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Sample records for roosmaa merit mikk

  1. Mikk Mikiveri mälestuseks / Tiiu Pikkur

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Pikkur, Tiiu, 1947-

    2006-01-01

    4. sept. esitleti Draamateatris Mikk Mikiveri mälestusele pühendatud plaati "In memoriam", kus ema Teresa, helilooja Kaljo Raidi ja piibliõpetaja ning jutlustaja Philipp-Teedy Tüüri mõtteid loeb Tõnu Mikiver. Plaadil kõlab muusika kitarrist Heiki Mätliku esituses. Plaadi tekstid valis kirjastusselts Logos

  2. Mikk Saare esikplaat jõudis poelettidele / Anniki Leppik

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Leppik, Anniki

    2007-01-01

    Kanal 2 telesaates "Tantsud tähtedega" osalenud laulja Mikk Saare debüütplaadist "See on see" (plaadiesitlused 17. mail Tallinnas Rock Cafés, 18. mail Rakveres ööklubis Lokaal Rakvere ja 19. mail Pärnus ööklubis Bravo)

  3. Wood chip delivery and research project at Mikkeli region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saksa, T.; Auvinen, P.

    1995-01-01

    In 1994, a large-scale energywood production chain was started as a co-operation project by the Mikkeli city forest office and local forestry societies. Over 60 000 m 3 (about 46 000 MWh of energy) of forest processed chips were delivered to Pursiala heat and power plant in Mikkeli. About 60 % of these chips was whole tree chips from improvement cuttings of young forest stands and the rest was logging waste chips from regeneration cutting areas. The average total delivery costs of forest processed chips after reduction of energywood and other subsidies were approximately 51 FIM/m 3 (68 FIM/MWh) for the whole tree chips and 40 FIM/m 3 (53 FIM/MWh) for logging waste chips. The delivery costs of wood chips could compete with those of fuel peat only in the most favourable cases. The resources of forest processed chips were studied on the basis of forestry plans. According to the study, there is enough raw material for permanent, large-scale delivery of forest processed chips (up to 250 000 m 3 /a) in the forests located at a distance of under 40 road kilometers from the Pursiala heat and power plant. The following project stages will involve further development of the wood chip delivery chain logistics, as well as improvement of logging and chipping equipment and methods in energywood and logging waste production. Also the effects of wood energy production on the economy and environment of the whole Mikkeli region will be studied. (author)

  4. Animatsiooni vastu ei saa ükski / Mikk Rand

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Rand, Mikk, 1970-

    1998-01-01

    21.5. esilinastuvad kinos "Sõprus" 6 animafilmi : "Vares ja hiired", autorid Priit Tender ja Mikk Rand; "Just märried", autor Peep Pedmanson; "Päevavalgus", autor Mait Laas; "Tom ja Fluffy", režissöörid Janno Põldma ja Heiki Ernits; "Bermuda", autor Ülo Pikkov; "Primavera", režissöörid Riho Unt ja Hardi Volmer

  5. Rene Valner ja Mikk Suursild - lihtsa elu tegelased / Susan Lahesalu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Lahesalu, Susan

    2007-01-01

    Arhitekt Rene Valner ja Mikk Suursild - tandem nimega UNITe - ehitavad ökonoomseid ja ökoloogilisi looduslikest materjalidest maju. Nende koostöös on valminud ka Peipsi ääres Nina külas 3 põhumaja. Ott Kadariku, Margit Mutso ja Kuido Kartau kommentaarid

  6. Puhkus moodsas kalurikülas / Karen Jagodin ; kommenteerinud Indrek Mikk, Raivo Kotov

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Jagodin, Karen, 1982-

    2009-01-01

    GoSpa residentsid Kuressaares. Arhitektid: Indrek Mikk, Raivo Kotov (KOKO Arhitektid). Sisearhitekt: Kätlin Ölluk. Projekt: 2007, valmis: 2009. Suvitajatele mõeldud viiest kahekorruselisest hoonest koosnev ansambel on liigendatud mahtude ja lehisepuidust-betoonist fassaadidega. Terrassid ja rõdud avanevad peamiselt suunaga merele. Kortereid saab endale osta või üürida

  7. Tundeid saab testida, kuid mitte hierarhiasse seada... / Hanno Soans, Raoul Kurvitz, Toomas Mikk...[jt.] ; interv. Reet Varblane

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    1998-01-01

    3.-12. juulini Moskvas Malõi Manezhi galeriis olnud rahvusvahelisest näitusest "Meelte testimise jaam" ("Senses Test Station"). Kuraator Georgi Nikitsh. Eesti kunstiprojektist "Hüljatud lahinguväljad". Kuraator Hanno Soans, osalejad Raoul Kurvitz, Toomas Mikk, Urmo Raus, Sven Saag, Jaan Toomik. Pikemalt R. Kurvitza ja T. Miku projektist.

  8. Wood chips procurement and research project at the Mikkeli region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saksa, T.; Auvinen, P.

    1996-01-01

    In 1993-94, a large-scale energywood production chain started as a co-operation project by the Mikkeli city forest office and local forestry societies. In 1995 over 115 000 m 3 (about 85 000 MWh of energy) of wood chips were delivered to Pursiala heat and power plant in Mikkeli. About 75 % of these chips was forest processed chips. About 70 % of the forest processed chips was whole tree chips from improvement cuttings of young forest stands and the rest was logging waste chips from regeneration cutting areas. The average total delivery costs of forest processed chips after reduction of energywood and other subsidies were approximately 45 FIM/m 3 (60 FIM/MWh) for the whole tree chips and 38 FIM/m 3 (50 FIM/MWh) for logging waste chips. The delivery costs of forest processed chips could meet the target of Bioenergy Research Programme (45 FIM/MWh) only in the most favourable cases. In an average the delivery costs were about 9 FIM/MWh more than the price obtained when sold to the heat and power plant. However the wood chip production created 27 new jobs and the increase of income to the local economy was about 2.2 milj. FIM /year. The local communities got new tax revenue about 3 FIM/MWh. The gain for the forestry was approximated to be 5 - 6 FIM/MWh. The resources of forest processed chips were studied on the basis of stand measurements. According to the study the most remarkable energywood resources were in young thinning stands on Oxalis-Myrtillus and Myrtillus forest site types. On Oxalis-Myrtillus type almost every and on Myrtillus type every second stand included energywood more than 40 m 3 /ha

  9. Developing international alumni activities in Mikkeli University of Applied Sciences : Case Business Management degree programme

    OpenAIRE

    Honkaniemi, Meri

    2014-01-01

    My thesis focuses on international alumni activities in Mikkeli University of Applied Sciences. My aim was to find development ideas and recommendations for the international side of the alumni activities. I intended to offer realistic suggestions enough in order to make them work in practice too. I put also my effort on finding recommendations for Business Management programme, because I wanted to make sure that international alumni activities get attention in degree programme level too. ...

  10. Miks lootusrikkalt tehtud plaanid nurjuvad? / Anneli Lorenz, Jakob Kübarsepp, Kätlin Tiigi, Mikk Kasesalk ; küsitlenud Anna-Liisa Mets

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2014-01-01

    Õpingute poolelijätmise põhjusi analüüsivad Eesti Maaülikooli õppeosakonna juhataja Anneli Lorenz, TTÜ õppeprorektor Jakob Kübarsepp, TTÜ Üliõpilaskonna juhatuse liige Kätlin Tiigi ja Tallinn Ülikooli karjäärinõustaja Mikk Kasesalk

  11. Prints Charles toetab talunike innovatsiooni / Merit Mikk

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Mikk, Merit, 1969-

    2015-01-01

    Mahe- ja tavatootjatele suunatud uuenduslike tehnoloogiate arendamise ja jätkusuutlike lahenduste leidmise programmist Duchy Future Farming. Programmi veavad prints Charlesi fond, maheorganisatsioon Soil Association, Waitrose kaubandusketi juhtiv mahebränd Duchy Organics ja mahepõllumajanduse uurimiskeskus (Organic Research Centre)

  12. A linguistic analysis of sexist statements by Janusz Korwin-Mikke

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kamila Kuros

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available In the following paper the author has performed a linguistic analysis of several chosen sexist remarks by Janusz Korwin-Mikke in order to prove how stereotypically women are regarded by the famous politician. This conservative man treats stereotypes as a proof of good order and fights to prevent women from trying to change what for thousands of years has given the general order and happiness for male sex and, in his opinion, for female sex. Significant for the author’s paper has been the importance of antifeminist’s texts within pragmatic and semantic aspect. The paper has concentrated on solely the linguistic aspect - in detail there have been discussed among other things: aphorisms and neologisms which are used by the controversial politician. In the paper the author has tried to prove that J. Korwin- Mikke’s language provokes and insults the opposite sex.

  13. Wood chips procurement and research project at the Mikkeli region; Puuhakkeen hankinta- ja tutkimusprojekti Mikkelin seudulla

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saksa, T [Finnish Forest Research Inst., Suonenjoki (Finland). Suonenjoki Research Station; Auvinen, P [Mikkeli city (Finland). Dept. of Agriculture and Forestry

    1997-12-31

    In 1993-94, a large-scale energywood production chain started as a co-operation project by the Mikkeli city forest office and local forestry societies. In 1995 over 115 000 m{sup 3} (about 85 000 MWh of energy) of wood chips were delivered to Pursiala heat and power plant in Mikkeli. About 75 % of these chips was forest processed chips. About 70 % of the forest processed chips was whole tree chips from improvement cuttings of young forest stands and the rest was logging waste chips from regeneration cutting areas. The average total delivery costs of forest processed chips after reduction of energywood and other subsidies were approximately 45 FIM/m{sup 3} (60 FIM/MWh) for the whole tree chips and 38 FIM/m{sup 3} (50 FIM/MWh) for logging waste chips. The delivery costs of forest processed chips could meet the target of Bioenergy Research Programme (45 FIM/MWh) only in the most favourable cases. In an average the delivery costs were about 9 FIM/MWh more than the price obtained when sold to the heat and power plant. However the wood chip production created 27 new jobs and the increase of income to the local economy was about 2.2 milj. FIM /year. The local communities got new tax revenue about 3 FIM/MWh. The gain for the forestry was approximated to be 5 - 6 FIM/MWh. The resources of forest processed chips were studied on the basis of stand measurements. According to the study the most remarkable energywood resources were in young thinning stands on Oxalis-Myrtillus and Myrtillus forest site types. On Oxalis-Myrtillus type almost every and on Myrtillus type every second stand included energywood more than 40 m{sup 3}/ha

  14. Wood chips procurement and research project at the Mikkeli region; Puuhakkeen hankinta- ja tutkimusprojekti Mikkelin seudulla

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saksa, T. [Finnish Forest Research Inst., Suonenjoki (Finland). Suonenjoki Research Station; Auvinen, P. [Mikkeli city (Finland). Dept. of Agriculture and Forestry

    1996-12-31

    In 1993-94, a large-scale energywood production chain started as a co-operation project by the Mikkeli city forest office and local forestry societies. In 1995 over 115 000 m{sup 3} (about 85 000 MWh of energy) of wood chips were delivered to Pursiala heat and power plant in Mikkeli. About 75 % of these chips was forest processed chips. About 70 % of the forest processed chips was whole tree chips from improvement cuttings of young forest stands and the rest was logging waste chips from regeneration cutting areas. The average total delivery costs of forest processed chips after reduction of energywood and other subsidies were approximately 45 FIM/m{sup 3} (60 FIM/MWh) for the whole tree chips and 38 FIM/m{sup 3} (50 FIM/MWh) for logging waste chips. The delivery costs of forest processed chips could meet the target of Bioenergy Research Programme (45 FIM/MWh) only in the most favourable cases. In an average the delivery costs were about 9 FIM/MWh more than the price obtained when sold to the heat and power plant. However the wood chip production created 27 new jobs and the increase of income to the local economy was about 2.2 milj. FIM /year. The local communities got new tax revenue about 3 FIM/MWh. The gain for the forestry was approximated to be 5 - 6 FIM/MWh. The resources of forest processed chips were studied on the basis of stand measurements. According to the study the most remarkable energywood resources were in young thinning stands on Oxalis-Myrtillus and Myrtillus forest site types. On Oxalis-Myrtillus type almost every and on Myrtillus type every second stand included energywood more than 40 m{sup 3}/ha

  15. The merit of meritocracy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Son Hing, Leanne S; Bobocel, D Ramona; Zanna, Mark P; Garcia, Donna M; Gee, Stephanie S; Orazietti, Katie

    2011-09-01

    We argue that the preference for the merit principle is a separate construct from hierarchy-legitimizing ideologies (i.e., system justification beliefs, prejudice, social dominance orientation), including descriptive beliefs that meritocracy currently exists in society. Moreover, we hypothesized that prescriptive beliefs about merit should have a stronger influence on reactions to the status quo when hierarchy-legitimizing ideologies are weak (vs. strong). In 4 studies, participants' preference for the merit principle and hierarchy-legitimizing ideologies were assessed; later, the participants evaluated organizational selection practices that support or challenge the status quo. Participants' prescriptive and descriptive beliefs about merit were separate constructs; only the latter predicted other hierarchy-legitimizing ideologies. In addition, as hypothesized, among participants who weakly endorsed hierarchy-legitimizing ideologies, the stronger their preference for the merit principle, the more they opposed selection practices that were perceived to be merit violating but the more they supported practices that were perceived to be merit restoring. In contrast, those who strongly endorsed hierarchy-legitimizing ideologies were always motivated to support the status quo, regardless of their preference for the merit principle. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved.

  16. 2017 MERIT exercise

    CERN Multimedia

    Staff Association

    2016-01-01

    Slide from HR public meeting. In 2017, the annual advancement exercise MARS will be replaced by the annual performance evaluation and recognition exercise MERIT. The HR Department has invited staff members to attend two information meetings “2017 MERIT Public Sessions”, the purpose of which is to explain the “general principles of the Merit, Evaluation and Recognition Integrated Toolkit”. The first meeting was held in English on Tuesday, 6 December. The second meeting will be in French on Thursday, 15 December at 10.00, in room 774-R-013 (Prévessin site). The Staff Association appreciates the HR Department’s efforts to inform staff members, especially regarding the changes between the MARS system and the MERIT system. Nevertheless, we find it useful if we inform you, from our side, taking up the issues we find the most pertinent. Benchmark jobs and the new salary scale The HR presentation looks back on the changes that took place in September 20...

  17. Merit in Principle, Merit in Practice: An Investigation into Merit-based Human Resources Management Through the Lens of Title 5-exempt Federal Organizations

    OpenAIRE

    Woodard, Colleen A.

    2000-01-01

    This dissertation research investigates whether merit-based principles and practices are embedded into the HRM systems of 19 Title 5-exempt federal organizations. Title 5-exempt organizations, such as government corporations, serve as a vehicle for exploring the question of what constitutes merit in more loosely regulated public environments. This research fills a void in the discussion about how we can sustain a merit foundation in deregulated and decentralized federal human resources syste...

  18. Value-Added Merit Pay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Twomey, Daniel F.

    The purpose of merit pay is to reward employees for their accomplishments and motivate them to continue improving. Critics of merit pay say the increased extrinsic motivation that it prompts is more than offset by the decrease in intrinsic motivation. Supporters of performance-based pay claim several benefits of the practice. This study addressed…

  19. Chess players' fame versus their merit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simkin, M V; Roychowdhury, V P

    2015-12-12

    We investigate a pool of international chess title holders born between 1901 and 1943. Using Elo ratings, we compute for every player his expected score in a game with a randomly selected player from the pool. We use this figure as the player's merit. We measure players' fame as the number of Google hits. The correlation between fame and merit is 0.38. At the same time, the correlation between the logarithm of fame and merit is 0.61. This suggests that fame grows exponentially with merit.

  20. 4 CFR 5.3 - Merit pay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 4 Accounts 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Merit pay. 5.3 Section 5.3 Accounts GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE PERSONNEL SYSTEM COMPENSATION § 5.3 Merit pay. The Comptroller General may promulgate regulations establishing a merit pay system for such employees of the Government Accountability Office as the...

  1. 2017 MERIT Exercise close to completion!

    CERN Multimedia

    Staff Association

    2017-01-01

    The 2017 MERIT Guidelines, approved by the Standing Concertation Committee (SCC), concern various processes and procedures, among which those for the annual exercise (or MERIT interview), promotions, and changes of benchmark job. The processes for “annual exercise” and “promotions” – “changes of benchmark job” have been programmed for two periods: from 1st December 2016 to 15 June 2017: MERIT interviews, evaluation, performance qualification and payment with effect as of the salary of May; from 3 April 2017 to 1st July 2017: promotions and changes of benchmark job. 2017 MERIT Interviews The results of the MERIT interviews have been announced to staff members, most of whom saw their salary increase. Only persons who are not eligible and those with “Insufficient” performance qualification did not receive a raise. Same goes for performance payments – the staff members whose performance was qualified as &ldq...

  2. Figures of merit for surface plasmon waveguides

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berini, Pierre

    2006-12-01

    Three figures of merit are proposed as quality measures for surface plasmon waveguides. They are defined as benefit-to-cost ratios where the benefit is confinement and the cost is attenuation. Three different ways of measuring confinement are considered, leading to three figures of merit. One of the figures of merit is connected to the quality factor. The figures of merit were then used to assess and compare the wavelength response of hree popular 1-D surface plasmon waveguides: the single metal-dielectric interface, the metal slab bounded by dielectric and the dielectric slab bounded by metal. Closed form expressions are given for the figures of merit of the single metal-dielectric interface.

  3. Merits and Demerits of Food Additives

    OpenAIRE

    YANG, Xuening; ZHAN, Yong

    2014-01-01

    Food additive is a double-edged sword. It has merits and demerits. Food additives have such merits as improving sensory properties of foods, preventing deterioration and extending the shelf life, increasing varieties of foods, enhancing convenience of foods, facilitating food processing, and satisfying other demands. However, excessive and illegal use of food additives will exert adverse influence on food security. Therefore, it is required to take proper measures to bring merits of food addi...

  4. Euroopa Liidu mahelogo pole kuigi tuntud / ülevaate koostas Merit Mikk

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2015-01-01

    2010. a muutus ELi mahelogo kasutamine mahetoodetel kohustuslikuks. Euroopa Komisjon lootis sellega elavdada ELi maheturgu. Mitmete uuringute põhjal on aga selgunud, et tarbijad ELi mahemärki siiski eriti ei tunne

  5. Merit exponents and control area diagrams in materials selection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zander, Johan; Sandstroem, Rolf

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Merit exponents are introduced to generalise the merit indices commonly used in materials selection. → The merit exponents can rank materials in general design situations. → To allow identification of the active merit exponent(s), control area diagrams are used. → Principles for generating the control area diagrams are presented. -- Abstract: Merit indices play a fundamental role in materials selection, since they enable ranking of materials. However, the conventional formulation of merit indices is associated with severe limitations. They are dependent on the explicit solution of the variables in the equations for the constraints from the design criteria. Furthermore, it is not always easy to determine which the controlling merit index is. To enable the ranking of materials in more general design cases, merit exponents are introduced as generalisations of the merit indices. Procedures are presented for how to compute the merit exponents numerically without having to solve equations algebraically. Merit exponents (and indices) are only valid in a certain range of property values. To simplify the identification of the controlling merit exponent, it is suggested that so called control area diagrams are used. These diagrams consist of a number of domains, each showing the active constraints and the controlling merit exponent. It is shown that the merit exponents play a crucial role when the control area diagram (CAD) is set up. The principles in the paper are developed for mechanically loaded components and are illustrated for engineering beams with two or three geometric variables.

  6. 45 CFR 201.11 - Personnel merit system review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Personnel merit system review. 201.11 Section 201... STATES FOR PUBLIC ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS Review and Audits § 201.11 Personnel merit system review. A personnel merit system review is carried out by the Office of State Merit Systems of the Office of the...

  7. Merits and Demerits of Food Additives

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Xuening; YANG; Yong; ZHAN

    2014-01-01

    Food additive is a double-edged sword. It has merits and demerits. Food additives have such merits as improving sensory properties of foods,preventing deterioration and extending the shelf life,increasing varieties of foods,enhancing convenience of foods,facilitating food processing,and satisfying other demands. However,excessive and illegal use of food additives will exert adverse influence on food security.Therefore,it is required to take proper measures to bring merits of food additives into full play,and get rid of their demerits.

  8. Merit-Based Scholarships and Student Effort

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernandez-Julian, Rey

    2010-01-01

    Twenty-one states offer merit scholarships that require students to maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA). Using a comprehensive administrative database from Clemson University, this study estimates the relationship between the incentives created by a South Carolina merit scholarship (LIFE) and students' academic performance. I hypothesize…

  9. An Accounting Program Merit Pay Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindsay, David H.; Campbell, Annhenrie; Tan, Kim B.; Wagner, Andrew

    2010-01-01

    Basing the compensation of accounting professors on merit pay in order to encourage better teaching, research and service is controversial. Before the effectiveness of merit-based salary plans can be examined empirically, it must be determined which accounting programs use such a system. In this study, the 852 accounting programs in the United…

  10. 4 CFR 2.4 - Merit system principles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    .... (a) Merit personnel systems are based on the principle that an organization is best served by... embody the following merit system principles: (1) Recruitment should be from qualified individuals from...) Equal pay should be provided for work of substantially equal value, with appropriate consideration of...

  11. Merit Pay Misfires

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramirez, Al

    2011-01-01

    Critics argue that the uniform salary schedule is unfair because it promotes mediocrity by rewarding poor performers while failing to recognize outstanding achievement on the job. Advocates for merit pay systems for preK-12 education also contend that the uniform salary schedule ignores the basic purpose of education--student learning. Although…

  12. Exercice MERIT 2017 en passe de s’achever !

    CERN Multimedia

    Staff Association

    2017-01-01

    Les lignes directrices 2017 du MERIT (https://cds.cern.ch/record/2239422/files/2017_MERIT_Guidelines.pdf?version=1), approuvées par le Comité de Concertation permanent (CCP), concernent divers processus et procédures parmi lesquels, l’exercice annuel (ou entretien MERIT), la promotion, le changement d’emploi repère. Les processus « exercice annuel » et « promotions » - « changement d’emploi repère » ont été programmés sur deux périodes : du 1er décembre 2016 au 15 juin 2017, les entretiens MERIT, l’évaluation, la qualification et la rétribution de la performance, avec effet sur le salaire de mai ; du 3 avril 2017 au 1er juillet 2017, les promotions et les changements d’emploi repère. Entretie...

  13. Muusikaliteatri pidu moeka komöödiaga

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2008-01-01

    Novembris kümnendat sünnipäeva tähistav Muusikaliteater toob Tallinna Linnahallis lavale Cole Porteri muusikalise komöödia "Nii on meil moes!" (esietendus 14. nov., lavastaja Andrus Vaarik, ühes peaosas Kristi Roosmaa)

  14. Young children consider merit when sharing resources with others.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanngiesser, Patricia; Warneken, Felix

    2012-01-01

    MERIT IS A KEY PRINCIPLE OF FAIRNESS: rewards should be distributed according to how much someone contributed to a task. Previous research suggests that children have an early ability to take merit into account in third-party situations but that merit-based sharing in first-party contexts does not emerge until school-age. Here we provide evidence that three- and five-year-old children already use merit to share resources with others, even when sharing is costly for the child. In Study 1, a child and a puppet-partner collected coins that were later exchanged for rewards. We varied the work-contribution of both partners by manipulating how many coins each partner collected. Children kept fewer stickers in trials in which they had contributed less than in trials in which they had contributed more than the partner, showing that they took merit into account. Few children, however, gave away more than half of the stickers when the partner had worked more. Study 2 confirmed that children related their own work-contribution to their partner's, rather than simply focusing on their own contribution. Taken together, these studies show that merit-based sharing is apparent in young children; however it remains constrained by a self-serving bias.

  15. Young children consider merit when sharing resources with others.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patricia Kanngiesser

    Full Text Available MERIT IS A KEY PRINCIPLE OF FAIRNESS: rewards should be distributed according to how much someone contributed to a task. Previous research suggests that children have an early ability to take merit into account in third-party situations but that merit-based sharing in first-party contexts does not emerge until school-age. Here we provide evidence that three- and five-year-old children already use merit to share resources with others, even when sharing is costly for the child. In Study 1, a child and a puppet-partner collected coins that were later exchanged for rewards. We varied the work-contribution of both partners by manipulating how many coins each partner collected. Children kept fewer stickers in trials in which they had contributed less than in trials in which they had contributed more than the partner, showing that they took merit into account. Few children, however, gave away more than half of the stickers when the partner had worked more. Study 2 confirmed that children related their own work-contribution to their partner's, rather than simply focusing on their own contribution. Taken together, these studies show that merit-based sharing is apparent in young children; however it remains constrained by a self-serving bias.

  16. Reward Merit with Praise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrews, Hans A.

    1987-01-01

    Describes the efforts of two educational institutions to reward teaching excellence using positive feedback rather than merit pay incentives. An Arizona district, drawing on Herzberg's motivation theories, offers highly individualized rewards ranging from computers to conference money, while an Illinois community college bestows engraved plaques…

  17. Merit Principles Survey 2016 Data

    Data.gov (United States)

    Merit Systems Protection Board — MPS contains a combination of core items that MSPB tracks over time and special-purpose items developed to support a particular special study. This survey differs...

  18. Merit Pay and Music Education: A Motivation Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vagi, Robert

    2014-01-01

    Recently, state and federal legislators have emphasized teacher quality in their efforts to improve public education. Many reformers believe that merit pay may prove invaluable in attracting highly qualified educators to the workforce and retaining them, as well as in improving students' test scores. While merit pay's ability to recruit and retain…

  19. Clinical track faculty: merits and issues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Won-Hee; Kim, Cho Ja; Roh, Young Sook; Shin, Hyunsook; Kim, Mi Ja

    2007-01-01

    Clinical track faculty (CTF) has been in operation for more than two decades in the United States, and 12 of the top 20 schools of nursing with the highest National Institutes of Health funding in the United States have CTF in place. Yet, only limited articles have been published regarding the merits and issues related to its operation. This article examines the advantages/merits of establishing CTF in schools of nursing, discusses the qualification criteria and types of appointment for CTF, and analyzes issues related to operating CTF in Korea. A questionnaire survey and two workshops were conducted involving faculty from a college of nursing and clinical nurse managers from university-affiliated medical centers and community agencies. Most of the respondents indicated that establishing CTF was advantageous. Merits included the following: increasing reality-based clinical education and training; decreasing the reality shock of students; increasing student satisfaction; and linking education, practice, and research more effectively. Major issues were as follows: getting the approval of medical centers/universities; developing an agreement on CTF operation between the college of nursing and clinical agencies; clarifying types and criteria of appointment and promotion; and developing a statement on role and compensation policies. Most issues are similar to what U.S. schools of nursing have faced, except for the first one. In conclusion, establishing CTF in Korea appears to be highly desirable. Merits outweigh issues/concerns, and Korean nursing schools may look for an opportune time for obtaining the approval of medical centers/universities. Nursing schools in other countries that face a similar challenge of providing clinical teaching with high research performance may consider instituting CTF.

  20. 78 FR 66384 - Membership of the Merit Systems Protection Board's Performance Review Board

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-05

    ... MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD Membership of the Merit Systems Protection Board's Performance Review Board AGENCY: Merit Systems Protection Board. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the members of the Merit Systems Protection Board's Performance Review Board. DATES: November 5, 2013...

