17 CFR 41.24 - Rule amendments to security futures products.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... rule amendment relating to a security futures product if the registered derivatives transaction... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Rule amendments to security futures products. 41.24 Section 41.24 Commodity and Securities Exchanges COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING...

Future trends in heavy water production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galley, M.R.

1983-10-01

World heavy water production has spanned nearly fifty years and, for much of that period, the commodity was often in short supply, but that situation has changed, at least in Canada. There are now adequate reserves of heavy water and sufficient installed production capacity to service Canadian domestic and export demands for the next ten years or beyond. More than 90 percent of the world's inventory of heavy water has been produced by the GS process but this may not be the method that is chosen when the time comes to expand heavy water production again. Other countries, such as India and Argentina, have already chosen ammonia-hydrogen exchange as an alternative technology for part of their domestic production programs. Despite the present surplus of heavy water, research and development of new technologies is very active, particularly in Canada and Japan, because it is recognized that there are still attractive opportunities for future production by processes that are both less expensive and environmentally more acceptable, than either the demonstrated GS process or ammonia-hydrogen alternative. This paper describes the prospects for some of these new processes, contrasts them with the present established methods and assesses the probable impact on the future supply situation

Consumer Intervention Mapping—A Tool for Designing Future Product Strategies within Circular Product Service Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matt Sinclair

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Re-distributed manufacturing presents a number of opportunities and challenges for New Product Development in a future Circular Economy. It has been argued that small-scale, flexible and localised production systems will reduce resource consumption, lower transport emissions and extend product lifetimes. At the same time smart products within the Internet of Things will gather and report data on user behaviour and product status. Many sustainable design tools have previously been developed but few are able to imagine and develop visions of how future sustainable product service systems might be manifested. This paper introduces the concept of Consumer Intervention Mapping as a tool for creating future product strategies. The tool visualises the points within a product’s lifecycle where stakeholders are able to intervene in the product’s expected journey. This perspective enables the rapid construction of scenarios that explore and describe future circular product service systems. Validation of the tool in three workshops is described and the outcomes are presented. Consumer Intervention Mapping is successful in creating scenarios that describe existing product service systems and new product concepts adapted to a Circular Economy paradigm. Further work is required to refine the tool’s performance in more focused and reflective design exercises.

Innovation and future in Westinghouse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Congedo, T.; Dulloo, A.; Goosen, J.; Llovet, R.

2007-01-01

For the past six years, Westinghouse has used a Road Map process to direct technology development in a way that integrates the efforts of our businesses to addresses the needs of our customers and respond to significant drivers in the evolving business environment. As the nuclear industry experiences a resurgence, it is ever more necessary that we increase our planning horizon to 10-15 years in the future so as to meet the expectations of our customers. In the Future Point process, driven by the methods of Design for Six Sigma (DFSS), Westinghouse considers multiple possible future scenarios to plan long term evolutionary and revolutionary development that can reliably create the major products and services of the future market. the products and services of the future stretch the imagination from what we provide today. However, the journey to these stretch targets prompts key development milestones that will help deliver ideas useful for nearer term products. (Author) 1 refs

Cost of reproduction in a long-lived bird: incubation effort reduces immune function and future reproduction

OpenAIRE

Hanssen, S A; Hasselquist, Dennis; Folstad, I; Erikstad, K E

2005-01-01

Life-history theory predicts that increased current reproductive effort should lead to a fitness cost. This cost of reproduction may be observed as reduced survival or future reproduction, and may be caused by temporal suppression of immune function in stressed or hard-working individuals. In birds, consideration of the costs of incubating eggs has largely been neglected in favour of the costs of brood rearing. We manipulated incubation demand in two breeding seasons (2000 and 2001) in female...

Fueling the Future with Fungal Genomics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grigoriev, Igor V.; Cullen, Daniel; Hibbett, David; Goodwin, Stephen B.; Jeffries, Thomas W.; Kubicek, Christian P.; Kuske, Cheryl; Magnuson, Jon K.; Martin, Francis; Spatafora, Joey; Tsang, Adrian; Baker, Scott E.

2011-04-29

Fungi play important roles across the range of current and future biofuel production processes. From crop/feedstock health to plant biomass saccharification, enzyme production to bioprocesses for producing ethanol, higher alcohols or future hydrocarbon biofuels, fungi are involved. Research and development are underway to understand the underlying biological processes and improve them to make bioenergy production efficient on an industrial scale. Genomics is the foundation of the systems biology approach that is being used to accelerate the research and development efforts across the spectrum of topic areas that impact biofuels production. In this review, we discuss past, current and future advances made possible by genomic analyses of the fungi that impact plant/feedstock health, degradation of lignocellulosic biomass and fermentation of sugars to ethanol, hydrocarbon biofuels and renewable chemicals.

Cost of reproduction in a long-lived bird: incubation effort reduces immune function and future reproduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanssen, Sveinn Are; Hasselquist, Dennis; Folstad, Ivar; Erikstad, Kjell Einar

2005-05-22

Life-history theory predicts that increased current reproductive effort should lead to a fitness cost. This cost of reproduction may be observed as reduced survival or future reproduction, and may be caused by temporal suppression of immune function in stressed or hard-working individuals. In birds, consideration of the costs of incubating eggs has largely been neglected in favour of the costs of brood rearing. We manipulated incubation demand in two breeding seasons (2000 and 2001) in female common eiders (Somateria mollissima) by creating clutches of three and six eggs (natural range 3-6 eggs). The common eider is a long-lived sea-duck where females do not eat during the incubation period. Mass loss increased and immune function (lymphocyte levels and specific antibody response to the non-pathogenic antigens diphtheria and tetanus toxoid) was reduced in females incubating large clutches. The increased incubation effort among females assigned to large incubation demand did not lead to adverse effects on current reproduction or return rate in the next breeding season. However, large incubation demand resulted in long-term fitness costs through reduced fecundity the year after manipulation. Our data show that in eiders, a long-lived species, the cost of high incubation demand is paid in the currency of reduced future fecundity, possibly mediated by reduced immune function.

Positioning for a positive future: Cigar Lake mine starts production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gitzel, Tim

2014-01-01

This presentation includes forward-looking information or forward-looking statements under Canadian and U.S. securities laws, including our expectations regarding future world electricity consumption, the number of net new reactors we expect to be built, our expectations regarding future uranium supply and demand, our future uranium production targets and forecasts, and our forecasts relating to mining, mine life, production, development and other activities

17 CFR 41.23 - Listing of security futures products for trading.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... security futures products for trading, a designated contract market or registered derivatives transaction... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Listing of security futures products for trading. 41.23 Section 41.23 Commodity and Securities Exchanges COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING...

Effort-Reward Imbalance and Work Productivity Among Hotel Housekeeping Employees: A Pilot Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosemberg, Marie-Anne S; Li, Yang

2018-03-01

This study explored the relationship between effort-reward imbalance (ERI) at work and work productivity among hotel housekeepers. A community-based approach was used to recruit 23 hotel housekeepers who completed the ERI and Work Performance Questionnaires. Work productivity was determined by combining self-report absenteeism and presenteeism. More than 40% of the participants reported high ERI (ERI >1). Also, 59.1% reported low work productivity. Interestingly, despite the individualized high reports of ERI and low work productivity, correlation analysis showed that high ERI was correlated with high presenteeism and work productivity as a whole. This is the first study to explore work productivity among this worker group. Despite the small sample size and the cross-sectional nature of the study, this study points to the need for organization-based interventions to not only improve employee health but also their work productivity.

Fueling the future with fungal genomics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grigoriev, Igor V.; Cullen, Dan; Goodwin, Steve X.; Hibbett, David; Jeffries, Thomas W.; Kubicek, Christian P.; Kuske, Cheryl R.; Magnuson, Jon K.; Martin, Francis; Spatafora, Joe W.; Tsang, Adrian; Baker, Scott E.

2011-07-25

Fungi play important roles across the range of current and future biofuel production processes. From crop/feedstock health to plant biomass saccharification, enzyme production to bioprocesses for producing ethanol, higher alcohols or future hydrocarbon biofuels, fungi are involved. Research and development are underway to understand the underlying biological processes and improve them to make efficient on an industrial scale. Genomics is the foundation of the systems biology approach that is being used to accelerate the research and development efforts across the spectrum of topic areas that impact biofuels production. In this review, we discuss past, current and future advances made possible by genomic analysis of the fungi that impact plant/feedstock health, degradation of lignocellulosic biomass and fermentation of sugars to ethanol, hydrocarbon biofuels and renewable chemicals.

Why don't you try harder? An investigation of effort production in major depression.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marie-Laure Cléry-Melin

Full Text Available Depression is mainly characterized as an emotional disorder, associated with reduced approach behavior. It remains unclear whether the difficulty in energising behavior relates to abnormal emotional states or to a flattened response to potential rewards, as suggested by several neuroimaging studies. Here, we aimed to demonstrate a specific incentive motivation deficit in major depression, independent of patients' emotional state. We employed a behavioral paradigm designed to measure physical effort in response to both emotional modulation and incentive motivation. Patients did exert more effort following emotionally arousing pictures (whether positive or negative but not for higher monetary incentives, contrary to healthy controls. These results show that emotional and motivational sources of effort production are dissociable in pathological conditions. In addition, patients' ratings of perceived effort increased for high incentives, whereas controls' ratings were decreased. Thus, depressed patients objectively behave as if they do not want to gain larger rewards, but subjectively feel that they try harder. We suggest that incentive motivation impairment is a core deficit of major depression, which may render everyday tasks abnormally effortful for patients.

Production and efficiency of large wildland fire suppression effort: A stochastic frontier analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Katuwal, Hari; Calkin, David E; Hand, Michael S

2016-01-15

This study examines the production and efficiency of wildland fire suppression effort. We estimate the effectiveness of suppression resource inputs to produce controlled fire lines that contain large wildland fires using stochastic frontier analysis. Determinants of inefficiency are identified and the effects of these determinants on the daily production of controlled fire line are examined. Results indicate that the use of bulldozers and fire engines increase the production of controlled fire line, while firefighter crews do not tend to contribute to controlled fire line production. Production of controlled fire line is more efficient if it occurs along natural or built breaks, such as rivers and roads, and within areas previously burned by wildfires. However, results also indicate that productivity and efficiency of the controlled fire line are sensitive to weather, landscape and fire characteristics. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chinese coal supply and future production outlooks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Jianliang; Feng, Lianyong; Davidsson, Simon; Höök, Mikael

2013-01-01

China's energy supply is dominated by coal, making projections of future coal production in China important. Recent forecasts suggest that Chinese coal production may reach a peak in 2010–2039 but with widely differing peak production levels. The estimated URR (ultimately recoverable resources) influence these projections significantly, however, widely different URR-values were used due to poor understanding of the various Chinese coal classification schemes. To mitigate these shortcomings, a comprehensive investigation of this system and an analysis of the historical evaluation of resources and reporting issues are performed. A more plausible URR is derived, which indicates that many analysts underestimate volumes available for exploitation. Projections based on the updated URR using a modified curve-fitting model indicate that Chinese coal production could peak as early as 2024 at a maximum annual production of 4.1 Gt. By considering other potential constraints, it can be concluded that peak coal in China appears inevitable and immediate. This event can be expected to have significant impact on the Chinese economy, energy strategies and GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions reduction strategies. - Highlights: • Review of Chinese coal geology and resources/reserves. • Presentation of the Chinese coal classification system. • Forecasting future Chinese coal production using Hubbert curves. • Critical comparison with other forecasts. • Discussions transportation, environmental impact, water consumption, etc

IPAD products and implications for the future

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, R. E., Jr.

1980-01-01

The betterment of productivity through the improvement of product quality and the reduction of cost is addressed. Productivity improvement is sought through (1) reduction of required resources, (2) improved ask results through the management of such saved resources, (3) reduced downstream costs through manufacturing-oriented engineering, and (4) lowered risks in the making of product design decisions. The IPAD products are both hardware architecture and software distributed over a number of heterogeneous computers in this architecture. These IPAD products are described in terms of capability and engineering usefulness. The future implications of state-of-the-art IPAD hardware and software architectures are discussed in terms of their impact on the functions and on structures of organizations concerned with creating products.

Comparison of cardiovascular response to combined static-dynamic effort, postprandial dynamic effort and dynamic effort alone in patients with chronic ischemic heart disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hung, J.; McKillip, J.; Savin, W.; Magder, S.; Kraus, R.; Houston, N.; Goris, M.; Haskell, W.; DeBusk, R.

1982-01-01

The cardiovascular responses to combined static-dynamic effort, postprandial dynamic effort and dynamic effort alone were evaluated by upright bicycle ergometry during equilibrium-gated blood pool scintigraphy in 24 men, mean age 59 +/- 8 years, with chronic ischemic heart disease. Combined static-dynamic effort and the postprandial state elicited a peak cardiovascular response similar to that of dynamic effort alone. Heart rate, intraarterial systolic and diastolic pressures, rate-pressure product and ejection fraction were similar for the three test conditions at the onset of ischemia and at peak effort. The prevalence and extent of exercise-induced ischemic left ventricular dysfunction, ST-segment depression, angina pectoris and ventricular ectopic activity were also similar during the three test conditions. Direct and indirect measurements of systolic and diastolic blood pressure were highly correlated. The onset of ischemic ST-segment depression and angina pectoris correlated as strongly with heart rate alone as with the rate-pressure product during all three test conditions. The cardiovascular response to combined static-dynamic effort and to postprandial dynamic effort becomes more similar to that of dynamic effort alone as dynamic effort reaches a symptom limit. If significant ischemic and arrhythmic abnormalities are absent during symptom-limited dynamic exercise testing, they are unlikely to appear during combined static-dynamic or postprandial dynamic effort

Future coal production outlooks in the IPCC Emission Scenarios: Are they plausible?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoeoek, Mikael

2010-10-01

Anthropogenic climate change caused by CO 2 emissions is strongly and fundamentally linked to the future energy production. The Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRES) from 2000 contains 40 scenarios for future fossil fuel production and is used by the IPCC to assess future climate change. Coal, with its 26% share of world energy, is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and commonly seen as a key contributor to anthropogenic climate change. SRES contains a wide array of different coal production outlooks, ranging from a complete coal phase-out by 2100 to a roughly tenfold increase from present world production levels. Scenarios with high levels of global warming also have high expectations on future fossil fuel production. The assumptions on resource availability are in SRES based on Rogner's assessment of world hydrocarbon resources from 1997, where it is stated that 'the sheer size of the fossil resource base makes fossil sources an energy supply option for many centuries to come'. Regarding the future coal production it is simply assumed to be dependent on economics, accessibility, and environmental acceptance. It is also generally assumed that coal is abundant, and will thus take a dominating part in the future energy system. Depletion, geographical location and geological parameters are not given much influence in the scenario storylines. This study quantifies what the coal production projection in SRES would imply in reality. SRES is riddled with future production projections that would put unreasonable expectation on just a few countries or regions. Is it reasonable to expect that China, among the world's largest coal reserve and resource holder and producer, would increase their production by a factor of 8 over the next 90 years, as implied by certain scenarios? Can massive increases in global coal output really be justified from historical trends or will reality rule out some production outlooks as implausible? The fundamental assumptions

Future coal production outlooks in the IPCC Emission Scenarios: Are they plausible?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoeoek, Mikael

2010-10-15

Anthropogenic climate change caused by CO{sub 2} emissions is strongly and fundamentally linked to the future energy production. The Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRES) from 2000 contains 40 scenarios for future fossil fuel production and is used by the IPCC to assess future climate change. Coal, with its 26% share of world energy, is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and commonly seen as a key contributor to anthropogenic climate change. SRES contains a wide array of different coal production outlooks, ranging from a complete coal phase-out by 2100 to a roughly tenfold increase from present world production levels. Scenarios with high levels of global warming also have high expectations on future fossil fuel production. The assumptions on resource availability are in SRES based on Rogner's assessment of world hydrocarbon resources from 1997, where it is stated that 'the sheer size of the fossil resource base makes fossil sources an energy supply option for many centuries to come'. Regarding the future coal production it is simply assumed to be dependent on economics, accessibility, and environmental acceptance. It is also generally assumed that coal is abundant, and will thus take a dominating part in the future energy system. Depletion, geographical location and geological parameters are not given much influence in the scenario storylines. This study quantifies what the coal production projection in SRES would imply in reality. SRES is riddled with future production projections that would put unreasonable expectation on just a few countries or regions. Is it reasonable to expect that China, among the world's largest coal reserve and resource holder and producer, would increase their production by a factor of 8 over the next 90 years, as implied by certain scenarios? Can massive increases in global coal output really be justified from historical trends or will reality rule out some production outlooks as implausible? The

Increased productivity through waste reduction effort in oil and gas company

Science.gov (United States)

Hidayati, J.; Silviana, NA; Matondang, RA

2018-02-01

National companies engaged in oil and gas activities in the upstream sector. In general, the on going operations include drilling, exploration, and production activities with the result being crude oil channelled for shipment. Production activities produce waste gas (flare) of 0.58 MMSCFD derived from 17.05% of natural gas produced. Gas flares are residual gases that have been burning through flare stacks to avoid toxic gases such as H2S and CO that are harmful to human health and the environment. Therefore, appropriate environmental management is needed; one of them is by doing waste reduction business. Through this approach, it is expected that waste reduction efforts can affect the improvement of environmental conditions while increasing the productivity of the company. In this research begins by identifying the existence of problems on the company related to the amount of waste that is excessive and potentially to be reduced. Alternative improvements are then formulated and selected by their feasibility to be implemented through financial analysis, and the estimation of alternative contributions to the level of productivity. The result of this research is an alternative solution to solve the problem of the company by doing technological based engineering by reusing gas flare into fuel for incinerator machine. This alternative contributes to the increased productivity of material use by 23.32%, humans 83.8%, capital 10.13 %, and waste decreased by 0.11%.

Estimating uranium resources and production. A guide to future supply

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, D.M.; Haeussermann, W.

1983-01-01

Nuclear power can only continue to grow if sufficient fuel, uranium, is available. Concern has been expressed that, in the not too distant future, the supply of uranium may be inadequate to meet reactor development. This will not be the case. Uranium production capability, actual and planned, is the main indicator of short- and medium-term supply. However, for the longer term, uranium resource estimates and projections of the possible rate of production from the resource base are important. Once an estimate has been made of the resources contained in a deposit, several factors influence the decision to produce the uranium and also the rates at which the uranium can be produced. The effect of these factors, which include uranium market trends and ever increasing lead times from discovery to production, must be taken into account when making projections of future production capability and before comparing these with forecasts of future uranium requirements. The uranium resource base has developed over the last two decades mainly in response to dramatically changing projections of natural uranium requirements. A study of this development and the changes in production, together with the most recent data, shows that in the short- and medium-term, production from already discovered resources should be sufficient to cover any likely reactor requirements. Studies such as those undertaken during the International Uranium Resources Evaluation Project, and others which project future discovery rates and production, are supported by past experience in resource development in showing that uranium supply could continue to meet demand until well into the next century. The uranium supply potential has lessened the need for the early large-scale global introduction of the breeder reactor

Evaluation of an ARPS-based canopy flow modeling system for use in future operational smoke prediction efforts

Science.gov (United States)

M. T. Kiefer; S. Zhong; W. E. Heilman; J. J. Charney; X. Bian

2013-01-01

Efforts to develop a canopy flow modeling system based on the Advanced Regional Prediction System (ARPS) model are discussed. The standard version of ARPS is modified to account for the effect of drag forces on mean and turbulent flow through a vegetation canopy, via production and sink terms in the momentum and subgrid-scale turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) equations....

Cognitive effort: A neuroeconomic approach

Science.gov (United States)

Braver, Todd S.

2015-01-01

Cognitive effort has been implicated in numerous theories regarding normal and aberrant behavior and the physiological response to engagement with demanding tasks. Yet, despite broad interest, no unifying, operational definition of cognitive effort itself has been proposed. Here, we argue that the most intuitive and epistemologically valuable treatment is in terms of effort-based decision-making, and advocate a neuroeconomics-focused research strategy. We first outline psychological and neuroscientific theories of cognitive effort. Then we describe the benefits of a neuroeconomic research strategy, highlighting how it affords greater inferential traction than do traditional markers of cognitive effort, including self-reports and physiologic markers of autonomic arousal. Finally, we sketch a future series of studies that can leverage the full potential of the neuroeconomic approach toward understanding the cognitive and neural mechanisms that give rise to phenomenal, subjective cognitive effort. PMID:25673005

Future-Focused Training Exercises with Alternative Coaching Conditions (CD-ROM)

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Kiser, Robert D; Childs, Jerry M; Leibrecht, Bruce C; Lockaby, Karen J

2005-01-01

.... This product presents the results of a research effort to advance the methodology for training companies and platoons, particularly in regard to the provision of coaching, in the future training environment...

China's coastal wetlands: conservation history, implementation efforts, existing issues and strategies for future improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Zhigao; Sun, Wenguang; Tong, Chuan; Zeng, Congsheng; Yu, Xiang; Mou, Xiaojie

2015-06-01

China has approximately 5.80×10(6)ha coastal wetlands by 2014, accounting for 10.82% of the total area of natural wetlands. Healthy coastal wetland ecosystems play an important role in guaranteeing the territory ecological security and the sustainable development of coastal zone in China. In this paper, the natural geography and the past and present status of China's coastal wetlands were introduced and the five stages (1950s-1970s, 1980s-1991, 1992-2002, 2003-2010 and 2011-present) of China's coastal wetlands conservation from the foundation of the People's Republic in 1949 to present were distinguished and reviewed. Over the past decades, China has made great efforts in coastal wetland conservation, as signified by the implementation of coastal wetland restoration projects, the construction of coastal wetland nature reserves, the practice of routine ecological monitoring and two national wetland surveys, the promulgation of local wetland conservation statutes and specific regulations, the coordination mechanism to enhance management capacity, the wide development of coastal wetland research and public participation, and the extensive communication to strengthen international cooperation. Nonetheless, six major issues recently emerged in China's coastal wetland conservation are evidently existed, including the increasing threats of pollution and human activities, the increasing adverse effects of threaten factors on ecosystem function, the increasing threats of coastal erosion and sea-level rising, the insufficient funding for coastal wetlands conservation, the imperfect legal and management system for coastal wetlands, and the insufficient education, research and international cooperation. Although the threats and pressures on coastal wetlands conservation are still apparent, the future of China's coastal wetlands looks promising since the Chinese government understands that the sustainable development in coastal zone requires new attitudes, sound policies and

Anti-Money Laundering Efforts - Failures, Fixes and the Future

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Deleanu, I.S.

2015-01-01

In this PhD thesis I address important topics in the debate on and the organisation of the Anti-Money Laundering efforts, which are related to the legitimacy and the effectiveness of the Anti-Money Laundering policies. First of all, this thesis provides a reflection on the assessments of concern

Rural Landscape, Production and Human Consumption: Past, Present and Future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jansson, Ulf; Miliander, Sofia

2006-01-01

Production and consumption of food and in a rural area over the last 400 years were reconstructed for a parish in south east Sweden. This was based on a number of different data sources, including historical maps and official demographic and agricultural statistics. Changes in population (and thus consumption) and the production from arable land and livestock were calculated and used to provide an estimate of the area's supply and demand over time, and of the historical sustainability of the area. Overall food productivity was remarkably constant over time, at approximately 0.04 kgC/m 2 /y, despite recent changes in population size and the area of cultivated land. The empirical results from the past and the present, together with the future land changes due to shoreline displacement were used to predict the situation in the future. These final estimates can be used in the assessment of risk for exposure to contaminated food for the future population in the area

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SUPERVISION OF PERPETRATORS OF EFFORT IN PRODUCING QUALITY PRODUCTS AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR CONSUMER PROTECTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abd Haris

2005-07-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research was explain how the substance of the law against the perpetrators of the oversight arrangements of effort in producing quality products contained in the legislation in the field of consumer protection, explain how the implementation of surveillance against perpetrators of effort in producing quality products, explain how the form of the application of the sanctions for the perpetrators of the attempt that violates the provisions of the legislation in making products that are not qualified. Research conducted in the framework of this dissertation outlines is of type socio-juridical, because in addition to researching the secondary legal materials in the form of regulations, manual and electronic law library, relevant research results in the field of law of particular problems in the field of consumer protection and other written materials, as well as researching various legal facts about the implementation of surveillance against perpetrators of effort in producing quality products and its implications for consumer protection This is the case, the form of the application sanctions. The results showed that 1. The substance of the law against the perpetrators of the oversight arrangements of effort in producing quality products that are found in a wide range of legislation in the field of consumer protection is basically adequate. 2. surveillance of implementation against the perpetrators of the work done by the three main pillars of supervision: the Government, communities and non-governmental Consumer Protection Agency (LPKSM is not yet effective due to still having a lot of constraints. 3. The form of the application of the sanctions for the perpetrators of the attempt that violated regulations in making a quality product, it is still better to put forward sanctions administrative compared to criminal sanctions and civil penalties.

Water Scarcity and Future Challenges for Food Production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Noemi Mancosu

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Present water shortage is one of the primary world issues, and according to climate change projections, it will be more critical in the future. Since water availability and accessibility are the most significant constraining factors for crop production, addressing this issue is indispensable for areas affected by water scarcity. Current and future issues related to “water scarcity” are reviewed in this paper so as to highlight the necessity of a more sustainable approach to water resource management. As a consequence of increasing water scarcity and drought, resulting from climate change, considerable water use for irrigation is expected to occur in the context of tough competition between agribusiness and other sectors of the economy. In addition, the estimated increment of the global population growth rate points out the inevitable increase of food demand in the future, with an immediate impact on farming water use. Since a noteworthy relationship exists between the water possessions of a country and the capacity for food production, assessing the irrigation needs is indispensable for water resource planning in order to meet food needs and avoid excessive water consumption.

Exploration and production environment. Preserving the future our responsibility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

This document presents the Total Group commitments to manage natural resources in a rational way, to preserve biodiversity for future generations and protect the environment. It contains the health, safety, environment and quality charter of Total, the 12 exploration and production health, safety and environment rules and the exploration and production environmental policy. (A.L.B.)

The future of textile production in high wage countries

Science.gov (United States)

Kemper, M.; Gloy, Y.-S.; Gries, T.

2017-10-01

It is undisputed that smart production in the context of industry 4.0 offers significant potential for industrial production in Germany. Exploiting this potential provides an opportunity to meet the growing competitive pressure for textile production in high-wage Germany. The complete cross-linking of textile mills towards Textile Production 4.0 means substantial savings. However, currently there are still some challenges that have to be overcome on the long way to Textile Production 4.0. This paper initially reflects the particular challenges of textile production in high-wage Germany. Later, the vision of the future of smart textile production will be outlined. In addition, first pilot solutions and current research approaches which pave the way for Textile Production 4.0 are described.

Is Power Production Flexibility a Substitute for Storability? Evidence from Electricity Futures Prices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kilic, M.; Huisman, R. [Erasmus School of Economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam (Netherlands)

2010-07-15

Electricity is not storable. As a consequence, electricity demand and supply need to be in balance at any moment in time as a shortage in production volume cannot be compensated with supply from inventories. However, if the installed power supply capacity is very flexible, variation in demand can be counterbalanced with flexible adjustment of production volumes. Therefore, supply flexibility can replace the role of inventory. In this paper, we question whether power production flexibility is a substitute for storability. To do so, we examine power futures prices from countries that differ in their power supply and test whether power futures prices contain information about expected future spot prices and risk premiums and examine whether futures prices from a market in which power supply is more flexible would lead to futures prices that are more in line with the theory of storage. We find the opposite; futures prices from markets with flexible power supply behave according to the expectations theory. The implicit view from futures prices is that flexibility is not a substitute for storability.

Is Power Production Flexibility a Substitute for Storability? Evidence from Electricity Futures Prices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kilic, M.; Huisman, R.

2010-07-01

Electricity is not storable. As a consequence, electricity demand and supply need to be in balance at any moment in time as a shortage in production volume cannot be compensated with supply from inventories. However, if the installed power supply capacity is very flexible, variation in demand can be counterbalanced with flexible adjustment of production volumes. Therefore, supply flexibility can replace the role of inventory. In this paper, we question whether power production flexibility is a substitute for storability. To do so, we examine power futures prices from countries that differ in their power supply and test whether power futures prices contain information about expected future spot prices and risk premiums and examine whether futures prices from a market in which power supply is more flexible would lead to futures prices that are more in line with the theory of storage. We find the opposite; futures prices from markets with flexible power supply behave according to the expectations theory. The implicit view from futures prices is that flexibility is not a substitute for storability.

Stuttering Frequency, Speech Rate, Speech Naturalness, and Speech Effort During the Production of Voluntary Stuttering.

Science.gov (United States)

Davidow, Jason H; Grossman, Heather L; Edge, Robin L

2018-05-01

Voluntary stuttering techniques involve persons who stutter purposefully interjecting disfluencies into their speech. Little research has been conducted on the impact of these techniques on the speech pattern of persons who stutter. The present study examined whether changes in the frequency of voluntary stuttering accompanied changes in stuttering frequency, articulation rate, speech naturalness, and speech effort. In total, 12 persons who stutter aged 16-34 years participated. Participants read four 300-syllable passages during a control condition, and three voluntary stuttering conditions that involved attempting to produce purposeful, tension-free repetitions of initial sounds or syllables of a word for two or more repetitions (i.e., bouncing). The three voluntary stuttering conditions included bouncing on 5%, 10%, and 15% of syllables read. Friedman tests and follow-up Wilcoxon signed ranks tests were conducted for the statistical analyses. Stuttering frequency, articulation rate, and speech naturalness were significantly different between the voluntary stuttering conditions. Speech effort did not differ between the voluntary stuttering conditions. Stuttering frequency was significantly lower during the three voluntary stuttering conditions compared to the control condition, and speech effort was significantly lower during two of the three voluntary stuttering conditions compared to the control condition. Due to changes in articulation rate across the voluntary stuttering conditions, it is difficult to conclude, as has been suggested previously, that voluntary stuttering is the reason for stuttering reductions found when using voluntary stuttering techniques. Additionally, future investigations should examine different types of voluntary stuttering over an extended period of time to determine their impact on stuttering frequency, speech rate, speech naturalness, and speech effort.

Future Trends in Production Engineering : Proceedings of the First Conference of the German Academic Society for Production Engineering

CERN Document Server

Neugebauer, Reimund; Uhlmann, Eckart

2013-01-01

To meet and adapt to the current and future trends and issues in technology and society, the science committee of The German Academic Society for Production Engineering (WGP) continues to define future topics for production technology. These themes represent not only the key focus for the scientific work of the WGP, but also the central themes of the first annual conference in June 2011, whose paper is publically available in this volume. Such themes, including electric mobility, medical technology, lightweight construction, and resource efficiency, as well as mass production ability have all been identified as future, large-scale, and long-term drivers of change. Future trends influence changes sustainably and fundamentally; they permeate society, technology, economics, and value systems and have an effect in virtually all areas of life. The WGP has, as part of its research, established for itself the goal of not only observing these emerging changes, but also of supervising and influencing their development...

Beef alliances: motivations, extent, and future prospects.

Science.gov (United States)

Schroeder, Ted C; Kovanda, Joseph

2003-07-01

With their growth, it is important to consider how alliances will impact the beef industry in the future. Alliances have the potential to make sweeping changes to cattle production, live and feeder cattle marketing, food safety protocols, use of government grades and standards, ownership structure, supply chain management, wholesale and retail product marketing, risk management, and many other industry activities. In an effort to address these issues, this article addresses the following questions: What is an alliance? What has motivated their proliferation? What have we learned from alliances? What aspects of alliances affect their likelihood of success or failure? What is the future of alliances? Are they a fad or a long-term evolving industry structural change?

Shanghai and Hong Kong Join Efforts for Oil Futures Exchanges

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2003-01-01

@@ Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) and Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEx) announced in midApril they will jointly introduce crude oil futures. The two exchanges will jointly develop an energy derivatives market that serves both Chinese and international investors,according to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the two exchanges.

Significance of promoting innovative efforts and technology transfer for industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rembser, J [Bundesministerium fuer Forschung und Technologie, Bonn-Bad Godesberg (Germany, F.R.)

1978-11-01

Technological know how and innovations will be of considerable future importance for West German industry. Changes in the reliability of sources of supply (energy, raw materials), the burden imposed on the environment by intensive industrial production and numerous private sources, and the stiffening of international competition necessitate cLoser collaboration between industry and government. Public aid in research and development efforts will assume an important role. In West Germany there is a wide variety of such governmental aids. The range extends from direct grants to enterprises for research and development work to the furnishing of advice to promote innovative efforts and technology transfer. Banks provide risk capital with governmental aid to firms trying to indroduce high-risk innovations into the market. In recent years the aim has been to provide small and medium-size firms with better access to technological know how and governmental aids.

Livestock and human use of land: Productivity trends and dietary choices as drivers of future land and carbon dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Weindl, Isabelle; Popp, Alexander; Bodirsky, Benjamin Leon; Rolinski, Susanne; Lotze-Campen, Hermann; Biewald, Anne; Humpenöder, Florian; Dietrich, Jan Philipp; Stevanović, Miodrag

2017-12-01

Land use change has been the primary driving force of human alteration of terrestrial ecosystems. With 80% of agricultural land dedicated to livestock production, the sector is an important lever to attenuate land requirements for food production and carbon emissions from land use change. In this study, we quantify impacts of changing human diets and livestock productivity on land dynamics and depletion of carbon stored in vegetation, litter and soils. Across all investigated productivity pathways, lower consumption of livestock products can substantially reduce deforestation (47-55%) and cumulative carbon losses (34-57%). On the supply side, already minor productivity growth in extensive livestock production systems leads to substantial CO2 emission abatement, but the emission saving potential of productivity gains in intensive systems is limited, also involving trade-offs with soil carbon stocks. If accounting for uncertainties related to future trade restrictions, crop yields and pasture productivity, the range of projected carbon savings from changing diets increases to 23-78%. Highest abatement of carbon emissions (63-78%) can be achieved if reduced consumption of animal-based products is combined with sustained investments into productivity increases in plant production. Our analysis emphasizes the importance to integrate demand- and supply-side oriented mitigation strategies and to combine efforts in the crop and livestock sector to enable synergies for climate protection.

Therapeutic outcomes, assessments, risk factors and mitigation efforts of immunogenicity of therapeutic protein products.

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Liusong; Chen, Xiaoying; Vicini, Paolo; Rup, Bonita; Hickling, Timothy P

2015-06-01

Therapeutic protein products (TPPs) are of considerable value in the treatment of a variety of diseases, including cancer, hemophilia, and autoimmune diseases. The success of TPP mainly results from prolonged half-life, increased target specificity and decreased intrinsic toxicity compared with small molecule drugs. However, unwanted immune responses against TPP, such as generation of anti-drug antibody, can impact both drug efficacy and patient safety, which has led to requirements for increased monitoring in regulatory studies and clinical practice, termination of drug development, or even withdrawal of marketed products. We present an overview of current knowledge on immunogenicity of TPP and its impact on efficacy and safety. We also discuss methods for measurement and prediction of immunogenicity and review both product-related and patient-related risk factors that affect its development, and efforts that may be taken to mitigate it. Lastly, we discuss gaps in knowledge and technology and what is needed to fill these. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Food production - Present and future development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lamm, C.G.

1974-01-01

This year the joint FAO/IAEA Division of Atomic Energy in Food and Agriculture celebrates its 10th anniversary. The aim of these two United Nations organizations is to ensure that the technical services of both FAO and IAEA are fully co-ordinated and their programmes are designed to assist developing Member States to apply isotopes and radiation techniques to the solution of food and agricultural problems. More precisely, the medium-term objectives of the Joint Division are to exploit the potential of nuclear techniques in research and development for increasing and stabilizing agricultural production, improving food quality, protecting agricultural products from spoilage and losses and minimizing pollution of food and the agricultural environment. This account of what radioisotopes can do for man in the agricultural field is therefore to a great extent a review of the activities of the Joint Division and a prediction of its future fields of emphasis, especially in the light of the present long-range and world-wide food crisis. (author)

Double elementary Goldstone Higgs boson production in future linear colliders

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Yu-Chen; Yue, Chong-Xing; Liu, Zhi-Cheng

2018-03-01

The Elementary Goldstone Higgs (EGH) model is a perturbative extension of the Standard Model (SM), which identifies the EGH boson as the observed Higgs boson. In this paper, we study pair production of the EGH boson in future linear electron positron colliders. The cross-sections in the TeV region can be changed to about ‑27%, 163% and ‑34% for the e+e‑→ Zhh, e+e‑→ νν¯hh and e+e‑→ tt¯hh processes with respect to the SM predictions, respectively. According to the expected measurement precisions, such correction effects might be observed in future linear colliders. In addition, we compare the cross-sections of double SM-like Higgs boson production with the predictions in other new physics models.

Some political issues related to future special nuclear materials production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peaslee, A.T. Jr.

1981-08-01

The Federal Government must take action to assure the future adequate supply of special nuclear materials for nuclear weapons. Existing statutes permit the construction of advanced defense production reactors and the reprocessing of commercial spent fuel for the production of special materials. Such actions would not only benefit the US nuclear reactor manufacturers, but also the US electric utilities that use nuclear reactors

Water quality under increased biofuel production and future climate change and uncertainty

Science.gov (United States)

Demissie, Y. K.; Yan, E.

2015-12-01

Over the past decade, biofuel has emerged as an important renewable energy source to supplement gasoline and reduce the associated greenhouse gas emission. Many countries, for instant, have adopted biofuel production goals to blend 10% or more of gasoline with biofuels within 10 to 20 years. However, meeting these goals requires sustainable production of biofuel feedstock which can be challenging under future change in climate and extreme weather conditions, as well as the likely impacts of biofuel feedstock production on water quality and availability. To understand this interrelationship and the combined effects of increased biofuel production and climate change on regional and local water resources, we have performed watershed hydrology and water quality analyses for the Ohio River Basin. The basin is one of the major biofuel feedstock producing region in the United States, which also currently contributes about half of the flow and one third of phosphorus and nitrogen loadings to the Mississippi River that eventually flows to the Gulf of Mexico. The analyses integrate future scenarios and climate change and biofuel development through various mixes of landuse and agricultural management changes and examine their potential impacts on regional and local hydrology, water quality, soil erosion, and agriculture productivity. The results of the study are expected to provide much needed insight about the sustainability of large-scale biofuel feedstock production under the future climate change and uncertainty, and helps to further optimize the feedstock production taking into consideration the water-use efficiency.

Modern microbial solid state fermentation technology for future biorefineries for the production of added-value products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Musaalbakri Abdul Manan

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The promise of industrial biotechnology has been around since Chaim Weizmann developed acetone–butanol–ethanol fermentation at the University of Manchester in 1917 and the prospects nowadays look brighter than ever. Today’s biorefinery technologies would be almost unthinkable without biotechnology. This is a growing trend and biorefineries have also increased in importance in agriculture and the food industry. Novel biorefinery processes using solid state fermentation (SSF technology have been developed as alternative to conventional processing routes, leading to the production of added-value products from agriculture and food industry raw materials. SSF involves the growth of microorganisms on moist solid substrate in the absence of free-flowing water. Future biorefineries based on SSF aim to exploit the vast complexity of the technology to modify biomass produced by agriculture and the food industry for valuable by-products through microbial bioconversion. In this review, a summary has been made of the attempts at using modern microbial SSF technology for future biorefineries for the production of many added-value products ranging from feedstock for the fermentation process and biodegradable plastics to fuels and chemicals.

Global Water Availability and Requirements for Future Food Production

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gerten, D.; Heinke, J.; Hoff, H.; Biemans, H.; Fader, M.; Waha, K.

2011-01-01

This study compares, spatially explicitly and at global scale, per capita water availability and water requirements for food production presently (1971-2000) and in the future given climate and population change (2070-99). A vegetation and hydrology model Lund-Potsdam-Jena managed Land (LPJmL) was

Future trends in the assessment of hazards from fission product releases

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beattie, J. R.

1983-11-15

In comparing and selecting sites for reactors from the point of view of safety, one considers the remote possibility of an accidental release of moderately large amounts of fission products and its effects in relation to the present and future distribution of population in the neighbourhood. At present, until experience is gained of the reliability and safety of reactors, there is a tendency to site them remotely from centres of industry and population, although for economic reasons there will be a need to site large power reactors more closely to such centres in the future. With, among other objectives, the aim of adopting, in the proper course or time, less restrictive siting criteria, improvements are continually made in the intrinsic safety of reactor system and more sophisticated forms of reactor containment are devised, in order to reduce the possibility and scale of any fission product release. Changes and improvements in reactor systems could affect the nature and proportion of an accidental release of fission products if this should occur in the future. It is appropriate to consider what such a release and its radiobiological effects might be.

Defining English Language Proficiency for Malaysian Tertiary Education: Past, Present and Future Efforts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chan Swee Heng

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Any attempt to define English language proficiency can never be divorced from the theories that describe the nature of language, language acquisition and human cognition. By virtue of such theories being socially constructed, the descriptions are necessarily value-laden. Thus, a definition of language proficiency can only, at best, be described as developmental, following changes that are linguistic, pragmatic, cultural and political. In defining English proficiency for tertiary education, the context is naturally also linked to the focus on university education. The argument has been that an ‘acceptable’ level of language competence of a university applicant is anything but constant. Tremendous social changes have seen traditional values of elitism in university education giving way to the ‘massification’ of education. As Kaplan and Baldauf (1997:257 affirms, “The principal problem in tertiary education is not declining literacy standards but rather it is about meeting changed societal, cultural and informational requirements and circumstances”. In the light of these changes, this paper attempts to trace influencing factors that help define an ‘acceptable’ level of English proficiency for Malaysian tertiary education. The paper examines past and present efforts of establishing an English language policy and assessment practice for tertiary education, and concludes with some views on future development that could evolve from the current indicative pursuits of establishing language learning and ability.

ISR corrections to associated HZ production at future Higgs factories

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mario Greco

2018-02-01

Full Text Available We evaluate the QED corrections due to initial state radiation (ISR to associated Higgs boson production in electron–positron (e+e− annihilation at typical energies of interest for the measurement of the Higgs properties at future e+e− colliders, such as CEPC and FCC–ee. We apply the QED Structure Function approach to the four-fermion production process e+e−→μ+μ−bb¯, including both signal and background contributions. We emphasize the relevance of the ISR corrections particularly near threshold and show that finite third order collinear contributions are mandatory to meet the expected experimental accuracy. We analyze in turn the rôle played by a full four-fermion calculation and beam energy spread in precision calculations for Higgs physics at future e+e− colliders.

ISR corrections to associated HZ production at future Higgs factories

Science.gov (United States)

Greco, Mario; Montagna, Guido; Nicrosini, Oreste; Piccinini, Fulvio; Volpi, Gabriele

2018-02-01

We evaluate the QED corrections due to initial state radiation (ISR) to associated Higgs boson production in electron-positron (e+e-) annihilation at typical energies of interest for the measurement of the Higgs properties at future e+e- colliders, such as CEPC and FCC-ee. We apply the QED Structure Function approach to the four-fermion production process e+e- →μ+μ- b b bar , including both signal and background contributions. We emphasize the relevance of the ISR corrections particularly near threshold and show that finite third order collinear contributions are mandatory to meet the expected experimental accuracy. We analyze in turn the rôle played by a full four-fermion calculation and beam energy spread in precision calculations for Higgs physics at future e+e- colliders.

Higgs production at future e + e - colliders in the Georgi-Machacek model

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Bin; Han, Zhi-Long; Liao, Yi

2018-02-01

We study how the dominant single and double SM-like Higgs ( h) production at future e + e - colliders is modified in the Georgi-Machacek (GM) model. On imposing theoretical, indirect and direct constraints, significant deviations of h-couplings from their SM values are still possible; for instance, the Higgs-gauge coupling can be corrected by a factor κ hV V ∈ [0 .93 , 1 .15] in the allowed parameter space. For the Higgs-strahlung e + e - → hZ and vector boson fusion processes {e}+{e}-\\to hν \\overline{ν} , he + e -, the cross section could increase by 32% or decrease by 13%. In the case of associated production with a top quark pair {e}+{e}-\\to ht\\overline{t} , the cross section can be enhanced up to several times when the custodial triplet scalar H 3 0 is resonantly produced. In the meanwhile, the double Higgs production {e}+{e}-\\to hhZ(hhν \\overline{ν}) can be maximally enhanced by one order of magnitude at the resonant H 1,3 0 production. We also include exclusion limits expected from future LHC runs at higher energy and luminosity and discuss their further constraints on the relevant model parameters. We find that the GM model can result in likely measurable deviations of Higgs production from the SM at future e + e - colliders.

When is Deceptive Message Production More Effortful than Truth-Telling? A Baker's Dozen of Moderators.

Science.gov (United States)

Burgoon, Judee K

2015-01-01

Deception is thought to be more effortful than telling the truth. Empirical evidence from many quarters supports this general proposition. However, there are many factors that qualify and even reverse this pattern. Guided by a communication perspective, I present a baker's dozen of moderators that may alter the degree of cognitive difficulty associated with producing deceptive messages. Among sender-related factors are memory processes, motivation, incentives, and consequences. Lying increases activation of a network of brain regions related to executive memory, suppression of unwanted behaviors, and task switching that is not observed with truth-telling. High motivation coupled with strong incentives or the risk of adverse consequences also prompts more cognitive exertion-for truth-tellers and deceivers alike-to appear credible, with associated effects on performance and message production effort, depending on the magnitude of effort, communicator skill, and experience. Factors related to message and communication context include discourse genre, type of prevarication, expected response length, communication medium, preparation, and recency of target event/issue. These factors can attenuate the degree of cognitive taxation on senders so that truth-telling and deceiving are similarly effortful. Factors related to the interpersonal relationship among interlocutors include whether sender and receiver are cooperative or adversarial and how well-acquainted they are with one another. A final consideration is whether the unit of analysis is the utterance, turn at talk, episode, entire interaction, or series of interactions. Taking these factors into account should produce a more nuanced answer to the question of when deception is more difficult than truth-telling.

The NNSA global threat reduction initiative's efforts to minimize the use of highly enriched uranium for medical isotope production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Staples, Parrish

2010-01-01

The mission of the National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) Office of Global Threat Reduction (GTRI) is to reduce and protect vulnerable nuclear and radiological materials located at civilian sites worldwide. GTRI is a key organization for supporting domestic and global efforts to minimize and, to the extent possible, eliminate the use of highly enriched uranium (HEU) in civilian nuclear applications. GTRI implements the following activities in order to achieve its threat reduction and HEU minimization objectives: Converting domestic and international civilian research reactors and isotope production facilities from the use of HEU to low enriched uranium (LEU); Demonstrating the viability of medical isotope production technologies that do not use HEU; Removing or disposing excess nuclear and radiological materials from civilian sites worldwide; and Protecting high-priority nuclear and radiological materials worldwide from theft and sabotage. This paper provides a brief overview on the recent developments and priorities for GTRI program activities in 2010, with a particular focus on GTRI's efforts to demonstrate the viability of non-HEU based medical isotope production technologies. (author)

17 CFR 41.27 - Prohibition of dual trading in security futures products by floor brokers.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... trading in a security futures product on a designated contract market or registered derivatives...) Registered derivatives transaction execution facilities. Prior to listing a security futures product for... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Prohibition of dual trading in...

Projecting biodiversity and wood production in future forest landscapes: 15 key modeling considerations.

Science.gov (United States)

Felton, Adam; Ranius, Thomas; Roberge, Jean-Michel; Öhman, Karin; Lämås, Tomas; Hynynen, Jari; Juutinen, Artti; Mönkkönen, Mikko; Nilsson, Urban; Lundmark, Tomas; Nordin, Annika

2017-07-15

A variety of modeling approaches can be used to project the future development of forest systems, and help to assess the implications of different management alternatives for biodiversity and ecosystem services. This diversity of approaches does however present both an opportunity and an obstacle for those trying to decide which modeling technique to apply, and interpreting the management implications of model output. Furthermore, the breadth of issues relevant to addressing key questions related to forest ecology, conservation biology, silviculture, economics, requires insights stemming from a number of distinct scientific disciplines. As forest planners, conservation ecologists, ecological economists and silviculturalists, experienced with modeling trade-offs and synergies between biodiversity and wood biomass production, we identified fifteen key considerations relevant to assessing the pros and cons of alternative modeling approaches. Specifically we identified key considerations linked to study question formulation, modeling forest dynamics, forest processes, study landscapes, spatial and temporal aspects, and the key response metrics - biodiversity and wood biomass production, as well as dealing with trade-offs and uncertainties. We also provide illustrative examples from the modeling literature stemming from the key considerations assessed. We use our findings to reiterate the need for explicitly addressing and conveying the limitations and uncertainties of any modeling approach taken, and the need for interdisciplinary research efforts when addressing the conservation of biodiversity and sustainable use of environmental resources. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Laccase applications in biofuels production: current status and future prospects.

Science.gov (United States)

Kudanga, Tukayi; Le Roes-Hill, Marilize

2014-08-01

The desire to reduce dependence on the ever diminishing fossil fuel reserves coupled with the impetus towards green energy has seen increased research in biofuels as alternative sources of energy. Lignocellulose materials are one of the most promising feedstocks for advanced biofuels production. However, their utilisation is dependent on the efficient hydrolysis of polysaccharides, which in part is dependent on cost-effective and benign pretreatment of biomass to remove or modify lignin and release or expose sugars to hydrolytic enzymes. Laccase is one of the enzymes that are being investigated not only for potential use as pretreatment agents in biofuel production, mainly as a delignifying enzyme, but also as a biotechnological tool for removal of inhibitors (mainly phenolic) of subsequent enzymatic processes. The current review discusses the major advances in the application of laccase as a potential pretreatment strategy, the underlying principles as well as directions for future research in the search for better enzyme-based technologies for biofuel production. Future perspectives could include synergy between enzymes that may be required for optimal results and the adoption of the biorefinery concept in line with the move towards the global implementation of the bioeconomy strategy.

Communication Breakdown: Unraveling the Islamic States Media Efforts

Science.gov (United States)

2016-10-01

Communication Breakdown: Unraveling the Islamic State’s Media Efforts Daniel Milton Communication Breakdown: Unraveling the Islamic State’s Media ...production arm of central media office).28 The high level of communication between the central media office and the satellite offices illustrates the tension...and discussed by the mass media . Those products are likely important to the group’s recruitment efforts, but clearly it is trying to portray itself

Improvement in Product Development: Use of back-end data to support upstream efforts of Robust Design Methodology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vanajah Siva

2012-12-01

Full Text Available In the area of Robust Design Methodology (RDM less is done on how to use and work with data from the back-end of the product development process to support upstream improvement. The purpose of this paper is to suggest RDM practices for the use of customer claims data in early design phases as a basis for improvements. The back-end data, when systematically analyzed and fed back into the product development process, aids in closing the product development loop from claims to improvement in the design phase. This is proposed through a flow of claims data analysis tied to an existing tool, namely Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA. The systematic and integrated analysis of back-end data is suggested as an upstream effort of RDM to increase understanding of noise factors during product usage based on the feedback of claims data to FMEA and to address continuous improvement in product development.

Effort-Based Career Opportunities and Working Time

OpenAIRE

Bratti, M.; Staffolani, S.

2005-01-01

The authors evaluate the economic effects of the hypothesis of effort-based career opportunities, described as a situation in which a firm creates incentives for employees to work longer hours than bargained (or desired), by making career prospects depend on relative working hours. Firms' personnel management policies may tend to increase working time (or workers' effort) in order to maximize profits. Effort-based career opportunities raise working time, production and output per worker, and ...

Marine eutrophication impacts from present and future production of spring barley

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cosme, Nuno Miguel Dias; Niero, Monia

2015-01-01

Environmental emissions of nitrogen (N) from agriculture surplus may enrich coastal waters and trigger marine eutrophication impacts. We estimated these impacts for spring barley production in Denmark, under present and future climatic conditions with double carbon dioxide concentration and 5 °C...... increase. Characterised emissions of airborne (NH3 and NOx) and waterborne (NO3-) forms result in an endpoint impact of 2.35*10-12 (North Sea) and 8.47*10-12 species.yr (Baltic Sea) under present conditions per kg spring barley produced. The future scenario shows 67% increase on both spatial units. Spatial...... to hypoxia under future pressures may alter the impacts assessment....

