Analysis of asymmetries in air pollution with water resources, and energy consumption in Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Ashouri, Mohammad Javad; Rafei, Meysam

2018-04-17

Iran should pay special attention to its excessive consumption of energy and air pollution due to the limited availability of water resources. This study explores the effects of the consumption of energy and water resources on air pollution in Iran from 1971 to 2014. It utilizes the non-linear autoregressive distributed lag approach to establish a robust relationship between the variables which show that both long- and short-run coefficients are asymmetrical. The positive and negative aspects of the long-run coefficients of energy consumption and water resources were found to be 0.19, - 1.63, 0.18, and 2.36, respectively, while only the negative ones were significant for energy consumption. Based on the cumulative effects, it can be established that there are important and significant differences in the responses of air pollution to positive and negative changes in water productivity and energy consumption. In particular, CO 2 gas emissions are affected by negative changes in H 2 O productivity both in terms of the total and the GDP per unit of energy use in Iran. In regard to short-run results, considerable asymmetric effects occur on all the variables for CO 2 emissions. Based on the results obtained, some recommendations are presented, which policymakers can adopt in efforts to address the issues of pollution and consumption.

Human Resource Development in Mauritius: Context, Challenges and Opportunities

Science.gov (United States)

Garavan, Thomas N.; Neeliah, Harris; Auckloo, Raj; Ragaven, Raj

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore human resource development (HRD) in Mauritius and the challenges and opportunities faced by organisations in different sectors in adopting HRD practices. Findings: This special issue presents four papers that explore dimensions of HRD in public sector, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and…

Optimization of the HLT Resource Consumption in the LHCb Experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frank, M; Gaspar, C; Herwijnen, E v.; Jost, B; Neufeld, N; Schwemmer, R

2012-01-01

Today's computing elements for software based high level trigger processing (HLT) are based on nodes with multiple cores. Using process based parallelization to filter particle collisions from the LHCb experiment on such nodes leads to expensive consumption of memory and hence significant cost increase. In the following an approach is presented to both minimize the resource consumption of the filter applications and to reduce the startup time. Described is the duplication of threads and the handling of files open in read-write mode when duplicating filter processes and the possibility to bootstrap the event filter applications directly from preconfigured checkpoint files. This led to a reduced memory consumption of roughly 60% in the nodes of the LHCb HLT farm and an improved startup time of a factor 10.

Weed Control in Maize-Cowpea Intercropping System Related to Environmental Resources Consumption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamdollah ESKANDARI

2011-03-01

Full Text Available A field experiment was carried out in Ramhormoz, Iran during the 2008-2009 growing season to investigate the effects of different planting pattern of intercropping on environmental resource consumption and weed biomass. A randomized complete block design (RCBD with three replications was employed to compare the treatments. Treatments included maize sole crop (M, cow pea sole crop (C, within row intercropping (I1, row intercropping (I2 and mix cropping (I3. The density of intercropping was according to replacement design (one maize replaced by three cow pea plants. The results showed that environmental resource consumption was significantly (P?0.05 affected by cropping system, where PAR interception, moisture and nutrients uptake were higher in intercropping systems compared to sole crop systems. Regarding to weed control, intercrops were more effective than sole crops and it was related to lower availability of environmental resources for weeds in intercropping systems.

Pittsburgh 2013 Energy Baseline: Consumption, Trends & Opportunities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tarka, Thomas J. [National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, (United States); James III, Robert E. [National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, (United States); Withum, Jeffrey A. [National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, (United States); Plowman, Brian [National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, (United States); Shih, Chung Yan [National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, (United States)

2017-03-01

The United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) are working in conjunction with the City of Pittsburgh (City) to transform how energy is produced, transported, and consumed in the City. This transformation will rely on 21st Century Energy Infrastructure designs, which leverage advanced technology and design techniques to modernize energy infrastructure, create new business models and markets, and expand technology research and development opportunities. Achieving this vision will require developing solutions that are unique to the City: its climate, topography, energy needs, resources, and existing infrastructure.a In this way, the City will demonstrate what the American “City of the Future” looks like, with all its attendant environmental, economic, and job-creation benefits. It will also serve as a template for other cities seeking to reinvent their energy systems.

Opportunity and development of bio-based composites

Science.gov (United States)

Zhiyong Cai; Jerrold E. Winandy

2005-01-01

Our forests are a naturally renewable resource that has been used as a principal source of bio-energy and building materials for centuries. The rapid growth of world population has now resulted in substantial increases in demand and in consumption of all raw materials. This now provides a unique opportunity of developing new bio-based composites. The 100-year history...

Based on the Hardware Resources Configurable Shanke PLC Building Energy Consumption Detection System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheng Guanghe

2017-01-01

Full Text Available According to the actual situation of the comprehensive office building and the functional requirements of the building energy consumption monitoring and management system, the office building energy consumption monitoring and management system is designed by using the hardware resource configurable Shanke PLC(SKPLC as the data collector. The system uses data bus technology and field data acquisition technology to achieve the building energy consumption data acquisition and management. Practice has proved that energy-saving effect is good.

Analysis of the structural changes in domestic consumption of FUEL and energetic resources of Moscow

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L. G. Moiseykina

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose of the study. The fuel and energy complex is one of the important components of the mechanism of functioning of the national economy in general and municipal economy in particular, since the main tasks of the complex include: provision of hot water supply all year round and heat during the winter period, meeting the needs of the population and municipal economy in gas, supply of gasoline and diesel fuel to satisfy consumers, as well as the supply of coal, peat, fuel oil and other fuels for the urban economy. An important role is played by enterprises of the fuel and energy complex in terms of providing jobs to the population. The fuel and energy complex of Moscow is one of the largest in Russia. A feature of its functioning is the concentrated consumption of gas, fuel, electricity, heat energy and other energy resources. The formation and development of the fuel and energy complex in Moscow is largely due to the rapidly developing economy of the megapolis – large-scale construction of housing and infrastructure, sustainable population growth entails a constant increase in consumption of fuel and energy resources. Monitoring the efficiency of the use of fuel and energy resources makes it possible to identify ways to reduce the volume of consumption to a level that allows, within the approved limit, to implement the planned rate of social and economic development of the city. Materials and methods. Information base of the research was made by statistical data characterizing the volume of consumption of certain types of fuel and energy resources in the market of the Moscow region. The methodological basis of the study is made up of statistical methods of analysis of structure and structural shifts, dynamics. Their use made it possible to conduct a thorough analysis of the differentiation of consumption of various types of fuel and energy resources, as well as structural changes in the differentiations in question. It made it possible to

Resource Use in the Production and Consumption System—The MIPS Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christa Liedtke

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The concept Material Input per Service Unit (MIPS was developed 20 years ago as a measure for the overall natural resource use of products and services. The material intensity analysis is used to calculate the material footprint of any economic activities in production and consumption. Environmental assessment has developed extensive databases for life cycle inventories, which can additionally be adopted for material intensity analysis. Based on practical experience in measuring material footprints on the micro level, this paper presents the current state of research and methodology development: it shows the international discussions on the importance of accounting methodologies to measure progress in resource efficiency. The MIPS approach is presented and its micro level application for assessing value chains, supporting business management, and operationalizing sustainability strategies is discussed. Linkages to output-oriented Life Cycle Assessment as well as to Material Flow Analysis (MFA at the macro level are pointed out. Finally we come to the conclusion that the MIPS approach provides relevant knowledge on resource and energy input at the micro level for fact-based decision-making in science, policy, business, and consumption.

2014 Navajo Nation Energy and Water Consumption

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singer, Suzanne L. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Woods, Sam [Navajo Transitional Energy Company, Farmington, NM (United States)

2017-03-31

The Navajo Nation is the home of the largest land-based Indian reservation in the U.S., covering more than twenty-seven thousand square miles. The land in the southwestern U.S. holds an abundance of natural resources, which are intimately integrated in the history, economy, and growth of the Navajo tribe. This report aims to wholly visualize the Navajo Nation’s resources and energy and water consumption using quantitative data and systems engineering analysis. The energy and water flow chart visualizations provide structured information for tribal leaders, policymakers, and educators around energy and water system discussions, technology development opportunities, and policy decisions. The analysis of both energy and water is a first step to visualizing the interconnectedness and complexities of the energy-water-food nexus of the nation. The goal of this energy analysis was to first estimate coal resource consumption because of the considerable impact coal has on the Navajo economy, recently as much as $26 million per year in coal royalties.

Local governance responses to social inclusion for older rural Victorians: building resources, opportunities and capabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Winterton, Rachel; Clune, Samantha; Warburton, Jeni; Martin, John

2014-09-01

To explore how local governance enables access to resources, creates opportunities and increases capability for older people in rural communities to experience social inclusion. Twenty-six semi-structured interviews were undertaken with community stakeholders across two rural communities in north-east Victoria. Stakeholders were drawn from local government, and a range of community groups and organisations, as identified in a scoping study. Through the provision of community resources (e.g. physical and human infrastructure, organisational partnerships), local services and supports offer social and productive environments for participation. They also build individual resources (e.g. health, skills, finances, networks) to enable older people to participate within these environments, and provide assistance to allow older people to use individual and community resources. Community resources are integral in facilitating the development of older people's individual resources, and opportunities and capabilities for participation. These enable greater choice in participation, and contribute to the sustainability of community resources serving ageing populations. © 2013 The Authors. Australasian Journal on Ageing © 2013 ACOTA.

Effects of household dynamics on resource consumption and biodiversity.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jianguo; Daily, Gretchen C; Ehrlich, Paul R; Luck, Gary W

2003-01-30

Human population size and growth rate are often considered important drivers of biodiversity loss, whereas household dynamics are usually neglected. Aggregate demographic statistics may mask substantial changes in the size and number of households, and their effects on biodiversity. Household dynamics influence per capita consumption and thus biodiversity through, for example, consumption of wood for fuel, habitat alteration for home building and associated activities, and greenhouse gas emissions. Here we report that growth in household numbers globally, and particularly in countries with biodiversity hotspots (areas rich in endemic species and threatened by human activities), was more rapid than aggregate population growth between 1985 and 2000. Even when population size declined, the number of households increased substantially. Had the average household size (that is, the number of occupants) remained static, there would have been 155 million fewer households in hotspot countries in 2000. Reduction in average household size alone will add a projected 233 million additional households to hotspot countries during the period 2000-15. Rapid increase in household numbers, often manifested as urban sprawl, and resultant higher per capita resource consumption in smaller households pose serious challenges to biodiversity conservation.

County-Level Population Economic Status and Medicare Imaging Resource Consumption.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenkrantz, Andrew B; Hughes, Danny R; Prabhakar, Anand M; Duszak, Richard

2017-06-01

The aim of this study was to assess relationships between county-level variation in Medicare beneficiary imaging resource consumption and measures of population economic status. The 2013 CMS Geographic Variation Public Use File was used to identify county-level per capita Medicare fee-for-service imaging utilization and nationally standardized costs to the Medicare program. The County Health Rankings public data set was used to identify county-level measures of population economic status. Regional variation was assessed, and multivariate regressions were performed. Imaging events per 1,000 Medicare beneficiaries varied 1.8-fold (range, 2,723-4,843) at the state level and 5.3-fold (range, 1,228-6,455) at the county level. Per capita nationally standardized imaging costs to Medicare varied 4.2-fold (range, $84-$353) at the state level and 14.1-fold (range, $33-$471) at the county level. Within individual states, county-level utilization varied on average 2.0-fold (range, 1.1- to 3.1-fold), and costs varied 2.8-fold (range, 1.1- to 6.4-fold). For both large urban populations and small rural states, Medicare imaging resource consumption was heterogeneously variable at the county level. Adjusting for county-level gender, ethnicity, rural status, and population density, countywide unemployment rates showed strong independent positive associations with Medicare imaging events (β = 26.96) and costs (β = 4.37), whereas uninsured rates showed strong independent positive associations with Medicare imaging costs (β = 2.68). Medicare imaging utilization and costs both vary far more at the county than at the state level. Unfavorable measures of county-level population economic status in the non-Medicare population are independently associated with greater Medicare imaging resource consumption. Future efforts to optimize Medicare imaging use should consider the influence of local indigenous socioeconomic factors outside the scope of traditional beneficiary-focused policy

CERN Colloquium: The Effects of Limited Resources and Opportunities on Women’s Careers in Physics

CERN Multimedia

2012-01-01

The Effects of Limited Resources and Opportunities on Women’s Careers in Physics: Results from the Global Survey of Physicists, by Rachel Ivie (American Institute of Physics).   Thursday, May 3, 2012 from 16:30 to 17:30 (Europe/Zurich) at CERN ( 503-1-001 - Council Chamber ) The results of the Global Survey of Physicists draw attention to the need to focus on factors other than representation when discussing the situation of women in physics. Previous studies of women in physics have mostly focused on the lack of women in the field. This study goes beyond the obvious shortage of women and shows that there are much deeper issues. For the first time, a multinational study was conducted with 15000 respondents from 130 countries, showing that problems for women in physics transcend national borders. Across all countries, women have fewer resources and opportunities and are more affected by cultural expectations concerning child care. We show that limited resources and opportunities hurt ca...

Possibility of steadily growing per capita consumption in an economy with a wasting and non-replenishable resource

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suzuki, H

1976-01-01

The Solow--Stiglitz model is modified to determine if factors other than the outstanding stock of the resource are related to per capita consumption and if technical improvements in productivity depend on investment. In the first modification, production is made dependent on the outstanding stock of a wasting resource in an economy based on a single aggregate industry producing a single consumer product. Consumption is found to follow a constant path as long as the share of capital remains greater than the share of the resource. In the second modification, no technical improvements are permitted without a research and development commitment. A set of restrictions on the parameters of the production function and the rate of population growth ensures that steadily growing per-capita consumption is feasible. 4 references.

Opportunities of using bio-based materials for value-added composites

Science.gov (United States)

Zhiyong Cai

2010-01-01

Our forests are a naturally renewable resource that has been used as a principal source of bio-energy and building materials for centuries. The growth of world population and affluence has resulted in substantial increases in demand and in consumption for all raw materials. Resulting increases in demand for wood products provides a unique opportunity for developing new...

Resource Exploitation and Consumption in the Frame of Education for Sustainable Development in German Geography Textbooks

Science.gov (United States)

Kowasch, Matthias

2017-01-01

This paper discusses the representation of resource exploitation and consumption in German geography textbooks. The aim of the paper is to contribute to a critical and reflective understanding of the representation of resource-related issues in textbooks by analyzing two scientific debates (resource curse and actor analysis). The paper shows that…

Resource consumption analysis of online activity recognition on mobile phones and smartwatches

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Shoaib, M.; Durmaz, O.; Havinga, Paul J.M.; Scholten, J.

2017-01-01

Most of the studies on human activity recognition using smartphones and smartwatches are performed in an offline manner. In such studies, collected data is analyzed in machine learning tools with less focus on the resource consumption of these devices for running an activity recognition system. In

Improving Stewardship of Marine Resources: Linking Strategy to Opportunity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Franciska von Heland

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The need for improved stewardship of coastal and marine resources is evident worldwide. However, complex ecosystem dynamics, institutional inertia, and budgetary constraints impede such action. This study explores how networks of change-oriented individuals or “institutional entrepreneurs” can introduce new types of human-environment interaction. The focus is on investigating the interplay between the strategies of institutional entrepreneurs and broader system dynamics that shape the context in which they are working, and possible impacts of institutional entrepreneurship on marine governance. We explore these issues in the context of Wakatobi National Park in eastern Indonesia. We suggest that creating links between different social spheres, such as between marine resource management and spirituality or between marine resource management and education, may accelerate the development of a new ecosystem stewardship. We further suggest that the use of media has significant power to show alternative futures, but that media may also serve to objectify certain resource users and increase the complexity of marine resource management. In general, institutional entrepreneurs play an important role in capturing and managing opportunity to open up space for experimentation and novel ideas, for example by linking their ideas to broader political priorities. Yet, such strategies bear the risk of institutional capture. Finally, institutional entrepreneurs sometimes have vested interests in certain solutions that may forsake experimentation toward a sustainable future.

Limited Resources, Limited Opportunities, and the Accumulation of Disadvantage: Evidence from the Global Survey of Physicists

Science.gov (United States)

Ivie, Rachel

2012-03-01

Using the results of the Global Survey of Physicists, which we conducted in collaboration with the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics Working Group on Women, we document the effect of limited resources and opportunities on women physicists' careers. We find that women respondents are less likely than men to report access to a variety of resources and opportunities that would be helpful in advancing a scientific career. These include access to funding, travel money, lab and office space, equipment, clerical support, and availability of employees or students to help with research. When asked about specific opportunities, women report fewer invited talks and overseas research opportunities. Women who responded are less likely to have been journal editors, acted as bosses or managers, advised graduate students, served on thesis or dissertation committees, and served on committees for grant agencies. We also show the disproportionate effects of children on women physicists' careers. Women who responded are more likely than men to have changed their work situations upon becoming parents. Mothers are more likely than men and women without children to report that their careers have progressed more slowly than colleagues who finished their degrees at the same time. Furthermore, women are more likely than men to report that their careers affected the decisions they made about marriage and children. The results of this survey draw attention to the need to focus on factors other than representation when discussing the situation of women in physics. 15,000 physicists in 130 countries answered this survey, and across all these countries, women have fewer resources and opportunities and are more affected by cultural expectations concerning child care. Cultural expectations about home and family are difficult to change. However, for women to have successful outcomes and advance in physics, they must have equal access to resources and opportunities.

Eating on impulse: Implicit attitudes, self-regulatory resources, and trait self-control as determinants of food consumption.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yan; Wang, Lei; Cui, Xianghua; Fang, Yuan; Chen, Qianqiu; Wang, Ya; Qiang, Yao

2015-12-01

Self-regulatory resources and trait self-control have been found to moderate the impulse-behavior relationship. The current study investigated whether the interaction of self-regulatory resources and trait self-control moderates the association between implicit attitudes and food consumption. One hundred twenty female participants were randomly assigned to either a depletion condition in which their self-regulatory resources were reduced or a no-depletion condition. Participants' implicit attitudes for chocolate were measured with the Single Category Implicit Association Test and self-report measures of trait self-control were collected. The dependent variable was chocolate consumption in an ostensible taste and rate task. Implicit attitudes predicted chocolate consumption in depleted participants but not in non-depleted participants. However, this predictive power of implicit attitudes on eating in depleted condition disappeared in participants with high trait self-control. Thus, trait self-control and self-regulatory resources interact to moderate the prediction of implicit attitude on eating behavior. Results suggest that high trait self-control buffers the effect of self-regulatory depletion on impulsive eating. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Developing improved opportunities for the recycling and reuse of materials in road, bridge, and construction projects.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-12-01

The use of recycled and reused materials in transportation construction reduces consumption of non-renewable : resources. The objective of this research was to develop opportunities for improving the recycling and reuse of : materials in road and bri...

An Opportunity on Exploiting of Geology and Mineral Resource Data for Regional Development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agus-Hendratno

2004-01-01

Indonesia archipelago have the very complex geo diversity. The complexity of geo diversity gives a lot of opportunity on exploiting of earth resources for society prosperity. In other side, the complexity of geology also gives a lot of resistance and various limitation at one particular region to expand. Hence, various data of geology as well as data of result of mapping of minerals resources (mapping at macro scale and also have detail scale) require to be managed and exploited maximally. Effort the exploiting also require various infrastructure which is concerning regulatory, technological, human resources being, market-drive of an economic geo material, social environment and culture which grow around geology data, and also availability and readiness of geology and mineral resources data. This study is expected can give a few description of how the geology and minerals resources data can be as reference in regional development planning. This paper was writed by assessment of description qualitative and comparative inter-region case study in various regency area, where writer have been involved to conduct the activity of geological mapping and mineral resources data and also involved by a discussion with a few officers of local government in so many opportunity. Some of the case study region for example : in Kampar Regency (Riau), Tanjung Jabung Timur Regency (Jambi), Biak Numfor Regency (Papua), Gunung Kidul Regency (Yogyakarta), Pacitan Regency (East Java), and also Klaten Regency (Central Java). (author)

Challenges and Opportunities in Transforming a City into a “Zero Waste City”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steffen Lehmann

2011-11-01

Full Text Available The currently consumption-driven society produces an enormous volume of waste every day. Continuous depletion of natural finite resources by urban populations is leading the globe to an uncertain future. Therefore, to prevent further depletion of global resources, sustainable consumption and a strategic waste management system would be required. It is evident that a significant number of global non-renewable resources such as cadmium, mercury and tellurium will experience permanent shortfall in global supply within the next two to three decades. Astonishingly, the current recycling rate of these very scarce metals is significantly low in all cities around the globe. The concept of the zero waste city includes a 100% recycling of municipal solid waste and a 100% recovery of all resources from waste materials. However, transforming currently over-consuming cities into zero waste cities is challenging. Therefore, this study aims to understand the key factors waste management systems in cities such as consumption, resource depletion and possible decoupling opportunity through implementing the “zero waste city” concept. The study proposes five significant principles for transforming current cities into zero waste cities in the context of long-term sustainability. A simultaneous and harmonized application of sustainable behaviour and consumption, product stewardship, a 100% recycling and recovery of resources, legislated zero landfill and incineration are required to transform current city into a zero waste city.

Life Cycle Water Consumption and Water Resource Assessment for Utility-Scale Geothermal Systems: An In-Depth Analysis of Historical and Forthcoming EGS Projects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Clark, Corrie E. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Harto, Christopher B. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Schroeder, Jenna N. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Martino, Louis E. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Horner, Robert M. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

2013-08-01

minimizing fresh water consumption throughout the life cycle of geothermal power development. The large resource base for EGSs represents a major opportunity for the geothermal industry; however, depending upon geology, these systems can require large quantities of makeup water due to belowground reservoir losses. Identifying potential sources of compatible degraded or low-quality water for use for makeup injection for EGS and flash systems represents an important opportunity to reduce the impacts of geothermal development on fresh water resources. The importance of identifying alternative water sources for geothermal systems is heightened by the fact that a large fraction of the geothermal resource is located in areas already experiencing water stress. Chapter 7 is a glossary of the technical terms used in the report, and Chapters 8 and 9 provide references and a bibliography, respectively.

Microbial Resources and Enological Significance: Opportunities and Benefits

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonardo Petruzzi

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Among the innovative trends in the wine sector, the continuous exploration of enological properties associated with wine microbial resources represents a cornerstone driver of quality improvement. Since the advent of starter cultures technology, the attention has been focused on intraspecific biodiversity within the primary species responsible for alcoholic fermentation (Saccharomyces cerevisiae and, subsequently, for the so-called ‘malolactic fermentation’ (Oenococcus oeni. However, in the last decade, a relevant number of studies proposed the enological exploitation of an increasing number of species (e.g., non-Saccharomyces yeasts associated with spontaneous fermentation in wine. These new species/strains may provide technological solutions to specific problems and/or improve sensory characteristics, such as complexity, mouth-feel and flavors. This review offers an overview of the available information on the enological/protechnological significance of microbial resources associated with winemaking, summarizing the opportunities and the benefits associated with the enological exploitation of this microbial potential. We discuss proposed solutions to improve quality and safety of wines (e.g., alternative starter cultures, multistrains starter cultures and future perspectives.

Microbial Resources and Enological Significance: Opportunities and Benefits

Science.gov (United States)

Petruzzi, Leonardo; Capozzi, Vittorio; Berbegal, Carmen; Corbo, Maria R.; Bevilacqua, Antonio; Spano, Giuseppe; Sinigaglia, Milena

2017-01-01

Among the innovative trends in the wine sector, the continuous exploration of enological properties associated with wine microbial resources represents a cornerstone driver of quality improvement. Since the advent of starter cultures technology, the attention has been focused on intraspecific biodiversity within the primary species responsible for alcoholic fermentation (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and, subsequently, for the so-called ‘malolactic fermentation’ (Oenococcus oeni). However, in the last decade, a relevant number of studies proposed the enological exploitation of an increasing number of species (e.g., non-Saccharomyces yeasts) associated with spontaneous fermentation in wine. These new species/strains may provide technological solutions to specific problems and/or improve sensory characteristics, such as complexity, mouth-feel and flavors. This review offers an overview of the available information on the enological/protechnological significance of microbial resources associated with winemaking, summarizing the opportunities and the benefits associated with the enological exploitation of this microbial potential. We discuss proposed solutions to improve quality and safety of wines (e.g., alternative starter cultures, multistrains starter cultures) and future perspectives. PMID:28642742

Biomass resources assessment: Measuring family fuelwood consumption in Zimbabwe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brian MacGarry, S.J.

1987-01-01

Two surveys are reported: one to test possible economic benefits to low-income urban households of using a charcoal stove for cooking, and the other covering both fuelwood collected and consumed over twelve months, in order to compare fuelwood consumption of households using a 'fuel-saving' mudstove with that of those using the more usual open hearth. The charcoal stove and charcoal as a fuel, although having desirable characteristics, do not offer an appreciable saving to current users of paraffin or most urban wood users. Consumption of paraffin was found to be 0.5 ± 0.21/household/day; of wood 7 ± 2kg/household/day and of charcoal 1.0 ± 0.4kg/household/day. Enquiries on woodfuel cost revealed that prices are influenced more by supply-side than demand-side factors, and that preferred fuel species constitute most (more than 61-91% depending on location) of the wood on sale in the streets of the suburbs surveyed. Rural users of both the mudstove and the open hearth consume about 7.5kg/household/day, although the mudstoves in question were five years old, and near the end of their useful life. Evidence of pressure on fuelwood resources and motivation towards using fuel-saving stoves appeared: only 61% of samples recorded were of preferred fuelwood species, and both collection and use patterns showed adaptations to less easily obtainable supplies. Measurements in both the rural and urban cases showed consumption per household is a more reliable basis for comparison than consumption per head. Simpler tests on recently built mud stoves are recommended and are currently being carried out. (author)

The water footprint of cotton consumption: An assessment of the impact of worldwide consumption of cotton products on the water resources in the cotton producing countries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chapagain, Ashok; Hoekstra, Arjen Ysbert; Savenije, H.H.G.; Gautam, R.

2006-01-01

The consumption of a cotton product is connected to a chain of impacts on the water resources in the countries where cotton is grown and processed. The aim of this paper is to assess the ‘water footprint’ of worldwide cotton consumption, identifying both the location and the character of the

Finding value in waste: Identifying opportunities for growth in a secondary resources economy

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Godfrey, Linda K

2015-10-01

Full Text Available manufacturing economy (strengthening the local economy) o Create new jobs in an emerging secondary resources economy o Create job opportunities for low skilled, unemployed citizens o Through low barriers to entry, establish new enterprises, including co... in waste • Waste provides not only economic but also social opportunities • The 2015 Q1 unemployment rate for South Africa was 26.4% (12 year high) (StatsSA, 2015) • With an expanded unemployment rate (1) of 36.1% • ~60% of the unemployed have less...

International Trade Drives Global Resource Use: A Structural Decomposition Analysis of Raw Material Consumption from 1990-2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Plank, Barbara; Eisenmenger, Nina; Schaffartzik, Anke; Wiedenhofer, Dominik

2018-04-03

Globalization led to an immense increase of international trade and the emergence of complex global value chains. At the same time, global resource use and pressures on the environment are increasing steadily. With these two processes in parallel, the question arises whether trade contributes positively to resource efficiency, or to the contrary is further driving resource use? In this article, the socioeconomic driving forces of increasing global raw material consumption (RMC) are investigated to assess the role of changing trade relations, extended supply chains and increasing consumption. We apply a structural decomposition analysis of changes in RMC from 1990 to 2010, utilizing the Eora multi-regional input-output (MRIO) model. We find that changes in international trade patterns significantly contributed to an increase of global RMC. Wealthy developed countries play a major role in driving global RMC growth through changes in their trade structures, as they shifted production processes increasingly to less material-efficient input suppliers. Even the dramatic increase in material consumption in the emerging economies has not diminished the role of industrialized countries as drivers of global RMC growth.

Analyzing Growth Opportunity of Port from the Resource-based Perspective The Case of Port of Tanjung Pelepas Malaysia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Subhan

2008-09-01

Full Text Available Capturing growth opportunity has become a major integral activity of any port to sustain growth and competitive advantage. One of the famous strategies in leveraging sustainable growth and competitive advantage is the resource-based theory application into port strategic management, viewing resources of the port (internal and external and its capabilities as the sources for achieving competitive advantage. In this study, we attempt to identify, exploit, and analyze growth opportunity of a Malaysian port from the perspective of the theory. We analyze the port’s resources in terms of values, uniqueness, inimitability, durability, and substitutability. The result is then compared with its rival ports in the region. This study recognizes that the port has successfully identified and exploited its resources for capturing growth opportunity and competing with other ports in the region. We perceive that the port will sustain its growth and competitive advantage as a major port in the region based on its current performance and rivalry circumstances. This study signifies that the higher the level to which resource-based theory of competitive advantage is applied, the higher and longer the growth and competitive advantage will be achieved by the port.

Analyzing Growth Opportunity of Port from the Resource-based Perspective The Case of Port of Tanjung Pelepas Malaysia

OpenAIRE

Subhan, Muhammad; Abdul Ghani, Ahmad Bashawir

2008-01-01

Capturing growth opportunity has become a major integral activity of any port to sustain growth and competitive advantage. One of the famous strategies in leveraging sustainable growth and competitive advantage is the resource-based theory application into port strategic management, viewing resources of the port (internal and external) and its capabilities as the sources for achieving competitive advantage. In this study, we attempt to identify, exploit, and analyze growth opportunity of a Ma...

The relationship between air pollution, fossil fuel energy consumption, and water resources in the panel of selected Asia-Pacific countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Rafindadi, Abdulkadir Abdulrashid; Yusof, Zarinah; Zaman, Khalid; Kyophilavong, Phouphet; Akhmat, Ghulam

2014-10-01

The objective of the study is to examine the relationship between air pollution, fossil fuel energy consumption, water resources, and natural resource rents in the panel of selected Asia-Pacific countries, over a period of 1975-2012. The study includes number of variables in the model for robust analysis. The results of cross-sectional analysis show that there is a significant relationship between air pollution, energy consumption, and water productivity in the individual countries of Asia-Pacific. However, the results of each country vary according to the time invariant shocks. For this purpose, the study employed the panel least square technique which includes the panel least square regression, panel fixed effect regression, and panel two-stage least square regression. In general, all the panel tests indicate that there is a significant and positive relationship between air pollution, energy consumption, and water resources in the region. The fossil fuel energy consumption has a major dominating impact on the changes in the air pollution in the region.

The Comparison of Virtual Water Consumption among the Various Consumption Patterns of Diet

OpenAIRE

SHANG Hai-yang

2015-01-01

Water resource is the basic and necessary input in the process of production and various consumption patterns of products and goods causes cause different impacts on the water resource using. It is very important to analysis and measures those different influences, which is especially good for the sustainability of water resource, construction of sustainable consumption pattern and the implementation of Integrated Water Resource Management. In this text, the virtual water consumption of Gansu...

Global modeling of withdrawal, allocation and consumptive use of surface water and groundwater resources

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wada, Y.; Wisser, D.; Bierkens, M. F. P.

2014-01-01

To sustain growing food demand and increasing standard of living, global water withdrawal and consumptive water use have been increasing rapidly. To analyze the human perturbation on water resources consistently over large scales, a number of macro-scale hydrological models (MHMs) have been

Energy needs, uses, and resources in developing countries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palmedo, P.F.; Nathans, R.; Beardsworth, E.; Hale, S. Jr.

1978-03-01

The report identifies the energy needs, uses, and resources in the developing countries of the world and examines the energy options available to them for their continued social and economic growth. If traditional patterns of development are to continue, oil consumption in the non-OPEC LDCs will grow steadily to become comparable with current U.S. consumption between 2000 and 2020. Attempts to exploit indigenous hydrocarbon resources even in those LDCs with untapped reserves will be limited by shortages of capital and technical manpower. In the absence of major actions to replace noncommercial fuels or to increase the effectiveness with which they are used, a large fraction of the 3 to 4 billion LDC rural population in the year 2000 will not be able to raise their energy usage above subsistence levels. There is a wide variety of solutions to these problems, many of them emerging directly from the changed economics of energy. For example, most LDCs have not adequately explored and developed their own indigenous resources; in virtually all energy conversion and utilization processes there are opportunities for improvements in efficiency and substitution of renewable energy forms. In virtually all these areas there are opportunities for effective assistance activities.

OPPORTUNITIES TO PROMOTE THE CONSUMPTION OF ROMANIAN FOOD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SPERDEA NATALIȚA MARIA

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Romania and Greece are similar countries in terms of culture, religion, consumer habits. Romania's trade with Greece is not very developed compared with other EU countries, for which it is necessary a better promote Romanian food and consumption of these products on the Greek market. To promote consumption of Romanian foods on Greek market it must be known the preferences of Greeks, must be understood their consumption habits and alimentation. The study is based on an analysis of statistical data regarding trade between the two countries and based on an questionnaire analysis of Greek's consumer preferences for Romanian food. A better promotion of the consumption of these products can be made through fairs and exhibitions, opening of restaurants with Romanian specific, or by organizing Romanian specific events in various occasions.

Future Opportunities and Challenges with Using Demand Response as a Resource in Distribution System Operation and Planning Activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cappers, Peter [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); MacDonald, Jason [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Page, Janie [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Potter, Jennifer [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Stewart, Emma [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2016-01-01

This scoping study focuses on identifying the ability for current and future demand response opportunities to contribute to distribution system management. To do so, this scoping study will identify the needs of a distribution system to operate efficiently, safely and reliably; summarize both benefits and challenges for the operation of the distribution system with high penetration levels of distributed energy resources; define a suite of services based on those changing operational needs that could be provided by resources; identify existing demand response opportunities sponsored by distribution utilities and/or aggregators of retail customers; assess the extent to which distribution system services can be provided via DR opportunities both in their current form and with alterations to their design; and provide a qualitative assessment of coordination issues that bulk power and distribution system providers of DR opportunities will need to address.

Global modeling of withdrawal, allocation and consumptive use of surface water and groundwater resources

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wada, Y.; Wisser, D.; Bierkens, M.F.P.

2013-01-01

To sustain growing food demand and increasing standard of living, global water withdrawal and consumptive water use have been increasing rapidly. To analyze the human perturbation on water resources consistently over a large scale, a number of macro-scale hydrological models (MHMs) have been

Material consumption and social well-being within the periphery of the world economy: an ecological analysis of maternal mortality.

Science.gov (United States)

Rice, James

2008-12-01

The degree to which social well-being is predicated upon levels of material consumption remains under-examined from a large-N, quantitative perspective. The present study analyzes the factors influencing levels of maternal mortality in 2005 among 92 peripheral countries. We incorporate into regression analysis the ecological footprint, a comprehensive measure of natural resource consumption, and alternative explanatory variables drawn from previous research. Results illustrate ecological footprint consumption has a moderately strong direct influence shaping lower levels of maternal mortality. Path analysis reveals export commodity concentration has a negative effect on level of ecological footprint demand net the strong positive influence of income per capita. This illustrates cross-national trade dependency relations directly influence natural resource consumption opportunities and thereby indirectly contribute to higher maternal mortality levels within the periphery of the world economy. The results confirm material consumption is an important dimension of improvement in maternal mortality.

Tools and measures for stimulation the efficient energy consumption. Integrated resource planning in Romania

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scripcariu, Daniela; Scripcariu, Mircea; Leca, Aureliu

1996-01-01

The integrated resource planning is based on analyses of the energy generation and energy consumption as a whole. Thus, increasing the energy efficiency appears to be the cheapest, the most available and the most cost-effective energy resource. In order to stimulate the increase of efficiency of energy consumption, besides economic efficiency criteria for selecting technical solutions, additional tools and measures are necessary. The paper presents the main tools and measures needed to foster an efficient energy consumption. Actions meant to stimulate DSM (Demand-Side Management) implementation in Romania are proposed. The paper contains 5 sections. In the introduction, the main aspects of the DSM are considered, namely, where the programs are implemented, who is the responsible, which are the objectives and finally, how the DSM programs are implemented. The following tools in management of energy use are examined: the energy prices, the regulation in the field of energy efficiency, standards and norms, energy labelling of the products and energy education. Among the measures for managing the energy use, the paper takes into consideration the institutions responsible for DSM, for instance, the Romanian Agency for Energy Conservation (ARCE), decentralization of decision making, the program approaches and financing the actions aiming at improving the energy efficiency. Finally, the paper analyses the criteria in choosing adequate solutions of improving the energy efficiency

Entrepreneurial Team: How Human and Social Capital Influence Entrepreneurial Opportunity Identification and Mobilization of External Resources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahlem Omri

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Entrepreneurial teams play an extremely important role in the development of any country, especially in developing countries. To understand entrepreneurial teams that operate in a low-technology industry, we rely on the network and human perspective on entrepreneurship. In this paper, we investigate how the social and human capital of entrepreneurial team members influences their ability to identify entrepreneurial opportunities and mobilize external resources. We extend prior research in two ways. First, by using the ordered probit method to measure the identified entrepreneurial opportunities number at the level of entrepreneurial teams. Second, to our knowledge, there is a very small number of studies that have theoretically and empirically investigated the mobilization of external resources, especially at the level of entrepreneurial teams.

Conference Summary Report from ENS`95. Sustainable Resource Management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Holdgate, M [ed.

1996-12-31

This publication gives a survey of the ENS`95 conference held in Stavanger (Norway). The publication presents a conference summary and lists of papers for each of the main themes covering sustainable energy production and consumption (challenges and opportunities), international trade and sustainable development, sustainable resource management and economic development in the northern circumpolar region together with sustainable forestry and food production

Conference Summary Report from ENS`95. Sustainable Resource Management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Holdgate, M. [ed.

1995-12-31

This publication gives a survey of the ENS`95 conference held in Stavanger (Norway). The publication presents a conference summary and lists of papers for each of the main themes covering sustainable energy production and consumption (challenges and opportunities), international trade and sustainable development, sustainable resource management and economic development in the northern circumpolar region together with sustainable forestry and food production

Making Schools the Model for Healthier Environments Toolkit: General School Nutrition Resources

Science.gov (United States)

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2012

2012-01-01

The federal school nutrition programs are the keystones to the diets of millions of American children. Schools have the opportunity to support healthy nutrition habits early in life by creating environments that encourage the consumption of healthy foods and beverages. This paper provides resources which offer general information about the…

The opportunity cost of animal based diets exceeds all food losses.

Science.gov (United States)

Shepon, Alon; Eshel, Gidon; Noor, Elad; Milo, Ron

2018-04-10

Food loss is widely recognized as undermining food security and environmental sustainability. However, consumption of resource-intensive food items instead of more efficient, equally nutritious alternatives can also be considered as an effective food loss. Here we define and quantify these opportunity food losses as the food loss associated with consuming resource-intensive animal-based items instead of plant-based alternatives which are nutritionally comparable, e.g., in terms of protein content. We consider replacements that minimize cropland use for each of the main US animal-based food categories. We find that although the characteristic conventional retail-to-consumer food losses are ≈30% for plant and animal products, the opportunity food losses of beef, pork, dairy, poultry, and eggs are 96%, 90%, 75%, 50%, and 40%, respectively. This arises because plant-based replacement diets can produce 20-fold and twofold more nutritionally similar food per cropland than beef and eggs, the most and least resource-intensive animal categories, respectively. Although conventional and opportunity food losses are both targets for improvement, the high opportunity food losses highlight the large potential savings beyond conventionally defined food losses. Concurrently replacing all animal-based items in the US diet with plant-based alternatives will add enough food to feed, in full, 350 million additional people, well above the expected benefits of eliminating all supply chain food waste. These results highlight the importance of dietary shifts to improving food availability and security. Copyright © 2018 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Considerations of ensuring efficient consumption of energy resources in the Republic of Moldova

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sveatoslav MIHALACHE

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Protecting the environment is essential nowadays. We have to think about us and the needs of future generations. In the last 20 years, Europe has understood that lives beyond its real opportunities and that our way of life put the planet to the test. We consume more and more of the natural resources and jeopardize environmental systems (water, soil and air. This cannot continue indefinitely, especially since the world’s population continues to grow. If we don’t change behavior now, our future will be less secured and more people will fight for natural resources increasingly reduced. Mentioned issues are examined in the following article.

Matching opportunities with resources: a framework for analysing (migrant) entrepreneurship from a mixed embeddedness perspective

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kloosterman, R.C.

2010-01-01

In this article, an innovative analytical framework for the analysis of (migrant) entrepreneurship is presented. The approach combines the microlevel of the individual entrepreneur (with his or her resources), with the meso-level of the local opportunity structure and links the latter, in more loose

Renewable energy scenario in India: Opportunities and challenges

Science.gov (United States)

Sen, Souvik; Ganguly, Sourav; Das, Ayanangshu; Sen, Joyjeet; Dey, Sourav

2016-10-01

Majority of the power generation in India is carried out by conventional energy sources, coal and fossil fuels being the primary ones, which contribute heavily to greenhouse gas emission and global warming. The Indian power sector is witnessing a revolution as excitement grips the nation about harnessing electricity from various renewable energy sources. Electricity generation from renewable sources is increasingly recognized to play an important role for the achievement of a variety of primary and secondary energy policy goals, such as improved diversity and security of energy supply, reduction of local pollutant and global greenhouse gas emissions, regional and rural development, and exploitation of opportunities for fostering social cohesion, value addition and employment generation at the local and regional level. This focuses the solution of the energy crisis on judicious utilization of abundant the renewable energy resources, such as biomass, solar, wind, geothermal and ocean tidal energy. This paper reviews the renewable energy scenario of India as well as extrapolates the future developments keeping in view the consumption, production and supply of power. Research, development, production and demonstration have been carried out enthusiastically in India to find a feasible solution to the perennial problem of power shortage for the past three decades. India has obtained application of a variety of renewable energy technologies for use in different sectors too. There are ample opportunities with favorable geology and geography with huge customer base and widening gap between demand and supply. Technological advancement, suitable regulatory policies, tax rebates, efficiency improvement in consequence to R&D efforts are the few pathways to energy and environment conservation and it will ensure that these large, clean resource bases are exploited as quickly and cost effectively as possible. This paper gives an overview of the potential renewable energy resources

Changing Food Consumption Patterns and Impact on Water Resources in the Fragile Grassland of Northern China

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Du, B.; Zhen, L.; Groot, de R.S.; Long, X.; Cao, X.; Wu, R.; Sun, C.; Wang, C.

2015-01-01

A burgeoning population, pressing development needs and increasing household consumption are rapidly accelerating water use in direct and indirect ways. Increasingly, regions around the world face growing pressure on sustainable use of their water resources especially in arid and semi-arid regions,

Energy-Efficiency Policy Opportunities for Electric Motor-Driven Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

This publication is the first global analysis of energy consumption and energy efficiency potential of EMDS (electric motor- driven system). The electric motors and systems they drive are the largest single electricity end use, accounting for more than 40% of global electricity consumption. Huge energy efficiency potential was found untapped in EMDS - around 25% of EMDS electricity use could be saved cost-effectively, reducing total global electricity demand by about 10%. However, the energy efficiency of EMDS has been relatively neglected in comparison with other sustainable energy opportunities. It is crucial to scale up the operations and resources committed to realizing the vast savings potential of optimized EMDS. This paper proposes a comprehensive package of policy recommendations to help governments realize the potential for energy savings in EMDS.

Government Resource Subsidy and its Spillover Effects: Evidence from the Excessive Oil Consumption in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rattaphon Wuthisatian

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The paper aims at analyzing the consecutive consequences of government resource subsidies in a particular industry, which can lead to the excessive oil consumption by other sectors and end users. To fully illustrate the investigation, we use the subsidies in Chinese steel production as a case study and a beginning point to develop theoretical and empirical models to examine the spillover effects, going from steel industry to a rapidly increase of overall country’s oil consumption. The theoretical model applies the market equilibrium concept to demonstrate a relationship among three economic sectors; steel industry, automobile, and households. Particularly, the government subsidies in Chinese steel production will enable the steel firms to obtain resource inputs at the lower price, making the output price of steels cheaper than the market price. As steel is a required input in automobile industry, this cheaper price of steels will induce the automotive firms to increase their production capacity, producing more cars and selling them at the cheaper price, which eventually results in the excessive usage of oil and gasoline by individuals. Using the data during the period of 1980-2012, the empirical analysis involves OLS regression and cointegration test to approve the validity of the theoretical model, which emphasizes on the strong relationship between Chinese oil consumption and steel production.

Guide to resource conservation and cost savings opportunities in the soap, detergents and related products sector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-03-01

The soaps, detergents and related products sector is an important component of the chemical industry within Ontario, as these products are used for cleaning purposes in industrial, institutional and domestic consumer applications. This guide was prepared to assist the sector with cost savings and resource conservation. The guide highlights opportunities for resource conservation through energy and water efficiency improvements, more efficient utilisation of raw materials, and reduction of environmental releases at source. 54 figs.

Modeling climate change impact in hospitality sector, using building resources consumption signature

Science.gov (United States)

Pinto, Armando; Bernardino, Mariana; Silva Santos, António; Pimpão Silva, Álvaro; Espírito Santo, Fátima

2016-04-01

Hotels are one of building types that consumes more energy and water per person and are vulnerable to climate change because in the occurrence of extreme events (heat waves, water stress) same failures could compromise the hotel services (comfort) and increase energy cost or compromise the landscape and amenities due to water use restrictions. Climate impact assessments and the development of adaptation strategies require the knowledge about critical climatic variables and also the behaviour of building. To study the risk and vulnerability of buildings and hotels to climate change regarding resources consumption (energy and water), previous studies used building energy modelling simulation (BEMS) tools to study the variation in energy and water consumption. In general, the climate change impact in building is evaluated studying the energy and water demand of the building for future climate scenarios. But, hotels are complex buildings, quite different from each other and assumption done in simplified BEMS aren't calibrated and usually neglect some important hotel features leading to projected estimates that do not usually match hotel sector understanding and practice. Taking account all uncertainties, the use of building signature (statistical method) could be helpful to assess, in a more clear way, the impact of Climate Change in the hospitality sector and using a broad sample. Statistical analysis of the global energy consumption obtained from bills shows that the energy consumption may be predicted within 90% confidence interval only with the outdoor temperature. In this article a simplified methodology is presented and applied to identify the climate change impact in hospitality sector using the building energy and water signature. This methodology is applied to sixteen hotels (nine in Lisbon and seven in Algarve) with four and five stars rating. The results show that is expect an increase in water and electricity consumption (manly due to the increase in

Consumption bomb.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, P

1999-01-01

This article focuses on the issue of consumption in relation to the growing world population. Over the past 25 years, world population increased by 53%, while world consumption per person increased by only 39%. If consumption continues to grow at 1.4%, the world consumption per person will rise by 100% over the next 50 years with the population increasing by only half that amount. The burden of reducing the environmental impact brought about by this increase lies on technology. Technology needs to deliver major changes in improving resource productivity, and decreasing the amount of waste created. Productivity such as global food production has kept up with demand. Malnutrition persists due to poverty, and not because of the inability of the world to produce enough food. However, the prospects are much worse for resources that are not traded on markets or subject to sustainable management such as groundwater, state forests, ocean fish, and communal waste sinks like rivers, lakes, and the global atmosphere. These resources are not under the direct control of people affected by shortage. People who want to change the way these resources are used or managed have to pass through the legal or political system. Usually, political responses are slow and there has to be a very widespread environmental damage before action is taken.

Self-consumption. German experience feedback

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roesner, Sven

2015-01-01

This document presents, first, the definition and context of self-consumption (photovoltaic and cogeneration), then its profitability (regulation and financial incentive), next, the direct consumption by third parties, and finally, the opportunities and technical challenges

OPPORTUNITIES FOR HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT BY PROFESSIONAL INTEGRATION / REINTEGRATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LAVINIA ELISABETA POPP

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The present paper presents some opportunities for the development of human resources by means of professional insertion / reinsertion. It is about an intervention project, more precisely the establishment of a Centre for Career Counselling and Professional Requalification (CORP within the University “Eftimie Murgu” of Reşita. The objective was the promotion of an inclusive society able to facilitate the access and integration on the labour market of the young unemployed. By its activities, the project forwards an inclusive model of social inclusion of the professionally inactive young people through individualised programmes of qualification - requalification, support and professional counselling. By its results the project contributed to the stimulation of the participation of young unemployed persons to the social, economic and educational life, the consideration of the importance of the role played by education and professional training among the youth.

Innovation in natural resources : New opportunities and new challenges. The case of the Argentinean seed industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marin, A.; Stubrin, L.I.

2015-01-01

In this paper, using the case of seeds, we explore the existence of both new opportunities and new challenges for innovation in Natural Resource Based Industries (NRBIs) in developing countries. Conventional views construe NRBIs as low tech, with low technological dynamism, little innovation, and

“The Effects of Limited Resources and Opportunities on Women’s Careers in Physics: Results from the Global Survey of Physicists

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2012-01-01

The results of the Global Survey of Physicists draw attention to the need to focus on factors other than representation when discussing the situation of women in physics. Previous studies of women in physics have mostly focused on the lack of women in the field. This study goes beyond the obvious shortage of women and shows that there are much deeper issues. For the first time, a multinational study was conducted with 15000 respondents from 130 countries, showing that problems for women in physics transcend national borders. Across all countries, women have fewer resources and opportunities and are more affected by cultural expectations concerning child care. We show that limited resources and opportunities hurt career progress, and because women have fewer opportunities and resources, their careers progress more slowly. We also show the disproportionate effects of children on women physicists' careers. Cultural expectations about home and family are difficult to change. However, for women to have successful ...

State Bioenergy Primer: Information and Resources for States on Issues, Opportunities, and Options for Advancing Bioenergy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Byrnett, D. S.; Mulholland, D.; Zinsmeister, E.; Doris, E.; Milbrandt, A.; Robichaud. R.; Stanley, R.; Vimmerstedt, L.

2009-09-01

One renewable energy option that states frequently consider to meet their clean energy goals is the use of biomass resources to develop bioenergy. Bioenergy includes bioheat, biopower, biofuels, and bioproducts. This document provides an overview of biomass feedstocks, basic information about biomass conversion technologies, and a discussion of benefits and challenges of bioenergy options. The Primer includes a step-wise framework, resources, and tools for determining the availability of feedstocks, assessing potential markets for biomass, and identifying opportunities for action at the state level. Each chapter contains a list of selected resources and tools that states can use to explore topics in further detail.