  1. Wind energy and electricity prices. Exploring the 'merit order effect'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morthost, P.E.; Ray, S.; Munksgaard, J.; Sinner, A.F.

    2010-04-01

    This report focuses on the effect of wind energy on the electricity price in the power market. As the report will discuss, adding wind into the power mix has a significant influence on the resulting price of electricity, the so called merit order effect (MOE). The merit order effect has been quantified and discussed in many scientific publications. This report ends the first phase of a study on the MOE, evaluating the impact of EWEA's 2020 scenarios on future European electricity prices. The basic principles of the merit order effect are provided in the first part of the document. The literature review itself contains methods and tools not only to quantify the merit order effect but also in order to forecast its future range and volume.

  2. Pedagogical Merit Review of Animal Use for Education in Canada.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marc T Avey

    Full Text Available There are two components to the review of animal based protocols in Canada: review for the merit of the study itself, and review of the ethical acceptability of the work. Despite the perceived importance for the quality assurance these reviews provide; there are few studies of the peer-based merit review system for animal-based protocols for research and education. Institutional animal care committees (ACCs generally rely on the external peer review of scientific merit for animal-based research. In contrast, peer review for animal based teaching/training is dependent on the review of pedagogical merit carried out by the ACC itself or another committee within the institution. The objective of this study was to evaluate the views of ACC members about current practices and policies as well as alternate policies for the review of animal based teaching/training. We conducted a national web-based survey of ACC members with both quantitative and qualitative response options. Responses from 167 ACC members indicated broad concerns about administrative burden despite strong support for both the current and alternate policies. Participants' comments focused mostly on the merit review process (54% relative to the efficiency (21%, impact (13%, and other (12% aspects of evaluation. Approximately half (49% of the comments were classified into emergent themes that focused on some type of burden: burden from additional pedagogical merit review (16%, a limited need for the review (12%, and a lack of resources (expertise 11%; people/money 10%. Participants indicated that the current system for pedagogical merit review is effective (60%; but most also indicated that there was at least some challenge (86% with the current peer review process. There was broad support for additional guidance on the justification, criteria, types of animal use, and objectives of pedagogical merit review. Participants also supported the ethical review and application of the Three Rs in

  3. Sekkumine Kadriorus / Hanno Soans

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Soans, Hanno, 1974-

    2003-01-01

    31. VIII Mikkeli muuseumis Briti kunstirühmituse Virus ja Chris Evansi presentatsioonid. Projekt "Sekkumine - kaasaegne kunst inglise pargis" toimub Väliskunsti muuseumis, Mikkeli muuseumis ja selle ümbruses. Inspiratsiooniks on Kadrioru park ja näitused "Kaduv maailm. Inglise park Eestis" Mikkeli ning "Looduse ja kunsti austajatele. Wörlitzi park" Väliskunsti muuseumis. Virus sekkub Kadrioru parki kohaspetsiifilise installatsiooniga. Projekti kuraator Hanno Soans

  4. Characteristics of National Merit Scholars from Small Rural Schools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peltier, Gary; And Others

    This study compares 1988 National Merit Scholars enrolled in rural public schools with a senior class smaller than 99 students to other merit scholars and the national sample of SAT takers. Rural scholars were more likely to be female (45.5%) and Caucasian (98%) than other scholars. Involvement in extracurricular activities was significantly…

  5. Profiles of Merit Pay Provisions in Ohio School Districts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willis, Chris; Ingle, W. Kyle

    2018-01-01

    A small number of districts in Ohio from a variety of locales have adopted merit pay provisions. Using Springer's (2009) taxonomy of teacher compensation, we analyzed compensation provisions of these districts. We asked: What are the characteristics of these districts? What criteria are used to determine merit? Who is determining who receives…

  6. The merit of cogeneration: Measuring and rewarding performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Verbruggen, Aviel

    2008-01-01

    Cogeneration or combined heat and power (CHP) is a thermal power generation cycle with the merit of recovering part or all of the heat that is fatally discarded by such cycles. This merit of higher efficiency is subject of rewarding by public authorities. When the EU enacts CHP promotion in a Directive (1997-2004), crucial measurement and qualification issues remain unsolved. CEN (coordinator of the European Bureaus of Standards) contributes in clarifying the measurement of CHP activities, but shortfalls remain, while CEN bypasses the debate on qualifying CHP performance. This article offers appropriate methods for measuring CHP activities based on design characteristics of the plants. The co-generated electric output is a necessary and sufficient indicator of CHP merit and performance. Regulators can extend this indicator, but should avoid the perverse effects of biased external benchmarking as the EU Directive entails

  7. Performance appraisal and merit recognition exercise 2007

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2006-01-01

    The 2007 performance appraisal and merit recognition exercise will start in the usual way with annual interviews between staff and their supervisors. This year, these interviews should be held in the period from 8 January 2007 to 16 April 2007. Interconnection with the 5-yearly review, a number of modifications to the procedures relating to the performance appraisal and merit recognition are currently under study. Administrative Circular No. 26 (Procedures governing the Career Development of Staff Members) and the electronic MAPS form in EDH are being reviewed and will be available from January onwards. HR Department will shortly provide further information on this subject. Human Resources Department Tel. 73566

  8. Sovremennoje iskusstvo v angliskom parke

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2003-01-01

    Performance-kunsti rühmituse Virus (Alan Holligan, Stewart Bennett ja Ewan Robertson Edinburghist) projekt "Sekkumine - kaasaegne kunst inglise pargis" toimub Väliskunsti muuseumis, Mikkeli muuseumis ja selle ümbruses. Inspiratsiooniks on Kadrioru park ning parginäitused Mikkeli ja Väliskunsti muuseumis. Radical Loyalty projektist, millele pani aluse Chris Evans (Glasgow) 2002. a. ja mille raames plaanitakse skulptuuripargi rajamist Järvakandisse. Evansi projekt presentatsiooni formaadis toimub Mikkeli muuseumis video ja fotode abil

  9. 2008 annual merit review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None, None

    2009-01-18

    The 2008 DOE Vehicle Technologies Program Annual Merit Review was held February 25-28, 2008 in Bethesda, Maryland. The review encompassed all of the work done by the Vehicle Technologies Program: a total of 280 individual activities were reviewed, by a total of just over 100 reviewers. A total of 1,908 individual review responses were received for the technical reviews, and an additional 29 individual review responses were received for the plenary session review.

  10. Redefining the merit order of stochastic generation in forward markets

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Morales González, Juan Miguel; Zugno, Marco; Pineda Morente, Salvador

    2014-01-01

    This letter proposes a new merit order for the dispatch of stochastic production in forward markets (e.g., dayahead markets). The proposed merit order considers not only the marginal cost of the stochastic generating unit, which is often very low or zero, but also the projected cost of balancing...

  11. Teachers' Perceptions of Merit Pay

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jackson, Vanessa; Langheinrich, Cornelia; Loth, Dan

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of the study is to show the various perceptions teachers have on merit pay. This research was designed to examine the perceptions and attitudes of teachers towards the idea of performance based pay. This topic has been an ongoing battle within school systems since the 1800s. The participants in this study were teachers from the state…

  12. Employee Reactions to Merit Pay: Cognitive Approach and Social Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yingchun

    2010-01-01

    The dissertation aims to tackle one of the most pressing questions facing the merit pay system researchers and practitioners: Why do merit pay raises have such a small effect on employees' satisfaction, commitment and job performance? My approach to the study of this question is to develop explanatory frameworks from two perspectives: cognitive…

  13. Külaliste kaalumine : Draamateatri külalisetendused Tartus / Margus Kasterpalu, Andrus Laansalu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Kasterpalu, Margus, 1961-

    1995-01-01

    Andrus Kivirähki 'Jalutuskäik vikerkaarel' (lav. Mati Unt); Jean-Jacques Bricaire 'Tulumaks' (lav. Lembit Ulfsak); Mihhail Lermontovi 'Maskeraad' (lav. Mikk Mikiver); Jaan Krossi 'Doktor Karelli raske öö' (lav. Mikk Mikiver)

  14. Publication of administrative circular No. 26 (Rev. 8) – Recognition of merit

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2008-01-01

    Administrative Circular No. 26 (Rev. 8) – Recognition of merit Administrative Circular No. 26 (Rev. 8) – "Recognition of merit", approved by the Standing Concertation Committee at its meeting on 3 September 2008, is now available on the intranet site of the Human Resources Department. It cancels and replaces Administrative Circular No. 26 (Rev. 7) – "Recognition of merit of staff members" of May 2007. Paper copies will shortly be available in Departmental secretariats. Human Resources Department Tel. 78003

  15. Publication of administrative circular No. 26 (Rev. 8) – Recognition of merit

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2008-01-01

    Administrative Circular No. 26 (Rev. 8) – Recognition of merit Administrative Circular No. 26 (Rev. 8) – "Recognition of merit", approved by the Standing Concertation Committee meeting on 3 September 2008, is now available on the intranet site of the Human Resources Department. It cancels and replaces Administrative Circular No. 26 (Rev. 7) – "Recognition of merit of staff members" of May 2007. Paper copies will shortly be available in Departmental secretariats. Human Resources Department Tel. 78003

  16. The effective communication methodology and influence of merit information on nuclear power

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oiso, Shinichi

    2007-01-01

    It was found by the survey the author carried out in 2005 that there is a possibility that even the person who opposes nuclear power generation may change his or her opinion after understanding the advantage of nuclear power. Then, how should merit information be transmitted? Is there a possibility that people feel repulsion after receiving merit information? What is the influence of providing merit information of nuclear power? Those kinds of questions were investigated in 2006. As a result, it was found that the use of magazine and NPO/NGO is effective. The utilization of all-night television broadcasting, iPod, energy environmental education in schools and science cafe have an effect too, especially for young generation. It was also found that 20% or less of the people feel repulsion for providing merit information of nuclear power. Concerning people's attitude towards nuclear power utilization, it was found that the number of those who support nuclear power generation tended to increase significantly by providing information depicting merits or benefits of nuclear power, however, it did not increase by explaining electric power companies' effort to promote nuclear power. Further more, concerning to the image of a nuclear power station site, it became clear that merit information of nuclear power provided positive effect for some items in explaining nuclear power generation. (author)

  17. An Optimization Model for the Allocation of University Based Merit Aid

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sugrue, Paul K.

    2010-01-01

    The allocation of merit-based financial aid during the college admissions process presents postsecondary institutions with complex and financially expensive decisions. This article describes the application of linear programming as a decision tool in merit based financial aid decisions at a medium size private university. The objective defined for…

  18. 76 FR 42140 - Public Availability of the Merit Systems Protection Board's FY 2010 Service Contract Inventory

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-18

    ... MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD Public Availability of the Merit Systems Protection Board's FY 2010 Service Contract Inventory AGENCY: Merit Systems Protection Board. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Merit.../service-contract-inventories-guidance-11052010.pdf . The MSPB's inventory is posted on its Web site at...

  19. Estonian Memory Theatre : the 1970s-1990s / Piret Kruuspere

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Kruuspere, Piret, 1961-

    2007-01-01

    Eesti teatrikunstis - nii näidendites kui lavastustes - 1970-1990. aastatel peegelduv ajalooteadvus ja rahvuslik identiteet. Vaadeldakse Rein Saluri näidendeid "Külalised" (Eesti Draamateater 1974, lav. Kaarin Raid) ja "Minek" (Eesti Draamateater 1988, lav. Mikk Mikiver ja Pärnu Endla 1988, lav. Priit Pedajas), Madis Kõivu näidendeid "Tagasitulek isa juurde" (Eesti Draamateater 1993, lav. Priit Pedajas) ja "Stseene saja-aastasest sõjast" (Eesti Draamateater 1998, lav. Mikk Mikiver), Jaan Kruusvalli näidendit "Pilvede värvid" (Eesti Draamateater 1983, lav. Mikk Mikiver) ja Merle Karusoo dokumentaalteatrit. Viited lk. 174-176

  20. 75 FR 3939 - Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) Provides Notice of Opportunity To File Amicus Briefs

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-25

    ... MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) Provides Notice of Opportunity To File Amicus Briefs AGENCY: Merit Systems Protection Board. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 7521 and 5 CFR 1201.131, the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) is providing notice of...

  1. Merit Pay and the Music Teacher

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elpus, Kenneth

    2011-01-01

    Current proponents of education reform are at present seeking to fundamentally change the system of teacher compensation by eliminating the traditional single salary schedule and instituting a merit pay system that directly links teacher pay to student achievement. To date, the scholarly literature in music education has been silent on the subject…

  2. Metacognitive reflection and insight therapy (MERIT) for patients with schizophrenia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Jong, S; van Donkersgoed, R J M; Timmerman, M E; Aan Het Rot, M; Wunderink, L; Arends, J; van Der Gaag, M; Aleman, A; Lysaker, P H; Pijnenborg, G H M

    2018-04-25

    Impaired metacognition is associated with difficulties in the daily functioning of people with psychosis. Metacognition can be divided into four domains: Self-Reflection, Understanding the Other's Mind, Decentration, and Mastery. This study investigated whether Metacognitive Reflection and Insight Therapy (MERIT) can be used to improve metacognition. This study is a randomized controlled trial. Patients in the active condition (n = 35) received forty MERIT sessions, the control group (n = 35) received treatment as usual. Multilevel intention-to-treat and completers analyses were performed for metacognition and secondary outcomes (psychotic symptomatology, cognitive insight, Theory of Mind, empathy, depression, self-stigma, quality of life, social functioning, and work readiness). Eighteen out of 35 participants finished treatment, half the drop-out stemmed from therapist attrition (N = 5) or before the first session (N = 4). Intention-to-treat analysis demonstrated that in both groups metacognition improved between pre- and post-measurements, with no significant differences between the groups. Patients who received MERIT continued to improve, while the control group returned to baseline, leading to significant differences at follow-up. Completers analysis (18/35) showed improvements on the Metacognition Assessment Scale (MAS-A) scales Self Reflectivity and metacognitive Mastery at follow-up. No effects were found on secondary outcomes. On average, participants in the MERIT group were, based on MAS-A scores, at follow-up more likely to recognize their thoughts as changeable rather than as facts. MERIT might be useful for patients whose self-reflection is too limited to benefit from other therapies. Given how no changes were found in secondary measures, further research is needed. Limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.

  3. 75 FR 40036 - Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-13

    ... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit... (Federal Advisory Committee Act) that the Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit... is to review rehabilitation research and development applications for scientific and technical merit...

  4. Sadamaala konkurss : Tallinna kesklinnaga piirneva mereäärse ala parima linnaehitusliku kontseptsiooni saamiseks korraldatud arhitektuurivõistlus / Andres Alver, Margus Koot, Arvo Rikkinen...[jt.] ; interv. Triin Ojari

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2000-01-01

    Zürii liikmed konkursist, premeeritud töödest. Preemiad: I - Villem Tomiste, Veronika Valk; II - Illimar Truverk, Indrek Järve, Mattias Agabus, Tiit Sild, Karri Tiigisoon ning Toomas Paaver, Lauri Saar; III - Ivar Lubjak, Maria Pukk; ostud: Ott Kadarik, Rene Valner ning Siiri Vallner, Indrek Peil; täiendav ost (Muinsuskaitseamaet): Nikolai Serebrjakov, Leonid Tozil, Sergei Sevtsenko, Sulev Roosmaa. 6 illustratsiooni

  5. Miks läheb üks suur inimene lõpuks ikkagi kooli tagasi? / Agne Narusk

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Narusk, Agne, 1971-

    2012-01-01

    Elukestva õppe rahvusvahelise teadusuuringu, milles osales 13 riiki, tulemustest selgub, et täiskasvanud õpivad eesmärgiga teha oma tööd paremini ja saada kõrgemat palka. Selgitusi jagavad rahvusvahelise teadusprojekti Lifelong Learning 2010 (LLL2010) töögrupi liige, Tallinna Ülikooli rahvusvaheliste ja sotsiaaluuringute instituudi teadur Eve-Liis Roosmaa ja LLL2010 koordinaator, professor Ellu Saar

  6. Miks läheb üks suur inimene lõpuks ikkagi kooli tagasi? / Agne Narusk

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Narusk, Agne, 1971-

    2011-01-01

    Elukestva õppe rahvusvahelise teadusuuringu, milles osales 13 riiki, tulemustest selgub, et täiskasvanud õpivad eesmärgiga teha oma tööd paremini ja saada kõrgemat palka. Selgitusi jagavad rahvusvahelise teadusprojekti Lifelong Learning 2010 (LLL2010) töögrupi liige, Tallinna Ülikooli rahvusvaheliste ja sotsiaaluuringute instituudi teadur Eve-Liis Roosmaa ja LLL2010 koordinaator, professor Ellu Saar

  7. Thermoelectric figure of merit of chiral carbon nanotube

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mensah, N.G.; Nkrumah-Buandoh, G.K.; Mensah, S.Y.; Allotey, F.K.A.; Twum, A.K.

    2005-09-01

    We have investigated the thermoelectrical properties of chiral carbon nanotube and numerically evaluated the figure of merit. We observed that the properties are highly anisotropic and depend on the geometric chiral angle (GCA) θ h , temperature and the overlapping integrals (exchange energy) for the jumps along the tubular axis Δ z and the base helix Δ s . The thermopower α exhibited giant values with the peak occurring between 100 K and 150 K. The electron thermal conductivity showed unusually high value with the peaks shifting towards high temperature. We attribute the high peak values to electron-phonon interactions. Finally we noted that by changing the Δ s and Δ z it is possible to get a figure of merit greater than 1. (author)

  8. The merit of synesthesia for consciousness research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tessa Marije Van Leeuwen

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Synesthesia is a phenomenon in which additional perceptual experiences are elicited by sensory stimuli or cognitive concepts. Synesthetes possess a unique type of phenomenal experiences not directly triggered by sensory stimulation. Therefore, for better understanding of consciousness it is relevant to identify the mental and physiological processes that subserve synesthetic experience. In the present work we suggest several reasons why synesthesia has merit for research on consciousness. We first review the research on the dynamic and rapidly growing field of the studies of synesthesia. We particularly draw attention to the role of semantics in synesthesia, which is important for establishing synesthetic associations in the brain. We then propose that the interplay between semantics and sensory input in synesthesia can be helpful for the study of the neural correlates of consciousness, especially when making use of ambiguous stimuli for inducing synesthesia. Finally, synesthesia-related alterations of brain networks and functional connectivity can be of merit for the study of consciousness.

  9. 49 CFR 1103.19 - Advising upon the merits of a client's cause.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 8 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Advising upon the merits of a client's cause. 1103... Practitioner's Duties and Responsibilities Toward A Client § 1103.19 Advising upon the merits of a client's cause. A practitioner shall try to obtain full knowledge of his client's cause before advising thereon...

  10. 78 FR 12422 - Health Services Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board, Notice of Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-02-22

    ... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Health Services Research and Development Service Scientific Merit... nursing research. Applications are reviewed for scientific and technical merit, mission relevance, and the... Program Manager, Scientific Merit Review Board, Department of Veterans Affairs, Health Services Research...

  11. 78 FR 6854 - Health Services Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-31

    ... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Health Services Research and Development Service Scientific Merit... Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board will meet on February 13-14, 2013, at the... research. Applications are reviewed for scientific and technical merit. Recommendations regarding funding...

  12. Risk Aversion and Support for Merit Pay: Theory and Evidence from Minnesota's Q Comp Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nadler, Carl; Wiswall, Matthew

    2011-01-01

    Recent research attributes the lack of merit pay in teaching to the resistance of teachers. This article examines whether the structure of merit pay affects the types of teachers who support it. We develop a model of the relative utility teachers receive from merit pay versus the current fixed schedule of raises. We show that if teachers are risk…

  13. High figure-of-merit SOI power LDMOS for power integrated circuits

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yashvir Singh

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The structural modifications in the conventional power laterally diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (LDMOS are carried out to improve the breakdown voltage, on-resistance, gate-charge and figure-of-merits of the device with reduced cell pitch. The modified device has planer structure implemented on silicon-on-insulator which is suitable for low to medium voltage power integrated circuits. The proposed LDMOS consists of two gate electrodes placed vertically in two separate trenches build in the drift region and single source and drain contacts are taken on the top. The trench structure reduces the electric field inside the drift region and allow increased drift layer doping concentration leading to higher breakdown voltage, lower specific on-resistance, reduced gate-drain charge, and substantial improvement in the figure-of-merits. Using two-dimensional simulations, the performance of the proposed LDMOS is optimized and results are compared with the conventional LDMOS. Our simulation results show that the proposed device exhibits 110% higher breakdown voltage, 40% reduction in cell pitch, 19% lower specific on-resistance, 30% lower gate-to-drain charge leading to 5.5 times improvement in Baliga's figure-of-merit and 43% reduction in dynamic figure-of-merit over the conventional device.

  14. Minimización de una función normal-merit mediante un algoritmo convergente globalmente

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gómez Suárez, M.

    1998-01-01

    Full Text Available En este trabajo presentamos dos conceptos relacionados con la solución de sistemas de ecuaciones no lineales y con desigualdades. El primer concepto es el de una función normal merit, que resume las propiedades básicas que tienen distintas funciones merit conocidas. El segundo concepto es el de un operador Newtoniano, cuyos valores generalizan el concepto de Hessiana para la función normal merit. Combinando el resultado del método generalizado de Newton con ciertos métodos de primer orden, obtenemos un algoritmo de convergencia global para minimizar funciones normales merit.

  15. 5 CFR 335.106 - Special selection procedures for certain veterans under merit promotion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... veterans under merit promotion. 335.106 Section 335.106 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PROMOTION AND INTERNAL PLACEMENT General Provisions § 335.106 Special selection procedures for certain veterans under merit promotion. Preference eligibles or veterans who have...

  16. Cybersecurity Figure of Merit

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-04-30

    Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command The Cybersecurity Challenge in Acquisition Sonia Kaestner, Adjunct Professor, McDonough School of Business ...qÜáêíÉÉåíÜ=^ååì~ä= ^Åèìáëáíáçå=oÉëÉ~êÅÜ= póãéçëáìã= tÉÇåÉëÇ~ó=pÉëëáçåë= sçäìãÉ=f= = Cybersecurity Figure of Merit CAPT Brian Erickson, USN, SPAWAR...the Acquisition Research Program of the Graduate School of Business & Public Policy at the Naval Postgraduate School. To request defense acquisition

  17. Reactions to merit pay increases: a longitudinal test of a signal sensitivity perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaw, Jason D; Duffy, Michelle K; Mitra, Atul; Lockhart, Daniel E; Bowler, Matthew

    2003-06-01

    The relationships among merit pay raises, trait positive affectivity (PA), and reactions to merit pay increases (pay attitudes and behavioral intentions) were explored in a longitudinal study of hospital employees. Drawing on signal sensitivity theory, the authors expected that PA would moderate the relationship between merit pay raise size and reactions to the increase such that pay raise size would be more strongly related to pay attitudes and behavioral intentions among those low in PA. Results strongly supported the predictions in the case of reactions to the raise amount (happiness and effort intentions) but not for pay level satisfaction. Implications of the results and directions for future research are identified.

  18. Policy Perspectives: No Merit in these Scholarships

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vincent, Fay

    2005-01-01

    Mr. Fay Vincent, former Commissioner of Major League Baseball and Executive Vice President of The Coca Cola Company, provides a crisp, concise assessment of a trend that has worried us for quite a while: the growing trend of rewarding academically-gifted and typically-affluent students with an extra dose of merit aid, often at the expense of…

  19. DOE Hydrogen Program: 2005 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chalk, S. G.

    2005-09-01

    This report summarizes comments from the Peer Review Panel at the FY 2005 DOE Hydrogen Program Annual Merit Review, held on May 23-26, 2005, in Arlington, Virginia. The projects evaluated support the Department of Energy and President Bush's Hydrogen Initiative. The results of this merit review and peer evaluation are major inputs used by DOE to make funding decisions. Project areas include hydrogen production and delivery; hydrogen storage; fuel cells; technology validation; safety, codes and standards; education; and systems analysis.

  20. DOE Hydrogen Program: 2006 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Milliken, J.

    2006-09-01

    This report summarizes comments from the Peer Review Panel at the FY 2006 DOE Hydrogen Program Annual Merit Review, held on May 16-19, 2006, in Arlington, Virginia. The projects evaluated support the Department of Energy and President Bush's Hydrogen Initiative. The results of this merit review and peer evaluation are major inputs used by DOE to make funding decisions. Project areas include hydrogen production and delivery; hydrogen storage; fuel cells; technology validation; safety, codes and standards; education; and systems analysis.

  1. Improving Teaching Effectiveness: Merit Pay vs. Organizational Culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bushardt, Stephen C.; Fowler, Aubrey R.

    1987-01-01

    Identifies four conditions which cause merit pay systems to fail to increase teacher performance: lack of skills, the poor timing of rewards, an inability to measure performance; and competing reinforcers. Explains why organizational culture is a more effective mediator of rewards. (SD)

  2. Measuring Provider Performance for Physicians Participating in the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Squitieri, Lee; Chung, Kevin C

    2017-07-01

    In 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services began requiring all eligible providers to participate in the Quality Payment Program or face financial reimbursement penalty. The Quality Payment Program outlines two paths for provider participation: the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System and Advanced Alternative Payment Models. For the first performance period beginning in January of 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimates that approximately 83 to 90 percent of eligible providers will not qualify for participation in an Advanced Alternative Payment Model and therefore must participate in the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System program. The Merit-Based Incentive Payment System path replaces existing quality-reporting programs and adds several new measures to evaluate providers using four categories of data: (1) quality, (2) cost/resource use, (3) improvement activities, and (4) advancing care information. These categories will be combined to calculate a weighted composite score for each provider or provider group. Composite Merit-Based Incentive Payment System scores based on 2017 performance data will be used to adjust reimbursed payment in 2019. In this article, the authors provide relevant background for understanding value-based provider performance measurement. The authors also discuss Merit-Based Incentive Payment System reporting requirements and scoring methodology to provide plastic surgeons with the necessary information to critically evaluate their own practice capabilities in the context of current performance metrics under the Quality Payment Program.

  3. The Impact of Merit Pay on Teaching and Research Outcomes of Accounting Programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindsay, David H.; Campbell, Annhenrie; Tan, Kim B.

    2012-01-01

    Basing the compensation of accounting professors on merit pay in order to encourage better teaching, research and service is controversial. This study uses data from a survey of the 852 accounting programs in the United States to empirically examine the influence of merit-based salary plans. Findings indicate a strong positive association between…

  4. 75 FR 65404 - Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-22

    ... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit... & Regenerative Medicine Subcommittee of the Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit..., examination, reference to, [[Page 65405

  5. The merits of a robot : A Dutch experience

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mobach, M.P.

    2006-01-01

    Purpose: To determine the merits of a robot at the community pharmacy in a quasi-experiment. Method: The applied methods for data-collection were barcode-time measurements, direct observations, time-interval studies, and tally at a Dutch community pharmacy. The topics consisted of workload, waiting

  6. 2009 DOE Vehicle Technologies Program Annual Merit Review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    none,

    2009-10-01

    Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting to review the FY2008 accomplishments and FY2009 plans for the Vehicle Technologies Program, and provide an opportunity for industry, government, and academic to give inputs to DOE on the Program with a structured and formal methodology.