Perceived effort for motor control and decision-making.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ignasi Cos

2017-08-01

Full Text Available How effort is internally quantified and how it influences both movement generation and decisions between potential movements are 2 difficult questions to answer. Physical costs are known to influence motor control and decision-making, yet we lack a general, principled characterization of how the perception of effort operates across tasks and conditions. Morel and colleagues introduce an insightful approach to that end, assessing effort indifference points and presenting a quadratic law between perceived effort and force production.

Future opportunities in production of disposable optics and electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Korhonen, Raimo

2001-05-01

The several production methods of paper processing chain can be used, by analogy, to generate novel ideas for production of optics and electronics. Paper processing is a very fast reel-to-reel process: In the beginning of the paper web production the process is running at the speed of over thousand meters per minute and the web width can be 10 meters, and still at the later stages the speed is several hundreds of meters per minute with the web width of a couple of meters. There are several potential reel-to-reel production methods like embossing, printing, laminating and different kinds of vacuum coating, for example evaporation and sputtering. End products are complex multi-layer composite structures. The benefits from this analogy for optics and electronics would be ideas for ultra fast production, paper-like disposable and recyclable products and the integration of optics and electronics into ordinary things like books, wallpapers, tissue papers and packages. Two experiments are presented to demonstrate the possibilities. In the first experiment optical patterns are embossed directly on paper. In the second one conductive polymers are printed on paper and plastic webs. In future, a wide network of cooperation will be needed to realize all the opportunities.

When is deceptive message production more effortful than truth-telling? A baker’s dozen of moderators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Judee K Burgoon

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Deception is thought to be more effortful than telling the truth. Empirical evidence from many quarters supports this general proposition. However, there are many factors that qualify and even reverse this pattern. Guided by a communication perspective, I present a baker’s dozen of moderators that may alter the degree of cognitive difficulty associated with producing deceptive messages. Among sender-related factors are memory processes, motivation, incentives, and consequences. Lying increases activation of a network of brain regions related to executive memory, suppression of unwanted behaviors, and task switching that is not observed with truth-telling. High motivation coupled with strong incentives or the risk of adverse consequences also prompts more cognitive exertion--for truth-tellers and deceivers alike--to appear credible, with associated effects on performance and message production effort, depending on the magnitude of effort, communicator skill and experience. Factors related to message and communication context include discourse genre, type of prevarication, expected response length, communication medium, preparation, and recency of target event/issue. These factors can attenuate the degree of cognitive taxation on senders so that truth-telling and deceiving are similarly effortful. Factors related to the interpersonal relationship among interlocutors include whether sender and receiver are cooperative or adversarial and how well-acquainted they are with one another. A final consideration is whether the unit of analysis is the utterance, turn at talk, episode, entire interaction, or series of interactions. Taking these factors into account should produce a more nuanced answer to the question of when deception is more difficult than truth-telling.

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

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.

European energy security: The future of Norwegian natural gas production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soederbergh, Bengt; Jakobsson, Kristofer; Aleklett, Kjell

2009-01-01

The European Union (EU) is expected to meet its future growing demand for natural gas by increased imports. In 2006, Norway had a 21% share of EU gas imports. The Norwegian government has communicated that Norwegian gas production will increase by 25-40% from today's level of about 99 billion cubic meters (bcm)/year. This article shows that only a 20-25% growth of Norwegian gas production is possible due to production from currently existing recoverable reserves and contingent resources. A high and a low production forecast for Norwegian gas production is presented. Norwegian gas production exported by pipeline peaks between 2015 and 2016, with minimum peak production in 2015 at 118 bcm/year and maximum peak production at 127 bcm/year in 2016. By 2030 the pipeline export levels are 94-78 bcm. Total Norwegian gas production peaks between 2015 and 2020, with peak production at 124-135 bcm/year. By 2030 the production is 96-115 bcm/year. The results show that there is a limited potential for increased gas exports from Norway to the EU and that Norwegian gas production is declining by 2030 in all scenarios. Annual Norwegian pipeline gas exports to the EU, by 2030, may even be 20 bcm lower than today's level.

Exploration and production environment. Preserving the future our responsibility; Exploration et production environnement. Preserver l'avenir: notre responsabilite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2004-07-01

This document presents the Total Group commitments to manage natural resources in a rational way, to preserve biodiversity for future generations and protect the environment. It contains the health, safety, environment and quality charter of Total, the 12 exploration and production health, safety and environment rules and the exploration and production environmental policy. (A.L.B.)

Resource evaluation and site selection for microalgae production systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maxwell, E.L.; Folger, A.G.; Hogg, S.E.

1985-05-01

Climate, land, and water resource requirements of microalgae production systems (MPS) were examined relative to construction costs, operating costs, and biomass productivity. The objective was the stratification of the southwestern United States into zones of relative suitability for MPS. Maps of climate (insolation, freeze-free period, precipitation, evaporation, thunderstorm days), land (use/cover, ownership, slope), and water (saline groundwater) resource parameters were obtained. These maps were transformed into digital overlays permitting the cell-by-cell compositing of selected resource parameters to form maps representing relative productivity, make-up water, climate suitability, land suitability, water suitability, and overall suitability. The Southwest was selected for this study because of its high levels of insolation, saline water resources, and large areas of relatively low valued land. The stratification maps cannot be used for the selection of specific sites because of their low resolution (12,455-acre cells). They can be used to guide future resource studies and site selection efforts, however, by limiting these efforts to the most suitable regions. Future efforts should concentrate on saline water resources, for which only limited data are currently available. 13 refs., 44 figs., 5 tabs.

Production and decay of supersymmetric particles at future colliders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bartl, A.; Majerotto, W.; Moesslacher, B.

1991-01-01

We describe how supersymmetric particles could be detected at the new colliders HERA, LEP 200, LHC, SSC, and at the possible future linear e + e - collider. We shall present theoretical predictions for production cross sections and decay probabilities, as well as for the important signatures. Our calculations will be based on the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) which is the simplest supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model. (authors)

A general improved methodology to forecasting future oil production: Application to the UK and Norway

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fiévet, L.; Forró, Z.; Cauwels, P.; Sornette, D.

2015-01-01

We present a new Monte-Carlo methodology to forecast the crude oil production of Norway and the U.K. based on a two-step process, (i) the nonlinear extrapolation of the current/past performances of individual oil fields and (ii) a stochastic model of the frequency of future oil field discoveries. Compared with the standard methodology that tends to underestimate remaining oil reserves, our method gives a better description of future oil production, as validated by our back-tests starting in 2008. Specifically, we predict remaining reserves extractable until 2030 to be 5.7 ± 0.3 billion barrels for Norway and 3.0 ± 0.3 billion barrels for the UK, which are respectively 45% and 66% above the predictions using an extrapolation of aggregate production. - Highlights: • Two step methodology to forecast a countries oil production. • Nonlinear extrapolation of the performance of individual fields. • Stochastic model of the frequency of future discoveries. • Backtest starting in 2008 of the methodology. • Improvement upon standard extrapolation of aggregate production

Current situation and future prospects for beef production in Europe.

Science.gov (United States)

Hocquette, Jean-Francois; Ellies-Oury, Marie-Pierre; Lherm, Michel; Pineau, Christele; Deblitz, Claus; Farmer, Linda

2018-05-24

The European Union (EU) is the world's third largest producer of beef. This contributes to the economy, rural development, social life, culture and gastronomy of Europe. The diversity of breeds, animal types (cows, bulls, steers, heifers) and farming systems (intensive, extensive on permanent or temporary pastures, mixed, breeders, feeders, etc) is a strength, and a weakness as the industry is often fragmented and poorly connected. There are also societal concerns regarding animal welfare and environmental issues, despite some positive environmental impacts of farming systems. The EU is amongst the most efficient for beef production as demonstrated by a relative low production of greenhouse gases. Due to regional differences in terms of climate, pasture availability, livestock practices and farms characteristics, productivity and incomes of beef producers vary widely across regions, being among the lowest of the agricultural systems. The beef industry is facing unprecedented challenges related to animal welfare, environmental impact, origin, authenticity, nutritional benefits and eating quality of beef. These may affect the whole industry, especially its farmers. It is therefore essential to bring the beef industry together to spread best practice and better exploit research in order to maintain and develop an economically viable and sustainable beef industry. Meeting consumers' expectations may be achieved by a better prediction of beef palatability using a modelling approach, such as in Australia. There is a need for accurate information and dissemination on the benefits and issues of beef for human health and for environmental impact. A better objective description of goods and services derived from livestock farming is also required. Putting into practice "agroecology" and organic farming principles are other potential avenues for the future. Different future scenarios can be written depending on the major driving forces, notably meat consumption, climate

The Past, Present, and Future of the Air Force's Future Total Force

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Duffy, Dennis P

2004-01-01

This project examines the history of the Total Force policy since its inception in 1970 through its implementation today in an effort to determine a future direction for the Air Force's Future Total Force initiative...

Cutting Edge PBPK Models and Analyses: Providing the Basis for Future Modeling Efforts and Bridges to Emerging Toxicology Paradigms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jane C. Caldwell

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Physiologically based Pharmacokinetic (PBPK models are used for predictions of internal or target dose from environmental and pharmacologic chemical exposures. Their use in human risk assessment is dependent on the nature of databases (animal or human used to develop and test them, and includes extrapolations across species, experimental paradigms, and determination of variability of response within human populations. Integration of state-of-the science PBPK modeling with emerging computational toxicology models is critical for extrapolation between in vitro exposures, in vivo physiologic exposure, whole organism responses, and long-term health outcomes. This special issue contains papers that can provide the basis for future modeling efforts and provide bridges to emerging toxicology paradigms. In this overview paper, we present an overview of the field and introduction for these papers that includes discussions of model development, best practices, risk-assessment applications of PBPK models, and limitations and bridges of modeling approaches for future applications. Specifically, issues addressed include: (a increased understanding of human variability of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in the population, (b exploration of mode of action hypotheses (MOA, (c application of biological modeling in the risk assessment of individual chemicals and chemical mixtures, and (d identification and discussion of uncertainties in the modeling process.

Impact of Future Climate Change on Wheat Production: A Simulated Case for China’s Wheat System

OpenAIRE

Dengpan Xiao; Huizi Bai; De Li Liu

2018-01-01

With regard to global climate change due to increasing concentration in greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2), it is important to examine its potential impact on crop development and production. We used statistically-downscaled climate data from 28 Global Climate Models (GCMs) and the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM)–Wheat model to simulate the impact of future climate change on wheat production. Two future scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) were used for atmos...

Future Food Production System Development Pulling From Space Biology Crop Growth Testing in Veggie

Science.gov (United States)

Massa, Gioia; Romeyn, Matt; Fritsche, Ralph

2017-01-01

Preliminary crop testing using Veggie indicates the environmental conditions provided by the ISS are generally suitable for food crop production. When plant samples were returned to Earth for analysis, their levels of nutrients were comparable to Earth-grown ground controls. Veggie-grown produce food safety microbiology analysis indicated that space-grown crops are safe to consume. Produce sanitizing wipes were used on-orbit to further reduce risk of foodborne illness. Validation growth tests indicated abiotic challenges of insufficient or excess fluid delivery, potentially reduced air flow leading to excess water, elevated CO2 leading to physiological responses, and microorganisms that became opportunistic pathogens. As NASA works to develop future space food production, several areas of research to define these systems pull from the Veggie technology validation tests. Research into effective, reusable water delivery and water recovery methods for future food production systems arises from abiotic challenges observed. Additionally, impacts of elevated CO2 and refinement of fertilizer and light recipes for crops needs to be assessed. Biotic pulls include methods or technologies to effectively sanitize produce with few consumables and low inputs; work to understand the phytomicrobiome and potentially use it to protect crops or enhance growth; selection of crops with high harvest index and desirable flavors for supplemental nutrition; crops that provide psychosocial benefits, and custom space crop development. Planning for future food production in a deep space gateway or a deep space transit vehicle requires methods of handling and storing seeds, and ensuring space seeds are free of contaminants and long-lived. Space food production systems may require mechanization and autonomous operation, with preliminary testing initiated to identify operations and capabilities that are candidates for automation. Food production design is also pulling from Veggie logistics

Perception of effort in Exercise Science: Definition, measurement and perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Pageaux, Benjamin

2016-11-01

Perception of effort, also known as perceived exertion or sense of effort, can be described as a cognitive feeling of work associated with voluntary actions. The aim of the present review is to provide an overview of what is perception of effort in Exercise Science. Due to the addition of sensations other than effort in its definition, the neurophysiology of perceived exertion remains poorly understood. As humans have the ability to dissociate effort from other sensations related to physical exercise, the need to use a narrower definition is emphasised. Consequently, a definition and some brief guidelines for its measurement are provided. Finally, an overview of the models present in the literature aiming to explain its neurophysiology, and some perspectives for future research are offered.

Routine inspection effort required for verification of a nuclear material production cutoff convention

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fishbone, L.G.; Sanborn, J.

1994-12-01

Preliminary estimates of the inspection effort to verify a Nuclear Material Cutoff Convention are presented. The estimates are based on (1) a database of about 650 facilities a total of eight states, i.e., the five nuclear-weapons states and three ''threshold'' states; (2) typical figures for inspection requirements for specific facility types derived from IAEA experience, where applicable; and (3) alternative estimates of inspection effort in cutoff options where full IAEA safeguards are not stipulated. Considerable uncertainty must be attached to the effort estimates. About 50--60% of the effort for each option is attributable to 16 large-scale reprocessing plants assumed to be in operation in the eight states; it is likely that some of these will be shut down by the time the convention enters into force. Another important question involving about one third of the overall effort is whether Euratom inspections in France and the U.K. could obviate the need for full-scale IAEA inspections at these facilities. Finally, the database does not yet contain many small-scale and military-related facilities. The results are therefore not presented as predictions but as the consequences of alternative assumptions. Despite the preliminary nature of the estimates, it is clear that a broad application of NPT-like safeguards to the eight states would require dramatic increases in the IAEA's safeguards budget. It is also clear that the major component of the increased inspection effort would occur at large reprocessing plants (and associated plutonium facilities). Therefore, significantly bounding the increased effort requires a limitation on the inspection effort in these facility types

Changing reproductive effort within a semelparous reproductive episode.

Science.gov (United States)

Hughes, P William; Simons, Andrew M

2014-08-01

• Life-history theory predicts a trade-off between current and future reproduction for iteroparous organisms-as individuals age, the expected value of future reproduction declines, and thus reproductive effort is expected to be higher in later clutches than in earlier. In contrast, models explaining the evolution of semelparity treat semelparous reproduction as instantaneous, with no scope for intraindividual variation. However, semelparous reproduction is also extended, but over shorter time scales; whether there are similar age- or stage-specific changes in reproductive effort within a semelparous episode is unclear. In this study, we assessed whether semelparous individuals increase reproductive effort as residual reproductive value declines by comparing the reproductive phenotype of flowers at five different floral positions along a main inflorescence.• Using the herbaceous monocarp Lobelia inflata, we conducted a longitudinal study of 409 individuals including both laboratory and field populations over three seasons. We recorded six reproductive traits-including the length of three phenological intervals as well as fruit size, seed size, and seed number-for all plants across floral positions produced throughout the reproductive episode.• We found that while the rate of flower initiation did not change, flowers at distal (late) floral positions developed more quickly and contained larger seed than flowers at basal (early) floral positions did.• Our results were consistent with the hypothesis that, like iteroparous organisms, L. inflata increases reproductive effort in response to low residual reproductive value. © 2014 Botanical Society of America, Inc.

Overview of NASA/OAST efforts related to manufacturing technology

Science.gov (United States)

Saunders, N. T.

1976-01-01

An overview of some of NASA's current efforts related to manufacturing technology and some possible directions for the future are presented. The topics discussed are: computer-aided design, composite structures, and turbine engine components.

Impact of Future Climate Change on Wheat Production: A Simulated Case for China’s Wheat System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dengpan Xiao

2018-04-01

Full Text Available With regard to global climate change due to increasing concentration in greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2, it is important to examine its potential impact on crop development and production. We used statistically-downscaled climate data from 28 Global Climate Models (GCMs and the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM–Wheat model to simulate the impact of future climate change on wheat production. Two future scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 were used for atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations during two different future periods (2031–2060 referred to as 40S and 2071–2100 referred to as 80S. Relative to the baseline period (1981–2010, the trends in mean daily temperature and radiation significantly increased across all stations under the future scenarios. Furthermore, the trends in precipitation increased under future climate scenarios. Due to climate change, the trend in wheat phenology significantly advanced. The early flowering and maturity dates shortened both the vegetative growth stage (VGP and the whole growth period (WGP. As the advance in the days of maturity was more than that in flowering, the length of the reproductive growth stage (RGP of spring wheat was shortened. However, as the advance in the date of maturity was less than that of flowering, the RGP of winter wheat was extended. When the increase in CO2 concentration under future climate scenarios was not considered, the trend in change in wheat production for the baseline declined. In contrast, under increased CO2 concentration, the trend in wheat yield increased for most of the stations (except for Nangong station under future climatic conditions. Winter wheat and spring wheat evapotranspiration (ET decreased across all stations under the two future climate scenarios. As wheat yield increased with decreasing water consumption (as ET under the future climatic conditions, water use efficiency (WUE significantly improved in the future period.

Exploration and production environment. Preserving the future our responsibility; Exploration et production environnement. Preserver l'avenir: notre responsabilite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2004-07-01

This document presents the Total Group commitments to manage natural resources in a rational way, to preserve biodiversity for future generations and protect the environment. It contains the health, safety, environment and quality charter of Total, the 12 exploration and production health, safety and environment rules and the exploration and production environmental policy. (A.L.B.)

Launch Effort and NPD Success: A Study of Technology Intensive Companies in Finland

OpenAIRE

Matti J. Haverila; Nicholas Ashill

2014-01-01

In this paper, we present an exploratory investigation of the types of product launch tactics managers use in technology-intensive companies in Finland and explore the role that such tactics play in differentiating between successful and unsuccessful NPD outcomes. Our findings indicate that managers perceive two types of tactical product launch tactics during the NPD process, which we label "promotions and sales-distribution effort" and "production start-up effort". All tactical launch effort...

Product Development in Micro and Nano Manufacturing - The Challenge of the Future

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alting, Leo; Hansen, Hans Nørgaard

2003-01-01

The development and design of micro and nano products becomes a more and more important issue. Many new technologies are developed these years and they create many visions for new products and applications. If these visions are to be transformed into industrial products on a larger scale...... it is very important that: • both the product driven and technology driven approach are used. • in the product driven approach methodologies and principles in design of micro products must be developed – both related to next generation of products and future generations. • in the technology driven approach...... a continuous development of materials and processes is promoted supporting the new design principles. New design principles as well as improved materials and technologies are necessary to realize the industrial potentials which are linked to mass production principles and low cost....

The SEA of the Future: Building the Productivity Infrastructure. Volume 3

Science.gov (United States)

Gross, Betheny, Ed.; Jochim, Ashley, Ed.

2014-01-01

"The SEA of the Future" is an education publication series examining how state education agencies can shift from a compliance to a performance-oriented organization through strategic planning and performance management tools to meet growing demands to support education reform while improving productivity. This volume, the third in the…

Radiation sterilization of medical products- current trends and future prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, G.

1997-01-01

In medical practice use of sterile pharmaceuticals and single use disposable medical devices is steadily increasing. Sterile pharmaceuticals like injections and ophthalmic ointments are required for therapy. Medical devices are employed for diagnostic, drug administration or corrective purposes, and as implants for temporary, short term or long term residence in the human system. All these products are made available in sterile form by treating them to a suitable process of sterilization i.e. dry/wet heat, ethylene oxide (EtO) gas or ionizing radiation. In this paper current trends and future prospects of radiation sterilization of medical products are given in detail. 9 refs., 7 tabs

LAUNCHING EFFORTS NEEDED FOR A HIGH-TECH PRODUCT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lavinia DOVLEAC

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This paper aims the difficult problem of creating new product concepts in thearea of high-technology and innovation. Because of scientific discoveries andimpressive development of technology, many companies compete for marketsupremacy on the technological innovations market. In a global market,which is currently in an economic and financial crisis, consumers make a newhierarchy of priorities in terms of expenditure and consumption. Therefore,companies that create new products must be very careful about 2 aspects,so the new product may not become a failure: the products positioning on themarket and the target group which they address to. This paper belongs to themarketing area by bringing into discussion theoretical concepts, by analyzingthe stages crossed by a company in the process of launching a new hightechproduct and crossing the abyss in the product adoption process byconsumers.

Denmark`s energy futures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-06-01

The stated aim of the document published by the Danish Ministry of Environment and Energy and the Danish Energy Agency is that it should form the basis for a broad public debate on the country`s future energy policy. The report has four main objectives: 1. To describe, with emphasis on the environment and the market, challenges that the energy sector will have to face in the future. 2. To illustrate the potentials for saving energy and for utilising energy sources and supply systems. 3. To present two scenarios of extreme developmental positions; the first where maximum effort is expended on increasing energy efficiency and the utilization of renewable energy and the second where no new initiative is taken and change occurs only when progress in available technology is exploited and 4. To raise a number of questions about our future way of living. Following the extensive summary, detailed information is given under the headings of: Challenges of the energy sector, Energy consumption and conservation, Energy consumption in the transport sector, Energy resources, Energy supply and production, Development scenario, and Elements of Strategy. The text is illustrated with maps, graphs and coloured photographs etc. (AB)

Molecular radiation biology: Future aspects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hagen, U.

1990-01-01

Future aspects of molecular radiation biology may be envisaged by looking for unsolved problems and ways to analyse them. Considering the endpoints of cellular radiation effects as cell inactivation, chromosome aberrations, mutation and transformation, the type of DNA damage in the irradiated cell and the mechanisms of DNA repair as excision repair, recombination repair and mutagenic repair are essential topics. At present, great efforts are made to identify, to clone and to sequence genes involved in the control of repair of DNA damage and to study their regulation. There are close relationships between DNA repair genes isolated from various organisms, which promises fast progress for the molecular analysis of repair processes in mammalian cells. More knowledge is necessary regarding the function of the gene products, i.e. enzymes and proteins involved in DNA repair. Effort should be made to analyse the enzymatic reactions, leading to an altered nucleotide sequence, encountered as a point mutation. Mislead mismatch repair and modulation of DNA polymerase might be possible mechanisms. (orig.)

Giant Oil Fields - The Highway to Oil: Giant Oil Fields and their Importance for Future Oil Production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robelius, Fredrik

2007-01-01

Since the 1950s, oil has been the dominant source of energy in the world. The cheap supply of oil has been the engine for economic growth in the western world. Since future oil demand is expected to increase, the question to what extent future production will be available is important. The belief in a soon peak production of oil is fueled by increasing oil prices. However, the reliability of the oil price as a single parameter can be questioned, as earlier times of high prices have occurred without having anything to do with a lack of oil. Instead, giant oil fields, the largest oil fields in the world, can be used as a parameter. A giant oil field contains at least 500 million barrels of recoverable oil. Only 507, or 1 % of the total number of fields, are giants. Their contribution is striking: over 60 % of the 2005 production and about 65 % of the global ultimate recoverable reserve (URR). However, giant fields are something of the past since a majority of the largest giant fields are over 50 years old and the discovery trend of less giant fields with smaller volumes is clear. A large number of the largest giant fields are found in the countries surrounding the Persian Gulf. The domination of giant fields in global oil production confirms a concept where they govern future production. A model, based on past annual production and URR, has been developed to forecast future production from giant fields. The results, in combination with forecasts on new field developments, heavy oil and oil sand, are used to predict future oil production. In all scenarios, peak oil occurs at about the same time as the giant fields peak. The worst-case scenario sees a peak in 2008 and the best-case scenario, following a 1.4 % demand growth, peaks in 2018

Hazards of Illicit Methamphetamine Production and Efforts at Reduction: Data from the Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance System

Science.gov (United States)

Melnikova, Natalia; Welles, Wanda Lizak; Wilburn, Rebecca E.; Rice, Nancy; Wu, Jennifer; Stanbury, Martha

2011-01-01

Objectives. Methamphetamine (meth) is a highly addictive drug of abuse that can easily be made in small illegal laboratories from household chemicals that are highly toxic and dangerous. Meth labs have been found in locations such as homes, outbuildings, motels, and cars. Its production endangers the “cook,” neighbors, responders, and the environment. This article describes surveillance data used to examine the emergence and public health impacts of illicit clandestine meth labs, as well as two states' efforts to thwart lab operations and prevent responder injuries. Methods. We analyzed data collected from 2001 to 2008 by 18 states participating in the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) Program to examine the occurrence and public health impacts of clandestine meth production. Results. HSEES data indicate that the majority of clandestine meth lab events occurred in residential areas. About 15% of meth lab events required evacuation. Nearly one-fourth of these events resulted in injuries, with 902 reported victims. Most victims (61%) were official responders, and one-third were members of the general public. Since 2004, with the implementation of local and federal laws and prevention activities, the number of meth lab events has declined. Increased education and training of first responders has led to decreased injuries among police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel. Conclusions. HSEES data provided a good data source for monitoring the emergence of domestic clandestine meth production, the associated public health effects, and the results of state and federal efforts to promote actions to address the problem. PMID:21563719

Modelling the influence of changing climate in present and future marine eutrophication impacts from spring barley production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cosme, Nuno Miguel Dias; Niero, Monia

2017-01-01

Nitrate concentration and runoff are site-specific and driven by climatic factors and crop management. As such, nitrate emissions may increase in the future due to climate change, affecting the marine eutrophication mechanism. In this context, and considering the case of spring barley production...... of different normalisation references when comparing future Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) scenarios with current production systems. A parameterised characterisation model was developed to gauge the influence of future climatic-driven pressures on the marine eutrophication impact pathway. Spatial differentiation...

Implications of Climate Mitigation for Future Agricultural Production

Science.gov (United States)

Mueller, Christoph; Elliott, Joshua; Chryssanthacopoulos, James; Deryng, Delphine; Folberth, Christian; Pugh, Thomas A. M.; Schmid, Erwin

2015-01-01

Climate change is projected to negatively impact biophysical agricultural productivity in much of the world. Actions taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate future climate changes, are thus of central importance for agricultural production. Climate impacts are, however, not unidirectional; some crops in some regions (primarily higher latitudes) are projected to benefit, particularly if increased atmospheric carbon dioxide is assumed to strongly increase crop productivity at large spatial and temporal scales. Climate mitigation measures that are implemented by reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations lead to reductions both in the strength of climate change and in the benefits of carbon dioxide fertilization. Consequently, analysis of the effects of climate mitigation on agricultural productivity must address not only regions for which mitigation is likely to reduce or even reverse climate damages. There are also regions that are likely to see increased crop yields due to climate change, which may lose these added potentials under mitigation action. Comparing data from the most comprehensive archive of crop yield projections publicly available, we find that climate mitigation leads to overall benefits from avoided damages at the global scale and especially in many regions that are already at risk of food insecurity today. Ignoring controversial carbon dioxide fertilization effects on crop productivity, we find that for the median projection aggressive mitigation could eliminate approximately 81% of the negative impacts of climate change on biophysical agricultural productivity globally by the end of the century. In this case, the benefits of mitigation typically extend well into temperate regions, but vary by crop and underlying climate model projections. Should large benefits to crop yields from carbon dioxide fertilization be realized, the effects of mitigation become much more mixed, though still positive globally and beneficial in many

Implications of climate mitigation for future agricultural production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Müller, Christoph; Elliott, Joshua; Chryssanthacopoulos, James; Deryng, Delphine; Folberth, Christian; Pugh, Thomas A M; Schmid, Erwin

2015-01-01

Climate change is projected to negatively impact biophysical agricultural productivity in much of the world. Actions taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate future climate changes, are thus of central importance for agricultural production. Climate impacts are, however, not unidirectional; some crops in some regions (primarily higher latitudes) are projected to benefit, particularly if increased atmospheric carbon dioxide is assumed to strongly increase crop productivity at large spatial and temporal scales. Climate mitigation measures that are implemented by reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations lead to reductions both in the strength of climate change and in the benefits of carbon dioxide fertilization. Consequently, analysis of the effects of climate mitigation on agricultural productivity must address not only regions for which mitigation is likely to reduce or even reverse climate damages. There are also regions that are likely to see increased crop yields due to climate change, which may lose these added potentials under mitigation action. Comparing data from the most comprehensive archive of crop yield projections publicly available, we find that climate mitigation leads to overall benefits from avoided damages at the global scale and especially in many regions that are already at risk of food insecurity today. Ignoring controversial carbon dioxide fertilization effects on crop productivity, we find that for the median projection aggressive mitigation could eliminate ∼81% of the negative impacts of climate change on biophysical agricultural productivity globally by the end of the century. In this case, the benefits of mitigation typically extend well into temperate regions, but vary by crop and underlying climate model projections. Should large benefits to crop yields from carbon dioxide fertilization be realized, the effects of mitigation become much more mixed, though still positive globally and beneficial in many food insecure

Control excess stock and calculating damaged products as the effort to increase revenue (case study of SME FBS)

Science.gov (United States)

Nurhasanah, N.; Mardhika, D. A.; Tanjung, W.; Gayatri, A. M.; Suri, Q. A.; Jingga; Safitri, R.; Supriyanto, A.

2017-12-01

Of small and medium scale (SME) is a business engaged in production. The growth product innovation of each year to year made competitiveness every SME very tight, and the sales must be high that avoid goods the product last year will be tough sold in the following year. Forecasting demand is needed so that no its production. In production process, besides products should also be considered about damaged products, resulting in a loss. In this study, researchers conducted a observations on SME FBS producing pants, shirts and shirts. SME FBS not having planning previous production, also in any period of production there always products be damaged. This study attempts to increase their SME FBS by controlling waste products, and those damaged products. According to the research conducted other products in some excess pants 1609 unit, and the shirts 187911 unit, and increase the income through control over the excess product obtained by 1% to the pants, and 52% to the shirts. For damaged product on period last year and future, increase 0.07% if the damaged on shirts can be sold, and 0.29% on pants if the broken sold.

Fish production and diversity in the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum—Increased production but no novel faunas during a "Future Earth" analog

Science.gov (United States)

Tomczik, D. W.; Norris, R. D.; Gaskell, D. E.

2014-12-01

A partial analog for future global change is the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum—a transient episode of warming, acidification, and biogeographic change at ~55.5 Ma. The PETM is known to have triggered extinction in some deep sea biotas, extensive biogeographic range shifts, and the common occurrence of 'excursion biotas'—non-analog occurrences of species that are typically rare in the open ocean before or after the PETM. Here we report on the impact of the PETM on fish production and biodiversity. Our data include the mass accumulation rate of fish teeth and denticles as well as an analysis of tooth morphotypes for three PETM sites: ODP 1220 and 1209 in the Pacific, and ODP 1260 in the equatorial Atlantic. Tooth morphotypes hardly change through the PETM and consist of abundant midwater species (angler fish and flashlight fish) in addition to sharks and epipelagic fish. There is no evidence for a non-analog 'excursion biota' during the PETM, suggesting that fish experienced fewer geographic range shifts than the calcareous and organic-walled plankton where excursion biotas are commonplace. Fish mass accumulation rates are also relatively stable before and after the PETM although all sites show a transient rise in fish production at the onset of the PETM or within the later part of the "PETM Core". These results broadly match published estimates of PETM export production from biogenic barium fluxes. Our findings run counter to "Future Earth" models that use climate forecasts for the next century to predict the impact of global change on fish stocks. These models suggest that future warming and ocean stratification will decrease most tropical and subtropical ocean fish production, accentuate fish production in the boundary currents and generally shift production toward higher latitudes. A resolution of "Future Earth" models and PETM data may reflect the different timescales of observation and stages of ecological response to severe global change.

Development Efforts Of Oil Companies As Perceived By Rural ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... that the host communities are highly satisfied with companies' efforts (projects and services) to them. Based on these findings, recommendations were made. Key words: Oil producing communities; oil exploration/production; company's development efforts; Journal of Agriculture and Social Research Vol.4(1) 2004: 60-71 ...

Production and supply of radioisotopes with reactors in north america and europe current status and future prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trevena, I.

1994-01-01

Reactors have played a key pole in the production of radioactive isotopes for medical applications for the past 50 years. This paper reviews current and future capabilities for the production and supply of radioactive isotopes used in nuclear medicine. It focuses primarily on the supply of fission product molybdenum-99, which is used to produce technetium-99m, the radioisotope most widely employed in nuclear medicine procedures. The significant infrastructure required for the production and supply of molybdenum-99 is detailed, and the capabilities of the major commercial suppliers in North America and Europe are discussed. Plans for increasing production capabilities in the future are also reviewed. (author)

Future enhancements to 3D printing and real time production

Science.gov (United States)

Landa, Joseph; Jenkins, Jeffery; Wu, Jerry; Szu, Harold

2014-05-01

The cost and scope of additive printing machines range from several hundred to hundreds of thousands of dollars. For the extra money, one can get improvements in build size, selection of material properties, resolution, and consistency. However, temperature control during build and fusing predicts outcome and protects the IP by large high cost machines. Support material options determine geometries that can be accomplished which drives cost and complexity of printing heads. Historically, 3D printers have been used for design and prototyping efforts. Recent advances and cost reduction sparked new interest in developing printed products and consumables such as NASA who is printing food, printing consumer parts (e.g. cell phone cases, novelty toys), making tools and fixtures in manufacturing, and recursively print a self-similar printer (c.f. makerbot). There is a near term promise of the capability to print on demand products at the home or office... directly from the printer to use.

SOFTWARE EFFORT ESTIMATION FRAMEWORK TO IMPROVE ORGANIZATION PRODUCTIVITY USING EMOTION RECOGNITION OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERS IN SPONTANEOUS SPEECH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B.V.A.N.S.S. Prabhakar Rao

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Productivity is a very important part of any organisation in general and software industry in particular. Now a day’s Software Effort estimation is a challenging task. Both Effort and Productivity are inter-related to each other. This can be achieved from the employee’s of the organization. Every organisation requires emotionally stable employees in their firm for seamless and progressive working. Of course, in other industries this may be achieved without man power. But, software project development is labour intensive activity. Each line of code should be delivered from software engineer. Tools and techniques may helpful and act as aid or supplementary. Whatever be the reason software industry has been suffering with success rate. Software industry is facing lot of problems in delivering the project on time and within the estimated budget limit. If we want to estimate the required effort of the project it is significant to know the emotional state of the team member. The responsibility of ensuring emotional contentment falls on the human resource department and the department can deploy a series of systems to carry out its survey. This analysis can be done using a variety of tools, one such, is through study of emotion recognition. The data needed for this is readily available and collectable and can be an excellent source for the feedback systems. The challenge of recognition of emotion in speech is convoluted primarily due to the noisy recording condition, the variations in sentiment in sample space and exhibition of multiple emotions in a single sentence. The ambiguity in the labels of training set also increases the complexity of problem addressed. The existing models using probabilistic models have dominated the study but present a flaw in scalability due to statistical inefficiency. The problem of sentiment prediction in spontaneous speech can thus be addressed using a hybrid system comprising of a Convolution Neural Network and

Intranet of the future: functional study, comparison of products and practical implementation

OpenAIRE

Bertran Ribalaygua, Ignasi

2010-01-01

Future intranet: functional study, comparison of products and practical implementation 1. Introduction The project has fulfilled three goals: 1) To perform a study of the functionalities which have to be covered in a modern intranet (web 2.0, unified communication, collaboration, etc) 2) To perform a comparison of tools of the market which can be used to implement intranets (commercial and open source products) 3) To test three of these tools (Oracle WebCenter, Liferay Portal and Microsoft Sh...

'Underutilised' agricultural land: its definitions, potential use for future biomass production and its environmental implications

Science.gov (United States)

Miyake, Saori; Bargiel, Damian

2017-04-01

A growing bioeconomy and increased demand for biomass products on food, health, fibre, industrial products and energy require land resources for feedstock production. It has resulted in significant environmental and socio-economic challenges on a global scale. As a result, consideration of such effects of land use change (LUC) from biomass production (particularly for biofuel feedstock) has emerged as an important area of policy and research, and several potential solutions have been proposed to minimise such adverse LUC effects. One of these solutions is the use of lands that are not in production or not suitable for food crop production, such as 'marginal', 'degraded', 'abandoned' and 'surplus' agricultural lands for future biomass production. The terms referring to these lands are usually associated with the potential production of 'marginal crops', which can grow in marginal conditions (e.g. poor soil fertility, low rainfall, drought) without much water and agrochemical inputs. In our research, we referred to these lands as 'underutilised' agricultural land and attempted to define them for our case study areas located in Australia and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Our goal is to identify lands that can be used for future biomass production and to evaluate their environmental implications, particularly impacts related to biodiversity, water and soil at a landscape scale. The identification of these lands incorporates remote sensing and spatially explicit approaches. Our findings confirmed that there was no universal or single definition of the term 'underutilised' agricultural land as the definitions significantly vary by country and region depending not only on the biophysical environment but also political, institutional and socio-economic conditions. Moreover, our results highlighted that the environmental implications of production of biomass on 'underutilised' agricultural land for biomass production are highly controversial. Thus land use change

The TENDL library: Hope, reality and future

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rochman D.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The TALYS Evaluated Nuclear Data Library (TENDL has now 8 releases since 2008. Considerable experience has been acquired for the production of such general-purpose nuclear data library based on the feedback from users, evaluators and processing experts. The backbone of this achievement is simple and robust: completeness, quality and reproducibility. If TENDL is extensively used in many fields of applications, it is necessary to understand its strong points and remaining weaknesses. Alternatively, the essential knowledge is not the TENDL library itself, but rather the necessary method and tools, making the library a side product and focusing the efforts on the evaluation knowledge. The future of such approach will be discussed with the hope of nearby greater success.

Managing the present and future costs of decommissioning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azorsky, T.L.; Fenster, H.L.

1987-01-01

The lack of state and federal standards for decommissioning and decontamination (D and D) of nuclear facilities may result in additional costs years after the D and D is complete. Increased costs may result from the application of certain environmental statutes to the facility or from personal injury and property damage, i.e., tort, litigation. Companies that operated facilities that provided a service or product for the government have certain financial protections and certain immunities from suit. Companies operating commercial facilities, however, have little or no protection from future liabilities. Accordingly, this country needs federal standards for D and D, standards that would govern the level of decontamination required and protect companies completing the D and D effort from future liability

The Effort Paradox: Effort Is Both Costly and Valued.

Science.gov (United States)

Inzlicht, Michael; Shenhav, Amitai; Olivola, Christopher Y

2018-04-01

According to prominent models in cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and economics, effort (be it physical or mental) is costly: when given a choice, humans and non-human animals alike tend to avoid effort. Here, we suggest that the opposite is also true and review extensive evidence that effort can also add value. Not only can the same outcomes be more rewarding if we apply more (not less) effort, sometimes we select options precisely because they require effort. Given the increasing recognition of effort's role in motivation, cognitive control, and value-based decision-making, considering this neglected side of effort will not only improve formal computational models, but also provide clues about how to promote sustained mental effort across time. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Model for future waste generation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sundqvist, Jan-Olov; Stenmarck, Aasa; Ekvall, Tomas

2010-06-15

The research presented in this report is part of the effort to estimate future Swedish waste quantities in the research programme Towards Sustainable Waste Management. More specifically, we estimate future waste coefficients that are designed to be fed into EMEC, which describes the Swedish economy in terms of 26 industrial sectors, a public sector, and households. Production in the model of industry and public sector requires input of labour, capital, energy, and other commodities. With waste-intensity coefficients added to each production parameter in each sector, EMEC can calculate the future waste quantities generated in different economic scenarios. To produce the waste-intensity coefficients, we make a survey of the current Swedish waste statistics. For each waste category from each sector we estimate whether the quantity depends primarily on the production in the sector, on the inputs of commodities, on the depreciation of capital goods, or on the size of the workforce in the sector. We calculate current waste-intensity coefficients by dividing the waste quantities by the parameter(s) to which they are assigned. We also present five different scenarios to describe how the waste intensity can develop until the year 2030. As far as possible and when deemed to be relevant, we have set the industrial waste generation to depend on the use of a commodity or an energy carrier. The quantity of spent vehicles and most equipment is set to depend on the depreciation of capital goods. Some wastes have been allocated to the staff, for example household waste from business. The quantities of wastes from households have a similar approach where every waste category is assigned to a combination of 26 different commodities

Hydropower Production in Future Climate Scenarios; the Case for the Zambezi River

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Byman H. Hamududu

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Climate change remains a threat to water resources projects in southern Africa where impacts resulting from changes in climate are projected to be negative and worse than in most other regions of the world. This work presents an assessment of the impacts of climate change on water resources and hydropower production potential in the Zambezi River Basin. Future climate scenarios projected through the five General Circulation Model (GCM outputs are used as input in the impact assessment. The future projected climate scenarios are downscaled to find local and regional changes, and used in the Hydrologiska Byråns Vattenbalansavdelning (HBV hydrological model to assess climate change impacts on water resources in the river basin. According to the simulations, air temperature and potential evaporation are projected to increase, while rainfall is projected to decrease. The Zambezi hydropower system is likely to be affected negatively as a result of future climate changes. Increasing air temperature leading to increased evaporation, and reduced rainfall, both contribute to a decrease in resulting river flows and increased reservoir evaporation. Consequently, the decrease in water resources will lead to decreased hydropower production potential, by 9% in 2020s, 18% in 2050s and 28% in 2080s in the hydropower system, for a medium emission scenario, A1B.

Design of Fishing Boat for Pelabuhanratu Fishermen as One of Effort to Increase Production of Capture Fisheries

Science.gov (United States)

Nur, Iswadi; Joko Suranto, Purwo

2018-02-01

Design of fishing boat for Pelabuhanratu fisherman as one of effort to increase production of capture fisheries. The fishing boat should be proper for the characteristic of its service area, as; capacity of fishing boat up to 60 GT, the fishing boat has minimum 6 fish holds and location of fish hold in the middle body, the fishing boat hull has the bilge keel plate, and the material of hull fishing boat to be made of wooden, steel, aluminium, or fiberglass. Main dimesion of fishing boat is Length Over All = 25.436 m, Breadth = 4.55 m, Draft = 1.6 m, Speed = 12.5 knots. The research had been known every thing that will be supporting the production of capture fisheries like ; amount of fish production = 25.030 ton per day, the fishing port capacity approximately 268.957GT per day, the area of fishing port industry had not completed, therefore all data research result less than standard of Oceanic Fising Port. So Pelabuhanratu National Fishing Port can not be changed to Oceanic Fishing Port.

Allocating effort and anticipating pleasure in schizophrenia: Relationship with real world functioning.

Science.gov (United States)

Serper, M; Payne, E; Dill, C; Portillo, C; Taliercio, J

2017-10-01

Poor motivation to engage in goal-oriented behavior has been recognized as a hallmark feature of schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SZ). Low drive in SZ may be related to anticipating rewards as well as to poor working memory. However, few studies to date have examined beliefs about self-efficacy and satisfaction for future rewards (anticipatory pleasure). Additionally, few studies to date have examined how these deficits may impact SZ patients' real world functioning. The present study examined SZ patients' (n=57) anticipatory pleasure, working memory, self-efficacy and real world functioning in relation to their negative symptom severity. Results revealed that SZ patients' negative symptom severity was related to decisions in effort allocation and reward probability, working memory deficits, self-efficacy and anticipatory pleasure for future reward. Effort allocation deficits also predicted patients' daily functioning skills. SZ patients with high levels of negative symptoms are not merely effort averse, but have more difficulty effectively allocating effort and anticipating pleasure engaging in effortful activities. It may be the case that continuously failing to achieve reinforcement from engagement and participation may lead SZ patients to form certain negative beliefs about their abilities which contributes to amotivation and cognitive deficits. Lastly, our findings provide further support for a link between SZ patients functional daily living skills their effort allocation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Future oil production in Brazil-Estimates based on a Hubbert model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szklo, Alexandre; Machado, Giovani; Schaeffer, Roberto

2007-01-01

This paper forecasts oil production in Brazil, according to the Hubbert model and different probabilities for adding reserves. It analyzes why the Hubbert model might be more appropriate to the Brazilian oil industry than that of Hotelling, as it implicitly emphasizes the impacts of information and depletion on the derivative over time of the accumulated discoveries. Brazil's oil production curves indicate production peaks with a time lag of more than 15 years, depending on the certainty (degree of information) associated with the reserves. Reserves with 75% certainty peak at 3.27 Mbpd in 2020, while reserves with 50% certainty peak at 3.28 Mbpd in 2028, and with 30% certainty peak at 3.88 Mbpd in 2036. These findings show that Brazil oil industry is in a stage where the positive impacts of information on expanding reserves (mainly through discoveries) may outstrip the negative impacts of depletion. The still limited number of wells drilled by accumulated discoveries also explain this assertion. Being a characteristic of frontier areas such as Brazil, this indicates the need for ongoing exploratory efforts

Overview of NASA Magnet and Linear Alternator Research Efforts

Science.gov (United States)

Geng, Steven M.; Niedra, Janis M.; Schwarze, Gene E.

2005-02-01

The Department of Energy, Lockheed Martin, Stirling Technology Company, and NASA Glenn Research Center are developing a high-efficiency, 110 watt Stirling Radioisotope Generator (SRG110) for NASA Space Science missions. NASA Glenn is conducting in-house research on rare earth permanent magnets and on linear alternators to assist in developing a free-piston Stirling convertor for the SRG110 and for developing advanced technology. The permanent magnet research efforts include magnet characterization, short-term magnet aging tests, and long-term magnet aging tests. Linear alternator research efforts have begun just recently at GRC with the characterization of a moving iron type linear alternator using GRC's alternator test rig. This paper reports on the progress and future plans of GRC's magnet and linear alternator research efforts.

Nuclear Energy - Hydrogen Production - Fuel Cell: A Road Towards Future China's Sustainable Energy Strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhiwei Zhou

2006-01-01

Sustainable development of Chinese economy in 21. century will mainly rely on self-supply of clean energy with indigenous natural resources. The burden of current coal-dominant energy mix and the environmental stress due to energy consumptions has led nuclear power to be an indispensable choice for further expanding electricity generation capacity in China and for reducing greenhouse effect gases emission. The application of nuclear energy in producing substitutive fuels for road transportation vehicles will also be of importance in future China's sustainable energy strategy. This paper illustrates the current status of China's energy supply and the energy demand required for establishing a harmonic and prosperous society in China. In fact China's energy market faces following three major challenges, namely (1) gaps between energy supply and demand; (2) low efficiency in energy utilization, and (3) severe environmental pollution. This study emphasizes that China should implement sustainable energy development policy and pay great attention to the construction of energy saving recycle economy. Based on current forecast, the nuclear energy development in China will encounter a high-speed track. The demand for crude oil will reach 400-450 million tons in 2020 in which Chinese indigenous production will remain 180 million tons. The increase of the expected crude oil will be about 150 million tons on the basis of 117 million tons of imported oil in 2004 with the time span of 15 years. This demand increase of crude oil certainly will influence China's energy supply security and to find the substitution will be a big challenge to Chinese energy industry. This study illustrates an analysis of the market demands to future hydrogen economy of China. Based on current status of technology development of HTGR in China, this study describes a road of hydrogen production with nuclear energy. The possible technology choices in relation to a number of types of nuclear reactors are

17 CFR 240.6h-1 - Settlement and regulatory halt requirements for security futures products.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... investors and the public interest, taking into account such factors as fairness to buyers and sellers of the affected security futures product, the maintenance of a fair and orderly market in such security futures... with the protection of investors. An exemption granted pursuant to this paragraph shall not operate as...

Does the city of Zurich have a solar future?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stohler, F.

1999-01-01

The City of Zurich's efforts in the area of the supply of 'green' electricity are described. The results of a study made on the potential of photovoltaic power production in Zurich - one of the most comprehensive studies made in Switzerland - are discussed, in particular with respect to the large areas of otherwise unused roofs. The favourable conditions offered by the city's electricity utility are described and future measures necessary for increasing motivation for customers to buy solar-generated electricity are discussed

The software product assurance metrics study: JPL's software systems quality and productivity

Science.gov (United States)

Bush, Marilyn W.

1989-01-01

The findings are reported of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)/Software Product Assurance (SPA) Metrics Study, conducted as part of a larger JPL effort to improve software quality and productivity. Until recently, no comprehensive data had been assembled on how JPL manages and develops software-intensive systems. The first objective was to collect data on software development from as many projects and for as many years as possible. Results from five projects are discussed. These results reflect 15 years of JPL software development, representing over 100 data points (systems and subsystems), over a third of a billion dollars, over four million lines of code and 28,000 person months. Analysis of this data provides a benchmark for gauging the effectiveness of past, present and future software development work. In addition, the study is meant to encourage projects to record existing metrics data and to gather future data. The SPA long term goal is to integrate the collection of historical data and ongoing project data with future project estimations.

R&D, Marketing, and the Success of Next-Generation Products

OpenAIRE

Elie Ofek; Miklos Sarvary

2003-01-01

This paper studies dynamic competition in markets characterized by the introduction of technologically advanced next-generation products. Firms invest in new product effort in an attempt to attain industry leadership, thus securing high profits and benefiting from advantages relevant for the success of future product generations. The analysis reveals that when the current leader possesses higher research and development (R&D) competence, it tends to investin R&D than rivals and to retain its ...

The European fusion nuclear technology effort

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Darvas, J.

1989-01-01

The role of fusion technology in the European fusion development strategy is outlined. The main thrust of the present fusion technology programme is responding to development needs of the Next European Torus. A smaller, but important and growing R and D effort is dealing with problems specific to the Demonstration, or Fusion Power, Reactor. The part of the programme falling under the somewhat arbitrarily defined category of 'fusion nuclear technology' is reviewed and an outlook to future activities is given. The review includes tritium technology, blanket technology and breeder materials development, technology and materials for the protection of the first wall and of other plasma facing components, remote handling technology, and safety and environmental impact studies. A few reflections are offered on the future long-term developments in fusion technology. (orig.)

Motivation and effort in individuals with social anhedonia.

Science.gov (United States)

McCarthy, Julie M; Treadway, Michael T; Blanchard, Jack J

2015-06-01

It has been proposed that anhedonia may, in part, reflect difficulties in reward processing and effortful decision making. The current study aimed to replicate previous findings of effortful decision making deficits associated with elevated anhedonia and expand upon these findings by investigating whether these decision making deficits are specific to elevated social anhedonia or are also associated with elevated positive schizotypy characteristics. The current study compared controls (n=40) to individuals elevated on social anhedonia (n=30), and individuals elevated on perceptual aberration/magical ideation (n=30) on the Effort Expenditure for Rewards Task (EEfRT). Across groups, participants chose a higher proportion of hard tasks with increasing probability of reward and reward magnitude, demonstrating sensitivity to probability and reward values. Contrary to our expectations, when the probability of reward was most uncertain (50% probability), at low and medium reward values, the social anhedonia group demonstrated more effortful decision making than either individuals high in positive schizotypy or controls. The positive schizotypy group only differed from controls (making less effortful choices than controls) when reward probability was lowest (12%) and the magnitude of reward was the smallest. Our results suggest that social anhedonia is related to intact motivation and effort for monetary rewards, but that individuals with this characteristic display a unique and perhaps inefficient pattern of effort allocation when the probability of reward is most uncertain. Future research is needed to better understand effortful decision making and the processing of reward across a range of individual difference characteristics. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Efforts to Develop a 300°C Solder

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Norann, Randy A [Perma Works LLC

2015-01-25

This paper covers the efforts made to find a 300°C electrical solder solution for geothermal well monitoring and logging tools by Perma Works LLC. This paper covers: why a high temperature solder is needed, what makes for a good solder, testing flux, testing conductive epoxy and testing intermetallic bonds. Future areas of research are suggested.

Molybdenum-99 production at ANSTO: present and future directions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Donlevy, T.M.; Hetherington, E.; Juric, J.; Hwang, T.; La Riviere, C.; Rutherford, J.

