CARICOF - The Caribbean Regional Climate Outlook Forum

Science.gov (United States)

Van Meerbeeck, Cedric

2013-04-01

Regional Climate Outlook Forums (RCOFs) are viewed as a critical building block in the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The GFCS seeks to extend RCOFs to all vulnerable regions of the world such as the Caribbean, of which the entire population is exposed to water- and heat-related natural hazards. An RCOF is initially intended to identify gaps in information and technical capability; facilitate research cooperation and data exchange within and between regions, and improve coordination within the climate forecasting community. A focus is given on variations in climate conditions on a seasonal timescale. In this view, the relevance of a Caribbean RCOF (CARICOF) is the following: while the seasonality of the climate in the Caribbean has been well documented, major gaps in knowledge exist in terms of the drivers in the shifts of amplitude and phase of seasons (as evidenced from the worst region-wide drought period in recent history during 2009-2010). To address those gaps, CARICOF has brought together National Weather Services (NWSs) from 18 territories under the coordination of the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), to produce region-wide, consensus, seasonal climate outlooks since March 2012. These outlooks include tercile rainfall forecasts, sea and air surface temperature forecasts as well as the likely evolution of the drivers of seasonal climate variability in the region, being amongst others the El Niño Southern Oscillation or tropical Atlantic and Caribbean Sea temperatures. Forecasts for both the national-scale forecasts made by the NWSs and CIMH's regional-scale forecast amalgamate output from several forecasting tools. These currently include: (1) statistical models such as Canonical Correlation Analysis run with the Climate Predictability Tool, providing tercile rainfall forecasts at weather station scale; (2) a global outlooks published by the WMO appointed Global Producing

Climate Prediction Center - Atlantic Hurricane Outlook

Science.gov (United States)

Weather Service NWS logo - Click to go to the NWS home page Climate Prediction Center Home Site Map News ; Seasonal Climate Summary Archive The 2018 Atlantic hurricane season outlook is an official product of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center (CPC). The outlook is

Short-term energy outlook annual supplement, 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) prepares quarterly, short-term energy supply, demand, and price projections for publication in February, May, August, and November in the Short-Term Energy Outlook (Outlook). An annual supplement analyzes the performance of previous forecasts, compares recent cases with those of other forecasting services, and discusses current topics related to the short-term energy markets. (See Short-Term Energy Outlook Annual Supplement, DOE/EIA-0202.) The forecast period for this issue of the Outlook extends from the third quarter of 1993 through the fourth quarter of 1994. Values for the second quarter of 1993, however, are preliminary EIA estimates (for example, some monthly values for petroleum supply and disposition are derived in part from weekly data reported in the Weekly Petroleum Status Report) or are calculated from model simulations using the latest exogenous information available (for example, electricity sales and generation are simulated using actual weather data). The historical energy data are EIA data published in the Monthly Energy Review, Petroleum Supply Monthly, and other EIA publications. Minor discrepancies between the data in these publications and the historical data in this Outlook are due to independent rounding

Surging electricity demand growth bolsters outlook for natural gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koen, A.D.

1994-01-01

Economic expansion and regulatory reform are combining to boost global opportunities for burning gas to generate electric power. Companies producing, marketing, or transporting gas are capitalizing on the improved outlook by seizing on synergistic roles in the power generation chain. Much of the improved outlook for gas stems from projected hearty increases in global demand for electricity. Bechtel Power Corp., estimates global power generation capacity during 1994--2003 will increase to as much as 1.2 billion kw, about 25% of which could be added by independent power production (IPPs). Since about 200 bcf of gas reserves producing about 20 MMcfd of gas is needed to fuel of a 100,000 kw electric generating station for 25 years, that adds up to a major growth opportunity for gas producers. The paper discusses the assessment of gas reserves, US power growth, the intent of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (Epact), effects of Epact, gas industry response, power marketing units, synergistic possibilities, effects on US utilities, international power imperatives, non-US projects, funding good projects, and forecasting future developments

Fast-food Culture and Americans’Outlooks on Life

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

易婧

2014-01-01

Fast-food is always the one of the main culture in America just like it has been known. It is not only very important in Americans’lives, but can reflect some of their outlooks on life. This thesis gives an analysis of reflection of Americans ’out-looks on life in fast-food culture. Five types of Americans’outlooks on life have been surveyed:working hard and playing hard, optimism and open-mindedness, treating the time as the life, self-independence and believing the equality. Beginning with the introduction of the emergence and development of fast-food culture in America, the thesis brings why the fast-food can be pop-ularized among Americans to light. Consequently, we can find that some of the Americans ’outlooks on life can be consistent with their fast-food culture.This thesis will be divided into four parts. The first part is the introduction and the last conclusion. The focus of this thesis is laid on the two middle parts which first display the five types of Americans ’outlooks on life, then give the analysis of the reflection in fast-food culture. This thesis attempts to explore the Americans ’outlooks on life. Although by the thesis we can not learn about a nation completely, we still know some aspects of their outlooks on life from fast-food culture.

Short-term energy outlook: Quarterly projections, Third quarter 1992

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-08-01

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) prepares quarterly, short-term energy supply, demand, and price projections for publication in February, May, August, and November in the Short-Term Energy Outlook (Outlook). An annual supplement analyzes the performance of previous forecasts, compares recent cases with those of other forecasting services, and discusses current topics related to the short-term energy markets. (See Short-Term Energy Outlook Annual Supplement, DOE/EIA-0202.) The principal users of the Outlook are managers and energy analysts in private industry and government. The forecast period for this issue of the Outlook extends from the third quarter of 1992 through the fourth quarter of 1993. Values for the second quarter of 1992, however, are preliminary EIA estimates (for example, some monthly values for petroleum supply and disposition are derived in part from weekly data reported in the Weekly Petroleum Status Report) or are calculated from model simulations using the latest exogenous information available (for example, electricity sales and generation are simulated using actual weather data). The historical energy data are EIA data published in the Monthly Energy Review, Petroleum Supply Monthly, and other EIA publications. Minor discrepancies between the data in these publications and the historical data in this Outlook are due to independent rounding

MITI revises outlooks for energy and power demand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1987-01-01

The Ministry of International Trade and Industry has revised downward its long-term outlook on energy supply and demand, lowering the estimated primary energy demand for fiscal 2000 from 600 million tons in oil equivalent to 540 MTOE, and reducing total power demand for fiscal 2000 from 899.1 billion kWh to 838 billion. In this content, the outlook for installed nuclear capacity has been revised downward from 62,000 MW to 53,500 MW. This revision of the power supply-demand outlook was reported on Oct. 1 to the supply and demand committee (Chairman - Yoshihiko Morozumi, Adviser to Nippon Schlum-berger) of the Electric Utility Industry Council; the energy supply-demand outlook was decided on Oct. 14 by the MITI Supply and Demand Subcommittee of the Advisory Committee for Energy and reported on Oct. 16 to the conference of ministers concerned with energy. (author)

Residency programs and the outlook for occupational and environmental medicine in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Youngil; Kim, Jungwon; Chae, Yoomi

2015-01-01

This study investigated the implementation of training courses and the overall outlook for occupational and environmental medicine (OEM) in Korea. We described the problems facing OEM residency programs in Korea, and reviewed studies dealing with the specialty of occupational health in developed countries in order to suggest directions of improvement for the OEM training courses. We surveyed 125 OEM residents using a questionnaire in August 2012. A total of 23 questions about the training environment, residency programs, preferred institutions for post-licensure employment, and the outlook for OEM specialists were included in the questionnaire and analyzed according to the type of training institution and residency year. Responses from 88 residents (70.4 %) were analyzed. The major responsibilities of OEM residents were found to vary depending on whether they were trained in research institutes or in hospitals. OEM residents had a lower level of satisfaction with the following training programs: toxicology practice (measurements of biological markers, metabolites, and working environments), and OEM practice (environmental diseases and clinical training involving surgery). When asked about their eventual place of employment, OEM residents preferred institutions providing special health examinations or health management services. OEM residents reported a positive outlook for OEM over the next 5 years, but a negative outlook for the next 10 years. Although a standardized training curriculum for OEM residents exists, this study found differences in the actual training courses depending on the training institution. We plan to standardize OEM training by holding a regional conference and introducing open training methods, such as an open hospital system. Use of Korean-language OEM textbook may also reduce differences in the educational programs of each training institution. Toxicology practice, environmental diseases, and clinical training in surgery are areas that

IEA World Energy Outlook 2011—A comment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khatib, Hisham

2012-01-01

There are increasing numbers of annual and periodical energy studies that look into future energy demand and sustainability issues. Among these the World Energy Outlook stands out as the most important futuristic energy study and analysis. The 2011 Outlook is in four parts and gives a full update of energy demand and supply projections to 2035. It analyses the possible evolution of energy markets under three scenarios. The core scenarios rest on common assumptions about macroeconomic conditions and population growth, while their assumptions about government policy differ. This year's Outlook offers an in-depth analysis of prospects for energy supply and use in Russia. It also provides an expanded assessment of the prospects for coal. It reviewed the future of nuclear energy after Fukushima, as well as the strategic challenges of energy poverty. Last it dealt with the important aspect of energy subsidies. In spite of its extensiveness and in depth analysis some of the Outlook assumptions and conclusions need careful analysis and review.

Annual energy outlook 1993 with projections to 2010

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

The Energy Information Administration's (EIA's) Annual Energy Outlook 1993 (AEO93) presents forecasts for energy prices, supply, demand, and imports over the period 1990 to 2010. These projections take into account existing legislation, including the Energy Policy Act of 1992. Even though the world oil market remains relatively tight, the long-term outlook for oil prices has been revised downward since the Annual Energy Outlook 1992 as expectations for both the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC production potential have been revised upward. Domestic natural gas prices are also expected to be lower than projected last year, in part because of a more optimistic outlook for drilling technology. Finally, lower growth in the demand for electricity is expected because of the Energy Policy Act of 1992, which mandates efficiency standards for new energy-using equipment. These are the most striking differences between last year's EIA evaluation of long-term energy market trends and this year's evaluation

Positive Emotions and Your Health: Developing a Brighter Outlook

Science.gov (United States)

... Issues Subscribe August 2015 Print this issue Positive Emotions and Your Health Developing a Brighter Outlook En ... outlook doesn’t mean you never feel negative emotions, such as sadness or anger, says Dr. Barbara ...

Outlook. Number 362

Science.gov (United States)

Council for American Private Education, 2011

2011-01-01

Council for American Private Education (CAPE) is a coalition of national associations serving private schools K-12. "Outlook" is published monthly by CAPE. This issue contains the following articles: (1) Boehner and Lieberman Introduce D.C. Choice Bill; (2) Research Demonstrates Benefits of School Choice; (3) NAEP [National Assessment …

Short-term energy outlook, January 1999

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-01-01

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) prepares the Short-Term Energy Outlook (energy supply, demand, and price projections) monthly. The forecast period for this issue of the Outlook extends from January 1999 through December 2000. Data values for the fourth quarter 1998, however, are preliminary EIA estimates (for example, some monthly values for petroleum supply and disposition are derived in part from weekly data reported in EIA`s Weekly Petroleum Status Report) or are calculated from model simulations that use the latest exogenous information available (for example, electricity sales and generation are simulated by using actual weather data). The historical energy data, compiled in the January 1999 version of the Short-Term Integrated Forecasting System (STIFS) database, are mostly EIA data regularly published in the Monthly Energy Review, Petroleum Supply Monthly, and other EIA publications. Minor discrepancies between the data in these publications and the historical data in this Outlook are due to independent rounding. The STIFS model is driven principally by three sets of assumptions or inputs: estimates of key macroeconomic variables, world oil price assumptions, and assumptions about the severity of weather. Macroeconomic estimates are produced by DRI/McGraw-Hill but are adjusted by EIA to reflect EIA assumptions about the world price of crude oil, energy product prices, and other assumptions which may affect the macroeconomic outlook. By varying the assumptions, alternative cases are produced by using the STIFS model. 28 figs., 19 tabs.

Financial outlook for the Canadian gas industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Friedenberg, B.

1995-01-01

The financial outlook for the Canadian gas industry depends on the outlook for gas prices at Canadian producing basins, the cost of producing in Canada and the volume of production of Canadian natural gas. Price, cost and volume determine the health of the Canadian industry. Industry's costs are the basis of the supply (volume) offered on the market and price is determined by the interaction of supply and demand. (author)

Outlook for the U.S. alkylation industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Felten, J.R.; Bradshaw, T.; McCarthy, K.

1994-01-01

Alkylation has long been recognized in the refining industry as one of the best options to convert refinery olefins into valuable, clean, high octane blending components. In fact, refinery alkylation is a preferred source of blending stocks for reformulated gasoline. However, the hydrofluoric acid (HF) alkylation process and, to a lesser extent, the sulfuric acid (SA) process have come under increasing pressure in the US due to safety and environmental concerns. This paper examines the current outlook for the US alkylation industry including: key trends and driving forces in the industry, the impact of environmental issues on both HF and SA alkylation, US alkylation supply/demand forecast including the outlook for oxygenates, how US refines will respond to the increased demand and restricted supply for alkylates, and the outlook for new solid acid alkylation (SAC) technology

The effect of proximity to hurricanes Katrina and Rita on subsequent hurricane outlook and optimistic bias.

Science.gov (United States)

Trumbo, Craig; Lueck, Michelle; Marlatt, Holly; Peek, Lori

2011-12-01

This study evaluated how individuals living on the Gulf Coast perceived hurricane risk after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. It was hypothesized that hurricane outlook and optimistic bias for hurricane risk would be associated positively with distance from the Katrina-Rita landfall (more optimism at greater distance), controlling for historically based hurricane risk and county population density, demographics, individual hurricane experience, and dispositional optimism. Data were collected in January 2006 through a mail survey sent to 1,375 households in 41 counties on the coast (n = 824, 60% response). The analysis used hierarchal regression to test hypotheses. Hurricane history and population density had no effect on outlook; individuals who were male, older, and with higher household incomes were associated with lower risk perception; individual hurricane experience and personal impacts from Katrina and Rita predicted greater risk perception; greater dispositional optimism predicted more optimistic outlook; distance had a small effect but predicted less optimistic outlook at greater distance (model R(2) = 0.21). The model for optimistic bias had fewer effects: age and community tenure were significant; dispositional optimism had a positive effect on optimistic bias; distance variables were not significant (model R(2) = 0.05). The study shows that an existing measure of hurricane outlook has utility, hurricane outlook appears to be a unique concept from hurricane optimistic bias, and proximity has at most small effects. Future extension of this research will include improved conceptualization and measurement of hurricane risk perception and will bring to focus several concepts involving risk communication. © 2011 Society for Risk Analysis.

Academic training lectures | The outlook for energy supply and demand | 14 - 16 September

CERN Multimedia

2015-01-01

Please note that the next series of Academic Training Lectures will take place on the 14, 15 and 16 September. The lectures will be given by by Chris Llewellyn Smith (Director of Energy Research, University of Oxford, President of SESAME Council). The Outlook for Energy Supply and Demand (1/3) on Monday, 14 September from 11.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. https://indico.cern.ch/event/388334/ Can Future Energy Needs be Met Sustainably? (2/3) on Tuesday, 15 September from 4.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.  (CERN Colloquium) https://indico.cern.ch/event/388335/ The Outlook for Energy Supply and Demand (3/3) on Wednesday, 16 September from 11.00 a.m to 12.00 p.m. https://indico.cern.ch/event/388336/ at CERN, Main Auditorium, in Building 500-1-001. Description: These lectures will review the challenges facing energy policy, the outlook for different sources of primary energy (fossil and renewable), how energy is used, and prospects for improved energy efficiency. A colloquium ‘Can Future Energy Needs be Met ...

Kaons Review and Outlook

CERN Document Server

Ceccucci, A

2006-01-01

This article presents a review of recent results and an outlook of kaon physics. After enjoying a renaissance, the discipline is now becoming and endangered species. Action will be needed to keep kaon physics at the heart of future FPCP meetings.

Nuclear energy outlook 2008

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

With the launch today of its first Nuclear Energy Outlook, the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) makes an important contribution to ongoing discussions of nuclear energy's potential role in the energy mixes of its member countries. As world energy demand continues to grow unabated, many countries face serious concerns about the security of energy supplies, rising energy prices and climate change stemming from fossil fuel consumption. In his presentation, the NEA Director-General Luis Echavarri is emphasizing the role that nuclear power could play in delivering cost-competitive and stable supplies of energy, while also helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In one Outlook scenario, existing nuclear power technologies could provide almost four times the current supply of nuclear-generated electricity by 2050. Under this scenario, 1400 reactors of the size commonly in use today would be in operation by 2050. But in order to accomplish such an expansion, securing political and societal support for the choice of nuclear energy is vital. An ongoing relationship between policy makers, the nuclear industry and society to develop knowledge building and public involvement will become increasingly important, the publication notes. Moreover, governments have a clear responsibility to maintain continued effective safety regulation, advance efforts to develop radioactive waste disposal solutions and uphold and reinforce the international non-proliferation regime. The authors find that the security of energy from nuclear power is more reliable than that for oil or gas. Additionally, uranium's high energy density means that transport is less vulnerable to disruption, and storing a large energy reserve is easier than for fossil fuels. One tonne of uranium produces the same energy as 10 000 to 16 000 tonnes of oil using current technology. Ongoing technological developments are likely to improve that performance even more. Until the middle of the century the dominant reactor

Implications of short-term financial outlook for Canadian producers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shiry, J.

1997-01-01

The short-term outlook for the Western Canadian natural gas industry was reviewed. Based on the dramatic growth in the demand for gas, and the explosive growth of the industry in response to export opportunities, the outlook for the remainder of this decade remains good, notwithstanding low internal returns, below-average returns on equity, and increased competition for U.S. markets. The competition will come from offshore wells in the US Gulf, from offshore wells of Sable Island, and from offshore wells in the Gulf of Mexico. Despite the increasing sources of supply gas prices are actually expected to improve slightly in 1997 and beyond, giving rise to cautious optimism. Nevertheless, more favorable tax treatment is urgently required to head off the likelihood of investment dollars moving to Africa, the Middle East, South America, and most especially China and Russia. Once those countries open up for business in the not-too-distant future, the likelihood of them offering substantially better tax treatment than what is available in Canada could do serious damage to domestic gas industry development. 12 figs

Waste management outlook for mountain regions: Sources and solutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Semernya, Larisa; Ramola, Aditi; Alfthan, Björn; Giacovelli, Claudia

2017-09-01

Following the release of the global waste management outlook in 2015, the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment), through its International Environmental Technology Centre, is elaborating a series of region-specific and thematic waste management outlooks that provide policy recommendations and solutions based on current practices in developing and developed countries. The Waste Management Outlook for Mountain Regions is the first report in this series. Mountain regions present unique challenges to waste management; while remoteness is often associated with costly and difficult transport of waste, the potential impact of waste pollutants is higher owing to the steep terrain and rivers transporting waste downstream. The Outlook shows that waste management in mountain regions is a cross-sectoral issue of global concern that deserves immediate attention. Noting that there is no 'one solution fits all', there is a need for a more landscape-type specific and regional research on waste management, the enhancement of policy and regulatory frameworks, and increased stakeholder engagement and awareness to achieve sustainable waste management in mountain areas. This short communication provides an overview of the key findings of the Outlook and highlights aspects that need further research. These are grouped per source of waste: Mountain communities, tourism, and mining. Issues such as waste crime, plastic pollution, and the linkages between exposure to natural disasters and waste are also presented.

Short-term energy outlook, July 1998

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-07-01

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) prepares The Short-Term Energy Outlook (energy supply, demand, and price projections) monthly for distribution on the internet at: www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/steo/pub/contents.html. In addition, printed versions of the report are available to subscribers in January, April, July and October. The forecast period for this issue of the Outlook extends from July 1998 through December 1999. Values for second quarter of 1998 data, however, are preliminary EIA estimates (for example, some monthly values for petroleum supply and disposition are derived in part from weekly data reported in EIA`s Weekly Petroleum Status Report) or are calculated from model simulations that use the latest exogenous information available (for example, electricity sales and generation are simulated by using actual weather data). The historical energy data, compiled in the July 1998 version of the Short-Term Integrated Forecasting System (STIFS) database, are mostly EIA data regularly published in the Monthly Energy Review, Petroleum Supply Monthly, and other EIA publications. Minor discrepancies between the data in these publications and the historical data in this Outlook are due to independent rounding. 28 figs., 19 tabs.

Short-Term Energy Outlook: Quarterly projections. Fourth quarter 1993

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-11-05

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) prepares quarterly, short-term energy supply, demand, and price projections for publication in February, May, August, and November in the Short-Term Energy Outlook (Outlook). An annual supplement analyzes the performance of previous forecasts, compares recent cases with those of other forecasting services, and discusses current topics related to the short-term energy markets. (See Short-Term Energy Outlook Annual Supplement, DOE/EIA-0202.) The forecast period for this issue of the Outlook extends from the fourth quarter of 1993 through the fourth quarter of 1994. Values for the third quarter of 1993, however, are preliminary EIA estimates (for example, some monthly values for petroleum supply and disposition are derived in part from weekly data reported in the Weekly Petroleum Status Report) or are calculated from model simulations using the latest exogenous information available (for example, electricity sales and generation are simulated using actual weather data). The historical energy data are EIA data published in the Monthly Energy Review, Petroleum Supply Monthly, and other EIA publications.

Outlook '98 - Stock markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vankka, D.

1998-01-01

In view of the recent drop of some 20 per cent in energy stock prices, and the decline in the value of the Canadian dollar, forecasting oilpatch financing in 1998 is a risky undertaking. Based on a variety of relevant factors, it is expected that there will be a slowdown in oil and gas financing deals in the short term. On the other hand, longer term outlook is bullish, based on the huge capital requirements over the next few years for conventional projects, heavy oil, oilsands and pipelines projects. Corporate mergers and acquisitions will continue at about the same rate as in 1997, as companies attempt to achieve ''economies of scale'' and growth in the most economically sensible manner. Adding production and reserves through corporate transactions at the current lower stock prices will be a powerful incentive. Creative deal structuring will become more prevalent. Corporate reorganizations into separate companies in search of value maximization will increase

A demand/supply and price outlook for electricity in Ontario

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalton, J.

2004-01-01

This paper presents the demand/supply and price outlook for electricity in Ontario. The paper examines the near term outlook, critical demand and supply issues, the projected Ontario demand/supply balances and finally concludes by looking at the challenges for Ontario's new market structure

A review of 'long-term energy supply and demand outlook'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoshino, Yuko; Hamagata, Sumio; Nagata, Yutaka

2016-01-01

In this paper, we reviewed the 'Long-term Energy Supply and Demand Outlook' based on our original Japan's Economy and Energy Outlook toward 2030. 'The Long-term Energy Supply and Demand Outlook' was based on the following three basic policies: (1) Energy self-sufficiency rate in 2030 should be around 25 percent. (2) Electricity Costs in 2030 should be lower than the current level in 2013. (3) Emissions target of GHGs in 2030 should not be lower than that of EU and the US. Moreover, there were many assumptions or constraints, such as assumed economic growth rate consistent to the government's macro-economic policy and the share of renewable energy more than 20 percent. In order to satisfy the above mentioned conditions, an extraordinary energy saving should be implemented in the scenario. The assumed intensity of energy saving is as much as that after the two oil crises. We estimated the cost of that magnitude of energy saving based on our model simulation, which revealed that in order to achieve the energy saving target, the electricity price should be 80% higher than the business as usual case. In addition, we reviewed the long-term energy supply and demand scenarios of major developed countries such as the UK, the US, Italy, Germany and Australia. We found that most of the scenarios depend on a large scale of energy saving in order to achieve the GHG emissions reductions targets. The reality of those energy saving targets should be carefully re-examined under the low oil price environment. (author)

Thoroughly Applying Scientific Outlook on Development Implementing Sustainable Development Strategy in Higher Vocational Colleges

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zhi; Wang, Youhua

2008-01-01

To make breakthroughs, obtain further development, and win in the fierce competition, higher vocational colleges must apply scientific outlook on development, set up students-and-teachers oriented educational concept, enhance connotation construction, create competition advantages so as to fully improve education and teaching quality and realize…

The Outlook for Energy Supply and Demand (1/3)

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2015-01-01

These lectures will review the challenges facing energy policy, the outlook for different sources of primary energy (fossil and renewable), how energy is used, and prospects for improved energy efficiency. A colloquium ‘Can Future Energy Needs be Met Sustainably?’, that I will be giving on Tuesday 15 September at 16:30, is part of this course – see separate Abstract for a summary. The lectures will provide more details and address topics that will only be mentioned in passing in the colloquium.

International energy outlook 1999

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-03-01

This report presents international energy projections through 2020, prepared by the Energy Information Administration. The outlooks for major energy fuels are discussed, along with electricity, transportation, and environmental issues. The report begins with a review of world trends in energy demand. The historical time frame begins with data from 1970 and extends to 1996, providing readers with a 26-year historical view of energy demand. The IEO99 projections covers a 24-year period. The next part of the report is organized by energy source. Regional consumption projections for oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear power, and renewable energy (hydroelectricity, geothermal, wind, solar, and other renewables) are presented in the five fuel chapters, along with a review of the current status of each fuel on a worldwide basis. The third part of the report looks at energy consumption in the end-use sectors, beginning with a chapter on energy use for electricity generation. New to this year`s outlook are chapters on energy use in the transportation sector and on environmental issues related to energy consumption. 104 figs., 87 tabs.

Short-term energy outlook. Quarterly projections, first quarter 1995

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-02-01

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) prepares quarterly, short-term energy supply, demand, and price projections for publication in February, May, August, and November in the Short-Term Energy Outlook (Outlook). The forecast period for this issue of the Outlook extends from the first quarter of 1995 through the fourth quarter of 1996. Values for the fourth quarter of 1994, however, are preliminary EIA estimates or are calculated from model simulations using the latest exogenous information available (for example, electricity sales and generation are simulated using actual weather data). The historical energy data, compiled into the first quarter 1995 version of the Short-Term Integrated Forecasting System (STIFS) database, are mostly EIA data regularly published in the Monthly Energy Review, Petroleum Supply Monthly, and other EIA publications. Minor discrepancies between the data in these publications and the historical data in this Outlook are due to independent rounding. The STIFS database is archived quarterly and is available from the National Technical Information Service. The cases are produced using the Short-Term Integrated Forecasting System (STIFS). The STIFS model is driven principally by three sets of assumptions or inputs: estimates of key macroeconomic variables, world oil price assumptions, and assumptions about the severity of weather. Macroeconomic estimates are produced by DRI/McGraw-Hill but are adjusted by EIA to reflect EIA assumptions about the world price of crude oil, energy product prices, and other assumptions which may affect the macroeconomic outlook. The EIA model is available on computer tape from the National Technical Information Service

National Energy Outlook Modelling System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Volkers, C.M. [ECN Policy Studies, Petten (Netherlands)

2013-12-15

For over 20 years, the Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) has been developing the National Energy Outlook Modelling System (NEOMS) for Energy projections and policy evaluations. NEOMS enables 12 energy models of ECN to exchange data and produce consistent and detailed results.

Short-term energy outlook, April 1999

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-04-01

The forecast period for this issue of the Outlook extends from April 1999 through December 2000. Data values for the first quarter 1999, however, are preliminary EIA estimates (for example, some monthly values for petroleum supply and disposition are derived in part from weekly data reported in EIA`s Weekly Petroleum Status Report) or are calculated from model simulations that use the latest exogenous information available (for example, electricity sales and generation are simulated by using actual weather data). The historical energy data, compiled in the April 1999 version of the Short-Term Integrated forecasting system (STIFS) database, are mostly EIA data regularly published in the Monthly Energy Review, Petroleum Supply Monthly, and other EIA publications. Minor discrepancies between the data in these publications and the historical data in this Outlook are due to independent rounding. The STIFS model is driven principally by three sets of assumptions or inputs: estimates of key macroeconomic variables, world oil price assumptions, and assumptions about the severity of weather. Macroeconomic estimates are produced by DRI/McGraw-Hill but are adjusted by EIA to reflect EIA assumptions about the world price of crude oil, energy product prices, and other assumptions which may affect the macroeconomic outlook. By varying the assumptions, alternative cases are produced by using the STIFS model. 25 figs., 19 tabs.

International energy outlook 1995, May 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-06-01

The International Energy Outlook 1995 (IEO95) presents an assessment by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the international energy market outlook through 2010. The report is an extension of the EIA`s Annual Energy Outlook 1995 (AEO95), which was prepared using the National Energy Modeling System (NEMS). US projections appearing in the IEO95 are consistent with those published in the AEO95. IEO95 is provided as a statistical service to energy managers and analysts, both in government and in the private sector. The projects are used by international agencies, Federal and State governments, trade associations, and other planners and decisionmakers. They are published pursuant to the Department of energy Organization Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-91), Section 295(c). The IEO95 projections are based on US and foreign government policies in effect on October 1, 1994. IEO95 displays projections according to six basic country groupings. The regionalization has changed since last year`s report. Mexico has been added to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and a more detailed regionalization has been incorporated for the remainder of the world, including the following subgroups: non-OECD Asia, Africa, Middle East, and Central and South America. China is included in non-OECD Asia. Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union are combined in the EE/FSU subgroup.

Remarks - Global energy outlook and externalities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gray, J.E.

1994-01-01

The author presents a global energy outlook, for the period 1990-2010. Then, he presents some views on the subject of externalities, some regulations and proscriptions about internalization of costs are detailed. (TEC)

Climate Prediction Center - Seasonal Outlook

Science.gov (United States)

Weather Service NWS logo - Click to go to the NWS home page Climate Prediction Center Site Map News Forecast Discussion PROGNOSTIC DISCUSSION FOR MONTHLY OUTLOOK NWS CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD INFLUENCE ON THE MONTHLY-AVERAGED CLIMATE. OUR MID-MONTH ASSESSMENT OF LOW-FREQUENCY CLIMATE VARIABILITY IS

RSM Outlook Autumn 2005 : Branding

NARCIS (Netherlands)

G. Kemp (Gail); R. Morris (Rebecca)

2005-01-01

markdownabstract#### Contents The inaugural issue of RSM Outlook from autumn 2005 includes the opening of the new T-building, and how RSM celebrated its 35th birthday with a wine-tasting session. There are also articles on Professor Cees van Riel and reputation management, the re-branding of the

The outlook for nuclear power development in Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hiraiwa, Gaishi

1987-01-01

The world economy has entered a new stage of growth--albeit low growth--following painful adjustments in the wake of past oil crises. At the same time, energy demand is expanding at an even slower rate, due to the structural changes in industry and improved efficiency in energy use. Furthermore, progress in the development of alternative energies and technical innovations in both the supply and use of energy have sharpened competition between energy sources. We also aim to improve even further the economy of nuclear power, within the bounds of safety and reliability, to minimize electric power generation costs by optimizing the total system for nuclear power generation including the nuclear fuel cycle. In Japan's long-term strategy for the development of nuclear power, our basic plan is to switch from light-water reactors to fast-breeder reactors (FBR), as the latter use plutonium most efficiently. Every effort is being made to have FBR reactors up and running at an early date. However, given the outlook for the development of their technology and the supply and demand situation for uranium, we estimate that this won't be achieved until 2020 or 2030. With this timetable in mind, it will be important to prepare for the coming age of FBR by mastering the technologies of and establishing the foundation necessary for plutonium utilization. To this end, we plan to expand our use of plutonium to an appropriate scale, at the earliest possible date. (J.P.N.)

International energy outlook, 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

This report presents the current Energy Information Administration (EIA) assessment of the long-term outlook for international energy markets. This and other EIA reports are provided as a statistical service for use by managers and international energy analysts, not as a Government energy plan. Current US Government policies and foreign government policies are assumed to hold over the projection interval, which extends to the year 2010

Lead -- supply/demand outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schnull, T.

1999-01-01

As Japan goes--so goes the world. That was the title of a recent lead article in The Economist that soberly discussed the potential of much more severe global economic problems occurring, if rapid and coordinated efforts were not made to stabilize the economic situation in Asia in general, and in Japan in particular. During the first 6 months of last year, commodity markets reacted violently to the spreading economic problems in Asia. More recent currency and financial problems in Russia have exacerbated an already unpleasant situation. One commodity after another--including oil, many of the agricultural commodities, and each of the base metals--have dropped sharply in price. Many are now trading at multiyear lows. Until there is an overall improvement in the outlook for these regions, sentiment will likely continue to be negative, and metals prices will remain under pressure. That being said, lead has maintained its value better than many other commodities during these difficult times, finding support in relatively strong fundamentals. The author takes a closer look at those supply and demand fundamentals, beginning with consumption

Frozen heat: Global outlook on methane gas hydrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beaudoin, Yannick; Solgaard, Anne

2010-09-15

The United Nations Environment Programme via its collaborating center in Norway, UNEP/GRID-Arendal, is undertaking an assessment of the state of the knowledge of methane gas hydrates. The Global Outlook on Methane Gas Hydrates seeks to bridge the gap between the science, research and development activities related to this potential large scale unconventional source of natural gas and the needs of decision makers and the general public to understand the underlying societal and environmental drivers and impacts. The Outlook aims to provide credible and unbiased information sourced from stakeholders representing the environment, government, industry and society.

Asia Pacific outlook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Swanson, A.B.

1998-09-01

Chem Systems and the WEFA Group has developed a GDP outlook for the Asian economies. The difficulties involved in forecasting Asian demand for petrochemical products was stressed. As proof of that, prior to the current financial crisis, Asian demand for petrochemicals was booming. Double digit growth rates was predicted for demand in the ASEAN countries (Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines) for the basic thermoplastic polymers, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and polyvinyl chloride. In actual fact, Asian demand for petrochemicals has fallen considerably, with many significant projects in the planning stages delayed or cancelled outright. Within the countries of ASEAN, the lost demand was predicted to be the worst during the 1997 to 1999 period. Access to China`s markets was said to be critical to the continuing recovery of the ASEAN countries. The current five-year plan for China emphasizes investment in petrochemicals. South Korea is a major petrochemical supplier to northern China`s downstream industries. The issues confronting Asian companies to deal with the current crisis in order to be well placed for market recovery were discussed. It was predicted that in the short to medium-term mergers and acquisitions will become more widespread in an effort to hasten the recovery of Asian industry. 4 tabs., 9 figs.

Asia Pacific outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swanson, A.B.

1998-01-01

Chem Systems and the WEFA Group has developed a GDP outlook for the Asian economies. The difficulties involved in forecasting Asian demand for petrochemical products was stressed. As proof of that, prior to the current financial crisis, Asian demand for petrochemicals was booming. Double digit growth rates was predicted for demand in the ASEAN countries (Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines) for the basic thermoplastic polymers, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and polyvinyl chloride. In actual fact, Asian demand for petrochemicals has fallen considerably, with many significant projects in the planning stages delayed or cancelled outright. Within the countries of ASEAN, the lost demand was predicted to be the worst during the 1997 to 1999 period. Access to China's markets was said to be critical to the continuing recovery of the ASEAN countries. The current five-year plan for China emphasizes investment in petrochemicals. South Korea is a major petrochemical supplier to northern China's downstream industries. The issues confronting Asian companies to deal with the current crisis in order to be well placed for market recovery were discussed. It was predicted that in the short to medium-term mergers and acquisitions will become more widespread in an effort to hasten the recovery of Asian industry. 4 tabs., 9 figs

New mine projects, positive outlook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

M. Cremer

2006-12-15

Speaking on the first day at the Mining 2006 Resources Convention the Deputy Director General, Mining and Petroleum gave an optimistic outlook for mining in 2007 based on the number of new projects under consideration or construction. The convention was held in early November in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. 3 figs., 1 photo.

Developing Drought Outlook Forums in Support of a Regional Drought Early Warning Information System

Science.gov (United States)

Mcnutt, C. A.; Pulwarty, R. S.; Darby, L. S.; Verdin, J. P.; Webb, R. S.

2011-12-01

The National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) Act of 2006 (P.L. 109-430) charged NIDIS with developing the leadership and partnerships necessary to implement an integrated national drought monitoring and forecasting system that creates a drought "early warning system". The drought early warning information system should be capable of providing accurate, timely and integrated information on drought conditions at the relevant spatial scale to facilitate proactive decisions aimed at minimizing the economic, social and ecosystem losses associated with drought. As part of this effort, NIDIS has held Regional Drought Outlook Forums in several regions of the U.S. The purpose of the Forums is to inform practices that reduce vulnerability to drought through an interactive and collaborative process that includes the users of the information. The Forums have focused on providing detailed assessments of present conditions and impacts, comparisons with past drought events, and seasonal predictions including discussion of the state and expected evolution of the El Niño Southern Oscillation phenomena. Regional Climate Outlook Forums (RCOFs) that include close interaction between information providers and users are not a new concept, however. RCOFs started in Africa in the 1990s in response to the 1997-98 El Niño and have since expanded to South America, Asia, the Pacific islands, and the Caribbean. As a result of feedback from the RCOFs a large body of research has gone into improving seasonal forecasts and the capacity of the users to apply the information in a way that improves their decision-making. Over time, it has become clear that more is involved than just improving the interaction between the climate forecasters and decision-makers. NIDIS is using the RCOF approach as one component in a larger effort to develop Regional Drought Early Warning Information Systems (RDEWS) around the U.S. Using what has been learned over the past decade in the RCOF process

Interim report on the long-term outlook of energy demands and supplies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-01-01

The supply/demand committee on Overall Energy Council has long deliberated on the outlook of energy demands and supplies, and finalized its report, assuming a yearly economic growth of about 5% in 1980s and utmost efforts by both the people and the government: the background and basic ideas to decide the outlook, the outlook of energy demands and supplies, and conclusions. The energy demand for fiscal 1990 is put at 590 million kl (crude oil equivalent) and for fiscal 2000 at 770 million kl with energy saving ratios 15.5% and 25%, respectively. The energy supply by nuclear power for fiscal 1990 is then put at 46,000 MW with 11.3% of the total. In the energy supply outlook for fiscal 1990, the aspects of the economy and stability as well as the quantity of respective energy sources are considered, overall to reduce the reliance on petroleum. (Mori, K.)

CERN Technical Training 2004: New Short Courses (SC) on Microsoft Outlook

CERN Multimedia

Monique Duval

2004-01-01

The CERN Technical Training programme is now proposing a new format for courses on Microsoft Outlook. Three two-hours Short Courses (SC) will cover basic and advanced functionalities of the recommended mail client for email at CERN. Each module can be followed independently. The next scheduled sessions will take place as follows: Outlook (SC I): E-mail. Next session: 22.10.2004 (9h00-11h00) Outlook (SC II): Calendar, Tasks and Notes. Next session: 22.10.2004 (14h00-16h00) Outlook (SC III): Meetings and Delegation. Next session: 9.11.2004 (14h00-16h00) In particular, SC I will cover how to open, create and send email, work with attachments, use stationery, organise mail, and work with the address book, SC II will show how to work with the calendar, tasks and notes, and SC III will cover how to organise and manage meetings, work with meeting requests, share tasks, and use email and calendar delegation. The number of participants to each session is limited to 8. The instructor is English-French bilingual, and...

The Device-Independent Outlook On Quantum Physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scarani, V.

2012-01-01

This text is an introduction to an operational outlook on Bell inequalities, which has been very fruitful in the past few years. It has lead to the recognition that Bell tests have their own place in applied quantum technologies, because they quantify non-classicality in a device-independent way, that is, without any need to describe the degrees of freedom under study and the measurements that are performed. At the more fundamental level, the same device-independent outlook has allowed the falsification of several other alternative models that could hope to reproduce the observed statistics while keeping some classical features that quantum theory denies; and it has shed new light on the long-standing quest for deriving quantum theory from physical principles. (author)

Supplement to the Annual Energy Outlook 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

The Supplement to the Annual Energy Outlook 1993 is a companion document to the Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Annual Energy Outlook 1993 (AEO). Supplement tables provide the regional projections underlying the national data and projections in the AEO. The domestic coal, electric power, commercial nuclear power, end-use consumption, and end-use price tables present AEO forecasts at the 10 Federal Region level. World coal tables provide data and projections on international flows of steam coal and metallurgical coal, and the oil and gas tables provide the AEO oil and gas supply forecasts by Oil and Gas Supply Regions and by source of supply. All tables refer to cases presented in the AEO, which provides a range of projections for energy markets through 2010

International energy outlook 1998

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-04-01

The International Energy Outlook 1998 (IEO98) presents an assessment by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the outlook for international energy markets through 2020. Projections in IEO98 are displaced according to six basic country groupings. The industrialized region includes projections for four individual countries -- the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Japan -- along with the subgroups Western Europe and Australasia (defined as Australia, New Zealand, and the US Territories). The developing countries are represented by four separate regional subgroups: developing Asia, Africa, Middle East, and Central and South America. China and India are represented in developing Asia. New to this year's report, country-level projections are provided for Brazil -- which is represented in Central and South America. Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union (EE/FSU) are considered as a separate country grouping. The report begins with a review of world trends in energy demand. Regional consumption projections for oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear power, and renewable energy (hydroelectricity, geothermal, wind, solar, and other renewables) are presented in five fuel chapters, with a review of the current status of each fuel on a worldwide basis. Summary tables of the IEO98 projections for world energy consumption, carbon emissions, oil production, and nuclear power generating capacity are provided in Appendix A. 88 figs., 77 tabs

Death Attitudes and Changes in Existential Outlook in Parents of Vulnerable Newborns.

Science.gov (United States)

Barr, Peter

2015-01-01

This study is an Actor-Partner Interdependence Model analysis of the relation of death attitudes with changes in outlook in 59 parent couples of neonatal intensive care newborns. Death attitudes effects with changes in outlook were mostly intrapersonal and they mainly occurred in fathers, though between gender differences were not usually significant. Death avoidance and neutral death acquiescence were positive predictors of positive changes in outlook, and fear of death and neutral death acquiescence were respective positive and inverse predictors of negative changes. Multidimensional measures of death attitudes and personal change should be used when studying these domains of psychological functioning.

Energy outlooks of young members of parliament

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tolonen, P.

1999-01-01

Pekka Tolonen Energy outlooks of young members of parliament The main theme is 'youth and nuclear energy'. This article presents opinions of young opinion leaders over energy policy and nuclear energy

Read your mail and more with Outlook 2007 - (IT3T/2007/4)

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2007-01-01

IT3T/2007/4 - Lisez vos emails, et plus encore, avec Outlook 2007 Cette presentation vous expliquera, non seulement, comment utiliser Outlook 2007 pour envoyer et recevoir vos messages, mais aussi comment gérer un agenda, partager une boite aux lettres entre plusieurs personnes, conserver vos courriers dans votre ordinateur portable, utiliser la messagerie instantanée et configurer diverses options avancées comme le filtre anti-spam. IT3T/2007/4 - Read your mail and more with Outlook 2007 The presentation will explain how to use Outlook 2007 not only for sending and receiving messages but also for managing a personal calendar, sharing a mailbox between several people, keeping mails in a portable computer, using instant messaging and configuring various options including the anti-spam filter.

World Energy Outlook Special Report 2012: Iraq Energy Outlook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-07-01

Iraq is already the world’s third largest oil exporter. It has the resources and intention to increase its oil production vastly. Contracts are already in place. Will Iraq’s ambitions be realised? And what would the implications be for Iraq’s economy and for world oil markets? The obstacles are formidable: political, logistical, legal, regulatory, financial, lack of security and sufficient skilled labour. One example: in 2011 grid electricity could meet only 55% of demand. The International Energy Agency has studied these issues with the support and close cooperation of the government of Iraq and many other leading officials, commentators, industry representatives and international experts. This special report, in the World Energy Outlook series, presents the findings.

An evaluation of soil water outlooks for winter wheat in south-eastern Australia

Science.gov (United States)

Western, A. W.; Dassanayake, K. B.; Perera, K. C.; Alves, O.; Young, G.; Argent, R.

2015-12-01

Abstract: Soil moisture is a key limiting resource for rain-fed cropping in Australian broad-acre cropping zones. Seasonal rainfall and temperature outlooks are standard operational services offered by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and are routinely used to support agricultural decisions. This presentation examines the performance of proposed soil water seasonal outlooks in the context of wheat cropping in south-eastern Australia (autumn planting, late spring harvest). We used weather ensembles simulated by the Predictive Ocean-Atmosphere Model for Australia (POAMA), as input to the Agricultural Production Simulator (APSIM) to construct ensemble soil water "outlooks" at twenty sites. Hindcasts were made over a 33 year period using the 33 POAMA ensemble members. The overall modelling flow involved: 1. Downscaling of the daily weather series (rainfall, minimum and maximum temperature, humidity, radiation) from the ~250km POAMA grid scale to a local weather station using quantile-quantile correction. This was based on a 33 year observation record extracted from the SILO data drill product. 2. Using APSIM to produce soil water ensembles from the downscaled weather ensembles. A warm up period of 5 years of observed weather was followed by a 9 month hindcast period based on each ensemble member. 3. The soil water ensembles were summarized by estimating the proportion of outlook ensembles in each climatological tercile, where the climatology was constructed using APSIM and observed weather from the 33 years of hindcasts at the relevant site. 4. The soil water outlooks were evaluated for different lead times and months using a "truth" run of APSIM based on observed weather. Outlooks generally have useful some forecast skill for lead times of up to two-three months, except late spring; in line with current useful lead times for rainfall outlooks. Better performance was found in summer and autumn when vegetation cover and water use is low.

World LNG outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maisonnier, G.

1999-01-01

CEDIGAZ proposes this new survey about LNG in view of the main changes which have occurred on this market during the past few years. Several projects under construction or planned three years ago are now commissioned (Qatargas) or on the verge of starting to export this year (Trinidad LNG, RasGas, Nigeria LNG) or next years (Oman LNG). The Asian crisis, which had major impacts on both short-term demand in Asia and LNG prices, has brought about new uncertainties to the long-term prospects. At the same time, it now seems more and more certain that firstly India and then China will import LNG in the next decade. It remains to be seen at what level and when this will occur. LNG growth in Europe has now become a reality, and new potential markets, for example in South America (Brazil), are also being considered as real opportunities in the near future. Considering these 'new' trends, an updated study about LNG appeared necessary. This survey 'World LNG Outlook - 99 Edition' is organised as the previous one: a historical record since 1964 (Chapter 1) followed by a description of the infrastructures existing in 1998 (Chapter 2). The analysis continues with world trade prospects by the year 2010 (Chapters 3 to 5). Chapter 6 describes the future LNG chain and the last Chapter (7) focuses on economic matters (LNG price trends, cost reductions). The study 'World LNG Outlook - 99 Edition' offers hence a comprehensive panorama of this sector from a short and long-term point of view. (author)

Emotional outlook on life predicts increases in physical activity among initially inactive men.

Science.gov (United States)

Baruth, Meghan; Lee, Duck-Chul; Sui, Xuemei; Church, Timothy S; Marcus, Bess H; Wilcox, Sara; Blair, Steven N

2011-04-01

This study examined the relationship between emotional outlook on life and change in physical activity among inactive adults in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study. A total of 2,132 sedentary adults completed a baseline medical examination and returned for a follow-up examination at least 6 months later. Participants self-reported physical activity level and emotional outlook on life. Emotional outlook on life was significantly and positively related to physical activity participation at the follow-up visit in men but not women. Men who were usually very happy and optimistic at baseline had significantly greater increases in physical activity compared to men who were not happy. Men with a more positive outlook on life (e.g., happier) may be more likely to increase physical activity levels. Physical activity interventions targeting men may be more successful if they first increase happiness.

CERN Technical Training 2004: New Short Courses (SC) on Microsoft Outlook

CERN Multimedia

Monique Duval

2004-01-01

The CERN Technical Training programme is now proposing a new format for courses on Microsoft Outlook. Three two-hours Short Courses (SC) will cover basic and advanced functionalities of the recommended mail client for email at CERN. Each module can be followed independently. The next scheduled sessions will take place as follows: Outlook (SC I): E-mail. Next session: 31.8.2004 (9h00-11h00) Outlook (SC II): Calendar, Tasks and Notes. Next session: 31.8.2004 (14h00-16h00) Outlook (SC III): Meetings and Delegation. Next session: 7.9.2004 (14h00-16h00) In particular, SC I will cover how to open, create and send email, work with attachments, use stationery, organise mail, and work with the address book, SC II will show how to work with the calendar, tasks and notes, and SC III will cover how to organise and manage meetings, work with meeting requests, share tasks, and use email and calendar delegation. The number of participants to each session is limited to 8. The instructor is English-French bilingual, and she...

Outlook: The Next Twenty Years

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Murayama, Hitoshi

2003-12-07

I present an outlook for the next twenty years in particle physics. I start with the big questions in our field, broken down into four categories: horizontal, vertical, heaven, and hell. Then I discuss how we attack the bigquestions in each category during the next twenty years. I argue for a synergy between many different approaches taken in our field.

Short-term energy outlook. Quarterly projections, 2nd quarter 1994

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1994-05-01

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) prepares quarterly, short-term energy supply, demand, and price projections for publication in February, May, August, and November in the Short-Term Energy Outlook (Outlook). An annual supplement analyzes the performance of previous forecasts, compares recent cases with those of other forecasting services, and discusses current topics related to the short-term energy markets. The forecast period for this issue of the Outlook extends from the second quarter of 1994 through the fourth quarter of 1995. Values for the first quarter of 1994, however, are preliminary EIA estimates (for example, some monthly values for petroleum supply and disposition are derived in part from weekly data reported in the Weekly Petroleum Status Report) or are calculated from model simulations using the latest exogenous information available. The historical energy data, compiled into the second quarter 1994 version of the Short-Term Integrated Forecasting System (STIFS) database, are mostly EIA data regularly published in the Monthly Energy Review, Petroleum Supply Monthly, and other EIA publications. Minor discrepancies between the data in these publications and the historical data in this Outlook are due to independent rounding. The STIFS database is archived quarterly and is available from the National Technical Information Service. The cases are produced using the STIFS. The STIFS model is driven principally by three sets of assumptions or inputs: estimates of key macroeconomic variables, world oil price assumptions, and assumptions about the severity of weather. Macroeconomic estimates are produced by DRI/McGraw-Hill but are adjusted by EIA to reflect EIA assumptions about the world price of crude oil, energy product prices, and other assumptions which may affect the macroeconomic outlook. The EIA model is available on computer tape from the National Technical Information Service.

Outlook and overview of the North American marketplace: 1997-2015

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sitzer, S.

1997-01-01

A series of projections for natural gas prices and production patterns in North America to the year 2015 were presented, based on the 'Annual Energy Outlook 1997' (AEO97) and on the 'International Energy Outlook 1996' (IEO96), two publications of the US Energy Information Administration. AEO's primary focus is the U.S. domestic situation, whereas the IEO provides international forecasts and analysis. In general, it is expected that while the growth in U.S. demand will put severe strain on North American natural gas reserves, production and delivery systems, deregulation will provide the incentives to maintain the improvements in efficiency and deliverability that have characterized gas supply over the past 10 years. To buttress these predictions, a series of analysis on U.S. economic growth, energy demand, world oil prices, U.S. electricity generation and cogeneration by fuel type, U.S. natural gas supply and prices were modelled under different price scenarios. Estimates included Canadian and Mexican reserves, storage and productive capacities in the overall North American energy picture. It was concluded that because of the relatively abundant supply and low environmental emissions, natural gas will continue to play a key role in North American energy markets. 4 refs., 13 figs

International energy outlook 1998

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-04-01

The International Energy Outlook 1998 (IEO98) presents an assessment by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the outlook for international energy markets through 2020. Projections in IEO98 are displaced according to six basic country groupings. The industrialized region includes projections for four individual countries -- the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Japan -- along with the subgroups Western Europe and Australasia (defined as Australia, New Zealand, and the US Territories). The developing countries are represented by four separate regional subgroups: developing Asia, Africa, Middle East, and Central and South America. China and India are represented in developing Asia. New to this year`s report, country-level projections are provided for Brazil -- which is represented in Central and South America. Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union (EE/FSU) are considered as a separate country grouping. The report begins with a review of world trends in energy demand. Regional consumption projections for oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear power, and renewable energy (hydroelectricity, geothermal, wind, solar, and other renewables) are presented in five fuel chapters, with a review of the current status of each fuel on a worldwide basis. Summary tables of the IEO98 projections for world energy consumption, carbon emissions, oil production, and nuclear power generating capacity are provided in Appendix A. 88 figs., 77 tabs.

An interim report on the outlook of long-term energy supply and demand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-01-01

An interim report was presented by the supply/demand committee in Over-all Energy Council concerning the energy demand and supply outlook for fiscal 1990 as compared with fiscal 1980. The background for deciding the outlook of energy supply and demand and basic ideas for energy policy, and the outlook for energy supply and demand are outlined. The outlook was prepared, assuming yearly economic growth of about 5 % in 1980s and the utmost efforts by people in energy situation. The energy situation both domestic and abroad is largely changing, including energy saving efforts and petroleum price. The aggregate energy demand for fiscal 1990 was put at about 590 million kl in terms of crude oil. Then, concerning nuclear power generation, the power supply by nuclear energy in fiscal 1990 was estimated at 46 million kw accounting for 11.3 % of the total power supply. (Mori, K.)

U.S. gas outlook: A better year ahead

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parent, L.

1996-01-01

Considering the mixed bag of factors affecting the US gas industry--restructuring, better prices, hopefully better margins, higher production, better drilling in some locations and some iffy stuff in the regulatory scene--the overall analysis is for a generally better year. After an extended period of low prices, the recent price surge is a welcome change. While the price roller coaster will probably continue, there should be, on the average, a $0.15--0.20 per Mcf improvement over 1995. Gas prices and the futures market are discussed further in the paper. Other conclusions developed in this article to support a basically optimistic outlook overview include: supply/demand; gas well drilling; entrance of electric power; integrated seamless pipeline networks; capacity turnback; and Canada/Mexico factors

The energy outlook for Russia and the dialogue between the European Union and Russian concerning energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laponche, B.

2003-01-01

The discussions concerning energy taking place between the European Union and Russia are aimed at setting up a permanent partnership in the energy sector in order to ensure that the exploitation of Russian energy resources makes it possible to guarantee the economic development of Russia while at the same time supplying sufficient energy exports to the European Union. The outlook for Russia's energy strategy in the years up to 2020 are based on a rate of growth in GDP of 5 % per year, combined with structural changes in economic activities and a vigorous energy efficiency policy, leading to a significant reduction in energy intensity. The low level of growth in demand resulting from this, combined with an increase in production and a reduction in the percentage of natural gas in electricity production guarantees a high level of potential for oil and gas exports in 2020, Compatible with the energy importation requirements of the future European Union and security of supply. The energy outlook for Russia presented by the International Energy Agency (IEA) are based on much lower economic growth figures and on a limited reduction in energy intensity. The percentage accounted for by natural gas in the production of electricity remains high. The IEA assessment is also based on a major increase in the production capacities for hydrocarbons in Russia while at the same time stressing the importance of the financial effort required to achieve this. Like the Russian outlook, it also identifies a major potential for the exportation of oil and natural gas by 2020. The convergence of these two outlooks concerning the future energy exporting capacity of Russia are seriously overshadowed by the fact that they differ greatly concerning their hypotheses and results with regard to domestic consumption and the production of energy. A 'warning scenario' combining the most similar hypotheses from both outlooks demonstrates the uncertain accompanying them. This analysis highlights the

Nordic Energy Outlook 2012. Proceedings; Energiutblick 2012

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-11-01

Conference arenas: Effective energy use, Energy and market, Future energy, Technology for growth, as well as Open arena. The Open arena gives other actors in the energy sector the opportunity to host their own activities as a side event to Nordic Energy Outlook.