  7. Relative Merits of Four Methods for Scoring Cloze Tests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, James Dean

    1980-01-01

    Describes study comparing merits of exact answer, acceptable answer, clozentropy and multiple choice methods for scoring tests. Results show differences among reliability, mean item facility, discrimination and usability, but not validity. (BK)

  8. DOE Hydrogen Program: 2007 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Milliken, J.

    2007-09-01

    This report summarizes comments from the Peer Review Panel at the FY 2007 DOE Hydrogen Program Annual Merit Review, held on May 14-18, 2007, in Washington, D.C. The projects evaluated support the Department of Energy and President Bush's Hydrogen Initiative. The results of this merit review and peer evaluation are major inputs used by DOE to make funding decisions. Project areas include hydrogen production and delivery; hydrogen storage; fuel cells; technology validation; safety, codes and standards; education; and systems analysis.

  9. Enhancement of the thermoelectric figure of merit in a quantum dot due to external ac field

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, Qiao, E-mail: cqhy1127@yahoo.com.cn [Department of Maths and Physics, Hunan Institute of Engineering, Xiangtan 411104 (China); Wang, Zhi-yong, E-mail: wzyong@cqut.edu.cn [School of Optoelectronic Information, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing 400054 (China); Xie, Zhong-Xiang [Department of Mathematics and Physics, Hunan Institute of Technology, Hengyang 421002 (China)

    2013-08-15

    We investigate the figure of merit of a quantum dot (QD) system irradiated with an external microwave filed by nonequilibrium Green's function (NGF) technique. Results show that the frequency of microwave field influence the figure of merit ZT significantly. At low temperature, a sharp peak can be observed in the figure of merit ZT as the frequency of ac field increases. As the frequency varies, several zero points and resonant peaks emerge in the figure of merit ZT. By adjusting the frequency of the microwave field, we can obtain high ZT. The figure of merit ZT increases with the decreasing of linewidth function Γ. In addition, Wiedemann–Franz law does not hold, particularly in the low frequency region due to multi-photon emission and absorption. Some novel thermoelectric properties are also found in two-level QD system.

  10. HIV / AIDS prevalence testing - merits, methodology and outcomes ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    HIV / AIDS prevalence testing - merits, methodology and outcomes of a survey conducted at a large mining organisation in South Africa. ... These baseline prevalence data also provide an opportunity for monitoring of proposed interventions using cross-sectional surveys at designated intervals in the future. South African ...

  11. 78 FR 18680 - Rehabilitation Research and Development Scientific Merit Review Board, Notice of Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-27

    ... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Rehabilitation Research and Development Scientific Merit Review... Service, and the Chief Research and Development Officer on the scientific and technical merit, the mission... Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App. 2, that a meeting of the Rehabilitation Research and Development Service...

  12. Figures of Merit Guiding Research on Organic Solar Cells

    KAUST Repository

    Kirchartz, Thomas; Kaienburg, Pascal; Baran, Derya

    2018-01-01

    these criteria considering thermodynamic limits, their correlation to photocurrent and photovoltage, and effects on the fill factor. Each criterion is quantified by a figure of merit (FOM) that directly relates to device performance. To ensure a wide

  13. 75 FR 3542 - Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-21

    ... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit... (Federal Advisory Committee Act) that the Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit... Board is to review rehabilitation research and development applications for scientific and technical...

  14. 76 FR 42167 - Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-18

    ... subcommittees of the Board will meet to evaluate merit review applications: August 9--Rehabilitation Engineering... Rehabilitation. August 16--Rehabilitation Engineering and Prosthetics/Orthotics. August 16-17--Psychological... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit...

  15. A Review of NASA Human Research Program's Scientific Merit Processes: Letter Report

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pawelczyk, James A. (Editor); Strawbridge, Larisa M. (Editor); Schultz, Andrea M. (Editor); Liverman, Catharyn T. (Editor)

    2012-01-01

    At the request of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Institute of Medicine (IOM) convened the Committee on the Review of NASA Human Research Program's (HRP's) Scientific Merit Assessment Processes in December 2011. The committee was asked to evaluate the scientific merit assessment processes that are applied to directed research tasks2 funded through the HRP and to determine best practices from similar assessment processes that are used in other federal agencies. This letter report and its recommendations are the product of a 10-member ad hoc committee, which included individuals who had previously conducted research under the HRP, were familiar with the HRP s research portfolio and operations, had specific knowledge of peer review processes, or were familiar with scientific merit assessment processes used in other organizations and federal agencies, such as the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR); National Institutes of Health (NIH); National Science Foundation (NSF); and U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA), Defense (DOD), and Transportation.

  16. 75 FR 6728 - The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) is Providing Notice of the Opportunity to File Amicus...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-10

    ... MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) is Providing Notice of the Opportunity to File Amicus Briefs in the Matters of Conyers v. Department of Defense, Docket No...: Merit Systems Protection Board. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: On January 25, 2010, the MSPB published in the...

  17. Teacher Merit Pay: Is It a Good Idea?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clabaugh, Gary K.

    2009-01-01

    President Obama's education agenda, which unhappily seems to be George W. Bush's program squared, contains two major features that will impact teacher pay and working conditions. The first is that charter schools are to be promoted aggressively. The second is an insistence on teacher merit pay. In this article, the author talks about teacher merit…

  18. 77 FR 21622 - Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-10

    ... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit...-463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) that a meeting of the Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board will be held on April 20, 2012, 131 M Street NE., Washington, DC...

  19. 75 FR 72872 - Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-11-26

    ... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit...-463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) that a meeting of the Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board will be held on December 13-14, 2010, at the Hilton Alexandria Old...

  20. Half-metallic perovskite superlattices with colossal thermoelectric figure of merit

    KAUST Repository

    Upadhyay Kahaly, M.; Ozdogan, K.; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

    2013-01-01

    Nowadays heavy experimental efforts are focussed on doped oxide thermoelectrics to increase the thermopower and thermoelectric performance. We propose a high thermoelectric figure of merit for half-metallic SrTi1−xCoxO3 (x = 0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.375, and 0.5) in a superlattice with SrTiO3, which is stable at high temperatures and in an oxygen environment. The maximal value of Z hardly depends on the doping, while the temperature at which the maximum occurs increases with the Co concentration. The easy tunability from being an insulator to a half-metal under substitutional doping combined with the colossal figure of merit opens up great potential in the emerging field of spin-caloritronics.

  1. Half-metallic perovskite superlattices with colossal thermoelectric figure of merit

    KAUST Repository

    Upadhyay Kahaly, M.

    2013-05-09

    Nowadays heavy experimental efforts are focussed on doped oxide thermoelectrics to increase the thermopower and thermoelectric performance. We propose a high thermoelectric figure of merit for half-metallic SrTi1−xCoxO3 (x = 0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.375, and 0.5) in a superlattice with SrTiO3, which is stable at high temperatures and in an oxygen environment. The maximal value of Z hardly depends on the doping, while the temperature at which the maximum occurs increases with the Co concentration. The easy tunability from being an insulator to a half-metal under substitutional doping combined with the colossal figure of merit opens up great potential in the emerging field of spin-caloritronics.

  2. 75 FR 25885 - The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) is Providing Notice of the Opportunity to File Amicus...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-05-10

    ... MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) is Providing Notice of the Opportunity to File Amicus Briefs in the Matter of Larry L. Evans v. Department of Veterans Affairs, MSPB Docket Number AT-3330-09-0953- I-1. AGENCY: Merit Systems Protection Board. ACTION: Notice...

  3. 75 FR 20007 - The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) Is Providing Notice of the Opportunity To File Amicus...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-16

    ... MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) Is Providing Notice of the Opportunity To File Amicus Briefs in the Matter of Hyginus U. Aguzie v. Office of Personnel Management, MSPB Docket Number DC-0731- 09-0261-R-1 AGENCY: Merit Systems Protection Board. ACTION: Notice...

  4. Short communication: Genetic lag represents commercial herd genetic merit more accurately than the 4-path selection model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dechow, C D; Rogers, G W

    2018-05-01

    Expectation of genetic merit in commercial dairy herds is routinely estimated using a 4-path genetic selection model that was derived for a closed population, but commercial herds using artificial insemination sires are not closed. The 4-path model also predicts a higher rate of genetic progress in elite herds that provide artificial insemination sires than in commercial herds that use such sires, which counters other theoretical assumptions and observations of realized genetic responses. The aim of this work is to clarify whether genetic merit in commercial herds is more accurately reflected under the assumptions of the 4-path genetic response formula or by a genetic lag formula. We demonstrate by tracing the transmission of genetic merit from parents to offspring that the rate of genetic progress in commercial dairy farms is expected to be the same as that in the genetic nucleus. The lag in genetic merit between the nucleus and commercial farms is a function of sire and dam generation interval, the rate of genetic progress in elite artificial insemination herds, and genetic merit of sires and dams. To predict how strategies such as the use of young versus daughter-proven sires, culling heifers following genomic testing, or selective use of sexed semen will alter genetic merit in commercial herds, genetic merit expectations for commercial herds should be modeled using genetic lag expectations. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Merit Goods, Education Public Policy--India at Cross Roads

    Science.gov (United States)

    Misra, Satya Narayan; Ghadai, Sanjaya Ku.

    2015-01-01

    Merit Goods have always received handsome attention and allocation from countries which have witnessed a congruence between high significant economic growth and Human Development Index (HDI). The Emerging Market Economies (EMEs) have become significant manufacturing hubs by universalizing education and improving their Incremental Capital Output…

  6. Universal Curve of Optimum Thermoelectric Figures of Merit for Bulk and Low-Dimensional Semiconductors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hung, Nguyen T.; Nugraha, Ahmad R. T.; Saito, Riichiro

    2018-02-01

    This paper is a contribution to the Physical Review Applied collection in memory of Mildred S. Dresselhaus. Analytical formulas for thermoelectric figures of merit and power factors are derived based on the one-band model. We find that there is a direct relationship between the optimum figures of merit and the optimum power factors of semiconductors despite of the fact that the two quantities are generally given by different values of chemical potentials. By introducing a dimensionless parameter consisting of the optimum power factor and lattice thermal conductivity (without electronic thermal conductivity), it is possible to unify optimum figures of merit of both bulk and low-dimensional semiconductors into a single universal curve that covers many materials with different dimensionalities.

  7. The thermoelectric figure of merit of poor thermal conductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dixon, A.J.

    1977-01-01

    Calculations are given to show that for low thermal conductivity materials the radiation losses at even moderate temperatures preclude the use of the Harman technique for measuring the thermoelectric figure of merit. Measurements on liquid Tl 66 Se 34 , which has suitable thermoelectric properties, confirm this. (author)

  8. Epistemic merit, autonomy, and testimony

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jesús VEGA ENCABO

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, it is argued that both the informer and the hearer in a testimonial situation deserve epistemic merit insofar as they contribute to the collaborative achievement of sharing knowledge. The paper introduces a distinction between the ideals of self-sufficiency and epistemic autonomy. The autonomous exercise of our epistemic agency is very often carried out under strong conditions of epistemic dependence. Testimony exhibits a kind of social dependence that does not threaten the autonomy of the subjects that need to consider their own epistemic capacities. When involved in a testimonial situation, both speaker and hearer declare, at least implicitly, the standings they occupy in an epistemic space and are obliged to recognise certain epistemic requirements.

  9. Public Entrepreneurs and the Adoption of Broad-Based Merit Aid beyond the Southeastern United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ingle, William Kyle; Petroff, Ruth Ann

    2013-01-01

    The concentration of broad-based merit aid adoption in the southeastern United States has been well noted in the literature. However, there are states that have adopted broad-based merit aid programs outside of the Southeast. Guided by multiple theoretical frameworks, including innovation diffusion theory (e.g., Gray, 1973, 1994; Rogers, 2003),…

  10. Advanced combustion, emission control, health impacts, and fuels merit review and peer evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None, None

    2006-10-01

    This report is a summary and analysis of comments from the Advisory Panel at the FY 2006 DOE National Laboratory Advanced Combustion, Emission Control, Health Impacts, and Fuels Merit Review and Peer Evaluation, held May 15-18, 2006 at Argonne National Laboratory. The work evaluated in this document supports the FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies Program. The results of this merit review and peer evaluation are major inputs used by DOE in making its funding decisions for the upcoming fiscal year.

  11. Exact Solution of a Constraint Optimization Problem for the Thermoelectric Figure of Merit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wolfgang Seifert

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available In the classical theory of thermoelectricity, the performance integrals for a fully self-compatible material depend on the dimensionless figure of merit zT. Usually these integrals are evaluated for constraints z = const. and zT = const., respectively. In this paper we discuss the question from a mathematical point of view whether there is an optimal temperature characteristics of the figure of merit. We solve this isoperimetric variational problem for the best envelope of a family of curves z(TT.

  12. Exact Solution of a Constraint Optimization Problem for the Thermoelectric Figure of Merit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seifert, Wolfgang; Pluschke, Volker

    2012-03-21

    In the classical theory of thermoelectricity, the performance integrals for a fully self-compatible material depend on the dimensionless figure of merit zT. Usually these integrals are evaluated for constraints z = const. and zT = const., respectively. In this paper we discuss the question from a mathematical point of view whether there is an optimal temperature characteristics of the figure of merit. We solve this isoperimetric variational problem for the best envelope of a family of curves z(T)T.

  13. 78 FR 50144 - Health Services Research and Development Service, Scientific Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-16

    ... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Health Services Research and Development Service, Scientific Merit... management, and nursing research. Applications are reviewed for scientific and technical merit, mission... Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App. 2, that the Health Services Research and Development Service (HSR&D...

  14. 77 FR 42365 - Health Services Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board, Notice of Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-18

    ... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Health Services Research and Development Service Scientific Merit...-463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) that various subcommittees of the Health Services Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board will meet on August 28-30, 2012, at the Boston Omni Parker...

  15. Risk Aversion and Support for Merit Pay: Theory and Evidence from Minnesota's Q Comp Program. Working Paper #09-05

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nadler, Carl; Wiswall, Matthew

    2009-01-01

    Recent research attributes the lack of merit pay in teaching to the resistance of teachers. This paper examines whether the structure of merit pay affects the types of teachers who support it. We develop a model of the relative utility teachers receive from merit pay versus the current fixed schedule of raises. We show that if teachers are risk…

  16. An empirically derived figure of merit for the quality of overall task performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lemay, Moira

    1989-01-01

    The need to develop an operationally relevant figure of merit for the quality of performance of a complex system such as an aircraft cockpit stems from a hypothesized dissociation between measures of performance and those of workload. Performance can be measured in terms of time, errors, or a combination of these. In most tasks performed by expert operators, errors are relatively rare and often corrected in time to avoid consequences. Moreover, perfect performance is seldom necessary to accomplish a particular task. Moreover, how well an expert performs a complex task consisting of a series of discrete cognitive tasks superimposed on a continuous task, such as flying an aircraft, does not depend on how well each discrete task is performed, but on their smooth sequencing. This makes the amount of time spent on each subtask of paramount importance in measuring overall performance, since smooth sequencing requires a minimum amount of time spent on each task. Quality consists in getting tasks done within a crucial time interval while maintaining acceptable continuous task performance. Thus, a figure of merit for overall quality of performance should be primarily a measure of time to perform discrete subtasks combined with a measure of basic vehicle control. Thus, the proposed figure of merit requires doing a task analysis on a series of performance, or runs, of a particular task, listing each discrete task and its associated time, and calculating the mean and standard deviation of these times, along with the mean and standard deviation of tracking error for the whole task. A set of simulator data on 30 runs of a landing task was obtained and a figure of merit will be calculated for each run. The figure of merit will be compared for voice and data link, so that the impact of this technology on total crew performance (not just communication performance) can be assessed. The effect of data link communication on other cockpit tasks will also be considered.

  17. First MARS exercise of merit recognition: what's the outcome?

    CERN Multimedia

    Staff Association

    2007-01-01

    In June, the decisions concerning the various forms of merit recognition of the staff are taken. The Staff Association commends all those involved and, in particular, the supervisors who, for this first exercise, have had to assess your performance in record time, in accordance with the new provisions in the recently revised administrative circular no. 26.

  18. 2012 DOE Vehicle Technologies Program Annual Merit Review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2012-10-26

    The 2012 DOE Hydrogen Program and Vehicle Technologies Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting was held May 14-18, 2012 in Crystal City, Virginia. The review encompassed all of the work done by the Hydrogen Program and the Vehicle Technologies Program: a total of 309 individual activities were reviewed for Vehicle Technologies, by a total of 189 reviewers. A total of 1,473 individual review responses were received for the technical reviews.

  19. Time Structure of Particle Production in the Merit High-Power Target Experiment

    CERN Document Server

    Efthymiopoulos, I; Palm, M; Lettry, J; Haug, F; Pereira, H; Pernegger, H; Steerenberg, R; Grudiev, A; Kirk, H G; Park, H; Tsang, T; Mokhov, N; Striganov, S; Carroll, A J; Graves, V B; Spampinato, P T; McDonald, K T; Bennett, J R J; Caretta, O; Loveridge, P

    2010-01-01

    The MERIT experiment is a proof-of-principle test of a target system for high power proton beam to be used as front-end for a neutrino factory complex or amuon collider. The experiment took data in autumn 2007 with the fast extracted beam from the CERN Proton Synchrotron (PS) to a maximum intensity of about 30 × 1012 protons per pulse. We report results from the portion of the MERIT experiment in which separated beam pulses were delivered to a free mercury jet target with time intervals between pulses varying from 2 to 700 μs. The analysis is based on the responses of particle detectors placed along side and downstream of the target.

  20. Naised, kes juhivad mehi / Esme Kassak ; interv. Esme Kassak

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Kassak, Esme

    2008-01-01

    Politseiameti kriminaalosakonna juhataja Krista Aas, Agentuuride Royal Service ja Spring Advertising tegevjuht Rika Soopa, Eesti Päevalehe sporditoimetuse juhataja Kristi Vahemaa, Hansapanga IT infrastruktuuri projektide osakonna juhataja Anna Lizunova, Skype Eesti veebitiimi juht Elina Kostabi valdavalt meestest koosneva kollektiivi juhtimisest. Lisad: Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, Segolene Royal. Küsimusele, millised on naisjuhtide tugevused, vastavad Mart Mikk, Aavo Kokk, Ants Lusti, Margus Alviste ja Tiit Paananen. Küsimusele, mida arvata mehelikest naistest, vastavad Mart Mikk, Ants Lusti ja Margus Alviste

  1. Reflections on receiving the ASIS&T 2016 Award of Merit

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ingwersen, Peter

    2016-01-01

    At the ASIS&T Annual Meeting in Copenhagen, Peter Ingwersen expressed surprise and gratitude for being honored with the Association’s 2016 Award of Merit. The professor emeritus from Denmark’s Royal School of Library and Information Science thanked peers for recognizing him as a mentor and research...

  2. The Role of Merit-Based Scholarships in Meeting Affordability Goals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pugh, Susan L.; Thompson, Roger J.

    2010-01-01

    Institutions across the country continue to ponder and evaluate strategies for aligning financial aid to complement their enrollment goals. Two Indiana University enrollment managers examine the purposeful application of institutional aid in financial aid packaging. In response to the debate about the of merit-based aid vs. the appropriate share…

  3. Free parameter, figure of merit and ionization quench in liquid scintillation counting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carles, P. Grau; Malonda, A. Grau

    2001-01-01

    A statistical study of the detection process demonstrates that the free parameter is essential to compute the counting efficiency in both CIEMAT/NIST and TDCR methods. An analysis of the computed counting efficiencies shows the uselessness of old definition of the figure of merit. A new definition is required and we adopt the idea of taking quantities related with the output of the photomultiplier. In addition, we justify the application of the chemical quenching simulation with the electronic variation of the photomultiplier gain. Finally, we describe a new procedure to determine the figure of merit and the optimum ionization-quenching factor from the pulse spectrum of different radionuclides. The robustness of the new procedure is tested with three different sets of stopping power for low-energy electrons

  4. On-Chip Sensing of Thermoelectric Thin Film’s Merit

    OpenAIRE

    Xiao, Zhigang; Zhu, Xiaoshan

    2015-01-01

    Thermoelectric thin films have been widely explored for thermal-to-electrical energy conversion or solid-state cooling, because they can remove heat from integrated circuit (IC) chips or micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) devices without involving any moving mechanical parts. In this paper, we report using silicon diode-based temperature sensors and specific thermoelectric devices to characterize the merit of thermoelectric thin films. The silicon diode temperature sensors and thermoelect...

  5. Metabolic safety-margins do not differ between cows of high and low genetic merit for milk production

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Knight, Christopher Harold; Alamer, Mohammed A; Sorensen, Annette

    2004-01-01

    Three galactopoietic stimuli, frequent milking (4X), bovine somatotrophin (bST) and thyroxine (T4) were used in an additive stair-step design to achieve maximum output (metabolic capacity) in six peak-lactation cows of high genetic merit (HT) and six of low genetic merit (LT). A further six of ea...... the commonly held belief that selective breeding of dairy cows for high milk production has rendered them markedly more susceptible to metabolic disturbances.......Three galactopoietic stimuli, frequent milking (4X), bovine somatotrophin (bST) and thyroxine (T4) were used in an additive stair-step design to achieve maximum output (metabolic capacity) in six peak-lactation cows of high genetic merit (HT) and six of low genetic merit (LT). A further six of each...... elevated heart rate and significant loss of body weight and condition compared with the combination of 4X and bST. As a result, treatments were discontinued, on an individual cow basis, before completion of this 6-week phase. Time on experiment did not differ between HT and LT. The results do not support...

  6. The assessment of science: the relative merits of post-publication review, the impact factor, and the number of citations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eyre-Walker, Adam; Stoletzki, Nina

    2013-10-01

    The assessment of scientific publications is an integral part of the scientific process. Here we investigate three methods of assessing the merit of a scientific paper: subjective post-publication peer review, the number of citations gained by a paper, and the impact factor of the journal in which the article was published. We investigate these methods using two datasets in which subjective post-publication assessments of scientific publications have been made by experts. We find that there are moderate, but statistically significant, correlations between assessor scores, when two assessors have rated the same paper, and between assessor score and the number of citations a paper accrues. However, we show that assessor score depends strongly on the journal in which the paper is published, and that assessors tend to over-rate papers published in journals with high impact factors. If we control for this bias, we find that the correlation between assessor scores and between assessor score and the number of citations is weak, suggesting that scientists have little ability to judge either the intrinsic merit of a paper or its likely impact. We also show that the number of citations a paper receives is an extremely error-prone measure of scientific merit. Finally, we argue that the impact factor is likely to be a poor measure of merit, since it depends on subjective assessment. We conclude that the three measures of scientific merit considered here are poor; in particular subjective assessments are an error-prone, biased, and expensive method by which to assess merit. We argue that the impact factor may be the most satisfactory of the methods we have considered, since it is a form of pre-publication review. However, we emphasise that it is likely to be a very error-prone measure of merit that is qualitative, not quantitative.

  7. Research on the Effects of Rewards: Implications for Annual Merit Pay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burke, Richard R.

    Some research suggests reduced cooperation and collaboration among college faculty may result when annual pay increments are based on merit evaluations. Various theories and principles have been put forward to explain these effects. The overjustification theory suggests that extrinsically presented rewards become more salient than one's intrinsic…

  8. DOE Hydrogen Program: 2010 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    2010-12-01

    This document summarizes the comments provided by peer reviewers on hydrogen and fuel cell projects presented at the FY 2010 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Program and Vehicle Technologies Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR), held June 7-11, 2010 in Washington, D.C.

  9. The Zernike expansion--an example of a merit function for 2D/3D registration based on orthogonal functions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Shuo; Kettenbach, Joachim; Hinterleitner, Isabella; Bergmann, Helmar; Birkfellner, Wolfgang

    2008-01-01

    Current merit functions for 2D/3D registration usually rely on comparing pixels or small regions of images using some sort of statistical measure. Problems connected to this paradigm the sometimes problematic behaviour of the method if noise or artefacts (for instance a guide wire) are present on the projective image. We present a merit function for 2D/3D registration which utilizes the decomposition of the X-ray and the DRR under comparison into orthogonal Zernike moments; the quality of the match is assessed by an iterative comparison of expansion coefficients. Results in a imaging study on a physical phantom show that--compared to standard cross--correlation the Zernike moment based merit function shows better robustness if histogram content in images under comparison is different, and that time expenses are comparable if the merit function is constructed out of a few significant moments only.

  10. Merit pay as a motivator in the federal sector.

    OpenAIRE

    Engel, James D.

    1982-01-01

    Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 required the implementation of the Merit Pay System for a portion of the Federal civilian workforce as a means of increasing productivity through the use of monetary incentives. To test the validity of this concept, several theories of worker motivation are reviewed and their relation to money motivation and pay-for-performance is established. These relationships are compared to the results of dat...

  11. Merit pay: the Federal Government's pay-for-performance experience.

    OpenAIRE

    Holliman, Sherry Diane.

    1983-01-01

    Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited For many years, businesses in private industry have been utilizing and experimenting with various forms of performance-based pay. These innovations have been part of a continuing search by organizations for better approaches to administering pay. With the passing of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, the Federal Government began its form of this concept entitled, 'Merit Pay'. Although many studies have examined uses in the areas of ...

  12. Handover training: does one size fit all? The merits of mass customisation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kicken, Wendy; Van der Klink, Marcel; Barach, Paul; Boshuizen, Els

    2012-01-01

    Kicken, W., Van der Klink, M., Barach, P., & Boshuizen, H. P. A. (2012). Handover training: does one size fit all? The merits of mass customisation. British Medical Journal Quality & Safety, 21, i84-i88. doi:10.1136/bmjqs-2012-001164

  13. 2008 DOE Hydrogen Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    none,

    2008-06-13

    This report summarizes comments from the Peer Review Panel at the 2008 DOE Hydrogen Program Annual Merit Review, held on June 9-13, 2008, in Arlington, Virginia. It covers the program areas of hydrogen production and delivery; hydrogen storage; fuel cells; technology validation; safety, codes, and standards; education; systems analysis; and manufacturing.

  14. Magnetothermoelectric figure of merit of Co/Cu multilayers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hu, X. K., E-mail: xiukun.hu@ptb.de; Krzysteczko, P.; Liebing, N.; Schumacher, H. W. [Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Bundesallee 100, D-38116 Braunschweig (Germany); Serrano-Guisan, S. [International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, Av. Mestre José Veiga, 4715-330 Braga (Portugal); Rott, K.; Reiss, G. [Fakultät für Physik, Universität Bielefeld, Postfach 100131, D-33501 Bielefeld (Germany); Kimling, J.; Böhnert, T.; Nielsch, K. [Institut für Angewandte Physik, Universität Hamburg, Jungiusstraße 11, D-20355 Hamburg (Germany)

    2014-03-03

    The switching of the magnetic configuration of giant magnetoresistance multilayers not only changes the electrical and thermal conductivities but also the thermopower. We study the magnetotransport and the magnetothermoelectric properties of Co/Cu multilayer devices in a lateral thermal gradient. The Seebeck coefficient reaches values up to −18 μV/K at room temperature and shows a magnetic field dependence up to 28.6% upon spin reversal. In combination with thermal conductivity data of the same Co/Cu stack, we find a magnetothermoelectric figure of merit of up to 65%. Furthermore, a magneto-power factor of up to 110% is derived.