1999-01-01

Full text: Molybdenum-99 ( 99 Mo) decays to give technetium-99m ( 99 Tc m ), the most versatile diagnostic radioisotope used in approximately 80% of all nuclear medicine procedures. ANSTO (formerly the AAEC) has supplied technetium generators to the medical community since 1967-68. From small-scale beginnings, 99 Tc m - generators are now also supplied to customers in New Zealand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Korea and China. 99 Mo is produced in HIFAR by the fission of uranium-235 ( 235 U). Uranium (2.2% 235 U) dioxide pellets are irradiated and then chemically processed to separate and purify the 99 Mo for generator production. The current process involves alumina column separation of 99 Mo from uranium and other fission products; desorption of 99 Mo with ammonia; evaporation to dryness to remove volatile impurities; secondary purification of 99 Mo on alumina. Recent studies have sought to optimize the 99 Mo yield to meet an increasing market demand. These studies focused on two major stages of the process - alumina column separation and evaporation/ boil down. The effects of changes in pH of loading solution, rates of loading and desorption, volume of eluting solvent and temperature of evaporation have been investigated. The results of tracer and production scale experiments will be presented and the impacts upon future 99 Mo production in Australia discussed

Machinery for Forest Chip Production in Finland in 2007 and in the Future

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaerhae, Kalle (Metsaeteho Oy, P.O. Box 101, FI-00171 Helsinki (Finland))

2008-10-15

Metsaeteho Oy's study consisted of a survey of the production machinery for forest chips used by energy plants in 2007. The major forest chip suppliers in Finland were involved in the study. In addition, the machinery and equipment stocked by the manufacturers and vendors of energy wood harvester heads, stump lifting devices, and chippers were also surveyed. The study provided also an estimate of future machinery requirements for forest chip production in Finland. The study estimated that a total of 1,100 machine and truck units were employed in the production of forest chips for energy plants in 2007. A total of 770 machine and truck units were contracted for the major forest chip suppliers in 2007. Increasing forest chip consumption will considerable increase the demand for additional forest chip production resources in the future. If the consumption of forest chips by energy plants in 2015 reaches 15 TWh, i.e. about 7.5 mill. m3, then the forest machine and truck requirement will be over 1,700 units. The corresponding machinery requirement at an energy plant with a forest chip consumption of 25 TWh (approx. 12.5 mill. m3), will be close to 2,300 machine and truck units

Biocatalyzed processes for production of commodity chemicals: Assessment of future research advances for N-butanol production

Science.gov (United States)

Ingham, J. D.

1984-01-01

This report is a summary of assessments by Chem Systems Inc. and a further evaluation of the impacts of research advances on energy efficiency and the potential for future industrial production of acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) solvents and other products by biocatalyzed processes. Brief discussions of each of the assessments made by CSI, followed by estimates of minimum projected energy consumption and costs for production of solvents by ABE biocatalyzed processes are included. These assessments and further advances discussed in this report show that substantial decreases in energy consumption and costs are possible on the basis of specific research advances; therefore, it appears that a biocatalyzed process for ABE can be developed that will be competitive with conventional petrochemical processes for production of n-butanol and acetone. (In this work, the ABE process was selected and utilized only as an example for methodology development; other possible bioprocesses for production of commodity chemicals are not intended to be excluded.) It has been estimated that process energy consumption can be decreased by 50%, with a corresponding cost reduction of 15-30% (in comparison with a conventional petrochemical process) by increasing microorganism tolerance to n-butanol and efficient recovery of product solvents from the vapor phase.

75 FR 55776 - Request for Comments on Vaccine Production and Additional Planning for Future Possible Pandemic...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-14

... Production and Additional Planning for Future Possible Pandemic Influenza AGENCY: International Trade... additional planning for future possible pandemic influenza. DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or... influenza pandemic (see World Health Organization announcement of August 10, 2010) and the need to plan for...

Factors affecting wild rabbit production in extensive breeding enclosures: how can we optimise efforts?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Guerrero-Casado

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The declining rabbit population in the Iberian Peninsula has led hunters and authorities to rear rabbits in captivity systems for their subsequent release. One alternative method to intensive rabbitry systems is the use of extensive breeding enclosures, since they produce animals of greater quality for hunting and conservation purposes. However, some of the factors that affect rabbit production in breeding enclosures are still unknown. The present study used partial least squares regression (PLSR to analyse the effects of plot size, scrub cover, slope, initial rabbit abundance, the resources needed to dig warrens, predation and proximity to other enclosures on rabbit abundance. The results of our study show a positive effect of the number of other fenced plots within a radius of 3 km, a positive relationship with the availability of optimal resources for building warrens and a positive influence of intermediate values of scrub cover. According to our results, to maximise rabbit production in the enclosures it would be advisable to concentrate the restocking effort by ensuring that the restocking plots are close to each other, thus avoiding isolated enclosures. Furthermore, the selection of plots with an appropriate scrub cover and high availability of elements that favour the construction of warrens, such as large stones, sloping land or tall shrubs, may optimise results.

Projected changes in the future distribution and production of sessile oak forests near the xeric limit

Science.gov (United States)

Gulyás, Krisztina; Berki, Imre; Veperdi, Gábor

2017-04-01

As a result of regional climate change, most European countries are experiencing an increase in mean annual temperature and CO2 concentration and a decrease in mean annual precipitation. In low-elevation areas in Southeast Europe, where precipitation is a limiting factor, the projected climate change threatens the health, production, and potential distribution of forest ecosystems. The intensive summer droughts and commonly occurring extreme weather events create negative influences that cause health declines, changes in yield potential, and tree mortality. Due to the observed damages, attention has been focused on these problems. The impacts of climatic extremes cause difficulties in forest management; these difficulties occur more frequently in Hungary, which is a region that is the most sensitive to climatic extremes. Regional climate model simulations project that the frequency of extremely high temperatures and long-term dry periods will increase; both of these factors have negative effects on future tree species distribution and production. Thus, the aim of our study is to utilize the sessile oak (Quercus petraea) as a climate indicator tree species to investigate potential future distribution and estimate changes in growth trends. For future spatial distribution, we used the Fuzzy membership distribution model in a new Decision Support System (DSS) which was developed for the Hungarian forestry and agricultural sectors. Through study techniques we can employ DSS, which contains various environmental layers (topography, vegetation, past and projected future climate, soils, and hydrology), to create probability distribution maps. The results, based on 12 regional climate model simulations (www.ensembles-eu.org), show that the area of sessile oak forests is shrinking continuously and will continue to do so to the end of the 21st century. For future production estimations, we analysed intensive long-term growth monitoring network plots that were established in

A Robust Statistical Model to Predict the Future Value of the Milk Production of Dairy Cows Using Herd Recording Data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Græsbøll, Kaare; Kirkeby, Carsten Thure; Nielsen, Søren Saxmose

2017-01-01

of the future value of a dairy cow requires further detailed knowledge of the costs associated with feed, management practices, production systems, and disease. Here, we present a method to predict the future value of the milk production of a dairy cow based on herd recording data only. The method consists......The future value of an individual dairy cow depends greatly on its projected milk yield. In developed countries with developed dairy industry infrastructures, facilities exist to record individual cow production and reproduction outcomes consistently and accurately. Accurate prediction...... of somatic cell count. We conclude that estimates of future average production can be used on a day-to-day basis to rank cows for culling, or can be implemented in simulation models of within-herd disease spread to make operational decisions, such as culling versus treatment. An advantage of the approach...

How to manage uncertainty in future Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) scenarios addressing the effect of climate change in crop production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Niero, Monia; Ingvordsen, Cathrine Heinz; Bagger Jørgensen, Rikke

2015-01-01

When Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is used to provide insights on how to pursue future food demand, it faces the challenge to describe scenarios of the future in which the environmental impacts occur. In the case of future crop production, the effects of climate change should be considered. In this......When Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is used to provide insights on how to pursue future food demand, it faces the challenge to describe scenarios of the future in which the environmental impacts occur. In the case of future crop production, the effects of climate change should be considered....... In this context, the objectives of this paper are two-fold: (i) to recommend an approach to deal with uncertainty in scenario analysis for LCA of crop production in a changed climate, when the goal of the study is to suggest strategies for adaptation of crop cultivation practices towards low environmental impacts...... climate, soil, water loss and production parameters. Secondly, the handling of these factors in the inventory modeling is discussed and finally implemented in the case study. Our approach follows a 3-step procedure consisting of: (1) definition of a baseline scenario at the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI...

Sex differences in the effects of juvenile and adult diet on age-dependent reproductive effort.

Science.gov (United States)

Houslay, T M; Hunt, J; Tinsley, M C; Bussière, L F

2015-05-01

Sexual selection should cause sex differences in patterns of resource allocation. When current and future reproductive effort trade off, variation in resource acquisition might further cause sex differences in age-dependent investment, or in sensitivity to changes in resource availability over time. However, the nature and prevalence of sex differences in age-dependent investment remain unclear. We manipulated resource acquisition at juvenile and adult stages in decorated crickets, Gryllodes sigillatus, and assessed effects on sex-specific allocation to age-dependent reproductive effort (calling in males, fecundity in females) and longevity. We predicted that the resource and time demands of egg production would result in relatively consistent female strategies across treatments, whereas male investment should depend sharply on diet. Contrary to expectations, female age-dependent reproductive effort diverged substantially across treatments, with resource-limited females showing much lower and later investment in reproduction; the highest fecundity was associated with intermediate lifespans. In contrast, long-lived males always signalled more than short-lived males, and male age-dependent reproductive effort did not depend on diet. We found consistently positive covariance between male reproductive effort and lifespan, whereas diet altered this covariance in females, revealing sex differences in the benefits of allocation to longevity. Our results support sex-specific selection on allocation patterns, but also suggest a simpler alternative: males may use social feedback to make allocation decisions and preferentially store resources as energetic reserves in its absence. Increased calling effort with age therefore could be caused by gradual resource accumulation, heightened mortality risk over time, and a lack of feedback from available mates. © 2015 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2015 European Society For Evolutionary

Optimal Effort in Consumer Choice : Theory and Experimental Evidence for Binary Choice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Conlon, B.J.; Dellaert, B.G.C.; van Soest, A.H.O.

2001-01-01

This paper develops a theoretical model of optimal effort in consumer choice.The model extends previous consumer choice models in that the consumer not only chooses a product, but also decides how much effort to apply to a given choice problem.The model yields a unique optimal level of effort, which

Transportation Energy Futures Series: Freight Transportation Modal Shares: Scenarios for a Low-Carbon Future

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brogan, J. J.; Aeppli, A. E.; Beagan, D. F.; Brown, A.; Fischer, M. J.; Grenzeback, L. R.; McKenzie, E.; Vimmerstedt, L.; Vyas, A. D.; Witzke, E.

2013-03-01

Truck, rail, water, air, and pipeline modes each serve a distinct share of the freight transportation market. The current allocation of freight by mode is the product of technologic, economic, and regulatory frameworks, and a variety of factors -- price, speed, reliability, accessibility, visibility, security, and safety -- influence mode. Based on a comprehensive literature review, this report considers how analytical methods can be used to project future modal shares and offers insights on federal policy decisions with the potential to prompt shifts to energy-efficient, low-emission modes. There are substantial opportunities to reduce the energy used for freight transportation, but it will be difficult to shift large volumes from one mode to another without imposing considerable additional costs on businesses and consumers. This report explores federal government actions that could help trigger the shifts in modal shares needed to reduce energy consumption and emissions. This is one in a series of reports produced as a result of the Transportation Energy Futures project, a Department of Energy-sponsored multi-agency effort to pinpoint underexplored strategies for reducing GHGs and petroleum dependence related to transportation.

Advanced therapy medicinal products: current and future perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanna, Eve; Rémuzat, Cécile; Auquier, Pascal; Toumi, Mondher

2016-01-01

Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) are innovative therapies that encompass gene therapy, somatic cell therapy, and tissue-engineered products. These therapies are expected to bring important health benefits, but also to substantially impact the pharmaceuticals budget. The aim of this study was to characterise the ATMPs in development and discuss future implications in terms of market access. Clinical trials were searched in the following databases: EudraCT (EU Drug Regulating Authorities Clinical Trials), ClinicalTrials.gov, and ICTRP (International Clinical Trials Registry Platform of the World Health Organization). Trials were classified by category of ATMP as defined by European regulation EC No. 1394/2007, as well as by development phase and disease area. The database search identified 939 clinical trials investigating ATMPs (85% ongoing, 15% completed). The majority of trials were in the early stages (Phase I, I/II: 64.3%, Phase II, II/III: 27.9%, Phase 3: 6.9%). Per category of ATMP, we identified 53.6% of trials for somatic cell therapies, 22.8% for tissue-engineered products, 22.4% for gene therapies, and 1.2% for combined products (incorporating a medical device). Disease areas included cancer (24.8%), cardiovascular diseases (19.4%), musculoskeletal (10.5%), immune system and inflammation (11.5%), neurology (9.1%), and others. Of the trials, 47.2% enrolled fewer than 25 patients. Due to the complexity and specificity of ATMPs, new clinical trial methodologies are being considered (e.g., small sample size, non-randomised trials, single-arm trials, surrogate endpoints, integrated protocols, and adaptive designs). Evidence generation post-launch will become unavoidable to address payers' expectations. ATMPs represent a fast-growing field of interest. Although most of the products are in an early development phase, the combined trial phase and the potential to cure severe chronic conditions suggest that ATMPs may reach the market earlier than

Perceptions of emerging tobacco products and nicotine replacement therapy among pregnant women and women planning a pregnancy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucinda J. England, MD, MSPH

2016-12-01

Women seeking to reduce health risks or stigma related to smoking during pregnancy may perceive advantages of using some emerging products over cigarettes. These findings can inform future public health efforts to reduce risks associated with tobacco product use among women of reproductive age.

Future production and utilisation of biomass in Sweden: potentials and CO2 mitigation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boerjesson, P.; Gustavsson, L.; Christersson, L.; Linder, S.

1997-01-01

Swedish biomass production potential could be increased significantly if new production methods, such as optimised fertilisation, were to be used. Optimised fertilisation on 25% of Swedish forest land and the use of stem wood could almost double the biomass potential from forestry compared with no fertilisation, as both logging residues and large quantities of excess stem wood not needed for industrial purposes could be used for energy purposes. Together with energy crops and straw from agriculture, the total Swedish biomass potential would be about 230 TWh/yr or half the current Swedish energy supply if the demand for stem wood for building and industrial purposes were the same as today. The new production methods are assumed not to cause any significant negative impact on the local environment. The cost of utilising stem wood produced with optimised fertilisation for energy purposes has not been analysed and needs further investigation. Besides replacing fossil fuels and, thus, reducing current Swedish CO 2 emissions by about 65%, this amount of biomass is enough to produce electricity equivalent to 20% of current power production. Biomass-based electricity is produced preferably through co-generation using district heating systems in densely populated regions, and pulp industries in forest regions. Alcohols for transportation and stand-alone power production are preferably produced in less densely populated regions with excess biomass. A high intensity in biomass production would reduce biomass transportation demands. There are uncertainties regarding the future demand for stem wood for building and industrial purposes, the amount of arable land available for energy crop production and future yields. These factors will influence Swedish biomass potential and earlier estimates of the potential vary from 15 to 125 TWh/yr. (author)

Future Climate Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

James Houseworth

2001-01-01

This Analysis/Model Report (AMR) documents an analysis that was performed to estimate climatic variables for the next 10,000 years by forecasting the timing and nature of climate change at Yucca Mountain (YM), Nevada (Figure 1), the site of a potential repository for high-level radioactive waste. The future-climate estimates are based on an analysis of past-climate data from analog meteorological stations, and this AMR provides the rationale for the selection of these analog stations. The stations selected provide an upper and a lower climate bound for each future climate, and the data from those sites will provide input to the infiltration model (USGS 2000) and for the total system performance assessment for the Site Recommendation (TSPA-SR) at YM. Forecasting long-term future climates, especially for the next 10,000 years, is highly speculative and rarely attempted. A very limited literature exists concerning the subject, largely from the British radioactive waste disposal effort. The discussion presented here is one method, among many, of establishing upper and lower bounds for future climate estimates. The method used here involves selecting a particular past climate from many past climates, as an analog for future climate. Other studies might develop a different rationale or select other past climates resulting in a different future climate analog. Revision 00 of this AMR was prepared in accordance with the ''Work Direction and Planning Document for Future Climate Analysis'' (Peterman 1999) under Interagency Agreement DE-AI08-97NV12033 with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The planning document for the technical scope, content, and management of ICN 01 of this AMR is the ''Technical Work Plan for Unsaturated Zone (UZ) Flow and Transport Process Model Report'' (BSC 2001a). The scope for the TBV resolution actions in this ICN is described in the ''Technical Work Plan for: Integrated Management of Technical Product Input Department''. (BSC 2001b, Addendum B

Future Climate Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

James Houseworth

2001-10-12

This Analysis/Model Report (AMR) documents an analysis that was performed to estimate climatic variables for the next 10,000 years by forecasting the timing and nature of climate change at Yucca Mountain (YM), Nevada (Figure 1), the site of a potential repository for high-level radioactive waste. The future-climate estimates are based on an analysis of past-climate data from analog meteorological stations, and this AMR provides the rationale for the selection of these analog stations. The stations selected provide an upper and a lower climate bound for each future climate, and the data from those sites will provide input to the infiltration model (USGS 2000) and for the total system performance assessment for the Site Recommendation (TSPA-SR) at YM. Forecasting long-term future climates, especially for the next 10,000 years, is highly speculative and rarely attempted. A very limited literature exists concerning the subject, largely from the British radioactive waste disposal effort. The discussion presented here is one method, among many, of establishing upper and lower bounds for future climate estimates. The method used here involves selecting a particular past climate from many past climates, as an analog for future climate. Other studies might develop a different rationale or select other past climates resulting in a different future climate analog. Revision 00 of this AMR was prepared in accordance with the ''Work Direction and Planning Document for Future Climate Analysis'' (Peterman 1999) under Interagency Agreement DE-AI08-97NV12033 with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The planning document for the technical scope, content, and management of ICN 01 of this AMR is the ''Technical Work Plan for Unsaturated Zone (UZ) Flow and Transport Process Model Report'' (BSC 2001a). The scope for the TBV resolution actions in this ICN is described in the ''Technical Work Plan for: Integrated Management of Technical

Supercomputer and cluster performance modeling and analysis efforts:2004-2006.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sturtevant, Judith E.; Ganti, Anand; Meyer, Harold (Hal) Edward; Stevenson, Joel O.; Benner, Robert E., Jr. (.,; .); Goudy, Susan Phelps; Doerfler, Douglas W.; Domino, Stefan Paul; Taylor, Mark A.; Malins, Robert Joseph; Scott, Ryan T.; Barnette, Daniel Wayne; Rajan, Mahesh; Ang, James Alfred; Black, Amalia Rebecca; Laub, Thomas William; Vaughan, Courtenay Thomas; Franke, Brian Claude

2007-02-01

This report describes efforts by the Performance Modeling and Analysis Team to investigate performance characteristics of Sandia's engineering and scientific applications on the ASC capability and advanced architecture supercomputers, and Sandia's capacity Linux clusters. Efforts to model various aspects of these computers are also discussed. The goals of these efforts are to quantify and compare Sandia's supercomputer and cluster performance characteristics; to reveal strengths and weaknesses in such systems; and to predict performance characteristics of, and provide guidelines for, future acquisitions and follow-on systems. Described herein are the results obtained from running benchmarks and applications to extract performance characteristics and comparisons, as well as modeling efforts, obtained during the time period 2004-2006. The format of the report, with hypertext links to numerous additional documents, purposefully minimizes the document size needed to disseminate the extensive results from our research.

POPULAR MARKETS: FROM FUTURE STUDIES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRODUCTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio Thiago Benedete da Silva

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Strategies for running companies in low-income markets have been in the spotlight in both the academic and the corporate environments.However, the first discussions about the relevance of such markets arose during the 1980s, when scenario-prospecting studies showed that popular markets would provide many opportunities around the year 2000.Indeed, at present, the base of the pyramid has many unaddressed needs that offer business possibilities for those companies that are willing to review their strategies. In this context, product development becomes increasingly important, since products targeting consumers of the C, D and E classes may need different features from those of goods manufactured for the A and B classes.The aim of this study is to revisit past popular market forecasts and to identify development trends for goods that target low- income consumers.Our results indicate that Wright and Johnson’s (1984 studies predicted that Brazil would maintain both qualitative and quantitative progress in its socioeconomic development over the next two decades and that the development of popular products is undergoing a buoyant phase.Several functional perspectives were used to develop an understanding of the phenomenon, especially marketing, engineering and manufacturing.Key words: Future studies. Popular markets. Product development.

A rare sugar xylitol. Part II: biotechnological production and future applications of xylitol.

Science.gov (United States)

Granström, Tom Birger; Izumori, Ken; Leisola, Matti

2007-02-01

Xylitol is the first rare sugar that has global markets. It has beneficial health properties and represents an alternative to current conventional sweeteners. Industrially, xylitol is produced by chemical hydrogenation of D-xylose into xylitol. The biotechnological method of producing xylitol by metabolically engineered yeasts, Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Candida, has been studied as an alternative to the chemical method. Due to the industrial scale of production, xylitol serves as an inexpensive starting material for the production of other rare sugars. The second part of this mini-review on xylitol will look more closely at the biotechnological production and future applications of the rare sugar, xylitol.

Bringing You the Moon: Lunar Education Efforts of the Center for Lunar Science and Education

Science.gov (United States)

Shaner, A. J.; Shupla, C.; Shipp, S.; Allen, J.; Kring, D. A.; Halligan, E.; LaConte, K.

2012-01-01

The Center for Lunar Science and Exploration (CLSE), a collaboration between the Lunar and Planetary Institute and NASA's Johnson Space Center, is one of seven member teams of the NASA Lunar Science Institute. In addition to research and exploration activities, the CLSE team is deeply invested in education and public outreach. Overarching goals of CLSE education are to strengthen the future science workforce, attract and retain students in STEM disciplines, and develop advocates for lunar exploration. The team's efforts have resulted in a variety of programs and products, including the creation of a variety of Lunar Traveling Exhibits and the High School Lunar Research Project, featured at http://www.lpi.usra.edu/nlsi/education/.

Collaborative Efforts Driving Progress in Pediatric Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Science.gov (United States)

Zwaan, C. Michel; Kolb, Edward A.; Reinhardt, Dirk; Abrahamsson, Jonas; Adachi, Souichi; Aplenc, Richard; De Bont, Eveline S.J.M.; De Moerloose, Barbara; Dworzak, Michael; Gibson, Brenda E.S.; Hasle, Henrik; Leverger, Guy; Locatelli, Franco; Ragu, Christine; Ribeiro, Raul C.; Rizzari, Carmelo; Rubnitz, Jeffrey E.; Smith, Owen P.; Sung, Lillian; Tomizawa, Daisuke; van den Heuvel-Eibrink, Marry M.; Creutzig, Ursula; Kaspers, Gertjan J.L.

2015-01-01

Diagnosis, treatment, response monitoring, and outcome of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have made enormous progress during the past decades. Because AML is a rare type of childhood cancer, with an incidence of approximately seven occurrences per 1 million children annually, national and international collaborative efforts have evolved. This overview describes these efforts and includes a summary of the history and contributions of each of the main collaborative pediatric AML groups worldwide. The focus is on translational and clinical research, which includes past, current, and future clinical trials. Separate sections concern acute promyelocytic leukemia, myeloid leukemia of Down syndrome, and relapsed AML. A plethora of novel antileukemic agents that have emerged, including new classes of drugs, are summarized as well. Finally, an important aspect of the treatment of pediatric AML—supportive care—and late effects are discussed. The future is bright, with a wide range of emerging innovative therapies and with more and more international collaboration that ultimately aim to cure all children with AML, with fewer adverse effects and without late effects. PMID:26304895

Grassland futures in Great Britain - Productivity assessment and scenarios for land use change opportunities.

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Aiming; Holland, Robert A; Taylor, Gail; Richter, Goetz M

2018-09-01

To optimise trade-offs provided by future changes in grassland use intensity, spatially and temporally explicit estimates of respective grassland productivities are required at the systems level. Here, we benchmark the potential national availability of grassland biomass, identify optimal strategies for its management, and investigate the relative importance of intensification over reversion (prioritising productivity versus environmental ecosystem services). Process-conservative meta-models for different grasslands were used to calculate the baseline dry matter yields (DMY; 1961-1990) at 1km 2 resolution for the whole UK. The effects of climate change, rising atmospheric [CO 2 ] and technological progress on baseline DMYs were used to estimate future grassland productivities (up to 2050) for low and medium CO 2 emission scenarios of UKCP09. UK benchmark productivities of 12.5, 8.7 and 2.8t/ha on temporary, permanent and rough-grazing grassland, respectively, accounted for productivity gains by 2010. By 2050, productivities under medium emission scenario are predicted to increase to 15.5 and 9.8t/ha on temporary and permanent grassland, respectively, but not on rough grassland. Based on surveyed grassland distributions for Great Britain in 2010 the annual availability of grassland biomass is likely to rise from 64 to 72milliontonnes by 2050. Assuming optimal N application could close existing productivity gaps of ca. 40% a range of management options could deliver additional 21∗10 6 tonnes of biomass available for bioenergy. Scenarios of changes in grassland use intensity demonstrated considerable scope for maintaining or further increasing grassland production and sparing some grassland for the provision of environmental ecosystem services. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

World oil and gas resources-future production realities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masters, C.D.; Root, D.H.; Attanasi, E.D.

1990-01-01

Welcome to uncertainty was the phrase Jack Schanz used to introduce both layman and professionals to the maze of petroleum energy data that must be comprehended to achieve understanding of this critical commodity. Schanz was referring to the variables as he and his colleagues with Resources for the Future saw them in those years soon after the energy-awakening oil embargo of 1973. In some respects, the authors have made progress in removing uncertainty from energy data, but in general, we simply must accept that there are many points of view and many ways for the blindman to describe the elephant. There can be definitive listing of all uncertainties, but for this paper the authors try to underscore those traits of petroleum occurrence and supply that the author's believe bear most heavily on the understanding of production and resource availability. Because oil and gas exist in nature under such variable conditions and because the products themselves are variable in their properties, the authors must first recognize classification divisions of the resource substances, so that the reader might always have a clear perception of just what we are talking about and how it relates to other components of the commodity in question

A Semantic Web-Based Methodology for Describing Scientific Research Efforts

Science.gov (United States)

Gandara, Aida

2013-01-01

Scientists produce research resources that are useful to future research and innovative efforts. In a typical scientific scenario, the results created by a collaborative team often include numerous artifacts, observations and relationships relevant to research findings, such as programs that generate data, parameters that impact outputs, workflows…

Teachers' Perceptions of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and the Impact on Leadership Preparation: Lessons for Future Reform Efforts

Science.gov (United States)

Mette, Ian M.; Nieuwenhuizen, Lisa; Hvidston, David J.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of one school's teacher-driven professional development effort to address culturally responsive teaching practices in a large district in a Midwestern state. During the 2011-2012 school year, a team of teachers and principals began a three-year long effort to provide job-embedded professional…

Inpo/industry job and task analysis efforts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wigley, W.W.

1985-01-01

One of the goals of INPO is to develop and coordinate industrywide programs to improve the education, training and qualification of nuclear utility personnel. To accomplish this goal, INPO's Training and Education Division: conducts periodic evaluations of industry training programs; provides assistance to the industry in developing training programs; manages the accreditation of utility training programs. These efforts are aimed at satisfying the need for training programs for nuclear utility personnel to be performance-based. Performance-based means that training programs provide an incumbent with the skills and knowledge required to safely perform the job. One of the ways that INPO has provided assistance to the industry is through the industrywide job and task analysis effort. I will discuss the job analysis and task analysis processes, the current status of JTA efforts, JTA products and JTA lessons learned

Book Promotion Efforts in Select Nigerian Newspapers Okere ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Mrs Afam

them make informed purchase decision. Hitherto, the ... for product promotion compared to the efforts of manufacturers of consumer goods and other .... The extent of promotion done by a publisher affects greatly the rate of order placed.

Current situation and future prospects for beef production in Lao People's Democratic Republic.

Science.gov (United States)

Napasirth, Pattaya; Napasirth, Viengsakoun

2018-05-24

Lao-native beef cattle are primarily Bos indicus, and most ruminant production in Laos is still dominated by small-scale or backyard producers that use traditional practices, resulting in low productivity. The cattle herd size in Laos has grown by an average of 5 percent per year from 1.52 million in 2010/11 to 1.81 million in 2014/15. In 2016, the Laos cattle population was 1.88 million head, with smallholder farmers representing 98% of production despite efforts by the Laos government to develop commercial-scale farms. There were 170 commercial cattle farms in 2016, with 56 percent in the Central region of Laos. Although, overall, ruminant meat production has tended to increase with consumption of 7.29 kg/capita/year in 2013, it remains insufficient to meet demand. Crop residues and agro-industrial by-products used in ruminant diets include rice straw, cassava pulp and wet brewers' grains as roughage, energy and protein sources, respectively. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed by China in 2013 will connect China closely with all countries in Southeast Asia. This initiative will change landlocked Laos to land linked for investors who will benefit from convenient transport at a lower cost, promoting agricultural production in Laos.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Cetacean and Sound Mapping Effort: Continuing Forward with an Integrated Ocean Noise Strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, Jolie; Ferguson, Megan; Gedamke, Jason; Hatch, Leila; Southall, Brandon; Van Parijs, Sofie

2016-01-01

To help manage chronic and cumulative impacts of human activities on marine mammals, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) convened two working groups, the Underwater Sound Field Mapping Working Group (SoundMap) and the Cetacean Density and Distribution Mapping Working Group (CetMap), with overarching effort of both groups referred to as CetSound, which (1) mapped the predicted contribution of human sound sources to ocean noise and (2) provided region/time/species-specific cetacean density and distribution maps. Mapping products were presented at a symposium where future priorities were identified, including institutionalization/integration of the CetSound effort within NOAA-wide goals and programs, creation of forums and mechanisms for external input and funding, and expanded outreach/education. NOAA is subsequently developing an ocean noise strategy to articulate noise conservation goals and further identify science and management actions needed to support them.

[Antibiotics: present and future].

Science.gov (United States)

Bérdy, János

2013-04-14

The author discuss the up to date interpretation of the concept of antibiotics and antibiotic research, as well as the present role of various natural, semisynthetic and synthetic antibiotic compounds in various areas of the human therapy. The origin and the total number of all antibiotics and applied antibiotics in the practice, as well as the bioactive microbial metabolites (antibiotics) in other therapeutical, non-antibiotic fields (including agriculture) are also reviewed. The author discusses main problems, such as increasing (poly)resistance, virulence of pathogens and the non-scientific factors (such as a decline of research efforts and their sociological, economic, financial and regulatory reasons). A short summary of the history of Hungarian antibiotic research is also provided. The author briefly discusses the prospects in the future and the general advantages of the natural products over synthetic compounds. It is concluded that new approaches for the investigation of the unlimited possibilities of the living world are necessary. The discovery of new types or simply neglected (micro)organisms and their biosynthetic capabilities, the introduction of new biotechnological and genetic methods (genomics, metagenom, genome mining) are absolutely required in the future.

The climate impact of future energy peat production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hagberg, Linus; Holmgren, Kristina

2008-09-15

The aim of this study was to estimate total greenhouse gas emissions and climate impact of different peat utilisation scenarios, using a life cycle perspective. This and previous studies show that the climate impact from energy peat utilisation is more complex than just considering the emissions at the combustion stage. There are important emissions and uptake of greenhouse gases that occur on the peatland before, during and after peat harvest. The results show that the climate impact of future peat utilisation can be significantly reduced compared to current utilisation and will be lower than the climate impact resulting from only the combustion phase. This can be achieved by choosing already drained peatlands with high greenhouse gas emissions, using a more efficient production method and by securing a low-emission after-treatment of the cutaway (e.g. afforestation)

EnerFuture Energy Scenarios to 2035 'Understanding our Energy Future'. Key graphs and analysis, Enerdata - Global Energy Forecasting - February 2014

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

The EnerFuture service provides projections to 2035 of energy supply and demand across the world, powered by the POLES model, to help you with what to expect in the energy industry in the mid-term. Our energy forecasting team have developed three key energy scenarios (Balance, Emergence and Renaissance) to illustrate possible futures. Balance scenario: Balance provides an outlook of the energy system up to 2035 based on current policies and trends. Sustained growth of China and other emerging countries is a powerful driver of global energy demand, but confirmed energy policy commitments in several regions play a key role in controlling the pace of growth. However, non-coordinated policies result in soaring CO_2 emissions across the world and energy prices rise. Emergence scenario: This scenario explores the implications of more stringent climate policies, with more ambitious efforts on energy efficiency, initiatives to phase out fossil fuel subsidies and a real emergence of renewable technologies. Europe goes beyond its -20% targets by 2020, and the OECD and emerging countries meet their Copenhagen objectives. Following this, a new green deal is launched to reduce world emissions by a factor of 2 by 2050. Renaissance scenario: With strong efforts in the exploitation and production of unconventional oil and gas resources, the world encounters a fossil fuels renaissance with the appearance of new key actors and ultimately new geopolitical configurations changing the energy independence of several countries. For climate efforts, this new paradigm leads to progressively weaker policies. Further analysis and key findings are available here: - Increasing economic activity and wealth drives energy consumption, in a balance between energy prices and innovation; - As Non-OECD exceeds OECD oil demand, massive financial flows underlie the shifts in global oil trade; - Optimistic resource assumptions and moderate production costs would lead to an oil production Renaissance

[Male hormonal contraception: past, present, future].

Science.gov (United States)

Pásztor, Norbert; Hegyi, Borbála Eszter; Badó, Attila; Németh, Gábor

2017-11-01

In certain regions of the world the enormous rate of population growth raises economic and public health concerns and widely accessible contraceptive methods would be desired. In contrast, in other countries the use of effective contraception is a question of individual preferences. Today, most of the reliable contraceptive methods are applied by women, while the options for male methods are quite limited. It is well known that significant portion of pregnancies are still unplanned and several data revealed men's willingness to take part in family planning. Based on these needs, remarkable efforts have been made to develop a suitable hormonal contraceptive agent for men. With the exogenous suppression of follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone secretion, the inhibition of the testicular testosterone production and the spermatogenesis can be achieved. In the beginning, testosterone-derivatives, or testosterone-progestin combinations were administered, later synthetic androgen agents were developed. Despite of these efforts, unfortunately, there is no safe, widely feasible male hormonal contraception to date, but in the future this goal can be achieved by solving the key hurdles. Orv Hetil. 2017; 158(46): 1819-1830.

Multiproduct Multiperiod Newsvendor Problem with Dynamic Market Efforts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianmai Shi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available We study a multiperiod multiproduct production planning problem where the production capacity and the marketing effort on demand are both considered. The accumulative impact of marketing effort on demand is captured by the Nerlove and Arrow (N-A advertising model. The problem is formulated as a discrete-time, finite-horizon dynamic optimization problem, which can be viewed as an extension to the classic newsvendor problem by integrating with the N-A model. A Lagrangian relaxation based solution approach is developed to solve the problem, in which the subgradient algorithm is used to find an upper bound of the solution and a feasibility heuristic algorithm is proposed to search for a feasible lower bound. Twelve kinds of instances with different problem size involving up to 50 products and 15 planning periods are randomly generated and used to test the Lagrangian heuristic algorithm. Computational results show that the proposed approach can obtain near optimal solutions for all the instances in very short CPU time, which is less than 90 seconds even for the largest instance.

Current Status and Future Prospects of Marine Natural Products (MNPs) as Antimicrobials.

Science.gov (United States)

Choudhary, Alka; Naughton, Lynn M; Montánchez, Itxaso; Dobson, Alan D W; Rai, Dilip K

2017-08-28

The marine environment is a rich source of chemically diverse, biologically active natural products, and serves as an invaluable resource in the ongoing search for novel antimicrobial compounds. Recent advances in extraction and isolation techniques, and in state-of-the-art technologies involved in organic synthesis and chemical structure elucidation, have accelerated the numbers of antimicrobial molecules originating from the ocean moving into clinical trials. The chemical diversity associated with these marine-derived molecules is immense, varying from simple linear peptides and fatty acids to complex alkaloids, terpenes and polyketides, etc. Such an array of structurally distinct molecules performs functionally diverse biological activities against many pathogenic bacteria and fungi, making marine-derived natural products valuable commodities, particularly in the current age of antimicrobial resistance. In this review, we have highlighted several marine-derived natural products (and their synthetic derivatives), which have gained recognition as effective antimicrobial agents over the past five years (2012-2017). These natural products have been categorized based on their chemical structures and the structure-activity mediated relationships of some of these bioactive molecules have been discussed. Finally, we have provided an insight into how genome mining efforts are likely to expedite the discovery of novel antimicrobial compounds.

New futures markets in agricultural production rights: possibilities and constraints for the Dutch and British milkquota markets.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pennings, J.M.E.; Meulenberg, M.T.G.

1998-01-01

Farms are increasingly being affected by policies that involve production rights. Because of fluctuations in the prices of these rights in the spot market, farmers face a price risk. Establishing a futures market might enable them to hedge against this price risk. Rights futures have some features

Effort sharing in ambitious, global climate change mitigation scenarios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ekholm, Tommi; Soimakallio, Sampo; Moltmann, Sara; Hoehne, Niklas; Syri, Sanna; Savolainen, Ilkka

2010-01-01

The post-2012 climate policy framework needs a global commitment to deep greenhouse gas emission cuts. This paper analyzes reaching ambitious emission targets up to 2050, either -10% or -50% from 1990 levels, and how the economic burden from mitigation efforts could be equitably shared between countries. The scenarios indicate a large low-cost mitigation potential in electricity and industry, while reaching low emission levels in international transportation and agricultural emissions might prove difficult. The two effort sharing approaches, Triptych and Multistage, were compared in terms of equitability and coherence. Both approaches produced an equitable cost distribution between countries, with least developed countries having negative or low costs and more developed countries having higher costs. There is, however, no definitive solution on how the costs should be balanced equitably between countries. Triptych seems to be yet more coherent than other approaches, as it can better accommodate national circumstances. Last, challenges and possible hindrances to effective mitigation and equitable effort sharing are presented. The findings underline the significance of assumptions behind effort sharing on mitigation potentials and current emissions, the challenge of sharing the effort with uncertain future allowance prices and how inefficient markets might undermine the efficiency of a cap-and-trade system.

Effort sharing in ambitious, global climate change mitigation scenarios

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ekholm, Tommi [TKK Helsinki University of Technology, Espoo (Finland); Soimakallio, Sampo; Syri, Sanna; Savolainen, Ilkka [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, P.O. Box 1000, FIN-02044 VTT (Finland); Moltmann, Sara; Hoehne, Niklas [Ecofys Germany GmbH, Cologne (Germany)

2010-04-15

The post-2012 climate policy framework needs a global commitment to deep greenhouse gas emission cuts. This paper analyzes reaching ambitious emission targets up to 2050, either or from 1990 levels, and how the economic burden from mitigation efforts could be equitably shared between countries. The scenarios indicate a large low-cost mitigation potential in electricity and industry, while reaching low emission levels in international transportation and agricultural emissions might prove difficult. The two effort sharing approaches, Triptych and Multistage, were compared in terms of equitability and coherence. Both approaches produced an equitable cost distribution between countries, with least developed countries having negative or low costs and more developed countries having higher costs. There is, however, no definitive solution on how the costs should be balanced equitably between countries. Triptych seems to be yet more coherent than other approaches, as it can better accommodate national circumstances. Last, challenges and possible hindrances to effective mitigation and equitable effort sharing are presented. The findings underline the significance of assumptions behind effort sharing on mitigation potentials and current emissions, the challenge of sharing the effort with uncertain future allowance prices and how inefficient markets might undermine the efficiency of a cap-and-trade system. (author)

Interoperation of World-Wide Production e-Science Infrastructures

CERN Document Server

Riedel, M; Soddemann, T; Field, L; Navarro, JP; Casey, J; Litmaath, M; Baud, J; Koblitz, B; Catlett, C; Skow, D; Wang, S; Saeki, Y; Sato, H; Matsuoka, S; Geddes, N

Many production Grid and e-Science infrastructures have begun to offer services to end-users during the past several years with an increasing number of scientific applications that require access to a wide variety of resources and services in multiple Grids. Therefore, the Grid Interoperation Now—Community Group of the Open Grid Forum—organizes and manages interoperation efforts among those production Grid infrastructures to reach the goal of a world-wide Grid vision on a technical level in the near future. This contribution highlights fundamental approaches of the group and discusses open standards in the context of production e-Science infrastructures.

ISR effects for resonant Higgs production at future lepton colliders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mario Greco

2016-12-01

Full Text Available We study the effects of the initial state radiation on the s-channel Higgs boson resonant production at μ+μ− and e+e− colliders by convoluting with the beam energy spread profile of the collider and the Breit–Wigner resonance profile of the signal. We assess their impact on both the Higgs signal and SM backgrounds for the leading decay channels h→bb¯, WW⁎. Our study improves the existing analyses of the proposed future resonant Higgs factories and provides further guidance for the accelerator designs with respect to the physical goals.

State-of-art of modern technologies for metals production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Holappa, L [Helsinki Univ. of Technology, Otaniemi (Finland). Lab. of Metallurgy

1996-12-31

The future raw materials are becoming lower in metal content and more complex, multimetal concentrates will be utilized. This will give challenges for metallurgists to develop new, efficient and energy saving processes. The main impacts for current and future production technologies come from energy need and environmental issues of the production processes themselves as well as the inevitable energy production for the metal making. Metals production consumes huge amount of energy, roughly 10 pct of the global energy consumption is caused by metallurgists. That is the necessity but it also means energy saving is one of the metallurgical industry have been enormous when looking back to the history. Since the 1960`s the efforts of the industry together with the strict legislation in the industrialized countries have conducted to greatly decreased emissions and improved pollution control. Breakthrough of new processes like copper flash smelting has aided this positive progress

State-of-art of modern technologies for metals production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Holappa, L. [Helsinki Univ. of Technology, Otaniemi (Finland). Lab. of Metallurgy

1995-12-31

The future raw materials are becoming lower in metal content and more complex, multimetal concentrates will be utilized. This will give challenges for metallurgists to develop new, efficient and energy saving processes. The main impacts for current and future production technologies come from energy need and environmental issues of the production processes themselves as well as the inevitable energy production for the metal making. Metals production consumes huge amount of energy, roughly 10 pct of the global energy consumption is caused by metallurgists. That is the necessity but it also means energy saving is one of the metallurgical industry have been enormous when looking back to the history. Since the 1960`s the efforts of the industry together with the strict legislation in the industrialized countries have conducted to greatly decreased emissions and improved pollution control. Breakthrough of new processes like copper flash smelting has aided this positive progress

Perceived extrinsic mortality risk and reported effort in looking after health: testing a behavioral ecological prediction.

Science.gov (United States)

Pepper, Gillian V; Nettle, Daniel

2014-09-01

Socioeconomic gradients in health behavior are pervasive and well documented. Yet, there is little consensus on their causes. Behavioral ecological theory predicts that, if people of lower socioeconomic position (SEP) perceive greater personal extrinsic mortality risk than those of higher SEP, they should disinvest in their future health. We surveyed North American adults for reported effort in looking after health, perceived extrinsic and intrinsic mortality risks, and measures of SEP. We examined the relationships between these variables and found that lower subjective SEP predicted lower reported health effort. Lower subjective SEP was also associated with higher perceived extrinsic mortality risk, which in turn predicted lower reported health effort. The effect of subjective SEP on reported health effort was completely mediated by perceived extrinsic mortality risk. Our findings indicate that perceived extrinsic mortality risk may be a key factor underlying SEP gradients in motivation to invest in future health.

Futures Brokerages Face uncertain Future

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

WANG PEI

2006-01-01

@@ 2005 was a quiet year for China's futures market.After four new trading products, including cotton, fuel oil and corn, were launched on the market in 2004, the development of the market seemed to stagnate. The trade value of the futures market totaled 13.4 trillion yuan (US$ 1.67 trillion) in 2005, down 8.5 percent year-on-year. Although the decrease is quite small and the trade value was still the second highest in the market's history, the majority of futures brokerage firms were running in the red. In some areas, up to 80 percent of futures companies made losses.

HTTR workshop (workshop on hydrogen production technology)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shiina, Yasuaki; Takizuka, Takakazu

2004-12-01

Various research and development efforts have been performed to solve the global energy and environmental problems caused by large consumption of fossil fuels. Research activities on advanced hydrogen production technology by the use of nuclear heat from high temperature gas cooled reactors, for example, have been flourished in universities, research institutes and companies in many countries. The Department of HTTR Project and the Department of Advanced Nuclear Heat Technology of JAERI held the HTTR Workshop (Workshop on Hydrogen Production Technology) on July 5 and 6, 2004 to grasp the present status of R and D about the technology of HTGR and the nuclear hydrogen production in the world and to discuss about necessity of the nuclear hydrogen production and technical problems for the future development of the technology. More than 110 participants attended the Workshop including foreign participants from USA, France, Korea, Germany, Canada and United Kingdom. In the Workshop, the presentations were made on such topics as R and D programs for nuclear energy and hydrogen production technologies by thermo-chemical or other processes. Also, the possibility of the nuclear hydrogen production in the future society was discussed. The workshop showed that the R and D for the hydrogen production by the thermo-chemical process has been performed in many countries. The workshop affirmed that nuclear hydrogen production could be one of the competitive supplier of hydrogen in the future. The second HTTR Workshop will be held in the autumn next year. (author)

Environmental restoration at the KCP: Quality science with a view toward the future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, D.

1992-07-01

The Kansas City Plan-E (KCP), built in 1942, is currently operated by Allied-Signal for the Department of Energy (DOE). The KCP manufactures non-nuclear components for nuclear weapons. Throughout the production history of the KCP, waste material has been generated and hazardous spills have occurred. In 1983, the DOE and Allied-Signal began a concerted effort to clean-up all hazardous waste sites at the KCP. This paper briefly discusses the history of the environmental restoration effort at the KCP before and after a RCRA order on Consent Agreement was signed with the Environmental Protection Agency, the successes of the program, problems encountered, and a vision for the future of environmental restoration at the KCP

Vision 2021. The utilities future

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liere, J van [KEMA, Arnhem (Netherlands)

1996-12-01

The electricity industry is gradually making the transition to a free market economy characterized by competition. With the arrival of a more market-oriented structure, the electricity companies have taken measures to reduce costs while retaining reliability and safety of the production and distribution. Today the majority of these efforts are oriented towards optimizing the scope and the structure of the organizations and towards streamlining internal processes in order to improve productivity. Throughout the world, the increasing competition among utilities is accompanied by the unbundling of production, transport, distribution and customer service functions. There is a remarkable similarity between the transitions in the computer industry some years ago (from main frame to personal PC`s) and in the electric utility industry today. The new structure is expected to be less centralized and more dispersed. In the dispersed generation concept the locally deployed power plant must become smaller, more flexible, more efficient and less expensive than today`s power plants. Power generation is gradually changing from a steam cycle (Rankine cycle) via the combined cycle to the gas cycle (Brayton cycle). The fuel used to power the gas turbine is expected to change in the future from high calorific to low calorific gas, generated from biomass, waste, oil residues, blast furnaces, coal, etc. Five new areas to be addressed have been identified that can be characterized as follows: (a) improved utilization of capital-intensive production resources to reduce costs, (b) electrification and the supply of heat to increase sales and market share, (c) sustainable developments to broaden our future resource base, (d) improved efficiency based on the Brayton cycle to increase flexibility, (e) development of energy services with new secondary services to stay in the market. (EG) 10 refs.

Current state and future directions of research and development in conducting polymers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spinks, G.M.; Innis, P.C.; Lewis, T.W.; Kane-Maghire, L.A.P.; Wallace, G.G.

2000-01-01

Polymers that inherently conduct electricity have been researched intensively for a little over 20 years. An enormous research effort in academic and industrial institutions has resulted in over 17,000 publications published in the last 10 years alone. Significant advances in the synthesis of new polymers and the methods for processing these polymers into products have resulted from this research activity. A number of commercial developments have emerged, some of which have reached maturity as marketed products. Some others have failed in the marketplace. The diversity of applications for conducting polymers continues to fuel research and development and ensures that new products will emerge over the foreseeable future. In the more distant future, truly intelligent polymer systems remain as an achievable objective. By developing appropriate processing and fabrication technologies, it should be possible to integrate sensing, actuating and energy storage functions into a single system. Further developments in self-assembly of conducting polymers from the nano- to the meso-scale will open up applications in MEMS and nanotechnology

Cyberbullying Prevention and Intervention Efforts: Current Knowledge and Future Directions

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Jun Sung

2016-01-01

Bullying is a serious public health concern that is associated with significant negative mental, social, and physical outcomes. Technological advances have increased adolescents’ use of social media, and online communication platforms have exposed adolescents to another mode of bullying—cyberbullying. Prevention and intervention materials, from websites and tip sheets to classroom curriculum, have been developed to help youth, parents, and teachers address cyberbullying. While youth and parents are willing to disclose their experiences with bullying to their health care providers, these disclosures need to be taken seriously and handled in a caring manner. Health care providers need to include questions about bullying on intake forms to encourage these disclosures. The aim of this article is to examine the current status of cyberbullying prevention and intervention. Research support for several school-based intervention programs is summarised. Recommendations for future research are provided. PMID:28562094

Cyberbullying Prevention and Intervention Efforts: Current Knowledge and Future Directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Espelage, Dorothy L; Hong, Jun Sung

2017-06-01

Bullying is a serious public health concern that is associated with significant negative mental, social, and physical outcomes. Technological advances have increased adolescents' use of social media, and online communication platforms have exposed adolescents to another mode of bullying- cyberbullying. Prevention and intervention materials, from websites and tip sheets to classroom curriculum, have been developed to help youth, parents, and teachers address cyberbullying. While youth and parents are willing to disclose their experiences with bullying to their health care providers, these disclosures need to be taken seriously and handled in a caring manner. Health care providers need to include questions about bullying on intake forms to encourage these disclosures. The aim of this article is to examine the current status of cyberbullying prevention and intervention. Research support for several school-based intervention programs is summarised. Recommendations for future research are provided.

Assessing the impact of future climate extremes on the US corn and soybean production

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Z.

2015-12-01

Future climate changes will place big challenges to the US agricultural system, among which increasing heat stress and precipitation variability were the two major concerns. Reliable prediction of crop productions in response to the increasingly frequent and severe extreme climate is a prerequisite for developing adaptive strategies on agricultural risk management. However, the progress has been slow on quantifying the uncertainty of computational predictions at high spatial resolutions. Here we assessed the risks of future climate extremes on the US corn and soybean production using the Agricultural Production System sIMulator (APSIM) model under different climate scenarios. To quantify the uncertainty due to conceptual representations of heat, drought and flooding stress in crop models, we proposed a new strategy of algorithm ensemble in which different methods for simulating crop responses to those extreme climatic events were incorporated into the APSIM. This strategy allowed us to isolate irrelevant structure differences among existing crop models but only focus on the process of interest. Future climate inputs were derived from high-spatial-resolution (12km × 12km) Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) simulations under Representative Concentration Pathways 4.5 (RCP 4.5) and 8.5 (RCP 8.5). Based on crop model simulations, we analyzed the magnitude and frequency of heat, drought and flooding stress for the 21st century. We also evaluated the water use efficiency and water deficit on regional scales if farmers were to boost their yield by applying more fertilizers. Finally we proposed spatially explicit adaptation strategies of irrigation and fertilizing for different management zones.

Monitoring and evaluation of disaster response efforts undertaken by local health departments: a rapid realist review.