Supplement to the annual energy outlook 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1995-02-01

This section of the Supplement to the Annual Energy Outlook 1995 present the major assumptions of the modeling system used to generate the projections in the Annual Energy Outlook 1995 (AEO95). In this context, assumptions include general features of the model structure, assumptions concerning energy markets, and the key input data and parameters that are most significant in formulating the model results. Detailed documentation of the modeling system is available in a series of documentation reports listed in Appendix B. A synopsis of the National Energy Modeling System (NEMS), the model components, and the interrelationships of the modules is presented. The NEMS is developed and maintained by the office of Integrated Analysis and Forecasting of the Energy Information Administration (EIA) to provide projection of domestic energy-economy markets in the midterm time period and perform policy analyses requested by various government agencies and the private sector.

Climate Prediction Center (CPC) U.S. Hazards Outlook

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Climate Prediction Center releases a US Hazards Outlook daily, Monday through Friday. The product highlights regions of anticipated hazardous weather during the...

Canadian natural gas : review of 2003 and outlook to 2020

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-12-01

This presentation provides a summary of natural gas industry trends in Canada and the United States and also reviews Canadian natural gas exports in order to initiate dialogue with the industry and obtain feedback on Natural Resources Canada's interpretations of natural gas issues. The objective of this report is to provide an understanding of the overall North American natural gas picture, largely excluding Mexico, in a graphical format. This document examines market fundamentals in 2003, in 2004 and early 2005, and the long-term to 2020. The presentation first takes a review of 2003 by examining natural gas demand, supply, resources and reserves, storage, prices, and Canadian exports, imports and domestic sales. It then presents its short-term outlook. It concludes with the outlook to 2020 including demand, supply, prices, and Canadian exports and domestic sales. The document also contains appendices on coalbed methane in Canada, liquefied natural gas in Canada, as well as a five year review and outlook of North American natural gas pipelines. 28 refs., 15 tabs., 59 figs., 3 appendices

Long-range outlook of energy demands and supplies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-01-01

An interim report on the long-range outlook of energy demands and supplies in Japan as prepared by an ad hoc committee, Advisory Committee for Energy was given for the period up to the year 2000. As the energy demands in terms of crude oil, the following figures are set: 460 million kl for 1990, 530 million kl for 1995, and 600 million kl for 2000. In Japan, without domestic energy resources, over 80% of the primary energy has been imported; the reliance on Middle East where political situation is unstable, for petroleum is very large. The following things are described. Background and policy; energy demands in industries, transports, and people's livelihood; energy supplies by coal, nuclear energy, petroleum, etc.; energy demand/supply outlook for 2000. (Mori, K.)

Coal in India: current status and outlook - Panorama 2008

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

The world cannot do without coal. This energy source covers more than one-quarter (28.4% in 2006) of all primary energy consumption and is used to generate nearly 40% of all electricity consumed worldwide. All scenarios and forecasts agree that coal consumption will be growing substantially, driven mostly by China and India. According to the IEA reference scenario (World Energy Outlook 2007), these two countries are expected to account for 82% of the increase in global coal demand by 2030. The outlook for India gives cause for concern: despite a strong domestic coal industry, it could eventually become a major importer. If so, what will the economic, industrial and environmental consequences be?

Short-term energy outlook, quarterly projections, first quarter 1998

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-01-01

The forecast period for this issue of the Outlook extends from the first quarter of 1998 through the fourth quarter of 1999. Values for the fourth quarter of 1997, however, are preliminary EIA estimates (for example, some monthly values for petroleum supply and disposition are derived in part from weekly data reported in EIA`s Weekly Petroleum Status Report) or are calculated from model simulations that use the latest exogenous information available (for example, electricity sales and generation are simulated by using actual weather data). The historical energy data, compiled in the first quarter 1998 version of the Short-Term Integrated Forecasting System (STIFS) database, are mostly EIA data regularly published in the Monthly Energy Review, Petroleum Supply Monthly, and other EIA publications. Minor discrepancies between the data in these publications and the historical data in this Outlook are due to independent rounding. The STIFS model is driven principally by three sets of assumptions or inputs: estimates of key macroeconomic variables, world oil price assumptions, and assumptions about the severity of weather. Macroeconomic estimates are adjusted by EIA to reflect EIA assumptions which may affect the macroeconomic outlook. By varying the assumptions, alternative cases are produced by using the STIFS model. 24 figs., 19 tabs.

Climate Prediction Center (CPC) Monthly Drought Outlook (MDO)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — A CPC forecaster (from a rotating schedule of 5 as of August 2013) creates the Monthly Drought Outlook map and narratives. The map, produced using GIS, shows where...

Annual energy outlook 1998 with projections to 2020

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-12-01

The Annual Energy Outlook 1998 (AEO98) is the first AEO with projections to 2020. Key issues for the forecast extension are trends in energy efficiency improvements, the effects of increasing production and productivity improvements on energy prices, and the reduction in nuclear generating capacity. Projections in AEO98 also reflect a greater shift to electricity market restructuring. Restructuring is addressed through several changes that are assumed to occur in the industry, including a shorter capital recovery period for capacity expansion decisions and a revised financial structure that features a higher cost of capital as the result of higher competitive risk. Both assumptions tend to favor less capital-intensive generation technologies, such as natural gas, over coal or baseload renewable technologies. The forecasts include specific restructuring plans in those regions that have announced plans. California, New York, and New England are assumed to begin competitive pricing in 1998. The provisions of the California legislation for stranded cost recovery and price caps are incorporated. In New York and New England, stranded cost recovery is assumed to be phased out by 2008.

Technical Training: CERN Technical Training 2004 - New Short Courses (SC) on Microsoft Outlook

CERN Multimedia

Monique Duval

2004-01-01

The CERN Technical Training programme is now proposing a new format for courses on Microsoft Outlook. Three two-hours Short Courses (SC) will cover basic and advanced functionalities of the recommended mail client for email at CERN. Each module can be followed independently. The next scheduled sessions will take place as follows: Outlook (SC I): E-mail. Next session: 31.8.2004 (9h00-11h00) Outlook (SC II): Calendar, Tasks and Notes. Next session: 31.8.2004 (14h00-16h00) Outlook (SC III): Meetings and Delegation. Next session: 7.9.2004 (14h00-16h00) In particular, SC I will cover how to open, create and send email, work with attachments, use stationery, organise mail, and work with the address book, SC II will show how to work with the calendar, tasks and notes, and SC III will cover how to organise and manage meetings, work with meeting requests, share tasks, and use email and calendar delegation. The number of participants to each session is limited to 8. The instructor is English-French bilingual, and s...

Reprocessing: experience and future outlooks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rapin, M.

1981-01-01

It is shown that reprocessing is the best way to cope with irradiated fuels since it provides an optimized waste conditioning for long term storage, the possibility to recycle fissile material and the reduction of Pu diversion risk. The reprocessing constraints are discussed from political, technical, safety, public acceptance, and economical points of view. The French reprocessing programme (thermal reactor fuel fast breeder fuels) is presented together with a short review of the reprocessing experience and outlooks out of France [fr

Climate Prediction Center (CPC) One Month Probabilistic Precipitation Outlook for the Contiguous United States and Alaska

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) issues a probabilistic one-month precipitation outlook for the United States twice a month. CPC issues an initial monthly outlook...

Climate Prediction Center (CPC) One Month Probabilistic Temperature Outlook for the Contiguous United States and Alaska

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) issues a probabilistic one-month temperature outlook for the United States twice a month. CPC issues an initial monthly outlook...

An electricity system : 18-month outlook from Oct 2004 to March 2006

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

This report presents a resource assessment by the Independent Electricity Market Operator (IMO) for the 18-month period from October 2004 to March 2006. It is based on the IMO's forecast of electricity demand. The information was provided by power generators in Ontario. The outlook for the electricity system has improved due to new resource additions in 2004 which have improved the general supply situation. The Brighton Beach (580 MW) and Kirkland Lake (32 MW) facilities have completed commissioning since the last quarterly outlook. Plans have also been announced to return the nuclear Pickering Unit 1 to service for a projected capacity increase of 515 MW by the fall of 2005. The impending shutdown of 1150 MW of coal-fired generation at Lakeview Thermal Generating Station in Mississauga in April 2005 emphasizes the importance of improving transmission and generation capacity in the Toronto area. Requests for Proposals for 300 MW of renewable energy supply have been issued by the Ontario government along with requests for 2,500 MW of new clean generation and demand-side projects. This report also includes updated values for existing resource scenarios and planned resource scenarios. The reliability of Ontario's transmission system was also assessed along with the adequacy of the existing resource to meet the forecast demand. The existing installed generation resources include 5 nuclear stations generating 10,850 MW of electricity, 5 coal stations generating 7,564 MW of electricity, 23 oil and gas fired stations generating 4,976 MW of electricity, 61 hydroelectric stations generating 7,676 MW of electricity, and 2 other stations generating 66 MW of electricity. Although the existing resource scenario is better than in previous reports, imports will be required under extreme weather conditions to help meet electricity demand in Ontario during peak periods. 19 tabs., 10 figs

Development of seasonal flow outlook model for Ganges-Brahmaputra Basins in Bangladesh

Science.gov (United States)

Hossain, Sazzad; Haque Khan, Raihanul; Gautum, Dilip Kumar; Karmaker, Ripon; Hossain, Amirul

2016-10-01

Bangladesh is crisscrossed by the branches and tributaries of three main river systems, the Ganges, Bramaputra and Meghna (GBM). The temporal variation of water availability of those rivers has an impact on the different water usages such as irrigation, urban water supply, hydropower generation, navigation etc. Thus, seasonal flow outlook can play important role in various aspects of water management. The Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (FFWC) in Bangladesh provides short term and medium term flood forecast, and there is a wide demand from end-users about seasonal flow outlook for agricultural purposes. The objective of this study is to develop a seasonal flow outlook model in Bangladesh based on rainfall forecast. It uses European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) seasonal precipitation, temperature forecast to simulate HYDROMAD hydrological model. Present study is limited for Ganges and Brahmaputra River Basins. ARIMA correction is applied to correct the model error. The performance of the model is evaluated using coefficient of determination (R2) and Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE). The model result shows good performance with R2 value of 0.78 and NSE of 0.61 for the Brahmaputra River Basin, and R2 value of 0.72 and NSE of 0.59 for the Ganges River Basin for the period of May to July 2015. The result of the study indicates strong potential to make seasonal outlook to be operationalized.

World Copper Market Outlook: 2003-2014

OpenAIRE

Florela Stoian

2015-01-01

This paper presents synthetically the copper market outlook (demand, supply, and prices) during 2003-2014, highlighting the impact of economic crisis of 2008-2009 on the world copper market. During the crisis, the decline in demand caused increases in excess supply of metal, as the supply has followed an upward trend, contributing to the imbalances of the copper market and putting pressure on stock prices at LME London Metal Exchange.

The 2008-18 Job Outlook in Brief

Science.gov (United States)

Occupational Outlook Quarterly, 2010

2010-01-01

Some occupations will fare better than others over the 2008-18 decade. Although it's impossible to predict the future, one can gain insight into job outlook by analyzing trends in population growth, technological advances, and business practices. This insight is helpful in planning a career. Every 2 years, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)…

2017 NMC Technology Outlook for Nordic Schools A Horizon Project Regional Report

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2017-01-01

research effort between the New Media Consortium (NMC) and the Norwegian Centre for ICT in Education to inform Nordic school leaders and decision-makers about significant developments in technologies supporting teaching, learning, and creative inquiry in primary and secondary education across Denmark......Adams Becker, S., Cummins, M., Freeman, A., and Rose, K. (2017). 2017 NMC Technology Outlook for Nordic Schools: A Horizon Project Regional Report. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium. The 2017 NMC Technology Outlook for Nordic Schools: A Horizon Project Regional Report reflects a collaborative...

Soviet Union oil sector outlook grows bleaker still

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1991-01-01

This paper reports on the outlook for the U.S.S.R's oil sector which grows increasingly bleak and with it prospects for the Soviet economy. Plunging Soviet oil production and exports have analysts revising near term oil price outlooks, referring to the Soviet oil sector's self-destructing and Soviet oil production in a freefall. County NatWest, Washington, citing likely drops in Soviet oil production and exports (OGJ, Aug. 5, p. 16), has jumped its projected second half spot price for West Texas intermediate crude by about $2 to $22-23/bbl. Smith Barney, New York, forecasts WTI postings at $24-25/bbl this winter, largely because of seasonally strong world oil demand and the continued collapse in Soviet oil production. It estimates the call on oil from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries at more than 25 million b/d in first quarter 1992. That would be the highest level of demand for OPEC oil since 1980, Smith Barney noted

Nuclear power: status and outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rogner, H.H.; Langlois, L.M.; McDonald, A.

2002-01-01

Current state of the world nuclear energetics is reviewed; data on operating and nuclear power blocks under construction in different countries, data on electric power output, practice of operation are presented. New plans of energetic reactors, capitalized costs for their construction, operating cost and period of construction are treated. Problems of nuclear safety, spent fuel and radioactive waste management, non-proliferation policy are discussed. Outlook for the development of the nuclear energetics is directed and importance of the Bonn agreement in connection with economic reasons for NPP operation is noted [ru

Short-term energy outlook: Quarterly projections, fourth quarter 1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-10-14

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) prepares quarterly short-term energy supply, demand, and price projections for printed publication in January, April, July, and October in the Short-Term Energy Outlook. The details of these projections, as well as monthly updates on or about the 6th of each interim month, are available on the internet at: www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/steo/pub/contents.html. The forecast period for this issue of the Outlook extends from the fourth quarter of 1997 through the fourth quarter of 1998. Values for the fourth quarter of 1997, however, are preliminary EIA estimates (for example, some monthly values for petroleum supply and disposition are derived in part from weekly data reported in EIA`s Weekly Petroleum Status Report) or are calculated from model simulations that use the latest exogenous information available (for example, electricity sales and generation are simulated by using actual weather data). The historical energy data, compiled in the fourth quarter 1997 version of the Short-Term Integrated Forecasting System (STIFS) database, are mostly EIA data regularly published in the Monthly Energy Review, Petroleum Supply Monthly, and other EIA publications. Minor discrepancies between the data in these publications and the historical data in this Outlook are due to independent rounding. The STIFS model is driven principally by three sets of assumptions or inputs: estimates of key macroeconomic variables, world oil price assumptions, and assumptions about the severity of weather. 19 tabs.

The Future of the Global Environment: A Model-based Analysis Supporting UNEP's First Global Environment Outlook

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bakkes JA; Woerden JW van; Alcamo J; Berk MM; Bol P; Born GJ van den; Brink BJE ten; Hettelingh JP; Langeweg F; Niessen LW; Swart RJ; United Nations Environment; MNV

1997-01-01

This report documents the scenario analysis in UNEP's first Global Environment Outlook, published at the same time as the scenario analysis. This Outlook provides a pilot assessment of developments in the environment, both global and regional, between now and 2015, with a further projection to

The messages of the world energy outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cozzi, L.

2001-01-01

This article provides an overview of the International Energy Agency's 2000 edition of the World Energy Outlook, Global and regional energy demand, supply and CO 2 emissions to the year 2020 are discussed under the Reference Scenario assumption. Main challenges that actors of global energy scene will be asked to cope with in the next two decade are derived [it

Short-term energy outlook, October 1998. Quarterly projections, 1998 4. quarter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-10-01

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) prepares The Short-Term Energy Outlook (energy supply, demand, and price projections) monthly for distribution on the Internet at: www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/steo/pub/contents.html. In addition, printed versions of the report are available to subscribers in January, April, July and October. The forecast period for this issue of the Outlook extends from October 1998 through December 1999. Values for third quarter of 1998 data, however, are preliminary EIA estimates (for example, some monthly values for petroleum supply and disposition are derived in part from weekly data reported in EIA`s Weekly Petroleum Status Report) or are calculated from model simulations that use the latest exogenous information available (for example, electricity sales and generation are simulated by using actual weather data). The historical energy data, compiled in the October 1998 version of the Short-term Integrated Forecasting System (STIFS) database, are mostly EIA data regularly published in the Monthly Energy Review, Petroleum Supply Monthly, and other EIA publications. Minor discrepancies between the data in these publications and the historical data in this Outlook are due to independent rounding.

What happens after prejudice is confronted in the workplace? How mindsets affect minorities' and women's outlook on future social relations.

Science.gov (United States)

Rattan, Aneeta; Dweck, Carol S

2018-06-01

Organizations are increasingly concerned with fostering successful diversity. Toward this end, diversity research has focused on trying to reduce prejudice and biased behavior. But what happens when prejudice in the workplace inevitably occurs? Research also needs to focus on whether recovery and repair of social relations after expressions of prejudice are possible. To begin investigating this question, we develop a new framework for understanding reactions to prejudice in the workplace. We hypothesized that when women and minorities choose to confront a prejudiced comment in a workplace interaction (vs. remain silent) and hold a growth (vs. fixed) mindset-the belief that others can change-they remain more positive in their subsequent outlook in the workplace. Studies 1a, 1b, and 2 used hypothetical workplace scenarios to expose participants to someone who expressed bias; Study 3 ensured real-world relevance by eliciting retrospective accounts of workplace bias from African American employees. Across studies, women and minorities who confronted the perpetrator of prejudice exhibited more positive subsequent expectations of that coworker when they held a growth mindset. It is important that these more positive expectations were associated with reports of greater workplace belonging (Study 2), ratings of improved relations with coworkers who had displayed bias (Study 3), and greater workplace satisfaction (Studies 2-3). Thus, a growth mindset contributes to successful workplace diversity by protecting women's and minorities' outlook when they opt to confront expressions of bias. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Enhancing Seasonal Water Outlooks: Needs and Opportunities in the Critical Runoff Season

Science.gov (United States)

Ray, A. J.; Barsugli, J. J.; Yocum, H.; Stokes, M.; Miskus, D.

2017-12-01

The runoff season is a critical period for the management of water supply in the western U.S., where in many places over 70% of the annual runoff occurs in the snowmelt period. Managing not only the volume, but the intra-seasonal timing of the runoff is important for optimizing storage, as well as achieving other goals such as mitigating flood risk, and providing peak flows for riparian habitat management, for example, for endangered species. Western river forecast centers produce volume forecasts for western reservoirs that are key input into many water supply decisions, and also short term river forecasts out to 10 days. The early volume forecasts each year typically begin in December, and are updated throughout the winter and into the runoff season (April-July for many areas, but varies). This presentation will discuss opportunities for enhancing this existing suite of RFC water outlooks, including the needs for and potential use for "intraseasonal" products beyond those provided by the Ensemble Streamflow Prediction system and the volume forecasts. While precipitation outlooks have little skill for many areas and seasons, and may not contribute significantly to the outlook, late winter and spring temperature forecasts have meaningful skill in certain areas and sub-seasonal to seasonal time scales. This current skill in CPC temperature outlooks is an opportunity to translate these products into information about the snowpack and potential runoff timing, even where the skill in precipitation is low. Temperature is important for whether precipitation falls as snow or rain, which is critical for streamflow forecasts, especially in the melt season in snowpack-dependent watersheds. There is a need for better outlooks of the evolution of snowpack, conditions influencing the April-July runoff, and the timing of spring peak or shape of the spring hydrograph. The presentation will also discuss a our work with stakeholders of the River Forecast Centers and the NIDIS

A Future with Hope :China Agriculture Outlook 2007

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2007-01-01

@@ China's macro economy has remained in a good and stable condition overall, experiencing an annual GDP growth of over 10% for several consecutive years. Under this basic condition,the main focus of the Outlook was China's current grain and oil supply, and the demand market with its probable future prices.

The photovoltaic: channels, markets and outlooks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jourde, P.

2005-01-01

The photovoltaic market is in expansion with a good energy, political and environmental context. It needs meanwhile to realize developments in the storage domain and in the cost of connexion to the network. To illustrate these conclusions this paper discusses the following chapters: the solar energy, the principle and the channels of the photovoltaic, the applications (autonomous electrification and houses connected to the network) and the markets, a state of the art and the outlooks. (A.L.B.)

Issues of formation of anti-corruption outlook in the society

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruslan A. Abramov

2014-01-01

process as a part of the public discourse. It is shown that the general perception of corruption as a environmental phenomenon is formed under the influence of institutional factors. It is recommended to define the overall corruption capacity of the country with regard to social capital. Practical value recommendations on the formation of anticorruption outlook in the society are given. The importance on focusing measures on the regional cooperation level is proved. The consequence of the struggle is the growth of economic indicators the extension of the scope of social capital in general. Implementation of monitoring results and other studies will contribute to the creation of a monitoring system of the corruption situation in the society in general and in education in particular and to the reduction of the corruption level at universities as well as improving the image of the higher education system which can recognize the problems and solve them. Introduction of new specialized courses in educational process will form a new outlook and increase the level of knowledge in the issues of combating corruption.

Annual Energy Outlook 2009 with Projections to 2030

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2009-03-01

The Annual Energy Outlook 2009 (AEO2009), prepared by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), presents long-term projections of energy supply, demand, and prices through 2030, based on results from EIA’s National Energy Modeling System (NEMS). EIA published an “early release” version of the AEO2009 reference case in December 2008.

Nanotechnology for sustainable development: retrospective and outlook

Science.gov (United States)

Diallo, Mamadou S.; Fromer, Neil A.; Jhon, Myung S.

2013-11-01

The world is facing great challenges in meeting rising demands for basic commodities (e.g., food, water and energy), finished goods (e.g., cell phones, cars and airplanes) and services (e.g., shelter, healthcare and employment) while reducing and minimizing the impact of human activities on Earth's global environment and climate. Nanotechnology has emerged as a versatile platform that could provide efficient, cost-effective and environmentally acceptable solutions to the global sustainability challenges facing society. This special issue of the Journal of Nanoparticle Research is devoted to the utilization of nanotechnology to improve or achieve sustainable development. We highlight recent advances and discuss opportunities of utilizing nanotechnology to address global challenges in (1) water purification, (2) clean energy technologies, (3) greenhouse gases management, (4) materials supply and utilization, and (5) green manufacturing and chemistry. In addition to the technical challenges listed above, we also discuss societal perspectives and provide an outlook of the role of nanotechnology in the convergence of knowledge, technology and society for achieving sustainable development.

Nanotechnology for sustainable development: retrospective and outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diallo, Mamadou S.; Fromer, Neil A.; Jhon, Myung S.

2013-01-01

The world is facing great challenges in meeting rising demands for basic commodities (e.g., food, water and energy), finished goods (e.g., cell phones, cars and airplanes) and services (e.g., shelter, healthcare and employment) while reducing and minimizing the impact of human activities on Earth’s global environment and climate. Nanotechnology has emerged as a versatile platform that could provide efficient, cost-effective and environmentally acceptable solutions to the global sustainability challenges facing society. This special issue of the Journal of Nanoparticle Research is devoted to the utilization of nanotechnology to improve or achieve sustainable development. We highlight recent advances and discuss opportunities of utilizing nanotechnology to address global challenges in (1) water purification, (2) clean energy technologies, (3) greenhouse gases management, (4) materials supply and utilization, and (5) green manufacturing and chemistry. In addition to the technical challenges listed above, we also discuss societal perspectives and provide an outlook of the role of nanotechnology in the convergence of knowledge, technology and society for achieving sustainable development

Nanotechnology for sustainable development: retrospective and outlook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diallo, Mamadou S., E-mail: mdiallo@kaist.ac.kr [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Graduate School of Energy, Environment, Water and Sustainability (EEWS) (Korea, Republic of); Fromer, Neil A. [California Institute of Technology, Resnick Sustainability Institute (United States); Jhon, Myung S. [Carnegie Mellon University, Department of Chemical Engineering (United States)

2013-11-15

The world is facing great challenges in meeting rising demands for basic commodities (e.g., food, water and energy), finished goods (e.g., cell phones, cars and airplanes) and services (e.g., shelter, healthcare and employment) while reducing and minimizing the impact of human activities on Earth’s global environment and climate. Nanotechnology has emerged as a versatile platform that could provide efficient, cost-effective and environmentally acceptable solutions to the global sustainability challenges facing society. This special issue of the Journal of Nanoparticle Research is devoted to the utilization of nanotechnology to improve or achieve sustainable development. We highlight recent advances and discuss opportunities of utilizing nanotechnology to address global challenges in (1) water purification, (2) clean energy technologies, (3) greenhouse gases management, (4) materials supply and utilization, and (5) green manufacturing and chemistry. In addition to the technical challenges listed above, we also discuss societal perspectives and provide an outlook of the role of nanotechnology in the convergence of knowledge, technology and society for achieving sustainable development.

The local authority rating of independent generators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapman, G.C.

1991-01-01

A brief history of the rating is given covering the public utilities. Formula rating of the nationalised electricity supply industry is described with independent generators' rates, the effect of privatisation and the longer term outlook considered. The need to convince the UK government that power generating machinery should no more be rated than any manufacturing or process machinery, and that all power producers should be treated the same is noted. (Author)

Global drought outlook by means of seasonal forecasts

Science.gov (United States)

Ziese, Markus; Fröhlich, Kristina; Rustemeier, Elke; Becker, Andreas

2017-04-01

Droughts are naturally occurring phenomena which are caused by a shortage of available water due to lower than normal precipitation and/or above normal evaporation. Depending on the length of the droughts, several sectors are affected starting with agriculture, then river and ground water levels and finally socio-economic losses at the long end of the spectrum of drought persistence. Droughts are extreme events that affect much larger areas and last much longer than floods, but are less geared towards media than floods being more short-scale in persistence and impacts. Finally the slow onset of droughts make the detection and early warning of their beginning difficult and time is lost for preparatory measures. Drought indices are developed to detect and classify droughts based on (meteorological) observations and possible additional information tailored to specific user needs, e.g. in agriculture, hydrology and other sectors. Not all drought indices can be utilized for global applications as not all input parameters are available at this scale. Therefore the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) developed a drought index as combination of the Standardized Drought Index (SPI) and the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), the GPCC-DI. The GPCC-DI is applied to drought monitoring and retrospective analyses on a global scale. As the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) operates a seasonal forecast system in cooperation with Max-Planck-Institute for Meteorology Hamburg and University of Hamburg, these data are also used for an outlook of drought conditions by means of the GPCC-DI. The reliability of seasonal precipitation forecasts is limited, so the drought outlook is available only for forecast months two to four. Based on the GPCC-DI, DWD provides a retrospective analysis, near-real-time monitoring and outlook of drought conditions on a global scale and regular basis.

Climate Prediction Center (CPC) 6 to 10 Day Probabilistic Precipitation Outlook for the Contiguous United States and Alaska

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) issues 6 to 10 day probabilistic precipitation outlooks for the United States. The 6-10 day Outlook gives the confidence that a...

Climate Prediction Center (CPC) 8 to 14 Day Probabilistic Precipitation Outlook for the Contiguous United States and Alaska

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) issues 8 to 14 day probabilistic precipitation outlooks for the United States. The 8-14 day Outlook gives the confidence that a...

Climate Prediction Center (CPC) 6 to 10 Day Probabilistic Temperature Outlook for the Contiguous United States and Alaska

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) issues 6 to 10 day probabilistic temperature outlooks for the United States. The 6-10 day Outlook gives the confidence that a...

Climate Prediction Center (CPC) 8 to 14 Day Probabilistic Temperature Outlook for the Contiguous United States and Alaska

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) issues 8 to 14 day probabilistic temperature outlooks for the United States. The 8-14 day Outlook gives the confidence that a...

World energy outlook 2014

CERN Document Server

International Energy Agency. Paris

2014-01-01

The global energy landscape is evolving at a rapid pace, reshaping long-held expectations for our energy future. The 2014 edition of the World Energy Outlook (WEO) will incorporate all the latest data and developments to produce a comprehensive and authoritative analysis of medium- and longer-term energy trends. It will complement a full set of energy projections – which extend from today through, for the first time, the year 2040 – with strategic insights into their meaning for energy security, the economy and the environment. Oil, natural gas, coal, renewables and energy efficiency will be covered, along with updates on trends in energy-related CO2 emissions, fossil-fuel and renewable energy subsidies, and universal access to modern energy services.

World energy outlook 2004

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

The World Energy Outlook is the most complete and authoritative energy publication and has received several prestigious awards from government and industry in recognition of its analytical excellence. The new edition offers: - Analysis: Over 550 pages of detailed analysis with 150 graphs and tables. - Projections: Supply and demand projections to 2030 for oil, gas, coal, renewables, nuclear and electricity, plus projections of energy related CO 2 emissions. -World Alternative Policy Scenario:A detailed assessment of the impact of possible climate change policies and energy efficient technologies. -Russia: An in-depth study of the 'most important energy country'. - Energy and Development: An analysis of energy's role in overcoming world poverty. - Reserves: A detailed analysis of world oil and gas reserves and of the problems involved in measuring them

Innovative algorithms and tools summary and outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fine, V.E.; Naumann, N.A.

2003-01-01

This contribution provides a summary of the 'Session IV: Innovative Algorithms and Tools'. The 'tools' portion of the session IV comprised three oral sessions, 12 talks by seven speakers, and three posters. The algorithmic part was covered by 15 talks and three poster presentations. We will try to give a summary of the main development directions, and state our personal views and interpretation on it as well as an outlook

RSM Outlook Winter 2013: Growing Tomorrow's Entrepreneurs

OpenAIRE

Whittern, Justine; Schreiner, Dorine

2013-01-01

markdownabstract#### Innovation and the path to value (Russell Gilbert) At the RSM Leadership Summit in October, Frans van Houten, CEO of Royal Philips (pictured), gave a uniquely insightful presentation about the benefits of organisational transformation, innovation, and the importance of keeping abreast of technological and societal changes. In an exclusive interview, Mr Van Houten discusses these issues with Russell Gilbert, Managing Editor of RSM Outlook. #### Ready for lift off!! (Bennet...

Climate Prediction Center (CPC)U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook (SDO)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Abstract: A CPC forecaster (from a rotating schedule of 5 as of August 2013) creates the Seasonal Drought Outlook map and narratives. The map, produced using GIS,...

Climate Prediction Center - Forecasts & Outlook Maps, Graphs and Tables

Science.gov (United States)

Weather Service NWS logo - Click to go to the NWS home page Climate Prediction Center Home Site Map News list below The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) is responsible for issuing seasonal climate outlook maps , and National Centers for Environmental Prediction). These weather and climate products comprise the

Marketing library and information services II a global outlook

CERN Document Server

Gupta, Dinesh K; Massisimo, Angels

2013-01-01

With contributions from library and information professionals (practitioners, researchers, faculty members, consultants, and others), Marketing Library and Information Services: A Global Outlook highlights a variety of exemplary LIS marketing practices and efforts from around the globe. The following broad topics are explored: changing marketing concepts; marketing library

Oil outlook to 2005

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shihab-Eldin, Adnan; Hamel, Mohamed; Brennand, Garry

2004-01-01

This paper presents the OPEC Secretariat's latest outlook to 2025 for oil supply and demand. The results have been developed using the OPEC World Energy Model, OWEM. The next two decades are expected to see increases in energy demand met predominantly by fossil fuels, with oil set to continue to maintain its major role. There is also a clear expectation that the oil resource base is sufficiently abundant to satisfy this demand growth. Global oil demand rises in the reference case by 12 million barrels per day to 89 mb/d from 2002 to 2010, an average annual growth rate of 1.5 mb/d, or 1.8 per cent per annum, over the period. In the following decade, demand grows by a further 17 mb/d to 106 mb/d by 2020, and then by another 9 mb/d to 115 mb/d by 2025. Almost three-quarters of the increase in demand over the period 2002-25 comes from developing countries. In the short-to-medium term, overall non-OPEC supply is expected to continue to increase - rising to a plateau of 55-57 mb/d in the post-2010 period. The key sources for the increase in non-OPEC supply will be Latin America, Africa, Russia and the Caspian. In the longer term, OPEC will increasingly be called upon to supply the incremental barrel. Uncertainties over future economic growth, government policies and the rate of development and diffusion of newer technologies raise questions over the future scale of investment that will be required. These uncertainties, coupled with long lead times, inevitably complicate the task of maintaining market stability. Medium-term prospects suggest that there is a need to ensure that spare capacity is not too high and that it is consistent with sustained market stability. There are genuine risks of downward pressure on oil prices, and this could sow the seeds of instability. (Author)

Oil outlook to 2025

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adnan Shihab-Eldin; Mohamed Hamel; Brennand, G.

2004-01-01

This paper presents the OPEC Secretariat's latest outlook to 2025 for oil supply and demand. The results have been developed using the OPEC World Energy Model, OWEM. The next two decades are expected to see increases in energy demand met predominantly by fossil fuels, with oil set to continue to maintain its major role. There is also a clear expectation that the oil resource base is sufficiently abundant to satisfy this demand growth. Global oil demand rises in the reference case by 12 million barrels per day to 89 mb/d from 2002 to 2010, an average annual growth rate of 1.5 mb/d, or 1.8 per cent per annum, over the period. In the following decade, demand grows by a further 17 mb/d to 106 mb/d by 2020, and then by another 9 mb/d to 115 mb/d by 2025. Almost three-quarters of the increase in demand over the period 2002-25 comes from developing countries. In the short-to-medium term, overall non-OPEC supply is expected to continue to increase - rising to a plateau of 55-57 mb/d in the post-2010 period. The key sources for the increase in non-OPEC supply will be Latin America, Africa, Russia and the Caspian. In the longer term, OPEC will increasingly be called upon to supply the incremental barrel. Uncertainties over future economic growth, government policies and the rate of development and diffusion of newer technologies raise questions over the future scale of investment that will be required. These uncertainties, coupled with long lead times, inevitably complicate the task of maintaining market stability. Medium-term prospects suggest that there is a need to ensure that spare capacity is not too high and that it is consistent with sustained market stability. There are genuine risks of downward pressure on oil prices, and this could sow the seeds of instability. [Author

The world coke market. Problems and outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1998-01-01

Outlooks to the world coke market are considered with regard to supply and demand as well as the current state of capacities for its production in some countries of Asia, Western and Eastern Europe, USA. In experts opinion increase of coke import from China, increase in service life of currently operating coke furnaces, as well as more extensive use of PCI coal mixture are among the most feasible opportunities for its Western consumers [ru

Statistics in action a Canadian outlook

CERN Document Server

Lawless, Jerald F

2014-01-01

Commissioned by the Statistical Society of Canada (SSC), Statistics in Action: A Canadian Outlook helps both general readers and users of statistics better appreciate the scope and importance of statistics. It presents the ways in which statistics is used while highlighting key contributions that Canadian statisticians are making to science, technology, business, government, and other areas. The book emphasizes the role and impact of computing in statistical modeling and analysis, including the issues involved with the huge amounts of data being generated by automated processes.The first two c

Annual Energy Outlook 1992 with projections to 2010

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

Dramatic events over the past year show how international developments can affect domestic energy markets. Market reactions to events in the Persian Gulf and in what used to be called the Soviet Union reinforced the perception of global interdependence in regard to both energy supply and energy demand. The interdependence was reflected most visibly and promptly in world oil prices. With US reliance on foreign oil expected to continue trending upward, any price changes tend to ''feed back'' throughout this Nation's economy. Despite short-term fluctuations, the longer-range US energy outlook has remained relatively constant since last year. Assuming that current laws and policies remain in force, this document addresses uncertainties by discussing four alternative scenarios in addition to a ''reference'' case. Two cases vary the assumption about the rate at which the US national economy will grow, while the other two estimate effects if world oil prices should go lower or higher. This report gives projections to 2010 for energy end uses, oil, gas, electricity, coal, and comparative analyses

Advancing sustainable safety : National Road Safety Outlook for 2005-2020.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wegman, F.C.M. & Aarts, L.T. (eds.)

2006-01-01

Advancing Sustainable Safety: National Road Safety Outlook for 2005-2020 is the follow-up to Naar een duurzaam veilig wegverkeer [Towards sustainably safe road traffic] (Koornstra et al., 1992). Advancing Sustainable Safety is a critique of Sustainable Safety. In this advanced version, adaptations

Global wind energy outlook 2006

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-09-01

The global market for wind power has been expanding faster than any other source of renewable energy. From just 4,800 MW in 1995 the world total has multiplied more than twelve-fold to reach over 59,000 MW at the end of 2005. The international market is expected to have an annual turnover in 2006 of more than euro 13 billion, with an estimated 150,000 people employed around the world. The success of the industry has attracted investors from the mainstream finance and traditional energy sectors. In a number of countries the proportion of electricity generated by wind power is now challenging conventional fuels. The Global Wind Energy Outlook 2006 reports that over a third of the world's electricity - crucially including that required by industry - can realistically be supplied by wind energy by the middle of the century. The report provides an industry blueprint that explains how wind power could supply 34% of the world's electricity by 2050. Most importantly, it concludes that if wind turbine capacity implemented on this scale it would save 113 billion tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere by 2050. This places wind power as one of the world's most important energy sources for the 21st century. The 'Global Wind Energy Outlook 2006' runs three different scenarios for wind power - a Reference scenario based on figures from the International Energy Agency (IEA); a Moderate version which assumes that current targets for renewable energy are successful; and an advanced version assuming that all policy options in favour of renewables have been adopted. These are then set against two scenarios for global energy demand. Under the Reference scenario, growth in demand is again based on IEA projections; under the High Energy Efficiency version, a range of energy efficiency measures result in a substantial reduction in demand

Global environment outlook GEO5. Environment for the future we want

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-05-15

The main goal of UNEP's Global Environment Outlook (GEO) is to keep governments and stakeholders informed of the state and trends of the global environment. Over the past 15 years, the GEO reports have examined a wealth of data, information and knowledge about the global environment; identified potential policy responses; and provided an outlook for the future. The assessments, and their consultative and collaborative processes, have worked to bridge the gap between science and policy by turning the best available scientific knowledge into information relevant for decision makers. The GEO-5 report is made up of 17 chapters organized into three distinct but linked parts. Part 1 - State and trends of the global environment; Part 2 - Policy options from the regions; Part 3 - Opportunities for a global response.

Global environment outlook GEO5. Environment for the future we want

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-05-15

The main goal of UNEP's Global Environment Outlook (GEO) is to keep governments and stakeholders informed of the state and trends of the global environment. Over the past 15 years, the GEO reports have examined a wealth of data, information and knowledge about the global environment; identified potential policy responses; and provided an outlook for the future. The assessments, and their consultative and collaborative processes, have worked to bridge the gap between science and policy by turning the best available scientific knowledge into information relevant for decision makers. The GEO-5 report is made up of 17 chapters organized into three distinct but linked parts. Part 1 - State and trends of the global environment; Part 2 - Policy options from the regions; Part 3 - Opportunities for a global response.

International Energy Outlook 2016 With Projections to 2040

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Conti, John [USDOE Energy Information Administration (EIA), Washington, DC (United States). Office of Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Biofuels Analysis; Holtberg, Paul [USDOE Energy Information Administration (EIA), Washington, DC (United States). Analysis Integration Team; Diefenderfer, Jim [USDOE Energy Information Administration (EIA), Washington, DC (United States). Office of Electricity, Coal, Nuclear, and Renewables Analysis; LaRose, Angelina [USDOE Energy Information Administration (EIA), Washington, DC (United States). Office of Integrated and International Energy Analysis; Turnure, James T. [USDOE Energy Information Administration (EIA), Washington, DC (United States). Office of Energy Consumption and Efficiency Analysis; Westfall, Lynn [USDOE Energy Information Administration (EIA), Washington, DC (United States). Office of Energy Markets and Financial Analysis

2016-05-01

The International Energy Outlook 2016 (IEO2016) presents an assessment by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the outlook for international energy markets through 2040. U.S. projections appearing in IEO2016 are consistent with those published in EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook 2015 (AEO2015). IEO2016 is provided as a service to energy managers and analysts, both in government and in the private sector. The projections are used by international agencies, federal and state governments, trade associations, and other planners and decisionmakers. They are published pursuant to the Department of Energy Organization Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-91), Section 205(c). The IEO2016 energy consumption projections are divided according to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development members (OECD) and nonmembers (non-OECD). OECD members are divided into three basic country groupings: OECD Americas (United States, Canada, and Mexico/Chile), OECD Europe, and OECD Asia (Japan, South Korea, and Australia/New Zealand). Non-OECD countries are divided into five separate regional subgroups: non-OECD Europe and Eurasia (which includes Russia); non-OECD Asia (which includes China and India); Middle East; Africa; and non-OECD Americas (which includes Brazil). In some instances, the IEO2016 energy production models have different regional aggregations to reflect important production sources (for example, Middle East OPEC is a key region in the projections for liquids production). Complete regional definitions are listed in Appendix M. IEO2016 focuses exclusively on marketed energy. Nonmarketed energy sources, which continue to play an important role in some developing countries, are not included in the estimates. The IEO2016 projections are based on existing U.S. and foreign government laws and regulations. In general, IEO2016 reflects the effects of current policies—often stated through regulations—within the projections. EIA analysts attempt to interpret the

Job Outlook Information: Careers for the Future. InfoSeries.

Science.gov (United States)

Indiana Career and Postsecondary Advancement Center, Bloomington.

Job outlook information forecasts the growth and decline of jobs in the near future--usually for a 10-year period. The purpose of this information is to help individuals understand where future employment opportunities may occur, but the individual must also consider his/her skills and interests and the level of education needed to accomplish…

Key issues in the outlook for minerals and energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waring, T.; Love, G.; Hogan, J.; Gooday, P.

1996-01-01

The outlook for Australia's minerals and energy sector continues to be positive because of the flow-on effects of economic growth in the newly industrialized Asia. The East Asian share of mineral and energy commodities continues to expand reflecting the growing demand for consumer goods and new economic and social infrastructure. Uncertainties in the minerals and energy outlook include the future economic performance of the developed countries and the former Soviet Union, trade and environmental issues and the effects of changing technology on minerals and energy production and consumption. Encouraged by good prospects for exploration success and firmer markets, real exploration expenditure is forecast to continue to rise and the volume of Australian mine production is expected to rise by 14 percent between 1995-6 and 2000-1. Export earnings from mineral and energy commodities are expected to rise by $5.6 billion Australian (16 percent) from 1995-6 levels to reach $41.9 billion in real terms by 2000-1. (author). 2 tabs., 14 figs., 14 refs

Risky business : outlook for financing petrochemical projects in Asia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyachi, M.

1998-01-01

The impact of the Asian economic crisis on the petrochemical industry was discussed. From 1985 to 1995 East Asian currencies that were pegged to the US dollar experienced a 40 per cent depreciation against other major currencies, such as the Japanese yen. This resulted in strong exports which stimulated rapid economic growth rates. However, during 1995-1997, the US dollar rebounded, appreciating by 20 per cent. For countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and Korea, the sharp appreciation of their US dollar-linked currencies effectively reversed their export advantage vis-a-vis China and Japan, and led to massive devaluation of their currencies. Tightening of the Japanese fiscal policy by increasing taxes produced disastrous results, leading to a drastic reduction in consumer demand. The solution, it was suggested, lies in loosening Japanese fiscal policy and stabilizing the Yen-Dollar rate. Another solution suggested was decisive action to strengthen the Japanese banking system. Despite the current difficulties, it was concluded that the future outlook for the Asian petrochemical market is bright and that steady economic growth can be expected in the long term. It was suggested that the main factor that will determine how quickly East Asian economies recover will be how quickly the Japanese economy emerges from recession. 6 figs

E-mail: Outlook Express

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zainul Bakri

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Salah satu layanan Internet yang sangat penting adalah electronic mail atau sering hanya disebut sebagai e-mail. Untuk menggunakan e-mail, diperlukan piranti lunak khusus supaya pengguna dapat mengirim dan menerima e-mail. Jenis piranti lunak e-mail diantaranya adalah Outlook Express yang merupakan satu paket yang didistribusikan bersama Internet Explorer versi 4. Piranti lunak ini dijalankan pada PC yang mempunyai sistem operasi Windows 95 atau 98. Jenis piranti lunak e-mail yang lain adalah Eudora, Pegasus dan sebagainya. Bahkan ada yang diintegrasikan dengan Web Browser (alat untuk menelusuri situs Web misalnya IE,dan Netscape.Sebagai layaknya pelayanan pos, maka setiap pengguna e-mail mempunyai alamat tertentu yang tidak mungkin dipunyai oleh pengguna lainnya diseluruh dunia. Untuk keperluan pendistribusian, maka e-mail mempunyai semacam kantor pos yang ditempatkan dalam sebuah komputer server (mail server atau sering disebut sebagai host. 

The world energy outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2005-01-01

The oil and gas resources of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) will be critical to meeting the world's growing appetite for energy. The greater part of the world's remaining reserves lie in that region. They are relatively under-exploited and are sufficient to meet rising global demand for the next quarter century and beyond. The export revenues they would generate would help sustain the region's economic development. But there is considerable uncertainty about the pace at which investment in the region's upstream industry will occur, how quickly production capacity will expand and, given rising domestic energy needs, how much of the expected increase in supply will be available for export. The implications for both MENA producers and consuming countries are profound. The World Energy Outlook, published by the International Energy Agency (IEA), seeks to shed light on these very complex issues

Overview and outlook on muon survey tomography based on micromegas detectors for unreachable sites technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roche I. Lázaro

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The present document describes the functioning principles of the Muon Survey Tomography based on Micromegas detectors for Unreachable Sites Technology and its distinguishing features from other Micromegas-like detectors. Additionally, it addresses the challenges found while operating the first generation and the resulting improvements. Currently, the project Temporal Tomography of the Densitometry by the Measurement of Muons is focused on obtaining a reliable pulse from the micromesh, associated to the passing of a muon, in order to trigger the acquisition and operate in standalone mode. An outlook of the future steps of the project is provided as well.

Global EV Outlook: Understanding the Electric Vehicle Landscape to 2020

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-06-01

The Global EV Outlook represents the collective efforts of two years of primary data gathering and analysis from the Electric Vehicles Initiative (EVI) and IEA. Key takeaways and insights include landscape analysis of electric vehicle (EV) stock/sales and charging station deployment. Existing policy initiatives are delineated and future opportunities highlighted in an ''Opportunity Matrix: Pathways to 2020''. Together EVI countries accounted for more than 90% of world EV stock at the end of 2012. Strong government support in EVI countries on both the supply and demand sides are contributing to rising market penetration. 12 out of 15 EVI countries offer financial support for vehicle purchases, and most employ a mix of financial and non-financial incentives (such as access to restricted highway lanes) to help drive adoption. The Global EV Outlook is a unique and data-rich overview of the state of electric vehicles today, and offers an understanding of the electric vehicle landscape to 2020.

Global EV Outlook: Understanding the Electric Vehicle Landscape to 2020

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-06-01

The Global EV Outlook represents the collective efforts of two years of primary data gathering and analysis from the Electric Vehicles Initiative (EVI) and IEA. Key takeaways and insights include landscape analysis of electric vehicle (EV) stock/sales and charging station deployment. Existing policy initiatives are delineated and future opportunities highlighted in an ''Opportunity Matrix: Pathways to 2020''. Together EVI countries accounted for more than 90% of world EV stock at the end of 2012. Strong government support in EVI countries on both the supply and demand sides are contributing to rising market penetration. 12 out of 15 EVI countries offer financial support for vehicle purchases, and most employ a mix of financial and non-financial incentives (such as access to restricted highway lanes) to help drive adoption. The Global EV Outlook is a unique and data-rich overview of the state of electric vehicles today, and offers an understanding of the electric vehicle landscape to 2020.

Improving epidemic malaria planning, preparedness and response in Southern Africa. Report on the 1st Southern African Regional Epidemic Outlook Forum, Harare, Zimbabwe, 26-29 September, 2004.

Science.gov (United States)

DaSilva, Joaquim; Garanganga, Brad; Teveredzi, Vonai; Marx, Sabine M; Mason, Simon J; Connor, Stephen J

2004-10-22

Malaria is a major public health problem for countries in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). While the endemicity of malaria varies enormously across this region, many of the countries have districts that are prone to periodic epidemics, which can be regional in their extent, and to resurgent outbreaks that are much more localized. These epidemics are frequently triggered by climate anomalies and often follow periods of drought. Many parts of Southern Africa have suffered rainfall deficit over the past three years and countries expect to see increased levels of malaria when the rains return to more 'normal' levels. Problems with drug and insecticide resistance are documented widely and the region contains countries with the highest rates of HIV prevalence to be found anywhere in the world. Consequently, many communities are vulnerable to severe disease outcomes should epidemics occur. The SADC countries have adopted the Abuja targets for Roll Back Malaria in Africa, which include improved epidemic detection and response, i.e., that 60% of epidemics will be detected within two weeks of onset, and 60% of epidemics will be responded to within two weeks of detection. The SADC countries recognize that to achieve these targets they need improved information on where and when to look for epidemics. The WHO integrated framework for improved early warning and early detection of malaria epidemics has been recognized as a potentially useful tool for epidemic preparedness and response planning. Following evidence of successful adoption and implementation of this approach in Botswana, the SADC countries, the WHO Southern Africa Inter-Country Programme on Malaria Control, and the SADC Drought Monitoring Centre decided to organize a regional meeting where countries could gather to assess their current control status and community vulnerability, consider changes in epidemic risk, and develop a detailed plan of action for the forthcoming 2004-2005 season. The

Annual energy outlook 1994: With projections to 2010

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1994-01-01

The Annual Energy Outlook 1994 (AEO94) presents the midterm energy forecasts of the Energy Information Administration (EIA). This year`s report presents projects and analyses of energy supply, demand, and prices through 2010, based for the first time on results from the National Energy Modeling System (NEMS). NEMS is the latest in a series of computer-based energy modeling systems used over the past 2 decades by EIA and its predecessor organization, the Federal Energy Administration, to analyze and forecast energy consumption and supply in the midterm period (about 20 years). Quarterly forecasts of energy supply and demand for 1994 and 1995 are published in the Short-Term Energy Outlook (February 1994). Forecast tables for 2000, 2005, and 2010 for each of the five scenarios examined in the AEO94 are provided in Appendices A through E. The five scenarios include a reference case and four additional cases that assume higher and lower economic growth and higher and lower world oil prices. Appendix F provides detailed comparisons of the AEO94 forecasts with those of other organizations. Appendix G briefly described the NEMS and the major AEO94 forecast assumptions. Appendix H summarizes the key results for the five scenarios.

World Energy Outlook 2009

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2009-11-10

What will the credit crunch and economic recession mean for energy markets? Will investment cutbacks lead us towards a supply crunch a few years down the line? How could the transition to a clean global energy system be financed? These are just three of the questions that World Energy Outlook 2009 addresses. Incorporating recent developments in energy and environmental policy, this year's Outlook draws on the latest data reflecting the impact of the global financial and economic crisis and takes into account ongoing gyrations in energy prices. The resulting analysis presents a full update of energy projections through to 2030, fuel by fuel, and with more country-level detail than ever before. WEO-2009 puts the spotlight on three special topics: (1) Financing energy investment under a post-2012 climate framework: What policy action is needed to increase deployment of new energy technologies? Where are the most cost-effective opportunities for carbon mitigation? This ground-breaking analysis, which zooms in on the crucial period through to 2020, provides a robust quantitative basis for United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations in the lead-up to the crucial climate meeting in Copenhagen in December 2009. (2) Prospects for global natural gas markets: How hard will the credit crisis and economic recession hit gas demand and investment in gas supply? How will geology and geopolitics affect future gas supplies? Through field-by-field analysis of production trends of the world's key gas fields and a bottom-up analysis of upstream costs and investment, WEO-2009 takes a hard look at future global gas supply. (3) Energy trends in Southeast Asia: In recognition of the growing influence Southeast Asia is having on global energy markets, WEO-2009 includes an in-depth analysis of this fast-growing region. The annual WEO report -- the flagship publication of the IEA -- is widely recognised as the most authoritative source of global energy

The World energy outlook in 2020: a presentation of the World energy outlook 2000

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cattier, F.

2000-01-01

In November 2000, the International Energy Agency published the new edition of the 'World Energy Outlook'. This work presents forecasts from the energy sector for the next 20 years. It describes changes in the supply and demand of energy as well as their consequences in terms of CO 2 emissions. The forecasts emerging are: continued growth in energy consumption and the associated carbon emissions; the ever preponderant role of fossil fuels, the importance of the developing countries in the global energy situation, the key role of the electrical sector and transport in changes in energy consumption and carbon emissions; the increased dependency of OECD and Asian countries; as well as the necessity of implementing additional policies and measures to reach the objectives detailed in the Kyoto Protocol. (author)

State Outlook: Fiscal and Public Policy Issues Affecting Postsecondary Education

Science.gov (United States)

American Association of State Colleges and Universities, 2010

2010-01-01

This publication provides a compilation of the issues affecting postsecondary education in America. The contents of this issue include: (1) Overview of Economic and Fiscal Policy Dynamics; (2) July 2010 Economic Snapshot; (3) State Economic Conditions and Budget Outlook; (4) State Budget Pressures; (5) State Budget Realignment Strategies; (6)…

The Future of the Global Environment: A Model-based Analysis Supporting UNEP's First Global Environment Outlook

OpenAIRE

Bakkes JA; Woerden JW van; Alcamo J; Berk MM; Bol P; Born GJ van den; Brink BJE ten; Hettelingh JP; Langeweg F; Niessen LW; Swart RJ; United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Nairobi, Kenia; MNV

1997-01-01

This report documents the scenario analysis in UNEP's first Global Environment Outlook, published at the same time as the scenario analysis. This Outlook provides a pilot assessment of developments in the environment, both global and regional, between now and 2015, with a further projection to 2050. The study was carried out in support of the Agenda 21 interim evaluation, five years after 'Rio' and ten years after 'Brundtland'. The scenario analysis is based on only one scenario, Conventional...

Coking coal outlook from a coal producer's perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thrasher, E.

2008-01-01

Australian mine production is recovering from massive flooding while Canadian coal shipments are limited by mine and rail capacity. Polish, Czech, and Russian coking coal shipments have been reduced and United States coking coal shipments are reaching their maximum capacity. On the demand side, the Chinese government has increased export taxes on metallurgical coal, coking coal, and thermal coal. Customers seem to be purchasing in waves and steel prices are declining. This presentation addressed the global outlook for coal as well as the challenges ahead in terms of supply and demand. Supply challenges include regulatory uncertainty; environmental permitting; labor; and geology of remaining reserves. Demand challenges include global economic uncertainty; foreign exchange values; the effect of customers making direct investments in mining operations; and freight rates. Consolidation of the coal industry continued and several examples were provided. The presentation also discussed other topics such as coking coal production issues; delayed mining permits and environmental issues; coking coal contract negotiations; and stock values of coking coal producers in the United States. It was concluded that consolidation will continue throughout the natural resource sector. tabs., figs

The wind power state of the art and development outlooks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bal, J.L.