  15. The clinical case report: a review of its merits and limitations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nissen, Trygve; Wynn, Rolf

    2014-04-23

    The clinical case report has a long-standing tradition in the medical literature. While its scientific significance has become smaller as more advanced research methods have gained ground, case reports are still presented in many medical journals. Some scholars point to its limited value for medical progress, while others assert that the genre is undervalued. We aimed to present the various points of view regarding the merits and limitations of the case report genre. We searched Google Scholar, PubMed and select textbooks on epidemiology and medical research for articles and book-chapters discussing the merits and limitations of clinical case reports and case series. The major merits of case reporting were these: Detecting novelties, generating hypotheses, pharmacovigilance, high applicability when other research designs are not possible to carry out, allowing emphasis on the narrative aspect (in-depth understanding), and educational value. The major limitations were: Lack of ability to generalize, no possibility to establish cause-effect relationship, danger of over-interpretation, publication bias, retrospective design, and distraction of reader when focusing on the unusual. Despite having lost its central role in medical literature in the 20th century, the genre still appears popular. It is a valuable part of the various research methods, especially since it complements other approaches. Furthermore, it also contributes in areas of medicine that are not specifically research-related, e.g. as an educational tool. Revision of the case report genre has been attempted in order to integrate the biomedical model with the narrative approach, but without significant success. The future prospects of the case report could possibly be in new applications of the genre, i.e. exclusive case report databases available online, and open access for clinicians and researchers.

  16. 2010 DOE Hydrogen Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    none,

    2010-12-01

    This report summarizes comments from the Peer Review Panel at the 2010 DOE Hydrogen Program Annual Merit Review, held on June 7-11, 2010, in Washington, DC. It covers the program areas of hydrogen production and delivery; hydrogen storage; fuel cells; manufacturing R&D; technology validation; safety, codes, and standards; education; and systems analysis.

  17. 2009 DOE Hydrogen Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Satyapal, S. [Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Washington, DC (United States)

    2009-10-01

    This report summarizes comments from the Peer Review Panel at the 2009 DOE Hydrogen Program Annual Merit Review, held on May 18-22, 2009, in Arlington, Virginia. It covers the program areas of hydrogen production and delivery; hydrogen storage; fuel cells; education; safety, codes, and standards; technology validation; systems analysis; and manufacturing R&D.

  18. Discharge Onset Voltage Prediction for a Gas-Insulated System Via the Figure-of-Merit Concept

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Crichton, George C; Vibholm, Svend

    1987-01-01

    The accuracy of discharge onset prediction via thefigur figure-of-merit concept for a strongly electronegative gas is examined. A coaxial system is employed, for which the inner electrode possesses a surface roughness of Ra=35 ¿m. With SF6 as the insulating medium a reference discharge......-onset characteristic is obtained for gas pressures up to 0.8 MPa. From a knowledge of this onset characteristic, the direct calculation of discharge onset voltages in other strongly electronegative gases is undertaken by utilizing thefigur figure-of-merit concept. For gas pressures in the range O.02...

  19. Merits and difficulties in adopting codes, standards and nuclear regulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Saiedi, A.F.; Morsy, S.; Mariy, A.

    1978-01-01

    Developing countries planning for introducing nuclear power plants as a source of energy have to develop or adopt sound regulatory practices. These are necessary to help governmental authorities to assess the safety of nuclear power plants and to perform inspections needed to confirm the established safe and sound limits. The first requirement is to form an independent regulatory body capable of setting up and enforcing proper safety regulations. The formation of this body is governed by several considerations related to local conditions in the developing countries, which may not always be favourable. It is quite impractical for countries with limited experience in the nuclear power field to develop their own codes, standards and regulations required for the nuclear regulatory body to perform its tasks. A practical way is to adopt codes, standards and regulations of a well-developed country. This has merits as well as drawbacks. The latter are related to problems of personnel, software, equipment and facilities. The difficulties involved in forming a nuclear regulatory body, and the merits and difficulties in adopting foreign codes, standards and regulations required for such body to perform its tasks, are discussed in this paper. Discussions are applicable to many developing countries and particular emphasis is given to the conditions and practices in Egypt. (author)

  20. Islands Unto Themselves: How Merit Pay Schemes May Undermine Positive Teacher Collaboration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brewer, T. Jameson; Myers, P. S.; Zhang, Michael

    2015-01-01

    Educational reforms have become the new policy mainstay in educational discourse and policy. Without doubt, "fixing" teachers and increasing student test scores have both been a large component of much of the reform rhetoric. Moreover, calls for implementing merit pay schemes have uniquely combined reformer's efforts to "fix"…

  1. Agreement in polar motion measurements during the MERIT campaign

    Science.gov (United States)

    Djurovic, D.; Techy, C.; Paquet, P.

    From the original polar motion (PM) measurements performed during the MERIT Campaign, the Chandler and the annual components are removed. The analysis of the residuals shows a high level of significant correlation between the various techniques mainly for phenomenon ranging from 30 days to a few months. For periods smaller than one month the series are not correlated except for the X component, deduced from laser and Doppler techniques, which remains significant at the 99 percent level. These results led to the belief for a new earth rotation service open to different sources of data.

  2. Figures of merit for detectors in digital radiography. II. Finite number of secondaries and structured backgrounds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pineda, Angel R.; Barrett, Harrison H.

    2004-01-01

    The current paradigm for evaluating detectors in digital radiography relies on Fourier methods. Fourier methods rely on a shift-invariant and statistically stationary description of the imaging system. The theoretical justification for the use of Fourier methods is based on a uniform background fluence and an infinite detector. In practice, the background fluence is not uniform and detector size is finite. We study the effect of stochastic blurring and structured backgrounds on the correlation between Fourier-based figures of merit and Hotelling detectability. A stochastic model of the blurring leads to behavior similar to what is observed by adding electronic noise to the deterministic blurring model. Background structure does away with the shift invariance. Anatomical variation makes the covariance matrix of the data less amenable to Fourier methods by introducing long-range correlations. It is desirable to have figures of merit that can account for all the sources of variation, some of which are not stationary. For such cases, we show that the commonly used figures of merit based on the discrete Fourier transform can provide an inaccurate estimate of Hotelling detectability

  3. Significant enhancement of the thermoelectric figure of merit of polycrystalline Si films by reducing grain size

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valalaki, K; Nassiopoulou, A G; Vouroutzis, N

    2016-01-01

    The thermoelectric properties of p-type polycrystalline silicon thin films deposited by low pressure chemical vapour deposition (LPCVD) were accurately determined at room temperature and the thermoelectric figure of merit was deduced as a function of film thickness, ranging from 100 to 500 nm. The effect of film thickness on their thermoelectric performance is discussed. More than threefold increase in the thermoelectric figure of merit of the 100 nm thick polysilicon film was observed compared to the 500 nm thick film, reaching a value as high as 0.033. This enhancement is mainly the result of the smaller grain size in the thinner films. With the decrease in grain size the resistivity of the films is increased twofold and electrical conductivity decreased, however the Seebeck coefficient is increased by 30% and the thermal conductivity is decreased eightfold, being mainly at the origin of the increased figure of merit of the 100 nm film. Our experimental results were compared to known theoretical models and the possible mechanisms involved are presented and discussed. (paper)

  4. Relative merits of size, field, and current on ignited tokamak performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uckan, N.A.

    1988-01-01

    A simple global analysis is developed to examine the relative merits of size (L = a or R/sub 0 /), field (B/sub 0 /), and current (I) on ignition regimes of tokamaks under various confinement scaling laws. Scalings of key parameters with L, B/sub 0 /, and I are presented at several operating points, including (a) optimal path to ignition (saddle point), (b) ignition at minimum beta, (c) ignition at 10 keV, and (d) maximum performance at the limits of density and beta. Expressions for the saddle point and the minimum conditions needed for ohmic ignition are derived analytically for any confinement model of the form tau/sub E/ ∼ n/sup x/T/sup y/. For a wide range of confinement models, the ''figure of merit'' parameters and I are found to give a good indication of the relative performance of the devices where q* is the cylindrical safety factor. As an illustration, the results are applied to representative ''CIT'' (as a class of compact, high-field ignition tokamaks) and ''Super-JETs'' [a class of large-size (few x JET), low-field, high-current (≥20-MA) devices.

  5. How Money Helps Keep Students in College: The Relationship between Family Finances, Merit-Based Aid, and Retention in Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olbrecht, Alexandre M.; Romano, Christopher; Teigen, Jeremy

    2016-01-01

    In this paper, we leverage detailed, individual-level student data to understand the relationships between family finances, merit-based aid, and first-year student retention. With three cohorts of student data that comprise family financial status, institutional merit scholarships, and many of the other known correlates of student retention, we…

  6. Blocked, Diluted, and Co-Opted: Interest Groups Wage War against Merit Pay

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buck, Stuart; Greene, Jay P.

    2011-01-01

    According to the latest "Education Next" poll, public support for merit pay gained significant ground over the past year and now outdistances opposition by a 2:1 margin. Replacing the standardized salary schedule, where the only factors that determine teacher salaries are the number of years on the job and academic credentials, seems a…

  7. A figure of merit for selective absorbers in flat plate solar water heaters

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Roberts, DE

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available We derive from first principles an analytical expression for a figure of merit (FM) for a selective solar absorber in a single glazed flat plate water heater. We first show that the efficiency of a collector with an absorber with absorptance α...

  8. Figures of merit for measuring aging management program effectiveness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Knudson, R.; Sciacca, F.; Walsh, R.; Zigler, G.

    1991-01-01

    One of the requirements for nuclear plant license renewal may be the establishment and demonstration of an effective aging management program. An analysis of both qualitative and quantitative information will be required to define the contents of this aging management program. The authors propose two quantitative figures of merit, Mean Event Detection Frequency and Mean Renewal Rate, that can be used to compare the effectiveness of various inspection, surveillance, test, and monitoring (ISTM) activities for aging mitigation. An example showing the relative effectiveness of an enhanced Loose Parts Monitoring System with current ISTM activities for steam generators and reactor internals is provided. (author)

  9. Improved merit order and augmented Lagrange Hopfield network for short term hydrothermal scheduling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vo Ngoc Dieu; Ongsakul, Weerakorn

    2009-01-01

    This paper proposes an improved merit order (IMO) combined with an augmented Lagrangian Hopfield network (ALHN) for solving short term hydrothermal scheduling (HTS) with pumped-storage hydro plants. The proposed IMO-ALHN consists of a merit order based on the average production cost of generating units enhanced by heuristic search algorithm for finding unit scheduling and a continuous Hopfield neural network with its energy function based on augmented Lagrangian relaxation for solving constrained economic dispatch (CED). The proposed method is applied to solve the HTS problem in five stages including thermal, hydro and pumped-storage unit commitment by IMO and heuristic search, constraint violations repairing by heuristic search and CED by ALHN. The proposed method is tested on the 24-bus IEEE RTS with 32 units including 4 fuel-constrained, 4-hydro, and 2 pumped-storage units scheduled over a 24-h period. Test results indicate that the proposed IMO-ALHN is efficient for hydrothermal systems with various constraints.

  10. Measurement of the figure of merit M for 1-C3F6/SF6 mixtures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Jørn Erik Berril; McAllister, Iain Wilson

    1997-01-01

    High precision measurements of the linear part of the Paschen curve are reported for 1-C3F6/SF6 mixtures. From these measurements, values for the pressure-reduced limiting electric field strength (E/p)lim and the associated figure of merit M are derived. These two parameters can be used to charac......High precision measurements of the linear part of the Paschen curve are reported for 1-C3F6/SF6 mixtures. From these measurements, values for the pressure-reduced limiting electric field strength (E/p)lim and the associated figure of merit M are derived. These two parameters can be used...

  11. 2017 DOE Vehicle Technologies Office Annual Merit Review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None, None

    2017-10-31

    The 2017 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program and Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR) was held June 5-9, 2017, in Washington, DC. The review encompassed work done by the Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program and VTO: 263 individual activities were reviewed for VTO by 191 reviewers. Exactly 1,241 individual review responses were received for the VTO technical reviews. The objective of the meeting was to review the accomplishments and plans for VTO over the previous 12 months, and provide an opportunity for industry, government, and academia to give inputs to DOE with a structured and formal methodology. The meeting also provided attendees with a forum for interaction and technology information transfer.

  12. 2016 DOE Vehicle Technologies Office Annual Merit Review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None, None

    2016-12-01

    The 2016 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program and Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR) was held June 6-9, 2016, in Washington, DC. The review encompassed work done by the Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program and VTO: 226 individual activities were reviewed for VTO, by 171 reviewers. A total of 1,044 individual review responses were received for the VTO technical reviews. The objective of the meeting was to review the accomplishments and plans for VTO over the previous 12 months, and provide an opportunity for industry, government, and academia to give inputs to DOE with a structured and formal methodology. The meeting also provided attendees with a forum for interaction and technology information transfer.

  13. Figures of merit for self-beating filtered microwave photonic systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pérez, Daniel; Gasulla, Ivana; Capmany, José; Fandiño, Javier S; Muñoz, Pascual; Alavi, Hossein

    2016-05-02

    We present a model to compute the figures of merit of self-beating Microwave Photonic systems, a novel class of systems that work on a self-homodyne fashion by sharing the same laser source for information bearing and local oscillator tasks. General and simplified expressions are given and, as an example, we have considered their application to the design of a tunable RF MWP BS/UE front end for band selection, based on a Chebyshev Type-II optical filter. The applicability and usefulness of the model are also discussed.

  14. 76 FR 17846 - Objective Merit Review of Discretionary Financial Assistance and Other Transaction Authority...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-31

    .... 2. Merit Review Panel Member Selection. The DOE Senior Procurement Executive (SPE) has the ultimate.... Reviewers shall not accept any invitations, gratuities (i.e., meals, gifts, favors, etc.), or job offers... single case deviation, while the Director, Procurement and Assistance Management (Senior Procurement...

  15. Merit-order effects of renewable energy and price divergence in California’s day-ahead and real-time electricity markets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Woo, C.K.; Moore, J.; Schneiderman, B.; Ho, T.; Olson, A.; Alagappan, L.; Chawla, K.; Toyama, N.; Zarnikau, J.

    2016-01-01

    We answer two policy questions: (1) what are the estimated merit-order effects of renewable energy in the California Independent System Operator’s (CAISO’s) day-ahead market (DAM) and real-time market (RTM)? and (2) what causes the hourly DAM and RTM prices to systematically diverge? The first question is timely and relevant because if the merit-order effect estimates are small, California’s renewable energy development is of limited help in cutting electricity consumers’ bills but also has a lesser adverse impact on the state’s investment incentive for natural-gas-fired generation. The second question is related to the efficient market hypothesis under which the hourly RTM and DAM prices tend to converge. Using a sample of about 21,000 hourly observations of CAISO market prices and their fundamental drivers during 12/12/2012–04/30/2015, we document statistically significant estimates (p-value≤0.01) for the DAM and RTM merit-order effects. This finding lends support to California’s adopted procurement process to provide sufficient investment incentives for natural-gas-fired generation. We document that the RTM-DAM price divergence partly depends on the CASIO’s day-ahead forecast errors for system loads and renewable energy. This finding suggests that improving the performance of the CAISO’s day-ahead forecasts can enhance trading efficiency in California’s DAM and RTM electricity markets. - Highlights: •Estimate the day-ahead and real-time merit-order effects of renewable energy in California. •Document statistically significant merit-order effects of solar and wind energy. •Document the difference between the day-ahead and real-time prices. •Attribute the price differences to forecast errors for load, solar and wind energy. •Discuss the evidence’s implications for California’s energy policy.

  16. Arsenene and Antimonene: Two-Dimensional Materials with High Thermoelectric Figures of Merit

    KAUST Repository

    Sharma, S.

    2017-10-25

    We study the thermoelectric properties of As and Sb monolayers (arsenene and antimonene) using density-functional theory and the semiclassical Boltzmann transport approach. The materials show large band gaps combined with low lattice thermal conductivities. Specifically, the small phonon frequencies and group velocities of antimonene lead to an excellent thermoelectric response at room temperature. We show that n-type doping enhances the figure of merit.

  17. 2015 DOE Vehicle Technologies Office Annual Merit Review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None, None

    2015-11-01

    The 2015 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) and Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR) was held June 8-12, 2015, in Arlington, Virginia. The review encompassed all of the work done by the FCTO and the VTO: 258 individual activities were reviewed for VTO, by 170 reviewers. A total of 1,095 individual review responses were received for the VTO technical reviews. The objective of the meeting was to review the accomplishments and plans for VTO over the previous 12 months, and provide an opportunity for industry, government, and academia to give inputs to DOE on the Office with a structured and formal methodology. The meeting also provided attendees with a forum for interaction and technology information transfer.

  18. 77 FR 40412 - Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board, Notice of Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-09

    ...: August 7 Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease; Rehabilitation Engineering and Prosthetics/Orthotics; and... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit...-463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) that subcommittees of the Rehabilitation Research and Development...

  19. Optimization of Nonlinear Figure-of-Merits of Integrated Power MOSFETs in Partial SOI Process

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fan, Lin; Jørgensen, Ivan Harald Holger; Knott, Arnold

    2016-01-01

    State-of-the-art power semiconductor industry uses figure-of-merits (FOMs) for technology-to-technology and/or device-to-device comparisons. However, the existing FOMs are fundamentally nonlinear due to the nonlinearities of the parameters such as the gate charge and the output charge versus...

  20. Lifetime Net Merit vs. annualized net present value as measures of profitability of selection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Current USDA linear selection indexes such as Lifetime Net Merit (NM$) estimate lifetime profit given a combination of 13 traits. In these indexes, every animal gets credit for 2.78 lactations of the traits expressed per lactation, independent of its productive life (PL). Selection among animals wit...

  1. Ultrahigh figure-of-merit for hydrogen generation from sodium borohydride using ternary metal catalysts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Lunghao; Ceccato, R.; Raj, R.

    We report further increase in the figure-of-merit (FOM) for hydrogen generation from NaBH 4 than reported in an earlier paper [1], where a sub-nanometer layer of metal catalysts are deposited on carbon nanotube paper (CNT paper) that has been functionalized with polymer-derived silicon carbonitride (SiCN) ceramic film. Ternary, Ru-Pd-Pt, instead of the binary Pd-Pt catalyst used earlier, together with a thinner CNT paper is shown to increase the figure-of-merit by up to a factor of six, putting is above any other known catalyst for hydrogen generation from NaBH 4. The catalysts are prepared by first impregnating the functionalized CNT-paper with solutions of the metal salts, followed by reduction in a sodium borohydride solution. The reaction mechanism and the catalyst efficiency are described in terms of an electric charge transfer, whereby the negative charge on the BH 4 - ion is exchanged with hydrogen via the electronically conducting SiCN/CNT substrate [1].

  2. Search for thermoelectrics with high figure of merit in half-Heusler compounds with multinary substitution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choudhary, Mukesh K.; Ravindran, P.

    2018-04-01

    In order to improve the thermoelectric performance of TiCoSb we have substituted 50% of Ti equally with Zr and Hf at Ti site and Sb with Sn and Se equally at Sb site. The electronic structure of Ti0.5Zr0.25Hf0.25CoSn0.5Se0.5 is investigated using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave method and the thermoelectric transport properties are calculated on the basis of semi-classical Boltzmann transport theory. Our band structure calculations show that Ti0.5Zr0.25Hf0.25CoSn0.5Se0.5 has semiconducting behavior with indirect band gap value of 0.98 eV which follow the empirical rule of 18 valence-electron content to bring semiconductivity in half Heusler compounds, indicating that one can have semiconducting behavior in multinary phase of half Heusler compounds if they full fill the 18 VEC rule and this open-up the possibility of designing thermoelectrics with high figure of merit in half Heusler compounds. We show that at high temperature of around 700K Ti0.5Zr0.25Hf0.25CoSn0.5Se0.5 has high thermoelectric figure of merit of ZT = 1.05 which is higher than that of TiCoSb (˜ 0.95) suggesting that by going from ternary to multinary phase system one can enhance the thermoelectric figure of merit at higher temperatures.

  3. Non-invasive method of determination of thermoelectric materials figure of merit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ashcheulov А. А.

    2009-04-01

    Full Text Available Thermoelectric effects arising in a sample placed in a measuring oscillating loop have been studied. It has been shown that asymmetric character of flowing current results in a volumetric bundle of induced Foucault currents and regions of Peltier heat release by thermoelectric sample which leads to increasing of irreversible heat losses recorded by measuring oscillating loop. The presence of this effect has caused the emergence of ingenious non-invasive method for recording of thermoelectric materials figure of merit.

  4. 76 FR 5650 - Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-02-01

    ... Rehabilitation. March 1--Rehabilitation Engineering and Prosthetics/Orthotics. March 1-2--Psychological Health... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit...-463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) that a meeting of the Rehabilitation Research and Development...

  5. Cooling System for the Merit High-Power Target Experiment

    CERN Document Server

    Haug, F; Silva, P; Pezzeti, M; Pavlov, O; Pirotte, O; Metselaar, J; Efthymiopoulos, I; Fabich, A; Lettry, J; Kirk, H G; McDonald, K T; Titus, P; Bennett, J R J

    2010-01-01

    MERIT is a proof-of-principle experiment of a target station suitable as source for future muon colliders or neutrino factories. When installed at the CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) PS (Proton Synchrotron)complex fast-extracted high-intensity proton beams intercepted a free mercury jet inside a normal-conducting, pulsed 15-T capture solenoid magnet cooled with liquid nitrogen. Up to 25 MJ of Joule heat was dissipated in the magnet during a pulse. The fully automated, remotely controlled cryogenic system of novel design permitted the transfer of nitrogen by the sole means of differential pressures inside the vessels. This fast cycling system permitted several hundred tests in less than three weeks during the 2007 data taking campaign.

  6. 77 FR 9731 - Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-02-17

    ...--Rehabilitation Engineering and Prosthetics/Orthotics. March 7--Career Development Award Program. March 13--Spinal... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit...-463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) that a meeting of the Rehabilitation Research and Development...

  7. Anomalous enhancement of the thermoelectric figure of merit by V co-doping of Nb-SrTiO3

    KAUST Repository

    Ozdogan, K.

    2012-05-10

    The effect of V co-doping of Nb-SrTiO3 is studied by full-potential density functional theory. We obtain a stronger increase of the carrier density for V than for Nbdopants. While in Nb-SrTiO3 a high carrier density counteracts a high thermoelectric figure of merit, the trend is inverted by V co-doping. The mechanism leading to this behavior is explained in terms of a local spin-polarization introduced by the V ions. Our results indicate that magnetic co-doping can be a prominent tool for improving the thermoelectric figure of merit.

  8. Anomalous enhancement of the thermoelectric figure of merit by V co-doping of Nb-SrTiO3

    KAUST Repository

    Ozdogan, K.; Alshareef, Husam N.; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo; Upadhyay Kahaly, M.

    2012-01-01

    The effect of V co-doping of Nb-SrTiO3 is studied by full-potential density functional theory. We obtain a stronger increase of the carrier density for V than for Nbdopants. While in Nb-SrTiO3 a high carrier density counteracts a high thermoelectric figure of merit, the trend is inverted by V co-doping. The mechanism leading to this behavior is explained in terms of a local spin-polarization introduced by the V ions. Our results indicate that magnetic co-doping can be a prominent tool for improving the thermoelectric figure of merit.

  9. 2014 DOE Vehicle Technologies Office Annual Merit Review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2014-11-01

    The 2014 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) and Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR) was held June 16-20, 2014, in Washington, DC. The review encompassed all of the work done by the FCTO and the VTO: a total of 295 individual activities were reviewed for VTO, by a total of 179 reviewers. A total of 1,354 individual review responses were received for the VTO technical reviews. The objective of the meeting was to review the accomplishments and plans for VTO over the previous 12 months, and provide an opportunity for industry, government, and academia to give inputs to DOE on the Office with a structured and formal methodology. The meeting also provided attendees with a forum for interaction and technology information transfer.

  10. 2013 DOE Vehicle Technologies Office Annual Merit Review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    none,

    2013-10-01

    The 2013 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) and Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR) was held May 13-17, 2013, in Crystal City, Virginia. The review encompassed all of the work done by the FCTO and the VTO: a total of 287 individual activities were reviewed for VTO, by a total of 187 reviewers. A total of 1,382 individual review responses were received for the VTO technical reviews. The objective of the meeting was to review the accomplishments and plans for VTO over the previous 12 months, and provide an opportunity for industry, government, and academia to give inputs to DOE on the Office with a structured and formal methodology. The meeting also provided attendees with a forum for interaction and technology information transfer.

  11. 78 FR 9455 - Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board, Notice of Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-02-08

    .... Rehabilitation Engineering and February 20, 2013 Courtyard DC/U.S. Prosthetics/Orthotics. Capitol. Brain Injury... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit... Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App. 2, that the subcommittees of the Rehabilitation Research and...

  12. Treatment planning figures of merit in thermal and epithermal boron capture therapy of brain tumours

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wallace, S.A.; Mathur, J.N. (Wollongong Univ., NSW (Australia)); Allen, B.J. (Ansto PMB 1 Menai, NSW (Australia). Biomedicine and Health)

    1994-05-01

    The boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) figures of merit of advantage depth, therapeutic depth, modified advantage depth and maximum therapeutic depth have been studied as functions of [sup 10]B tumour to blood ratios and absolute levels. These relationships were examined using the Monte Carlo neutron photon transport code, MCNP, with an ideal 18.4 cm diameter neutron beam incident laterally upon an ellipsoidal neutron photon brain-equivalent model. Mono-energetic beams of 0.025 eV (thermal) and 35 eV (epithermal) were simulated. Increasing the tumour to blood [sup 10]B ratio predictably increases all figures of merit. [sup 10]B concentration was also shown to have a strong bearing on the figures of merit when low levels were present in the system. This is the result of a non-[sup 10]B dependent background dose. At higher levels however, the concentration of [sup 10]B has a diminishing influence. For boron sulphydryl (BSH), little advantage is gained by extending the blood [sup 10]B level beyond 30 ppm, whilst for D, L,-p-boronophenylalanine (BPA) this limit is 10 ppm. Applying the epithermal beam under identical conditions, the therapeutic depth reaches the brain mid-line with a tumour to blood [sup 10]B ratio of only 5.7 for BPA. For BSH, the maximum therapeutic depth reaches the brain mid-line with a tumour to blood ratio of only 1.9 with 30 ppm in the blood. Human data for these compounds are very close to these requirements. (author).

  13. A Figure-of-Merit for Beta Cell Detector Characterization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Foxe, Michael P. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Miller, Brian W. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Suarez, Rey [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Hayes, James C. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

    2015-09-02

    In order to decrease the minimum detectable activities (MDAs) of beta-gamma radioxenon detectors, it is important to increase the ability to resolve the individual isotopes. One proposed method for doing this is to increase the energy resolution of the beta cell through the use of silicon detectors. While silicon detectors can improve the energy resolution, it is accompanied with a decrease in detection efficiency compared to plastic scintillator beta cells. Due to the uncertainty on the impact of the competing variables, we have developed a figure-of-merit (FOM) capable of determining the impact of detector parameters on the MDAs. By utilizing the FOM to analyze different detectors, we are able to directly compare current and future detectors and estimate their impact on the radioxenon MDAs.