Waste as resource: Unlocking opportunities for Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Oelofse, Suzanna HH

2018-06-01

Full Text Available -use, recycling and recovery of materials. This chapter focuses on understanding the economic and social opportunities in waste that could potentially be unlocked in Africa, and how these opportunities can be used as lever to overcome the challenges in solid waste...

Household level domestic fuel consumption and forest resource in relation to agroforestry adoption: Evidence against need-based approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sood, Kamal Kishor [Division of Agroforestry, Shere-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu Main Campus-Chatha, Jammu (J and K) 180 009 (India); Mitchell, C. Paul [Institute of Energy Technologies, Fraser Noble Building, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE (United Kingdom)

2011-01-15

The need-based approach (assuming that higher consumption of tree products would motivate farmers to adopt agroforestry) has led to uneven success, in many cases failure, of many agroforestry projects. Current study investigated the association between fuelwood and forest resource use, and agroforestry adoption based on a survey of 401 households in the Indian Western Himalaya. Data on household domestic fuel utilisation and forest resource use were collected using a questionnaire in personal interviews. Agroforestry adoption increased significantly with increase in distance of nearest State forest from the house, distance travelled to collect fuelwood, and consumption of cattle dung, crop residues, charcoal, kerosene and liquid petroleum gas as domestic fuels by the household. Agroforestry adoption was also significantly higher in households with non-forest than those with State forests as primary source of fuelwood and timber. The proportion of adopters decreased significantly with increase in quantity of fuelwood used for domestic consumption, frequency of collection from State forests, total domestic energy consumption, fuelwood dependency, timber consumption and availability of timber through rights of households on State forests. Logistic regression analysis revealed that none of the factors related to need (quantity of fuelwood and timber used) appeared in the model but primary source of fuelwood, distance travelled to collect fuelwood and availability of timber through rights on the State forests appeared as important factors. This implies that need of the tree products is not a necessary condition to motivate farmers to adopt agroforestry, rather, it is accessibility of tree products which influence agroforestry adoption. (author)

Positioning consumption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Halkier, Bente; Keller, Margit

2014-01-01

positionings emerges based on empirical examples of research in parent–children consumption. Positionings are flexible discursive fixations of the relationship between the performances of the practitioner, other practitioners, media discourse and consumption activities. The basic positioning types...... are the practice maintenance and the practice change position, with different sorts of adapting in between. Media discourse can become a resource for a resistant position against social control or for an appropriating position in favour of space for action. Regardless of the current relation to a particular media......This article analyses the ways in which media discourses become a part of contested consumption activities. We apply a positioning perspective with practice theory to focus on how practitioners relate to media discourse as a symbolic resource in their everyday practices. A typology of performance...

Executive control resources and snack food consumption in the presence of restraining versus facilitating cues.

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Peter A; Lowe, Cassandra; Vincent, Corita

2014-08-01

Prior studies have documented a negative relationship between strength of executive control resources (ECRs) and frequency of snack food consumption. However, little is known about what effect environmental cues (restraining versus facilitating) have on the engagement of such control resources. We presented 88 healthy adults with standardized tests of ECRs followed by a bogus taste test for three appetitive snack foods. Participants were randomly assigned to receive instructions to eat the bare minimum to make their ratings ("restraint condition"), eat as much as they like ("facilitation condition") or no special instructions. We surreptitiously measured the weight of food consumed during the taste test. Findings revealed a main effect of treatment condition, such that those in the restraint condition ate significantly less than those in either of the other conditions; however, this main effect was qualified by an ECR by treatment condition interaction. Specifically, those in the facilitation condition showed a strong negative association between ECR strength and amount of food consumed, whereas those in the restraint and control conditions did not. Findings suggest that the effect of ECR strength on consumption of snack food varies substantially by the characteristics of contextual cues.

Opportunities and costs of tourism for a new Humanism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bizzarri Carmen

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The first part of this paper describes the flow of tourism on a national and international scale, emphasizing the role that entertainment tourism and theme parks play globally. Following these preliminary remarks, the second part of the paper presents the positive and negative economic effects of leisure tourism opportunities at the European and regional level. The third part of the paper analyses the environmental aspects of tourism and entertainment tourism. It shows that sustainable tourism development can be an essential condition for the protection of natural and cultural resources. Finally, the fourth part summarizes some of the most important social issues arising from tourism activities, among them the conflict between residents and tourists on the exploitation of resources and the demonstration effect deriving from the consumption of resources. To avoid this spoliation and destruction of the destination (land and local community, the paper suggests a new Humanism based on Catholicism as a way to realize a sustainability utopia.

Guide to resource conservation and cost savings opportunities in the food service sector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-03-01

Opportunities for conserving energy and water, as well as reducing waste, within the 24,000 establishment-strong food service sector in Ontario are identified. Operators are encouraged to take advantage of these opportunities to lower their costs while conserving valuable resources at the same time. In preparing this guide, site visits were carried out at six food service facilities in Ontario. Information about how much money is generally spent on energy, water and waste management by food service operators is provided. The amount and type of waste generated by these facilities is also described. The volatility of the commercial food service market place was identified as one of the major impediments to energy conservation. It was found that most owners of the food service facilities make business decisions based on the lowest first costs, irrespective of longer-term energy efficiency and operating costs. 31 refs., 13 tabs., 9 figs., 4 appendices.

Characterizing China's energy consumption with selective economic factors and energy-resource endowment: a spatial econometric approach

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Lei; Ji, Minhe; Bai, Ling

2015-06-01

Coupled with intricate regional interactions, the provincial disparity of energy-resource endowment and other economic conditions in China have created spatially complex energy consumption patterns that require analyses beyond the traditional ones. To distill the spatial effect out of the resource and economic factors on China's energy consumption, this study recast the traditional econometric model in a spatial context. Several analytic steps were taken to reveal different aspects of the issue. Per capita energy consumption (AVEC) at the provincial level was first mapped to reveal spatial clusters of high energy consumption being located in either well developed or energy resourceful regions. This visual spatial autocorrelation pattern of AVEC was quantitatively tested to confirm its existence among Chinese provinces. A Moran scatterplot was employed to further display a relatively centralized trend occurring in those provinces that had parallel AVEC, revealing a spatial structure with attraction among high-high or low-low regions and repellency among high-low or low-high regions. By a comparison between the ordinary least square (OLS) model and its spatial econometric counterparts, a spatial error model (SEM) was selected to analyze the impact of major economic determinants on AVEC. While the analytic results revealed a significant positive correlation between AVEC and economic development, other determinants showed some intricate influential patterns. The provinces endowed with rich energy reserves were inclined to consume much more energy than those otherwise, whereas changing the economic structure by increasing the proportion of secondary and tertiary industries also tended to consume more energy. Both situations seem to underpin the fact that these provinces were largely trapped in the economies that were supported by technologies of low energy efficiency during the period, while other parts of the country were rapidly modernized by adopting advanced

Sustainability in health care by allocating resources effectively (SHARE) 4: exploring opportunities and methods for consumer engagement in resource allocation in a local healthcare setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Claire; Ko, Henry; Waller, Cara; Sloss, Pamela; Williams, Pamela

2017-05-05

This is the fourth in a series of papers reporting a program of Sustainability in Health care by Allocating Resources Effectively (SHARE) in a local healthcare setting. Healthcare decision-makers have sought to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of services through removal or restriction of practices that are unsafe or of little benefit, often referred to as 'disinvestment'. A systematic, integrated, evidence-based program for disinvestment was being established within a large Australian health service network. Consumer engagement was acknowledged as integral to this process. This paper reports the process of developing a model to integrate consumer views and preferences into an organisation-wide approach to resource allocation. A literature search was conducted and interviews and workshops were undertaken with health service consumers and staff. Findings were drafted into a model for consumer engagement in resource allocation which was workshopped and refined. Although consumer engagement is increasingly becoming a requirement of publicly-funded health services and documented in standards and policies, participation in organisational decision-making is not widespread. Several consistent messages for consumer engagement in this context emerged from the literature and consumer responses. Opportunities, settings and activities for consumer engagement through communication, consultation and participation were identified within the resource allocation process. Sources of information regarding consumer values and perspectives in publications and locally-collected data, and methods to use them in health service decision-making, were identified. A model bringing these elements together was developed. The proposed model presents potential opportunities and activities for consumer engagement in the context of resource allocation.

An examination of fuel consumption trends in construction projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peters, Valerie A.; Manley, Dawn K.

2012-01-01

Recent estimates of fuel consumption in construction projects are highly variable. Lack of standards for reporting at both the equipment and project levels make it difficult to quantify the magnitude of fuel consumption and the associated opportunities for efficiency improvements in construction projects. In this study, we examined clusters of Environmental Impact Reports for seemingly similar construction projects in California. We observed that construction projects are not characterized consistently by task or equipment. We found wide variations in estimates for fuel use in terms of tasks, equipment, and overall projects, which may be attributed in part to inconsistencies in methodology and parameter ranges. Our analysis suggests that standardizing fuel consumption reporting and estimation methodologies for construction projects would enable quantification of opportunities for efficiency improvements at both the equipment and project levels. With increasing emphasis on reducing fossil fuel consumption, it will be important to quantify opportunities to increase fuel efficiency, including across the construction sector. - Highlights: ► An analysis of construction projects reveals inconsistencies in fuel use estimates. ► Fuel consumption estimates for similar construction equipment can vary greatly. ► Standards would help to quantify efficiency opportunities in construction.

Executive control resources and frequency of fatty food consumption: findings from an age-stratified community sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Peter A

2012-03-01

Fatty foods are regarded as highly appetitive, and self-control is often required to resist consumption. Executive control resources (ECRs) are potentially facilitative of self-control efforts, and therefore could predict success in the domain of dietary self-restraint. It is not currently known whether stronger ECRs facilitate resistance to fatty food consumption, and moreover, it is unknown whether such an effect would be stronger in some age groups than others. The purpose of the present study was to examine the association between ECRs and consumption of fatty foods among healthy community-dwelling adults across the adult life span. An age-stratified sample of individuals between 18 and 89 years of age attended two laboratory sessions. During the first session they completed two computer-administered tests of ECRs (Stroop and Go-NoGo) and a test of general cognitive function (Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence); participants completed two consecutive 1-week recall measures to assess frequency of fatty and nonfatty food consumption. Regression analyses revealed that stronger ECRs were associated with lower frequency of fatty food consumption over the 2-week interval. This association was observed for both measures of ECR and a composite measure. The effect remained significant after adjustment for demographic variables (age, gender, socioeconomic status), general cognitive function, and body mass index. The observed effect of ECRs on fatty food consumption frequency was invariant across age group, and did not generalize to nonfatty food consumption. ECRs may be potentially important, though understudied, determinants of dietary behavior in adults across the life span.

Collaborative Consumption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gjerdrum Pedersen, Esben Rahbek; Netter, Sarah

2015-01-01

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore barriers and opportunities for business models based on the ideas of collaborative consumption within the fashion industry. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is based on a multiple-case study of Scandinavian fashion libraries – a new...... to the new phenomenon of fashion libraries and does not cover other types of collaborative consumption within the fashion industry (Swap-parties, etc.). Originality/value – The paper is one of the first attempts to examine new business models of collaborative consumption in general and the fashion library...... concept in particular. The study contributes to the discussions of whether and how fashion sharing and collaboration holds promise as a viable business model and as a means to promote sustainability....

Analysis and optimization of indicators of energy and resource consumption of gas turbine and electric drives for transportation of hydrocarbons

Science.gov (United States)

Golik, V. V.; Zemenkova, M. Yu; Seroshtanov, I. V.; Begalko, Z. V.

2018-05-01

The paper presents the results of the analysis of statistical indicators of energy and resource consumption in oil and gas transportation by the example of one of the regions of Russia. The article analyzes engineering characteristics of compressor station drives. Official statistical bulletins on the fuel and energy resources of the region in the pipeline oil and gas transportation system were used as the initial data.

Understanding and managing the food-energy-water nexus - opportunities for water resources research

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Ximing; Wallington, Kevin; Shafiee-Jood, Majid; Marston, Landon

2018-01-01

Studies on the food, energy, and water (FEW) nexus lay a shared foundation for researchers, policy makers, practitioners, and stakeholders to understand and manage linked production, utilization, and security of FEW systems. The FEW nexus paradigm provides the water community specific channels to move forward in interdisciplinary research where integrated water resources management (IWRM) has fallen short. Here, we help water researchers identify, articulate, utilize, and extend our disciplinary strengths within the broader FEW communities, while informing scientists in the food and energy domains about our unique skillset. This paper explores the relevance of existing and ongoing scholarship within the water community, as well as current research needs, for understanding FEW processes and systems and implementing FEW solutions through innovations in technologies, infrastructures, and policies. Following the historical efforts in IWRM, hydrologists, water resources engineers, economists, and policy analysts are provided opportunities for interdisciplinary studies among themselves and in collaboration with energy and food communities, united by a common path to achieve sustainability development goals.

Health, treatment and health care resources consumption profile among Spanish adults with diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Jimenez-Garcia, Rodrigo; de Miguel-Díez, Javier; Rejas-Gutierrez, Javier; Martín-Centeno, Antonio; Gobartt-Vázquez, Elena; Hernandez-Barrera, Valentin; Gil de Miguel, Angel; Carrasco-Garrido, Pilar

2009-08-01

To describe the health, treatment and health care resources consumption profile among Spanish adults with diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and compare it with that of non-diabetic COPD patients. An observational and descriptive epidemiological study (EPIDEPOC study). The study included patients with stable COPD and aged > or =40 years, evaluated in primary care. Data were collected relating to sociodemographic variables, health profile, quality of life (SF-12), treatment and health care resources consumption. The results corresponding to diabetic and non-diabetic patients were compared. A total of 10,711 patients (75.6% males) with COPD were evaluated. The prevalence of diabetes was 16.9%. The diabetic patients were significantly older, with a larger percentage of women, and a lesser educational level compared with the non-diabetic patients. In addition, the diabetics were more sedentary, smoked less, and presented a higher percentage of obesity (33.6% versus 19.7%) than the non-diabetic patients. The severity of airways obstruction was greater among the diabetics than in the non-diabetic patients (54.57+/-13.37% versus 57.92+/-13.39%, respectively, pconsumption of drugs for COPD. In addition, they consumed significantly more health care (and thus economical) resources than the non-diabetic patients. The results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the variables that were independently associated to COPD among diabetic patients were: higher age, higher BMI, concomitant chronic heart disease, use of inhaled corticoids, SF-12 mental component, SF-12 physical component and total cost of COPD. The presence of diabetes in patients with COPD shows in the bivariate analysis a more severe lung disease, greater co-morbidity, poorer quality of life, and a greater consumption of resources, as well as a less favorable course in the previous year. However, the multivariate logistic regression shows that the variables that are

PARADOX OF ALTERNATIVE ENERGY CONSUMPTION: LEAN OR PROFLIGACY?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eliza Safina

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Consumption of alternative energy resources is conventionally considered as an implement of lean management, main target of which is use of renewable (in terms of exhaustibility energy resources. However, when it comes to actual consumption of alternative energy resources, the contradiction is arisen between , the caused need of economy of non-renewable energy resources and rational environmental management and "providence" which is caused by cost reduction of energy consumption. What is the factual providence, how substantial is the dilemma between environmental friendliness and cost effectiveness in matters of energy savings, what is the significance of alternative energy consumption in countries with different economic types, what should balanced solution in energy mentioned issues are contemplated in current article.

Design of the DIRECT-project: interventions to increase job resources and recovery opportunities to improve job-related health, well-being, and performance outcomes in nursing homes.

Science.gov (United States)

Spoor, Ellen; de Jonge, Jan; Hamers, Jan P H

2010-05-28

Because of high demands at work, nurses are at high risk for occupational burnout and physical complaints. The presence of job resources (such as job autonomy or social support) and recovery opportunities could counteract the adverse effect of high job demands. However, it is still unclear how job resources and recovery opportunities can be translated into effective workplace interventions aiming to improve employee health, well-being, and performance-related outcomes. The aim of the current research project is developing and implementing interventions to optimize job resources and recovery opportunities, which may lead to improved health, well-being and performance of nurses. The DIRECT-project (DIsc Risk Evaluating Controlled Trial) is a longitudinal, quasi-experimental field study. Nursing home staff of 4 intervention wards and 4 comparison wards will be involved. Based on the results of a base-line survey, interventions will be implemented to optimize job resources and recovery opportunities. After 12 and 24 month the effect of the interventions will be investigated with follow-up surveys. Additionally, a process evaluation will be conducted to map factors that either stimulated or hindered successful implementation as well as the effectiveness of the interventions. The DIRECT-project fulfils a strong need for intervention research in the field of work, stress, performance, and health. The results could reveal (1) how interventions can be tailored to optimize job resources and recovery opportunities, in order to counteract job demands, and (2) what the effects of these interventions will be on health, well-being, and performance of nursing staff.

Design of the DIRECT-project: interventions to increase job resources and recovery opportunities to improve job-related health, well-being, and performance outcomes in nursing homes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamers Jan PH

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Because of high demands at work, nurses are at high risk for occupational burnout and physical complaints. The presence of job resources (such as job autonomy or social support and recovery opportunities could counteract the adverse effect of high job demands. However, it is still unclear how job resources and recovery opportunities can be translated into effective workplace interventions aiming to improve employee health, well-being, and performance-related outcomes. The aim of the current research project is developing and implementing interventions to optimize job resources and recovery opportunities, which may lead to improved health, well-being and performance of nurses. Methods/design The DIRECT-project (DIsc Risk Evaluating Controlled Trial is a longitudinal, quasi-experimental field study. Nursing home staff of 4 intervention wards and 4 comparison wards will be involved. Based on the results of a base-line survey, interventions will be implemented to optimize job resources and recovery opportunities. After 12 and 24 month the effect of the interventions will be investigated with follow-up surveys. Additionally, a process evaluation will be conducted to map factors that either stimulated or hindered successful implementation as well as the effectiveness of the interventions. Discussion The DIRECT-project fulfils a strong need for intervention research in the field of work, stress, performance, and health. The results could reveal (1 how interventions can be tailored to optimize job resources and recovery opportunities, in order to counteract job demands, and (2 what the effects of these interventions will be on health, well-being, and performance of nursing staff.

Collaborative Consumption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gjerdrum Pedersen, Esben Rahbek; Netter, Sarah

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore barriers and opportunities for business models based on the ideas of collaborative consumption within the fashion industry. Design/methodology/approach: The analysis is based on a multiple-­‐‑case study of Scandinavian fashion libraries – a new...... to the new phenomenon of fashion libraries and does not cover other types of collaborative consumption within the fashion industry (Swap-­‐‑parties, etc.). Originality/value: The paper is one of the first attempts to examine new business models of collaborative consumption in general and the fashion library...... concept in particular. The study contributes to the discussions of whether and how fashion sharing and collaboration holds promise as a viable business model and as a means to promote sustainability....

The relationship between political ideology and ethical consumption

OpenAIRE

Cronk, Bradley; Not applicable.

2017-01-01

Problem definition and research questions\\ud \\ud The determinants of ethical consumption behaviour are largely unknown. This research explores the effectiveness of political ideology as a predictor of ethical consumption. Increasing the understanding of ethical consumption will create opportunities for organisations to supply consumer segments with products that address the ethical consumption issues that are most important to them. The issues that form overall ethical consumption include: (1...

Exploring Challenges and Opportunities for Eco-Feedback Technology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Verdezoto, Nervo

This position paper explores challenges and opportunities for eco-feedback technology. Drawing on two design cases, I discuss the importance of supporting active participation as well as the articulation of work in everyday practices to facilitate reduction of consumption.......This position paper explores challenges and opportunities for eco-feedback technology. Drawing on two design cases, I discuss the importance of supporting active participation as well as the articulation of work in everyday practices to facilitate reduction of consumption....

Sustainable industrial policy and environment. challenges and opportunities; Politica industrial sostenible y medio ambiente. Dificultades y oportunidades

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Valle Munoz, M.

2013-06-01

The European Union is aware that the current model of production and consumption contributes to global warming, pollution, intensive use of materials and depletion of natural resources and, for that reason, it promotes since years the adoption of more sustainable patterns. Increasing efficiency in the use of resources in the generation and use of energy and the production of goods could also be a powerful source of innovation and a major industrial competitiveness, according to the Commission. This article discusses the existing complementary strategies in efficiency in the use of resources, raw materials, energy, and the energy and climate package adopted in 2008, and the difficulties and opportunities that the industry is facing to implement this policy in the current economic slowdown. (Author)

2005 primary energy consumption in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2006-01-01

According to preliminar calculations by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Energiebilanzen (Working Party on Energy Balances, AGEB), the consumption of an aggregate 486 million TCE of primary energy resources in Germany last year was 1.3% below the level of the year before. Energy consumption was influenced by both the high level of prices and the development of the economy. Hardly any influence was attributable to the level of temperatures, which was largely unchanged compared to the figure of the year before. Oil consumption in 2005 in Germany dropped by nearly 2% to 174.8 million TCE. On the whole, oil with its 36% share in the energy balance remained by far the most important energy resource in Germany. Natural gas consumption of 110.4 million TCE was at the level of the year before. Its share in the primary energy balance rose slightly to 22.7%. Hard coal, because of lower use in power plants and the decline in iron making, showed a 4.6% drop in consumption to 62.8 million TCE. In this way, hard coal contributed 13% to total energy consumption. Lignite consumption dropped by 3.2% to 54.4 million TCE as a result of lower deliveries to power plants. Its 11.2% share in the total consumption of primary energy continued to make lignite the most important domestic energy resource. More than 90% of the lignite produced is used for electricity generation. The contribution to primary energy consumption of nuclear power dropped by more than 2% to 60.7 million TCE. Hydroelectric plants and wind power plants increased their contribution by 3.6%. The contribution to primary energy consumption made by all renewable energy resources rose to 4.6%. AGEB evaluates statistics of all areas of the power economy on the basis of standard criteria in order to combine these data in a comprehensive picture. Since 1994, the energy balances for Germany have been compiled by DIW on behalf of AGEB. (orig.)

Exploring the opportunities for food and drink purchasing and consumption by teenagers during their journeys between home and school: a feasibility study using a novel method.

Science.gov (United States)

Cowburn, Gill; Matthews, Anne; Doherty, Aiden; Hamilton, Alex; Kelly, Paul; Williams, Julianne; Foster, Charlie; Nelson, Michael

2016-01-01

To investigate the feasibility and acceptability of using wearable cameras as a method to capture the opportunities for food and drink purchasing/consumption that young people encounter on their regular journeys to and from school. A qualitative study using multiple data-collection methods including wearable cameras, global positioning system units, individual interviews, food and drink purchase and consumption diaries completed by participants over four days, and an audit of food outlets located within an 800 m Euclidean buffer zone around each school. A community setting. Twenty-two students (fourteen girls and eight boys) aged 13-15 years recruited from four secondary schools in two counties of England. Wearable cameras offered a feasible and acceptable method for collecting food purchase and consumption data when used alongside traditional methods of data collection in a small number of teenagers. We found evidence of participants making deliberate choices about whether or not to purchase/consume food and drink on their journeys. These choices were influenced by priorities over money, friends, journey length, travel mode and ease of access to opportunities for purchase/consumption. Most food and drink items were purchased/consumed within an 800 m Euclidean buffer around school, with items commonly selected being high in energy, fat and sugar. Wearable camera images combined with interviews helped identify unreported items and misreporting errors. Wearable camera images prompt detailed discussion and generate contextually specific information which could offer new insights and understanding around eating behaviour patterns. The feasibility of scaling up the use of these methods requires further empirical work.

Self-consumption: opportunity or real wrong track? Deciphering and positioning note - December 2013

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-12-01

After having recalled some operating principles of electricity grids and counters, this document presents the various aspects of self-consumption and outlines that it could reach 40 per cent. It discusses how the self-consumption rate could be increased: by limiting the photovoltaic system power, by increasing the number and/or power of devices operating during the production period, by storing a part of the production in the building in order to consume it later. It discusses the distinction between self-production and self-consumption: self-production generally results in a de-optimization of the production-consumption pair, whereas self-consumption leads to virtuous behaviours. A second part comments the German example which moved from a subsidy for self-consumption to a programme for grid support, and refers to the French photovoltaic sector which is in a difficult situation. Proposals are made to support and promote self-consumption, and support mechanisms are compared in a table. Some recommendations are finally made

Shifting the balance: equity and sustainable consumption

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vermeulen, Sonja; Garside, Ben; De Morais, Gabriela Weber

2009-01-15

On our finite planet, the dictates of ecology and technology limit growth. Yet a key element of this issue – consumption – has until recently hardly figured on policy agendas. Now there is growing recognition that transformation towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient economy means tackling consumption as well as production. Governments and businesses are beginning to make concerted, if uncoordinated, efforts to reduce energy and resource use. Rethinking consumption could, however, drive an even bigger wedge between rich and poor. Any new agenda for consumption needs to factor in equity as well as environmental benefit.

Measuring the Impact of Industrialization and Financial Development on Water Resources: A Case Study of Pakistan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khalid ZAMAN

2011-06-01

Full Text Available The objective of the study examines the impact of industrialization and financial development on water resources, in the specific context of Pakistan. Data set from 1975-2009 are taken for time series analysis. The result reveals that economic growth positively linked with the water resource, as water plays a pivotal role in the economic development of a country. Thus limiting this resource would affect the process of economic growth. Industrial processes have a negative environmental impact which causing water pollution. Financial development has an indirect effect on water consumption, as it shows that private firms finds more funding opportunities in a country, therefore, avoid dirty industry game.

Technical Resources for Fish and Shellfish Consumption

Science.gov (United States)

Information on ways to develop local fish advisories, access national state and local fish advisories, obtain information on fish tissue contamination and fish tissue studies, and access information on fish consumption and human health.

Physicians' Patient Load per DRG, the Consumption of Hospital Resources, and the Incentives of the DRG Prospective Payment System.

Science.gov (United States)

Munoz, Eric; And Others

1990-01-01

The relationship between numbers (high or low) of patients per diagnosis-related group (DRG) treated by individual physicians and hospital resource consumption of the patients at a large academic medical center was studied for the period 1985-87. The findings, although a result of many varied factors, suggest a relationship between the two…

Water Resources and Sustainable Agriculture in 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities

Science.gov (United States)

Asrar, G.

2008-05-01

Global agriculture faces some unique challenges and opportunities for the rest of this century. The need for food, feed and fiber will continues to grow as the world population continue to increase in the future. Agricultural ecosystems are also expected to be the source of a significant portion of renewable energy and fuels around the world, without further compromising the integrity of the natural resources base. How can agriculture continue to provide these services to meet the growing needs of world population while sustaining the integrity of agricultural ecosystems and natural resources, the very foundation it depends on? In the last century, scientific discoveries and technological innovations in agriculture resulted in significant increase in food, feed and fiber production globally, while the total amount of water, energy, fertilizers and other input used to achieve this growth remained the same or even decreased significantly in some parts of the world. Scientific and technical advances in understanding global and regional water and energy cycles, water resources management, soil and water conservation practices, weather prediction, plant breeding and biotechnology, and information and communication technologies contributed to this tremendous achievement. The projected increase in global population, urbanization, and changing lifestyles will continue the pressure on both agriculture and other managed and natural ecosystems to provide necessary goods and services for the rest of this century. To meet these challenges, we must obtain the requisite scientific and technical advances in the functioning of Earth's water, energy, carbon and biogeochemical cycles. We also need to apply the knowledge we gain and technologies we develop in assessing Earth's ecosystems' conditions, and their management and stewardship. In agricultural ecosystems, management of soil and water quality and quantity together with development of new varieties of plants based on advances

Resource Assessment for Hydrogen Production: Hydrogen Production Potential from Fossil and Renewable Energy Resources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Melaina, M. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Penev, M. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Heimiller, D. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2013-09-01

This study examines the energy resources required to produce 4-10 million metric tonnes of domestic, low-carbon hydrogen in order to fuel approximately 20-50 million fuel cell electric vehicles. These projected energy resource requirements are compared to current consumption levels, projected 2040 business as usual consumptions levels, and projected 2040 consumption levels within a carbonconstrained future for the following energy resources: coal (assuming carbon capture and storage), natural gas, nuclear (uranium), biomass, wind (on- and offshore), and solar (photovoltaics and concentrating solar power). The analysis framework builds upon previous analysis results estimating hydrogen production potentials and drawing comparisons with economy-wide resource production projections

Identifying Opportunities for Decision Support Systems in Support of Regional Resource Use Planning: An Approach Through Soft Systems Methodology.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu; Dale

2000-10-01

/ Regional resource use planning relies on key regional stakeholder groups using and having equitable access to appropriate social, economic, and environmental information and assessment tools. Decision support systems (DSS) can improve stakeholder access to such information and analysis tools. Regional resource use planning, however, is a complex process involving multiple issues, multiple assessment criteria, multiple stakeholders, and multiple values. There is a need for an approach to DSS development that can assist in understanding and modeling complex problem situations in regional resource use so that areas where DSSs could provide effective support can be identified, and the user requirements can be well established. This paper presents an approach based on the soft systems methodology for identifying DSS opportunities for regional resource use planning, taking the Central Highlands Region of Queensland, Australia, as a case study.

Building Virtual Watersheds: A Global Opportunity to Strengthen Resource Management and Conservation

Science.gov (United States)

Benda, Lee; Miller, Daniel; Barquin, Jose; McCleary, Richard; Cai, TiJiu; Ji, Y.

2016-03-01

Modern land-use planning and conservation strategies at landscape to country scales worldwide require complete and accurate digital representations of river networks, encompassing all channels including the smallest headwaters. The digital river networks, integrated with widely available digital elevation models, also need to have analytical capabilities to support resource management and conservation, including attributing river segments with key stream and watershed data, characterizing topography to identify landforms, discretizing land uses at scales necessary to identify human-environment interactions, and connecting channels downstream and upstream, and to terrestrial environments. We investigate the completeness and analytical capabilities of national to regional scale digital river networks that are available in five countries: Canada, China, Russia, Spain, and United States using actual resource management and conservation projects involving 12 university, agency, and NGO organizations. In addition, we review one pan-European and one global digital river network. Based on our analysis, we conclude that the majority of the regional, national, and global scale digital river networks in our sample lack in network completeness, analytical capabilities or both. To address this limitation, we outline a general framework to build as complete as possible digital river networks and to integrate them with available digital elevation models to create robust analytical capabilities (e.g., virtual watersheds). We believe this presents a global opportunity for in-country agencies, or international players, to support creation of virtual watersheds to increase environmental problem solving, broaden access to the watershed sciences, and strengthen resource management and conservation in countries worldwide.

Improving health care costing with resource consumption accounting.

Science.gov (United States)

Ozyapici, Hasan; Tanis, Veyis Naci

2016-07-11

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the differences between a traditional costing system (TCS) and resource consumption accounting (RCA) based on a case study carried out in a hospital. Design/methodology/approach - A descriptive case study was first carried out to identify the current costing system of the case hospital. An exploratory case study was then conducted to reveal how implementing RCA within the case hospital assigns costs differently to gallbladder surgeries than the current costing system (i.e. a TCS). Findings - The study showed that, in contrast to a TCS, RCA considers the unused capacity, which is the difference between the work that can be performed based on current resources and the work that is actually being performed. Therefore, it assigns lower total costs to open and laparoscopic gallbladder surgeries. The study also showed that by separating costs into fixed and variable RCA allows managers to benefit from a pricing strategy based on the difference between the service's selling price and variable costs incurred in providing that service. Research limitations/implications - The limitation of this study is that, because of time constraints, the implementation was performed in the general surgery department only. However, since RCA is an advanced system that has the same application procedures for any department inside in a hospital, managers need only time gaps to implement this system to all parts of the hospital. Practical implications - This study concluded that RCA is better than a TCS for use in health care settings that have high overhead costs because it accurately assigns overhead costs to services by considering unused capacities incurred by a hospital. Consequently, this study provides insight into both measuring and managing unused capacities within the health care sector. This study also concluded that RCA helps health care administrators increase their competitive advantage by allowing them to determine the lowest

Life cycle assessment of energy consumption and GHG emissions of olefins production from alternative resources in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiang, Dong; Yang, Siyu; Li, Xiuxi; Qian, Yu

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Conduct a life cycle energy use and GHG emissions of olefins production processes. • Analyse effects of carbon capture and efficiency on alternative olefins production. • Analyse life cycle performance of Chinese olefins industry in three key periods. • Present the advantages and challenges of alternative olefins routes. - Abstract: Olefins are important platform chemicals widely used in industry. In terms of the short supply of oil resources, natural gas and coal are two significant alternative feedstocks. In this paper, energy consumption and GHG emissions of olefins production are analysed with life cycle assessment methods. Results showed the energy consumption and GHG emissions of natural gas-to-olefins are roughly equivalent to those of oil-to-olefins, while coal-to-olefins suffers from higher energy consumption and serious GHG emissions, including 5793 kg eq. CO 2 /t olefins of direct emissions and 5714 kg eq. CO 2 /t olefins of indirect emissions. To address the problem, the effect of carbon capture on coal-to-olefins is investigated. In comprehensive consideration of energy utilization, environmental impact, and economic benefit, the coal-to-olefins with 80% CO 2 capture of the direct emissions is found to be an appropriate choice. With this carbon capture configuration, the direct emissions of the coal-to-olefins are reduced to 1161 kg eq. CO 2 /t olefins. However, the indirect emissions are still not captured, which should be strictly monitored and significantly reduced. Finally, a scenario analysis is conducted to estimate resource utilization and GHG emissions of olefins production of China in 2020. Several suggestions are also proposed for policy making on the sustainable development of olefins industry

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

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

ZengShaolun

2005-01-01

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

Research and Development Opportunities for Technologies to Influence Water Consumption Behavior

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Levin, Todd [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Horner, Robert M. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Muehleisen, Ralph T. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

2016-09-01

In April 2015, Argonne National Laboratory hosted a two-day workshop that convened water experts and stakeholders from across industry, government, and academia to undertake three primary tasks: 1) identify technology characteristics that are favorable for motivating behavioral change, 2) identify barriers that have prevented the development and market adoption of technologies with these characteristics in the water sector, and 3) identify concrete research and development pathways that could be undertaken to overcome these barriers, increase the penetration of technologies that influence water consumption behavior, and ultimately reduce domestic water consumption. While efforts to reduce water consumption have gained momentum in recent years, there are a number of key barriers that have limited the effectiveness of such efforts. Chief among these is the fact that many consumers have limited awareness of their water consumption patterns because of poor data availability, and/or are unmotivated to reduce their consumption because of low costs and split incentives. Without improved data availability and stronger price signals, it will be difficult to effect true transformative behavioral change. This report also reviews a number of technology characteristics that have successfully motivated behavioral change in other sectors, as well as several technologies that could be developed specifically for the water sector. Workshop participants discussed how technologies that provide active feedback and promote measurable goals and social accountability have successfully influenced changes in other types of behavior. A range of regulatory and policy actions that could be implemented to support such efforts are also presented. These include institutional aggregation, revenue decoupling, and price structure reforms. Finally, several R&D pathways were proposed, including efforts to identify optimal communication strategies and to better understand consumer perceptions and

Consumptive water use in the production of ethanonl and petroleum gasoline.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, M.; Mintz, M.; Wang, M.; Arora, S.; Energy Systems

2009-01-30

The production of energy feedstocks and fuels requires substantial water input. Not only do biofuel feedstocks like corn, switchgrass, and agricultural residues need water for growth and conversion to ethanol, but petroleum feedstocks like crude oil and oil sands also require large volumes of water for drilling, extraction, and conversion into petroleum products. Moreover, in many cases, crude oil production is increasingly water dependent. Competing uses strain available water resources and raise the specter of resource depletion and environmental degradation. Water management has become a key feature of existing projects and a potential issue in new ones. This report examines the growing issue of water use in energy production by characterizing current consumptive water use in liquid fuel production. As used throughout this report, 'consumptive water use' is the sum total of water input less water output that is recycled and reused for the process. The estimate applies to surface and groundwater sources for irrigation but does not include precipitation. Water requirements are evaluated for five fuel pathways: bioethanol from corn, ethanol from cellulosic feedstocks, gasoline from Canadian oil sands, Saudi Arabian crude, and U.S. conventional crude from onshore wells. Regional variations and historic trends are noted, as are opportunities to reduce water use.

Ecological Footprint of Biological Resource Consumption in a Typical Area of the Green for Grain Project in Northwestern China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jie Hu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Following the implementation of the Green for Grain Project in 2000 in Guyuan, China, the decrease in cultivated land and subsequent increase in forest and grassland pose substantial challenges for the supply of biological products. Whether the current biologically productive land-use patterns in Guyuan satisfy the biological product requirements for local people is an urgent problem. In this study, the ecological footprints of biological resource consumption in Guyuan were calculated and analyzed based on the ‘City Hectare’ Ecological Footprint (EF Method. The EFs of different types of biological resource products consumed from different types of biologically productive land were then analyzed. In addition, the EFs of various biological resource products before and after the implementation of the Green for Grain Project (1998 and 2012 were assessed. The actual EF and bio-capacity (BC were compared, and differences in the EF and BC for different types of biologically productive lands before and after the project were analyzed. The results showed that the EF of Guyuan’s biological resource products was 0.65866 ha/cap, with an EF outflow and EF inflow of 0.2280 ha/cap and 0.0951 ha/cap, respectively. The per capita EF of Guyuan significantly decreased after the project, as did the ecological deficit. Whereas the cultivated land showed a deficit, grasslands were characterized by ecological surplus. The total EF of living resource consumption in Guyuan was 810,941 ha, and the total BC was 768,065 ha. In additional to current biological production areas, approximately 42,876 ha will be needed to satisfy the demands of Guyuan’s people. Cultivated land is the main type of biologically productive land that is needed.

Patrick Air Force Base integrated resource assessment. Volume 2, Baseline detail

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wahlstrom, R.R.; King, D.A.; Parker, S.A.; Sandusky, W.F.

1993-08-01

The US Air Force has tasked the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), in support of the US Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), to assess energy use at Patrick Air Force Base (AFB). The information obtained from this assessment will be used in identifying energy resource opportunities to reduce overall energy consumption on the base. The primary focus of this report is to assess the current baseline energy consumption at Patrick AFB. It is a comparison report to Volume 1, the Executive Summary, and Volume 3, the Resource Assessment. This assessment requires that information be obtained and characterized for buildings, utilities, energy sources, energy uses, and load profile information to be used to improve the characterization of energy use on the base. The characteristics of electricity, natural gas, and No. 2 fuel oil are analyzed for on-base facilities and housing. The assessment examines basic regional information used to determine energy-use intensity (EUI) values for Patrick AFB facilities by building, fuel type, and energy end use. It also provides a summary of electricity consumption from Florida Power and Light Company (FPL) metered data for 1985-1991. Load profile information obtained from FPL data is presented for the north and south substations for the four seasons of the year, including weekdays and weekends.

Factor Analysis of Residential Energy Consumption at the Provincial Level in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weibin Lin

2014-11-01

Full Text Available This paper analyzes the differences in the amount and the structure of residential energy consumption at the provincial level in China and identifies the hidden factors behind such differences. The econometrical analysis reveals that population, economic development level, energy resource endowment and climatic conditions are the main factors driving residential energy consumption; while the regional differences in energy consumption per capita and the consumption structure can be mainly illustrated by various economic development levels, energy resource endowments and climatic conditions. Economic development level has a significant positive impact on the proportion of gasoline consumption, whereas its impact on the proportion of electricity consumption is not notable; energy resource endowment and climatic condition indirectly affect both the proportion of electricity consumption and that of gasoline consumption, primarily through their impacts on the proportions of coal consumption and heat consumption.

Analyzing the biophysical inputs and outputs embodied in global commodity chains - the case of Israeli meat consumption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shira Dickler

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The prevailing global livestock industry relies heavily on natural capital and is responsible for high emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG. In recent years, nations have begun to take more of an active role in measuring their resource inputs and GHG outputs for various products. However, up until now, most nations have been recording data for production, focusing on processes within their geographical boundaries. Some recent studies have suggested the need to also embrace a consumption-based approach. It follows that in an increasingly globalized interconnected world, to be able to generate a sustainable food policy, a full systems approach should be embraced. The case of Israeli meat consumption presents an interesting opportunity for analysis, as the country does not have sufficient resources or the climatic conditions needed to produce enough food to support its population. Therefore, Israel, like a growing number of other countries that are dependent on external resources, relies on imports to meet demand, displacing the environmental impact of meat consumption to other countries. This research utilizes a multi-regional consumption perspective, aiming to measure the carbon and land footprints demanded by Israeli cattle and chicken meat consumption, following both domestic production and imports of inputs and products. The results of this research show that the “virtual land” required for producing meat for consumption in Israel is equivalent to 62% of the geographical area of the country. Moreover, almost 80% of meat consumption is provided by locally produced chicken products but the ecological impact of this source is inconsequential compared to the beef supply chain; beef imports comprise only 13% of meat consumption in Israel but are responsible for 71% of the carbon footprint and 83% of the land footprint. The sources of Israel’s meat supply are currently excluded from environmental impact assessments of Israeli processes. However

Citizen science in hydrology and water resources: opportunities for knowledge generation, ecosystem service management, and sustainable development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wouter eBuytaert

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The participation of the general public in the research design, data collection and interpretation process together with scientists is often referred to as citizen science. While citizen science itself has existed since the start of scientific practice, developments in sensing technology, data processing and visualisation, and communication of ideas and results, are creating a wide range of new opportunities for public participation in scientific research. This paper reviews the state of citizen science in a hydrological context and explores the potential of citizen science to complement more traditional ways of scientific data collection and knowledge generation for hydrological sciences and water resources management. Although hydrological data collection often involves advanced technology, the advent of robust, cheap and low-maintenance sensing equipment provides unprecedented opportunities for data collection in a citizen science context. These data have a significant potential to create new hydrological knowledge, especially in relation to the characterisation of process heterogeneity, remote regions, and human impacts on the water cycle. However, the nature and quality of data collected in citizen science experiments is potentially very different from those of traditional monitoring networks. This poses challenges in terms of their processing, interpretation, and use, especially with regard to assimilation of traditional knowledge, the quantification of uncertainties, and their role in decision support. It also requires care in designing citizen science projects such that the generated data complement optimally other available knowledge. Lastly, we reflect on the challenges and opportunities in the integration of hydrologically-oriented citizen science in water resources management, the role of scientific knowledge in the decision-making process, and the potential contestation to established community institutions posed by co-generation of

Analysis of consumption behaviour concerning current income and lags consumption: Empirical evidence from Pakistan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdul Qayyum Khan

2014-10-01

Full Text Available As in other economies, consumption expenditure is the largest component of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP of Pakistan economy. The figure has been estimated around 80 percent of the GDP and demonstrates that historically, Pakistan’s economic growth is characterized as consumption-led growth. The present paper aims to explore the relationship between income and consumption using annual time series data for the period: 1975 to 2012 in Pakistan. For empirical investigation the linear regression model and the method of Least Squares is used as analytical techniques. Empirical results support the existence of a significant positive relationship between income and consumption. The finding suggests that long term committed planning is indispensable to enhance the productive capacity of the economy, employment opportunities and reduce poverty levels more effectively.

Opportunities for green growth; Vihreaen kasvun mahdollisuudet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Antikainen, R.; Mickwitz, P.; Seppaelae, J. [and others

2013-03-15

The report seeks an answer to the question as to the kind of policy decisions (steps) by which preconditions for green growth may be created in Finland. The proposed steps are based on a review of earlier research and studies relating to Finland's key consumption and production systems (food, housing, transport and energy) and to certain path finding countries in terms of the green economy (the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Brazil). In addition, the report examines various models by which systemic change towards a green economy may be supported. The report also highlights successful examples of green business activity and measures to promote green growth. Green Growth is defined as low-carbon, resource-efficient economic growth based on safeguarding the functional capacity of ecosystems while promoting wellbeing and social justice. Green growth is considered to have significant worldwide potential, which is currently evident particularly in the rapid growth of cleantech demand. Successful future actors will be more material- and energy-efficient than their competitors, and they will be able to provide services and products flexibly for a low-carbon society. There are opportunities for green growth in all sectors of society. Green growth may consist of an entirely new kind of business activity and create new companies, but there are also opportunities in our traditional energy- and resource-intensive industries. Companies have a key role in growth, but realising green growth also requires changes in consumption. Central, regional and local government will act as facilitators in creating the preconditions for green growth. The report presents a number of policy measures and processes by which Finland can support green growth. Proposals for steps towards green growth include: (A.) Creating preconditions for green growth through a joint vision and political commitment. (B.) Stimulating companies' green growth potential and boosting green demand. (C

Kalimantan energy resource management to support energy independence and industry growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rizki Firmansyah Setya Budi; Wiku Lulus Widodo; Djati Hoesen Salimy

2014-01-01

There are a large number of energy resource in Kalimantan such as coal, oil, CBM, gas and nuclear. While the electricity consumption still low. That condition caused by the bad energy planning. The aim of the study are to know the number and the ability of energy resource to supply the energy demand that support the growth of Kalimantan industry. The methodology are collecting and processing data through calculation using MESSAGE Program. The result is energy resource in Kalimantan can support Kalimantan energy independence and industry growth in Kalimantan. The coal resource is 34,814 million ton consumption 835 million ton, gas resource is 31,814 BSCF consumption 3,281 BSCF, Oil resource is 920 MMSTB consumption 4406 MMSTB, CBM resource is 210 TCF consumption 2.1 TCF, U 3 O 8 resource is 12,409 ton consumption zero. Whereas for hydro and biomass, the resource are 256 and 138 MWyr, the maximum consumption 185 and 126 MWyr every year. Oil consumption will exceed the resource so need import from other island or replaced by others energy that have large resource such as gas, CBM, or coal. Potency to make cleaner environment can be done by used nuclear energy. (author)

Consumption and Needs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Læssøe, Jeppe

1996-01-01

The contribution takes its point of departure in the relation between the many resource savings initiatives and the lack of interest for the growth in consumption. It argues that what we make up on the roundabouts, we risk to loose on the swings. In order to prevent that it reveals some of the cu...... socio-cultural and life qualitative demands into account. As a conclusion the author outlines some ideals with regard to how to integrate human the dimension in urban ecological design.......The contribution takes its point of departure in the relation between the many resource savings initiatives and the lack of interest for the growth in consumption. It argues that what we make up on the roundabouts, we risk to loose on the swings. In order to prevent that it reveals some...

USAJOBS Job Opportunity Announcements (JOA) REST API

Data.gov (United States)

Office of Personnel Management — This REST-based API is designed to support lightweight Federal Job Opportunity Announcement (JOA) content consumption by consumers. It is anticipated that this API...

Evidence and opportunities for integrating landscape ecology into natural resource planning across multiple-use landscapes

Science.gov (United States)

Trammel, E. Jamie; Carter, Sarah; Haby, Travis S.; Taylor, Jason J.

2018-01-01

Enhancing natural resource management has been a focus of landscape ecology since its inception, but numerous authors argue that landscape ecology has not yet been effective in achieving the underlying goal of planning and designing sustainable landscapes. We developed nine questions reflecting the application of fundamental research topics in landscape ecology to the landscape planning process and reviewed two recent landscape-scale plans in western North America for evidence of these concepts in plan decisions. Both plans considered multiple resources, uses, and values, including energy development, recreation, conservation, and protection of cultural and historic resources. We found that land use change and multiscale perspectives of resource uses and values were very often apparent in planning decisions. Pattern-process relationships, connectivity and fragmentation, ecosystem services, landscape history, and climate change were reflected less frequently. Landscape sustainability was considered only once in the 295 decisions reviewed, and outputs of landscape models were not referenced. We suggest six actionable opportunities for further integrating landscape ecology concepts into landscape planning efforts: 1) use landscape sustainability as an overarching goal, 2) adopt a broad ecosystem services framework, 3) explore the role of landscape history more comprehensively, 4) regularly consider and accommodate potential effects of climate change, 5) use landscape models to support plan decisions, and 6) promote a greater presence of landscape ecologists within agencies that manage large land bases and encourage active involvement in agency planning efforts. Together these actions may improve the defensibility, durability, and sustainability of landscape plan decisions.

Mobilizing Resources but Still Mining for Opportunities?: Indigenous Peoples, their Land and the Philippine State

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

PRINCE AIAN G. VILLANUEVA

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The Kalipunan ng mga Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas (KAMP or the National Alliance of Indigenous Peoples’ Organization in the Philippines is al- most in their 30 years of existence and yet, like in most cases of indigenous peoples’ issues, there is still no significant number of studies about their role in campaigning for the betterment of the Indigenous Cultural Communities. Anchored on political opportunity structures theory as a guide, the basic motiva- tion of the paper is to illustrate how the KAMP fights and survives through resource mobilization and how the government represented by National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR accommodate their interests. Using archival research, secondary data analysis, elite interview and participant observation, the paper asserts that KAMP’s use of their organizational structure, advocacy campaigns and political assaults as their basic resources to fight for the Nueva Vizcaya Mining issue are relatively insufficient to a centralist and relatively closed government, despite the presence of democratic institutions. The ability of the Philippine government to strike the balance between development and indigenous peoples’ rights pro- tection shall remain to be a defining feature if not a challenge to the quality of democracy and governance in our land

Housing in a sustainable consumption perspective

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gram-Hanssen, Kirsten

2015-01-01

In a global perspective, sustainability includes a social, an economic and an environmental perspective (United Nations 1987). In this chapter I focus on the environmental perspective from a North-Western point of view, and in this context sustainable consumption is mainly about reducing the use ......-third of all energy consumed (Danish Energy Authority 2010). Thus irrespective of whether one approaches the topic from above or from below, housing is important when dealing with sustainable consumption.......In a global perspective, sustainability includes a social, an economic and an environmental perspective (United Nations 1987). In this chapter I focus on the environmental perspective from a North-Western point of view, and in this context sustainable consumption is mainly about reducing the use...... of non-renewable resources as well as avoiding environmental pollution and waste. Resource consumption, emissions and waste related to housing can be assessed either from ‘above’ or from ‘below’. When counting from below, from the point of the individual consumer, three main consumption areas are usually...