Science.gov (United States)

Gossip, Kate; Gouda, Hebe; Lee, Yong Yi; Firth, Sonja; Bermejo, Raoul; Zeck, Willibald; Jimenez Soto, Eliana

2017-06-29

Local health departments are often at the forefront of a disaster response, attending to the immediate trauma inflicted by the disaster and also the long term health consequences. As the frequency and severity of disasters are projected to rise, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) efforts are critical to help local health departments consolidate past experiences and improve future response efforts. Local health departments often conduct M&E work post disaster, however, many of these efforts fail to improve response procedures. We undertook a rapid realist review (RRR) to examine why M&E efforts undertaken by local health departments do not always result in improved disaster response efforts. We aimed to complement existing frameworks by focusing on the most basic and pragmatic steps of a M&E cycle targeted towards continuous system improvements. For these purposes, we developed a theoretical framework that draws on the quality improvement literature to 'frame' the steps in the M&E cycle. This framework encompassed a M&E cycle involving three stages (i.e., document and assess, disseminate and implement) that must be sequentially completed to learn from past experiences and improve future disaster response efforts. We used this framework to guide our examination of the literature and to identify any context-mechanism-outcome (CMO) configurations which describe how M&E may be constrained or enabled at each stage of the M&E cycle. This RRR found a number of explanatory CMO configurations that provide valuable insights into some of the considerations that should be made when using M&E to improve future disaster response efforts. Firstly, to support the accurate documentation and assessment of a disaster response, local health departments should consider how they can: establish a culture of learning within health departments; use embedded training methods; or facilitate external partnerships. Secondly, to enhance the widespread dissemination of lessons learned and facilitate

Climate Data Initiative: A Geocuration Effort to Support Climate Resilience

Science.gov (United States)

Ramachandran, Rahul; Bugbee, Kaylin; Tilmes, Curt; Pinheiro Privette, Ana

2015-01-01

Curation is traditionally defined as the process of collecting and organizing information around a common subject matter or a topic of interest and typically occurs in museums, art galleries, and libraries. The task of organizing data around specific topics or themes is a vibrant and growing effort in the biological sciences but to date this effort has not been actively pursued in the Earth sciences. In this paper, we introduce the concept of geocuration and define it as the act of searching, selecting, and synthesizing Earth science data/metadata and information from across disciplines and repositories into a single, cohesive, and useful compendium We present the Climate Data Initiative (CDI) project as an exemplar example. The CDI project is a systematic effort to manually curate and share openly available climate data from various federal agencies. CDI is a broad multi-agency effort of the U.S. government and seeks to leverage the extensive existing federal climate-relevant data to stimulate innovation and private-sector entrepreneurship to support national climate-change preparedness. We describe the geocuration process used in CDI project, lessons learned, and suggestions to improve similar geocuration efforts in the future.

Climate data initiative: A geocuration effort to support climate resilience

Science.gov (United States)

Ramachandran, Rahul; Bugbee, Kaylin; Tilmes, Curt; Privette, Ana Pinheiro

2016-03-01

Curation is traditionally defined as the process of collecting and organizing information around a common subject matter or a topic of interest and typically occurs in museums, art galleries, and libraries. The task of organizing data around specific topics or themes is a vibrant and growing effort in the biological sciences but to date this effort has not been actively pursued in the Earth sciences. In this paper, we introduce the concept of geocuration and define it as the act of searching, selecting, and synthesizing Earth science data/metadata and information from across disciplines and repositories into a single, cohesive, and useful collection. We present the Climate Data Initiative (CDI) project as a prototypical example. The CDI project is a systematic effort to manually curate and share openly available climate data from various federal agencies. CDI is a broad multi-agency effort of the U.S. government and seeks to leverage the extensive existing federal climate-relevant data to stimulate innovation and private-sector entrepreneurship to support national climate-change preparedness. We describe the geocuration process used in the CDI project, lessons learned, and suggestions to improve similar geocuration efforts in the future.

Product-services as a research field: past, present and future. Reflections from a decade of research

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tukker, A.; Tischner, U.

2006-01-01

In the last decade many researchers, institutes and programs in the EU paid attention to product-service systems (PSS). Given this massive effort, it is time to take stock. Is PSS research a theoretical field in its own right? Is the PSS concept indeed the road to the Factor 10 world? Is it the road

Projected future suitable habitat and productivity of Douglas-fir in western North America

Science.gov (United States)

Aaron R. Weiskittel; Nicholas L. Crookston; Gerald E. Rehfeldt

2012-01-01

Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) is one of the most common and commercially important species in western North America. The species can occupy a range of habitats, is long-lived (up to 500 years), and highly productive. However, the future of Douglas-fir in western North America is highly uncertain due to the expected changes in climate conditions....

Water and nitrogen management effects on semiarid sorghum production and soil trace gas flux under future climate.

Science.gov (United States)

Duval, Benjamin D; Ghimire, Rajan; Hartman, Melannie D; Marsalis, Mark A

2018-01-01

External inputs to agricultural systems can overcome latent soil and climate constraints on production, while contributing to greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizer and water management inefficiencies. Proper crop selection for a given region can lessen the need for irrigation and timing of N fertilizer application with crop N demand can potentially reduce N2O emissions and increase N use efficiency while reducing residual soil N and N leaching. However, increased variability in precipitation is an expectation of climate change and makes predicting biomass and gas flux responses to management more challenging. We used the DayCent model to test hypotheses about input intensity controls on sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) productivity and greenhouse gas emissions in the southwestern United States under future climate. Sorghum had been previously parameterized for DayCent, but an inverse-modeling via parameter estimation method significantly improved model validation to field data. Aboveground production and N2O flux were more responsive to N additions than irrigation, but simulations with future climate produced lower values for sorghum than current climate. We found positive interactions between irrigation at increased N application for N2O and CO2 fluxes. Extremes in sorghum production under future climate were a function of biomass accumulation trajectories related to daily soil water and mineral N. Root C inputs correlated with soil organic C pools, but overall soil C declined at the decadal scale under current weather while modest gains were simulated under future weather. Scaling biomass and N2O fluxes by unit N and water input revealed that sorghum can be productive without irrigation, and the effect of irrigating crops is difficult to forecast when precipitation is variable within the growing season. These simulation results demonstrate the importance of understanding sorghum production and greenhouse gas emissions at daily scales when assessing annual

Dissociating variability and effort as determinants of coordination.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ian O'Sullivan

2009-04-01

Full Text Available When coordinating movements, the nervous system often has to decide how to distribute work across a number of redundant effectors. Here, we show that humans solve this problem by trying to minimize both the variability of motor output and the effort involved. In previous studies that investigated the temporal shape of movements, these two selective pressures, despite having very different theoretical implications, could not be distinguished; because noise in the motor system increases with the motor commands, minimization of effort or variability leads to very similar predictions. When multiple effectors with different noise and effort characteristics have to be combined, however, these two cost terms can be dissociated. Here, we measure the importance of variability and effort in coordination by studying how humans share force production between two fingers. To capture variability, we identified the coefficient of variation of the index and little fingers. For effort, we used the sum of squared forces and the sum of squared forces normalized by the maximum strength of each effector. These terms were then used to predict the optimal force distribution for a task in which participants had to produce a target total force of 4-16 N, by pressing onto two isometric transducers using different combinations of fingers. By comparing the predicted distribution across fingers to the actual distribution chosen by participants, we were able to estimate the relative importance of variability and effort of 1:7, with the unnormalized effort being most important. Our results indicate that the nervous system uses multi-effector redundancy to minimize both the variability of the produced output and effort, although effort costs clearly outweighed variability costs.

Incorporating risk communication into highly pathogenic avian influenza preparedness and response efforts.

Science.gov (United States)

Voss, Shauna J; Malladi, Sasidhar; Sampedro, Fernando; Snider, Tim; Goldsmith, Timothy; Hueston, William D; Lauer, Dale C; Halvorson, David A

2012-12-01

A highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak in the United States will initiate a federal emergency response effort that will consist of disease control and eradication efforts, including quarantine and movement control measures. These movement control measures will not only apply to live animals but also to animal products. However, with current egg industry "just-in-time" production practices, limited storage is available to hold eggs. As a result, stop movement orders can have significant unintended negative consequences, including severe disruptions to the food supply chain. Because stakeholders' perceptions of risk vary, waiting to initiate communication efforts until an HPAI event occurs can hinder disease control efforts, including the willingness of producers to comply with the response, and also can affect consumers' demand for the product. A public-private-academic partnership was formed to assess actual risks involved in the movement of egg industry products during an HPAI event through product specific, proactive risk assessments. The risk analysis process engaged a broad representation of stakeholders and promoted effective risk management and communication strategies before an HPAI outbreak event. This multidisciplinary team used the risk assessments in the development of the United States Department of Agriculture, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Secure Egg Supply Plan, a comprehensive response plan that strives to maintain continuity of business. The collaborative approach that was used demonstrates how a proactive risk communication strategy that involves many different stakeholders can be valuable in the development of a foreign animal disease response plan and build working relationships, trust, and understanding.

New science for global sustainability? The institutionalisation of knowledge co-production in Future Earth

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Hel, S.C.

2016-01-01

In the context of complex and unprecedented issues of global change, calls for new modes of knowledge production that are better equipped to address urgent challenges of global sustainability are increasingly frequent. This paper presents a case study of the new major research programme “Future

Positive thinking about the future in newspaper reports and presidential addresses predicts economic downturn.

Science.gov (United States)

Sevincer, A Timur; Wagner, Greta; Kalvelage, Johanna; Oettingen, Gabriele

2014-04-01

Previous research has shown that positive thinking, in the form of fantasies about an idealized future, predicts low effort and poor performance. In the studies reported here, we used computerized content analysis of historical documents to investigate the relation between positive thinking about the future and economic development. During the financial crisis from 2007 to 2009, the more weekly newspaper articles in the economy page of USA Today contained positive thinking about the future, the more the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined in the subsequent week and 1 month later. In addition, between the New Deal era and the present time, the more presidential inaugural addresses contained positive thinking about the future, the more the gross domestic product and the employment rate declined in the presidents' subsequent tenures. These counterintuitive findings may help reveal the psychological processes that contribute to an economic crisis.

Future electricity production methods. Part 1: Nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nifenecker, Herve

2011-01-01

The global warming challenge aims at stabilizing the concentrations of Green House Gas (GHG) in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is the most effective of the anthropogenic GHG and is essentially produced by consumption of fossil fuels. Electricity production is the dominant cause of CO 2 emissions. It is, therefore, crucial that the share of 'carbon less' electricity production techniques increases at a fast pace. This is the more so, that 'clean' electricity would be useful to displace 'dirty' techniques in other fields such as heat production and transportation. Here we examine the extent to which nuclear energy could be operational in providing 'clean' electricity. A nuclear intensive scenario is shown to give the possibility to divide CO 2 emissions by a factor of 2 worldwide, within 50 years. However, the corresponding sharp increase in nuclear power will put a heavy burden on uranium reserves and will necessitate the development of breeding reactors as soon as possible. A review of present and future reactors is given with special attention to the safety issues. The delicate question of nuclear fuel cycle is discussed concerning uranium reserves and management of used fuels. It is shown that dealing with nuclear wastes is more a socio-political problem than a technical one. The third difficult question associated with the development of nuclear energy is the proliferation risk. It is advocated that, while this is, indeed, a very important question, it is only weakly related to nuclear power development. Finally, the possibilities of nuclear fusion are discussed and it is asserted that, under no circumstances, could nuclear fusion give a significant contribution to the solution of the energy problem before 50 years, too late for dealing with the global warming challenge.

The future technologies for decentralized power generation. Prospective aspects; Les techniques futures de production d`electricite decentralisee. Elements prospectifs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marquet, A [Electricite de France (EDF), 92 - Clamart (France). Direction des Etudes et Recherches; Meyer, J L [Electricite de France (EDF), 78 - Chatou (France). Direction des Etudes et Recherches

1997-07-01

Due to a favorable context (fuel costs, environmental concerns, deregulation...), decentralized power production, and more especially cogeneration, is presently developing in many countries, notably in France. An overlook on the main decentralized power generation technologies that may shows a likely commercial development in the near future, and their performance enhancement programs, are presented: combustion turbines, advanced gas turbines, micro gas turbines, regenerative gas turbines, cogeneration fuel cells, Stirling engines and solar dish Stirling systems, natural gas driven alternative engines, and wind turbines. Their development for on site power production in large commercial and small industrial sites, for collective or insular power networks, or for cogeneration in interconnected or large industrial sites, are discussed, and issues related to network management due to the abundance of power injection points in the low-voltage network are outlined

Calophyllum inophyllum L. as a future feedstock for bio-diesel production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Atabania, A.E. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Khartoum (Sudan)], email: a_atabani2@msn.com, email: ardinsu@yahoo.co.id; Silitonga, A.S.; Mahlia, T.M.I.; Masjukia, H.H.; Badruddin, I.A. [University of Malaya (Malaysia)

2011-07-01

Due to the energy crisis and the concerns about climate change, the possibility of using biodiesel as an alternative energy resource has been examined. It has been found that biodiesel could be a solution for the future but the first generation of biodiesel, prepared from edible vegetable oils, has raised important concerns about food and environmental problems. The aim of this study is to assess if Calophyllum inophyllum, a non-edible oil, could be used for biodiesel production. Density, kinematic viscosity, cetane number, flashpoint and iodine value were determined on Calophyllum inophyllum trees from Cilacap, Indonesia and compared in light of ASTM D6751 biodiesel standards. It was found that Calophyllum inophyllum would be a satisfactory feedstock to produce biodiesel in the future. This study demonstrated that Calophyllum inophyllum has the potential to be a biodiesel feedstock and further research should be carried out on engine performance, combustion and emission performance of biodiesel produced from Calophyllum inophyllum.

Future efforts on safety security at nuclear power stations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondo, Shunsuke

2003-01-01

As operation management of nuclear power generation in Japan was at the highest level in the world at beginning of 1990s, Japan has gradually been left behind by foreign countries at indices such as its operation ratio, its employees' exposure, and so on, and is at a general level. In special, as PWR showed 89% in its operation ratio corresponding to international level on PWR at last year, BWR was concentrated to countermeasure of stress corrosion cracking (SCC) caused by storage on consideration of stress relaxation at machining of parts made of SUS-316LC at a number of nuclear reactors, and all of units in the Tokyo Electric Power Co., Ltd. had an accident on feasibility to cease them by finding out incorrect deeds at past periodical and self inspections. The minor Committee on Nuclear Regulation Rule Investigation of the Nuclear Security Party of the Advisory Committee for Energy judged this accident formed by neglecting tense feelings on inspection based on shortage of recognition on necessity to do administrative explanation obligation for natives and preparation of quality assurance system expressible on validity of safety management for local society of customers by management center in electric business companies, to propose a countermeasure to be done by government and private companies. Here was expressed future important subjects under their outlines. (G.K.)

Logistics of nuclear fuel production for nuclear submarines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guimaraes, Leonam dos Santos

2000-01-01

The future acquisition of nuclear attack submarines by Brazilian Navy along next century will imply new requirements on Naval Logistic Support System. These needs will impact all the six logistic functions. Among them, fuel supply could be considered as the one which requires the most important capacitating effort, including not only technological development of processes but also the development of a national industrial basis for effective production of nuclear fuel. This paper presents the technical aspects of the processes involved and an annual production dimensioning for an squadron composed by four units. (author)

Potential economic benefits of adapting agricultural production systems to future climate change

Science.gov (United States)

Fagre, Daniel B.; Pederson, Gregory; Bengtson, Lindsey E.; Prato, Tony; Qui, Zeyuan; Williams, Jimmie R.

2010-01-01

Potential economic impacts of future climate change on crop enterprise net returns and annual net farm income (NFI) are evaluated for small and large representative farms in Flathead Valley in Northwest Montana. Crop enterprise net returns and NFI in an historical climate period (1960–2005) and future climate period (2006–2050) are compared when agricultural production systems (APSs) are adapted to future climate change. Climate conditions in the future climate period are based on the A1B, B1, and A2 CO2 emission scenarios from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report. Steps in the evaluation include: (1) specifying crop enterprises and APSs (i.e., combinations of crop enterprises) in consultation with locals producers; (2) simulating crop yields for two soils, crop prices, crop enterprises costs, and NFIs for APSs; (3) determining the dominant APS in the historical and future climate periods in terms of NFI; and (4) determining whether NFI for the dominant APS in the historical climate period is superior to NFI for the dominant APS in the future climate period. Crop yields are simulated using the Environmental/Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) model and dominance comparisons for NFI are based on the stochastic efficiency with respect to a function (SERF) criterion. Probability distributions that best fit the EPIC-simulated crop yields are used to simulate 100 values for crop yields for the two soils in the historical and future climate periods. Best-fitting probability distributions for historical inflation-adjusted crop prices and specified triangular probability distributions for crop enterprise costs are used to simulate 100 values for crop prices and crop enterprise costs. Averaged over all crop enterprises, farm sizes, and soil types, simulated net return per ha averaged over all crop enterprises decreased 24% and simulated mean NFI for APSs decreased 57% between the historical and future climate periods. Although adapting

Potential Economic Benefits of Adapting Agricultural Production Systems to Future Climate Change

Science.gov (United States)

Prato, Tony; Zeyuan, Qiu; Pederson, Gregory; Fagre, Dan; Bengtson, Lindsey E.; Williams, Jimmy R.

2010-03-01

Potential economic impacts of future climate change on crop enterprise net returns and annual net farm income (NFI) are evaluated for small and large representative farms in Flathead Valley in Northwest Montana. Crop enterprise net returns and NFI in an historical climate period (1960-2005) and future climate period (2006-2050) are compared when agricultural production systems (APSs) are adapted to future climate change. Climate conditions in the future climate period are based on the A1B, B1, and A2 CO2 emission scenarios from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report. Steps in the evaluation include: (1) specifying crop enterprises and APSs (i.e., combinations of crop enterprises) in consultation with locals producers; (2) simulating crop yields for two soils, crop prices, crop enterprises costs, and NFIs for APSs; (3) determining the dominant APS in the historical and future climate periods in terms of NFI; and (4) determining whether NFI for the dominant APS in the historical climate period is superior to NFI for the dominant APS in the future climate period. Crop yields are simulated using the Environmental/Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) model and dominance comparisons for NFI are based on the stochastic efficiency with respect to a function (SERF) criterion. Probability distributions that best fit the EPIC-simulated crop yields are used to simulate 100 values for crop yields for the two soils in the historical and future climate periods. Best-fitting probability distributions for historical inflation-adjusted crop prices and specified triangular probability distributions for crop enterprise costs are used to simulate 100 values for crop prices and crop enterprise costs. Averaged over all crop enterprises, farm sizes, and soil types, simulated net return per ha averaged over all crop enterprises decreased 24% and simulated mean NFI for APSs decreased 57% between the historical and future climate periods. Although adapting APSs to

Potential economic benefits of adapting agricultural production systems to future climate change.

Science.gov (United States)

Prato, Tony; Zeyuan, Qiu; Pederson, Gregory; Fagre, Dan; Bengtson, Lindsey E; Williams, Jimmy R

2010-03-01

Potential economic impacts of future climate change on crop enterprise net returns and annual net farm income (NFI) are evaluated for small and large representative farms in Flathead Valley in Northwest Montana. Crop enterprise net returns and NFI in an historical climate period (1960-2005) and future climate period (2006-2050) are compared when agricultural production systems (APSs) are adapted to future climate change. Climate conditions in the future climate period are based on the A1B, B1, and A2 CO(2) emission scenarios from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report. Steps in the evaluation include: (1) specifying crop enterprises and APSs (i.e., combinations of crop enterprises) in consultation with locals producers; (2) simulating crop yields for two soils, crop prices, crop enterprises costs, and NFIs for APSs; (3) determining the dominant APS in the historical and future climate periods in terms of NFI; and (4) determining whether NFI for the dominant APS in the historical climate period is superior to NFI for the dominant APS in the future climate period. Crop yields are simulated using the Environmental/Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) model and dominance comparisons for NFI are based on the stochastic efficiency with respect to a function (SERF) criterion. Probability distributions that best fit the EPIC-simulated crop yields are used to simulate 100 values for crop yields for the two soils in the historical and future climate periods. Best-fitting probability distributions for historical inflation-adjusted crop prices and specified triangular probability distributions for crop enterprise costs are used to simulate 100 values for crop prices and crop enterprise costs. Averaged over all crop enterprises, farm sizes, and soil types, simulated net return per ha averaged over all crop enterprises decreased 24% and simulated mean NFI for APSs decreased 57% between the historical and future climate periods. Although adapting APSs

Biocombinatorial Engineering of Fungal PKS-NRPS Hybrids for Production of Novel Synthetic Natural Products

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Maria Lund

encoding a PKS-NRPS hybrid responsible for the production of a medically relevant compound in Talaromyces atroroseus. To the best of my knowledge, this study represents the first example of reverse engineering of a Talaromyces species. In the fourth study (chapter 5), I used the CRISPR-Cas9 system...... structure optimization. Within the last decade, an alternative approach for expanding natural product chemodiversity has been applied. This strategy, known as combinatorial biosynthesis, involves the re-engineering of biosynthetic pathways and ultimately the rational engineering of new natural product...... analogs. This field, however, has proved very challenging and many engineering efforts have resulted in enzymatic loss-of-function or reduced yields. Thus, the future success in combinatorial biosynthetic studies requires a thorough understanding of the structure and function of biosynthetic enzymes...

On the efforts (man-day) concerned with inspection in uranium fuel fabrication facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watanabe, T.; Tanaka, T.; Seki, Y.

1990-01-01

Taking notice of inspection efforts (man·day) of STA·IAEA and those of MNF concerned with them, their change and various factors affecting the change have been studied. Namely, first, main topics concerning inspection in our Tokai plant are mentioned and secondly the relation between the inspection efforts and such factors as PIV period, number of items, number of DA sampling and NDA measurements, and so forth is studied. According to our study, though efforts of STA·IAEA and MNF required for both routine FLOW inspection and PIT have been nearly unchanged each year, our efforts for PIV have been increasing gradually. The factors relating to this increase of our efforts are the PIV period, inspection efforts of STA·IAEA for PIV and the number of DA sampling and NDA measurements. Finally, a suggestion on the future inspection system has been mentioned and then some items for improvement under the current inspection system have been exemplified. (author)

Get Ready 'Cause Here It Comes: The Future of Marketing Communication (Marketing Writing for Technical Products).

Science.gov (United States)

King, Janice

1995-01-01

Discusses trends for the future in marketing communication: expanding channels for communication, global marketing, product brands, and changing jobs. Suggests ways marketing communicators can prepare for these changes. (SR)

78 FR 43889 - Synergizing Efforts in Standards Development for Cellular Therapies and Regenerative Medicine...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-22

... regenerative medicine products have generated a great deal of interest. These efforts include standards... is done to coordinate the various existing efforts. In the public workshop, FDA hopes to bring...

Korean efforts for education and training network in nuclear technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Kyong-Won; Lee, Eui-Jin

2007-01-01

Nuclear energy has been a backbone for Korea's remarkable economic growth, and will continue its essential role with 18 nuclear power plants in operation, 2 more units under construction, 6 more units in planning. Korea is operating its own designed nuclear power plants, such as KSNP, 1400, as well as self-design and operation of 30 MW Hanaro research reactor. Korea makes strong efforts to develop future nuclear technology. They are the System-Integrated Modular Advanced Reactor, SMART, Korea Advanced Liquid Metal reactor, KALIMER, Hydrogen Production reactor, and Proliferation-resistant Nuclear Fuel Cycle. In parallel, Korea is establishing an Advanced Radiation Technology R and D Center and a High Power Proton Accelerator Center. International, next generation nuclear power technologies are being developed through projects such as the IAEA Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycle, INPRO, Generation IV International Forum, GIF, and International thermonuclear Experimental reactor, ITER. In the new millennium, Korea expects that radiation technology combined with bio, nano, and space technology will sustain our civilization. About 21,000 qualified nuclear human resources are engaged in power and non-power fields such as design and manufacturing of equipment, plant operation and maintenance, safety, RI production, R and D, etc. However, it is recognized that the first generation of nuclear work force is getting older and retired, less of our youth are studying nuclear science and engineering. Korean Government has established a promotion program on nuclear human resources development, which is needed until 2010. For the sustainable development of nuclear science and technology, it calls for more qualified human resources. We ought to encourage our youth to become more interested in nuclear studies and careers. Korea is making strong efforts to support nuclear education and training for young generations. It is believed that internationally accepted advanced

Concepts for Future Large Fire Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

A. P. Dimitrakopoulos; R. E. Martin

1987-01-01

A small number of fires escape initial attack suppression efforts and become large, but their effects are significant and disproportionate. In 1983, of 200,000 wildland fires in the United States, only 4,000 exceeded 100 acres. However, these escaped fires accounted for roughly 95 percent of wildfire-related costs and damages (Pyne, 1984). Thus, future research efforts...

Natural products for chronic cough: Text mining the East Asian historical literature for future therapeutics.

Science.gov (United States)

Shergis, Johannah Linda; Wu, Lei; May, Brian H; Zhang, Anthony Lin; Guo, Xinfeng; Lu, Chuanjian; Xue, Charlie Changli

2015-08-01

Chronic cough is a significant health burden. Patients experience variable benefits from over the counter and prescribed products, but there is an unmet need to provide more effective treatments. Natural products have been used to treat cough and some plant compounds such as pseudoephedrine from ephedra and codeine from opium poppy have been developed into drugs. Text mining historical literature may offer new insight for future therapeutic development. We identified natural products used in the East Asian historical literature to treat chronic cough. Evaluation of the historical literature revealed 331 natural products used to treat chronic cough. Products included plants, minerals and animal substances. These natural products were found in 75 different books published between AD 363 and 1911. Of the 331 products, the 10 most frequently and continually used products were examined, taking into consideration findings from contemporary experimental studies. The natural products identified are promising and offer new directions in therapeutic development for treating chronic cough. © The Author(s) 2015.

Distinct effects of apathy and dopamine on effort-based decision-making in Parkinson's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Le Heron, Campbell; Plant, Olivia; Manohar, Sanjay; Ang, Yuen-Siang; Jackson, Matthew; Lennox, Graham; Hu, Michele T; Husain, Masud

2018-05-01

high effort, high reward offers, irrespective of underlying motivational state. Dopamine also exerted a main effect on motor vigour, increasing force production independently of reward offered, while apathy did not affect this measure. The findings demonstrate that disrupted effort-based decision-making underlies Parkinson's disease apathy, but in a manner distinct to that caused by dopamine depletion. Apathy is associated with reduced incentivization by the rewarding outcomes of actions. In contrast, dopamine has a general effect in motivating behaviour for high effort, high reward options without altering the response pattern that characterizes the apathetic state. Thus, the motivational deficit observed in Parkinson's disease appears not to be simply secondary to dopaminergic depletion of mesocorticolimbic pathways, suggesting non-dopaminergic therapeutic strategies for apathy may be important future targets.

Electronic Health Records: VAs Efforts Raise Concerns about Interoperability Goals and Measures, Duplication with DOD, and Future Plans

Science.gov (United States)

2016-07-13

ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS VA’s Efforts Raise Concerns about Interoperability Goals and Measures, Duplication with DOD...Agencies, Committee on Appropriations, U.S. Senate July 13, 2016 ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS VA’s Efforts Raise Concerns about Interoperability Goals...initiatives with the Department of Defense (DOD) that were intended to advance the ability of the two departments to share electronic health records ,

Linking the oceans to public health: current efforts and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Kite-Powell, Hauke L; Fleming, Lora E; Backer, Lorraine C; Faustman, Elaine M; Hoagland, Porter; Tsuchiya, Ami; Younglove, Lisa R; Wilcox, Bruce A; Gast, Rebecca J

2008-11-07

We review the major linkages between the oceans and public health, focusing on exposures and potential health effects due to anthropogenic and natural factors including: harmful algal blooms, microbes, and chemical pollutants in the oceans; consumption of seafood; and flooding events. We summarize briefly the current state of knowledge about public health effects and their economic consequences; and we discuss priorities for future research.We find that:* There are numerous connections between the oceans, human activities, and human health that result in both positive and negative exposures and health effects (risks and benefits); and the study of these connections comprises a new interdisciplinary area, "oceans and human health."* The state of present knowledge about the linkages between oceans and public health varies. Some risks, such as the acute health effects caused by toxins associated with shellfish poisoning and red tide, are relatively well understood. Other risks, such as those posed by chronic exposure to many anthropogenic chemicals, pathogens, and naturally occurring toxins in coastal waters, are less well quantified. Even where there is a good understanding of the mechanism for health effects, good epidemiological data are often lacking. Solid data on economic and social consequences of these linkages are also lacking in most cases.* The design of management measures to address these risks must take into account the complexities of human response to warnings and other guidance, and the economic tradeoffs among different risks and benefits. Future research in oceans and human health to address public health risks associated with marine pathogens and toxins, and with marine dimensions of global change, should include epidemiological, behavioral, and economic components to ensure that resulting management measures incorporate effective economic and risk/benefit tradeoffs.

Tax effort and oil royalties in the Brazilian municipalities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando Antonio Slaibe Postali

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This paper estimates a stochastic production frontier, to investigate whether municipalities covered by oil royalties in the last decade have reduced their tax effort in Brazil. The issue is relevant to the prospect of a substantial increase in these revenues and the new rules for distribution of the funds, established by Law No. 12.734/2012. The inputs were provided by personnel and capital expenditures, whereas the product was defined as the municipal tax collection. With the purpose of overcoming the endogeneity problems due to reverse causality of output on inputs, we used the lagged independent variable as instruments in the inefficiency equation. The data set is composed of a panel of Brazilian municipalities from 2002 to 2011. The results indicate that oil revenues have a negative impact on the estimated efficiencies, signaling reduced fiscal effort by the benefiting municipalities.

The application of radiation technology in industrial processes: current and future perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silverman, J.

1975-01-01

The development of nuclear power has been responsible for many by-products, among them radioactive fission products. In the late 1940's and early 1950's considerable efforts were made to develop industrial processes that could make use of the fission products in large quantities. Although some fission products are utilized today, the scale does not approach the quantities that will be produced in a nuclear economy. The efforts have not been a failure, however, and the research to develop industrial processes has created markets, not for the fission products as one had hoped, but for the radioisotope Cobalt-60 produced by neutron capture in a nuclear reactor, and for accelerators - machines that produce radiation in a controlled manner. Success in finding uses for the major fission products may yet come, as research continues in the radiation chemistry and radiation biology fields. Radiation processing is now a vigorously expanding area because of sharp increases in the reliability of electron beam generators, sharp drops in the unit cost of both electron beam power and electron beam energy, significant advances in radiation chemistry leading to lower dose requirements and increased engineering knowledge and practical experience. he principal reasons for its bright future promise arise from expectations of further sharp decreases in the unit cost of electron beam energy and from the recent successful adoption of radiation on a large scale for cross linking of telephone wire insulation in the United States. (author)

Predicting the Uncertain Future of Aptamer-Based Diagnostics and Therapeutics.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruno, John G

2015-04-16

Despite the great promise of nucleic acid aptamers in the areas of diagnostics and therapeutics for their facile in vitro development, lack of immunogenicity and other desirable properties, few truly successful aptamer-based products exist in the clinical or other markets. Core reasons for these commercial deficiencies probably stem from industrial commitment to antibodies including a huge financial investment in humanized monoclonal antibodies and a general ignorance about aptamers and their performance among the research and development community. Given the early failures of some strong commercial efforts to gain government approval and bring aptamer-based products to market, it may seem that aptamers are doomed to take a backseat to antibodies forever. However, the key advantages of aptamers over antibodies coupled with niche market needs that only aptamers can fill and more recent published data still point to a bright commercial future for aptamers in areas such as infectious disease and cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. As more researchers and entrepreneurs become familiar with aptamers, it seems inevitable that aptamers will at least be considered for expanded roles in diagnostics and therapeutics. This review also examines new aptamer modifications and attempts to predict new aptamer applications that could revolutionize biomedical technology in the future and lead to marketed products.

Production Of The ADD Type Kaluza-Klein Excitations At Future e+e-, ep And pp Colliders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Billur, A. A.; Ciftci, A. K.; Ciftci, R.; Inan, S. C.; Sultansoy, S.

2007-01-01

Possible production of ADD type Kaluza-Klein excitations are investigated at future high energy e+e-, ep and pp colliders. Discovery limits and signatures of such excitations are discussed at above colliders comparatively

Resources and future supply of oil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kjaerstad, Jan; Johnsson, Filip

2009-01-01

This paper examines global oil resources and the future global oil supply/demand balance. The paper builds upon several comprehensive databases designed during the work and considerable efforts have been made to review what must be considered the most reliable data. Global oil resources have been investigated on three levels; country, company and field levels. Although no decisive conclusions or quantitative assessments can be made with respect to the global oil resource base, remaining resources appear to be sufficient to meet demand up to 2030 as projected in the 2006 (and 2007) world energy outlook by the IEA. Significant resources have already been discovered beyond proven reserves, many prospective regions remain to be fully explored and there are vast volumes of recoverable unconventional oil. However, it is also concluded that global supply of oil probably will continue to be tight, both in the medium term as well as in the long term mainly as a consequence of above-ground factors such as investment constraints, geopolitical tensions, limited access to reserves and mature super-giant fields. Production of unconventional oil and synthetic fuels is not believed to significantly alter this situation. Although an increasing number of recent reports have indicated an imminent or 'soon to come' peak in global oil supply, it has not been found that any of these reports have contributed with any new information on oil resources or oil supply ability. Nevertheless, there is a distinct possibility that global oil production may peak or plateau in a relatively near future, not caused by limited resources but because too many factors over long time constrain investments into exploration and production. The lack of transparency within the oil industry obviously prevents any accurate analysis of future production and supply ability. Moreover, our ability to analyse the sector will become more difficult in the future as oil increasingly will have to be sourced from

Production logistic for an attack nuclear submarine squadron fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guimaraes, Leonam dos Santos

1999-01-01

The future acquisition of nuclear attack submarines by Brazilian Navy along next century will imply new requirements on Naval Logistic Support System. These needs will impact all the six logistic functions. Among them, fuel supply could be considered as the one which requires the most important capacitating effort, including not only technological development of processes but also the development of a national industrial basis for effective production of nuclear fuel. This paper presents the technical aspects of the processes involved and an annual production dimensioning for an squadron composed by four units. (author)

Biodiesel I: Historical background, present and future production and standards - professional paper

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Skala Dejan U.

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Biodiesel is defined as a fuel which may be used as pure biofuel or at high concentration in mineral oil derivatives, in accordance with specific quality standards for transport applications. The main raw material used for biodiesel production is rapeseed, which contains mono-unsaturated acids (about 60% and also poly-unsaturated fatty acids (C 18:1 and C 18:3 in a lower quantity, as well as some undesired saturated fatty acids (palmitic and stearic acids. Other raw materials have also been used in research and the industrial production of biodiesel (palm oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil, waste plant oil, animal fats, etc. The historical background of biodiesel production, installed industrial capacities, as well as the Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council (May 2003 regarding the promotion of the use of biofuels or other renewable fuels for transport are discussed in the first part of this article. The second part focuses on some new concepts for the future development of technology for biodiesel production, based on the application of non-catalytic transesterification under supercritical conditions or the use of lipases as an alternative catalyst for this reaction.

Summary of process research analysis efforts

Science.gov (United States)

Burger, D. R.

1985-01-01

A summary of solar-cell process research analysis efforts was presented. Process design and cell design are interactive efforts where technology from integrated circuit processes and other processes are blended. The primary factors that control cell efficiency are: (1) the bulk parameters of the available sheet material, (2) the retention and enhancement of these bulk parameters, and (3) the cell design and the cost to produce versus the finished cells performance. The process sequences need to be tailored to be compatible with the sheet form, the cell shape form, and the processing equipment. New process options that require further evaluation and utilization are lasers, robotics, thermal pulse techniques, and new materials. There are numerous process control techniques that can be adapted and used that will improve product uniformity and reduced costs. Two factors that can lead to longer life modules are the use of solar cell diffusion barriers and improved encapsulation.

Towards an Early Software Effort Estimation Based on Functional and Non-Functional Requirements

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kassab, M.; Daneva, Maia; Ormanjieva, Olga; Abran, A.; Braungarten, R.; Dumke, R.; Cuadrado-Gallego, J.; Brunekreef, J.

2009-01-01

The increased awareness of the non-functional requirements as a key to software project and product success makes explicit the need to include them in any software project effort estimation activity. However, the existing approaches to defining size-based effort relationships still pay insufficient

Obstetricians and the 2009-2010 H1N1 vaccination effort: implications for future pandemics.

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Sarah J; Cowan, Anne E; Wortley, Pascale M

2013-09-01

Our objective was to describe the experiences of obstetricians during the 2009-2010 H1N1 vaccination campaign in order to identify possible improvements for future pandemic situations. We conducted a cross-sectional mail survey of a national random sample of 4,000 obstetricians, fielded in Summer 2010. Survey items included availability, recommendation, and patient acceptance of H1N1 vaccine; prioritization of H1N1 vaccine when supply was limited; problems with H1N1 vaccination; and likelihood of providing vaccine during a future influenza pandemic. Response rate was 66 %. Obstetricians strongly recommended H1N1 vaccine during the second (85 %) and third (86 %) trimesters, and less often during the first trimester (71 %) or the immediate postpartum period (76 %); patient preferences followed a similar pattern. H1N1 vaccine was typically available in outpatient obstetrics clinics (80 %). Overall vaccine supply was a major problem for 30 % of obstetricians, but few rated lack of thimerosal-free vaccine as a major problem (12 %). Over half of obstetricians had no major problems with the H1N1 vaccine campaign. Based on this experience, 74 % would be "very likely" and 12 % "likely" to provide vaccine in the event of a future influenza pandemic. Most obstetricians strongly recommended H1N1 vaccine, had few logistical problems beyond limited vaccine supply, and are willing to vaccinate in a future pandemic. Addressing concerns about first-trimester vaccination, developing guidance for prioritization of vaccine in the event of severe supply constraints, and continued facilitation of the logistical aspects of vaccination should be emphasized in future influenza pandemics.

A Review on Current Status and Future Prospects of Winged Bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) in Tropical Agriculture.

Science.gov (United States)

Lepcha, Patrush; Egan, Ashley N; Doyle, Jeff J; Sathyanarayana, N

2017-09-01

Winged bean, Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC., is analogous to soybean in yield and nutritional quality, proving a valuable alternative to soybean in tropical regions of the world. The presence of anti-nutritional factors and high costs associated with indeterminate plant habit have been major concerns in this crop. But occurrence of good genetic variability in germplasm collections offers precious resources for winged bean breeding. However, lack of germplasm characterization is hindering such efforts. From a genomic standpoint, winged bean has been little studied despite rapid advancement in legume genomics in the last decade. Exploiting modern genomics/breeding approaches for genetic resource characterization and the breeding of early maturing, high yielding, determinate varieties which are disease resistant and free of anti-nutritional factors along with developing consumer friendly value-added products of local significance are great challenges and opportunities in the future that would boost cultivation of winged bean in the tropics. We review past efforts and future prospects towards winged bean improvement.

Coal and Oil: The Dark Monarchs of Global Energy: Understanding Supply and Extraction Patterns and their Importance for Future Production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoeoek, Mikael

2010-01-01

The formation of modern society has been dominated by coal and oil, and together these two fossil fuels account for nearly two thirds of all primary energy used by mankind. This makes future production a key question for future social development and this thesis attempts to answer whether it is possible to rely on an assumption of ever increasing production of coal and oil. Both coal and oil are finite resources, created over long time scales by geological processes. It is thus impossible to extract more fossil fuels than geologically available. In other words, there are limits to growth imposed by nature. The concept of depletion and exhaustion of recoverable resources is a fundamental question for the future extraction of coal and oil. Historical experience shows that peaking is a well established phenomenon in production of various natural resources. Coal and oil are no exceptions, and historical data shows that easily exploitable resources are exhausted while more challenging deposits are left for the future. For oil, depletion can also be tied directly to the physical laws governing fluid flows in reservoirs. Understanding and predicting behaviour of individual fields, in particularly giant fields, are essential for understanding future production. Based on comprehensive databases with reserve and production data for hundreds of oilfields, typical patterns were found. Alternatively, depletion can manifest itself indirectly through various mechanisms. This has been studied for coal. Over 60% of the global crude oil production is derived from only around 330 giant oilfields, where many of them are becoming increasingly mature. The annual decline in existing oil production has been determined to be around 6% and it is unrealistic that this will be offset by new field developments, additional discoveries or unconventional oil. This implies that the peak of the oil age is here. For coal a similar picture emerges, where 90% of the global coal production originates

Maternal sensitivity and latency to positive emotion following challenge: pathways through effortful control.

Science.gov (United States)

Conway, Anne; McDonough, Susan C; Mackenzie, Michael; Miller, Alison; Dayton, Carolyn; Rosenblum, Katherine; Muzik, Maria; Sameroff, Arnold

2014-01-01

The ability to self-generate positive emotions is an important component of emotion regulation. In this study, we focus on children's latency to express positive emotions following challenging situations and assess whether this ability operates through early maternal sensitivity and children's effortful control. Longitudinal relations between maternal sensitivity, infant negative affect, effortful control, and latency to positive emotion following challenge were examined in 156 children who were 33 months of age. Structural equation models supported the hypothesis that maternal sensitivity during infancy predicted better effortful control and, in turn, shorter latencies to positive emotions following challenge at 33 months. Directions for future research are discussed. © 2014 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.

The future seen from Erice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1986-01-01

A few specialists have been finding time to think beyond the LEP electron- positron Collider now being built at CERN and the SSC Superconducting Super Collider proposed for the US to the physics needs and accelerator possibilities of the future. Despite the modest effort, a lot of progress has been made in sorting the wheat from the chaff amongst proposed accelerator schemes and in defining crucial features of future machines. Some of this thinking came together at a seminar on 'New Techniques for Future Accelerators' held in Erice, Sicily, from 12-17 May

Feed the Future Monitoring System Aggregate Data 2011-2014

Data.gov (United States)

US Agency for International Development — The Feed the Future Monitoring System (FTFMS) is part of an interagency effort to consolidate U.S. Government (USG) reporting on Feed the Future activities. FTFMS...

Profitability and Farmers Conservation Efforts on Sustainable Potato Farming in Wonosobo Regency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liana Fatma Leslie Pratiwi

2017-07-01

Full Text Available It takes into account in potato farming sustainability, since it was recognised as a holticultural commodity for farmers’ subsistence in Wonosobo Regency. For the reason that farming land was being degraded by errossion, the potato productivity apparently continued to decline. Potato farming sustainability can be deliberated from economic (profitability and environmental (conservation efforts points of view in order to remain profitable in a long term sustainable environment. This study is aimed to (1 to analyse the profitability of potato farming; (2 to analyse farmers’ effort on soil conservation and factors which affected sustainability of potato farming. The method used in this study was basic descriptive analysis. The study site was in Kejajar District, Wonosobo Regency, subsequently 50 random farmers as respondences was obtained. Gross Margin, Return on Invested Capital, and Operating Ratio were used to measure the profitability of potato farming. Conservation Activity Index (CAI was used to measure farmers’ effort on soil conservation, while paired liner regression model with Ordinary Least Square (OLS method was used to understand the factors which affected the conservation efforts of test sites. The study results revealed that the potato farming was profitable. Farmers conservation efforts mostly was in average category (74%, and only view in high category (16% and low category (10%. Factors affected the farmers conservation efforts i.e. land area, potato products, potato price, the off-farm income, number of family members, farmers ages, and village dummy.

Comparative analysis for energy production processes (EPPs): Sustainable energy futures for Turkey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Talinli, Ilhan; Topuz, Emel; Uygar Akbay, Mehmet

2010-01-01

This study presents a comparative analysis of three different energy production process (EPP) scenarios for Turkey. Main goal is to incorporate the prioritization criteria for the assessment of various energy policies for power alternatives, and evaluating these policies against these criteria. The three types of EPPs reviewed in this study are: electricity production from wind farms in the future, existing coal-based thermal power plants and planned nuclear power plants. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is utilized to assess the main and sub-factors of EPPs. Main factors such as economic, technical, social and environmental are assigned in first level of the AHP. The importance weights of factors are produced and priority values with realistic numbers are obtained using Fuzzy-AHP Chang's Model. Priority value for wind energy was determined as two times higher than the others when making the ultimate decision. On aggregate, importance weights of environmental (0.68) and social (0.69) factors make wind power leader. Sub-factors such as public acceptance, waste-emission and environmental impacts cause both nuclear and thermal power to have the lowest priority numbers. Additionally, the CO 2 emissions trade was determined to be a very important criterion associated with both economic and environmental factors according to Kyoto Protocol. This study concludes that Turkey's existing thermal power stations should gradually be substituted by renewable energy options according to a schedule of Turkish energy policies in future.

APA efforts in promoting human rights and social justice.

Science.gov (United States)

Leong, Frederick T L; Pickren, Wade E; Vasquez, Melba J T

2017-11-01

This article reviews the American Psychological Association's (APA) efforts in promoting human rights and social justice. Beginning with a historical review of the conceptualizations of human rights and social justice, the social challenges that have faced the United States over time are discussed in relation to the APA's evolving mission and strategic initiatives enacted through its boards, committees, and directorates. From early efforts on the Board for Social and Ethical Responsibility in Psychology and the Board of Ethnic Minority Affairs to the establishment of the Public Interest Directorate, the APA's efforts to address these human rights and social justice challenges through its task force reports, guidelines, and policies are described. Specifically, issues related to diversity and underrepresentation of minority group members and perspective within the APA, as well as women's issues (prochoice, violence against women, sexualization of young girls, human trafficking) were central to these efforts. These minority groups included racial and ethnic minority groups; immigrants and refugees; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and queer individuals; and those with disabilities. Later attention shifted to broader social justice challenges within a public health perspective, such as AIDS, obesity, and violence. Also included is a brief discussion of the Hoffman Report. The article ends with a discussion of future directions for the APA's efforts related to human rights and social justice related to health disparities, violent extremism, social inequality, migration, cultural and racial diversity, and an evidence-based approach to programming. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Recycling and Energy Recovery Pilot Project: Project Report and Future Efforts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rivard, C.

1999-05-19

A novel bioprocessing technology was developed that efficiently converts negative-value organic waste, including domestic refuse, animal manures, industrial wastes, food processing wastes, and municipal sewage sludge into saleable products, including fuel gas and compost. This technology is known as high solids anaerobic digestion and was developed at NREL from fundamental research to laboratory- and intermediate-scale system evaluations.

Future orientation: a construct with implications for adolescent health and wellbeing.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Sarah R Lindstrom; Blum, Robert W; Cheng, Tina L

2014-01-01

Multidisciplinary research has supported a relationship between adolescent future orientation (the ability to set future goals and plans) and positive adolescent health and development outcomes. Many preventive strategies - for example, contracepting, exercising - are based on taking actions in the present to avoid unwanted or negative future consequences. However, research has been hampered by unclear and often divergent conceptualizations of the future orientation construct. The present paper aims to integrate previous conceptual and operational definitions into a conceptual framework that can inform programs and services for youth and efforts to evaluate future orientation as a target for intervention. Recommendations focus on furthering the study of the construct through measurement synthesis as well as studies of the normative development of future orientation. Also suggested is the need to pair environmental intervention strategies with individual level efforts to improve future orientation in order to maximize benefits.

A future perspective on the role of industrial biotechnology for chemicals production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Woodley, John; Breuer, Michael; Mink, Daniel

2013-01-01

The development of recombinant DNA technology, the need for renewable raw materials and a green, sustainable profile for future chemical processes have been major drivers in the implementation of industrial biotechnology. The use of industrial biotechnology for the production of chemicals is well...... established in the pharmaceutical industry but is moving down the value chain toward bulk chemicals. Chemical engineers will have an essential role in the development of new processes where the need is for new design methods for effective implementation, just as much as new technology. Most interesting...

ENTROPY PRODUCTION IN COLLISIONLESS SYSTEMS. I. LARGE PHASE-SPACE OCCUPATION NUMBERS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barnes, Eric I.; Williams, Liliya L. R.

2011-01-01

Certain thermal non-equilibrium situations, outside of the astrophysical realm, suggest that entropy production extrema, instead of entropy extrema, are related to stationary states. In an effort to better understand the evolution of collisionless self-gravitating systems, we investigate the role of entropy production and develop expressions for the entropy production rate in two particular statistical families that describe self-gravitating systems. From these entropy production descriptions, we derive the requirements for extremizing the entropy production rate in terms of specific forms for the relaxation function in the Boltzmann equation. We discuss some implications of these relaxation functions and point to future work that will further test this novel thermodynamic viewpoint of collisionless relaxation.

Future consequences of decreasing marginal production efficiency in the high-yielding dairy cow.

Science.gov (United States)

Moallem, U

2016-04-01

The objectives were to examine the gross and marginal production efficiencies in high-yielding dairy cows and the future consequences on dairy industry profitability. Data from 2 experiments were used in across-treatments analysis (n=82 mid-lactation multiparous Israeli-Holstein dairy cows). Milk yields, body weights (BW), and dry matter intakes (DMI) were recorded daily. In both experiments, cows were fed a diet containing 16.5 to 16.6% crude protein and net energy for lactation (NEL) at 1.61 Mcal/kg of dry matter (DM). The means of milk yield, BW, DMI, NEL intake, and energy required for maintenance were calculated individually over the whole study, and used to calculate gross and marginal efficiencies. Data were analyzed in 2 ways: (1) simple correlation between variables; and (2) cows were divided into 3 subgroups, designated low, moderate, and high DMI (LDMI, MDMI, and HDMI), according to actual DMI per day: ≤ 26 kg (n=27); >26 through 28.2 kg (n=28); and >28.2 kg (n=27). The phenotypic Pearson correlations among variables were analyzed, and the GLM procedure was used to test differences between subgroups. The relationships between milk and fat-corrected milk yields and the corresponding gross efficiencies were positive, whereas BW and gross production efficiency were negatively correlated. The marginal production efficiency from DM and energy consumed decreased with increasing DMI. The difference between BW gain as predicted by the National Research Council model (2001) and the present measurements increased with increasing DMI (r=0.68). The average calculated energy balances were 1.38, 2.28, and 4.20 Mcal/d (standard error of the mean=0.64) in the LDMI, MDMI, and HDMI groups, respectively. The marginal efficiency for milk yields from DMI or energy consumed was highest in LDMI, intermediate in MDMI, and lowest in HDMI. The predicted BW gains for the whole study period were 22.9, 37.9, and 75.8 kg for the LDMI, MDMI, and HDMI groups, respectively. The

Conflict adaptation in schizophrenia: reviewing past and previewing future efforts.

Science.gov (United States)

Abrahamse, Elger; Ruitenberg, Marit; Duthoo, Wout; Sabbe, Bernard; Morrens, Manuel; van Dijck, Jean-Philippe

2016-05-01

Cognitive control impairments have been suggested to be a critical component in the overall cognitive deficits observed in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Here, we zoom in on a specific function of cognitive control, conflict adaptation. Abnormal neural activity patterns have been observed for patients diagnosed with schizophrenia in core conflict adaptation areas such as anterior cingulate cortex and prefrontal cortex. On the one hand, this strongly indicates that conflict adaptation is affected. On the other hand, however, outcomes at the behavioural level are needed to create a window into a precise interpretation of this abnormal neural activity. We present a narrative review of behavioural work within the context of conflict adaptation in schizophrenia, focusing on various major conflict adaptation markers: congruency sequence effects, proportion congruency effects, and post-error and post-conflict slowing. The review emphasises both methodological and theoretical aspects that are relevant to the understanding of conflict adaptation in schizophrenia. Based on the currently available set of behavioural studies on conflict adaptation, no clear-cut answer can be provided as to the precise conflict adaptation processes that are impaired (and to what extent) in schizophrenia populations. Future work is needed in state-of-the-art designs in order to reach better insight into the specifics of conflict adaptation impairments associated with schizophrenia.

A critical evalluation of internal revenue generating efforts of some ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Their bad financial state has robbed our rural areas of ... electricity, food production, staff welfare and general condition of living in the rural areas. This ugly ... Inspite of these efforts by successive governments, the problem continues to persist.

STONES SAWING SLUDGE AS BY-PRODUCT: characterization for a future recovery

Science.gov (United States)

Zichella, Lorena; Bellopede, Rossana; Marini, Paola

2017-04-01

The European Commission, as part of its Thematic Strategy on the prevention and recycling of waste, committed itself to tackle one of the issues around the waste definition, namely the distinction between waste and by-products. This definition has been outlined through the Communication on waste and by-product of the European Court of Justice (Brussels, 21.2.2007 COM(2007) 59 final COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT). By-product is a substance or object, resulting from a production process, the primary aim of which is not the production of that item. By-products can come from a wide range of business sectors, and can have very different environmental impacts. If there is a possibility that the material is in fact not useable, because it does not meet the technical specifications that would be required for its use, then it should continue to be considered as a waste. The status of waste protects the environment from the potential consequences of this uncertainty. If it subsequently happens that a use is found for the waste in question then it will lose its status of waste and it will be considered a by-product. An incorrect classification could be the cause of environmental damage or unnecessary costs for business. For this purpose a characterization of sludge coming from different plants of stone processing was carried out for a better classification of the materials in view of a future recovery. The different stones cutting processes considered for this study are: gangsaw, diamond blade and diamond wire. The cut materials are granites, gneisses, and other stones mainly of silicatic nature. The tests performed on the sawing sludge are the following: particle size analysis, chemical analysis, wet magnetic separation, diffraction and SEM analysis. The study performed is useful for evaluating the possible reuses of the products coming from the magnetic separation: the metal fraction, and the mineral one. In order to avoid a

Tobacco industry efforts to erode tobacco advertising controls in Hungary.