  14. Investigation of High-Efficiency Wireless Power Transfer Criteria of Resonantly-Coupled Loops and Dipoles through Analysis of the Figure of Merit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Charles Moorey

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available The efficiency of a Wireless Power Transfer (WPT system is greatly dependent on both the geometry and operating frequency of the transmitting and receiving structures. By using Coupled Mode Theory (CMT, the figure of merit is calculated for resonantly-coupled loop and dipole systems. An in-depth analysis of the figure of merit is performed with respect to the key geometric parameters of the loops and dipoles, along with the resonant frequency, in order to identify the key relationships leading to high-efficiency WPT. For systems consisting of two identical single-turn loops, it is shown that the choice of both the loop radius and resonant frequency are essential in achieving high-efficiency WPT. For the dipole geometries studied, it is shown that the choice of length is largely irrelevant and that as a result of their capacitive nature, low-MHz frequency dipoles are able to produce significantly higher figures of merit than those of the loops considered. The results of the figure of merit analysis are used to propose and subsequently compare two mid-range loop and dipole WPT systems of equal size and operating frequency, where it is shown that the dipole system is able to achieve higher efficiencies than the loop system of the distance range examined.

  15. AN ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK FOR ASSESSING RELIABLE NUCLEAR FUEL SERVICE APPROACHES: ECONOMIC AND NON-PROLIFERATION MERITS OF NUCLEAR FUEL LEASING

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kreyling, Sean J.; Brothers, Alan J.; Short, Steven M.; Phillips, Jon R.; Weimar, Mark R.

    2010-01-01

    The goal of international nuclear policy since the dawn of nuclear power has been the peaceful expansion of nuclear energy while controlling the spread of enrichment and reprocessing technology. Numerous initiatives undertaken in the intervening decades to develop international agreements on providing nuclear fuel supply assurances, or reliable nuclear fuel services (RNFS) attempted to control the spread of sensitive nuclear materials and technology. In order to inform the international debate and the development of government policy, PNNL has been developing an analytical framework to holistically evaluate the economics and non-proliferation merits of alternative approaches to managing the nuclear fuel cycle (i.e., cradle-to-grave). This paper provides an overview of the analytical framework and discusses preliminary results of an economic assessment of one RNFS approach: full-service nuclear fuel leasing. The specific focus of this paper is the metrics under development to systematically evaluate the non-proliferation merits of fuel-cycle management alternatives. Also discussed is the utility of an integrated assessment of the economics and non-proliferation merits of nuclear fuel leasing.

  16. Estonia - üks tõeline eestimaine spaa / Dagmar Reinolt

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Reinolt, Dagmar

    2015-01-01

    Heaoluspaa võtmes renoveeritud Estonia Spa Hotelsi ühest kompleksist. Rekonstrueerimisprojekti arhitektid: Raivo Kotov, Indrek Mikk. Rekonstrueerimisprojekti sisearhitektid: Raili Paling, Liis Lindvere, Kadri Kaldam, Kärt Loopalu. Valmimisaasta: 2015

  17. Optical Diagnostic Results from the MERIT High-Power Target Experiment

    CERN Document Server

    Kirk, H G; Tsang, T; Efthymiopoulos, I; Fabich, A; Haug, F; Lettry, J; Palm, M; Mokhov, N; Striganov, S; Carroll, A J; Graves, V B; Spampinato, P T; McDonald, K T; Bennett, J R J; Caretta, O; Loveridge, P

    2010-01-01

    We re­port on the anal­y­sis of data col­lect­ed from the op­ti­cal di­ag­nos­tics of the MERIT ex­per­i­ment which was run at CERN in the fall of 2007. The breakup of the free mer­cury jet re­sult­ing from the im­pact of in­tense pro­ton beams from the CERN PS with­in a mag­net­ic field en­vi­ron­ment is de­scribed.

  18. Relative merits of travelling-wave and resonant operation of linac

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shoffstall, D.R.; Gallagher, W.J.

    1985-01-01

    Discussion of the relative merits of so-called standing wave vis-a-vis travelling wave operation of linear accelerator waveguides is complicated by various considerations. In the first instance, standing wave should be distinguished from resonant operation. Standing wave operation is exactly the same as travelling wave, excepting that the waveguide is terminated by a total reflection of power instead of a matched load. In resonant operation a length of slow wave structure is terminated, theoretically at reflection planes of symmetry; the discrete modes of resonance consist of two oppositely directed travelling wave ensembles, one of which will provide a space harmonic of an intended phase velocity

  19. Thermoelectric System in Different Thermal and Electrical Configurations: Its Impact in the Figure of Merit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander Vargas-Almeida

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available In this work, we analyze different configurations of a thermoelectric system (TES composed of three thermoelectric generators (TEGs. We present the following considerations: (a TES thermally and electrically connected in series (SC; (b TES thermally and electrically connected in parallel (PSC; and (c parallel thermally and series electrical connection (SSC. We assume that the parameters of the TEGs are temperature-independent. The systems are characterized by three parameters, as it has been showed in recent investigations, namely, its internal electrical resistance, R, thermal conductance under open electrical circuit condition, K, and Seebeck coefficient α. We derive the equivalent parameters for each of the configurations considered here and calculate the Figure of Merit Z for the equivalent system. We show the impact of the configuration of the system on Z, and we suggest optimum configuration. In order to justify the effectiveness of the equivalent Figure of Merit, the corresponding efficiency has been calculated for each configuration.

  20. The effect of level of feeding, genetic merit, body condition score and age on biological parameters of a mammary gland model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bryant, J R; Lopez-Villalobos, N; Holmes, C W; Pryce, J E; Pitman, G D; Davis, S R

    2007-03-01

    An evolutionary algorithm was applied to a mechanistic model of the mammary gland to find the parameter values that minimised the difference between predicted and actual lactation curves of milk yields in New Zealand Jersey cattle managed at different feeding levels. The effect of feeding level, genetic merit, body condition score at parturition and age on total lactation yields of milk, fat and protein, days in milk, live weight and evolutionary algorithm derived mammary gland parameters was then determined using a multiple regression model. The mechanistic model of the mammary gland was able to fit lactation curves that corresponded to actual lactation curves with a high degree of accuracy. The senescence rate of quiescent (inactive) alveoli was highest at the very low feeding level. The active alveoli population at peak lactation was highest at very low feeding levels, but lower nutritional status at this feeding level prevented high milk yields from being achieved. Genetic merit had a significant linear effect on the active alveoli population at peak and mid to late lactation, with higher values in animals, which had higher breeding values for milk yields. A type of genetic merit × feeding level scaling effect was observed for total yields of milk and fat, and total number of alveoli produced from conception until the end of lactation with the benefits of increases in genetic merit being greater at high feeding levels. A genetic merit × age scaling effect was observed for total lactation protein yields. Initial rates of differentiation of progenitor cells declined with age. Production levels of alveoli from conception to the end of lactation were lowest in 5- to 8-year-old animals; however, in these older animals, quiescent alveoli were reactivated more frequently. The active alveoli population at peak lactation and rates of active alveoli proceeding to quiescence were highest in animals of intermediate body condition scores of 4.0 to 5.0. The results

  1. 2015 DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    none,

    2015-10-01

    This report summarizes comments from the Peer Review Panel at the 2015 DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review, held on June 8-12, 2015, in Arlington, Virginia. It covers the program areas of hydrogen production and delivery; hydrogen storage; fuel cells; manufacturing R&D; technology validation; safety, codes, and standards; market transformation; and systems analysis.

  2. 2011 DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    none,

    2011-09-01

    This report summarizes comments from the Peer Review Panel at the 2011 DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review, held on May 9-13, 2011, in Arlington, Virginia. It covers the program areas of hydrogen production and delivery; hydrogen storage; fuel cells; manufacturing R&D; technology validation; safety, codes, and standards; education; market transformation; and systems analysis.

  3. 2013 DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    none,

    2013-10-01

    This report summarizes comments from the Peer Review Panel at the 2013 DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review, held on May 13-17, 2013, in Arlington, Virginia. It covers the program areas of hydrogen production and delivery; hydrogen storage; fuel cells; manufacturing R&D; technology validation; safety, codes, and standards; market transformation; and systems analysis.

  4. 2014 DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    none,

    2014-10-01

    This report summarizes comments from the Peer Review Panel at the 2014 DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review, held on June 16-20, 2014, in Washington, DC. It covers the program areas of hydrogen production and delivery; hydrogen storage; fuel cells; manufacturing R&D; technology validation; safety, codes, and standards; market transformation; and systems analysis.

  5. 2012 DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    none,

    2012-09-01

    This report summarizes comments from the Peer Review Panel at the 2012 DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review, held on May 14-18, 2012, in Arlington, Virginia. It covers the program areas of hydrogen production and delivery; hydrogen storage; fuel cells; manufacturing R&D; technology validation; safety, codes, and standards; education; market transformation; and systems analysis.

  6. Development of the PRO-LOCA Probabilistic Fracture Mechanics Code, MERIT Final Report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scott, Paul; Kurth, Robert; Cox, Andrew; Olson, Rick; Rudland, Dave

    2010-12-01

    The MERIT project has been an internationally financed program with the main purpose of developing probabilistic models for piping failure of nuclear components and to include these models in a probabilistic code named PRO-LOCA. The principal objective of the project has been to develop probabilistic models for piping failure of nuclear components and to include these models in a probabilistic code. The MERIT program has produced a code named PRO-LOCA with the following features: - Crack initiation models for fatigue or stress corrosion cracking for previously unflawed material. - Subcritical crack growth models for fatigue and stress corrosion cracking for both initiated and pre-existing circumferential defects. - Models for flaw detection by inspections and leak detection. - Crack stability. The PRO-LOCA code can thus predict the leak or break frequency for the whole sequence of initiation, subcritical crack growth until wall penetration and leakage, instability of the through-wall crack (pipe rupture). The outcome of the PRO-LOCA code are a sequence of failure frequencies which represents the probability of surface crack developing, a through-wall crack developing and six different sizes of crack opening areas corresponding to different leak flow rates or LOCA categories. Note that the level of quality assurance of the PRO-LOCA code is such that the code in its current state of development is considered to be more of a research code than a regulatory tool.

  7. Development of the PRO-LOCA Probabilistic Fracture Mechanics Code, MERIT Final Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Scott, Paul; Kurth, Robert; Cox, Andrew; Olson, Rick (Battelle Columbus (United States)); Rudland, Dave (Nuclear Regulatory Commission (United States))

    2010-12-15

    The MERIT project has been an internationally financed program with the main purpose of developing probabilistic models for piping failure of nuclear components and to include these models in a probabilistic code named PRO-LOCA. The principal objective of the project has been to develop probabilistic models for piping failure of nuclear components and to include these models in a probabilistic code. The MERIT program has produced a code named PRO-LOCA with the following features: - Crack initiation models for fatigue or stress corrosion cracking for previously unflawed material. - Subcritical crack growth models for fatigue and stress corrosion cracking for both initiated and pre-existing circumferential defects. - Models for flaw detection by inspections and leak detection. - Crack stability. The PRO-LOCA code can thus predict the leak or break frequency for the whole sequence of initiation, subcritical crack growth until wall penetration and leakage, instability of the through-wall crack (pipe rupture). The outcome of the PRO-LOCA code are a sequence of failure frequencies which represents the probability of surface crack developing, a through-wall crack developing and six different sizes of crack opening areas corresponding to different leak flow rates or LOCA categories. Note that the level of quality assurance of the PRO-LOCA code is such that the code in its current state of development is considered to be more of a research code than a regulatory tool.

  8. 76 FR 6197 - Health Services Research and Development Service Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-02-03

    ... Board will be held March 2-3, 2011, at the Hilton San Francisco Financial District, 750 Kearny Street... management, and nursing research. Applications are reviewed for scientific and technical merit... subcommittee on Nursing Research Initiatives will convene from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; the subcommittee for pilot...

  9. Kuningal on külm / Kadi Herkül

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Herkül, Kadi

    1996-01-01

    Dario Fo 'Elizabeth - naine juhuse tahtel', lavastaja Elmo Nüganen, esietendus Linnateatris 21. sept. 1996. Jaan Kruusvalli 'Hullumeelne professor, tema elukäik', lavastaja Mikk Mikiver, esietendus Draamateatris 21. sept. 1996

  10. The influence nuclear power has on corporate image and the effect of offering merit information of nuclear power

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oiso, Shinichi

    2006-01-01

    Many electric power companies in Japan, irrespective of their nuclear power generation ratio's difference, have nuclear power plants. These days, corporate brand image is becoming more and more important. Therefore, a survey was carried out to study the effect that nuclear power (including comparison with the other type of industry besides electric power) has on the corporate image of an electric power company. Further more, the survey includes a research about the effect on people's attitude change towards nuclear power before and after discovering the merits or benefits of nuclear power. The possibility of enhancing the corporate brand image of electric power companies by providing merit information of nuclear power was studied. (author)

  11. 78 FR 50144 - Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board; Notice of Meetings

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-16

    ... Review Board; Notice of Meetings The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) gives notice under the Federal... Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board will meet from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the dates indicated below: Subcommittee Date(s) Location Career Development Award Program.... August 6, 2013........ VHA National...

  12. Cui Bono? On the Relative Merits of Technology-Enhanced Learning and Teaching in Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mykhnenko, Vlad

    2016-01-01

    This article provides evidence from a 4-year longitudinal study on the comparative use of illustrative video podcasts during Economic Geography lectures vis-à-vis traditional educational methods in order to guide pedagogic practice and future research on the relative merits of technology-enhanced learning in higher education. Key benefits derived…

  13. Keisriportree kui ajalooteos / Aleksandra Murre

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Murre, Aleksandra

    2006-01-01

    Näitusest "Vene valitsejad" Kadrioru kunstimuuseumis ja Mikkeli muuseumis. Venemaa valitsejast Paul I-st ja temast maalitud portreedest. Peeter III portreest. Prantsuse kunstniku Jean Louis Voille' (1744 - u. 1806) elust ja loomingust

  14. Kinobuss hakkas koolitama filmiõpetajaid

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2006-01-01

    9. jaan. alustas Kinobuss õpetajatele mõeldud kursusega "Teaching with animation. Õpetamine animatsiooniga", mis on esimene neljast 2006.a. toimuvast koolitusest. Töötuba peavad Mikk Rand ja Hanne Pedersen Taanist

  15. Kinobuss hakkab õpetajaid koolitama

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2006-01-01

    9. jaan. alustas Kinobuss õpetajatele mõeldud kursusega "Teaching with animation. Õpetamine animatsiooniga", mis on esimene neljast 2006.a. toimuvast koolitusest. Töötuba peavad Mikk Rand ja Hanne Pedersen Taanist

  16. High Thermoelectric Figure of Merit by Resonant Dopant in Half-Heusler Alloys

    OpenAIRE

    Chen, Long; Liu, Yamei; He, Jian; Tritt, Terry M.; Poon, S. Joseph

    2017-01-01

    Half-Heusler alloys have been one of the benchmark high temperature thermoelectric materials owing to their thermal stability and promising figure of merit ZT. Simonson et al. early showed that small amounts of vanadium doped in Hf0.75Zr0.25NiSn enhanced the Seebeck coefficient and correlated the change with the increased density of states near the Fermi level. We herein report a systematic study on the role of vanadium (V), niobium (Nb), and tantalum (Ta) as prospective resonant dopants in e...

  17. Walter Scandale receives the decoration of Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic

    CERN Multimedia

    2008-01-01

    On 9 December 2008, Walter Scandale, a member of the EN Department, received the decoration of Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, one of Italy's highest decorations. He was awarded the medal by the Consul-General of Italy in Geneva.

  18. Tallinn ja Peterburi : kultuurikontaktid / Ester Shank

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Šank, Ester, 1956-

    2007-01-01

    Tallinna volikogu esinduse kohtumisest Peterburi kolleegidega, ka kontserdist Georg Otsa mälestuseks 8. nov. Peterburi endise Väikese Ooperi- ja Balletiteatri, nüüd Mihhailovski-nim. teatri saalis (õhtujuhiks Arne Mikk)

  19. A user's perspective on the merits and shortcomings of ASME Section III

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Antaki, G.A.

    1994-01-01

    There are several aspects of Section III which when compared to process industry codes (ASME VIII, ASME B31.3, API, etc.) have proven to be a significant improvement in engineering practice. There are, however, other aspects of ASME III which have added to costs without clear benefits in safety or reliability. The authors present a user's perspective on some of the relative merits and shortcomings of the nuclear codes (ASME III and XI) compared to the process industry codes (such as ASME VIII, B31.3 and API)

  20. Operational testing of a figure of merit for overall task performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lemay, Moira

    1990-01-01

    An overall indicator or figure of merit (FOM), for the quality of pilot performance is needed to define optimal workload levels, predict system failure, measure the impact of new automation in the cockpit, and define the relative contributions of subtasks to overall task performance. A normative FOM was developed based on the calculation of a standard score for each component of a complex task. It reflected some effects, detailed in an earlier study, of the introduction of new data link technology into the cockpit. Since the technique showed promise, further testing was done. A new set of data was obtained using the recently developed Multi-Attribute Task Battery. This is a complex battery consisting of four tasks which can be varied in task demand, and on which performance measures can be obtained. This battery was presented to 12 subjects in a 20 minute trial at each of three levels of workload or task demand, and performance measures collected on all four tasks. The NASA-TLX workload rating scale was presented at minutes 6, 12, and 18, of each trial. A figure of merit was then obtained for each run of the battery by calculating a mean, SD, and standard score for each task. Each task contributed its own proportion to the overall FOM, and relative contributions changed with increasing workload. Thus, the FOM shows the effect of task changes, not only on the individual task that is changed, but also on the performance of other tasks and of the whole task. The cost to other tasks of maintaining constant performance on an individual task can be quantified.

  1. Thermoelectric-figure-of-merit enhancement of silicon-germanium through nanocomposite concept

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Dezhi

    SiGe alloy has been the thermoelectric material element of RTGs (Radioisotope thermoelectric power generators) for more than 20 years because of its good performance at high temperature. It also has a very high potential application in converting exhaust heat into useful electricity, which currently attracts a lot of research interest in the automotive industry where 40% of the energy was rejected as exhaust heat. However, its low conversion efficiency (8%) is a major concern although it is the best in practice. A new concept, namely Si-Ge nanocomposite, was proposed to enhance thermoelectric figure-of-merit. Fast heating pressure sintering was found to be an appropriate synthesizing method and a lab-made direct current-induced hot press system was established. It can reach l200°C within several minutes and many parameters can be controlled. The uniquely designed graphite die assembly can stand l60MPa pressure which is better than the best commercial products (127MPa). Numerous Si-Ge nanocomposite samples were pressed using our DC hot press. Fully dense n-type Si-Ge nanocomposite samples of nanoSi80nanoGe20P were finally obtained. The nanocomposite structure was characterized via XRD, SEM, EDS, and TEM. The proposed nanocomposite structure, dots in a matrix, was observed. Most importantly, the thermoelectric property measurements showed that the Si-Ge nanocomposite of n-type nanoSi80nanoGe20 possessed higher electrical conductivity but lower thermal conductivity, thus a higher ZT than that of n-type nanoSi80microGe20. This result proved that thermoelectric-figure-of-merit enhancement through the nanocomposite concept was the right direction.

  2. Hunnitud hütid / Karin Paulus

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Paulus, Karin, 1975-

    2016-01-01

    Arhitektuuribüroos KOKO Arhitektid (Raivo Kotov, Andrus Kõresaar, Sten-Mark Mändmaa, Indrek Mikk, Martin Tago, Liis Uustal, Maia Grimitliht, Raili Paling, Kadri Kaldam) kavandatud puidust matkahütid Norras Skåpetis

  3. Põletavatest küsimustest / Laura Kuusk

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Kuusk, Laura, 1982-

    2007-01-01

    Eesti Kunstiakadeemia magistrantide põlevkiviteemaline näitus "Depressioon" Rael Arteli galeriis Tartus kuni 4. veebruarini. Laura Pählapuu, Siiri Taimla, Risto Tali, Tõnu Narro, Alina Korsmiku ja Mikk Freibergi töödest

  4. Merits of CMOS/SIMOX technology for low-voltage SRAM macros

    CERN Document Server

    Kumagai, K; Yamada, T; Nakamura, H; Onishi, H; Matsubara, Y; Imai, K; Kurosawa, S

    1999-01-01

    A 128-kbit SRAM (static random access memory) macro with the 0.35 mu m FD (fully-depleted) CMOS/SIMOX (separation by implantation of oxygen) technology has been developed to demonstrate the merits of that technology for low-voltage $9 applications. Its access time at Vdd =1.5 V was comparable with that obtained with the 0.35 mu m standard bulk CMOS technology at Vdd=3.3 V, due to the combination of the small S/D capacitance and the small back-bias effect. As the $9 yield of the 128-kbit SRAM macros was almost the same as the standard bulk CMOS technology, the manufacturability of the 0.35 mu m FD-CMOS/SIMOX technology has also been demonstrated. (7 refs).

  5. High thermoelectric figure of merit in nanocrystalline polyaniline at low temperatures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nath, Chandrani; Kumar, Ashok, E-mail: ask@tezu.ernet.in, E-mail: okram@csr.res.in [Materials Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, Tezpur University, Tezpur 784 028 (India); Kuo, Yung-Kang [Department of Physics, National Dong-Hwa University, Hualien 974, Taiwan (China); Okram, Gunadhor Singh, E-mail: ask@tezu.ernet.in, E-mail: okram@csr.res.in [Electrical Transport Laboratory, UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientific Research, University Campus, Khandwa Road, Indore 452 017 (India)

    2014-09-29

    Thermoelectric coolers with figure of merit (ZT) close to unity at low temperatures are the need of the hour with new advances in high temperature superconductors, superconducting microelectronic circuits, quantum computers, and photonics. Here, we demonstrate that the conducting polymer polyaniline (Pani) doped with camphor sulfonic acid synthesized in semi-crystalline nanostructures, possesses a giant Seebeck effect at low temperatures. The resulting enormously large Seebeck coefficient (up to 0.6 V/K) combined with an intrinsically low electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity give rise to a ZT = 0.77 at 45 K and ZT = 2.17 at 17 K.

  6. Environmental Science and Engineering Merit Badges: An Exploratory Case Study of a Non-Formal Science Education Program and the U.S. Scientific and Engineering Practices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vick, Matthew E.; Garvey, Michael P.

    2016-01-01

    The Boy Scouts of America's Environmental Science and Engineering merit badges are two of their over 120 merit badges offered as a part of a non-formal educational program to U.S. boys. The Scientific and Engineering Practices of the U.S. Next Generation Science Standards provide a vision of science education that includes integrating eight…

  7. Pop / Mart Kalvet

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Kalvet, Mart, 1975-

    2007-01-01

    Heliplaatidest: Phlox "Rebimine + voltimine", The Bees "Octopus", Feist "The Reminder", Led R "Led the R Out", Erinevad esitajad "Muusika filmile "Jan Uuspõld läheb Tartusse"", Mikk Saar "See on see", Mark Ronson "Versions"

  8. Leinalaul kadunud põlvkondadele / Evi Arujärv

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Arujärv, Evi, 1953-

    2010-01-01

    31. märtsil Tallinna Jaani kirikus toimunud Jüri Reinvere ja Gabriel Fauré reekviemide ettekandest, esitajateks Pärnu Linnaorkester ja Tallinna Georg Otsa nimelise muusikakooli segakoor Mikk Murdvee dirigeerimisel. Pikemalt J. Reinvere multimeediateosest

  9. Efficacy and safety of maraviroc versus efavirenz, both with zidovudine/lamivudine: 96-week results from the MERIT study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sierra-Madero, Juan; Di Perri, Giovanni; Wood, Robin; Saag, Michael; Frank, Ian; Craig, Charles; Burnside, Robert; McCracken, Jennifer; Pontani, Dennis; Goodrich, James; Heera, Jayvant; Mayer, Howard

    2010-01-01

    The MERIT study evaluated maraviroc versus efavirenz, both with zidovudine/lamivudine, in treatment-naïve patients with CCR5-tropic (R5) HIV-1. Post hoc analyses previously assessed week 48 outcomes in patients rescreened with R5 virus by a more sensitive tropism assay. Week 96 efficacy (post hoc, n = 614) and safety (n = 721) were assessed. Proportions of subjects <50 copies/mL (58.8% maraviroc, 62.7% efavirenz) and time to loss of virologic response (TLOVR) responders (<50 copies/mL: 60.5% vs 60.7%) were similar. Maraviroc recipients had greater CD4 increases (+ 212 vs + 171 cells/mm(3)) and fewer adverse event discontinuations (6.1% vs 15.5%), malignancies, and category C events. Week 96 data confirm week 48 observations in MERIT.

  10. 77 FR 8330 - Health Services Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-02-14

    ... Disorders; HCR 2--Substance Use Disorders; HCR 3--Rehabilitation/Rural; HCR 4--Women's Health; HCR 5--Pain... Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board will meet on March 6-8, 2012, at the Hilton New Orleans... to the Chief Research and Development Officer. On March 6, the subcommittee on Nursing Research...

  11. Figures of merit for microwave photonic phase shifters based on semiconductor optical amplifiers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sancho, Juan; Lloret, Juan; Gasulla, Ivana; Sales, Salvador; Capmany, José

    2012-05-07

    We theoretically and experimentally compare the performance of two fully tunable phase shifter structures based on semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA) by means of several figures of merit common to microwave photonic systems. A single SOA stage followed by a tailored notch filter is compared with a cascaded implementation comprising three SOA-based phase shifter stages. Attention is focused on the assessment of the RF net gain, noise figure and nonlinear distortion. Recommendations on the performance optimization of this sort of approaches are detailed.

  12. Raytheon, Estonia agree to cyber pact / Zachary Fryer-Biggs

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Fryer-Biggs, Zachary

    2015-01-01

    USA ettevõte on valmis tegema Eestiga koostööd kübervõimekuse arendamisel. Kaitseministeeriumi asekantsleri Mikk Marrani sõnul on Eesti ja USA kaitsetööstuselane koostöö Eesti strateegilistes huvides

  13. An economics figure of merit in ALPS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shatilla, Y.A.

    2000-01-01

    One of the most pressing issues facing the deregulated nuclear electric power industry is its economic competitiveness when compared to other sources of electrical power. Traditionally, finding the optimum loading pattern (LP) that meets all the safety and operational objective functions and at the same time produces the most attractive economical solutions is an iterative process. This is because (a) LP search tools usually lack the capability to generate equilibrium solutions and (b) economics objective functions are hard to include in the search process. In this paper, the Westinghouse Advanced Loading Pattern Search code (ALPS) has been demonstrated to successfully find LPs that meet user-defined operational and safety as well as economics objectives. This has been made possible by the development of TULIP language that allows the integration of external procedures into the search process of the main program, ALPS. In the example given, an economic figure of merit (EFM) has been defined and included via TULIP script into the fuel management optimization problem of a three-loop Westinghouse core operating an 18-month cycle. The LPs found by ALPS exhibit a clear trend of meeting and, in some cases, exceeding the EFM objective function defined for the ALPS search process a priori

  14. Performance Appraisal and Merit Compensation. Community Colleges: Quality Education for a Learning Society. Round Table Talk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Robert A., Jr.