Bandwidth Study on Energy Use and Potential Energy Savings Opportunities in U.S. Petroleum Refining

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sabine Brueske, Caroline Kramer, Aaron Fisher

2015-06-01

Energy bandwidth studies of U.S. manufacturing sectors can serve as foundational references in framing the range (or bandwidth) of potential energy savings opportunities. This bandwidth study examines energy consumption and potential energy savings opportunities in U.S. petroleum refining. The study relies on multiple sources to estimate the energy used in nine individual process areas, representing 68% of sector-wide energy consumption. Energy savings opportunities for individual processes are based on technologies currently in use or under development; these potential savings are then extrapolated to estimate sector-wide energy savings opportunity.

Digital watermarking opportunities enabled by mobile media proliferation

Science.gov (United States)

Modro, Sierra; Sharma, Ravi K.

2009-02-01

Consumer usages of mobile devices and electronic media are changing. Mobile devices now include increased computational capabilities, mobile broadband access, better integrated sensors, and higher resolution screens. These enhanced features are driving increased consumption of media such as images, maps, e-books, audio, video, and games. As users become more accustomed to using mobile devices for media, opportunities arise for new digital watermarking usage models. For example, transient media, like images being displayed on screens, could be watermarked to provide a link between mobile devices. Applications based on these emerging usage models utilizing watermarking can provide richer user experiences and drive increased media consumption. We describe the enabling factors and highlight a few of the usage models and new opportunities. We also outline how the new opportunities are driving further innovation in watermarking technologies. We discuss challenges in market adoption of applications based on these usage models.

From chemical risk assessment to environmental resources management: the challenge for mining.

Science.gov (United States)

Voulvoulis, Nikolaos; Skolout, John W F; Oates, Christopher J; Plant, Jane A

2013-11-01

On top of significant improvements and progress made through science and engineering in the last century to increase efficiency and reduce impacts of mining to the environment, risk assessment has an important role to play in further reducing such impacts and preventing and mitigating risks. This paper reflects on how risk assessment can improve planning, monitoring and management in mining and mineral processing operations focusing on the importance of better understanding source-pathway-receptor linkages for all stages of mining. However, in light of the ever-growing consumption and demand for raw materials from mining, the need to manage environmental resources more sustainably is becoming increasingly important. The paper therefore assesses how mining can form an integral part of wider sustainable resources management, with the need for re-assessing the potential of mining in the context of sustainable management of natural capital, and with a renewed focus on its the role from a systems perspective. The need for understanding demand and pressure on resources, followed by appropriate pricing that is inclusive of all environmental costs, with new opportunities for mining in the wastes we generate, is also discussed. Findings demonstrate the need for a life cycle perspective in closing the loop between mining, production, consumption and waste generation as the way forward.

Resource consumption and environmental impacts of the agrofood sector: life cycle assessment of italian citrus-based products.

Science.gov (United States)

Beccali, Marco; Cellura, Maurizio; Iudicello, Maria; Mistretta, Marina

2009-04-01

Food production and consumption cause significant environmental burdens during the product life cycles. As a result of intensive development and the changing social attitudes and behaviors in the last century, the agrofood sector is the highest resource consumer after housing in the EU. This paper is part of an effort to estimate environmental impacts associated with life cycles of the agrofood chain, such as primary energy consumption, water exploitation, and global warming. Life cycle assessment is used to investigate the production of the following citrus-based products in Italy: essential oil, natural juice, and concentrated juice from oranges and lemons. The related process flowcharts, the relevant mass and energy flows, and the key environmental issues are identified for each product. This paper represents one of the first studies on the environmental impacts from cradle to gate for citrus products in order to suggest feasible strategies and actions to improve their environmental performance.

Collaborative Consumption

OpenAIRE

Rahbek Gjerdrum Pedersen, Esben; Netter, Sarah

2013-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore barriers and opportunities for business models based on the ideas of collaborative consumption within the fashion industry. Design/methodology/approach: The analysis is based on a multiple-­‐‑case study of Scandinavian fashion libraries – a new, clothes-­‐‑sharing concept that has emerged as a fashion niche within the last decade. Findings: It is concluded that fashion libraries offers interesting perspectives, e.g. by allow...

Horse-meat for human consumption - Current research and future opportunities.

Science.gov (United States)

Belaunzaran, Xabier; Bessa, Rui J B; Lavín, Paz; Mantecón, Angel R; Kramer, John K G; Aldai, Noelia

2015-10-01

The consumption of horse-meat is currently not popular in most countries, but because of its availability and recognized nutritional value consumption is slowly increasing in several western European countries based on claims that it could be an alternative red meat. In this review, horse-meat production, trade and supply values have been summarized. In addition, the advantage of horse production is noted because of its lower methane emissions and increased uptake, particularly of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which is based on its digestive physiology. Of particular interest in this review is the unique fatty acid composition of horse-meat with its high level of the nutritionally desirable PUFAs in both the adipose and muscle fat. Because of its large frame size and digestive physiology, the horse can be considered an alternative to bovine meat, with large advantages regarding the maintenance of less favored mountain grazing areas and its facility to transfer PUFA from feed to meat. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bat consumption in Thailand

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kanokwan Suwannarong

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Human consumption of bats poses an increasing public health threat globally. Communities in which bat guano is mined from caves have extensive exposure to bat excreta, often harvest bats for consumption, and are at risk for bat-borne diseases. Methods: This rapid ethnographic study was conducted in four provinces of Thailand (Ratchaburi, Sakaeo, Nakorn Sawan, and Phitsanulok, where bat guano was mined and sold during the period April–August 2014. The aim of this study was to understand behaviors and risk perceptions associated with bat conservation, exposure to bats and their excreta, and bat consumption. Sixty-seven respondents playing various roles in bat guano mining, packaging, sale, and use as fertilizer participated in the study. Data were collected through interviews and/or focus group discussions. Results: In spite of a bat conservation program dating back to the 1980s, the benefits of conserving bats and the risks associated with bat consumption were not clear and infrequently articulated by study respondents. Discussion: Since bat consumption continues, albeit covertly, the risk of bat-borne diseases remains high. There is an opportunity to reduce the risk of bat-borne diseases in guano-mining communities by strengthening bat conservation efforts and raising awareness of the health risks of bat consumption. Further research is suggested to test behavior change strategies for reducing bat consumption.

Bat consumption in Thailand.

Science.gov (United States)

Suwannarong, Kanokwan; Schuler, Sidney

2016-01-01

Human consumption of bats poses an increasing public health threat globally. Communities in which bat guano is mined from caves have extensive exposure to bat excreta, often harvest bats for consumption, and are at risk for bat-borne diseases. This rapid ethnographic study was conducted in four provinces of Thailand (Ratchaburi, Sakaeo, Nakorn Sawan, and Phitsanulok), where bat guano was mined and sold during the period April-August 2014. The aim of this study was to understand behaviors and risk perceptions associated with bat conservation, exposure to bats and their excreta, and bat consumption. Sixty-seven respondents playing various roles in bat guano mining, packaging, sale, and use as fertilizer participated in the study. Data were collected through interviews and/or focus group discussions. In spite of a bat conservation program dating back to the 1980s, the benefits of conserving bats and the risks associated with bat consumption were not clear and infrequently articulated by study respondents. Since bat consumption continues, albeit covertly, the risk of bat-borne diseases remains high. There is an opportunity to reduce the risk of bat-borne diseases in guano-mining communities by strengthening bat conservation efforts and raising awareness of the health risks of bat consumption. Further research is suggested to test behavior change strategies for reducing bat consumption.

Rural wood consumption patterns of local and immigrant households with differentiated access to resources in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mertens, Charlotte Filt; Bruun, Thilde Bech; Schmidt-Vogt, Dietrich; He, Jun; Neergaard, Andreas de

2015-01-01

In Xishuangbanna, China, rubber production has spread rapidly, resulting in extensive land use changes and an increasing influx of migrant workers who have come to find work on the plantations. These migrant workers have limited access to subsidies and the local collective forest due to the household registration system in China called hukou. To assess how these policy-based restrictions on access affect wood consumption and local communities, a case study was conducted in Manlin village, Xishuangbanna, undertaking a household and weight survey with local and immigrant households. The results show no significant difference in firewood consumption between the subpopulations, despite predominantly more local than immigrant households have access to subsidised alternative energy sources. On the other hand, limited access to the collective forest is found to influence the choice of housing materials and living standards in immigrant households as they cannot access timber or afford brick houses. This paper highlights rural issues connected to the hukou system and suggests that rural energy and resource policies should take the growing population of immigrant workers into consideration in future to expand the reach of the polices to the de facto and not only de jure rural population and thus optimise policy efficiency. - Highlights: • The hukou system directly affects rural wood access and consumption. • Immigrant households have little or no access to timber. • Registration status does not have a significant effect on firewood consumption. • Excluding immigrant households will limit policy outreach and efficiency

Fort Lewis natural gas and fuel oil energy baseline and efficiency resource assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brodrick, J.R.; Daellenbach, K.K.; Parker, G.B.; Richman, E.E.; Secrest, T.J.; Shankle, S.A.

1993-02-01

The mission of the US Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) is to lead the improvement of energy efficiency and fuel flexibility within the federal sector. Through the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), FEMP is developing a fuel-neutral approach for identifying, evaluating, and acquiring all cost-effective energy projects at federal installations; this procedure is entitled the Federal Energy Decision Screening (FEDS) system. Through a cooperative program between FEMP and the Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) for providing technical assistance to FORSCOM installations, PNL has been working with the Fort Lewis Army installation to develop the FEDS procedure. The natural gas and fuel oil assessment contained in this report was preceded with an assessment of electric energy usage that was used to implement a cofunded program between Fort Lewis and Tacoma Public Utilities to improve the efficiency of the Fort's electric-energy-using systems. This report extends the assessment procedure to the systems using natural gas and fuel oil to provide a baseline of consumption and an estimate of the energy-efficiency potential that exists for these two fuel types at Fort Lewis. The baseline is essential to segment the end uses that are targets for broad-based efficiency improvement programs. The estimated fossil-fuel efficiency resources are estimates of the available quantities of conservation for natural gas, fuel oils number-sign 2 and number-sign 6, and fuel-switching opportunities by level of cost-effectiveness. The intent of the baseline and efficiency resource estimates is to identify the major efficiency resource opportunities and not to identify all possible opportunities; however, areas of additional opportunity are noted to encourage further effort

Legal and financial framework of photovoltaic self-consumption. German experience feedback

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Persem, Melanie

2013-01-01

This document presents some key information and figures about photovoltaic self-consumption in Germany: coverage on electricity needs, companies behaviour with respect to self-consumption, legal definition of self-consumption, evolution of the regulatory framework during the last years, financial incentives and benefits for households, 2009-2014 progress of self-consumption and future prospects, opportunities and challenges for citizens and companies, economic impact on grids financing and maintenance

Bandwidth Study on Energy Use and Potential Energy Saving Opportunities in U.S. Chemical Manufacturing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sabine Brueske, Caroline Kramer, Aaron Fisher

2015-06-01

Energy bandwidth studies of U.S. manufacturing sectors can serve as foundational references in framing the range (or bandwidth) of potential energy savings opportunities. This bandwidth study examines energy consumption and potential energy savings opportunities in U.S. chemical manufacturing. The study relies on multiple sources to estimate the energy used in the production of 74 individual chemicals, representing 57% of sector-wide energy consumption. Energy savings opportunities for individual chemicals and for 15 subsectors of chemicals manufacturing are based on technologies currently in use or under development; these potential savings are then extrapolated to estimate sector-wide energy savings opportunity.

Resource consumption of Germany - indicators and definitions. Development of a glossary on the concept of ''resources'' and calculation of missing characteristic data of resources consumption for further political analysis; Ressourcenverbrauch von Deutschland - aktuelle Kennzahlen und Begriffsbestimmungen. Erstellung eines Glossars zum ''Ressourcenbegriff'' und Berechnung von fehlenden Kennzahlen des Ressourcenverbrauchs fuer die weitere politische Analyse

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schuetz, Helmut; Bringezu, Stefan [Wuppertal Institut fuer Klima, Umwelt, Energie GmbH, Wuppertal (Germany). Forschungsgruppe 3: Stoffstroeme und Ressourcenmanagement

2008-02-15

The goals of the reported study are: - to prepare a glossary on the term ''Resources'' in order to support communication based on a harmonised resource term and associated terms and - to provide key data on resource use in Germany in time series since 1991 up to the most recent year for which data were available (2004 in general), and to attribute results to the resource terms. Results achieved are presented and discussed below by the following sections: Provision of a glossary on the term ''resource'', use of the term ''resource'' at different levels, and provision of data and derived indicators for resource consumption in time series. First, a list of the relevant publications in the topic field ''resources'' was provided and co-ordinated with the client. This publication list is given in the annex to this report. On basis of national and international sources a glossary was provided which clearly describes and comments the resource term, its sub-terms and associated terms. This glossary is in the annex to this report. (orig.)

The water footprint of cotton consumption

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chapagain, Ashok; Hoekstra, Arjen Ysbert; Savenije, H.H.G.; Gautam, R.

2005-01-01

The consumption of a cotton product is connected to a chain of impacts on the water resources in the countries where cotton is grown and processed. The aim of this report is to assess the ‘water footprint’ of worldwide cotton consumption, identifying both the location and the character of the

Baseline non-traditional resource use in the Aurora Mine EIA local study area and the Syncrude/Suncor regional study area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

As part of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) in the regional and local study area of Syncrude's proposed Aurora Mine, the use of natural resources by non-aboriginal residents and non-residents in the area was documented. The objective of the study was to determine what specific resources are being used, how much, when, where and why. The topics included hunting, fishing, camping and canoeing. Public opinion regarding opportunities for resource use was also documented. The report focused on the dynamic nature of resource use, secondary economies (tourist accommodations) and quality of life. A telephone survey was conducted in which 17 respondents from recreational organizations answered a resource use questionnaire which contained 38 questions on consumptive and non-consumptive uses of wildlife, fish, berries, timber, non-resident use and resource management policies. The three environmentally significant areas of the local study area included the Muskeg River, Kearl Lake and East Jackpine Creek. The regional study are contained the Horse River Diversity area, La Saline Natural area, Schultz's Bog Diversity area, Athabasca Tar Sands Reach, Clearwater River, McClelland Lake Patterned Fens, McClelland Lake, and the Fort Hills. Agriculture in both areas is limited because of unfavourable climate and generally low-quality soil. 13 refs., 7 tabs., 6 figs

Baseline non-traditional resource use in the Aurora Mine EIA local study area and the Syncrude/Suncor regional study area

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-12-31

As part of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) in the regional and local study area of Syncrude`s proposed Aurora Mine, the use of natural resources by non-aboriginal residents and non-residents in the area was documented. The objective of the study was to determine what specific resources are being used, how much, when, where and why. The topics included hunting, fishing, camping and canoeing. Public opinion regarding opportunities for resource use was also documented. The report focused on the dynamic nature of resource use, secondary economies (tourist accommodations) and quality of life. A telephone survey was conducted in which 17 respondents from recreational organizations answered a resource use questionnaire which contained 38 questions on consumptive and non-consumptive uses of wildlife, fish, berries, timber, non-resident use and resource management policies. The three environmentally significant areas of the local study area included the Muskeg River, Kearl Lake and East Jackpine Creek. The regional study are contained the Horse River Diversity area, La Saline Natural area, Schultz`s Bog Diversity area, Athabasca Tar Sands Reach, Clearwater River, McClelland Lake Patterned Fens, McClelland Lake, and the Fort Hills. Agriculture in both areas is limited because of unfavourable climate and generally low-quality soil. 13 refs., 7 tabs., 6 figs.

Urban Mining's Potential to Relieve China's Coming Resource Crisis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wen, Zongguo; Zhang, Chenkai; Ji, Xiaoli; Xue, Yanyan

2015-01-01

China's mineral resource consumption has gone through multiple increases since 1980, resulting in the inadequacy of important strategic resources and a high level of external dependence. Some developed countries have already reduced primary resources consumption through urban mining. Can China also

Socio-economic resources, young child feeding practices, consumption of highly processed snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages: a population-based survey in rural northwestern Nicaragua.

Science.gov (United States)

Contreras, Mariela; Blandón, Elmer Zelaya; Persson, Lars-Åke; Hjern, Anders; Ekström, Eva-Charlotte

2015-01-21

Socio-economic resources may be associated with infant feeding in complex patterns in societies undergoing a nutrition transition. This study evaluates associations of housing quality, food security and maternal education to the World Health Organization (WHO) feeding recommendations and to consumption of highly processed snacks (HP snacks) and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in rural Nicaragua. Data were collected from May to November 2009, with mothers of 0- to 35-month-olds being asked about young child feeding using a food frequency questionnaire. A validated questionnaire was used to assess household food insecurity and data were collected on maternal education and housing quality. Pearson's chi-squared test was used to compare proportions and determine associations between the resources and young child feeding. The three socio-economic resources and other confounders were introduced to multivariate logistic regression analyses to assess the independent contribution of the resources to the feeding practices and consumption of HP snacks and SSBs. Mothers with the lowest education level were more likely to be exclusively breastfeeding (EBF) their infants (OR not EBF: 0.19; 95% CI: 0.07, 0.51), whilst mothers of 6- to 35-month-olds in the lowest education category had more inadequate dietary diversity (DD) (OR for not meet DD: 2.04; 95% CI: 1.36, 3.08), were less likely to consume HP snacks (OR for HP snacks: 0.47; 95% CI: 0.32, 0.68) and SSBs (OR for SSBs: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.46, 0.98), compared to mothers with the highest level of education. Similarly, children residing in households with the highest food insecurity were also more prone to have inadequate dietary diversity (OR for not meet DD: 1.47; 95% CI: 1.05, 2.05). The odds for double burden of suboptimal feeding (concurrent inadequate diet and consumption of HP snacks/SSBs) were significantly lower in children of least educated mothers (OR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.44, 0.92). Higher level of education was associated

Renewable energy consumption and income in emerging economies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sadorsky, Perry

2009-01-01

Increased economic growth and demand for energy in emerging economies is creating an opportunity for these countries to increase their usage of renewable energy. This paper presents and estimates two empirical models of renewable energy consumption and income for a panel of emerging economies. Panel cointegration estimates show that increases in real per capita income have a positive and statistically significant impact on per capita renewable energy consumption. In the long term, a 1% increase in real income per capita increases the consumption of renewable energy per capita in emerging economies by approximately 3.5%. Long-term renewable energy per capita consumption price elasticity estimates are approximately equal to -0.70.

Cost-resources trade-off analysis for long-range efficient plutonium consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Osamu; Nakano, Yasuyuki; Yasukawa, Shigeru

1988-01-01

JALTES-III, an analysis model using an optimization technique, is applied to the determination of major requirements for plutonium to serve as fuel for FRR on a paying basis and estimation of the possible reduction in natural uranium consumption. The analysis covers the period from 1970 to 2100. Optimization of the nuclear fuel cycle system is studied by using the following objective functions: overall system cost (COST), natural uranium consumption (NU) and trade-off function (COST + α·NU, where α is the premium related with the price of natural uranium). Assuming that there will be no escalation of the prices of system elements, competitive conditions for FBR are analyzed based on the effective price of natural uranium in relation with the above-mentioned premium: Po + (1 + D) t ·α, where Po is the basic price and D the discount rate. To minimize the term COST, FBR cannot be introduced and the natural uranium consumption will be 2,180,000 tons. To minimize NU, FBR should be introduced to the possible greatest degree, with the estimated natural uranium consumption being 900,000 tons. Analysis is also made of the relations of the introduction of FBRs with the effective price and total consumption of natural uranium. (Nogami, K.)

Bandwidth Study on Energy Use and Potential Energy Saving Opportunities in U.S. Pulp and Paper Manufacturing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sabine Brueske, Caroline Kramer, Aaron Fisher

2015-06-01

Energy bandwidth studies of U.S. manufacturing sectors can serve as foundational references in framing the range (or bandwidth) of potential energy savings opportunities. This bandwidth study examines energy consumption and potential energy savings opportunities in U.S. pulp and paper manufacturing. The study relies on multiple sources to estimate the energy used in six individual process areas, representing 52% of sector-wide energy consumption. Energy savings opportunities for individual processes are based on technologies currently in use or under development; the potential savings are then extrapolated to estimate sector-wide energy savings opportunity

Presentations given at the regional conference on photovoltaic self-consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robert, Jacques; Loyen, Richard; Humbert, Adrien; Vache, Vincent; Soors, Corinne; Vienot, Raphaelle; Aries, Pierre; Bardon, Philippe; Dieny, Gauthier; Le Vannier, Isabelle; Joffre, Andre; Chardon, Julien; Charier, Gilles; Langevine, Agnes

2017-12-01

After the first national conference on photovoltaic self-consumption in May 2016, Enerplan, the French union of solar energy professionals, organised a first regional conference to inform its partners about the recent legal evolutions in this domain, to anticipate the next call for bids of the Commission of Energy Regulation, to benefit from the experience feedbacks of the last regional call for proposals and of project owners, and to discover the new opportunities of the decentralization and deregulation of local solar energy supplies. This document brings together the presentations given at this conference: 1 - New legal framework with the self-consumption decree of July 27, 2016: new opportunities and deadlines (Richard Loyen); 2 - Self-consumption in collective residential buildings, present-day legal framework (Adrien Humbert); 3 - Renewable energies self-consumption call for bids: priority targets and financial support (Vincent Vache); 4 - Enedis actions to simplify self-consumption (Corinne Soors); 5 - Regional context and experience feedback of the call for proposals (Raphaelle Vienot); 6 - Testimonies from project owners (Pierre Aries, Philippe Bardon, Gauthier Dieny, Isabelle Le Vannier); 7 - Decentralisation and deregulation of the local power supply: the block-chains big-bang in self-consumption (Andre Joffre); 8 - A new community platform for renewable electricity producers and consumers (Julien Chardon)

Global Biodiversity Loss by Freshwater Consumption and Eutrophication from Swiss Food Consumption.

Science.gov (United States)

Scherer, Laura; Pfister, Stephan

2016-07-05

We investigated water-related resource use, emissions and ecosystem impacts of food consumed in Switzerland. To do so, we coupled LCA methodologies on freshwater consumption, freshwater eutrophication and the consequent local and global biodiversity impacts with Swiss customs data and multiregional input-output analysis. Most of the resource use, emissions and impacts occur outside the national boundaries which illustrates the extent of environmental outsourcing facilitated by international trade. Countries that are severely affected by Swiss food consumption include Spain, the United States and Ecuador. Cocoa, coffee, and almonds stood out as products with high impacts. By identifying spatial hotspots and impactful products, awareness of policy-makers as well as individual consumers can be raised and efforts of detailed assessments can be streamlined. However, political and economic constraints and the resistance by individual consumers limit the high potential of changes in diets and trade relations to decrease the environmental impacts of food.

Impact of gari consumption on the water resource of Nigeria | Adeoti ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

household level (blue water use), while water pollution impacts during processing and consumption (at households) are neglected. Using the 2007 cassava production estimates for Nigeria as baseline, the water impact related to the consumption of gari either as snack or as “eba” (gari reconstituted with hot water to form a ...

Energy sustainability: consumption, efficiency, and environmental impact

Science.gov (United States)

One of the critical challenges in achieving sustainability is finding a way to meet the energy consumption needs of a growing population in the face of increasing economic prosperity and finite resources. According to ecological footprint computations, the global resource consump...

International ROR: risk, opportunity, reward

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krentz, D.; Gair, J.

1996-01-01

Norcen Energy Resources Limited's pursuit of international oil and gas opportunities since the late 1980s were outlined. By 1994 Norcen had exploration and production concessions in 12 countries stretching from Algeria, Russia, Argentina, Indonesia to offshore Australia. The company had seen its share of risks, opportunities and rewards. Since 1994 international efforts of the Company have been focused on lower risk opportunities with exploration upside in defined core areas of South America, particularly in Venezuela, a country with conventional, heavy and ultra-heavy oil resources exceeding that of Saudi Arabia. These, and other similar foreign investments in the formerly closed national oil industries of South America have been greatly facilitated by the political liberalization, economic reforms and stabilization that have taken place there over the past ten years. The story of Norcen's successful bidding on the Oritupano-Leona production block in 1993 and Delta Centro exploration block in 1996 was the subject of this presentation

The Social Dynamics of Food Consumption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stamer, Naja Buono

This PhD dissertation offers new empirically grounded insights into the social dynamics surrounding everyday food consumption. The aim is to investigate how three previously identified key elements – values, taste and social class – interact to explain food consumption. Drawing on quantitative data...... with their relationship to consumption, are grounded in structural logics that create differences between social classes. The dissertation thus concludes that to develop nuanced understandings of consumer behaviour we should investigate food consumption as pragmatic, moral practices that are socially and historically...... on Danish households’ actual food purchases, attitudes to food and their socio-economic resources, the analysis show that values and taste are important predictors of a range of everyday food consumption practices. However, values and taste alone cannot predict food consumption as they, together...

A New System for Households in Spain to Evaluate and Reduce Their Water Consumption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alberto Gutierrez-Escolar

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to describe a developed model and its corresponding application, known as System to Evaluate the Water Consumption at Home (SEWAT. The aim is to create a new model to evaluate the efficiency of water consumption. Thanks to the input of the water bills by users, the model allows them to check if water consumption is efficient, in order to give them an opportunity to evaluate their water usage. To succeed in it, several researches were tracked in order to establish consumer trends and to identify the most efficient value for this magnitude. Furthermore, a survey was conducted to obtain updated values to validate information from previous studies. However, the main aim of this model is to use the resources efficiently, so it has to be useful accordingly. Therefore, after the evaluation, the application has a section with recommendations for the users to reduce their water consumption through a range of different indications. This section is divided into four: bathroom, kitchen, new appliance and reusing water. Each section shows the expected benefits if the users follow the recommended options. The main result is a unique application in Spain, which includes a system of evaluation, comparison and a section of recommendations for the users. Eventually, the model will have a promising outcome, because it surely will change the awareness of citizens about this subject.

Bridging the Chasm: Challenges, Opportunities, and Resources for Integrating a Dissemination and Implementation Science Curriculum into Medical Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Ginossar, Tamar; Heckman, Carolyn J; Cragun, Deborah; Quintiliani, Lisa M; Proctor, Enola K; Chambers, David A; Skolarus, Ted; Brownson, Ross C

2018-01-01

Physicians are charged with implementing evidence-based medicine, yet few are trained in the science of Dissemination and Implementation (D&I). In view of the potential of evidence-based training in D&I to help close the gap between research and practice, the goal of this review is to examine the importance of D&I training in medical education, describe challenges to implementing such training, and provide strategies and resources for building D&I capacity. We conducted (1) a systematic review to identify US-based D&I training efforts and (2) a critical review of additional literature to inform our evaluation of the challenges and opportunities of integrating D&I training in medical education. Out of 269 unique articles reviewed, 11 described US-based D&I training. Although vibrant and diverse training opportunities exist, their capacity is limited, and they are not designed to meet physicians' needs. Synthesis of relevant literature using a critical review approach identified challenges inherent to changing medical education, as well as challenges related to D&I science. Finally, selected strategies and resources are available for facilitating incorporation of D&I training into medical education and overcoming existing challenges. Integrating D&I training in the medical education curriculum, and particularly in residency and fellowship training, holds promise for bridging the chasm between scientific discoveries and improved patient care and outcomes. However, unique challenges should be addressed, including the need for greater evidence.

Analysis of China department water consumption efficiency

Science.gov (United States)

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

2018-03-01

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

Integration of cloud, grid and local cluster resources with DIRAC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fifield, Tom; Sevior, Martin; Carmona, Ana; Casajús, Adrián; Graciani, Ricardo

2011-01-01

Grid computing was developed to provide users with uniform access to large-scale distributed resources. This has worked well, however there are significant resources available to the scientific community that do not follow this paradigm - those on cloud infrastructure providers, HPC supercomputers or local clusters. DIRAC (Distributed Infrastructure with Remote Agent Control) was originally designed to support direct submission to the Local Resource Management Systems (LRMS) of such clusters for LHCb, matured to support grid workflows and has recently been updated to support Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud. This raises a number of new possibilities - by opening avenues to new resources, virtual organisations can change their resources with usage patterns and use these dedicated facilities for a given time. For example, user communities such as High Energy Physics experiments, have computing tasks with a wide variety of requirements in terms of CPU, data access or memory consumption, and their usage profile is never constant throughout the year. Having the possibility to transparently absorb peaks on the demand for these kinds of tasks using Cloud resources could allow a reduction in the overall cost of the system. This paper investigates interoperability by following a recent large-scale production exercise utilising resources from these three different paradigms, during the 2010 Belle Monte Carlo run. Through this, it discusses the challenges and opportunities of such a model.

Integrated water resources management : A case study in the Hehei river basin, China

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Siqi; Deng, Xiangzheng

2017-04-01

The lack of water resources experienced in different parts of the world has now been recognized and analyzed by different international organizations such as WHO, the World Bank, etc. Add to this the growing urbanization and the fast socio-economic development, the water supply of many urban areas is already or will be severely threatened. Recently published documents from the UN Environmental Program confirms that severe water shortage affects 400 million people today and will affect 4 billion people by 2050. Water nowadays is getting scarce, and access to clean drinking water and water for agricultural usage is unequally distributed. The biggest opportunity and challenge for future water management is how to achieve water sustainability to reduce water consumption. Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is a process which promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources in order to maximize economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems. We take the Heibe river basin where agriculture water there accounted for 90% of total water consumption as an example to study the impacts of IWRM on regional water resources. We calculated the elasticity of substitution values between labor and land, water by each irrigation areas to find the variable elastic value among irrigation areas, and the water-use efficiency based on NPP estimation with the C-fix model and WUE estimation with NPP and ET. The empirical analysis indicated that the moderate scale of farmland is 0.27-0.53hm2 under the condition of technical efficiency of irrigation water and production. Agricultural water use accounted for 94% of the social and economic water consumption in 2012, but water efficiency and water productivity were both at a low stage. In conclusion, land use forms at present in Heihe river basin have a detrimental impact on the availability of ecological water use. promoting water

Food consumption and economic growth. Increasing affluence and the use of natural resources

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gerbens-Leenes, Winnie; Nonhebel, S.; Krol, Martinus S.

2010-01-01

This study analyzes relationships between food supply, consumption and income, taking supply, meat and dairy, and consumption composition (in macronutrients) as indicators, with annual per capita GDP as indicator for income. It compares food consumption patterns for 57 countries (2001) and gives

GateWay Community College Water Resources Program Partnerships: An Opportunity for Program Success and Collaboration

Science.gov (United States)

Castaneda, M.

2012-12-01

GateWay Community College Water Resources Technologies (WRT) Program offers Certificate of Completions and Associate Degrees on Hydrologic Studies, Water Treatment and Wastewater Treatment. The program has been in existence since 1998 and has gone through several updates to meet the demand for professionals in those areas. The program includes theoretical and practical hands-on training in the monitoring of water quality and quantity as well as in water and industrial wastewater treatment. The WRT program offers online, face-to-face, and hybrid courses to address different student's needs for training. The program only Full-time faculty is supported by 15 adjunct- faculty professionals. Adjunct faculty is usually hired from a wide variety of professional people already working in the industry that have shown interest on teaching. Adjunct faculty also provide free tutoring to the WRT students when they are not teaching courses. The college Learning Center provides funding to support these tutoring activities. The program has an active Advisory Committee that provides guidance and recommends program changes to meet their training needs. This Advisory Committee is made of professionals from different federal, state, county agencies, and municipalities, private industry and consulting companies in the area. The Advisory Committee meets every year to provide feedback to GateWay on curriculum changes and commit to potential internship opportunities for the WRT students. Those internships (or voluntary work) are paid directly by the municipalities or agencies or can be paid by the GateWay WRT program. These internship jobs provides with an opportunity to actively promote the WRT program throughout the valley. The GateWay WRT program considers the Advisory Committee an essential component for the program success: the committee supports the program in recommending and acquiring the latest field equipment needed for the hands-on training. One of the main WRT program

Bandwidth Study on Energy Use and Potential Energy Saving Opportunities in U.S. Iron and Steel Manufacturing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keith Jamison, Caroline Kramer, Sabine Brueske, Aaron Fisher

2015-06-01

Energy bandwidth studies of U.S. manufacturing sectors can serve as foundational references in framing the range (or bandwidth) of potential energy savings opportunities. This bandwidth study examines energy consumption and potential energy savings opportunities in U.S. iron and steel manufacturing. The study relies on multiple sources to estimate the energy used in six individual process areas and select subareas, representing 82% of sector-wide energy consumption. Energy savings opportunities for individual processes and subareas are based on technologies currently in use or under development; the potential savings are then extrapolated to estimate sector-wide energy savings opportunity.

The role of natural resource and environmental economics in determining the trade-offs in consumption and production of energy inputs: The case of biomass energy crops

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Downing, M.; Graham, R.L.

1993-12-31

Natural resource economics issues deal with flows and funds of renewable and nonrenewable resources over time. These issues include topics concerned with management of fisheries, forests, mineral, energy resources, the extinction of species and the irreversibility of development over time. Environmental economics issues deal with regulation of polluting activities and the valuation of environmental amenities. In this study we outline a framework for studying both natural resource and environmental economics issues for any renewable or nonrenewable resource. Valuation from both the cost and benefit sides are addressed as they relate to the valuation of environmental programs or policies. By using this top-down approach to analyze and determine the costs and benefits of using renewable or nonrenewable resources, policy-makers on the global, national and local scales may be better informed as to the probable nonmarket and market ramifications of their natural resource and environmental policy decisions. This general framework for analysis is then focused to address biomass energy crops and their usage as inputs to energy production. As with any energy technology, a complete analysis must include an examination of the entire fuel cycle; specifically both production and consumption sides. From a production standpoint, market valuation issues such as crop management techniques, inputs to production, and community economics issues must be addressed as well as nonmarket valuation issues such as soil erosion, ground water effects and carbon sequestration. On the consumption side, market valuation considerations such as energy fuel efficiency and quality, cost of conversion and employment of labor are important factors while the critical nonmarket valuation factors are ambient air visibility, greenhouse gas release, and disposal of the by-products of conversion and combustion.

The role of natural resource and environmental economics in determining the trade-offs in consumption and production of energy inputs: The case of biomass energy crops

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Downing , M.; Graham, R.L.

1993-01-01

Natural resource economics issues deal with flows and funds of renewable and nonrenewable resources over time. These issues include topics concerned with management of fisheries, forests, mineral, energy resources, the extinction of species and the irreversibility of development over time. Environmental economics issues deal with regulation of polluting activities and the valuation of environmental amenities. In this study we outline a framework for studying both natural resource and environmental economics issues for any renewable or nonrenewable resource. Valuation from both the cost and benefit sides are addressed as they relate to the valuation of environmental programs or policies. By using this top-down approach to analyze and determine the costs and benefits of using renewable or nonrenewable resources, policy-makers on the global, national and local scales may be better informed as to the probable nonmarket and market ramifications of their natural resource and environmental policy decisions. The general framework for analysis is then focused to address biomass energy crops and their usage as inputs to energy production. As with any energy technology, a complete analysis must include an examination of the entire fuel cycle; specifically both production and consumption sides. From a production standpoint, market valuation issues such as crop management techniques, inputs to production, and community economics issues must be addressed as well as nonmarket valuation issues such as soil erosion, ground water effects and carbon sequestration. On the consumption side, market valuation considerations such as energy fuel efficiency and quality, cost of conversion and employment of labor are important factors while the critical nonmarket valuation factors are ambient air visibility, greenhouse gas release, and disposal of the by-products of conversion and combustion

Assessing and Managing Natural Resource Damages: Continuing Challenges and Opportunities

Science.gov (United States)

Barnthouse, Lawrence W.; Stahl, Ralph G.

2017-05-01

In a 2002 paper, we discussed the technical challenges associated with quantifying natural resource injuries, service losses and damages, and suggested some actions that might help to overcome them. An important suggestion was to consider using some of the approaches in ecological risk assessment to help evaluate potential natural resource injuries, and ultimately in some cases to help translate those injuries into natural resource service loss. This was based on the observation that ecological risk assessment and natural resource damage assessments use much of the same types of data, but at that time the experience base with ecological risk assessment was greater than for natural resource damage assessments. We also discussed some of the issues in applying the then current Department of Interior natural resource damage assessments regulations. Since our 2002 publication the scientific literature, relevant regulations, the global context and more have changed. In the current paper we focus on the technical and regulatory changes in natural resource damage assessments practice since 2002, and use recent reports and publications to illustrate those changes and identify new directions in natural resource damage assessments.

Problems of attracting nuclear energy resources in order to provide economical and rational consumption of fossil fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nazarov, E.K.; Nikitin, A.T.; Ponomarev-Stepnoy, N.N.; Protsenko, A.N.; Stolyarevskii, A.Ya.; Doroshenko, N.A.

1990-01-01

Depletion of fossil fuel resources and the gradual increase in cost of their extraction and transportation to the places of their consumption put forward into a line of the most urgent tasks the problem of rational and economical utilization of fuel and energy resources, as well as introduction of new energy sources into various sectors of the national economy. The nuclear energy sources which are widely spread in power engineering have not yet been used to a proper extent in the sectors of industrial technologies and residential space heating, which are the most energy consuming sectors in the national economy. The most effective way of solving this problem can be the development and commercialization of high temperature nuclear reactors, as the majority of power consuming industrial processes and those involved in chemico-thermal systems of distant heat transmission demand the temperature of a heat carrier generated by nuclear reactors and assimilated by the above processes to be in the range from 900 0 to 1000 0 C. (author)

Energy efficiency opportunities in the brewery industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Worrell, Ernst; Galitsky, Christina; Martin, Nathan

2002-06-28

Breweries in the United States spend annually over $200 Million on energy. Energy consumption is equal to 3-8% of the production costs of beer, making energy efficiency improvement an important way to reduce costs, especially in times of high energy price volatility. After a summary of the beer making process and energy use, we examine energy efficiency opportunities available for breweries. We provide specific primary energy savings for each energy efficiency measure based on case studies that have implemented the measures, as well as references to technical literature. If available, we have also listed typical payback periods. Our findings suggest that there may still be opportunities to reduce energy consumption cost-effectively for breweries. Major brewing companies have and will continue to spend capital on cost effective measures that do not impact the quality of the beer. Further research on the economics of the measures, as well as their applicability to different brewing practices, is needed to assess implementation of selected technologies at individual breweries.

From Ideas to Opportunities: Exploring the Construction of Technology-Based Entrepreneurial Opportunities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ferran Giones

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The transformation of business ideas into market opportunities is at the core of entrepreneurship. Nevertheless, the complexity of such a transformative process is seen to change depending on the variables influencing the opportunity-entrepreneur nexus. Although technology-entrepreneurship is regarded as a force of change and dynamism in socio-economic growth, it also depends upon an intricate process of opportunity development. The interest in understanding better how technology-based entrepreneurs simultaneously cope with technological uncertainty while trying to gain stakeholder support and access to resources, highlights a relevant research gap. The research described in this article uses the constructivist view to deepen our understanding of the technology-based entrepreneur’s conceptualization of the opportunity as a process of social construction. Our results show how initial consensus-building efforts and iteration with knowledgeable peers are an essential part of the emergence of the opportunity, changing both entrepreneur's and stakeholders' perceptions of the early business idea. Consequently, our results provide evidence in support of policy programs and measures that favour social-construction support mechanisms to foster technology-based entrepreneurship.

Remittances in Rural Zimbabwe: From Consumption to Investment?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

G. Ncube (Gracsious); G.M. Gómez (Georgina)

2013-01-01

markdownabstract__Abstract__ When remittances become widespread and stable in a rural village, they adopt a critical role in supporting local development. They contribute via the promotion of businesses and employment. Productive consumption creates opportunities for investment in growth

Economic analysis of milk production and consumption in the Middle East and North Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mansoor Maitah

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Milk products are considered as the essential food commodities for humans. Milk products contain essential elements for the human body such as protein, glucose, minerals and vitamins. Moreover, milk is considered the cheapest source of animal protein, an important resource for some related transformation industries and provides employment opportunities for a large number of small producers in both rural and urban areas. The aim of this paper is to analyze the factors which determine the supply and demand for liquid milk (henceforth milk in the Middle East and North Africa in order to point out the main problems and constraints obstructing the milk production in this region. The research also attempts to understand the drivers for the development in milk production in the Middle East and North Africa.Total milk production in the Middle East and North Africa increased from about 12.57 million tons in 1990 to about 25.18 millions tons in 2008. This paper attempts to identify the factors which influence the effectiveness of production, consumption and foreign trade of milk in the Middle East and North Africa. The most important factors affecting consumption is the population, per capita income and produced quantity where a 1% increase in all of them results in increasing the quantity consumed by 1.3%, 2.86% and 0.611%, respectively. Milk sector provides employment opportunities for more than 25% of the working force in some Middle East and North Africa countries.

Life-cycle phosphorus management of the crop production-consumption system in China, 1980-2012.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Huijun; Yuan, Zengwei; Gao, Liangmin; Zhang, Ling; Zhang, Yongliang

2015-01-01

Phosphorus (P) is an essential resource for agriculture and also a pollutant capable of causing eutrophication. The possibility of a future P scarcity and the requirement to improve the environment quality necessitate P management to increase the efficiency of P use. This study applied a substance flow analysis (SFA) to implement a P management procedure in a crop production-consumption (PMCPC) system model. This model determined the life-cycle P use efficiency (PUE) of the crop production-consumption system in China during 1980-2012. The system includes six subsystems: fertilizer manufacturing, crop cultivation, crop processing, livestock breeding, rural consumption, and urban consumption. Based on this model, the P flows and PUEs of the subsystems were identified and quantified using data from official statistical databases, published literature, questionnaires, and interviews. The results showed that the total PUE of the crop production-consumption system in China was low, notably from 1980 to 2005, and increased from 7.23% in 1980 to 20.13% in 2012. Except for fertilizer manufacturing, the PUEs of the six subsystems were also low. The PUEs in the urban consumption subsystem and the crop cultivation subsystem were less than 40%. The PUEs of other subsystems, such as the rural consumption subsystem and the livestock breeding subsystem, were also low and even decreased during these years. Measures aimed to improve P management practices in China have been proposed such as balancing fertilization, disposing livestock excrement, adjusting livestock feed, changing the diet of residents, and raising the waste disposal level, etc. This study also discussed several limitations related with the model and data. Conducting additional related studies on other regions and combining the analysis of risks with opportunities may be necessary to develop effective management strategies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nontimber forest product opportunities in Alaska.

Science.gov (United States)

David Pilz; Susan J. Alexander; Jerry Smith; Robert Schroeder; Jim. Freed

2006-01-01

Nontimber forest products from southern Alaska (also called special forest products) have been used for millennia as resources vital to the livelihoods and culture of Alaska Natives and, more recently, as subsistence resources for the welfare of all citizens. Many of these products are now being sold, and Alaskans seek additional income opportunities through...

Reducing consumption through communal living

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Herring, Horace [The Open Univ., Milton Keynes (United Kingdom). Energy and Environment Research Unit

2003-07-01

This paper examines ways consumers and communities can voluntarily adopt a low consumption (or low carbon) lifestyle, often termed 'voluntary simplicity' or a policy of 'sufficiency'. There is an increasing academic literature within Europe in the last five years on the whole question of 'sustainable consumption', and the relationship between income levels and consumption particularly at the household. This debate has moved beyond 'green consumerism' to look at building 'new concepts of prosperity' through local community actions, or reducing working time to allow more time for the creation of social capital. The paper will concentrate on one aspect of the quest for sustainable communities, the relevance of communal living to reducing consumption through examining energy consumption (both direct and indirect) in one such community in the UK. The results from this preliminary study reveal that it is not the sharing of resources that reduces consumption but the mutual reinforcement of attitudes towards a low consumption lifestyle. Thus it is the creation of social capital in a community that is its key to its ecological lifestyle.

Professional Development Opportunities for Two-Year College Geoscience Faculty: Issues, Opportunities, and Successes

Science.gov (United States)

Baer, E. M.; Macdonald, H.; McDaris, J. R.; Granshaw, F. D.; Wenner, J. M.; Hodder, J.; van der Hoeven Kraft, K.; Filson, R. H.; Guertin, L. A.; Wiese, K.

2011-12-01

Two-year colleges (2YCs) play a critical role in geoscience education in the United States. Nearly half of the undergraduate students who take introductory geoscience do so at a 2YC. With awide reach and diverse student populations, 2YCs may be key to producing a well-trained, diverse and sufficiently large geoscience workforce. However, faculty at 2YCs often face many barriers to professional development including lack of financial resources, heavy and inflexible teaching loads, lack of awareness of opportunities, and few professional development resources/events targeted at their needs. As an example, at the 2009 GSA meeting in Portland, fewer than 80 of the 6500 attendees were from community colleges, although this was more than twice the 2YC faculty attendance the previous year. Other issues include the isolation described by many 2YC geoscience faculty who may be the only full time geoscientist on a campus and challenges faced by adjunct faculty who may have even fewer opportunities for professional development and networking with other geoscience faculty. Over the past three years we have convened several workshops and events for 2YC geoscience faculty including technical sessions and a workshop on funding opportunities for 2YC faculty at GSA annual meetings, a field trip and networking event at the fall AGU meeting, a planning workshop that examined the role of 2YCs in geoscience education and in broadening participation in the geosciences, two workshops supporting use of the 'Math You Need, When You Need It' educational materials that included a majority of 2YC faculty, and marine science summer institutes offered by COSEE-Pacific Partnerships for 2YC faculty. Our experience indicates that 2YC faculty desire professional development opportunities when the experience is tailored to the needs and character of their students, programs, and institutions. The content of the professional development opportunity must be useful to 2YC faculty -workshops and

Can polar bears use terrestrial foods to offset lost ice-based hunting opportunities?

Science.gov (United States)

Rode, Karyn D.; Robbins, Charles T.; Nelson, Lynne; Amstrup, Steven C.

2015-01-01

Increased land use by polar bears (Ursus maritimus) due to climate-change-induced reduction of their sea-ice habitat illustrates the impact of climate change on species distributions and the difficulty of conserving a large, highly specialized carnivore in the face of this global threat. Some authors have suggested that terrestrial food consumption by polar bears will help them withstand sea-ice loss as they are forced to spend increasing amounts of time on land. Here, we evaluate the nutritional needs of polar bears as well as the physiological and environmental constraints that shape their use of terrestrial ecosystems. Only small numbers of polar bears have been documented consuming terrestrial foods even in modest quantities. Over much of the polar bear's range, limited terrestrial food availability supports only low densities of much smaller, resident brown bears (Ursus arctos), which use low-quality resources more efficiently and may compete with polar bears in these areas. Where consumption of terrestrial foods has been documented, polar bear body condition and survival rates have declined even as land use has increased. Thus far, observed consumption of terrestrial food by polar bears has been insufficient to offset lost ice-based hunting opportunities but can have ecological consequences for other species. Warming-induced loss of sea ice remains the primary threat faced by polar bears.

Career opportunities in oncology.

Science.gov (United States)

Farrow, L

Oncology nursing offers nurses a wide range of opportunities. Nurses need a wide range of skills in order to care for patients who may have acute oncological illnesses or require palliative care. The nature of the nurse/patient relationship can be intense. Nurses generally find this enhances job satisfaction. The pressures exerted on nurses working in oncology can be immense. Oncology nursing is rewarding but very demanding and therefore the nurse has to be resourceful. Early career planning is advisable to take advantage of the opportunities that are currently available.

Energy Efficiency Resources to Support State Energy Planning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Office of Strategic Programs, Strategic Priorities and Impact Analysis Team

2017-06-01

An early step for most energy efficiency planning is to identify and quantify energy savings opportunities, and then to understand how to access this potential. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy offers resources that can help with both of these steps. This fact sheet presents those resources. The resources are also available on the DOE State and Local Solution Center on the "Energy Efficiency: Savings Opportunities and Benefits" page: https://energy.gov/eere/slsc/energy-efficiency-savings-opportunities-and-benefits.

Report on renewable electricity self-consumption and self-production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-12-01

After having indicated the main conclusions of this study in terms of observations, of objectives of a support arrangement, and of recommendations for the photovoltaic sector, this report first presents the legal context and some definitions for energy self-production and self-consumption: foreign experiments, legal framework of photovoltaic electricity sales, definition of self-production and self-consumption. It proposes an overview of opportunities and stakes for self-production and self-consumption: potential benefits, impact on the electric grid, supply safety, grid control, supply-demand equilibrium, safety of persons and goods, flexibility of the electric system. It presents the different types of self-consumers and self-producers in the individual housing sector, in collective building and urban blocks, and in industrial and office buildings. It addresses the case of non-interconnected areas: context, opportunity, principles. It discusses the impact of self-production/self-consumption on the economic fundamentals of the electric system and on the financing of renewable energies. The remuneration and financing issues are then discussed (examples, net-metering system, additional premium system, other arrangements) as well as the architecture of a support system. Several contributions of an association of individual producers and of different professional bodies of the energy, photovoltaic, and building sectors are proposed in appendix

Remittances in rural Zimbabwe: From consumption to investment?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

G. Ncube (Gracsious); G.M. Gómez (Georgina)

2015-01-01

textabstractWhen remittances become widespread and stable in a rural village, they adopt a critical role in supporting local development. They contribute via the promotion of businesses and employment. Productive consumption creates opportunities for investment in growth oriented SMEs, whether their

Legal, technical and financial framework of photovoltaic self-consumption. German experience feedback

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Persem, Melanie

2014-01-01

This document presents some key information and figures about self-consumption from photovoltaic power plants and cogeneration plants in Germany: definition and regulatory conditions of self-consumption, share of self-consumption in the overall electricity consumption, legal aspects and feed-in tariffs, grid parity achievement and modification of the support system, financial incentives for households, tertiary sector and industry, legal aspects of direct consumption by third parties, opportunities and challenges of PV self-consumption, citizens and companies commitment in energy transition, technical challenges, impact on grid dimensioning, challenge of storage on electric system optimisation, economic impact and 'lack of solidarity', summary and recommendations

Food waste valorization options: opportunities from the bioeconomy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Imbert Enrica

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The world is confronted with the depletion of natural resources due to their unsustainable use, increased global competiveness, increasing population and other environmental and economic challenges. Under the European 2020 growth strategy launched in 2010, Europe has set itself the goal of shifting from linear to circular models of production and consumption. In this context, food waste management poses a great challenge. This study focusses on the possible destinations for food waste, specifically, on the most sustainable practices that turn waste into valuable resources. Particular attention is devoted to the potential offered by fast-growing sectors such as the bioeconomy, which is contributing to increased energy and materials production with reduced environmental impact, at the same time creating new job opportunities. In this paper we will argue that an holistic approach considering the issue of food wastage as part of a broader emerging bio-economy and circular-economic model, might provide win-win solutions able to minimize wastage, promote income growth and job creation, and prompt sustainable local development. However, in order to enable an effective transition to a circular bioeconomy able to minimize the impact of food wastage, the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of this new model must be properly evaluated through appropriate tools, e.g. through an overall Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA.