Science.gov (United States)

Szilágyi, T; Chapman, S

2004-12-01

To review strategies of transnational tobacco companies (TTCs) at creating a favourable advertising environment for their products in Hungary, with special regard to efforts resulting in the liberalisation of tobacco advertising in 1997. Analysis of internal tobacco industry documents relevant to Hungary available on the World Wide Web. Transcripts of speeches of members of the Parliament during the debate of the 1997 advertising act were also reviewed. The tobacco companies not only entered the Hungarian market by early participation in the privatisation of the former state tobacco monopoly, but also imported theirsophisticated marketing experiences. Evasion and violation of rules in force, creation of new partnerships, establishment and use of front groups, finding effective ways for influencing decision makers were all parts of a well orchestrated industry effort to avoid a strict marketing regulation for tobacco products.

Energizing our Future: How Disinformation and Ignorance are Misdirecting Our Efforts

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, John

2007-03-01

Most of the energy-source choices that are being considered or implemented for future use by governments and by a wide variety of would-be manufacturers are driven by assumptions that are often uninformed and sometimes intentionally misinformed. These dangerous assumptions relate to ``drivers'' that range from the causes (and proposed fixes) of Global Warming to the myth of ``Peak Oil'' to the dubious viability of Hydrogen as a vehicle fuel to the uncertain feasibility of replacing most of our conventional fossil energy supplies with fuels such as Ethanol derived from Renewable Resources. Regrettably, many of these misinformed assumptions and misplaced beliefs are being used as the basis for major decisions involving huge investments in technologies that simply cannot do the job, a potential catastrophe. There is no place for what we will call ``Faith-Based Science'' in major business decisions of this kind. This talk will examine some of the key beliefs that are driving our current energy decision-making process and will expose the uncomfortable facts that dictate that fossil fuels, like it or not, should and will remain our primary energy source for many years to come, at least until solar energy becomes economically viable. For example, it will be shown that biomass-based fuels can, at best, be only a minor contributor to meeting the world's future energy needs; that the use of nuclear power, whether or not we consider it environmentally attractive; will be severely limited by a shortfall in nuclear fuel supplies; and that hydrogen as a transportation fuel will at best be a niche player and perhaps not a player at all. As we re-activate, improve and implement the many ``clean'' fossil-fuel technologies that were developed 25 years ago, we must also focus intensely on developing the energy technologies that really can replace fossil fuels in the years following 2050 or so when their availability will really be in decline. It will be argued that the optimum

Production of the Randall-Sundrum Type Kaluza-Klein Excitations at Future e+e-, ep and pp Colliders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Billur, A. A.; Ciftci, A. K.; Ciftci, R.; Inan, S. C.; Sultansoy, S.

2007-01-01

Possible production of Randall-Sundrum type Kaluza-Klein excitations are investigated at future high energy e+e-, ep and pp colliders. Discovery limits and signatures of such excitations are discussed at above colliders comparatively

Attentional Focusing Instructions and Force Production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David C Marchant

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Research progress assessing the role of attentional focusing instructions on skill acquisition and performance has lead researchers to apply this approach to force production tasks. Initial converging evidence indicates that force production tasks are sensitive to verbal instruction; externally focused instructions (onto movement outcomes, or onto the object force is being exerted against are shown to be more beneficial than internally focused instructions (focusing attention onto the movements being executed. These benefits are observed for maximal and accurate force production, as well as the maintenance of force production in prolonged tasks. A range of mechanisms are identified supporting the proposal that an external focus promotes movement efficiency in line with energy and effort conservation. Future research is required to assess how this developing body of work interacts with the broader understanding of psychological and physiological factors implicated in the effective production, maintenance and limitation of maximal or sub-maximal forces.

Designing future products: what difficulties do designers encounter and how can their creative process be supported?

Science.gov (United States)

Bonnardel, Nathalie

2012-01-01

To remain competitive, companies must regularly offer new products to consumers. A major challenge for designers is therefore to come up with design solutions and define products that are both new and adapted to future users and usages. Although classic methods and ergonomic recommendations are useful in most run-of-the-mill design contexts, they are of limited benefit when the design situation requires greater creativity. This paper therefore addresses issues related to product design by pursuing a triple objective: (1) highlight the difficulties encountered by designers in imagining and conceiving new products, (2) find out which conditions could help designers come up with creative ideas for innovative products, and (3) suggest methods and tools to support designers' creative process and help them take other stakeholders' needs and expectations into consideration.

Radiative corrections for associated ZH production at future e+e- colliders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kniehl, B.A.

1991-11-01

The ZHfanti f four-point function is calculated in the one-loop approximation of the Standard Model and full analytic results are presented. The loop contributions due to both light and new heavy fermions are inspected in detail. The dominant mechanisms of Higgs-boson production from fermions are compared. The effect of radiative corrections on the cross section of fanti f→ZH including bremsstrahlung is studied. The spectrum of hard bremsstrahlung is integrated analytically. The implications for Higgs-boson searches at future e + e - colliders in the energy range 200 GeV≤√s≤1.5 TeV, which includes both LEP 2 and the Next Linear Collider, are analyzed. At √s=500 GeV, for instance, weak corrections in the modified on-mass-shell scheme vary between -2% and +7%, depending on the actual values of the Higgs-boson and top-quark masses. Electromagnetic corrections strongly reduce the cross section close to the ZH-production threshold, while they may considerably enhance it far above threshold. (orig.)

Renewable Energy Programmes in India: Status and Future Prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agarwal, Ram Kumar

2010-09-01

Renewable energy sources and technologies have potential to provide solutions to the long-standing energy problems being faced by the developing countries. The renewable energy sources like wind energy, solar energy, biomass energy and fuel cell technology can be used to overcome energy shortage in India. To meet the energy requirement for such a fast growing economy, India will require an assured supply of 3-4 times more energy than the total energy consumed today. The renewable energy is one of the options to meet this requirement. India is increasingly adopting responsible renewable energy techniques and taking positive steps towards carbon emissions, cleaning the air and ensuring a more sustainable future. In India, from the last two and half decades there has been a vigorous pursuit of activities relating to research, development, demonstration, production and application of a variety of renewable energy technologies for use in different sectors. In this paper, efforts have been made to summarize the availability, current status, major achievements and future potentials of renewable energy options in India. This paper also assesses specific policy interventions for overcoming the barriers and enhancing deployment of renewable energy devices for the future. (author)

Perspectives of the Market of green products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzalez Elias, Andres

2000-01-01

The advance of environmental strategies in Colombia during the nineties, Cleaner Production mainly, showed to the industry the benefits of environmental management. In the last five years some of the Colombian enterprises became leaders on the management of the environment because their initiatives and the continuous work supported by the regional authorities for environmental protection. The results of the CP programs in different sectors enhanced the innovative capacity of enterprises. In the other hand the development of environmental regulations and the evolution of the competitiveness parameters in the regional and foreign markets claims for new initiatives near to the Colombian industries that are in the need to maintain the level obtained through hard efforts in the past years. The vision of an environmental management oriented to life cycle of product complements the CP efforts because involves environmental issues on design and product development process with the purpose to increase the green product participation in market. This paper presents a sight of the possible future development of the green market in our country by two ways. At the first we identify trends towards the green market in the current institutional process of the environmental sector in Colombia and in the second, provides an instrumental view of the relationship between the LCA and the environmental management product oriented

Effort in Multitasking: Local and Global Assessment of Effort.

Science.gov (United States)

Kiesel, Andrea; Dignath, David

2017-01-01

When performing multiple tasks in succession, self-organization of task order might be superior compared to external-controlled task schedules, because self-organization allows optimizing processing modes and thus reduces switch costs, and it increases commitment to task goals. However, self-organization is an additional executive control process that is not required if task order is externally specified and as such it is considered as time-consuming and effortful. To compare self-organized and externally controlled task scheduling, we suggest assessing global subjective and objectives measures of effort in addition to local performance measures. In our new experimental approach, we combined characteristics of dual tasking settings and task switching settings and compared local and global measures of effort in a condition with free choice of task sequence and a condition with cued task sequence. In a multi-tasking environment, participants chose the task order while the task requirement of the not-yet-performed task remained the same. This task preview allowed participants to work on the previously non-chosen items in parallel and resulted in faster responses and fewer errors in task switch trials than in task repetition trials. The free-choice group profited more from this task preview than the cued group when considering local performance measures. Nevertheless, the free-choice group invested more effort than the cued group when considering global measures. Thus, self-organization in task scheduling seems to be effortful even in conditions in which it is beneficiary for task processing. In a second experiment, we reduced the possibility of task preview for the not-yet-performed tasks in order to hinder efficient self-organization. Here neither local nor global measures revealed substantial differences between the free-choice and a cued task sequence condition. Based on the results of both experiments, we suggest that global assessment of effort in addition to

Testosterone and reproductive effort in male primates.

Science.gov (United States)

Muller, Martin N

2017-05-01

Considerable evidence suggests that the steroid hormone testosterone mediates major life-history trade-offs in vertebrates, promoting mating effort at the expense of parenting effort or survival. Observations from a range of wild primates support the "Challenge Hypothesis," which posits that variation in male testosterone is more closely associated with aggressive mating competition than with reproductive physiology. In both seasonally and non-seasonally breeding species, males increase testosterone production primarily when competing for fecund females. In species where males compete to maintain long-term access to females, testosterone increases when males are threatened with losing access to females, rather than during mating periods. And when male status is linked to mating success, and dependent on aggression, high-ranking males normally maintain higher testosterone levels than subordinates, particularly when dominance hierarchies are unstable. Trade-offs between parenting effort and mating effort appear to be weak in most primates, because direct investment in the form of infant transport and provisioning is rare. Instead, infant protection is the primary form of paternal investment in the order. Testosterone does not inhibit this form of investment, which relies on male aggression. Testosterone has a wide range of effects in primates that plausibly function to support male competitive behavior. These include psychological effects related to dominance striving, analgesic effects, and effects on the development and maintenance of the armaments and adornments that males employ in mating competition. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Optimal pricing and promotional effort control policies for a new product growth in segmented market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jha P.C.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Market segmentation enables the marketers to understand and serve the customers more effectively thereby improving company’s competitive position. In this paper, we study the impact of price and promotion efforts on evolution of sales intensity in segmented market to obtain the optimal price and promotion effort policies. Evolution of sales rate for each segment is developed under the assumption that marketer may choose both differentiated as well as mass market promotion effort to influence the uncaptured market potential. An optimal control model is formulated and a solution method using Maximum Principle has been discussed. The model is extended to incorporate budget constraint. Model applicability is illustrated by a numerical example. P.C. Jha, P. Manik, K. Chaudhary, R. Cambini / Optimal Pricing and Promotional 2 Since the discrete time data is available, the formulated model is discretized. For solving the discrete model, differential evolution algorithm is used.

B and W owners group scram reduction efforts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rose, S.T.

1985-01-01

Reducing the frequency of reactor scrams is an important and highly visible task. Scram frequency is one indicator of how consistently a unit is operated within desired bounds and hence is a key performance indicator. To be successful and efficient in this undertaking, diligent effort by the individual utilities should be complimented by collective action to resolve generic problems. The Babcock and Wilcox (B and W) Owners Group is committed to improving the productivity of its operating units and, in particular, to reducing the number of scrams experienced at the units. Toward this goal, the owners group has undertaken several initiatives to improve the reliability and performance of systems that historically have reactor trips. This paper describes those efforts and how they were identified

Reproductive effort in biparental care : an experimental study in long-lived Cape gannets

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bijleveld, Allert I.; Mullers, Ralf H. E.

2009-01-01

Life-history theory predicts a trade-off between current and future reproduction, such that long-lived species should not increase their reproductive effort (RE) at a cost to their own survival. In species with long-term pair bonds and biparental care, each parent must balance its reproductive

Future active layer dynamics and carbon dioxide production from thawing permafrost layers in Northeast Greenland

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hollesen, Jørgen; Elberling, Bo; Jansson, P.E.

2011-01-01

Thawing permafrost and the resulting mineralization of previously frozen organic carbon (C) is considered an important future feedback from terrestrial ecosystems to the atmosphere. Here, we use a dynamic process oriented permafrost model, the CoupModel, to link surface and subsurface temperatures....... The model is successfully adjusted and applied for the study area and shown to be able to simulate active layer dynamics. Subsequently, the model is used to predict the active layer thickness under future warming scenarios. The model predicts an increase of maximum active layer thickness from today 70 to 80......–105 cm as a result of a 2–6 °C warming. An additional increase in the maximum active layer thickness of a few centimetres may be expected due to heat production from decomposition of organic matter. Simulated future soil temperatures and water contents are subsequently used with measured basal soil...

Smoke-free air policies: past, present and future.

Science.gov (United States)

Hyland, Andrew; Barnoya, Joaquin; Corral, Juan E

2012-03-01

Smoke-free policies have been an important tobacco control intervention. As recently as 20 years ago, few communities required workplaces and hospitality venues to be smoke-free, but today approximately 11% of the world's population live in countries with laws that require these places to be smoke-free. This paper briefly summarises important milestones in the history of indoor smoke-free policies, the role of scientific research in facilitating their adoption, a framework for smoke-free policy evaluation and industry efforts to undermine regulations. At present, smoke-free policies centre on workplaces, restaurants and pubs. In addition, many jurisdictions are now beginning to implement policies in outdoor areas and in shared multiunit housing settings. The future of smoke-free policy development depends on credible scientific data that documents the health risks of secondhand smoke exposure. Over the next 20 years smoke-free policies will very likely extend to outdoor and private areas, and changes in the types of tobacco products that are consumed may also have implications for the nature and scope of the smoke-free policies of the future.

Security of feedstocks supply for future bio-ethanol production in Thailand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silalertruksa, Thapat; Gheewala, Shabbir H.

2010-01-01

This study assesses the security of feedstock supply to satisfy the increased demand for bio-ethanol production based on the recent 15 years biofuels development plan and target (year 2008-2022) of the Thai government. Future bio-ethanol systems are modeled and the feedstock supply potentials analyzed based on three scenarios including low-, moderate- and high-yields improvement. The three scenarios are modeled and key dimensions including availability; diversity; and environmental acceptability of feedstocks supply in terms of GHG reduction are evaluated through indicators such as net feedstock balances, Shannon index and net life cycle GHG emissions. The results show that only the case of high yields improvement scenario can result in a reliable and sufficient supply of feedstocks to satisfy the long-term demands for bio-ethanol and other related industries. Cassava is identified as the critical feedstock and a reduction in cassava export is necessary. The study concludes that to enhance long-term security of feedstocks supply for sustainable bio-ethanol production in Thailand, increasing use of sugarcane juice as feedstock, improved yields of existing feedstocks and promoting production of bio-ethanol derived from agricultural residues are three key recommendations that need to be urgently implemented by the policy makers. - Research highlights: →Bioethanol in Thailand derived from molasses, cassava, sugarcane juice could yield reductions of 64%, 49% and 87% in GHGs when compared to conventional gasoline. →High yields improvement are required for a reliable and sufficient supply of molasses, cassava and sugarcane to satisfy the long-term demands for bio-ethanol and other related industries. →Other factors to enhance long-term security of feedstocks supply for sustainable bioethanol production in Thailand include increasing use of sugarcane juice as feedstock and promoting production of bioethanol derived from agricultural residues.

Estimation of inspection effort

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mullen, M.F.; Wincek, M.A.

1979-06-01

An overview of IAEA inspection activities is presented, and the problem of evaluating the effectiveness of an inspection is discussed. Two models are described - an effort model and an effectiveness model. The effort model breaks the IAEA's inspection effort into components; the amount of effort required for each component is estimated; and the total effort is determined by summing the effort for each component. The effectiveness model quantifies the effectiveness of inspections in terms of probabilities of detection and quantities of material to be detected, if diverted over a specific period. The method is applied to a 200 metric ton per year low-enriched uranium fuel fabrication facility. A description of the model plant is presented, a safeguards approach is outlined, and sampling plans are calculated. The required inspection effort is estimated and the results are compared to IAEA estimates. Some other applications of the method are discussed briefly. Examples are presented which demonstrate how the method might be useful in formulating guidelines for inspection planning and in establishing technical criteria for safeguards implementation

Biodiesel Production from Kapok (Ceiba pentandra Seed Oil using Naturally Alkaline Catalyst as an Effort of Green Energy and Technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N.A. Handayani

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, energy that used to serve all the needs of community, mainly generated from fossil (conventional energy. Terrace in energy consumption is not balanced with adequate fossil fuel reserves and will be totally depleted in the near future. Indonesian Government through a Presidential Decree No. 5 year 2006 mandates an increased capacity in renewable energy production from 5 percent to 15 percent in 2025. C. pentandra seed oil has feasibility as a sustainable biodiesel feedstock in Indonesia. The aim of this paper was to investigate biodiesel production from ceiba petandra seed oil using naturally potassium hydroxide catalyst. Research designs are based on factorial design with 2 levels and 3 independent variables (temperature, reaction time and molar ratio of methanol to oil. According to data calculation, the most influential single variable is molar ratio of methanol to oil. Characterization of biodiesel products meet all the qualifications standardized by SNI 04-7182-2006. Keywords: biodiesel, kapok seed oil, c. pentandra, green technology

The GEOGLAM Rangelands and Pasture Productivity Activity: Recent Progress and Future Directions

Science.gov (United States)

Guerschman, J. P.; Held, A. A.; Donohue, R. J.; Renzullo, L. J.; Sims, N.; Kerblat, F.; Grundy, M.

2015-12-01

Rangelands and pastures cover about a third of the world's land area and support livestock production which represents ~40% of global agricultural gross domestic product. The global consumption of animal protein shows a clear increasing trend, driven by both total population and per capita income increases, putting a growing pressure on the sustainability of grazing lands worldwide. Despite their relevance, rangelands have received less attention than croplands regarding global monitoring of the resource productivity and condition. The Rangelands and Pasture Productivity (RaPP) activity is a component within the Global Agricultural Monitoring initiative established under the Group on Earth Observations (GEOGLAM) in 2013. GEOGLAM RaPP is aimed at providing the global community with the means to monitor the world's rangelands and pastures on a routine basis, and the capacity to produce animal protein in real-time, at global, regional and national levels. Since its launch two years ago GEOGLAM RAPP has made progress in the four implementation elements. These include: 1- the establishment of community of practice; 2- the development of a global monitoring system for rangeland condition; 3- the establishment of pilot sites in main rangeland systems for satellite data products validation and model testing; and 4- integration with livestock production models. Three international workshops have been held building the community of practice. A prototype monitoring system that provides global visualisations and querying capability of vegetation cover data and anomalies has been established. Pilot sites, mostly in areas with long records of field measurements of rangeland condition and productivity have been proposed for nine countries. The link to global livestock models, including physical and economic components, have been established. Future challenges for GEOGLAM RaPP have also been identified and include: better representation of the areas occupied by rangelands

US Efforts in Support of Examinations at Fukushima Daiichi - 2016 Evaluations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amway, P.; Andrews, N.; Bixby, Willis; Bunt, R.; Corradini, M.; Ellison, P.; Farmer, M.; Farthing, T.; Francis, M; Gabor, J.; Gauntt, R.; Henry, C.; Humrickhouse, P.; Kraft, S.; Linthicum, R.; Luangdilok, W.; Lutz, R.; Luxat, D.; Maddox, J.; Negin, C.; Paik, C.; Plys, M.; Rempe, J.; Robb, K.; Sanders, R.; Wachowiak, R.; Williamson, B.

2016-01-01

Although it is clear that the accident signatures from each unit at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (NPS) [Daiichi] differ, much is not known about the end-state of core materials within these units. Some of this uncertainty can be attributed to a lack of information related to cooling system operation and cooling water injection. There is also uncertainty in our understanding of phenomena affecting: a) in-vessel core damage progression during severe accidents in boiling water reactors (BWRs), and b) accident progression after vessel failure (ex-vessel progression) for BWRs and Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs). These uncertainties arise due to limited full scale prototypic data. Similar to what occurred after the accident at Three Mile Island Unit 2, these Daiichi units offer the international community a means to reduce such uncertainties by obtaining prototypic data from multiple full-scale BWR severe accidents. Information obtained from Daiichi is required to inform Decontamination and Decommissioning activities, improving the ability of the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) to characterize potential hazards and to ensure the safety of workers involved with cleanup activities. This document reports recent results from the US Forensics Effort to use information obtained by TEPCO to enhance the safety of existing and future nuclear power plant designs. This Forensics Effort, which is sponsored by the Reactor Safety Technologies Pathway of the Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy Light Water Reactor (LWR) Sustainability Program, consists of a group of US experts in LWR safety and plant operations that have identified examination needs and are evaluating TEPCO information from Daiichi that address these needs. Examples presented in this report demonstrate that significant safety insights are being obtained in the areas of component performance, fission product release and transport, debris end-state location, and combustible gas

Co-ordinated Interdisciplinary Efforts on Research in Animal Production and Health

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Houe Hans

2003-03-01

Full Text Available The objectives are to review results and experiences from interdisciplinary research projects in Research Centre for the Management of Animal Production and Health (CEPROS concerning scientific content, organisation, and collaboration. The Centre has been founded as a result of an agreement between four institutions: the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences (DIAS, the Danish Veterinary Laboratory (DVL, the Danish Veterinary Institute for Virus Research (DVIV and The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University (KVL. CEPROS is a "research centre without walls" and is physically located as an integrated part of the four institutions named above. The Centre has close collaboration with the industry. The superior goals of the Centre are to co-ordinate fundamental and applied research and simultaneously integrate the veterinary and the production oriented livestock research within animal health and welfare, taking into consideration the production economics and reduced use of medication. The assignment of the Centre is to initiate and carry out research, aiming to investigate the influence of breeding and production systems on animal health and welfare as well as on production and product quality. The Centre has since 1997 established 16 interdisciplinary research projects dealing with cattle, pigs, poultry, or mink. The scientific content can be divided into three research clusters: A. Management of animal production and health in production systems, B: Pathogenesis of production diseases, and C. Animal health economics. In Cluster A, the physical environments of production systems have been investigated, broader definitions of the concept health have been established and used in identification of risk factors. Cluster B has investigated physiological, immunological and genetic mechanisms behind development of production diseases and how to apply this knowledge in disease prevention. The cluster in animal health economics has developed decision

Kuwait poised for massive well kill effort

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-04-08

This paper reports that full scale efforts to extinguish Kuwait's oil well fires are to begin. The campaign to combat history's worst oil fires, originally expected to begin in mid-March, has been hamstrung by logistical problems, including delays in equipment deliveries caused by damage to Kuwait's infrastructure. Meantime, production from a key field off Kuwait--largely unaffected by the war--is expected to resume in May, but Kuwaiti oil exports will still be hindered by damaged onshore facilities. In addition, Kuwait is lining up equipment and personnel to restore production from its heavily damaged oil fields. Elsewhere in the Persian Gulf, Saudi Arabia reports progress in combating history's worst oil spills but acknowledges a continuing threat.

Product carbon footprint developments and gaps

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kronborg Jensen, Jesper

2012-01-01

Purpose - Over the last decade, multiple initiatives have been undertaken to learn how to capture the carbon footprint of a supply chain at a product level. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the process of standardization to secure consistency of product carbon footprinting (PCF) and to ou....../value - Papers that outline the standardization process for PCF have been examined, but this paper adds value by categorizing the field, outlining the latest standards, and by being the first paper to compare standards for PCF on selected criteria and identify gaps....... when conducting a PCF, and a paradox exists concerning methods for securing future standardization of PCF. Research limitations/implications - Standards for evaluating emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in supply chains are evaluated without consideration of other environmental impacts. In addition......, the research only compares international standards, thereby excluding national initiatives. Practical implications - Standardization efforts can be expected to shape the future practice of measuring emission of GHGs in companies and supply chains which provides a framework for reducing impacts. Originality...

Effortful echolalia.

Science.gov (United States)

Hadano, K; Nakamura, H; Hamanaka, T

1998-02-01

We report three cases of effortful echolalia in patients with cerebral infarction. The clinical picture of speech disturbance is associated with Type 1 Transcortical Motor Aphasia (TCMA, Goldstein, 1915). The patients always spoke nonfluently with loss of speech initiative, dysarthria, dysprosody, agrammatism, and increased effort and were unable to repeat sentences longer than those containing four or six words. In conversation, they first repeated a few words spoken to them, and then produced self initiated speech. The initial repetition as well as the subsequent self initiated speech, which were realized equally laboriously, can be regarded as mitigated echolalia (Pick, 1924). They were always aware of their own echolalia and tried to control it without effect. These cases demonstrate that neither the ability to repeat nor fluent speech are always necessary for echolalia. The possibility that a lesion in the left medial frontal lobe, including the supplementary motor area, plays an important role in effortful echolalia is discussed.

Rural Marketing Strategies for Selling Products & Services: Issues & Challenges

OpenAIRE

Ahmed, Dr. Ashfaque

2013-01-01

Rural markets offer a great scope for a concentrated marketing effort because of the recent increase in the rural incomes and the likelihood that such incomes will increase faster because of better production and higher prices for agricultural commodities. Rural Marketing is a developing concept, and as a part of any economy has untapped potential; marketers have realized the opportunity recently. Improvement in infrastructure and reach promise a bright future for those intending to go rural....

Behavioral Assessment of Listening Effort Using a Dual-Task Paradigm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jean-Pierre Gagné

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Published investigations (n = 29 in which a dual-task experimental paradigm was employed to measure listening effort during speech understanding in younger and older adults were reviewed. A summary of the main findings reported in the articles is provided with respect to the participants’ age-group and hearing status. Effects of different signal characteristics, such as the test modality, on dual-task outcomes are evaluated, and associations with cognitive abilities and self-report measures of listening effort are described. Then, several procedural issues associated with the use of dual-task experiment paradigms are discussed. Finally, some issues that warrant future research are addressed. The review revealed large variability in the dual-task experimental paradigms that have been used to measure the listening effort expended during speech understanding. The differences in experimental procedures used across studies make it difficult to draw firm conclusions concerning the optimal choice of dual-task paradigm or the sensitivity of specific paradigms to different types of experimental manipulations. In general, the analysis confirmed that dual-task paradigms have been used successfully to measure differences in effort under different experimental conditions, in both younger and older adults. Several research questions that warrant further investigation in order to better understand and characterize the intricacies of dual-task paradigms were identified.

Survey Probability and Factors affecting Farmers Participation in Future and Option Markets Case Study: Cotton product in Gonbad kavos city

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. sakhi

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Farmers are facing with a variety of natural and unnatural risks in agricultural activities, and thus their income is unstable. A wide range of risks such as risks of production, price risk, financial and human risks, influence the income of agricultural products. One of the major risks that farmers faced is the risk of price volatility of agricultural products. Cotton is one of the agricultural products with high real price volatility. Numerous tools for marketing and risk management for agricultural products in the face of price risks are available. Futures and options contracts may be the most important available tools (to reduce price volatility in agricultural products. The purpose of the current study was to look at the possibility of farmers participations in the future and option markets that presented as a means to reduce the cotton prices volatility. The dependent variable for this purpose had four categories and these included: participate in both the market, participation in the future market, participation in the option market and participation in both future and option markets. Materials and Methods: data gathered with interview and completing 200 questionnaires of cotton growers using simple random sampling. Multinomial Logit Regression Model was used for data analysis. Results and Discussion: To measure content validity of the preliminary study the validity of confirmatory factor analysis were used. For calculating reliability, the pre-test done with 30 questionnaires and reliability, coefficient Cronbach alpha was 0.79. The independence of dependent variables categories was confirmed by Hausman test results. The Likelihood ratio and Wald showed these categories are not combinable. Results indicated into period 2014 -2015 and the sample under study, 35% of cotton growers unwilling to participate in future and option markets. Farmers willingness to participate in future and option market was 19% and %21

Needs and Requirements for Future Research Reactors (ORNL Perspectives)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ilas, Germina [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Bryan, Chris [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Gehin, Jess C. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2016-02-10

The High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) is a vital national and international resource for neutron science research, production of radioisotopes, and materials irradiation. While HFIR is expected to continue operation for the foreseeable future, interest is growing in understanding future research reactors features, needs, and requirements. To clarify, discuss, and compile these needs from the perspective of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) research and development (R&D) missions, a workshop, titled “Needs and Requirements for Future Research Reactors”, was held at ORNL on May 12, 2015. The workshop engaged ORNL staff that is directly involved in research using HFIR to collect valuable input on the reactor’s current and future missions. The workshop provided an interactive forum for a fruitful exchange of opinions, and included a mix of short presentations and open discussions. ORNL staff members made 15 technical presentations based on their experience and areas of expertise, and discussed those capabilities of the HFIR and future research reactors that are essential for their current and future R&D needs. The workshop was attended by approximately 60 participants from three ORNL directorates. The agenda is included in Appendix A. This document summarizes the feedback provided by workshop contributors and participants. It also includes information and insights addressing key points that originated from the dialogue started at the workshop. A general overview is provided on the design features and capabilities of high performance research reactors currently in use or under construction worldwide. Recent and ongoing design efforts in the US and internationally are briefly summarized, followed by conclusions and recommendations.

The influence of organic production on food quality - research findings, gaps and future challenges

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Załęcka, Aneta; Bügel, Susanne Gjedsted; Paoletti, Flavio

2014-01-01

in order to identify research gaps and suggest future research challenges. Organic food is described according to a quality model already published. The influence of organic production on food quality is structured in primary production and processing. Furthermore, organic food authentication is discussed...... with so called 'conventional' food seems not to be appropriate, because 'conventional' is not defined. In organic food quality research a system approach is needed from which systemic markers can be selected. Research on the impact of processing technologies on the quality according to organic principles...

Scaling-Up Youth-Led Social Justice Efforts through an Online School-Based Social Network.

Science.gov (United States)

Kornbluh, Mariah; Neal, Jennifer Watling; Ozer, Emily J

2016-06-01

The exploration of social networking sites (SNS) in promoting social change efforts offers great potential within the field of community psychology. Online communities on SNS provide opportunities for bridging across groups, thus fostering the exchange of novel ideas and practices. Currently, there have only been limited efforts to examine SNS within the context of youth-led efforts. To explore the potential of SNS to facilitate the diffusion of social justice efforts between distinct youth groups, we linked three school-based youth-led participatory action research projects involving 54 high school students through a SNS. This study offers an innovative methodological approach and framework, utilizing social network analysis and strategic sampling of key student informants to investigate what individual behaviors and online network features predict student adoption of social change efforts. Findings highlight prospective facilitators and barriers to diffusion processes within a youth-led online network, as well as key constructs that may inform future research. We conclude by providing suggestions for scholars and practitioners interested in examining how SNS can be used to enhance the diffusion of social justice strategies, youth-led engagement efforts, and large-scale civic organizing. © Society for Community Research and Action 2016.

FUTURE CLIMATE ANALYSIS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

R.M. Forester

2000-01-01

This Analysis/Model Report (AMR) documents an analysis that was performed to estimate climatic variables for the next 10,000 years by forecasting the timing and nature of climate change at Yucca Mountain (YM), Nevada (Figure l), the site of a potential repository for high-level radioactive waste. The future-climate estimates are based on an analysis of past-climate data from analog meteorological stations, and this AMR provides the rationale for the selection of these analog stations. The stations selected provide an upper and a lower climate bound for each future climate, and the data from those sites will provide input to the infiltration model (USGS 2000) and for the total system performance assessment for the Site Recommendation (TSPA-SR) at YM. Forecasting long-term future climates, especially for the next 10,000 years, is highly speculative and rarely attempted. A very limited literature exists concerning the subject, largely from the British radioactive waste disposal effort. The discussion presented here is one method, among many, of establishing upper and lower bounds for future climate estimates. The method used here involves selecting a particular past climate from many past climates, as an analog for future climate. Other studies might develop a different rationale or select other past climates resulting in a different future climate analog

FUTURE CLIMATE ANALYSIS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

R.M. Forester

2000-03-14

This Analysis/Model Report (AMR) documents an analysis that was performed to estimate climatic variables for the next 10,000 years by forecasting the timing and nature of climate change at Yucca Mountain (YM), Nevada (Figure l), the site of a potential repository for high-level radioactive waste. The future-climate estimates are based on an analysis of past-climate data from analog meteorological stations, and this AMR provides the rationale for the selection of these analog stations. The stations selected provide an upper and a lower climate bound for each future climate, and the data from those sites will provide input to the infiltration model (USGS 2000) and for the total system performance assessment for the Site Recommendation (TSPA-SR) at YM. Forecasting long-term future climates, especially for the next 10,000 years, is highly speculative and rarely attempted. A very limited literature exists concerning the subject, largely from the British radioactive waste disposal effort. The discussion presented here is one method, among many, of establishing upper and lower bounds for future climate estimates. The method used here involves selecting a particular past climate from many past climates, as an analog for future climate. Other studies might develop a different rationale or select other past climates resulting in a different future climate analog.

Remotely Sensed Imagery from USGS: Update on Products and Portals

Science.gov (United States)

Lamb, R.; Lemig, K.

2016-12-01

The USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center has recently implemented a number of additions and changes to its existing suite of products and user access systems. Together, these changes will enhance the accessibility, breadth, and usability of the remotely sensed image products and delivery mechanisms available from USGS. As of late 2016, several new image products are now available for public download at no charge from USGS/EROS Center. These new products include: (1) global Level 1T (precision terrain-corrected) products from Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), provided via NASA's Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC); and (2) Sentinel-2 Multispectral Instrument (MSI) products, available through a collaborative effort with the European Space Agency (ESA). Other new products are also planned to become available soon. In an effort to enable future scientific analysis of the full 40+ year Landsat archive, the USGS also introduced a new "Collection Management" strategy for all Landsat Level 1 products. This new archive and access schema involves quality-based tier designations that will support future time series analysis of the historic Landsat archive at the pixel level. Along with the quality tier designations, the USGS has also implemented a number of other Level 1 product improvements to support Landsat science applications, including: enhanced metadata, improved geometric processing, refined quality assessment information, and angle coefficient files. The full USGS Landsat archive is now being reprocessed in accordance with the new `Collection 1' specifications. Several USGS data access and visualization systems have also seen major upgrades. These user interfaces include a new version of the USGS LandsatLook Viewer which was released in Fall 2017 to provide enhanced functionality and Sentinel-2 visualization and access support. A beta release of the USGS Global Visualization Tool ("Glo

Future directions for ADTT concepts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miliekowski, C. [Scandatronix Corporation, Las Vegas, NV (United States)

1995-10-01

This presentation is the collection of viewgraphs used by the author to summarize the future for accelerator based systems for transmutation technologies. The author also emphasizes points which need short term effort to provide critical information necessary for modeling, and planning for future work. The author points out how the value of this technology varies depending upon the political and economic factors which are driving the necessity of dealing with radioactive materials. The issues of feasibility, safety, proliferation, cost, and public perception are also addressed.

Separate valuation subsystems for delay and effort decision costs.

Science.gov (United States)

Prévost, Charlotte; Pessiglione, Mathias; Météreau, Elise; Cléry-Melin, Marie-Laure; Dreher, Jean-Claude

2010-10-20

Decision making consists of choosing among available options on the basis of a valuation of their potential costs and benefits. Most theoretical models of decision making in behavioral economics, psychology, and computer science propose that the desirability of outcomes expected from alternative options can be quantified by utility functions. These utility functions allow a decision maker to assign subjective values to each option under consideration by weighting the likely benefits and costs resulting from an action and to select the one with the highest subjective value. Here, we used model-based neuroimaging to test whether the human brain uses separate valuation systems for rewards (erotic stimuli) associated with different types of costs, namely, delay and effort. We show that humans devalue rewards associated with physical effort in a strikingly similar fashion to those they devalue that are associated with delays, and that a single computational model derived from economics theory can account for the behavior observed in both delay discounting and effort discounting. However, our neuroimaging data reveal that the human brain uses distinct valuation subsystems for different types of costs, reflecting in opposite fashion delayed reward and future energetic expenses. The ventral striatum and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex represent the increasing subjective value of delayed rewards, whereas a distinct network, composed of the anterior cingulate cortex and the anterior insula, represent the decreasing value of the effortful option, coding the expected expense of energy. Together, these data demonstrate that the valuation processes underlying different types of costs can be fractionated at the cerebral level.

Maximum effort in the minimum-effort game

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Engelmann, Dirk; Normann, H.-T.

2010-01-01

Roč. 13, č. 3 (2010), s. 249-259 ISSN 1386-4157 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z70850503 Keywords : minimum-effort game * coordination game * experiments * social capital Subject RIV: AH - Economics Impact factor: 1.868, year: 2010

Efforts of Controlling Money Laundering of Narcotics Money in Saudi Arabia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khaled A. ALASMARI

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Money laundering is a silent crime. Its goal is to cover up the source of large sums of money that criminals often gather from their criminal activities. This paper will analyze the situation of money laundering in narcotics as it applies in Saudi Arabia. To achieve this end, the paper will first define important terms such as money laundering and narcotics. It will then explain the relationship between money laundering, narcotics trade, and terrorism activities. This background information will form the base for analyzing the various efforts that the Saudi Arabia nation has in place for countering money laundering in narcotics trade. The paper will then explain the challenges facing these efforts, and the future of money laundering in Saudi Arabia. The largest criminal activity associated with money laundering is terrorism financing. The several terror attacks associated with Saudi Arabia’s terror groups like Al-Qaida have made the government realize the importance of curbing money laundering in an effort to counter terrorism. Thus, anti-money laundering strategies are set in place to address all the avenues of money laundering.

Effort-reward-imbalance in healthy teachers is associated with higher LPS-stimulated production and lower glucocorticoid sensitivity of interleukin-6 in vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Bellingrath, Silja; Rohleder, Nicolas; Kudielka, Brigitte M

2013-02-01

According to the effort-reward-imbalance (ERI) model, a lack of reciprocity between costs and gains at work increases the risk for adverse health outcomes. Inflammation has been shown to play a crucial role in a variety of stress-related diseases and alterations in immune system glucocorticoid sensitivity may help to explain the increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and depression related to chronic work stress. Changes in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced interleukin (IL)-6 production and inhibition of IL-6 production by dexamethasone in reaction to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) were assessed in forty-six healthy school teachers to test whether chronic work stress is accompanied by alterations in inflammatory activity and glucocorticoid sensitivity of the innate immune system. High ERI was associated with an increase in pro-inflammatory potential, reflected in elevated IL-6 production before and after stress and with a lower capacity of dexamethasone to suppress IL-6 production in vitro over all measurement time points. ERI was not associated with stress-related changes in GC sensitivity. The present findings suggest a less effective anti-inflammatory regulation by glucocorticoids in teachers suffering from chronic work stress. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

MUTATION ON Bacillus subtilis BAC4 USING ACRIDINE ORANGE AS AN EFFORT FOR INCREASING ANTIBIOTIC PRODUCTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Supartono Supartono

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The efforts to get a new antibiotic require to be done continuously, because infection diseases still become the main health problems in Indonesia. A new local strain of Bacillus subtilis BAC4 has been known producing an antibiotic that inhibites Serratia marcescens ATCC 27117 growth. Nevertheless, the optimum conditions have not been studied seriously. The objective of this research was to conduct mutation on B. subtilis BAC4 in order to obtain a mutant cell that overproduct in producing antibiotic. The mutation process was performed by using acridine orange of 1 g.L-1 randomly at various volumes. The production of antibiotic was conducted using batch fermentation and antibiotic assay was performed with agar absorption method using S.  marcescens ATCC 27117 as bacteria assay. Research result provided a B. subtilis M10 mutant with overproduction of antibiotic. Characterization of B. subtilis M10 mutant showed that the mutant cell has size of (0.5-1.0 µm x (1.85-2.5 µm; spore has the form of ellipse with thick wavy wall, positive reaction for catalase, and forming acid from glucose and xylose.   Keywords: mutant, Bacillus, acridin, and antibiotics

Nuclear hydrogen production programme in the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sink, C.

2010-01-01

The Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative (NHI) is focused on demonstrating the economic, commercial-scale production of hydrogen using process heat derived from nuclear energy. NHI-supported research has concentrated to date on three technologies compatible with the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP): high temperature steam electrolysis (HTE); sulphur-iodine (S-I) thermochemical; and hybrid sulphur (HyS) thermochemical. In 2009 NHI will down select to a single technology on which to focus its future development efforts, for which the next step will be a pilot-scale experiment. (author)

Efforts in Public Relations on Fusion in Europe

Science.gov (United States)

Ongena, J.; van Oost, G.

2001-10-01

An overview will be given of different published materials currently in use in Europe for public relations on fusion. We will also present a CD-ROM for individual and classroom use, containing (i) a general background on different energy forms, (ii) general principles of fusion, (iii) current research efforts and (iv) future prospects of fusion. This CD-ROM is currently in English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. Fusion posters developed in collaboration with CPEP in Dutch, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese will be shown. Several new brochures and leaflets intended to increase the public awareness on fusion in Europe will be on display.

Comparative analysis of alternative co-production approaches to conservation science in Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Trammell, E. J.

2017-12-01

Co-production has been suggested as an important tool for reducing the gap between science and management. Although co-production can require substantial investments in time and relationship building, there are a range of possible approaches that can be utilized that honor the focus and intent of co-production. I present here a comparison of three efforts that range from relatively simple, to complex and exhaustive, that illustrate diverse approaches to co-production of conservation science in Alaska. The first example highlights a workshop-based approach to identify long-term environmental monitoring needs in Alaska, while the second example describes stakeholder-driven scenarios that identified stressors to salmon in southcentral Alaska. The third example describes a 2-year cooperative agreement to develop management questions as part of a rapid ecoregional assessment in central Alaska. Results suggest that careful stakeholder selection is essential to successful co-production. Additionally, all three examples highlight the potential disconnect between management questions and specific management decisions, even when working directly with resource managers. As the focus of the Alaska Climate Science Center will be on co-production of climate science over the next 5 years, I conclude with some key pathways forward for successful co-production efforts in the future.

Computer simulation of charged fusion-product trajectories and detection efficiency expected for future experiments within the COMPASS tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwiatkowski, Roch; Malinowski, Karol; Sadowski, Marek J

2014-01-01

This paper presents results of computer simulations of charged particle motions and detection efficiencies for an ion-pinhole camera of a new diagnostic system to be used in future COMPASS tokamak experiments. A probe equipped with a nuclear track detector can deliver information about charged products of fusion reactions. The calculations were performed with a so-called Gourdon code, based on a single-particle model and toroidal symmetry. There were computed trajectories of fast ions (> 500 keV) in medium-dense plasma (n e  < 10 14  cm −3 ) and an expected detection efficiency (a ratio of the number of detected particles to that of particles emitted from plasma). The simulations showed that charged fusion products can reach the new diagnostic probe, and the expected detection efficiency can reach 2 × 10 −8 . Based on such calculations, one can determine the optimal position and orientation of the probe. The obtained results are of importance for the interpretation of fusion-product images to be recorded in future COMPASS experiments. (paper)

Scenarios reveal pathways to sustain future ecosystem services in an agricultural landscape.

Science.gov (United States)

Qiu, Jiangxiao; Carpenter, Stephen R; Booth, Eric G; Motew, Melissa; Zipper, Samuel C; Kucharik, Christopher J; Chen, Xi; Loheide, Steven P; Seifert, Jenny; Turner, Monica G

2018-01-01

Sustaining food production, water quality, soil retention, flood, and climate regulation in agricultural landscapes is a pressing global challenge given accelerating environmental changes. Scenarios are stories about plausible futures, and scenarios can be integrated with biophysical simulation models to explore quantitatively how the future might unfold. However, few studies have incorporated a wide range of drivers (e.g., climate, land-use, management, population, human diet) in spatially explicit, process-based models to investigate spatial-temporal dynamics and relationships of a portfolio of ecosystem services. Here, we simulated nine ecosystem services (three provisioning and six regulating services) at 220 × 220 m from 2010 to 2070 under four contrasting scenarios in the 1,345-km 2 Yahara Watershed (Wisconsin, USA) using Agro-IBIS, a dynamic model of terrestrial ecosystem processes, biogeochemistry, water, and energy balance. We asked (1) How does ecosystem service supply vary among alternative future scenarios? (2) Where on the landscape is the provision of ecosystem services most susceptible to future social-ecological changes? (3) Among alternative future scenarios, are relationships (i.e., trade-offs, synergies) among food production, water, and biogeochemical services consistent over time? Our results showed that food production varied substantially with future land-use choices and management, and its trade-offs with water quality and soil retention persisted under most scenarios. However, pathways to mitigate or even reverse such trade-offs through technological advances and sustainable agricultural practices were apparent. Consistent relationships among regulating services were identified across scenarios (e.g., trade-offs of freshwater supply vs. flood and climate regulation, and synergies among water quality, soil retention, and climate regulation), suggesting opportunities and challenges to sustaining these services. In particular, proactive

New Biofuel Alternatives: Integrating Waste Management and Single Cell Oil Production

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez, Elia Judith; Raghavan, Vijaya; González-Andrés, Fernando; Gómez, Xiomar

2015-01-01

Concerns about greenhouse gas emissions have increased research efforts into alternatives in bio-based processes. With regard to transport fuel, bioethanol and biodiesel are still the main biofuels used. It is expected that future production of these biofuels will be based on processes using either non-food competing biomasses, or characterised by low CO2 emissions. Many microorganisms, such as microalgae, yeast, bacteria and fungi, have the ability to accumulate oils under special culture conditions. Microbial oils might become one of the potential feed-stocks for biodiesel production in the near future. The use of these oils is currently under extensive research in order to reduce production costs associated with the fermentation process, which is a crucial factor to increase economic feasibility. An important way to reduce processing costs is the use of wastes as carbon sources. The aim of the present review is to describe the main aspects related to the use of different oleaginous microorganisms for lipid production and their performance when using bio-wastes. The possibilities for combining hydrogen (H2) and lipid production are also explored in an attempt for improving the economic feasibility of the process. PMID:25918941

New Biofuel Alternatives: Integrating Waste Management and Single Cell Oil Production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elia Judith Martínez

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Concerns about greenhouse gas emissions have increased research efforts into alternatives in bio-based processes. With regard to transport fuel, bioethanol and biodiesel are still the main biofuels used. It is expected that future production of these biofuels will be based on processes using either non-food competing biomasses, or characterised by low CO2 emissions. Many microorganisms, such as microalgae, yeast, bacteria and fungi, have the ability to accumulate oils under special culture conditions. Microbial oils might become one of the potential feed-stocks for biodiesel production in the near future. The use of these oils is currently under extensive research in order to reduce production costs associated with the fermentation process, which is a crucial factor to increase economic feasibility. An important way to reduce processing costs is the use of wastes as carbon sources. The aim of the present review is to describe the main aspects related to the use of different oleaginous microorganisms for lipid production and their performance when using bio-wastes. The possibilities for combining hydrogen (H2 and lipid production are also explored in an attempt for improving the economic feasibility of the process.

New biofuel alternatives: integrating waste management and single cell oil production.

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez, Elia Judith; Raghavan, Vijaya; González-Andrés, Fernando; Gómez, Xiomar

2015-04-24

Concerns about greenhouse gas emissions have increased research efforts into alternatives in bio-based processes. With regard to transport fuel, bioethanol and biodiesel are still the main biofuels used. It is expected that future production of these biofuels will be based on processes using either non-food competing biomasses, or characterised by low CO₂ emissions. Many microorganisms, such as microalgae, yeast, bacteria and fungi, have the ability to accumulate oils under special culture conditions. Microbial oils might become one of the potential feed-stocks for biodiesel production in the near future. The use of these oils is currently under extensive research in order to reduce production costs associated with the fermentation process, which is a crucial factor to increase economic feasibility. An important way to reduce processing costs is the use of wastes as carbon sources. The aim of the present review is to describe the main aspects related to the use of different oleaginous microorganisms for lipid production and their performance when using bio-wastes. The possibilities for combining hydrogen (H₂) and lipid production are also explored in an attempt for improving the economic feasibility of the process.

Projective analysis of staple food crop productivity in adaptation to future climate change in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qing; Zhang, Wen; Li, Tingting; Sun, Wenjuan; Yu, Yongqiang; Wang, Guocheng

2017-08-01

Climate change continually affects our capabilities to feed the increasing population. Rising temperatures have the potential to shorten the crop growth duration and therefore reduce crop yields. In the past decades, China has successfully improved crop cultivars to stabilize, and even lengthen, the crop growth duration to make use of increasing heat resources. However, because of the complex cropping systems in the different regions of China, the possibility and the effectiveness of regulating crop growth duration to reduce the negative impacts of future climate change remain questionable. Here, we performed a projective analysis of the staple food crop productivity in double-rice, wheat-rice, wheat-maize, single-rice, and single-maize cropping systems in China using modeling approaches. The results indicated that from the present to the 2040s, the warming climate would shorten the growth duration of the current rice, wheat, and maize cultivars by 2-24, 11-13, and 9-29 days, respectively. The most significant shortening of the crop growth duration would be in Northeast China, where single-rice and single-maize cropping dominates the croplands. The shortened crop growth duration would consequently reduce crop productivity. The most significant decreases would be 27-31, 6-20, and 7-22% for the late crop in the double-rice rotation, wheat in the winter wheat-rice rotation, and single maize, respectively. However, our projection analysis also showed that the negative effects of the warming climate could be compensated for by stabilizing the growth duration of the crops via improvement in crop cultivars. In this case, the productivity of rice, wheat, and maize in the 2040s would increase by 4-16, 31-38, and 11-12%, respectively. Our modeling results implied that the possibility of securing future food production exists by adopting proper adaptation options in China.

Projective analysis of staple food crop productivity in adaptation to future climate change in China

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qing; Zhang, Wen; Li, Tingting; Sun, Wenjuan; Yu, Yongqiang; Wang, Guocheng

2017-08-01

Climate change continually affects our capabilities to feed the increasing population. Rising temperatures have the potential to shorten the crop growth duration and therefore reduce crop yields. In the past decades, China has successfully improved crop cultivars to stabilize, and even lengthen, the crop growth duration to make use of increasing heat resources. However, because of the complex cropping systems in the different regions of China, the possibility and the effectiveness of regulating crop growth duration to reduce the negative impacts of future climate change remain questionable. Here, we performed a projective analysis of the staple food crop productivity in double-rice, wheat-rice, wheat-maize, single-rice, and single-maize cropping systems in China using modeling approaches. The results indicated that from the present to the 2040s, the warming climate would shorten the growth duration of the current rice, wheat, and maize cultivars by 2-24, 11-13, and 9-29 days, respectively. The most significant shortening of the crop growth duration would be in Northeast China, where single-rice and single-maize cropping dominates the croplands. The shortened crop growth duration would consequently reduce crop productivity. The most significant decreases would be 27-31, 6-20, and 7-22% for the late crop in the double-rice rotation, wheat in the winter wheat-rice rotation, and single maize, respectively. However, our projection analysis also showed that the negative effects of the warming climate could be compensated for by stabilizing the growth duration of the crops via improvement in crop cultivars. In this case, the productivity of rice, wheat, and maize in the 2040s would increase by 4-16, 31-38, and 11-12%, respectively. Our modeling results implied that the possibility of securing future food production exists by adopting proper adaptation options in China.