    Detailed information is provided on the Performance Appraisal/Salary System adopted by the New Mexico Junior College (NMJC) Board in 1981 as the basis for the performance evaluation of all college employees. Introductory material discusses the concepts of performance appraisal and merit compensation and provides an update on changes in NMJC's…

  15. Figures of merit for the evaluation of regenerative power converters

    CERN Document Server

    AUTHOR|(CDS)2083258; Rossini, Stefano; Le Godec, Gilles; Papastergiou, Konstantinos; Carrica, Daniel; Retegui, Rogeli Garcia

    2016-01-01

    In some applications, like those for particle accelerators and transfer lines, electromagnet loads operate in cycling mode i.e. absorbing or extracting energy from or to a power source. Built-in energy storage such as electrochemical capacitors can be used whose lifetime is heavily depended on the current ripple and depth of discharge. Moreover, the sizing of this storage element is a trade-off between power taken from the grid and energy stored. Additionally, the adopted power conversion structure and control strategy impact on such decision process. In this work, a number of topologies have been evaluated for these applications and the key metrics used to compare them. The proposed figures of merit are used through examples to highlight the trade-offs related with the choice of dc-bus regulation topology and control strategy.

  16. High room-temperature figure of merit of thin layers prepared by laser ablation from Bi2Te3 target

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walachova, J.; Zeipl, R.; Zelinka, J.; Malina, V.; Pavelka, M.; Jelinek, M.; Studnicka, V.; Lost'ak, P.

    2005-01-01

    The figure of merit ZT is measured by a Harman method on simple devices prepared on single thermoelectric layers of different thicknesses. The thermoelectric layers are prepared at different conditions by laser ablation from Bi 2 Te 3 target. The best measured figure of merit ZT is for our devices ZT=2.65. This result is comparable with the results obtained on superlattices. ZT oscillated with the thickness of the layers. On some devices the Seebeck coefficient is measured and using conductivity measurements along the thermoelectric layers the thermal conductivity is estimated from ZT. The low thermal conductivity of samples is explained by the quantum size effect and by existence of few phases of type Bi 2(m+n) Te 3n in the thermoelectric layers

  17. DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program 2017 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None, None

    2017-10-16

    The fiscal year 2017 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR), in conjunction with DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office AMR, was held from June June 5-9, 2017, in Washington, D.C. This report is a summary of comments by AMR peer reviewers about the hydrogen and fuel cell projects funded by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

  18. DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program 2016 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None, None

    2016-11-01

    The fiscal year 2016 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR), in conjunction with DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office AMR, was held from June 6-10, 2016, in Washington, D.C. This report is a summary of comments by AMR peer reviewers about the hydrogen and fuel cell projects funded by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

  19. Ooperisõpradele pakutakse tõelist rõõmu / Silja Joon

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Joon, Silja, 1966-

    2006-01-01

    Vincenco Bellini ooperist "Norma" Moskva Novaja Opera Teatri solistide, sümfooniaorkestri ja ooperikoori esituses Pärnu neljandate ooperipäevade raames 14. juulil Pärnu kontserdimajas. Ooperigalast "Bravissimo" 15. juulil Pärnu kontserdimajas (õhtujuht Mart Mikk)

  20. Kunstnikud käivad katuseid mööda / Hanno Soans

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Soans, Hanno, 1974-

    2010-01-01

    Näitus "Linna kohal" Tallinna Linnagaleriis 19. septembrini 2010. Osalevad Anu Vahtra, Johnson & Johnson, Timo Toots, Claudia Doms, Mikk Heinsoo, Urmo Mets, Marit Ilison. Kuraatorid Kadri Klementi ja Helis Teiter. Näituse teemaks on linnamajade kasutamata katusepinnad

  1. Examining the Impact of a Highly Targeted State Administered Merit Aid Program on Brain Drain: Evidence from a Regression Discontinuity Analysis of Missouri's Bright Flight Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrington, James R.; Muñoz, José; Curs, Bradley R.; Ehlert, Mark

    2016-01-01

    The adoption of state-funded merit-based aid programs has become increasingly popular among policy-makers, particularly in the southeastern part of the United States. One of the primary rationales of state-funded merit-based aid is to provide scholarships to the best and brightest students as a means to retain high quality human capital in the…

  2. State Merit-Based Aid and Enrolling in Graduate Study: Evidence from the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delaney, Jennifer A.

    2011-01-01

    This study considers the effect of a state merit-based aid program for undergraduate students on subsequent enrollment in graduate school. It uses student unit record data to analyze the impact of the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES). Price theory is used as a framework for understanding the incentives provided by KEES. Using a…

  3. Administrative Circular No. 26 (Rev.10) - Recognition of merit

    CERN Multimedia

    2014-01-01

    Administrative Circular No. 26 (Rev. 10) entitled “Recognition of Merit”, approved by the Director-General following discussion at the Standing Concertation Committee meeting of 5 December 2013 and entering into force on 1 January 2014, is available on the intranet site of the Human Resources Department (see here).   This circular is applicable to staff members. It cancels and replaces Administrative Circular No. 26 (Rev. 9) entitled “Recognition of Merit” of December 2011. The circular was revised in order to take into account the work performed in the framework of an elective mandate during the exercise of merit recognition of staff members. In addition, the circular was revised to provide that, in the case of staff members on special leave for professional reasons for a period equal to or longer than half a year, it will no longer be possible to grant an exceptional advancement. Department Head Office HR Department

  4. The Effect of Merit Aid on Enrollment: A Regression Discontinuity Analysis of Iowa's National Scholars Award

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leeds, Daniel M.; DesJardins, Stephen L.

    2015-01-01

    The cost of attending college has risen steadily over the past 30 years, making financial aid an important determinant of college choice for many students and a subject of concern for colleges and state governments. In this paper, we estimate the effect of rule-based merit aid assignment on students' enrollment decisions at the University of Iowa.…

  5. CERN's Merit Appraisal and Recognition System from the point of view of the supervisor

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2013-01-01

    The required training consists of 2 parts : This presentation explaining “CERN’s merit recognition system”, followed by a session of questions/answers – duration : 2 hours A training session on “How to get, as a supervisor, the most out of the annual interview” – duration : 1 day. This hands-on training focuses on how to set smart work and development objectives, how to give feedback and how to run the annual interview in a constructive way.

  6. Öö, toolid ja vihased mehed / Veiko Märka

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Märka, Veiko, 1964-

    1998-01-01

    Reginald Rose'i 'Kaksteist vihast meest' (lav. Mikk Mikiver) ja William Shakespeare'i 'Kaheteistkümnes öö' (lav. Finn Poulsen) Vanemuise teatris. Ilja Ilfi ja Jevgeni Petrovi '12 tooli' Vanalinnastuudios (dramatiseerinud Priit Aimla-Eino Baskin, lavastaja Eino Baskin)

  7. Eesti Ajaloomuuseumi Suurgildi hoone. Püsinäitus "Visa hing. 11 000 aastat Eesti ajalugu" = Restoration of the Estonian History Museum Great Guild Hall building, permanent exhibition "Spirit of survival. 11,000 years of Estonian history" / Margit A

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Argus, Margit, 1981-

    2012-01-01

    Suurgildi hoone renoveerimisest, sisekujundusest, ekspositsioonist. Sisearhitektid Margit Aule, Liis Lindvere, Margit Argus (Koko Arhitektid). Restaureerimisarhitekt: Mart Keskküla (Restor). Graafilise disaini autorid Jan Tomson, Indrek Sirkel, Mikk Heinsoo, Kaarel Nõmmik, Andrus Kõresaar (Produktsioonigrupp). Ekspositsiooni multimeedia ja interaktsioon: Produktsioonigrupp

  8. Juba kümnes PÖFF! / Karl Tamberg

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Tamberg, Karl

    2006-01-01

    Kümnenda Pimedate Ööde Filmifestivali üritustest, esituspaikadest, programmidest (eelkõige EurAasia võistlusprogrammist ja Eesti filmide programmist), žüriist. Veidi pikemalt Marcos Carnevale mängufilmist "Elsa ja Fred" ja Rein Raamatu dokfilmist "Mikk"

  9. Tosca Mikiveri mälestuseks. Estonia Turupäev 2007

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2007-01-01

    Lavastaja Mikk Mikiveri 70. sünniaastapäeva tähistamisest Giacomo Puccini ooperi "Tosca" esietendusega 4. sept. Tartus Vanemuise väikeses majas. Rahvusooper Estonia 102. hooaja uuslavastuste tutvustamisest 9. sept. Tallinnas Estonia maja taga ajaloolisel turuplatsil

  10. Bayesian inference on genetic merit under uncertain paternity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tempelman Robert J

    2003-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract A hierarchical animal model was developed for inference on genetic merit of livestock with uncertain paternity. Fully conditional posterior distributions for fixed and genetic effects, variance components, sire assignments and their probabilities are derived to facilitate a Bayesian inference strategy using MCMC methods. We compared this model to a model based on the Henderson average numerator relationship (ANRM in a simulation study with 10 replicated datasets generated for each of two traits. Trait 1 had a medium heritability (h2 for each of direct and maternal genetic effects whereas Trait 2 had a high h2 attributable only to direct effects. The average posterior probabilities inferred on the true sire were between 1 and 10% larger than the corresponding priors (the inverse of the number of candidate sires in a mating pasture for Trait 1 and between 4 and 13% larger than the corresponding priors for Trait 2. The predicted additive and maternal genetic effects were very similar using both models; however, model choice criteria (Pseudo Bayes Factor and Deviance Information Criterion decisively favored the proposed hierarchical model over the ANRM model.

  11. The merits of measuring challenge and hindrance appraisals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Searle, Ben J; Auton, Jaime C

    2015-01-01

    The challenge-hindrance framework has shown that challenge stressors (work characteristics associated with potential personal gain) tend to have positive outcomes, whereas hindrance stressors (those which obstruct goals) have negative outcomes. However, typical research methods assume that stressors allocated to these categories are appraised consistently by different people and across different situations. We validate new measures of challenge and hindrance appraisals and demonstrate their utility in stress research. We used a cross-sectional survey of American employees (Study 1, n = 333), a diary survey of Australian employees (Study 2, n = 241), and a survey of Australian college students whose performance was evaluated independently (Study 3, n = 350). Even after accounting for the effects of stressors, challenge and hindrance appraisals consistently explained unique variance in affective states, with indications that stressors have indirect effects via appraisals. Such effects were seen within- as well as between-participants (Study 2). Appraisals also had expected associations with specific coping behaviors (Study 1), while challenge appraisal was associated with task performance (Study 3). The scales of challenge and hindrance appraisals were psychometrically sound across multiple contexts. RESULTS highlight the merit of considering appraisal in stress research.

  12. Current developments on the coal and gas markets and their retroactive effects on the Merit Order; Aktuelle Entwicklungen auf den Kohle- und Gasmaerkten und ihre Rueckwirkungen auf die Merit Order

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hecking, Harald; Cam, Eren; Schoenfisch, Max; Schulte, Simon [ewi Energy Research and Scenarios gGmbH, Koeln (Germany)

    2017-06-15

    Coal and gas continue to play a significant role in the European power generation system, especially in Germany. According to the AG energy balances, the share of hard coal in German gross electricity generation in 2016 was 17.2% and natural gas 12.4%. In addition to the CO{sub 2} price, the prices for steam coal and natural gas are a key factor in determining which gas or coal power station is in Merit Order and whether it comes to a fuel switch. Declining gas prices have been rising sharply since the middle of 2016, and the volatile prices for steam coal have been rising. This article discusses the developments and factors responsible for these developments, which could be expected in the near future, and the implications for the gas-coal spread in the electricity market. [German] Kohle und Gas spielen weiterhin eine bedeutende Rolle im europaeischen Stromerzeugungssystem, insbesondere in Deutschland. Laut AG Energiebilanzen lag 2016 der Anteil der Steinkohle an der deutschen Bruttostromerzeugung bei 17,2 % und der von Erdgas bei 12,4 %. Neben dem CO{sub 2}-Preis sind die Preise fuer Kesselkohle und Erdgas massgeblich dafuer verantwortlich, welches Gas- bzw. Kohlekraftwerk welche Position in der Merit Order einnimmt und ob es zu einem Fuel Switch kommt. Sinkende Preise beim Gas stehen seit Mitte 2016 stark gestiegenen und volatilen Preisen fuer Kesselkohle gegenueber. Dieser Artikel diskutiert, welche Entwicklungen und Faktoren fuer diese Entwicklungen verantwortlich sind, womit in naher Zukunft zu rechnen sein koennte und welche Implikationen dies fuer den Gas-Kohle-Spread im Strommarkt hat.

  13. Eesti Tervishoiu Muuseum = Estonian Health Care Museum / Raili Paling, Liis Lindvere, Kadri Kaldam ; kommenteerinud Kadri Liimal

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Paling, Raili

    2016-01-01

    Eesti Tervishoiu Muuseumi (Tallinn, Lai tn. 30) renoveeritud interjöör ja püsiekspositsioon. Autorid Jelena Altmäe, Kadri Kaldam, Andrus Kõresaar, Indrek Mikk, Jaanus Männik, Lea Laidra, Liis Lindvere, Raili Paling; kuraator Ülle Kask

  14. Esietendus

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2000-01-01

    22. sept. esietendused teatrites - Eesti Draamateatris "Mälestused. Ainult ei tea millest" Mikk Mikiveri lavastuses, Tallinna Linnateatris "Clavigo" saksa külalislavastaja Andrea Mosese lavastuses ja Vene Draamateatris "Lavalised segadused", mille tõi lavale vene külalislavastaja Aleksandr Issakov

  15. Mis muutub Eesti Kunstimuuseumi elus, rollis ja tähenduses, kui Kumu valmis on saanud? / Marika Valk

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Valk, Marika

    2004-01-01

    EKMi filiaalidest jäävad edasi tegutsema Kadrioru lossi väliskunstimuuseum (koos Mikkeli muuseumiga), Niguliste muuseum, Adamson-Ericu muuseum, Kristjan Raua majamuuseum, juurde tuleb Kumu, tegevuse lõpetavad Rüütelkonna hoone ja kunstimuuseumi näitusepind Rotermanni soolalaos

  16. Measuring Student Growth within a Merit-Pay Evaluation System: Perceived Effects on Music Teacher Motivation Career Commitment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munroe, Angela

    2017-01-01

    In this experimental study, music teachers from a large school district were randomly assigned to one of two hypothetical conditions reflecting different methods for measuring student growth under a merit pay compensation system. In Scenario A, half of a teacher's effectiveness rating was based on student standardized test scores in reading,…

  17. Merits and demerits of engaging in athletic, academic and part-time job roles among university student-athletes in Japan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamada, Yasuyuki; Mizuno, Motoki; Ebara, Takeshi; Hirosawa, Masataka

    2011-12-01

    Although role conflict management is necessary for the prevention of dropout from participation in sports, little has been known about it, especially regarding Japanese university student-athletes. Hence, this study examined the aspects of merit and demerit involved in their performances of academic, athletic, part-time job, family and human relationship roles. The merits and demerits were evaluated using the theoretical concepts of negative spillover (NSP), positive spillover (PSP), compensation and segmentation. In the research, a total of 108 participants (63 males, 45 females) described information about their multiple roles in the Multiple Roles Map (MRM) form. NSP with high frequency rates (3rd quartile) showed demerit that negative condition in athletic and part-time job roles tended to disturb performance of other roles (male ≥ 17.5%, female ≥ 15.6%). The results of PSP showed merit that positive condition in the athletic, part-time job and academic roles contributes to accomplishment of good performance in other roles (male ≥ 19.0%, female ≥ 17.8%). Compensation indicated that negative conditions in the roles were compensated by satisfaction in the human relationships and family roles and private time (male ≥ 9.5%, female ≥ 11.1%). The family role was segmented from other roles (male ≥ 71.4%, female ≥ 68.9%). Sharing these findings will be effective in helping to solve role conflict problems of university student-athletes in Japan.

  18. The relationship between genetic merit for yield and live weight, condition score, and energy balance of spring calving Holstein Friesian dairy cows on grass based systems of milk production

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Buckley, F.; Dillon, P.; Rath, M.; Veerkamp, R.F.

    2000-01-01

    The objectives of this study were to estimate the effects of genetic merit for milk yield on energy balance, DM intake (DMI), and fertility for cows managed on three different grass-based feeding systems and to estimate possible interactions between genetic merit and feeding system. Individual

  19. EDCTP regional networks of excellence: initial merits for planned clinical trials in Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miiro, George M; Oukem-Boyer, Odile Ouwe Missi; Sarr, Ousmane; Rahmani, Maerangis; Ntoumi, Francine; Dheda, Keertan; Pym, Alexander; Mboup, Souleymane; Kaleebu, Pontiano

    2013-03-22

    Achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and combating hotspots with escalating but preventable communicable diseases remain major challenges in Africa. The European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) intervened to combat poverty-related diseases including malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, and to conduct multi-centre clinical trials and multi-disciplinary health research through an innovative model of regional Networks of Excellence (NoEs). We participated in a quasi-formative evaluation between October and December 2011 on the 4 regional-led research networks. These included the: Central Africa Network on Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and Malaria (CANTAM); East African Consortium for Clinical Research (EACCR); West African Network of Excellence for TB, AIDS and Malaria (WANETAM), and the Trials of Excellence for Southern Africa (TESA) launched between 2009 and 2010. We shared a participatory appraisal of field reports, progress reports and presentations from each network to jointly outline the initial experiences of the merits, outputs and lessons learnt. The self-regulating democratic networks, with 64 institutions in 21 African countries, have trained over 1, 000 African scientists, upgraded 36 sites for clinical trials, leveraged additional € 24 million and generated 38 peer-reviewed publications through networking and partnerships. The shared initial merits and lessons learnt portray in part the strengthened capacity of these networks for improved research coordination and conduct of planned multi-center clinical trials in Africa. Increased funding by African agencies, governments and international health partners will ensure sustainability of these networks for research capacity development and demonstrate their commitment to achieving the MDGs in Africa.

  20. Nuclear Detection Figure Of Merit (NDFOM) Version 1.2 User's Guide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stroud, Phillip D.; Dufresne, Thomas A.

    2012-01-01

    NDFOM is a detector database and detector evaluation system, accessible as a web service. It runs on the same server as the Patriot service, but uses port 8081. In this user's guide, we will use the example case that the patriot service is running on http://patriot.lanl.gov. Then the NDFOM service would be accessible at the URL http://patriot.lanl.gov:8081/ndfom. In addition to local server installations, common server locations are 1) a patriot server running on a virtual machine (use the virtual machine URL with :8081/ndfom), and 2) a patriot server running on a local machine (use http://localhost:8081/ndfom or http://127.0.0.1:8081/ndfom). The home screen provides panels to select detectors, a scenario, and a figure-of-merit. It also has an 'analyze' button, which will evaluate the selected figure-of-merit for the selected detectors, for the scenario selected by the user. The detector effectiveness evaluations are presented through the browser in a ranked list of detectors. The user does not need to log in to perform analysis with pre-supplied detectors, scenarios, and FOMs. The homepage view is shown in Figure 1. The first panel displays a list of the detectors in the current detector database. The user can select one, some, or all detectors to evaluate. On the right of each listed detector, there is a star icon. Clicking that icon will open a panel that displays the details about that detector, such as detector material, dimensions, thresholds, etc. The center panel displays the pre-supplied scenarios that are in the database. A scenario specifies the source of interest, the spectrum of the radiation, the background radiation spectrum, the distance or distance of closest approach, the allowable false positive rate, and the dwell time or speed. Scenario details can be obtained by clicking the star to the right of a scenario. A scenario can be selected by clicking it.

  1. Figures of Merit Guiding Research on Organic Solar Cells

    KAUST Repository

    Kirchartz, Thomas

    2018-03-02

    While substantial progress in the efficiency of polymer-based solar cells was possible by optimizing the energy levels of the polymer and more recently also the acceptor molecule, further progress beyond 10% efficiency requires a number of criteria to be fulfilled simultaneously, namely, low energy-level offsets at the donor–acceptor heterojunction, low open-circuit voltage losses due to nonradiative recombination, and efficient charge transport and collection. In this feature article we discuss these criteria considering thermodynamic limits, their correlation to photocurrent and photovoltage, and effects on the fill factor. Each criterion is quantified by a figure of merit (FOM) that directly relates to device performance. To ensure a wide applicability, we focus on FOMs that are easily accessible from common experiments. We demonstrate the relevance of these FOMs by looking at the historic and recent achievements of organic solar cells. We hope that the presented FOMs are or will become a valuable tool to evaluate, monitor, and guide further development of new organic absorber materials for solar cells.

  2. 1 küsimus noorele juhile : Mida oled õppinud oma ülemustelt? / Heidi Raamat, Erki Tiivas, Jaana Lisette Kask ... [jt.

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2009-01-01

    Küsimusele vastavad Viasat Baltikumi operatsioonide osakonna juhataja Heidi Raamat, Chrisal Trading OÜ juht Erki Tiivas, Tavidi turundusjuht Jaana Lisette Kask, Ajakirjade Kirjastuse avalike suhete juht Jaanika Käärst, logistikafirma DPD juht Tarmo Tael ning Singapuris juhtimist ja majandust õppinud Mikk Tamme

  3. Skulptorid uurivad vormi tempot

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2002-01-01

    9. XI-8. XII Tallinna Kunstihoones Eesti Kujurite Ühenduse näitus "Tempo di scultura/sculpture agogique/skulptuuri tempo". Kuraatorid Toomas Mikk, Mari-Liis Tammi, Aili Vahtrapuu, kujundaja Mari Kurismaa, avamisel Kaarel Kurismaa performance. Kasutatud Gaston Bachelard'i teose "Kaemus hetkest" tekste

  4. Peidetud mõte : Euroopa portselanfiguuride tähendusest / Kersti Kuldna-Türkson ; tõlk. Katrin Kivimaa

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Kuldna-Türkson, Kersti

    2005-01-01

    Esemete funktsioonide ja sümboolsete tähenduste teisenemisest sõltuvalt elulaadist ja keskkonnast. 18.-20. saj. portselanfiguuridest Kadrioru Kunstimuuseumi ja Mikkeli muuseumi kogude põhjal - figuraalsed lauakaunistused, realistlikud kompositsioonid, sari "Venemaa rahvad", 20. saj. vene agitportselan. Portselanitööstus Euroopas

  5. Peterburis maandusid tulnukad - Rasmus Merivoo juhatab vägesid! / Kristiina Davidjants

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Davidjants, Kristiina, 1974-

    2008-01-01

    Peterburis Eesti-Vene koostöös sündiva mängufilmi "Buratino" võtetel. Režissöör on Rasmus Merivoo, nimiosas Mikk Nurga, Carabas Barabasi rollis Jaan Rekkor, operaator Aleksandr Kornejev, Eestipoolsed produtsendid Mati Sepping ja Tiina Lokk

  6. Thermoelectric figure of merit of polymeric systems for low-power generators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cigarini, Luigi; Ruini, Alice; Catellani, Alessandra; Calzolari, Arrigo

    2017-10-01

    The request of thermoelectric materials for low-power and flexible applications fosters the investigation of the intrinsic electron and thermal transport of conducting polymeric chains, which are building blocks of the complex variety of organic composites proposed in experimental samples. Using calculations from first principles and the Landauer approach for both electron and phonon carriers, we study the thermoelectric figure of merit zT of three representative and largely used polymer chains, namely poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), polyaniline and polyfluorene. Our results provide an upper-limit estimate of zT, due to the intrinsic electronic and vibrational properties of the selected compounds, and pave the way to a microscopic understanding of the mechanisms that affect their electronic and transport characteristics in terms of structural distortions and chemical doping.

  7. U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program 2011 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Satypal, S.

    2011-09-01

    This document summarizes the comments provided by peer reviewers on hydrogen and fuel cell projects presented at the FY 2011 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Program and Vehicle Technologies Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR), held May 9-13, 2011 in Arlington, Virginia

  8. Optimization principles and the figure of merit for triboelectric generators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Jun; Kang, Stephen Dongmin; Snyder, G Jeffrey

    2017-12-01

    Energy harvesting with triboelectric nanogenerators is a burgeoning field, with a growing portfolio of creative application schemes attracting much interest. Although power generation capabilities and its optimization are one of the most important subjects, a satisfactory elemental model that illustrates the basic principles and sets the optimization guideline remains elusive. We use a simple model to clarify how the energy generation mechanism is electrostatic induction but with a time-varying character that makes the optimal matching for power generation more restrictive. By combining multiple parameters into dimensionless variables, we pinpoint the optimum condition with only two independent parameters, leading to predictions of the maximum limit of power density, which allows us to derive the triboelectric material and device figure of merit. We reveal the importance of optimizing device capacitance, not only load resistance, and minimizing the impact of parasitic capacitance. Optimized capacitances can lead to an overall increase in power density of more than 10 times.

  9. Paper Prototyping: The Surplus Merit of a Multi-Method Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephanie Bettina Linek

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available This article describes a multi-method approach for usability testing. The approach combines paper prototyping and think-aloud with two supplemental methods: advanced scribbling and a handicraft task. The method of advanced scribbling instructs the participants to use different colors for marking important, unnecessary and confusing elements in a paper prototype. In the handicraft task the participants have to tinker a paper prototype of their wish version. Both methods deliver additional information on the needs and expectations of the potential users and provide helpful indicators for clarifying complex or contradictory findings. The multi-method approach and its surplus benefit are illustrated by a pilot study on the redesign of the homepage of a library 2.0. The findings provide positive evidence for the applicability of the advanced scribbling and the handicraft task as well as for the surplus merit of the multi-method approach. The article closes with a discussion and outlook. URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs150379

  10. TÜ Loodusmuuseum = University of Tartu Natural History Museum / Raili Paling, Liis Lindvere, Kadri Kaldam ; kommenteerinud Jana Lass

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Paling, Raili

    2016-01-01

    Tartu Ülikooli Loodusmuuseumi (Tartu, Vanemuise tn. 46) interjöör ja ekspositsioon. Autorid Jelena Altmäe, Kadri Kaldam, Raivo Kotov, Andrus Kõresaar, Lea Laidra, Liis Lindvere, Indrek Mikk, Jaanus Männik, Raili Paling; projektijuht Reet Mägi; kuraatorid Kaie Kotov, Riste Keskpaik

  11. Lennusadam = Seaplane Harbour / Andrus Kõresaar

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Kõresaar, Andrus, 1975-

    2013-01-01

    Tallinna Lennusadama vesilennukite angaaride rekonstrueerimisest, Eesti Meremuuseumi uue ekspositsiooni kujundusest. Autorid: Andrus Kõresaar, Olga Batuhtina, Raivo Kotov, Margit Argus, Margit Aule, Indrek Mikk (KOKO Arhitektid). Insener Karl Õiger. Arhitektuuriajaloolase Mart Kalmu ning arhitektuurikriitiku ja ESLi aastapreemiate žürii liikme Triin Ojari arvamused

  12. Figure of merit comparison of PP-based electret and PVDF-based piezoelectric polymer energy harvesters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mrlík, M.; Leadenham, S.; AlMaadeed, M. A.; Erturk, A.