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

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkins, Aleeza M.; Doebrich, Jeff L.

2016-09-19

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

Sustainability in Health care by Allocating Resources Effectively (SHARE) 2: identifying opportunities for disinvestment in a local healthcare setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Claire; Allen, Kelly; King, Richard; Ramsey, Wayne; Kelly, Cate; Thiagarajan, Malar

2017-05-05

This is the second in a series of papers reporting a program of Sustainability in Health care by Allocating Resources Effectively (SHARE) in a local healthcare setting. Rising healthcare costs, continuing advances in health technologies and recognition of ineffective practices and systematic waste are driving disinvestment of health technologies and clinical practices that offer little or no benefit in order to maximise outcomes from existing resources. However there is little information to guide regional health services or individual facilities in how they might approach disinvestment locally. This paper outlines the investigation of potential settings and methods for decision-making about disinvestment in the context of an Australian health service. Methods include a literature review on the concepts and terminology relating to disinvestment, a survey of national and international researchers, and interviews and workshops with local informants. A conceptual framework was drafted and refined with stakeholder feedback. There is a lack of common terminology regarding definitions and concepts related to disinvestment and no guidance for an organisation-wide systematic approach to disinvestment in a local healthcare service. A summary of issues from the literature and respondents highlight the lack of theoretical knowledge and practical experience and provide a guide to the information required to develop future models or methods for disinvestment in the local context. A conceptual framework was developed. Three mechanisms that provide opportunities to introduce disinvestment decisions into health service systems and processes were identified. Presented in order of complexity, time to achieve outcomes and resources required they include 1) Explicit consideration of potential disinvestment in routine decision-making, 2) Proactive decision-making about disinvestment driven by available evidence from published research and local data, and 3) Specific exercises in

A Multi-mode RCPSP with Stochastic Nonrenewable Resource Consumption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Muller, Laurent Flindt

Many processes within production scheduling and project management involve the scheduling of a number of activities, each activity having a certain duration and requiring a certain amount of limited resources. The duration and resource requirements of activities are com- monly the result...

Proper Islamic Consumption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fischer, Johan

mobile, religiously committed communities to the opportunities and perils presented by modernisation. It also tells us something about the debates concerning the meanings and practices of Islam within an aggressive, globalised, secularised modernity. In Malaysia this is an especially intriguing issue...... spite of a long line of social theory analyzing the spiritual in the economic, and vice versa, very little of the recent increase in scholarship on Islam addresses its relationship with capitalism. Johan Fischer’s book,Proper Islamic Consumption, begins to fill this gap. […] Fischer’s detailed...

Food consumption patterns and economic growth. Increasing affluence and the use of natural resources

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gerbens-Leenes, P.W.; Nonhebel, S.; Krol, M.S.

2010-01-01

This study analyzes relationships between food supply, consumption and income, taking supply, meat and dairy, and consumption composition (in macronutrients) as indicators, with annual per capita GDP as indicator for income. It compares food consumption patterns for 57 countries (2001) and gives

Colocation opportunities for large solar infrastructures and agriculture in drylands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ravi, Sujith; Macknick, Jordan; Lobell, David; Field, Christopher; Ganesan, Karthik; Jain, Rishabh; Elchinger, Michael; Stoltenberg, Blaise

2016-01-01

Highlights: • We explored the potential to colocate solar installations and agriculture. • Water use at solar installations are similar to amounts required for desert plants. • Co-located systems are economically viable in some areas. • Colocation can maximize land and water use efficiency in drylands. - Abstract: Solar energy installations in arid and semi-arid regions are rapidly increasing due to technological advances and policy support. Although solar energy provides several benefits such as reduction of greenhouse gases, reclamation of degraded land, and improved quality of life in developing countries, the deployment of large-scale renewable energy infrastructure may negatively impact land and water resources. Meeting the ever-expanding energy demand with limited land and water resources in the context of increasing demand for alternative uses such as agricultural and domestic consumption is a major challenge. The goal of this study was to explore opportunities to colocate solar infrastructures and agricultural crops to maximize the efficiency of land and water use. We investigated the energy inputs/outputs, water use, greenhouse gas emissions, and economics of solar installations in northwestern India in comparison to aloe vera cultivation, another widely promoted and economically important land use in these systems. The life cycle analyses show that the colocated systems are economically viable in some rural areas and may provide opportunities for rural electrification and stimulate economic growth. The water inputs for cleaning solar panels are similar to amounts required for annual aloe productivity, suggesting the possibility of integrating the two systems to maximize land and water use efficiency. A life cycle analysis of a hypothetical colocation indicated higher returns per m"3 of water used than either system alone. The northwestern region of India has experienced high population growth in the past decade, creating additional demand for land

Challenges and Opportunities for Libraries in Pakistan

OpenAIRE

Shafiq UR, Rehman; Pervaiz, Ahmad

2007-01-01

Abstract: This paper, based on review of literature, observation, and informal conversations, discusses various challenges regarding finance, collection development, ICTs, human resources, library education, library association and research & development faced by library profession in Pakistan. The opportunities to meet these challenges have also been explored. Keywords: Library challenges and opportunities (Pakistan); Librarianship (Pakistan); Library issues; Library profession in Pa...

Consumption Behavior Analytics-Aided Energy Forecasting and Dispatch

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Yingchen [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Yang, Rui [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Jiang, Huaiguang [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Zhang, Kaiqing [University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Zhang, Jun Jason [University of Denver

2017-08-17

For decades, electricity customers have been treated as mere recipients of electricity in vertically integrated power systems. However, as customers have widely adopted distributed energy resources and other forms of customer participation in active dispatch (such as demand response) have taken shape, the value of mining knowledge from customer behavior patterns and using it for power system operation is increasing. Further, the variability of renewable energy resources has been considered a liability to the grid. However, electricity consumption has shown the same level of variability and uncertainty, and this is sometimes overlooked. This article investigates data analytics and forecasting methods to identify correlations between electricity consumption behavior and distributed photovoltaic (PV) output. The forecasting results feed into a predictive energy management system that optimizes energy consumption in the near future to balance customer demand and power system needs.

Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture: opportunities and challenges emerging from the science and information technology revolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Halewood, Michael; Chiurugwi, Tinashe; Sackville Hamilton, Ruaraidh; Kurtz, Brad; Marden, Emily; Welch, Eric; Michiels, Frank; Mozafari, Javad; Sabran, Muhamad; Patron, Nicola; Kersey, Paul; Bastow, Ruth; Dorius, Shawn; Dias, Sonia; McCouch, Susan; Powell, Wayne

2018-03-01

Contents Summary 1407 I. Introduction 1408 II. Technological advances and their utility for gene banks and breeding, and longer-term contributions to SDGs 1408 III. The challenges that must be overcome to realise emerging R&D opportunities 1410 IV. Renewed governance structures for PGR (and related big data) 1413 V. Access and benefit sharing and big data 1416 VI. Conclusion 1417 Acknowledgements 1417 ORCID 1417 References 1417 SUMMARY: Over the last decade, there has been an ongoing revolution in the exploration, manipulation and synthesis of biological systems, through the development of new technologies that generate, analyse and exploit big data. Users of Plant Genetic Resources (PGR) can potentially leverage these capacities to significantly increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their efforts to conserve, discover and utilise novel qualities in PGR, and help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This review advances the discussion on these emerging opportunities and discusses how taking advantage of them will require data integration and synthesis across disciplinary, organisational and international boundaries, and the formation of multi-disciplinary, international partnerships. We explore some of the institutional and policy challenges that these efforts will face, particularly how these new technologies may influence the structure and role of research for sustainable development, ownership of resources, and access and benefit sharing. We discuss potential responses to political and institutional challenges, ranging from options for enhanced structure and governance of research discovery platforms to internationally brokered benefit-sharing agreements, and identify a set of broad principles that could guide the global community as it seeks or considers solutions. © 2018 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2018 New Phytologist Trust.

Energy consumption and conservation in food retailing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tassou, S.A.; Ge, Y.; Hadawey, A.; Marriott, D.

2011-01-01

The total annual CO 2 emissions associated with the energy consumption of the major retail food outlets in the UK amount to around 4.0 MtCO 2 . The energy consumption and emissions from supermarkets varies widely and can depend on many factors such as the type and size of the store, business and merchandising practices and refrigeration and environmental control systems used. This paper provides energy consumption data of a sample of 2570 retail food stores from a number of major retail food chains in the UK. The sample covers all major store categories from convenience stores to hypermarkets and includes approximately 30% of the total number of stores in the UK having a net sales area more than 280 m 2 . The data show a wide variability of energy intensity even within stores of the same retail chain. A power law can be used to describe the variation of the average electrical energy intensity of the stores in the sample with sales area. If the electrical intensity of the stores above the average is reduced to the average by energy conservation measures, annual energy savings of the order of 10% or 840 GWh can be achieved representing 355,000 tonnes annual reduction in CO 2 emissions. The paper also discusses the major energy consuming processes in retail food stores and identifies opportunities for energy savings. - Research highlights: → Energy consumption by supermarkets in the UK is significant and a wide variability exists between stores of similar size. → Energy conservation measures to reduce energy consumption of individual stores to the average can produce a0% energy savings. → Significant opportunities for energy savings exist from the integration of HVAC and refrigeration equipment.

Natural Resources: Famine or Feast? A Question of Limits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Desaunay, Cecile; Vidalenc, Eric

2016-01-01

Whereas for a decade many experts spoke of an imminent dearth pf hydrocarbons and prices reached record highs, the cost of oil has fallen appreciably over the last two years and talk of shortage has almost disappeared. Does this mean there are no longer grounds for concern about the overall level of consumption of these energy resources? Doubtless not, though these questions of dearth or abundance of energy resources - and, more broadly, of all natural resources -are not solely to be examined in terms of the reserves at our disposal, but also, increasingly, in terms of the limits that ensue from the impact of their consumption on the environment (environmental damage, pollution, climate change etc.), as Cecile Desaunay and Eric Vidalenc show here. Accordingly, they list a series of crucial key questions with regard to the future of our planet's natural resources: is the growth of global resource consumption sustainable? How might energy prices develop? Can we foresee an absolute decoupling of economic growth from material consumption? What are the impacts on our ecosystems of resource degradation; have we passed planetary limits? They go on to stress two deep-seated trends that will have to be taken into account in managing our natural resources sustainably over the coming years: the very great inertia of energy Systems and the possible substitution of alternative energies (and the limits to doing this). The equation is not getting any easier and the lever that is the control of consumption will doubtless have a crucial part to play in the sustainable management of our resources in the medium to long term. (authors)

Renewable energy resources: Opportunities and constraints 1990-2020

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-09-01

This study examined the prospects for new renewable energy resources, from a global perspective, over the next three decades and beyond. The study is intended to support the work of the World Energy Council (WEC) Commission on Energy for Tomorrow's World. The new renewable resources investigated were: Solar; wind; geothermal; modern biomass; ocean; small hydro. Each of these areas was thoroughly researched and was the subject of a separate section of the report. Recent information on large-scale hydroelectric and traditional biomass is included for added perspective on total use of renewable energy, but both fall outside the definition of new renewable energy used in this report

ACCUMULATION AND CONSUMPTION IN MICROECONOMIC SYSTEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Serghey A. Amelkin

2004-12-01

Full Text Available Two main processes are common for an economic system. They are consumption and accumulation. The first one is described by utility function, either cardinal or ordinal one. The mathematical model for accumulation process can be constructed using wealth function introduced within the frame of irreversible microeconomics. Characteristics of utility and wealth functions are compared and a problem of extreme performance of resources exchange process is solved for a case when both the consumption and accumulation exist.

The Role of Trees on Farms: Challenges and Opportunities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nyamai, D.O

2007-01-01

The challenges facing Kenyan forestry are deforestation and degradation due to increased demand for wood and additional agricultural land, inadequate resources to strengthen capacities in specific research areas including resource accounting, modelling the beneficial effects of carbon sequestration, policy analysis and products development for market dominance, great variations in institutional development and capacity for trees on farm and agroforestry research and development and inadequate research resources to mention but a few. The opportunities for improved forestry research include, economic growth, social welfare, promoting technologies and innovations for value-added processing agroforestry products for local and external effects, emerging private sector and existing regional market such as Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa and the East African Community for opportunities for trade in agroforestry products and formulation of policies in favour of privatisation of services and management particularly the privatisation of industrial forest plantations that would offer opportunities for the development of smallholder tree crop enterprise

Multi-Scale Governance of Sustainable Natural Resource Use—Challenges and Opportunities for Monitoring and Institutional Development at the National and Global Level

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefan Bringezu

2016-08-01

Full Text Available In a globalized economy, the use of natural resources is determined by the demand of modern production and consumption systems, and by infrastructure development. Sustainable natural resource use will require good governance and management based on sound scientific information, data and indicators. There is a rich literature on natural resource management, yet the national and global scale and macro-economic policy making has been underrepresented. We provide an overview of the scholarly literature on multi-scale governance of natural resources, focusing on the information required by relevant actors from local to global scale. Global natural resource use is largely determined by national, regional, and local policies. We observe that in recent decades, the development of public policies of natural resource use has been fostered by an “inspiration cycle” between the research, policy and statistics community, fostering social learning. Effective natural resource policies require adequate monitoring tools, in particular indicators for the use of materials, energy, land, and water as well as waste and GHG emissions of national economies. We summarize the state-of-the-art of the application of accounting methods and data sources for national material flow accounts and indicators, including territorial and product-life-cycle based approaches. We show how accounts on natural resource use can inform the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs and argue that information on natural resource use, and in particular footprint indicators, will be indispensable for a consistent implementation of the SDGs. We recognize that improving the knowledge base for global natural resource use will require further institutional development including at national and international levels, for which we outline options.

Opportunities and challenges of nanotechnology in the green economy.

Science.gov (United States)

Iavicoli, Ivo; Leso, Veruscka; Ricciardi, Walter; Hodson, Laura L; Hoover, Mark D

2014-10-07

In a world of finite resources and ecosystem capacity, the prevailing model of economic growth, founded on ever-increasing consumption of resources and emission pollutants, cannot be sustained any longer. In this context, the "green economy" concept has offered the opportunity to change the way that society manages the interaction of the environmental and economic domains. To enable society to build and sustain a green economy, the associated concept of "green nanotechnology" aims to exploit nano-innovations in materials science and engineering to generate products and processes that are energy efficient as well as economically and environmentally sustainable. These applications are expected to impact a large range of economic sectors, such as energy production and storage, clean up-technologies, as well as construction and related infrastructure industries. These solutions may offer the opportunities to reduce pressure on raw materials trading on renewable energy, to improve power delivery systems to be more reliable, efficient and safe as well as to use unconventional water sources or nano-enabled construction products therefore providing better ecosystem and livelihood conditions.However, the benefits of incorporating nanomaterials in green products and processes may bring challenges with them for environmental, health and safety risks, ethical and social issues, as well as uncertainty concerning market and consumer acceptance. Therefore, our aim is to examine the relationships among guiding principles for a green economy and opportunities for introducing nano-applications in this field as well as to critically analyze their practical challenges, especially related to the impact that they may have on the health and safety of workers involved in this innovative sector. These are principally due to the not fully known nanomaterial hazardous properties, as well as to the difficulties in characterizing exposure and defining emerging risks for the workforce

Energy sustainability: consumption, efficiency, and ...

Science.gov (United States)

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

Consumption of materials in the United States, 1900-1995

Science.gov (United States)

Matos, G.; Wagner, L.; ,

1998-01-01

The flows of nonfood and nonfuel materials through the economy have significant impact on our lives and the world around us. Growing populations and economies demand more goods, services, and infrastructure. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, the types of materials consumed in the United States have significantly changed. In 1900, on a per-weight basis, almost half of the materials consumed were from renewable resources, such as wood, fibers, and agricultural products, the rest being derived from nonrenewable resources. By 1995, the consumption of renewable resources had declined dramatically, to only 8% of total consumption. During this century, the quantity of materials consumed has grown, from 161 million metric tons in 1900 to 2.8 billion metric tons by 1995, an equivalent of 10 metric tons per person per year. Of all the materials consumed during this century, more than half were consumed in the last 25 years. This paper examines the general historical shifts in materials consumption and presents an analysis of different measurements of materials use and the significance of their trends.

Does food store access modify associations between intrapersonal factors and fruit and vegetable consumption?

Science.gov (United States)

Thornton, L E; Lamb, K E; Tseng, M; Crawford, D A; Ball, K

2015-08-01

Existing theoretical frameworks suggest that healthy eating is facilitated by an individual's ability, motivation and environmental opportunities. It is plausible, although largely untested, that the importance of factors related to ability and motivation differ under varied environmental conditions. This study aimed to determine whether the magnitude of associations between fruit and vegetable consumption and intrapersonal factors (ability and motivation) were modified by differences in access to stores selling these items (environmental opportunities). Cross-sectional analysis of 4335 women from socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods in the state of Victoria, Australia. Self-reported fruit and vegetable consumption was assessed against a number of ability- and motivation-related factors. To examine whether associations were modified by store access, interactions with access to supermarkets and greengrocers within 2 km of participants' households were tested. Of the two factors related to ability and seven factors related to motivation, almost all were associated with fruit and vegetable consumption. In general, associations were not modified by store access suggesting that these factors were not tempered by environmental opportunities. This study provides little support for the hypothesis that the importance of intra-personal factors to fruit and vegetable consumption is modified by food store access. Further research on this topic is required to inform behaviour change interventions.

REGULAR OBSERVATION OF CHILDREN WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA BY ALLERGOLOGIST AND ITS INFLUENCE ON CLINICAL AND FUNCTIONAL PARAMETERS OF THE DISEASE AND CONSUMPTION OF HEALTHCARE RESOURCES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I.P. Artyukhov

2011-01-01

Full Text Available In real practice, treatment of patients with bronchial asthma (BA is accompanied by unreasonable increase of healthcare resources consumption because of unplanned visits to the doctor due to health worsening, hospital treatment of exacerbations and emergency calls. Objective: to evaluate an effectiveness of children’s with bronchial asthma observations by allergologist. Methods: the dynamics of clinical and functional signs and frequency of emergency claims was analyzed in 115 children with BA who were observed by allergologist once in 3 months during one year. Results: in 3 months of regular observation by allergologist the number of children with day and night symptoms of BA and patients with daily rescue use of short-acting 2-agonists decreased, there were fewer children with limitations of physical activity. The number of patients with normal FEV1 increased in 6 months. Regular observation with allergologist resulted in reduction of number of patients with exacerbations and hospitalizations, shortening of acute period of BA and hospital stay, decreasing of emergency claims rate compared to those who were observed by GPs. Conclusion: regular observation by allergologist once in 3 months results in stabilization of clinical and functional state in patients with BA and decreases the consumption of emergency care resources.Key words: children, bronchial asthma, allergologist, clinical and functional state, healthcare resources.(Voprosy sovremennoi pediatrii — Current Pediatrics. 2011; 10 (3: 55–59

Bioenergy and the Sustainability Transition: from Local Resource to Global Commodity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, Francis X.

2007-07-01

The looming threat of climate change and the invaluable role of energy in development have complicated the global transition to sustainable energy while also increasing the urgency of the transition. Bioenergy has a key role in this transition due to its unique characteristics among renewable energy sources, the concentration of bioenergy potential in major developing country regions, and the close relationship between biomass resources and carbon management strategies. This paper offers a conceptual model for bioenergy's role in the transition, outlining its key elements and their significance with respect to environment and development. In spite of the globalising economy, the security of energy supply continues to be threatened by geo-political conflicts. Continued expansion of energy consumption is constrained by its environmental impacts. At the same time two billion persons have little or no access to modern energy services. The diversity and flexibility of bioenergy systems offers opportunities to bridge some of the key divisions-technical, political, economic, and environmental-that have complicated international efforts to address climate change and promote equitable development of global resources. The challenge is to take advantage of the heterogeneity of biomass resources to facilitate the most effective use of those resources in the emerging bio-economy. (auth)

Spatio-temporal estimation of consumptive water use for assessment of irrigation system performance and management of water resources in irrigated Indus Basin, Pakistan

Science.gov (United States)

Usman, M.; Liedl, R.; Awan, U. K.

2015-06-01

Reallocation of water resources in any irrigation scheme is only possible by detailed assessment of current irrigation performance. The performance of the Lower Chenab Canal (LCC) irrigation system in Pakistan was evaluated at large spatial and temporal scales. Evaporative Fraction (EF) representing the key element to assess the three very important performance indicators of equity, adequacy and reliability, was determined by the Surface Energy Balance Algorithm (SEBAL) using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images. Spatially based estimations were performed at irrigation subdivisions, lower and upper LCC and, whole LCC scales, while temporal scales covered months, seasons and years for the study period from 2005 to 2012. Differences in consumptive water use between upper and lower LCC were estimated for different crops and possible water saving options were explored. The assessment of equitable water distribution indicates smaller coefficients of variation and hence less inequity within each subdivision except Sagar (0.08) and Bhagat (0.10). Both adequacy and reliability of water resources are found lower during kharif as compared to rabi with variation from head to tail reaches. Reliability is quite low from July to September and in February/March. This is mainly attributed to seasonal rainfalls. Average consumptive water use estimations indicate almost doubled water use (546 mm) in kharif as compared to (274 mm) in rabi with significant variability for different cropping years. Crop specific consumptive water use reveals rice and sugarcane as major water consumers with average values of 593 mm and 580 mm, respectively, for upper and lower LCC, followed by cotton and kharif fodder. The water uses for cotton are 555 mm and 528 mm. For kharif fodder, corresponding values are 525 mm and 494 mm for both regions. Based on the differences in consumptive water use, different land use land cover change scenarios were evaluated with regard to savings

Opportunities and constraints for improved water resources management under increasing hydrological extremes

Science.gov (United States)

Wada, Y.

2017-12-01

Increased occurrence of extreme climate events is one of the most damaging consequences of global climate change today and in the future. Estimating the impacts of such extreme events on global and regional water resources is therefore crucial for quantifying increasing risks from climate change. The quest for water security has been a struggle throughout human history. Only in recent years has the scale of this quest moved beyond the local, to the national and regional scales and to the planet itself. Absent or unreliable water supply, sanitation and irrigation services, unmitigated floods and droughts, and degraded water environments severely impact half of the planet's population. The scale and complexity of the water challenges faced by society, particularly but not only in the world's poorest regions, are now recognized, as is the imperative of overcoming these challenges for a stable and equitable world. IIASA's Water Futures and Solutions Initiative (WFAS) is an unprecedented inter-disciplinary scientific initiative to identify robust and adaptive portfolios of optional solutions across different economic sectors, including agriculture, energy and industry, and to test these solution-portfolios with multi-model ensembles of hydrologic and sector models to obtain a clearer picture of the trade-offs, risks, and opportunities. The results of WFaS scenarios and models provide a basis for long-term strategic planning of water resource development under changing environments and increasing climate extremes. And given the complexity of the water system, WFaS uniquely provides policy makers with optional sets of solutions that work together and that can be easily adapted as circumstances change in the future. As WFaS progresses, it will establish a network involving information exchange, mutual learning and horizontal cooperation across teams of researchers, public and private decision makers and practitioners exploring solutions at regional, national and local

Design of the DIRECT-project : interventions to increase job resources and recovery opportunities to improve job-related health, well-being, and performance outcomes in nursing homes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spoor, E.M.B.; Jonge, de J.; Hamers, J.P.H.

2010-01-01

Background Because of high demands at work, nurses are at high risk for occupational burnout and physical complaints. The presence of job resources (such as job autonomy or social support) and recovery opportunities could counteract the adverse effect of high job demands. However, it is still

Adaptation to climate change in industry: improving resource efficiency through sustainable production applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Alkayal, Emrah; Bogurcu, Merve; Ulutas, Ferda; Demirer, Göksel Niyazi

2015-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the climate change adaptation opportunities of six companies from different sectors through resource efficiency and sustainable production. A total of 77 sustainable production options were developed for the companies based on the audits conducted. After screening these opportunities with each company's staff, 19 options were selected and implemented. Significant water savings (849,668 m3/year) were achieved as a result of the applications that targeted reduction of water use. In addition to water savings, the energy consumption was reduced by 3,607 MWh, which decreased the CO2 emissions by 904.1 tons/year. Moreover, the consumption of 278.4 tons/year of chemicals (e.g., NaCl, CdO, NaCN) was avoided, thus the corresponding pollution load to the wastewater treatment plant was reduced. Besides the tangible improvements, other gains were achieved, such as improved product quality, improved health and safety conditions, reduced maintenance requirements, and ensured compliance with national and EU regulations. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first ever activity in Turkey devoted to climate change adaptation in the private sector. This study may serve as a building block in Turkey for the integration of climate change adaptation and mitigation approach in the industry, since water efficiency (adaptation) and carbon reduction (mitigation) are achieved simultaneously.

Rethinking the Holidays. Teacher's Resources.

Science.gov (United States)

Porter, Priscilla H.

1993-01-01

Maintains that holidays provide opportunities for teaching about history and cultural diversity. Presents a bibliographic essay of recommended resources for elementary teachers on this topic. Materials include reading resources, activity books, and audiovisual materials. (CFR)

Mining resource profiles from event logs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pika, A.; Leyer, M.; Wynn, M.T.; Fidge, C.J.; Ter Hofstede, A.H.M.; Van Der Aalst, W.M.P.

2017-01-01

In most business processes, several activities need to be executed by human resources and cannot be fully automated. To evaluate resource performance and identify best practices as well as opportunities for improvement, managers need objective information about resource behaviors. Companies often

“Slowing” and “Narrowing” the Flow of Metals for Consumer Goods: Evaluating Opportunities and Barriers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elsa Dominish

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Metal resources are essential materials for many consumer products, including vehicles and a wide array of electrical and electronic goods. These metal resources often cause adverse social and environmental impacts from their extraction, supply and disposal, and it is therefore important to increase the sustainability of their production and use. A broad range of strategies and actions to improve the sustainability of resources are increasingly being discussed within the evolving concept of the circular economy. This paper uses this lens to evaluate the opportunities and barriers to improve the sustainability of metals in consumer products in Australia, with a focus on strategies that “slow” and “narrow” material flow loops. We have drawn on Allwood’s characterisation of material efficiency strategies, as they have the potential to reduce the total demand for metals. These strategies target the distribution, sale, and use of products, which have received less research attention compared to the sustainability of mining, production, and recycling, yet it is vitally important for changing patterns of consumption in a circular economy. Specifically, we have considered the strategies of product longevity (life extension, intensity of use, repair, and resale, remanufacturing, component reuse, and using less material for the same product or service (digitisation, servicisation, and light-weighting. Within the Australian context, this paper identifies the strategies that have the greatest opportunity to increase material efficiency for metal-containing products (such as mobility, household appliances, and personal electronics, by evaluating current implementation of these strategies and identifying the material, economic, and social barriers to and opportunities for expanding these strategies. We find that many of these strategies have been successfully implemented for mobility, while applying these strategies to personal electronics remains

Open Educational Resources and the Opportunities for Expanding Open and Distance Learning (OERS-ODL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jameson Mbale

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Distance learning (DL was a teaching modality which utilized technology to deliver teaching to students who were not physically present such as in a traditional classroom setting. DL was not constrained by geographic considerations and therefore offered unique opportunities to expand educational access. The University of Namibia (UNAM and International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH partnered to examine DL at UNAM, to assess strengths and weaknesses, and to make recommendations for improvement. The primary method used in this assessment was interviews with staff at centers and units engaged in Distance Learning at UNAM. It was analyzed how interactions vary between instructor and learner, among learners, and between learners and learning resources. DL at UNAM was categorized into five approaches including: 1 Outreach, 2 Print-based, 3 Computer based, 4 Internet-based, and 5 Digital Video Conferencing (DVC. All-in-all, a strategy of “starting small” was envisaged to allow individual instructors to voluntarily use collaborative software such as Google Groups to enhance print-based instruction and progressively expand DL at UNAM.

Energy consumption analysis of Spanish food and drink, textile, chemical and non-metallic mineral products sectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aranda-Usón, Alfonso; Ferreira, Germán; Mainar-Toledo, M.D.; Scarpellini, Sabina; Llera Sastresa, Eva

2012-01-01

This paper provides quantitative information for energy consumption from four different industry sectors based on an energy analysis obtained by means of in-situ energy audits and complementary information. The latter information was taken from Saving Strategy and Energy Efficiency in Spain (Estrategia de Ahorro y Eficiencia Energética en España 2004–2010, E4) documents and the 2009 Industrial Survey of Spain from the National Statistics Institute (Instituto Nacional de Estadística, INE). The results show an estimate of energy consumption for each sector, namely Spanish food, drink and tobacco (9.6%), textile (4.5%), chemical (14.7%), and non-metallic mineral products (24.3%), as well as the degree of inefficiency for each, obtained by means of a stochastic frontier production function model. These results are combined with the energy consumption analysis to identify potential energy saving opportunities around 20.0% of the total energy consumption for all studied sectors. These energy saving opportunities are classified according to thermal or electrical energy consumption and percentage savings of the total energy consumption. -- Highlights: ► This study presents the analysis of four Spanish energy-consuming industrial sectors. ► The four selected sectors account for 33.0% of the total industrial SMEs. ► An audit was carried out in several factories from each analysed industrial sector. ► Stochastic Cobb-Douglas frontiers were used to estimate production frontiers. ► Potential energy saving opportunities around 20.0% of the total energy consumption.

Identifying opportunities to reduce the consumption of energy across mining and processing plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sterling, David; Johnson, Greg

2010-09-15

In addition to meeting Government Policy on Energy Efficiency Opportunities (EEOs), mining and mineral processing companies are increasing energy efficiency to reduce costs in the current financial conditions. One of the major issues with EEOs is the lack of data available on energy use, and more importantly the energy use linked to production data, that identify energy reduction opportunities. This paper looks at expanding the use of a Manufacturing Execution Systems by integrating with Energy Solutions. This will provide automatic, timely information, at a granularity that makes it easier to identify EEOs, reduce energy costs, and better predict energy use.

Food Processing and Marketing: New Directions...New Opportunities.

Science.gov (United States)

Welch, Mary A., Ed.

1995-01-01

This issue uses tomato processing to illustrate the new directions and opportunities available in the food market. Comparative advantage and economies of scale are discussed in relation to markets. Forecasting success in the market is attributed to studying consumer consumption trends by type and monitoring standards of living in 32 newly…

СURRENT TRENDS OF THE FIXED CAPITAL CONSUMPTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nikolay V. Gayfulin

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The research article is devoted to the current trends of the fixed capital consumption, to the problems connected with the fixed capital consumption and to the innovations in the Russian economy where the increase of fixed capital consumption efficiency is of the great importance. Under the conditions of the exchange relations formation and escalating competition only those commodity producers who can make the best use of all kinds of the resources will win. The fixed capital consumption efficiency is defined as a set of a measures which is taken by the economic entities. Some of a measures are partially described in this article. Nowadays the fixed capital consumption problem is connected with the performance enhancement and optimization of the fixed assets items.

Challenges and Opportunities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foster, J.B.

1999-01-01

A series of overhead viewgraphs accompanied this presentation. The viewgraphs presented 1998 year-end predictions of oil and gas prices. Comparisons of projected versus actual values for 1998 for natural gas consumption, production, imports and wellhead prices for the United States were also presented. A comparison of projected versus actual consumption values for 1998 in the residential, commercial, industrial and electric generation sectors was included. In many cases actual versus projected values were quite different. The importance of storage to balancing the market was illustrated. Graphs depicting gas production, workover rigs, reserve life comparisons, and GOM natural gas rig count and production for the U.S. were described. Drilling activity in the Gulf of Mexico was summarized. The total wells drilled in 1997 was 1223 compared to 1019 in 1998. The factors affecting deliverability additions on the Gulf of Mexico shelf include smaller new discoveries, diminishing completion opportunities in older fields, few productive zones in new discoveries and a rapid decline rate resulting from smaller reservoirs. 6 tabs., 13 figs

Estimates of US biofuels consumption, 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-10-01

This report is the sixth in the series of publications developed by the Energy Information Administration to quantify the amount of biofuel-derived primary energy used by the US economy. It provides preliminary estimates of 1990 US biofuels energy consumption by sector and by biofuels energy resource type. The objective of this report is to provide updated annual estimates of biofuels energy consumption for use by congress, federal and state agencies, and other groups involved in activities related to the use of biofuels. 5 figs., 10 tabs

Estimates of US biofuels consumption, 1990

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-10-01

This report is the sixth in the series of publications developed by the Energy Information Administration to quantify the amount of biofuel-derived primary energy used by the US economy. It provides preliminary estimates of 1990 US biofuels energy consumption by sector and by biofuels energy resource type. The objective of this report is to provide updated annual estimates of biofuels energy consumption for use by congress, federal and state agencies, and other groups involved in activities related to the use of biofuels. 5 figs., 10 tabs.

Internships, employment opportunities, and research grants

Science.gov (United States)

,

2015-01-01

As an unbiased, multidisciplinary science organization, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is dedicated to the timely, relevant, and impartial study of the health of our ecosystems and environment, our natural resources, the impacts of climate and land-use change, and the natural hazards that threaten us. Opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students and faculty to participate in USGS science are available in the selected programs described below. Please note: U.S. citizenship is required for all government positions.This publication has been superseded by USGS General Information Product 165 Grant Opportunities for Academic Research and Training and USGS General Information Product 166 Student and Recent Graduate Employment Opportunities.This publication is proceeded by USGS General Information Product 80 Internships, Employment Opportunities, and Research Grants published in 2008.

Power generation needs and opportunities in Eastern Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gadomski, C.R.; Hon, M.

1990-01-01

This article examines the market for power generation and pollution control equipment in Eastern Europe. The topics of the article include financing equipment and services, financial and political incentives, capacity, environmental impacts, energy consumption and efficiency, energy prices, energy diversification, renewable energy opportunities, strategy for the market, and the example of Poland

In situ evaluation of water and energy consumptions at the end use level: The influence of flow reducers and temperature in baths.

Science.gov (United States)

Matos, C; Briga-Sá, A; Bentes, I; Faria, D; Pereira, S

2017-05-15

Nowadays, water and energy consumption is intensifying every year in most of the countries. This perpetual increase will not be supportable in the long run, making urgently to manage these resources on a sustainable way. Domestic consumptions of water and electric energy usually are related and it's important to study that relation, identifying opportunities for use efficient improvement. In fact, without an understanding of water-energy relations, there are water efficiency measures that may lead to unintentional costs in the energy efficiency field. In order to take full advantage of combined effect between water and energy water management methodologies, it is necessary to collect data to ensure that the efforts are directed through the most effective paths. This paper presents a study based in the characterization, measurement and analysis of water and electricity consumption in a single family house (2months period) in order to find an interdependent relationship between consumptions at the end user level. The study was carried out on about 200 baths, divided in four different scenarios where the influence of two variables was tested: the flow reducer valve and the bath temperature. Data showed that the presence of flow reducer valve decreased electric energy consumption and water consumption, but increased the bath duration. Setting a lower temperature in water-heater, decreased electric consumption, water consumption and bath duration. Analysing the influence of the flow reducer valve and 60°C temperature simultaneously, it was concluded that it had a significant influence on electric energy consumption and on the baths duration but had no influence on water consumption. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessing Energy Efficiency Opportunities in US Industrial and Commercial Building Motor Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rao, Prakash; Sheaffer, Paul; McKane, Aimee; Scheihing, Paul

2015-09-01

In 2002, the United States Department of Energy (USDOE) published an energy efficiency assessment of U.S. industrial sector motor systems titled United States Industrial Electric Motor Systems Market Opportunities Assessment. The assessment advanced motor system efficiency by providing a greater understanding of the energy consumption, use characteristics, and energy efficiency improvement potential of industrial sector motor systems in the U.S. Since 2002, regulations such as Minimum Energy Performance Standards, cost reductions for motor system components such as variable frequency drives, system-integrated motor-driven equipment, and awareness programs for motor system energy efficiency have changed the landscape of U.S. motor system energy consumption. To capture the new landscape, the USDOE has initiated a three-year Motor System Market Assessment (MSMA), led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). The MSMA will assess the energy consumption, operational and maintenance characteristics, and efficiency improvement opportunity of U.S. industrial sector and commercial building motor systems. As part of the MSMA, a significant effort is currently underway to conduct field assessments of motor systems from a sample of facilities representative of U.S. commercial and industrial motor system energy consumption. The Field Assessment Plan used for these assessments builds on recent LBNL research presented at EEMODS 2011 and EEMODS 2013 using methods for characterizing and determining regional motor system energy efficiency opportunities. This paper provides an update on the development and progress of the MSMA, focusing on the Field Assessment Plan and the framework for assessing the global supply chain for emerging motors and drive technologies.

Energy efficiency improvement and cost saving opportunities forpetroleum refineries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Worrell, Ernst; Galitsky, Christina

2005-02-15

. The findings suggest that given available resources and technology, there are opportunities to reduce energy consumption cost-effectively in the petroleum refining industry while maintaining the quality of the products manufactured. Further research on the economics of the measures, as well as the applicability of these to individual refineries, is needed to assess the feasibility of implementation of selected technologies at individual plants.

Foreign Language Folio. A Guide to Cultural Resources and Field Trip Opportunities in the San Francisco Bay Area for Teachers and Students of Foreign Languages, 1983-85.

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzales, Tony, Ed.; O'Connor, Roger, Ed.

A listing of San Francisco area cultural resources and opportunities of use to foreign language teachers is presented. Included are the following: museums and galleries, schools, art sources, churches, clubs, cultural centers and organizations, publications and publishing companies, restaurants, food stores and markets, travel and tourism,…

Job resources and emotional exhaustion: The mediating role of learning opportunities

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ruysseveldt, J. van; Verboon, P.; Smulders, P.G.W.

2011-01-01

The Job Demands-Resources model predicts that job demands increase and job resources decrease emotional exhaustion in employees. In this study, we investigated one possible mechanism for this, in order to provide a deeper insight into the role of job resources in this energy-depletion process. We

Quantification of Uncertainty in Predicting Building Energy Consumption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brohus, Henrik; Frier, Christian; Heiselberg, Per

2012-01-01

Traditional building energy consumption calculation methods are characterised by rough approaches providing approximate figures with high and unknown levels of uncertainty. Lack of reliable energy resources and increasing concerns about climate change call for improved predictive tools. A new...... approach for the prediction of building energy consumption is presented. The approach quantifies the uncertainty of building energy consumption by means of stochastic differential equations. The approach is applied to a general heat balance for an arbitrary number of loads and zones in a building...... for the dynamic thermal behaviour of buildings. However, for air flow and energy consumption it is found to be much more significant due to less “damping”. Probabilistic methods establish a new approach to the prediction of building energy consumption, enabling designers to include stochastic parameters like...

Analysis of Specific Features of the Ukrainian Market of Natural Gas Production and Consumption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lelyuk Oleksiy V.

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The article provides results of the study of specific features of the Ukrainian market of natural gas production and consumption. It analyses dynamics of the specific weight of Ukraine in general volumes of natural gas consumption in the world, dynamics of natural gas consumption in Ukraine during 1990 – 2012 and dependence of natural gas consumption on GDP volumes by the purchasing power parity. It studies the structure of natural gas consumption by regions in 2012 and sectors of economy, resource base of natural gas in Ukraine and also dynamics of established resources of natural gas in Ukraine and dynamics of natural gas production. It analyses base rates of growth of natural gas resources and production in Ukraine. It considers dynamics of import of natural gas into Ukraine and its import prices and also the structure of natural gas import. It identifies the balance of the natural gas market in Ukraine. On the basis of the conducted analysis the article proves that Ukraine is a gas-deficit country of the world, which depends on natural gas import supplies.

Reducing Electrical Consumption in the Forest Products Industry Using Lean Thinking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Scott William Lyon

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The forest products industry has an opportunity to reduce energy costs using energy management practices, thereby boosting its global competitiveness. Increasing manufacturing costs have contributed significantly to the decline of the forest products manufacturing industries in the U.S.; these increasing costs limit manufacturers’ abilities to compete with their global competitors. U.S. companies are continually improving their products, processes, finances, and business practices to better compete with global marketplaces; however, they may not be seizing all of the opportunities available through more efficient energy consumption practices. By eliminating non-valued added activities, lean thinking is an example of one tool that may improve performance and reduce costs. A case study was conducted at a cabinet manufacturer in Virginia to examine the impact of lean thinking on the consumption of electricity in the manufacturing process. An energy management system was used to provide rapid feedback on electrical energy consumption for production operations. Significant changes were observed after implementing energy reduction practices identified by lean thinking tools.

Recent advances in understanding the genetic resources of sheep breeds locally-adapted to the UK uplands : opportunities they offer for sustainable productivity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dianna eBowles

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Locally adapted breeds of livestock are of considerable interest since they represent potential reservoirs of adaptive fitness traits that may contribute to the future of sustainable productivity in a changing climate.Recent research, involving three hill sheep breeds geographically concentrated in the northern uplands of the UK has revealed the extent of their genetic diversity from one another and from other breeds. Results from the use of SNPs, microsatellites and retrovirus insertions are reviewed in the context of related studies on sheep breeds world-wide to highlight opportunities offered by the genetic resources of locally adapted hill breeds. One opportunity concerns reduced susceptibility to Maedi-Visna, a lentivirus with massive impacts on sheep health and productivity globally. In contrast to many mainstream breeds used in farming, each of the hill breeds analysed are likely to be far less susceptible to the disease threat. A different opportunity, relating specifically to the Herdwick breed, is the extent to which the genome of the breed has retained primitive features, no longer present in other mainland breeds of sheep in the UK and offering a new route for discovering unique genetic traits of use to agriculture.

Terroir, storytelling and cultural heritage as opportunity for island entrepreneurship

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Korsgaard, Steffen T.

This paper explores how entrepreneurs can create opportunities for business in rural island settings. Three cases of food entrepreneurship are examined and it is suggested that opportunities can be created by leveraging the unique localized resources available in rural island settings in persuasive...

LTE UE Power Consumption Model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Anders Riis; Lauridsen, Mads; Mogensen, Preben

2012-01-01

is based on a review of the major power consuming parts in an LTE UE radio modem. The model includes functions of UL and DL power and data rate. Measurements on a commercial LTE USB dongle were used to assign realistic power consumption values to each model parameter. Verification measurements......In this work a novel LTE user equipment (UE) power consumption model is presented. It was developed for LTE system level optimization, because it is important to understand how network settings like scheduling of resources and transmit power control affect the UE’s battery life. The proposed model...... on the dongle show that the model results in an average error of 2.6%. The measurements show that UL transmit power and DL data rate determines the overall power consumption, while UL data rate and DL receive power have smaller impact....

Medical Tourism: Between Entrepreneurship Opportunities and Bioethics Boundaries: Narrative Review Article

Science.gov (United States)

BADULESCU, Daniel; BADULESCU, Alina

2014-01-01

Abstract Nowadays, medical tourism reports impressive growth in terms of number of persons, income and number of countries involved in cross-border flows. So this study was undertaken to clarify entrepreneurship opportunities and bio-ethics boundaries in medical tourism. For tourism entrepreneurs, these outgoing flows related to medical procedures and tourism become an opportunity that cannot be ignored, so a wide range of tourist services related to health care are provided on a private, entrepreneurial basis. However, social and economic boundaries are omnipresent (impaired health services in receiving (incoming) countries, the crisis of the health care systems in emitting (outgoing) countries, over-consumption of medical and tourism services), and, not least, ethical considerations. Transforming medical care in a market tool, reducing human attributes to the status of commodity that can be bought, sold or negotiated, seriously challenges contemporary bioethics principles. It is a significant entering in the area (which is essentially un-ethic) of market transactions, where libertarianism and consumer-oriented attitudes dominates the spectrum of rational choice. So tourism comes to provide an organized and comfortable framework for all these choices, but many issues still re-main controversial and may worsen if national health systems and national and international regulations would not identify their problems and would continue to leave medical tourism to market mechanisms. Market will efficiently allocate the resources, but not always in an ethical manner. PMID:26005650

Medical tourism: between entrepreneurship opportunities and bioethics boundaries: narrative review article.

Science.gov (United States)

Badulescu, Daniel; Badulescu, Alina

2014-04-01

Nowadays, medical tourism reports impressive growth in terms of number of persons, income and number of countries involved in cross-border flows. So this study was undertaken to clarify entrepreneurship opportunities and bio-ethics boundaries in medical tourism. For tourism entrepreneurs, these outgoing flows related to medical procedures and tourism become an opportunity that cannot be ignored, so a wide range of tourist services related to health care are provided on a private, entrepreneurial basis. However, social and economic boundaries are omnipresent (impaired health services in receiving (incoming) countries, the crisis of the health care systems in emitting (outgoing) countries, over-consumption of medical and tourism services), and, not least, ethical considerations. Transforming medical care in a market tool, reducing human attributes to the status of commodity that can be bought, sold or negotiated, seriously challenges contemporary bioethics principles. It is a significant entering in the area (which is essentially un-ethic) of market transactions, where libertarianism and consumer-oriented attitudes dominates the spectrum of rational choice. So tourism comes to provide an organized and comfortable framework for all these choices, but many issues still re-main controversial and may worsen if national health systems and national and international regulations would not identify their problems and would continue to leave medical tourism to market mechanisms. Market will efficiently allocate the resources, but not always in an ethical manner.

Experiential Education Employment Opportunities in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria: Options and Informational Resources.

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, William

1995-01-01

Discusses educational employment (EE) opportunities for students in German-speaking countries, and the implementation of EE programs by American colleges and universities. Also lists internship and EE opportunities administered by colleges, universities, and other organizations in the United States, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. (six…

Simple indicator to identify the environmental soundness of growth of consumption and technology: "eco-velocity of consumption".

Science.gov (United States)

Nansai, Keisuke; Kagawa, Shigemi; Suh, Sangwon; Inaba, Rokuta; Moriguchi, Yuichi

2007-02-15

Today's material welfare has been achieved at the expense of consumption of finite resources and generation of environmental burdens. Over the past few decades the volume of global consumption has grown dramatically, while at the same time technological advances have enabled products with greater efficiencies. These two directions of change, consumption growth and technological advance, are the foci of the present paper. Using quantitative measures for these two factors, we define a new indicator, "eco-velocity of consumption", analogous to velocity in physics. The indicator not only identifies the environmental soundness of consumption growth and technological advance but also indicates whether and to what extent our society is shifting toward sustainable consumption. This study demonstrates the practicability of the indicator through a case study in which we calculate the eco-velocities of Japanese household consumption in 2 years: 1995 and 2000. The rate of technological advance during the periods concerned is quantified in terms of the embodied carbon dioxide emission per yen of product. The results show that the current growth rate of Japanese household consumption is greater than the rate of technological advance to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions. The eco-velocities at the level of individual commodity groups are also examined, and the sources of changes in eco-velocity for each commodity are identified using structural decomposition analysis.

Tackling the dual challenge of sustainable consumption and economic growth

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sedlacko, Michal; Antunes, Paula; Asara, Viviana

There is overwhelming evidence that one of the most important challenges facing society today is the growing scale and unequal distribution of consumption of natural resources. Both the socio-economic implications of resource scarcities and the documented decline in provision of and rising threat...

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION PROCESS OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aleksandra Stoilkovska

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this article is to examine the problem of the concept of equal employment opportunities in the HR recruitment and selection process. Due to the fact that in these processes, both the HR managers and the applicants are involved, this research is conducted separately among them. Thus, it will be determined if both sides share the same opinion with respect to the existence of this concept in the mentioned processes. Providing equal employment opportunities is crucial for any company and represents a key for selecting the real employees. Therefore, the research includes the existence of prejudices in the recruitment and selection process such as discrimination based on national and social origin, gender and sexual orientation, age, political affiliation etc. As an essential part of this concept, the legislation in the Republic of Macedonia and its impact in the process of generating equal opportunities will be considered.

18 CFR 1316.2 - Affirmative action and equal opportunity.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Affirmative action and equal opportunity. 1316.2 Section 1316.2 Conservation of Power and Water Resources TENNESSEE VALLEY... habit, local custom, or otherwise. (3) Contractor further agrees that (except where it has obtained...

Barriers and opportunities to access international resources for ...

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

But tobacco control does not appear to be a health and development priority for the national government and development stakeholders in Bolivia. The Ministry of Health and civil organizations have experience difficulties in accessing international resources for tobacco control. At the same time, there is neither clear ...

'Another Day, Another Demand': How Parents and Children Negotiate Consumption Matters

OpenAIRE

Sharon Boden

2006-01-01

This paper discusses the various kinds of pressure placed on children to consume and how their parents view and deal with this. It focuses on the consumption of clothing, the marketing of 'fashion' to youngsters and the commercial opportunities presented to children to construct a particular image of themselves through their choice of attire. Related to these issues are the range of constraints placed upon children's consumption as they desire to seek independence from their parents yet remai...

An analysis of monthly household energy consumption among single-family residences in Texas, 2010

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valenzuela, Carlos; Valencia, Alelhie; White, Steve; Jordan, Jeffrey A.; Cano, Stephanie; Keating, Jerome; Nagorski, John; Potter, Lloyd B.