2005-01-01

This document presented during the Physics Summer school, deals with the wind power situation in Europe. The wind energy conversion in electric power is explained as the management and implementing of a wind site. The author discusses also the economy of the wind power and the market and development outlooks. (A.L.B.)

The outlook of the Korean petroleum industry and its deregulation process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Youngseok Moon

1997-01-01

This paper explores the outlook for the oil product supply and demand balance in Korea and the implications for future refinery market conditions. Forecasts of demand growth are compared with the industry's recent capacity expansion to evaluate potential future market positions. The possible impact of the current deregulation process, started in January 1977, is summarized. In addition, the short-term and long-term uncertainties of the market are discussed. The future business environment for refiners in Korea is likely to be tougher than expected. Although substantial new refining capacity was added recently, the demand for oil products is expected to increase less rapidly. The overall product balance and the threat of imports from outside the region indicate that refiners may suffer from a decrease in utilization rate. Challenges lie ahead if Korean oil refiners are to be part of a successful and mature industry. (author)

Australian natural gas market outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2004-01-01

A new study of the Australian natural gas industry by leading Australian economics and policy consultancy ACIL Tasman highlights the significant supply and demand side uncertainties currently facing the industry. The ACIL Tasman 'Australian Gas Market Review and Outlook 2004' study presents modelling results for three supply/demand scenarios in Eastern Australia and two in Western Australia. The results show that, even under moderate assumptions about future levels of gas demand growth, major supply-side investment is likely to be needed over the next ten to fifteen years. The base supply/demand scenario for Eastern Australia and Northern Territory, illustrated in Figure 1, shows that even allowing for substantial new discoveries in existing production basins and major expansion of coal seam methane production, in the absence of a northern gas connection to the eastern states (Timor Sea or PNG Highlands) a significant supply gap will begin to emerge from around 2013. The study identifies several supply-side options for Eastern Australia - new discoveries in the established production provinces in Bass Strait and Central Australia; greenfield developments such as the Otway Basin offshore from Victoria and South Australia; continuing expansion of coal seam methane production in Queensland and New South Wales; and gas from Papua New Guinea, Timor Sea or from the North West Shelf region delivered via a trans-continental pipeline. The study concludes that it is unlikely that any single option will suffice to meet future demand. Almost inevitably, a combination of these sources will be needed if anticipated growth opportunities are to be met. With regard to prices, the study shows that in the short to medium term the outlook is for some real reductions in wholesale prices in most regional markets. This reflects increasing levels of upstream competition and declining real costs of pipeline transportation. However in the longer term, supply-side constraints will tend to

The OrbitOutlook Data Archive

Science.gov (United States)

Czajkowski, M.; Shilliday, A.; LoFaso, N.; Dipon, A.; Van Brackle, D.

2016-09-01

In this paper, we describe and depict the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)'s OrbitOutlook Data Archive (OODA) architecture. OODA is the infrastructure that DARPA's OrbitOutlook program has developed to integrate diverse data from various academic, commercial, government, and amateur space situational awareness (SSA) telescopes. At the heart of the OODA system is its world model - a distributed data store built to quickly query big data quantities of information spread out across multiple processing nodes and data centers. The world model applies a multi-index approach where each index is a distinct view on the data. This allows for analysts and analytics (algorithms) to access information through queries with a variety of terms that may be of interest to them. Our indices include: a structured global-graph view of knowledge, a keyword search of data content, an object-characteristic range search, and a geospatial-temporal orientation of spatially located data. In addition, the world model applies a federated approach by connecting to existing databases and integrating them into one single interface as a "one-stop shopping place" to access SSA information. In addition to the world model, OODA provides a processing platform for various analysts to explore and analytics to execute upon this data. Analytic algorithms can use OODA to take raw data and build information from it. They can store these products back into the world model, allowing analysts to gain situational awareness with this information. Analysts in turn would help decision makers use this knowledge to address a wide range of SSA problems. OODA is designed to make it easy for software developers who build graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and algorithms to quickly get started with working with this data. This is done through a multi-language software development kit that includes multiple application program interfaces (APIs) and a data model with SSA concepts and terms such as: space

Background report to the OECD Environmental Outlook to 2030. Overviews, details, and methodology of model-based analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bakkes, J.A.; Bagnoli, P.; Chateau, J.; Corfee-Morlot, J.; Kim, Y.G.

2008-01-01

This background report provides overviews and details of the model-based analyses for the Outlook. The global analyses have been conducted for 24 regions. They cover: climate change; urban air pollution and related health impacts; nutrient loading to the aquatic environment by agriculture and by trends in sanitation and sewerage; terrestrial biodiversity. A baseline scenario has been developed, as well as three policy packages. Most of the model-based analyses for the Environmental Outlook include a retrospect to 1970 and a look forward up to 2050. This enables an assessment of the cost of policy inaction and of the delaying of such action. This background report compares the impacts of the baseline for the various regions of the world. It also assesses the impact of uncertainties in the modelling for the key messages of the Environmental Outlook

Nuclear energy - status and outlook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rogner, Hans-Holger; MacDonald, Alan

2007-07-01

Rising expectations best characterize the current prospects of nuclear power in a world that is confronted with a burgeoning demand for energy, higher energy prices, energy supply security concerns and growing environmental pressures. It appears that the inherent economic and environmental benefits of the technology and its excellent performance record over the last twenty years are beginning to tilt the balance of political opinion and public acceptance in favour of nuclear power. Nuclear power is a cost-effective supply-side technology for mitigating climate change and can make a substantial contribution to climate protection. This paper reviews the current status of nuclear power and its fuel cycle and provides an outlook on where nuclear power may be headed in the short-to-medium run (20 to 40 years from now). (auth)

Power to the people: The world outlook for electricity investment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Birol, Fatih

2004-01-01

Total investment required for the energy-supply infrastructure worldwide over the period 2001-2030 is expected to amount to $16 trillion, or $550 billion a year. This investment is needed to replace existing and future supply facilities that will be exhausted or become obsolete during the projection period, as well as to expand supply capacity to meet projected primary energy demand growth of 1.7% per year. Capital needs will grow steadily through the projection period. The average annual rate of investment is projected to rise from around $450 billion in the current decade to $630 billion in 2021-2030. This compares with estimated investment of $410 billion in 2000. Actual capital flows will fluctuate around these levels according to project and business cycles. The power sector will account for the bulk of energy-investment needs, and oil and gas in almost equal measure for most of the rest. These are some of the key findings of the World Energy Investment Outlook of the International Energy Agency (IEA), based in Paris, France. This article focuses on the power sector. The award-winning report, released in late 2003, assesses, fuel by fuel and region by region, the prospects for and possible barriers to investment in the global energy sector to 2030. The core analysis of investment needs is based on the reference scenario projections of supply and demand contained in the IEA's World Energy Outlook 2002. Although the total sum of investment needs is large in absolute terms, it is modest relative to the size of the world economy, amounting to only about 1% of global GDP on average over the next thirty years. The proportion is expected to fall slightly over the projection period, from 1.1% in the current decade to 0.9% in the decade 2021-2030. But the extent of the challenge differs among regions, ranging from only half a percent in countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to 5% in Russia

The INCA project: present status and outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aleksandrov, K.V.; Ammosov, V.V.; Chechin, V.A.; Chubenko, A.P.; Erlykin, A.D.; Ladygin, E.A.; Merzon, G.I.; Mukhamedshin, R.A.; Murashov, V.N.; Pavlyuchenko, V.P.; Ryabov, V.A.; Ryazhskaya, O.G.; Saito, T.; Sobolevskii, N.M.; Shchepetov, A.L.; Starkov, N.I.; Trostin, I.S.; Tsarev, V.A.; Wolfendale, A.; Zatsepin, G.T.; Zhdanov, G.B.; Zhukov, A.P.

2002-01-01

Scientific objectives, foundations, status, and outlook of the INCA Project are presented. Fundamentally new technique based on the ionization-neutron calorimeter (INCA) and designed to study local nearby sources of high-energy cosmic rays by direct measuring the spectrum and composition of the nuclear component in the 'knee' region and the spectrum of primary electrons in the energy range 0.1-10 TeV with the proton-background suppression factor up to 10 7 is discussed. Experimental data on exposition of the INCA prototypes to electron, pion, and proton beams at various energies and corresponding simulation results are presented. Prospects are considered

Summary of the OECD Environmental Outlook to 2050; Samenvatting OESO milieuverkenning tot 2050

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Manders, A.J.G.

2012-03-15

The OECD Environmental Outlook to 2050 asks 'What will the next four decades bring?' Based on joint modelling by the OECD and the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL), it looks forward to the year 2050 to find out what demographic and economic trends might mean for the environment if the world does not adopt more ambitious green policies. It also looks at what policies could change that picture for the better. This Outlook focuses on four areas: climate change, biodiversity, freshwater and health impacts of pollution. These four key environmental challenges were identified by the previous Environmental Outlook to 2030 (OECD, 2008) as 'Red Light' issues requiring urgent attention [Dutch] De Organisatie voor Economische Samenwerking en Ontwikkeling (OESO) maakt milieuverkenningen om beleidsmakers beter inzicht te geven in de schaal en samenhang van toekomstige uitdagingen rond milieu. De OESO maakt daarbij gebruik van modellen om projecties te maken. Voor deze verkenning is intensief samengewerkt met het Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving (PBL). De milieuverkenning tot 2050 verkent de gevolgen voor het milieu als meer ambitieuze maatregelen voor het beheer van onze natuurlijke hulpbronnen uitblijven. De verkenning stelt beleidsmaatregelen voor die deze situatie zouden kunnen verbeteren en richt zich op de vier meest urgente thema's: klimaatverandering, biodiversiteit, water en de gezondheidsimplicaties van vervuiling.

The outlook for nuclear power in Europe by 2030

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leclercq, J.

2008-01-01

A 57% increase in the world consumption of electricity is expected between 2004 and 2030. According to the alternative policy scenario of the world energy outlook 2006, the contribution of nuclear power would be +300 GW for a total increase of +4600 GW in power production. The economic outlook for nuclear power appears to be favorable over a long period. Between 2006 and 2030, about 30 countries will order the construction of nuclear power plants but only 5 countries (Usa, China, Japan, Russia and India) will concentrate the 2/3 of this demand. This demand will be met mostly with 10 commercial offers representing reactors of third generation (6 PWR-types + 3 BWR-types + 1 Candu-type). The existing resources of natural uranium (about 15*10 6 tonnes) are sufficient to ensure in 2040 a global nuclear power as high as 3 to 4 times the today's nuclear power. As for Europe, 2 scenarios are considered: an evolution of -60 GW in case of no decision concerning the construction of new nuclear plants and a likely +120 GW scenario including the replacement of 64 GW. The second scenario will lead to an installed capacity of 229 GW in 2030 compared to today's 172 GW. (A.C.)

Gas MGP: review and outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lafon, M.

2007-01-01

The multi-year guidance plan (MGP), publicly disclosed on March 7, 2007, by the French Ministry of Economy and Finances, is the first report by the parliament on the development of the gas sector, in line with the January 3, 2003 law. It was issued for fiscal year 2006 and covers the period spanning 2006-2015. Drafted by a steering committee, chaired by J.P. Falque-Pierrotin and composed of representatives from the relevant ministries, the document involved hearing many experts from the gas sector (industry, commerce, professional unions, government agencies). An exercise in guidance planning, this document is of a forward-looking nature and aims at setting out a shared understanding of demand and outlook for supply. It is also designed to offer analysis of natural gas supply and demand in order to estimate infrastructure capacity

X-ray Polarimetry: From the Early Days to an Outlook for the Future

Science.gov (United States)

Weisskopf, Martin C.

2014-01-01

We present a historical (and personal) overview beginning with the pioneering contributions of Professor R. Novick and the team at the Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory. We will end with our (biased) outlook for the future.

The IMAGE model suite used for the OECD Environmental Outlook to 2050

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kram, T.; Stehfest, E.

2012-03-15

In the Environmental Outlook to 2050 from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) a number of scenarios and projection are used which are calculated with the IMAGE model suite. This document describes the models and modules used and their interconnections.

Canadian gas exports in the U.S. market: 1995 evaluation and outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-03-01

The outlook for Canadian gas exports was presented. It was predicted that the Canadian natural gas industry will respond well to the changing conditions and regulatory dynamics in the North American market and that gas exports will continue to flow on existing export pipelines at high load factors. Canadian gas will likely be priced lower relative to Gulf Coast prices until 1998, as the reflection of regional supply and demand. A summary of the data and information pertaining to the North American natural gas industry including supply, demand, prices, transportation capacities and key regulatory events which determine current and future export of Canadian natural gas, was presented. Key sections of the report were: (1) 1995 in review, (2) outlook to the year 2000, and (3) a regulatory update. A review of the current state of U.S. electricity restructuring was also included. 15 refs., 7 tabs., 27 figs

Food irradiation: outlook for commercialization in the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giddings, G.G.

1985-01-01

An account is presented of the long-term and near-term outlooks for food irradiation in the United States, with particular reference to US regulatory status and to the problems of securing public acceptance of the process. Actions taken by international organizations to consider and determine whether irradiated food is wholesome are summarized. A table is included showing dose levels for various food applications. Political and sociological aspects are discussed. (U.K.)

CERN Technical Training 2004: New Short Course III (SC III) on Microsoft Outlook - Meetings and Delegation

CERN Multimedia

Monique Duval

2004-01-01

The CERN Technical Training programme is now proposing a new format for courses on Microsoft Outlook. Three two-hours Short Courses (SC) cover basic and advanced functionalities of the recommended mail client for email at CERN. Each module can be followed independently. The next scheduled session of the 3rd module will take place as follows: Outlook (SC III): Meetings and Delegation. Next session: 9.11.2004 (14:00-16:00) SC III will cover how to organise and manage meetings, work with meeting requests, share tasks, and use email and calendar delegation. The number of participants to each session is limited to 8. The instructor is English-French bilingual, and she will be available some time after each session to answer specific questions, or provide further explanations following demand. The cost of attending any SC module on Outlook is 70.- CHF. The above session will be confirmed if there are enough participants, and the attendance costs will be lower in case of a full class. If you are interested in...

Uranium exploration programmes, and the outlook for the 1990s

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Underhill, D.

1991-01-01

To understand the exploration patterns of the industry and forecast the outlook for the 1990s, it is necessary to understand the broad and diverse makeup of the participants, which consists of: producers, consumers, and government agencies. The most visible group, the producers, are primarily motivated by profit expectation. Their actions show a high correlation to the spot market price. The second group, consumers, are more concerned with the existence of supplier competition, diversification of supply sources, and fuel cycle economics. The last group, governments, further breaks down into importing and exporting groups. They are motivated by either assurances of supply (importing) or hard currency trade (exporting). The future uranium supply/demand balance for the major countries is shown. The sustained decline of uranium prices has resulted in drastic cuts in uranium exploration. In this paper, I will review and analyze the trends of the recent past and the outlook for the 1990s, for civilian power programmes only, not defence stockpiles; also only Western World countries and China are considered, not the USSR and Europe and limited nuclear growth is assumed with no nuclear resurgence. (author)

Improving inferior vena cava filter retrieval rates with the define, measure, analyze, improve, control methodology.

Science.gov (United States)

Sutphin, Patrick D; Reis, Stephen P; McKune, Angie; Ravanzo, Maria; Kalva, Sanjeeva P; Pillai, Anil K

2015-04-01

To design a sustainable process to improve optional inferior vena cava (IVC) filter retrieval rates based on the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) methodology of the Six Sigma process improvement paradigm. DMAIC, an acronym for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control, was employed to design and implement a quality improvement project to increase IVC filter retrieval rates at a tertiary academic hospital. Retrievable IVC filters were placed in 139 patients over a 2-year period. The baseline IVC filter retrieval rate (n = 51) was reviewed through a retrospective analysis, and two strategies were devised to improve the filter retrieval rate: (a) mailing of letters to clinicians and patients for patients who had filters placed within 8 months of implementation of the project (n = 43) and (b) a prospective automated scheduling of a clinic visit at 4 weeks after filter placement for all new patients (n = 45). The effectiveness of these strategies was assessed by measuring the filter retrieval rates and estimated increase in revenue to interventional radiology. IVC filter retrieval rates increased from a baseline of 8% to 40% with the mailing of letters and to 52% with the automated scheduling of a clinic visit 4 weeks after IVC filter placement. The estimated revenue per 100 IVC filters placed increased from $2,249 to $10,518 with the mailing of letters and to $17,022 with the automated scheduling of a clinic visit. Using the DMAIC methodology, a simple and sustainable quality improvement intervention was devised that markedly improved IVC filter retrieval rates in eligible patients. Copyright © 2015 SIR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Experience based on practice to improve the radon-situation in Saxony. A personal retrospect and outlook for young radiation protection engineers; Erfahrungen aus praktischer Taetigkeit zur Verbesserung der Radon-Situation in Sachsen. Ein persoenlicher Rueckblick und Perspektiven fuer junge Strahlenschuetzer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loebner, Walfried

2015-07-01

Based on the state of knowledge and international developments concerning the radon situation in dwellings the experiences regarding the improvement of the radon situation in Saxony were described as a personal retrospect of more than 20 years practice. The taken path to control the radon situation in German dwellings has been reflected as a personally point of view. Open questions and controversial issues were named. The practical experiences in handling of radon in dwellings in connection with the remediation activities at uranium mining legacies were described. As conclusions drawn on own activities and insights the future challenges to improve the radon situation in Saxony were outlined. An outlook was directed to the young radiation protection engineers and civil engineers.

INPRO: status, ongoing, activities and outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khoroshev, M.

2004-01-01

In this presentation author deals with activities of the International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO). Presentation const of the following chapters: Introduction; Goals of INPRO and results of Phase IA; Basic principles, user requirements and methodology for assessment of INS; Highlights of INPRO in the areas of economics, environment, safety, waste management, proliferation resistance and infrastructure; Outlook Phase II of INPRO. It is concluded that INPRO has political, financial and technical support from Member States; Phase IA on the establishment of basic principles user requirements and criteria the development of an assessment methodology has been finalised; Phase IB addresses the validation of the INPRO methodology and the assessment of concepts and approaches; INPRO is open to all interested Member States an international organisations

Feed-in tariff outlook in Malaysia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chua, Shing Chyi; Oh, Tick Hui; Goh, Wei Wei

2011-01-01

This paper aims to present the feed-in tariff (FiT) outlook in Malaysia, which is in the process of being enacted through a Renewable Energy (RE) Policy by the Government of Malaysia (GoM). A brief in policies leading towards the RE policy and the potential of each RE sources under FiT mechanism have been discussed. The successful utilisation of RE source in electricity generation and the FiT implementation globally are positive indicators to implement FiT in Malaysia. Potentials of FiT on biomass, biogas and solid waste energy are currently very promising in Malaysia, but it is solar energy which is predicted to be the main RE of the future, surpassing all other REs. (author)

Oil sands supply outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunbar, R.

2004-01-01

In March 2004, The Canadian Energy Research Institute released a report on the expected future supply from Alberta's oil sands. The report indicates that the future for the already well-established oil sands industry is promising, particularly given the outlook for oil prices. The challenges facing the industry include higher industry supply costs and the need for innovative commercial and technological solutions to address the risks of irregularities and changes in crude oil prices. In 2003, the industry produced 874 thousand barrels per day of synthetic crude oil and unprocessed crude bitumen. This represents 35 per cent of Canada's total oil production. Current production capacity has increased to 1.0 million barrels per day (mbpd) due to new projects. This number may increase to 3.5 mbpd by 2017. Some new projects may be deferred due to the higher raw bitumen and synthetic crude oil supply costs. This presentation provided supply costs for a range of oil sands recovery technologies and production projections under various business scenarios. tabs., figs

APEC's greener energy outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isa, A M; Samuelson, R D

2013-01-01

The APEC member economies combined accounts for more than 50% of the world's GDP and consume almost 60% of the world's energy. Under the 2011 Honolulu Declaration, APEC Leaders have set an aspirational goal to reduce APEC's aggregate energy intensity by 45 percent by 2035, compared to 2005 levels. This article summarises the results from an APEC-wide study on APEC energy demand and supply outlook from 2010 to 2035. Our business-as-usual projections show that by 2035, APEC energy demand will have increased by 40% of 2010 levels. We also found that historical trends for declining energy intensity will continue and that APEC will likely achieve its aspirational intensity reduction goal. However, our results also suggest that CO 2 emissions will continue to rise and energy security will become less assured. Recognizing these vulnerabilities, APEC has already initiated a broad range of activities to achieve its 'green growth' objectives. While these have been fairly successful in guiding APEC economies towards a path of more sustainable development, these efforts will need to be intensified further to avoid serious environmental degradation.

APEC's greener energy outlook

Science.gov (United States)

Isa, A. M.; Samuelson, R. D.

2013-06-01

The APEC member economies combined accounts for more than 50% of the world's GDP and consume almost 60% of the world's energy. Under the 2011 Honolulu Declaration, APEC Leaders have set an aspirational goal to reduce APEC's aggregate energy intensity by 45 percent by 2035, compared to 2005 levels. This article summarises the results from an APEC-wide study on APEC energy demand and supply outlook from 2010 to 2035. Our business-as-usual projections show that by 2035, APEC energy demand will have increased by 40% of 2010 levels. We also found that historical trends for declining energy intensity will continue and that APEC will likely achieve its aspirational intensity reduction goal. However, our results also suggest that CO2 emissions will continue to rise and energy security will become less assured. Recognizing these vulnerabilities, APEC has already initiated a broad range of activities to achieve its 'green growth' objectives. While these have been fairly successful in guiding APEC economies towards a path of more sustainable development, these efforts will need to be intensified further to avoid serious environmental degradation.

Battelle Research Outlook, Volume 2 Number 3. Cleaning Up the Atmosphere.

Science.gov (United States)

Westerman, Arthur B., Ed.

"Outlook" publications focus on areas of science and technology in which research can be valuable to industry, government, and society as a whole. This issue deals with the problems of air pullution and air quality control. The first of six essays,". . . This Most Excellent Canopy, the Air," prognosticates the surge in atmospheric pollution and…

Tradition and Modernization: Siting Philosophy for Children within the African Outlook

Science.gov (United States)

Ndofirepi, Amasa Philip; Cross, Michael

2016-01-01

In this philosophical paper, we investigate the project of doing philosophy with children in Africa. While the philosophy for children program has its roots in the Anglo-Saxon world, we contend that it can sit well in Africa if given an African outlook. We challenge Eurocentric specialists, who are attempting a wholesale introduction of the…

The nuclear energy outlook--a new book from the OECD nuclear energy agency.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshimura, Uichiro

2011-01-01

This paper summarizes the key points of a report titled Nuclear Energy Outlook, published in 2008 by the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which has 30 member nations. The report discusses the commitment of many nations to increase nuclear power generating capacity and the potential rate of building new electricity-generating nuclear plants by 2030 to 2050. The resulting decrease in carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion resulting from an increase in nuclear power sources is described. Other topics that are discussed include the need to develop non-proliferative nuclear fuels, the importance of developing geological disposal facilities or reprocessing capabilities for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste materials, and the requirements for a larger nuclear workforce and greater cost competitiveness for nuclear power generation. Copyright © 2010 Health Physics Society

Assumptions for the Annual Energy Outlook 1992

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

This report serves a auxiliary document to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) publication Annual Energy Outlook 1992 (AEO) (DOE/EIA-0383(92)), released in January 1992. The AEO forecasts were developed for five alternative cases and consist of energy supply, consumption, and price projections by major fuel and end-use sector, which are published at a national level of aggregation. The purpose of this report is to present important quantitative assumptions, including world oil prices and macroeconomic growth, underlying the AEO forecasts. The report has been prepared in response to external requests, as well as analyst requirements for background information on the AEO and studies based on the AEO forecasts

Energy peaks: A high energy physics outlook

Science.gov (United States)

Franceschini, Roberto

2017-12-01

Energy distributions of decay products carry information on the kinematics of the decay in ways that are at the same time straightforward and quite hidden. I will review these properties and discuss their early historical applications, as well as more recent ones in the context of (i) methods for the measurement of masses of new physics particle with semi-invisible decays, (ii) the characterization of Dark Matter particles produced at colliders, (iii) precision mass measurements of Standard Model particles, in particular of the top quark. Finally, I will give an outlook of further developments and applications of energy peak method for high energy physics at colliders and beyond.

Petroleum product market outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-09-01

The influence of petroleum market disturbances on price increases was discussed with particular reference to Hurricane Katrina and the loss of refinery production and damage to oil infrastructure in the United States. The supply of petroleum products in Canada will be very tight heading into the winter of 2006, despite the fact that Canadian refineries are operating at full capacity to ensure an adequate supply of gasoline and diesel fuel for consumers. In addition to refinery production, petroleum supplies are also determined by the adequacy of inventories and the efficiency of the infrastructure in place to deliver products to where they are needed. The lack of spare capacity has reduced the flexibility of the North American refining system to respond to further disruptions. Refiners were asked to provide information on 4 areas of their operations in order for Natural Resources Canada to analyze the short-term outlook for petroleum products markets. The 4 areas included refinery utilization rates and capability to increase production; any planned refinery turnaround that would affect petroleum product supplies; inventory levels compared to levels in previous years; and, any logistical problems that could affect product distribution. A graph depicting the relationship between Canadian production of gasoline and domestic sales clearly illustrated the seasonal nature of gasoline consumption and that production in Canada is much higher than consumption. Canada exports large volumes of gasoline, primarily to the United States eastern seabord from refineries in Atlantic Canada. The trend is similar for diesel fuel. Demand for both gasoline and diesel is expected to continue to grow in 2005 as high prices have had a limited impact on demand growth. In general, the Ontario/Quebec region is short of gasoline and must import gasoline during the summer months to cover the shortfall. It was noted that motorists and homeowners who heat with oil will bear the burden of higher

World Energy Outlook 2004. The new report of the International Energy Agency; World Energy Outlook 2004. Le nouveau rapport de l'Agence Internationale de l'Energie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

2004-12-01

Here is given the complete text of the summary of the World Energy Outlook report of the International Energy Agency. This report includes an alternative scenario which gives the image of an energy future more efficient and more respectful of the environment than those of the reference scenario. (O.M.)

Improving professional IT doctorate completion rates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oliver Kisalay Burmeister

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Professional doctorates in Information Technology (IT have been a relatively recent phenomenon, giving IT professionals career management choices not previously available to them. However, successful completion rates are the lowest of all disciplines. Completed doctorates rate in quality equivalent to PhDs, and retention has been identified as a major obstacle to completion. This qualitative study, involving 44 semi-structured interviews with students, supervisors and institutional support personnel, investigated the obstacles. Amongst the strategies discovered to improve completion rates were retention, student engagement with supervisors, feedback on progress, student engagement in the course, and student involvement in institutional communities of practice.

What is the referential gas outlook for North Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chegrouche, L.

2000-01-01

The estimation of energy requirements for North Africa.is often a result of urgent necessities and supply models. The outlook proposed here puts the accent more on a market logic. It attempts to.combine the objectives of supply and demand, in order to anticipate a reasonable level of market growth. The survey method providing the basis of this approach involves the simulation of preferences and the comparison of forecasts. For the favourable scenario, the projected level reflects energy-related and strategic choices by the countries consulted. In the reference scenario, it refers to the anticipation of demand which becomes combined with the objectives of supply in terms of production capacity and maturing supply projects. The most relevant forecasts for gas demand are introduced for a region and on a per country basis for the period 2000 - 2030. The demand for natural gas is analysed from a global and sector-based point of view. The question of supply capacity acts as a constraint in saturating the market and anticipating its equilibrium. Global gas demand is in line with the pace of change in gross domestic product. This suggests that it is just as sensitive to economic changes as energy demand. An additional demand generated by economic growth can only intensify energy competition. The indicators used in this outlook and the results obtained support this observation. (authors)

How Did Successful High Schools Improve Their Graduation Rates?

Science.gov (United States)

Robertson, Janna Siegel; Smith, Robert W.; Rinka, Jason

2016-01-01

The researchers surveyed 23 North Carolina high schools that had markedly improved their graduation rates over the past five years. The administrators reported on the dropout prevention practices and programs to which they attributed their improved graduation rates. The majority of schools reported policy changes, especially with suspension. The…

Energy in ASEAN: An outlook into the 21st century

Science.gov (United States)

Arismunandar, A.; Dupuis, P.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was formed in Bangkok in 1967 by five countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. A sixth nation, recently independent Brunei Darussalam, joined the association in 1984. The story on enery in the ASEAN is presented. The topics covered include the following: energy resources; energy demand versus elasticity; how to cope with energy demand; and an outlook into the 21st century.

18-month outlook : an assessment of the reliability of the Ontario Electricity System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

This paper provides an 18 month forecast of the Ontario electricity system, as well as an outline of activities and recent developments relating to the issue of reliability. An additional aim of the paper was to identify potentially adverse conditions that may require adjustment or coordination of maintenance plans for generation and transmission equipment. Requests for proposals (RFPs) for renewable generation within the specified time-frame were also discussed, as well as the return to service of Ontario Power Generation's Pickering Unit 1. Reduced reserve levels for the summer of 2005 were anticipated, and details of forecasted peak demand, generator maintenance, new generation and price-responsive demand adjustments and forced outage rates were presented. It was suggested that adequate market mechanisms were in place to manage reserve levels. Developments concerning the new Parkway Transformer station were reviewed. A resource outlook was provided. Available resources were expected to exceed planning requirements with the exception of 6 weeks in the summer of 2005. A projected capacity increase was also anticipated, due to the return of Pickering 1 and an additional 515 MW in the fall of 2005. Price-responsive demands were forecasted to exceed 650 MW due to increases in dispatchable load. It was suggested that in order to ensure power demand during peak periods, imports may be required under extreme weather conditions, combined with the possible deferral or cancellation of generation maintenance. Transmission impacts due to shutdowns were discussed. Voltage system requirements were reviewed, along with details of the installation of additional shunt capacitors and transformer controls. The electricity market was reviewed in the context of current overall economic conditions. Data forecasting normal peak demand was presented for the entire outlook period. 19 tabs., 10 figs

Quality Rating and Improvement System State Evaluations and Research

Science.gov (United States)

Ferguson, Daniel

2016-01-01

A quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) is a method used by states and local jurisdictions to assess the level of quality of child care and early education programs, improve quality, and convey quality ratings to parents and other consumers. A typical QRIS incorporates the following components: quality standards for participating providers;…

Electricity energy outlook in Malaysia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tan, C S; Leong, Y P; Maragatham, K

2013-01-01

Population and income growth are the key drivers behind the growing demand for energy. Demand for electricity in Malaysia is always growing in tandem with its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth. The growth for electricity in Malaysia forecasted by Economic Planning Unit (EPU) has shown an increase of 3.52% in 2012 compared to 3.48% in 2011. This growth has been driven by strong demand growth from commercial and domestic sectors. The share of electricity consumption to total energy consumption has increased from 17.4% in 2007 to 21.7% in 2012. The total electricity production was reported at 122.12TWh in 2012, where gas is still the major fuel source contributing to 52.7% of the total generation fuel mix of electricity followed by Coal, 38.9%, hydro, 7.3%, oil, 1% and others, 0.2%. This paper aims to discuss the energy outlook particularly the electricity production and ways toward greener environment in electricity production in Malaysia

Electricity energy outlook in Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, C. S.; Maragatham, K.; Leong, Y. P.

2013-06-01

Population and income growth are the key drivers behind the growing demand for energy. Demand for electricity in Malaysia is always growing in tandem with its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth. The growth for electricity in Malaysia forecasted by Economic Planning Unit (EPU) has shown an increase of 3.52% in 2012 compared to 3.48% in 2011. This growth has been driven by strong demand growth from commercial and domestic sectors. The share of electricity consumption to total energy consumption has increased from 17.4% in 2007 to 21.7% in 2012. The total electricity production was reported at 122.12TWh in 2012, where gas is still the major fuel source contributing to 52.7% of the total generation fuel mix of electricity followed by Coal, 38.9%, hydro, 7.3%, oil, 1% and others, 0.2%. This paper aims to discuss the energy outlook particularly the electricity production and ways toward greener environment in electricity production in Malaysia

Outlook for international oil markets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zanoyan, V; French, M

1984-01-01

Despite increased hostilities in the Persian Gulf, there has been a slack in both petroleum product and crude markets and concern over the possibility of a wave of refinery bankruptcies. The short-term outlook recognizes that OPEC problems are not permanent. Demand is not expected to return to pre-1979 levels, and demand growth will not have an equal distribution among OPEC members. Mid-term projections are for real oil prices to be about 12% below 1982 levels, with the decline continuing through 1986. The only significant demand expansion will occur in the industrial sectors of the developing countries due to conservation efforts and fuel substitution that will continue to reduce petroleum's share of total energy consumed by developed countries. Consumption in the transport sector will probably remain at current levels. Oil production in Western countries should peak and then decline during the 1980s, with non-OPEC developing countries filling some of the demand gap and OPEC prices going up instead of production. 6 tables.

Outlook optimistic for 1997 E and P industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Popov, S.

1997-01-01

The ninth annual Arthur Andersen Oil and Gas Industry Outlook Survey of company executives' forecasts for the US exploration and production industry were presented last month at the 17th Annual Energy Symposium. The consulting firm surveyed the chief financial officers of more than 350 US E and P companies, with 92 companies responding, including 8 majors, 9 large and 75 small independents. Overall, top E and P company executives predict 1997 to be a healthy year for the oil and gas industry. The paper discusses demand and supply, oil and gas prices, capital spending, employment, rig counts and availability, problems and opportunities

Power generation in India: analysing trends and outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

The objective of this report is to provide up-to-date data, critical analysis and information encompassing all aspects of power generation in India. The report provides historic and future outlook for power generation in India. It also provides an evaluation of private participation in power generation segment of India and investment opportunities in Indian power sector. In addition, the report examines policies, regulatory framework and financing of power generation in India. It also highlights key issues and challenges that are restricting the accelerated development of this sector. The report has thirteen chapters in total. (author)

Outlook for alternative energy sources. [aviation fuels

Science.gov (United States)

Card, M. E.

1980-01-01

Predictions are made concerning the development of alternative energy sources in the light of the present national energy situation. Particular emphasis is given to the impact of alternative fuels development on aviation fuels. The future outlook for aircraft fuels is that for the near term, there possibly will be no major fuel changes, but minor specification changes may be possible if supplies decrease. In the midterm, a broad cut fuel may be used if current development efforts are successful. As synfuel production levels increase beyond the 1990's there may be some mixtures of petroleum-based and synfuel products with the possibility of some shale distillate and indirect coal liquefaction products near the year 2000.

A CBO Study. The Budget and Economic Outlook: An Update

Science.gov (United States)

2006-08-01

the growth of quarterly corporate income tax payments due in September. 6 THE BUDGET AND ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: AN UPDATETable 1-3. CBO’s Baseline Budget...receipts relative to GDP is expected to be offset by reductions in corporate income tax receipts and (to a lesser extent) in receipts from estate...taxes—have also contrib- uted to the latest technical revisions: B This year’s corporate income tax receipts are higher than can be explained by

Improving World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates by Integrating NASA Remote Sensing Soil Moisture Data into USDA World Agricultural Outlook Board Decision Making Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Teng, W. L.; de Jeu, R. A.; Doraiswamy, P. C.; Kempler, S. J.; Shannon, H. D.

2009-12-01

A primary goal of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is to expand markets for U.S. agricultural products and support global economic development. The USDA World Agricultural Outlook Board (WAOB) supports this goal by developing monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) for the U.S. and major foreign producing countries. Because weather has a significant impact on crop progress, conditions, and production, WAOB prepares frequent agricultural weather assessments, in a GIS-based, Global Agricultural Decision Support Environment (GLADSE). The main objective of this project, thus, is to improve WAOB's estimates by integrating NASA remote sensing soil moisture observations and research results into GLADSE. Soil moisture is a primary data gap at WAOB. Soil moisture data, generated by the Land Parameter Retrieval Model (LPRM, developed by NASA GSFC and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) and customized to WAOB's requirements, will be directly integrated into GLADSE, as well as indirectly by first being integrated into USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS)'s Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) crop model. The LPRM-enhanced EPIC will be validated using three major agricultural regions important to WAOB and then integrated into GLADSE. Project benchmarking will be based on retrospective analyses of WAOB's analog year comparisons. The latter are between a given year and historical years with similar weather patterns. WAOB is the focal point for economic intelligence within the USDA. Thus, improving WAOB's agricultural estimates by integrating NASA satellite observations and model outputs will visibly demonstrate the value of NASA resources and maximize the societal benefits of NASA investments.

International energy outlook 1996

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-05-01

This International Energy Outlook presents historical data from 1970 to 1993 and EIA's projections of energy consumption and carbon emissions through 2015 for 6 country groups. Prospects for individual fuels are discussed. Summary tables of the IEO96 world energy consumption, oil production, and carbon emissions projections are provided in Appendix A. The reference case projections of total foreign energy consumption and of natural gas, coal, and renewable energy were prepared using EIA's World Energy Projection System (WEPS) model. Reference case projections of foreign oil production and consumption were prepared using the International Energy Module of the National Energy Modeling System (NEMS). Nuclear consumption projections were derived from the International Nuclear Model, PC Version (PC-INM). Alternatively, nuclear capacity projections were developed using two methods: the lower reference case projections were based on analysts' knowledge of the nuclear programs in different countries; the upper reference case was generated by the World Integrated Nuclear Evaluation System (WINES)--a demand-driven model. In addition, the NEMS Coal Export Submodule (CES) was used to derive flows in international coal trade. As noted above, foreign projections of electricity demand are now projected as part of the WEPS. 64 figs., 62 tabs

International energy outlook 1996

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-05-01

This International Energy Outlook presents historical data from 1970 to 1993 and EIA`s projections of energy consumption and carbon emissions through 2015 for 6 country groups. Prospects for individual fuels are discussed. Summary tables of the IEO96 world energy consumption, oil production, and carbon emissions projections are provided in Appendix A. The reference case projections of total foreign energy consumption and of natural gas, coal, and renewable energy were prepared using EIA`s World Energy Projection System (WEPS) model. Reference case projections of foreign oil production and consumption were prepared using the International Energy Module of the National Energy Modeling System (NEMS). Nuclear consumption projections were derived from the International Nuclear Model, PC Version (PC-INM). Alternatively, nuclear capacity projections were developed using two methods: the lower reference case projections were based on analysts` knowledge of the nuclear programs in different countries; the upper reference case was generated by the World Integrated Nuclear Evaluation System (WINES)--a demand-driven model. In addition, the NEMS Coal Export Submodule (CES) was used to derive flows in international coal trade. As noted above, foreign projections of electricity demand are now projected as part of the WEPS. 64 figs., 62 tabs.

World Energy Outlook 2012

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-07-01

Industry and government decision-makers and others with a stake in the energy sector all benefit from the contents of World Energy Outlook (WEO) 2012. It presents authoritative projections of energy trends through to 2035 and insights into what they mean for energy security, environmental sustainability and economic development. Oil, coal, natural gas, renewables and nuclear power are all covered, together with an update on climate change issues. Global energy demand, production, trade, investment and carbon dioxide emissions are broken down by region or country, by fuel and by sector. Special strategic analyses cover: What unlocking the purely economic potential for energy efficiency could do, country by country and sector by sector, for energy markets, the economy and the environment; The Iraqi energy sector, examining both its importance in satisfying the country’s own needs and its crucial role in meeting global oil and gas demand; The water-energy nexus, as water resources become increasingly stressed and access more contentious; Measures of progress towards providing universal access to modern energy services. There are many uncertainties, but many decisions cannot wait. The insights of this publication are invaluable to those who must shape our energy future.

Machine Repairers and Operators. Reprinted from the Occupational Outlook Handbook, 1978-79 Edition.

Science.gov (United States)

Bureau of Labor Statistics (DOL), Washington, DC.

Focusing on machine repairers and operators, this document is one in a series of forty-one reprints from the Occupational Outlook Handbook providing current information and employment projections for individual occupations and industries through 1985. The specific occupations covered in this document include appliance repairers,…

Natural gas supply and demand outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGill, C.B.

1998-01-01

The outlook for U.S. natural gas supply and demand in the residential, commercial, industrial/cogeneration, electricity and transportation sectors for 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015 was presented. A summary of gas well completions from 1990 to 1997 was also provided. The Canadian natural gas resource was estimated at 184 trillion cubic feet. In 1996, Canada produced 5.6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, half of which was exported to the U.S. New pipeline projects have been proposed to transport natural gas from eastern offshore areas and the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. A table representing U.S. and Canada gas trade from 1990 to 1997 and a map of proposed Canadian and U.S. natural gas pipeline routes were also included. Looking into the future, this speaker predicted continued volatility in natural gas prices. 9 tabs., 9 figs

The Global Pipeline of GM crops: an outlook for 2020

OpenAIRE

PARISI CLAUDIA; TILLIE PASCAL; RODRIGUEZ CEREZO Emilio

2015-01-01

This study presents the worldwide pipeline of genetically modified (GM) crops that are likely to be commercialized and cultivated by farmers in the short to medium term. The database presented has been built by collecting information about the status of GM crops both in the regulatory pipeline of national biotechnology agencies and in the advanced phase of development by technology providers. Particular attention will be given to the 2020 outlook of new crops and traits, with a special fo...

OECD Skills Outlook 2013: First Results from the Survey of Adult Skills

Science.gov (United States)

OECD Publishing, 2013

2013-01-01

This first "OECD Skills Outlook" presents the initial results of the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC), which evaluates the skills of adults in 22 OECD member countries and two partner countries. The PIAAC survey was designed to provide insights into the availability of some key skills and how they are used at work and at home through the…

Annual Energy Outlook 2016 With Projections to 2040

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None, None

2016-08-01

The Annual Energy Outlook 2016 (AEO2016), prepared by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), presents long-term projections of energy supply, demand, and prices through 2040. The projections, focused on U.S. energy markets, are based on results from EIA’s National Energy Modeling System (NEMS). NEMS enables EIA to make projections under alternative, internallyconsistent sets of assumptions. The analysis in AEO2016 focuses on the Reference case and 17 alternative cases. EIA published an Early Release version of the AEO2016 Reference case (including U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan (CPP)) and a No CPP case (excluding the CPP) in May 2016.

Natural gas liquids: market outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heath, M.

1996-01-01

Future market outlook for natural gas liquids was discussed. It was shown that Canadian natural gas and natural gas liquid (NGL) production levels have experienced extraordinary growth over the past few years due to an increased U.S. demand for Canadian natural gas. Recent supply and demand studies have indicated that there will be growing surpluses of NGLs in Canada. By 1996, the majority of NGL surplus that is forecast to be available is ethane (64%), followed by propane (22%), butane (12%) and pentane plus (2%). Throughout the forecast period, the ratio of incremental ethane to the total NGL surplus, over and above forecast demand, was expected to continue to rise. The viability of producing and processing that ethane and transporting it to market, will be crucial. Development of a large ex-Alberta C2+ pipeline from Empress to Mont Belvieu under the reference case supply projection is a possibility, but only if total tariff and fractionation charge on the line is less than or equal to 10 US cents/USG (currently 16-22 US cents/USG). 11 figs

Alberta wind integration. Status and outlook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kehler, John; Aksomitis, Kris; Duchesne, Jacques [Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO), Calgary, AB (Canada)

2010-07-01

Alberta has excellent wind resources with over 600 MW of wind generation currently operating on the Alberta Interconnected Electric System (AIES) and there continues to be strong interest in wind development. Integration of large-scale wind power, however, is still relatively new and presents new operational opportunities and challenges. The AESO currently has over 7,700 MW in potential wind power development in Alberta in our interconnection queue. The Alberta system peak load is 10, 236 MW with 12,763 MW installed generation capacity and limited interconnection capability to neighboring jurisdictions. The AESO recognizes that it is important, both to system reliability and to the successful development of renewable resources in Alberta, that the impact on power system operations and the obligations of market participants are understood as Alberta reaches higher levels of wind penetration. The paper discusses the current status and future outlook on wind integration in Alberta. (orig.)

Hope for improvements as negotiation time starts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-12-01

There are indications that Australian producers can expect a significant price increase for coking coal in 2001. The outlook for thermal coal looks even more promising since prices for thermal coal in the Pacific have been steadily improving. The major demand centres for 2001 are Korea, Taiwan and the ASEAN countries. 2 photos.

Outlook for activity and structural change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

The level of energy-using activities is continuing to increase throughout the world, but the rates of likely growth differ among regions. Over the next 20 years, manufacturing production is expected to grow at a rapid pace in parts of the developing world, and moderately in the OECD countries. In the Former East Bloc, it seems likely to stagnate or decline for much of the 1990s, but could then grow at a moderate pace if the transition to a market economy is successfully managed. Domestic passenger travel seems likely to increase everywhere, and growth in international travel will be especially strong. Freight transport activity is difficult to evaluate in the aggregate, since the composition of goods changes over time, but increase is expected in all regions, especially in the developing countries. Structural change within sectors will have significant impacts on energy use. In manufacturing, faster growth in light industry will lead to lower energy intensity in the OECD countries and especially in the Former East Bloc. The outlook in the LDCs suggests somewhat higher growth in energy-intensive industries, but this trend will vary among countries. In passenger travel, structural change is pointing toward higher energy intensity in most of the world as the role of automobiles and air travel continues to grow. Increase in the use of trucks is pushing in a similar direction in freight transport. In the residential sector, structural change will have only a moderate impact in the OECD countries, where per capita levels of home services are already high, but will push energy use significantly upward in the LDCs, and to a lesser extent, in the Former East Bloc. 17 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab

World Energy Outlook 2013

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-07-01

In a world where big differences in regional energy prices impact competitiveness, who are the potential winners and losers? Huge volumes of oil are needed to meet growing demand and offset declines in existing fields. Where will it all come from? What could trigger a rapid convergence in natural gas prices between Asia, Europe and North America, and how would it affect energy markets? Is the growth in renewable energy self-sustaining and is it sufficient to put us on track to meet global climate goals? How much progress is being made in phasing out fossil-fuel subsidies and expanding access to modern energy services to the world’s poor? The answers to these and many other questions are found in WEO-2013, which covers the prospects for all energy sources, regions and sectors to 2035. Oil is analysed in-depth: resources, production, demand, refining and international trade. Energy efficiency – a major factor in the global energy balance – is treated in much the same way as conventional fuels: Its prospects and contribution are presented in a dedicated chapter. And the report examines the outlook for Brazil's energy sector in detail and the implications for the global energy landscape.

Status of the anesthesia workforce in 2011: evolution during the last decade and future outlook.

Science.gov (United States)

Schubert, Armin; Eckhout, Gifford V; Ngo, Anh L; Tremper, Kevin K; Peterson, Mary D

2012-08-01

The purpose of this review is to present a comprehensive assessment of the anesthesia workforce during the past decade and attempt forecasting the future based on present knowledge. The supply of anesthesiologists has gradually recovered from a deficit in the mid to late 1990 s. Current entry rates into our specialty are the highest in more than a decade, but are still below the level they were in 1993. These factors along with slower surgical growth and less capital available for expanding anesthetizing locations have resulted in greater availability of anesthesiologists in the labor market. Despite these recent events, the intermediate-term outlook of a rapidly aging population and greater access of previously uninsured patients portends the need to accommodate increasing medical and surgical procedures requiring anesthesia, barring disruptive industry innovations. Late in the decade, nationwide surveys found shortages of anesthesiologists and certified registered nurse anesthetists to persist. In response to increasing training program output with stagnant surgical growth, compensation increases for these allied health professionals have moderated in the present. Future projections anticipate increased personnel availability and, possibly, less compensation for this group. It is important to understand that many of the factors constraining current demand for anesthesia personnel are temporary. Anesthesiologist supply constrained by small graduation growth combined with generation- and gender-based decrements in workforce contribution is unlikely to keep pace with the substantial population and public policy-generated growth in demand for service, even in the face of productivity improvements and innovation.

Summary of the World Energy Investment Outlook 2003

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

The current edition of the World Energy Investment Outlook published by the International Energy Agency (IEA) focuses on the foreseeable worldwide investment requirement in the energy sector. The study lists these conclusions, among others: -Total investments of U.S. dollar 16,000 billion worldwide are needed for the energy supply infrastructure over the period 2001 to 2030. They are necessary to add to the power supply capacities and to replace existing power systems and power supply systems. - The financial resources available worldwide are sufficient, basically, to finance the energy investments forecast in the study. The framework conditions necessary for this purpose must be established. - The world energy resources are sufficient to meet the projected demand. Mobilizing the investments depends on the ability of the energy sector to hold its own in the competition for capital with other sectors of the economy. - Energy investments will be dominated by the electricity sector. This sector is likely to absorb nearly U.S. dollar 10,000 billion, or 60% of the total investment. - The developing countries, where energy generation and consumption are going to increase at the fastest rate, will take nearly half of the energy investment worldwide. - A major share of these energy investments is needed to keep up the present level of supply. - The largest share of investments into fossil sources of energy will be spent on extraction costs, exploration included, with different shares applying to the different sources of energy. (orig.) [de

Climate Prediction Center (CPC) Three Month Probabilistic Precipitation Outlook for the Contiguous United States and Alaska

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) issues a series of thirteen probabilistic three-month precipitation outlooks for the United States. CPC issues the thirteen...

Climate Prediction Center (CPC) Three Month Probabilistic Temperature Outlook for the Contiguous United States and Alaska

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) issues a series of thirteen probabilistic three-month temperature outlooks for the United States. CPC issues the thirteen...

Skill Assessment of Water Supply Outlooks in the Colorado River Basin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brent Harrison

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Water-supply outlooks that predict the April through July (snowmelt runoff and assist in estimating the total water-year runoff, are very important to users that rely on the major contributing watersheds of the Colorado River. This study reviewed the skill level of April through July forecasts at 28 forecast points within the Colorado River basin. All the forecasts were made after 1950, with considerable variation in time period covered. Evaluations of the forecasts were made using summary measures, correlation measures and categorical measures. The summary measure, a skill score for mean absolute error, indicated a steady increase in forecast skill through the forecast season of January to May. The width of the distribution for each monthly forecast over the 28 locations remained similar through the forecast season. The Nash-Sutcliffe score, a correlation measure, showed similar results, with the Nash-Sutcliffe median showing an increase from 0.4 to 0.8 during the forecast season. The categorical measures used a three-section partition of the April through July runoff. The Probability of Detection for low and high flows showed an increase in skill from approx. 0.4 to 0.8 during the forecast season. The same score for mid-flow years showed limited increase in skill. The low False Alarm Rate illustrated the under forecast of high-flow years. The Bias of the mid-runoff forecasts indicated over forecast early in the forecast season (January to March, with lower Bias later in the forecast season (April and May, ending the forecast season at 1.0, indicating no Bias. Forecasts for both low and high runoff were under forecast early in the season with a Bias near 0.5, improving to nearly 1.0 by the end of the forecast season. The Hit Rate measure illustrated the difficulty of mid-flow forecasts, starting at 0.5 in January and increasing to 0.75 in May due to the forecasting assumption of normal climatology for the remaining forecast period. There was no

Supplement to the annual energy outlook 1994

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1994-03-01

This report is a companion document to the Annual Energy Outlook 1994 (AEO94), (DOE/EIA-0383(94)), released in Jan. 1994. Part I of the Supplement presents the key quantitative assumptions underlying the AEO94 projections, responding to requests by energy analysts for additional information on the forecasts. In Part II, the Supplement provides regional projections and other underlying details of the reference case projections in the AEO94. The AEO94 presents national forecasts of energy production, demand and prices through 2010 for five scenarios, including a reference case and four additional cases that assume higher and lower economic growth and higher and lower world oil prices. These forecasts are used by Federal, State, and local governments, trade associations, and other planners and decisionmakers in the public and private sectors.

Improving Accuracy of Influenza-Associated Hospitalization Rate Estimates

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, Carrie; Kirley, Pam Daily; Aragon, Deborah; Meek, James; Farley, Monica M.; Ryan, Patricia; Collins, Jim; Lynfield, Ruth; Baumbach, Joan; Zansky, Shelley; Bennett, Nancy M.; Fowler, Brian; Thomas, Ann; Lindegren, Mary L.; Atkinson, Annette; Finelli, Lyn; Chaves, Sandra S.

2015-01-01

Diagnostic test sensitivity affects rate estimates for laboratory-confirmed influenza–associated hospitalizations. We used data from FluSurv-NET, a national population-based surveillance system for laboratory-confirmed influenza hospitalizations, to capture diagnostic test type by patient age and influenza season. We calculated observed rates by age group and adjusted rates by test sensitivity. Test sensitivity was lowest in adults >65 years of age. For all ages, reverse transcription PCR was the most sensitive test, and use increased from 65 years. After 2009, hospitalization rates adjusted by test sensitivity were ≈15% higher for children 65 years of age. Test sensitivity adjustments improve the accuracy of hospitalization rate estimates. PMID:26292017

Physical activity: does environment make a difference for tension, stress, emotional outlook, and perceptions of health status?

Science.gov (United States)

Puett, Robin; Teas, Jane; España-Romero, Vanesa; Artero, Enrique Garcia; Lee, Duck-chul; Baruth, Meghan; Sui, Xuemei; Montresor-López, Jessica; Blair, Steven N

2014-11-01

The importance of physical activity for health is well-established. Questions remain whether outdoor exercise additionally benefits overall mental and physical well-being. Using cross-sectional data from the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study, we examined relationships of physical activity environment (PAE) with reported tension, stress, emotional outlook, and health. 11,649 participants were included. 18% exercised indoors, 54% outdoors, and 28% in both. Participants who exercised partially or entirely outdoors exercised more. In fully adjusted models, for women combined PAE was protective for worse emotional outlook (OR: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.52-0.98). Combined PAE was also protective for reported poor health (OR for women: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.44-0.91; OR for men: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.61-0.92). Amount of physical activity modified PAE relationships with outcomes. Combined and outdoor PAE were more consistently protective for worse outcomes among high activity participants. Regardless of PAE, better outcomes were observed in active versus inactive participants. The current study suggests addition of outdoor PAE may be linked with better stress management, outlook and health perceptions for more active populations, whereas indoor PAE may be more important for low active populations. Further research should examine the order of causation and whether type of outdoor PAE (eg, urban, natural) is important.

EVIDENCE ON EMPLOYMENT RATE AND ECONOMIC GROWTH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cornelia VĂCEANU

2014-11-01

Full Text Available This paper explores a causal relationship between employment rate and economic growth for European Union countries, in general, and produces a structural assessment of employment on the background of labour market dynamics. Economic growth is the key in economic theory and the main source of well-being and quality of life. Since the 2008 financial crisis, most European countries have experienced job shortage and unemployment problem, but today's European economic outlook is strengthening on the bases of a GDP growing momentum. Empirical data shows, regardless the GDP's moderate positive trend, the employment rate did not increase enough. Given this, the present analysis address the question: to what extent the employment rate is affected by economic growth?