    2016-04-01

    The harvesting of mechanical strain and kinetic energy has received great attention over the past two decades in order to power wireless electronic components such as those used in passive and active monitoring applications. Piezoelectric ceramics, such as PZT (lead zirconate titanate), constitute the most commonly used electromechanical interface in vibration energy harvesters. However, there are applications in which piezoelectric ceramics cannot be used due to their low allowable curvature and brittle nature. Soft polymer PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) is arguably the most popular non-ceramic soft piezoelectric energy harvester material for such scenarios. Another type of polymer that has received less attention is PP (polypropylene) for electret-based energy harvesting using the thickness mode (33- mode). This work presents figure of merit comparison of PP versus PVDF for off-resonant energy harvesting in thickness mode operation, revealing substantial advantage of PP over PVDF. For thickness mode energy harvesting scenarios (e.g. dynamic compression) at reasonable ambient vibration frequencies, the figure of merit for the maximum power output is proportional to the square of the effective piezoelectric strain constant divided by the effective permittivity constant. Under optimal conditions and for the same volume, it is shown that PP can generate more than two orders of magnitude larger electrical power as compared to PVDF due to the larger effective piezoelectric strain constant and lower permittivity of the former.

  13. 2011 Mars - Refresher presentation - General principles of the Merit, Appraisal and Recognition Scheme

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2010-01-01

    Staff members are invited to attend one of the following three information sessions that shall outline the general principles of the 2011 annual Merit, Appraisal and Recognition Scheme (MARS). Monday 10 January at 16:00-17:00 BE Auditorium Prévessin (864-1-D-02) – French;   Tuesday 11 January at 15:00-16:00 – Council Chamber (503-1-001) – English;   Thursday 13 January at 15:00-16:00 - Kjell Johnsen Auditorium (30-7-018) – French. General information on the MARS exercise may also be found on the Human Resources website: https://hr-eguide.web.cern.ch/hr-eguide/mars/mars.asp Tel. 70674 / 72728

  14. Tallinna Teletorn = Tallinn Television Tower

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2015-01-01

    Rekonstrueeritud Tallinna Teletorn Kloostrimetsa tee 58a, valminud 2012. Eesti kultuurkapitali aastapreemia 2012. Arhitekt David Basiladze. Rekonstrueerimise projekti arhitektid Raivo Kotov, Andrus Kõresaar, Indrek Mikk, Margit Aule, Jaanus Männik, Lea Laidra, Karis Kahr (KOKO Arhitektid). Sisearhitektid Liis Lindvere, Raili Paling, Margit Argus (KOKO Arhitektid). Konstruktor Neoprojekt

  15. Kuus uut Eesti filmi korraga ekraanil / Tarmo Teder

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Teder, Tarmo

    1998-01-01

    21. mail esilinastuvad kinos Sõprus 'Just märried', rezh. Peep Pedmanson; 'Päevavalgus', rezh. Mait Laas; 'Primavera', rezh. Riho Unt ja Hardi Volmer; 'Vares ja hiired', rezh. Priit Tender ja Mikk Rand; 'Bermuda', rezh. Ülo Pikkov; 'Tom ja Fluffy', rezh. Janno Põldma ja Heiki Ernits

  16. Estimating total economic merit for the Portuguese Holstein cattle population under new economic conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joana B.M. Almeida

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this study was to develop a total economic merit index that identifies more profitable animals using Portugal as a case study to illustrate the recent economic changes in milk production. Economic values were estimated following future global prices and EU policy, and taking into consideration the priorities of the Portuguese dairy sector. Economic values were derived using an objective system analysis with a positive approach, that involved the comparison of several alternatives, using real technical and economic data from national dairy farms. The estimated relative economic values revealed a high importance of production traits, low for morphological traits and a value of zero for somatic cell score. According to several future market expectations, three scenarios for milk production were defined: a realistic, a pessimistic and an optimistic setting, each with projected future economic values. Responses to selection and efficiency of selection of the indices were compared to a fourth scenario that represents the current selection situation in Portugal, based on individual estimated breeding values for milk yield. Although profit resulting from sale of milk per average lactation in the optimistic scenario was higher than in the realistic scenario, the volatility of future economic conditions and uncertainty about the future milk pricing system should be considered. Due to this market instability, genetic improvement programs require new definitions of profit functions for the near future. Effective genetic progress direction must be verified so that total economic merit formulae can be adjusted and selection criteria redirected to the newly defined target goals.

  17. Relationships between Milk Progesterone Profiles and Genetic Merit for Milk Production, Milking Frequency, and Feeding Regimen in Dairy Cattle

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Windig, J.J.; Beerda, B.; Veerkamp, R.F.

    2008-01-01

    Milk progesterone profiles were determined from samples obtained twice weekly for 100 d postpartum in 100 Holstein primiparous cows at a Dutch experimental farm. Three treatments were applied in a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial arrangement with high-low genetic merit for overall production, high-low caloric

  18. Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): Harsh Choices For Interventional Pain Management Physicians.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manchikanti, Laxmaiah; Helm Ii, Standiford; Benyamin, Ramsin M; Hirsch, Joshua A

    2016-01-01

    The Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) was created by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) to improve the health of all Americans by providing incentives and policies to improve patient health outcomes. MIPS combines 3 existing programs, Meaningful Use (MU), now called Advancing Care Information (ACI), contributing 25% of the composite score; Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), changed to Quality, contributing 50% of the composite score; and Value-based Payment (VBP) system to Resource Use or cost, contributing 10% of the composite score. Additionally, Clinical Practice Improvement Activities (CPIA), contributing 15% of the composite score, create multiple strategic goals to design incentives that drive movement toward delivery system reform principles with inclusion of Advanced Alternative Payment Models (APMs). Under the present proposal, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has estimated approximately 30,000 to 90,000 providers from a total of over 761,000 providers will be exempt from MIPS. About 87% of solo practitioners and 70% of practitioners in groups of less than 10 will be subjected to negative payments or penalties ranging from 4% to 9%. In addition, MIPS also will affect a provider's reputation by making performance measures accessible to consumers and third-party physician rating Web sites.The MIPS composite performance scoring method, at least in theory, utilizes weights for each performance category, exceptional performance factors to earn bonuses, and incorporates the special circumstances of small practices.In conclusion, MIPS has the potential to affect practitioners negatively. Interventional Pain Medicine practitioners must understand the various MIPS measures and how they might participate in order to secure a brighter future. Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, merit-based incentive payment system, quality performance measures, resource use, clinical practice

  19. Enhancement in figure-of-merit with superlattices structures for thin-film thermoelectric devices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Venkatasubramanian, R; Colpitts, T

    1997-07-01

    Thin-film superlattice (SL) structures in thermoelectric materials are shown to be a promising approach to obtaining an enhanced figure-of-merit, ZT, compared to conventional, state-of-the-art bulk alloyed materials. In this paper the authors describe experimental results on Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3}/Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} and Si/Ge SL structures, relevant to thermoelectric cooling and power conversion, respectively. The short-period Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} and Si/Ge SL structures appear to indicate reduced thermal conductivities compared to alloys of these materials. From the observed behavior of thermal conductivity values in the Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3}/Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} SL structures, a distinction is made where certain types of periodic structures may correspond to an ordered alloy rather than an SL, and therefore, do not offer a significant reduction in thermal conductivity values. The study also indicates that SL structures, with little or weak quantum-confinement, also offer an improvement in thermoelectric power factor over conventional alloys. They present power factor and electrical transport data in the plane of the SL interfaces to provide preliminary support for the arguments on reduced alloy scattering and impurity scattering in Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3}/Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} and Si/Ge SL structures. These results, though tentative due to the possible role of the substrate and the developmental nature of the 3-{omega} method used to determine thermal conductivity values, suggest that the short-period SL structures potentially offer factorial improvements in the three-dimensional figure-of-merit (ZT3D) compared to current state-of-the-art bulk alloys. An approach to a thin-film thermoelectric device called a Bipolarity-Assembled, Series-Inter-Connected Thin-Film Thermoelectric Device (BASIC-TFTD) is introduced to take advantage of these thin-film SL structures.

  20. Effects of the Boy Scouts of America Personal Fitness Merit Badge on Cardio-Metabolic Risk, Health Related Fitness and Physical Activity in Adolescent Boys.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maxwell, Justin; Burns, Ryan D; Brusseau, Timothy A

    2017-01-01

    A growing number of adolescents are more sedentary and have fewer formal opportunities to participate in physical activity. With the mounting evidence that sedentary time has a negative impact on cardiometabolic profiles, health related fitness and physical activity, there is a pressing need to find an affordable adolescent physical activity intervention. One possible intervention that has been overlooked in the past is Boy Scouts of America. There are nearly 900,000 adolescent boys who participate in Boy Scouts in the United States. The purpose of this research study was to evaluate the effect of the Personal Fitness merit badge system on physical activity, health-related fitness, and cardio-metabolic blood profiles in Boy Scouts 11-17 years of age. Participants were fourteen (N = 14) Boy Scouts from the Great Salt Lake Council of the Boy Scouts of America who earned their Personal Fitness merit badge. Classes were held in the Spring of 2016 where boys received the information needed to obtain the merit badge and data were collected. Results from the related-samples Wilcoxon signed rank test showed that the median of differences between VO 2 peak pre-test and post-test scores were statistically significant ( p = 0.004). However, it also showed that the differences between the Pre-MetS (metabolic syndrome) and Post-MetS scores (p = 0.917), average steps taken per day ( p = 0.317), and BMI ( p = 0.419) were not statistically significant. In conclusion, the merit badge program had a positive impact on cardiovascular endurance, suggesting this program has potential to improve cardiovascular fitness and should be considered for boys participating in Boy Scouts.

  1. Analysis of Scaling Law and Figure of Merit of Fiber-Based Biosensor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jui-Teng Lin

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a normalized transmitted signal (NTS of a fiber-based sensor using gold nanorods as the plasmon excitation medium of the evanescent wave. The NTS and the refractive index (RI sensitivity is calculated as a function of the gold aspect ratio (R, the RI of the sensing medium, and a scaling parameter given by the ratio of the fiber length and its diameter. Finally, the optimal value of gold aspect ratio is calculated to be R = (3.0–4.0 for maximum figure of merits (FOMs defined by the ratio of the refractive index sensitivity and the full width at half maximum. The scaling laws and the FOM presented in this paper may serve as the guidelines for optimal designs in fiber-based nanosensors.

  2. Simmul sai Anapas auhinna / Ilona Martson, Andres Laasik

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Martson, Ilona, 1970-

    2002-01-01

    SRÜ ja Baltimaade 11. filmifestivalil Anapas sai parima meesnäitleja preemia Rain Simmul Nika osa eest Arvo Iho mängufilmis "Karu süda". Videoprogrammi grand prix sai Mikk Ranna animafilm "Sääsk ja hobune", samas märgiti ära ka Mark Soosaare "La Paloma"

  3. Nirvaana, susla ja internet / Tarmo Teder

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Teder, Tarmo, 1958-

    2000-01-01

    Kolm stuudio Nukufilm uut nukufilmi : "Saamueli Internet" : Stsenarist Andrus Kivirähk : režissöör ja kunstnik Riho Unt; "Teekond Nirvaanasse" : Stsenarist, režissöör ja kunstnik Mait Laas; "Eilne vedur" : režissöörid Mikk Rand ja Kalju Kivi

  4. Kas õpetajad on teie kaudu tööd otsinud? / Natalija Gansen, Merit Laan, Ilmar Kütt... [jt.

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2010-01-01

    Küsimusele vastavad: Eesti töötukassa Tallinna ja Harjumaa osakonna teenusekonsultant Natalija Gansen, Eesti töötukassa Viljandimaa osakonna juhataja Merit Laan, Viljandi maavalitsuse haridus- ja sotsiaalosakonna juhataja Ilmar Kütt, CV-Online Estonia OÜ värbamisspetsialist Ivika Born, Lääne-Viru maavalitsuse haridus- ja sotsiaalosakonna vanemspetsialist Tiina Halling ja Valga maavalitsuse haridus- ja kultuuritalituse juhataja Kalle Vister

  5. The Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): A Primer for Otolaryngologists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rathi, Vinay K; Naunheim, Matthew R; Varvares, Mark A; Holmes, Kenneth; Gagliano, Nancy; Hartnick, Christopher J

    2018-05-01

    Following passage of the 2015 Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, most clinicians caring for Medicare Part B patients were required to participate in a new value-based reimbursement system known as the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) beginning in 2017. The MIPS adjusts payment rates to providers based on a composite score of performance across 4 categories: quality, advancing care information, clinical practice improvement activities, and resource use. However, factors such as practice size, setting, informational capabilities, and patient population may pose challenges as otolaryngologists endeavor to adapt to this broad-reaching payment reform. Given potential barriers to adoption, otolaryngologists should be aware of several important initiatives to help optimize their performance, including advocacy efforts by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the development of otolaryngology-specific MIPS quality measures, and the launch of a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services-qualified otolaryngology clinical data registry to facilitate reporting.

  6. 2013 MARS – Refresher presentation | General principles of the Merit, Appraisal and Recognition Scheme

    CERN Multimedia

    2013-01-01

    Staff members are invited to attend one of the three following information sessions that shall outline the general principles of the 2013 annual Merit, Appraisal and Recognition Scheme (MARS).   Monday 14 January at 10:00-11:30 – Filtration Plant (222-R-001) Thursday 17 January at 10:00-11:30 – Kjell Johnsen Auditorium (30-7-018) Monday 21 January at 10:00-11:30 - BE Amphitheatre Prévessin (864-1-D02)   General information on the MARS exercise may also be found in the CERN admin e-guide: https://admin-eguide.web.cern.ch/admin-eguide/mars/mars.asp. Human Resources Department Tel. 72728

  7. Художники ходят по крышам домов / Ханно Соанс

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Соанс, Ханно, 1974-

    2010-01-01

    Näitusest "Linna kohal" Tallinna Linnagaleriis. Teemaks on linnamajade katusepindade kasutuselevõtt. Kuraatorid Kadri Klementi ja Helis Heiter. Töödest näitusel. Osalevad: Anu Vahtra — Tallinna Kunstihoone, Claudia Doms ja Mikk Heinsoo — Saku Suurhall, Timo Toots — Lennujaam, Marit Ilison — Telliskivi Loomelinnak, Johnson & Johnson — Postimaja

  8. Novõi utshebnõi god budjet Godom dizaina / Ksenia Repson

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Repson, Ksenia

    2006-01-01

    Eesti Kunstiakadeemia disainihariduse 40. aastapäeva tähistava Disainiaasta üritusi: rahvusvaheline disainikonverents Connecting, näitus "40 aastat disaini" Tarbekunsti- ja Disainimuuseumis, disainikonkurss, rändnäitused, seminarid, Tallinna disainikaart (koostab Kai Lobjakas, joonistavad Indrek Sirkel ja Mikk Heinsoo). Projekti "Disainiaasta" juht on Ruth Helene Melioranski

  9. Lavater ja Goethe / Linnar Priimägi

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Priimägi, Linnar, 1954-

    2016-01-01

    Arvustus: Lavateri näoraamat : valgustusajastu pilk inimesele ja kunstile : toetudes Johann Caspar Lavateri menuteosele "Füsiognoomilisi fragmente inimesetundmise ja ligimesearmastuse edendamiseks" (1775-1778) / koostanud, kommenteerinud ja toimetanud Anu Allikvee ja Tiina-Mall Kreem ; fragmentide tõlge: Katrin Kaugver. Tallinn : Eesti Kunstimuuseum, Mikkeli Muuseum ; Tallinna Ülikool, Akadeemiline Raamatukogu. 2015

  10. Enhanced thermoelectric figure of merit in strained Tl-doped Bi2Se3

    KAUST Repository

    Saeed, Y.

    2014-07-21

    We explain recent experimental findings on Tl-doped Bi2Se3 by determining the electronic and transport properties by first-principles calculations and semi-classical Boltzmann theory. Though Tl-doping introduces a momentum-dependent spin-orbit splitting, the effective mass of the carriers is essentially not modified, while the band gap is reduced. Tl is found to be exceptional in this respect as other dopants modify the dispersion, which compromises thermoelectricity. Moreover, we demonstrate that only after Tl-doping strain becomes an efficient tool for enhancing the thermoelectric performance. A high figure of merit of 0.86 is obtained for strong p-doping (7 × 10^20 cm^(−3), maximal power factor) at 500 K under 2% tensile strain.

  11. Phenotypic and genetic relationships of feed efficiency with growth performance, ultrasound, and carcass merit traits in Angus and Charolais steers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mao, F; Chen, L; Vinsky, M; Okine, E; Wang, Z; Basarab, J; Crews, D H; Li, C

    2013-05-01

    Feed efficiency is of particular importance to the beef industry, as feed costs represent the single largest variable cost in beef production systems. Selection for more efficient cattle will lead to reduction of feed related costs, but should not have adverse impacts on quality of the carcass. In this study, we evaluated phenotypic and genetic correlations of residual feed intake (RFI), RFI adjusted for end-of-test ultrasound backfat thickness (RFIf), and RFI adjusted for ultrasound backfat thickness and LM area (RFIfr) with growth, ultrasound, and carcass merit traits in an Angus population of 551 steers and in a Charolais population of 417 steers. In the Angus steer population, the phenotypic and genetic correlation of RFI with carcass merit traits including HCW, carcass backfat, carcass LM area, lean meat yield, and carcass marbling were not significant or weak with correlations coefficients ranging from -0.0007 ± 0.05 to 0.18 ± 0.21. In the Charolais steer population, the phenotypic and genetic correlations of RFI with the carcass merit traits were also weak, with correlation coefficients ranging from -0.07 ± 0.06 to 0.19 ± 0.18, except for the genetic correlation with carcass average backfat, which was moderate with a magnitude of 0.42 ± 0.29. Inclusion of ultrasound backfat thickness in the model to predict the expected daily DMI for maintenance explained on average an additional 0.5% variation of DMI in the Angus steers and 2.3% variation of DMI in the Charolais steer population. Inclusion of both the ultrasound backfat and LM area in the model explained only 0.7% additional variance in DMI in the Angus steer population and only 0.6% in the Charolais steer population on top of the RFIf model. We concluded that RFIf adjusted for ultrasound backfat at the end of the test will lead to decreases of both the phenotypic and genetic correlations with carcass backfat and marbling score to a greater extent for late-maturing beef breeds such as Charolais than

  12. Competitiveness of Estonian milk production / Katri Lahesoo, Ülle Roosmaa, Johannes Holzner

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Lahesoo, Katri, 1973-

    2003-01-01

    Eesti piimatootmise konkurentsivõime analüüs võrreldes mõningate Kesk- ja Ida-Euroopa ning Euroopa Liidu riikidega, kasutatud on selleks IFCN Dairy 2001. aasta andmebaasi ja tüüptalude metodoloogiat. Diagrammid

  13. Genetic merit for fertility traits in Holstein cows: I. Production characteristics and reproductive efficiency in a pasture-based system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cummins, S B; Lonergan, P; Evans, A C O; Berry, D P; Evans, R D; Butler, S T

    2012-03-01

    The objective of the present study was to characterize the phenotypic performance of cows with similar proportions of Holstein genetics, similar genetic merit for milk production traits, but with good (Fert+) or poor (Fert-) genetic merit for fertility traits. Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that cows with a negative estimated breeding value for calving interval would have superior fertility performance and would have detectable differences in body reserve mobilization and circulating concentrations of metabolic hormones and metabolites compared with cows that had a positive estimated breeding value for calving interval. For the duration of the study, cows were managed identically as a single herd in a typical grass-based, spring-calving production system. A total of 80 lactation records were available from 26 Fert+ and 26 Fert- cows over 2 consecutive years (2008 and 2009). During yr 1, cows were monitored during a 20-wk breeding season to evaluate reproductive performance. Milk production, body condition score (scale 1 to 5), body weight, grass dry matter intake, energy balance, and metabolic hormone and metabolite data were collected during both years. The Fert+ cows had greater daily milk yield (19.5 vs. 18.7 kg/d), shorter interval from calving to conception (85.6 vs. 113.8 d), and fewer services per cow (1.78 vs. 2.83). No difference between groups in grass dry matter intake, energy balance, or body weight was observed. The Fert+ cows maintained greater BCS during mid (2.84 vs. 2.74 units) and late lactation (2.82 vs. 2.73 units). Circulating concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-I were greater throughout the gestation-lactation cycle in Fert+ cows (148.3 vs. 128.2 ng/mL). The Fert+ cows also had greater circulating concentrations of insulin during the first 4 wk of lactation (1.71 vs. 1.24 μIU/mL). Analysis of records from national herd data verified the association between genetic merit for fertility traits and phenotypic reproductive

  14. A Comparison of Individual and School Level Approaches to Merit Pay: A Case Study of the Dade County Public Schools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Provenzo, Eugene F., Jr.; And Others

    This policy study discusses two models of merit pay programs enacted in Florida: the Florida Meritorious Teacher Program and the Quality Instruction Incentives Program (QUIIP). Using the Motivation-Hygiene Theory (Herzberg et al.) as a theoretical framework, each program was analyzed from the perspective of how it worked as a motivator and source…

  15. Pöffihunt kutsub kinno

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2010-01-01

    19.11.-5.12.2010 kestva Pimedate Ööde Filmifestivali alafestivalidest. Vestlusest noorte- ja lastefilmide festivali Just Film juhi Mikk Granströmiga, tudengi- ja lühifilmide festivali Sleepwalkers juhi Helen Vinogradoviga, Nokia Mobiilifilmide festivali MOFF juhi Maria Pleesiga ning Animafilmide festivali Animated Dreams tegevjuhi Mark Kuslapuu ja programmijuhi Heilika Pikkoviga

  16. [The long pilgrimage of Spanish biomedical journals toward excellence. Who helps? Quality, impact and research merit].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alfonso, Fernando

    2010-03-01

    Biomedical journals must adhere to strict standards of editorial quality. In a globalized academic scenario, biomedical journals must compete firstly to publish the most relevant original research and secondly to obtain the broadest possible visibility and the widest dissemination of their scientific contents. The cornerstone of the scientific process is still the peer-review system but additional quality criteria should be met. Recently access to medical information has been revolutionized by electronic editions. Bibliometric databases such as MEDLINE, the ISI Web of Science and Scopus offer comprehensive online information on medical literature. Classically, the prestige of biomedical journals has been measured by their impact factor but, recently, other indicators such as SCImago SJR or the Eigenfactor are emerging as alternative indices of a journal's quality. Assessing the scholarly impact of research and the merits of individual scientists remains a major challenge. Allocation of authorship credit also remains controversial. Furthermore, in our Kafkaesque world, we prefer to count rather than read the articles we judge. Quantitative publication metrics (research output) and citations analyses (scientific influence) are key determinants of the scientific success of individual investigators. However, academia is embracing new objective indicators (such as the "h" index) to evaluate scholarly merit. The present review discusses some editorial issues affecting biomedical journals, currently available bibliometric databases, bibliometric indices of journal quality and, finally, indicators of research performance and scientific success. Copyright 2010 SEEN. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  17. Phase transition enhanced thermoelectric figure-of-merit in copper chalcogenides

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David R. Brown

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available While thermoelectric materials can be used for solid state cooling, waste heat recovery, and solar electricity generation, low values of the thermoelectric figure of merit, zT, have led to an efficiency too low for widespread use. Thermoelectric effects are characterized by the Seebeck coefficient or thermopower, which is related to the entropy associated with charge transport. For example, coupling spin entropy with the presence of charge carriers has enabled the enhancement of zT in cobalt oxides. We demonstrate that the coupling of a continuous phase transition to carrier transport in Cu2Se over a broad (360–410 K temperature range results in a dramatic peak in thermopower, an increase in phonon and electron scattering, and a corresponding doubling of zT (to 0.7 at 406 K, and a similar but larger increase over a wider temperature range in the zT of Cu1.97Ag.03Se (almost 1.0 at 400 K. The use of structural entropy for enhanced thermopower could lead to new engineering approaches for thermoelectric materials with high zT and new green applications for thermoelectrics.

  18. [New International Classification of Chronic Pancreatitis (M-ANNHEIM multifactor classification system, 2007): principles, merits, and demerits].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsimmerman, Ia S

    2008-01-01

    The new International Classification of Chronic Pancreatitis (designated as M-ANNHEIM) proposed by a group of German specialists in late 2007 is reviewed. All its sections are subjected to analysis (risk group categories, clinical stages and phases, variants of clinical course, diagnostic criteria for "established" and "suspected" pancreatitis, instrumental methods and functional tests used in the diagnosis, evaluation of the severity of the disease using a scoring system, stages of elimination of pain syndrome). The new classification is compared with the earlier classification proposed by the author. Its merits and demerits are discussed.

  19. Custom Hardware Processor to Compute a Figure of Merit for the Fit of X-Ray Diffraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gomez-Pulido, P.J.A.; Vega-Rodriguez, M.A.; Sanchez-Perez, J.M.; Sanchez-Bajo, F.; Santos, S.P.D.

    2008-01-01

    A custom processor based on re configurable hardware technology is proposed in order to compute the figure of merit used to measure the quality of the fit of X-ray diffraction peaks. As the experimental X-ray profiles can present many peaks severely overlapped, it is necessary to select the best model among a large set of reasonably good solutions. Determining the best solution is computationally intensive, because this is a hard combinatorial optimization problem. The proposed processors, working in parallel, increase the performance relative to a software implementation.

  20. Plasmonic Refractive Index Sensor with High Figure of Merit Based on Concentric-Rings Resonator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zhaojian; Yang, Junbo; He, Xin; Zhang, Jingjing; Huang, Jie; Chen, Dingbo; Han, Yunxin

    2018-01-01

    A plasmonic refractive index (RI) sensor based on metal-insulator-metal (MIM) waveguide coupled with concentric double rings resonator (CDRR) is proposed and investigated numerically. Utilizing the novel supermodes of the CDRR, the FWHM of the resonant wavelength can be modulated, and a sensitivity of 1060 nm/RIU with high figure of merit (FOM) 203.8 is realized in the near-infrared region. The unordinary modes, as well as the influence of structure parameters on the sensing performance, are also discussed. Such plasmonic sensor with simple framework and high optical resolution could be applied to on-chip sensing systems and integrated optical circuits. Besides, the special cases of bio-sensing and triple rings are also discussed. PMID:29300331

  1. Quantum confinement effects on the thermoelectric figure of merit in Si/Si{sub 1{minus}x}Ge{sub x} system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun, X; Dresselhaus, M S; Wang, K L; Tanner, M O

    1997-07-01

    The Si/Si{sub 1{minus}x}Ge{sub x} quantum well system is attractive for high temperature thermoelectric applications and for demonstration of proof-of-principle for enhanced thermoelectric figure of merit Z, since the interfaces and carrier densities can be well controlled in this system. The authors report here theoretical calculations for Z in this system, and results from theoretical modeling of quantum confinement effects in the presence of {delta}-doping within the barrier layers. The {delta}-doping layers are introduced by growing very thin layers of wide band gap materials within the barrier layers in order to increase the effective barrier height within the barriers and thereby reduce the barrier width necessary for the quantum confinement of carriers within the quantum well. The overall figure of merit is thereby enhanced due to the reduced barrier width and hence reduced thermal conductivity, {kappa}. The {delta}-doping should further reduce {kappa} in the barriers by introducing phonon scattering centers within the barrier region. The temperature dependence of Z for Si quantum wells is also discussed.

  2. Confirmatory Factor Analysis of U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board's Survey of Sexual Harassment: The Fit of a Three-Factor Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stockdale, Margaret S.; Hope, Kathryn G.