US Efforts in Support of Examinations at Fukushima Daiichi – 2016 Evaluations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amway, P. [Exelon Corp., Chicago, IL (United States); Andrews, N. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Bixby, Willis [WWBX Consulting, Crofton, MD (United States); Bunt, R. [Southern Nuclear. Birmingham, AL (United States); Corradini, M. [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Ellison, P. [GE-Hitachi, Wilmington, NC (United States); Farmer, M. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Farthing, T. [GE-Hitachi, Wilmington, NC (United States); Francis, M [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Gabor, J. [Jensen Hughes, Baltimore, MD (United States); Gauntt, R. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Henry, C. [Fauske and Associates, LLC, Burr Ridge, IL (United States); Humrickhouse, P. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Kraft, S. [Nuclear Energy Inst., Washington, DC (United States); Linthicum, R. [Exelon Corp., Chicago, IL (United States); PWR Owners Group; Luangdilok, W. [Fauske and Associates, LLC, Burr Ridge, IL (United States); Lutz, R. [Lutz Nuclear Consulting, Asheville, NC (United States); Luxat, D. [Jensen Hughes, Baltimore, MD (United States); Maddox, J. [Inst. for Nuclear Power Operations, Atlanta, GA (United States); Negin, C. [CANegin & Associates; Paik, C. [Fauske and Associates, LLC, Burr Ridge, IL (United States); Plys, M. [Fauske and Associates, LLC, Burr Ridge, IL (United States); Rempe, J. [Rempe and Associates, Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Robb, K. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Sanders, R. [AREVA Federal Services, Charlotte, NC (United States); Wachowiak, R. [Electric Power Research Inst. (EPRI), Palo Alto, CA (United States); Williamson, B. [Tennessee Valley Authority, Knoxville, TN (United States)

2016-08-01

Although it is clear that the accident signatures from each unit at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (NPS) [Daiichi] differ, much is not known about the end-state of core materials within these units. Some of this uncertainty can be attributed to a lack of information related to cooling system operation and cooling water injection. There is also uncertainty in our understanding of phenomena affecting: a) in-vessel core damage progression during severe accidents in boiling water reactors (BWRs), and b) accident progression after vessel failure (ex-vessel progression) for BWRs and Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs). These uncertainties arise due to limited full scale prototypic data. Similar to what occurred after the accident at Three Mile Island Unit 2, these Daiichi units offer the international community a means to reduce such uncertainties by obtaining prototypic data from multiple full-scale BWR severe accidents. Information obtained from Daiichi is required to inform Decontamination and Decommissioning activities, improving the ability of the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) to characterize potential hazards and to ensure the safety of workers involved with cleanup activities. This document reports recent results from the US Forensics Effort to use information obtained by TEPCO to enhance the safety of existing and future nuclear power plant designs. This Forensics Effort, which is sponsored by the Reactor Safety Technologies Pathway of the Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy Light Water Reactor (LWR) Sustainability Program, consists of a group of US experts in LWR safety and plant operations that have identified examination needs and are evaluating TEPCO information from Daiichi that address these needs. Examples presented in this report demonstrate that significant safety insights are being obtained in the areas of component performance, fission product release and transport, debris end-state location, and combustible gas

Site Protection Efforts at the AURA Observatory in Chile

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, R. Chris; Smith, Malcolm G.; Sanhueza, Pedro

2015-08-01

The AURA Observatory (AURA-O) was the first of the major international observatories to be established in northern Chile to exploit the optimal astronomical conditions available there. The site was originally established in 1962 to host the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO). It now hosts more than 20 operational telescopes, including some of the leading U.S. and international astronomical facilities in the southern hemisphere, such as the Blanco 4m telescope on Cerro Tololo and the Gemini-South and SOAR telescopes on Cerro Pachón. Construction of the next generation facility, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), has recently begun on Cerro Pachón, while additional smaller telescopes continue to be added to the complement on Cerro Tololo.While the site has become a major platform for international astronomical facilities over the last 50 years, development in the region has led to an ever-increasing threat of light pollution around the site. AURA-O has worked closely with local, regional, and national authorities and institutions (in particular with the Chilean Ministries of Environment and Foreign Relations) in an effort to protect the site so that future generations of telescopes, as well as future generations of Chileans, can benefit from the dark skies in the region. We will summarize our efforts over the past 15 years to highlight the importance of dark sky protection through education and public outreach as well as through more recent promotion of IDA certifications in the region and support for the World Heritage initiatives described by others in this conference.

Global biomass production potentials exceed expected future demand without the need for cropland expansion.

Science.gov (United States)

Mauser, Wolfram; Klepper, Gernot; Zabel, Florian; Delzeit, Ruth; Hank, Tobias; Putzenlechner, Birgitta; Calzadilla, Alvaro

2015-11-12

Global biomass demand is expected to roughly double between 2005 and 2050. Current studies suggest that agricultural intensification through optimally managed crops on today's cropland alone is insufficient to satisfy future demand. In practice though, improving crop growth management through better technology and knowledge almost inevitably goes along with (1) improving farm management with increased cropping intensity and more annual harvests where feasible and (2) an economically more efficient spatial allocation of crops which maximizes farmers' profit. By explicitly considering these two factors we show that, without expansion of cropland, today's global biomass potentials substantially exceed previous estimates and even 2050s' demands. We attribute 39% increase in estimated global production potentials to increasing cropping intensities and 30% to the spatial reallocation of crops to their profit-maximizing locations. The additional potentials would make cropland expansion redundant. Their geographic distribution points at possible hotspots for future intensification.

A review of product integration in digital games and why neuromarketing may be of value in future research

OpenAIRE

Lees, Malcom

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to review product integration in digital games and recognize the benefits of the promotional channel. Another aim was to analyze previous research and identify gaps in general knowledge. Finally the concept of neuromarketing was examined as a potential modern research method for future research in the area of product integration in digital games. A qualitative method was applied. The study examined secondary data collected from sources that include: scholarl...

Implementation of activity-based costing (ABC) to drive cost reduction efforts in a semiconductor manufacturing operation

Science.gov (United States)

Naguib, Hussein; Bol, Igor I.; Lora, J.; Chowdhry, R.

1994-09-01

This paper presents a case study on the implementation of ABC to calculate the cost per wafer and to drive cost reduction efforts for a new IC product line. The cost reduction activities were conducted through the efforts of 11 cross-functional teams which included members of the finance, purchasing, technology development, process engineering, equipment engineering, production control, and facility groups. The activities of these cross functional teams were coordinated by a cost council. It will be shown that these activities have resulted in a 57% reduction in the wafer manufacturing cost of the new product line. Factors contributed to successful implementation of an ABC management system are discussed.

Supply Chain Coordination under Trade Credit and Quantity Discount with Sales Effort Effects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhihong Wang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of trade credit and quantity discount in supply chain coordination when the sales effort effect on market demand is considered. In this paper, we consider a two-echelon supply chain consisting of a single retailer ordering a single product from a single manufacturer. Market demand is stochastic and is influenced by retailer sales effort. We formulate an analytical model based on a single trade credit and find that the single trade credit cannot achieve the perfect coordination of the supply chain. Then, we develop a hybrid quantitative analytical model for supply chain coordination by coherently integrating incentives of trade credit and quantity discount with sales effort effects. The results demonstrate that, providing that the discount rate satisfies certain conditions, the proposed hybrid model combining trade credit and quantity discount will be able to effectively coordinate the supply chain by motivating retailers to exert their sales effort and increase product order quantity. Furthermore, the hybrid quantitative analytical model can provide great flexibility in coordinating the supply chain to achieve an optimal situation through the adjustment of relevant parameters to resolve conflict of interests from different supply chain members. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the hybrid model.

Mechanics of human voice production and control.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhaoyan

2016-10-01

As the primary means of communication, voice plays an important role in daily life. Voice also conveys personal information such as social status, personal traits, and the emotional state of the speaker. Mechanically, voice production involves complex fluid-structure interaction within the glottis and its control by laryngeal muscle activation. An important goal of voice research is to establish a causal theory linking voice physiology and biomechanics to how speakers use and control voice to communicate meaning and personal information. Establishing such a causal theory has important implications for clinical voice management, voice training, and many speech technology applications. This paper provides a review of voice physiology and biomechanics, the physics of vocal fold vibration and sound production, and laryngeal muscular control of the fundamental frequency of voice, vocal intensity, and voice quality. Current efforts to develop mechanical and computational models of voice production are also critically reviewed. Finally, issues and future challenges in developing a causal theory of voice production and perception are discussed.

The Future of Pork Production in the World: Towards Sustainable, Welfare-Positive Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

McGlone, John J

2013-05-15

Among land animals, more pork is eaten in the world than any other meat. The earth holds about one billion pigs who deliver over 100 mmt of pork to people for consumption. Systems of pork production changed from a forest-based to pasture-based to dirt lots and finally into specially-designed buildings. The world pork industry is variable and complex not just in production methods but in economics and cultural value. A systematic analysis of pork industry sustainability was performed. Sustainable production methods are considered at three levels using three examples in this paper: production system, penning system and for a production practice. A sustainability matrix was provided for each example. In a comparison of indoor vs. outdoor systems, the food safety/zoonoses concerns make current outdoor systems unsustainable. The choice of keeping pregnant sows in group pens or individual crates is complex in that the outcome of a sustainability assessment leads to the conclusion that group penning is more sustainable in the EU and certain USA states, but the individual crate is currently more sustainable in other USA states, Asia and Latin America. A comparison of conventional physical castration with immunological castration shows that the less-common immunological castration method is more sustainable (for a number of reasons). This paper provides a method to assess the sustainability of production systems and practices that take into account the best available science, human perception and culture, animal welfare, the environment, food safety, worker health and safety, and economics (including the cost of production and solving world hunger). This tool can be used in countries and regions where the table values of a sustainability matrix change based on local conditions. The sustainability matrix can be used to assess current systems and predict improved systems of the future.

The Future of Pork Production in the World: Towards Sustainable, Welfare-Positive Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John J. McGlone

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Among land animals, more pork is eaten in the world than any other meat. The earth holds about one billion pigs who deliver over 100 mmt of pork to people for consumption. Systems of pork production changed from a forest-based to pasture-based to dirt lots and finally into specially-designed buildings. The world pork industry is variable and complex not just in production methods but in economics and cultural value. A systematic analysis of pork industry sustainability was performed. Sustainable production methods are considered at three levels using three examples in this paper: production system, penning system and for a production practice. A sustainability matrix was provided for each example. In a comparison of indoor vs. outdoor systems, the food safety/zoonoses concerns make current outdoor systems unsustainable. The choice of keeping pregnant sows in group pens or individual crates is complex in that the outcome of a sustainability assessment leads to the conclusion that group penning is more sustainable in the EU and certain USA states, but the individual crate is currently more sustainable in other USA states, Asia and Latin America. A comparison of conventional physical castration with immunological castration shows that the less-common immunological castration method is more sustainable (for a number of reasons. This paper provides a method to assess the sustainability of production systems and practices that take into account the best available science, human perception and culture, animal welfare, the environment, food safety, worker health and safety, and economics (including the cost of production and solving world hunger. This tool can be used in countries and regions where the table values of a sustainability matrix change based on local conditions. The sustainability matrix can be used to assess current systems and predict improved systems of the future.

An investigation on marketing mix efforts on brand equity: An empirical investigation in mobile phone industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maryam Safaei

2012-08-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we present an empirical study to investigate the effects of different marketing efforts on brand equity in mobile industry. The proposed study of this paper distributes a questionnaire consists of 26 questions including loyalty, quality perception, awareness, exclusiveness, word of mouth advertisement, brand name image, advertisement, price, distribution and guarantee. A sample 428 people are selected in a city of Tehran/Iran and they are asked to reply questions on Likert based. The results show that there is a positive and meaningful relationship between marketing mix efforts and brand equity. In other words, more advertisements could help better market exposure, which means customers will have more awareness on market characteristics. Among all mixed efforts, guarantee influences more on brand equity, which means consumers care more on product services than other features. Finally, among different characteristics of brand equity, product exclusiveness plays an important role. In other words, people are interested in having exclusive product, which is different from others.

Malthusian overfishing and efforts to overcome it on Kenyan coral reefs.

Science.gov (United States)

McClanahan, Tim R; Hicks, Christina C; Darling, Emily S

2008-09-01

This study examined trends along a gradient of fishing intensity in an artisanal coral reef fishery over a 10-year period along 75 km of Kenya's most populated coastline. As predicted by Malthusian scenarios, catch per unit effort (CPUE), mean trophic level, the functional diversity of fished taxa, and the diversity of gear declined, while total annual catch and catch variability increased along the fishing pressure gradient. The fishery was able to sustain high (approximately 16 Mg x km(-2) x yr(-1)) but variable yields at high fishing pressure due to the dominance of a few productive herbivorous fish species in the catch. The effect of two separate management strategies to overcome this Malthusian pattern was investigated: fisheries area closure and elimination of the dominant and most "competitive" gear. We found that sites within 5 km of the enforced closure showed significantly lower total catch and CPUE, but increased yield stability and trophic level of catch than predicted by regression models normalized for fishing effort. Sites that had excluded illegal beach seine use through active gear management exhibited increased total catch and CPUE. There was a strong interaction between closure and gear management, which indicates that, for closures to be effective at increasing catch, there must be simultaneous efforts at gear management around the periphery of the closures. We propose that Malthusian effects are responsible for the variation in gear and catch and that active management through reduced effort and reductions in the most competitive gear have the greatest potential to increase the functional and trophic diversity and per-person productivity.

Modeling to Mars: a NASA Model Based Systems Engineering Pathfinder Effort

Science.gov (United States)

Phojanamongkolkij, Nipa; Lee, Kristopher A.; Miller, Scott T.; Vorndran, Kenneth A.; Vaden, Karl R.; Ross, Eric P.; Powell, Bobby C.; Moses, Robert W.

2017-01-01

The NASA Engineering Safety Center (NESC) Systems Engineering (SE) Technical Discipline Team (TDT) initiated the Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) Pathfinder effort in FY16. The goals and objectives of the MBSE Pathfinder include developing and advancing MBSE capability across NASA, applying MBSE to real NASA issues, and capturing issues and opportunities surrounding MBSE. The Pathfinder effort consisted of four teams, with each team addressing a particular focus area. This paper focuses on Pathfinder team 1 with the focus area of architectures and mission campaigns. These efforts covered the timeframe of February 2016 through September 2016. The team was comprised of eight team members from seven NASA Centers (Glenn Research Center, Langley Research Center, Ames Research Center, Goddard Space Flight Center IV&V Facility, Johnson Space Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, and Stennis Space Center). Collectively, the team had varying levels of knowledge, skills and expertise in systems engineering and MBSE. The team applied their existing and newly acquired system modeling knowledge and expertise to develop modeling products for a campaign (Program) of crew and cargo missions (Projects) to establish a human presence on Mars utilizing In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). Pathfinder team 1 developed a subset of modeling products that are required for a Program System Requirement Review (SRR)/System Design Review (SDR) and Project Mission Concept Review (MCR)/SRR as defined in NASA Procedural Requirements. Additionally, Team 1 was able to perform and demonstrate some trades and constraint analyses. At the end of these efforts, over twenty lessons learned and recommended next steps have been identified.

Water and Land Limitations to Future Agricultural Production in the Middle East

Science.gov (United States)

Koch, J. A. M.; Wimmer, F.; Schaldach, R.

2015-12-01

Countries in the Middle East use a large fraction of their scarce water resources to produce cash crops, such as fruit and vegetables, for international markets. At the same time, these countries import large amounts of staple crops, such as cereals, required to meet the nutritional demand of their populations. This makes food security in the Middle East heavily dependent on world market prices for staple crops. Under these preconditions, increasing food demand due to population growth, urban expansion on fertile farmlands, and detrimental effects of a changing climate on the production of agricultural commodities present major challenges to countries in the Middle East that try to improve food security by increasing their self-sufficiency rate of staple crops.We applied the spatio-temporal land-use change model LandSHIFT.JR to simulate how an expansion of urban areas may affect the production of agricultural commodities in Jordan. We furthermore evaluated how climate change and changes in socio-economic conditions may influence crop production. The focus of our analysis was on potential future irrigated and rainfed production (crop yield and area demand) of fruit, vegetables, and cereals. Our simulation results show that the expansion of urban areas and the resulting displacement of agricultural areas does result in a slight decrease in crop yields. This leads to almost no additional irrigation water requirements due to the relocation of agricultural areas, i.e. there is the same amount of "crop per drop". However, taking into account projected changes in socio-economic conditions and climate conditions, a large volume of water would be required for cereal production in order to safeguard current self-sufficiency rates for staple crops. Irrigation water requirements are expected to double until 2025 and to triple until 2050. Irrigated crop yields are projected to decrease by about 25%, whereas there is no decrease in rainfed crop yields to be expected.

Future directions and cycles for electricity production from geothermal resources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michaelides, Efstathios E.

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: 25% more power may be produced using binary-flashing geothermal cycles. - Highlights: • Power from geothermal power plants is continuously available and “dispatchable.” • The next generation of geothermal will include more binary plants. • Lower temperature geothermal resources will be utilized in the future. • Dry rock resources may produce a high fraction of electricity in several countries. - Abstract: Geothermal power production is economically competitive and capable to produce a high percentage of the electric power demand in several countries. The currently operating geothermal power plants utilize water from an aquifer at relatively higher temperatures and produce power using dry steam, flashing or binary cycles. A glance at the map of the global geothermal resources proves that there is a multitude of sites, where the aquifer temperature is lower. There are also many geothermal resources where a high geothermal gradient exists in the absence of an aquifer. It becomes apparent that the next generation of geothermal power plants will utilize more of the lower-temperature aquifer resources or the dry resources. For such power plants to be economically competitive, modified or new cycles with higher efficiencies must be used. This paper presents two methods to increase the efficiency of the currently used geothermal cycles. The first uses a binary-flashing system to reduce the overall entropy production, thus, producing more electric power from the resource. The second describes a heat extraction system to be used with dry hot-rock resources.

Drivers of Land Use Change and the Role of Palm Oil Production in Indonesia and Malaysia. Overview of Past Developments and Future Projections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wicke, Birka; Sikkema, Richard; Dornburg, Veronika; Junginger, Martin; Faaij, Andre

2008-07-01

This study provides insight into land use changes (LUC) in Indonesia and Malaysia and into the specific role that palm oil production and its expansion have played in the past and may play in the future in both countries. In relation to future land use changes induced by palm oil production expansion also the GHG emissions of this LUC are analysed to indicate the sustainability (from a GHG emission perspective) of the various palm oil expansion projections

Round table discussion of future Solar Neutrino Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1978-01-01

The discussion of the future neutrino program includes a critique of the chlorine-37 experiment and the necessary continued effort, the astronomical and cosmological implications of the various nonstandard models, future programs in laboratory experiments and theoretical calculations on reaction cross sections, opacities, convections, and observations of elemental abundances on the Sun and the meteorites, and lastly the program in solar neutrino research

Needs and Requirements for Future Research Reactors (ORNL Perspectives)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ilas, Germina; Bryan, Chris; Gehin, Jess C.

2016-01-01

The High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) is a vital national and international resource for neutron science research, production of radioisotopes, and materials irradiation. While HFIR is expected to continue operation for the foreseeable future, interest is growing in understanding future research reactors features, needs, and requirements. To clarify, discuss, and compile these needs from the perspective of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) research and development (R&D) missions, a workshop, titled ''Needs and Requirements for Future Research Reactors'', was held at ORNL on May 12, 2015. The workshop engaged ORNL staff that is directly involved in research using HFIR to collect valuable input on the reactor's current and future missions. The workshop provided an interactive forum for a fruitful exchange of opinions, and included a mix of short presentations and open discussions. ORNL staff members made 15 technical presentations based on their experience and areas of expertise, and discussed those capabilities of the HFIR and future research reactors that are essential for their current and future R&D needs. The workshop was attended by approximately 60 participants from three ORNL directorates. The agenda is included in Appendix A. This document summarizes the feedback provided by workshop contributors and participants. It also includes information and insights addressing key points that originated from the dialogue started at the workshop. A general overview is provided on the design features and capabilities of high performance research reactors currently in use or under construction worldwide. Recent and ongoing design efforts in the US and internationally are briefly summarized, followed by conclusions and recommendations.

Respiratory effort from the photoplethysmogram.

Science.gov (United States)

Addison, Paul S

2017-03-01

The potential for a simple, non-invasive measure of respiratory effort based on the pulse oximeter signal - the photoplethysmogram or 'pleth' - was investigated in a pilot study. Several parameters were developed based on a variety of manifestations of respiratory effort in the signal, including modulation changes in amplitude, baseline, frequency and pulse transit times, as well as distinct baseline signal shifts. Thirteen candidate parameters were investigated using data from healthy volunteers. Each volunteer underwent a series of controlled respiratory effort maneuvers at various set flow resistances and respiratory rates. Six oximeter probes were tested at various body sites. In all, over three thousand pleth-based effort-airway pressure (EP) curves were generated across the various airway constrictions, respiratory efforts, respiratory rates, subjects, probe sites, and the candidate parameters considered. Regression analysis was performed to determine the existence of positive monotonic relationships between the respiratory effort parameters and resulting airway pressures. Six of the candidate parameters investigated exhibited a distinct positive relationship (poximeter probe and an ECG (P2E-Effort) and the other using two pulse oximeter probes placed at different peripheral body sites (P2-Effort); and baseline shifts in heart rate, (BL-HR-Effort). In conclusion, a clear monotonic relationship was found between several pleth-based parameters and imposed respiratory loadings at the mouth across a range of respiratory rates and flow constrictions. The results suggest that the pleth may provide a measure of changing upper airway dynamics indicative of the effort to breathe. Copyright © 2017 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The Hotelling Principle, backwardation of futures prices and the values of developed petroleum reserves. The production constraint hypothesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thompson, A.C.

2001-01-01

We explore the practitioner-stylized facts that petroleum wells require large initial investments, have daily production capacities, and have small marginal costs for production rates meaningfully below these capacities. Long-run backwardation of futures prices is required to induce drilling new wells. In contrast to Miller and Upton (1985a,b) and Litzenberger and Rabinowitz (1995), production from developed reserves is essentially a corner solution at capacity regardless of backwardation or price volatility. Economically interesting supply decisions take the form of investment in exploration and drilling. Empirical evidence strongly rejects the Miller and Upton hypothesis in favor of our more general model

Time horizons and electricity futures: An application of Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen's general theory of economic production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farrell, Katharine N. [Department of Economics, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig (Germany); Gibson Institute for Land, Food and Environment, Queen' s University of Belfast, Northern Ireland (United Kingdom); Mayumi, Kozo [Faculty of Integrated Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokushima (Japan)

2009-03-15

This paper reports theoretical economic production work and uses electricity futures trading to illustrate its argument. The focus is relationships between time, production and tradition both in Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen's analytical representation of the production process (i.e., flow/fund model) and in his dialectical scheme dealing with the evolutionary changes in the economic process. Our main arguments are (1) the flow/fund model is designed to be employed in conjunction with attention to how the boundaries of a given process are determined and (2) process boundaries are dialectical distinctions - between process and not-process - that are strongly related to time and tradition. We propose that Georgescu-Roegen's The Entropy Law and the Economic Process is best understood as the elaboration of a general theory of economic production and we developed two conceptual tools (time {open_square} and meta-funds), both of which are related to the dialectical distinction between process and not-process, which we use to operationalise this general theory. Finally, we demonstrate that, although trading in electricity futures is surprising if one uses a stock/flow vs services distinction (because electricity supply is classed as a service) it appears perfectly logical under Georgescu-Roegen's general theory: shortening time horizons, combined with a shift in the relationship between raw fuel supplies and power production procedures, lead to a shift in the status of electricity supply, from fund to flow. (author)

The Future of Air Conditioning for Buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goetzler, William [Navigant Consulting, Burlington, MA (United States); Guernsey, Matt [Navigant Consulting, Burlington, MA (United States); Young, Jim [Navigant Consulting, Burlington, MA (United States); Fujrman, Jay [Navigant Consulting, Burlington, MA (United States); Abdelaziz, Amar [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2016-07-01

BTO works with researchers and industry to develop and deploy technologies that can substantially reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in residential and commercial buildings. Air conditioning systems in buildings contribute to GHG emissions both directly through refrigerant emissions, as well as indirectly through fossil fuel combustion for power generation. BTO promotes pre-competitive research and development on next-generation HVAC technologies that support the phase down of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) production and consumption, as well as cost-effective energy efficiency improvements. DOE provides, with this report, a fact-based vision for the future of A/C use around the world. DOE intends for this vision to reflect a broad and balanced aggregation of perspectives. DOE brings together this content in an effort to support dialogue within the international community and help keep key facts and objectives at the forefront among the many important discussions.

European neutron research prepares for future challenges

CERN Multimedia

Antonella Del Rosso

2013-01-01

Neutrons are among the fundamental building blocks of matter. Some of the processes in which they are involved are responsible for energy generation in nuclear power plants. In this context, CERN’s n_TOF and other facilities participating in the ERINDA EU-funded programme help the community integrate all the scientific efforts needed to produce high-quality nuclear data for future nuclear technologies.   The 4π calorimeter inside the n_TOF experimental area. Image courtesy of the n_TOF Collaboration. Accurate measurements of the interactions between neutrons and each of the elements present in nuclear reactors are vital tools enabling scientists to explore solutions – other than simple protected storage – for the treatment of radioactive waste deriving from a number of applications, ranging from energy production to the medical field. Particularly valuable is the contribution provided by the 13 accelerator-based neutron sources, which the ERINDA EU-funded...

International cooperation in planetary exploration - Past success and future prospects

Science.gov (United States)

Rosendhal, Jeffrey D.

1987-01-01

A review is given of the ways in which the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has participated in international efforts to explore the solar system. Past examples of successful international cooperative programs are described. Prospects for future cooperative efforts are discussed with emphasis placed on current events, issues, and trends which are likely to affect possibilities for cooperation over the next 5 to 10 years. Key factors which will play a major role in shaping future prospects for cooperation include the move towards balancing the budget in the United States and the impact of the Challenger accident on the NASA program.

Alignment and stability of future machines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shiltsev, V.D.

1996-06-01

Leading accelerator laboratories mount serious efforts in alignment and vibration studies concerning stability of future accelerator facilities such as photon and meson factories, future linear colliders (LCs), and hadron supercolliders (HCs). Some 200 publications covered the topic since late 80s, following pioneering works of G.E. Fischer. Four International workshops on accelerator alignment were held since 1989 at SLAC, DESY, CERN and KEK. The SSCL hosted the workshop on vibration control and dynamic alignment (1992). This article briefly covers some present achievements and issues in the field. We discuss major effects and tolerances for the future accelerators, results of measurements up-to-date, correction techniques and make some conclusions

U.S., Russia join efforts to clean up nuclear sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Richard Seltzer.

1993-01-01

U.S. and Russian scientists are stepping up their cooperative efforts to deal with a vexing and controversial problem in both nations--cleanup of radioactive wastes at former nuclear weapons production sites. Last month, a top-level delegation of Russian officials and scientists came to the U.S. for two weeks. They visited Washington, D.C., and the Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford site in Washington State, studying U.S. cleanup activities and providing information on Russian problems and efforts. The visit was part of a program of exchanges in the areas of environmental restoration and waste management called for by a 1990 memorandum of cooperation between DOE and the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy. The memo helps implement a U.S.-Russian collaborative agreement on peaceful uses of atomic energy. Currently, cooperation under the memo exists in four areas: vitrification, waste separation, contaminant transport modeling, and student-scientist exchanges. The paper summarizes the visit to the Hanford Reservation and describes the cleanup efforts there

Analysis, improvement and application of the MODIS leaf area index products

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Wenze

Green leaf area governs the exchanges of energy, mass and momentum between the Earth's surface and the atmosphere. Therefore, leaf area index (LAI) and fraction of incident photosynthetically active radiation (0.4-0.7 mum) absorbed by the vegetation canopy (FPAR) are widely used in vegetation monitoring and modeling. The launch of Terra and Aqua satellites with the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument onboard provided the first global products of LAI and FPAR, derived mainly from an algorithm based on radiative transfer. The objective of this research is to comprehensively evaluate the Terra and Aqua MODIS LAI/FPAR products. Large volumes of these products have been analyzed with the goal of understanding product quality with respect to version (Collection 3 versus 4), algorithm (main versus back-up), snow (snow-free versus snow on the ground) and cloud (cloud-free versus cloudy) conditions. Field validation efforts identified several key factors that influence the accuracy of algorithm retrievals. The strategy of validation efforts guiding algorithm refinements has led to progressively more accurate LAI/FPAR products. The combination of products derived from the Terra and Aqua MODIS sensors increases the success rate of the main radiative transfer algorithm by 10-20 percent over woody vegetation. The Terra Collection 4 LAI data reveal seasonal swings in green leaf area of about 25 percent in a majority of the Amazon rainforests caused by variability in cloud cover and light. The timing and the influence of this seasonal cycle are critical to understanding tropical plant adaptation patterns and ecological processes. The results presented in this dissertation suggest how the product quality has gradually improved largely through the efforts of validation activities. The Amazon case study highlights the utility of these data sets for monitoring global vegetation dynamics. Thus, these results can be seen as a benchmark for evaluation of

How do teaser advertisements boost word of mouth about new products? For consumers, the future is more exciting than the present

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Thorbjornsen, H.; Ketelaar, P.E.; Riet, J.P. van 't; Dahlén, M.

2015-01-01

Future-framed marketing is highly effective in generating positive product-related word of mouth (WOM) for new products. This was demonstrated in two studies: Study 1 reported a novel online field experiment on WOM behavior; Study 2 tested the proposed WOM effects in a more controlled laboratory

Towards an Early Software Effort Estimation Based on Functional and Non-Functional Requirements

Science.gov (United States)

Kassab, Mohamed; Daneva, Maya; Ormandjieva, Olga

The increased awareness of the non-functional requirements as a key to software project and product success makes explicit the need to include them in any software project effort estimation activity. However, the existing approaches to defining size-based effort relationships still pay insufficient attention to this need. This paper presents a flexible, yet systematic approach to the early requirements-based effort estimation, based on Non-Functional Requirements ontology. It complementarily uses one standard functional size measurement model and a linear regression technique. We report on a case study which illustrates the application of our solution approach in context and also helps evaluate our experiences in using it.

The Effect of No Agricultural Productivity Growth on Future Land Use and Climate through Biogeophysical Mechanisms

Science.gov (United States)

Davies-Barnard, T.; Valdes, P. J.; Singarayer, J. S.; Jones, C.

2012-12-01

Future land use and the consequent land cover change will have a significant impact on future climate through biogeophysical (albedo, surface roughness and latent heat transfer, etc.) as well as biogeochemical (greenhouse gas emissions etc.) mechanisms. One of the major determinants of the extent of land use induced land cover change is the agricultural productivity growth within the socio-economic models used for developing the RCP scenarios. There are considerable uncertainties in the size of agricultural productivity under climate change, as yields are projected to vary spatially in signal and strength. Previous climate modeling work has considered the impacts to the carbon cycle of different levels of agricultural productivity growth, but has failed to consider the biogeophysical effects of the land use induced land cover change on climate. Here we examine the climate impacts of the assumption of agricultural productivity growth and business as usual land use. The effects are considered through the biogeophysical land use induced land cover change, using the Hadley Centre climate model HadGEM2. The model simulations use the set biogeochemical climate forcing of the RCP 4.5 scenario, but the biogeophysical land use change specification is altered over a 100 year simulation. Simulations are run with combinations of no land use change; standard RCP 4.5 land use change; business as usual land use change; and zero agricultural productivity growth. The key effect of no agricultural productivity growth is that more cropland is required to feed the same population, necessitating cropland expansion. The expansion of cropland and consequent deforestation increases the albedo and gives an extensive cooling effect in the northern hemisphere (up to 2°C). Differences in global mean temperature between the zero agricultural productivity growth with business as usual land use change specified run and the standard RCP 4.5 run are -0.2°C by 2040 and -0.7°C by 2100. There is

Systems-Level Synthetic Biology for Advanced Biofuel Production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ruffing, Anne [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Jensen, Travis J. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Strickland, Lucas Marshall [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Meserole, Stephen [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Tallant, David [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2015-03-01

Cyanobacteria have been shown to be capable of producing a variety of advanced biofuels; however, product yields remain well below those necessary for large scale production. New genetic tools and high throughput metabolic engineering techniques are needed to optimize cyanobacterial metabolisms for enhanced biofuel production. Towards this goal, this project advances the development of a multiple promoter replacement technique for systems-level optimization of gene expression in a model cyanobacterial host: Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002. To realize this multiple-target approach, key capabilities were developed, including a high throughput detection method for advanced biofuels, enhanced transformation efficiency, and genetic tools for Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002. Moreover, several additional obstacles were identified for realization of this multiple promoter replacement technique. The techniques and tools developed in this project will help to enable future efforts in the advancement of cyanobacterial biofuels.

Blueberry production in Chile: current status and future developments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jorge B. Retamales

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Chile has become a major actor in the blueberry industry as the most important supplier of off-season fresh fruit for the northern hemisphere. Blueberry exports passed from US$ 30 million (around 4,000 tons in 2000 to US$ 380 million (94,000 tons in 2011. The characteristics of the major blueberry growing regions (North, Central, South-central and South are presented in terms of acreage, varieties, management practices, extension of the harvest season, and soil and climatic conditions. Most fruit is from highbush varieties, picked by hand and exported fresh by boat to United States. Largest proportion of fruit is exported from mid December to late January, which coincides with lowest prices. The south-central region (latitudes 34º50' to 38º15' S was in 2007 the most important one with 5,075 ha (51.1% of area planted. Among the challenges for the Chilean blueberry industry in the near future are: 1. Lower profitability due to lower rates of currency exchange and higher costs, 2 - Greater scarcity and higher cost of labor, 3.- Need for higher productivity and sustainable production practices, 4- Fruit of high and consistent quality, and 5.- Greater investment in research. As a case study the article presents three approaches that can help identify areas with low availability of labor and improve its efficiency. The article shows the use of geomatic tools to establish labor availability, application of growth regulators to reduce crop load, increase fruit size and improve harvest efficiency, and the use of shakers to harvest fresh fruit for long distance markets. More research is needed to improve yields, reduce costs and give greater economical and ecological sustainability to the Chilean blueberry industry.

The History, Status, Gaps, and Future Directions of Neurotoxicology in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Tongjian; Luo, Wenjing; Ruan, Diyun; Wu, Yi-Jun; Fox, Donald A; Chen, Jingyuan

2016-06-01

Rapid economic development in China has produced serious ecological, environmental, and health problems. Neurotoxicity has been recognized as a major public health problem. The Chinese government, research institutes, and scientists conducted extensive studies concerning the source, characteristics, and mechanisms of neurotoxicants. This paper presents, for the first time, a comprehensive history and review of major sources of neurotoxicants, national bodies/legislation engaged, and major neurotoxicology research in China. Peer-reviewed research and pollution studies by Chinese scientists from 1991 to 2015 were examined. PubMed, Web of Science and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were the major search tools. The central problem is an increased exposure to neurotoxicants from air and water, food contamination, e-waste recycling, and manufacturing of household products. China formulated an institutional framework and standards system for management of major neurotoxicants. Basic and applied research was initiated, and international cooperation was achieved. The annual number of peer-reviewed neurotoxicology papers from Chinese authors increased almost 30-fold since 2001. Despite extensive efforts, neurotoxicity remains a significant public health problem. This provides great challenges and opportunities. We identified 10 significant areas that require major educational, environmental, governmental, and research efforts, as well as attention to public awareness. For example, there is a need to increase efforts to utilize new in vivo and in vitro models, determine the potential neurotoxicity and mechanisms involved in newly emerging pollutants, and examine the effects and mechanisms of mixtures. In the future, we anticipate working with scientists worldwide to accomplish these goals and eliminate, prevent and treat neurotoxicity. Cai T, Luo W, Ruan D, Wu YJ, Fox DA, Chen J. 2016. The history, status, gaps, and future directions of neurotoxicology in

The influence of organic production on food quality - research findings, gaps and future challenges.

Science.gov (United States)

Załęcka, Aneta; Bügel, Susanne; Paoletti, Flavio; Kahl, Johannes; Bonanno, Adriana; Dostalova, Anne; Rahmann, Gerold

2014-10-01

Although several meta-analysis studies have been published comparing the quality of food derived from organic and non-organic origin, it is still not clear if food from organic production per se can guarantee product-related added value to consumers. This paper aims to summarize the status quo in order to identify research gaps and suggest future research challenges. Organic food is described according to a quality model already published. The influence of organic production on food quality is structured in primary production and processing. Furthermore, organic food authentication is discussed. Organic food seems to contain fewer pesticide residues and statistically more selected health-related compounds such as polyphenols in plant products and polyunsaturated fatty acids in milk and meat products, but the health relevance for consumers is not clear yet. Comparing food from organic origin with so called 'conventional' food seems not to be appropriate, because 'conventional' is not defined. In organic food quality research a system approach is needed from which systemic markers can be selected. Research on the impact of processing technologies on the quality according to organic principles seems of high relevance, since most of the food is processed. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

The collider of the future?

CERN Multimedia

2009-01-01

Why are two studies for one linear collider being conducted in parallel? This is far from a duplication of effort or a waste of resources, since the two studies reflect a complementary strategy aimed at providing the best technology for future physics. On Friday 12 June CERN hosted the first joint meeting between CLIC, ILC and the CERN management.

Learning Outcomes in Sustainability Education among Future Elementary School Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Foley, Rider W.; Archambault, Leanna M.; Hale, Annie E.; Dong, Hsiang-Kai

2017-01-01

Universities and colleges around the world are exploring ways of reorganizing curricula to educate future leaders in sustainability. Preservice teachers hold tremendous potential to introduce concepts of sustainability far earlier than post-secondary education. However, there is little research of such efforts to yield changes in future elementary…

Anti-terror/non-proliferation efforts and South Korea's planning for atomic energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chun, Chae Sung

2006-01-01

This study deals with the relationship between rapidly changing international security environments, the US security policy on the one hand, and policy environments of atomic energy. Based on the notion that the issue of atomic energy development is closely interrelated with the situation of international security especially after the tragic incident of 9/11, this study focuses on the impact of changing security environments on the conditions under which South Korea uses atomic power. It also deals with the subject of how the new framework of NPT, and the policy of IAEA influences upon South Korea's atomic polices in the future. This study examines the nature and contents of the US foreign policy and its efforts toward nonproliferation and counterproliferation. This study also deals with the Iranian case in which the US efforts of counterproliferation and Iranian argument for the rights of peaceful use of atomic energy based on the concept of national sovereignty. The Iranian case sheds light on the most acute aspect of current stage of nonproliferation, but also on the way of solving the North Korean nuclear crisis. This study also take issue with the future course of nonprolieration and the South Korea's policy for its maximum use of atomic energy

Reducing Future International Chemical and Biological Dangers.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haddal, Chad [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Bull, Diana L. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Hernandez, Patricia Marie [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Foley, John T. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2017-12-01

The International Biological and Chemical Threat Reduction Program at Sandia National Laboratories is developing a 15 - year technology road map in support the United States Government efforts to reduce international chemical and biological dangers . In 2017, the program leadership chartered an analysis team to explore dangers in the future international chemical and biological landscape through engagements with national security experts within and beyond Sandia to gain a multidisciplinary perspective on the future . This report offers a hi gh level landscape of future chemical and biological dangers based upon analysis of those engagements and provides support for further technology road map development.

Future land use plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

The US Department of Energy's (DOE) changing mission, coupled with the need to apply appropriate cleanup standards for current and future environmental restoration, prompted the need for a process to determine preferred Future Land Uses for DOE-owned sites. DOE began the ''Future Land Use'' initiative in 1994 to ensure that its cleanup efforts reflect the surrounding communities' interests in future land use. This plan presents the results of a study of stakeholder-preferred future land uses for the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), located in central Long Island, New York. The plan gives the Laboratory's view of its future development over the next 20 years, as well as land uses preferred by the community were BNL ever to cease operations as a national laboratory (the post-BNL scenario). The plan provides an overview of the physical features of the site including its history, topography, geology/hydrogeology, biological inventory, floodplains, wetlands, climate, and atmosphere. Utility systems and current environmental operations are described including waste management, waste water treatment, hazardous waste management, refuse disposal and ground water management. To complement the physical descriptions of the site, demographics are discussed, including overviews of the surrounding areas, laboratory population, and economic and non-economic impacts

Future land use plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-08-31

The US Department of Energy`s (DOE) changing mission, coupled with the need to apply appropriate cleanup standards for current and future environmental restoration, prompted the need for a process to determine preferred Future Land Uses for DOE-owned sites. DOE began the ``Future Land Use`` initiative in 1994 to ensure that its cleanup efforts reflect the surrounding communities` interests in future land use. This plan presents the results of a study of stakeholder-preferred future land uses for the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), located in central Long Island, New York. The plan gives the Laboratory`s view of its future development over the next 20 years, as well as land uses preferred by the community were BNL ever to cease operations as a national laboratory (the post-BNL scenario). The plan provides an overview of the physical features of the site including its history, topography, geology/hydrogeology, biological inventory, floodplains, wetlands, climate, and atmosphere. Utility systems and current environmental operations are described including waste management, waste water treatment, hazardous waste management, refuse disposal and ground water management. To complement the physical descriptions of the site, demographics are discussed, including overviews of the surrounding areas, laboratory population, and economic and non-economic impacts.

Effort rights-based management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Squires, Dale; Maunder, Mark; Allen, Robin

2017-01-01

Effort rights-based fisheries management (RBM) is less widely used than catch rights, whether for groups or individuals. Because RBM on catch or effort necessarily requires a total allowable catch (TAC) or total allowable effort (TAE), RBM is discussed in conjunction with issues in assessing fish...... populations and providing TACs or TAEs. Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages, and there are trade-offs between the two approaches. In a narrow economic sense, catch rights are superior because of the type of incentives created, but once the costs of research to improve stock assessments...

Water futures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Mattias Borg

2016-01-01

This article explores the potential construction of a water reservoir in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca. Proposed by a peasant group, it would have served important productive purposes but have its intake within the perimeter of a national park. Thus, different notions about water and landscape emerge...... in the encounters between place-based practices and state-sponsored conservation efforts. Empirically tracing the efforts to construct the reservoir, the analytical focus of the article is on how different ways of knowing water within a particular landscape conjure and collide in the process. It is argued...... that the movement of water extends itself beyond the physical properties of the reservoir and irrigation channels as these are produced in encounters between different notions of the role of water in the landscape....

Future challenges in communication for promoting ORT--an overview.

Science.gov (United States)

Dobe, M

2003-06-01

Oral rehydration therapy (ORT) is a cheap and simple intervention aimed to prevent mortality and morbidity associated with dehydration due to diarrhoea. ORT promotion strategies through programme communication, social mobilisation and social marketing, and advocacy efforts have yielded substantial improvement in the scenario. However, it has also taught us lessons and suggested changes in communication strategies to make the promotion efforts more effective in future.

Aviation fuel and future oil production scenarios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nygren, Emma; Aleklett, Kjell; Hoeoek, Mikael

2009-01-01

Most aviation fuels are jet fuels originating from crude oil. Crude oil must be refined to be useful and jet fuel is only one of many products that can be derived from crude oil. Jet fuel is extracted from the middle distillates fraction and competes, for example, with the production of diesel. Crude oil is a limited natural resource subject to depletion and several reports indicate that the world's crude oil production is close to the maximum level and that it will start to decrease after reaching this maximum. A post-Kyoto political agenda to reduce oil consumption will have the same effect on aviation fuel production as a natural decline in the crude oil production. On the other hand, it is predicted by the aviation industry that aviation traffic will keep on increasing. The industry has put ambitious goals on increases in fuel efficiency for the aviation fleet. Traffic is predicted to grow by 5% per year to 2026, fuel demand by about 3% per year. At the same time, aviation fuel production is predicted to decrease by several percent each year after the crude oil production peak is reached resulting in a substantial shortage of jet fuel by 2026. The aviation industry will have a hard time replacing this with fuel from other sources, even if air traffic remains at current levels.

Strategy of arm movement control is determined by minimization of neural effort for joint coordination.

Science.gov (United States)

Dounskaia, Natalia; Shimansky, Yury

2016-06-01

Optimality criteria underlying organization of arm movements are often validated by testing their ability to adequately predict hand trajectories. However, kinematic redundancy of the arm allows production of the same hand trajectory through different joint coordination patterns. We therefore consider movement optimality at the level of joint coordination patterns. A review of studies of multi-joint movement control suggests that a 'trailing' pattern of joint control is consistently observed during which a single ('leading') joint is rotated actively and interaction torque produced by this joint is the primary contributor to the motion of the other ('trailing') joints. A tendency to use the trailing pattern whenever the kinematic redundancy is sufficient and increased utilization of this pattern during skillful movements suggests optimality of the trailing pattern. The goal of this study is to determine the cost function minimization of which predicts the trailing pattern. We show that extensive experimental testing of many known cost functions cannot successfully explain optimality of the trailing pattern. We therefore propose a novel cost function that represents neural effort for joint coordination. That effort is quantified as the cost of neural information processing required for joint coordination. We show that a tendency to reduce this 'neurocomputational' cost predicts the trailing pattern and that the theoretically developed predictions fully agree with the experimental findings on control of multi-joint movements. Implications for future research of the suggested interpretation of the trailing joint control pattern and the theory of joint coordination underlying it are discussed.

A study on sheep farming practices in relation to future production strategies in Bensa district of Southern Ethiopia.

Science.gov (United States)

Kenfo, Hizkel; Mekasha, Yoseph; Tadesse, Yosef

2018-04-01

The study was carried out in Bensa district of Sidama zone, Southern Ethiopia. Agro-ecologically, the study sites were classified into highland and mid-altitude. The objective of the study was to identify sheep farming practices in relation to future production strategies in the study area. A total of 128 households from four kebeles (lower administrative structure) were selected purposively based on sheep population and production potential and accessibility. Data was collected through semi-structured questionnaire, focus group discussions, and key informants. The result showed that most of the household heads were male (92.75%) and mixed crop-livestock system was the dominant production system. Among the livestock species, sheep accounted for the largest proportion across the two agro ecologies and the average sheep flock size/household was 4.6 ± 0.33 and 22 4.3 ± 0.213 in highland and in mid-altitude, respectively. The primary reason of keeping sheep was for cash income and saving across the two agro ecologies. The major feed resources for sheep during the wet and dry seasons were natural pasture and crop residues respectively across the two agro ecologies. Feed shortages, disease, parasite prevalence, and market were the major sheep production constraints in highland while feed shortage, genotype, disease, parasite prevalence, and market in mid-altitude. It can be concluded that for enhancing future production from sheep in the area, emphasis is to be given on feed availability, disease management, breeding policy, and marketing strategies.

Social Media and Alcohol: Summary of Research, Intervention Ideas and Future Study Directions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Megan A. Moreno

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Alcohol content is frequently displayed on social media through both user-generated posts and advertisements. Previous work supports that alcohol content on social media is influential and often associated with offline behaviors for adolescents and young adults. Social media may have a role in future alcohol intervention efforts including identifying those at risk or providing timely prevention messages. Future intervention efforts may benefit from an affordance approach rather than focusing on a single platform.

Living systematic reviews: 2. Combining human and machine effort.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, James; Noel-Storr, Anna; Marshall, Iain; Wallace, Byron; McDonald, Steven; Mavergames, Chris; Glasziou, Paul; Shemilt, Ian; Synnot, Anneliese; Turner, Tari; Elliott, Julian

2017-11-01

New approaches to evidence synthesis, which use human effort and machine automation in mutually reinforcing ways, can enhance the feasibility and sustainability of living systematic reviews. Human effort is a scarce and valuable resource, required when automation is impossible or undesirable, and includes contributions from online communities ("crowds") as well as more conventional contributions from review authors and information specialists. Automation can assist with some systematic review tasks, including searching, eligibility assessment, identification and retrieval of full-text reports, extraction of data, and risk of bias assessment. Workflows can be developed in which human effort and machine automation can each enable the other to operate in more effective and efficient ways, offering substantial enhancement to the productivity of systematic reviews. This paper describes and discusses the potential-and limitations-of new ways of undertaking specific tasks in living systematic reviews, identifying areas where these human/machine "technologies" are already in use, and where further research and development is needed. While the context is living systematic reviews, many of these enabling technologies apply equally to standard approaches to systematic reviewing. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Machine Learning Approach for Software Reliability Growth Modeling with Infinite Testing Effort Function

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Subburaj Ramasamy

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Reliability is one of the quantifiable software quality attributes. Software Reliability Growth Models (SRGMs are used to assess the reliability achieved at different times of testing. Traditional time-based SRGMs may not be accurate enough in all situations where test effort varies with time. To overcome this lacuna, test effort was used instead of time in SRGMs. In the past, finite test effort functions were proposed, which may not be realistic as, at infinite testing time, test effort will be infinite. Hence in this paper, we propose an infinite test effort function in conjunction with a classical Nonhomogeneous Poisson Process (NHPP model. We use Artificial Neural Network (ANN for training the proposed model with software failure data. Here it is possible to get a large set of weights for the same model to describe the past failure data equally well. We use machine learning approach to select the appropriate set of weights for the model which will describe both the past and the future data well. We compare the performance of the proposed model with existing model using practical software failure data sets. The proposed log-power TEF based SRGM describes all types of failure data equally well and also improves the accuracy of parameter estimation more than existing TEF and can be used for software release time determination as well.

Clarification technologies for monoclonal antibody manufacturing processes: Current state and future perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Nripen; Arunkumar, Abhiram; Chollangi, Srinivas; Tan, Zhijun George; Borys, Michael; Li, Zheng Jian

2016-04-01

Considerable progress has been made increasing productivity of cell cultures to meet the rapidly growing demand for antibody biopharmaceuticals through increased cell densities and longer culture times. This in turn has dramatically increased the burden of process and product related impurities on the purification processes. In addition, current trends in the biopharmaceutical industry point toward both increased productivity and targeting smaller patient populations for new indications. Taken together, these developments are driving the industry to explore alternative separation technologies as a future manufacturing strategy. Clarification technologies well established in other industries, such as flocculation and precipitation are increasingly considered as a viable solution to address this bottleneck in antibody processes. However, several technical issues need to be fully addressed including suitability as a platform application, robustness, process cost, toxicity, and clearance. This review will focus on recent efforts to incorporate new generation clarification technologies for mammalian cell cultures producing monoclonal antibodies as well as challenges to their implementation supported by a case study. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The future of nuclear power and fourth-generation reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carre, F.; Renault, C.

2006-01-01

Faced with the exhaustion of fossil fuel resources, the output of existing nuclear power must quadruple between now and 2050, and the Commissariat a l'Energie atomique (CEA) and its industrial partners are cooperating in a programme of R and D on future nuclear power. France strategy puts rapid neutron reactors (RNR) at the forefront, in view of their possible introduction by 2040. These reactors allow a more efficient use of uranium resources and minimise the production of long-life nuclear waste. Two technologies which use respectively, sodium and gas as their coolant are being studied. For the sodium RNR, which benefits from significant existing experience, the key is to first improve its economic performance. For the gas RNR, which draws on the principles and the generic assets of the RNR, for those using helium as the coolant, and those with applications at high temperature, it is important firstly to demonstrate the key technologies such as the fuel. The decision of President Chirac to launch the study of a prototype, fourth-generation reactor for 2020 is stimulating the research effort into France future nuclear power. (author)

Developing a New North American Land Cover Product at 30m Resolution: Methods, Results and Future Plans

Science.gov (United States)

Homer, C.; Colditz, R. R.; Latifovic, R.; Llamas, R. M.; Pouliot, D.; Danielson, P.; Meneses, C.; Victoria, A.; Ressl, R.; Richardson, K.; Vulpescu, M.

2017-12-01

Land cover and land cover change information at regional and continental scales has become fundamental for studying and understanding the terrestrial environment. With recent advances in computer science and freely available image archives, continental land cover mapping has been advancing to higher spatial resolution products. The North American Land Change Monitoring System (NALCMS) remains the principal provider of seamless land cover maps of North America. Founded in 2006, this collaboration among the governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States has released two previous products based on 250m MODIS images, including a 2005 land cover and a 2005-2010 land cover change product. NALCMS has recently completed the next generation North America land cover product, based upon 30m Landsat images. This product now provides the first ever 30m land cover produced for the North American continent, providing 19 classes of seamless land cover. This presentation provides an overview of country-specific image classification processes, describes the continental map production process, provides results for the North American continent and discusses future plans. NALCMS is coordinated by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) and all products can be obtained at their website - www.cec.org.

Marginal socio-economic effects of an employer's efforts to improve the work environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Rezagholi, Mahmoud

2018-01-01

Workplace health promotion (WHP) strongly requires the employer's efforts to improve the psychosocial, ergonomic, and physical environments of the workplace. There are many studies discussing the socio-economic advantage of WHP intervention programmes and thus the internal and external factors motivating employers to implement and integrate such programmes. However, the socio-economic impacts of the employer's multifactorial efforts to improve the work environment need to be adequately assessed. Data were collected from Swedish company Sandvik Materials Technology (SMT) through a work environment survey in April 2014. Different regression equations were analysed to assess marginal effects of the employer's efforts on overall labour effectiveness (OLE), informal work impairments (IWI), lost working hours (LWH), and labour productivity loss (LPL) in terms of money. The employer's multifactorial efforts resulted in increasing OLE, decreasing IWI and illness-related LWH, and cost savings in terms of decreasing LPL. Environmental factors at the workplace are the important determinant factor for OLE, and the latter is where socio-economic impacts of the employer's efforts primarily manifest.

submitter Can you afford to wait? Designing the collider of the future

CERN Document Server

Benedikt, Michael

2017-01-01

Designing a future circular collider is a next step in humanity’s quest to explain the world. This effort is not only about striving for a profound understanding of nature, but also about creating an exciting perspective for future generations.