Solar rooftop in India: Policies, challenges and outlook

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Malti Goel

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Solar photovoltaic rooftop has emerged as a potential green technology to address climate change issues by reducing reliance on conventional fossil fuel based energy. With a strong commitment to increase the renewable sources based energy capacity to 175 GW by 2022, India has a target to install 100 GW of solar energy capacity. Of this 40 GW would be the share of grid connected solar PV rooftop. This paper examines global growth in solar energy, world's major rooftop installed capacity countries' policies and solar rooftop policy instruments in India. The current Indian goals, issues & challenges in achieving them and trends in further development are discussed. Keywords: Solar energy, India, Rooftop PV, Policies, Outlook

Enron's 1993 outlook for U.S. gas reflects new technologies, markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carson, M.; Stram, B.N.; Roberts, M.A.

1993-01-01

Enron Corp., Houston, has revisited its 1991 outlook for US natural gas supplies, revising upward by 8.6% its view of the nation's natural-gas resource base. As of Jan. 1, 1993, Enron's US resource assessment for the Lower 48 is 1,303 tcf, or more than a 70-year resource life at the 17.6 tcfy 1992 production rate. In 1991, Enron had foreseen 1,200 tcf of undiscovered and potential resources (including 160 tcf of proven natural gas reserves). The company foresees the potential for 2.4 tcf of gas-market growth to 22 tcf by the year 2000 (up from 19.6 tcf in 1992) and to 23.6 tcf by 2005. This growth is largely the result of incremental natural-gas use in electric-power generation in gas combined-cycle plants, gas for co-firing, and in commercial gas use, including 500 bcf natural-gas-fleet vehicle fuel use by 2000. With additional environmental and policy initiatives, another new demand increment of 2 tcf or more could be added by 2000. The paper describes technology yields; effects of policies; electricity growth; and total market in North America

Current supply/demand outlook and its impact on gas marketing strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maffitt, D.

1994-01-01

The current supply/demand outlook for natural gas in Canada is discussed, starting with a review of natural gas supply trends since the deregulation of the market in 1985/86. Market demand trends and expansion of export pipeline capacity are summarized to demonstrate how radically the North American gas marketing industry has changed in the last decade. As of January 1st 1993, Canada ranked eleventh in the world with respect to remaining natural gas reserves (96 Tft 3 ), which represents only 2% of global gas reserves. Canada ranks third in gas production (5 Tft 3 /y), behind the USA and former Soviet Union (19 and 29 Tft 3 /y, respectively). In western Canada, gas production rates have increased 75% since deregulation. Canadian domestic demand has grown 24% since 1985 to the 1993 level of 2.1 Tft 3 /y, while exports to the USA have grown 144% to 2.2 Tft 3 /y. The present environment requires a 'just in time' attitude towards developing new gas reserves and arranging transportation and storage. Long term gas marketing transacations are increasingly deliverability-based, firm delivery commitments which include harsh penalties for nonperformance. 7 figs

The outlook for renewable energy in Navarre: An economic profile

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faulin, Javier; Lera, Fernando; Pintor, Jesus M.; Garcia, Justo

2006-01-01

This paper describes the outlook and development of renewable energy in Navarre (Spain), which has become one of the leading regions in renewables over the last 10 years. This paper focuses its attention on the key features of the energy policy in Navarre, where there has emerged a dynamic enterprise sector. This sector has enormously increased its employment rates in the region. The success of renewable energy in Navarre is the result of the joint impact of decisive institutional support, industrial initiatives and consensus among social agents with regard to renewables. Tax incentives and local investment programs designed to break down the reluctance of local authorities and a campaign to obtain public support have, moreover, proven more efficient than the prior feed-in tariffs scheme, designed to develop the renewable energy sector and create international companies within it. The paper culminates in a detailed prognosis based on the SRN2003 survey of employment and installed power, which covers the majority of the firms operating in the Navarre renewables sector. Findings, however, suggest that the future of the sector in Navarre could be held back by the shortage of trained workers. This article might serve as a pertinent example for the deployment of renewables at regional level worldwide

Office Machine and Computer Occupations. Reprinted from the Occupational Outlook Handbook, 1978-79 Edition.

Science.gov (United States)

Bureau of Labor Statistics (DOL), Washington, DC.

Focusing on office machine and computer occupations, this document is one in a series of forty-one reprints from the Occupational Outlook Handbook providing current information and employment projections for individual occupations and industries through 1985. The specific occupations covered in this document include business machine repairers,…

Air and Water Transportation Occupations. Reprinted from the Occupational Outlook Handbook, 1978-79 Edition.

Science.gov (United States)

Bureau of Labor Statistics (DOL), Washington, DC.

Focusing on air and water transportation occupations, this document is one in a series of forty-one reprints from the Occupational Outlook Handbook providing current information and employment projections for individual occupations and industries through 1985. The specific occupations covered in this document include civil aviation workers, air…

World energy outlook: how to share the efforts to be achieved by 2030?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

This conference was organized a month after the publication by the International Energy Agency (IEA) of the 2007 World Energy Outlook (WEO) study. The energy situation at that time was marked by the repercussions on the environment and on the security of supplies in relation with the accelerated development of China and India. This document gathers the transparencies of the two presentations given at this conference. The first presentation by Fatih Birol, Chief Economist at the IEA, is entitled 'World Energy Outlook 2007: China and India Insights'. It presents the Cooperation with China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and Energy Research Institute (ERI), and with India's Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) for the establishment of energy scenarios. Then the different scenarios are reviewed: Reference Scenario, Alternative Policy Scenario and 450 Stabilisation Case, High Growth Scenario (China/India). Finally, a full global update of projections (all scenarios) is presented and the impact of China and India on global economy, energy markets and environment is analyzed. The conclusions are as follows: - Global energy system is on an increasingly unsustainable path; - China and India are transforming the global energy system by their sheer size; - Challenge for all countries is to achieve transition to a more secure, lower carbon energy system; - New policies now under consideration would make a major contribution; - Next 10 years are critical (The pace of capacity additions will be most rapid, Technology will be 'locked-in' for decades, Growing tightness in oil and gas markets); - Challenge is global so solutions must be global. The second presentation by Jean-Charles Hourcade (CIRED) is entitled 'The WEO 2007 A few comments about the Emerging Giants... and us'. The presentation focusses on 4 points: - What implications of higher growth in the Asian Giants on the world economy through higher pressure on energy resources; - Economic questions

Improved rate control for electron-beam evaporation and evaluation of optical performance improvements.

Science.gov (United States)

Gevelber, Michael; Xu, Bing; Smith, Douglas

2006-03-01

A new deposition-rate-control and electron-beam-gun (e-gun) strategy was developed that significantly reduces the growth-rate variations for e-beam-deposited SiO2 coatings. The resulting improvements in optical performance are evaluated for multilayer bandpass filters. The adverse effect of uneven silica-source depletion on coating spectral performances during long deposition runs is discussed.

An Update to the Budget and Economic Outlook: 2014 to 2024

Science.gov (United States)

2014-08-01

line) reflect the data available and projec- tions made before July 30. U.S. dollar and the currencies of major U.S. trading part- ners using shares of...U.S. trade as weights) in 2015 and later years will reduce the foreign- currency price of U.S. exports and increase the domestic price of U.S. imports...UPDATE TO THE BUDGET AND ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: 2014 TO 2024 AUGUST 2014 CBOEconomic Projections The economic projections were prepared by the Macroeconomic

Food and Health in Rural Lebanon : Options to Improve Dietary ...

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

At the same time, rural ecosystems are deteriorating due to urban encroachment, ... and policy options for improving dietary diversity, food security and health in poor and vulnerable ... Asian outlook: New growth dependent on new productivity ... IWRA/IDRC webinar on climate change and adaptive water management.

Improving completion rates in adult education through social responsibility

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wahlgren, Bjarne; Mariager-Anderson, Kristina

2017-01-01

Dropout is a serious problem within education. This article reports on an intervention project, titled “New Roles for the Teacher—Increased Completion Rates Through Social Responsibility,” which sought to reduce nonattendance and dropout rates in the Danish adult educational system by improving...... of reducing drop-out rates. As a consequence, the teachers acted more consistently and purposefully to prevent dropout, and a positive effect of the intervention on drop-out rates was documented....

Outlook for Noth American natural gas supplies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuuskraa, V.A.

1995-01-01

The underlying resource base for North America natural gas is large, sufficient for nearly 100 years of current consumption. As such, the issues are not the size of the resource, but how to convert this resource into economically competitive supply. The key questions are: Will the cost (price) of natural gas remain competitive? What is the status of near-term deliverability? Will there be enough supply to meet growing demand? These economic and market issues frame the outlook for gas supplies in North America. Most importantly, they will determine how natural gas emerges from its competition for markets with other fuels and electricity. The paper addresses these questions by examining: (1) the underlying nature of the natural gas resource base; (2) the current status and trends in deliverability; and, (3) the potential of new technologies for producing gas more cost-effectively. (author)

Short-term energy outlook, quarterly projections, second quarter 1998

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-04-01

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) prepares quarterly short-term energy supply, demand, and price projections. The details of these projections, as well as monthly updates, are available on the Internet at: www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/steo/pub/contents.html. The paper discusses outlook assumptions; US energy prices; world oil supply and the oil production cutback agreement of March 1998; international oil demand and supply; world oil stocks, capacity, and net trade; US oil demand and supply; US natural gas demand and supply; US coal demand and supply; US electricity demand and supply; US renewable energy demand; and US energy demand and supply sensitivities. 29 figs., 19 tabs.

Oil outlook to 2020

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shihab-Eldin, A.; Hamel, M.; Brennand, G.

2003-01-01

OPEC's World Energy Model, OWEM, is used to develop the outlook for oil demand and supply to 2020. The reference case assumes world economic growth averaging 3.3 per cent per annum, while OPEC's Reference Basket of seven crudes remains mainly in the target range of US $22-28 a barrel, in nominal terms. With no additional assumed policy measures, for example, to reduce CO 2 emissions, the reference case sees world oil demand rising from 76 million barrels a day in 2000 to 89 mb/d in 2010 and 107 mb/d in 2020. More than three-quarters of this increase comes from developing countries. The most important sector for a demand increase is transportation, accounting for 60 per cent of the rise globally. On the supply side, the oil resource base is not considered a constraint to satisfying this increase in demand. Non-OPEC production is expected to continue to grow during the current decade, and to stabilise at a level of 53-55 mb/d beyond 2010. OPEC production is projected to reach 36 mb/d by 2010 and 52 mb/d in 2020. It is important, however, to recognise the uncertainties pervading such an assessment. For example, it is not clear how future economic growth, energy policies and technology will develop over this time horizon, and this inevitably clouds any assessment of future oil demand and supply. In an attempt to quantify one aspect of such uncertainty, other feasible economic growth rates have been assumed, the results of which suggest that OPEC output by 2010 could be 4-5 mb/d higher or lower than in the reference case, while the range is clearly even greater in the years to 2020. Moreover, policy reactions to such developments could compound the uncertainty. On the other hand, such alternative economic growth could place pressure upon oil prices to move outside OPEC's price band of $22-28/b. These uncertainties illustrate the scope of the challenges confronting the oil industry, especially given the long lead-time nature of oil industry investment, in making

Outlook with conservative treatment of peptic oesophageal stricture.

Science.gov (United States)

Ogilvie, A L; Ferguson, R; Atkinson, M

1980-01-01

In order to assess the outlook for patients with peptic oesophageal strictures treated by Eder Puestow dilatation at fibreoptic endoscopy, 50 patients were followed up for periods ranging from nine months to four years. Twenty patients (40%) required only a single dilatation, and the remaining 30 (60%) required multiple dilatations. The frequency of dilatation tended to decrease with time. There was one death attributable to the procedure. Two patients developed an adenocarcinoma at the site of the stricture. We conclude that conservative management of peptic oesophageal stricture combining the use of dilatation at fibreoptic endoscopy with medical measures to control gastro-oesophageal reflux offers a relatively safe means of providing symptomatic relief, maintaining nutrition, and allowing the patient an acceptable quality of life. PMID:7364314

38 CFR 3.24 - Improved pension rates-Surviving children.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Improved pension rates-Surviving children. 3.24 Section 3.24 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ADJUDICATION Pension, Compensation, and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation General § 3.24 Improved pension...

Improving Completion Rates in Adult Education through Social Responsibility

Science.gov (United States)

Wahlgren, Bjarne; Mariager-Anderson, Kristina

2017-01-01

Dropout is a serious problem within education. This article reports on an intervention project, titled "New Roles for the Teacher--Increased Completion Rates Through Social Responsibility," which sought to reduce nonattendance and drop-out rates in the Danish adult educational system by improving teachers' competences. This goal was…

North American natural gas outlook : does gas remain a fuel option for oil sands?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

George, R.R.

2003-01-01

This paper presents a North America natural gas outlook from Purvin and Gertz, an international energy consulting firm that has 30 years experience in providing strategic, commercial and technical advice to the petroleum industry. In particular, this presentation focuses on natural gas market fundamentals and how they may impact on oil sands development. It includes charts and graphs depicting NYMEX natural gas outlooks to July, 2009 and examines how supply will react to major changes in Canada's supply portfolio. It was noted that oil sands development is a driver for natural gas demand in Alberta. The existing regional gas pipeline infrastructure was presented and the market impact on upgrader options was discussed. The author suggests that if gas prices are too high, there are other fuel options for steam and power generation. These include bitumen, asphalt, coke, coal and nuclear. However, these options have additional costs, uncertainties and environmental issues. A key factor for success would be to have a clear understanding of the benefits and risks between these fuel options. 1 tab., 9 figs

Reducing RN Vacancy Rate: A Nursing Recruitment Office Process Improvement Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Hisgen, Stephanie A; Page, Nancy E; Thornlow, Deirdre K; Merwin, Elizabeth I

2018-06-01

The aim of this study was to reduce the RN vacancy rate at an academic medical center by improving the hiring process in the Nursing Recruitment Office. Inability to fill RN positions can lead to higher vacancy rates and negatively impact staff and patient satisfaction, quality outcomes, and the organization's bottom line. The Model for Improvement was used to design and implement a process improvement project to improve the hiring process from time of interview through the position being filled. Number of days to interview and check references decreased significantly, but no change in overall time to hire and time to fill positions was noted. RN vacancy rate also decreased significantly. Nurse manager satisfaction with the hiring process increased significantly. Redesigning the recruitment process supported operational efficiencies of the organization related to RN recruitment.

The International Energy Agency's world energy outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Dell, S.

1996-01-01

The 1996 edition of the World Energy Outlook to 2010 was reviewed. An overview of the energy projections was provided based on assumptions about economic growth and energy prices, geological potential, technological developments, the availability of traditional fuels outside the OECD and the future preferences of energy users. Demand vs. price movements were modelled, based on 'capacity constraints' and 'energy saving ' scenarios. Three major conclusions derived from the projections were: (1) world primary energy demand will grow steadily as it has over the past two decades, (2) fossil fuels will account for 90 per cent of total primary energy demand in 2010, and (3) a structural shift in the shares of different regions in world energy demand is likely to occur, i.e., the OECD share will fall in favor of the share of the ROW (rest of the world). 4 tabs., 9 figs

HLW disposal in Germany - R and D achievements and outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steininger, W.

2006-01-01

The paper gives a brief overview of the status of R and D on HLW disposal. Shortly addressed is the current nuclear policy. After describing the responsibilities regarding R and D for disposing of heat-generating high-level (HLW) waste (vitrified waste and spent fuel), selected projects are mentioned to illustrate the state of knowledge in disposing of waste in rock salt. Participation in international projects and programs is described to illustrate the value for the German concepts and ideas for HLW disposal in different rock types. Finally, a condensed outlook on future activities is given. (author)

Power Line Communication (PLC) in Space - Current Status and Outlook

Science.gov (United States)

Wolf, J.

2012-05-01

The Power Line Communication (PLC) technology as known from various terrestrial applications, e.g. in building automation, in the automotive sector and on aircraft, appears to be a promising technology for the use on spacecraft. Starting from a critical overview on existing terrestrial PLC applications with their pros and cons, the paper gives a motivation for the introduction of the PLC technology on spacecraft, discusses the potential areas where it can be applied and is highlighting the potential problem areas. A short overview of on-going ESA PLC activities is provided and an outlook is given.

The outlook for crude oil supply and demand in Australia and its energy policy implications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-08-01

Australia's oil reserves and production have contributed significantly to national economic prosperity and growth since the first large scale discoveries in Bass Strait in the 1960s. As a finite, non-renewable resource, the reserves ultimately must decline. In 1988 the forecast was that Australia's oil production would begin to decline in the mid 1990s and then rapidly tail off by the late 1990s. With this in mind, AMEC Ministers agreed in 1988 that a Working Group should review the energy policy implications of the forecast decline in the production of petroleum. The Working Group's findings are presented in this booklet. Chapter 2 examines the outlook for demand for petroleum products in Australia until 2005. This Chapter is based on current Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) forecasts as well as savings in fuel demand that are potentially available from fuel efficiency and fuel switching measures. Chapter 3, which includes BMR's recently revised petroleum production forecasts, looks at the outlook for crude oil and condensate production, also to 2005. Chapter 4 discusses the range of government initiatives already in place to foster the efficient exploration and production of petroleum in Australia. This Chapter also examines the outlook for Australian alternative liquid fuels. Chapter 5, which is based on analysis by ABARE, broadly examines the possible macroeconomic implications of declining oil production for Australia while Chapter 6 examines the issue of energy security and in particular its relationship with oil self sufficiency. Finally, Chapter 7 identifies some energy policy considerations and recommendations arising out of the Working Group's analysis. 7 tabs, 3 figs

The outlook for North American supply

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coppens, J.

1998-01-01

An overview of North American natural gas assets and operations is presented, along with an outlook for natural gas demand, supply, and prices. Future natural gas demand was considered in the light of 1997 natural gas consumption by the residential, commercial, industrial and utility sectors, and an attempt was made to provide answers to questions such as the reasonableness of projections 30 Tcf annual demand, and the availability of gas resources or gas infrastructure to sustain demand of this magnitude. According to projections by the Electric Industry Association, 65 per cent of gas demand growth is for electric power generation. Natural gas supply on a regional and continental basis was reviewed and the implications for production were assessed. The overall conclusion was that resource supply will not be the constraining factor since there is plenty of gas, and the demand is regionally dispersed. However, if the demand for power generation comes anywhere near the high consumption forecast of 100 to 150 GW, a huge amount of gas-fired power plants would have to be built. Expansion of this magnitude would not be inexpensive

Radioactive waste storage: historical outlook and socio technical analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petit, J.C.

1993-07-01

The radioactive waste storage remains, in most of the industrialized concerned countries, one extremely debated question. This problem may, if an acceptable socially answer is not found, to create obstacles to the whole nuclear path. This study aim was to analyze the controversy in an historical outlook. The large technological plans have always economical, political, sociological, , psychological and so on aspects, that the experts may be inclined to neglect. ''Escape of radioactivity is unlikely, as long as surveillance of the waste is maintained, that is, as long as someone is present to check for leaks or corrosion or malfunctioning of and to take action, if any of these occur. 444 refs., 32 figs

LCG Persistency Framework (CORAL, COOL, POOL): Status and Outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valassi, A; Kalkhof, A; Loth, A; Trentadue, R; Clemencic, M; Frank, M; Pokorski, W; Dykstra, D; Front, D; Govi, G; Nowak, M; Salnikov, A; Schmidt, S A; Wache, M; Xie, Z

2011-01-01

The Persistency Framework consists of three software packages (CORAL, COOL and POOL) addressing the data access requirements of the LHC experiments in different areas. It is the result of the collaboration between the CERN IT Department and the three experiments (ATLAS, CMS and LHCb) that use this software to access their data. POOL is a hybrid technology store for C++ objects, metadata catalogs and collections. CORAL is a relational database abstraction layer with an SQL-free API. COOL provides specific software tools and components for the handling of conditions data. This paper reports on the status and outlook of the project and reviews in detail the usage of each package in the three experiments.

Venezuela natural gas outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, P.

1991-01-01

This paper reports on the natural gas outlook for Venezuela. First of all, it is very important to remember that in the last few years we have had frequent and unforeseen changes in the energy, ecological, geopolitical and economical fields which explain why all the projections of demand and prices for hydrocarbons and their products have failed to predict what later would happen in the market. Natural gas, with its recognized advantages over other traditional competitors such as oil, coal and nuclear energy, is identified as the component that is acquiring more weight in the energy equation, with a strengthening projection, not only as a resource that covers demand but as a key element in the international energy business. In fact, natural gas satisfies 21% of overall worldwide energy consumption, with an annual increase of 2.7% over the last few years, which is higher than the global energy growth of other fossil fuels. This tendency, which dates from the beginning of the 1980's, will continue with a possibility of increasing over the coming years. Under a foreseeable scenario, it is estimated that worldwide use of natural gas will increase 40% over the next 10 years and 75% on a longer term. Specifically for liquid methane (LNG), use should increase 60% during this last decade. The LPG increase should be moderate due to the limited demand until 1995 and to the stable trends that will continue its use until the end of this century

Understanding Firms' Inflation Expectations Using the Bank of Canada's Business Outlook Survey

OpenAIRE

Richards, Simon; Verstraete, Matthieu

2016-01-01

Inflation expectations are a key determinant of actual and future inflation and thus matter for the conduct of monetary policy. We study how firms form their inflation expectations using quarterly firm-level data from the Bank of Canada's Business Outlook Survey, spanning the 2001 to 2015 period. The data are aggregated to construct an inflation expectations index. Results based on the index suggest that expectations are not consistent with the rationality assumption but are, still, more comp...

Financial outlook for the Canadian gas industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Friedenberg, B.

1994-01-01

The financial outlook for the Canadian natural gas industry is discussed in terms of the price of Canadian gas and its production and transportation costs. Demand growth for natural gas is fairly steady, reflecting economic growth and technological advances. Supply growth is more volatile, overshooting demand growth in an up market and undershooting in a down market. In the past year and a half, gas prices have improved as the supply deliverability surplus has eroded. It is predicted that supply will again exceed demand and prices will decline, the length of this price cycle being a few years. Production costs for western Canadian gas had been declining during the mid-1980s to 1991, and current replacement costs average ca $1.87/GJ. It is doubtful that fieldgate costs will increase to overtake fieldgate market prices and the Canadian gas industry will remain in a healthy state. The availability and cost of gas transport, however, is critically important. The major costs of pipeline transport are fixed demand charges and the value of transport services out of western Canada is determined by the demand and the supply (the location and size of the pipeline infrastructure, which is essentially fixed over short to medium time frames). This value can vary significantly as the demand for pipeline space varies both daily and seasonally. Excess pipeline capacity is generally good for the Canadian producing industry since it lowers transport costs, but excess capacity also plays a role in linking producing-basin and market area prices to one another. This is illustrated for the case of Alberta and Texas gas prices, which show higher correlation with falling load factors on ex-Alberta pipeline capacity. 5 figs

Indian Wind Energy Outlook 2011

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shukla, Shruti; Kharul, Rajendra; Sawyer, Steve; Patel, Narendra; Pullen, Angelika; Gorate, Devanand; Raghu, V.

2011-12-01

This report is a valuable tool for members of the wind industry and policy makers alike to learn about the market opportunities and the legal and regulatory framework in India. In addition, it gives us insights into the challenges going forward and offers suggestions for overcoming remaining hurdles for wind power development. According to the outlook 65.2 GW of wind power could be installed in Indian by 2020, up from 13.1 GW at the end of 2010. This would attract around USD 10.4bn of annual investment to the sector, and create 170,000 'green collar' jobs in manufacturing, project development, installation, operation, maintenance, consulting etc. At the same time, it would save 174 tons of CO2 every year. By 2030, the installed capacity could reach as much as 160.7 GW. In order to fully exploit the indigenous energy source at its doorstep, the Indian government needs to address several challenges and barriers that are holding back development. This includes a national renewable energy law, incentives for repowering, and rapid up-scaling of grid infrastructure to transport increasing amounts of wind power to the demand centres. It highlights the key role wind power could play in fueling India's growing energy demand, by delivering substantial amounts of clean energy.

Improving health promotion through central rating of interventions: the need for Responsive Guidance.

Science.gov (United States)

Kok, Maarten Olivier; Bal, Roland; Roelofs, Caspar David; Schuit, Albertine Jantine

2017-11-23

In several countries, attempts are made to improve health promotion by centrally rating the effectiveness of health promotion interventions. The Dutch Effectiveness Rating System (ERS) for health promotion interventions is an improvement-oriented approach in which multi-disciplinary expert committees rate available health promotion interventions as 'theoretically sound', 'probably effective' or 'proven effective'. The aim of this study is to explore the functioning of the ERS and the perspective of researchers, policy-makers and practitioners regarding its contribution to improvement. We interviewed 53 selected key informants from research, policy and practice in the Netherlands and observed the assessment of 12 interventions. Between 2008 and 2012, a total of 94 interventions were submitted to the ERS, of which 23 were rejected, 58 were rated as 'theoretically sound', 10 were rated as 'probably effective' and 3 were rated as 'proven effective'. According to participants, the ERS was intended to facilitate both the improvement of available interventions and the improvement of health promotion in practice. While participants expected that describing and rating interventions promoted learning and enhanced the transferability of interventions, they were concerned that the ERS approach was not suitable for guiding intervention development and improving health promotion in practice. The expert committees that assessed the interventions struggled with a lack of norms for the relevance of effects and questions about how effects should be studied and rated. Health promotion practitioners were concerned that the ERS neglected the local adaptation of interventions and did not encourage the improvement of aspects like applicability and costs. Policy-makers and practitioners were worried that the lack of proven effectiveness legitimised cutbacks rather than learning and advancing health promotion. While measuring and centrally rating the effectiveness of interventions can be

Improvement of rate of operation of LWRs, (2)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Makiura, Ryutaro

1978-01-01

In the first part, the growing importance of improving the rate of operation of nuclear power plants is expressed in view of the big unit capacity of the present plants. The following parts of this report are devoted to the description of various measures for improving the reliability and the rate of operation of BWR plants from the standpoint of plant makers. The first subject is the early solution of ''singular troubles'', for example, the channel wear due to the oscillation of LPRM strings. The second subject is ''ordinary troubles'' such as valve leak and malfunction, deterioration of various parts, and vibration of pipes. The improvement of load factor is discussed in the third part in connection with the present efforts to abolish the PCIOMR operation and to employ the fine motion of control rod-driving mechanism. The final subject concerns with the efforts for shortening the time required for regular inspection. Review of inspection items and shortening of their required time, reduction of radiation exposure automated and remote-controlled operation, and intensive training of operators are the main subjects discussed here. (Aoki, K.)

Market for new coal powerplant technologies in the US: 1997 annual energy outlook results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hutzler, M.J. [Dept. of Energy, Washington, DC (United States). Energy Information Administration

1997-12-31

Over the next 20 years, the combination of slow growth in the demand for electricity, even slower growth in the need for new capacity, especially baseload capacity, and the competitiveness of new gas-fired technologies limits the market for new coal technologies in the US. In the later years of the 1997 Annual Energy Outlook projections, post-2005, when a significant amount of new capacity is needed to replace retiring plants and meet growing demand, some new coal-fired plants are expected to be built, but new gas-fired plants are expected to remain the most economical choice for most needs. The largest market for clean coal technologies in the United States may be in retrofitting or repowering existing plants to meet stricter environmental standards, especially over the next 10 years. Key uncertainties include the rate of growth in the demand for electricity and the level of competing fuel prices, particularly natural gas. Higher than expected growth in the demand for electricity and/or relatively higher natural gas prices would increase the market for new coal technologies.

Psychological and Pedagogical Support of the Formation of Professional World Outlook of the University Students

Science.gov (United States)

Kirillova, Olga V.; Kirillova, Tatyana V.; Abramova, Lyudmila A.; Gavrilova, Irina V.; Vaibert, Margarita I.

2017-01-01

The research urgency is caused by necessity of the accumulation of human capital as the main factor of economic growth. The purpose of this article is to identify methods of psychological and pedagogical support of formation of professional outlook of the university students. Methodological basis of the research was the principle of acmeology,…

The Global Outlook for Small Reactors: Opportunities, Challenges and Implementation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hughes, A.

2012-01-01

The fascinating topic of small nuclear is becoming more prevalent on the nuclear agenda. The discussions are generally focused within the country of technical origin. In this presentation 'The global outlook for small reactors' Rolls-Royce along with energy business analysts Douglas-Westwood present their shared views on the global opportunities for Small Reactor deployment in the context of the wider energy market. The presentation will: provide a compressive overview of trends and dynamics relating to Small Reactors in the context of the current world energy market, identify specific Small Reactor opportunities and areas of interest, address the challenges and potential solutions for Small Reactor deployment and operation.(author).

Aluminum, Iron and Steel, and Foundry Industries. Reprinted from the Occupational Outlook Handbook, 1978-79 Edition.

Science.gov (United States)

Bureau of Labor Statistics (DOL), Washington, DC.

Focusing on occupations in the various metal industries, this document is one in a series of forty-one reprints from the Occupational Outlook Handbook providing current information and employment projections for individual occupations and industries through 1985. The specific occupations covered in this document include occupations in the aluminum…

Bilayer graphene: physics and application outlook in photonics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan Hugen

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Layered materials, such as graphene, transition metal dichacogenides and black phosphorus have attracted lots of attention recently. They are emerging novel materials in electronics and photonics, with tremendous potential in revolutionizing the traditional electronics and photonics industry. Marrying layered material to the nanophotonics is being proved fruitful. With the recent emphasis and development of metasurfaces in nanophotonics, atomically thin materials can find their unique position and strength in this field. In this article, I will focus on one specific two dimensional material: bilayer graphene. Basic physics will be reviewed, such as band-gap opening, electron-phonon interaction, phonon-plasmon interaction and Fano resonances in the optical response. Moreover, I will review the application of bilayer graphene as a sensitive and fast photodetector. An outlook will be given in the final part of the paper.

The Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook: A collaboration between scientific and Indigenous communities to support safety and food security in a changing Arctic

Science.gov (United States)

Sheffield Guy, L.; Wiggins, H. V.; Schreck, M. B.; Metcalf, V. K.

2017-12-01

The Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook (SIWO) provides Alaskan Native subsistence walrus hunters and Bering Strait coastal communities with weekly reports on spring sea ice and weather conditions to promote hunter safety, food security, and preservation of cultural heritage. These reports integrate scientific and Indigenous knowledge into a co-produced tool that is used by both local and scientific communities. SIWO is a team effort led by the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS, with funding from NSF Arctic Sciences Section), with the Eskimo Walrus Commission, National Weather Service - Alaska Sea Ice Program, University of Alaska Fairbanks - International Arctic Research Center, and local observers. For each weekly outlook, the National Weather Service provides location-specific weather and sea ice forecasts and regional satellite imagery. Local observations of sea ice, weather, and hunting conditions are provided by observers from five Alaskan communities in the Bering Strait region: Wales, Shishmaref, Nome, Gambell, and Savoonga. These observations typically include a written description of conditions accompanied by photographs of sea ice or subsistence activities. Outlooks are easily accessible and provide a platform for sharing of knowledge among hunters in neighboring communities. The opportunity to contribute is open, and Indigenous language and terms are encouraged. These observations from local hunters and community members also provide a valuable tool for validation of weather forecasts, satellite products, and other information for scientists. This presentation will discuss the process, products, and mutually beneficial outcomes of the Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook.

Rates for the competitive market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ander, B.; Watson, I.; Snelson, K.

1997-01-01

The discussion panel consisted of Bruce Ander of Pamco Atlas, Ian Watson, Chair of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce Energy Committee, and Ken Snelson, Principal of Snelson International Energy. Ian Watson shared his membership's views on the future supply of electric power under a competitive energy system in Ontario, stressing the need for the government to instruct Ontario Hydro to bring forward a transmission rate to the Ontario Energy Board in 1997, and for legislation to allow independent buyers and sellers to contract with one another to use that transmission rate outside the control of Ontario Hydro. He also expressed concern about Ontario Hydro's anti-competitive load retention rate which was an obvious bid to retain its major customers. Ken Snelson reported on a review of the effects of competition on Canada's long-term energy outlook. He predicted that in a competitive market with full retail access, customers can expect a lot more choice; independent producers also will have many more options for selling power

North American natural gas storage, market and price outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

George, R.

1999-01-01

A series of overhead viewgraphs accompanied this presentation which dealt with the fundamental factors and short-term considerations that will impact Canadian and U.S. natural gas pricing. The short-term pricing outlook and some transportation issues were also highlighted. The major transportation issues for 1999/2000 are: (1) Nova tolling, (2) incentive tolling and negotiations, (3) decontracting, (4) pipeline project schedules, and (5) land use and environmental considerations. The major supply issues are: (1) impact of oil prices on gas drilling and production, (2) impact of merger and acquisition activity, and (3) land use and environmental considerations. The major demand issues for the same time period are: (1) greenhouse gas emissions, (2) electricity restructuring, and (3) new end-use technologies. 3 tabs., 21 figs

World Energy Outlook 2011 Special Report: Energy for All

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

What impact will the return of high energy prices have on the fragile economic recovery? Will geopolitical unrest, price volatility and policy inaction defer investment in the oil sector and amplify risks to our energy security? What will renewed uncertainty surrounding the role of nuclear power mean for future energy and environmental trends? Is the gap between our climate actions and our climate goals becoming insurmountable? World Energy Outlook 2011 tackles these and other pressing questions. The latest data, policy developments, and the experience of another turbulent year are brought together to provide robust analysis and insight into global energy markets. WEO-2011 once again gives detailed energy demand and supply projections out to 2035, broken down by region, fuel, sector and scenario.

Coal in India: current status and outlook - Panorama 2008; Le charbon en Inde: etat des lieux et perspectives - Panorama 2008

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2008-07-01

The world cannot do without coal. This energy source covers more than one-quarter (28.4% in 2006) of all primary energy consumption and is used to generate nearly 40% of all electricity consumed worldwide. All scenarios and forecasts agree that coal consumption will be growing substantially, driven mostly by China and India. According to the IEA reference scenario (World Energy Outlook 2007), these two countries are expected to account for 82% of the increase in global coal demand by 2030. The outlook for India gives cause for concern: despite a strong domestic coal industry, it could eventually become a major importer. If so, what will the economic, industrial and environmental consequences be?.

The Outlook for Technological Change and Employment. Technology and the American Economy, Appendix Volume I.

Science.gov (United States)

National Commission on Technology, Automation and Economic Progress, Washington, DC.

Findings of a study of the nation's manpower requirements to 1975 are presented. Part I, on the employment outlook, consists of a 10-year projection of manpower requirements by occupation and by industry prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and an analysis of the growth prospects and the state of fiscal policy in the United States economy as…

Oil outlook to 2020

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lounnas, R.; Brennand, G.

2002-01-01

The latest oil outlook to the year 2020 is presented, using the OPEC World Energy Model (OWEM). In the reference case, the OPEC Reference Basket of seven crudes is assumed to remain within the declared price range of US dollars 22-28 per barrel, in nominal terms, for the rest of this decade, growing with inflation thereafter. World oil demand grows from 76 million barrels a day in 2000 to 89 mb/d by 2010, and to over 106 mb/d by 2020. Two-thirds of the increase in demand over this 20-year period comes from China and the developing countries. Non-OPEC production is expected to continue to increase throughout the entire forecast period, with the decline in North Sea output more than compensated by increases in the developing countries, Russia and the Caspian region. OPEC market share in the first decade is accordingly relatively stable, as increases in output are approximately matched by higher non-OPEC supply. In the following ten years, however, it becomes increasingly inevitable that OPEC market share will increase, as the net rise in non-OPEC output slows. The net investment requirement will need to cover both additional capacity and the maintenance of the existing production potential. For OPEC alone, the estimate is around 10 billion dollars a year during this period. Substantially higher or lower oil prices than the assumed values for the reference case are shown not only to generate lower OPEC export revenue, but also to be unsustainable. (Author)

Rating the strength of scientific evidence: relevance for quality improvement programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Lohr, Kathleen N

2004-02-01

To summarize an extensive review of systems for grading the quality of research articles and rating the strength of bodies of evidence, and to highlight for health professionals and decision-makers concerned with quality measurement and improvement the available "best practices" tools by which these steps can be accomplished. Drawing on an extensive review of checklists, questionnaires, and other tools in the field of evidence-based practice, this paper discusses clinical, management, and policy rationales for rating strength of evidence in a quality improvement context, and documents best practices methods for these tasks. After review of 121 systems for grading the quality of articles, 19 systems, mostly specific, met a priori scientific standards for grading systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, observational studies, and diagnostic tests; eight systems (of 40 reviewed) met similar standards for rating the overall strength of evidence. All can be used as is or adapted for particular types of evidence reports or systematic reviews. Formally grading study quality and rating overall strength of evidence, using sound instruments and procedures, can produce reasonable levels of confidence about the science base for parts of quality improvement programs. With such information, health care professionals and administrators concerned with quality improvement can understand better the level of science (versus only clinical consensus or opinion) that supports practice guidelines, review criteria, and assessments that feed into quality assurance and improvement programs. New systems are appearing and research is needed to confirm the conceptual and practical underpinnings of these grading and rating systems, but the need for those developing systematic reviews, practice guidelines, and quality or audit criteria to understand and undertake these steps is becoming increasingly clear.

Global energy efficiency improvement in the log term: a demand- and supply-side perspective

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Graus, W.H.J.; Blomen, E.; Worrell, E.

2011-01-01

This study assessed technical potentials for energy efficiency improvement in 2050 in a global context. The reference scenario is based on the World Energy Outlook of the International Energy Agency 2007 edition and assumptions regarding gross domestic product developments after 2030. In the

Rank distributions: A panoramic macroscopic outlook

Science.gov (United States)

Eliazar, Iddo I.; Cohen, Morrel H.

2014-01-01

This paper presents a panoramic macroscopic outlook of rank distributions. We establish a general framework for the analysis of rank distributions, which classifies them into five macroscopic "socioeconomic" states: monarchy, oligarchy-feudalism, criticality, socialism-capitalism, and communism. Oligarchy-feudalism is shown to be characterized by discrete macroscopic rank distributions, and socialism-capitalism is shown to be characterized by continuous macroscopic size distributions. Criticality is a transition state between oligarchy-feudalism and socialism-capitalism, which can manifest allometric scaling with multifractal spectra. Monarchy and communism are extreme forms of oligarchy-feudalism and socialism-capitalism, respectively, in which the intrinsic randomness vanishes. The general framework is applied to three different models of rank distributions—top-down, bottom-up, and global—and unveils each model's macroscopic universality and versatility. The global model yields a macroscopic classification of the generalized Zipf law, an omnipresent form of rank distributions observed across the sciences. An amalgamation of the three models establishes a universal rank-distribution explanation for the macroscopic emergence of a prevalent class of continuous size distributions, ones governed by unimodal densities with both Pareto and inverse-Pareto power-law tails.

Status and Outlook for Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) in Relation to Educational needs in the BIPV Sector

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tabakovic, Momir; Fechner, Hubert; Van Sark, Wilfried; Louwen, Atse; Georghiou, George; Makrides, George; Loucaidou, Eliza; Ioannidou, Monica; Weiss, Ingrid; Arancon, Sofia; Betz, Stephanie

2017-01-01

This paper reviews the present status and outlook of the building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) market on a global and European scale. In particular, it provides a comprehensive review of the market situation and the future trends for Austria, Cyprus, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands

Hanford and the tri-cities economy: Review and outlook, March 1989

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, M.J.; Belzer, D.B.; March, S.J.; Beck, D.M.; Schultz, R.W.; Harkreader, S.A.

1989-03-01

The economy of the Tri-Cities, Washington area (primarily, Benton and Franklin Counties) is in transition due to major changes in two Department of Energy programs at Hanford---the abrupt ending of the Basalt Waste Isolation Project (BWIP) in December 1987 and the placing of the N Reactor in ''cold standby'' status in February 1988. This report reviews the economic situation in the Tri-Cities during 1988 and presents forecasts for key economic indicators for 1989. This report will be updated about every six months to review the changes in the area economy and forecast the near-term outlook. 6 figs., 33 tabs

Hanford and the tri-cities economy: Review and outlook, March 1989

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scott, M.J.; Belzer, D.B.; March, S.J.; Beck, D.M.; Schultz, R.W.; Harkreader, S.A.

1989-03-01

The economy of the Tri-Cities, Washington area (primarily, Benton and Franklin Counties) is in transition due to major changes in two Department of Energy programs at Hanford---the abrupt ending of the Basalt Waste Isolation Project (BWIP) in December 1987 and the placing of the N Reactor in ''cold standby'' status in February 1988. This report reviews the economic situation in the Tri-Cities during 1988 and presents forecasts for key economic indicators for 1989. This report will be updated about every six months to review the changes in the area economy and forecast the near-term outlook. 6 figs., 33 tabs.

Sequential improvements in organ procurement increase the organ donation rate.

Science.gov (United States)

Billeter, Adrian T; Sklare, Seth; Franklin, Glen A; Wright, Jerry; Morgan, Gary; O'Flynn, Paul E; Polk, Hiram C

2012-11-01

Organ demand exceeds availability of transplantable organs. Organ procurement continues to suffer from failures to identify potential donors, inability to obtain consent for donation, as well as failures to retrieve certain organs as donor demographics change. The purpose of this article is to propose how sequentially introduced measures can increase organ donation rates as well as improve organ procurement. We analysed the effect of stepwise improvements in the organ procurement process patients in a university-based surgical intensive care unit over a 20-year period. We related newly introduced measures in the organ retrieval process with changes in donation rates. We specifically targeted these three main steps in the donation process: donor identification, conversion of potential donors to actual donors, and organ protection during the procurement process. Finally, we assessed the effect of the same measures on organ procurement after introduction in other hospitals of the same organ procurement region. Introduction of quality improvement steps increased all of the observed parameters. The number of organ donors was stabilised due to a better identification of potential donors, a major increase in conversion from potential to actual donors, and an increase in extended criteria donor. Improvements in organ protection led to higher rates of organs transplanted per donor and increased recovery of lungs and hearts despite increasing donor age. The same measures were introduced successfully in other hospitals in our organ procurement region. Sequential improvements in organ procurement can increase the yield of retrieved organs. The same measures can be applied to other hospitals and lead to comparable improvements in organ donation. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Indian Wind Energy Outlook 2011

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shukla, Shruti; Kharul, Rajendra; Sawyer, Steve; Patel, Narendra; Pullen, Angelika; Gorate, Devanand; Raghu, V. (eds.)

2011-12-15

This report is a valuable tool for members of the wind industry and policy makers alike to learn about the market opportunities and the legal and regulatory framework in India. In addition, it gives us insights into the challenges going forward and offers suggestions for overcoming remaining hurdles for wind power development. According to the outlook 65.2 GW of wind power could be installed in Indian by 2020, up from 13.1 GW at the end of 2010. This would attract around USD 10.4bn of annual investment to the sector, and create 170,000 'green collar' jobs in manufacturing, project development, installation, operation, maintenance, consulting etc. At the same time, it would save 174 tons of CO2 every year. By 2030, the installed capacity could reach as much as 160.7 GW. In order to fully exploit the indigenous energy source at its doorstep, the Indian government needs to address several challenges and barriers that are holding back development. This includes a national renewable energy law, incentives for repowering, and rapid up-scaling of grid infrastructure to transport increasing amounts of wind power to the demand centres. It highlights the key role wind power could play in fueling India's growing energy demand, by delivering substantial amounts of clean energy.

Drug Improves Birth Rates for Women with Ovary Disorder

Science.gov (United States)

... NIH Research Matters July 21, 2014 Drug Improves Birth Rates for Women with Ovary Disorder At a ... more effective than standard therapy in increasing live births for women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Letrozole could ...

Canadian natural gas liquids : market outlook 2000 - 2010

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gill, L.; Mortensen, P.

2001-01-01

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the availability of Canadian natural gas liquids. The analysis was developed from production profiles and gas compositions for individual gas pools and takes into account the effects of market factors. On the demand side, the effects of new infrastructure and changes in corporate structures have been evaluated. The study was initiated at a time when energy prices were stable and the major concern was to see how the addition of the Alliance pipeline, the Aux Sable gas processing plant, the Empress V straddle plant and the Nova/UCC E3 ethylene plant would affect the Canadian liquids business. The study was complicated by the advent of unexpected factors affecting the supply and demand of natural gas liquids (NGLs). These included extremely high prices for natural gas, an apparent inability of the supply basin to respond to the high gas prices with increased supply, and the very high electricity costs in Alberta. The weak supply of NGLs coincides with the increase in ethane demand from the start-up of Alberta's fourth ethylene facility and the addition of the high vapour pressure Alliance pipeline. This weak supply suggests there will be an ethane shortage for at least the next few years. The longer term outlook, however, is less certain and will require an analysis of the outlook for gas production, gas composition and NGL extraction capacity. This study developed two forecasts for natural gas prices. Both presume rising gas demand across North America driven by increased gas use for power generation. The Low Case assumes modest growth in domestic Canadian gas demand and the High case predicts strong growth in domestic demand as higher levels of exports to the United States, resulting in a doubling in growth for Canadian gas production from 2000-2015 compared to the Low Case. Both High and Low Case scenarios suggest that prices will decline from current levels so that Alberta plant gate prices fall by 2005 and will then

Canadian natural gas liquids : market outlook 2000 - 2010

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gill, L.; Mortensen, P.

2001-04-01

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the availability of Canadian natural gas liquids. The analysis was developed from production profiles and gas compositions for individual gas pools and takes into account the effects of market factors. On the demand side, the effects of new infrastructure and changes in corporate structures have been evaluated. The study was initiated at a time when energy prices were stable and the major concern was to see how the addition of the Alliance pipeline, the Aux Sable gas processing plant, the Empress V straddle plant and the Nova/UCC E3 ethylene plant would affect the Canadian liquids business. The study was complicated by the advent of unexpected factors affecting the supply and demand of natural gas liquids (NGLs). These included extremely high prices for natural gas, an apparent inability of the supply basin to respond to the high gas prices with increased supply, and the very high electricity costs in Alberta. The weak supply of NGLs coincides with the increase in ethane demand from the start-up of Alberta's fourth ethylene facility and the addition of the high vapour pressure Alliance pipeline. This weak supply suggests there will be an ethane shortage for at least the next few years. The longer term outlook, however, is less certain and will require an analysis of the outlook for gas production, gas composition and NGL extraction capacity. This study developed two forecasts for natural gas prices. Both presume rising gas demand across North America driven by increased gas use for power generation. The Low Case assumes modest growth in domestic Canadian gas demand and the High case predicts strong growth in domestic demand as higher levels of exports to the United States, resulting in a doubling in growth for Canadian gas production from 2000-2015 compared to the Low Case. Both High and Low Case scenarios suggest that prices will decline from current levels so that Alberta plant gate prices fall by 2005 and will

An econometric study on long-term energy outlook and the implications of renewable energy utilization in Malaysia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gan, Peck Yean; Li, ZhiDong

2008-01-01

We developed a comprehensive econometric model to study the long-term outlook of Malaysia's economy, energy and environment to 2030. Our projections under the reference scenario indicated that Malaysia's gross domestic production (GDP) is expected to average 4.6% from 2004 to 2030, and total primary energy consumption will triple by 2030. Coal import will increase following governmental policy of intensifying its use for power generation. Oil import is predicted to take place by 2013 and reach 45 Mtoe in 2030. Hence, in the near future, Malaysia's energy import dependency will rise. Carbon emissions will triple by 2030. On the other hand, our projections under an alternative renewable energy (RE) scenario showed that the utilization of RE is a strategic option to improve the long-term energy security and environmental performance of Malaysia. However, substantial governmental involvements and support, as well as the establishment of a regulatory framework are necessary. (author)

Improving village poultry's survival rate through community-based poultry health management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sodjinou, Epiphane; Henningsen, Arne; Koudande, Olorounto Delphin

2012-01-01

Community-based poultry health management (CBM) is a strategy for village poultry improvement based on the installment of “poultry interest groups” in experimental villages. These groups serve as a channel for the dissemination of village poultry improvement technologies. The use of CBM is due...... to the fact that village poultry farming is practiced in a total or partial scavenging system which gives the impression that all the birds in the village belong to the same flock. Accordingly, actions that target all farmers of the same village may have a larger impact on the village poultry's survival rate...... than actions that target individual producers. The objective of this study is to assess the impact of CBM on the survival rate of village poultry. Based on data collected on 353 poultry keepers, the study shows that CBM significantly improves the survival rate of village poultry. The adoption...

Outlooks and problems in Japanese economy toward the 21st century; 21 seiki ni muketa Nippon keizai no kadai (keizai shakai energy no chuki tenbo `98 wo fumaete)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hattori, T.; Okawa, T.; Kato, H.; Hitomi, K.; Nagata, Y.; Wakabayashi, M.; Yamano, N.

1998-07-01

In addition to many drastic changes, e.g. high aging population, globalization, and information renovation, Japan is also facing many structural problems such as government budget reform. This report enumerates the several problems using `Medium-Term Economic Forecasting System 1998,` which is composed of the macro econometric model, fiscal model, energy demand model, interindustry model and regional econometric model. Forecasting with this model, the average economic growth rate is predicted as 1.6%/year over the following decade. To avoid a serious demand shortage, an additional government expenditure of 40 to 50 trillion yen is necessary. Technological progress and investment for human capital are two policy measures that can help offset the supply constraints caused by a decrease in the labor force and savings rate decline. The industrial analysis outlook indicates that the production share of electrical machinery industry will expand, yet the information technology industry will be the leader in the Japanese economy so long as the information infrastructure is supported. Regionally, private investment in each region can help to offset the current expanding differences of regional productivities. As the difference in the utilization of public capital in each region contributes to the disparity of the public investment multiplier, this should be examined as a possible policy tool. From the industrial changes, we also see a change in the energy demand, as the growth rate of total energy demand. The outlook for the energy analysis shows that to restrain the carbon dioxide emissions at the 1990 level, technology innovation, changes in consumer behavior, and appropriate structural reform, for example in the energy tax structure are required. (author)

Asia energy outlook to 2030: Impacts of energy outlook in China and India on the world

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Komiyama, R.

2007-07-01

This paper presents an international energy outlook, focusing on an analysis of energy impacts of Asia, particularly China and India, on the world energy markets to 2030. Based on vigorous economic growth, soaring electricity demand and progressive motorisation in China and India, Asia's primary energy demand is expected to double, eventually positioning Asia as the largest energy-consuming region with largest CO{sub 2} emissions in the world. This paper also discusses energy security challenges for Asia, in particular East Asian region, where steady oil demand growth will lead to increasing dependency on imported oil from Middle East and sea lane security in the Malacca Strait. Furthermore, this paper explores various future scenarios for Asia including 'Technological Advanced Scenario' to highlight the differences in possible energy futures in Asia and its implication to the global energy market. In Technological Advanced Scenario, which assumes the stepped-up implementation of energy and environmental policies in Asian countries, Asia's primary energy demand in 2030 is expected to be 15%, or 943 Mtoe, lower than the Reference Scenario. The paper concludes that successful implementation of such an energy strategy will decrease the energy demand and greatly mitigate the growth of CO{sub 2} emissions from the energy sector. (auth)

STS operations planning - Current status and outlook for the future

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, C. M.

1981-01-01

Consideration is given to the status of Space Shuttle operations planning and outlook for the period 1982-94, with some speculations on Shuttle-related space operations early in the next century. Attention is given to the evolution of Shuttle payload capabilities over the next five years. The following list of near-earth environment factors to be exploited by the Space Shuttle is given: (1) easy control of gravity; (2) absence of atmosphere; (3) a comprehensive view of the earth's surface and atmosphere; (4) isolation of hazardous processes from earth biosphere; (5) freely available light, heat and photovoltaic power; (6) an infinite natural reservoir for the disposal of radioactive waste products; and (7) a super-cold heat sink.

IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EXCHANGE RATE POLICY IN CONTEMPORARY VIETNAM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

The Dong Phung

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The article discusses the issue of effectiveness of exchange rate policy in contemporary Vietnam, along with the assessment of the mechanism of this policy from 1989 to the present day. The author analyzes constraints of implementing the exchange rate policy in the past and gives recommendations aimed at improving its efficiency nowadays.

Improving health promotion through central rating of interventions: the need for Responsive Guidance.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kok, Maarten Olivier; Bal, Roland; Roelofs, Caspar David; Schuit, Albertine Jantine

2017-01-01

In several countries, attempts are made to improve health promotion by centrally rating the effectiveness of health promotion interventions. The Dutch Effectiveness Rating System (ERS) for health promotion interventions is an improvement-oriented approach in which multi-disciplinary expert

Assumptions for the Annual Energy Outlook 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

This report is an auxiliary document to the Annual Energy Outlook 1993 (AEO) (DOE/EIA-0383(93)). It presents a detailed discussion of the assumptions underlying the forecasts in the AEO. The energy modeling system is an economic equilibrium system, with component demand modules representing end-use energy consumption by major end-use sector. Another set of modules represents petroleum, natural gas, coal, and electricity supply patterns and pricing. A separate module generates annual forecasts of important macroeconomic and industrial output variables. Interactions among these components of energy markets generate projections of prices and quantities for which energy supply equals energy demand. This equilibrium modeling system is referred to as the Intermediate Future Forecasting System (IFFS). The supply models in IFFS for oil, coal, natural gas, and electricity determine supply and price for each fuel depending upon consumption levels, while the demand models determine consumption depending upon end-use price. IFFS solves for market equilibrium for each fuel by balancing supply and demand to produce an energy balance in each forecast year

Improving Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infection Rates in the Medical Units

Science.gov (United States)

Taha, Haytham; Raji, Salama J.; Khallaf, Abeer; Abu Hija, Seham; Mathew, Raji; Rashed, Hanan; Du Plessis, Christelle; Allie, Zaytoen; Ellahham, Samer

2017-01-01

Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) in Abu Dhabi is the main tertiary care referral hospital in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with 560 bed capacity with a high occupancy rate. SKMC senior management has made a commitment to make quality and patient safety a top priority. Preventing health care associated infections, including Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI), is a high priority for our hospital. In order to improve CAUTI rates a multidisciplinary task force team was formed and led this performance improvement project. The purpose of this publication is to indicate the quality improvement interventions implemented to reduce CAUTI rates and the outcome of those interventions. We chose to conduct the pilot study in General Medicine as it is the busiest department in the hospital, with an average of 390 patients admitted per month during the study period. The study period was from March 2015 till April 2016. Our aim was to reduce CAUTI rates per 1000 device days in the medical units. Implemented interventions resulted in a reduction of CAUTI from 6.8 per 1000 device days in March 2015 to zero CAUTI in February through April 2016. PMID:28469893

On Improving Convergence Rates for Nonnegative Kernel Density Estimators

OpenAIRE

Terrell, George R.; Scott, David W.

1980-01-01

To improve the rate of decrease of integrated mean square error for nonparametric kernel density estimators beyond $0(n^{-\\frac{4}{5}}),$ we must relax the constraint that the density estimate be a bonafide density function, that is, be nonnegative and integrate to one. All current methods for kernel (and orthogonal series) estimators relax the nonnegativity constraint. In this paper we show how to achieve similar improvement by relaxing the integral constraint only. This is important in appl...