2014-01-01

Demographic, socioeconomic, and housing characteristics influence variation in household energy consumption. By combining household-level utility, public, and proprietary data, we examine predictors of household energy consumption in a Texas urban area. Using quantile regression, this analysis assesses the relationship between energy consumption and predictors at the middle and both ends of the distribution (10th and 90th percentiles). Results indicate potential opportunities to lower consumption among the highest energy-consuming households including those with pools, with non-central cooling, with people working from home, those built on pier/post foundation, and those that are renter-occupied. These findings suggest significant opportunities to reduce consumption and demand as in the study area, almost 10% of housing units are renter-occupied, 18% percent are without central cooling, and 7% have pools. Capturing a significant portion of these homes for retrofit conservation efforts through marketing has potential to produce substantial results. Producing a better understanding of determinants of household energy consumption using the methods presented has potential to assist development and implementation of strategies to reduce consumption and increase efficiency. - Highlights: • Data on energy use is combined with housing and demographic characteristics. • Quantile regression is used to examine relationships among key variables. • Less efficient homes have pools, no central HVAC, and pier/post foundations. • Houses with persons working at home and renter occupied homes were less efficient. • Energy conservation strategies are discussed and suggested for each element

Uranium resources and the scope for nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vaughan, R.D.

1975-01-01

The subject is discussed under the following headings: uranium resources, forecast on nuclear programme, avenues for reduction in uranium consumption, uranium consumption for fixed programme with various breeders, possible nuclear growth determined by uranium supply. (U.K.)

DETERMINATION OF PROCESSES OF USE, PRESERVING AND REPRODUCTION IN THE SYSTEM OF RENEWABLE NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mikhail Gazuda

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the paper is to develop factor model of renewable natural resources management, specifying the assessment of the amount of resource, including the natural factor, consumption level and intensity of reproduction. Methodology. The survey is based on highlighting factors influencing the reproductive capacity of natural environment. It allows, on the base of taking into consideration reproductive abilities of resources and intensity of consumption, to substantiate three models for their use, including: heavy exploitation of renewable natural resources as the most commonly used model at the current level of development of society; model of reproductive use of natural resources, stipulating for the interference from the side of authorities and management, and the model of simple reproduction of renewable natural resources, at which the resource itself and the amount of its reproduction for the next period remain constant. Practical implications. The need is substantiated in implementation of the new model for determination of the processes of managing balanced use of natural resources, which will stipulate processes of reproduction in the sphere of natural management, form new approaches to environmental protection and promote the optimal ratio between the consumption and reproduction of natural resources. At this, the processes of natural reproduction are influenced by the amount of resource itself, intensity of its reproduction and level of consumption. The main objective of the managing bodies in the sphere of the use of renewable natural resources should be securing optimal ratio between consumption and reproduction of such natural resources. The efficiency of the implementation process and reproduction of natural resources presupposes providing their simple and extended reproduction, economic effectiveness and sustainability in allocation and use of such resources. This will have positive effect on ecological and economic security

Life-cycle phosphorus management of the crop production–consumption system in China, 1980–2012

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Huijun [School of Earth Environment, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232001 (China); Yuan, Zengwei, E-mail: yuanzw@nju.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023 (China); Gao, Liangmin [School of Earth Environment, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232001 (China); Zhang, Ling [College of Economics and Management, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037 (China); Zhang, Yongliang [Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Beijing 100029 (China)

2015-01-01

Phosphorus (P) is an essential resource for agriculture and also a pollutant capable of causing eutrophication. The possibility of a future P scarcity and the requirement to improve the environment quality necessitate P management to increase the efficiency of P use. This study applied a substance flow analysis (SFA) to implement a P management procedure in a crop production–consumption (PMCPC) system model. This model determined the life-cycle P use efficiency (PUE) of the crop production–consumption system in China during 1980–2012. The system includes six subsystems: fertilizer manufacturing, crop cultivation, crop processing, livestock breeding, rural consumption, and urban consumption. Based on this model, the P flows and PUEs of the subsystems were identified and quantified using data from official statistical databases, published literature, questionnaires, and interviews. The results showed that the total PUE of the crop production–consumption system in China was low, notably from 1980 to 2005, and increased from 7.23% in 1980 to 20.13% in 2012. Except for fertilizer manufacturing, the PUEs of the six subsystems were also low. The PUEs in the urban consumption subsystem and the crop cultivation subsystem were less than 40%. The PUEs of other subsystems, such as the rural consumption subsystem and the livestock breeding subsystem, were also low and even decreased during these years. Measures aimed to improve P management practices in China have been proposed such as balancing fertilization, disposing livestock excrement, adjusting livestock feed, changing the diet of residents, and raising the waste disposal level, etc. This study also discussed several limitations related with the model and data. Conducting additional related studies on other regions and combining the analysis of risks with opportunities may be necessary to develop effective management strategies. - Highlights: • A model of P management of the crop production–consumption system

Life-cycle phosphorus management of the crop production–consumption system in China, 1980–2012

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Huijun; Yuan, Zengwei; Gao, Liangmin; Zhang, Ling; Zhang, Yongliang

2015-01-01

Phosphorus (P) is an essential resource for agriculture and also a pollutant capable of causing eutrophication. The possibility of a future P scarcity and the requirement to improve the environment quality necessitate P management to increase the efficiency of P use. This study applied a substance flow analysis (SFA) to implement a P management procedure in a crop production–consumption (PMCPC) system model. This model determined the life-cycle P use efficiency (PUE) of the crop production–consumption system in China during 1980–2012. The system includes six subsystems: fertilizer manufacturing, crop cultivation, crop processing, livestock breeding, rural consumption, and urban consumption. Based on this model, the P flows and PUEs of the subsystems were identified and quantified using data from official statistical databases, published literature, questionnaires, and interviews. The results showed that the total PUE of the crop production–consumption system in China was low, notably from 1980 to 2005, and increased from 7.23% in 1980 to 20.13% in 2012. Except for fertilizer manufacturing, the PUEs of the six subsystems were also low. The PUEs in the urban consumption subsystem and the crop cultivation subsystem were less than 40%. The PUEs of other subsystems, such as the rural consumption subsystem and the livestock breeding subsystem, were also low and even decreased during these years. Measures aimed to improve P management practices in China have been proposed such as balancing fertilization, disposing livestock excrement, adjusting livestock feed, changing the diet of residents, and raising the waste disposal level, etc. This study also discussed several limitations related with the model and data. Conducting additional related studies on other regions and combining the analysis of risks with opportunities may be necessary to develop effective management strategies. - Highlights: • A model of P management of the crop production–consumption system

Lifestyle factors in U.S. residential electricity consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanquist, Thomas F.; Orr, Heather; Shui Bin; Bittner, Alvah C.

2012-01-01

A multivariate statistical approach to lifestyle analysis of residential electricity consumption is described and illustrated. Factor analysis of selected variables from the 2005 U.S. Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) identified five lifestyle factors reflecting social and behavioral patterns associated with air conditioning, laundry usage, personal computer usage, climate zone of residence, and TV use. These factors were also estimated for 2001 RECS data. Multiple regression analysis using the lifestyle factors yields solutions accounting for approximately 40% of the variance in electricity consumption for both years. By adding the household and market characteristics of income, local electricity price and access to natural gas, variance accounted for is increased to approximately 54%. Income contributed ∼1% unique variance to the models, indicating that lifestyle factors reflecting social and behavioral patterns better account for consumption differences than income. Geographic segmentation of factor scores shows distinct clusters of consumption and lifestyle factors, particularly in suburban locations. The implications for tailored policy and planning interventions are discussed in relation to lifestyle issues. - Highlights: ► Illustrates lifestyle analysis of residential electricity consumption. ► Lifestyle factors based on social and behavioral decisions and equipment use. ► Regression models using lifestyle factors account for 40% of consumption variance. ► Lifestyle factors are stable over time when applied to other data sets. ► Energy reduction opportunities are identified by segmentation analysis.

China's natural gas: Resources, production and its impacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Jianliang; Feng, Lianyong; Zhao, Lin; Snowden, Simon

2013-01-01

In order to achieve energy consumption targets, and subsequently reduce carbon emissions, China is working on energy strategies and policies aimed at actively increasing the consumption of natural gas—the lowest carbon energy of the fossil fuels, and to enhance the proportion of gas in total primary energy consumption. To do this, it is a necessary prerequisite that China must have access to adequate gas resources and production to meet demand. This paper shows that the availability of domestic gas resources are overestimated by China's authorities due to differences in classification and definitions of gas resources/reserves between China and those accepted internationally. Based on official gas resource figures, China's gas production remains low with respect to the projected demand, and will only be 164.6 bcm in 2020, far lower than the 375 bcm of forecast demand. The gap between gas production and demand will reach 210.4 bcm by 2020. Existing plans for the importation of gas and the development of unconventional gas will not close this gap in the next 10 years, and this situation will therefore present a severe challenge to China's gas security, achievement of targets in improving energy consumption structure and reducing carbon emissions. - Highlights: ► We show that available gas resources are overestimated by China's authorities. ► We forecast China's future gas production under different resource scenarios. ► This paper shows that China's gas production will not meet the soaring demand. ► The gap between supply and demand will continue to increase rapidly in future. ► China's gas security will meet a severe challenge because of this increasing gap

Sustainable Development of Africa's Water Resources

OpenAIRE

Narenda P. Sharma

1996-01-01

This study, African water resources: challenges and opportunities for sustainable management propose a long-term strategy for water resource management, emphasizing the socially sustainable development imperatives for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The message of this strategy is one of optimism - the groundwork already exists for the sustainable management of Africa's water resources. The stra...

World uranium resources, production and demand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindholm, I.

1988-01-01

Reasonably assured resources of uranium in WOCA (World Outside the Centrally Planned Economies Area) countries recoverable at less than US $80/kg U increased by about 9% between 1983 and 1985 and currently stand at 1.5 million tonnes. Uranium also exists in significant quantities in higher cost resources or in less known resources. However, the annual exploration expenditure is less than 20% that of the 1979 level. Uranium production in WOCA countries was higher than consumption during the period 1965 to 1984 and considerable stocks were accumulated. However, the production figures for 1985 were estimated to be slightly less than those of consumption. Production from centres now on stand-by or new centres will probably be necessary around 1990. Analysis of the longer term production possibilities indicates that uranium supplies will probably not be constrained by an ultimate resource adequacy. Constraints, if any, are more likely to be of political nature. (author). 11 figs, 1 tab

Resource Recovery from Wastewater by Biological Technologies: Opportunities, Challenges, and Prospects

Science.gov (United States)

Puyol, Daniel; Batstone, Damien J.; Hülsen, Tim; Astals, Sergi; Peces, Miriam; Krömer, Jens O.

2017-01-01

Limits in resource availability are driving a change in current societal production systems, changing the focus from residues treatment, such as wastewater treatment, toward resource recovery. Biotechnological processes offer an economic and versatile way to concentrate and transform resources from waste/wastewater into valuable products, which is a prerequisite for the technological development of a cradle-to-cradle bio-based economy. This review identifies emerging technologies that enable resource recovery across the wastewater treatment cycle. As such, bioenergy in the form of biohydrogen (by photo and dark fermentation processes) and biogas (during anaerobic digestion processes) have been classic targets, whereby, direct transformation of lipidic biomass into biodiesel also gained attention. This concept is similar to previous biofuel concepts, but more sustainable, as third generation biofuels and other resources can be produced from waste biomass. The production of high value biopolymers (e.g., for bioplastics manufacturing) from organic acids, hydrogen, and methane is another option for carbon recovery. The recovery of carbon and nutrients can be achieved by organic fertilizer production, or single cell protein generation (depending on the source) which may be utilized as feed, feed additives, next generation fertilizers, or even as probiotics. Additionlly, chemical oxidation-reduction and bioelectrochemical systems can recover inorganics or synthesize organic products beyond the natural microbial metabolism. Anticipating the next generation of wastewater treatment plants driven by biological recovery technologies, this review is focused on the generation and re-synthesis of energetic resources and key resources to be recycled as raw materials in a cradle-to-cradle economy concept. PMID:28111567

Community care workers, poor referral networks and consumption of personal resources in rural South Africa.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilona Sips

Full Text Available Although home-based care (HBC programs are widely implemented throughout Africa, their success depends on the existence of an enabling environment, including a referral system and supply of essential commodities. The objective of this study was to explore the current state of client referral patterns and practices by community care workers (CCWs, in an evolving environment of one rural South African sub-district. Using a participant triangulation approach, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 17 CCWs, 32 HBC clients and 32 primary caregivers (PCGs. An open-ended interview guide was used for data collection. Participants were selected from comprehensive lists of CCWs and their clients, using a diversified criterion-based sampling method. Three independent researchers coded three sets of data - CCWs, Clients and PCGs, for referral patterns and practices of CCWs. Referrals from clinics and hospitals to HBC occurred infrequently, as only eight (25% of the 32 clients interviewed were formally referred. Community care workers showed high levels of commitment and personal investment in supporting their clients to use the formal health care system. They went to the extent of using their own personal resources. Seven CCWs used their own money to ensure client access to clinics, and eight gave their own food to ensure treatment adherence. Community care workers are essential in linking clients to clinics and hospitals and to promote the appropriate use of medical services, although this effort frequently necessitated consumption of their own personal resources. Therefore, risk protection strategies are urgently needed so as to ensure sustainability of the current work performed by HBC organizations and the CCW volunteers.

Community care workers, poor referral networks and consumption of personal resources in rural South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Sips, Ilona; Haeri Mazanderani, Ahmad; Schneider, Helen; Greeff, Minrie; Barten, Francoise; Moshabela, Mosa

2014-01-01

Although home-based care (HBC) programs are widely implemented throughout Africa, their success depends on the existence of an enabling environment, including a referral system and supply of essential commodities. The objective of this study was to explore the current state of client referral patterns and practices by community care workers (CCWs), in an evolving environment of one rural South African sub-district. Using a participant triangulation approach, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 17 CCWs, 32 HBC clients and 32 primary caregivers (PCGs). An open-ended interview guide was used for data collection. Participants were selected from comprehensive lists of CCWs and their clients, using a diversified criterion-based sampling method. Three independent researchers coded three sets of data - CCWs, Clients and PCGs, for referral patterns and practices of CCWs. Referrals from clinics and hospitals to HBC occurred infrequently, as only eight (25%) of the 32 clients interviewed were formally referred. Community care workers showed high levels of commitment and personal investment in supporting their clients to use the formal health care system. They went to the extent of using their own personal resources. Seven CCWs used their own money to ensure client access to clinics, and eight gave their own food to ensure treatment adherence. Community care workers are essential in linking clients to clinics and hospitals and to promote the appropriate use of medical services, although this effort frequently necessitated consumption of their own personal resources. Therefore, risk protection strategies are urgently needed so as to ensure sustainability of the current work performed by HBC organizations and the CCW volunteers.

Cultural Differences in Opportunity Cost Consideration.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ning; Ji, Li-Jun; Li, Ye

2017-01-01

Two studies were conducted to investigate cultural differences in opportunity cost consideration between Chinese and Euro-Canadians. Opportunity cost is defined as the cost of a benefit that must be forgone in order to pursue a better alternative (Becker et al., 1974). In both studies, participants read about hypothetical purchase scenarios, and then decided whether they would buy a certain product. Opportunity cost consideration was measured in two ways: (1) participants' thoughts pertaining to other (nonfocal) products while making decisions; (2) participants' decisions not to buy a focal product (Study 1) or a more expensive product (Study 2). Across both indexes, we found that after controlling for individual difference variables and amount of pocket money, Chinese participants in China considered financial opportunity cost more than Euro-Canadians in Study 1. Similar results were observed in Study 2 when comparing Chinese in Canada with Euro-Canadians However, the cultural effect on opportunity cost consideration was confounded by family income in Study 2. Implications for resource management, limitations of the current research and directions for future research are discussed.

Ecological Footprint Analysis Based on Changing Food Consumption in a Poorly Developed Area of China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lin Zhen

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The per capita ecological footprint (EF is a useful tool to compare consumption with nature's ability to support this consumption. Guyuan is an economically impoverished region in China, where EF provides important insights into whether human consumption can be sustained by the local per capita biological capacity (BC, which represents the environment’s ability to support resource use. We estimated the EF of food consumption using local equivalence and yield factors, and compared EF in 1998 and 2013 with BC, which represented the existing biologically productive area (including cultivated land, grassland, forest, and water bodies that supports this consumption. Data were collected from household surveys, government statistics, and land use maps. We found that food consumption changed, with decreasing consumption of staple foods and increasing consumption of meat, eggs, milk, edible oils, fruit, and vegetables. Decreased staple food consumption decreased the EF for this food group, but the large increase in meat consumption greatly increased EF from meat production (to more than 41 times the 1998 value. Cultivated land contributed greatly to both EF and BC, and staple foods and vegetables were the main EF components for this land. Overall, EF from food consumption decreased from 1998 to 2013, but local BC remained 188,356 ha below EF (i.e., current consumption is not sustainable based on local resources. The Grain for Green program, which focuses on increasing the BC of forest and grassland by replacing degraded cultivated land with these land use types, decreased the BC of cultivated land, leading to wide spatial variation in both EF and BC. These results will inform policy development by revealing the condition of each region’s use of the locally available production resources.

Market Opportunities for Cellulose Products From Combined Renewable Resources

Science.gov (United States)

Zihare, Lauma; Blumberga, Dagnija

2017-05-01

This study investigates available resources that has not been used or is used with low added value, such as woody crops, forest residues and invasive species possibilities in case of cellulosic products. Main aspect is this study is market outlook, to see if the products can have positive market sales if produced. Resource have been selected by availability and current usage and properties they contain. Products have been chosen the most basic, to see is there possibility to enter an existing cellulose product markets. GE/McKinsey matrix have been used for clear visual decision making. The results show that only two out of seven products has a potential in international market.

Application and opportunities of pulses in food system: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Asif, Muhammad; Rooney, Lloyd W; Ali, Rashida; Riaz, Mian N

2013-01-01

Pulses are highly nutritious seeds of pod-bearing leguminous plants, specifically dry peas, lentils, and chickpeas. US farmers harvest about 2.6 million pounds of pulses every year but 75% of this is being exported internationally because of its increased consumption in the developing countries. In the current scenario, increasing costs of production, bad economy, and fluctuating food commodity prices have made a strong case for US producers to seek opportunities to increase domestic consumption of pulses through value-added products. Pulses are the richest sources of plant proteins and provide approximately 10% of the total dietary requirements of the proteins world over. Pulses are also high in dietary fibers and complex carbohydrates leading to low GI (glycemic index) foods. Pulses help to lower cholesterol and triglycerides as leguminous fibers are hypoglycosuria because of consisting more amylose than amylopectin. Pulses provide tremendous opportunities to be utilized in the processed foods such as bakery products, bread, pasta, snack foods, soups, cereal bar filing, tortillas, meat, etc. These show excellent opportunities in frozen dough foods either as added flour or as fillings. Pulses in view of their nutrient profile, seem to be ideal for inclusion in designing snack foods, baby, and sports foods.

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

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

曾绍伦

2005-01-01

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

Measuring and evaluating energy consumption in street lighting networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Janiga, P.; Gasparovsky, D.

2012-01-01

Smart metering and smart grid are incoming technologies that provide new opportunities in various fields. In connection with the issue of evaluation of the energy aspects of public lighting networks opens up the possibility of evaluating and measuring consumption. Based on the obtained values would be possible to determine energy consumption of lighting systems. This obtained value could serve as a basis for comparing the relevant networks and thus the optimality assessment of lighting designs. Currently, the measure placed in the switchboard of public lighting. If we have considered sections parametramim same lighting, it is necessary to obtain more value from the measured or determined to assess the consumption of time. Proposal of such methods is still under construction but the basic methods have already been outlined. (Authors)

Evaluation of Water Resources Carrying Capacity in Shandong Province Based on Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhao Qiang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Water resources carrying capacity is the maximum available water resources supporting by the social and economic development. Based on investigating and statisticing on the current situation of water resources in Shandong Province, this paper selects 13 factors including per capita water resources, water resources utilization, water supply modulus, rainfall, per capita GDP, population density, per capita water consumption, water consumption per million yuan, The water consumption of industrial output value, the agricultural output value of farmland, the irrigation rate of cultivated land, the water consumption rate of ecological environment and the forest coverage rate were used as the evaluation factors. Then,the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model was used to analyze the water resources carrying capacity Force status evaluation. The results showed : The comprehensive evaluation results of water resources in Shandong Province were lower than 0.6 in 2001-2009 and higher than 0.6 in 2010-2015, which indicating that the water resources carrying capacity of Shandong Province has been improved.; In addition, most of the years a value of less than 0.6, individual years below 0.4, the interannual changes are relatively large, from that we can see the level of water resources is generally weak, the greater the interannual changes in Shandong Province.

Sustainable consumption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Prothero, Andrea; Dobscha, Susan; Freund, Jim

2011-01-01

This essay explores sustainable consumption and considers possible roles for marketing and consumer researchers and public policy makers in addressing the many sustainability challenges that pervade our planet. Future research approaches to this interdisciplinary topic need to be comprehensive...... and systematic and will benefit from a variety of different perspectives. There are a number of opportunities for future research, and three areas are explored in detail. First, the essay considers the inconsistency between the attitudes and behaviors of consumers with respect to sustainability; next, the agenda...... is broadened to explore the role of individual citizens in society; and finally, a macro institutional approach to fostering sustainability is explored. Each of these areas is examined in detail and possible research avenues and public policy initiatives are considered within each of these separate...

Robot-Beacon Distributed Range-Only SLAM for Resource-Constrained Operation.

Science.gov (United States)

Torres-González, Arturo; Martínez-de Dios, Jose Ramiro; Ollero, Anibal

2017-04-20

This work deals with robot-sensor network cooperation where sensor nodes (beacons) are used as landmarks for Range-Only (RO) Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM). Most existing RO-SLAM techniques consider beacons as passive devices disregarding the sensing, computational and communication capabilities with which they are actually endowed. SLAM is a resource-demanding task. Besides the technological constraints of the robot and beacons, many applications impose further resource consumption limitations. This paper presents a scalable distributed RO-SLAM scheme for resource-constrained operation. It is capable of exploiting robot-beacon cooperation in order to improve SLAM accuracy while meeting a given resource consumption bound expressed as the maximum number of measurements that are integrated in SLAM per iteration. The proposed scheme combines a Sparse Extended Information Filter (SEIF) SLAM method, in which each beacon gathers and integrates robot-beacon and inter-beacon measurements, and a distributed information-driven measurement allocation tool that dynamically selects the measurements that are integrated in SLAM, balancing uncertainty improvement and resource consumption. The scheme adopts a robot-beacon distributed approach in which each beacon participates in the selection, gathering and integration in SLAM of robot-beacon and inter-beacon measurements, resulting in significant estimation accuracies, resource-consumption efficiency and scalability. It has been integrated in an octorotor Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) and evaluated in 3D SLAM outdoor experiments. The experimental results obtained show its performance and robustness and evidence its advantages over existing methods.

Contextualizing Embodied Resources in Global Food Trade

Science.gov (United States)

MacDonald, G. K.; Brauman, K. A.; Sun, S.; West, P. C.; Carlson, K. M.; Cassidy, E. S.; Gerber, J. S.; Ray, D. K.

2014-12-01

Trade in agricultural commodities has created increasingly complex linkages between resource use and food supplies across national borders. Understanding the degree to which food production and consumption relies on trade is vital to understanding how to sustainably meet growing food demands across scales. We use detailed bilateral trade statistics and data on agricultural management to examine the land use and water consumption embodied in agricultural trade, which we relate to basic nutritional indicators to show how trade contributes to food availability worldwide. Agricultural trade carries enough calories to provide >1.7 billion people a basic diet each year. We identify key commodities and producer-consumer relationships that disproportionately contribute to embodied resource use and flows of food nutrition at the global scale. For example, just 15 disproportionately large soybean trades comprised ~10% the total harvested area embodied in export production. We conclude by framing these results in terms of the fraction of each country's food production and consumption that is linked to international trade. These findings help to characterize how countries allocate resources to domestic versus foreign food demand.

Renewable Resources, Capital Accumulation, and Economic Growth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei-Bin Zhang

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a dynamic economic model with physical capital and renewable resources. Different from most of the neoclassical growth models with renewable resources which are based on microeconomic foundation and neglect physical capital accumulation, this study proposes a growth model with dynamics of renewable resources and physical capital accumulation. The model is a synthesis of the neoclassical growth theory and the traditional dynamic models of renewable resources with an alternative approach to household behavior. The model describes a dynamic interdependence among physical accumulation, resource change, and division of labor under perfect competition. Because of its refined economic structure, our study enables some interactions among economic variables which are not found in the existing literature on economic growth with renewable resources. We simulate the model to demonstrate the existence of equilibrium points and motion of the dynamic system. Our comparative dynamic analysis shows, for instance, that a rise in the propensity to consume the renewable resource increases the interest rate and reduces the national and production sector’s capital stocks, wage rate and level of the consumption good. Moreover, it initially reduces and then increases the capital stocks of the resource sector and the consumption and price of the renewable resource. The stock of the renewable resource is initially increased and then reduced. Finally, labor is redistributed from the production to the resource sector.

Ecological footprint accounting for energy and resource in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, B.; Chen, G.Q.; Yang, Z.F.; Jiang, M.M.

2007-01-01

Resource consumption of the Chinese society from 1981 to 2001 is represented by ecological footprint (EF) as an aggregate indicator. The debate, advances and implications of EF are investigated in detail. EF intensity is also provided to depict the resource consumption level corresponding to unit economic output. The results show that the EF per capita always exceeded the biocapacity and the EF intensity increased steadily over the study period. In addition, sectoral analysis for each EF component is also conducted. The appropriation in the global ecological sense of Chinese society with the second largest energy consumption in the world is therefore quantified and evaluated

Natural gas cost for evaluating energy resource opportunities at Fort Stewart

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stucky, D.J.; Shankle, S.A.

1993-01-01

Ft. Stewart, a United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) installation located near Hinesville, Georgia, is currently undergoing an evaluation of its energy usage, which is being performed by Pacific Northwest Laboratory. In order to examine the energy resource opportunities (EROs) at Ft. Stewart, marginal fuel costs must be calculated. The marginal, or avoided, cost of gas service is used in conjunction with the estimated energy savings of an ERO to calculate the dollar value of those savings. In the case of natural gas, the costing becomes more complicated due to the installation of a propane-air mixing station. The propane-air station is being built under a shared energy savings (SES) contract. The building of a propane-air station allows Ft. Stewart to purchase natural gas from their local utility at an interruptible rate, which is lower than the rate for contracting natural gas on a firm basis. The propane-air station will also provide Ft. Stewart with fuel in the event that the natural gas supply is curtailed. While the propane-air station does not affect the actual cost of natural gas, it does affect the cost of services provided by gas. Because the propane-air station and the SES contract affect the cost of gas service, they must be included in the analysis. Our analysis indicates a marginal cost of gas service of 30.0 cents per therm, assuming a total propane usage by the mixing station of 42,278 gallons (38,600 therms) annually. Because the amount of propane that may be required in the event of a curtailment is small relative to the total service requirement, variations in the actual amount should not significantly affect the cost per therm.

Natural gas cost for evaluating energy resource opportunities at Fort Stewart

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stucky, D.J.; Shankle, S.A.

1993-01-01

Ft. Stewart, a United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) installation located near Hinesville, Georgia, is currently undergoing an evaluation of its energy usage, which is being performed by Pacific Northwest Laboratory. In order to examine the energy resource opportunities (EROs) at Ft. Stewart, marginal fuel costs must be calculated. The marginal, or avoided, cost of gas service is used in conjunction with the estimated energy savings of an ERO to calculate the dollar value of those savings. In the case of natural gas, the costing becomes more complicated due to the installation of a propane-air mixing station. The propane-air station is being built under a shared energy savings (SES) contract. The building of a propane-air station allows Ft. Stewart to purchase natural gas from their local utility at an interruptible rate, which is lower than the rate for contracting natural gas on a firm basis. The propane-air station will also provide Ft. Stewart with fuel in the event that the natural gas supply is curtailed. While the propane-air station does not affect the actual cost of natural gas, it does affect the cost of services provided by gas. Because the propane-air station and the SES contract affect the cost of gas service, they must be included in the analysis. Our analysis indicates a marginal cost of gas service of 30.0 cents per therm, assuming a total propane usage by the mixing station of 42,278 gallons (38,600 therms) annually. Because the amount of propane that may be required in the event of a curtailment is small relative to the total service requirement, variations in the actual amount should not significantly affect the cost per therm

Mobilization strategy to overcome global crisis of water consumption

Science.gov (United States)

Suzdaleva, Antonina; Goryunova, Svetlana; Marchuk, Aleksey; Borovkov, Valery

2017-10-01

Today, the global water consumption crisis is one of the main threats that can disrupt socio-economic and environmental conditions of life of the majority of the world’s population. The water consumption mobilization strategy is based on the idea of increasing the available water resources. The main direction for the implementation of this strategy is the construction of anti-rivers - the systems for inter-basin (interregional) water resources redistribution. Antirivers are intended for controlled redistribution of water resources from regions with their catastrophic excess to regions with their critical shortage. The creation of anti-rivers, taking into account the requirements of environmental safety, will form large-scale managed natural- engineering systems and implement the principle of sustainable development adopted by the United Nations. The aim of the article is to substantiate a new methodological approach to address the problem, where the implementation of this approach can prevent large-scale humanitarian and environmental disasters expected in the coming years.

75 FR 4901 - Notice of Projects Approved for Consumptive Uses of Water

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-29

... 2, 2009. 30. EOG Resources, Inc., Pad ID: Ward M 1H, ABR-20090421.1, Springfield Township, Bradford....; Consumptive Use of up to 4.990 mgd; Approval Date: December 29, 2009. 65. EOG Resources, Inc., Pad ID: Kenyon...

Energy Consumption Management of Virtual Cloud Computing Platform

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Lin

2017-11-01

For energy consumption management research on virtual cloud computing platforms, energy consumption management of virtual computers and cloud computing platform should be understood deeper. Only in this way can problems faced by energy consumption management be solved. In solving problems, the key to solutions points to data centers with high energy consumption, so people are in great need to use a new scientific technique. Virtualization technology and cloud computing have become powerful tools in people’s real life, work and production because they have strong strength and many advantages. Virtualization technology and cloud computing now is in a rapid developing trend. It has very high resource utilization rate. In this way, the presence of virtualization and cloud computing technologies is very necessary in the constantly developing information age. This paper has summarized, explained and further analyzed energy consumption management questions of the virtual cloud computing platform. It eventually gives people a clearer understanding of energy consumption management of virtual cloud computing platform and brings more help to various aspects of people’s live, work and son on.

15 CFR 970.603 - Conservation of resources.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... the future opportunity for the commercial recovery of the unrecovered balance of the hard mineral... the future opportunity for commercial recovery of the unrecovered balance of hard mineral resources... order to develop information needed for future decisions during commercial recovery, NOAA will include...

Process-based investigation of cross-boundary environmental pressure from urban household consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Dewei; Lin, Yanjie; Gao, Lijie; Sun, Yanwei; Wang, Run; Zhang, Guoqin

2013-01-01

Sustainability research at the city scale is increasingly focusing on urban household consumption in the context of global climate change. We use a complementary emergy accounting (EMA) and carbon footprint accounting (CFA) method to investigate the environmental pressure generated by household consumption in Xiamen, China. We distinguish between the resource extraction, consumption and disposal stages within an urban spatial conceptual framework, comprising the Urban Footprint Region (UFR) and Urban Sprawl Region (USR), and analyze five environmental footprint categories associated with cross-boundary household emergy and carbon flows. Cross-boundary activities, which link the USR with its UFR, contributed nearly 90% of total emergy and 70% of total GHG emissions in CFA. Transport fuel, building materials and food contribute most to environmental pressure in both EMA and CFA. The results indicate a significant cross-boundary resource burden and environmental footprint associated with household activities. The employed framework, method, and scope challenge the conventional spatial boundary of the urban system, and the results have important policy implications for urban sustainability and cross-boundary environmental management. - Highlights: ► We propose an urban spatial conceptual framework that includes USR and UFRs. ► A complementary EMA and CFA method is employed in urban household consumption system. ► Process-based cross-boundary environmental pressure of household consumption are evaluated. ► USR exerts pressure on its UFRs by extensive resource extraction and environmental emissions. ► We elucidate the USR–UFR environmental relationships and household energy policy

Energy Resource Planning. Optimal utilization of energy resources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miclescu, T.; Domschke, W.; Bazacliu, G.; Dumbrava, V.

1996-01-01

For a thermal power plants system, the primary energy resources cost constitutes a significant percentage of the total system operational cost. Therefore a small percentage saving in primary energy resource allocation cost for a long term, often turns out to be a significant monetary value. In recent years, with a rapidly changing fuel supply situation, including the impact of energy policies changing, this area has become extremely sensitive. Natural gas availability has been restricted in many areas, coal production and transportation cost have risen while productivity has decreased, oil imports have increased and refinery capacity failed to meet demand. The paper presents a mathematical model and a practical procedure to solve the primary energy resource allocation. The objectives is to minimise the total energy cost over the planning period subject to constraints with regards to primary energy resource, transportation and energy consumption. Various aspects of the proposed approach are discussed, and its application to a power system is illustrated.(author) 2 figs., 1 tab., 3 refs

Breakfast barriers and opportunities for children living in a Dutch disadvantaged neighbourhood

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kleef, van Ellen; Vingerhoeds, Monique H.; Vrijhof, Milou; Trijp, van Hans C.M.

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to explore parents', children's, and experts' beliefs and experiences about breakfast motivation, opportunity, and ability and elicit their thoughts on effective interventions to encourage healthy breakfast consumption. The setting was a disadvantaged neighbourhood

Evaluation of crop production, trade, and consumption from the perspective of water resources: a case study of the Hetao irrigation district, China, for 1960-2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jing; Sun, Shikun; Wu, Pute; Wang, Yubao; Zhao, Xining

2015-02-01

The integration of water footprints and virtual water flows allows the mapping of the links between production, trade, and consumption and could potentially help to alleviate water scarcity and improve water management. We evaluated the water footprints and virtual water flows of crop production, consumption, and trade and their influencing factors in the Hetao irrigation district in China for 1960-2010. The water footprint of crop production and the export of virtual water fluctuated but tended to increase during this period and were influenced mainly by agricultural factors such as crop yield, irrigation efficiency, and area sown. The water footprint of crop consumption and the import of virtual water increased during 1960-1979 and decreased during 1980-2010 and were influenced by socio-economic factors such as total population, the retail-price index, and the proportion of the population in urban areas. Most of the water footprint of production was exported to other areas, which added to the pressure on local water systems. The import of virtual water led to a saving of water for the Hetao irrigation district, while its share of the water footprint of consumption has decreased significantly since 1977. An increase in irrigation efficiency can alleviate water scarcity, and its application should be coupled with measures that constrain the continued expansion of agriculture. Full-cost pricing of irrigation water was an effective policy tool for its management. Re-shaping regional water-production and water-trade nexuses by changing crop structures could provide alternative opportunities for addressing the problems of local water scarcity, but the trade-offs involved should first be assessed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Overview of energy demand and opportunities for conservation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Graham, P. J.

1977-10-15

The widespread practice of conservation could make a substantial reduction in the rate of growth of demand and hence in the rate at which resources need to be developed and consumed. An attempt is not made to show that conservation is an alternative to increasing energy supply. After reviewing the consumption of energy before the 1973 energy crisis, the main features of conservation which have brought it to the forefront of energy policy are examined. Some information on present consumption patterns in New Zealand is presented.

Detroit's Fight for Equal Educational Opportunity.

Science.gov (United States)

Zwerdling, A. L.

To meet the challenge of equal educational opportunity, current methods of public school finance must be revised. The present financial system, based on State equalization of local property tax valuation, is inequitable since it results in many school districts, particularly those in large cities, having inadequate resources to meet extraordinary…

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRIMARY ENERGY CONSUMPTION, PRODUCTION AND GROSS DOMESTIC INCOME (GDP IN TURKEY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ÖZGE KORKMAZ

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The ability to reach a sustainable economic growth of countries initially depends on the usage of energy resources efficiently. But an unequal  distribution of energy resources in the world increases the dependency on energy in countries which have insufficient energy resources such as Turkey. Therefore, it has a great importance to analyze the share of imported energy resources for economic growth. The correlation between energy consumption and changes in gross domestic product, increases the importance of energy policies while determining  the economical policies of countries. In this study, the causality relationship between energy consumption, energy generation  and GDP in Turkey are examined using annual data for the period 1960-2009. Johansen Cointegration Causality Test and Vector Error Correction Mechanism (VECM is used for this study. Empirical results for the period under discussion there is a relationship between the variables and error correction mechanism based on long-term Granger causality test. It showed that  bileteral causality  with the energy consumption to GDP.

Stimulating fuelwood consumption through public policies: An assessment of economic and resource impacts based on the French Forest Sector Model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caurla, Sylvain; Delacote, Philippe; Lecocq, Franck; Barkaoui, Ahmed

2013-01-01

Stimulating renewable energy is a crucial objective in view of tackling climate change and coping with future fossil fuel scarcity. In France, fuelwood appears to be an important source for the renewable energy mix. Using the French Forest Sector Model, our paper aims to assess the impacts of three policy options to stimulate fuelwood consumption: a consumer subsidy, a producer subsidy and a fixed-demand contract policy. We explored their impacts in terms of five groups of criteria: (1) forest resource dynamics; (2) variations in wood products prices and quantities consumed and produced; (3) trade balance; (4) budgetary costs; and (5) variations in agent surpluses. We show that no policy option is more desirable than another on the basis of all of these criteria and that trade-offs will determine which is the best policy option to be implemented. - Highlights: • We compare the bio-economic impacts of policies to boost fuelwood consumption in France. • We simulate a producer subsidy, a consumer subsidy and fixed public demand contracts. • We explore their impacts until 2020 with a dynamic model of the forest sector. • Producer subsidy reduces the trade balance deficit and decreases forest stock. • Consumer subsidy increases consumer welfare and public contracts reduce budgetary costs

Water footprint of European cars: potential impacts of water consumption along automobile life cycles.

Science.gov (United States)

Berger, Markus; Warsen, Jens; Krinke, Stephan; Bach, Vanessa; Finkbeiner, Matthias

2012-04-03

Due to global increase of freshwater scarcity, knowledge about water consumption in product life cycles is important. This study analyzes water consumption and the resulting impacts of Volkswagen's car models Polo, Golf, and Passat and represents the first application of impact-oriented water footprint methods on complex industrial products. Freshwater consumption throughout the cars' life cycles is allocated to material groups and assigned to countries according to import mix shares or location of production sites. Based on these regionalized water inventories, consequences for human health, ecosystems, and resources are determined by using recently developed impact assessment methods. Water consumption along the life cycles of the three cars ranges from 52 to 83 m(3)/car, of which more than 95% is consumed in the production phase, mainly resulting from producing iron, steel, precious metals, and polymers. Results show that water consumption takes place in 43 countries worldwide and that only 10% is consumed directly at Volkswagen's production sites. Although impacts on health tend to be dominated by water consumption in South Africa and Mozambique, resulting from the production of precious metals and aluminum, consequences for ecosystems and resources are mainly caused by water consumption of material production in Europe.

Uranium: which resources for tomorrow?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouisset, P.; Polak, Ch.; Milesi, J.P.

2009-01-01

The authors give an overview of the current uranium world mine production and indicate the consumption predictions by 2030 as well as the share of high grade and low grade deposits in the world production. They outline the challenges for future production: production costs of new mines, technological development for the identification of new resources, technological development of new, innovating and cost saving processes, and new exploration processes. They indicate and comment assessments made by the IAEA regarding conventional and non-conventional resources, i.e. reasonably assured resources and resources where uranium is a by-product

Billboard advertising: an avenue for communicating healthcare information and opportunities to disadvantaged populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Elrod, James K; Fortenberry, John L

2017-12-13

Healthcare communications directed toward the disadvantaged have the potential to elevate the health status of these underprivileged and highly-challenged individuals. From conveying advice which encourages healthy lifestyles to communicating the location and availability of various medical resources, healthier lives and communities can be realized. Success on this front first requires establishing an effective communications link, something that is made more difficult as communications options available to the disadvantaged are more limited than those available to advantaged populations. One avenue which shows exceptional promise for successfully engaging the disadvantaged is that of billboard advertising. Willis-Knighton Health System's experiences and insights indicate that the characteristics and qualities of billboards, paired with the environmental circumstances typically faced by the less fortunate, create unique combinations which amplify consumption of billboard advertising content. Further, research suggests that the less privileged place greater reliance on the medium than do their more privileged counterparts, escalating the value and impact potential of billboard advertising directed toward the disadvantaged. Given the value afforded by health and wellness information successfully reaching the disadvantaged, opportunities to better distribute content to targeted audiences could very well improve community health. Billboard advertising appears to be well suited to engage the less fortunate, providing a productive pathway for the conveyance of helpful, supportive details, yielding healthier populations, enhanced opportunities, and better communities.

Second best pricing policies for an exhaustible resource

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hanson, D.A.

1977-02-01

In the theory of exhaustible resources, the classical result, originally derived by Harold Hotelling (J. Polit. Econ., 39: 137-75 (1931)) is that the scarcity rent of the resource must increase at the rate of interest. The scarcity rent is the market price of the resource less extraction costs. At the depletion time, the market price must be equal either to the zero demand price or the cost of a perfect substitute, assuming no adjustment costs in switching to the substitute. The substitute may be either a natural resource with a higher extraction cost or a backstop technology. The Hotelling result is a price equilibrium condition in a competitive asset market (Solow, Amer. Econ. Rev. Proc., 64: 1-14 (1974)). It is also an efficiency condition for allocating the resource over time in a first best world. However, Solow raises the possibility that constraints creating a wedge between interest rates may be important considerations in the resource allocation problem. In a second-best world it is not at all clear how fast the scarcity rent of the resource should increase from a social viewpoint. However, for one simple case the analysis of this problem is straightforward. Suppose consumption is determined by a Keynesian consumption function with marginal propensity to consume (1 - s); s is marginal propensity to save. With consumption determined in this behavioral manner, savings may be inadequate to reduce the market interest rate to the point where it is equal to the social rate of time preference. It is argued here that for this case the scarcity rent of the resource should increase at a rate equal to a weighted combination of these two interest rates.

Reducing LTE Uplink Transmission Energy by Allocating Resources

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauridsen, Mads; Jensen, Anders Riis; Mogensen, Preben

2011-01-01

The effect of physical resource block (PRB) allocation on an LTE modem's transmit power and total modem energy consumption is examined. In this paper the uplink resource blocks are scheduled in either a Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) or Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) manner......, to determine if low transmission power & long transmission time or high transmission power & short transmission time is most energy efficient. It is important to minimize the LTE modem's energy consumption caused by uplink transmission because it affects phone battery time, and because researchers rarely focus...

Energy Savings Potential and Research & Development Opportunities for Commercial Refrigeration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

none,

2009-09-01

This study documents the energy consumption of commercial refrigeration equipment (CRE) in the U.S. and evaluated the energy savings potential of various technologies and energy efficiency measures that could be applied to such equipment. The study provided an overview of CRE applications, assessed the energy-savings potential of CRE in the U.S., outline key barriers to adoption of energy-savings technologies, and recommended opportunities for advanced energy saving technology research. The study was modeled after an earlier 1996 report by Arthur D. Little, Inc., and updated key information, examined more equipment types, and outlined long-term research and development opportunities.

Polygeneration and efficient use of natural resources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Serra, Luis M.; Lozano, Miguel-Angel; Ramos, Jose [GITSE-I3A, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Zaragoza, CPS de Ingenieros, Maria de Luna, 3, 5018 Zaragoza (Spain); Ensinas, Adriano V.; Nebra, Silvia A. [Energy Department, State University of Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecanica, Cidade Universitaria Zeferino Vaz-Barao Geraldo, Campinas (Brazil)

2009-05-15

The consumption of natural resources has been increasing continuously during recent decades, due to the growing demand caused by both the economic and the demographic rise of global population. Environmental overloads that endanger the survival of our civilization and the sustainability of current life support systems are caused by the increased consumption of natural resources - particularly water and energy - which are essential for life and for the socio-economic development of societies. While not yet well utilized, process integration and polygeneration are promising tools which reach the double objective of increasing the efficiency of natural resources, and also minimizing the environmental impact. This paper discusses the concepts of polygeneration and energy integration and various examples of polygeneration systems: (i) sugar and energy production in a sugarcane factory; (ii) district heating and cooling with natural gas cogeneration engines and (iii) combined production of water and energy. It is clearly evident that polygeneration systems which include appropriate process integration significantly increase the efficient use of natural resources. (author)

Environmental and resource burdens associated with world biofuel production out to 2050: footprint components from carbon emissions and land use to waste arisings and water consumption

OpenAIRE

Hammond, Geoffrey P.; Li, Bo

2016-01-01

Abstract Environmental or ?ecological? footprints have been widely used in recent years as indicators of resource consumption and waste absorption presented in terms of biologically productive land area [in global hectares (gha)] required per capita with prevailing technology. In contrast, ?carbon footprints? are the amount of carbon (or carbon dioxide equivalent) emissions for such activities in units of mass or weight (like kilograms per functional unit), but can be translated into a compon...

Opportunities and challenges for emerging nuclear power states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nkong-Njock, V.; Facer, R.I.; Boussaha, A.

2009-01-01

Energy and reliable access to energy sources are essential to economic and social development and improved quality of life. However, limited access to modern energy still remains one of the major constraints to socio-economic development in many parts in the world. On the other hand, energy production, distribution and consumption may have many adverse effects on the local, regional and global environment including climate change. Production and consumption of fossil fuels constitutes the main source of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). Cleaner and affordable energy systems are therefore needed to address all of these effects and to contribute to environmental sustainability. Nuclear power is a proven technology with virtually no greenhouse gas emissions or emission of pollutants, and therefore is expected to play an increasing role in meeting this rapidly growing global requirements for clean and economic electricity. But, it is known that challenges and opportunities are polarities, and as opposite poles of the magnet, they do not exist separately. An opportunity for some can be a challenge for others, or a challenge today can become an opportunity tomorrow. The potential growth of nuclear power has increased, in some quarters, concern that nonproliferation should be given sufficient attention. In particular, since introduction of many new power reactors will require increased uranium enrichment services, with the potential proliferation risk of adding enrichment facilities in new countries. This has urged the international community to strongly support the development of safeguarded and well-regulated nuclear power around the world, with the aim to ensure that nuclear power is deployed through a commitment to the highest possible standards of nuclear safety, security, and non-proliferation. The keys issues and trends for nuclear power expansion include therefore problems related to (i) safety, security and reliability, (ii) public perception and acceptance, (iii

Challenges and Opportunities in Scaling-Up Nutrition in Healthcare

OpenAIRE

Darnton-Hill, Ian; Samman, Samir

2015-01-01

Healthcare continues to be in a state of flux; conventionally, this provides opportunities and challenges. The opportunities include technological breakthroughs, improved economies and increasing availability of healthcare. On the other hand, economic disparities are increasing and leading to differing accessibility to healthcare, including within affluent countries. Nutrition has received an increase in attention and resources in recent decades, a lot of it stimulated by the rise in obesity,...

Patients' education, and its impact on care outcomes, resource consumption and working conditions: data from the International Diabetes Management Practices Study (IDMPS).