Overview of past, ongoing and future efforts of the integrated modeling of global change for Northern Eurasia

Science.gov (United States)

Monier, Erwan; Kicklighter, David; Sokolov, Andrei; Zhuang, Qianlai; Melillo, Jerry; Reilly, John

2016-04-01

Northern Eurasia is both a major player in the global carbon budget (it includes roughly 70% of the Earth's boreal forest and more than two-thirds of the Earth's permafrost) and a region that has experienced dramatic climate change (increase in temperature, growing season length, floods and droughts) over the past century. Northern Eurasia has also undergone significant land-use change, both driven by human activity (including deforestation, expansion of agricultural lands and urbanization) and natural disturbances (such as wildfires and insect outbreaks). These large environmental and socioeconomic impacts have major implications for the carbon cycle in the region. Northern Eurasia is made up of a diverse set of ecosystems that range from tundra to forests, with significant areas of croplands and pastures as well as deserts, with major urban areas. As such, it represents a complex system with substantial challenges for the modeling community. In this presentation, we provide an overview of past, ongoing and possible future efforts of the integrated modeling of global change for Northern Eurasia. We review the variety of existing modeling approaches to investigate specific components of Earth system dynamics in the region. While there are a limited number of studies that try to integrate various aspects of the Earth system (through scale, teleconnections or processes), we point out that there are few systematic analyses of the various feedbacks within the Earth system (between components, regions or scale). As a result, there is a lack of knowledge of the relative importance of such feedbacks, and it is unclear how policy relevant current studies are that fail to account for these feedbacks. We review the role of Earth system models, and their advantages/limitations compared to detailed single component models. We further introduce the human activity system (global trade, economic models, demographic model and so on), the need for coupled human/earth system models

Arrhythmogenic KCNE gene variants: current knowledge and future challenges

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shawn M Crump

2014-01-01

Full Text Available There are twenty-five known inherited cardiac arrhythmia susceptibility genes, all of which encode either ion channel pore-forming subunits or proteins that regulate aspects of ion channel biology such as function, trafficking and localization. The human KCNE gene family comprises five potassium channel regulatory subunits, sequence variants in each of which are associated with cardiac arrhythmias. KCNE gene products exhibit promiscuous partnering and in some cases ubiquitous expression, hampering efforts to unequivocally correlate each gene to specific native potassium currents. Likewise, deducing the molecular etiology of cardiac arrhythmias in individuals harboring rare KCNE gene variants, or more common KCNE polymorphisms, can be challenging. In this review we provide an update on putative arrhythmia-causing KCNE gene variants, and discuss current thinking and future challenges in the study of molecular mechanisms of KCNE-associated cardiac rhythm disturbances.

Optimizing performance in a self-conducted open-quotes Rightsizingclose quotes effort

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Annon, M.C.

1996-01-01

The differentiation among open-quotes rightsizing,close quotes open-quotes downsizing,close quotes and open-quotes reengineeringclose quotes has been lost by many organizations. Also, unfortunately of late, the approaches to improved competitiveness and worker productivity are being viewed, by many companies, as neither worth the effort nor achieving the desired results. In some cases, the effort may actually create more negative results. This type of negative perception has been documented in a variety of sources that include the following: (1) less than half the companies reporting improvements in operating profits after the cuts were made, (2) the processes resulting in significantly degraded morale among more than 75% of the employees, (3) less than one-third of organizations reporting improvements in worker productivity, and (4) even Michael Hammer (the reengineering open-quotes guruclose quotes) believing that more than 50% and maybe as much as 70% of the organizations do not achieve the intended results. This paper describes an integrated organizational review process that was applied within a nuclear utility that did achieve the desired results

Hearing Impairment and Cognitive Energy: The Framework for Understanding Effortful Listening (FUEL).

Science.gov (United States)

Pichora-Fuller, M Kathleen; Kramer, Sophia E; Eckert, Mark A; Edwards, Brent; Hornsby, Benjamin W Y; Humes, Larry E; Lemke, Ulrike; Lunner, Thomas; Matthen, Mohan; Mackersie, Carol L; Naylor, Graham; Phillips, Natalie A; Richter, Michael; Rudner, Mary; Sommers, Mitchell S; Tremblay, Kelly L; Wingfield, Arthur

2016-01-01

The Fifth Eriksholm Workshop on "Hearing Impairment and Cognitive Energy" was convened to develop a consensus among interdisciplinary experts about what is known on the topic, gaps in knowledge, the use of terminology, priorities for future research, and implications for practice. The general term cognitive energy was chosen to facilitate the broadest possible discussion of the topic. It goes back to who described the effects of attention on perception; he used the term psychic energy for the notion that limited mental resources can be flexibly allocated among perceptual and mental activities. The workshop focused on three main areas: (1) theories, models, concepts, definitions, and frameworks; (2) methods and measures; and (3) knowledge translation. We defined effort as the deliberate allocation of mental resources to overcome obstacles in goal pursuit when carrying out a task, with listening effort applying more specifically when tasks involve listening. We adapted Kahneman's seminal (1973) Capacity Model of Attention to listening and proposed a heuristically useful Framework for Understanding Effortful Listening (FUEL). Our FUEL incorporates the well-known relationship between cognitive demand and the supply of cognitive capacity that is the foundation of cognitive theories of attention. Our FUEL also incorporates a motivation dimension based on complementary theories of motivational intensity, adaptive gain control, and optimal performance, fatigue, and pleasure. Using a three-dimensional illustration, we highlight how listening effort depends not only on hearing difficulties and task demands but also on the listener's motivation to expend mental effort in the challenging situations of everyday life.

Productive container types for Aedes aegypti immatures in Mérida, México.

Science.gov (United States)

García-Rejón, Julian E; López-Uribe, Mildred P; Loroño-Pino, María Alba; Farfán-Ale, José Arturo; Del Najera-Vazquez, Maria Rosario; Lozano-Fuentes, Saul; Beaty, Barry J; Eisen, Lars

2011-05-01

During 2007-2010, we examined which container types in Mérida, México, are most productive for Aedes aegypti (L.) immatures. Surveys for mosquito immatures followed routine surveillance methodology and container type classifications used by Servicios de Salud de Yucatán. Our main findings were that (1) small and larger discarded containers that serve no particular purpose and therefore can be removed from the environment contribute strongly to larval and pupal production in Mérida, and (2) the importance of different container types can vary among sets of residential premises as well as between dry and wet periods. These results may help to guide future implementation in Mérida of control efforts that target the most productive container types for Ae. aegypti immatures. Furthermore, if the Patio Limpio cleanup campaign that currently is ongoing in Mérida proves successful in removing discarded containers as important immature development sites, then we should see dramatic changes in the most productive container types in the future as the mosquito is forced to switch to other container types, which perhaps also will be easier to include in highly targeted mosquito control interventions.

Dopamine and Effort-Based Decision Making

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irma Triasih Kurniawan

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Motivational theories of choice focus on the influence of goal values and strength of reinforcement to explain behavior. By contrast relatively little is known concerning how the cost of an action, such as effort expended, contributes to a decision to act. Effort-based decision making addresses how we make an action choice based on an integration of action and goal values. Here we review behavioral and neurobiological data regarding the representation of effort as action cost, and how this impacts on decision making. Although organisms expend effort to obtain a desired reward there is a striking sensitivity to the amount of effort required, such that the net preference for an action decreases as effort cost increases. We discuss the contribution of the neurotransmitter dopamine (DA towards overcoming response costs and in enhancing an animal’s motivation towards effortful actions. We also consider the contribution of brain structures, including the basal ganglia (BG and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC, in the internal generation of action involving a translation of reward expectation into effortful action.

Canadian CANDU plant historical data systems. A review and look to the future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deverno, M.; De Grosbois, J.; Pothier, H.

1996-01-01

As part of several CANDU Owner's Group (COG) projects, AECL has conducted a review of current approaches and investigated solutions to plant process data collection, management, and use. Emphasis was placed on understanding the existing functionality and uses of plant data systems, their future needs and benefits. The result is a vision of a plant-wide Historical Data System (HDS) providing seamless access to both near real-time and historical data, user tool-kits for data visualization and analysis, and data management of the larger volume of data acquired during the life of a plant. HDS technology is critical to the implementation of technical surveillance and analysis, predictive and preventative maintenance programs, and other efforts necessary to enhance plant safety, availability, production and productivity. HDS technology will lead to higher capability and capacity factors while minimizing operations, maintenance, and administration (OM and A) costs. (author)

Canadian CANDU plant historical data systems. A review and look to the future

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deverno, M; De Grosbois, J [Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Chalk River, ON (Canada); Pothier, H [Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Mississauga, ON (Canada); and others

1997-12-31

As part of several CANDU Owner`s Group (COG) projects, AECL has conducted a review of current approaches and investigated solutions to plant process data collection, management, and use. Emphasis was placed on understanding the existing functionality and uses of plant data systems, their future needs and benefits. The result is a vision of a plant-wide Historical Data System (HDS) providing seamless access to both near real-time and historical data, user tool-kits for data visualization and analysis, and data management of the larger volume of data acquired during the life of a plant. HDS technology is critical to the implementation of technical surveillance and analysis, predictive and preventative maintenance programs, and other efforts necessary to enhance plant safety, availability, production and productivity. HDS technology will lead to higher capability and capacity factors while minimizing operations, maintenance, and administration (OM and A) costs. (author) 15 refs., 7 figs.

Smart city – future city? smart city 20 as a livable city and future market

CERN Document Server

Etezadzadeh, Chirine

2016-01-01

The concept of a livable smart city presented in this book highlights the relevance of the functionality and integrated resilience of viable cities of the future. It critically examines the progressive digitalization that is taking place and identifies the revolutionized energy sector as the basis of urban life. The concept is based on people and their natural environment, resulting in a broader definition of sustainability and an expanded product theory. Smart City 2.0 offers its residents many opportunities and is an attractive future market for innovative products and services. However, it presents numerous challenges for stakeholders and product developers.

Environmental futures research at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Science.gov (United States)

Robert L. Olson

2012-01-01

Relatively little research on environmental futures has been carried out in the United States. An exception is the long-running futures research that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been conducting since the 1970s. This paper reviews past and current efforts toward developing a capacity for environmental foresight within the EPA, and discusses some...

A Global Review of Sustainable Construction Project Financing: Policies, Practices, and Research Efforts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming Shan

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Despite the increasing investment in sustainable development over the past decade, a systematic review of sustainable construction project financing is lacking. The objectives of this paper are to conduct a systematic review to examine the policies, practices, and research efforts in the area of sustainable construction project financing, and to explore the potential opportunities for the future research. To achieve these goals, this paper first reviewed the sustainable construction project financing practices implemented by four representative developed economies including the United Kingdom, the United States, Singapore, and Australia. Then, this paper reviewed the efforts and initiatives launched by three international organizations including the United Nations, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, and International Finance Corporation. After that, this paper reviewed the research efforts of sustainable construction project financing published in peer-review journals and books. This paper identified four major research themes within this area, which are the review of financial stakeholders and market of sustainable construction, benefits and barriers to sustainable construction project financing, financial vehicles for sustainable construction projects, innovative models and mechanisms for sustainable construction project financing. Additionally, this paper revealed five directions for the future research of sustainable construction project financing, which are the identification of financial issues in sustainable construction projects, the investigation of financial vehicles for sustainable construction projects in terms of their strengths, limitations, and performances, the examination of critical drivers for implementing sustainable construction project financing, the development of a knowledge-based decision support system for implementing sustainable construction financing, and the development of best practices for

Trying to remember: Effort mediates the relationship between frequency of cannabis use and memory performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirst, Rayna B; Young, Kaitlyn R; Sodos, Louise M; Wickham, Robert E; Earleywine, Mitch

2017-06-01

While many studies suggest that regular cannabis use leads to deficits in cognitive functioning, particularly in memory, few have measured effort put forth during testing, and none have examined this as a potential mediator. Both age of onset of regular cannabis use and frequency of use have been linked to increased risk of memory deficits. The present study sought to determine whether effort mediated the relationship between frequency or age of onset of cannabis use and learning and memory performance. Sixty-two participants (74% male, mean age = 19.25 years) who met criteria for chronic cannabis use (four or more days per week for at least 12 months) completed a neuropsychological battery including the California Verbal Learning Test-II (CVLT-II) and the Rey Complex Figure (RCF) as measures of learning and memory, and the Word Memory Test (WMT) as a measure of effort put forth during neuropsychological assessment. Participants who more frequently used cannabis exhibited poorer effort (as measured by WMT performance; p cannabis use and CVLT-II Learning (Sum of Trials 1-5), CVLT-II Delayed Recall, and RCF Delayed Recall, but not RCF Immediate Recall. Age of onset of cannabis use was not significantly related to effort. Findings indicate that effort mediates the relationship between frequency of cannabis use and performance on learning and memory measures, suggesting that effort performance should be measured and controlled for in future studies assessing cognition in frequent cannabis users.

Hydrogen production from algal biomass - Advances, challenges and prospects.

Science.gov (United States)

Show, Kuan-Yeow; Yan, Yuegen; Ling, Ming; Ye, Guoxiang; Li, Ting; Lee, Duu-Jong

2018-06-01

Extensive effort is being made to explore renewable energy in replacing fossil fuels. Biohydrogen is a promising future fuel because of its clean and high energy content. A challenging issue in establishing hydrogen economy is sustainability. Biohydrogen has the potential for renewable biofuel, and could replace current hydrogen production through fossil fuel thermo-chemical processes. A promising source of biohydrogen is conversion from algal biomass, which is abundant, clean and renewable. Unlike other well-developed biofuels such as bioethanol and biodiesel, production of hydrogen from algal biomass is still in the early stage of development. There are a variety of technologies for algal hydrogen production, and some laboratory- and pilot-scale systems have demonstrated a good potential for full-scale implementation. This work presents an elucidation on development in biohydrogen encompassing biological pathways, bioreactor designs and operation and techno-economic evaluation. Challenges and prospects of biohydrogen production are also outlined. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Coastlines of the past: clues for our future

Science.gov (United States)

Reynolds, L.

2017-12-01

Coastlines are constantly evolving due to the long-term effects of sea-level change and human impacts, as well as in response to high-impact, short duration hazard events such as storms, tsunamis, and earthquakes. The sediments that accumulate in coastal systems such as estuaries, dunes, and beaches archieve the enviornmental record of the past, providing us a baseline with which to predict future coastal hazard magnitude and recurrence intervals. We study this record to understand future hazard potential, as well as to aid restoration efforts. Many coastal systems around the world have been degraded in the last few hundred years by human activity- these regions are important breeding grounds for commercially viable species, natural pollution filters, and barriers against inundation. Efforts to restore coastal systems often rely on data from historical sources to reconstruct past coastal conditions-the geological record can extend the timeframe with which we think about possible restoration points. In addition, studying past coastal response to enviornmental changes can aid the effort to restore systems to a point of sustainability and resilience instead of simply restoring to an arbirtary point in time.

17 CFR 240.15a-10 - Exemption of certain brokers or dealers with respect to security futures products.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Exemption of certain brokers... Brokers and Dealers § 240.15a-10 Exemption of certain brokers or dealers with respect to security futures products. (a) A broker or dealer that is registered by notice with the Commission pursuant to section 15(b...

Swiss electricity production into the future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steinmann, Walter

2008-01-01

In January 2007 the Swiss Federal Office of Energy's work on energy perspectives up until 2035 were concluded and presented. The results form the basis for political debate on the future direction of Switzerland's energy and climate policies. The energy perspectives point to an increase in demand for electricity in Switzerland by 2035 of around 20% and a deficit of roughly 17 billion kWh if no extra measures are taken. This corresponds to twice the annual production of a Swiss nuclear power station. This development and the unharnessed potential in the areas of efficiency and renewable energies prompted Switzerland's Federal Council to decide on a reorientation of its energy policy in 2007. This is based on four pillars: 1. Improved energy efficiency; 2. Promotion of renewable energy; 3. Targeted extension and construction of large-scale power stations; 4. Intensification of foreign energy policy, particularly in terms of cooperation with the EU. 2008 has got off to a strong start in terms of energy policy - the CO 2 tax on fuels has been introduced and the first package of the new Energy Supply Act (StromVG) has entered into force. The new Electricity Supply Act creates the necessary conditions for a progressive opening of Switzerland's electricity market. From 2009 some 50,000 large customers with an annual electricity consumption of over 100 megawatt hours will be able to benefit from this partial opening and be free to choose their power suppliers. But all other power consumers will benefit right from the start too because their electricity suppliers will also be able to buy in their electricity from the free market and pass on any price savings to their customers. Furthermore, the Electricity Supply Act delivers a clear legal framework for cross-border trade in electricity. In actual fact the opening of the electricity market is already well advanced around Switzerland. Liberalisation also results in cost transparency: As the opening of the electricity market

Use of bacterial co-cultures for the efficient production of chemicals.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, J Andrew; Wang, Xin

2017-12-02

The microbial production of chemicals has traditionally relied on a single engineered microbe to enable the complete bioconversion of substrate to final product. Recently, a growing fraction of research has transitioned towards employing a modular co-culture engineering strategy using multiple microbes growing together to facilitate a divide-and-conquer approach for chemical biosynthesis. Here, we review key success stories that leverage the unique advantages of co-culture engineering, while also addressing the critical concerns that will limit the wide-spread implementation of this technology. Future studies that address the need to monitor and control the population dynamics of each strain module, while maintaining robust flux routes towards a wide range of desired products will lead the efforts to realize the true potential of co-culture engineering. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Coal supplier perspective on the future of the utility-coal industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goldberg, G.J. [Kennecott Energy Company, Gillette, WY (United States)

2000-07-01

Kennecott Energy is the largest producer within Rio Tinto Energy, in turn owned by Rio Tinto, and has grown by 260% since 1993. However, coal's performance in the world trade market is currently suffering for reasons such as regulatory uncertainty. The presentation looked at how the company is striving to improve coal's future, for example by enhancing coal's value through beneficiation like K-fuels, enhancing pollution control through research efforts like Zero Emissions Coal Alliance and by supporting public outreach and legislation efforts. Coal's future is summed up under headings: earnings, efficiency, environment, education and e-commerce. 17 overheads/viewgraphs outline the presentation.

Advanced Curation Activities at NASA: Implications for Astrobiological Studies of Future Sample Collections

Science.gov (United States)

McCubbin, F. M.; Evans, C. A.; Fries, M. D.; Harrington, A. D.; Regberg, A. B.; Snead, C. J.; Zeigler, R. A.

2017-01-01

The Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office (henceforth referred to herein as NASA Curation Office) at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) is responsible for curating all of NASA's extraterrestrial samples. Under the governing document, NASA Policy Directive (NPD) 7100.10F JSC is charged with curation of all extraterrestrial material under NASA control, including future NASA missions. The Directive goes on to define Curation as including documentation, preservation, preparation, and distribution of samples for re-search, education, and public outreach. Here we briefly describe NASA's astromaterials collections and our ongoing efforts related to enhancing the utility of our current collections as well as our efforts to prepare for future sample return missions. We collectively refer to these efforts as advanced curation.

The costs of parental care: a meta-analysis of the trade-off between parental effort and survival in birds.

Science.gov (United States)

Santos, E S A; Nakagawa, S

2012-09-01

A fundamental premise of life-history theory is that organisms that increase current reproductive investment suffer increased mortality. Possibly the most studied life-history phenotypic relationship is the trade-off between parental effort and survival. However, evidence supporting this trade-off is equivocal. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis to test the generality of this tenet. Using experimental studies that manipulated parental effort in birds, we show that (i) the effect of parental effort on survival was similar across species regardless of phylogeny; (ii) individuals that experienced reduced parental effort had similar survival probabilities than control individuals, regardless of sex; and (iii) males that experienced increased parental effort were less likely to survive than control males, whereas females that experienced increased effort were just as likely to survive as control females. Our results suggest that the trade-off between parental effort and survival is more complex than previously assumed. Finally, our study provides recommendations of unexplored avenues of future research into life-history trade-offs. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2012 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

PRODUCT OFFERING AS PART OF THE NPD PROCESS IN TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES

OpenAIRE

MATTI J. HAVERILA

2012-01-01

We present an exploratory investigation of how managers conceptualize and perceive the product offering effort variables in successful and unsuccessful New Product Development (NPD) projects, and explore the role that product offering effort variables play in differentiating between successful and unsuccessful NPD outcomes. Our findings indicate that managers rely on two broad types of product offering factors, "product effort" and "price/cost effort", during the NPD process so that there are...

Solar Thermochemical Hydrogen Production Research (STCH)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Perret, Robert [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)

2011-05-01

Eight cycles in a coordinated set of projects for Solar Thermochemical Cycles for Hydrogen production (STCH) were self-evaluated for the DOE-EERE Fuel Cell Technologies Program at a Working Group Meeting on October 8 and 9, 2008. This document reports the initial selection process for development investment in STCH projects, the evaluation process meant to reduce the number of projects as a means to focus resources on development of a few most-likely-to-succeed efforts, the obstacles encountered in project inventory reduction and the outcomes of the evaluation process. Summary technical status of the projects under evaluation is reported and recommendations identified to improve future project planning and selection activities.

Assess Current and Potential Salmonid Production in Rattlesnake Creek Associated with Restoration Efforts; US Geological Survey Reports, 2002-2003 Annual Report.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Connolly, Patrick J. (US Geological Survey, Columbia River Research Laboratory, Western Fisheries Research Center, Cook, WA)

2003-12-01

This project was designed to document existing habitat conditions and fish populations within the Rattlesnake Creek watershed (White Salmon River subbasin, Washington) before major habitat restoration activities are implemented and prior to the reintroduction of salmon and steelhead above Condit Dam. Returning adult salmon Oncorhynchus spp. and steelhead O. mykiss have not had access to Rattlesnake Creek since 1913. An assessment of resident trout populations should serve as a good surrogate for evaluation of factors that would limit salmon and steelhead production in the watershed. Personnel from United States Geological Survey's Columbia River Research Laboratory (USGS-CRRL) attend to three main objectives of the Rattlesnake Creek project. The first is to characterize stream and riparian habitat conditions. This effort includes measures of water quality, water quantity, stream habitat, and riparian conditions. The second objective is to determine the status of fish populations in the Rattlesnake Creek drainage. To accomplish this, we derived estimates of salmonid population abundance, determined fish species composition, assessed distribution and life history attributes, obtained tissue samples for genetic analysis, and assessed fish diseases in the watershed. The third objective is to use the collected habitat and fisheries information to help identify and prioritize areas in need of restoration. As this report covers the second year of at least a three-year study, it is largely restricted to describing our efforts and findings for the first two objectives.

Research-to-operations (R2O) for the Space Environmental Effects Fusion System (SEEFS) system-impact products

Science.gov (United States)

Quigley, Stephen

The Space Vehicles Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL/RVBX) and the Space Environment Branch of the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC SLG/WMLE) have combined efforts to design, develop, test, implement, and validate numerical and graphical products for Air Force Space Command's (AFSPC) Space Environmental Effects Fusion System (SEEFS). These products are generated to analyze, specify, and forecast the effects of the near-earth space environment on Department of Defense weapons, navigation, communications, and surveillance systems. Jointly developed projects that have been completed as prototypes and are undergoing development for real-time operations include a SEEFS architecture and database, five system-impact products, and a high-level decision aid product. This first round of SEEFS products includes the Solar Radio Burst Effects (SoRBE) on radar and satellite communications, Radar Auroral Clutter (RAC), Scintillation Effects on radar and satellite communications (RadScint and SatScint), and Satellite Surface and Deep Charge/Discharge (Char/D) products. This presentation will provide overviews of the current system impact products, along with plans and potentials for future products expected for the SEEFS program. The overviews will include information on applicable research-to-operations (R2O) issues, to include input data coverage and quality control, output confidence levels, modeling standards, and validation efforts.

Activational and effort-related aspects of motivation: neural mechanisms and implications for psychopathology

Science.gov (United States)

Yohn, Samantha E.; López-Cruz, Laura; San Miguel, Noemí; Correa, Mercè

2016-01-01

Abstract Motivation has been defined as the process that allows organisms to regulate their internal and external environment, and control the probability, proximity and availability of stimuli. As such, motivation is a complex process that is critical for survival, which involves multiple behavioural functions mediated by a number of interacting neural circuits. Classical theories of motivation suggest that there are both directional and activational aspects of motivation, and activational aspects (i.e. speed and vigour of both the instigation and persistence of behaviour) are critical for enabling organisms to overcome work-related obstacles or constraints that separate them from significant stimuli. The present review discusses the role of brain dopamine and related circuits in behavioural activation, exertion of effort in instrumental behaviour, and effort-related decision-making, based upon both animal and human studies. Impairments in behavioural activation and effort-related aspects of motivation are associated with psychiatric symptoms such as anergia, fatigue, lassitude and psychomotor retardation, which cross multiple pathologies, including depression, schizophrenia, and Parkinson’s disease. Therefore, this review also attempts to provide an interdisciplinary approach that integrates findings from basic behavioural neuroscience, behavioural economics, clinical neuropsychology, psychiatry, and neurology, to provide a coherent framework for future research and theory in this critical field. Although dopamine systems are a critical part of the brain circuitry regulating behavioural activation, exertion of effort, and effort-related decision-making, mesolimbic dopamine is only one part of a distributed circuitry that includes multiple neurotransmitters and brain areas. Overall, there is a striking similarity between the brain areas involved in behavioural activation and effort-related processes in rodents and in humans. Animal models of effort

Productivity costs in economic evaluations: past, present, future.

Science.gov (United States)

Krol, Marieke; Brouwer, Werner; Rutten, Frans

2013-07-01

Productivity costs occur when the productivity of individuals is affected by illness, treatment, disability or premature death. The objective of this paper was to review past and current developments related to the inclusion, identification, measurement and valuation of productivity costs in economic evaluations. The main debates in the theory and practice of economic evaluations of health technologies described in this review have centred on the questions of whether and how to include productivity costs, especially productivity costs related to paid work. The past few decades have seen important progress in this area. There are important sources of productivity costs other than absenteeism (e.g. presenteeism and multiplier effects in co-workers), but their exact influence on costs remains unclear. Different measurement instruments have been developed over the years, but which instrument provides the most accurate estimates has not been established. Several valuation approaches have been proposed. While empirical research suggests that productivity costs are best included in the cost side of the cost-effectiveness ratio, the jury is still out regarding whether the human capital approach or the friction cost approach is the most appropriate valuation method to do so. Despite the progress and the substantial amount of scientific research, a consensus has not been reached on either the inclusion of productivity costs in economic evaluations or the methods used to produce productivity cost estimates. Such a lack of consensus has likely contributed to ignoring productivity costs in actual economic evaluations and is reflected in variations in national health economic guidelines. Further research is needed to lessen the controversy regarding the estimation of health-related productivity costs. More standardization would increase the comparability and credibility of economic evaluations taking a societal perspective.

Using Authentic Science in the Classroom: NASA's Coordinated Efforts to Enhance STEM Education

Science.gov (United States)

Lawton, B.; Schwerin, T.; Low, R.

2015-11-01

A key NASA education goal is to attract and retain students in science, technology engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. When teachers engage students in the examination of authentic data derived from NASA satellite missions, they simultaneously build 21st century technology skills as well as core content knowledge about the Earth and space. In this session, we highlight coordinated efforts by NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Education and Public Outreach (EPO) programs to enhance educator accessibility to data resources, distribute state-of -the-art data tools and expand pathways for educators to find and use data resources. The group discussion explores how NASA SMD EPO efforts can further improve teacher access to authentic NASA data, identifies the types of tools and lessons most requested by the community, and explores how communication and collaboration between product developers and classroom educators using data tools and products can be enhanced.

Possibility of hypothetical stable micro black hole production at future 100 TeV collider

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sokolov, A.V. [Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation); Lomonosov Moscow State University, Physics Department, Moscow (Russian Federation); Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, Moscow (Russian Federation); Pshirkov, M.S. [Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation); Lomonosov Moscow State University, Sternberg Astronomical Institute, Moscow (Russian Federation); Pushchino Radio Astronomy Observatory, P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute, Pushchino (Russian Federation)

2017-12-15

We study the phenomenology of TeV-scale black holes predicted in theories with large extra dimensions, under the further assumption that they are absolutely stable. Our goal is to present an exhaustive analysis of safety of the proposed 100 TeV collider, as it was done in the case of the LHC. We consider the theories with different number of extra dimensions and identify those for which a possible accretion to macroscopic size would have timescales shorter than the lifetime of the Solar system. We calculate the cross sections of the black hole production at the proposed 100 TeV collider, the fraction of the black holes trapped inside the Earth and the resulting rate of capture inside the Earth via an improved method. We study the astrophysical consequences of stable micro black holes existence, in particular its influence on the stability of white dwarfs and neutron stars. We obtain constraints for the previously unexplored range of higher-dimensional Planck mass values. Several astrophysical scenarios of the micro black hole production, which were not considered before, are taken into account. Finally, using the astrophysical constraints we consider the implications for future 100 TeV terrestrial experiments. We exclude the possibility of the charged stable micro black holes production. (orig.)

A Robust Statistical Model to Predict the Future Value of the Milk Production of Dairy Cows Using Herd Recording Data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Græsbøll, Kaare; Kirkeby, Carsten Thure; Nielsen, Søren Saxmose

2017-01-01

The future value of an individual dairy cow depends greatly on its projected milk yield. In developed countries with developed dairy industry infrastructures, facilities exist to record individual cow production and reproduction outcomes consistently and accurately. Accurate prediction of the fut...

The impact of future energy demand on renewable energy production – Case of Norway

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosenberg, Eva; Lind, Arne; Espegren, Kari Aamodt

2013-01-01

Projections of energy demand are an important part of analyses of policies to promote conservation, efficiency, technology implementation and renewable energy production. The development of energy demand is a key driver of the future energy system. This paper presents long-term projections of the Norwegian energy demand as a two-step methodology of first using activities and intensities to calculate a demand of energy services, and secondly use this as input to the energy system model TIMES-Norway to optimize the Norwegian energy system. Long-term energy demand projections are uncertain and the purpose of this paper is to illustrate the impact of different projections on the energy system. The results of the analyses show that decreased energy demand results in a higher renewable fraction compared to an increased demand, and the renewable energy production increases with increased energy demand. The most profitable solution to cover increased demand is to increase the use of bio energy and to implement energy efficiency measures. To increase the wind power production, an increased renewable target or higher electricity export prices have to be fulfilled, in combination with more electricity export. - Highlights: • Projections to 2050 of Norwegian energy demand services, carriers and technologies. • Energy demand services calculated based on intensities and activities. • Energy carriers and technologies analysed by TIMES-Norway. • High renewable target results in more wind power production and electricity export. • Increased energy efficiency is important for a high renewable fraction

Consequences of 'load-lightening' for future indirect fitness gains by helpers in a cooperatively breeding bird.

Science.gov (United States)

Meade, Jessica; Nam, Ki-Baek; Beckerman, Andrew P; Hatchwell, Ben J

2010-05-01

1. Helpers that invest energy in provisioning the offspring of related individuals stand to gain indirect fitness benefits from doing so. First, if the helper's effort is additional to that of the parents (additive) the productivity of the current breeding attempt can be increased. Secondly, if the parents reduce their workload (compensation) this can result in future indirect fitness gains to the helper via increased breeder survival; termed 'load-lightening'. 2. Long-tailed tits (Aegithalos caudatus) have a cooperative breeding system in which helpers assist kin and parents exhibit both additive and compensatory reactions in the presence of helpers. Offspring from helped nests are heavier and more likely to recruit into the breeding population, thus helpers gain indirect fitness benefits from increasing the productivity of the current breeding attempt. Despite breeders' reduction of feeding effort in the presence of helpers, previous investigations found no subsequent increase in breeder survival. 3. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that load-lightening resulted in indirect fitness benefits for helpers. We used data from a 14-year study to investigate the provisioning rate, survival and future fecundity of male and female long-tailed tits that did and did not receive help at the nest. 4. We found an asymmetrical response to the presence of helpers at large brood sizes. Males reduced their feeding rate more than females, and this differential response was reflected in a significant increase in male survival when provisioning large broods assisted by helpers. We found no evidence of any increase in future fecundity for helped breeders. 5. The finding that males reduce their provisioning rate in the presence of helpers (at large brood sizes) to a greater degree than females, and that this is reflected in an increase in survival rate for males only, implies that the survival increase is caused by the reduction in work-rate rather than a non

PRACTICE POINTS: AIDS Vaccine 2001: Looking to the Future ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

PRACTICE POINTS: AIDS Vaccine 2001: Looking to the Future. ... The 3-day meeting in Philadelphia provided considerable information on the preclinical ... deal of effort and considerable expertise is now being directed towards dissecting the ...

Future of nuclear energy research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuketa, Toyojiro

1989-09-01

In spite of the easing of worldwide energy supply and demand situation in these years, we believe that research efforts towards the next generation nuclear energy are indispensably necessary. Firstly, the nuclear colleagues believe that nuclear energy is the best major energy source from many points of view including the global environmental viewpoint. Secondly, in the medium- and long-range view, there will once again be a high possibility of a tight supply and demand situation for oil. Thirdly, nuclear energy is the key energy source to overcome the vulnerability of the energy supply structure in industrialized countries like Japan where virtually no fossil energy source exists. In this situation, nuclear energy is a sort of quasi-domestic energy as a technology-intensive energy. Fourthly, the intensive efforts to develop the nuclear technology in the next generation will give rise to a further evolution in science and technology in the future. A few examples of medium- and long-range goals of the nuclear energy research are development of new types of reactors which can meet various needs of energy more flexibly and reliably than the existing reactors, fundamental and ultimate solution of the radioactive waste problems, creation and development of new types of energy production systems which are to come beyond the fusion, new development in the biological risk assessment of the radiation effects and so on. In order to accomplish those goals it is quite important to introduce innovations in such underlying technologies as materials control in more microscopic manners, photon and particle beam techniques, accelerator engineering, artificial intelligence, and so on. 32 refs, 2 figs

The operating room of the future: observations and commentary.

Science.gov (United States)

Satava, Richard M

2003-09-01

The Operating Room of the Future is a construct upon which to develop the next generation of operating environments for the patient, surgeon, and operating team. Analysis of the suite of visions for the Operating Room of the Future reveals a broad set of goals, with a clear overall solution to create a safe environment for high-quality healthcare. The vision, although planned for the future, is based upon iteratively improving and integrating current systems, both technology and process. This must become the Operating Room of Today, which will require the enormous efforts described. An alternative future of the operating room, based upon emergence of disruptive technologies, is also presented.

Future of nuclear energy is promising

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stritar, A.

1999-01-01

Paper is trying to clearly present the facts about World nuclear energy production in the past and in the future. The production has increased in last ten years for about 26% and will continue to grow. After next ten years we can expect between 12,5% and 25% higher production than this year. Therefore we, nuclear professionals, should not be pessimistic. We should strive not to use negative words in our communications between ourselves and especially to general public. Instead, we should proudly underline our achievements in the past and prospects for the future stressing all the benefits of this type of energy production.(author)

Livestock Production - Future Directions and Priority Research Areas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robinson, P.H., E-mail: phrobinson@ucdavis.edu [Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, CA (United States)

2014-07-15

While specific issues facing ruminant production differ in detail between developed and developing countries, the general constraints and challenges suggest that common research interests will continue to exist. The need to increase outputs of ruminant meat and milk products differ sharply between the developed and developing world, although a need to increase animal productivity is evident in both, albeit primarily to increase product output in the developing world but to decrease environmental impacts of food producing ruminants in the developed world. The largest single limitation to increasing productivity of ruminants in the low digestibility of the structural carbohydrates which comprise a large proportion of their diets. Research on actions of secondary compounds in ruminal metabolism is required to avoid their negative effects and harvest the benefits of their positive effects. Domesticated ruminants have historically provided a substantial portion of the world's supplies. However if that is to continue, ways must be found to increase digestibility of their primary feedstocks, increase the 'healthfulness' of their products to humans, and decrease the environmental impact of their production systems.

Livestock Production - Future Directions and Priority Research Areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robinson, P.H.

2014-01-01

While specific issues facing ruminant production differ in detail between developed and developing countries, the general constraints and challenges suggest that common research interests will continue to exist. The need to increase outputs of ruminant meat and milk products differ sharply between the developed and developing world, although a need to increase animal productivity is evident in both, albeit primarily to increase product output in the developing world but to decrease environmental impacts of food producing ruminants in the developed world. The largest single limitation to increasing productivity of ruminants in the low digestibility of the structural carbohydrates which comprise a large proportion of their diets. Research on actions of secondary compounds in ruminal metabolism is required to avoid their negative effects and harvest the benefits of their positive effects. Domesticated ruminants have historically provided a substantial portion of the world's supplies. However if that is to continue, ways must be found to increase digestibility of their primary feedstocks, increase the 'healthfulness' of their products to humans, and decrease the environmental impact of their production systems

Perspective on the French closed fuel cycle: Open towards energy future and sustainability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tinturier, Bernard; Debes, Michel; Delbecq, Jean-Michel

2006-01-01

Energy sustainability and nuclear energy nowadays are far reaching issues with many implications and as a consequence, any long term sustainable strategy needs to be flexible. In France, nuclear energy (427 TWh in 2004, 80% of national electricity production) is a major asset for clean electricity production and for meeting Kyoto protocol objective in France. The decision to build a future EPR reactor in France has been taken. Regarding back end and fuel cycle, the current reprocessing and recycling strategy, with the existing industrial system (Cogema La Hague and Melox), has proven to be reliable and efficient. It enables to meet sustainability requirements, now and in the long run: ensuring a good management of high level waste through vitrification, reducing the amount of nuclear spent fuel in interim storage, recycling valuable nuclear material (Pu), keeping the possibility to use Pu concentrated in MOX spent fuel to start FBR in the future. To maintain this possibility for the far future, EDF considers that the Generation IV program is of major importance in order to develop future fast reactors able to use plutonium and to ensure a full utilization of uranium resource, while optimizing high level waste management. EDF strategy is to keep the nuclear option open in the future, with a two-steps approach for the renewal of the current nuclear fleet: first, around 2020, with the launching of generation III reactors like EPR, and second, depending on the energy demand, launching of Generation IV systems, around 2040 or beyond. To meet this energy prospect, R and D efforts must be devoted to fast breeder reactors (sodium cooled, which benefits already from industrial experience, and gas cooled, under consideration for R and D). Globally, this strategy is open to future progress and optimisation as needed to meet long term energy sustainability. It appears the necessity of a good consistency between all the components of the nuclear system: reactors, fuel cycle

Applied and fundamental plankton research would benefit from more joint efforts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Benni Winding; Jepsen, Per Meyer; Drillet, Guillaume

2017-01-01

Increased collaboration and communication is needed between the planktologists engaged in marine ecological research and those working with industrial applications. Lessening the dichotomy between “basic” and “applied” sciences will lead to increase scientific advances in both fields. Thanks...... to dedicated research efforts, industrial production of rotifers, Artemia and, more recently, copepods as live feed for fish hatcheries is established. Yet, there are still many biological and technical challenges to be tackled for optimizing production. Some of these challenges could be eliminated faster...... examples from research carried out to support aquaculture production of the cosmopolitan calanoid copepod Acartia tonsa. We argue that research questions are often answered using similar experimental approaches and quality standards; and that scientists working across different fields would gain by more...

Plant maneuvrability in France: recent developments and future prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gautier, A.; Guesdon, B.

1986-06-01

In the early 1970's, it was correctly anticipated that in 10 year's time PWR's would become major contributors to energy production in France and would therefore have to participate largely in adjustment of supply to demand. A substantial effort was launched between vendor (FRAMATOME), utility (EDF) and the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) to greatly improve PWR's flexibility, resulting in the current situation where both frequency control and load follow are now routinely performed on most plants in operation. Based on rapidly accumulating operational experience and on all expertise acquired in the past decade, a second-generation core control strategy is now being finalized for application on all future 1400 MW plants (with commercial operation scheduled in 1992 for first unit). This core control includes a maximized Reactor Advanced Maneuvrability Package (RAMP or Dispositif maximise de Manoeuvrabilite Accrue DMAX in French) and an automated system control boron concentration (SYCOBOR)

Substrates adoption methodology (SAM) to achieve “Fast, Flexible, Future (F3)” pharmaceutical production processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Singh, Ravendra; Rozada-Sanchez, Raquel; Wrate, Tim

within the template. In this way the substrates adoption methodology helps to achieve “fast, flexible, future (F3)” pharmaceutical production processes by adapting a recently designed generic modular process-plant. The supporting tools for the substrate adoption are: (1) an ontological knowledge......There is a significant cost associated with process development of a portfolio of pharmaceutical products, few of which will reach the market. Continuous processing will increase the “chemical space” which can increase development efficiency. For example one, particularly attractive option...... is to develop manufacturing processes based on modular continuous systems; a flexible generic continuous modular plant which can be adapted for different substrates. In the work reported here, a substrates adoption methodology (SAM) has been developed. The proposed SAM identifies the necessary changes...

Responses of terrestrial ecosystems' net primary productivity to future regional climate change in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Dongsheng; Wu, Shaohong; Yin, Yunhe

2013-01-01

The impact of regional climate change on net primary productivity (NPP) is an important aspect in the study of ecosystems' response to global climate change. China's ecosystems are very sensitive to climate change owing to the influence of the East Asian monsoon. The Lund-Potsdam-Jena Dynamic Global Vegetation Model for China (LPJ-CN), a global dynamical vegetation model developed for China's terrestrial ecosystems, was applied in this study to simulate the NPP changes affected by future climate change. As the LPJ-CN model is based on natural vegetation, the simulation in this study did not consider the influence of anthropogenic activities. Results suggest that future climate change would have adverse effects on natural ecosystems, with NPP tending to decrease in eastern China, particularly in the temperate and warm temperate regions. NPP would increase in western China, with a concentration in the Tibetan Plateau and the northwest arid regions. The increasing trend in NPP in western China and the decreasing trend in eastern China would be further enhanced by the warming climate. The spatial distribution of NPP, which declines from the southeast coast to the northwest inland, would have minimal variation under scenarios of climate change.

Responses of terrestrial ecosystems' net primary productivity to future regional climate change in China.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dongsheng Zhao

Full Text Available The impact of regional climate change on net primary productivity (NPP is an important aspect in the study of ecosystems' response to global climate change. China's ecosystems are very sensitive to climate change owing to the influence of the East Asian monsoon. The Lund-Potsdam-Jena Dynamic Global Vegetation Model for China (LPJ-CN, a global dynamical vegetation model developed for China's terrestrial ecosystems, was applied in this study to simulate the NPP changes affected by future climate change. As the LPJ-CN model is based on natural vegetation, the simulation in this study did not consider the influence of anthropogenic activities. Results suggest that future climate change would have adverse effects on natural ecosystems, with NPP tending to decrease in eastern China, particularly in the temperate and warm temperate regions. NPP would increase in western China, with a concentration in the Tibetan Plateau and the northwest arid regions. The increasing trend in NPP in western China and the decreasing trend in eastern China would be further enhanced by the warming climate. The spatial distribution of NPP, which declines from the southeast coast to the northwest inland, would have minimal variation under scenarios of climate change.

ESA NEOCC effort to eliminate high Palermo Scale virtual impactors

Science.gov (United States)

Micheli, M.; Koschny, D.; Hainaut, O.; Bernardi, F.

2014-07-01

At the moment of this writing about 4 % of the known near-Earth objects are known to have at least one future close approach scenario with a non-negligible collision probability within the next century, as routinely computed by the NEODyS and Sentry systems. The most straightforward way to improve the knowledge of the future dynamics of an NEO in order to exclude (or possibly confirm) some of these possible future impact is to obtain additional astrometric observations of the object as soon as it becomes observable again. In particular, since a large fraction (>98 %) of the known objects currently recognized as possible future impactors have been observed during a single opposition, this usually corresponds to obtaining a new set of observations during a second opposition, a so called ''recovery''. However, in some cases the future observability windows for the target after the discovery apparition may be very limited, either because the object is intrinsically small (and therefore requires a very close and consequently rare approach to become observable) or because its orbital dynamic prevents the observability from the ground for a long timespan (as in the case of quasi-resonant objects with a long synodic period). When this happens, the only short-term way to clarify an impact scenario is to look toward the past, and investigate the possibility that unrecognized detections of the object are already present in the databases of old astronomical images, which are often archived by professional telescopes and made available to the community a few months to years after they are exposed. We will here present an effort lead by the newly formed ESA NEO Coordination Centre (NEOCC) in Frascati to pursue both these avenues with the intent of improving the orbital knowledge of the highest-rated possible impactors, as defined by the Palermo Technical Impact Hazard Scale (PS in the following). As an example of our ongoing observational activities, we will first present our

How assured is our future. Reflections on energy policy and economic change

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brunner, G [Commission of the European Communities, Brussels (Belgium)

1980-02-01

What we need is not less growth but less waste. This is the only way to limit our energy consumption without causing an economic chaos. We will not be able to separate our modern industrial civilization from petroleum completely in the near future. But we must reduce this fatal dependence in order to regain our political, economic, and social freedom of handling. With this statement, Guido Brunner, on behalf of the Commission of the European Communities, turns against the thesis proclaimed loudly by all ideologists in the world that all problems of future energy supply could be solved if only the industrial nations were willing to do without the industrial growth which they state to be unnecessary. Brunner expects considerable investment efforts by the Community in order to develop alternatives to petroleum. In the European Community we will need, according to Brunner, during the next 10 years, at least 500 million dollar a in order to make possible the necessary investments for increased saving and finding of alternative sources. While we are today using approx. 2% of the gross social product for energy investments, in the future gradually approx. 12% of the national income will have to be used for energy investments world wide.

Transportation Energy Futures Series: Freight Transportation Demand: Energy-Efficient Scenarios for a Low-Carbon Future

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grenzeback, L. R.; Brown, A.; Fischer, M. J.; Hutson, N.; Lamm, C. R.; Pei, Y. L.; Vimmerstedt, L.; Vyas, A. D.; Winebrake, J. J.

2013-03-01

Freight transportation demand is projected to grow to 27.5 billion tons in 2040, and to nearly 30.2 billion tons in 2050. This report describes the current and future demand for freight transportation in terms of tons and ton-miles of commodities moved by truck, rail, water, pipeline, and air freight carriers. It outlines the economic, logistics, transportation, and policy and regulatory factors that shape freight demand, the trends and 2050 outlook for these factors, and their anticipated effect on freight demand. After describing federal policy actions that could influence future freight demand, the report then summarizes the capabilities of available analytical models for forecasting freight demand. This is one in a series of reports produced as a result of the Transportation Energy Futures project, a Department of Energy-sponsored multi-agency effort to pinpoint underexplored strategies for reducing GHGs and petroleum dependence related to transportation.

Legume Seed Production Meeting Market Requirements and Economic Impacts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boelt, Birte; Julier, Bernadette; Karagić, Đura

2015-01-01

The seed is the carrier of the genetic improvements brought about by modern plant breeding, and seed production is carried out in accordance with certification systems to guarantee consistent high quality. In forage legumes, breeding efforts are primarily related to the vegetative development...... of the plant, although the commercial success of an agronomically superior cultivar is dependent on a reliable supply of competitively priced seed. In seed production of the three most important forage legumes, alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), white clover (Trifolium repens L.), and red clover (Trifolium pratense......-pollinated forage legumes it is further highly influenced by environmental conditions and crop management factors. Further investigations into the use of plant growth regulators and an improved understanding of the interaction between pollinators and the seed crop might improve future seed yields. There is likely...

The role of Latin America's land and water resources for global food security: environmental trade-offs of future food production pathways.

Science.gov (United States)

Flachsbarth, Insa; Willaarts, Bárbara; Xie, Hua; Pitois, Gauthier; Mueller, Nathaniel D; Ringler, Claudia; Garrido, Alberto

2015-01-01

One of humanity's major challenges of the 21st century will be meeting future food demands on an increasingly resource constrained-planet. Global food production will have to rise by 70 percent between 2000 and 2050 to meet effective demand which poses major challenges to food production systems. Doing so without compromising environmental integrity is an even greater challenge. This study looks at the interdependencies between land and water resources, agricultural production and environmental outcomes in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), an area of growing importance in international agricultural markets. Special emphasis is given to the role of LAC's agriculture for (a) global food security and (b) environmental sustainability. We use the International Model for Policy Analysis of Agricultural Commodities and Trade (IMPACT)-a global dynamic partial equilibrium model of the agricultural sector-to run different future production scenarios, and agricultural trade regimes out to 2050, and assess changes in related environmental indicators. Results indicate that further trade liberalization is crucial for improving food security globally, but that it would also lead to more environmental pressures in some regions across Latin America. Contrasting land expansion versus more intensified agriculture shows that productivity improvements are generally superior to agricultural land expansion, from an economic and environmental point of view. Finally, our analysis shows that there are trade-offs between environmental and food security goals for all agricultural development paths.

Fission product margin in burnup credit analyses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finck, P.J.; Stenberg, C.G.

1998-01-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is currently working toward the licensing of a methodology for using actinide-only burnup credit for the transportation of spent nuclear fuel (SNF). Important margins are built into this methodology. By using comparisons with a representative experimental database to determine bias factors, the methodology ensures that actinide concentrations and worths are estimated conservatively; furthermore, the negative net reactivity of certain actinides and all fission products (FPs) is not taken into account, thus providing additional margin. A future step of DOE's effort might aim at establishing an actinide and FP burnup credit methodology. The objective of this work is to establish the uncertainty to be applied to the total FP worth in SNF. This will serve two ends. First, it will support the current actinide-only methodology by demonstrating the margin available from FPs. Second, it will identify the major contributions to the uncertainty and help set priorities for future work

Future systems and strategies; Systemes du futur et strategies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

David, S. [Institut de Physique Nucleaire CNRS/IN2P3, Universite Paris XI Orsay (France)

2007-07-01

This lecture deals with the different nuclear technologies which could be developed in the future. We present some physical aspects of future fission-based nuclear reactors. First, we give an overview of the energy problematic in the coming century, in order to define what could be requested from nuclear power. We describe the present reactors, based on the fission of U-235. They require around 200 tons of natural uranium to fission only 1 ton of fissile material. Regarding the estimated uranium resources, the question of the transition towards breeding reactors is discussed. Some simple calculations show that breeding of plutonium can be reached only with a fast neutron spectrum. For the thorium cycle, breeding with thermal neutrons requires the use of molten salt reactors. These two fuel cycles are compared in term of fissile inventory, ability of deployment, and R and D efforts. As a conclusion, we discuss some questions which showed up during the Joliot-Curie school, concerning the different strategies which could be chosen in the coming years. (author)

Incentive Design and Mis-Allocated Effort

OpenAIRE

Schnedler, Wendelin

2013-01-01

Incentives often distort behavior: they induce agents to exert effort but this effort is not employed optimally. This paper proposes a theory of incentive design allowing for such distorted behavior. At the heart of the theory is a trade-off between getting the agent to exert effort and ensuring that this effort is used well. The theory covers various moral-hazard models, ranging from traditional single-task to multi-task models. It also provides -for the first time- a formalization and proof...