World Energy Outlook 2010

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2010-11-09

The world appears to be emerging from the worst economic crisis in decades. Many countries have made pledges under the Copenhagen Accord to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. Commitments have also been made by the G-20 and APEC to phase out inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies. Are we, at last, on the path to a secure, reliable and environmentally sustainable energy system? Updated projections of energy demand, production, trade and investment, fuel by fuel and region by region to 2035 are provided in the 2010 edition of the World Energy Outlook (WEO). It includes, for the first time, a new scenario that anticipates future actions by governments to meet the commitments they have made to tackle climate change and growing energy insecurity. WEO-2010 shows: what more must be done and spent to achieve the goal of the Copenhagen Accord to limit the global temperature increase to 2 deg. C and how these actions would impact on oil markets; how emerging economies -- led by China and India -- will increasingly shape the global energy landscape; what role renewables can play in a clean and secure energy future; what removing fossil-fuel subsidies would mean for energy markets, climate change and state budgets; the trends in Caspian energy markets and the implications for global energy supply; the prospects for unconventional oil; and how to give the entire global population access to modern energy services. With extensive data, projections and analysis, this publication provides invaluable insights into how the energy system could evolve over the next quarter of a century. The book is essential reading for anyone with a stake in the energy sector.

Four Scenarios for Europe. Based on UNEP's third Global Environment Outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bakkes, J.; Gaponenko, N.; Mnatsakanian, R.

2003-01-01

The third Global Environment Outlook (GEO-3) was published on the eve of the Johannesburg summit (autumn 2002). GEO-3 looked back thirty years and forward thirty years. A set of what-if scenarios was used to explore the ways our society can advance, including implications for environmental and social goals. Characteristically, GEO-3 examines in a relatively deep fashion how its global scenarios can be interpreted in the context of each of the world's regions. This brochure presents the pan-European elaboration of the four GEO-3 scenarios. It focusses on the scenarios proper and their impacts in environmental terms. The scenarios are: The Markets First scenario envisages a world in which market-driven developments converge on the currently prevailing values and expectations in industrialized countries; In a Policy First world, strong actions are undertaken by governments in an attempt to achieve specific social and environmental goals; The Security First scenario assumes a world full of large disparities, where inequality and conflict, brought about by socio-economic and environmental stresses, prevail: and Sustainability First pictures a world in which a new development paradigm emerges in response to the challenge of sustainability supported by new, more equitable values and institutions. The second section describes 'the pan-European tale of the four futures' in a predominantly qualitative manner. Section 3 presents a regionally differentiated examination of the environmental implications of the scenarios. Details on input material, assumptions and methodologies applied, and actual results, can be found in Chapter 4 of GEO-3 'Outlook 2002-32' and in the Technical Background Report on GEO-3 Scenario Work

Patient-Therapist Value Congruence and Ratings of Client Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Martini, Janie L.

1978-01-01

It can be concluded from the results of the two studies described here that value similarity between client and therapist is related to therapists' ratings of client improvement. This phenomenon can be expected in therapies irrespective of theoretical orientation. (Author)

Outlooks and problems in Japanese economy toward the 21st century. 21 seiki ni muketa Nippon keizai no kadai (keizai shakai energy no chuki tenbo '98 wo fumaete)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hattori, T.; Okawa, T.; Kato, H.; Hitomi, K.; Nagata, Y.; Wakabayashi, M.; Yamano, N.

1998-07-01

In addition to many drastic changes, e.g. high aging population, globalization, and information renovation, Japan is also facing many structural problems such as government budget reform. This report enumerates the several problems using 'Medium-Term Economic Forecasting System 1998,' which is composed of the macro econometric model, fiscal model, energy demand model, interindustry model and regional econometric model. Forecasting with this model, the average economic growth rate is predicted as 1.6%/year over the following decade. To avoid a serious demand shortage, an additional government expenditure of 40 to 50 trillion yen is necessary. Technological progress and investment for human capital are two policy measures that can help offset the supply constraints caused by a decrease in the labor force and savings rate decline. The industrial analysis outlook indicates that the production share of electrical machinery industry will expand, yet the information technology industry will be the leader in the Japanese economy so long as the information infrastructure is supported. Regionally, private investment in each region can help to offset the current expanding differences of regional productivities. As the difference in the utilization of public capital in each region contributes to the disparity of the public investment multiplier, this should be examined as a possible policy tool. From the industrial changes, we also see a change in the energy demand, as the growth rate of total energy demand. The outlook for the energy analysis shows that to restrain the carbon dioxide emissions at the 1990 level, technology innovation, changes in consumer behavior, and appropriate structural reform, for example in the energy tax structure are required. (author)

World energy outlook 2007 -- China and India insights

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2007-11-07

World leaders have pledged to act to change the energy future. Some new policies are in place. But the trends in energy demand, imports, coal use and greenhouse gas emissions to 2030 in this year's World Energy Outlook are even worse than projected in WEO 2006. China and India are the emerging giants of the world economy. Their unprecedented pace of economic development will require ever more energy, but it will transform living standards for billions. There can be no question of asking them selectively to curb growth so as to solve problems which are global. So how is the transition to be achieved to a more secure, lower-carbon energy system? WEO 2007 provides the answers. With extensive statistics, projections in three scenarios, analysis and advice, it shows China, India and the rest of the world why we need to co-operate to change the energy future and how to do it.

World energy outlook 2007 -- China and India insights

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2007-11-07

World leaders have pledged to act to change the energy future. Some new policies are in place. But the trends in energy demand, imports, coal use and greenhouse gas emissions to 2030 in this year's World Energy Outlook are even worse than projected in WEO 2006. China and India are the emerging giants of the world economy. Their unprecedented pace of economic development will require ever more energy, but it will transform living standards for billions. There can be no question of asking them selectively to curb growth so as to solve problems which are global. So how is the transition to be achieved to a more secure, lower-carbon energy system? WEO 2007 provides the answers. With extensive statistics, projections in three scenarios, analysis and advice, it shows China, India and the rest of the world why we need to co-operate to change the energy future and how to do it.

Positron imaging system with improved count rate and tomographic capability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-01-01

A system with improved count rate capability for detecting the radioactive distribution of positron events within an organ of interest in a living subject is described. Objects of the invention include improving the scintillation crystal and pulse processing electronics, avoiding the limitations of collimators and provide an Arger camera positron imaging system that avoids the use of collimators. (U.K.)

Improving pediatric immunization rates: description of a resident-led clinical continuous quality improvement project.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Kyle Bradford; Gren, Lisa H; Backman, Richard

2014-09-01

Increased emphasis is being placed on the continuous quality improvement (CQI) education of residents of all specialties. This article describes a resident-led continuous quality improvement (CQI) project, based on a novel curriculum, to improve the immunization rates of children under 2 years old at the Madsen Family Health Center (MHC). All third-year residents were trained in the FOCUS-PDSA CQI methodology through concurrent didactic lectures and experience leading the CQI team. The CQI team included clinical staff led by a third-year family medicine resident and mentored by a member of the family medicine faculty. Immunization records were distributed to provider-medical assistant teamlets daily for each pediatric patient scheduled in clinic as the intervention. Compliance with the intervention (process measure), as well as immunization rates at 2 and 5 months post-intervention (outcome measure), were monitored. Immunization records were printed on 84% of clinic days from October 24, 2011 to March 31, 2012. The percentage of patients immunized at baseline was 66%. The percentage immunized as of December 31, 2011 was 96% and was 91% as of March 31, 2012. An important educational experience was organized for third-year family medicine residents through learning CQI skills, leading a CQI team, and directing a CQI project to completion. Significant improvement in the percentage of patients under 2 years old immunized at the MHC was achieved by presenting provider-medical assistant teamlets with immunization records of all pediatric patients on the daily clinic schedule.

An econometric study on long-term energy outlook and the implications of renewable energy utilization in Malaysia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gan, Peck Yean [Department of Engineering-Energy and Environment Science, Nagaoka University of Technology, 1603-1 Kamitomioka, Nagaoka, Niigata 940-2188 (Japan); Li, ZhiDong [Department of Management and Information System Science, Nagaoka University of Technology, 1603-1 Kamitomioka, Nagaoka, Niigata 940-2188 (Japan)

2008-02-15

We developed a comprehensive econometric model to study the long-term outlook of Malaysia's economy, energy and environment to 2030. Our projections under the reference scenario indicated that Malaysia's gross domestic production (GDP) is expected to average 4.6% from 2004 to 2030, and total primary energy consumption will triple by 2030. Coal import will increase following governmental policy of intensifying its use for power generation. Oil import is predicted to take place by 2013 and reach 45 Mtoe in 2030. Hence, in the near future, Malaysia's energy import dependency will rise. Carbon emissions will triple by 2030. On the other hand, our projections under an alternative renewable energy (RE) scenario showed that the utilization of RE is a strategic option to improve the long-term energy security and environmental performance of Malaysia. However, substantial governmental involvements and support, as well as the establishment of a regulatory framework are necessary. (author)

Supply and demand outlook for Japan's economic and energy up to FY2018

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aoshima, Momoko; Yorita, Yasuo; Tsunoda, Miyuki

2017-01-01

Japan's economy has gradually expanded, with real GDP in the first quarter of 2017 becoming positive growth for five consecutive quarters for the first time since 2005 to 2006. Although the uncertain factors are increasing both in terms of politics and economy, the world economy is also growing moderately. As the main premises in the standard scenario, the following are supposed: (1) world economy grows moderately, with worldwide growth rate reaching 3.0% in FY2017 and 3.3% in FY2018, (2) exchange rate is about ¥115/$ in both FY2017 and FY2018 average, (3) as for nuclear power generation, cumulative restarted unit number reaches 10 basis until the end of FY2018, with average months of operation in FY2018 reaching 9 months, and with power generation amount reaching 65.6 billion kWh (7% of the power supply composition ratio), and (4) as for the supply and demand for power, the supply reserve ratio of 3% necessary for stable electric power supply can be secured nationwide. Thus, the supply and demand outlook for Japan's economic and energy up to FY2018 was made. The following various evaluation analyses were carried out: (1) macro economy, (2) production activities, (3) primary energy domestic supply, (4) final energy consumption, (5) electricity sales volume and power supply composition (electric power companies), (6) city gas sales volume (gas companies), fuel oil and LPG sales volume and crude oil throughput, and (7) in-depth analysis; demand trend of light oil, renewable energy power generation, and effects of restart of nuclear power plants. (A.O.)

Worldwide outlook clouded by market slump of late 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beck, R.J.

1994-01-01

Excess production and production capacity reasserted their influence in worldwide petroleum markets last year, pushing crude oil prices to their lowest levels since before the Persian Gulf crisis. The development ended the relative price stability that has characterized the period since the crisis ended in January 1991. One of the major questions now being asked is whether there has been a downward shift in the seasonal range of crude prices. In the near future, OPEC's degree of success in balancing the market will be a key to prices. Another is politics in the Middle East. If it were not for a United Nations embargo, the market would have another 2--3 million b/d of oil supply--from Iraq. The paper discusses worldwide demand, economic trends, the supply in 1993, the supply outlook, prices, and international drilling activities

Improved picture rate conversion using classification based LMS-filters.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

An, L.; Heinrich, A.; Cordes, C.N.; Haan, de G.; Rabbani, Majid

2009-01-01

Due to the recent explosion of multimedia formats and the need to convert between them, more attention is drawn to picture rate conversion. Moreover, growing demands on video motion portrayal without judder or blur requires improved format conversion. The simplest conversion repeats the latest

Improved heavy oil recovery by low rate waterflooding

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mai, A. [Laricina Energy Ltd., Calgary, AB (Canada); Kantzas, A. [Calgary Univ., AB (Canada). Tomographic Imaging and Porous Media Laboratory

2008-10-15

Waterflooding techniques are frequently used to recover oil in low viscosity or marginal heavy oil reservoirs. This paper described a low-rate waterflooding oil recovery mechanism. The mechanism was determined by examining the effect of sand permeability on the impact of viscous force contributions. Changes in permeability and injection rates parameters were studied in order to evaluate the significance of imbibition, and a method of quantifying the effect of capillary forces was presented. The mechanism was demonstrated in an experimental study that used sand packs of varying permeabilities wet-packed into cores with overburden pressures. A fixed injection rate was used to investigate waterflooding in the different permeability systems with 2 different oils. Overall recovery rates were examined as a function of injection velocity. An analysis of normalized oil production rates demonstrated that viscous forces are more important during the early phases of waterflooding. The study showed that breakthrough oil recovery values increased with higher permeability values. However, when injection rates were reduced to low frontal velocity values, the correlation between sand permeability and breakthrough oil recovery resulted in low permeability rates. Lower permeability porous media resulted in more restrictive flow conditions. However, the capillary force components increased as a result of the smaller pore sizes, which in turn led to enhanced water imbibition and higher oil recovery values after water breakthrough. It was concluded that waterflooding rates can be modified later in the recovery process in order to improve final oil recovery values. 21 refs., 3 tabs., 11 figs.

Improved Bit Rate Control for Real-Time MPEG Watermarking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pranata Sugiri

2004-01-01

Full Text Available The alteration of compressed video bitstream due to embedding of digital watermark tends to produce unpredictable video bit rate variations which may in turn lead to video playback buffer overflow/underflow or transmission bandwidth violation problems. This paper presents a novel bit rate control technique for real-time MPEG watermarking applications. In our experiments, spread spectrum watermarks are embedded in the quantized DCT domain without requantization and motion reestimation to achieve fast watermarking. The proposed bit rate control scheme evaluates the combined bit lengths of a set of multiple watermarked VLC codewords, and successively replaces watermarked VLC codewords having the largest increase in bit length with their corresponding unmarked VLC codewords until a target bit length is achieved. The proposed method offers flexibility and scalability, which are neglected by similar works reported in the literature. Experimental results show that the proposed bit rate control scheme is effective in meeting the bit rate targets and capable of improving the watermark detection robustness for different video contents compressed at different bit rates.

The photovoltaic: channels, markets and outlooks; Le photovoltaique: les filieres, les marches, les perspectives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jourde, P. [CEA Cadarache (GENEC), 13 - Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France)

2005-07-01

The photovoltaic market is in expansion with a good energy, political and environmental context. It needs meanwhile to realize developments in the storage domain and in the cost of connexion to the network. To illustrate these conclusions this paper discusses the following chapters: the solar energy, the principle and the channels of the photovoltaic, the applications (autonomous electrification and houses connected to the network) and the markets, a state of the art and the outlooks. (A.L.B.)

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

Evaluating research recruitment strategies to improve response rates amongst South African nurses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natasha Khamisa

2014-03-01

Research purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate three research recruitment methods for their impact on recruitment and participation rates amongst South African nurses. Motivation for the study: A limited number of studies exist that formally evaluates different recruitment strategies to improve participation in research amongst nurses within developing contexts, especially South Africa. Research approach, design and method: Participants were recruited using three different methods. Of the 250 nurses randomly selected and invited to participate in a cross-sectional survey, 201 agreed and 162 (81% returned the questionnaires. Main findings: Nursing management participation in the recruitment and data collection process produces more favourable response rates. Reminders and the use of shorter questionnaires also aid higher response rates. Practical/managerial implications: Reminders as well as face-to-face recruitment strategies (especially by a familiar person successfully improved participation rates amongst South African nurses in this study. Contribution/value-add: This study identifies some strategies that could be used more widely to increase the recruitment and participation of South African nurses in research whilst potentially improving their work situation.

Annual Energy Outlook 2011 with Projections to 2035

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2011-04-01

The projections in the Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Annual Energy Outlook 2011 (AEO2011) focus on the factors that shape the U.S. energy system over the long term. Under the assumption that current laws and regulations remain unchanged throughout the projections, the AEO2011 Reference case provides the basis for examination and discussion of energy production, consumption, technology, and market trends and the direction they may take in the future. It also serves as a starting point for analysis of potential changes in energy policies. But AEO2011 is not limited to the Reference case. It also includes 57 sensitivity cases (see Appendix E, Table E1), which explore important areas of uncertainty for markets, technologies, and policies in the U.S. energy economy. Key results highlighted in AEO2011 include strong growth in shale gas production, growing use of natural gas and renewables in electric power generation, declining reliance on imported liquid fuels, and projected slow growth in energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions even in the absence of new policies designed to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. AEO2011 also includes in-depth discussions on topics of special interest that may affect the energy outlook. They include: impacts of the continuing renewal and updating of Federal and State laws and regulations; discussion of world oil supply and price trends shaped by changes in demand from countries outside the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development or in supply available from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries; an examination of the potential impacts of proposed revisions to Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards for light-duty vehicles and proposed new standards for heavy-duty vehicles; the impact of a series of updates to appliance standard alone or in combination with revised building codes; the potential impact on natural gas and crude oil production of an expanded offshore resource base

LNG Market: Developments in 2014 and 2015 Outlook. Enerdata Gas/LNG and Power Consulting - January 2015

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-01-01

Enerdata power and gas expert held a webinar on the important developments happened in the LNG market in 2014 and provided insight on the LNG market outlook for 2015. 2015 is the year of uncertainty for the LNG industry. We will continue to experience low LNG prices driven by temporary liquefaction over capacity. The 2015 low prices environment will continue to support domestic gas price reforms in countries such as India, China, Malaysia and Indonesia. National economies of high LNG consumers such as Japan, Korea and Taiwan will benefit from low energy cost. Import terminal operators will see their utilization rates drop at concerning levels where the balance between operating cost and revenue starts to move on the red zone. Project developers will continue to delay their FID until they can see the light out of the tunnel. Those negotiating long term contracts have the big dilemma of shall it be oil-linked or not oil-linked. Never as before the importance to have a good insight of the future will differentiate losers from winners

Improving human papilloma virus vaccination rates throughout military treatment facilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Dawson, Rachel; Lemmon, Keith; Trivedi, Nidhi J; Hansen, Shana

2018-03-07

The four objectives of this study were to (1) educate military healthcare providers on HPV disease and vaccine, (2) assess short term recall of information presented at educational sessions, (3) assess provider comfort level with the vaccine, and (4) assess improvement in HPV vaccination rates. Standardized interactive educational sessions were conducted at military primary care clinics with pre- and post-educational quizzes administered before and immediately following the sessions. Provider attitudes were assessed using Likert scale questionnaires. Vaccination rates in children and young adolescents ages 11-18 at one of the participating regions that had a champion and started a Quality Improvement (QI) project were assessed at baseline, at 3-months and at 6-months post sessions. 200 providers were reached at 48 primary care clinics during May 2014 through October 2015 with 200 quizzes and Likert scale questionnaires returned. There was increase in knowledge following the educational sessions as revealed in the pre- and post- test scores [t(57) = -5.04, p knowledge recall and comfort level in answering parents' questions was seen. We found that educational sessions can improve HPV vaccination rates in military clinics that have a vaccine champion for up to 3-months. Further research into the effects of having clinic vaccine champions is critical. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Improving village poultry’s survival rate through community-based poultry health management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sodjinou, Epiphane; Henningsen, Arne; Koudande, Olorounto D.

Community-based poultry health management (CBM) is a strategy for village poultry improvement based on the installment of “poultry interest groups” in experimental villages. These groups serve as a channel for the dissemination of village poultry improvement technologies. The use of CBM is due...... to the fact that village poultry farming is practiced in a total or partial scavenging system which gives the impression that all the birds in the village belong to the same flock. Accordingly, actions that target all farmers of the same village may have a larger impact on the village poultry’s survival rate...... than actions that target individual producers. The objective of this study is to assess the impact of CBM on the survival rate of village poultry. Based on data collected on 353 poultry keepers, the study shows that CBM significantly improves the survival rate of village poultry. The adoption...

Quality Rating and Improvement Systems and Children's Cognitive Development

Science.gov (United States)

Jeon, Lieny; Buettner, Cynthia K.

2015-01-01

Background: Providing enriched learning environments is important to stimulating children's development in early childhood. Early child-care policymakers in many states in the US have adopted Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) as a way to verify quality of child care and to support children's school readiness. Objective: The purpose of…

Strategic Planning for scenarios in the natural environment. The case of the Nature Outlook 2050 GDP; La Planificacion Estrategica por Escenarios en el medio natural. El caso del Nature Outlook 2050 del PIB

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Urbano Lopez de Meneses, J.

2015-07-01

Forward planning is part of strategic planning. It is a regular tool in management and direction of the companies. Some European countries include it in environmental policy cycle. Scenarios approach is a proved qualitative foresight technique. It is useful in high variability and complexity environments. This paper shows how to implement the tool, mixing theoretical explanation and the practical performance done in project called: Nature Outlook 2050. This project has been done by the Netherlands agency for environmental assessment and foresight (PBL). (Author)

Moving up the Ladder: How Do States Deliver Quality Improvement Supports within Their Quality Rating and Improvement Systems? Brief

Science.gov (United States)

Holod, Aleksandra; Faria, Ann-Marie; Weinberg, Emily; Howard, Eboni

2015-01-01

As national attention has increasingly focused on the potential for high-quality early childhood education (ECE) to improve children's school readiness, states have developed quality rating and improvement systems (QRISs) to document the quality of ECE programs, support systematic quality improvement, and provide clear information to families…

Improving HIV post-exposure prophylaxis rates after pediatric acute sexual assault.

Science.gov (United States)

Schilling, Samantha; Deutsch, Stephanie A; Gieseker, Rebecca; Molnar, Jennifer; Lavelle, Jane M; Scribano, Philip V

2017-07-01

The purpose of our study was to increase the rate of children with appropriate HIV-PEP regimens among those diagnosed with sexual assault in The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Emergency Department (ED). The outcome measure was the percent of patients receiving correct HIV-PEP. We retrospectively reviewed 97 charts over 31 months to define the baseline rate of children receiving appropriate HIV-PEP regimens (pre QI-implementation period: 2/2012-8/2014). Among children in which HIV-PEP was indicated following sexual assault, 40% received the recommended 28-day course. Root cause analysis indicated prescribing errors accounted for 87% of patients not receiving appropriate HIV-PEP. Process drivers included standardizing care coordination follow-up calls to elicit specific information about HIV-PEP, ED educational initiatives targeted at HIV-PEP prescribing, revision of the clinical pathway to specify indicated duration of HIV-PEP, and revision of the order set to auto-populate the number of days for the HIV-PEP prescription. During the QI-implementation period (9/2014-4/2015), the rate of appropriate HIV-PEP increased to 64% (median 60%) and the average number of days between incorrect HIV-PEP regimens was 24.5. Post QI-implementation (5/2015-3/2016), the rate of appropriate HIV-PEP increased to 84% (median 100%) and the average number of days between incorrect HIV-PEP regimens increased to 78.4. A multifaceted quality improvement process improved the rate of receipt of appropriate HIV-PEP regimens for pediatric victims of sexual assault. Decision support tools are instrumental in sustaining ideal care delivery, but require ongoing evaluation and improvement in order to remain optimally effective. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

AREVA Technical Days (ATD) session 1: Energy outlook and presentation of the Areva Group

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

These technical days organized by the Areva Group aims to explain the group activities in a technological and economic point of view, to provide an outlook of worldwide energy trends and challenges and to present each of their businesses in a synthetic manner. This first session deals with energy challenges and nuclear, public acceptance of nuclear power, mining activities, chemistry activities, enrichment activities, fuel assembly, reactors and services activities, nuclear measurements activities, reprocessing and recycling activities, logistics activities and connectors activities. (A.L.B.)

Renewables Deals. Mergers and acquisitions activity in renewable power and related clean technology. 2012 outlook and 2011 review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-01-15

Renewables Deals is our annual analysis of deal activity in the renewable power and related clean technology sectors. We publish our outlook on the prospects for dealmaking in the year ahead. We also take a look at what's been happening in the last 12 months and in the different main markets around the world. This year for the first time, we open our report with our discussion of the outlook for the year ahead and identify some of the main themes we expect to be at work. Looking ahead, the sector is undergoing a growing maturity and consolidation phase. This evolution inclines us to believe that deal flow will remain significant in 2012. In part, though, this will depend on how the Eurozone crisis unfolds. We assume a continuation of a 'rolling uncertainty' scenario affecting the Eurozone and wider world sentiment. But, if there are significant adverse events that turn Eurozone 'rolling uncertainty' into deeper crisis, deal flow is likely to be dampened.

Increasing recruitment rates in an inpatient clinical research study using quality improvement methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Sauers, Hadley S; Beck, Andrew F; Kahn, Robert S; Simmons, Jeffrey M

2014-11-01

One important benefit of successful patient recruitment is increased generalizability of findings. We sought to optimize enrollment of children admitted with asthma as part of a population-based, prospective, observational cohort study with the goal of enrolling at least 60% of all eligible and staffed patients. Quality improvement methods were used to improve cohort recruitment. Weekly meetings with study staff and study leadership were held to plan and discuss how to maximize recruitment rates. Significant initial variability in recruitment success prompted the team to use small-scale tests of change to increase recruitment numbers. A number of tests were trialed, focusing primarily on reducing patient refusals and improving recruitment process efficiency. Recruitment rates were calculated by dividing eligible by enrolled patients and displayed using annotated Shewhart control charts. Control charts were used to illustrate week-to-week variability while also enabling differentiation of common-cause and special-cause variation. The study enrolled 774 patients, representing 54% of all eligible and 59% of those eligible for whom staff were available to enroll. Our mean weekly recruitment rate increased from 55% during the first 3 months of the study to a statistically significant sustained rate of 61%. This was sustained given numerous obstacles, such as departing and hiring of staff and adding a second recruitment location. Implementing quality improvement methods within a larger research study led to an increase in the rate of recruitment as well as the stability in recruitment rates from week-to-week. Copyright © 2014 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Energy Survival Guide. Insight in energy and outlook for the future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hermans, J.

2008-12-01

This book is written for everyone who wishes to distinguish the sense and nonsense in the area of energy. Are all those energy saving tips useful? Is a train really more efficient than a passenger car? Are all those talks about climate change justified? What do those wind turbines deliver? Will solar panels ever become profitable? Is nuclear energy justifiable? Why are we not exploiting wave energy? Will we still be able to drive cars in the future? This book provides the answers. It offers insight in where we stand and gives an outlook on how the future generation should proceed. It lists the facts and gives a complete view with clear conclusions. And there are separate frames for those who wish to check things. [mk] [nl

Green Energy Outlook in Europe. Strategic prospects to 2010

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-07-01

As the successor to last years' report The Green Energy Outlook 2001 by Reuters Business Insight, this new report focuses on the opportunities that are opening across Europe. In particular the report evaluates the implications of trading in a harmonised green energy market and how certification and labelling will affect trading strategies. Renewable energy is rapidly becoming an important commodity. The report forecasts a green certificate market of over 20 to 30 billion Euro in 2010, largely driven by environmental policy and the increasing viability of green technologies. The impact of new policies and key issues such as certification and labeling are significant factors of the current European renewable energy market. This report evaluates the current market and identifies the main areas for growth and development to 2010. The latest market research and analysis, detailed country profiles, key players' strategies and recommendations for success in the expanding and evolving market make this report a must for every company and government with interest in the renewable energy market

Improving the rate and quality of medicaid well child care exams in primary care practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Katy Duncan; Merchen, Eileen; Turner, Crystal D; Vaught, Cara; Fritz, Terrie; Mold, Jim

2010-07-01

Providing recommended well child care to children insured bythe Medicaid Program can be challenging. Members of the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine (DFPM) at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center contracted to help practices improve the rates and quality of well child care visits within the Oklahoma Medicaid Program. Sixteen pediatric and family medicine practices in three Oklahoma counties chose to participate in this quality improvement initiative. The records of Sooner Care-insured children age 0-20 were reviewed for both rate and quality of well child care visits made during the previous twelve months. Performance feedback was provided. Practice guidelines, Sooner Care requirements, and tips from exemplary practices were provided. In two of the counties, a case manager helped practices with challenging patients. Practice Enhancement Assistants (PEAs) then helped practices implement a variety of strategies to increase visit rates and improve the quality of early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment (EPSDT) visits. Information technology (IT) support was provided when needed. The average rates of visits, for all counties combined, increased. Visit rates increased more in the younger age groups (birth to two years). There was significant improvement in quality of visits. Rates and quality improved much more in some practices than in others. A combination of academic detailing, performance feedback, practice facilitation, case management, and IT support produced increases in the quality and rates of EPSDT exams.

Executive functioning independently predicts self-rated health and improvement in self-rated health over time among community-dwelling older adults.

Science.gov (United States)

McHugh, Joanna Edel; Lawlor, Brian A

2016-01-01

Self-rated health, as distinct from objective measures of health, is a clinically informative metric among older adults. The purpose of our study was to examine the cognitive and psychosocial factors associated with self-rated health. 624 participants over the age of 60 were assessed at baseline, and of these, 510 were contacted for a follow-up two years later. Measures of executive function and self-rated health were assessed at baseline, and self-rated health was assessed at follow-up. We employed multiple linear regression analyses to investigate the relationship between executive functioning and self-rated health, while controlling for demographic, psychosocial and biological variables. Controlling for other relevant variables, executive functioning independently and solely predicted self-rated health, both at a cross-sectional level, and also over time. Loneliness was also found to cross-sectionally predict self-rated health, although this relationship was not present at a longitudinal level. Older adults' self-rated health may be related to their executive functioning and to their loneliness. Self-rated health appeared to improve over time, and the extent of this improvement was also related to executive functioning at baseline. Self-rated health may be a judgement made of one's functioning, especially executive functioning, which changes with age and therefore may be particularly salient in the reflections of older adults.

Low-dose antibiotics: current status and outlook for the future

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Antimicrobial therapy is a key factor in our success against pathogens poised to ravage at risk or infected individuals. However, we are currently at a watershed point as we face a growing crisis of antibiotic resistance among diverse pathogens. One area of intense interest is the impact of the a......Antimicrobial therapy is a key factor in our success against pathogens poised to ravage at risk or infected individuals. However, we are currently at a watershed point as we face a growing crisis of antibiotic resistance among diverse pathogens. One area of intense interest is the impact...... of the application of antibiotics for uses other than the treatment of patients and the association with such utilization with emerging drug resistance. This Research Topic “Low- dose antibiotics: current status and outlook for the future” in Frontiers in Microbiology: Antimicrobials, Resistance and Chemotherapy...

UNITI Bundesverband mittelstaendischer Mineraloelunternehmen e.V.. Annual report 2013/2014. Review, around look, outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

The Bundesverband mittelstaendischer Mineraloelunternehmen gives a review, around look, and outlook over the trade for 2013/2014. The themes are among others the market transparency agency for fuels, the eu rule ''Clean Power for Transport'', the change of energy in the heat market, and the promotion of gaseous fuels. Additionally legislative amendments are summarized and further actual themes of the petroleum industry. Informations about the association work, some statistical data of the trade, as well as a glossary for the theme ''Card and Automation'' supplement the annual report.

The outlooks of Helmholtz, Plank and Einstein on the unified physical theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Treder, G.Yu.

1982-01-01

The outlooks of Helmholtz, Planck and Einstein on the unified physical theory are exposed. Planck formulated the Einstein relativistic mechanics in the canonical form stemming from the suggested by Helmholtz approach that the principle of action is the unified formal principle of physics. Einstein and his companious proceeded from machroscopic fields in the attempts to prove the unified geometric field theory. The sense of Planck length as ''the smallest length in physics'' is determined, on the one hand, by the Heizenberg uncerntainty principle for the measurement process, and on the other hand by the universal proportionality between inertia and gravity. It results from geometrical nature and gravitational potential, i. e. from Einstein interpretation of the equivalence principle

International workshop on energy outlook in France and in Europe; Seminaire international sur la prospective energetique en France et en Europe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2004-07-01

The objective of the Energy Outlook Workshop is to allow decision makers and energy experts to exchange views on a wide range of issues including current projections, economic, political, social and environmental stakes, use of forecasts, precautions required, and identification of priorities. Major challenges confronting energy policy makers include: design of new energy systems following opening of energy markets; investment required to ensure long-term security of supply (e.g depleted reserves of fossil energy); achieving international commitments for environmental protection (e.g Kyoto Protocol and other quantitative targets); respect of European standards and regulations; economic and social issues, such as impact of high energy prices. The workshop will take into account two new characteristics of Energy Outlook: the time horizon, previously limited to 10-20 years, may be now extended to 30-50 years due to enormous progress in economic modelling techniques and the European and international context. (author)

Apparel, Baking, Laundry and Dry Cleaning, and Textile Mill Products Industries. Reprinted from the Occupational Outlook Handbook, 1978-79 Edition.

Science.gov (United States)

Bureau of Labor Statistics (DOL), Washington, DC.

Focusing on occupations in the clothing and baking industries, this document is one in a series of forty-one reprints from the Occupational Outlook Handbook providing current information and employment projections for individual occupations and industries through 1985. The specific occupations covered in this document include occupations in the…

Inter-Generational Differences in Individualism/Collectivism Orientations: Implications for Outlook towards HRD/HRM Practices in India and the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosh, Rajashi; Chaudhuri, Sanghamitra

2009-01-01

This article proposes a conceptual model to explore the effects of intergenerational transition in individualism/collectivism orientations on the outlook towards different human resource development (HRD) and management practices. It contributes to the existing cross-cultural research in HRD by defining three prominent generations in India and by…

Effects on U.S. Timber Outlook of Recent Economic Recession, Collapse in Housing Construction, and Wood Energy Trends

Science.gov (United States)

Peter J. Ince; Prakash Nepal

2012-01-01

This paper reviews recent trends and structural changes in U.S. forest product markets and projects their effects on the long-range U.S. timber market outlook. The analysis derives from the same U.S. and global economic model that produced 50-year projections for the 2010 RPA nationwide forest assessment, but analysis is revised to more accurately include the economic...

Reducing questionnaire length did not improve physician response rate: a randomized trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Bolt, Eva E; van der Heide, Agnes; Onwuteaka-Philipsen, Bregje D

2014-04-01

To examine the effect of reducing questionnaire length on the response rate in a physician survey. A postal four double-page questionnaire on end-of-life decision making was sent to a random sample of 1,100 general practitioners, 400 elderly care physicians, and 500 medical specialists. Another random sample of 500 medical specialists received a shorter questionnaire of two double pages. After 3 months and one reminder, all nonresponding physicians received an even shorter questionnaire of one double page. Total response was 64% (1,456 of 2,269 eligible respondents). Response rate of medical specialists for the four double-page questionnaire was equal to that of the two double-page questionnaire (190 and 191 questionnaires were returned, respectively). The total response rate increased from 53% to 64% after sending a short one double-page questionnaire (1,203-1,456 respondents). The results of our study suggest that reducing the length of a long questionnaire in a physician survey does not necessarily improve response rate. To improve response rate and gather more information, researchers could decide to send a drastically shortened version of the questionnaire to nonresponders. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gas Storage in Europe, recent developments and outlook to 2035

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hureau, Geoffroy

2015-01-01

These slides present: the European gas storage market in 2014 (Review of 2014 trends, Current challenges, Role of storage); the Outlook to 2035 (Supply/Demand factors, Estimated Storage needs, Project backlog). In conclusion: an over capacity is expected until 2025.Supply and demand evolution, market liberalization and environmental constraints on coal will drive a new period of growth for UGS. Cedigaz estimates that European UGS capacity will increase by around 45 bcm by 2035. UGS projects represent 77 bcm Of which 22 bcm is under construction, there is a majority of salt-cavern projects (market liberalization), not so much new seasonal storage (security of supply?), not all planned storage will be built (Projects under competition for the same (regional) market, the situation is quite contrasted between NW Europe and South-Southeast Europe (and UK)). The challenges are the investment and the security of supply

The energy outlook in China-Minutes from the seminar organised by the Centre Geopolitique de l'Energie et des Matieres Premieres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keppler, J.H.; Meritet, S.

2004-01-01

As part of the seminars that are organised on a regular basis, the Centre de Geopolitique de l'Energie et des Matieres Premieres has devoted, on the 2. of June, a day to China, its energetics outlook and the resulting economic and geopolitical challenges. (authors)

Outlooks for the development of ozone-safe refrigerant production at the Minatom facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shatalov, V.V.; Orekhov, V.T.; Dedov, A.S.; Zakharov, V.Yu.; Golubev, A.N.; Tsarev, V.A.

2001-01-01

Results of activities undertaken at the All-Russian Research Institute of Chemical Technology since 1988, which were aimed at search of new methods of synthesis of ozone-safe refrigerants, using depleted uranium hexafluoride waste formed at gas-diffusion plants as fluorinating agent, are considered. It is pointed out that major advantages of the flowsheets making use of UF 6 versus traditional method consist in the fact that the processes are conducted in gas phase under normal pressure and moderate temperatures with UF 6 transfer into a more environmentally friendly form. Outlooks for expansion of production of ozone-safe refrigerants by the method described are discussed [ru

Annual energy outlook 1997 with projections to 2015

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-12-01

The Annual Energy Outlook 1997 (AEO97) presents midterm forecasts of energy supply, demand, and prices through 2015 prepared by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). These projections are based on results of EIA's National Energy Modeling System (NEMS). This report begins with a summary of the reference case, followed by a discussion of the legislative assumptions and evolving legislative and regulatory issues. ''Issues in Focus'' discusses emerging energy issues and other topics of particular interest. It is followed by the analysis of energy market trends. The analysis in AEO97 focuses primarily on a reference case and four other cases that assume higher and lower economic growth and higher and lower world oil prices than in the reference case. Forecast tables for these cases are provided in Appendixes A through C. Appendixes D and E present summaries of the reference case forecasts in units of oil equivalence and household energy expenditures. Twenty-three other cases explore the impacts of varying key assumptions in NEMS--generally, technology penetration, with the major results shown in Appendix F. Appendix G briefly describes NEMS and the major AEO97 assumptions, with a summary table. 114 figs., 22 tabs

Annual energy outlook 1997 with projections to 2015

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-12-01

The Annual Energy Outlook 1997 (AEO97) presents midterm forecasts of energy supply, demand, and prices through 2015 prepared by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). These projections are based on results of EIA`s National Energy Modeling System (NEMS). This report begins with a summary of the reference case, followed by a discussion of the legislative assumptions and evolving legislative and regulatory issues. ``Issues in Focus`` discusses emerging energy issues and other topics of particular interest. It is followed by the analysis of energy market trends. The analysis in AEO97 focuses primarily on a reference case and four other cases that assume higher and lower economic growth and higher and lower world oil prices than in the reference case. Forecast tables for these cases are provided in Appendixes A through C. Appendixes D and E present summaries of the reference case forecasts in units of oil equivalence and household energy expenditures. Twenty-three other cases explore the impacts of varying key assumptions in NEMS--generally, technology penetration, with the major results shown in Appendix F. Appendix G briefly describes NEMS and the major AEO97 assumptions, with a summary table. 114 figs., 22 tabs.

Improving participation rates by providing choice of participation mode: two randomized controlled trials

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heijmans, N.; Lieshout, J. van; Wensing, M.J.

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Low participation rates reduce effective sample size, statistical power and can increase risk for selection bias. Previous research suggests that offering choice of participation mode can improve participation rates. However, few head-to-head trials compared choice of participation mode

Strength training improves fatigue resistance and self-rated health in workers with chronic pain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sundstrup, Emil; Jakobsen, Markus Due; Brandt, Mikkel

2016-01-01

of a randomized controlled trial investigates the effect of strength training on muscular fatigue resistance and self-rated health among workers with chronic pain. Sixty-six slaughterhouse workers with chronic upper limb pain and work disability were randomly allocated to 10 weeks of strength training or usual...... (Spearman's rho = -0.40; P = 0.01). In conclusion, specific strength training improves muscular fatigue resistance and self-rated health and reduces pain of the hand/wrist in manual workers with chronic upper limb pain. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01671267.......-rated health and pain. Time to fatigue, muscle strength, hand/wrist pain, and self-rated health improved significantly more following strength training than usual care (all P

Oxygen uptake rate (OUR) control strategy for improving avermectin B

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Glucose metabolism plays a crucial role in the process of avermectin B1a biosynthesis. Controlling glucose feeding based on oxygen uptake rate (OUR) was established to improve the efficiency of avermectin B1a production. The result showed that avermectin B1a production was greatly enhanced by OUR control strategy.

Improvements in the energy resolution and high-count-rate performance of bismuth germanate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koehler, P.E.; Wender, S.A.; Kapustinsky, J.S.

1985-01-01

Several methods for improving the energy resolution of bismuth germanate (BGO) have been investigated. It is shown that some of these methods resulted in a substantial improvement in the energy resolution. In addition, a method to improve the performance of BGO at high counting rates has been systematically studied. The results of this study are presented and discussed

Improved decay rates for solutions for a multidimensional generalized Benjamin-Bona-Mahony equation

KAUST Repository

Said-Houari, Belkacem

2014-01-01

the Fourier transform and the energy method, we show the global existence and the convergence rates of the solutions under the smallness assumption on the initial data and we give better decay rates of the solutions. This result improves early works in J

On Optimizing H. 264/AVC Rate Control by Improving R-D Model and Incorporating HVS Characteristics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiang Gangyi

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The state-of-the-art JVT-G012 rate control algorithm of H.264 is improved from two aspects. First, the quadratic rate-distortion (R-D model is modified based on both empirical observations and theoretical analysis. Second, based on the existing physiological and psychological research findings of human vision, the rate control algorithm is optimized by incorporating the main characteristics of the human visual system (HVS such as contrast sensitivity, multichannel theory, and masking effect. Experiments are conducted, and experimental results show that the improved algorithm can simultaneously enhance the overall subjective visual quality and improve the rate control precision effectively.

Strategic Planning for scenarios in the natural environment. The case of the Nature Outlook 2050 GDP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Urbano Lopez de Meneses, J.

2015-01-01

Forward planning is part of strategic planning. It is a regular tool in management and direction of the companies. Some European countries include it in environmental policy cycle. Scenarios approach is a proved qualitative foresight technique. It is useful in high variability and complexity environments. This paper shows how to implement the tool, mixing theoretical explanation and the practical performance done in project called: Nature Outlook 2050. This project has been done by the Netherlands agency for environmental assessment and foresight (PBL). (Author)

Technology Trends in Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) and Counter-UAS: A Five Year Outlook

Science.gov (United States)

2017-11-01

I N S T I T U T E F O R D E F E N S E ANALYSES Technology Trends in Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) and Counter-UAS: A Five-Year Outlook...the copyright license under the clause at DFARS 252.227-7013 (a)(16) [June 2013]. INSTITUTE FOR DEFENSE ANALYSES IDA Paper P-8823 Technology Trends...threats to infrastructure posed across all domains—air, land, sea, and cyber. Although threats and technologies are rapidly evolving across all

Improved achievable secrecy rate of visible light communication with cooperative jamming

KAUST Repository

Zaid, Hajar; Rezki, Zouheir; Chaaban, Anas; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2016-01-01

constraint on the input distribution which renders Gaussian inputs not admissible. We provide an achievable secrecy rate that improves upon a recently established one in a concurrent work by Mostafa and Lampe. Our scheme follows from both the secrecy capacity

First Results of the LHC Collision Rate Monitors

CERN Document Server

Burger, S; Bart Pedersen, S; Boccardi, A; Dutriat, C; Miyamoto, R; Doolittle, L; Matis, H S; Placidi, M; Ratti, A; Stezelberger, T; Yaver, H

2011-01-01

The aim of CERN large hadron collider (LHC) is to collide protons and heavy ions with centre of mass energies up to 14 zTeV. In order to monitor and optimize the collision rates special detectors have been developed and installed around the four luminous interaction regions. Due to the different conditions at the high luminosity experiments (ATLAS and CMS) and the low luminosity experiments (ALICE and LHC-b) two very different types of monitors are used: a fast ionisation chamber (BRAN-A) and a Cd-Te solid state detector (BRAN-B respectively. Moreover, in order to cope with the low collision rates foreseen for the initial run, a third type of monitor, based on a simple scintillating pad, was installed in parallel with the BRAN-A (BRAN-P). This contribution illustrates the results obtained during the 2010 run with an outlook for 2011 and beyond.

Sales Growth Rate Forecasting Using Improved PSO and SVM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xibin Wang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Accurate forecast of the sales growth rate plays a decisive role in determining the amount of advertising investment. In this study, we present a preclassification and later regression based method optimized by improved particle swarm optimization (IPSO for sales growth rate forecasting. We use support vector machine (SVM as a classification model. The nonlinear relationship in sales growth rate forecasting is efficiently represented by SVM, while IPSO is optimizing the training parameters of SVM. IPSO addresses issues of traditional PSO, such as relapsing into local optimum, slow convergence speed, and low convergence precision in the later evolution. We performed two experiments; firstly, three classic benchmark functions are used to verify the validity of the IPSO algorithm against PSO. Having shown IPSO outperform PSO in convergence speed, precision, and escaping local optima, in our second experiment, we apply IPSO to the proposed model. The sales growth rate forecasting cases are used to testify the forecasting performance of proposed model. According to the requirements and industry knowledge, the sample data was first classified to obtain types of the test samples. Next, the values of the test samples were forecast using the SVM regression algorithm. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model has good forecasting performance.

Outlook for Japanese economy and energy demand in fiscal year 2015. Will decline in oil price benefit sluggish Japanese economy after tax increase?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanagisawa, Akira; Ikarii, Ryohei; Iwata, Sohei; Wang, In-Ha; Tomokawa, K.; Shibata, Yoshiaki; Ito, Kokichi

2015-01-01

Although prompt economic recovery was expected, after tax increase in April 2014, not so much progress has been made as anticipated. One of the reasons for this is the increase in energy cost due to the decline in LNG price following that of oil price from an international point of view, and the electric rate hike resulted from the delay in restart of nuclear power plant from a domestic point of view, and so on. In this article, the outlook for the Japanese economy and the energy demand in the fiscal year 2015 and the influences of various factors were evaluated. For this evaluation, the values set as the primary premises for the standard scenario were: (1) world economy, (2) CIF prices for importing oil, LNG, and coal, (3) exchange rates, (4) nuclear power generation, (5) electricity demand, and (6) temperature. Then, the influences of following items on economy and energy demand were analyzed: (1) macro economy, (2) production activity, (3) domestic supply of primary energy, (4) final energy consumption, (5) sales amount of electricity and composition of electrical sources, (6) sales amount of city gas, (7) sales amount of fuel oil and LNG, (8) renewable energy power generation, (9) restart rate of nuclear power plant, and so on. (S.K.)

Improved achievable secrecy rate of visible light communication with cooperative jamming

KAUST Repository

Zaid, Hajar

2016-02-25

In this paper we study the problem of securing a visible light communication (VLC) link against passive eavesdropping, with the help of a (friendly) jammer. Differently from radio frequency (RF) communications, VLC imposes a peak amplitude constraint on the input distribution which renders Gaussian inputs not admissible. We provide an achievable secrecy rate that improves upon a recently established one in a concurrent work by Mostafa and Lampe. Our scheme follows from both the secrecy capacity result by Wyner and the artificial noise scheme by Goel and Negi, but using truncated Gaussian input distributions instead of uniform ones. Via numerical results, we show that our secrecy rate outperforms the concurrent rate in different settings. © 2015 IEEE.

The current and short term outlook for offshore exploration and development in the UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Precious, R.G.

1992-01-01

The United Kingdom offshore oil and gas industry began with the first North Sea discoveries in 1965. Of the total estimated hydrocarbon resources, 34% of the 32 billion bbl of oil and gas liquids and 23% of the 124 trillion ft 3 of natural gas have already been produced, and an additional 22% and 23% respectively are currently producing or under development. Average discovery size has declined as the region matures; nevertheless drilling activity has remained high. Low oil prices, increasing operating costs, and the worldwide recession have caused many companies to cut back on capital expenditures. The outlook for North Sea exploration is for smaller, more complex prospects and in areas with greater exploration potential. The outlook for development is for smaller, often economically marginal new fields and existing fields that are increasingly expensive to operate. In new fields, costs can be reduced by simplification and standardization of facilities, using horizontal drilling, lighter modular platforms, subsea technology, and multiphase pipelines. Examples of such developments at Shell/Esso's Osprey and Gannet fields are described. In existing fields, emphasis is on upgrading of facilites for extended field life; simplification and automation of facilities is also being carried out to reduce costs. Examples are provided from Shell/Esso's Brent and Leman fields. Other factors affecting future development are outlined. Total U.K. gas demand is forecast to rise to 7-8 billion ft 3 d by the late 1990s; imports may be required to meet total U.K. demand at that time. U.K. oil and liquids production is forecast to increase to a new peak of 2.7 million bbl/d in 1995. 13 figs

Stat-of-the art of nuclear fusion and its future outlook in

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdelaziz, M.E.; Elnadi, A.M.; Masoud, M.; Elshaer, M.A.; Khalil, S.M.

1993-01-01

The study in this project is carried out with the objective of being able to present a clear view for the state-of-the art of nuclear fusion as one of the most promising coming energy source and its future outlook in Egypt. The study introduce a summary of the world energy problem and the advantages of thermonuclear fusion energy compared to other energy sources. A description of the two main techniques of confining plasma in the fusion experiments, namely the magnetic and the inertial confinement. These techniques are discussed and investigated through linear pinches and tokamaks. Tokamaks showed to be a promising machines for achieving the controlled thermonuclear fusion power reactor. Recent development of the research on laser fusion together with fast progress in pellet and laser technology suggest that it may be possible to achieve laser fusion power reactor. The story of the strange phenomena of cold fusion, muon-catalyzed fusion, and cold fusion in condensed matter are also studied and showed to be non promising. The project study in details the future fusion reactor, its nuclear engineering and its safety and environmental aspects. The study is based on the magnetic fusion using the tokamak configuration. The positive safety and environmental aspects of fusion reactors, if exist, is also investigated. Status of plasma physics and nuclear fusion activities and strategies in the developing countries (including egypt and the arab countries) are reviewed, besides, some national programmes are proposed. In addition, the status of international activities in plasma technology and its application are represented. Future outlook for egyptian programmes on different plasma technologies are studied. Finally, conclusions and recommendations are presented which summarized the principle achiements and future research opportunities in nuclear fusion activities. In fact, it must be emphasized that fusion is an exciting and challenging field of research -the most

International germ cell consensus classification : A prognostic factor-erased staging system for metastatic germ cell cancers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mead, GM; Stenning, SP; Cook, P; Fossa, SD; Horwich, A; Kaye, SB; Oliver, RTD; deMulder, PHM; deWit, R; Stoter, G; Sylvester, RJ; Bajorin, DF; Bosl, GJ; Mazumdar, M; Nichols, CR; Amato, R; Pizzocaro, G; Droz, JP; Kramar, A; Daugaard, G; CortesFunes, H; PazAres, L; Levi, JA; Colls, BM; Harvey, VJ; Coppin, C

Purpose: Cisplatin-containing chemotherapy has dramatically improved the outlook for patients with metastatic germ cell tumors (GCT), and overall cure rates now exceed 80%. To make appropriate risk-based decisions about therapy and to facilitate collaborative trials, a simple prognostic factor-based

Provider Communication, Prompts, and Feedback to Improve HPV Vaccination Rates in Resident Clinics.

Science.gov (United States)

Rand, Cynthia M; Schaffer, Stanley J; Dhepyasuwan, Nui; Blumkin, Aaron; Albertin, Christina; Serwint, Janet R; Darden, Paul M; Humiston, Sharon G; Mann, Keith J; Stratbucker, William; Szilagyi, Peter G

2018-04-01

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates lag behind vaccination rates for other adolescent vaccines; a bundled intervention may improve HPV vaccination rates. Our objective is to evaluate the impact of quality improvement (QI) training plus a bundled practice-based intervention (provider prompts plus communication skills training plus performance feedback) on improving HPV vaccinations in pediatric resident continuity clinics. Staff and providers in 8 resident clinics participated in a 12-month QI study. The intervention included training to strengthen provider communication about the HPV vaccine. Clinics also implemented provider prompts, received monthly performance feedback, and participated in learning collaborative calls. The primary outcome measure was eligible visits with vaccination divided by vaccine-eligible visits (captured HPV vaccination opportunities). Practices performed chart audits that were fed into monthly performance feedback on captured HPV vaccination opportunities. We used conditional logistic regression (conditioning on practice) to assess captured vaccination opportunities, with the time period of the study (before and after the QI intervention) as the independent variable. Overall, captured opportunities for HPV vaccination increased by 16.4 percentage points, from 46.9% to 63.3%. Special cause was demonstrated by centerline shift, with 8 consecutive points above the preintervention mean. On adjusted analyses, patients were more likely to receive a vaccine during, versus before, the intervention (odds ratio: 1.87; 95% confidence interval: 1.54-2.28). Captured HPV vaccination rates improved at both well-child and other visits (by 11.7 and 13.0 percentage points, respectively). A bundled intervention of provider prompts and training in communication skills plus performance feedback increased captured opportunities for HPV vaccination. Copyright © 2018 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Positron imaging system with improved count rate and tomographic capability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muehllehner, G.; Buchin, M.P.

1980-01-01

Improvements to a positron camera imaging system are described. A pair of Angear-type scintillation cameras serve as the detectors, each camera being positioned on opposite sides of the organ of interest. Pulse shaping circuits reduce the pulse duration below 900 nanoseconds and the integration time below 500 noneseconds, improving the count rate capability and the counting statistics of the system and thus the image quality and processing speed. The invention also provides means for rotating the opposed camera heads about an axis which passes through the organ of interest. The cameras do not use collimators, and are capable of accepting radiation travelling in planes not perpendicular to the scintillation crystals. (LL)

Using an Inpatient Quality Improvement Curriculum for Internal Medicine Residents to Improve Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Administration Rates.

Science.gov (United States)

Jolin, Jonathan; van Aalst, Robertus; Volpp, Bryan; Taylor, Thomas; Cohen, Emily

2018-06-01

Pneumococcal infections are an important source of morbidity and mortality in older adults and persons with compromised immune systems. New recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) became available September 2014, which included recommendations for the use of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13). A study was conducted to increase the PCV13 vaccination rates of hospitalized patients at the White River Junction Veterans Affairs Medical Center (White River Junction, Vermont) through the use of a resident-driven quality improvement (QI) project. From December 2014 through April 2016, 16 internal medicine inpatient residents addressed inpatient PCV13 vaccination rates by participating in the facility's QI curriculum. Eight Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles were used, including discharge template editing, electronic reminders, and the discovery of a vaccination administration documentation error in the record through data validation. The measure was the monthly percentage of patients who received PCV13 vaccination (vaccination completion rate) of those discharged from the hospital medicine service who were due for PCV13 vaccination. The percentage of veterans discharged with an up-to-date PCV13 vaccination on discharge increased from approximately 30% to 87% and was sustained. Despite being driven by many different residents, this project demonstrates that continuous improvement can be achieved through a structured and iterative process while providing active learning of core QI concepts to residents. It also displays a method in which new guidelines can be incorporated into practice in an effective manner. Finally, this project is an example of how resident-driven data validation can lead to further improvement. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Future electricity supplies must be secured - Swiss outlook for 2035 / 2050

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-01-01

This comprehensive article reviews an update made in 2009 by the Swiss Association of Electricity Enterprises VSE on their paper 'Outlook 2006 on Swiss electricity supply for the period up to 2035 / 2050'. The association is of the opinion that the paper can still form the basis for issue-related public discussion on energy-related questions. The Swiss 'four-pillar' strategy - energy efficiency, renewable energy, large power stations and international energy policy - is noted and supported. The special role played by electricity in the Swiss energy mix is discussed and the issue of security of supply is examined. Possible shortages that could occur in the future are discussed, as is the question of carbon dioxide emissions. Economic viability and power prices are discussed. Energy efficiency and power production options are also examined. Combined heat and power, hydropower and nuclear power are examined and, finally, import and export options reviewed

Influence of ammonia flow rate for improving properties of polycrystalline GaN

Science.gov (United States)

Ariff, A.; Ahmad, M. A.; Hassan, Z.; Zainal, N.