Science.gov (United States)

Gagliardino, J J; Aschner, P; Baik, S H; Chan, J; Chantelot, J M; Ilkova, H; Ramachandran, A

2012-04-01

To evaluate the impact of diabetes education provided to patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in non-controlled studies ("real-world conditions") on quality of care, resource consumption and conditions of employment. This cross-sectional study and longitudinal follow-up describe the data (demographic and socioeconomic profiles, clinical characteristics, treatment of hyperglycaemia and associated cardiovascular risk factors, resource consumption) collected during the second phase (2006) of the International Diabetes Management Practices Study (IDMPS). Patients received diabetes education directly from the practice nurse, dietitian or educator, or were referred to ad hoc group-education programmes; all programmes emphasized healthy lifestyle changes, self-care and active participation in disease control and treatment. Educated vs non-educated T2DM patients (n=5692 in each group), paired by age, gender and diabetes duration, were randomly recruited for the IDMPS by participating primary-care physicians from 27 countries in Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa. Outcome measures included clinical (body weight, height, waist circumference, blood pressure, foot evaluation), metabolic (HbA(1c) levels, blood lipid profile) and biochemical control measures. Treatment goals were defined according to American Diabetes Association guidelines. T2DM patients' education significantly improved the percentage of patients achieving target values set by international guidelines. Educated patients increased their insulin use and self-care performance, had a lower rate of chronic complications and a modest increase in cost of care, and probably higher salaries and slightly better productivity. Diabetes education is an efficient tool for improving care outcomes without having a major impact on healthcare costs. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Energy consumption behavior in the commercial sector: An ethnographic analysis of utility bill information and customer comprehension in the workplace

Science.gov (United States)

Payne, Christopher Todd

The commercial and industrial sectors of the United States compose roughly one-third of total United States energy consumption. Many studies have suggested that significant cost-effective energy savings opportunities exist in this sector, but there is a gap between predictions of potential and actual investment in energy-efficient technologies. Very few studies have been conducted to examine the decision-making environment of the business sector. In particular, there is essentially no information about how small-business decision-makers make choices about energy consumption. My research is intended to begin the process of understanding this important arena of energy consumption behavior. Using semi-structured interview techniques, I interviewed forty-four businesses in ten states. The focus of the interviews was the business decision-maker's handling and use of the utility bill---the main (often sole) piece of information that links energy consumption to cost. Through the interviews, I collected information about how utility bills are understood and misunderstood, what components of the bill are seen as useful or confusing, and how energy consumption was seen in the context of larger business decision-making. In addition, I collected data on two forms of energy consumption feedback: historic consumption feedback, in which informants compared their current energy use to patterns of their own energy consumption over time; and group comparison consumption feedback, in which informants compared their energy consumption to the consumption of a group of similar energy consumers. Finally, I collected data on sources of information to which decision-makers turned when they wanted to seek more information about energy consumption alternatives. Overall, my findings suggest that the current utility bill format is often misunderstood. In many cases, particularly in the small-business and medium-size-business categories, the link between energy consumption and energy cost is

Status and future perspectives of energy consumption and its ecological impacts in the Qinghai-Tibet region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ping, Xiaoge [Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101 (China); Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Jiang, Zhigang; Li, Chunwang [Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101 (China)

2011-01-15

Qinghai-Tibet region is a unique geographic zone due to its average altitude of over 4000 m, sparse human population and prevalent pastoral system. However, little is known about the energy consumption in the region. We reviewed current situation of energy consumption and its ecological impacts, outlined future energy prospects in the region. Per capita household energy consumption was about two and three times of the national average in Qinghai and Tibet. Per urban household consumed more energy than rural household in the region. Moreover, the urban households and rural households used different energy resources, natural gas and electricity accounted for 57.57% and 42.29%, respectively in household energy consumption in urban areas while biomass accounted for 79.13% and 94.19% in household energy consumption in rural areas in Qinghai and Tibet in 2007. This region was abundant in renewable energy resources and was among the richest in hydro-power and solar energy resources in China. Hydro-power accounted for 67.88% and 92.04% in total electricity in Qinghai and Tibet in 2007. Population density was rather low in this region (4.35 versus 137.63 persons per 100 hm{sup 2} in Qinghai-Tibet region and China in 2007), thus small photovoltaic power stations and hydro-power plants were more cost-effective than the electricity grid. The overuse of biotic energy resources in rural areas caused decline in soil fertility and desertification. Whereas the low utilization of fossil energy in this region released less waste gas which was beneficial to the local, national and global carbon budgets. Accelerating economic growth and booming tourism have increased energy demand and posed a challenge to the unique ecosystem in the Qinghai-Tibet region. It was estimated that energy consumption of tourism accounted for 6.06% and 14.18% of the total energy consumption in Qinghai and Tibet in 2007. Thus, exploitation of renewable energy resources like solar energy, wind energy and

Status and future perspectives of energy consumption and its ecological impacts in the Qinghai-Tibet region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ping, Xiaoge; Jiang, Zhigang; Li, Chunwang

2011-01-01

Qinghai-Tibet region is a unique geographic zone due to its average altitude of over 4000 m, sparse human population and prevalent pastoral system. However, little is known about the energy consumption in the region. We reviewed current situation of energy consumption and its ecological impacts, outlined future energy prospects in the region. Per capita household energy consumption was about two and three times of the national average in Qinghai and Tibet. Per urban household consumed more energy than rural household in the region. Moreover, the urban households and rural households used different energy resources, natural gas and electricity accounted for 57.57% and 42.29%, respectively in household energy consumption in urban areas while biomass accounted for 79.13% and 94.19% in household energy consumption in rural areas in Qinghai and Tibet in 2007. This region was abundant in renewable energy resources and was among the richest in hydro-power and solar energy resources in China. Hydro-power accounted for 67.88% and 92.04% in total electricity in Qinghai and Tibet in 2007. Population density was rather low in this region (4.35 versus 137.63 persons per 100 hm 2 in Qinghai-Tibet region and China in 2007), thus small photovoltaic power stations and hydro-power plants were more cost-effective than the electricity grid. The overuse of biotic energy resources in rural areas caused decline in soil fertility and desertification. Whereas the low utilization of fossil energy in this region released less waste gas which was beneficial to the local, national and global carbon budgets. Accelerating economic growth and booming tourism have increased energy demand and posed a challenge to the unique ecosystem in the Qinghai-Tibet region. It was estimated that energy consumption of tourism accounted for 6.06% and 14.18% of the total energy consumption in Qinghai and Tibet in 2007. Thus, exploitation of renewable energy resources like solar energy, wind energy and biomass

Opportunities of Bamboo for Industrial Processes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Janssen, J.J.A.; Erkelens, P.A.; Jonge, S. de; Vliet, A.A.M. van

2000-01-01

Bamboo as resource for industrial raw material has many opportunities: It contains a 40 percent cellulose, with a fibre length of 3 to 4 mm, more than wood. This can be used as pulp in the paper industry or as cellulose. The fibres also can be used for fibreboard or for furniture parts. Bamboo

Job Opportunities, Economic Resources, and the Postsecondary Destinations of American Youth

Science.gov (United States)

BOZICK, ROBERT

2009-01-01

Using a nationally representative sample of graduates from the high school class of 2003–2004, I test the warehouse hypothesis, which contends that youth are more likely to leave school and enter the labor force when there are available job opportunities (and vice versa). Using two measures of job opportunities—local unemployment rates and the percentage of local workers employed in jobs that require a bachelor’s degree—I find support for the warehouse hypothesis. In areas where unemployment is low, with ample jobs that do not require a bachelor’s degree, youth have higher odds of entering the labor force. In areas where unemployment is high, with few jobs that require only a high school diploma, youth have higher odds of entering college. The effect of unemployment on enrollment is more pronounced for low-income youth than for high-income youth, with both low- and high-income youth turning to four-year schools rather than two-year schools when job opportunities are limited. PMID:19771941

Estimating the opportunity costs of bed-days.

Science.gov (United States)

Sandmann, Frank G; Robotham, Julie V; Deeny, Sarah R; Edmunds, W John; Jit, Mark

2018-03-01

Opportunity costs of bed-days are fundamental to understanding the value of healthcare systems. They greatly influence burden of disease estimations and economic evaluations involving stays in healthcare facilities. However, different estimation techniques employ assumptions that differ crucially in whether to consider the value of the second-best alternative use forgone, of any available alternative use, or the value of the actually chosen alternative. Informed by economic theory, this paper provides a taxonomic framework of methodologies for estimating the opportunity costs of resources. This taxonomy is then applied to bed-days by classifying existing approaches accordingly. We highlight differences in valuation between approaches and the perspective adopted, and we use our framework to appraise the assumptions and biases underlying the standard approaches that have been widely adopted mostly unquestioned in the past, such as the conventional use of reference costs and administrative accounting data. Drawing on these findings, we present a novel approach for estimating the opportunity costs of bed-days in terms of health forgone for the second-best patient, but expressed monetarily. This alternative approach effectively re-connects to the concept of choice and explicitly considers net benefits. It is broadly applicable across settings and for other resources besides bed-days. © 2017 The Authors Health Economics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Communicative Planning As Institutional Capacity Building: From Discourse/Network To Opportunity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Delik Hudalah

2013-05-01

Full Text Available The paper redefines the ideas about communicative planning as not only participatory and democratic practice but also capacity building oriented toward the improvement of governance styles and consciousness. So far capacity building has focused on the exploitation of social resources internal to actors. These internal resources include knowledge (argumentation, debate, discourse formation etc and relational (network, coalition, alliance etc building. The paper argues that in dealing with very complex planning problems characterized by fragmented and uncertain institutional systems, the internal resources need to be coupled with the exploration of resources external to actors, namely the political opportunity structure and moment of opportunity. The analysis implies that the performance of communicative decision-making process as capacity building can be assessed in three aspects: strategic and inclusive actors’ involvement, the building of actors’ awareness on neglected but important planning issues and agendas, and consistency and deliberation in realizing and delivering agreed planning ideas, frameworks and decisions.

Resource acquisition policy: Multiple account evaluation of electricity resource alternatives [and] resource acquisition strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-06-01

British Columbia Hydro has been directed by the provincial government to develop evaluation procedures to rank electricity resource alternatives in terms of their social benefits and costs, and to acquire resources on the basis of need. The current state of development of social costing at BC Hydro is detailed along with its application to the multiple account evaluation of resources. In this evaluation, BC Hydro's corporate costs, customer cost, transfer payments to the province, direct costs incurred by provincial or regional governments or other Crown agences, direct environmental impact costs from air emissions and land/water use, community and social impact costs, and economic development impacts are taken into account. The BC Hydro resource acquisition strategy is also described as it was developed in response to provincial policy on electricity supply from independent power producers. This strategy includes a determination of need, a decision to acquire need-determined resources either by itself or from a private sector developer, and decisions to acquire resources in advance of need for reasons such as economic opportunity, long-term strategies, or load displacement. Background information is included on calculation of air emissions costs. An illustrative example is provided of the multiple account evaluation of several types of resource projects. 1 fig., 5 tabs

The rapid growth of domestic oil consumption in Saudi Arabia and the opportunity cost of oil exports foregone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gately, Dermot; Al-Yousef, Nourah; Al-Sheikh, Hamad M.H.

2012-01-01

We analyze the rapid growth of Saudi Arabia's domestic oil consumption, a nine-fold increase in 40 years, to nearly 3 million barrels per day, about one-fourth of production. Such rapid growth in consumption – 5.7% annually, which is 37% faster than its income growth of 4.2% – will challenge Saudi Arabia's ability to increase its oil exports, which are relied upon in long-term world oil projections by the International Energy Agency (IEA), US Department of Energy (DOE) and British Petroleum (BP). However, these institutions assume unprecedented slowdowns in Saudi oil consumption – from 5.7% annual growth historically to less than 2% in the future – allowing them to project increases in Saudi oil exports. Using 1971–2010 data, we estimate that the income responsiveness (elasticity) of oil consumption is at least 1.5—using both Ordinary Least Squares regression and Cointegration methods. We believe that continued high growth rates for domestic oil consumption are more likely than the dramatic slowdowns projected by IEA, DOE and BP. This will have major implications for Saudi production and export levels. - Highlights: ► We analyze the rapid growth of Saudi Arabia's domestic oil consumption, now one-fourth of production. ► Estimated income elasticity of oil demand at least 1.5, using OLS and Co-integration. ► Yet IEA, DOE and BP project unprecedented slowdowns, from 5.7% historically to below 2%, half the rate of income growth. ► Continued high growth rates are more likely, with major implications for Saudi production and export levels.

Well-to-Wheels Water Consumption: Tracking the Virtual Flow of Water into Transportation

Science.gov (United States)

Lampert, D. J.; Elgowainy, A.; Hao, C.

2015-12-01

Water and energy resources are fundamental to life on Earth and essential for the production of consumer goods and services in the economy. Energy and water resources are heavily interdependent—energy production consumes water, while water treatment and distribution consume energy. One example of this so-called energy-water nexus is the consumption of water associated with the production of transportation fuels. The Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) model is an analytical tool that can be used to compare the environmental impacts of different transportation fuels on a consistent basis. In this presentation, the expansion of GREET to perform life cycle water accounting or the "virtual flow" of water into transportation and other energy sectors and the associated implications will be discussed. The results indicate that increased usage of alternative fuels may increase freshwater resource consumption. The increased water consumption must be weighed against the benefits of decreased greenhouse gas and fossil energy consumption. Our analysis highlights the importance of regionality, co-product allocation, and consistent system boundaries when comparing the water intensity of alternative transportation fuel production pathways such as ethanol, biodiesel, compressed natural gas, hydrogen, and electricity with conventional petroleum-based fuels such as diesel and gasoline.

Assessment of resources and reserves of hard and brown coal, coal production and consumption in the EU and Poland; Ocena zasobow, wydobycia i zuzycia wegla kamiennego i brunatnego w UE i Polsce

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ney, R. [Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN), Krakow (Poland). Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute

2004-07-01

The paper presents and discusses tables for resources and reserves of hard coal and brown coal for EU member countries and Eastern European countries, for the year 2002. Production and consumption of coal in these countries for the year 2003 are compared. 8 refs., 17 tabs.

Utah Delivers Opportunities for Career Exploration

Science.gov (United States)

Dobson, Kristine; Fischio, Shannon

2006-01-01

Providing information and resources to support career exploration is key to the mission of career and technical education (CTE) in Utah. Utah CTE has responded in a variety of ways to meet the career exploration needs of students of all ages. This article discusses how the career and technical education in Utah delivers opportunities for career…

Market realities: new challenges and opportunities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

The market outlook for the natural gas industry was the focus of discussion at this conference. Presentations included papers on energy and supply forecasting, natural gas supply and demand and market opportunities, growth, economics, and issues in natural gas transportation. Pricing dynamics of these energy resources and the complexities of the energy market were also addressed. tabs., figs

Towards harmonized data interchange in food consumption data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pakkala, H.; Christensen, Tue; Presser, K.

2014-01-01

Food consumption data are collected and used in several fields of science. The data are often combined from various sources and interchanged between different systems. There is, however, no harmonized and widely used data interchange format. In addition, food consumption data are often combined w...... interchange format for food consumption based on work and experiences related to food composition.The aim is that the data interchange format will provide a basis for wider harmonization in the future.......Food consumption data are collected and used in several fields of science. The data are often combined from various sources and interchanged between different systems. There is, however, no harmonized and widely used data interchange format. In addition, food consumption data are often combined...... with other data such as food composition data. In the field of food composition, successful harmonization has recently been achieved by the European Food Information Resource Network, which is now the basis of a standard draft by the European Committee for Standardization. We present an XML-based data...

US Department of Energy Integrated Resource Planning Program: Accomplishments and opportunities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

White, D.L. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States); Mihlmester, P.E. [Aspen Systems Corp., Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

1993-12-17

The US Department of Energy Integrated Resource Planning Program supports many activities and projects that enhance the process by which utilities assess demand and supply options and, subsequently, evaluate and select resources. The US Department of Energy program coordinates integrated resource planning in risk and regulatory analysis; utility and regional planning; evaluation and verification; information transfer/technological assistance; and demand-side management. Professional staff from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, and Pacific Northwest Laboratories collaborate with peers and stakeholders, in particular, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, and conduct research and activities for the US Department of Energy. Twelve integrated resource planning activities and projects are summarized in this report. The summaries reflect the diversity of planning and research activities supported by the Department. The summaries also reflect the high levels of collaboration and teaming that are required by the Program and practiced by the researchers. It is concluded that the Program is achieving its objectives by encouraging innovation and improving planning and decision making. Furthermore, as the Department continues to implement planned improvements in the Program, the Department is effectively positioned to attain its ambitious goals.

On the dynamics of non-renewable resources. A mathematical model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alliney, S.; Alvoni, E.

2001-01-01

A mathematical model is presented for the consumption dynamics of non-renewable resources; the underlying assumption is that the most relevant factor is given by the evolution of technology. Then, the consumption as a function of time is governed by a non-linear differential equation,whose parameters can be estimated using the historical record. Some meaningful cases are worked out in detail, namely the coal consumption in UK and the world oil consumption [it

Global impacts of energy demand on the freshwater resources of nations.

Science.gov (United States)

Holland, Robert Alan; Scott, Kate A; Flörke, Martina; Brown, Gareth; Ewers, Robert M; Farmer, Elizabeth; Kapos, Valerie; Muggeridge, Ann; Scharlemann, Jörn P W; Taylor, Gail; Barrett, John; Eigenbrod, Felix

2015-12-01

The growing geographic disconnect between consumption of goods, the extraction and processing of resources, and the environmental impacts associated with production activities makes it crucial to factor global trade into sustainability assessments. Using an empirically validated environmentally extended global trade model, we examine the relationship between two key resources underpinning economies and human well--being-energy and freshwater. A comparison of three energy sectors (petroleum, gas, and electricity) reveals that freshwater consumption associated with gas and electricity production is largely confined within the territorial boundaries where demand originates. This finding contrasts with petroleum, which exhibits a varying ratio of territorial to international freshwater consumption, depending on the origin of demand. For example, although the United States and China have similar demand associated with the petroleum sector, international freshwater consumption is three times higher for the former than the latter. Based on mapping patterns of freshwater consumption associated with energy sectors at subnational scales, our analysis also reveals concordance between pressure on freshwater resources associated with energy production and freshwater scarcity in a number of river basins globally. These energy-driven pressures on freshwater resources in areas distant from the origin of energy demand complicate the design of policy to ensure security of fresh water and energy supply. Although much of the debate around energy is focused on greenhouse gas emissions, our findings highlight the need to consider the full range of consequences of energy production when designing policy.

Comparing patterns of ecosystem service consumption and perceptions of range management between ethnic herders in Inner Mongolia and Mongolia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhen, L; Lv, Y; Wei, Y J; Liu, X L; Yao, Z J; Li, F; Ochirbat, B; Chen, J Q

2010-01-01

Ecosystems in the Central Asian Plateau, which includes the Mongolian Plateau, are becoming increasingly sensitive to human interventions, leading to deterioration of already fragile ecosystems. The goal of this paper is to illustrate human dependence on an ecosystem by identifying patterns of resource consumption in this region and investigating the knowledge and perceptions of herders living in these ecosystems. Data on consumption in the two regions were collected using structured questionnaires delivered to a total of 252 herders from Mongolia and China's Inner Mongolia. Meat and other animal products remain the dominant food items for most households, accompanied by various vegetables and cereals. This unbalanced diet leads to excessive consumption of protein and fat from animal sources. The major energy sources used by herders are fuelwood, animal dung, crop residues, and dry grass, but consumption patterns differed between the two areas. Mongolian herders rely more heavily on livestock for meeting their consumption needs than herders in Inner Mongolia. Herder knowledge and perceptions of ecosystem conditions and consumption of resources differed between Mongolia and Inner Mongolia, reflecting the influence of different state policies. The data reported and the conclusions drawn are relevant for developing resource management policies for the Mongolian Plateau, but also provide useful insights for any region where livestock production dominates the use of rangeland resources.

Storage of intermittent energies. From self-consumption to huge photovoltaic power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perrin, Marion; Martin, Nicolas

2013-01-01

Power grids are evolving rapidly due to an increased use of decentralized power units, mostly based on intermittent renewable energy resources and due also to new ways of consuming energy (e.g. electrical vehicles). In the same time, the performance increase of new technologies such as telecommunications and storage systems could provide solutions for optimizing the electrical system. In this context, we are more and more talking about the 'smart-grids concept' because in parallel to the power interconnection, we also create communication networks which allow knowing in real time the status of the power grid, and so that the power flows can be controlled in an optimal way. In this article, we investigate challenges and opportunities for managing intermittent energy sources by using energy storage systems, from the consumer level to the grid operator. First we describe how the feed-in tariff could evolve in order to improve grid integration of large solar plants. We showed that behind the constraints due to the coupling of the power plants with a storage system, we could imagine lots of opportunities to diversify the business model. Then we evaluate the medium size PV with storage installation at the community level. For this purpose, we describe the local problems induced by the PV integration before proposing new ways to manage these systems. Finally, the self-consumption business model is investigated in terms of performance for the consumer and for the grid operator. (authors)

"I eat the manofê so it is not forgotten": local perceptions and consumption of native wild edible plants from seasonal dry forests in Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Cruz, Margarita Paloma; Medeiros, Patrícia Muniz; Sarmiento-Combariza, Iván; Peroni, Nivaldo; Albuquerque, Ulysses Paulino

2014-05-23

There is little information available on the factors influencing people's selection of wild plants for consumption. Studies suggest a suitable method of understanding the selection of edible plants is to assess people's perceptions of these resources. The use and knowledge of wild resources is disappearing, as is the opportunity to use them. This study analyzes people's perceptions of native wild edible plants in a rural Caatinga (seasonal dry forest) community in Northeast Brazil and the relationships between the use of these resources and socioeconomic factors. Semi-structured interviews with 39 people were conducted to form a convenience sample to gather information regarding people's perceptions of 12 native wild edible plant species. The relationships between variables were assessed by simple linear regression analysis, Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses, and in the case of nominal variables, contingency tables. The discourse of participants regarding their opinions of the use of wild plants as food was analyzed through the collective subject discourse analysis technique. Perceptions were classified into 18 categories. The most cited category was organoleptic characteristics of the edible part; more specifically, flavor. Flavor was the main positive perception associated with plant use, whereas the negative perception that most limited the use of these plants was cultural acceptance. Perceptions of the use of wild edible plants were directly correlated with both interviewee age and income. Within the studied community, people's perceptions of native wild edible plants are related to their consumption. Moreover, the study found that young people have less interest in these resources. These findings suggest that changing perceptions may affect the conservation of plants, traditional practices and the associated knowledge.

Energy consumption patterns. A theoretical analysis; Energieverbrauchsverhalten. Eine theoretische Analyse

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flandrich, D.

2006-07-01

The author questions the methodological and methodical foundations of energy consumption research and attempts a theory of energy consumption patterns on the basis of psychology, opening up a quite new perspective that has been neglected so far. Energy policy and energy marketing are two fields of applications which are getting more important in these times of increasing prices of energy resources, high public awareness of environmental issues, and deregulated energy markets. (orig.)

Critical technologies research: Opportunities for DOE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1992-12-01

Recent studies have identified a number of critical technologies that are essential to the nation`s defense, economic competitiveness, energy independence, and betterment of public health. The National Critical Technologies Panel (NCTP) has identified the following critical technology areas: Aeronautics and Surface Transportation; Biotechnology and Life Sciences; Energy and Environment; Information and Communications; Manufacturing; and Materials. Sponsored by the Department of Energy`s Office of Energy Research (OER), the Critical Technologies Research Workshop was held in May 1992. Approximately 100 scientists, engineers, and managers from the national laboratories, industry, academia, and govemment participated. The objective of the Berkeley Workshop was to advance the role of the DOE multiprogram energy laboratories in critical technologies research by describing, defining, and illustrating research areas, opportunities, resources, and key decisions necessary to achieve national research goals. An agenda was developed that looked at DOE`s capabilities and options for research in critical technologies and provided a forum for industry, academia, govemment, and the national laboratories to address: Critical technology research needs; existing research activities and resources; capabilities of the national laboratories; and opportunities for national laboratories, industries, and universities. The Workshop included plenary sessions in which presentations by technology and policy leaders set the context for further inquiry into critical technology issues and research opportunities. Separate sessions then focused on each of the following major areas of technology: Advanced materials; biotechnology and life sciences; energy and environment; information and communication; and manufacturing and transportation.

Critical technologies research: Opportunities for DOE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1992-12-01

Recent studies have identified a number of critical technologies that are essential to the nation's defense, economic competitiveness, energy independence, and betterment of public health. The National Critical Technologies Panel (NCTP) has identified the following critical technology areas: Aeronautics and Surface Transportation; Biotechnology and Life Sciences; Energy and Environment; Information and Communications; Manufacturing; and Materials. Sponsored by the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Research (OER), the Critical Technologies Research Workshop was held in May 1992. Approximately 100 scientists, engineers, and managers from the national laboratories, industry, academia, and govemment participated. The objective of the Berkeley Workshop was to advance the role of the DOE multiprogram energy laboratories in critical technologies research by describing, defining, and illustrating research areas, opportunities, resources, and key decisions necessary to achieve national research goals. An agenda was developed that looked at DOE's capabilities and options for research in critical technologies and provided a forum for industry, academia, govemment, and the national laboratories to address: Critical technology research needs; existing research activities and resources; capabilities of the national laboratories; and opportunities for national laboratories, industries, and universities. The Workshop included plenary sessions in which presentations by technology and policy leaders set the context for further inquiry into critical technology issues and research opportunities. Separate sessions then focused on each of the following major areas of technology: Advanced materials; biotechnology and life sciences; energy and environment; information and communication; and manufacturing and transportation.

A hybrid society model for simulating residential electricity consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Minjie; Hu, Zhaoguang; Wu, Junyong; Zhou, Yuhui

2008-01-01

In this paper, a hybrid social model of econometric model and social influence model is proposed for evaluating the influence of pricing policy and public education policy on residential habit of electricity using in power resources management. And, a hybrid society simulation platform based on the proposed model, called residential electricity consumption multi-agent systems (RECMAS), is designed for simulating residential electricity consumption by multi-agent system. RECMAS is composed of consumer agent, power supplier agent, and policy maker agent. It provides the policy makers with a useful tool to evaluate power price policies and public education campaigns in different scenarios. According to an influenced diffusion mechanism, RECMAS can simulate the residential electricity demand-supply chain and analyze impacts of the factors on residential electricity consumption. Finally, the proposed method is used to simulate urban residential electricity consumption in China. (author)

A hybrid society model for simulating residential electricity consumption

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, Minjie [School of Electrical Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing (China); State Power Economic Research Institute, Beijing (China); Hu, Zhaoguang [State Power Economic Research Institute, Beijing (China); Wu, Junyong; Zhou, Yuhui [School of Electrical Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing (China)

2008-12-15

In this paper, a hybrid social model of econometric model and social influence model is proposed for evaluating the influence of pricing policy and public education policy on residential habit of electricity using in power resources management. And, a hybrid society simulation platform based on the proposed model, called residential electricity consumption multi-agent systems (RECMAS), is designed for simulating residential electricity consumption by multi-agent system. RECMAS is composed of consumer agent, power supplier agent, and policy maker agent. It provides the policy makers with a useful tool to evaluate power price policies and public education campaigns in different scenarios. According to an influenced diffusion mechanism, RECMAS can simulate the residential electricity demand-supply chain and analyze impacts of the factors on residential electricity consumption. Finally, the proposed method is used to simulate urban residential electricity consumption in China. (author)

Interpolating a consumption variable for scaling and generalizing potential population pressure on urbanizing natural areas

Science.gov (United States)

Varanka, Dalia; Jiang, Bin; Yao, Xiaobai

2010-01-01

Measures of population pressure, referring in general to the stress upon the environment by human consumption of resources, are imperative for environmental sustainability studies and management. Development based on resource consumption is the predominant factor of population pressure. This paper presents a spatial model of population pressure by linking consumption associated with regional urbanism and ecosystem services. Maps representing relative geographic degree and extent of natural resource consumption and degree and extent of impacts on surrounding areas are new, and this research represents the theoretical research toward this goal. With development, such maps offer a visualization tool for planners of various services, amenities for people, and conservation planning for ecologist. Urbanization is commonly generalized by census numbers or impervious surface area. The potential geographical extent of urbanism encompasses the environmental resources of the surrounding region that sustain cities. This extent is interpolated using kriging of a variable based on population wealth data from the U.S. Census Bureau. When overlayed with land-use/land-cover data, the results indicate that the greatest estimates of population pressure fall within mixed forest areas. Mixed forest areas result from the spread of cedar woods in previously disturbed areas where further disturbance is then suppressed. Low density areas, such as suburbanization and abandoned farmland are characteristic of mixed forest areas.

A content analysis of dissemination and implementation science resource initiatives: what types of resources do they offer to advance the field?

Science.gov (United States)

Darnell, Doyanne; Dorsey, Caitlin N; Melvin, Abigail; Chi, Jonathan; Lyon, Aaron R; Lewis, Cara C

2017-11-21

The recent growth in organized efforts to advance dissemination and implementation (D & I) science suggests a rapidly expanding community focused on the adoption and sustainment of evidence-based practices (EBPs). Although promising for the D & I of EBPs, the proliferation of initiatives is difficult for any one individual to navigate and summarize. Such proliferation may also result in redundant efforts or missed opportunities for participation and advancement. A review of existing D & I science resource initiatives and their unique merits would be a significant step for the field. The present study aimed to describe the global landscape of these organized efforts to advance D & I science. We conducted a content analysis between October 2015 and March 2016 to examine resources and characteristics of D & I science resource initiatives using public, web-based information. Included resource initiatives must have engaged in multiple efforts to advance D & I science beyond conferences, offered D & I science resources, and provided content in English. The sampling method included an Internet search using D & I terms and inquiry among internationally representative D & I science experts. Using a coding scheme based on a priori and grounded approaches, two authors consensus coded website information including interactive and non-interactive resources and information regarding accessibility (membership, cost, competitive application, and location). The vast majority (83%) of resource initiatives offered at least one of seven interactive resources (consultation/technical assistance, mentorship, workshops, workgroups, networking, conferences, and social media) and one of six non-interactive resources (resource library, news and updates from the field, archived talks or slides, links pages, grant writing resources, and funding opportunities). Non-interactive resources were most common, with some appearing frequently across resource initiatives (e.g., news and updates from the

Efficient and Optimal Capital Accumulation under a Non Renewable Resource Constraint

OpenAIRE

Amigues, Jean-Pierre; Moreaux, Michel

2008-01-01

Usual resource models with capital accumulation focus upon simple one to one process transforming output either into some consumption good or into some capitalgood. We consider a bisectoral model where the capital good, labor and a non renewable resource are used to produce the consumption good and the capital good. Capitalaccumulation is an irreversible process and capital is depreciating over time. In thisframework we reconsider the usual results of the efficient and optimal growth theoryun...

Macroecology Meets Macroeconomics: Resource Scarcity and Global Sustainability.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, James H; Burger, Joseph R; Burnside, William R; Chang, Michael; Davidson, Ana D; Fristoe, Trevor S; Hamilton, Marcus J; Hammond, Sean T; Kodric-Brown, Astrid; Mercado-Silva, Norman; Nekola, Jeffrey C; Okie, Jordan G

2014-04-01

The current economic paradigm, which is based on increasing human population, economic development, and standard of living, is no longer compatible with the biophysical limits of the finite Earth. Failure to recover from the economic crash of 2008 is not due just to inadequate fiscal and monetary policies. The continuing global crisis is also due to scarcity of critical resources. Our macroecological studies highlight the role in the economy of energy and natural resources: oil, gas, water, arable land, metals, rare earths, fertilizers, fisheries, and wood. As the modern industrial technological-informational economy expanded in recent decades, it grew by consuming the Earth's natural resources at unsustainable rates. Correlations between per capita GDP and per capita consumption of energy and other resources across nations and over time demonstrate how economic growth and development depend on "nature's capital". Decades-long trends of decreasing per capita consumption of multiple important commodities indicate that overexploitation has created an unsustainable bubble of population and economy.

1993 Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

United States. Bonneville Power Administration.

1993-12-01

The Loads and Resources Study is presented in three documents: (1) this summary of Federal system and Pacific Northwest region loads and resources; (2) a technical appendix detailing forecasted Pacific Northwest economic trends and loads, and (3) a technical appendix detailing the loads and resources for each major Pacific Northwest generating utility. In this loads and resources study, resource availability is compared with a range of forecasted electricity consumption. The forecasted future electricity demands -- firm loads -- are subtracted from the projected capability of existing and {open_quotes}contracted for{close_quotes} resources to determine whether Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and the region will be surplus or deficit. If resources are greater than loads in any particular year or month, there is a surplus of energy and/or capacity, which BPA can sell to increase revenues. Conversely, if firm loads exceed available resources, there is a deficit of energy and/or capacity, and additional conservation, contract purchases, or generating resources will be needed to meet load growth. The Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study analyzes the Pacific Northwest`s projected loads and available generating resources in two parts: (1) the loads and resources of the Federal system, for which BPA is the marketing agency; and (2) the larger Pacific Northwest regional power system, which includes loads and resource in addition to the Federal system. The loads and resources analysis in this study simulates the operation of the power system under the Pacific Northwest Coordination Agreement (PNCA) produced by the Pacific Northwest Coordinating Group. This study presents the Federal system and regional analyses for five load forecasts: high, medium-high, medium, medium-low, and low. This analysis projects the yearly average energy consumption and resource availability for Operating Years (OY) 1994--95 through 2003--04.

State Electricity Regulatory Policy and Distributed Resources: Distributed Resources and Electric System Reliability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cowart, R.; Harrington, C.; Moskovitz, D.; Shirley, W.; Weston, F.; Sedano, R.

2002-10-01

Designing and implementing credit-based pilot programs for distributed resources distribution is a low-cost, low-risk opportunity to find out how these resources can help defer or avoid costly electric power system (utility grid) distribution upgrades. This report describes implementation options for deaveraged distribution credits and distributed resource development zones. Developing workable programs implementing these policies can dramatically increase the deployment of distributed resources in ways that benefit distributed resource vendors, users, and distribution utilities. This report is one in the State Electricity Regulatory Policy and Distributed Resources series developed under contract to NREL (see Annual Technical Status Report of the Regulatory Assistance Project: September 2000-September 2001, NREL/SR-560-32733). Other titles in this series are: (1) Accommodating Distributed Resources in Wholesale Markets, NREL/SR-560-32497; (2) Distributed Resources and Electric System Re liability, NREL/SR-560-32498; (3) Distribution System Cost Methodologies for Distributed Generation, NREL/SR-560-32500; (4) Distribution System Cost Methodologies for Distributed Generation Appendices, NREL/SR-560-32501.

Audit Report "Department of Energy Efforts to Manage Information Technology Resources in an Energy-Efficient and Environmentally Responsible Manner"

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2009-05-01

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 emphasizes energy efficiency and conservation as critical to the Nation's economic vitality; its goal of reducing dependence on foreign energy sources; and, related efforts to improve the environment. The Act highlights the significant use of various forms of energy in the Federal sector and promotes efforts to improve the energy efficiency of Federal operations. One specific area of interest is the increasing demand for Federal sector computing resources and the corresponding increase in energy use, with both cost and environmental implications. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported that, without aggressive conservation measures, data center energy consumption alone is expected to double over the next five years. In our report on Management of the Department's Data Centers at Contractor Sites (DOE/IG-0803, October 2008) we concluded that the Department of Energy had not always improved the efficiency of its contractor data centers even when such modifications were possible and practical. Despite its recognized energy conservation leadership role, the Department had not always taken advantage of opportunities to reduce energy consumption associated with its information technology resources. Nor, had it ensured that resources were managed in a way that minimized impact on the environment. In particular: (1) The seven Federal and contractor sites included in our review had not fully reduced energy consumption through implementation of power management settings on their desktop and laptop computers; and, as a consequence, spent $1.6 million more on energy costs than necessary in Fiscal Year 2008; (2) None of the sites reviewed had taken advantage of opportunities to reduce energy consumption, enhance cyber security, and reduce costs available through the use of techniques, such as 'thin-client computing' in their unclassified environments; and, (3) Sites had not always taken the

Towards a sufficiency-driven business model : Experiences and opportunities

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bocken, N.M.P.; Short, SW

2016-01-01

Business model innovation is an important lever for change to tackle pressing sustainability issues. In this paper, ‘sufficiency’ is proposed as a driver of business model innovation for sustainability. Sufficiency-driven business models seek to moderate overall resource consumption by curbing

Wellhead to wire utilization of remote gas resources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harris, R.A.; Hines, T.L.

1998-01-01

Utilization of remote gas resources in developing countries continues to offer challenges and opportunities to producers and contractors. The Aguaytia Gas and Power Project is an example where perseverance and creativity resulted in successful utilization of natural gas resources in the Ucayali Region of Central Peru, a country which previously had no natural gas infrastructure. The resource for the project was first discovered by Mobil in 1961, and remained undeveloped for over thirty years due to lack of infrastructure and markets. Maple Gas won a competitively bid contract to develop the Aguaytia gas reserves in March of 1993. The challenges facing Maple Gas were to develop downstream markets for the gas, execute contracts with Perupetro S.A. and other Peruvian government entities, raise financing for the project, and solicit and execute engineering procurement and construction (EPC) contracts for the execution of the project. The key to development of the downstream markets was the decision to generate electric power and transmit the power over the Andes to the main electrical grid along the coast of Peru. Supplemental revenue could be generated by gas sales to a small regional power plant and extraction of LPG and natural gasoline for consumption in the Peruvian market. Three separate lump sum contracts were awarded to Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) companies for the gas project, power project and transmission project. Each project presented its unique challenges, but the commonalities were the accelerated schedule, high rainfall in a prolonged wet season and severe logistics due to lack of infrastructure in the remote region. This presentation focuses on how the gas plant contractor, ABB Randall, working in harmony with the developer, Maple Gas, tackled the challenges to monetize a remote gas resource

Resource consumption and management associated with monitoring of warfarin treatment in primary health care in Sweden

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nilsson Gunnar H

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Warfarin is used for the prevention and treatment of various thromboembolic complications. It is an efficacious anticoagulant, but it has a narrow therapeutic range, and regular monitoring is required to ensure therapeutic efficacy and at the same time avoid life-threatening adverse events. The objective was to assess management and resource consumption associated with patient monitoring episodes during warfarin treatment in primary health care in Sweden. Methods Delphi technique was used to systematically explore attitudes, demands and priorities, and to collect informed judgements related to monitoring of warfarin treatment. Two separate Delphi-panels were performed in three and two rounds, respectively, one concerning tests taken in primary health care centres, involving 34 GPs and 10 registered nurses, and one concerning tests taken in patients' homes, involving 49 district nurses. Results In the primary health care panel 10 of the 34 GPs regularly collaborated with a registered nurse. Average time for one monitoring episode was estimated to 10.1 minutes for a GP and 21.4 minutes for a nurse, when a nurse assisted a doctor. The average time for monitoring was 17.6 minutes for a GP when not assisted by a nurse. Considering all the monitoring episodes, 11.6% of patient blood samples were taken in the individual patient's home. Average time for such a monitoring episode was estimated to 88.2 minutes. Of all the visits, 8.2% were performed in vain and took on average 44.6 minutes. In both studies, approximately 20 different elements of work concerning management of patients during warfarin treatment were identified. Conclusion Monitoring of patients during treatment with warfarin in primary health care in Sweden involves many elements of work, and demands large resources, especially when tests are taken in the patient's home.

A real-time Java tool chain for resource constrained platforms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Korsholm, Stephan Erbs; Søndergaard, Hans; Ravn, Anders P.

2013-01-01

The Java programming language was originally developed for embedded systems, but the resource requirements of previous and current Java implementations - especially memory consumption - tend to exclude them from being used on a significant class of resource constrained embedded platforms. The con......The Java programming language was originally developed for embedded systems, but the resource requirements of previous and current Java implementations - especially memory consumption - tend to exclude them from being used on a significant class of resource constrained embedded platforms...... by integrating: (1) a lean virtual machine (HVM) without any external dependencies on POSIX-like libraries or other OS functionalities, (2) a hardware abstraction layer, implemented almost entirely in Java through the use of hardware objects, first level interrupt handlers, and native variables, and (3....... An evaluation of the presented solution shows that the miniCDj benchmark gets reduced to a size where it can run on resource constrained platforms....

Implications for Forest Resource Degradation and Deforestation ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Effects of Socio-Economic Status and Food Consumption Pattern on Household Energy uses: Implications for Forest Resource Degradation and Deforestation around Wondo Genet Catchments, South-Central Ethiopia.

An Analysis of energy consumption and economic growth of Cobb-Douglas production function based on ECM

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Wei-wei

2018-02-01

Energy is one of the important factors affecting economic growth, the motive force of the economic development of countries in the world, essential for the world economic development and people’s living material resources, an important resource of the relationship between the national economies. The paper sums up the evaluation and literatures on energy consumption and economic growth at home and abroad, thinks “southern talk” as the energy consumption and economic growth in the time division, makes a series of empirical tests on the relationship between total energy consumption and economic growth in China from 1978 to 1991 and from 1992 to 2016.The results show that total energy consumption is a one-way causal relationship between economic growths in china, Economic growth has a strong dependence on energy, there is a co-integration relationship between energy consumption and economic growth. However, economic growth depends on the energy consumption decreased year by year in China, The way of economic growth is changing from the extensive economic growth mode to intensive mode of economic growth.

Understanding Current and Future Issues in Collaborative Consumption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barnes, Stuart; Mattsson, Jan

2016-01-01

collaborative consumption. Sustainability is often cited as a key driver, underpinned by economic, social and environmental benefits. If successful, the sharing of such resources is likely to have a potentially disruptive impact on incumbents in traditional supply chains. However, given the embryonic state......Sharing activities underpinned by the technologies of the Internet have become dominant in the activities of individuals, business and governments. Recently, such sharing activity has grown from information and media content to wider resources, including money, physical goods and services — coined...

Water - an inexhaustible resource?

Science.gov (United States)

Le Divenah, C.; Esperou, E.

2012-04-01

We have chosen to present the topic "Water", by illustrating problems that will give better opportunities for interdisciplinary work between Natural Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Geology) teachers at first, but also English teachers and maybe others. Water is considered in general, in all its shapes and states. The question is not only about drinking water, but we would like to demonstrate that water can both be a fragile and short-lived resource in some ways, and an unlimited energy resource in others. Water exists on Earth in three states. It participates in a large number of chemical and physical processes (dissolution, dilution, biogeochemical cycles, repartition of heat in the oceans and the atmosphere, etc.), helping to maintain the homeostasis of the entire planet. It is linked to living beings, for which water is the major compound. The living beings essentially organized themselves into or around water, and this fact is also valid for human kind (energy, drinking, trade…). Water can also be a destroying agent for living beings (tsunamis, mud flows, collapse of electrical dams, pollution...) and for the solid earth (erosion, dissolution, fusion). I) Water, an essential resource for the human kind After having highlighted the disparities and geopolitical problems, the pupils will study the chemistry of water with its components and their origins (isotopes, water trip). Then the ways to make it drinkable will be presented (filtration, decantation, iceberg carrying…) II) From the origin of water... We could manage an activity where different groups put several hypotheses to the test, with the goal to understand the origin(s?) of water on Earth. Example: Isotopic signature of water showing its extraterrestrial origin.. Once done, we'll try to determine the origin of drinking water, as a fossil resource. Another use of isotopes will allow them to evaluate the drinking water age, to realize how precious it can be. III) Water as a sustainable energy

EVOLUTION OF THE DEMAND AND SUPPLY IN ENERGY RESOURCES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvestru MAXIMILIAN

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Economic, social and political development of human society in recent decades put to the fore the issue of natural resources available to the earth; scientists are asking ever more seriously the question to what extent these resources can support the economic development in the future, can provide food and survival of a growing population and will be able to contribute to the eradication of underdevelopment. The emphasis of major events – the population explosion, the trend of depletion of natural resources, environmental deterioration, underdevelopment etc. – was and it is still discussed with increasing responsibility by specialists, being drafted a large number of forecasts for a variable duration perspective. The trend of depletion of natural resources is another phenomenon of the contemporary world and that will become, certainly, even more pronounced in the near future. Harnessing the increasing exhaustible natural resources with low reserves and a slow recovery of renewable resources raises acutely the issue regarding the conservation of these resources. In recent decades, there is a tendency to waste energy and raw materials in the society. There are produced goods without an absolute utility, being imposed artificially by advertising or fashion swings and many products are designed in such a way that it takes little to compel the buyer to replace them. The "consumption" civilization is characterized as a "society that throws" the population of developed countries (18% of world population dispelling waste form 20 to 25% of the material production of the world. Excessive consumption of raw materials and fuel was favoured by their relatively low prices, maintained under the pressure of interests of transnational companies, prices that disfavoured, however, the developing countries. Consequently, consumption of raw materials and fuel turned to the easily accessible resources that have been heavily exploited, partially abandoning some

Opportunities and constraints for improved water resources management using different lenses and scales

Science.gov (United States)

Langan, Simon

2017-04-01

The quest for water security has been a struggle throughout human history. Only in recent years has the scale of this quest moved beyond the local, to the national and regional scales and to the planet itself. Absent or unreliable water supply, sanitation and irrigation services, unmitigated floods and droughts, and degraded water environments severely impact half of the planet's population. Over the past few years, water insecurity has become recognized in the World Economic Forum global risk studies as one of the greatest threats that business leaders themselves see that they face in the future, both in terms of likelihood and scale. The scale and complexity of the water challenges faced by society, particularly but not only in the world's poorest regions, are now recognized, as is the imperative of overcoming these challenges for a stable and equitable world. How can we ensure the well-being of all people and ecosystems with the water, human, technological, and financial resources available? In the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals water has to be managed more effectively and wisely by unlocking scientific, managerial, and business capabilities; breaking out of technological lock-in; and innovative and adaptive portfolios of solutions have to be developed while removing barriers to progress on sound water governance. IIASA's Water Futures and Solutions Initiative (WFAS) is an unprecedented inter-disciplinary scientific initiative to identify robust and adaptive portfolios of optional solutions across different economic sectors, including agriculture, energy and industry, and to test these solution-portfolios with multi-model ensembles of hydrologic and sector models to obtain a clearer picture of the trade-offs, risks, and opportunities. The results of WFaS scenarios and models will provide a basis for long-term strategic planning of water resource development. And given the complexity of the water system, WFaS will uniquely provide policy makers

The shaping of environmental impacts from Danish production and consumption of clothing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Michael Søgaard; Jensen, Charlotte Louise

2012-01-01

The article analyses environmental impacts from production and consumption of clothing in Denmark based on 10 business case studies, an ethnographic study of clothing practices among a group of young women, and a statistical analysis of clothing consumption. The environmental strategies and impacts...... are shaped by the businesses' on-going interpretation of external pressures and opportunities, transnational outsourcing of production to newly industrialised countries, changes towards ‘fast fashion’ and lower retail prices. Differences are identified with respect to whether and when companies take...... a need to show environmental commitment publicly. The fast changing fashions and low price strategies encourage increased clothing consumption among young women, unused clothing in their wardrobes and frequent changes of clothing during the week. Concerns about environmental impacts are limited...

Natural resources - food nexus: food-related environmental footprints in the mediterranean countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Lacirignola, Cosimo; Capone, Roberto; Debs, Philipp; El Bilali, Hamid; Bottalico, Francesco

2014-01-01

Immediate action is required in the Mediterranean to address environmental degradation that is mainly driven by consumption patterns. Increasing stress on biological and social systems is put by unsustainable consumption patterns. Food consumption patterns are important drivers of environment degradation. The objective of this review paper is to explore natural resources-food nexus in the Mediterranean region by highlighting the environmental footprints of the current consumption and production patterns. Secondary data from different sources such as FAOSTAT, the World Bank, Water Footprint Network (WFN), and Global Footprint Network were used to analyze the situation in 21 Mediterranean countries. The region faces many environmental challenges, e.g., land degradation, water scarcity, environment pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change. The current consumption patterns imply high ecological, carbon, and water footprints of consumption and unfavorable national virtual-water balances. Food Balance Sheets data show that the contribution of vegetal and animal-based food product groups to food supply is variable among the Mediterranean countries. This has implications also in terms of the WF of food supply, which was calculated for Bosnia, Egypt, Italy, Morocco, and Turkey. The WF of the current diet resulted lower than that of the proposed Mediterranean one in the case of Italy. There is a strong scientific evidence supporting assumption that it is so also for other Mediterranean countries. The Mediterranean is characterized by a high resource use intensity that is further exacerbated by food losses and waste (FLW). In fact, FLW implies the loss of precious resources (water, land, energy) and inputs (fertilizers). Therefore, it is crucial to increase adherence to the traditional Mediterranean diet and to reduce FLW in order to foster transition to more sustainable food consumption patterns thus reducing pressure on the scarce resources of the Mediterranean

Energy consumption and technological developments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okorokov, V.R.

1990-02-01

The paper determines an outline of the world energy prospects based on principal trends of the development of energy consumption analysed over the long past period. According to the author's conclusion the development of energy systems will be determined in the nearest future (30 - 40 years) by contemporary energy technologies based on the exploitation of traditional energy resources but in the far future technologies based on the exploitation of thermonuclear and solar energy will play the decisive role. (author)

Advancing Resource Efficiency in the Supply Chain - Observations and Opportunities for Action

Science.gov (United States)

This document provides U.S. EPA’s perspectives on the discussions at the G7 Alliance on Resource Efficiency U.S.-hosted Workshop on the Use of Life Cycle Concepts in Supply Chain Management to Achieve Resource Efficiency that was held March 22-23, 2016.

Exploring the energy consumption of lightweight blockciphers in FPGA

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Banik, Subhadeep; Bogdanov, Andrey; Regazzoni, Francesco

2015-01-01

Internet of things and cyber-physical systems requiring security functionality has pushed for the design of a number of block ciphers and hash functions specifically developed for being implemented in resource constrained devices. Initially the optimization was mainly on area and power consumption...

Alberta Chamber of Resources : 1997 resources guide and directory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-01-01

The Alberta Chamber of Resources (ACR) is composed of 140 member companies from the oil and gas industry, forestry, pulp and paper, mining, oil sands, utilities, contractors, suppliers, consultants, banking and other service groups, as well as representatives from universities and governments. ACR's activities during 1996 were reviewed. These included supporting or sponsoring a careers forum, and various other networking and information sharing opportunities, a study of the potential for Alberta's minerals industry, and exploring opportunities for research in the forestry sector and the further development of Alberta's oil sands. Studies of the transportation and infrastructures strategies for Alberta's resources, royalty regimes, tenure and compensation issues associated with oil sands reservoirs that are 'capped' by natural gas reservoirs, taxation issues related to oil sands development, mineral rights tenure, and toll design and royalty issues affecting Alberta's natural gas sector rounded out the Chamber's activities. The annual review also profiled a number of ACR member companies, among them Koch Oil Company Ltd., Pardee Equipment Ltd., Interprovincial Pipe Line Inc., Clearwater Welding and Fabricating Ltd., and Weldwood of Canada. A listing of all ACR members was also provided

Territorial Rural Development: Biosphere Reserves as an opportunity for sustainable development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio Benete Reyes

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The strategy to strengthen the field of rural development planning aims the search for social cohesion, regional competitiveness and environmental sustainability of the territories. In this sense, the current uncertain context characterized by the globalization of the economy, increasing demand for energy, erosion and pressure on natural resources demand for innovative models that promote rural development territorial strategies that give priority to local resources and that support local development models  In this stage, the model of territorial planning is established as a preferred option on models of local development settled under the concept of the municipality, since mobilizes resources and capabilities between regions that have common strengths and opportunities for promoting development and exceeding the vision and concept of the local as political-administrative unit. It is in this supra-municipal and territorial approach where Biosphere Reserves are an opportunity for sustainable territorial development.

Mental imagery interventions reduce subsequent food intake only when self-regulatory resources are available.

Science.gov (United States)

Missbach, Benjamin; Florack, Arnd; Weissmann, Lukas; König, Jürgen

2014-01-01

Research has shown that imagining food consumption leads to food-specific habituation effects. In the present research, we replicated these effects and further examined whether the depletion of self-regulatory resources would reduce the habituation effects of imagined food consumption. Since self-regulatory resources have been shown to reduce habituation effects during the perception of emotional stimuli, we expected a reduction in habituation effects from imagined food consumption when self-regulatory resources were depleted. In Study 1, we replicated habituation effects as a response to imagining gummy bear consumption with a high (36) and medium number (18) of repetitions in a camouflaged taste test. Participants imagining gummy bear intake showed decreased food intake compared with participants who imagined putting a coin into a laundry machine. The number of repetitions did not significantly moderate the observed habituation effect. In Study 2, we investigated whether self-regulatory depletion would impede habituation effects evoked by the imagination of walnut consumption. Participants in a depleted state did not show a reduction in food intake after imagining walnut intake compared with participants in a non-depleted state. We discuss directions for future research and processes that might underlie the observed moderating effect of self-regulatory resources.

Urban energy consumption and related carbon emission estimation: a study at the sector scale

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Weiwei; Chen, Chen; Su, Meirong; Chen, Bin; Cai, Yanpeng; Xing, Tao

2013-12-01

With rapid economic development and energy consumption growth, China has become the largest energy consumer in the world. Impelled by extensive international concern, there is an urgent need to analyze the characteristics of energy consumption and related carbon emission, with the objective of saving energy, reducing carbon emission, and lessening environmental impact. Focusing on urban ecosystems, the biggest energy consumer, a method for estimating energy consumption and related carbon emission was established at the urban sector scale in this paper. Based on data for 1996-2010, the proposed method was applied to Beijing in a case study to analyze the consumption of different energy resources (i.e., coal, oil, gas, and electricity) and related carbon emission in different sectors (i.e., agriculture, industry, construction, transportation, household, and service sectors). The results showed that coal and oil contributed most to energy consumption and carbon emission among different energy resources during the study period, while the industrial sector consumed the most energy and emitted the most carbon among different sectors. Suggestions were put forward for energy conservation and emission reduction in Beijing. The analysis of energy consumption and related carbon emission at the sector scale is helpful for practical energy saving and emission reduction in urban ecosystems.