Modelling future oil production, population and the economy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laherrere, Jean

2003-07-01

pattern, giving one or more new cycles. To model an event made up of several cycles extending into the future calls for an estimate of the ultimate value, which corresponds with the area under the curve up to the end of the event. For oil, the best tool to determine an ultimate value is the creaming curve that plots cumulative discovery versus the cumulative number of new field wildcats, the result being modelled by one or more hyperbolas. Another method is to plot the ratio of annual to cumulative production versus cumulative production, and extrapolate the trend to zero. When the trend is linear, it represents the derivative of the logistic curve. The fractal distribution of sizes (field reserves, incomes, urban agglomerations plotted against decreasing rank) can also be extrapolated to an ultimate value. Population can be well modelled with two cycles, distinguishing countries with high and low fertility rates. Previous UN forecasts were too high for different reasons. Economic parameters, such as unemployment or inflation, can be correlated with oil price after a certain time-shift. Income distribution is well described by a fractal plot of population versus income. The income fractal distribution in France is in fact the same as that in the United States, although the total of the latter is higher because of a larger population. Many graphs are shown for each domain using the same tools. The goal is that the reader may be able to draw his own conclusions, and make his own forecast. Ironically, it appears that the modelling is more reliable than the input data. Accordingly, the main challenge is to secure better data, but that will be achieved only if and when political influences can be removed. A neutral agency is needed, but neither the UN nor national agencies are neutral. It is hard to see how to force the actors to tell the truth, or know who would run and finance such an organisation. A step in the right direction would be to make official organisations liable

Modelling future oil production, population and the economy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laherrere, Jean

2003-07-01

cycles. To model an event made up of several cycles extending into the future calls for an estimate of the ultimate value, which corresponds with the area under the curve up to the end of the event. For oil, the best tool to determine an ultimate value is the creaming curve that plots cumulative discovery versus the cumulative number of new field wildcats, the result being modelled by one or more hyperbolas. Another method is to plot the ratio of annual to cumulative production versus cumulative production, and extrapolate the trend to zero. When the trend is linear, it represents the derivative of the logistic curve. The fractal distribution of sizes (field reserves, incomes, urban agglomerations plotted against decreasing rank) can also be extrapolated to an ultimate value. Population can be well modelled with two cycles, distinguishing countries with high and low fertility rates. Previous UN forecasts were too high for different reasons. Economic parameters, such as unemployment or inflation, can be correlated with oil price after a certain time-shift. Income distribution is well described by a fractal plot of population versus income. The income fractal distribution in France is in fact the same as that in the United States, although the total of the latter is higher because of a larger population. Many graphs are shown for each domain using the same tools. The goal is that the reader may be able to draw his own conclusions, and make his own forecast. Ironically, it appears that the modelling is more reliable than the input data. Accordingly, the main challenge is to secure better data, but that will be achieved only if and when political influences can be removed. A neutral agency is needed, but neither the UN nor national agencies are neutral. It is hard to see how to force the actors to tell the truth, or know who would run and finance such an organisation. A step in the right direction would be to make official organisations liable to prosecution for releasing

Routine inspection effort required for verification of a nuclear material production cutoff convention

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dougherty, D.; Fainberg, A.; Sanborn, J.; Allentuck, J.; Sun, C.

1996-11-01

On 27 September 1993, President Clinton proposed open-quotes... a multilateral convention prohibiting the production of highly enriched uranium or plutonium for nuclear explosives purposes or outside of international safeguards.close quotes The UN General Assembly subsequently adopted a resolution recommending negotiation of a non-discriminatory, multilateral, and internationally and effectively verifiable treaty (hereinafter referred to as open-quotes the Cutoff Conventionclose quotes) banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons. The matter is now on the agenda of the Conference on Disarmament, although not yet under negotiation. This accord would, in effect, place all fissile material (defined as highly enriched uranium and plutonium) produced after entry into force (EIF) of the accord under international safeguards. open-quotes Productionclose quotes would mean separation of the material in question from radioactive fission products, as in spent fuel reprocessing, or enrichment of uranium above the 20% level, which defines highly enriched uranium (HEU). Facilities where such production could occur would be safeguarded to verify that either such production is not occurring or that all material produced at these facilities is maintained under safeguards

Virtual water content of temperate cereals and maize: Present and potential future patterns

Science.gov (United States)

Fader, Marianela; Rost, Stefanie; Müller, Christoph; Bondeau, Alberte; Gerten, Dieter

2010-04-01

SummaryKnowledge of the virtual water content (VWC) of crops and especially its possible future developments is helpful for improvements in water productivity and water management, which are necessary at global scale due to rising demand for food, the necessity to ease present and future water scarcity, and the reduction of poverty. Using a dynamic global vegetation and water balance model (LPJmL), this study quantifies the VWC of two of the most important crop types worldwide, temperate cereals and maize, at high spatial resolution (0.5°). We analyzed present conditions (1999-2003) and also for the first time also for scenarios of future climate and increasing atmospheric CO 2 concentrations (2041-2070; HadCM3, ECHAM5 and CCSM3 climate models, A2 emissions scenario). VWC presently differs significantly among regions: highest values are common in large parts of Africa (>2 m 3 kg -1), and lowest values were found e.g. for Central Europe (Europe, South Africa, Argentina, Australia and South East Asia—are projected to become less water efficient (higher VWC) for at least one of the crop types. CO 2 fertilisation was simulated to generally reduce VWC, though realisation of this effect in the field will depend, for example, on the intensity of nutrient management in the future. The potentially adverse future changes in VWC found here pose a challenge to water management efforts and eventually global trade policies.

Nuclear systems of the future - generation 4. Proposals of strategic orientations for the nuclear systems of the future; Les systemes nucleaires du futur - generation 4. Propositions d'orientations strategiques pour les systemes nucleaires du futur

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2007-07-01

Several points, specific to France, must be taken into consideration for the long term strategic choice of future nuclear systems, in particular: taking the best profit of the progress potentialities of water reactors, optimizing the opportunities offered by the renewal of power plants in operation, integrating the consequences and the implementation of a strategy of optimized management of radioactive wastes, and looking for improvements that would make nuclear energy an active contributor to sustainable development. The prospective researches carried out by the CEA and its industrial partners have led to propose a R and D strategy with 3 complementary goals: search for innovations for water reactors, development of fast neutron reactors with closed fuel cycle (sodium fast reactor (SFR), gas fast reactor (GFR)), and development of key-technologies for nuclear hydrogen production (very high temperature reactor (VHTR)). The R and D effort concerns also the subcritical systems devoted to transmutation, the new cycle processes for a global management of actinides, and some other nuclear systems like the molten salt reactors (MSR) and the supercritical water reactors (SCWR). This paper presents the R and D strategy for each technology with its priorities, steps, financial means and collaborations. (J.S.)

An Accurate FFPA-PSR Estimator Algorithm and Tool for Software Effort Estimation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Senthil Kumar Murugesan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Software companies are now keen to provide secure software with respect to accuracy and reliability of their products especially related to the software effort estimation. Therefore, there is a need to develop a hybrid tool which provides all the necessary features. This paper attempts to propose a hybrid estimator algorithm and model which incorporates quality metrics, reliability factor, and the security factor with a fuzzy-based function point analysis. Initially, this method utilizes a fuzzy-based estimate to control the uncertainty in the software size with the help of a triangular fuzzy set at the early development stage. Secondly, the function point analysis is extended by the security and reliability factors in the calculation. Finally, the performance metrics are added with the effort estimation for accuracy. The experimentation is done with different project data sets on the hybrid tool, and the results are compared with the existing models. It shows that the proposed method not only improves the accuracy but also increases the reliability, as well as the security, of the product.

Biopesticides: state of the art and future opportunities.

Science.gov (United States)

Seiber, James N; Coats, Joel; Duke, Stephen O; Gross, Aaron D

2014-12-03

The use of biopesticides and related alternative management products is increasing. New tools, including semiochemicals and plant-incorporated protectants (PIPs), as well as botanical and microbially derived chemicals, are playing an increasing role in pest management, along with plant and animal genetics, biological control, cultural methods, and newer synthetics. The goal of this Perspective is to highlight promising new biopesticide research and development (R&D), based upon recently published work and that presented in the American Chemical Society (ACS) symposium "Biopesticides: State of the Art and Future Opportunities," as well as the authors' own perspectives. Although the focus is on biopesticides, included in this Perspective is progress with products exhibiting similar characteristics, namely those naturally occurring or derived from natural products. These are target specific, of low toxicity to nontarget organisms, reduced in persistence in the environment, and potentially usable in organic agriculture. Progress is being made, illustrated by the number of biopesticides and related products in the registration pipeline, yet major commercial opportunities exist for new bioherbicides and bionematicides, in part occasioned by the emergence of weeds resistant to glyphosate and the phase-out of methyl bromide. The emergence of entrepreneurial start-up companies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fast track for biopesticides, and the availability of funding for registration-related R&D for biorational pesticides through the U.S. IR-4 program provide incentives for biopesticide development, but an expanded effort is warranted both in the United States and worldwide to support this relatively nascent industry.

Theory and application for the promotion of wheat production in China: past, present and future.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Zhenzhu; Yu, Zhenwen; Zhao, Junye

2013-08-15

Food security is becoming a crucial concern worldwide. In this study, we focus on wheat - a staple crop in China - as a model to review its history, status quo and future scenarios, with regard to key production technologies and management practices for wheat production and associated food security issues since the new era in China: the post-1949 era. First, the dominant technologies and management practices over the past 60 years are reviewed. Secondly, we outline several key innovative technologies and their theoretical bases over the last decade, including (i) prohibiting excessively early senescence at a later growth stage to maintain viable leaves with higher photosynthetic capacity, (ii) postponing top dressing nitrogen application to balance carbon and nitrogen nutrition, and (iii) achieving both high yield and better grain quality mainly by increasing soil productivity and balancing the ratio of nutrient elements. Finally, concerns such as water shortages and excessive application of chemical fertilizers are presented. Nevertheless, under high negative conditions, including global warming, rapid population growth, decreasing amounts of arable land, increasing competition with cash crops and severe environmental pollution, we conclude that domestic food production will be able to meet Chinese demand in the mid to long term, because increasingly innovative technologies and improved management practices have been and may continue to be applied appropriately. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

Estimation of total Effort and Effort Elapsed in Each Step of Software Development Using Optimal Bayesian Belief Network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fatemeh Zare Baghiabad

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Accuracy in estimating the needed effort for software development caused software effort estimation to be a challenging issue. Beside estimation of total effort, determining the effort elapsed in each software development step is very important because any mistakes in enterprise resource planning can lead to project failure. In this paper, a Bayesian belief network was proposed based on effective components and software development process. In this model, the feedback loops are considered between development steps provided that the return rates are different for each project. Different return rates help us determine the percentages of the elapsed effort in each software development step, distinctively. Moreover, the error measurement resulted from optimized effort estimation and the optimal coefficients to modify the model are sought. The results of the comparison between the proposed model and other models showed that the model has the capability to highly accurately estimate the total effort (with the marginal error of about 0.114 and to estimate the effort elapsed in each software development step.

Life cycle energy and greenhouse gas emissions from transportation of Canadian oil sands to future markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tarnoczi, Tyler

2013-01-01

Oil sands transportation diversification is important for preventing discounted crude pricing. Current life cycle assessment (LCA) models that assess greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from crude oil transportation are linearly-scale and fail to account for project specific details. This research sets out to develop a detailed LCA model to compare the energy inputs and GHG emissions of pipeline and rail transportation for oil sands products. The model is applied to several proposed oils sands transportation routes that may serve as future markets. Comparison between transportation projects suggest that energy inputs and GHG emissions show a high degree of variation. For both rail and pipeline transportation, the distance over which the product is transported has a large impact on total emissions. The regional electricity grid and pump efficiency have the largest impact on pipeline emissions, while train engine efficiency and bitumen blending ratios have the largest impact on rail transportation emissions. LCA-based GHG regulations should refine models to account for the range of product pathways and focus efforts on cost-effective emission reductions. As the climate-change impacts of new oil sands transportation projects are considered, GHG emission boundaries should be defined according to operation control. -- Highlights: •A life cycle model is developed to compare transportation of oil sands products. •The model is applied to several potential future oil sands markets. •Energy inputs and GHG emissions are compared. •Model inputs are explored using sensitivity analysis. •Policy recommendations are provided

ACSEPT a European project for a new step in the future demonstration of advanced fuel processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bourg, S.; Hill, C.; Caravaca, C.; Espartero, A.; Rhodes, C.; Taylor, R.; Harrison, M.; EKBERG, C.; GEIST, A.; Modolo, G.; Cassayre, L.; Malmbeck, R.; De Angelis, G.; Bouvet, S.; Klaassen, F.

2010-01-01

For more than fifteen years, a European scientific community has joined its effort to develop and optimise processes for the partitioning of actinides from fission products. In an international context of 'nuclear renaissance', the upcoming of a new generation of nuclear reactor (Gen IV) will require the development of associated advanced closed fuel cycles which answer the needs of a sustainable nuclear energy: the minimization of the production of long lived radioactive waste but also the optimization of the use of natural resources with an increased resistance to proliferation. Actually, Partitioning and Transmutation (P and T), associated to a multi-recycling of all transuranics (TRUs), should play a key role in the development of this sustainable nuclear energy. By joining together 34 Partners coming from European universities, nuclear research bodies and major industrial players in a multidisciplinary consortium, the FP7 EURATOM-Fission Collaborative Project ACSEPT (Actinide recycling by Separation and Transmutation), started in 2008 for four year duration, provides the sound basis and fundamental improvements for future demonstrations of fuel treatment in strong connection with fuel fabrication techniques. Consistently with potentially viable recycling strategies, ACSEPT therefore provides a structured R and D framework to develop chemical separation processes compatible with fuel fabrication techniques, with a view to their future demonstration at the pilot level. ACSEPT is organized into three technical domains: (i) Considering technically mature aqueous separation processes, ACSEPT works to optimize and select the most promising ones dedicated either to actinide partitioning or to group actinide separation. (ii) Concerning high temperature pyrochemical separation processes, ACSEPT focuses on the enhancement of the two reference cores of process selected within previous projects. R and D efforts are now devoted to key scientific and technical points

Solar Energy - An Option for Future Energy Production

Science.gov (United States)

Glaser, Peter E.

1972-01-01

Discusses the exponential growth of energy consumption and future consequences. Possible methods of converting solar energy to power such as direct energy conversion, focusing collectors, selective rediation absorbers, ocean thermal gradient, and space solar power are considered. (DF)

Continuous national gross domestic product (GDP) time series for 195 countries: past observations (1850-2005) harmonized with future projections according to the Shared Socio-economic Pathways (2006-2100)

Science.gov (United States)

Geiger, Tobias

2018-04-01

Gross domestic product (GDP) represents a widely used metric to compare economic development across time and space. GDP estimates have been routinely assembled only since the beginning of the second half of the 20th century, making comparisons with prior periods cumbersome or even impossible. In recent years various efforts have been put forward to re-estimate national GDP for specific years in the past centuries and even millennia, providing new insights into past economic development on a snapshot basis. In order to make this wealth of data utilizable across research disciplines, we here present a first continuous and consistent data set of GDP time series for 195 countries from 1850 to 2009, based mainly on data from the Maddison Project and other population and GDP sources. The GDP data are consistent with Penn World Tables v8.1 and future GDP projections from the Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs), and are freely available at http://doi.org/10.5880/pik.2018.010 (Geiger and Frieler, 2018). To ease usability, we additionally provide GDP per capita data and further supplementary and data description files in the online archive. We utilize various methods to handle missing data and discuss the advantages and limitations of our methodology. Despite known shortcomings this data set provides valuable input, e.g., for climate impact research, in order to consistently analyze economic impacts from pre-industrial times to the future.

Profile of the chemicals industry in California: Californiaindustries of the future program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Galitsky, Christina; Worrell, Ernst

2004-06-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT) established the Industries of the Future (IOF) program to increase energy efficiency, reduce waste production and to improve competitiveness, currently focusing on nine sectors. The IOF is a partnership strategy involving industry, the research community and the government, working together to identify technology needs, promote industrial partnerships and implement joint measures with all partners involved. The State Industries of the Future (SIOF) program delivers the accomplishments of the national Industries of the Future strategy to the local level, to expand the technology opportunities to a larger number of partners and reach smaller businesses and manufacturers that were not initially involved in the IOF effort. The state programs bring together industry, academia, and state agencies to address the important issues confronting industry in the state. These public-private coalitions facilitate industry solutions locally and enhance economic development. California has started a State Industries of the Future effort, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy. The California Energy Commission (CEC) is leading the SIOF program in California, as part of many other programs to improve the energy efficiency and performance of industries in California. The California State IOF program aims to build a network of participants from industry, academia and government in four selected industrial sectors as a basis for the development of a strategic partnership for industrial energy efficient technology in the state. In California the IOF effort focuses petroleum refining, chemical processing, food processing and electronics. As part of this effort, the SIOF program will develop roadmaps for technology development for the selected sectors. On the basis of the roadmap, the program will develop successful projects with co-funding from state and federal government, and promote industry

Enhancing school-based asthma education efforts using computer-based education for children.

Science.gov (United States)

Nabors, Laura A; Kockritz, Jennifer L; Ludke, Robert L; Bernstein, Jonathan A

2012-03-01

Schools are an important site for delivery of asthma education programs. Computer-based educational programs are a critical component of asthma education programs and may be a particularly important education method in busy school environments. The objective of this brief report is to review and critique computer-based education efforts in schools. The results of our literature review indicated that school-based computer education efforts are related to improved knowledge about asthma and its management. In some studies, improvements in clinical outcomes also occur. Data collection programs need to be built into games that improve knowledge. Many projects do not appear to last for periods greater than 1 year and little information is available about cultural relevance of these programs. Educational games and other programs are effective methods of delivering knowledge about asthma management and control. Research about the long-term effects of this increased knowledge, in regard to behavior change, is needed. Additionally, developing sustainable projects, which are culturally relevant, is a goal for future research.

Blaming for a better future: future orientation and associated intolerance of personal uncertainty lead to harsher reactions toward innocent victims.

Science.gov (United States)

Bal, Michèlle; van den Bos, Kees

2012-07-01

People are often encouraged to focus on the future and strive for long-term goals. This noted, the authors argue that this future orientation is associated with intolerance of personal uncertainty, as people usually cannot be certain that their efforts will pay off. To be able to tolerate personal uncertainty, people adhere strongly to the belief in a just world, paradoxically resulting in harsher reactions toward innocent victims. In three experiments, the authors show that a future orientation indeed leads to more negative evaluations of an innocent victim (Study 1), enhances intolerance of personal uncertainty (Study 2), and that experiencing personal uncertainty leads to more negative evaluations of a victim (Study 3). So, while a future orientation enables people to strive for long-term goals, it also leads them to be harsher toward innocent victims. One underlying mechanism causing these reactions is intolerance of personal uncertainty, associated with a future orientation.

Assessing potential changes of chestnut productivity in Europe under future climate conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Calheiros, T.; Pereira, M. G.; Pinto, J. G.; Caramelo, L.; Gomes-Laranjo, J.; Dacamara, C. C.

2012-04-01

The European chestnut is cultivated for its nuts and wood. Several studies point to the dependency of chestnut productivity on specific soil and climate characteristics. For instance, this species dislikes chalky and poorly drained soils, appreciates sedimentary, siliceous and acidic to neutral soils. Chestnut trees also seems to appreciate annual mean values of sunlight spanning between 2400 and 2600 h, rainfall ranging between 600 and 1500 mm, mean annual temperature between 9 and 13°C, 27°C being the mean of the maximum temperature (Heiniger and Conedera, 1992; Gomes-Laranjo et al.,2008). The amount of heat between May and October must range between 1800°D and 2400°D (Dinis et al., 2011) . In Poland, the growing season is defined as the period of time when the mean 24-h temperature is greater than 5°C (Wilczynski and Podalski, 2007). In Portugal, maximum photosynthetic activity occurs at 24-28°C for adult trees, but exhibits more than 50% of termoinhibition when the air temperature is above 32°C, which is frequent during summer (Gomes- Laranjo et al., 2006, 2008). Recently Pereira et al (2011) identified a set of meteorological variables/parameters with high impact on chestnut productivity. The main purpose of this work is to assess the potential impacts of future climate change on chestnut productivity in Portugal as well as on European chestnut orchards. First, observed data from the European Climate assessment (ECA) and simulations with the Regional Circulation Model (RCM) COSMO-CLM for recent climate conditions are used to assess the ability of the RCM to model the actual meteorological conditions. Then, ensemble projections from the ECHAM5/COSMO-CLM model chain for two climate scenarios (A1B and B1) are used to estimate the values of relevant meteorological variables and parameters und future climate conditions. Simulated values are then compared with those obtained for present climate. Results point to changes in the spatial and temporal

Incentive motivation deficits in schizophrenia reflect effort computation impairments during cost-benefit decision-making.

Science.gov (United States)

Fervaha, Gagan; Graff-Guerrero, Ariel; Zakzanis, Konstantine K; Foussias, George; Agid, Ofer; Remington, Gary

2013-11-01

Motivational impairments are a core feature of schizophrenia and although there are numerous reports studying this feature using clinical rating scales, objective behavioural assessments are lacking. Here, we use a translational paradigm to measure incentive motivation in individuals with schizophrenia. Sixteen stable outpatients with schizophrenia and sixteen matched healthy controls completed a modified version of the Effort Expenditure for Rewards Task that accounts for differences in motoric ability. Briefly, subjects were presented with a series of trials where they may choose to expend a greater amount of effort for a larger monetary reward versus less effort for a smaller reward. Additionally, the probability of receiving money for a given trial was varied at 12%, 50% and 88%. Clinical and other reward-related variables were also evaluated. Patients opted to expend greater effort significantly less than controls for trials of high, but uncertain (i.e. 50% and 88% probability) incentive value, which was related to amotivation and neurocognitive deficits. Other abnormalities were also noted but were related to different clinical variables such as impulsivity (low reward and 12% probability). These motivational deficits were not due to group differences in reward learning, reward valuation or hedonic capacity. Our findings offer novel support for incentive motivation deficits in schizophrenia. Clinical amotivation is associated with impairments in the computation of effort during cost-benefit decision-making. This objective translational paradigm may guide future investigations of the neural circuitry underlying these motivational impairments. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The place of space technology in economic development: Reflections on present and future aspects

Science.gov (United States)

Lebeau, A.; Reuter, K. E.

1980-01-01

The effects of the development of satellite applications on the orientation of the space effort were examined. The gap between available and exploited technology, the impact of the current economic climate and future trends are discussed. Europe's low level of public funding for its space effort, in comparison to other space powers, and the dangers of complacency regarding Europe's competitiveness in the space market are illustrated. A proposal for the general direction which Europe's future strategy must take if European independence in this field is to be preserved is presented.

Cryogenic Fluid Storage Technology Development: Recent and Planned Efforts at NASA

Science.gov (United States)

Moran, Matthew E.

2009-01-01

Recent technology development work conducted at NASA in the area of Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM) storage is highlighted, including summary results, key impacts, and ongoing efforts. Thermodynamic vent system (TVS) ground test results are shown for hydrogen, methane, and oxygen. Joule-Thomson (J-T) device tests related to clogging in hydrogen are summarized, along with the absence of clogging in oxygen and methane tests. Confirmation of analytical relations and bonding techniques for broad area cooling (BAC) concepts based on tube-to-tank tests are presented. Results of two-phase lumped-parameter computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models are highlighted, including validation of the model with hydrogen self pressurization test data. These models were used to simulate Altair representative methane and oxygen tanks subjected to 210 days of lunar surface storage. Engineering analysis tools being developed to support system level trades and vehicle propulsion system designs are also cited. Finally, prioritized technology development risks identified for Constellation cryogenic propulsion systems are presented, and future efforts to address those risks are discussed.

The benefits and uses of the natural gas futures market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hornsby, C.W. Jr.

1992-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to describe the benefits and uses of the natural gas futures market. The first section addresses the question of why there are futures in the first place, gives a brief history of energy futures complex, and discusses the basic characteristics of a futures market. The second half of the paper focuses specifically on the natural gas contract and presents specific ways that futures may be used by companies as part of a commodity risk management program. As discussed, the overall objective is a shifting of commodity exposure away from the corporation in an effort to enhance rates of return, as well as smooth out or normalize earnings

Mental and physical effort affect vigilance differently

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smit, A.S.; Eling, P.A.T.M.; Hopman, M.T.E.; Coenen, A.M.L.

2005-01-01

Both physical and mental effort are thought to affect vigilance. Mental effort is known for its vigilance declining effects, but the effects of physical effort are less clear. This study investigated whether these two forms of effort affect the EEG and subjective alertness differently. Participants

Mental and physical effort affect vigilance differently.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smit, A.S.; Eling, P.A.T.M.; Hopman, M.T.E.; Coenen, A.M.L.

2005-01-01

Both physical and mental effort are thought to affect vigilance. Mental effort is known for its vigilance declining effects, but the effects of physical effort are less clear. This study investigated whether these two forms of effort affect the EEG and subjective alertness differently. Participants

The Negativity of Times. Collapsed Futures in Maputo, Mozambique

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Morten

2014-01-01

This article explores how urban temporalities in Maputo, Mozambique’s capital, erupt from collapsed futures, which endure within the present as traces of that which will no longer be. The argument is built on an ethnographic analysis of kuzama utomi (‘trying to make a life’), a temporal trope......, which prefigures the future as a failure on a linear scale. Still, although it is identifyed by its collapse, the future wedges itself within the present as a trace of that which will never be. While manifesting the efforts needed in order to reach a desired objective, it also exposes the powers at work...

Low-effort thought promotes political conservatism.

Science.gov (United States)

Eidelman, Scott; Crandall, Christian S; Goodman, Jeffrey A; Blanchar, John C

2012-06-01

The authors test the hypothesis that low-effort thought promotes political conservatism. In Study 1, alcohol intoxication was measured among bar patrons; as blood alcohol level increased, so did political conservatism (controlling for sex, education, and political identification). In Study 2, participants under cognitive load reported more conservative attitudes than their no-load counterparts. In Study 3, time pressure increased participants' endorsement of conservative terms. In Study 4, participants considering political terms in a cursory manner endorsed conservative terms more than those asked to cogitate; an indicator of effortful thought (recognition memory) partially mediated the relationship between processing effort and conservatism. Together these data suggest that political conservatism may be a process consequence of low-effort thought; when effortful, deliberate thought is disengaged, endorsement of conservative ideology increases.

Public appraisal of government efforts and participation intent in medico-ethical policymaking in Japan: a large scale national survey concerning brain death and organ transplant

Science.gov (United States)

Sato, Hajime; Akabayashi, Akira; Kai, Ichiro

2005-01-01

Background Public satisfaction with policy process influences the legitimacy and acceptance of policies, and conditions the future political process, especially when contending ethical value judgments are involved. On the other hand, public involvement is required if effective policy is to be developed and accepted. Methods Using the data from a large-scale national opinion survey, this study evaluates public appraisal of past government efforts to legalize organ transplant from brain-dead bodies in Japan, and examines the public's intent to participate in future policy. Results A relatively large percentage of people became aware of the issue when government actions were initiated, and many increasingly formed their own opinions on the policy in question. However, a significant number (43.3%) remained unaware of any legislative efforts, and only 26.3% of those who were aware provided positive appraisals of the policymaking process. Furthermore, a majority of respondents (61.8%) indicated unwillingness to participate in future policy discussions of bioethical issues. Multivariate analysis revealed the following factors are associated with positive appraisals of policy development: greater age; earlier opinion formation; and familiarity with donor cards. Factors associated with likelihood of future participation in policy discussion include younger age, earlier attention to the issue, and knowledge of past government efforts. Those unwilling to participate cited as their reasons that experts are more knowledgeable and that the issues are too complex. Conclusions Results of an opinion survey in Japan were presented, and a set of factors statistically associated with them were discussed. Further efforts to improve policy making process on bioethical issues are desirable. PMID:15661080

Future hydrogen markets for large-scale hydrogen production systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forsberg, Charles W.

2007-01-01

The cost of delivered hydrogen includes production, storage, and distribution. For equal production costs, large users (>10 6 m 3 /day) will favor high-volume centralized hydrogen production technologies to avoid collection costs for hydrogen from widely distributed sources. Potential hydrogen markets were examined to identify and characterize those markets that will favor large-scale hydrogen production technologies. The two high-volume centralized hydrogen production technologies are nuclear energy and fossil energy with carbon dioxide sequestration. The potential markets for these technologies are: (1) production of liquid fuels (gasoline, diesel and jet) including liquid fuels with no net greenhouse gas emissions and (2) peak electricity production. The development of high-volume centralized hydrogen production technologies requires an understanding of the markets to (1) define hydrogen production requirements (purity, pressure, volumes, need for co-product oxygen, etc.); (2) define and develop technologies to use the hydrogen, and (3) create the industrial partnerships to commercialize such technologies. (author)

Activational and effort-related aspects of motivation: neural mechanisms and implications for psychopathology.

Science.gov (United States)

Salamone, John D; Yohn, Samantha E; López-Cruz, Laura; San Miguel, Noemí; Correa, Mercè

2016-05-01

Motivation has been defined as the process that allows organisms to regulate their internal and external environment, and control the probability, proximity and availability of stimuli. As such, motivation is a complex process that is critical for survival, which involves multiple behavioural functions mediated by a number of interacting neural circuits. Classical theories of motivation suggest that there are both directional and activational aspects of motivation, and activational aspects (i.e. speed and vigour of both the instigation and persistence of behaviour) are critical for enabling organisms to overcome work-related obstacles or constraints that separate them from significant stimuli. The present review discusses the role of brain dopamine and related circuits in behavioural activation, exertion of effort in instrumental behaviour, and effort-related decision-making, based upon both animal and human studies. Impairments in behavioural activation and effort-related aspects of motivation are associated with psychiatric symptoms such as anergia, fatigue, lassitude and psychomotor retardation, which cross multiple pathologies, including depression, schizophrenia, and Parkinson's disease. Therefore, this review also attempts to provide an interdisciplinary approach that integrates findings from basic behavioural neuroscience, behavioural economics, clinical neuropsychology, psychiatry, and neurology, to provide a coherent framework for future research and theory in this critical field. Although dopamine systems are a critical part of the brain circuitry regulating behavioural activation, exertion of effort, and effort-related decision-making, mesolimbic dopamine is only one part of a distributed circuitry that includes multiple neurotransmitters and brain areas. Overall, there is a striking similarity between the brain areas involved in behavioural activation and effort-related processes in rodents and in humans. Animal models of effort-related decision

Goal striving strategies and effort mobilization: When implementation intentions reduce effort-related cardiac activity during task performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Freydefont, Laure; Gollwitzer, Peter M; Oettingen, Gabriele

2016-09-01

Two experiments investigate the influence of goal and implementation intentions on effort mobilization during task performance. Although numerous studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of setting goals and making plans on performance, the effects of goals and plans on effort-related cardiac activity and especially the cardiac preejection period (PEP) during goal striving have not yet been addressed. According to the Motivational Intensity Theory, participants should increase effort mobilization proportionally to task difficulty as long as success is possible and justified. Forming goals and making plans should allow for reduced effort mobilization when participants perform an easy task. However, when the task is difficult, goals and plans should differ in their effect on effort mobilization. Participants who set goals should disengage, whereas participants who made if-then plans should stay in the field showing high effort mobilization during task performance. As expected, using an easy task in Experiment 1, we observed a lower cardiac PEP in both the implementation intention and the goal intention condition than in the control condition. In Experiment 2, we varied task difficulty and demonstrated that while participants with a mere goal intention disengaged from difficult tasks, participants with an implementation intention increased effort mobilization proportionally with task difficulty. These findings demonstrate the influence of goal striving strategies (i.e., mere goals vs. if-then plans) on effort mobilization during task performance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genome-wide association study of production and stability traits in barley cultivated under future climate scenarios

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ingvordsen, Cathrine Heinz; Backes, Gunter; Lyngkjær, Michael Foged

2015-01-01

Future barley cultivars will have to produce under the constraints of higher temperature in combination with increased concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide and ozone as a consequence of climate change. A diverse set of 167 spring barley genotypes was cultivated under elevated levels...... to identify markers for increased primary production under climate change conditions and reveal possible genes of interest. Phenotyped traits included grain yield, number of grains, number of ears per plant, aboveground vegetative biomass, harvest index and stability of the production parameters over the five...... applied treatments. The GWAS encompassed 7864 SNP markers (Illumina iselect), a compressed mixed linear model with the GAPIT package, and conservative validation of markers. A total of 60 marker-trait associations [−log10(P value) 2.97–5.58] were identified, e.g. grain yield under elevated temperature...

Minimal-effort planning of active alignment processes for beam-shaping optics

Science.gov (United States)

Haag, Sebastian; Schranner, Matthias; Müller, Tobias; Zontar, Daniel; Schlette, Christian; Losch, Daniel; Brecher, Christian; Roßmann, Jürgen

2015-03-01

In science and industry, the alignment of beam-shaping optics is usually a manual procedure. Many industrial applications utilizing beam-shaping optical systems require more scalable production solutions and therefore effort has been invested in research regarding the automation of optics assembly. In previous works, the authors and other researchers have proven the feasibility of automated alignment of beam-shaping optics such as collimation lenses or homogenization optics. Nevertheless, the planning efforts as well as additional knowledge from the fields of automation and control required for such alignment processes are immense. This paper presents a novel approach of planning active alignment processes of beam-shaping optics with the focus of minimizing the planning efforts for active alignment. The approach utilizes optical simulation and the genetic programming paradigm from computer science for automatically extracting features from a simulated data basis with a high correlation coefficient regarding the individual degrees of freedom of alignment. The strategy is capable of finding active alignment strategies that can be executed by an automated assembly system. The paper presents a tool making the algorithm available to end-users and it discusses the results of planning the active alignment of the well-known assembly of a fast-axis collimator. The paper concludes with an outlook on the transferability to other use cases such as application specific intensity distributions which will benefit from reduced planning efforts.

Sustainability of animal production systems: an ecological perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Vavra, M

1996-06-01

The question of sustainability of agricultural production and the use of natural resources has become a popular topic. Most scientists agree that current systems are generally non-sustainable. Current rates of resource extraction will lead us to a depleted earth in the future. Sustainability is defined in many ways. For this paper sustainability should be considered the overlap of what is wanted and what is ecologically possible. Attempts have been made to place a quantitative measure on sustainability. However, it should be considered a trajectory or goal, a direction that guides constructive change, rather than a single quantitative measure. Research and extension personnel may have to take a broader look at their efforts and expand their knowledge base in order to address the issue of sustainable production systems. Both natural events and those caused by humans bring about changes in production potential that require shifts in management. Uncertainty and change should be incorporated into adaptive management strategies. Interdisciplinary efforts are needed to confront these issues. Animal scientists need to formulate management systems that are environmentally compatible or face restrictive legislation that will force change. Members of the American Society of Animal Science seem to agree: efficient and sustainable use of natural resources appears in the draft of the Strategic Plan of the Society, and a poll of members revealed that environmental concerns about animal agriculture was a primary issue facing animal scientists.

Future consequences and challenges for dairy cow production systems arising from climate change in Central Europe - a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Gauly, M; Bollwein, H; Breves, G; Brügemann, K; Dänicke, S; Daş, G; Demeler, J; Hansen, H; Isselstein, J; König, S; Lohölter, M; Martinsohn, M; Meyer, U; Potthoff, M; Sanker, C; Schröder, B; Wrage, N; Meibaum, B; von Samson-Himmelstjerna, G; Stinshoff, H; Wrenzycki, C

2013-05-01

It is well documented that global warming is unequivocal. Dairy production systems are considered as important sources of greenhouse gas emissions; however, little is known about the sensitivity and vulnerability of these production systems themselves to climate warming. This review brings different aspects of dairy cow production in Central Europe into focus, with a holistic approach to emphasize potential future consequences and challenges arising from climate change. With the current understanding of the effects of climate change, it is expected that yield of forage per hectare will be influenced positively, whereas quality will mainly depend on water availability and soil characteristics. Thus, the botanical composition of future grassland should include species that are able to withstand the changing conditions (e.g. lucerne and bird's foot trefoil). Changes in nutrient concentration of forage plants, elevated heat loads and altered feeding patterns of animals may influence rumen physiology. Several promising nutritional strategies are available to lower potential negative impacts of climate change on dairy cow nutrition and performance. Adjustment of feeding and drinking regimes, diet composition and additive supplementation can contribute to the maintenance of adequate dairy cow nutrition and performance. Provision of adequate shade and cooling will reduce the direct effects of heat stress. As estimated genetic parameters are promising, heat stress tolerance as a functional trait may be included into breeding programmes. Indirect effects of global warming on the health and welfare of animals seem to be more complicated and thus are less predictable. As the epidemiology of certain gastrointestinal nematodes and liver fluke is favourably influenced by increased temperature and humidity, relations between climate change and disease dynamics should be followed closely. Under current conditions, climate change associated economic impacts are estimated to be

Integrating and differentiating aspects of self-regulation: effortful control, executive functioning, and links to negative affectivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Bridgett, David J; Oddi, Kate B; Laake, Lauren M; Murdock, Kyle W; Bachmann, Melissa N

2013-02-01

Subdisciplines within psychology frequently examine self-regulation from different frameworks despite conceptually similar definitions of constructs. In the current study, similarities and differences between effortful control, based on the psychobiological model of temperament (Rothbart, Derryberry, & Posner, 1994), and executive functioning are examined and empirically tested in three studies (n = 509). Structural equation modeling indicated that effortful control and executive functioning are strongly associated and overlapping constructs (Study 1). Additionally, results indicated that effortful control is related to the executive function of updating/monitoring information in working memory, but not inhibition (Studies 2 and 3). Study 3 also demonstrates that better updating/monitoring information in working memory and better effortful control were uniquely linked to lower dispositional negative affect, whereas the executive function of low/poor inhibition was uniquely associated with an increased tendency to express negative affect. Furthermore, dispositional negative affect mediated the links between effortful control and, separately, the executive function of updating/monitoring information in working memory and the tendency to express negative affect. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed, and a potential framework for guiding future work directed at integrating and differentiating aspects of self-regulation is suggested. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Efforts toward rapid construction of the cortistatin A carbocyclic core via enyne-ene metathesis

KAUST Repository

Baumgartner, Corinne; Ma, Sandy; Liu, Qi; Stoltz, Brian M.

2010-01-01

Our efforts toward the construction of the carbocylic core of cortistatin A via an enyne-ene metathesis are disclosed. Interestingly, an attempted S N2 inversion of a secondary mesylate in our five-membered D-ring piece gave a product with retention

Planning for the Future, a Look from Apollo to the Present

Science.gov (United States)

Segrera, David

2008-01-01

Future missions out of low Earth orbit, returning to the moon and Mars, will be some of the most complicated endeavors ever attempted by mankind. It will require the wealth of nations and the dedicated efforts of thousand of individuals working in a concerted effort to take man to the moon, Mars and beyond. These missions will require new equipment and new approaches to optimize our limited resources and time in space. This daily planning and optimization which currently is being performed by scores of people in MCC Houston and around the world will need to adapt to the challenges faced far from Earth. By studying the processes, methodologies, and tools employed from Apollo, Skylab, Shuttle, ISS, and other programs such as NEEMO, we can learn from the past to plan for the future. This paper will explore the planning process used from Apollo onward and will discuss their relevancy in future applications.

Assess Current and Potential Salmonid Production in Rattlesnake Creek in Association with Restoration Efforts, US Geological Survey Report, 2004-2005 Annual Report.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Allen, M. Brady; Connolly, Patrick J.; Jezorek, Ian G. (US Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory, Cook, WA)

2006-06-01

This project was designed to document existing habitat conditions and fish populations within the Rattlesnake Creek watershed (White Salmon River subbasin, Washington) before major habitat restoration activities are implemented and prior to the reintroduction of salmon and steelhead above Condit Dam. Returning adult salmon Oncorhynchus spp. and steelhead O. mykiss have not had access to Rattlesnake Creek since 1913. An assessment of resident trout populations should serve as a good surrogate for evaluation of factors that would limit salmon and steelhead production in the watershed. Personnel from United States Geological Survey's Columbia River Research Laboratory (USGS-CRRL) attended to three main objectives of the Rattlesnake Creek project. The first objective was to characterize stream and riparian habitat conditions. This effort included measures of water quality, water quantity, stream habitat, and riparian conditions. The second objective was to determine the status of fish populations in the Rattlesnake Creek drainage. To accomplish this, we derived estimates of salmonid population abundance, determined fish species composition, assessed distribution and life history attributes, obtained tissue samples for genetic analysis, and assessed fish diseases in the watershed. The third objective was to use the collected habitat and fisheries information to help identify and prioritize areas in need of restoration. As this report covers the fourth year of a five-year study, it is largely restricted to describing our efforts and findings for the first two objectives.

Effort, anhedonia, and function in schizophrenia: reduced effort allocation predicts amotivation and functional impairment.

Science.gov (United States)

Barch, Deanna M; Treadway, Michael T; Schoen, Nathan

2014-05-01

One of the most debilitating aspects of schizophrenia is an apparent interest in or ability to exert effort for rewards. Such "negative symptoms" may prevent individuals from obtaining potentially beneficial outcomes in educational, occupational, or social domains. In animal models, dopamine abnormalities decrease willingness to work for rewards, implicating dopamine (DA) function as a candidate substrate for negative symptoms given that schizophrenia involves dysregulation of the dopamine system. We used the effort-expenditure for rewards task (EEfRT) to assess the degree to which individuals with schizophrenia were wiling to exert increased effort for either larger magnitude rewards or for rewards that were more probable. Fifty-nine individuals with schizophrenia and 39 demographically similar controls performed the EEfRT task, which involves making choices between "easy" and "hard" tasks to earn potential rewards. Individuals with schizophrenia showed less of an increase in effort allocation as either reward magnitude or probability increased. In controls, the frequency of choosing the hard task in high reward magnitude and probability conditions was negatively correlated with depression severity and anhedonia. In schizophrenia, fewer hard task choices were associated with more severe negative symptoms and worse community and work function as assessed by a caretaker. Consistent with patterns of disrupted dopamine functioning observed in animal models of schizophrenia, these results suggest that 1 mechanism contributing to impaired function and motivational drive in schizophrenia may be a reduced allocation of greater effort for higher magnitude or higher probability rewards.

BPA efforts to protect salmon and supply energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geiselman, J.; Schiewe, R.

1993-01-01

The Bonneville Power Administration has sought to increase numbers of anadromous fish in the Columbia River for many years. In spite of these efforts, numbers of some species have continued to decline while others increased. As a result, several species of Salmon from the Snake River portion of the Columbia River basin have been listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. This presentation will identify analytical tools used to assess fish mitigation measures and the changes in power production and marketing expected from implementation of the National Marine Fisheries Service Recovery Plan and the Northwest Power Planning Council's Fish and Wildlife Program

The Past and Future of Nursing Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Margaret M. Heitkemper, PhD, RN, FAAN

2007-06-01

Full Text Available The past three decades have witnessed a remarkable growth in nursing science development. In both Korea and the United States, nurse scientists are poised to address important issues related to the prevention and management of significant health care problems. The need for greater nursing science development in the areas of self management, genetics, geriatrics, health promotion across the lifespan, technology, and mental health are briefly highlighted. Future research efforts will be enhanced by interdisciplinary collaboration and the creation of international nursing research centers. At the same time, we need to remain cognizant of the importance of mentoring future nurse scientists.

Quantifying motivation with effort-based decision-making paradigms in health and disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Chong, T T-J; Bonnelle, V; Husain, M

2016-01-01

Motivation can be characterized as a series of cost-benefit valuations, in which we weigh the amount of effort we are willing to expend (the cost of an action) in return for particular rewards (its benefits). Human motivation has traditionally been measured with self-report and questionnaire-based tools, but an inherent limitation of these methods is that they are unable to provide a mechanistic explanation of the processes underlying motivated behavior. A major goal of current research is to quantify motivation objectively with effort-based decision-making paradigms, by drawing on a rich literature from nonhuman animals. Here, we review this approach by considering the development of these paradigms in the laboratory setting over the last three decades, and their more recent translation to understanding choice behavior in humans. A strength of this effort-based approach to motivation is that it is capable of capturing the wide range of individual differences, and offers the potential to dissect motivation into its component elements, thus providing the basis for more accurate taxonomic classifications. Clinically, modeling approaches might provide greater sensitivity and specificity to diagnosing disorders of motivation, for example, in being able to detect subclinical disorders of motivation, or distinguish a disorder of motivation from related but separate syndromes, such as depression. Despite the great potential in applying effort-based paradigms to index human motivation, we discuss several caveats to interpreting current and future studies, and the challenges in translating these approaches to the clinical setting. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Different Perspective: How Much Innovation Is Really Needed for Monoclonal Antibody Production Using Mammalian Cell Technology?

Science.gov (United States)

Kelley, Brian; Kiss, Robert; Laird, Michael

2018-05-03

As biopharmaceutical companies have optimized cell line and production culture process development, titers of recombinant antibodies have risen steadily to 3-8 g/L for fed-batch mammalian cultures at production scales of 10 kL or larger. Most new antibody products are produced from Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cell lines, and there are relatively few alternative production hosts under active evaluation. Many companies have adopted a strategy of using the same production cell line for early clinical phases as well as commercial production, which reduces the risk of product comparability issues during the development lifecycle. Product quality and consistency expectations rest on the platform knowledge of the CHO host cell line and processes used for the production of many licensed antibodies. The lack of impact of low-level product variants common to this platform on product safety and efficacy also builds on the established commercial history of recombinant antibodies, which dates back to 1997.Efforts to increase titers further will likely yield diminishing returns. Very few products would benefit significantly from a titer greater than 8 g/L; in many cases, a downstream processing bottleneck would preclude full recovery from production-scale bioreactors for high titer processes. The benefits of a process platform based on standard fed-batch production culture include predictable scale-up, process transfer, and production within a company's manufacturing network or at a contract manufacturing organization. Furthermore, the confidence in an established platform provides key support towards regulatory flexibility (e.g., design space) for license applications following a quality-by-design strategy.These factors suggest that novel technologies for antibody production may not provide a substantial return on investment. What, then, should be the focus of future process development efforts for companies that choose to launch antibody products using their current

Soil heating in connection with outdoor garden production. Maan laemmittaeminen avomaan puutarhatuotannossa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Malkki, S.; Moilanen, J.

1991-01-01

Soil heating using electricity, hot water and air has been studied within Nordic countries as a way to extend the growing season in spring. The methods have not found general acceptance in practical outdoor garden production in Nordic countries, except in Iceland. The main reason for this may be the fairly high investment costs, lack of know-how, and the above-normal risks both at the cultivation stage and in marketing of the harvest. Two thirds of the respondents (177 persons) were prepared to accept the soil heating on outdoor garden production by electrical cables if it is profitable. Only one fifth of the respondents thought that it would be wasting of natural resources, and that plant protection by chemicals should be cut down in the future or to keep their use at the present level. The respondents believed that more efforts should be made in marketing of the garden products by improving the product quality, purity and aroma, because these are the most important sales promotion factors. Two thirds thought that the Finnish garden production sector would retain it's present status or improve it in the future. Organic farming and greening were believed to possess the best prerequisites for surviving the increasingly tough competition of the non-restricted European markets. Under-glass cultivation and fruit orchards in Finland were believed to run into difficulties.

Sustainability Efforts of One Oil Company in Niger Delta of Nigeria

Science.gov (United States)

Anosike, Charles Afam

Environmental degradation and socioeconomic dilemma continue to stigmatize oil production in the Niger Delta of Nigeria. Sustainability programs of oil companies often determine the improvement of living conditions in the region. This explanatory qualitative case study, guided by systems thinking theory and sustainable value framework, explored practitioners' perceptions of sustainability programs to identify its impact on business and the host communities. The research question was designed to address how sustainability efforts of a single oil company in the Niger Delta contributed to the business performance and the livelihood of the local people. Research data were gathered from a sample of 20 experienced sustainability practitioners of the oil company, partnering nonprofit organizations, and community leaders through face-to-face semistructured interviews. Data were segmented and categorized. The data analysis process revealed several themes regarding the challenges and shortfalls of sustainability programs in the region. The oil company's understanding of sustainability as programs and projects focused on preserving resources for future generations was not evident in practice. Findings from the study suggested the need for improved inclusiveness of people in driving sustainability projects. Inclusive sustainability should enhance the oil company's contemplation mechanism to ensure eco-saving thinking and processes, which could result in improved quality of life and business performance in the region. The research findings underscore the need for oil multinational corporations (MNCs) to use a business lens in viewing sustainability to achieve sustainable value.

Efforts onto electricity and instrumentation technology for nuclear power generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayakawa, Toshifumi

2000-01-01

Nuclear power generation shares more than 1/3 of all amounts of in-land generation at present, as a supplying source of stable electric energy after 2000 either. As a recent example of efforts onto electricity and instrumentation technology for nuclear power generation, there are, on instrumentation control system a new central control board aiming at reduction of operator's load, protection of human error, and upgrading of system reliability and economics by applying high level micro-processor applied technique and high speed data transfer technique to central monitoring operation and plant control protection, on a field of reactor instrumentation a new digital control rod position indicator improved of conventional system on a base of operation experience and recent technology, on a field of radiation instrumentation a new radiation instrumentation system accumulating actual results in a wide application field on a concept of application to nuclear power plant by adopting in-situ separation processing system using local network technique, and on a field of operation maintenance and management a conservation management system for nuclear generation plant intending of further effectiveness of operation maintenance management of power plant by applying of operation experience and recent data processing and communication technology. And, in the large electric apparatus, there are some generators carried out production and verification of a model one with actual size in lengthwise dimension, to correspond to future large capacity nuclear power plant. By this verification, it was proved that even large capacity generator of 1800 MVA class could be manufactured. (G.K.)

Climate change and future scenarios for palisade grass production in the state of São Paulo, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

André Santana Andrade

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The objective of this work was to analyze future scenarios for palisade grass yield subjected to climate change for the state of São Paulo, Brazil. An empirical crop model was used to estimate yields, according to growing degree-days adjusted by one drought attenuation factor. Climate data from 1963 to 2009 of 23 meteorological stations were used for current climate conditions. Downscaled outputs of two general circulation models were used to project future climate for the 2013-2040 and 2043-2070 periods, considering two contrasting scenarios of temperature and atmospheric CO2 concentration increase (high and low. Annual dry matter yield should be from 14 to 42% higher than the current one, depending on the evaluated scenario. Yield variation between seasons (seasonality and years is expected to increase. The increase of dry matter accumulation will be higher in the rainy season than in the dry season, and this result is more evident for soils with low-water storage capacity. The results varied significantly between regions (60%. Despite their higher climate potential, warmer regions will probably have a lower increase in future forage production.

Experience with environmental issues in GM crop production and the likely future scenarios.

Science.gov (United States)

Gaugitsch, Helmut

2002-02-28

In the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, standards for risk assessment of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have been set. The criteria and information basis for the risk assessment of GMOs have been modified by the EU Directive 2001/18/EC. Various approaches to further improve the criteria for environmental risk assessment of GMOs are described in this study. Reports on the ecological impacts of the cultivation of certain non-transgenic crop plants with novel or improved traits as analogy models to transgenic plants showed that the effects of agricultural practice can be at least equally important as the effects of gene transfer and invasiveness, although the latter currently play a major role in risk assessment of transgenic crops. Based on these results the applicability of the methodology of 'Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)' for genetically modified plants in comparison with conventionally bred and organically grown crop plants was evaluated. The methodology was regarded as applicable with some necessary future improvements. In current projects, the assessment of toxicology and allergenicity of GM crops are analysed, and suggestions for standardization are developed. Based on results and recommendations from these efforts there are still the challenges of how to operationalize the precautionary principle and how to take into account ecologically sensitive ecosystems, including centres of origin and centres of genetic diversity.

Metabolic engineering of biosynthetic pathway for production of renewable biofuels.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Vijai; Mani, Indra; Chaudhary, Dharmendra Kumar; Dhar, Pawan Kumar

2014-02-01

Metabolic engineering is an important area of research that involves editing genetic networks to overproduce a certain substance by the cells. Using a combination of genetic, metabolic, and modeling methods, useful substances have been synthesized in the past at industrial scale and in a cost-effective manner. Currently, metabolic engineering is being used to produce sufficient, economical, and eco-friendly biofuels. In the recent past, a number of efforts have been made towards engineering biosynthetic pathways for large scale and efficient production of biofuels from biomass. Given the adoption of metabolic engineering approaches by the biofuel industry, this paper reviews various approaches towards the production and enhancement of renewable biofuels such as ethanol, butanol, isopropanol, hydrogen, and biodiesel. We have also identified specific areas where more work needs to be done in the future.

EcoDesign and future environmental impacts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jeswiet, Jack; Hauschild, Michael Zwicky

2005-01-01

This paper describes the relation between EcoDesign and Life Cycle Engineering; both include Product Engineering as a focal point. Product Engineering includes both product design and manufacture, two fields which are changing quickly. In addition, this paper shows where future changes can be exp...

Water constraints on future food production

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Biemans, H.

2012-01-01

To meet the food demand of a growing global population, agricultural production will have to more than double in this century. Agricultural land expansion combined with yield increases will therefore be required. This thesis investigates whether enough water resources will be available to