2018-06-01

Post-annealing treatment in ammonia ambient is widely accepted for GaN material, but less works have been done to investigate the influence of the ammonia (NH3) flow rate for reducing the N-deficiency as well as improving the quality of the material. In this work, we investigated the influence of NH3 flow rate at 1, 2, 3, and 4 slm in improving properties of a ∼1 μm thick polycrystalline GaN layer. Our simulation work suggested that the uniformity of temperature and pressure gradient of the NH3 gas did not lead to the reduction of N-deficiency of the polycrystalline GaN layer. Instead, it was found that the mitigation of the N-deficiency was strongly influenced by the fluid velocity of the NH3 gas, which had passed over the layer. Either at lower or higher fluid velocity, the chance for the active N atoms to incorporate into the GaN lattice structure was low. Therefore, the N-deficiency on the polycrystalline GaN layer could not be minimized under these conditions. As measured by EDX, the N atoms incorporation was the most effective when the NH3 flow rate at 3 slm, suggesting the flow rate significantly improved the N-deficiency of the polycrystalline GaN layer. Furthermore, it favored the formation of larger hexagonal faceted grains, with the smallest FWHM of XRD peaks from the GaN diffractions in (10 1 bar 0), (0002) and (10 1 bar 1) orientations, while allowing the polycrystalline GaN layer to show sharp and intense emissions peak of NBE in a PL spectrum.

Improving Interprofessional Consistency in Electronic Fetal Heart Rate Interpretation.

Science.gov (United States)

Govindappagari, Shravya; Zaghi, Sahar; Zannat, Ferdous; Reimers, Laura; Goffman, Dena; Kassel, Irene; Bernstein, Peter S

2016-07-01

Objective To determine if mandatory online training in electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) improved agreement in documentation between obstetric care providers and nurses on labor and delivery. Methods Health care professionals working in obstetrics at our institution were required to complete a course on EFM interpretation. We performed a retrospective chart review of 701 charts including patients delivered before and after the introduction of the course to evaluate agreement among providers in their documentation of their interpretations of the EFM tracings. Results Agreement between provider and nurse documentation at the time of admission improved for variability and accelerations (variability: 91.1 vs. 98.3%, p < 0.001; and accelerations: 75.2 vs. 87.7%, p < 0.001). Similarly, agreement improved at the time of the last note prior to delivery for documentation of variability and accelerations (variability: 82.1 vs. 90.6%, p = 0.001; and accelerations: 56.7 vs. 68.6%, p = 0.0012). Agreement in interpretation of decelerations both at the time of admission and at the time of delivery increased (86.3 vs. 90.6%, p = 0.0787, and 56.7 vs. 61.1%, p = 0.2314, respectively) but was not significant. Conclusion An online EFM course can significantly improve consistency in multidisciplinary documentation of fetal heart rate tracing interpretation. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Policy considerations for improving influenza vaccination rates among pregnant women.

Science.gov (United States)

Mollard, Elizabeth K; Guenzel, Nicholas; Brown, Peggy A; Keeler, Heidi J; Cramer, Mary E

2014-01-01

Influenza exposure during pregnancy can cause severe health problems for both the mother and her offspring, including an increased risk of mortality. Influenza vaccination during all trimesters of pregnancy is safe and effective, and recommended by professional organizations such as the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Despite these recommendations, the U.S. vaccination rates remain low in this high-risk population. A policy analysis based on the five-part method identified by Teitelbaum and Wilensky () addresses factors to consider in identifying the best voluntary policy options to improve the vaccination rates. The authors provide discussion of the background, landscape, and stakeholder interests and the pros and cons of two voluntary policy options to increase vaccination. The policy options include: (a) financial incentives for providers and (b) an education emphasis for providers and staff. The authors conclude that based on considerations of cost, provider preference, and practicality of implementation, a continuing educational intervention is the preferred policy venue to increase vaccination rates. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Increasing fMRI sampling rate improves Granger causality estimates.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fa-Hsuan Lin

Full Text Available Estimation of causal interactions between brain areas is necessary for elucidating large-scale functional brain networks underlying behavior and cognition. Granger causality analysis of time series data can quantitatively estimate directional information flow between brain regions. Here, we show that such estimates are significantly improved when the temporal sampling rate of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI is increased 20-fold. Specifically, healthy volunteers performed a simple visuomotor task during blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD contrast based whole-head inverse imaging (InI. Granger causality analysis based on raw InI BOLD data sampled at 100-ms resolution detected the expected causal relations, whereas when the data were downsampled to the temporal resolution of 2 s typically used in echo-planar fMRI, the causality could not be detected. An additional control analysis, in which we SINC interpolated additional data points to the downsampled time series at 0.1-s intervals, confirmed that the improvements achieved with the real InI data were not explainable by the increased time-series length alone. We therefore conclude that the high-temporal resolution of InI improves the Granger causality connectivity analysis of the human brain.

Exercise training improves heart rate variability after methamphetamine dependency.

Science.gov (United States)

Dolezal, Brett Andrew; Chudzynski, Joy; Dickerson, Daniel; Mooney, Larissa; Rawson, Richard A; Garfinkel, Alan; Cooper, Christopher B

2014-06-01

Heart rate variability (HRV) reflects a healthy autonomic nervous system and is increased with physical training. Methamphetamine dependence (MD) causes autonomic dysfunction and diminished HRV. We compared recently abstinent methamphetamine-dependent participants with age-matched, drug-free controls (DF) and also investigated whether HRV can be improved with exercise training in the methamphetamine-dependent participants. In 50 participants (MD = 28; DF = 22), resting heart rate (HR; R-R intervals) was recorded over 5 min while seated using a monitor affixed to a chest strap. Previously reported time domain (SDNN, RMSSD, pNN50) and frequency domain (LFnu, HFnu, LF/HF) parameters of HRV were calculated with customized software. MD were randomized to thrice-weekly exercise training (ME = 14) or equal attention without training (MC = 14) over 8 wk. Groups were compared using paired and unpaired t-tests. Statistical significance was set at P ≤ 0.05. Participant characteristics were matched between groups (mean ± SD): age = 33 ± 6 yr; body mass = 82.7 ± 12 kg, body mass index = 26.8 ± 4.1 kg·min. Compared with DF, the MD group had significantly higher resting HR (P HRV indices were similar between ME and MC groups. However, after training, the ME group significantly (all P HRV, based on several conventional indices, was diminished in recently abstinent, methamphetamine-dependent individuals. Moreover, physical training yielded a marked increase in HRV, representing increased vagal modulation or improved autonomic balance.

Emission reduction potentials of improved cookstoves and their issues in adoption: An Indian outlook.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Monikankana; Dasappa, S

2017-12-15

Biomass as a fuel for cooking is a common practice in rural India, and about 700 million people use traditional stoves to meet their energy demand. However, the thermal and the combustion efficiencies of these stoves are very low, leading to an inefficient use of biomass, and also, resulting in significant indoor air pollution. Research development has however led to the development of some improved stoves viz., natural draft and forced draft for both domestic as well as large scale cooking applications and government is trying to promote them. Forced draft stoves using processed biomass fuels (pellets) have received more prominence due to their superior performance, however, higher initial cost and limited fuel distribution networks have remained the key challenges. Improved natural draft stoves too have gained attention for being relatively inexpensive, and they are more likely to hit the rural households. In this paper, we have examined the environmental benefits obtained by the use of improved stoves for two important scenarios: traditional stoves are replaced by (i)improved natural draft stoves and, (ii) by improved natural draft as well as forced draft stoves. In the best case scenario (case ii), i.e., by shifting 111 million households who currently use wood to the forced draft stoves, and another 45 million households who are dependent on dung cake and agro residues to the improved natural draft stoves, the emission reduction that can be achieved are as follows: particulate matter (PM) 875 kT, black carbon (BC) 229 kT, organic carbon (OC) 525 kT, methane (CH 4 )1178 kT and non methane hydrocarbon (NMHC) of 564 kT. With the promotion of only natural draft improved stoves, the total reductions would be ∼12% lower than the combinational promotion. The CO 2 equivalent reduction is estimated to be ∼70-80 MT per year. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating the Effects of Vocational Training in Africa (based on the "African Economic Outlook 2008"), OECD Development Centre Policy Insights, No. 61

Science.gov (United States)

Kingombe, Christian

2008-01-01

The impact of vocational training on economic growth and poverty reduction in African countries is unknown. Without such knowledge, however, countries and donors cannot formulate appropriate policies. Even the 35 countries surveyed in the 2008 "African Economic Outlook" can only supply approximate data. More and better data are needed to…

Iran's petroleum policy: Current trends and the future outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pezeshki, S.; Fesharaki, F.

1994-12-01

The Iranian economy and political situation have undergone radical changes since the 1979 Islamic revolution. The excesses of the early years of the revolution have gradually given way to moderation and a more pragmatic economic policy--based on the principles of the free market. The petroleum policy, as a subset of the economic policies, has been somewhat affected by the political and economic developments in Iran. The petroleum policy has changed from a position of no foreign participation to a position that includes a desire for foreign participation, the text of a model contract, and an attempt to introduce new technologies in the upstream sector. This report provides an overview of the key issues facing the Iranian oil industry and the economic context in which the oil industry is operating in Iran. It describes the evolution of policies meant to move the oil industry toward the free market; it discusses Iran's oil trading partners, the outlook for refining and project investments, and current and likely future developments in the natural gas and petrochemical sectors. In short, the report provides an up-to-date assessment of the Iranian petroleum sector and its likely evolution in the future

Improved decay rates for solutions for a multidimensional generalized Benjamin-Bona-Mahony equation

KAUST Repository

Said-Houari, Belkacem

2014-01-01

In this paper, we study the decay rates of solutions for the generalized Benjamin-Bona-Mahony equation in multi-dimensional space. For initial data in some L1-weighted spaces, we prove faster decay rates of the solutions. More precisely, using the Fourier transform and the energy method, we show the global existence and the convergence rates of the solutions under the smallness assumption on the initial data and we give better decay rates of the solutions. This result improves early works in J. Differential Equations 158(2) (1999), 314-340 and Nonlinear Anal. 75(7) (2012), 3385-3392. © 2014-IOS Press.

Predicting wildfire ignitions, escapes, and large fire activity using Predictive Service’s 7-Day Fire Potential Outlook in the western USA

Science.gov (United States)

Karin L. Riley; Crystal Stonesifer; Haiganoush Preisler; Dave Calkin

2014-01-01

Can fire potential forecasts assist with pre-positioning of fire suppression resources, which could result in a cost savings to the United States government? Here, we present a preliminary assessment of the 7-Day Fire Potential Outlook forecasts made by the Predictive Services program. We utilized historical fire occurrence data and archived forecasts to assess how...

Audit and Feedback: A Quality Improvement Study to Increase Pneumococcal Vaccination Rates.

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Rebecca Culver; Carter, Kimberly Ferren; Jackson, Julie; Hodges, Deborah

The purpose of this quality improvement study was to explore the impact of audit and feedback on the pneumococcal immunization rate for at-risk adults in ambulatory settings. Study findings support the hypothesis that timely, individualized audit and feedback can have a positive impact on immunization rate; generalized feedback that did not provide actionable information did not have the same impact. The difference between the interventions was significant, χ (1, N = 1993) = 124.7, P <.001.

Insights for the third Global Environment Outlook from related global scenario anlayses. Working paper for GEO-3

OpenAIRE

Bakkes JA; Goldewijk CGM; Meijer JR; Rothman DS; Vries HJM de; Woerden JW van; United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); MNV

2001-01-01

This report relates to the ongoing development of scenarios for the third Global Environment Outlook (GEO-3) of UNEP. It illustrates the scale and type of environmental impacts that GEO-3 needs to consider. It does so by quantifying impacts using existing, recent studies whose scenarios come closest to the current tentative global storylines for GEO-3. With a view to GEO-3;s envisaged role as input for the Rio+10 Earth Summit in 2002, this report suggests a focus for the GEO-3 scenario analys...

The outlook for natural gas markets in the GRI baseline projection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holtberg, P.D.

1990-01-01

Gas Research Institute is an independent, not-for-profit organization that plans, manages, and develops financing for a cooperative research and development program for the mutual benefit of the natural gas industry and its customers. The research program consists of over 500 active research projects in natural gas supply and end use, and in gas industry operations, as well as related basic research. This paper summarizes the U.S. natural gas demand and supply outlook projected in a preliminary version of the 191 edition of the GRI Baseline Projection of U.S. Energy Supply and Demand. The projection used for this paper is from an early run of the GRI modeling structure. As such, it is subject to substantial revision before the Baseline Projection is finalized. The paper presents a projection of natural gas demand in the major end-use sectors and the slate of supply sources expected to meet that demand over the period from 1989 to 2010

LCG Persistency Framework (CORAL, COOL, POOL): Status and Outlook in 2012

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trentadue, R; Kalkhof, A; Loth, A; Valassi, A; Clemencic, M; Frank, M; Dykstra, D; Front, D; Nowak, M; Salnikov, A; Wache, M

2012-01-01

The LCG Persistency Framework consists of three software packages (CORAL, COOL and POOL) that address the data access requirements of the LHC experiments in several different areas. The project is the result of the collaboration between the CERN IT Department and the three experiments (ATLAS, CMS and LHCb) that are using some or all of the Persistency Framework components to access their data. POOL is a hybrid technology store for C++ objects, using a mixture of streaming and relational technologies to implement both object persistency and object metadata catalogs and collections. CORAL is an abstraction layer with an SQL-free API for accessing data stored using relational database technologies. COOL provides specific software components and tools for the handling of the time variation and versioning of the experiment conditions data. This presentation reports on the status and outlook in each of the three sub-projects at the time of the CHEP2012 conference, reviewing the usage of each package in the three LHC experiments.

World Energy Outlook Special Report 2013: Redrawing the Energy Climate Map

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-06-01

Governments have decided collectively that the world needs to limit the average global temperature increase to no more than 2°C and international negotiations are engaged to that end. Yet any resulting agreement will not emerge before 2015 and new legal obligations will not begin before 2020. Meanwhile, despite many countries taking new actions, the world is drifting further and further from the track it needs to follow. The energy sector is the single largest source of climate-changing greenhouse-gas emissions and limiting these is an essential focus of action. The World Energy Outlook has published detailed analysis of the energy contribution to climate change for many years. But, amid major international economic preoccupations, there are worrying signs that the issue of climate change has slipped down the policy agenda. This Special Report seeks to bring it right back on top by showing that the dilemma can be tackled at no net economic cost.

Current status and future outlook for bonded neodymium permanent magnets (invited)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Croat, J.J.

1997-01-01

Bonded neodymium magnets can provide significant size and weight reduction and/or performance enhancement over sintered and, particularly, bonded ferrite permanent magnets and, moreover, provide these benefits at reasonable cost. Primarily for these reasons, these bonded magnets are now used in a wide and growing range of computer peripheral, office automation, and consumer electronic applications and now constitute the fastest growing segment of the permanent magnet market. The current status of these materials will be reviewed. Included is a brief overview of the manufacture of these magnetically isotropic magnets and a discussion of their unique properties and features from the perspective of both bonded magnet producer and user. Major applications are discussed as are some of the factors that will drive the market for these materials in the future. New technical developments, including the status and outlook for anisotropic bonded materials, high remanance isotropic materials and high temperature bonded magnets will also be discussed. copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics

LCG Persistency Framework (CORAL, COOL, POOL): Status and Outlook in 2012

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Trentadue, R. [CERN; Clemencic, M. [CERN; Dykstra, D. [Fermilab; Frank, M. [CERN; Front, D. [Weizmann Inst.; Kalkhof, A. [CERN; Loth, A. [CERN; Nowak, M. [Brookhaven; Salnikov, A. [SLAC; Valassi, A. [CERN; Wache, M. [Mainz U., Inst. Phys.

2012-06-27

The LCG Persistency Framework consists of three software packages (CORAL, COOL and POOL) that address the data access requirements of the LHC experiments in several different areas. The project is the result of the collaboration between the CERN IT Department and the three experiments (ATLAS, CMS and LHCb) that are using some or all of the Persistency Framework components to access their data. POOL is a hybrid technology store for C++ objects, using a mixture of streaming and relational technologies to implement both object persistency and object metadata catalogs and collections. CORAL is an abstraction layer with an SQL-free API for accessing data stored using relational database technologies. COOL provides specific software components and tools for the handling of the time variation and versioning of the experiment conditions data. This presentation reports on the status and outlook in each of the three sub-projects at the time of the CHEP2012 conference, reviewing the usage of each package in the three LHC experiments.

Improving the Accuracy of Planet Occurrence Rates from Kepler Using Approximate Bayesian Computation

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Danley C.; Ford, Eric B.; Ragozzine, Darin; Morehead, Robert C.

2018-05-01

We present a new framework to characterize the occurrence rates of planet candidates identified by Kepler based on hierarchical Bayesian modeling, approximate Bayesian computing (ABC), and sequential importance sampling. For this study, we adopt a simple 2D grid in planet radius and orbital period as our model and apply our algorithm to estimate occurrence rates for Q1–Q16 planet candidates orbiting solar-type stars. We arrive at significantly increased planet occurrence rates for small planet candidates (R p 80 day) compared to the rates estimated by the more common inverse detection efficiency method (IDEM). Our improved methodology estimates that the occurrence rate density of small planet candidates in the habitable zone of solar-type stars is {1.6}-0.5+1.2 per factor of 2 in planet radius and orbital period. Additionally, we observe a local minimum in the occurrence rate for strong planet candidates marginalized over orbital period between 1.5 and 2 R ⊕ that is consistent with previous studies. For future improvements, the forward modeling approach of ABC is ideally suited to incorporating multiple populations, such as planets, astrophysical false positives, and pipeline false alarms, to provide accurate planet occurrence rates and uncertainties. Furthermore, ABC provides a practical statistical framework for answering complex questions (e.g., frequency of different planetary architectures) and providing sound uncertainties, even in the face of complex selection effects, observational biases, and follow-up strategies. In summary, ABC offers a powerful tool for accurately characterizing a wide variety of astrophysical populations.

A quality improvement project to improve the Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) sepsis bundle compliance rate in a large healthcare system.

Science.gov (United States)

Raschke, Robert A; Groves, Robert H; Khurana, Hargobind S; Nikhanj, Nidhi; Utter, Ethel; Hartling, Didi; Stoffer, Brenda; Nunn, Kristina; Tryon, Shona; Bruner, Michelle; Calleja, Maria; Curry, Steven C

2017-01-01

Sepsis is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in hospitalised patients. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) mandated that US hospitals report sepsis bundle compliance rate as a quality process measure in October 2015. The specific aim of our study was to improve the CMS sepsis bundle compliance rate from 30% to 40% across 20 acute care hospitals in our healthcare system within 1 year. The study included all adult inpatients with sepsis sampled according to CMS specifications from October 2015 to September 2016. The CMS sepsis bundle compliance rate was tracked monthly using statistical process control charting. A baseline rate of 28.5% with 99% control limits was established. We implemented multiple interventions including computerised decision support systems (CDSSs) to increase compliance with the most commonly missing bundle elements. Compliance reached 42% (99% statistical process control limits 18.4%-38.6%) as CDSS was implemented system-wide, but this improvement was not sustained after CMS changed specifications of the outcome measure. Difficulties encountered elucidate shortcomings of our study methodology and of the CMS sepsis bundle compliance rate as a quality process measure.

Outlooks for Wind Power in the United States: Drivers and Trends under a 2016 Policy Environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mai, Trieu [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Lantz, Eric [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Ho, Jonathan [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Stehly, Tyler [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Heimiller, Donna [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2016-12-01

Over the past decade, wind power has become one of the fastest growing electricity generation sources in the United States. Despite this growth, the U.S. wind industry continues to experience year-to-year fluctuations across the manufacturing and supply chain as a result of dynamic market conditions and changing policy landscapes. Moreover, with advancing wind technologies, ever-changing fossil fuel prices, and evolving energy policies, the long-term future for wind power is highly uncertain. In this report, we present multiple outlooks for wind power in the United States, to explore the possibilities of future wind deployment. The future wind power outlooks presented rely on high-resolution wind resource data and advanced electric sector modeling capabilities to evaluate an array of potential scenarios of the U.S. electricity system. Scenario analysis is used to explore drivers, trends, and implications for wind power deployment over multiple periods through 2050. Specifically, we model 16 scenarios of wind deployment in the contiguous United States. These scenarios span a wide range of wind technology costs, natural gas prices, and future transmission expansion. We identify conditions with more consistent wind deployment after the production tax credit expires as well as drivers for more robust wind growth in the long run. Conversely, we highlight challenges to future wind deployment. We find that the degree to which wind technology costs decline can play an important role in future wind deployment, electric sector CO₂ emissions, and lowering allowance prices for the Clean Power Plan.

Assessing customer satisfaction for improving NOAA's climate products and services

Science.gov (United States)

Meyers, J. C.; Hawkins, M. D.; Timofeyeva, M. M.

2009-12-01

NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS) Climate Services Division (CSD) is developing a comprehensive climate user requirements process with the ultimate goal of producing climate services that meet the needs of NWS climate information users. An important part of this effort includes engaging users through periodical surveys conducted by the Claes Fornell International (CFI) Group using the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The CFI Group conducted a Climate Services Satisfaction (CSS) Survey in May of 2009 to measure customer satisfaction with current products and services and to gain insight on areas for improvement. The CSS Survey rates customer satisfaction on a range of NWS climate services data and products, including Climate Prediction Center (CPC) outlooks, drought monitoring, and ENSO monitoring and forecasts, as well as NWS local climate data services. In addition, the survey assesses the users of the products to give the NWS insight into its climate customer base. The survey also addresses specific topics such as NWS forecast category names, probabilistic nature of climate products, and interpretation issues. The survey results identify user requirements for improving existing NWS climate services and introducing new ones. CSD will merge the survey recommendations with available scientific methodologies and operational capabilities to develop requirements for improved climate products and services. An overview of the 2009 survey results will be presented, such as users' satisfaction with the accuracy, reliability, display and functionality of products and services.

Energy outlook to 2035 in Asia and its pathways towards a low carbon energy system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Komiyama, Ryoichi

2010-09-15

This report analyzes energy outlook in Asia and the world to 2035. In Technologically Advanced Scenario, advanced low-carbon technology yields, in 2035, 2,305 Mtoe or 14% of the saving in world primary energy demand and 12.3 Gt or 30% of the reduction in global CO2 emissions compared with the Reference Scenario. In these savings, Asia will account for 58% in the world primary energy reduction and 55% of the world CO2 mitigation, emphasizing immense potential of energy and CO2 saving in Asia and the importance of the deployment of clean energy technology through technology transfer to Asian region.

Emission and costs up to and including 2030 for the current environmental policy. Background information for the National Environmental Outlook 5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Wee, G.P.; Kuijpers-Linde, M.A.J.; Van Gerwen, O.J.

2001-03-01

Every four years the Dutch National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) publishes an Environmental Outlook in preparation for the National Environmental Policy Plan (NEPP). The fifth National Environmental Outlook (NEOS) describes developments in the quality of the environment in the Netherlands for 2000-2030 against a background of developments on the European and global scales. The two macro-economic scenarios of the Netherlands Bureau for Economic and Policy Analysis (CPB) used are the European Coordination (EC) scenario and the Global Competition scenario (GC). Consequences for public health, nature and the human physical environment are also indicated. 'Fixed policy' scenarios are used in the Environmental Outlook for the Netherlands. In 'fixed policy' scenarios it is assumed that all policy measures agreed on by the year 2000 will be implemented, but no new measures taken. In this way the Outlook offers baseline scenarios that can be compared with targets and objectives to facilitate the development of new policy. The Fifth National Environmental Outlook was realised with the assistance of many other Dutch research institutes. This background document to NEOS presents estimated levels of energy use, emissions and costs of environmental measures for the 1995-2020 period. The main conclusions are: The environmental problems most difficult to tackle are climate change and noise nuisance. These problems are highly related to energy use and transportation; The policy as presented in the 'Uitvoeringsnota Klimaatbeleid', a document describing the Dutch Kyoto-related climate policy, results in a reduction of greenhouse gases of 15 Mton CO2 equivalents (GS scenario) with respect to the pre-Kyoto policy in 2010. To meet the Kyoto agreements a further reduction of approximately 45 Mton CO2 equivalents is needed. If policies in the 'Uitvoeringsnota Klimaatbeleid' are further instrumentalised and made concrete, an extra reduction of 10 Mton is possible

Markets and employment related to energy efficiency improvements and renewable energies: situation 2012-2013 and short term outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fleuriot, Fanny; Gaudin, Thomas; Guillerminet, Marie-Laure; Louis, Jonathan; Vesine, Eric; Greffet, Pierre; Randriambololona, Celine; Rageau, Francois; Carabot, Cyril

2014-11-01

Since 2008, ADEME has regularly compiled an overview of markets and employment related to the main activities connected with improving energy efficiency and developing renewable sources of energy in France. The activities were selected partly according to their connection with ADEME's field of activity and partly according to their connection with the main policies determined by the Grenelle environment summit. Another factor taken into account was the existence of statistical data enabling the relevant markets to be regularly monitored. Since the very first version of the report, each time it has analysed some thirty market segments, all of which fall into one of three main sectors: - Energy efficiency improvements in residential accommodation: work to improve energy efficiency in existing housing (insulation of outside walls and replacement of windows and doors with more effective solutions), purchase of condensing boilers, energy efficient large household electrical appliances, and compact fluorescent lamps; - Energy efficiency improvements in transport systems: developments in urban public transport systems and railways, including equipment and sales of category A and B private vehicles; - Investments in the production of renewable energy (RE) and sales of renewably sourced energy. Over the years, several new markets have been added, including controlled mechanical ventilation systems (CMV), city bike schemes, etc. For this edition of the report, three new markets have been introduced, each with its own individual 'Market Report': Marine Renewable Energies, Heating Networks, and Hybrid and Electric Vehicles, while thermodynamic domestic boilers and sales of LED lamps have been added to markets for heat-pumps and compact fluorescent lamps respectively. The possibility of including markets related to energy efficiency improvements in industry and non-residential buildings was also investigated, but no regular statistical data enabling proper

Proceedings of the 1999 natural gas lookout and strategies forum : Price and supply outlook, trading and purchasing strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1998-01-01

A total of 17 papers were presented at this conference, all of them devoted to a discussion of marketing strategies and price and supply outlook within the natural gas industry in North America. The presentations provided a practical and analytical look at where natural gas prices were heading. They also described winning trading and purchasing strategies. The challenges posed by the deregulation and the expected competition in the natural gas industry in North America also received much attention. tabs., figs

China's current status and long-term outlook of nuclear power and radioactive waste disposal management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Zhidong

2015-01-01

This study identified the current status and long-term outlook of China's nuclear power development and radioactive waste disposal management after the 3.11 FUKUSHIMA accidents. China strengthened the actions for achieving nuclear power safety and cost efficiency as well as safety management of radioactive waste. It is a hard work to expand the capacity to 58 GW, the governmental target in 2020. The long-term development will strongly depend on the progress in safety management of nuclear power and radioactive waste and economic competitiveness. (author)

Annual Energy Outlook 2013 with Projections to 2040

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2013-04-01

The Annual Energy Outlook 2013 (AEO2013), prepared by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), presents long-term projections of energy supply, demand, and prices through 2040, based on results from EIA’s National Energy Modeling System. The report begins with an “Executive summary” that highlights key aspects of the projections. It is followed by a “Legislation and regulations” section that discusses evolving legislative and regulatory issues, including a summary of recently enacted legislation and regulations, such as: Updated handling of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for industrial boilers and process heaters; New light-duty vehicle (LDV) greenhouse gas (GHG) and corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards for model years 2017 to 2025; Reinstatement of the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) after the court’s announcement of intent to vacate the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR); and Modeling of California’s Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32), which allows for representation of a cap-and-trade program developed as part of California’s GHG reduction goals for 2020. The “Issues in focus” section contains discussions of selected energy topics, including a discussion of the results in two cases that adopt different assumptions about the future course of existing policies, with one case assuming the elimination of sunset provisions in existing policies and the other case assuming the elimination of the sunset provisions and the extension of a selected group of existing public policies—CAFE standards, appliance standards, and production tax credits. Other discussions include: oil price and production trends in AEO2013; U.S. reliance on imported liquids under a range of cases; competition between coal and natural gas in electric power generation; high and low nuclear scenarios through 2040; and the impact of growth in natural gas

The wind power state of the art and development outlooks; L'energie eolienne etat de l'art et perspectives de developpement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bal, J.L. [Agence de l' Environnement et de la Maitrise de l' Energie, ADEME, 75 - Paris (France)

2005-07-01

This document presented during the Physics Summer school, deals with the wind power situation in Europe. The wind energy conversion in electric power is explained as the management and implementing of a wind site. The author discusses also the economy of the wind power and the market and development outlooks. (A.L.B.)

Cyclic efforts to improve completion rates of masters’ degree students in nursing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lizeth Roets

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Supervisors at Higher Education Institutions are challenged to shorten throughput of Master’s degree students in nursing as researchers are needed to improve the art and science of the nursing profession. Globally the completion time for a postgraduate degree in the health sciences varies between 4.7 and 5.5 years. The purpose of the study was to describe strategies that were implemented to shorten completion time and attrition rate of postgraduate students. A cyclic technical, scientific collaborative mode within an action research methodology was used to identify factors impeding completion time in this study. Contrary to other studies, supervision was not an inhibiting factor in this study. Physical, technical, academic and financial aspects were identified by postgraduate students through questionnaires and informal discussion groups with supervisors as well as progress reports. Strategies were implemented to address these. Following implementation of all strategies, 42% of the postgraduate students in the School of Nursing completed their Master’s degree within two years. This implies a 34% improvement. Although the completion rate improved it was still unsatisfactory and new challenges were identified during the second cycle, for example, the number of inexperienced supervisors increased and they needed mentoring. Speed mentoring is a possible solution to the problem.

Improving Immunization Rates Using Lean Six Sigma Processes: Alliance of Independent Academic Medical Centers National Initiative III Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Hina-Syeda, Hussaini; Kimbrough, Christina; Murdoch, William; Markova, Tsveti

2013-01-01

Quality improvement education and work in interdisciplinary teams is a healthcare priority. Healthcare systems are trying to meet core measures and provide excellent patient care, thus improving their Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Systems scores. Crittenton Hospital Medical Center in Rochester Hills, MI, aligned educational and clinical objectives, focusing on improving immunization rates against pneumonia and influenza prior to the rates being implemented as core measures. Improving immunization rates prevents infections, minimizes hospitalizations, and results in overall improved patient care. Teaching hospitals offer an effective way to work on clinical projects by bringing together the skill sets of residents, faculty, and hospital staff to achieve superior results. WE DESIGNED AND IMPLEMENTED A STRUCTURED CURRICULUM IN WHICH INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAMS ACQUIRED KNOWLEDGE ON QUALITY IMPROVEMENT AND TEAMWORK, WHILE FOCUSING ON A SPECIFIC CLINICAL PROJECT: improving global immunization rates. We used the Lean Six Sigma process tools to quantify the initial process capability to immunize against pneumococcus and influenza. The hospital's process to vaccinate against pneumonia overall was operating at a Z score of 3.13, and the influenza vaccination Z score was 2.53. However, the process to vaccinate high-risk patients against pneumonia operated at a Z score of 1.96. Improvement in immunization rates of high-risk patients became the focus of the project. After the implementation of solutions, the process to vaccinate high-risk patients against pneumonia operated at a Z score of 3.9 with a defects/million opportunities rate of 9,346 and a yield of 93.5%. Revisions to the adult assessment form fixed 80% of the problems identified. This process improvement project was not only beneficial in terms of improved quality of patient care but was also a positive learning experience for the interdisciplinary team, particularly for the residents. The

Do Better Political Relations with the USA Improve A Country's Economic Outlook?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anwar Aridi

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Relations of countries with the USA could be considered as helpful in their quest for enhanced economic performance. Does an improvement or deterioration in relations with the USA bring significant economic and financial benefits or costs, in areas such as, trade, capital flows, remittances, aid, military expenditures, and education? The results based on an event study are very preliminary. Nevertheless, this line of research could be fruitful and may enhance our appreciation of international political-economic relations and the ability to build more comprehensive theories of trade, capital flows and the like.

Patient reminder and recall interventions to improve immunization rates.

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobson Vann, Julie C; Jacobson, Robert M; Coyne-Beasley, Tamera; Asafu-Adjei, Josephine K; Szilagyi, Peter G

2018-01-18

Immunization rates for children and adults are rising, but coverage levels have not reached optimal goals. As a result, vaccine-preventable diseases still occur. In an era of increasing complexity of immunization schedules, rising expectations about the performance of primary care, and large demands on primary care providers, it is important to understand and promote interventions that work in primary care settings to increase immunization coverage. One common theme across immunization programs in many nations involves the challenge of implementing a population-based approach and identifying all eligible recipients, for example the children who should receive the measles vaccine. However, this issue is gradually being addressed through the availability of immunization registries and electronic health records. A second common theme is identifying the best strategies to promote high vaccination rates. Three types of strategies have been studied: (1) patient-oriented interventions, such as patient reminder or recall, (2) provider interventions, and (3) system interventions, such as school laws. One of the most prominent intervention strategies, and perhaps best studied, involves patient reminder or recall systems. This is an update of a previously published review. To evaluate and compare the effectiveness of various types of patient reminder and recall interventions to improve receipt of immunizations. We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase and CINAHL to January 2017. We also searched grey literature and trial registers to January 2017. We included randomized trials, controlled before and after studies, and interrupted time series evaluating immunization-focused patient reminder or recall interventions in children, adolescents, and adults who receive immunizations in any setting. We included no-intervention control groups, standard practice activities that did not include immunization patient reminder or recall, media-based activities aimed at promoting immunizations

Microinjection molding of microsystem components: new aspects in improving performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Can; Yin, Xiao-Hong; Cheng, Guang-Ming

2013-01-01

Microinjection molding (µIM) is considered to be one of the most flexible, reliable and cost effective manufacturing routes to form plastic micro-components for microsystems. The molding machine, mold tool fabrication, material selection and process controlling in this specific field have been greatly developed over the past decades. This review aims to present the new trends towards improving micro-component performance by reviewing the latest developments in this area and by considering potential directions. The key concerns in product and mold designing, essential factors in simulation, and micro-morphology and resultant properties are evaluated and discussed. In addition, the applications, variant processes and outlook for µIM are presented. Throughout this review, decisive considerations in seeking improved performance for microsystem components are highlighted. (topical review)

Predictors of dropout in concurrent treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol dependence: Rate of improvement matters.

Science.gov (United States)

Zandberg, Laurie J; Rosenfield, David; Alpert, Elizabeth; McLean, Carmen P; Foa, Edna B

2016-05-01

The present study examined predictors and moderators of dropout among 165 adults meeting DSM-IV criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol dependence (AD). Participants were randomized to 24 weeks of naltrexone (NAL), NAL and prolonged exposure (PE), pill placebo, or pill placebo and PE. All participants received supportive AD counseling (the BRENDA manualized model). Logistic regression using the Fournier approach was conducted to investigate baseline predictors of dropout across the entire study sample. Rates of PTSD and AD symptom improvement were included to evaluate the impact of symptom change on dropout. Trauma type and rates of PTSD and AD improvement significantly predicted dropout, accounting for 76% of the variance in dropout. Accidents and "other" trauma were associated with the highest dropout, and physical assault was associated with the lowest dropout. For participants with low baseline PTSD severity, faster PTSD improvement predicted higher dropout. For those with high baseline severity, both very fast and very slow rates of PTSD improvement were associated with higher dropout. Faster rates of drinking improvement predicted higher dropout among participants who received PE. The current study highlights the influence of symptom trajectory on dropout risk. Clinicians may improve retention in PTSD-AD treatments by monitoring symptom change at regular intervals, and eliciting patient feedback on these changes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Predictors of dropout in concurrent treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol dependence: Rate of improvement matters

Science.gov (United States)

Zandberg, Laurie J.; Rosenfield, David; Alpert, Elizabeth; McLean, Carmen P.; Foa, Edna B.

2016-01-01

Objective The present study examined predictors and moderators of dropout among 165 adults meeting DSM-IV criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol dependence (AD). Participants were randomized to 24 weeks of naltrexone (NAL), NAL and prolonged exposure (PE), pill placebo, or pill placebo and PE. All participants received supportive AD counseling (the BRENDA manualized model). Method Logistic regression using the Fournier approach was conducted to investigate baseline predictors of dropout across the entire study sample. Rates of PTSD and AD symptom improvement were included to evaluate the impact of symptom change on dropout. Results Trauma type and rates of PTSD and AD improvement significantly predicted dropout, accounting for 76% of the variance in dropout. Accidents and “other” trauma were associated with the highest dropout, and physical assault was associated with the lowest dropout. For participants with low baseline PTSD severity, faster PTSD improvement predicted higher dropout. For those with high baseline severity, both very fast and very slow rates of PTSD improvement were associated with higher dropout. Faster rates of drinking improvement predicted higher dropout among participants who received PE. Conclusions The current study highlights the influence of symptom trajectory on dropout risk. Clinicians may improve retention in PTSD-AD treatments by monitoring symptom change at regular intervals, and eliciting patient feedback on these changes. PMID:26972745

An assessment of the reliability of the Ontario electricity system : 18-month outlook from April 2004 to September 2005

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

This report presents a resource assessment by the Independent Electricity Market Operator (IMO) for the 18-month period from April 2004 to September 2005. It is based on the IMO's forecast of electricity demand. The information was provided by power generators in Ontario. The outlook for the electricity system has improved due to the return to service of 3 nuclear units and the addition of more than 700 MW of generation. The return to service of the nuclear units has decreased Ontario's reliance on imports to help meet energy demand in the province. The shutdown of 1150 MW of coal-fired generation at Lakeview Thermal Generating Station in Mississauga emphasizes the importance of improving transmission and generation capacity in the Toronto area. This report also includes updated values for existing resource scenarios and planned resource scenarios. The reliability of Ontario's transmission system was also assessed along with the adequacy of the existing resource to meet the forecast demand. The existing installed generation resources include 5 nuclear stations generating 10,831 MW of electricity, 5 coal stations generating 7,564 MW of electricity, 22 oil and gas fired stations generating 4,364 MW of electricity, 61 hydroelectric stations generating 7,676 MW of electricity, and 2 other stations generating 66 MW of electricity. Although the existing resource scenario is better than in previous reports, imports will be required under extreme weather conditions to help meet electricity demand in Ontario during peak periods. 21 tabs., 10 figs

Analysis of the outlook for using narrow-band spontaneous emission sources for atmospheric air purification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boyarchuk, K A; Karelin, A V; Shirokov, R V

2003-01-01

The outlook for using narrow-band spontaneous emission sources for purification of smoke gases from sulphur and nitrogen oxides is demonstrated by calculations based on a nonstationary kinetic model of the N 2 - O 2 - H 2 O - CO 2 - SO 2 mixture. The dependences of the mixture purification efficiency on the UV source power at different wavelengths, the exposure time, and the mixture temperature are calculated. It is shown that the radiation sources proposed in the paper will provide better purification of waste gases in the atmosphere. The most promising is a KrCl* lamp emitting an average power of no less than 100 W at 222 nm. (laser applications and other topics in quantum electronics)

The Peak of the Oil Age - Analyzing the world oil production Reference Scenario in World Energy Outlook 2008

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aleklett, Kjell; Hoeoek, Mikael; Jakobsson, Kristofer; Lardelli, Michael; Snowden, Simon; Soederbergh, Bengt

2010-01-01

The assessment of future global oil production presented in the IEA's World Energy Outlook 2008 (WEO 2008) is divided into 6 fractions; four relate to crude oil, one to non-conventional oil, and the final fraction is natural-gas-liquids (NGL). Using the production parameter, depletion-rate-of-recoverable-resources, we have analyzed the four crude oil fractions and found that the 75 Mb/d of crude oil production forecast for year 2030 appears significantly overstated, and is more likely to be in the region of 55 Mb/d. Moreover, analysis of the other fractions strongly suggests lower than expected production levels. In total, our analysis points to a world oil supply in 2030 of 75 Mb/d, some 26 Mb/d lower than the IEA predicts. The connection between economic growth and energy use is fundamental in the IEA's present modelling approach. Since our forecast sees little chance of a significant increase in global oil production, our findings suggest that the 'policy makers, investors and end users' to whom WEO 2008 is addressed should rethink their future plans for economic growth. The fact that global oil production has very probably passed its maximum implies that we have reached the Peak of the Oil Age.

Aircraft, Missile, and Spacecraft; Office Machine and Computer; Electronics; and Motor Vehicle and Equipment Manufacturing Industries. Reprinted from the Occupational Outlook Handbook, 1978-79 Edition.

Science.gov (United States)

Bureau of Labor Statistics (DOL), Washington, DC.

Focusing on occupations in various manufacturing industries, this document is one in a series of forty-one reprints from the Occupational Outlook Handbook providing current information and employment projections for individual occupations and industries through 1985. The specific occupations covered in this document include occupations in…

Iran`s petroleum policy: Current trends and the future outlook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pezeshki, S.; Fesharaki, F.

1994-12-01

The Iranian economy and political situation have undergone radical changes since the 1979 Islamic revolution. The excesses of the early years of the revolution have gradually given way to moderation and a more pragmatic economic policy--based on the principles of the free market. The petroleum policy, as a subset of the economic policies, has been somewhat affected by the political and economic developments in Iran. The petroleum policy has changed from a position of no foreign participation to a position that includes a desire for foreign participation, the text of a model contract, and an attempt to introduce new technologies in the upstream sector. This report provides an overview of the key issues facing the Iranian oil industry and the economic context in which the oil industry is operating in Iran. It describes the evolution of policies meant to move the oil industry toward the free market; it discusses Iran`s oil trading partners, the outlook for refining and project investments, and current and likely future developments in the natural gas and petrochemical sectors. In short, the report provides an up-to-date assessment of the Iranian petroleum sector and its likely evolution in the future.

A demand/supply and price outlook for electricity in Ontario

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalton, J.

2004-01-01

This paper examined electricity pricing issues for both the immediate future as well as over the long term. The near term outlook resources for the summer of 2004 were reviewed. Intermediate critical supply and demand issues were projected with consideration given to the return of the Pickering A plant and coal phase out. In the long term, it was considered that pricing and demand would reflect conservation issues and demand side response, as well as the timing of Requests For Proposals (RFPs) and the phase out of coal-fired capacity. The impact of the coal phase-out in Ontario was examined, with particular reference to timing and market structure implications. Potential conservation impacts were presented and projected Ontario supply/demand balances were evaluated. The challenges facing the new market structure include pricing dynamics and a reliance on RFPs. The significance of specifying diversity objectives was also discussed. It was concluded that the Ontario Ministry of Energy should play a role in establishing targets for conservation, renewable energy and the overall supply of electricity. Rigorous analysis is necessary before specifying targets in terms of hydroelectric and nuclear generation as opposed to non-fossil generation. tabs., figs

Economic and demographic outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Darby, P.M.

1995-01-01

Economic forecasts were produced and past trends were examined. Information was presented as a series of figures only, without accompanying text. Information provided included current exchange rates, economic growth, interest rates, housing starts, unemployment rates, personal savings rates and other economic indicators. 40 figs

Perceived service quality, perceived value, overall satisfaction and happiness of outlook for long-term care institution residents.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Jesun; Hsiao, Chih-Tung; Glen, Robert; Pai, Jar-Yuan; Zeng, Sin-Huei

2014-06-01

To investigate the psychometric properties and relationships of perceived service quality, perceived value and overall satisfaction for residents with respect to their long-term care institutions. The five-point Likert scale questionnaire administered through facetoface interviews. Fourteen long-term care institutions located in central and southern Taiwan stratified according to services and accommodation population. One hundred and eighty long-term institutional care residents. Perceived service quality (the SERVPERF model), perceived value and overall satisfaction (models based on the literature on perceived value and satisfaction). Student's t-test on institutional location shows a significant difference between overall satisfaction for central and southern institution long-term care recipients. The correlation test revealed that the higher a resident's level of education, the higher the scores for perceived value. The factor loading results of confirmation factor analysis show acceptable levels of reliability and index-of-model fits for perceived service, perceived value and overall satisfaction. In addition, the results suggest that an additional construct, a positive attitude (happiness of outlook) towards long-term care institutions, is also an important factor in residents' overall satisfaction. The primary goal of long-term institutional care policy in Taiwan, as in other countries, is to provide residents with practical, cost-effective but high-quality care. On the basis of the results of in-depth interviews with long-term institutional care residents, this study suggests long-term care institutions arrange more family visit days to increase the accessibility and interaction of family and residents and thereby increase the happiness of outlook of the residents. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Novel approach to improve the attitude update rate of a star tracker.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Shuo; Xing, Fei; Sun, Ting; You, Zheng; Wei, Minsong

2018-03-05

The star tracker is widely used in attitude control systems of spacecraft for attitude measurement. The attitude update rate of a star tracker is important to guarantee the attitude control performance. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to improve the attitude update rate of a star tracker. The electronic Rolling Shutter (RS) imaging mode of the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor in the star tracker is applied to acquire star images in which the star spots are exposed with row-to-row time offsets, thereby reflecting the rotation of star tracker at different times. The attitude estimation method with a single star spot is developed to realize the multiple attitude updates by a star image, so as to reach a high update rate. The simulation and experiment are performed to verify the proposed approaches. The test results demonstrate that the proposed approach is effective and the attitude update rate of a star tracker is increased significantly.

Generation 4 International Forum. 2009 GIF R and D outlook for generation 4 nuclear energy systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-01-01

This document presents the state, at mid 2009, of research and development of the 6 reactor types that were selected in the framework of the GIF (Generation 4 International Forum): VHTR (Very High Temperature Reactor), SFR (Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor), SCWR (Super-Critical Water Reactor), GFR (Gas-cooled Fast Reactor), LFR (Lead-cooled reactor), and MSR (Molten Salt Reactor). Regarding each type of reactors, the state of advancement is reported for the reactor itself, its specific components and materials, its nuclear fuel, and its fuel cycle. The outlook of development and research work is also given for the next 5 years for the 6 types of reactors. (A.C.)

Does ownership structure improve credit ratings?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aws AlHares

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This study seeks to examine the impact of Block Ownership structure on Credit Ratings in OECD countries. This research seeks to contribute to the extant literature by exploring the effects of Corporate Governance (CG mechanisms on corporate credit ratings. The study uses a panel data of 200 companies from Anglo American and European countries between 2010 and 2014. The ordinary least square regression is used to examine the relationships. Additionally, to alleviate the concern of potential endogeneity, we use fixed effect regression, two-stage least squares using instrumental variables. The results show there is a negative and significant relationship between block ownership and credit ratings, with a greater significance among Anglo American countries than among European countries. The rationale for this is that Anglo-American system gives preferential treatment to individual shareholders and its accounting tradition leads to a decline in risk and increase in credit ratings. The result is consistent with the multi-theoretical framework predictions derived from the agency and stewardship theories. Future research could investigate credit ratings using other credit rating agencies, selecting a larger sample that includes small, mid-size and large companies. This paper extends, as well as contributes to extant CG literature by offering new evidence on the effect of block ownership on credit ratings between two different traditions. This will be explored by employing firm-level CG mechanisms by accounting for control variables. The findings will help regulators and policymakers in OECD countries in evaluating the adequacy of current CG reforms to prevent management misconduct and scandals.

Indian space transportation programme: Near term outlook and issues for commercialisation

Science.gov (United States)

Nagendra, Narayan Prasad

2015-05-01

The Indian space transportation programme has grown from strength to strength with the launching of sounding rockets in the 60's to the development of heavy lift vehicles for telecommunication satellites in the present decade. With the growing market confidence in Indian Space Research Organisation's ability to reliably deliver payloads to low Earth orbit with its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, there is an inherent opportunity for India to cater to the commercial market. The present work assesses the current launch capacity of India in retrospect of international launches and provides India's outlook for the space transportation in the current decade. Launch capacity correlation with the requirements within the Indian space programme as well as the current space transportation infrastructure have been considered to identify bottlenecks in catering to the current national requirements alongside securing a greater market share in the international launch market. The state of commercialisation of launch vehicle development has been presented to provide an overview of policy and organisational issues for commercialisation of space transportation in India.

EUROGAS long-term outlook on natural gas demand and supply up to 2020. The approach of the West European gas industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roze, J.

1997-01-01

Eurogas is the European Union of the Natural Gas Industry. Since 1994, it has been publishing a booklet presenting the main figures describing natural gas industry in Europe with a view to supporting its positions in the debates taking place with European and international institutions. This paper is presenting the results of the Eurogas outlook updated in 1996, it is based on input from the national members of Eurogas. (au)

Economic and energy supply and demand outlook towards FY 2014 of Japan. Japan was in a crucial moment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanagisawa, Akira; Yoshioka, Takayuki; Suzuki, Hidenori; Choi, Jongwon; Ikarii, Ryohei; Iwata, Sohei; Shibata, Yoshiaki; Ito, Kokichi

2014-01-01

This outlook showed prospects of economy and energy supply and demand (S and D) towards FY2014 of Japan taking account of Japanese economy recovery thanks to 'Abenomics', unclear power S and D balance, restarts of NPPs and increase in renewables dominated by solar PV. Impacts of restart of NPPs were so great and hoped prompt procedures after finishing the highest-level safety assessment. Fast expansion of renewables generating 7% of power generation and their increased burden on consumers (Feed-In-Tariff) required system improvements for adequate and sustainable introduction of renewables. Impacts of removing customs by the TPP increased energy demand due to the economic expansion by 0.9%. Primary energy supply turned to increase due to the expansion of the economic activities while electricity savings and energy conservation exerted downward pressure on demand. As for Macro economy, GDP growth slowed due to retroaction decrease by the last-minute demand of tax raise. Energy consumption decreased in two years due to slowing recovery and both natural gas and coal consumption hit new high. Steady growth of city gas, slight increase of electricity and sharp drop of fuel oil would be for energy sales. CO 2 emissions decreased in FY2014 after hit the historical high in FY2013. (T. Tanaka)

Improving H-Q rating curves in temprorary streams by using Acoustic Doppler Current meters

Science.gov (United States)

Marchand, P.; Salles, C.; Rodier, C.; Hernandez, F.; Gayrard, E.; Tournoud, M.-G.

2012-04-01

Intermittent rivers pose different challenges to stream rating due to high spatial and temporal gradients. Long dry periods, cut by short duration flush flood events explain the difficulty to obtain reliable discharge data, for low flows as well as for floods: problems occur with standard gauging, zero flow period, etc. Our study aims to test the use of an acoustic Doppler currentmeter (ADC) for improving stream rating curves in small catchments subject to large variations of discharge, solid transport and high eutrophication levels. The study is conducted at the outlet of the river Vène, a small coastal river (67 km2) located close to the city of Montpellier (France). The low flow period lasts for more than 6 month; during this period the river flow is sustained by effluents from urban sewage systems, which allows development of algae and macrophytes in the riverbed. The ADC device (Sontek ®Argonaut SW) is a pulsed Doppler current profiling system designed for measuring water velocity profiles and levels that are used to compute volumetric flow rates. It is designed for shallow waters (less than 4 meter depth). Its main advantages are its low cost and high accuracy (±1% of the measured velocity or ±0.05 m/sec, as reported by the manufacturer). The study will evaluate the improvement in rating curves in an intermittent flow context and the effect of differences in sensitivity between low and high water level, by comparing mean flow velocity obtained by ADC to direct discharges measurements. The study will also report long-term use of ADC device, by considering effects of biofilms, algae and macrophytes, as well as solid transport on the accuracy of the measurements. In conclusion, we show the possibility to improve stream rating and continuous data collection of an intermittent river by using a ADC with some precautions.

Improved repetition rate mixed isotope CO{sub 2} TEA laser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cohn, D. B., E-mail: dbctechnology@earthlink.net [DBC Technology Corp., 4221 Mesa St, Torrance, California 90505 (United States)

2014-09-15

A compact CO{sub 2} TEA laser has been developed for remote chemical detection that operates at a repetition rate of 250 Hz. It emits 700 mJ/pulse at 10.6 μm in a multimode beam with the {sup 12}C{sup 16}O{sub 2} isotope. With mixed {sup 12}C{sup 16}O{sub 2} plus {sup 13}C{sup 16}O{sub 2} isotopes it emits multiple lines in both isotope manifolds to improve detection of a broad range of chemicals. In particular, output pulse energies are 110 mJ/pulse at 9.77 μm, 250 mJ/pulse at 10 μm, and 550 mJ/pulse at 11.15 μm, useful for detection of the chemical agents Sarin, Tabun, and VX. Related work shows capability for long term sealed operation with a catalyst and an agile tuner at a wavelength shift rate of 200 Hz.

A Quality Improvement Approach to Reducing the Caesarean section Surgical Site Infection Rate in a Regional Hospital

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

O’ Hanlon, M

2016-09-01

Surgical site infection (SSI) rates are used extensively by hospitals as a basis for quality improvement. A 30-day post-discharge SSI programme for Caesarean section operations has been implemented in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital since 2011. It has been shown that skin antisepsis and antibiotic prophylaxis are key factors in the prevention of SSI. Using quality improvement methodology, an infection prevention bundle was introduced to address these two factors. Skin antisepsis was changed from povidone-iodine to chlorhexidine-alcohol. Compliance with choice of antibiotic prophylaxis increased from 89.6% in 2014 to 98.5% in 2015. Compliance with timing also improved. The SSI rate of 7.5% was the lowest recorded to date, with the majority of SSIs (64%) diagnosed after hospital discharge. The level of variation was also reduced. However, the continued presence of variation and possibility of lower infection rates from the literature imply that further improvements are required.

Leadership training to improve adenoma detection rate in screening colonoscopy: A randomised trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M.F. Kaminski (Michal); J. Anderson (John); R.M. Valori (Roland ); E. Kraszewska (Ewa); M. Rupinski (Maciej); J. Pachlewski (Jacek); E. Wronska (Ewa); M. Bretthauer (Michael); S. Thomas-Gibson (Siwan); E.J. Kuipers (Ernst); J. Regula (J.)

