useful for future process design.