Municipal Solid Waste Resources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2016-06-01

Municipal solid waste (MSW) is a source of biomass material that can be utilized for bioenergy production with minimal additional inputs. MSW resources include mixed commercial and residential garbage such as yard trimmings, paper and paperboard, plastics, rubber, leather, textiles, and food wastes. Waste resources such as landfill gas, mill residues, and waste grease are already being utilized for cost-effective renewable energy generation. MSW for bioenergy also represents an opportunity to divert greater volumes of residential and commercial waste from landfills.

The Psychology of Sustainable Seafood Consumption: A Comprehensive Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Richter, Isabel G M; Klöckner, Christian A

2017-09-28

This paper discusses conceptual confusions of sustainable seafood consumption, practical challenges, and potential anchors from where this behaviour can be fostered. The main focus lies on psychological variables. The resulting framework comprises (1) a definition of sustainable seafood consumption, (2) suggestions for corresponding behaviours, (3) the identification of facilitating and hindering factors, (4) an assemblage of these factors into a theoretical model, and (5) a short discussion of how the model adds up value to the current state of the art in marine resource conservation. Behavioural models significantly contribute to behavioural change research. The originality and value of this research are that it tackles the so far relatively neglected field of sustainable seafood consumption as important part of sustainable development and marine conservation in the future. From an interventional perspective, the developed model facilitates the identification of contact points to approach consumers and disseminate sustainable seafood consumption among modern Western consumers.

The trainee leadership blueprint: opportunities, benefits, and a call to action.

Science.gov (United States)

Gooding, Amanda; Block, Cady K; Brown, Daniel S; Sunderaraman, Preeti

2018-02-01

Leadership experiences are vital not only to individual long-term career success but also the development, direction, and operation of higher spheres including professional organizations and the field of clinical neuropsychology itself. The present paper presents a blueprint guide for neuropsychology trainees on available opportunities and resources for increasing their involvement in professional governance and developing leadership skills. First, we present a discussion of the benefits of leadership and professional service, including the acquisition of interpersonal skills and new professional competencies, the prospect of recognition and advancement, and the opportunity to participate in advocacy efforts. Then, we present an overview of existing opportunities for involvement, followed by the provision of specific, actionable items for trainees, mentors and leadership committees, and for neuropsychology organizations to ensure continued trainee engagement. These resources can serve as a guide for trainees and early career neuropsychologists seeking to acquire leadership proficiencies, and the recommendations aspire to promote advancement for trainees, professionals, and organizations alike.

Walking the Torque: Proposed Work Plan for Energy-Efficiency Policy Opportunities for Electric Motor-Driven Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

Electric motor-driven system is the largest single energy end use accounting for more than 40% of global electricity consumption. This paper sets out an ambitious but achievable target with the global work plan to improve the energy efficiency of electric motor-driven system by 10% to 15% based on the finding of working paper ''Energy-Efficiency Policy Opportunities for Electric Motor-Driven Systems (Waide et al., 2011)''. If governments commit to the proposed work plan immediately and maintain resourcing levels, this could be achieved by 2030 and it would be equivalent to reducing total global electricity use by around 5%. The proposed work plan of this paper is to align regulatory settings within a globally applicable scheme. The IEA believes this target can only be achieved through global co-operation leading to aligned national policy settings that countries can unlock the economies of scale that will result from using more energy efficient EMDS.

A Global Estimate of Seafood Consumption by Coastal Indigenous Peoples.

Science.gov (United States)

Cisneros-Montemayor, Andrés M; Pauly, Daniel; Weatherdon, Lauren V; Ota, Yoshitaka

2016-01-01

Coastal Indigenous peoples rely on ocean resources and are highly vulnerable to ecosystem and economic change. Their challenges have been observed and recognized at local and regional scales, yet there are no global-scale analyses to inform international policies. We compile available data for over 1,900 coastal Indigenous communities around the world representing 27 million people across 87 countries. Based on available data at local and regional levels, we estimate a total global yearly seafood consumption of 2.1 million (1.5 million-2.8 million) metric tonnes by coastal Indigenous peoples, equal to around 2% of global yearly commercial fisheries catch. Results reflect the crucial role of seafood for these communities; on average, consumption per capita is 15 times higher than non-Indigenous country populations. These findings contribute to an urgently needed sense of scale to coastal Indigenous issues, and will hopefully prompt increased recognition and directed research regarding the marine knowledge and resource needs of Indigenous peoples. Marine resources are crucial to the continued existence of coastal Indigenous peoples, and their needs must be explicitly incorporated into management policies.

Pollution Prevention Opportunity Assessment for the SNL/NM cafeterias.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCord, Samuel Adam

2005-12-01

This Pollution Prevention Opportunity Assessment (PPOA) was conducted for the two Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico cafeteria facilities between May and August 2005. The primary purpose of this PPOA is to assess waste and resource reduction opportunities and issue Pollution Prevention (P2) recommendations for Sandia's food service facilities. This PPOA contains recommendations for energy, water and resource reduction, as well as material substitution based upon environmentally preferable purchasing. Division 3000 has requested the PPOA report as part of the Division's compliance effort to implement the Environmental Management System (EMS) per DOE Order 450.1. This report contains a summary of the information collected and analyses performed with recommended options for implementation. The SNL/NM P2 Group will work with Division 3000 and the respective cafeteria facilities to implement these options.

Operational Water Withdrawal and Consumption Factors for Electricity Generation Technology in China—A Literature Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinjing Gao

2018-04-01

Full Text Available As two indispensable resources for human development, energy and water are closely related. China, as the world’s largest consumer of electricity, is also experiencing very serious water shortages. Understanding the water consumption intensity in various types of electric power production technologies according to China’s national conditions is a prerequisite for understanding the potential impact of electrical power production on water resources. Therefore, following the steps of a meta-analysis, this paper provides a literature review on operational water withdrawal and consumption factors for electricity generation technology in China. We observed that 50% of water consumption for electricity generation was for coal power, whereas there was no research on the water consumption intensity of natural gas power generation, and a shortage of studies on water intake during electrical power production. The average water consumption intensity of hydropower is the largest. The results indicate that compared with other fuel types, hydropower is not a sustainable energy with respect to water conservation, and the study of hydropower applications should be improved in China.

Simulation based energy-resource efficient manufacturing integrated with in-process virtual management

Science.gov (United States)

Katchasuwanmanee, Kanet; Cheng, Kai; Bateman, Richard

2016-09-01

As energy efficiency is one of the key essentials towards sustainability, the development of an energy-resource efficient manufacturing system is among the great challenges facing the current industry. Meanwhile, the availability of advanced technological innovation has created more complex manufacturing systems that involve a large variety of processes and machines serving different functions. To extend the limited knowledge on energy-efficient scheduling, the research presented in this paper attempts to model the production schedule at an operation process by considering the balance of energy consumption reduction in production, production work flow (productivity) and quality. An innovative systematic approach to manufacturing energy-resource efficiency is proposed with the virtual simulation as a predictive modelling enabler, which provides real-time manufacturing monitoring, virtual displays and decision-makings and consequentially an analytical and multidimensional correlation analysis on interdependent relationships among energy consumption, work flow and quality errors. The regression analysis results demonstrate positive relationships between the work flow and quality errors and the work flow and energy consumption. When production scheduling is controlled through optimization of work flow, quality errors and overall energy consumption, the energy-resource efficiency can be achieved in the production. Together, this proposed multidimensional modelling and analysis approach provides optimal conditions for the production scheduling at the manufacturing system by taking account of production quality, energy consumption and resource efficiency, which can lead to the key competitive advantages and sustainability of the system operations in the industry.

Opportunities for Improving the Energy Efficiency of Multi-Modal Intra-City Freight Movement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walkowicz, Kevin; Duran, Adam

2017-07-06

This poster focuses on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's analysis of opportunities for freight movement energy savings via optimization and integration of existing/emerging intra-city goods delivery modes as well as an assessment of the efficacy and energy consumption impact of new technologies.

Alcohol consumption among Asian Americans in the U.S: A systematic review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan Huang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to review all systematic reviews and meta-analyses of alcohol consumption among Asian Americans in the U.S. An in-depth literature search was conducted using the following electronic databases: MEDLINE, Academic Search Premier, Education Resource Information Center (ERIC, PsycARTICLES, and CINAHL Plus with Full Text. The keywords used for the search were: Alcohol Consumption, Asian Americans, Social Determinants, and Cultural Differences. The results suggested the determinants of alcohol consumption in American society include gender, race and ethnicity, marital status, membership in social groups, genetic factors, sexual orientation, poverty, place of residence and education. Alcohol consumption among Asian Americans is also dependent on their societal perceptions towards alcohol consumption. Other factors determining the consumption of alcohol include affiliation to different social groups, social-cultural affiliations, acculturation and acculturation stress, and cultural observances.

Lost water and nitrogen resources due to EU consumer food waste

Science.gov (United States)

Vanham, D.; Bouraoui, F.; Leip, A.; Grizzetti, B.; Bidoglio, G.

2015-08-01

The European Parliament recently called for urgent measures to halve food waste in the EU, where consumers are responsible for a major part of total waste along the food supply chain. Due to a lack of data on national food waste statistics, uncertainty in (consumer) waste quantities (and the resulting associated quantities of natural resources) is very high, but has never been previously assessed in studies for the EU. Here we quantify: (1) EU consumer food waste, and (2) associated natural resources required for its production, in term of water and nitrogen, as well as estimating the uncertainty of these values. Total EU consumer food waste averages 123 (min 55-max 190) kg/capita annually (kg/cap/yr), i.e. 16% (min 7-max 24%) of all food reaching consumers. Almost 80%, i.e. 97 (min 45-max 153) kg/cap/yr is avoidable food waste, which is edible food not consumed. We have calculated the water and nitrogen (N) resources associated with avoidable food waste. The associated blue water footprint (WF) (the consumption of surface and groundwater resources) averages 27 litre per capita per day (min 13-max 40 l/cap/d), which slightly exceeds the total blue consumptive EU municipal water use. The associated green WF (consumptive rainwater use) is 294 (min 127-max 449) l/cap/d, equivalent to the total green consumptive water use for crop production in Spain. The nitrogen (N) contained in avoidable food waste averages 0.68 (min 0.29-max 1.08) kg/cap/yr. The food production N footprint (any remaining N used in the food production process) averages 2.74 (min 1.02-max 4.65) kg/cap/yr, equivalent to the use of mineral fertiliser by the UK and Germany combined. Among all the food product groups wasted, meat accounts for the highest amounts of water and N resources, followed by wasted cereals. The results of this study provide essential insights and information on sustainable consumption and resource efficiency for both EU policies and EU consumers.

What Is Equality of Opportunity in Education?

Science.gov (United States)

Lazenby, Hugh

2016-01-01

There is widespread disagreement about what equality of opportunity in education requires. For some it is that each child is legally permitted to go to school. For others it is that each child receives the same educational resources. Further interpretations abound. This fact presents a problem: when politicians or academics claim they are in…

Identifying Opportunities in Citizen Science for Academic Libraries

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Cynthia M.; Cheney, Liz; Duong, Khue; Lea, Ben; Unno, Zoe Pettway

2015-01-01

Citizen science projects continue to grow in popularity, providing opportunities for nonexpert volunteers to contribute to and become personally invested in rigorous scientific research. Academic libraries, aiming to promote and provide tools and resources to master scientific and information literacy, can support these efforts. While few examples…

Environmental and resource footprints in a global context: Europe's structural deficit in resource endowments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tukker, A.; Bulavskaya, T.; Giljum, S.; Koning, A. de; Lutter, S.; Simas, M.; Stadler, K.; Wood, R.

2016-01-01

The European Union (EU) has proposed in its Resource-efficiency roadmap a ‘dashboard of indicators’ consisting of four headline indicators for carbon, water, land and materials. The EU recognizes the need to use a consumption-based (or ‘footprint’) perspective to capture the global dimension of

Entrepreneurship as re-sourcing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Korsgaard, Steffen; Anderson, Alistair; Gaddefors, Johan

Objectives The purpose of this paper is to re-examine the concept of entrepreneurship in light of the current financial and environmental crisis and its socio-spatial impact. Building on Hudson’s analysis of production in late-capitalist societies, we identify problems inherent in the dominant...... of grounding in material reality, lacking emphasis on environmental externalities and an impoverished conceptualization of spatial relations. Comparing this analysis with the dominant opportunistic image of the entrepreneur, leads us to formulate a critique of this image. In formulating an alternative we build...... The paper presents a “new image” of entrepreneurship as re-sourcing. The concept of re-sourcing emphasizes the dual meaning of the word resource as both a stock of supply and strategy or action adopted in adverse circumstances. Re-sourcing thus signifies a shift in focus from opportunities to resources...

Cooperation or competition : dilemma for resource managers in sustainable wildlife utilisation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mwakiwa, E.

2011-01-01

Keywords: analytical modelling; Associated Private Nature Reserves; consumptive use; elephants; Kruger National Park; land productivity; non-consumptive use; waterpoints; Savanna ecosystem model; South Africa.

Wildlife as part of biodiversity is a global natural resource.

New opportunities from nuclear R and D

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hart, R.G.

1984-01-01

The author presents a new initiative within Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL), the intention to look for spin-off business opportunities from main-line research and development. In 1982 AECL began encouraging ideas for spin-off applications. Some problems were encountered: the reluctance of staff to divert attention from the CANDU program; resource allocation; difficulties in getting market input; and difficulties in deciding what to license and what to retain as an in-house business opportunity. Successes have come in the areas of using CANDU technology in LWRs, SLOWPOKE reactors, industrial accelerators, stable isotope production, intelligent sensing systems, and deuterated lucite for fibre optics. (L.L.)

Assessing the environmental impacts of freshwater consumption in LCA.

Science.gov (United States)

Pfister, Stephan; Koehler, Annette; Hellweg, Stefanie

2009-06-01

A method for assessing the environmental impacts of freshwater consumption was developed. This method considers damages to three areas of protection: human health, ecosystem quality, and resources. The method can be used within most existing life-cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methods. The relative importance of water consumption was analyzed by integrating the method into the Eco-indicator-99 LCIA method. The relative impact of water consumption in LCIA was analyzed with a case study on worldwide cotton production. The importance of regionalized characterization factors for water use was also examined in the case study. In arid regions, water consumption may dominate the aggregated life-cycle impacts of cotton-textile production. Therefore, the consideration of water consumption is crucial in life-cycle assessment (LCA) studies that include water-intensive products, such as agricultural goods. A regionalized assessment is necessary, since the impacts of water use vary greatly as a function of location. The presented method is useful for environmental decision-support in the production of water-intensive products as well as for environmentally responsible value-chain management.

Investigation and Analysis on Sports Consumption of Urban Residents of Henan Province

Science.gov (United States)

Ying, Wu Lan

With economic development, urban residents' in levels rises gradually and their daily consumption structure tends to be demands of development and enjoyment. Sport consumption, as a social and cultural consumption, with a high level of enjoyment and development of consumer properties, has been gradually recognized by the general population and an important reference for the measure of quality of residents' life. In this paper, questionnaire survey, literature, expert interviews and mathematical statistics methods are used to analyze the awareness, motivation, level of consumption, survey structure and constraints of sports consumption of urban residents of Henan Province. The results are: the proportion of sports participants of urban residents' of Henan Province is small, there is a large space for sports consumption development; sports consumer awareness is relatively backward, sports consumption values are gradually formed; the overall level of sports consumption is low and the consumption structure is single. Therefore, the advocacy of sports consumption should be strengthened, attention should be paid to physical infrastructure, strengthening the sports industry structure optimization, put emphasis on the introduction and training of sports talents, target to develop sports tourism and minority sports resources, and create a good environment of csports consumption.

A real-time Java tool chain for resource constrained platforms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Korsholm, Stephan E.; Søndergaard, Hans; Ravn, Anders Peter

2014-01-01

The Java programming language was originally developed for embedded systems, but the resource requirements of previous and current Java implementations – especially memory consumption – tend to exclude them from being used on a significant class of resource constrained embedded platforms. The con......The Java programming language was originally developed for embedded systems, but the resource requirements of previous and current Java implementations – especially memory consumption – tend to exclude them from being used on a significant class of resource constrained embedded platforms...... by integrating the following: (1) a lean virtual machine without any external dependencies on POSIX-like libraries or other OS functionalities; (2) a hardware abstraction layer, implemented almost entirely in Java through the use of hardware objects, first level interrupt handlers, and native variables; and (3....... An evaluation of the presented solution shows that the miniCDj benchmark gets reduced to a size where it can run on resource constrained platforms....

Digital Innovation and Nuclear Engineering Education in UNED: Challenges, Trends and Opportunities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alonso-Ramos, M.; Sánchez-Elvira Paniagua, Á.; Martín, S.; Castro Gil, M.; Sanz Gozalo, J.

2016-01-01

Full text: Innovation in nuclear engineering education should reflect the current challenges, trends and opportunities that digital technologies are promoting in the whole educational field. The European Commission has recently stressed that technology and open educational resources represent clear opportunities to reshape EU education, contributing to the necessary modernization of higher education in order to give response to XXI century challenges. In this paper, the innovations that the Spanish National Distance Education University (UNED) are making in the digital education domain, including open educational resources (OER) and massive open online courses (MOOCs) developments applied to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and the nuclear engineering field, are presented. (author

Time to propagate green building construction concept for saving precious resources sustainable development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, Z.

2005-01-01

At present, we are constructing houses and buildings without giving any consideration to consumption of resources at the time of construction and consumption of resources for the use of such houses or buildings. ; Although green is our color but we are doing little about green building. Time has now come to propagate Green Building Construction Concepts in order to save our precious resources. The paper deals with dire need of awareness about conservation of water, conservation of energy, use of local materials, use of natural materials, etc. (author)

Associations between Nut Consumption and Health Vary between Omnivores, Vegetarians, and Vegans.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Rachel C; Gray, Andrew R; Tey, Siew Ling; Chisholm, Alexandra; Burley, Victoria; Greenwood, Darren C; Cade, Janet

2017-11-06

Regular nut consumption is associated with reduced risk factors for chronic disease; however, most population-based studies lack consideration of effect modification by dietary pattern. The UK Women's Cohort Study (UKWCS) provides an ideal opportunity to examine relationships between nut consumption and chronic disease risk factors in a large sample with diverse dietary patterns. Nut and nutrient intake from 34,831 women was estimated using a food frequency questionnaire among self-identified omnivores, vegetarians and vegans. In this cross-sectional analysis, higher nut consumption was associated with lower body weight (difference between highest and lowest consumption categories from adjusted model: 6.1 kg; 95% CI: 4.7, 7.6) body mass index (BMI, 2.4 units difference; 95% CI: 1.9, 2.9), and waist circumference (2.6 cm difference; 95% CI: 1.4, 3.8) (all p for linear trend vegans. Findings support existing literature around beneficial effects of nut consumption and suggest that benefits may be larger among omnivores. Nut promotion strategies may have the highest population impact by specifically targeting this group.

Cyberlearning for Climate Literacy: Challenges and Opportunities

Science.gov (United States)

McCaffrey, M. S.; Buhr, S. M.; Gold, A. U.; Ledley, T. S.; Mooney, M. E.; Niepold, F.

2010-12-01

Cyberlearning tools provide cost and carbon-efficient avenues for fostering a climate literate society through online engagement with learners. With climate change education becoming a Presidential Priority in 2009, funding for grants from NSF, NASA and NOAA is leading to a new generation of cyberlearning resources that supplement existing online resources. This paper provides an overview of challenges and opportunities relating to the online delivery of high quality, often complex climate science by examining several existing and emerging efforts, including the Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN,) a National Science Digital Library Pathway, the development by CIRES Education and Outreach of the Inspiring Climate Education Excellence (ICEE) online course, TERC’s Earth Exploration Toolbook (EET,) DataTools, and EarthLab modules, the NOAA Climate Stewards Education Program (CSEP) that utilizes the NSTA E-Learning Center, online efforts by members of the Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP), UCAR’s Climate Discovery program, and the Climate Adaptation, Mitigation e-Learning (CAMeL) project. In addition, we will summarize outcomes of the Cyberlearning for Climate Literacy workshop held in Washington DC in the Fall of 2009 and examine opportunities for teachers to develop and share their own lesson plans based on climate-related web resources that currently lack built-in learning activities, assessments or teaching tips.

Evaluation of activities promoting fruits and vegetables consumption in 8 countries members of the Global Alliance for Promoting Fruit and Vegetable Consumption “5 a day” – AIAM5

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manuel Moñino

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Introduction: This article compiles practices promoting fruits and vegetables consumption launched by eight members of AIAM5 - Global Alliance for Promoting Fruits and Vegetables Consumption “5 a day”, with the aim of identifying best practices in the approaching strategies, programs and activities to encourage fruits and vegetables consumption. Material and Methods: A questionnaire designed to categorize and identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, cost-effectiveness, feasibility and practices with the greatest potential to adapt to national health promoting policies, was used. Questionnaires from eight countries from AIAM5 were evaluated: Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Spain. Results: One of the greatest strengths of the organizations of AIAM5 is the prestige and the professional, technical and academic knowledge that back up their activities. One evident weakness of their strategies is the lack of measuring practices of the impact of the implemented activities, and the evaluation of their cost-effectiveness. It was also observed that some of the entities that carry out the programs “5 a day” are conceived as social enterprises with diverse types of partners and allies. Conclusions: It is recommended that AIAM5 members should make an effort to measure the impact of their activities and interventions by setting quantifiable goals, and using indicators to assess the degree of achievement of the activities carried out. It is also recommended to exploit the niche of opportunities provided by the Corporate Social Responsibility to help them achieve their objectives of promoting fruits and vegetables consumption.

Biorefinery opportunities for the forest products industries

Science.gov (United States)

Alan W. Rudie

2013-01-01

Wood residues offer biorefinery opportunities for new products in our industries including fuel and chemicals. But industry must have two capabilities to succeed with biorefineries. Most forest products companies already have the first capability: knowing where the resource is, how to get it, and how much it will cost. They will need to integrate the acquisition of...

Rationalization of water consumption in paper industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Žarković Darja

2004-01-01

Full Text Available The subject of this paper was to consider the possibilities of economical paper production with rationalization of water consumption. In accordance with the principles of viable development. The pulp & paper industry has had to face global market needs and strict regulation concerning the environment. The basic motive was to provide consistent and high product quality, which is competitive on the market. The pulp & paper industry is one of the largest consumers and pollutants of natural resources. In that light, the rationalization of raw material, water, energy and chemicals consumption with minimization of environmental impact is essential. The European directive on environmental protection obliges producers of pulp & paper to decrease the volume of wastewater and to increase the efficiency treatment. Pulp and paper industry in Serbia and Montenegro will also be faced with the demands for environmental protection. Numerous examples of water consumption rationalization and improvement of water quality in the pulp & paper industry could be found in different literature sources. It is necessary to increase water system closure and implement up-to-date treatment methods. The possibilities for water consumption rationalization, in a real system the paperboard mill UMKA, were examined.

Mapping Water Resources, Allocation and Consumption in the Mills River Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Hodes, J.; Jeuland, M. A.; Barros, A. P.

2014-12-01

Mountain basins and the headwaters of river basins along the foothills of major mountain ranges are undergoing rapid environmental change due to urban development, land acquisition by investors, population increase, and climate change. Classical water infrastructure in these regions is primarily designed to meet human water demand associated with agriculture, tourism, and economic development. Often overlooked and ignored is the fundamental interdependence of human water demand, ecosystem water demand, water rights and allocation, and water supply. A truly sustainable system for water resources takes into account ecosystem demand along with human infrastructure and economic demand, as well as the feedbacks that exist between them. Allocation policies need to take into account basin resilience that is the amount of stress the system can handle under varying future scenarios. Changes in stress on the system can be anthropogenic in the form of population increase, land use change, economic development, or may be natural in the form of climate change and decrease in water supply due to changes in precipitation. Mapping the water rights, supply, and demands within the basin can help determine the resiliency and sustainability of the basin. Here, we present a coupled natural human system project based in the French Broad River Basin, in the Southern Appalachians. In the first phase of the project, we are developing and implementing a coupled hydro-economics modeling framework in the Mills River Basin (MRB), a tributary of the French Broad. The Mills River Basin was selected as the core basin for implementing a sustainable system of water allocation that is adaptive and reflects the interdependence of water dependent sectors. The headwaters of the Mills River are in the foothills of the Appalachians, and are currently under substantial land use land cover (LULC) change pressure for agricultural purposes. In this regard, the MRB is representative of similar headwater

A content analysis of dissemination and implementation science resource initiatives: what types of resources do they offer to advance the field?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Doyanne Darnell

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The recent growth in organized efforts to advance dissemination and implementation (D & I science suggests a rapidly expanding community focused on the adoption and sustainment of evidence-based practices (EBPs. Although promising for the D & I of EBPs, the proliferation of initiatives is difficult for any one individual to navigate and summarize. Such proliferation may also result in redundant efforts or missed opportunities for participation and advancement. A review of existing D & I science resource initiatives and their unique merits would be a significant step for the field. The present study aimed to describe the global landscape of these organized efforts to advance D & I science. Methods We conducted a content analysis between October 2015 and March 2016 to examine resources and characteristics of D & I science resource initiatives using public, web-based information. Included resource initiatives must have engaged in multiple efforts to advance D & I science beyond conferences, offered D & I science resources, and provided content in English. The sampling method included an Internet search using D & I terms and inquiry among internationally representative D & I science experts. Using a coding scheme based on a priori and grounded approaches, two authors consensus coded website information including interactive and non-interactive resources and information regarding accessibility (membership, cost, competitive application, and location. Results The vast majority (83% of resource initiatives offered at least one of seven interactive resources (consultation/technical assistance, mentorship, workshops, workgroups, networking, conferences, and social media and one of six non-interactive resources (resource library, news and updates from the field, archived talks or slides, links pages, grant writing resources, and funding opportunities. Non-interactive resources were most common, with some appearing frequently across

Frontiers in chemical engineering: research needs and opportunities

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

National Research Council Staff; Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications; Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences; National Research Council

1988-01-01

...: Research Needs and Opportunities Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Resources National Research Council NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS Washington, D.C. 1988 i Copyrighttrue Please breaks inserted. are Page files. accidentally typesetting been have may original from the errors not typographic original ret...

Modeling Resource Hotspots: Critical Linkages and Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Daher, B.; Mohtar, R.; Pistikopoulos, E.; McCarl, B. A.; Yang, Y.

2017-12-01

Growing demands for interconnected resources emerge in the form of hotspots of varying characteristics. The business as usual allocation model cannot address the current, let alone anticipated, complex and highly interconnected resource challenges we face. A new paradigm for resource allocation must be adopted: one that identifies cross-sectoral synergies and, that moves away from silos to recognition of the nexus and integration of it. Doing so will result in new opportunities for business growth, economic development, and improved social well-being. Solutions and interventions must be multi-faceted; opportunities should be identified with holistic trade-offs in mind. No single solution fits all: different hotspots will require distinct interventions. Hotspots have varying resource constraints, stakeholders, goals and targets. The San Antonio region represents a complex resource hotspot with promising potential: its rapidly growing population, the Eagle Ford shale play, and the major agricultural activity there makes it a hotspot with many competing demands. Stakeholders need tools to allow them to knowledgeably address impending resource challenges. This study will identify contemporary WEF nexus questions and critical system interlinkages that will inform the modeling of the tightly interconnected resource systems and stresses using the San Antonio Region as a base; it will conceptualize a WEF nexus modeling framework, and develop assessment criteria to inform integrative planning and decision making.

Revisiting Rebound Effects from Material Resource Use. Indications for Germany Considering Social Heterogeneity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johannes Buhl

2014-02-01

Full Text Available In contrast to the original investigation by William Stanley Jevons, compensations of energy savings due to improved energy efficiency are mostly analyzed by providing energy consumption or greenhouse gas emissions. In support of a sustainable resource management, this paper analyzes so-called rebound effects based on resource use. Material flows and associated expenditures by households allow for calculating resource intensities and marginal propensities to consume. Marginal propensities to consume are estimated from data of the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP in order to account for indirect rebound effects for food, housing and mobility. Resource intensities are estimated in terms of total material requirements per household final consumption expenditures along the Classification of Individual Consumption according to Purpose (COICOP. Eventually, rebound effects are indicated on the basis of published saving scenarios in resource and energy demand for Germany. In sum, compensations due to rebound effects are lowest for food while the highest compensations are induced for mobility. This is foremost the result of a relatively high resource intensity of food and a relatively low resource intensity in mobility. Findings are provided by giving various propensity scenarios in order to cope with income differences in Germany. The author concludes that policies on resource conservation need to reconsider rebound effects under the aspect of social heterogeneity.

A model proposal concerning balance scorecard application integrated with resource consumption accounting in enterprise performance management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ORHAN ELMACI

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The present study intended to investigate the “Balance Scorecard (BSC model integrated with Resource Consumption Accounting (RCA” which helps to evaluate the enterprise as matrix structure in its all parts. It aims to measure how much tangible and intangible values (assets of enterprises contribute to the enterprises. In other words, it measures how effectively, actively, and efficiently these values (assets are used. In short, it aims to measure sustainable competency of enterprises. As expressing the effect of tangible and intangible values (assets of the enterprise on the performance in mathematical and statistical methods is insufficient, it is targeted that RCA Method integrated with BSC model is based on matrix structure and control models. The effects of all complex factors in the enterprise on the performance (productivity and efficiency estimated algorithmically with cause and effect diagram. The contributions of matrix structures for reaching the management functional targets of the enterprises that operate in market competitive environment increasing day to day, is discussed. So in the context of modern management theories, as a contribution to BSC approach which is in the foreground in today’s administrative science of enterprises in matrix organizational structures, multidimensional performance evaluation model -RCA integrated with BSC Model proposal- is presented as strategic planning and strategic evaluation instrument.

Spatial decoupling of agricultural production and consumption: quantifying dependences of countries on food imports due to domestic land and water constraints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fader, Marianela; Gerten, Dieter; Lucht, Wolfgang; Krause, Michael; Cramer, Wolfgang

2013-01-01

In our globalizing world, the geographical locations of food production and consumption are becoming increasingly disconnected, which increases reliance on external resources and their trade. We quantified to what extent water and land constraints limit countries’ capacities, at present and by 2050, to produce on their own territory the crop products that they currently import from other countries. Scenarios of increased crop productivity and water use, cropland expansion (excluding areas prioritized for other uses) and population change are accounted for. We found that currently 16% of the world population use the opportunities of international trade to cover their demand for agricultural products. Population change may strongly increase the number of people depending on ex situ land and water resources up to about 5.2 billion (51% of world population) in the SRES A2r scenario. International trade will thus have to intensify if population growth is not accompanied by dietary change towards less resource-intensive products, by cropland expansion, or by productivity improvements, mainly in Africa and the Middle East. Up to 1.3 billion people may be at risk of food insecurity in 2050 in present low-income economies (mainly in Africa), if their economic development does not allow them to afford productivity increases, cropland expansion and/or imports from other countries. (letter)

Evaluation of Abiotic Resource LCIA Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodrigo A. F. Alvarenga

2016-02-01

Full Text Available In a life cycle assessment (LCA, the impacts on resources are evaluated at the area of protection (AoP with the same name, through life cycle impact assessment (LCIA methods. There are different LCIA methods available in literature that assesses abiotic resources, and the goal of this study was to propose recommendations for that impact category. We evaluated 19 different LCIA methods, through two criteria (scientific robustness and scope, divided into three assessment levels, i.e., resource accounting methods (RAM, midpoint, and endpoint. In order to support the assessment, we applied some LCIA methods to a case study of ethylene production. For RAM, the most suitable LCIA method was CEENE (Cumulative Exergy Extraction from the Natural Environment (but SED (Solar Energy Demand and ICEC (Industrial Cumulative Exergy Consumption/ECEC (Ecological Cumulative Exergy Consumption may also be recommended, while the midpoint level was ADP (Abiotic Depletion Potential, and the endpoint level was both the Recipe Endpoint and EPS2000 (Environmental Priority Strategies. We could notice that the assessment for the AoP Resources is not yet well established in the LCA community, since new LCIA methods (with different approaches and assessment frameworks are showing up, and this trend may continue in the future.

Comanagement of Natural Resources

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

Viet Nam: sharing the resource in Tam Giang Lagoon Image .... Rugged mountains, desert margins, remote coastal villages — these are .... Tropical forests, for example, may be intensively exploited by different users at different times. .... were given equal opportunity to share their experiences and frustrations without risk of ...

Natural-resource management in Bangladesh

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hasan, S.; Mulamoottil, G.

1994-01-01

The paper discusses the major natural resource management issues in relation to land, forests, and water in Bangladesh. It shows how government policies and programs in one sector may affect other sectors. A lack of land use, and forest policies can be responsible for degradation of agricultural land and deforestation. The paper argues that better management of the natural resources can only be achieved by an integrated approach covering all the sectors of development. In Bangladesh, with a freely elected government in power, there is a unique opportunity to formulate an integrated natural resource management strategy. 44 refs, 2 figs, 1 tab

Engineering Computer Games: A Parallel Learning Opportunity for Undergraduate Engineering and Primary (K-5 Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark Michael Budnik

2011-04-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we present how our College of Engineering is developing a growing portfolio of engineering computer games as a parallel learning opportunity for undergraduate engineering and primary (grade K-5 students. Around the world, many schools provide secondary students (grade 6-12 with opportunities to pursue pre-engineering classes. However, by the time students reach this age, many of them have already determined their educational goals and preferred careers. Our College of Engineering is developing resources to provide primary students, still in their educational formative years, with opportunities to learn more about engineering. One of these resources is a library of engineering games targeted to the primary student population. The games are designed by sophomore students in our College of Engineering. During their Introduction to Computational Techniques course, the students use the LabVIEW environment to develop the games. This software provides a wealth of design resources for the novice programmer; using it to develop the games strengthens the undergraduates

Consumption and wastage of home-fortified maize flour products in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2015-03-15

Mar 15, 2015 ... Department of Human Nutrition and Health, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Bunda Campus, Lilongwe, Malawi. Correspondence to: Getrude Mphwanthe, e-mail: getumphwanthe@yahoo.co.uk. Keywords: home fortification, Malawi, micronutrients, plate waste, nsima. Consumption ...

Optimization of rootkit revealing system resources – A game theoretic approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Muthumanickam

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Malicious rootkit is a collection of programs designed with the intent of infecting and monitoring the victim computer without the user’s permission. After the victim has been compromised, the remote attacker can easily cause further damage. In order to infect, compromise and monitor, rootkits adopt Native Application Programming Interface (API hooking technique. To reveal the hidden rootkits, current rootkit detection techniques check different data structures which hold reference to Native APIs. To verify these data structures, a large amount of system resources are required. This is because of the number of APIs in these data structures being quite large. Game theoretic approach is a useful mathematical tool to simulate network attacks. In this paper, a mathematical model is framed to optimize resource consumption using game-theory. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to be proposed for optimizing resource consumption while revealing rootkit presence using game theory. Non-cooperative game model is taken to discuss the problem. Analysis and simulation results show that our game theoretic model can effectively reduce the resource consumption by selectively monitoring the number of APIs in windows platform.

Evaluation of Selected Resource Allocation and Scheduling Methods in Heterogeneous Many-Core Processors and Graphics Processing Units

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ciznicki Milosz

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Heterogeneous many-core computing resources are increasingly popular among users due to their improved performance over homogeneous systems. Many developers have realized that heterogeneous systems, e.g. a combination of a shared memory multi-core CPU machine with massively parallel Graphics Processing Units (GPUs, can provide significant performance opportunities to a wide range of applications. However, the best overall performance can only be achieved if application tasks are efficiently assigned to different types of processor units in time taking into account their specific resource requirements. Additionally, one should note that available heterogeneous resources have been designed as general purpose units, however, with many built-in features accelerating specific application operations. In other words, the same algorithm or application functionality can be implemented as a different task for CPU or GPU. Nevertheless, from the perspective of various evaluation criteria, e.g. the total execution time or energy consumption, we may observe completely different results. Therefore, as tasks can be scheduled and managed in many alternative ways on both many-core CPUs or GPUs and consequently have a huge impact on the overall computing resources performance, there are needs for new and improved resource management techniques. In this paper we discuss results achieved during experimental performance studies of selected task scheduling methods in heterogeneous computing systems. Additionally, we present a new architecture for resource allocation and task scheduling library which provides a generic application programming interface at the operating system level for improving scheduling polices taking into account a diversity of tasks and heterogeneous computing resources characteristics.

Balancing water resource conservation and food security in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Dalin, Carole; Qiu, Huanguang; Hanasaki, Naota; Mauzerall, Denise L; Rodriguez-Iturbe, Ignacio

2015-04-14

China's economic growth is expected to continue into the next decades, accompanied by sustained urbanization and industrialization. The associated increase in demand for land, water resources, and rich foods will deepen the challenge of sustainably feeding the population and balancing agricultural and environmental policies. We combine a hydrologic model with an economic model to project China's future food trade patterns and embedded water resources by 2030 and to analyze the effects of targeted irrigation reductions on this system, notably on national agricultural water consumption and food self-sufficiency. We simulate interprovincial and international food trade with a general equilibrium welfare model and a linear programming optimization, and we obtain province-level estimates of commodities' virtual water content with a hydrologic model. We find that reducing irrigated land in regions highly dependent on scarce river flow and nonrenewable groundwater resources, such as Inner Mongolia and the greater Beijing area, can improve the efficiency of agriculture and trade regarding water resources. It can also avoid significant consumption of irrigation water across China (up to 14.8 km(3)/y, reduction by 14%), while incurring relatively small decreases in national food self-sufficiency (e.g., by 3% for wheat). Other researchers found that a national, rather than local, water policy would have similar effects on food production but would only reduce irrigation water consumption by 5%.

Fuel Consumption Management in the Transportation Sector in Iran

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dastjerdi, Aliasghar M.; Araghi, Bahar Namaki

2011-01-01

Energy consumption in the transportation sector in Iran is significantly higher than global norms and standards which caused some issues including wasting national resources, deteriorating air quality, GHG emissions etc. The major purpose of this paper is to introduce practical policies, strategies...... and technologies to reduce liquid fuel consumption known as a dominant source of energy in transport sector in Iran. Since, the road subsector has the major share in consuming liquid fuel amongst others, more attention is given to the methods for reducing consumption in this subsector. The relating policies...... and actions were classified by optimization measures according to four separate categories as follows; “Optimization of Supply of Transportation Services”, “Optimization of Transport Demand”, “Optimization of Energy Consumption” and “Optimization of Car Manufacturing”....

Modelling the Load Curve of Aggregate Electricity Consumption Using Principal Components

OpenAIRE

Matteo Manera; Angelo Marzullo

2003-01-01

Since oil is a non-renewable resource with a high environmental impact, and its most common use is to produce combustibles for electricity, reliable methods for modelling electricity consumption can contribute to a more rational employment of this hydrocarbon fuel. In this paper we apply the Principal Components (PC) method to modelling the load curves of Italy, France and Greece on hourly data of aggregate electricity consumption. The empirical results obtained with the PC approach are compa...

A consumption-based GHG inventory for the U.S. state of Oregon.

Science.gov (United States)

Erickson, Peter; Allaway, David; Lazarus, Michael; Stanton, Elizabeth A

2012-04-03

Many U.S. states conduct greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories to inform their climate change planning efforts. These inventories usually follow a production-based method adapted from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. States could also take a consumption-based perspective, however, and estimate all emissions released to support consumption in their state, regardless of where the emissions occur. In what may be the first such comprehensive inventory conducted for a U.S. state, we find that consumption-based emissions for Oregon are 47% higher than those released in-state. This finding implies that Oregon's contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions (carbon footprint) is considerably higher than traditional production-based methods would suggest. Furthermore, the consumption-based inventory helps highlight the role of goods and services (and associated purchasing behaviors) more so than do production-based methods. Accordingly, a consumption-based perspective opens new opportunities for many states and their local government partners to reduce GHG emissions, such as initiatives to advance lower-carbon public sector or household consumption, that are well within their sphere of influence. State and local governments should consider conducting consumption-based GHG inventories and adopting consumption-based emission reductions targets in order to broaden the reach and effectiveness of state and local actions in reducing global GHG emissions. Consumption-based frameworks should be viewed as a complement to, but not a substitute for, production-based (in-state) GHG emissions inventories and targets.

Consumption governance toward more sustainable consumption

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wahlen, S.; Dubuisson-Quellier, Sophie

2018-01-01

This article deliberates on strategies of consumption governance toward more sustainable consumption. We discuss theoretical concepts stemming from various social science perspectives to (1) promote more sustainable consumption, (2) compare strategies stemming from individualist understanding of

Generating opportunity : human resources needs in the bioenergy, biofuels and industrial biotechnology subsectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2009-07-01

Canada has a plentiful resource base and a long history of innovation in bioenergy, biofuels and industrial biotechnology. Success of the industry depends on having the required human resources capacity such as the right number of skilled, job-ready professionals to support companies as they develop and commercialize new solutions. This document presented the results of a human resources survey conducted by BioTalent regarding the national and global bioenergy, biofuels and industrial biotechnology subsectors. It addressed a variety of issues, such as the increasing demand for bioenergy; the near-term perspective; growth factors; and the role of public policy. A subsector snapshot of human resources was also presented, with particular reference to the principal areas of need; types of roles required in the bio-economy; human resources capacity and company size; regional variances; skills gaps; reliance on outsourcing; knowledge, learning and connectedness; recruitment, retention and turnover; and the road ahead. Conclusions and recommendations were also offered. It was concluded that once the economy recovers, demand for bioenergy, biofuels and industrial products and services is expected to increase. 3 tabs., 6 figs.

Actual energy consumption in dwellings. The effect of energy performance regulations and occupant behaviour

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guerra Santin, O.

2010-10-19

Residential buildings have continuously improved in energy efficiency, partly as a consequence of the introduction of energy regulations in many countries. Although better thermal properties and systems efficiency have lowered energy consumption for space heating in recent decades, substantial differences in energy consumption in similar dwellings are still being observed. These differences in consumption are thought to be caused by differences in occupancy patterns, by quality of construction and by rebound effects. This research addresses the effect of energy performance regulations and occupant behavior on energy consumption for space and water heating in dwellings built after the introduction of the energy performance regulations in the Netherlands. The results of this research show that improving the energy efficiency of buildings alone is not enough to decrease that energy consumption. The large differences found in the use of dwellings indicate that, especially in energy efficient houses, occupant behavior provides an opportunity for further reductions in the energy consumption for space heating which could boost the efforts to conserve energy worldwide.

Wildlife Management Areas in Tanzania: A Study of Opportunities ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In 2003 Tanzania established 16 pilot Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs), with the aim of enhancing conservation and poverty alleviation through sustainable utilization of natural resources. This study examines the opportunities and challenges of this policy initiative with reference to the proposed WMAs. Data were ...

Meat consumption: trends and quality matters.

Science.gov (United States)

Henchion, Maeve; McCarthy, Mary; Resconi, Virginia C; Troy, Declan

2014-11-01

This paper uses quality theory to identify opportunities for the meat sector that are consistent with trends in meat consumption. Meat consumption has increased and is likely to continue into the future. Growth is largely driven by white meats, with poultry in particular of increasing importance globally. The influence of factors such as income and price is likely decline over time so that other factors, such as quality, will become more important. Quality is complex and consumers' quality expectations may not align with experienced quality due to misconception of certain intrinsic cues. Establishing relevant and effective cues, based on extrinsic and credence attributes, could offer advantage on the marketplace. The use of extrinsic cues can help convey quality characteristics for eating quality, but also for more abstract attributes that reflect individual consumer concerns e.g. health/nutrition, and collective concerns, e.g. sustainability. However, attributes are not of equal value to all consumers. Thus consumer segmentation and production differentiation is needed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Energy consumption: energy consumption in mainland Norway

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Magnussen, Inger Helene; Killingland, Magnus; Spilde, Dag

2012-07-25

The purpose of this report is to describe trends in energy consumption in mainland Norway, with an emphasis on key trends within the largest consumer groups. We also explain common terms and concepts in the field of energy consumption. Finally, we look at forecasts for future energy consumption, produced by bodies outside NVE. Total final energy consumption in mainland Norway in 2009 was 207 TWh. The most important end-user groups are households, service industries, manufacturing industry and transport. In addition, the energy sector in mainland Norway consumed 15 TWh. Energy consumed in the energy sector is not considered as final consumption, as the energy is used to produce new energy products. The long-term trend in energy consumption in mainland Norway is that fuel in the transport sector and electricity for the energy sector increases, while energy consumption in other sectors flattens out. The main reason for an increased use of fuel in the transport sector is the rise in the number of motorised machinery and vehicles in mainland Norway. This has caused a rise in gasoline and diesel consumption of 75 per cent since 1976. The petroleum sector is the largest consumer of energy within the energy sector in mainland Norway, and electricity from onshore to platforms in the North Sea and to new shore side installations has led to a rise in electricity consumption from 1 TWh in 1995 to 5 TWh in 2009. The energy consumption in households showed flat trend from 1996 to 2009, after many years of growth. The main reasons are a warmer climate, higher energy prices, the use of heats pumps and more energy-efficient buildings. In the service industries, the growth in energy consumptions has slightly decreased since the late 1990s, for much the same reasons as for households. In manufacturing industries the energy consumption have flatten out mainly due to the closure of energy-intensive businesses and the establishment of new more energy-efficient businesses. Electricity is

Work-related consumption drivers and consumption at work

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Røpke, Inge

2004-01-01

The main message in this paper is that the discussion on sustainable consumption should also incorporate the consumption that occurs in relation to work and, more generally, the relationship between consumption at work and consumption at home. I start by considering how domestic consumption...... is encouraged by work-related factors and continue to consider how consumption activities occur in the workplace, so illustrating that production and consumption are intertwined. The main part of the paper deals in detail with the conceptual distinction between production and consumption. Inspiration is drawn...... from both ecology and economics with focus on some important predecessors for ecological economics. I conclude with reflections on how to proceed with consumption studies to provide the basis for promoting more sustainable life patterns....

Energetic dependency on the oil reserve- resources of crude oil in the world

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marína Sidorová

2006-10-01

Full Text Available Crude oil belongs to the most important energy resources nowadays., However its reserves are the smallest in comparison with other energy resources as coal, gas or uranium. The world oil consumption continuously increases and within 20-year period there could be about one third. So, the consumption of combustibles will probably increase and the reserves will decrease. Promising are new resources or a better utilization of primary sources. It´s a question of a short time when world scientists should think about this indisputably worldwide problem and would provide an equivalent substitution with an available ecological solution.

Modelling energy consumption in a manufacturing plant using productivity KPIs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gallachoir, Brian O.; Cahill, Caiman (Sustainable Energy Research Group, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Univ. College Cork (Ireland))

2009-07-01

Energy efficiency initiatives in industrial plants are often focused on getting energy-consuming utilities and devices to operate more efficiently, or on conserving energy. While such device-oriented energy efficiency measures can achieve considerable savings, greater energy efficiency improvement may be achieved by improving the overall productivity and quality of manufacturing processes. The paper highlights the observed relationship between productivity and energy efficiency using aggregated data on unit consumption and production index data for Irish industry. Past studies have developed simple top-down models of final energy consumption in manufacturing plants using energy consumption and production output figures, but these models do not help identify opportunities for energy savings that could achieved through increased productivity. This paper proposes an improved and innovative method of modelling plant final energy demand that introduces standard productivity Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) into the model. The model demonstrates the relationship between energy consumption and productivity, and uses standard productivity metrics to identify the areas of manufacturing activity that offer the most potential for improved energy efficiency. The model provides a means of comparing the effect of device-oriented energy efficiency measures with the potential for improved energy efficiency through increased productivity.

Opportunities for addressing laminated root rot caused by Phellinus sulphuracens in Washington's forests: A Report from the Washington State Academy of Sciences in cooperation with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources

Science.gov (United States)

R. James Cook; Robert L. Edmonds; Ned B. Klopfenstein; Willis Littke; Geral McDonald; Daniel Omdahl; Karen Ripley; Charles G. Shaw; Rona Sturrock; Paul Zambino

2013-01-01

This report from the Washington State Academy of Sciences (WSAS) is in response to a request from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to "identify approaches and opportunities ripe for research on understanding and managing root diseases of Douglas-fir." Similar to the process used by the National Research Council, the WSAS upon...

Portfolio Analysis of Renewable Energy Opportunities: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Richards, Allison; Deprizio, Jodi; Anderson, Kate; DiOrio, Nick; Elgqvist, Emma; Simpkins, Travis

2016-11-01

Time Warner Cable (TWC), now Charter Communications (CC), partnered with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to assess the technical and economic potential for solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, and ground-source heat-pump systems at 696 TWC facilities. NREL identified 306 sites where adding a renewable energy system would provide cost savings over the project life-cycle. In general, the top sites have some combination of high electricity rates ($0.16-$0.29/kWh), significant state incentives, and favorable net-metering policies. If all projects were implemented via third-party power purchase agreements, TWC/CC would save $37 million over 25 years and meet 10.5% of their energy consumption with renewable energy. This paper describes the portfolio screening methodology used to identify and prioritize renewable energy opportunities across the TWC sites, as well as a summary of the potential cost savings that may be realized by implementing these projects. This may provide a template for other companies interested in identifying and prioritizing renewable energy opportunities across a large number of geographically dispersed sites. Following this initial portfolio analysis, NREL will be conducting in-depth analysis of project development opportunities at ten sites and evaluating off-grid solutions that may enable carbon emission reduction and grid independence at select facilities.

human resources management and lecturer's job satisfaction

African Journals Online (AJOL)

PROF EKWUEME

The study revealed that administrators' human resources management effectiveness has a significant influence on ... opportunity for academic publication and administrators' staff relationship. .... enhance professional development. This is true ...