2016-01-01

textabstractObjective Suboptimal adenoma detection rate (ADR) at colonoscopy is associated with increased risk of interval colorectal cancer. It is uncertain how ADR might be improved. We compared the effect of leadership training versus feedback only on colonoscopy quality in a countrywide

World Energy Outlook 2012 Special Report: Golden Rules for a Golden Age of Gas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-07-01

Natural gas is poised to enter a golden age, but this future hinges critically on the successful development of the world’s vast unconventional gas resources. North American experience shows unconventional gas - notably shale gas - can be exploited economically. Many countries are lining up to emulate this success. But some governments are hesitant, or even actively opposed. They are responding to public concerns that production might involve unacceptable environmental and social damage. This report, in the World Energy Outlook series, treats these aspirations and anxieties with equal seriousness. It features two new cases: a Golden Rules Case, in which the highest practicable standards are adopted, gaining industry a {sup s}ocial licence to operate{sup ;} and its counterpart, in which the tide turns against unconventional gas as constraints prove too difficult to overcome.

Regional scales of fire danger rating in the forest: improved technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. V. Volokitina

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Wildland fires distribute unevenly in time and over area under the influence of weather and other factors. It is unfeasible to air patrol the whole forest area daily during a fire season as well as to keep all fire suppression forces constantly alert. Daily work and preparedness of forest fire protection services is regulated by the level of fire danger according to weather conditions (Nesterov’s index. PV-1 index, fire hazard class (Melekhov’s scale, regional scales (earlier called local scales. Unfortunately, there is still no unified comparable technique of making regional scales. As a result, it is difficult to maneuver forest fire protection resources, since the techniques currently used are not approved and not tested for their performance. They give fire danger rating incomparable even for neighboring regions. The paper analyzes the state-of-the-art in Russia and abroad. It is stated the irony is that with factors of fire danger measured quantitatively, the fire danger itself as a function has no quantitative expression. Thus, selection of an absolute criteria is of high importance for improvement of daily fire danger rating. On the example of the Chunsky forest ranger station (Krasnoyarsk Krai, an improved technique is suggested of making comparable local scales of forest fire danger rating based on an absolute criterion of fire danger rating – a probable density of active fires per million ha. A method and an algorithm are described of automatized local scales of fire danger that should facilitate effective creation of similar scales for any forest ranger station or aviation regional office using a database on forest fires and weather conditions. The information system of distant monitoring by Federal Forestry Agency of Russia is analyzed for its application in making local scales. To supplement the existing weather station net it is suggested that automatic compact weather stations or, if the latter is not possible, simple

Coaching and Quality Assistance in Quality Rating Improvement Systems: Approaches Used by TA Providers to Improve Quality in Early Care and Education Programs and Home-Based Settings

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Sheila; Robbins, Taylor; Schneider, Will; Kreader, J. Lee; Ong, Christine

2012-01-01

Quality Rating Improvement Systems (QRISs) commonly offer on-site technical assistance (TA) and coaching to help early care and education settings achieve quality improvements and a higher QRIS rating. In surveys of administrators overseeing statewide QRISs, almost all states reported the use of on-site TA and coaching in both center-based and…

Improving Bayesian credibility intervals for classifier error rates using maximum entropy empirical priors.

Science.gov (United States)

Gustafsson, Mats G; Wallman, Mikael; Wickenberg Bolin, Ulrika; Göransson, Hanna; Fryknäs, M; Andersson, Claes R; Isaksson, Anders

2010-06-01

Successful use of classifiers that learn to make decisions from a set of patient examples require robust methods for performance estimation. Recently many promising approaches for determination of an upper bound for the error rate of a single classifier have been reported but the Bayesian credibility interval (CI) obtained from a conventional holdout test still delivers one of the tightest bounds. The conventional Bayesian CI becomes unacceptably large in real world applications where the test set sizes are less than a few hundred. The source of this problem is that fact that the CI is determined exclusively by the result on the test examples. In other words, there is no information at all provided by the uniform prior density distribution employed which reflects complete lack of prior knowledge about the unknown error rate. Therefore, the aim of the study reported here was to study a maximum entropy (ME) based approach to improved prior knowledge and Bayesian CIs, demonstrating its relevance for biomedical research and clinical practice. It is demonstrated how a refined non-uniform prior density distribution can be obtained by means of the ME principle using empirical results from a few designs and tests using non-overlapping sets of examples. Experimental results show that ME based priors improve the CIs when employed to four quite different simulated and two real world data sets. An empirically derived ME prior seems promising for improving the Bayesian CI for the unknown error rate of a designed classifier. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Auditory feedback improves heart rate moderation during moderate-intensity exercise.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaykevich, Alex; Grove, J Robert; Jackson, Ben; Landers, Grant J; Dimmock, James

2015-05-01

The objective of this study is to determine whether exposure to automated HR feedback can produce improvements in the ability to regulate HR during moderate-intensity exercise and to evaluate the persistence of these improvements after feedback is removed. Twenty healthy adults performed 10 indoor exercise sessions on cycle ergometers over 5 wk after a twice-weekly schedule. During these sessions (FB), participants received auditory feedback designed to maintain HR within a personalized, moderate-intensity training zone between 70% and 80% of estimated maximum HR. All feedback was delivered via a custom mobile software application. Participants underwent an initial assessment (PREFB) to measure their ability to maintain exercise intensity defined by the training zone without use of feedback. After completing the feedback training, participants performed three additional assessments identical to PREFB at 1 wk (POST1), 2 wk (POST2), and 4 wk (POST3) after their last feedback session. Time in zone (TIZ), defined as the ratio of the time spent within the training zone divided by the overall time of exercise, rate of perceived exertion, instrumental attitudes, and affective attitudes were then evaluated to assess results using two-way, mixed-model ANOVA with sessions and gender as factors. Training with feedback significantly improved TIZ (P moderate-intensity exercise in healthy adults.

Undergoing varicocele repair before assisted reproduction improves pregnancy rate and live birth rate in azoospermic and oligospermic men with a varicocele: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kirby, E Will; Wiener, Laura Elizabeth; Rajanahally, Saneal; Crowell, Karen; Coward, Robert M

2016-11-01

To evaluate how varicocele repair (VR) impacts pregnancy (PRs) and live birth rates in infertile couples undergoing assisted reproduction wherein the male partner has oligospermia or azoospermia and a history of varicocele. Systematic review and meta-analysis. Not applicable. Azoospermic and oligospermic males with varicoceles and in couples undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) with IUI, IVF, or testicular sperm extraction (TESE) with IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Measurement of PRs, live birth, and sperm extraction rates. Odds ratios for the impact of VR on PRs, live birth, and sperm extraction rates for couples undergoing ART. Seven articles involving a total of 1,241 patients were included. Meta-analysis showed that VR improved live birth rates for the oligospermic (odds ratio [OR] = 1.699) and combined oligospermic/azoospermic groups (OR = 1.761). Pregnancy rates were higher in the azoospermic group (OR = 2.336) and combined oligospermic/azoospermic groups (OR = 1.760). Live birth rates were higher for patients undergoing IUI after VR (OR = 8.360). Sperm retrieval rates were higher in persistently azoospermic men after VR (OR = 2.509). Oligospermic and azoospermic patients with clinical varicocele who undergo VR experience improved live birth rates and PRs with IVF or IVF/ICSI. For persistently azoospermic men after VR requiring TESE for IVF/ICSI, VR improves sperm retrieval rates. Therefore, VR should be considered to have substantial benefits for couples with a clinical varicocele even if oligospermia or azoospermia persists after repair and ART is required. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Annual energy outlook 1999, with projections to 2020

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-12-01

The Annual Energy Outlook 1999 (AEO99) presents midterm forecasts of energy supply, demand, and prices through 2020 prepared by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The projections are based on results from EIA`s National Energy Modeling System (NEMS). The report begins with an Overview summarizing the AEO99 reference case. The next section, Legislation and Regulations, describes the assumptions made with regard to laws that affect energy markets and discusses evolving legislative and regulatory issues. Issues in Focus discusses current energy issues--the economic decline in East Asia, growth in demand for natural gas, vehicle emissions standards, competitive electricity pricing, renewable portfolio standards, and carbon emissions. It is followed by the analysis of energy market trends. The analysis in AEO99 focuses primarily on a reference case and four other cases that assume higher and lower economic growth and higher and lower world oil prices than in the reference case. Forecast tables for these cases are provided in Appendixes A through C. Appendixes D and E present a summary of the reference case forecasts in units of oil equivalence and household energy expenditures. The AEO99 projections are based on Federal, State, and local laws and regulations in effect on July 1, 1998. Pending legislation and sections of existing legislation for which funds have not been appropriated are not reflected in the forecasts. Historical data used for the AEOI99 projections were the most current available as of July 31, 1998, when most 1997 data but only partial 1998 data were available.

18-month outlook : An assessment of the adequacy of the Ontario electricity system from January 2002 to June 2003

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

The Independent Electricity Market Operator (IMO) has monitored the state of electricity demand and available supply in Ontario and has reported its findings to the Minister of Energy, Science and Technology and to the Ontario Energy Board. This report presents the IMO's assessment of the adequacy of resources and transmission for the Ontario electricity system for the 18-month period from January 2002 to June 2003. The assessment was based on current information on forecasts of electricity demand and available supply. The existing installed generation within Ontario was summarized. Existing power facilities include nuclear, coal, oil, gas, hydroelectric, wind-powered, wood and waste-fuelled generation. The installations range from less than 1 MW in size to 881 MW net electrical output. The total generating capacity in Ontario is 29,523 MW, excluding embedded generators that are not managed by the Ontario Electricity Financial Corporation or generation not connected to the IMO-controlled grid. In addition, the Bruce Nuclear Unit was not included because it is currently in laid-up state. This report discussed changes from the previous 18-month outlook in terms of power demand. It also presented outlooks of the transmission outage plan, system voltage, thermal concerns and forced outages. The general conclusion reached in this report is that there will be sufficient resources and transmission available to Ontario to supply Ontario demands and to meet the Northeast Power Coordinating Council (NPCC) resource criteria for the next 18 months. tabs., figs

Deregulation for the electric power industry in Japan and the outlook; Nippon no denryoku sangyo no kisei kanwa to sono tenbo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matsuo, N. [The Institute of Energy Economics, Tokyo (Japan)

1996-10-01

The future direction and outlook of the electric power industry in Japan was described in a new systematical framework based on the amendment to the Electric Utility Industry Law. When viewing the deregulation system from a viewpoint of `induction of competition,` comparative assessment may mean competition introduced among electric power companies; establishment of the competitive bidding system by the whole supply business may mean competition introduced into the power generation sector; establishment of the specified electric utility industry system may mean competition introduced into the retailing sector. Further, a system to notify the authority of the price list, rationalization of safety rules, deregulation on the entry into another business, etc. can be interpreted as the spread of a width of discretion on business management. An increase in economic efficiency by cost reduction is expected as an influence of this deregulation, but the subject is how well the deregulation can balance with publicity and social responsibility. Relating to the entry of IPP, there is some anxiety: small scale power sources have high failure rates and difficulty in load frequency control. Moreover, it affects the public benefit in a sense of the apparently worsening air pollution. 12 figs., 1 tab.

A Brief Discussion on the Outlook on Life and Death——A Comparative Analysis of Emily Dickinson and Alfred Tennyson

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

龚玉龙; 张华园

2015-01-01

Since ancient times,large numbers of poets throughout the world have elaborated their outlook on life and death through their works.Among them are Emily Dickinson and Alfred Tennyson,the outstanding poetess and poet in the 19th century,who have a unique and thorough meditation on life and death.From the comparative analysis of their view on life and death we could extract a good deal of spiritual treasure to provide a scientific guidance for people in modern society.

Reducing post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage rates through a quality improvement project using a Swedish National quality register: a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Odhagen, Erik; Sunnergren, Ola; Söderman, Anne-Charlotte Hessén; Thor, Johan; Stalfors, Joacim

2018-03-24

Tonsillectomy (TE) is one of the most frequently performed ENT surgical procedures. Post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage (PTH) is a potentially life-threatening complication of TE. The National Tonsil Surgery Register in Sweden (NTSRS) has revealed wide variations in PTH rates among Swedish ENT centres. In 2013, the steering committee of the NTSRS, therefore, initiated a quality improvement project (QIP) to decrease the PTH incidence. The aim of the present study was to describe and evaluate the multicentre QIP initiated to decrease PTH rates. Six ENT centres, all with PTH rates above the Swedish average, participated in the 7-month quality improvement project. Each centre developed improvement plans describing the intended changes in clinical practice. The project's primary outcome variable was the PTH rate. Process indicators, such as surgical technique, were also documented. Data from the QIP centres were compared with a control group of 15 surgical centres in Sweden with similarly high PTH rates. Data from both groups for the 12 months prior to the start of the QIP were compared with data for the 12 months after the QIP. The QIP centres reduced the PTH rate from 12.7 to 7.1% from pre-QIP to follow-up; in the control group, the PTH rate remained unchanged. The QIP centres also exhibited positive changes in related key process indicators, i.e., increasing the use of cold techniques for dissection and haemostasis. The rates of PTH can be reduced with a QIP. A national quality register can be used not only to identify areas for improvement but also to evaluate the impact of subsequent improvement efforts and thereby guide professional development and enhance patient outcomes.

An Analysis of a Plan to Improve Graduation Rates in Johnston County Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Renfrow, David Ross

2015-01-01

There have been limited qualitative case studies exploring effective strategies designed to improve graduation rates in rural school districts. Specifically, few studies have presented information based solely upon the voices of practitioners themselves in solving the graduation crisis in America's public schools. This study will add to the…

Empowering surgical nurses improves compliance rates for antibiotic prophylaxis after caesarean birth.

Science.gov (United States)

Shimoni, Zvi; Kama, Naama; Mamet, Yaakov; Glick, Joseph; Dusseldorp, Natan; Froom, Paul

2009-11-01

Empowering surgical nurses improves compliance rates for antibiotic prophylaxis after caesarean birth. This paper is a report of a study of the effect of empowering surgical nurses to ensure that patients receive antibiotic prophylaxis after caesarean birth. Despite the consensus that single dose antibiotic prophylaxis is beneficial for women have either elective or non-elective caesarean delivery, hospitals need methods to increase compliance rates. In a study in Israel in 2007 surgical nurses were empowered to ensure that a single dose of cefazolin was given to the mother after cord clamping. A computerized system was used to identify women having caesarean births, cultures sent and culture results. Compliance was determined by chart review. Rates of compliance, suspected wound infections, and confirmed wound infections in 2007 were compared to rates in 2006 before the policy change. Relative risks were calculated dividing 2007 rates by those in 2006, and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using Taylor's series that does not assume a normal distribution. Statistical significance was assessed using the chi-square test. The compliance rate was increased from 25% in 2006 to 100% in 2007 (chi-square test, P rates decreased from 16.8% (186/1104) to 12.6% (137/1089) after the intervention (relative risk 0.75, 95% confidence interval, 0.61-0.92). Surgical nurses can ensure universal compliance for antibiotic prophylaxis in women after caesarean birth, leading to a reduction in wound infections.

An improved model for considering strain rate effects on reinforced concrete elements behavior under dynamic loads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sim, J.; Soroushian, P.

1989-01-01

An improved model for predicting the reinforced concrete element behavior under dynamic strain rates was developed using the layer modeling technique. The developed strain rate sensitive model for axial/flexural analysis of reinforced concrete elements was used to predict the test results, performed at different loading rates, and the predictions were reasonable. The developed analysis technique was used to study the loading rate sensitivity of reinforced concrete beams and columns with different geometry and material properties. Two design formulas for computing the loading rate dependent axial and flexural strengths of reinforced concrete sections are suggested

Independent review of the SaskPower rate proposal of August 2004 : final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ewing, J.D.; Buhr, L.A.

2004-01-01

This paper presents an independent review of SaskPower's request for an increase in rates effective September 1, 2004 and September 1, 2005. With the exception of manufacturing customers, whose rate increase will be phased in over four years, these rate changes will result in a 9 per cent system average increase in 2004 and a 1.8 per cent system average increase in 2005. The report presents an introduction and description of the terms of reference for this review; a financial outlook and comparisons; system operational analysis; an analysis of expenditures; revenue requirement; cost of service issues; and rate design. The report also presents a summary and recommendations on cost of service and rate design issues. The report concluded that the scope of this review does not lend itself to a definitive conclusion on the appropriateness of the cost of service model and its application by SaskPower. Several areas needing further attention include: net fuel and purchased power allocations to different classes; allocation of rate base and in particular distribution rate base to various classes; target ratios for revenue to revenue requirements and the subsequent return on rate base percentages for each class; and demand/energy/customer components of revenue requirements compared to billing revenues. refs., 31 tabs., 1 fig., 6 appendices

Current status and outlook perspectives of induced mutations for plant improvement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Luxiang; Guo Huijun; Zhao Linshu; Li Junhui; Gu Jiayu; ZZhao Shirong; Wang Jing

2009-01-01

Since 1928, induced mutations have played a significant role in solving world food and nutritional security problems through mutant germplasm enhancement and new mutant variety development. According to incomplete statistics, up to September 2009, induced mutations have officially released 3088 mutant cultivars in more than 170 crop species by more than 60 countries in the world. China tanks the first in the world, which has have released 802 mutant cultivars in 45 crop species, and takes more than a quarter of the total number of mutant varieties in the FAO/IAEA database. The maximum annually accumulated planting area of the mutant varieties was 9 million hectares, with an additional increase of 1.5 billion kilograms to national output of grain, cotton, oil, being converted to social and economic benefits of more than 2 billion RMB. The recent development and application of accelerator ion beam irradiation, the spaceflight environment and the other new mutation means, as well as the effective use of traditional radiation mutagenesis are becoming more active in crop improvement and new gene discovery. The advent of plant genomics and high throughput DNA techniques, such as TILLING, have opened a new era of molecular mutation breeding, which will overcome the limitations of conventional mutation breeding and play a significant role in solving China and world food security. (authors)

Future and outlook: Where are we, and where will the spatial information management in wildlife ecology be in 50 years from now? [Chapter 24

Science.gov (United States)

Samuel A. Cushman; Falk Huettmann

2010-01-01

In this final chapter we briefly look back over what we have attempted in this book, and then look toward the future to discuss the outlook for overcoming the challenges we face within our fields of ecological science and in the greater application of this knowledge to enhance the prospect for a sustainable future for the biosphere. Looking back, we have tried...

Pulsed Power Science and Technology: A Strategic Outlook for the National Nuclear Security Administration (Summary)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sinars, Daniel [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Scott, Kimberly Carole [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Edwards, M. John [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Olson, Russell Teall [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2016-10-17

Major advances in pulsed power technology and applications over the last twenty years have expanded the mission areas for pulsed power and created compelling new opportunities for the Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP). This summary document is a forward look at the development of pulsed power science and technology (PPS&T) capabilities in support of the next 20 years of the SSP. This outlook was developed during a three-month-long tri-lab study on the future of PPS&T research and capabilities in support of applications to: (1) Dynamic Materials, (2) Thermonuclear Burn Physics and Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF), and (3) Radiation Effects and Nuclear Survivability. It also considers necessary associated developments in next-generation codes and pulsed power technology as well as opportunities for academic, industry, and international engagement. The document identifies both imperatives and opportunities to address future SSP mission needs. This study was commissioned by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). A copy of the memo request is contained in the Appendix. NNSA guidance received during this study explicitly directed that it not be constrained by resource limitations and not attempt to prioritize its findings against plans and priorities in other areas of the national weapons program. That prioritization, including the relative balance amongst the three focus areas themselves, must of course occur before any action is taken on the observations presented herein. This unclassified summary document presents the principal imperatives and opportunities identified in each mission and supporting area during this study. Preceding this area-specific outlook, we discuss a cross-cutting opportunity to increase the shot capacity on the Z pulsed power facility as a near-term, cost-effective way to broadly impact PPS&T for SSP as well as advancing the science and technology to inform future SSMP milestones over the next 5-10 years. The final page of the

Pulsed Power Science and Technology: A Strategic Outlook for the National Nuclear Security Administration (Summary)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sinars, Daniel; Scott, Kimberly Carole; Edwards, M. John; Olson, Russell Teall

2016-01-01

Major advances in pulsed power technology and applications over the last twenty years have expanded the mission areas for pulsed power and created compelling new opportunities for the Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP). This summary document is a forward look at the development of pulsed power science and technology (PPS&T) capabilities in support of the next 20 years of the SSP. This outlook was developed during a three-month-long tri-lab study on the future of PPS&T research and capabilities in support of applications to: (1) Dynamic Materials, (2) Thermonuclear Burn Physics and Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF), and (3) Radiation Effects and Nuclear Survivability. It also considers necessary associated developments in next-generation codes and pulsed power technology as well as opportunities for academic, industry, and international engagement. The document identifies both imperatives and opportunities to address future SSP mission needs. This study was commissioned by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). A copy of the memo request is contained in the Appendix. NNSA guidance received during this study explicitly directed that it not be constrained by resource limitations and not attempt to prioritize its findings against plans and priorities in other areas of the national weapons program. That prioritization, including the relative balance amongst the three focus areas themselves, must of course occur before any action is taken on the observations presented herein. This unclassified summary document presents the principal imperatives and opportunities identified in each mission and supporting area during this study. Preceding this area-specific outlook, we discuss a cross-cutting opportunity to increase the shot capacity on the Z pulsed power facility as a near-term, cost-effective way to broadly impact PPS&T for SSP as well as advancing the science and technology to inform future SSMP milestones over the next 5-10 years. The final page of the

Evaluating Uncertainty in GHG Emission Scenarios: Mapping IAM Outlooks With an Energy System Phase Space

Science.gov (United States)

Ritchie, W. J.; Dowlatabadi, H.

2017-12-01

Climate change modeling relies on projections of future greenhouse gas emissions and other phenomena leading to changes in planetary radiative forcing (RF). Pathways for long-run fossil energy use that map to total forcing outcomes are commonly depicted with integrated assessment models (IAMs). IAMs structure outlooks for 21st-century emissions with various theories for developments in demographics, economics, land-use, energy markets and energy service demands. These concepts are applied to understand global changes in two key factors relevant for scenarios of carbon emissions: total energy use (E) this century and the carbon intensity of that energy (F/E). A simple analytical and graphical approach can also illustrate the full range of outcomes for these variables to determine if IAMs provide sufficient coverage of the uncertainty space for future energy use. In this talk, we present a method for understanding uncertainties relevant to RF scenario components in a phase space. The phase space of a dynamic system represents significant factors as axes to capture the full range of physically possible states. A two-dimensional phase space of E and F/E presents the possible system states that can lead to various levels of total 21st-century carbon emissions. Once defined in this way, a phase space of these energy system coordinates allows for rapid characterization of large IAM scenario sets with machine learning techniques. This phase space method is applied to the levels of RF described by the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs). The resulting RCP phase space identifies characteristics of the baseline energy system outlooks provided by IAMs for IPCC Working Group III. We conduct a k-means cluster analysis to distinguish the major features of IAM scenarios for each RCP range. Cluster analysis finds the IAM scenarios in AR5 illustrate RCPs with consistent combinations of energy resources. This suggests IAM scenarios understate uncertainty ranges for future

World Energy Outlook Special Report 2013: Redrawing the Energy Climate Map (Executive Summary)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-06-01

Governments have decided collectively that the world needs to limit the average global temperature increase to no more than 2 °C and international negotiations are engaged to that end. Yet any resulting agreement will not emerge before 2015 and new legal obligations will not begin before 2020. Meanwhile, despite many countries taking new actions, the world is drifting further and further from the track it needs to follow. The energy sector is the single largest source of climate-changing greenhouse-gas emissions and limiting these is an essential focus of action. The World Energy Outlook has published detailed analysis of the energy contribution to climate change for many years. But, amid major international economic preoccupations, there are worrying signs that the issue of climate change has slipped down the policy agenda. This Special Report seeks to bring it right back on top by showing that the dilemma can be tackled at no net economic cost.

Retail competition : does it make sense? The outlook for retail competition in Alberta

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Newcombe, G.

2003-01-01

This PowerPoint presentation provided a brief overview of operations at Centrica with particular reference to its progress in the North American market, which it entered in August 2000 with Direct Energy. The Ontario and Texas power markets were entered in 2002, and the ATCO transaction was announced in December 2002. This transaction is subject to the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (AEUB) approval, requiring two hearings. The business model and its application was described. As far as the retail outlook in Alberta goes, the author argued that EPCOR is out, and Enmax and Direct Energy are in. The benefits of competition include: risks shifted from ratepayers to shareholders; downward pressure on price; innovation and technology advances; choice; and, efficiency and conservation. A lot of emphasis is placed on customer service through a specific code of conduct, customer service guidelines and appropriate business practices which include a zero tolerance policy and stringent controls

False-Negative Rate of Gram-Stain Microscopy for Diagnosis of Septic Arthritis: Suggestions for Improvement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paul Stirling

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We quantify the false-negative diagnostic rate of septic arthritis using Gram-stain microscopy of synovial fluid and compare this to values reported in the peer-reviewed literature. We propose a method of improving the diagnostic value of Gram-stain microscopy using Lithium Heparin containers that prevent synovial fluid coagulation. Retrospective study of the Manchester Royal Infirmary microbiology database of patients undergoing synovial fluid Gram-stain and culture between December 2003 and March 2012 was undertaken. The initial cohort of 1896 synovial fluid analyses for suspected septic arthritis was reduced to 143 after exclusion criteria were applied. Analysis of our Gram-stain microscopy yielded 111 false-negative results from a cohort size of 143 positive synovial fluid cultures, giving a false-negative rate of 78%. We report a false-negative rate of Gram-stain microscopy for septic arthritis of 78%. Clinicians should therefore avoid the investigation until a statistically significant data set confirms its efficacy. The investigation's value could be improved by using Lithium Heparin containers to collect homogenous synovial fluid samples. Ongoing research aims to establish how much this could reduce the false-negative rate.

Point contacts at the copper-indium-gallium-selenide interface—A theoretical outlook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bercegol, Adrien, E-mail: adrien.bercegol@polytechnique.edu; Chacko, Binoy; Klenk, Reiner; Lauermann, Iver; Lux-Steiner, Martha Ch. [Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie, Albert Einstein Straße 15, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Liero, Matthias [Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik, 10117 Berlin (Germany)

2016-04-21

For a long time, it has been assumed that recombination in the space-charge region of copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) is dominant, at least in high efficiency solar cells with low band gap. The recent developments like potassium fluoride post deposition treatment and point-contact junction may call this into question. In this work, a theoretical outlook is made using three-dimensional simulations to investigate the effect of point-contact openings through a passivation layer on CIGS solar cell performance. A large set of solar cells is modeled under different scenarios for the charged defect levels and density, radius of the openings, interface quality, and conduction band offset. The positive surface charge created by the passivation layer induces band bending and this influences the contact (CdS) properties, making it beneficial for the open circuit voltage and efficiency, and the effect is even more pronounced when coverage area is more than 95%, and also makes a positive impact on the device performance, even in the presence of a spike at CIGS/CdS heterojunction.

An Update to the Budget and Economic Outlook: 2015 to 2025

Science.gov (United States)

2015-08-01

Economic Analysis; Bureau of Labor Statistics ; Federal Reserve. Notes: Real gross domestic product is the output of the economy adjusted to remove the...the next few years, in CBO’s view, will be continued improvements in households’ creditworthiness and in the availability of credit. Delinquency rates...Budget Office; Bureau of Labor Statistics . Notes: The rate of short-term unemployment is the percentage of the labor force that has been out of work for

Outlook and application analysis of energy storage in power system with high renewable energy penetration

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Junshu; Zhang, Fuqiang

2018-02-01

To realize low-emission and low-carbon energy production and consumption, large-scale development and utilization of renewable energy has been put into practice in China. And it has been recognized that power system of future high renewable energy shares can operate more reliably with the participation of energy storage. Considering the significant role of storage playing in the future power system, this paper focuses on the application of energy storage with high renewable energy penetration. Firstly, two application modes are given, including demand side application mode and centralized renewable energy farm application mode. Afterwards, a high renewable energy penetration scenario of northwest region in China is designed, and its production simulation with application of energy storage in 2050 has been calculated and analysed. Finally, a development path and outlook of energy storage is given.

Outlook for B.C. gas production and deliverability in relation to domestic and export markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phelps, M.E.J.

1993-01-01

The business outlook for natural gas in British Columbia is discussed. Drilling activity in B.C. is increasing, and it is predicted that reserve additions over 1993-1998 will total 3.4 terra cubic feet. Deliverability in 1993 is 1.9 billion cubic feet/d, and this is expected to rise 30% by 1998. Westcoast is doubling raw gas capacity at the Pine River plant and is constructing new raw gas transmission lines. Growth is expected to continue at 6%/y for the next five years. In the deregulated environment, short term fluctuations in price are to be expected, however consumers are reluctant to tolerate price increases when levels of disposable income are static or decreasing. Regular, predictable and sustained increases in prices are preferable to sudden, significant oscillations, especially for residental customers

Alberta's reserves 2004 and supply/demand outlook 2005-2014

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burrowes, A.; Marsh, R.; Ramdin, N.; Evans, C.; Kirsch, M.A.; Philp, L.; Fujda, M.; Stenson, J.; Sadler, K.; Sankey, G.; Hill, C.; Rahnama, F.; Habib, G.; MacGillivray, J.

2005-01-01

This document presents information on the state of reserves, supply, and demand for Alberta's energy resources including bitumen, crude oil, coalbed methane (CBM), conventional natural gas, natural gas liquids, sulphur, and coal. Estimates of initial reserves, remaining established reserves, and ultimate potential were also included, along with a 10-year supply and demand forecast for Alberta's energy resources. The document presents major forecast assumptions that influence Alberta's energy supply and demand. Some of the main variables affecting energy supply and demand include the global oil market, energy prices, Canadian economic performance and the economic outlook for Alberta. The development of Alberta's energy resources depends on reserve supply, costs of development, energy demands, conservation, and social, economic and environmental considerations. In 2004, raw bitumen production continued to grow and accounted for 69 per cent of Alberta's total crude oil and bitumen production. The value-added process of upgrading raw bitumen to synthetic crude oil was also expanded in 2004. Natural gas production from all sources in Alberta increased by 1 per cent compared with 2003. CBM development also increased greatly in 2004. Although it accounted for 80 per cent of the cumulative CBM production to date, it only contributed 0.5 per cent of the provincial total natural gas production. It is expected that CBM development will continue to increase in the coming years. For that reason, a separate estimate of CBM reserves was included. tabs., figs

Outlook for natural gas liquids sales in North America

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, A.B.

1991-01-01

The outlook for natural gas liquids (NGL) markets in North America is forecast, with a focus on NGL sourced from Canada. The supply of NGL from Canada is first discussed, showing that Canadian NGL production is typically a function of natural gas production. Over the period ending in the year 2001, Canadian propane and butanes production is expected to peak at ca 275,000 bbl/d and ethane at ca 175,000 bbl/d. The processing, transport, and storage infrastructure for NGL in Canada has been regarded as being matured. A historical overview of the NGL market has shown large swings in demand, linked to such factors as crude oil prices and the drop in butanes demand caused by changes in gasoline specifications in the USA. On the other hand, oxygenates required for reformulated gasolines need butanes as a raw material for their manufacture, signifying a new market for butanes when such gasolines are mandated in clean air programs. Prospects for propane are good in the transportation market because of its clean burning properties. Prospects for expanding ethylene production are favorable to NGL producers; major Canadian petrochemical producers are located close to the source of ethane and petrochemical demand for ethane is forecast to increase by 40,000 bbl/d due to a new plant coming on line and to larger exports to the USA. Results of some forecasts of Canadian propane, butane, and ethane supply and demand are included. 8 figs

Status and outlook of solar energy use in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mirza, U.K.

2003-01-01

Pakistan is an energy deficient country, where a large fraction of the population still does not have access to modern day energy services such as electricity. This is due to very limited fossil fuel resources and poor economy, which restrains the import of fossil fuels on a large scale. To overcome energy shortage, Pakistan needs to develop its indigenous energy resources like hydropower, solar and wind. Pakistan lies in an area of one of the highest solar insolation in the world. This vast potential can be exploited to produce electricity, which could be provided to off-grid communities in the northern hilly area and the southern and western deserts. Applications other than electricity production such as solar water heaters and solar cookers also have vast applications. All this will help in both reducing the import of fossil fuels and dependency of people on fuel wood, which in turn will provide some respite for the dwindling forest reserves of Pakistan. Accordingly, the status and outlook of solar energy use in Pakistan is discussed in this paper. In addition, the role of R and D organizations in the promotion of solar energy technologies in Pakistan is also presented including a description of some proposed projects. It is concluded that the current infrastructure has not been able to advance the status of solar energy of Pakistan. Significant efforts are needed to effectively utilize this cheap renewable energy source. (author)

The use of think-aloud protocols to identify a decision-making process of community pharmacists aimed at improving CMS Star Ratings scores.

Science.gov (United States)

George, David L; Smith, Michael J; Draugalis, JoLaine R; Tolma, Eleni L; Keast, Shellie L; Wilson, Justin B

2018-03-01

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) created the Star Rating system based on multiple measures that indicate the overall quality of health plans. Community pharmacists can impact certain Star Ratings measure scores through medication adherence and patient safety interventions. To explore methods, needs, and workflow issues of community pharmacists to improve CMS Star Ratings measures. Think-aloud protocols (TAPs) were conducted with active community retail pharmacists in Oklahoma. Each TAP was audio recorded and transcribed to documents for analysis. Analysts agreed on common themes, illuminated differences in findings, and saturation of the data gathered. Methods, needs, and workflow themes of community pharmacists associated with improving Star Ratings measures were compiled and organized to exhibit a decision-making process. Five TAPs were performed among three independent pharmacy owners, one multi-store owner, and one chain-store administrator. A thematically common 4-step process to monitor and improve CMS Star Ratings scores among participants was identified. To improve Star Ratings measures, pharmacists: 1) used technology to access scores, 2) analyzed data to strategically set goals, 3) assessed individual patient information for comprehensive assessment, and 4) decided on interventions to best impact Star Ratings scores. Participants also shared common needs, workflow issues, and benefits associated with methods used in improving Star Ratings. TAPs were useful in exploring processes of pharmacists who improve CMS Star Ratings scores. Pharmacists demonstrated and verbalized their methods, workflow issues, needs, and benefits related to performing the task. The themes and decision-making process identified to improving CMS Star Ratings scores will assist in the development of training and education programs for pharmacists in the community setting. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Agora Energiewende (2017). Future cost of onshore wind. Recent auction results, long-term outlook and implications for upcoming German auctions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thomassen, Georg; Deutsch, Matthias

2017-04-15

The costs for electricity from renewable generation have been falling significantly in recent years, and record low bids at auctions around the world have grasped the attention of the public. Solar photovoltaics and offshore wind auctions, in particular, have attracted a lot of interest. The results for onshore wind, however, are just as impressive. The future cost development of onshore wind is of great relevance, since it is a key pillar of the energy system transformation in many parts of the world. However, the estimated long-term cost reductions vary significantly, as different studies value the cost drivers of wind differently. In Germany, the opaque and complex cost structure of onshore wind is the root of much controversy. International auction results with winning bids of less than half of the typical German pay rate left people questioning the costs of domestic wind power. However this discussion often fails to account adequately for differences in the quality of wind resources. In light of the upcoming, and first, German onshore wind auctions, we aim to contribute to the ongoing discussion by providing the necessary context for international auction results, a general outlook on the future cost of onshore wind, and by illustrating the existing potential and hindrances for cost reductions in the German market.

Agora Energiewende (2017). Future cost of onshore wind. Recent auction results, long-term outlook and implications for upcoming German auctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomassen, Georg; Deutsch, Matthias

2017-01-01

The costs for electricity from renewable generation have been falling significantly in recent years, and record low bids at auctions around the world have grasped the attention of the public. Solar photovoltaics and offshore wind auctions, in particular, have attracted a lot of interest. The results for onshore wind, however, are just as impressive. The future cost development of onshore wind is of great relevance, since it is a key pillar of the energy system transformation in many parts of the world. However, the estimated long-term cost reductions vary significantly, as different studies value the cost drivers of wind differently. In Germany, the opaque and complex cost structure of onshore wind is the root of much controversy. International auction results with winning bids of less than half of the typical German pay rate left people questioning the costs of domestic wind power. However this discussion often fails to account adequately for differences in the quality of wind resources. In light of the upcoming, and first, German onshore wind auctions, we aim to contribute to the ongoing discussion by providing the necessary context for international auction results, a general outlook on the future cost of onshore wind, and by illustrating the existing potential and hindrances for cost reductions in the German market.

A structured women's preventive health clinic for residents: a quality improvement project designed to meet training needs and improve cervical cancer screening rates.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Mamta K; Einstadter, Douglas; Lawrence, Renee

2010-10-01

Multiple resident-related factors contribute to 'missed opportunities' in providing comprehensive preventive care for female patients, including comfort level, knowledge and experience--all of which are compounded by resident turnover rates. Of particular concern among Internal Medicine (IM) residents is their knowledge and comfort level in performing pelvic exams. To evaluate the impact of a quality improvement project of implementing a Women's Preventive Health Clinic (WPHC) on addressing gaps identified by needs assessments: residents' comfort and knowledge with female preventive care and cervical cancer screening. The WPHC, a multidisciplinary weekly clinic, focused on preventive services for women with chronic conditions. The alternating didactic and clinic sessions emphasised women's preventive health topics for IM residents. Sixty-three IM residents participated in WPHC between 2002 and 2005. Pre- and post-test design was used to assess resident knowledge and comfort levels. Cervical cancer screening rates of residents' patients were assessed pre- and post-WPHC initiation. There was a significant improvement in general knowledge (64% correct at pretest vs 73% at post-test, p=0.0002), resident comfort level in discussing women's health topics and performing gynaecological exams (p<0.0002). Cervical cancer screening rates among IM residents' patients improved from 54% (pre-WPHC initiation) to 65% (post-WPHC initiation period). The results indicate that a focused resident preventive programme can meet gaps identified by education and needs assessments, and simultaneously have a positive impact on cervical cancer screening rates and thus may serve as a model for other residency programmes.

Heavy crude oil and synthetic crude market outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crandall, G.R.

1997-01-01

This presentation included an outline of the international heavy crude supply and demand versus Canadian heavy crude supply and disposition, and pricing outlook for synthetic crudes. Differences among crude oils such as light sweet, light sour, heavy and bitumen were described and illustrated with respect to their gravity, API, percentage of sulphur, metals and nitrogen. Internationally, heavy and sour crude supplies are forecast to increase significantly over the next four years. Discoveries of light sour crude in offshore Gulf of Mexico will provide a major new source of sour crude to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries. Venezuela's supplies of heavy and sour crude are also expected to increase over the next few years. Mexico and Canada have plans to increase their heavy crude production. All of the crudes will be aimed at the U.S. Gulf Coast and Midwest markets. Pentanes and condensates are also expected to increase based on the growing Canadian natural gas production. Diluent demand will also grow to match Canadian heavy crude/bitumen production. U.S. midwest refiners are proposing expansions to allow them to process more Canadian heavy crude oil. At present, only a few refineries are equipped to process significant amounts of synthetic crude. It was suggested that to absorb available heavy and synthetic production, increased penetration into both Canadian and U.S. markets will be required. Some refineries may have to be modified to process heavy and synthetic oil supplies. Heavy oil and synthetic producers may need to develop relationships with refiners such as joint ventures and term supply agreements to secure markets. 2 tabs., 12 figs

'Action 2016': AREVA's strategic action plan to improve performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marie, Patricia; Floquet-Daubigeon, Fleur; Michaut, Maxime; De Scorbiac, Marie; Du Repaire, Philippine

2011-01-01

On December 12, 2011, Luc Oursel, Executive Officer of AREVA, and Pierre Aubouin, Chief Financial Executive Officer, presented the group's 'Action 2016' strategic action plan based on an in-depth analysis of the market's outlook. This document makes, first, a Detailed presentation of the 'Action 2016' plan and then presents the group's financial outlook: - Full-year 2011 immediate accounting consequences of the new market environment: operating losses expected in 2011; - 2012-2013 transition period Objective: self-finance capex in cumulative terms; - 2014-2016: safe growth and cash generation, free operating cash flow at break-even beginning in 2013, above euro 1 bn per year beginning in 2015

Graphene–cyclodextrin–cytochrome c layered assembly with improved electron transfer rate and high supramolecular recognition capability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gong, Cheng-Bin; Guo, Cong-Cong; Jiang, Dan; Tang, Qian, E-mail: qiantang@swu.edu.cn; Liu, Chang-Hua; Ma, Xue-Bing

2014-06-01

This study aimed to develop a new graphene-based layered assembly, named graphene–cyclodextrin–cytochrome c with improved electron transfer rate. This assembly has combined high conductivity of graphene nanosheets (GNs), selectively binding properties and electronegativity of cyclodextrins (CDs), as well as electropositivity of cytochrome c (Cyt c). This assembly can also mimic the confined environments of the intermembrane space of mitochondria. A β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) functionalized GN (GN–CD) assembly was initially prepared by a simple wet-chemical strategy, i.e., in situ thermal reduction of graphene oxide with hydrazine hydrate in the presence of β-CD. Cyt c was then intercalated to the GN–CD assembly to form a layered self-assembled structure, GN–CD–Cyt c, through electrostatic interaction. Compared with GNs and GN–CD, GN–CD–Cyt c assembly displayed improved electron transfer rate and high supramolecular recognition capability toward six probe molecules. - Highlights: • A new tertiary layered assembly named GN–CD–Cyt c was prepared. • Compared with GNs and GN–CD, GN–CD–Cyt c shows improved electron transfer rate. • GN–CD–Cyt c displays high supramolecular recognition capability.

Graphene–cyclodextrin–cytochrome c layered assembly with improved electron transfer rate and high supramolecular recognition capability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gong, Cheng-Bin; Guo, Cong-Cong; Jiang, Dan; Tang, Qian; Liu, Chang-Hua; Ma, Xue-Bing

2014-01-01

This study aimed to develop a new graphene-based layered assembly, named graphene–cyclodextrin–cytochrome c with improved electron transfer rate. This assembly has combined high conductivity of graphene nanosheets (GNs), selectively binding properties and electronegativity of cyclodextrins (CDs), as well as electropositivity of cytochrome c (Cyt c). This assembly can also mimic the confined environments of the intermembrane space of mitochondria. A β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) functionalized GN (GN–CD) assembly was initially prepared by a simple wet-chemical strategy, i.e., in situ thermal reduction of graphene oxide with hydrazine hydrate in the presence of β-CD. Cyt c was then intercalated to the GN–CD assembly to form a layered self-assembled structure, GN–CD–Cyt c, through electrostatic interaction. Compared with GNs and GN–CD, GN–CD–Cyt c assembly displayed improved electron transfer rate and high supramolecular recognition capability toward six probe molecules. - Highlights: • A new tertiary layered assembly named GN–CD–Cyt c was prepared. • Compared with GNs and GN–CD, GN–CD–Cyt c shows improved electron transfer rate. • GN–CD–Cyt c displays high supramolecular recognition capability

Comparability of the Social Skills Improvement System to the Social Skills Rating System: A Norwegian Study

Science.gov (United States)

Gamst-Klaussen, Thor; Rasmussen, Lene-Mari P.; Svartdal, Frode; Strømgren, Børge

2016-01-01

The Social Skills Improvement System-Rating Scales (SSIS-RS) is a multi-informant instrument assessing social skills and problem behavior in children and adolescents. It is a revised version of the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS). A Norwegian translation of the SSRS has been validated, but this has not yet been done for the Norwegian…

Heart rate variability biofeedback improves cardiorespiratory resting function during sleep.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakakibara, Masahito; Hayano, Junichiro; Oikawa, Leo O; Katsamanis, Maria; Lehrer, Paul

2013-12-01

The present study was designed to examine the effect of heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback on the cardiorespiratory resting function during sleep in daily life. Forty-five healthy young adults were randomly assigned to one of three groups: HRV biofeedback, Autogenic Training(AT), and no-treatment control. Participants in the HRV biofeedback were instructed to use a handheld HRV biofeedback device before their habitual bedtime, those in the AT were asked to listen to an audiotaped instruction before bedtime,and those in the control were asked to engage in their habitual activity before bedtime. Pulse wave signal during sleep at their own residences was measured continuously with a wrist watch-type transdermal photoelectric sensor for three time points. Baseline data were collected on the first night of measurements, followed by two successive nights for HRV biofeedback, AT, or control. Cardiorespiratory resting function was assessed quantitatively as the amplitude of high frequency(HF) component of pulse rate variability, a surrogate measure of respiratory sinus arrhythmia. HF component increased during sleep in the HRV biofeedback group,although it remained unchanged in the AT and control groups. These results suggest that HRV biofeedback before sleep may improve cardiorespiratory resting function during sleep.

Implications of regional improvement in global climate models for agricultural impact research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramirez-Villegas, Julian; Thornton, Philip K; Jarvis, Andy; Challinor, Andrew J

2013-01-01

Global climate models (GCMs) have become increasingly important for climate change science and provide the basis for most impact studies. Since impact models are highly sensitive to input climate data, GCM skill is crucial for getting better short-, medium- and long-term outlooks for agricultural production and food security. The Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) phase 5 ensemble is likely to underpin the majority of climate impact assessments over the next few years. We assess 24 CMIP3 and 26 CMIP5 simulations of present climate against climate observations for five tropical regions, as well as regional improvements in model skill and, through literature review, the sensitivities of impact estimates to model error. Climatological means of seasonal mean temperatures depict mean errors between 1 and 18 ° C (2–130% with respect to mean), whereas seasonal precipitation and wet-day frequency depict larger errors, often offsetting observed means and variability beyond 100%. Simulated interannual climate variability in GCMs warrants particular attention, given that no single GCM matches observations in more than 30% of the areas for monthly precipitation and wet-day frequency, 50% for diurnal range and 70% for mean temperatures. We report improvements in mean climate skill of 5–15% for climatological mean temperatures, 3–5% for diurnal range and 1–2% in precipitation. At these improvement rates, we estimate that at least 5–30 years of CMIP work is required to improve regional temperature simulations and at least 30–50 years for precipitation simulations, for these to be directly input into impact models. We conclude with some recommendations for the use of CMIP5 in agricultural impact studies. (letter)

Japan's long-term energy outlook to 2050: Estimation for the potential of massive CO2 mitigation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Komiyama, Ryoichi

2010-09-15

This paper analyzes Japan's energy outlook and CO2 emissions to 2050. Scenario analysis reveals that Japan's CO2 emissions in 2050 could be potentially reduced by 58% from the emissions in 2005. For achieving this massive mitigation, it is required to reduce primary energy supply per GDP by 60% in 2050 from the 2005 level and to expand the share of non-fossil fuel in total supply to 50% by 2050. Concerning power generation mix, nuclear will account for 60%, renewable for 30% in 2050. For massive CO2 abatement, Japan should tackle technological and economic challenges for large-scale deployment of advanced technologies.

Ivabradine Improves Heart Rate Variability in Patients with Nonischemic Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ertugrul Kurtoglu

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Background: Ivabradine is a novel specific heart rate (HR-lowering agent that improves event-free survival in patients with heart failure (HF. Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the effect of ivabradine on time domain indices of heart rate variability (HRV in patients with HF. Methods: Forty-eight patients with compensated HF of nonischemic origin were included. Ivabradine treatment was initiated according to the latest HF guidelines. For HRV analysis, 24-h Holter recording was obtained from each patient before and after 8 weeks of treatment with ivabradine. Results: The mean RR interval, standard deviation of all normal to normal RR intervals (SDNN, the standard deviation of 5-min mean RR intervals (SDANN, the mean of the standard deviation of all normal-to-normal RR intervals for all 5-min segments (SDNN index, the percentage of successive normal RR intervals exceeding 50 ms (pNN50, and the square root of the mean of the squares of the differences between successive normal to normal RR intervals (RMSSD were low at baseline before treatment with ivabradine. After 8 weeks of treatment with ivabradine, the mean HR (83.6 ± 8.0 and 64.6 ± 5.8, p < 0.0001, mean RR interval (713 ± 74 and 943 ± 101 ms, p < 0.0001, SDNN (56.2 ± 15.7 and 87.9 ± 19.4 ms, p < 0.0001, SDANN (49.5 ± 14.7 and 76.4 ± 19.5 ms, p < 0.0001, SDNN index (24.7 ± 8.8 and 38.3 ± 13.1 ms, p < 0.0001, pNN50 (2.4 ± 1.6 and 3.2 ± 2.2 %, p < 0.0001, and RMSSD (13.5 ± 4.6 and 17.8 ± 5.4 ms, p < 0.0001 substantially improved, which sustained during both when awake and while asleep. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that treatment with ivabradine improves HRV in nonischemic patients with HF.

Multi-disciplinary team for early gastric cancer diagnosis improves the detection rate of early gastric cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Di, Lianjun; Wu, Huichao; Zhu, Rong; Li, Youfeng; Wu, Xinglong; Xie, Rui; Li, Hongping; Wang, Haibo; Zhang, Hua; Xiao, Hong; Chen, Hui; Zhen, Hong; Zhao, Kui; Yang, Xuefeng; Xie, Ming; Tuo, Bigung

2017-12-06

Gastric cancer is a frequent malignant tumor worldwide and its early detection is crucial for curing the disease and enhancing patients' survival rate. This study aimed to assess whether the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) can improve the detection rate of early gastric cancer (EGC). The detection rate of EGC at the Digestive Endoscopy Center, Affiliated Hospital, Zunyi Medical College, China between September 2013 and September 2015 was analyzed. MDT for the diagnosis of EGC in the hospital was established in September 2014. The study was divided into 2 time periods: September 1, 2013 to August 31, 2014 (period 1) and September 1, 2014 to September 1, 2015 (period 2). A total of 60,800 patients' gastroscopies were performed during the two years. 61 of these patients (0.1%) were diagnosed as EGC, accounting for 16.44% (61/371) of total patients with gastric cancer. The EGC detection rate before MDT (period 1) was 0.05% (16/29403), accounting for 9.09% (16/176) of total patients with gastric cancer during this period. In comparison, the EGC detection rate during MDT (period 2) was 0.15% (45/31397), accounting for 23% (45/195) of total patients with gastric cancer during this period (P cooperation with Department of Pathology (OR = 10.1, 95% CI 2.39-43.3, P < 0.05). MDT could improve the endoscopic detection rate of EGC.

Provider-Initiated Patient Satisfaction Reporting Yields Improved Physician Ratings Relative to Online Rating Websites.

Science.gov (United States)

Ricciardi, Benjamin F; Waddell, Brad S; Nodzo, Scott R; Lange, Jeffrey; Nocon, Allina A; Amundsen, Spencer; Tarity, T David; McLawhorn, Alexander S

2017-09-01

Recently, providers have begun to publicly report the results of patient satisfaction surveys from their practices. However, these outcomes have never been compared with the findings of commercial online physician rating websites. The goals of the current study were to (1) compare overall patient satisfaction ratings for orthopedic surgeons derived from provider-based third-party surveys with existing commercial physician rating websites and (2) determine the association between patient ratings and provider characteristics. The authors identified 12 institutions that provided publicly available patient satisfaction outcomes derived from third-party surveys for their orthopedic surgeons as of August 2016. Orthopedic surgeons at these institutions were eligible for inclusion (N=340 surgeons). Provider characteristics were recorded from publicly available data. Four high-traffic commercial online physician rating websites were identified: Healthgrades.com, UCompareHealthCare.com, Vitals.com, and RateMDs.com. For each surgeon, overall ratings (on a scale of 1-5), total number of ratings, and percentage of negative ratings were compared between provider-initiated internal ratings and each commercial online website. Associations between baseline factors and overall physician ratings and negative ratings were assessed. Provider-initiated internal patient satisfaction ratings showed a greater number of overall patient ratings, higher overall patient satisfaction ratings, and a lower percentage of negative comments compared with commercial online physician rating websites. A greater number of years in practice had a weak association with lower internal ratings, and an academic practice setting and a location in the Northeast were protective factors for negative physician ratings. Compared with commercial online physician rating websites, provider-initiated patient satisfaction ratings of orthopedic surgeons appear to be more favorable, with greater numbers of responses

DEVELOPMENT OF AUTOMATIC EXTRACTION METHOD FOR ROAD UPDATE INFORMATION BASED ON PUBLIC WORK ORDER OUTLOOK

Science.gov (United States)

Sekimoto, Yoshihide; Nakajo, Satoru; Minami, Yoshitaka; Yamaguchi, Syohei; Yamada, Harutoshi; Fuse, Takashi

Recently, disclosure of statistic data, representing financial effects or burden for public work, through each web site of national or local government, enables us to discuss macroscopic financial trends. However, it is still difficult to grasp a basic property nationwide how each spot was changed by public work. In this research, our research purpose is to collect road update information reasonably which various road managers provide, in order to realize efficient updating of various maps such as car navigation maps. In particular, we develop the system extracting public work concerned and registering summary including position information to database automatically from public work order outlook, released by each local government, combinating some web mining technologies. Finally, we collect and register several tens of thousands from web site all over Japan, and confirm the feasibility of our method.

Efficiency and hospital effectiveness in improving Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems ratings.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Amin, Mona; Makarem, Suzanne C; Rosko, Michael

2016-01-01

Efficiency has emerged as a central goal to the operations of health care organizations. There are two competing perspectives on the relationship between efficiency and organizational performance. Some argue that organizational slack is a waste and that efficiency contributes to organizational performance, whereas others maintain that slack acts as a buffer, allowing organizations to adapt to environmental demands and contributing to organizational performance. As value-based purchasing becomes more prevalent, health care organizations are incented to become more efficient and, at the same time, improve their patients' experiences and outcomes. Unused slack resources might facilitate the timely implementation of these improvements. Building on previous research on organizational slack and inertia, we test whether efficiency and other organizational factors predict organizational effectiveness in improving Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) ratings. We rely on data from the American Hospital Association and HCAHPS. We estimate hospital cost-efficiency by Stochastic Frontier Analysis and use regression analysis to determine whether efficiency, competition, hospital size, and other organizational factors are significant predictors of hospital effectiveness. Our findings indicate that efficiency and hospital size have a significant negative association with organizational ability to improve HCAHPS ratings. Although achieving organizational efficiency is necessary for health care organizations, given the changes that are currently occurring in the U.S. health care system, it is important for health care managers to maintain a certain level of slack to respond to environmental demands and have the resources needed to improve their performance.

A novel embryo culture media supplement that improves pregnancy rates in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Highet, A R; Bianco-Miotto, T; Pringle, K G; Peura, A; Bent, S; Zhang, J; Nottle, M B; Thompson, J G; Roberts, C T

2017-03-01

The preimplantation embryo in vivo is exposed to numerous growth factors in the female reproductive tract, which are not recapitulated in embryo culture media in vitro The IGF2 and plasminogen activator systems facilitate blastocyst development. We hypothesized that the addition of IGF2 in combination with urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and plasminogen could improve rates of blastocyst hatching and implantation in mice. B6BcF1 and CBAB6F2 mouse embryos were divided into one of four supplemented culture media treatment groups: (1) control (media only); (2) 12.5 nM IGF2; (3) 10 µg/mL uPA and 5 µg/mL plasminogen; or (4) a combination of IGF2, uPA and plasminogen treatments. Embryo development to blastocyst stage and hatching were assessed before transfer to pseudopregnant recipient females and implantation, pregnancy rates and postnatal growth were assessed. After 90.5 h of culture, IGF2 + U + P treatment increased the percentage of B6BcF1 embryos that were hatching/hatched and percentage developing to blastocyst stage compared with controls (P culture, IGF2, uPA and plasminogen supplementation of culture media can improve pregnancy success, but the effect of treatment is dependent on the mouse strain. © 2017 Society for Reproduction and Fertility.

R2E - Experience and outlook for 2012

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brugger, M.; Calviani, M.; Mekki, J.; Spiezia, G.

2012-01-01

In 2011 the very successful LHC operation provided valuable input for the detailed analysis of radiation levels and radiation-induced equipment failures. About 70 beam dumps were provoked by radiation effects on electronic equipment causing a downtime for the machine of about 400 hours Radiation levels around LHC critical areas and the LHC tunnel were studied in detail and compared to available simulation results, as well as put in perspective to LHC operation parameters. Observed radiation-induced failures were not only analyzed in detail, but already addressed through early relocation measures and patch-solutions on the equipment level. Both improvements continued during this Winter Break together with the installation of heavy shielding around the RBs and UJs in Point 1. Based on measured radiation levels, calculations for the shielding improvements, and expected operational parameters, this report provides an update on the expected radiation levels around LHC critical areas. It briefly summarizes the mitigation measures and equipment patches already performed and provides an estimate on the expected equipment failure rates during 2012 operation. Required beam and measurement studies are highlighted in order to further improve the predictions of both radiation levels and expected equipment failures, the latter driving the chosen mitigation actions for Long Shutdown 1 - LS1. (authors)

Improved growth rate in Clostridium thermocellum hydrogenase mutant via perturbed sulfur metabolism.

Science.gov (United States)

Biswas, Ranjita; Wilson, Charlotte M; Giannone, Richard J; Klingeman, Dawn M; Rydzak, Thomas; Shah, Manesh B; Hettich, Robert L; Brown, Steven D; Guss, Adam M

2017-01-01

Metabolic engineering is a commonly used approach to develop organisms for an industrial function, but engineering aimed at improving one phenotype can negatively impact other phenotypes. This lack of robustness can prove problematic. Cellulolytic bacterium Clostridium thermocellum is able to rapidly ferment cellulose to ethanol and other products. Recently, genes involved in H 2 production, including the hydrogenase maturase hydG and NiFe hydrogenase ech , were deleted from the chromosome of C. thermocellum . While ethanol yield increased, the growth rate of Δ hydG decreased substantially compared to wild type. Addition of 5 mM acetate to the growth medium improved the growth rate in C. thermocellum ∆hydG , whereas wild type remained unaffected. Transcriptomic analysis of the wild type showed essentially no response to the addition of acetate. However, in C. thermocellum ΔhydG , 204 and 56 genes were significantly differentially regulated relative to wild type in the absence and presence of acetate, respectively. Genes, Clo1313_0108-0125, which are predicted to encode a sulfate transport system and sulfate assimilatory pathway, were drastically upregulated in C. thermocellum ΔhydG in the presence of added acetate. A similar pattern was seen with proteomics. Further physiological characterization demonstrated an increase in sulfide synthesis and elimination of cysteine consumption in C. thermocellum ΔhydG . Clostridium thermocellum ΔhydGΔech had a higher growth rate than ΔhydG in the absence of added acetate, and a similar but less pronounced transcriptional and physiological effect was seen in this strain upon addition of acetate. Sulfur metabolism is perturbed in C. thermocellum ΔhydG strains, likely to increase flux through sulfate reduction to act either as an electron sink to balance redox reactions or to offset an unknown deficiency in sulfur assimilation.

Long-term outlook for Alberta's primary petrochemical industry : panel discussion : sustainability, feedstocks, infrastructure, transportation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lauzon, D.

1997-01-01

The long-term outlook for Dow Chemical's involvement in Alberta's petrochemical industry was discussed. Dow Chemical Canada is a company with annual sales of more than $20 billion that manufactures and supplies chemicals, plastics, energy, agricultural products, consumer goods and environmental services in 157 countries in the world. Alberta is the centre of growth and development for the Canadian petrochemical industry because of the proximity to feedstocks. Alberta is seen as a good, long-term source of ethane. Dow Chemical intends to continue being a major player in the further development of the industry in Alberta. As proof of that confidence, there are 11 capital projects in progress at Dow's Western Canada Operation, totaling $600 million. An important ingredient of the continuing success of the petrochemical industry in Alberta will be the willingness and ability of the federal and provincial governments to work in partnership with industry to develop support infrastructure and policies

Model Forecast Skill and Sensitivity to Initial Conditions in the Seasonal Sea Ice Outlook

Science.gov (United States)

Blanchard-Wrigglesworth, E.; Cullather, R. I.; Wang, W.; Zhang, J.; Bitz, C. M.

2015-01-01

We explore the skill of predictions of September Arctic sea ice extent from dynamical models participating in the Sea Ice Outlook (SIO). Forecasts submitted in August, at roughly 2 month lead times, are skillful. However, skill is lower in forecasts submitted to SIO, which began in 2008, than in hindcasts (retrospective forecasts) of the last few decades. The multimodel mean SIO predictions offer slightly higher skill than the single-model SIO predictions, but neither beats a damped persistence forecast at longer than 2 month lead times. The models are largely unsuccessful at predicting each other, indicating a large difference in model physics and/or initial conditions. Motivated by this, we perform an initial condition sensitivity experiment with four SIO models, applying a fixed -1 m perturbation to the initial sea ice thickness. The significant range of the response among the models suggests that different model physics make a significant contribution to forecast uncertainty.

Improving Survey Response Rates in Online Panels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Mogens Jin; Nielsen, Christian Videbæk

2016-01-01

Identifying ways to efficiently maximize the response rate to surveys is important to survey-based research. However, evidence on the response rate effect of donation incentives and especially altruistic and egotistic-type text appeal interventions is sparse and ambiguous. By a randomized survey...... experiment among 6,162 members of an online survey panel, this article shows how low-cost incentives and cost-free text appeal interventions may impact the survey response rate in online panels. The experimental treatments comprise (a) a cash prize lottery incentive, (b) two donation incentives equating...... survey response with a monetary donation to a good cause, (c) an egotistic-type text appeal, and (d) an altruistic-type text appeal. Relative to a control group, we find higher response rates among the recipients of the egotistic-type text appeal and the lottery incentive. Donation incentives yield lower...

Development of a Pharmacy Technician-Driven Program to Improve Vaccination Rates at an Academic Medical Center.

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, John D; Anderegg, Sammuel V; Couldry, Rick J

2017-10-01

Background: Influenza and pneumococcal disease contribute substantially to the burden of preventable disease in the United States. Despite quality measures tied to immunization rates, health systems have struggled to achieve these targets in the inpatient setting. Pharmacy departments have had success through implementation of pharmacist standing order programs (SOP); however, these initiatives are labor-intensive and have not resulted in 100% immunization rates. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate a pilot utilizing pharmacy technician interventions, in combination with a nursing SOP, to improve vaccination rates of hospitalized patients for influenza and pneumococcal disease. Methods: A process was developed for pharmacy technicians to identify patients who were not previously screened or immunized during the weekend days on the Cardiovascular Progressive Care unit at the University of Kansas Health-System. Targeted pharmacy technician interventions consisted of phone call reminders and face-to-face discussions with nursing staff. The primary study outcome was the change in immunization compliance rates between the control and intervention groups. Results: Influenza vaccine rates showed a statistically significant increase from 72.2% (52 of 72) of patients during the control group to 92.9% (65 of 70, P = .001) of patients during the intervention group. A pneumococcal vaccination rate of 81.3% (61 of 75) was observed in the control group, compared with 84.3% (59 of 70) of patients in the intervention group ( P = .638). Conclusion: An improvement in inpatient influenza immunization rates can be achieved through targeted follow-up performed by pharmacy technicians, in combination with a nursing-driven SOP.

Using poisson regression to compare rates of unsatisfactory pap smears among gynecologists and to evaluate a performance improvement plan.

Science.gov (United States)

Wachtel, Mitchell S; Hatley, Warren G; de Riese, Cornelia

2009-01-01

To evaluate impact of a performance improvement (PI) plan implemented after initial analysis, comparing 7 gynecologists working in 2 clinics. From January to October 2005, unsatisfactory rates for gynecologists and clinics were calculated. A PI plan was instituted at the end of the first quarter of 2006. Unsatisfactory rates for each quarter of 2006 and the first quarter of 2007 were calculated. Poisson regression analyzed results. A total of 100 ThinPrep Pap smears initially deemed unsatisfactory underwent reprocessing and revaluation. The study's first part evaluated 2890 smears. Clinic unsatisfactory rates, 2.7% and 2.6%, were similar (p > 0.05). Gynecologists' unsatisfactory rates were 4.8-0.6%; differences between each of the highest 2 and lowest rates were significant (p improvement. Reprocessing ThinPrep smears is an important means of reducing unsatisfactory rates but should not be a substitute for attention to quality in sampling.

Can accelerometry data improve estimates of heart rate variability from wrist pulse PPG sensors?*

Science.gov (United States)

Kos, Maciej; Li, Xuan; Khaghani-Far, Iman; Gordon, Christine M.; Pavel, Misha; Jimison Member, Holly B.

2018-01-01

A key prerequisite for precision medicine is the ability to assess metrics of human behavior objectively, unobtrusively and continuously. This capability serves as a framework for the optimization of tailored, just-in-time precision health interventions. Mobile unobtrusive physiological sensors, an important prerequisite for realizing this vision, show promise in implementing this quality of physiological data collection. However, first we must trust the collected data. In this paper, we present a novel approach to improving heart rate estimates from wrist pulse photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors. We also discuss the impact of sensor movement on the veracity of collected heart rate data. PMID:29060185

Can accelerometry data improve estimates of heart rate variability from wrist pulse PPG sensors?

Science.gov (United States)

Kos, Maciej; Xuan Li; Khaghani-Far, Iman; Gordon, Christine M; Pavel, Misha; Jimison, Holly B

2017-07-01

A key prerequisite for precision medicine is the ability to assess metrics of human behavior objectively, unobtrusively and continuously. This capability serves as a framework for the optimization of tailored, just-in-time precision health interventions. Mobile unobtrusive physiological sensors, an important prerequisite for realizing this vision, show promise in implementing this quality of physiological data collection. However, first we must trust the collected data. In this paper, we present a novel approach to improving heart rate estimates from wrist pulse photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors. We also discuss the impact of sensor movement on the veracity of collected heart rate data.

Bloodstream infection rates in outpatient hemodialysis facilities participating in a collaborative prevention effort: a quality improvement report.

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Priti R; Yi, Sarah H; Booth, Stephanie; Bren, Virginia; Downham, Gemma; Hess, Sally; Kelley, Karen; Lincoln, Mary; Morrissette, Kathy; Lindberg, Curt; Jernigan, John A; Kallen, Alexander J

2013-08-01

Bloodstream infections (BSIs) cause substantial morbidity in hemodialysis patients. In 2009, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sponsored a collaborative project to prevent BSIs in outpatient hemodialysis facilities. We sought to assess the impact of a set of interventions on BSI and access-related BSI rates in participating facilities using data reported to the CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). Quality improvement project. Patients in 17 outpatient hemodialysis facilities that volunteered to participate. Facilities reported monthly event and denominator data to NHSN, received guidance from the CDC, and implemented an evidence-based intervention package that included chlorhexidine use for catheter exit-site care, staff training and competency assessments focused on catheter care and aseptic technique, hand hygiene and vascular access care audits, and feedback of infection and adherence rates to staff. Crude and modeled BSI and access-related BSI rates. Up to 12 months of preintervention (January 2009 through December 2009) and 15 months of intervention period (January 2010 through March 2011) data from participating centers were analyzed. Segmented regression analysis was used to assess changes in BSI and access-related BSI rates during the preintervention and intervention periods. Most (65%) participating facilities were hospital based. Pooled mean BSI and access-related BSI rates were 1.09 and 0.73 events per 100 patient-months during the preintervention period and 0.89 and 0.42 events per 100 patient-months during the intervention period, respectively. Modeled rates decreased 32% (P = 0.01) for BSIs and 54% (P facilities were not representative of all outpatient hemodialysis centers nationally. There was no control arm to this quality improvement project. Facilities participating in a collaborative successfully decreased their BSI and access-related BSI rates. The decreased rates appeared to be maintained in the intervention

Patients' satisfaction ratings and their desire for care improvement across oncology settings from France, Italy, Poland and Sweden.

Science.gov (United States)

Brédart, A; Robertson, C; Razavi, D; Batel-Copel, L; Larsson, G; Lichosik, D; Meyza, J; Schraub, S; von Essen, L; de Haes, J C J M

2003-01-01

There has been an increasing interest in patient satisfaction assessment across nations recently. This paper reports on a cross-cultural comparison of the comprehensive assessment of satisfaction with care (CASC) response scales. We investigated what proportion of patients wanted care improvement for the same level of satisfaction across samples from oncology settings in France, Italy, Poland and Sweden, and whether age, gender, education level and type of items affected the relationships found. The CASC addresses patient's satisfaction with the care received in oncology hospitals. Patients are invited to rate aspects of care and to mention for each of these aspects, whether they would want improvement.One hundred and forty, 395, 186 and 133 consecutive patients were approached in oncology settings from France, Italy, Poland and Sweden, respectively. Across country settings, an increasing percentage of patients wanted care improvement for decreasing levels of satisfaction. However, in France a higher percentage of patients wanted care improvement for high-satisfaction ratings whereas in Poland a lower percentage of patients wanted care improvement for low-satisfaction ratings. Age and education level had a similar effect across countries. Confronting levels of satisfaction with desire for care improvement appeared useful in comprehending the meaning of response choice labels for the CASC across oncology settings from different linguistic and cultural background. Linguistic or socio-cultural differences were suggested for explaining discrepancies between countries. Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Education and the Economy: Boosting New Jersey's Economy by Improving High School Graduation Rates

Science.gov (United States)

Alliance for Excellent Education, 2011

2011-01-01

Building on its previous work examining education and the economy, the Alliance for Excellent Education (the Alliance), with generous support from State Farm[R], analyzed the economies of all fifty states and the District of Columbia to determine the economic benefits that states could see by improving high school graduation rates. Using a…

Education and the Economy: Boosting New Hampshire's Economy by Improving High School Graduation Rates

Science.gov (United States)

Alliance for Excellent Education, 2011

2011-01-01

Building on its previous work examining education and the economy, the Alliance for Excellent Education (the Alliance), with generous support from State Farm[R], analyzed the economies of all fifty states and the District of Columbia to determine the economic benefits that states could see by improving high school graduation rates. Using a…

Education and the Economy: Boosting New Mexico's Economy by Improving High School Graduation Rates

Science.gov (United States)

Alliance for Excellent Education, 2011

2011-01-01

Building on its previous work examining education and the economy, the Alliance for Excellent Education (the Alliance), with generous support from State Farm[R], analyzed the economies of all fifty states and the District of Columbia to determine the economic benefits that states could see by improving high school graduation rates. Using a…

Education and the Economy: Boosting New York's Economy by Improving High School Graduation Rates

Science.gov (United States)

Alliance for Excellent Education, 2011

2011-01-01

Building on its previous work examining education and the economy, the Alliance for Excellent Education (the Alliance), with generous support from State Farm[R], analyzed the economies of all fifty states and the District of Columbia to determine the economic benefits that states could see by improving high school graduation rates. Using a…

Biopower from direct firing of crop and forestry residues in China: A review of developments and investment outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gosens, Jorrit

2015-01-01

This paper reviews developments in the direct-fired biomass power sector and provides an up to date investment outlook by calculating the Net Present Value of new investments, and the appropriate level of Feed-in-Tariff needed to stimulate future investment. An overview is provided of support policies, historical growth in installations, and main market players. A number of data sources is combined to build a database with detailed information of individual biopower projects. This data is used to describe technological and market trends, which are used in a cash flow model to calculate the NPV of a typical project. The NPV for new projects is estimated to be negative, and investment should be expected to stall without proper policy intervention. Increasing fuel prices, local competition over biomass fuel resources, lower than expected operational performance and a downturn in carbon markets have deteriorated the investment outlook. In order to ensure reasonable profitability, the Feed-In-Tariff should be increased, from the current level of 90.9 € MWh −1 , to between 97 and 105 € MWh −1 . Where possible, government organizations should help organize demand for the supply of heat. Local rural energy bureaus may help organize supply networks for biomass fuels throughout the country, in order to reduce seasonal and local fuel scarcity and price fluctuations. - Highlights: • A database with detailed information of Chinese biopower projects is analyzed. • The NPV of new biopower projects is calculated and found to be negative. • Fuel prices have risen, fuel supply is restricted, revenue is lower than expected. • The current Feed-In-tariff of 91 € MWh −1 needs to be increased to 97–105 € MWh −1

Improved predictions of nuclear reaction rates with the TALYS reaction code for astrophysical applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goriely, S.; Hilaire, S.; Koning, A.J

2008-01-01

Context. Nuclear reaction rates of astrophysical applications are traditionally determined on the basis of Hauser-Feshbach reaction codes. These codes adopt a number of approximations that have never been tested, such as a simplified width fluctuation correction, the neglect of delayed or multiple-particle emission during the electromagnetic decay cascade, or the absence of the pre-equilibrium contribution at increasing incident energies. Aims. The reaction code TALYS has been recently updated to estimate the Maxwellian-averaged reaction rates that are of astrophysical relevance. These new developments enable the reaction rates to be calculated with increased accuracy and reliability and the approximations of previous codes to be investigated. Methods. The TALYS predictions for the thermonuclear rates of relevance to astrophysics are detailed and compared with those derived by widely-used codes for the same nuclear ingredients. Results. It is shown that TALYS predictions may differ significantly from those of previous codes, in particular for nuclei for which no or little nuclear data is available. The pre-equilibrium process is shown to influence the astrophysics rates of exotic neutron-rich nuclei significantly. For the first time, the Maxwellian- averaged (n, 2n) reaction rate is calculated for all nuclei and its competition with the radiative capture rate is discussed. Conclusions. The TALYS code provides a new tool to estimate all nuclear reaction rates of relevance to astrophysics with improved accuracy and reliability. (authors)

Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling to Improve Natural Flow Rate and Sweet Pepper Productivity in Greenhouse

OpenAIRE

W. Limtrakarn; P. Boonmongkol; A. Chompupoung; K. Rungprateepthaworn; J. Kruenate; P. Dechaumphai

2012-01-01

Natural flow rate and sweet peppers productivity in tropical greenhouse are improved by CFD simulation is the main objective of this research work. Most of the greenhouse types today are in the arch shape. To develop an improved greenhouse structure for the region, the arch type was built and used as the control model. Mae Sar Mai agriculture research station under the royal project foundation was selected as the field test site. Temperature sensors with data logger were installed to monitor ...

Improving Rates of Post-Essure Hysterosalpingography in an Urban Population Using Electronic Tracking Reminders.

Science.gov (United States)

Virginia Hu, Yu-Han; Arora, Kavita Shah

2017-02-01

To demonstrate the efficacy of electronic reminders for follow-up hysterosalpingography (HSG) after Essure hysteroscopic sterilization in an urban tertiary care hospital obstetrics and gynecology practice. Retrospective cohort study (Canadian Task Force classification II-3). Obstetrics and gynecology practice at a university-affiliated urban tertiary care teaching hospital. Two hundred and fifty patients who underwent Essure hysteroscopic sterilization between June 2011 and July 2014. Implementation of electronic reminders for the office staff. Two hundred and fifty of 259 patients (96.5%) underwent Essure hysteroscopic sterilization and successful placement of coils into bilateral Fallopian tubes. Among these 250 patients, 135 (54%) returned for HSG at 3 months post-Essure as advised at the time of procedure. The use of electronic reminders prompted another 45 patients (18%) to return for HSG, improving the total post-Essure follow-up rate to 72%. Electronic reminders for the office staff of an urban tertiary care hospital's obstetrics and gynecology practice is an effective method for improving the rate of post-Essure HSG. Copyright © 2016 AAGL. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An Improved in Vivo Deuterium Labeling Method for Measuring the Biosynthetic Rate of Cytokinins

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petr Tarkowski

2010-12-01

Full Text Available An improved method for determining the relative biosynthetic rate of isoprenoid cytokinins has been developed. A set of 11 relevant isoprenoid cytokinins, including zeatin isomers, was separated by ultra performance liquid chromatography in less than 6 min. The iP-type cytokinins were observed to give rise to a previously-unknown fragment at m/z 69; we suggest that the diagnostic (204-69 transition can be used to monitor the biosynthetic rate of isopentenyladenine. Furthermore, we found that by treating the cytokinin nucleotides with alkaline phosphatase prior to analysis, the sensitivity of the detection process could be increased. In addition, derivatization (propionylation improved the ESI-MS response by increasing the analytes' hydrophobicity. Indeed, the ESI-MS response of propionylated isopentenyladenosine was about 34% higher than that of its underivatized counterpart. Moreover, the response of the derivatized zeatin ribosides was about 75% higher than that of underivatized zeatin ribosides. Finally, we created a web-based calculator (IZOTOP that facilitates MS/MS data processing and offer it freely to the research community.

Lung Focused Resuscitation at a Specialized Donor Care Facility Improves Lung Procurement Rates.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Stephanie H; Kreisel, Daniel; Marklin, Gary F; Cook, Lindsey; Hachem, Ramsey; Kozower, Benjamin D; Balsara, Keki R; Bell, Jennifer M; Frederiksen, Christine; Meyers, Bryan F; Patterson, G Alexander; Puri, Varun

2018-05-01

Lung procurement for transplantation occurs in approximately 20% of brain dead donors and is a major impediment to wider application of lung transplantation. We investigated the effect of lung protective management at a specialized donor care facility on lung procurement rates from brain dead donors. Our local organ procurement organization instituted a protocol of lung protective management at a freestanding specialized donor care facility in 2008. Brain dead donors from 2001 to 2007 (early period) were compared with those from 2009 to 2016 (current period) for lung procurement rates and other solid-organ procurement rates using a prospectively maintained database. An overall increase occurred in the number of brain dead donors during the study period (early group, 791; late group, 1,333; p procurement rate (lung donors/all brain dead donors) improved markedly after the introduction of lung protective management (early group, 157 of 791 [19.8%]; current group, 452 of 1,333 [33.9%]; p procurement rate (total number of organs procured/donor) also increased during the study period (early group, 3.5 organs/donor; current group, 3.8 organs/donor; p = 0.006). Lung protective management in brain dead donors at a specialized donor care facility is associated with higher lung utilization rates compared with conventional management. This strategy does not adversely affect the utilization of other organs in a multiorgan donor. Copyright © 2018 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Improvement of industrially important microbial strains by genome shuffling: Current status and future prospects.

Science.gov (United States)

Magocha, Tinashe Archbold; Zabed, H; Yang, Miaomiao; Yun, Junhua; Zhang, Huanhuan; Qi, Xianghui

2018-06-01

The growing demand for biotechnological products against limited metabolic capacity of industrially used microorganisms has led to an increased interest on strain-improvement over the last several decades, which aimed to enhance metabolite yield, substrate uptake and tolerance of the strains. Among a few techniques of strain-improvement, genome shuffling is the most recent and promising approach used for rapid strain-improvement that can yield a new strain by combining whole genomes of multi-parental microorganisms using the principles of protoplast fusion. Genome shuffling has brought a major breakthrough in the strain-improvement concept as it is found to be effective and reliable for expressing complex phenotypes. This review will discuss the technical aspects and applications of genome shuffling for various industrial strains to present its current status and recent progress. In the concluding remarks, a summary will be presented focusing on the major challenges and future outlooks of this technology. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Determining next steps in a hand hygiene improvement initiative by examining variation in hand hygiene compliance rates.

Science.gov (United States)

Homa, Karen; Kirkland, Kathryn B

2011-01-01

Health care worker hand hygiene (HH) is a major quality and safety concern since poor hand hygiene has been linked with hospital associated infections. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center has been involved in a 4-year initiative to improve hand hygiene. In 2006, HH compliance occurred 41% of the time and by 2009, it had improved to 91%. We wanted to understand some of the unexplained variability in HH to help determine where to target more specific strategies. To help determine where some of the variability in HH compliance rates occurred, an analysis of means chart was used to determine whether role type of the health care worker and hospital areas had significantly different HH rates compared with the overall HH rate. The overall HH rate between March 2008 and December 2009 was 87%. There was a wide and significant variation between the 16 groups of 2 types of health care workers in 8 hospital areas from the lowest rate of 64% to a high of 96%. Analysis of means revealed significant differences in HH rates relative to the type of worker and hospital areas. Although the method does not inform the organization of what type of intervention will work where and why, it allows high and low performing groups to be identified, so that organizations can learn from them to generate and test theories.

Modeling Ignition of a Heptane Isomer: Improved Thermodynamics, Reaction Pathways, Kinetic, and Rate Rule Optimizations for 2-Methylhexane

KAUST Repository

Mohamed, Samah; Cai, Liming; Khaled, Fathi; Banyon, Colin; Wang, Zhandong; Rachidi, Mariam El; Pitsch, Heinz; Curran, Henry J.; Farooq, Aamir; Sarathy, Mani

2016-01-01

Accurate chemical kinetic combustion models of lightly branched alkanes (e.g., 2-methylalkanes) are important to investigate the combustion behavior of real fuels. Improving the fidelity of existing kinetic models is a necessity, as new experiments and advanced theories show inaccuracies in certain portions of the models. This study focuses on updating thermodynamic data and the kinetic reaction mechanism for a gasoline surrogate component, 2-methylhexane, based on recently published thermodynamic group values and rate rules derived from quantum calculations and experiments. Alternative pathways for the isomerization of peroxy-alkylhydroperoxide (OOQOOH) radicals are also investigated. The effects of these updates are compared against new high-pressure shock tube and rapid compression machine ignition delay measurements. It is shown that rate constant modifications are required to improve agreement between kinetic modeling simulations and experimental data. We further demonstrate the ability to optimize the kinetic model using both manual and automated techniques for rate parameter tunings to improve agreement with the measured ignition delay time data. Finally, additional low temperature chain branching reaction pathways are shown to improve the model’s performance. The present approach to model development provides better performance across extended operating conditions while also strengthening the fundamental basis of the model.

Modeling Ignition of a Heptane Isomer: Improved Thermodynamics, Reaction Pathways, Kinetic, and Rate Rule Optimizations for 2-Methylhexane

KAUST Repository

Mohamed, Samah

2016-03-21

Accurate chemical kinetic combustion models of lightly branched alkanes (e.g., 2-methylalkanes) are important to investigate the combustion behavior of real fuels. Improving the fidelity of existing kinetic models is a necessity, as new experiments and advanced theories show inaccuracies in certain portions of the models. This study focuses on updating thermodynamic data and the kinetic reaction mechanism for a gasoline surrogate component, 2-methylhexane, based on recently published thermodynamic group values and rate rules derived from quantum calculations and experiments. Alternative pathways for the isomerization of peroxy-alkylhydroperoxide (OOQOOH) radicals are also investigated. The effects of these updates are compared against new high-pressure shock tube and rapid compression machine ignition delay measurements. It is shown that rate constant modifications are required to improve agreement between kinetic modeling simulations and experimental data. We further demonstrate the ability to optimize the kinetic model using both manual and automated techniques for rate parameter tunings to improve agreement with the measured ignition delay time data. Finally, additional low temperature chain branching reaction pathways are shown to improve the model’s performance. The present approach to model development provides better performance across extended operating conditions while also strengthening the fundamental basis of the model.

Improving and Assessing Aircraft-based Greenhouse Gas Emission Rate Measurements at Indianapolis as part of the INFLUX project.

Science.gov (United States)

Heimburger, A. M. F.; Shepson, P. B.; Stirm, B. H.; Susdorf, C.; Cambaliza, M. O. L.

2015-12-01

Since the Copenhagen accord in 2009, several countries have affirmed their commitment to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The United States and Canada committed to reduce their emissions by 17% below 2005 levels, by 2020, Europe by 14% and China by ~40%. To achieve such targets, coherent and effective strategies in mitigating atmospheric carbon emissions must be implemented in the next decades. Whether such goals are actually achieved, they require that reductions are "measurable", "reportable", and "verifiable". Management of greenhouse gas emissions must focus on urban environments since ~74% of CO2 emissions worldwide will be from cities, while measurement approaches are highly uncertain (~50% to >100%). The Indianapolis Flux Experiment (INFLUX) was established to develop, assess and improve top-down and bottom-up quantifications of urban greenhouse gas emissions. Based on an aircraft mass balance approach, we performed a series of experiments focused on the improvement of CO2, CH4 and CO emission rates quantification from Indianapolis, our final objective being to drastically improve the method overall uncertainty from the previous estimate of 50%. In November-December 2014, we conducted nine methodologically identical mass balance experiments in a short period of time (24 days, one downwind distance) for assumed constant total emission rate conditions, as a means to obtain an improved standard deviation of the mean determination. By averaging the individual emission rate determinations, we were able to obtain a method precision of 17% and 16% for CO2 and CO, respectively, at the 95%C.L. CH4 emission rates are highly variable day to day, leading to precision of 60%. Our results show that repetitive sampling can enable improvement in precision of the aircraft top-down methods through averaging.

Improvement of energy expenditure prediction from heart rate during running

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Charlot, Keyne; Borne, Rachel; Richalet, Jean-Paul; Chapelot, Didier; Pichon, Aurélien; Cornolo, Jérémy; Brugniaux, Julien Vincent

2014-01-01

We aimed to develop new equations that predict exercise-induced energy expenditure (EE) more accurately than previous ones during running by including new parameters as fitness level, body composition and/or running intensity in addition to heart rate (HR). Original equations predicting EE were created from data obtained during three running intensities (25%, 50% and 70% of HR reserve) performed by 50 subjects. Five equations were conserved according to their accuracy assessed from error rates, interchangeability and correlations analyses: one containing only basic parameters, two containing VO 2max  or speed at VO 2max  and two including running speed with or without HR. Equations accuracy was further tested in an independent sample during a 40 min validation test at 50% of HR reserve. It appeared that: (1) the new basic equation was more accurate than pre-existing equations (R 2  0.809 versus. 0,737 respectively); (2) the prediction of EE was more accurate with the addition of VO 2max  (R 2  = 0.879); and (3) the equations containing running speed were the most accurate and were considered to have good agreement with indirect calorimetry. In conclusion, EE estimation during running might be significantly improved by including running speed in the predictive models, a parameter readily available with treadmill or GPS. (paper)

Outlook for modern cooking energy access in Central America

Science.gov (United States)

2018-01-01

The Central American nations of Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua are among the poorest in the Americas. While the fraction of population dependent on solid fuels has declined in these nations over the last 25 years, the number of people using them has risen. Here, we first assess current patterns of cooking energy use in these nations. We then apply a discrete model of household cooking choices and demand to simulate future pathways of clean cooking uptake and the outlook for achieving target 7.1 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which aims to ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services by 2030. We find that by 2030, ensuing income growth is likely to enable 90% of urban populations in these nations to switch to using modern cooking energy services. However, without supporting policies, between 40% to 50% of rural Guatemalans and Hondurans, while over two-thirds of rural Nicaraguans, are likely to find clean fuels or stoves unaffordable in 2030. A targeted subsidy on modern fuels, like liquid petroleum gas (LPG), is the most effective policy mechanism we studied that could provide such support. A 50% subsidy policy on LPG targeted to the rural and urban poor population could, by 2030, make cooking with LPG affordable to an additional 7.3 million people in these countries. We estimate that such a policy would cost about $250 million per year and would have negligible greenhouse gas emissions impacts. Such a policy could also have significant health benefits, preventing about 8,890 premature deaths annually from reduced exposure to cooking-related household pollution in 2030. PMID:29883457

NP2010: An Assessment and Outlook for Nuclear Physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lancaster, James

2014-01-01

This grant provided partial support for the National Research Council's (NRC) decadal survey of nuclear physics. This is part of NRC@s larger effort to assess and discuss the outlook for different fields in physics and astronomy, Physics 2010, which takes place approximately every ten years. A report has been prepared as a result of the study that is intended to inform those who are interested about the current status of research in this area and to help guide future developments of the field. A pdf version of the report is available for download, for free, at http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13438. Among the principal conclusions reached in the report are that the nuclear physics program in the United States has been especially well managed, principally through a recurring long-range planning process conducted by the community, and that current opportunities developed pursuant to that planning process should be exploited. In the section entitled @Building the Foundation for the Future,@ the report notes that attention needs to be paid to certain elements that are essential to the continued vitality of the field. These include ensuring that education and research at universities remain a focus for funding and that a plan be developed to ensure that forefront-computing resources, including exascale capabilities when developed, be made available to nuclear science researchers. The report also notes that nimbleness is essential for the United States to remain competitive in a rapidly expanding international nuclear physics arena and that streamlined and flexible procedures should be developed for initiating and managing smaller-scale nuclear science projects.

Road accident rates: strategies and programmes for improving road traffic safety.

Science.gov (United States)

Goniewicz, K; Goniewicz, M; Pawłowski, W; Fiedor, P

2016-08-01

Nowadays, the problem of road accident rates is one of the most important health and social policy issues concerning the countries in all continents. Each year, nearly 1.3 million people worldwide lose their life on roads, and 20-50 million sustain severe injuries, the majority of which require long-term treatment. The objective of the study was to identify the most frequent, constantly occurring causes of road accidents, as well as outline actions constituting a basis for the strategies and programmes aiming at improving traffic safety on local and global levels. Comparative analysis of literature concerning road safety was performed, confirming that although road accidents had a varied and frequently complex background, their causes have changed only to a small degree over the years. The causes include: lack of control and enforcement concerning implementation of traffic regulation (primarily driving at excessive speed, driving under the influence of alcohol, and not respecting the rights of other road users (mainly pedestrians and cyclists), lack of appropriate infrastructure and unroadworthy vehicles. The number of fatal accidents and severe injuries, resulting from road accidents, may be reduced through applying an integrated approach to safety on roads. The strategies and programmes for improving road traffic should include the following measures: reducing the risk of exposure to an accident, prevention of accidents, reduction in bodily injuries sustained in accidents, and reduction of the effects of injuries by improvement of post-accident medical care.

Does Experience Rating Improve Obstetric Practices?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Amaral-Garcia, Sofia; Bertoli, Paola; Grembi, Veronica

We provide an assessment of the introduction of experience rating for medical malpractice insurance using 2002-2009 inpatient discharge records data on deliveries from the Italian Region of Piedmont. Considering experience rating as an increase in medical malpractice pressure, we show that such i...... specification. We show that our results are robust to the different methodologies, and they can be explained in terms of a reduction in the discretion over obstetric decisions ratherthan a change in the risk profile of the patients....... schedules of non economic damages to set compensations for personal injuries and 6 do not. We use this ex-ante policy conditions to distinguish treated from control and implement first a difference in difference analysis, the robustness of which we test through a basic difference in discontinuities...

Lead and the London Metal Exchange — a happy marriage? The outlook for prices and pricing issues confronting the lead industry

Science.gov (United States)

Keen, A.

The outlook for the supply-demand balance for refined lead is addressed and takes into account the growing non-fundamental forces on price determination. The market for refined lead is presently experiencing its first year of surplus since the major crisis of the early 1990s. Earlier in the decade, the dissolution of the Soviet Union and recession in developed economies led to a significant rise in London Metal Exchange (LME) stocks. An acceleration absorbed these stocks in an 18-month period in the mid-1990s, and LME lead prices reacted to the market deficit by peaking above US900. Since then the market has balanced, yet prices have declined steadily to less that 50% of their peak levels. It is argued that, on fundamental grounds, prices have fallen below justified levels. As much of the reason for this depression between 1997 and 1999 has been the generally depressive effect of the Asian economic crisis on financial markets, the level of lead prices may now be due for a correction. Other metals have begun to increase during the first half of 1999 and lead, given its neutral fundamental outlook, is now poised to participate in the generally more buoyant moods across LME metals. An increase of approximately 10% in average LME 3-month settlement prices is forecast and will result in annual average prices of US 570/tonne over the course of 1999. Monthly averages and spot prices are predicted to exceed this level, particularly during peak third-quarter demand.

Does treadmill running performance, heart rate and breathing rate response during maximal graded exercise improve after volitional respiratory muscle training?

Science.gov (United States)

Radhakrishnan, K; Sharma, V K; Subramanian, S K

2017-05-10

Maximal physical exertion in sports usually causes fatigue in the exercising muscles, but not in the respiratory muscles due to triggering of the Respiratory muscle metabo-reflex, a sympathetic vasoconstrictor response leading to preferential increment in blood flow to respiratory muscles. 1 We planned to investigate whether a six week yogic pranayama based Volitional Respiratory Muscle Training (VRMT) can improve maximal Graded Exercise Treadmill Test (GXTT) performance in healthy adult recreational sportspersons. Consecutive, consenting healthy adult recreational sportspersons aged 20.56±2.49 years (n=30), volunteered to 'baseline recording' of resting heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), respiratory rate (RR), and Bruce ramp protocol maximal GXTT until volitional exhaustion providing total test time (TTT), derived VO2max, Metabolic Equivalent of Task (METs), HR and BP response during maximal GXTT and drop in recovery HR data. After six weeks of observation, they underwent 'pre-intervention recording' followed by supervised VRMT intervention for 6 weeks (30 minutes a day; 5 days a week) and then 'post-intervention recording'. Repeated measures ANOVA with pairwise t statistical comparison was used to analyse the data. After supervised VRMT, we observed significant decrease in their resting supine RR (prespiratory muscle aerobic capacity, attenuation of respiratory muscle metabo-reflex, increase in cardiac stroke volume and autonomic resetting towards parasympatho-dominance. Yogic Pranayama based VRMT can be used in sports conditioning programme of athletes to further improve their maximal exercise performance, and as part of rehabilitation training during return from injury.

Milrinone treatment of bovine oocytes during in vitro maturation benefits production of nuclear transfer embryos by improving enucleation rate and developmental competence.

Science.gov (United States)

Naruse, Kenji; Iga, Kosuke; Shimizu, Manabu; Takenouchi, Naoki; Akagi, Satoshi; Somfai, Tamas; Hirao, Yuji

2012-01-01

In the production of cattle nuclear transfer embryos, the production efficiency is affected by the oocyte developmental competence and successful enucleation rate. This study investigated the effect of treating oocytes with milrinone, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, on these two characteristics. When cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were cultured for 19 h with 0, 50 or 100 μM of milrinone, the enucleation rate was significantly improved by 100 μM milrinone. However, milrinone treatment during in vitro maturation (IVM) also delayed meiotic progression by at least 2 h, which would affect the examination of enucleation rate and developmental competence of oocytes. Thus, in the second experiment, meiotic resumption was temporarily inhibited with butyrolactone I (BL-I; 100 μM, 18 h) to decrease the delayed maturation caused by milrinone; this enabled a more accurate comparison of the effects of milrinone after oocyte maturation. In nuclear transfer embryo production, oocytes treated with milrinone (100 μM, 20 h) showed a significantly higher rate of enucleation compared with that of control oocytes. This improved enucleation rate was associated with a closer location of the metaphase plate to the first polar body in the treated oocytes compared with that in control oocytes. Furthermore, milrinone improved the frequency of development to the blastocyst stage in the resulting embryos. In conclusion, milrinone supplementation during IVM improved enucleation rates by rendering the metaphase plate in close proximity to the first polar body, and this treatment also improved oocyte developmental competence. These benefits additively improved the yield of cloned embryos that developed to the blastocyst stage.

The continuous time random walk, still trendy: fifty-year history, state of art and outlook

Science.gov (United States)

Kutner, Ryszard; Masoliver, Jaume

2017-03-01

In this article we demonstrate the very inspiring role of the continuous-time random walk (CTRW) formalism, the numerous modifications permitted by its flexibility, its various applications, and the promising perspectives in the various fields of knowledge. A short review of significant achievements and possibilities is given. However, this review is still far from completeness. We focused on a pivotal role of CTRWs mainly in anomalous stochastic processes discovered in physics and beyond. This article plays the role of an extended announcement of the Eur. Phys. J. B Special Issue [open-calls-for-papers/123-epj-b/1090-ctrw-50-years-on">http://epjb.epj.org/open-calls-for-papers/123-epj-b/1090-ctrw-50-years-on] containing articles which show incredible possibilities of the CTRWs. Contribution to the Topical Issue "Continuous Time Random Walk Still Trendy: Fifty-year History, Current State and Outlook", edited by Ryszard Kutner and Jaume Masoliver.

Use of the liquisolid compact technique for improvement of the dissolution rate of valsartan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naveen Chella

2012-10-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to improve the dissolution rate of the poorly soluble drug valsartan by delivering the drug as a liquisolid compact. Liquisolid compacts were prepared using propylene glycol as solvent, Avicel PH102 as carrier, and Aerosil 200 as the coating material. The crystallinity of the newly formulated drug and the interaction between excipients was examined by X-ray powder diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, respectively. The dissolution studies for the liquisolid formulation and the marketed product were carried out at different pH values. The results showed no change in the crystallinity of the drug and no interaction between excipients. The dissolution efficiency of valsartan at 15 min was increased from 4.02% for plain drug and 13.58% for marketed product to 29.47% for the liquisolid formulation. The increase in the dissolution rate was also found to be significant compared to the marketed product at lower pH values, simulating the gastric environment where valsartan is largely absorbed. The liquisolid technique appears to be a promising approach for improving the dissolution of poorly soluble drugs like valsartan.

Improvement of mutation rate and reduction of somatic effects by double treatment of chemical mutagens in barley

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koo, B.C.; Maluszynski, M.

1996-01-01

Mutation techniques inducing more useful mutations and reducing somatic effects need to be improved for crop breeding. Seeds of barley varieties; Dema, Grosso were treated with two types of mutagens; 1) chemical treatment: single treatment or double treatment of two mutagens (N-nitroso-N-methylurea ; MNH, Sodium Azide; NaN 3 ) 2) gamma ray irradiation treatment. After treatment, half of seeds were used for germination test and half of seeds were sown to the field. With the higher dose of mutagen both chemical and gamma ray were plants treated, the higher rate of growth reduction rate was in M 1 seedling. In chemical treatment, germination rate of seeds, growth rate of coleoptile and root in double treatment of chemical mutagens were better than single treatments, especially in same dose. Growth inhibition rate of plant in double treatment of 1.0 mM MNH (0.5 mM MNH + 0.5 mM MNH), for example, were less than one of plants of single treatment of 1.0 mM MNH in pot and petri dish test. Growth reduction rate of culm and fertility rate in M 1 plants double treated in same dose of single treatment were also less than single one. With the higher dose of mutagen both chemical and gamma ray were plants treated, the higher frequency of chlorophyll mutants was in M 2 seedling. The rate of chlorophyll mutants in double treatment of chemical mutagens were higher than single treatment. Double treatment methods can be a improved method for induction of new good mutants, which were induced more useful mutations and reduced harmful somatic effects

Effectiveness of a citywide patient immunization navigator program on improving adolescent immunizations and preventive care visit rates.

Science.gov (United States)

Szilagyi, Peter G; Humiston, Sharon G; Gallivan, Sarah; Albertin, Christina; Sandler, Martha; Blumkin, Aaron

2011-06-01

To assess the impact of a tiered patient immunization navigator intervention (immunization tracking, reminder/recall, and outreach) on improving immunization and preventive care visit rates in urban adolescents. Randomized clinical trial allocating adolescents (aged 11-15 years) to intervention vs standard of care control. Eight primary care practices. Population-based sample of adolescents (N = 7546). Immunization navigators at each practice implemented a tiered protocol: immunization tracking, telephone or mail reminder/recall, and home visits if participants remained unimmunized or behind on preventive care visits. Immunization rates at study end. Secondary outcomes were preventive care visit rates during the previous 12 months and costs. The intervention and control groups were similar at baseline for demographics (mean age, 13.5 years; 63% black, 14% white, and 23% Hispanic adolescents; and 74% receiving Medicaid), immunization rates, and preventive care visit rates. Immunization rates at the end of the study were 44.7% for the intervention group and 32.4% for the control group (adjusted risk ratio, 1.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-1.5); preventive care visit rates were 68.0% for the intervention group and 55.2% for the control group (1.2; 1.2-1.3). Findings were similar across practices, sexes, ages, and insurance providers. The number needed to treat for immunizations and preventive care visits was 9. The intervention cost was $3.81 per adolescent per month; the cost per additional adolescent fully vaccinated was $465, and the cost per additional adolescent receiving a preventive care visit was $417. A tiered tracking, reminder/recall, and outreach intervention improved immunization and preventive care visit rates in urban adolescents. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00581347.

Heart rate recovery improves after weight loss in overweight and obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomson, Rebecca L; Buckley, Jonathan D; Noakes, Manny; Clifton, Peter M; Norman, Robert J; Brinkworth, Grant D

2010-03-01

To determine the effects of weight loss on heart rate recovery (HRR) in overweight women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). A 10-week prospective clinical intervention. Clinical research unit. Fifty-seven overweight and obese women with PCOS (age: 29.8 +/- 0.8 years; body mass index [BMI] 36.2 +/- 0.7 kg/m(2)). A dietary plan of 5-6 MJ/day ( approximately 30% energy restricted). Heart rate recovery (defined as the reduction in heart rate after 1 minute from peak heart rate after a graded treadmill test to exhaustion), weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, glucose, insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, and sex steroids before and after the intervention. The mean percentage of weight loss was (-6.7 +/- 0.4%). There were significant reductions in waist circumference (-6.9 +/- 0.6 cm), blood pressure (-4.9/-2.5 +/- 1.2/1.2 mm Hg), fasting insulin (-3.4 +/- 0.7 mU/L), fasting glucose (-0.17 +/- 0.05 mmol/L), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (-0.43 +/- 0.09), T (-0.38 +/- 0.07 nmol/L), free androgen index (-2.86 +/- 0.58), and an increase in sex hormone-binding globulin [SHBG] (5.86 +/- 1.12 nmol/L). The HRR improved from 30.9 +/- 1.1 to 38.0 +/- 1.1 beats/min and that was related to the reduction in body weight (r = -0.34) and waist circumference (r = -0.27). Weight loss in overweight and obese women with PCOS is associated with improvements in HRR, which suggests improved autonomic function. This highlights the importance of weight loss to reduce the cardiovascular disease risk in these women. Crown Copyright 2010. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Radioactive waste storage: historical outlook and socio technical analysis; Le stockage des dechets radioactifs: perspective historique et analyse sociotechnique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Petit, J C

1993-07-01

The radioactive waste storage remains, in most of the industrialized concerned countries, one extremely debated question. This problem may, if an acceptable socially answer is not found, to create obstacles to the whole nuclear path. This study aim was to analyze the controversy in an historical outlook. The large technological plans have always economical, political, sociological, psychological and so on aspects, that the experts may be inclined to neglect. ``Escape of radioactivity is unlikely, as long as surveillance of the waste is maintained, that is, as long as someone is present to check for leaks or corrosion or malfunctioning of and to take action, if any of these occur. 444 refs., 32 figs.

Can use of an administrative database improve accuracy of hospital-reported readmission rates?

Science.gov (United States)

Edgerton, James R; Herbert, Morley A; Hamman, Baron L; Ring, W Steves

2018-05-01

Readmission rates after cardiac surgery are being used as a quality indicator; they are also being collected by Medicare and are tied to reimbursement. Accurate knowledge of readmission rates may be difficult to achieve because patients may be readmitted to different hospitals. In our area, 81 hospitals share administrative claims data; 28 of these hospitals (from 5 different hospital systems) do cardiac surgery and share Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) clinical data. We used these 2 sources to compare the readmissions data for accuracy. A total of 45,539 STS records from January 2008 to December 2016 were matched with the hospital billing data records. Using the index visit as the start date, the billing records were queried for any subsequent in-patient visits for that patient. The billing records included date of readmission and hospital of readmission data and were compared with the data captured in the STS record. We found 1153 (2.5%) patients who had STS records that were marked "No" or "missing," but there were billing records that showed a readmission. The reported STS readmission rate of 4796 (10.5%) underreported the readmission rate by 2.5 actual percentage points. The true rate should have been 13.0%. Actual readmission rate was 23.8% higher than reported by the clinical database. Approximately 36% of readmissions were to a hospital that was a part of a different hospital system. It is important to know accurate readmission rates for quality improvement processes and institutional financial planning. Matching patient records to an administrative database showed that the clinical database may fail to capture many readmissions. Combining data with an administrative database can enhance accuracy of reporting. Copyright © 2017 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Biologically inspired robotic inspectors: the engineering reality and future outlook (Keynote address)

Science.gov (United States)

Bar-Cohen, Yoseph

2005-04-01

Human errors have long been recognized as a major factor in the reliability of nondestructive evaluation results. To minimize such errors, there is an increasing reliance on automatic inspection tools that allow faster and consistent tests. Crawlers and various manipulation devices are commonly used to perform variety of inspection procedures that include C-scan with contour following capability to rapidly inspect complex structures. The emergence of robots has been the result of the need to deal with parts that are too complex to handle by a simple automatic system. Economical factors are continuing to hamper the wide use of robotics for inspection applications however technology advances are increasingly changing this paradigm. Autonomous robots, which may look like human, can potentially address the need to inspect structures with configuration that are not predetermined. The operation of such robots that mimic biology may take place at harsh or hazardous environments that are too dangerous for human presence. Biomimetic technologies such as artificial intelligence, artificial muscles, artificial vision and numerous others are increasingly becoming common engineering tools. Inspired by science fiction, making biomimetic robots is increasingly becoming an engineering reality and in this paper the state-of-the-art will be reviewed and the outlook for the future will be discussed.

Improvement in Device Performance and Reliability of Organic Light-Emitting Diodes through Deposition Rate Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shun-Wei Liu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We demonstrated a fabrication technique to reduce the driving voltage, increase the current efficiency, and extend the operating lifetime of an organic light-emitting diode (OLED by simply controlling the deposition rate of bis(10-hydroxybenzo[h]qinolinato beryllium (Bebq2 used as the emitting layer and the electron-transport layer. In our optimized device, 55 nm of Bebq2 was first deposited at a faster deposition rate of 1.3 nm/s, followed by the deposition of a thin Bebq2 (5 nm layer at a slower rate of 0.03 nm/s. The Bebq2 layer with the faster deposition rate exhibited higher photoluminescence efficiency and was suitable for use in light emission. The thin Bebq2 layer with the slower deposition rate was used to modify the interface between the Bebq2 and cathode and hence improve the injection efficiency and lower the driving voltage. The operating lifetime of such a two-step deposition OLED was 1.92 and 4.6 times longer than that of devices with a single deposition rate, that is, 1.3 and 0.03 nm/s cases, respectively.

Community financing of local ivermectin distribution in Nigeria: potential payment and cost-recovery outlook.

Science.gov (United States)

Onwujekwe, O E; Shu, E N; Okonkwo, P O

2000-04-01

The preferred payment mechanism in a community financing scheme for local ivermectin distribution was elicited from randomly selected household heads from three communities in Nigeria using interviewer-administered structured questionnaires. The majority of the respondents in the three communities were prepared to pay for local ivermectin distribution. Additionally, the average amounts the respondents were prepared to pay per person treated ($0.28, $0.30 and $0.38 in Nike, Achi and Toro, respectively) were all more than the $0.20 ceiling recommended by the partners of the African Programme on Onchocerciasis Control (APOC). Thus, the cost-recovery outlook is bright in these communities. However, the preferred payment modality varied. Fee-for-service was the predominant payment modality in the Achi and Nike communities, while the Toro community preferred pre-payment. This study demonstrates that many communities have different payment preferences for endemic disease control efforts. This knowledge will help in developing acceptable and sustainable schemes. The imposition of unacceptable payment mechanisms will lead to an unwillingness to pay.

Physical Exercise Improves Heart Rate Variability in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Villafaina, Santos; Collado-Mateo, Daniel; Fuentes, Juan Pedro; Merellano-Navarro, Eugenio; Gusi, Narcis

2017-09-23

The aim of the present systematic review is to provide an up-to-date analysis of the research on the effects of exercise programs on heart rate variability (HRV) in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). An electronic search of the literature (PubMed, PEDro and Web of Science) was performed. "HRV", "heart rate variability", "exercise", "physical" and "diabetes" were the terms used for article retrieval. Lastly, 15 articles were selected. PRISMA methodology was employed and data were extracted according to the PICOS approach. Although HRV is not routinely measured in the management of T2DM, it is an important measure due to its relation with mortality and diabetic neuropathy. Physical exercise has become a therapy for T2DM, because it improves physical fitness and functional capacity, enhances metabolic control and insulin sensitivity, reduces inflammatory markers and neuropathy symptoms and can increase the regenerative capacity of cutaneous axons, slowing or preventing neuropathy progression. However, it is not clear to what extent physical exercise can improve HRV in this population. Participation in the 15 selected studies was similar in men and women (48.01% men and 51.99% women). All the intervention programs included aerobic training, and it was complemented by strength training in four studies. Duration of physical exercise sessions ranged between 30 and 75 min, the frequency being between 2 and 7 days/week. Statistically significant improvements in groups with diabetes, relative to baseline, were observed in nine studies. More than 3 days per week of aerobic training, complemented by strength training, during at least 3 months seems to improve HRV in T2DM. Weekly frequency might be the most important factor to improve HRV. These aspects could help to design better programs based in scientific evidence, incorporating HRV as an important variable associated with diabetic neuropathy and mortality.

Optimization of Nitrogen Rate and Planting Density for Improving Yield, Nitrogen Use Efficiency, and Lodging Resistance in Oilseed Rape

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shahbaz Khan

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Yield and lodging related traits are essential for improving rapeseed production. The objective of the present study was to investigate the influence of plant density (D and nitrogen (N rates on morphological and physiological traits related to yield and lodging in rapeseed. We evaluated Huayouza 9 for two consecutive growing seasons (2014–2016 under three plant densities (LD, 10 plants m−2; MD, 30 plants m−2; HD, 60 plants m−2 and four N rates (0, 60, 120, and 180 kg ha−1. Experiment was laid out in split plot design using density as a main factor and N as sub-plot factor with three replications each. Seed yield was increased by increasing density and N rate, reaching a peak at HD with 180 kg N ha−1. The effect of N rate was consistently positive in increasing the plant height, pod area index, 1,000 seed weight, shoot and root dry weights, and root neck diameter, reaching a peak at 180 kg N ha−1. Plant height was decreased by increasing D, whereas the maximum radiation interception (~80% and net photosynthetic rate were recorded at MD at highest N. Lodging resistance and nitrogen use efficiency significantly increased with increasing D from 10 to 30 plants m−2, and N rate up to 120 kg ha−1, further increase of D and N decreased lodging resistance and NUE. Hence, our study implies that planting density 30 plants m−2 can improve yield, nitrogen use efficiency, and enhance lodging resistance by improving crop canopy.