15 CFR 971.420 - Resource conservation requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... opportunity for the commercial recovery of the unrecovered balance of the hard mineral resources in the... THE ENVIRONMENTAL DATA SERVICE DEEP SEABED MINING REGULATIONS FOR COMMERCIAL RECOVERY PERMITS Issuance...

Challenges and opportunities associated with waste management in India

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Sunil; Smith, Stephen R.; Fowler, Geoff; Velis, Costas; Kumar, S. Jyoti; Arya, Shashi; Rena; Kumar, Rakesh

2017-01-01

India faces major environmental challenges associated with waste generation and inadequate waste collection, transport, treatment and disposal. Current systems in India cannot cope with the volumes of waste generated by an increasing urban population, and this impacts on the environment and public health. The challenges and barriers are significant, but so are the opportunities. This paper reports on an international seminar on ‘Sustainable solid waste management for cities: opportunities in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries’ organized by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute and the Royal Society. A priority is to move from reliance on waste dumps that offer no environmental protection, to waste management systems that retain useful resources within the economy. Waste segregation at source and use of specialized waste processing facilities to separate recyclable materials has a key role. Disposal of residual waste after extraction of material resources needs engineered landfill sites and/or investment in waste-to-energy facilities. The potential for energy generation from landfill via methane extraction or thermal treatment is a major opportunity, but a key barrier is the shortage of qualified engineers and environmental professionals with the experience to deliver improved waste management systems in India. PMID:28405362

Challenges and opportunities associated with waste management in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Sunil; Smith, Stephen R; Fowler, Geoff; Velis, Costas; Kumar, S Jyoti; Arya, Shashi; Rena; Kumar, Rakesh; Cheeseman, Christopher

2017-03-01

India faces major environmental challenges associated with waste generation and inadequate waste collection, transport, treatment and disposal. Current systems in India cannot cope with the volumes of waste generated by an increasing urban population, and this impacts on the environment and public health. The challenges and barriers are significant, but so are the opportunities. This paper reports on an international seminar on 'Sustainable solid waste management for cities: opportunities in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries' organized by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute and the Royal Society. A priority is to move from reliance on waste dumps that offer no environmental protection, to waste management systems that retain useful resources within the economy. Waste segregation at source and use of specialized waste processing facilities to separate recyclable materials has a key role. Disposal of residual waste after extraction of material resources needs engineered landfill sites and/or investment in waste-to-energy facilities. The potential for energy generation from landfill via methane extraction or thermal treatment is a major opportunity, but a key barrier is the shortage of qualified engineers and environmental professionals with the experience to deliver improved waste management systems in India.

Health status, resource consumption, and costs of dysthymia. A multi-center two-year longitudinal study.

Science.gov (United States)

Barbui, Corrado; Motterlini, Nicola; Garattini, Livio

2006-02-01

In this study we estimated the health status, resource consumption and costs of a large cohort of patients with early and late-onset dysthymia. The DYSCO (DYSthymia COsts) project is a multi-center observational study which prospectively followed for two years a randomly chosen sample of patients with dysthymia in the Italian primary health care system. A total of 501 patients were followed for two years; 81% had early-onset dysthymic disorder. During the study, improvement was seen in most domains of the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire. Comparison of the SF-36 scores for the two groups showed that only the physical health index significantly differed during the two years. The use of outpatient consultations, laboratory tests and diagnostic procedures was similar in the two groups, but patients with early-onset dysthymia were admitted significantly more than late-onset cases. Hospital admissions were almost entirely responsible for the higher total cost per patient per year of early-onset dysthymia. A first limitation of this study is that general practitioners were selected on the basis of their willingness to participate, not at random; secondly, no information was collected on concomitant psychiatric comorbidities. The present study provides the first prospective, long-term data on service use and costs in patients with dysthymia. Differently from patients with early-onset dysthymia, patients with late-onset dysthymia were admitted less and cost less.

A Bio-inspired Approach for Power and Performance Aware Resource Allocation in Clouds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kumar Rajesh

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In order to cope with increasing demand, cloud market players such as Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Gogrid, Flexiant, etc. have set up large sized data centers. Due to monotonically increasing size of data centers and heterogeneity of resources have made resource allocation a challenging task. A large percentage of total energy consumption of the data centers gets wasted because of under-utilization of resources. Thus, there is a need of resource allocation technique that improves the utilization of resources with effecting performance of services being delivered to end users. In this work, a bio-inspired resource allocation approach is proposed with the aim to improve utilization and hence the energy efficiency of the cloud infrastructure. The proposed approach makes use of Cuckoo search for power and performance aware allocation of resources to the services hired by the end users. The proposed approach is implemented in CloudSim. The simulation results have shown approximately 12% saving in energy consumption.

Temporal factors in resource dilemmas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hendrickx, L; Poortinga, W; van der Kooij, R

The conflict between present and future consumption lies at the heart of resource dilemmas (RDs), yet the role of time has received little attention in this research area. Emphasis was on factors related to the social rather than the temporal conflict inherent in an RD. We propose a model that deals

Diversity of inland valleys and opportunities for agricultural development in Sierra Leone.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elliott Ronald Dossou-Yovo

Full Text Available Inland valleys are becoming increasingly important agricultural production areas for rural households in sub-Saharan Africa due to their relative high and secure water availability and soil fertility. In addition, inland valleys are important as water buffer and biodiversity hot spots and they provide local communities with forest, forage, and fishing resources. As different inland-valley ecosystem functions may conflict with agricultural objectives, indiscriminate development should be avoided. This study aims to analyze the diversity of inland valleys in Sierra Leone and to develop guidelines for more precise interventions. Land use, biophysical and socio-economic data were analyzed on 257 inland valleys using spatial and multivariate techniques. Five cluster groups of inland valleys were identified: (i semi-permanently flooded with high soil organic carbon (4.2% and moderate available phosphorus (10.2 ppm, mostly under natural vegetation; (ii semi-permanently flooded with low soil organic carbon (1.5% and very low available phosphorus (3.1 ppm, abandoned by farmers; (iii seasonally flooded with moderate soil organic carbon (3.1% and low available phosphorus (8.3 ppm, used for rainfed rice and off-season vegetables produced without fertilizer application for household consumption and market; (iv well drained with moderate soil organic carbon (3.8% and moderate available phosphorus (10.0 ppm, used for rainfed rice and off-season vegetables produced with fertilizer application for household consumption and market; and (v well drained with moderate soil organic carbon (3.6% and moderate available phosphorus (11 ppm, used for household consumption without fertilizer application. Soil organic carbon, available phosphorus, hydrological regime, physical accessibility and market opportunity were the major factors affecting agricultural intensification of inland valleys. Opening up the areas in which inland valleys occur through improved roads and

New actualistic data on the ecology and energetics of hominin scavenging opportunities.

Science.gov (United States)

Pobiner, Briana L

2015-03-01

For decades, the 'hunting-scavenging debate' has been an important research focus in Plio-Pleistocene hominin behavioral ecology. Here I present new data on potential scavenging opportunities from fresh carnivore kills on a conservancy in central Kenya. This ecosystem is dominated by felids (mainly lions) and has a different carnivore guild than in many earlier studies of scavenging opportunities that took place in areas such as Ngorongoro and Serengeti in Tanzania and Maasai Mara in Kenya, where lions face high levels of inter-specific competition from bone-crunching hyenas. I found that while scavenging opportunities vary among carcasses, most carcasses retained some scavengeable resources. Excluding within-bone resources, even the scavengeable meat on 'defleshed' larger sized prey carcasses is usually substantial enough to meet the total daily caloric requirements of at least one adult male Homo erectus individual. I argue, as others have before me, that scavenging opportunities in a particular ecosystem will vary in part due to carnivore taxon, density and guild composition; prey size, biomass and community structure; and habitat (e.g., vegetation, physiography). We should expect variability in scavenging opportunities in different locales and should focus our research efforts on identifying which variables condition these differences in order to make our findings applicable to the diversity of ecological settings characterizing the past. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The Energy Revolution Age - Africa's Opportunity to Generate its ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Today, 54 million Americans use electricity equivalent to that of 109 million Europeans or 950 million Africans. This article evaluates the possibility of supplying electricity to all Africans by 2030, generated from renewable resources. Furthermore, it evaluates the opportunity to export “green” electricity to Europe ...

The Determination of Load Profiles and Power Consumptions of Home Appliances

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fatih Issi

2018-03-01

Full Text Available In recent years, the increment of distributed electricity generation based on renewable energy sources and improvement of communication technologies have caused the development of next-generation power grids known as smart grids. The structures of smart grids have bidirectional communication capability and enable the connection of energy generated from distributed sources to any point on the grid. They also support consumers in energy efficiency by creating opportunities for management of power consumption. The information on power consumption and load profiles of home appliances is essential to perform load management in the dwelling accurately. In this study, the power consumption data for all the basic home appliances, utilized in a two-person family in Çankırı, Turkey, was obtained with high resolution in one-second intervals. The detailed power consumption analysis and load profile were executed for each home appliance. The obtained data is not only the average power consumption of each appliance but also characterizes different operating modes or their cycles. In addition, the impact of these devices on home energy management studies and their standby power consumptions were also discussed. The acquired data is an important source to determine the load profile of individual home appliances precisely in home energy management studies. Although the results of this study do not completely reflect the energy consumption behavior of the people who live in this region, they can reveal the trends in load demands based on a real sample and customer consumption behavior of a typical two-person family.

Extinction of Chained Instrumental Behaviors: Effects of Procurement Extinction on Consumption Responding

Science.gov (United States)

Thrailkill, Eric A.; Bouton, Mark E.

2015-01-01

Instrumental behavior often consists of sequences or chains of responses that minimally include procurement behaviors that enable subsequent consumption behaviors. In such chains, behavioral units are linked by access to one another and eventually to a primary reinforcer, such as food or a drug. The present experiments examined the effects of extinguishing procurement responding on consumption responding after training of a discriminated heterogeneous instrumental chain. Rats learned to make a procurement response (e.g., pressing a lever) in the presence of a distinctive discriminative stimulus; making that response led to the presentation of a second discriminative stimulus that set the occasion for a consumption response (e.g., pulling a chain), which then produced a food-pellet reinforcer. Experiment 1 showed that extinction of either the full procurement-consumption chain or procurement alone weakened the consumption response tested in isolation. Experiment 2 replicated the procurement extinction effect and further demonstrated that the opportunity to make the procurement response, as opposed to simple exposure to the procurement stimulus alone, was required. In Experiment 3, rats learned 2 distinct discriminated heterogeneous chains; extinction of 1 procurement response specifically weakened the consumption response that had been associated with it. The results suggest that learning to inhibit the procurement response may produce extinction of consumption responding through mediated extinction. The experiments suggest the importance of an associative analysis of instrumental behavior chains. PMID:25915751

How to measure Europe's resource use. An analysis for Friends of the Earth Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giljum, S.; Hinterberger, F.; Lutter, S.; Polzin, C.

2009-06-01

The natural resource base, on which the quality-of-life of our societies is built, is in danger of overexploitation and collapse. Due to growth of world population and continued high levels of consumption in the developed world, combined with the rapid industrialisation of countries such as China, India and Brazil, worldwide demand on natural resources and related pressures on the environment are steadily increasing. Renewable resources, and the ecological services they provide, are at great risk of degradation and collapse. Extraction of many non-renewable resources is already reaching or near a peak. European environmental policy has focussed on solving problems related to specific pollutants, rather than those related to growing production and consumption. Europe has achieved significant improvement in environmental problems related to specific pollutants and harmful substances in the past 30 years, such as air pollutants, sewage effluents and hazardous wastes. However, environmental problems related to the overall scale of European production and consumption are getting worse: depleting fish stocks, shrinking water reserves, growing waste volumes, growing energy consumption and continued high level of per capita emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are part of these persistent environmental problems. Current EU policies addressing resource use do not have concrete reduction targets and are not coherent. In the EU, issues of resource productivity, environmental impacts of resource use and resource security have significantly gained in policy importance in the past ten years and a number of policy strategies have been launched. However, from a sustainable development perspective, key issues are not being adequately addressed. Concrete targets for increasing resource productivity and decreasing resource use and related environmental impacts are missing in all main EU policies. Furthermore, EU environmental policies focus on the impacts related to resource

Water Consumption Estimates of the Biodiesel Process in the US

Science.gov (United States)

As a renewable alternative to petroleum diesel, biodiesel has been widely used in the US and around the world. Along with the rapid development of the biodiesel industry, its potential impact on water resources should also be evaluated. This study investigates water consumption f...

The proper time for antioxidant consumption.

Science.gov (United States)

Beaulieu, Michaël; Schaefer, H Martin

2014-04-10

Consuming food rich in antioxidants may help organisms to increase their antioxidant defences and avoid oxidative damage. Under the hypothesis that organisms actively consume food for its antioxidant properties, they would need to do so in view of other physiological requirements, such as energy requirements. Here, we observed that Gouldian finches (Erythrura gouldiae) consumed most seeds rich in antioxidants in the middle of the day, while their consumption of staple seeds more profitable in energy intake (and poor in antioxidants) was maximal in the morning and the evening. This consumption of seeds rich in antioxidants in the middle of the day may be explicable (1) because birds took advantage of a time window associated with relaxed energy requirements to ingest antioxidant resources, or (2) because birds consumed antioxidant resources as a response to the highest antioxidant requirements in the middle of the day. If the latter hypothesis holds true, having the possibility to ingest antioxidants should be most beneficial in terms of oxidative balance in the middle of the day. Even though feeding on seeds rich in antioxidants improved Gouldian finches' overall antioxidant capacity, we did not detect any diurnal effect of antioxidant intake on plasma oxidative markers (as measured by the d-ROM and the OXY-adsorbent tests). This indicates that the diurnal pattern of antioxidant intake that we observed was most likely constrained by the high consumption of staple food to replenish or build up body reserves in the morning and in the evening, and not primarily determined by elevated antioxidant requirements in the middle of the day. Consequently, animals appear to have the possibility to increase antioxidant defences by selecting food rich in antioxidants, only when energetic constraints are relaxed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pediatric Trauma Care in Low Resource Settings: Challenges, Opportunities, and Solutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew W. Kiragu

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Trauma constitutes a significant cause of death and disability globally. The vast majority -about 95%, of the 5.8 million deaths each year, occur in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs 3–6. This includes almost 1 million children. The resource-adapted introduction of trauma care protocols, regionalized care and the growth specialized centers for trauma care within each LMIC are key to improved outcomes and the lowering of trauma-related morbidity and mortality globally. Resource limitations in LMICs make it necessary to develop injury prevention strategies and optimize the use of locally available resources when injury prevention measures fail. This will lead to the achievement of the best possible outcomes for critically ill and injured children. A commitment by the governments in LMICs working alone or in collaboration with international non-governmental organizations (NGOs to provide adequate healthcare to their citizens is also crucial to improved survival after major trauma. The increase in global conflicts also has significantly deleterious effects on children, and governments and international organizations like the United Nations have a significant role to play in reducing these. This review details the evaluation and management of traumatic injuries in pediatric patients and gives some recommendations for improvements to trauma care in LMICs.

Biomass energy consumption in Nigeria: integrating demand and supply

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Momoh, S.; Soaga, J.

1999-01-01

The study examined the present and future consumption of biomass energy in Nigeria. Direct consumption of fire wood for domestic purposes is the predominant form of biomass energy consumption. Charcoal plays minot roles in biomass energy supply. The current and expected demand for fuelwood is projected to increase by 399% whereas supply is expected to decrease by 17.2% between 1995 and year 2010. Resource adequacy in terms of planned supply is on the decline. Forest estates which is the only planned strategy for fuelwood and wood production is projected to decline from 6.37 million ha. in 1990 to 2.4 million ha, in year 2010. The possibilities of meeting the fuelwood demand in the future is precarious. Policy measures aimed at increasing forest estates. reduction of loss of forest lands to other uses and encouragement of private forestry are recommended

Opportunities for Fundamental University-Based Research in Energy and Resource Recovery

Science.gov (United States)

Zoback, M. D.; Hitzman, M.; Tester, J. W.

2012-12-01

In this talk we present, from a university perspective, a few examples of fundamental research needs related to improved energy and resource recovery. One example of such a research need is related to the fact that it is not widely recognized that meeting domestic and worldwide energy needs with renewables such as wind and solar will be materials intensive. If widely deployed, the elements required by renewable technologies will be needed in significant quantities and shortage of these "energy critical elements" could significantly inhibit the adoption of otherwise game changing energy technologies. It is imperative to better understand the geology, metallurgy, and mining engineering of critical mineral deposits if we are to sustainably develop these new technologies. Unfortunately, there is currently no consensus among federal and state agencies, the national and international mining industry, the public, and the U.S. academic community regarding the importance of economic geology in the context of securing sufficient energy critical elements to undertake large-scale renewable energy development. Another option for transitioning away from our current hydrocarbon-based energy system to non-carbon based sources, is geothermal energy - from both conventional hydrothermal resources and enhanced or engineered geothermal systems (EGS). Although geothermal energy is currently used for both electric and non-electric applications worldwide from conventional hydrothermal resources and in ground source heat pumps, most of the emphasis in the US has been generating electricity. To this end, there is a need for research, development and demonstration in five important areas - estimating the magnitude and distribution of recoverable geothermal resources, establishing requirements for extracting and utilizing energy from EGS reservoirs the including drilling, reservoir design and stimulation, exploring end use options for district heating, electricity generation and co

Power consumption analysis of constant bit rate video transmission over 3G networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ukhanova, Ann; Belyaev, Evgeny; Wang, Le

2012-01-01

This paper presents an analysis of the power consumption of video data transmission with constant bit rate over 3G mobile wireless networks. The work includes the description of the radio resource control transition state machine in 3G networks, followed by a detailed power consumption analysis...... and measurements of the radio link power consumption. Based on this description and analysis, we propose our power consumption model. The power model was evaluated on a smartphone Nokia N900, which follows 3GPP Release 5 and 6 supporting HSDPA/HSUPA data bearers. We also propose a method for parameter selection...... for the 3GPP transition state machine that allows to decrease power consumption on a mobile device taking signaling traffic, buffer size and latency restrictions into account. Furthermore, we discuss the gain in power consumption vs. PSNR for transmitted video and show the possibility of performing power...

Review of Ghana's water resources: the quality and management with particular focus on freshwater resources

Science.gov (United States)

Yeleliere, E.; Cobbina, S. J.; Duwiejuah, A. B.

2018-06-01

Freshwater resources are continually decreasing in quality and quantity. Approximately, 1% of this freshwater is accessible in lakes, river channels and underground for domestic use. The study reviewed literature on water resources with focus on freshwater, the quality of our freshwater in terms of physical, chemical and biological variables, the main mechanisms of management, and the challenges associated with these mechanisms as well as blending integrated water management with the indigenous or traditional management of water resources for sustainable development and peaceful co-existence. Also the review offered potent recommendations for policy makers to consider sustainable management of freshwater resources. A total of 95 articles were downloaded from Google scholar in water-related issues. The search took place from June to September 2017, and research articles from 1998 to 2018 were reviewed. Basically Ghana is made up of three discharge or outlet systems, namely the Coastal River Systems which is the least and Volta constituting the largest and with the South-Western been the intermediate. Also, freshwater resources usage can be put into two main categories, namely ex situ (withdrawal use) and in situ or in-stream use, and could also be referred to as the consumptive and non-consumptive use, respectively. With the exception of localised pollution engineered by illegal mining and other nuisance perpetuated by indigenes, the quality of water (surface and groundwater) in Ghana is generally better. The review outlined high microbial contamination of water as almost all surface waters are contaminated with either E. coli, faecal coliforms or total coliforms or all. However, these contaminations were more prevalent in surface water than groundwater.

A Tale of Two Studies: Equal Opportunity Climate and Mission Readiness

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-24

we explored a relationship-oriented, stylistic aspect of a leader, leader equal opportunity behavior (LEOB), as a tone-setter that determines the...unnecessary cognitive resources in deciding what, how, and when to invest their energy, time, and attention (i.e., all valued resources) at work...relationship-oriented, stylistic aspect of a leader that acts as a tone-setter that affects the way in which task-oriented leadership is delivered by the

Creating Access to Opportunities for Youth in Transition from Foster Care. An AYPF Policy Brief

Science.gov (United States)

Russ, Erin; Fryar, Garet

2014-01-01

What happens to youth in foster care when they turn 18? Many face unprecedented challenges like homelessness, lack of financial resources, difficulty accessing educational opportunities, and unemployment. In this issue brief, The American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) document these challenges and opportunities in three distinct yet overlapping areas…

Brazilian mineral resources of refractory metals: Nb, Ta, W and Mo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbosa, F.M.; Manso, G.C.

1984-01-01

A brief outlook of selected Brazilian refractory metals resources is presented. The metals are dealt separately with topics covering resources availability, production, Brazilian foreign trade, apparent consumption, and supply-demand balance with emphasis varying according to the specific metal characteristics. (E.G.) [pt

Opportunity Analysis for Recovering Energy from Industrial Waste Heat and Emissions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Viswanathan, Vish V.; Davies, Richard W.; Holbery, Jim D.

2006-04-01

United States industry consumed 32.5 Quads (34,300 PJ) of energy during 2003, which was 33.1% of total U.S. energy consumption (EIA 2003 Annual Energy Review). The U.S. industrial complex yields valuable goods and products. Through its manufacturing processes as well as its abundant energy consumption, it supports a multi-trillion dollar contribution to the gross domestic product and provides millions of jobs in the U.S. each year. Industry also yields waste products directly through its manufacturing processes and indirectly through its energy consumption. These waste products come in two forms, chemical and thermal. Both forms of waste have residual energy values that are not routinely recovered. Recovering and reusing these waste products may represent a significant opportunity to improve the energy efficiency of the U.S. industrial complex. This report was prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy Industrial Technologies Program (DOE-ITP). It analyzes the opportunity to recover chemical emissions and thermal emissions from U.S. industry. It also analyzes the barriers and pathways to more effectively capitalize on these opportunities. A primary part of this analysis was to characterize the quantity and energy value of the emissions. For example, in 2001, the industrial sector emitted 19% of the U.S. greenhouse gases (GHG) through its industrial processes and emitted 11% of GHG through electricity purchased from off-site utilities. Therefore, industry (not including agriculture) was directly and indirectly responsible for emitting 30% of the U.S. GHG. These emissions were mainly comprised of carbon dioxide (CO2), but also contained a wide-variety of CH4 (methane), CO (carbon monoxide), H2 (hydrogen), NMVOC (non-methane volatile organic compound), and other chemicals. As part of this study, we conducted a survey of publicly available literature to determine the amount of energy embedded in the emissions and to identify technology opportunities to capture and

Consumption in Practice: Gift-giving as Mutual Aid in Amish Direct Homes Sales

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nao Nomura

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The seemingly pastoral way of Amish living, manifested in their denial of modern technology, use of the horse-and-buggy, and community-sanctioned use of solid-color dress codes, does not invoke an image of the Amish as active consumers. Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, this paper examines Amish participation in direct home sales parties, exploring how consumer culture reflects the Amish emphasis on mutual aid, a nuanced form of gift giving with its own complex, idiosyncratic set of rites and gestures. By exploring the practices of direct home sales in Amish homes, I argue that consumption-based social events such as direct home sales parties reinforce the close-knit relationship of the Amish by providing participants with opportunities to practice mutual aid in intimate social settings. Additionally, the personal nature of these parties also provides Amish women with an opportunity to socially interact with their coreligionists. In turn, this social aspect legitimizes their enthusiastic consumption activities, ultimately constituting an integral part of their religious identity.

Antimicrobial consumption at Auckland City Hospital: 2006-2009.

Science.gov (United States)

Ticehurst, Rob; Thomast, Mark

2011-04-15

resulted in a generally prudent level of consumption in recent years. Opportunities exist to improve the pattern of antimicrobial prescribing in the expectation that this will help to slow the spread of antimicrobial resistance in our community.

TYPOLOGY OF RECREATIONAL-TOURISM RESOURCES AS AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF THE TOURIST OFFER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saso Kozuharov

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Tourism or the hospitality industry is among those economic activities that apart from realizing direct economic profits, it directly or indirectly impacts on the development of many other industries. Tourism through the tourist movements has a major impact on the geographical space, this effect is manifested on all the elements that make up the space, and these effects can be economic, social, public and environmental. Tourism consists of two basic components: Tourist movement and consumption, tourist movement is a basic spatial element while tourism consumption is the basic element of the tourism industry expressing the economic impact of tourism. Tourist movement necessarily initiate tourism consumption. In this context the question arises: what initiates tourist movement? The answer is: recreational-tourism resources are the main initiators for tourist travel and a very important tourist motive which animates the tourist movement. If the recreational-tourist resources are characterized by greater attractiveness better ambient and greater curiosity value, etc. this will initiate more massive tourist movement and greater tourist consumption. Therefore the necessity of defining, explaining, analyzing, and sharing recreational - tourism resources will be the key factors and subjects of analysis in this paper.

Least-cost model predictive control of residential energy resources when applying ?mCHP

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Houwing, M.; Negenborn, R.R.; Heijnen, P.W.; De Schutter, B.; Hellendoorn, H.

2007-01-01

With an increasing use of distributed energy resources and intelligence in the electricity infrastructure, the possibilities for minimizing costs of household energy consumption increase. Technology is moving toward a situation in which households manage their own energy generation and consumption,

DEVELOPMENT OFINDICATORSFOR EFFECTIVE USE OF INTERIMMATERIAL RESOURCES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Klimuk V. V.

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The article provides the developed methodology of the midterm evaluation of the efficiency of use of material resources. Proposed system of indicators for tracking and monitoring of the efficiency of the production process. The author analyzes literary sources on the problem of the estimation of efficiency of use of material resources, we study the opinions of economists. The author summarizes the observational information and provides conclusions expressed in the reflection of the urgency of forming the system of the midterm evaluation of the efficiency of use of material resources. the traditional system assessment, the method of using of which is presented in the works of scientists, does not contain indicators reflecting the interim targets with the aim of forming a preliminary picture of the future condition of efficiency of use of material resources, on the basis of the quarterly rate of change of the level of material consumption, comparing them to the beginning and end of the time period, the balance of the stock of material resources, mapping the rate of change of the volume of production and the rate of change of material costs, matching the pace of change of volume of purchases of material resources and the pace of changes in the value of material resources, the Author proposes indicators: the rate of change of material capacity for 4 quarter, comparison of the rates of change in material consumption in the 1st and 4th quarters, the balance of the stock of material resources, the rate of change of the volume of production and material costs by quarter, the comparison of the rate of change of volume of purchases of material resources with the pace of changes in the value of material resources by quarter. The theoretical significance of the test is to use the author of the material as an additional reading course of lectures on economic subjects, practical significance - the inclusion of a set of indicators developed as a tool

Promoting youth physical activity in rural southern communities: practitioner perceptions of environmental opportunities and barriers.

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, Michael B; Theriault, Daniel S; Shores, Kindal A; Melton, Karen M

2014-01-01

Research on youth physical activity has focused on urban areas. Rural adolescents are more likely to be physically inactive than urban youth, contributing to higher risk of obesity and chronic diseases. Study objectives were to: (1) identify perceived opportunities and barriers to youth physical activity within a rural area and (2) identify rural community characteristics that facilitate or inhibit efforts to promote youth physical activity. Thirty in-depth interviews were conducted with expert informants in 2 rural southern US counties. Interviewees were recruited from diverse positions across multiple sectors based on their expert knowledge of community policies and programs for youth physical activity. Informants saw ball fields, natural amenities, and school sports as primary resources for youth physical activity, but they were divided on whether opportunities were abundant or scarce. Physical distance, social isolation, lack of community offerings, and transportation were identified as key barriers. Local social networks facilitated political action and volunteer recruitment to support programs. However, communities often lacked human capital to sustain initiatives. Racial divisions influenced perceptions of opportunities. Despite divisions, there were also examples of pooling resources to create and sustain physical activity opportunities. Developing partnerships and leveraging local resources may be essential to overcoming barriers for physical activity promotion in rural areas. Involvement of church leaders, school officials, health care workers, and cooperative extension is likely needed to establish and sustain youth rural physical activity programs. Allocating resources to existing community personnel and volunteers for continuing education may be valuable. © 2014 National Rural Health Association.

Strategic resources - Europe and the World

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Godement, F.

2005-01-01

This document analyzes the geopolitical aspects of the energy security policy of Europe, its vulnerability with respect to other regions of the world with strong economic development and consumption (North America and East Asia), the failures of the European energy policies, and the dangers for Europe of strong changes in the rest of the World: Middle East's geopolitical instabilities, increased consumption of energy and raw materials by emerging economies, general discontinuity for raw material prices, emergence of non-OPEC oil and gas producers, high import dependency ratios from non-OECD countries. Then it analyzes the global energy scarcity hypothesis according to different scenarios: resurgence of geopolitical conflicts around resources, geopolitical spill-over from increased scarcity of resources, or interplay of market forces and business strategy. Finally, it sounds two alarms regarding energy policy: the decline of active energy saving policies across Europe, and the threat of liberalization on energy security policy. (J.S.)

Strategic resources - Europe and the World

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Godement, F

2005-07-01

This document analyzes the geopolitical aspects of the energy security policy of Europe, its vulnerability with respect to other regions of the world with strong economic development and consumption (North America and East Asia), the failures of the European energy policies, and the dangers for Europe of strong changes in the rest of the World: Middle East's geopolitical instabilities, increased consumption of energy and raw materials by emerging economies, general discontinuity for raw material prices, emergence of non-OPEC oil and gas producers, high import dependency ratios from non-OECD countries. Then it analyzes the global energy scarcity hypothesis according to different scenarios: resurgence of geopolitical conflicts around resources, geopolitical spill-over from increased scarcity of resources, or interplay of market forces and business strategy. Finally, it sounds two alarms regarding energy policy: the decline of active energy saving policies across Europe, and the threat of liberalization on energy security policy. (J.S.)

Strategic resources - Europe and the World

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Godement, F

2005-07-01

This document analyzes the geopolitical aspects of the energy security policy of Europe, its vulnerability with respect to other regions of the world with strong economic development and consumption (North America and East Asia), the failures of the European energy policies, and the dangers for Europe of strong changes in the rest of the World: Middle East's geopolitical instabilities, increased consumption of energy and raw materials by emerging economies, general discontinuity for raw material prices, emergence of non-OPEC oil and gas producers, high import dependency ratios from non-OECD countries. Then it analyzes the global energy scarcity hypothesis according to different scenarios: resurgence of geopolitical conflicts around resources, geopolitical spill-over from increased scarcity of resources, or interplay of market forces and business strategy. Finally, it sounds two alarms regarding energy policy: the decline of active energy saving policies across Europe, and the threat of liberalization on energy security policy. (J.S.)

Pakistan energy consumption scenario and some alternate energy option

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maher, M.J.

1997-01-01

Pakistan with its energy-deficient resources is highly dependent on import-oriented energy affected the economy because of repeated energy price hike on international horizon. The energy consumption pattern in Pakistan comprises about two-third in commercial energy and one-third in non-commercial forms. Most of the country's energy requirements are met by oil, gas hydro power, coal, nuclear energy and thermal power. Pakistan meets it's commercial energy requirements indigenously up to 64%. The balance of deficit of 35-40% is met through import. The consumption of various agro-residues and wood as fuel also plays a vital role. The analysis shows that emphasis needs to be placed on new and renewable resources of energy besides adopting technologies for energy conservation. Renewable energy depends on energy income and constitutes the development process. The are several renewable energy options such as biogas technology, micro-hydro power generation, direct solar energy and biomass energy conservation etc. By improving the conservation techniques as designs of solar converters, pre treating the biomass fuel, increasing the effectiveness of carbonization and pyrolysis increases the energy production. (A.B.)

Opportunities that abound for British coal--if only

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1984-04-01

The chairman of the National Coal Board discusses primary-energy consumption from 1965, with major emphasis on coal. He points out that coal consumption showed growth after 1975, but before then - except for a boost in 1973 - real expansion has been quite slow. World coal resources and reserves are presented. Because several countries are able to deliver coal into Europe at prices which are lower than the National Coal Board's average cost, Britain must reduce production costs in order to compete more effectively worldwide. Patterns of costs could be improved if more output was to be concentrated at the modern, more-productive collieries. Investment in coal mining is at one of the highest levels of investment of any industry in Britain today.

Effective post-literacy learning: A question of a national human resource strategy

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Manzoor

1989-12-01

Initial literacy courses must be followed by opportunities for consolidating the mechanics of literacy skills and practical application of three skills in life. Experience has shown that these `post-literacy' objectives can be achieved, not by a second stage of the literacy course, but by a range of opportunities for learning and application of learning through a network of continuing education opportunities geared to the diverse needs and circumstances of different categories of neo-literates. A taxonomy of learner categories and learning needs is seen as a basis for planning and supporting the network of post-literacy learning. Examples from China, India and Thailand demonstrate the importance of recognizing the continuity of literacy and post-literacy efforts, the need for commitment of resources for this continuum of learning, the role of an organizational structure to deal with this continuum in a coordinated way, and the value of a comprehensive range of learning opportunities for neo-literates. A necessary condition for success in building a network of continuing learning opportunities and contributing to the creation of a `learning society' is to make human resource development the core of national development. It is argued that the scope and dimensions of post-literacy continuing education are integrally linked with the goal of mass basic education and ultimately with the vision of a `learning society'. Such a vision can be a reality only with a serious human resource development focus in national development that will permit the necessary mobilization of resources, the coordination of sectors of government and society and the generation of popular enthusiasm. A radical or an incremental approach can be taken to move towards the primacy of a human resource strategy in national development. In either case, a functioning coordination and support mechanism has to be developed for the key elements of mass basic education including post-literacy learning.

Consumptive Water Use Analysis of Upper Rio Grande Basin in Southern Colorado.

Science.gov (United States)

Dubinsky, Jonathan; Karunanithi, Arunprakash T

2017-04-18

Water resource management and governance at the river basin scale is critical for the sustainable development of rural agrarian regions in the West. This research applies a consumptive water use analysis, inspired by the Water Footprint methodology, to the Upper Rio Grande Basin (RGB) in south central Colorado. The region is characterized by water stress, high dessert conditions, declining land health, and a depleting water table. We utilize region specific data and models to analyze the consumptive water use of RGB. The study reveals that, on an average, RGB experiences three months of water shortage per year due to the unsustainable extraction of groundwater (GW). Our results show that agriculture accounts for 77% of overall water consumption and it relies heavily on an aquifer (about 50% of agricultural consumption) that is being depleted over time. We find that, even though potato cultivation provides the most efficient conversion of groundwater resources into economic value (m 3 GW/$) in this region, it relies predominantly (81%) on the aquifer for its water supply. However, cattle, another important agricultural commodity produced in the region, provides good economic value but also relies significantly less on the aquifer (30%) for water needs. The results from this paper are timely to the RGB community, which is currently in the process of developing strategies for sustainable water management.

A Comparison on the Consumption of Cultural Goods among University Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ziba Batvandi

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The consumption of culture and cultural goods can be defined as an economic and political activity. The activity in its pure and creative form can lead to the creation of culture. Based on the new developments in the world, the role of the university and the student has changed. In these new roles, cultural element is very important. In other words, cultural consumption and lifestyle are based on the students’ cultural life and promote them to a level that can play the expected role. This study aimed to compare the amount and type of cultural goods consumption in Marine Science and Technology University students, by taking three variables into account: gender, field of study and location. These findings could lead to cultural politics and communications in such a way that provide proper distribution of cultural products and cultural knowledge of students based on personal consumption data and regard necessary measures in the field of distribution of goods between different groups of students to create more opportunities to students that they are interested in. The results suggest a significant difference among students regarding academic, cultural, and social life. This study depicts these differences.

NREL Collaborates with Trucking Industry to Prioritize R&D Opportunities |

Science.gov (United States)

of the Energy Department's Clean Cities program that works with large, private-sector leaders to , networking opportunities, and support to successfully incorporate alternative fuels and fuel-saving measures coordinated way with Clean Cities' nearly 100 coalitions with the support of technical resources provided at

Relation Decomposing between Urbanization and Consumption of Water-Energy Sources

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Y.; Xiao, W.; Wang, Y.; Zhao, Y.; Wang, J., , Dr; Jiang, D.; Wang, H.

2017-12-01

Abstract: Water resources and energy, important subsystems of city, are the basic guarantee for the normal operation of city, which play an important role to brace the urbanization. The interdependence between them are increasing along with the rapid development of China's economy. The relationship between urbanization and consumption of energy and water have become the focal point of the scholars, but the research have more attention to the impact of urbanization on two subsystems separately, and do not reveal the effects of urbanization on the water-energy nexus. Thus, there is little consideration upon the different characteristics of China's several regions in water and energy consumption in urbanization. In this paper, the STIRPAT model is built to reveal the relationship between urbanization and the consumption of water and energy. Also, the influence of urbanization on different main body of water and energy consumption are discussed. The different regional main factors of water and energy in the process of urbanization are identified through water and energy panel data of China's thirty provinces. Finally, through the regression analysis of total water consumption data of agriculture, industry, service industry with total energy consumption data, the relationship of water and energy in the process of urban development are analyzed.

David Grant Medical Center energy use baseline and integrated resource assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Richman, E.E.; Hoshide, R.K.; Dittmer, A.L.

1993-04-01

The US Air Mobility Command (AMC) has tasked Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) with supporting the US Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program`s (FEMP) mission to identify, evaluate, and assist in acquiring all cost-effective energy resource opportunities (EROs) at the David Grant Medical Center (DGMC). This report describes the methodology used to identify and evaluate the EROs at DGMC, provides a life-cycle cost (LCC) analysis for each ERO, and prioritizes any life-cycle cost-effective EROs based on their net present value (NPV), value index (VI), and savings to investment ratio (SIR or ROI). Analysis results are presented for 17 EROs that involve energy use in the areas of lighting, fan and pump motors, boiler operation, infiltration, electric load peak reduction and cogeneration, electric rate structures, and natural gas supply. Typical current energy consumption is approximately 22,900 MWh of electricity (78,300 MBtu), 87,600 kcf of natural gas (90,300 MBtu), and 8,300 gal of fuel oil (1,200 MBtu). A summary of the savings potential by energy-use category of all independent cost-effective EROs is shown in a table. This table includes the first cost, yearly energy consumption savings, and NPV for each energy-use category. The net dollar savings and NPV values as derived by the life-cycle cost analysis are based on the 1992 federal discount rate of 4.6%. The implementation of all EROs could result in a yearly electricity savings of more than 6,000 MWh or 26% of current yearly electricity consumption. More than 15 MW of billable load (total billed by the utility for a 12-month period) or more than 34% of current billed demand could also be saved. Corresponding natural gas savings would be 1,050 kcf (just over 1% of current consumption). Total yearly net energy cost savings for all options would be greater than $343,340. This value does not include any operations and maintenance (O&M) savings.

David Grant Medical Center energy use baseline and integrated resource assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Richman, E.E.; Hoshide, R.K.; Dittmer, A.L.

1993-04-01

The US Air Mobility Command (AMC) has tasked Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) with supporting the US Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program's (FEMP) mission to identify, evaluate, and assist in acquiring all cost-effective energy resource opportunities (EROs) at the David Grant Medical Center (DGMC). This report describes the methodology used to identify and evaluate the EROs at DGMC, provides a life-cycle cost (LCC) analysis for each ERO, and prioritizes any life-cycle cost-effective EROs based on their net present value (NPV), value index (VI), and savings to investment ratio (SIR or ROI). Analysis results are presented for 17 EROs that involve energy use in the areas of lighting, fan and pump motors, boiler operation, infiltration, electric load peak reduction and cogeneration, electric rate structures, and natural gas supply. Typical current energy consumption is approximately 22,900 MWh of electricity (78,300 MBtu), 87,600 kcf of natural gas (90,300 MBtu), and 8,300 gal of fuel oil (1,200 MBtu). A summary of the savings potential by energy-use category of all independent cost-effective EROs is shown in a table. This table includes the first cost, yearly energy consumption savings, and NPV for each energy-use category. The net dollar savings and NPV values as derived by the life-cycle cost analysis are based on the 1992 federal discount rate of 4.6%. The implementation of all EROs could result in a yearly electricity savings of more than 6,000 MWh or 26% of current yearly electricity consumption. More than 15 MW of billable load (total billed by the utility for a 12-month period) or more than 34% of current billed demand could also be saved. Corresponding natural gas savings would be 1,050 kcf (just over 1% of current consumption). Total yearly net energy cost savings for all options would be greater than $343,340. This value does not include any operations and maintenance (O M) savings.

Distribution System Pricing with Distributed Energy Resources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hledik, Ryan [The Brattle Group, Cambridge, MA (United States); Lazar, Jim [The Regulatory Assistance Project, Montpelier, VT (United States); Schwartz, Lisa [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2017-08-16

Technological changes in the electric utility industry bring tremendous opportunities and significant challenges. Customers are installing clean sources of on-site generation such as rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. At the same time, smart appliances and control systems that can communicate with the grid are entering the retail market. Among the opportunities these changes create are a cleaner and more diverse power system, the ability to improve system reliability and system resilience, and the potential for lower total costs. Challenges include integrating these new resources in a way that maintains system reliability, provides an equitable sharing of system costs, and avoids unbalanced impacts on different groups of customers, including those who install distributed energy resources (DERs) and low-income households who may be the least able to afford the transition.

Decadal opportunities for space architects

Science.gov (United States)

Sherwood, Brent

2012-12-01

A significant challenge for the new field of space architecture is the dearth of project opportunities. Yet every year more young professionals express interest to enter the field. This paper derives projections that bound the number, type, and range of global development opportunities that may be reasonably expected over the next few decades for human space flight (HSF) systems so those interested in the field can benchmark their goals. Four categories of HSF activity are described: human Exploration of solar system bodies; human Servicing of space-based assets; large-scale development of space Resources; and Breakout of self-sustaining human societies into the solar system. A progressive sequence of capabilities for each category starts with its earliest feasible missions and leads toward its full expression. The four sequences are compared in scale, distance from Earth, and readiness. Scenarios hybridize the most synergistic features from the four sequences for comparison to status quo, government-funded HSF program plans. Finally qualitative, decadal, order-of-magnitude estimates are derived for system development needs, and hence opportunities for space architects. Government investment towards human planetary exploration is the weakest generator of space architecture work. Conversely, the strongest generator is a combination of three market drivers: (1) commercial passenger travel in low Earth orbit; (2) in parallel, government extension of HSF capability to GEO; both followed by (3) scale-up demonstration of end-to-end solar power satellites in GEO. The rich end of this scale affords space architecture opportunities which are more diverse, complex, large-scale, and sociologically challenging than traditional exploration vehicle cabins and habitats.

Population growth and consumption.

Science.gov (United States)

Chalkley, K

1997-04-01

The relationship between population growth, resource consumption, and environmental degradation is complex. The rise in "greenhouse gases" that will cause climatic change is clearly due to human activity, and pollutants are often concentrated in densely populated areas. However, even an area with a negative population growth, such as Russia, can experience severe environmental degradation due to poor management. Consumption patterns have the most effect on ozone depletion, while population growth threatens biodiversity of and within species through the destruction of ecosystems. Migration joins population growth and social factors, such as land inequality, as major causes of deforestation, and global demand for water is expected to increase faster than the rate of population growth. Coastal development and over-fishing threaten to deplete the oceans, while soil quality is threatened by inappropriate land use. Estimates of the earth's carrying capacity range from less than 3 billion to more than 44 billion people, indicating how difficult it is to assess this figure. Development efforts throughout the world may lead to human gains that will ultimately be negated by environmental losses. These factors have led to growing support for environmentally sustainable development.

Energy efficiency improving opportunities in a large Chinese shoe-making enterprise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ming Yang

2010-01-01

Energy consumption and energy intensity reduction opportunities are quite different from one enterprise to another. It is necessary to understand how much energy is used at individual enterprise, where the most energy is consumed and what the best opportunities are to invest in energy efficiency. Auditing energy efficiency was recently undertaken in one of the top 1000 largest Chinese enterprises. The objectives of this paper are to fill a gap in the literature of auditing energy efficiency for a Chinese manufacturing enterprise and to share the audited energy efficiency results. This paper concludes that if the enterprise invests USD 1.9 million to improve energy efficiency, the investment will be recovered in about 18 months. The net present value of the investment would be about USD 9.8 million at a discount rate of 12%. The investment will reduce a large amount of energy consumption at the enterprise based on its figures in 2008, including 15% of electricity, 40% of fuel oil, and 54% of diesel. Carbon reduction is also very cost-effective. Investment of one dollar in the enterprise will help cut carbon emission by 7.95 kg per year and generate $5.3 net revenue in the economic lifetime of the invested technology.

Associations between Nut Consumption and Health Vary between Omnivores, Vegetarians, and Vegans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachel C. Brown

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Regular nut consumption is associated with reduced risk factors for chronic disease; however, most population-based studies lack consideration of effect modification by dietary pattern. The UK Women’s Cohort Study (UKWCS provides an ideal opportunity to examine relationships between nut consumption and chronic disease risk factors in a large sample with diverse dietary patterns. Nut and nutrient intake from 34,831 women was estimated using a food frequency questionnaire among self-identified omnivores, vegetarians and vegans. In this cross-sectional analysis, higher nut consumption was associated with lower body weight (difference between highest and lowest consumption categories from adjusted model: 6.1 kg; 95% CI: 4.7, 7.6 body mass index (BMI, 2.4 units difference; 95% CI: 1.9, 2.9, and waist circumference (2.6 cm difference; 95% CI: 1.4, 3.8 (all p for linear trend < 0.001. Higher nut consumption was also associated with reduced prevalence of high cholesterol and high blood pressure; having a history of heart attack, diabetes and gallstones; and markers of diet quality (all adjusted p for linear trend ≤ 0.011. Higher nut consumption appeared overall to be associated with greater benefits amongst omnivores compared to vegetarians and vegans. Findings support existing literature around beneficial effects of nut consumption and suggest that benefits may be larger among omnivores. Nut promotion strategies may have the highest population impact by specifically targeting this group.

Alcohol consumption and sport: a cross-sectional study of alcohol management practices associated with at-risk alcohol consumption at community football clubs.

Science.gov (United States)

Kingsland, Melanie; Wolfenden, Luke; Rowland, Bosco C; Gillham, Karen E; Kennedy, Vanessa J; Ramsden, Robyn L; Colbran, Richard W; Weir, Sarah; Wiggers, John H

2013-08-16

Excessive alcohol consumption is responsible for considerable harm from chronic disease and injury. Within most developed countries, members of sporting clubs participate in at-risk alcohol consumption at levels above that of communities generally. There has been limited research investigating the predictors of at-risk alcohol consumption in sporting settings, particularly at the non-elite level. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between the alcohol management practices and characteristics of community football clubs and at-risk alcohol consumption by club members. A cross sectional survey of community football club management representatives and members was conducted. Logistic regression analysis (adjusting for clustering by club) was used to determine the association between the alcohol management practices (including alcohol management policy, alcohol-related sponsorship, availability of low- and non-alcoholic drinks, and alcohol-related promotions, awards and prizes) and characteristics (football code, size and location) of sporting clubs and at-risk alcohol consumption by club members. Members of clubs that served alcohol to intoxicated people [OR: 2.23 (95% CI: 1.26-3.93)], conducted 'happy hour' promotions [OR: 2.84 (95% CI: 1.84-4.38)] or provided alcohol-only awards and prizes [OR: 1.80 (95% CI: 1.16-2.80)] were at significantly greater odds of consuming alcohol at risky levels than members of clubs that did not have such alcohol management practices. At-risk alcohol consumption was also more likely among members of clubs with less than 150 players compared with larger clubs [OR:1.45 (95% CI: 1.02-2.05)] and amongst members of particular football codes. The findings of this study suggest a need and opportunity for the implementation of alcohol harm reduction strategies targeting specific alcohol management practices at community football clubs.

Creating a Pilot Educational Psychiatry Website: Opportunities, Barriers, and Next Steps.

Science.gov (United States)

Torous, John; O'Connor, Ryan; Franzen, Jamie; Snow, Caitlin; Boland, Robert; Kitts, Robert

2015-11-05

While medical students and residents may be utilizing websites as online learning resources, medical trainees and educators now have the opportunity to create such educational websites and digital tools on their own. However, the process and theory of building educational websites for medical education have not yet been fully explored. To understand the opportunities, barriers, and process of creating a novel medical educational website. We created a pilot psychiatric educational website to better understand the options, opportunities, challenges, and processes involved in the creation of a psychiatric educational website. We sought to integrate visual and interactive Web design elements to underscore the potential of such Web technology. A pilot website (PsychOnCall) was created to demonstrate the potential of Web technology in medical and psychiatric education. Creating an educational website is now technically easier than ever before, and the primary challenge no longer is technology but rather the creation, validation, and maintenance of information for such websites as well as translating text-based didactics into visual and interactive tools. Medical educators can influence the design and implementation of online educational resources through creating their own websites and engaging medical students and residents in the process.

Responsible Consumption – Source of Competitive Advantages and Solution for Tourist Protection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gheorghe Epuran

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The recent preoccupations of national institutions and organizations and, especially of European and global institutions, regarding the responsible consumption of raw materials, resources and materials became more and more intense in the last years. In the same time, they contribute to the creation of a mentality of equilibrium in consumption and among consumers. With no connection with the area of activity, the XXIst century companies make real efforts to obtain competitive advantages by a consequent implementation of social responsibility, by assuring a responsible consumption in all the processes, and by protecting the consumer interests and rights. It became more and more frequent for the companies from tourism industry to apply the principles of sustainable development and to follow a strategy of responsible consumption. Their efforts are focused on providing different and unique experiences to contemporary consumer. In this way, the responsible consumption becomes not only a competitive advantage, but, also, an efficient way of informing the tourists and protecting their interests and rights. Without having a well-determined “ideological motivation”, tourists become more careful in responsible selection of services, depending on their degree of sustainability. They choose those touristic services that have a big contribution at the environment protection and preservation, respectively that integrate in a harmonious and synergic way cultural, psycho-social and emotional considerations. The institutions that regulate the touristic services supply contribute, also, at the careful monitoring of messages submitted to tourists and the messages content. To measure the way that the rural tourist guesthouses from Romania base their actions on the responsible consumption of raw materials and resources in their strategies of approaching the market and attracting tourists, in order to get sustainable competitive advantages and to offer efficient