    1997-01-01

    Factor analysis of data from 1,070 federal employees, 575 undergraduates and 575 graduate students, faculty, and staff uncovered some weaknesses in the Merit Systems Protection Board's sexual harassment survey instrument. This type of survey does not adequately measure sexual coercion or quid pro quo forms of harassment. (SK)

  3. A bottom-up route to enhance thermoelectric figures of merit in graphene nanoribbons

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sevincli, Haldun; Sevik, Cem; Cagin, Tahir

    2013-01-01

    We propose a hybrid nano-structuring scheme for tailoring thermal and thermoelectric transport properties of graphene nanoribbons. Geometrical structuring and isotope cluster engineering are the elements that constitute the proposed scheme. Using first-principles based force constants and Hamilto......We propose a hybrid nano-structuring scheme for tailoring thermal and thermoelectric transport properties of graphene nanoribbons. Geometrical structuring and isotope cluster engineering are the elements that constitute the proposed scheme. Using first-principles based force constants...... and Hamiltonians, we show that the thermal conductance of graphene nanoribbons can be reduced by 98.8% at room temperature and the thermoelectric figure of merit, ZT, can be as high as 3.25 at T = 800 K. The proposed scheme relies on a recently developed bottom-up fabrication method, which is proven to be feasible...

  4. Kontserdisarja "Rosaarium" viimane kontsert

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2008-01-01

    21. sept. esinevad Jäneda mõisa suures saalis kontserdiga Kait Tamra ja Eesti Nukuteatri segakoor Kaire Vilgatsi juhatamisel. Selle suve esimesel kontserdil esinesid Tõnis Mägi koos Mikk Dedega ja Rakvere kammerkoor Solare dirigent Elo Forseli juhendamisel, teisel kontserdil astusid üles Chalice ja segakoor Suisapäisa Kuldar Schützi juhatamisel

  5. Kunstitudengid näitavad Maarjamäe lossi pargis oma vabadussamba tõlgendusi

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2008-01-01

    Eesti Kunstiakadeemia skulptuuritudengid Marit Mardla, Matthias-Jakob Sildnik, Mikk Madisson, Liis Dvorjanski, Uku Sepisvart, Hannes Aasamets, Kadri Allekand, Kristin Orav, Loore Raav, Jekaterina Kultajeva, Li Yang, Kristel Aasjõe, Liivi Tantaal, Jass Kaselaan, Edith Karlson, Kadri Metstak, Berit Talpsepp ja Eike Eplik näitavad oma töid näitusel "Vabaduse monumendid"

  6. Multifilm kui tõsine asi / Marko Mägi

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Mägi, Marko

    1998-01-01

    Esilinastus 6 animafilmi : "Vares ja hiired", autorid Priit Tender ja Mikk Rand; "Just märried", autor Peep Pedmanson; "Päevavalgus", autor Mait Laas; "Tom ja Fluffy", režissöörid Janno Põldma ja Heiki Ernits; "Bermuda", autor Ülo Pikkov; "Primavera", režissöörid Riho Unt ja Hardi Volmer

  7. Eesti animafilme igale maitsele / Sulev Teinemaa

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Teinemaa, Sulev, 1947-

    1998-01-01

    Esilinastus 6 animafilmi : "Vares ja hiired", autorid Priit Tender ja Mikk Rand; "Just märried", autor Peep Pedmanson; "Päevavalgus", autor Mait Laas; "Tom ja Fluffy", režissöörid Janno Põldma ja Heiki Ernits; "Bermuda", autor Ülo Pikkov; "Primavera", režissöörid Riho Unt ja Hardi Volmer

  8. Aimdusi tsivilisatsioonist / Tarmo Teder

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Teder, Tarmo, 1958-

    1998-01-01

    Esilinastus 6 animafilmi : "Vares ja hiired", autorid Priit Tender ja Mikk Rand; "Just märried", autor Peep Pedmanson; "Päevavalgus", autor Mait Laas; "Tom ja Fluffy", režissöörid Janno Põldma ja Heiki Ernits; "Bermuda", autor Ülo Pikkov; "Primavera", režissöörid Riho Unt ja Hardi Volmer

  9. Animaalselt ja humaanselt / Karlo Funk

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Funk, Karlo, 1971-

    1998-01-01

    Esilinastus 6 animafilmi : "Vares ja hiired", autorid Priit Tender ja Mikk Rand; "Just märried", autor Peep Pedmanson; "Päevavalgus", autor Mait Laas; "Tom ja Fluffy", režissöörid Janno Põldma ja Heiki Ernits; "Bermuda", autor Ülo Pikkov; "Primavera", režissöörid Riho Unt ja Hardi Volmer

  10. U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program: 2017 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Popovich, Neil A [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

    2017-10-18

    The fiscal year 2017 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR), in conjunction with DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office AMR, was held from June June 5-9, 2017, in Washington, D.C. This report is a summary of comments by AMR peer reviewers about the hydrogen and fuel cell projects funded by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

  11. Status for 2015, CERN NA63

    CERN Document Server

    Mikkelsen, RE; Wistisen, T

    2015-01-01

    We summarize the status for the CERN NA63 collaboration, where in 2015 we have had two runs at the CERN SPS, beamline H4: One with Ar ions at various energies around 75 GeV per nucleon, and one with electrons/positrons of 10-20 GeV. We previously refined and updated our theoretical analyses of bremsstrahlung and delta-electron emission from heavy, and medium-heavy, ultrarelativistic nuclei \\cite{Mikk15}. We thus concluded that - although not quite as interesting as for Pb projectiles - projectiles of Ar and/or Xe were suitable for the investigation, and for establishing the method to eventually measure the charge distribution of short-lived ($ct\\gtrsim3$m) fragments \\cite{Mikk14}. However, as the preliminary data analysis shows, the signal - which requires an intact projectile - is about three orders of magnitude lower than the background, stemming from photon emission (possibly originating from $\\pi^0$'s) in coincidence with projectiles that most likely are not intact after the collision. With the presently ...

  12. MERIT - The high intensity liquid mercury target experiment at the CERN PS

    CERN Document Server

    Efthymiopoulos, I

    2009-01-01

    The MERIT experiment is a proof-of-principle test of a target system for high power proton beams to be used as front-end for a Neutrino Factory complex or a Muon Collider. The experiment took data in autumn 2007 with the fast extracted beam from the CERN Proton Synchrotron (PS) to a maximum intensity of about 30 × 1012 protons per pulse. The target system, based on a free mercury jet, allowed investigation of the interseption of a 4-MW proton beam inside a 15-T magnetic field required to capture the low-energy secondary pions as the source of the required intense muon beams. Particle detectors have been installed around the target setup to measure the secondary particle flux out of the target and probe cavitation effects in the mercury jet when exited with a beam of variable intensity. With the analysis of the data ongoing, results will be presented here that demonstrate the validity of the liquid target concept.

  13. Aid allocation through various official and private channels: need, merit and self-interest as motives of German donors

    OpenAIRE

    Nunnenkamp, Peter; Öhler, Hannes

    2009-01-01

    Previous literature largely ignores the heterogeneity of aid channels used by each single donor country. We estimate Tobit models to assess the relative importance of recipient need, recipient merit and self-interest of donors for various channels of official and private German aid across a large sample of recipient countries in 2005-2007. Our findings strongly underscore the need for a disaggregated analysis of aid allocation. Aid channels differ significantly in the extent to which need and...

  14. Minu Kõivu-nägemus / Valle-Sten Maiste

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Maiste, Valle-Sten, 1972-

    1999-01-01

    Bibl. lk. 73. Fotod lk. 73-76. Madis Kõivu näidendite lavastustest 1998. a.: "Omavahelisi jutuajamisi tädi Elliga" (Vanemuine, lav. Ain Mäeots), "Stseene saja-aastasest sõjast" (Eesti Draamateater, lav. Mikk Mikiver), "Kuradieliksiir" (E. Th. A. Hoffmanni järgi, EMA kõrgema lavakunstikooli üliõpilased Eesti Draamateatris, lav. Priit Pedajas)

  15. Torontos peeti eesti dokfilmifestivali "Estdoc's" / Olev Remsu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Remsu, Olev, 1947-

    2006-01-01

    Toronto eesti dokumentaalfilmide festival "Estdoc's". Demonstreeriti filme: "Sinimäed" (Raimo Jõerand), "Tiim" (Peep Puks), "Mikk" (Rein Raamat, Peeter Brambat), "6 tundi" (Rein Kotov), "Erna retk" (Vaado Sarapuu), "Tõrjutud mälestused" (Imbi Paju), "Middendorfi jälgedes" (Riho Västrik), "Mehed unustatud armeest" (Indrek Treufeldt), "Nagu noor jumal" ja "Orjus Eestis" (mõlema autor Olev Remsu)

  16. Arhitektuurivõistlus 21. sajandi kodu Lahemaal

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2012-01-01

    Hinnang peapreemia pälvinud töödele "Ranna-Niidu" (Mikk Mutso), "Sirmik" (Maarja Elm, Sten Ader), "Akupunktuur" (Lidia Zarudnaja, Martin Noorväli, Urmas Paul) ja "Adaptsioon" (Kristjan Tõlk, Olavi Kukk, Heleriin Vaher) ning eripreemia pälvinud töödele "Greg" (Eve Komp, Artur Staškevitš) ja "Potjomkin" (Johan Tali)

  17. Esilinastuvad eesti animafilmid

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    1998-01-01

    21.5. esilinastuvad kinos "Sõprus" 6 animafilmi : "Vares ja hiired", autorid Priit Tender ja Mikk Rand; "Just märried", autor Peep Pedmanson; "Päevavalgus", autor Mait Laas; "Tom ja Fluffy", režissöörid Janno Põldma ja Heiki Ernits; "Bermuda", autor Ülo Pikkov; "Primavera", režissöörid Riho Unt ja Hardi Volmer

  18. Kuus uut Eesti filmi korraga ekraanil / Tarmo Teder

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Teder, Tarmo, 1958-

    1998-01-01

    21.5. esilinastuvad kinos "Sõprus" 6 animafilmi : "Vares ja hiired", autorid Priit Tender ja Mikk Rand; "Just märried", autor Peep Pedmanson; "Päevavalgus", autor Mait Laas; "Tom ja Fluffy", režissöörid Janno Põldma ja Heiki Ernits; "Bermuda", autor Ülo Pikkov; "Primavera", režissöörid Riho Unt ja Hardi Volmer

  19. Presidendi omadused

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    1996-01-01

    Märgukiri Eesti kultuuritegelastelt iseloomuomaduste kohta, mis peaksid olema Eesti presidendil. Kirjale on alla kirjutanud J. Arrak, P. Lassmann, A. Mikk, M. Palm, E. Tamberg, S. Vahtre, A. Valton. Ilmunud ka: Põhjarannik, 12. sept. 1996, lk. 2; Järva Teataja, 14. sept. 1996, lk. 2; Sakala, 13. sept. 1996, lk. 2; Valgamaalane, 17. sept. 1996, lk. 2

  20. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with hexapole collision cell: figures of merit and applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boulyga, S.F. [Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH (Germany). Zentralabteilung fuer Chemische Analysen]|[Radiation Physics and Chemistry Problems Inst., Minsk (Belarus); Becker, J.S. [Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH (Germany). Zentralabteilung fuer Chemische Analysen

    2000-11-01

    The use of gas-filled multipole collision cells represents important progress in ICP-MS instrumentation. It enables an increase in element sensitivity based on the improvement of ion transmission efficiency from near thermalization and collisional focusing of ions. In addition, gas-phase ion-molecule chemistry can be applied in order to reduce mass spectral interferences via charge transfer reaction of interfering ions with reaction gas or via fragmentation of interfering molecular ions by collision-induced dissociation. The application of a hexapole collision cell in quadrupole based ICP-MS (HEX-ICP-QMS) was studied systematically in order to characterize the analytical figures of merit of this approach. Additionally, the performance of different solution introduction systems as well as an inductively coupled plasma shielded torch was studied for use with HEX-ICP-QMS. (orig.)

  1. Solar feed-in tariffs and the merit order effect: A study of the German electricity market

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tveten, Åsa Grytli; Bolkesjø, Torjus Folsland; Martinsen, Thomas; Hvarnes, Håvard

    2013-01-01

    This study investigates the merit order effect (MOE) of the recent years' implementation of solar power in Germany. Market clearing electricity prices and production levels are compared for the years 2009–2011, and a model for the relationship between the electricity price and price sensitive electricity production is developed and applied to predict electricity prices in Germany from July 2010 to July 2011 with and without solar electricity generation (SEG). The results show that the SEG has caused a 7% reduction in average electricity prices for this period. The average daily maximum price and daily price variation are also found to decrease, by 13% and 23%, respectively. When taking the MOE into account the net consumer's cost of the solar feed-in tariff (FIT) system is found to be 23% less than the charge listed in the electricity bill. The German FIT policy for solar power has been subject to considerable public debate, and a common argument brought up in disfavor of the system is the high cost for the consumers. In this study we demonstrate the importance of including the MOE when evaluating the total costs and benefits of the FIT policy mechanism. - Highlights: • The merit order effect (MOE) of the German solar feed-in tariffs (FITs) is analyzed. • Solar power is found to substitute thermal power on the margin in peak hours. • In a 1 year period, solar power has reduced electricity prices by 7%, on average. • The solar power has also reduced the daily price variation by 23%, on average. • When including the MOE, the net consumer's cost of solar FITs are reduced by 23%

  2. Analytical model and figures of merit for filtered Microwave Photonic Links.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gasulla, Ivana; Capmany, José

    2011-09-26

    The concept of filtered Microwave Photonic Links is proposed in order to provide the most general and versatile description of complex analog photonic systems. We develop a field propagation model where a global optical filter, characterized by its optical transfer function, embraces all the intermediate optical components in a linear link. We assume a non-monochromatic light source characterized by an arbitrary spectral distribution which has a finite linewidth spectrum and consider both intensity modulation and phase modulation with balanced and single detection. Expressions leading to the computation of the main figures of merit concerning the link gain, noise and intermodulation distortion are provided which, to our knowledge, are not available in the literature. The usefulness of this derivation resides in the capability to directly provide performance criteria results for complex links just by substituting in the overall closed-form formulas the numerical or measured optical transfer function characterizing the link. This theory is presented thus as a potential tool for a wide range of relevant microwave photonic application cases which is extendable to multiport radio over fiber systems. © 2011 Optical Society of America

  3. Validation for 2D/3D registration II: The comparison of intensity- and gradient-based merit functions using a new gold standard data set

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gendrin, Christelle; Markelj, Primoz; Pawiro, Supriyanto Ardjo; Spoerk, Jakob; Bloch, Christoph; Weber, Christoph; Figl, Michael; Bergmann, Helmar; Birkfellner, Wolfgang; Likar, Bostjan; Pernus, Franjo

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: A new gold standard data set for validation of 2D/3D registration based on a porcine cadaver head with attached fiducial markers was presented in the first part of this article. The advantage of this new phantom is the large amount of soft tissue, which simulates realistic conditions for registration. This article tests the performance of intensity- and gradient-based algorithms for 2D/3D registration using the new phantom data set. Methods: Intensity-based methods with four merit functions, namely, cross correlation, rank correlation, correlation ratio, and mutual information (MI), and two gradient-based algorithms, the backprojection gradient-based (BGB) registration method and the reconstruction gradient-based (RGB) registration method, were compared. Four volumes consisting of CBCT with two fields of view, 64 slice multidetector CT, and magnetic resonance-T1 weighted images were registered to a pair of kV x-ray images and a pair of MV images. A standardized evaluation methodology was employed. Targets were evenly spread over the volumes and 250 starting positions of the 3D volumes with initial displacements of up to 25 mm from the gold standard position were calculated. After the registration, the displacement from the gold standard was retrieved and the root mean square (RMS), mean, and standard deviation mean target registration errors (mTREs) over 250 registrations were derived. Additionally, the following merit properties were computed: Accuracy, capture range, number of minima, risk of nonconvergence, and distinctiveness of optimum for better comparison of the robustness of each merit. Results: Among the merit functions used for the intensity-based method, MI reached the best accuracy with an RMS mTRE down to 1.30 mm. Furthermore, it was the only merit function that could accurately register the CT to the kV x rays with the presence of tissue deformation. As for the gradient-based methods, BGB and RGB methods achieved subvoxel accuracy (RMS m

  4. Eesti Meremuuseumi hoone Lennusadamas = Estonian Maritime Museum in the Tallinn Seaplane Harbour

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2015-01-01

    Eesti Meremuuseumi rekonstrueeritud vesilennukite angaarid Tallinnas Vesilennuki 6, valminud 2012. Eesti kultuurkapitali aastapreemia 2012. Arhitektid Raivo Kotov, Andrus Kõresaar, Indrek Mikk, Margit Aule, Tõnis Savi, Lea Laidra, Karis Kahr, Jelena Altmäe, Jaanus Männik (KOKO Arhitektid). Sisearhitektid Margit Argus, Andrus Kõresaar, Olga Batuhtina (KOKO Arhitektid). Raudbetoonkonstruktsioonide renoveerimisprojekt Karl Õiger, Heiki Onton (Tallinna Tehnikaülikool). Uued konstruktsioonid Neoprojekt

  5. Suur esilinastamine

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    1998-01-01

    21.5. esilinastuvad kinos "Sõprus" 6 animafilmi : "Vares ja hiired", autorid Priit Tender ja Mikk Rand; "Just märried", autor Peep Pedmanson; "Päevavalgus", autor Mait Laas; "Tom ja Fluffy", režissöörid Janno Põldma ja Heiki Ernits; "Bermuda", autor Ülo Pikkov; "Primavera", režissöörid Riho Unt ja Hardi Volmer. Aut. : M.R

  6. Best of Tshehhov. Best before / Ott Karulin

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Karulin, Ott, 1980-

    2006-01-01

    Analüüsitakse A. Tšehhovi näidenditel "Kolm õde" ja "Kirsiaed" põhinevaid erinevaid lavastusi - Kristian Smedsi ja Radu Afrimi "Kolm õde" Tampere "Teatrisuvel" ning Rimas Tuminase "Kolme õde" Leedu teatrifestivalil "Sirenos", Sasha Pepeljajevi "Kirsiaeda" NO99 teatris, Roman Baskini "Kirsiaeda" Vanalinnastuudios ja Mati Undi "Kirsiaeda" Vanemuises, samuti Mikk Mikiveri "Tšehhovi kolme õde" (autor Per Olov Enquist) Vanemuises

  7. A Critical Examination of Figure of Merit (FOM). Assessing the Goodness-of-Fit in Gamma/X-ray Peak Analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Croft, S. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Favalli, Andrea [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Weaver, Brian Phillip [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Williams, Brian J. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Burr, Thomas Lee [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria); Henzlova, Daniela [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); McElroy, R. D. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

    2015-10-06

    In this paper we develop and investigate several criteria for assessing how well a proposed spectral form fits observed spectra. We consider the classical improved figure of merit (FOM) along with several modifications, as well as criteria motivated by Poisson regression from the statistical literature. We also develop a new FOM that is based on the statistical idea of the bootstrap. A spectral simulator has been developed to assess the performance of these different criteria under multiple data configurations.

  8. Faraday rotation and magneto-optical figure of merit for the magnetite magnetic fluids

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kalandadze L.

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available In the present paper, using magnetite magnetic fluids as examples, we consider the optical and magneto-optical properties of magnetic fluids based on particles of magnetic oxides, for the optical constants of the material of which, n and k , the relation k2 ≺≺ n2 holds. In this work the Faraday rotation is represented within the theoretical Maxwell-Garnett model. A theoretical analysis has shown that Faraday rotation for magnetic fluids is related to the Faraday rotation on the material of particles by the simple relation. According to this result  in specific experimental conditions the values of the Faraday rotation prorate to q , which is the occupancy of the volume of the magnetic fluid with magnetic particles and spectral dependences of effect in magnetic fluid and in the proper bulk magnetic are similar. We also show that the values of the magneto-optical figure of merit for ultrafine medium and for the bulk material are equal.

  9. 1 küsimus noorele juhile : Mis teha, kui kopp on ees - kuidas sa stressist jagu saad? / Riho Jürvetson, Merit Miller, Krister Rekkaro ... [jt.

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2009-01-01

    Küsimusele vastavad EMT erakliendi osakonna juhataja Riho Jürvetson, KPMG Baltics müügijuht Merit Miller, ArtPrint juht Krister Rekkaro, Dateli juhatuse liige Triin Sepp, Media House projektijuht Tanel Tarkmees, Ober-Haus Kinnisvara tegevjuht Katrin Klein-Näppi

  10. Relations between the efficiency, power and dissipation for linear irreversible heat engine at maximum trade-off figure of merit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iyyappan, I.; Ponmurugan, M.

    2018-03-01

    A trade of figure of merit (\\dotΩ ) criterion accounts the best compromise between the useful input energy and the lost input energy of the heat devices. When the heat engine is working at maximum \\dotΩ criterion its efficiency increases significantly from the efficiency at maximum power. We derive the general relations between the power, efficiency at maximum \\dotΩ criterion and minimum dissipation for the linear irreversible heat engine. The efficiency at maximum \\dotΩ criterion has the lower bound \

  11. Getting More Value from the LibQUAL+® Survey: The Merits of Qualitative Analysis and Importance-Satisfaction Matrices in Assessing Library Patron Comments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Detlor, Brian; Ball, Kathryn

    2015-01-01

    This paper examines the merit of conducting a qualitative analysis of LibQUAL+® survey comments as a means of leveraging quantitative LibQUAL+ results, and using importance-satisfaction matrices to present and assess qualitative findings. Comments collected from the authors' institution's LibQUAL+ survey were analyzed using a codebook based on…

  12. Comparative merits of radioimmunoscintigraphy and computer tomography in diagnosis and follow-up of primary ovarial cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barzen, G.; Cordes, M.; Langer, M.; Felix, R.; Friedman, W.; Mayr, A.C.

    1990-01-01

    In this prospective study the diagnostic merit of radioimmunoscintigraphy (RIS) was compared with computed tomography (CT) and operation in the primary diagnostic procedure and follow-up of women with suspected ovarial cancer. In primary diagnosis, sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy was 100%, 60% and 90% for RIS. In follow-up, sensitivity for local recurrence was slightly higher in CT than in RIS. It was possible to detect peritoneal carcinosis in the pelvis and lower abdominal region better with RIS, but in the upper abdominal region, peritoneal carcinosis was detected better with CT. If no differentiation between benign or malignant lesion, is possible with CT, differentiation will in many cases be possible with RIS. (orig.) [de

  13. Broadband nonvolatile photonic switching based on optical phase change materials: beyond the classical figure-of-merit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qihang; Zhang, Yifei; Li, Junying; Soref, Richard; Gu, Tian; Hu, Juejun

    2018-01-01

    In this Letter, we propose a broadband, nonvolatile on-chip switch design in the telecommunication C-band with record low loss and crosstalk. The unprecedented device performance builds on: 1) a new optical phase change material (O-PCM) Ge 2 Sb 2 Se 4 Te 1 (GSST), which exhibits significantly reduced optical attenuation compared to traditional O-PCMs, and 2) a nonperturbative design that enables low-loss device operation beyond the classical figure-of-merit (FOM) limit. We further demonstrate that the 1-by-2 and 2-by-2 switches can serve as basic building blocks to construct nonblocking and nonvolatile on-chip switching fabric supporting arbitrary numbers of input and output ports.

  14. The directivity of a compact antenna: an unforgettable figure of merit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ziolkowski Richard W.

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available When an electrically small antenna is conceived, designed, simulated, and tested, the main emphasis is usually placed immediately on its impedance bandwidth and radiation efficiency. All too often it is assumed that its directivity will only be that of a Hertzian dipole and, hence, its directivity becomes a minor consideration. This is particularly true if such a compact antenna radiates in the presence of a large ground plane. Attention is typically focused on the radiator and its size, while the ground plane is forgotten. This has become a too frequent occurrence when antennas, such as patch antennas that have been augmented with metamaterial structures, are explored. In this paper, it is demonstrated that while the ground plane has little impact on the resonance frequency and impedance bandwidth of patch antennas or metamaterial-inspired three-dimensional magnetic EZ antennas, it has a huge impact on their directivity performance. Moreover, it is demonstrated that with both a metamaterial-inspired two-element array and a related Huygens dipole antenna, one can achieve broadside-radiating electrically small systems that have high directivities. Several common and original designs are used to highlight these issues and to emphasize why a fundamental figure of merit such as directivity should never be overlooked.

  15. The application of a figure of merit for nuclear explosive utility as a metric for material attractiveness in a nuclear material theft scenario

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    King, Wayne E.; Bradley, Keith; Jones, Edwin D.; Kramer, Kevin J.; Latkowski, Jeffery F.; Robel, Martin; Sleaford, Brad W.

    2010-01-01

    Effective integration of nonproliferation management into the design process is key to the broad deployment of advanced nuclear energy systems, and is an explicit goal of the Laser Inertial Fusion Energy (LIFE) project at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The nuclear explosives utility of a nuclear material to a state (proliferator) or sub-state (terrorist) is a critical factor to be assessed and is one aspect of material attractiveness. In this work, we approached nuclear explosives utility through the calculation of a 'figure of merit' (FOM) that has recently been developed to capture the relative viability and difficulty of constructing nuclear explosives starting from various nuclear material forms and compositions. We discuss the integration of the figure of merit into an assessment of a nuclear material theft scenario and its use in the assessment. This paper demonstrates that material attractiveness is a multidimensional concept that embodies more than the FOM. It also seeks to propose that other attributes may be able to be quantified through analogous FOMs (e.g., transformation) and that, with quantification, aggregation may be possible using concepts from the risk community.

  16. U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program, 2013 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report (Book)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None, None

    2013-10-01

    The fiscal year (FY) 2013 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR), in conjunction with DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office AMR, was held from May 13-16, 2013, at the Crystal City Marriott and Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia. This report is a summary of comments by AMR peer reviewers about the hydrogen and fuel cell projects funded by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).

  17. Hingetoit hääste konserveeritud : 3 luulesalvestist / Jürgen Rooste

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Rooste, Jürgen, 1979-

    2004-01-01

    Heliplaadid: Mikiver, Mikk ; Mätlik, Heiki. Teele selle poole, millel pole lõppu ja pole ka algust [Helisalvestis] : loometund poeetide Jaan Kaplinski ja Walt Whitmani luulest. Tallinn : Eesti Raadioteater, 2004 ; Krull, Hasso. Meeter ja Demeeter [Helisalvestis]. Tallinn : S.n., 2003 ; Ord från Estland / Kristiina Ehin, fs, Jan Kaus, Asko Künnap, Aare Pilv, Lauri Sommer, Elo Viiding. S.l. : Põhjamaade Ministrite Nõukogu, [2004

  18. Estonski kadr pod juzhnõm nebom / Nikolai Hrustaljov

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Hrustaljov, Nikolai

    2002-01-01

    SRÜ ja Baltimaade 11. filmifestivalil Anapas sai parima meesnäitleja preemia Rain Simmul Nika osa eest Arvo Iho mängufilmis "Karu süda", žürii märkis ära Mark Soosaare 8-minutilise "La Paloma", "Avatud videoööde" peapreemia sai Mikk Ranna "Sääsk ja hobune". Festivali parimaks filmiks kuulutati Igor Minajevi "Kuumaastikud" ("Lunnõje poljanõ")

  19. PÖFF-i alafestivalid lükati käima

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2010-01-01

    14. korda toimuva Pimedate Ööde Filmifestivali tänavune fookus on soome filmidel ja Euroopa filmiauhindade nominentide töödel. PÖFF-i põhiprogrammi tutvustab peakorraldaja Tiina Lokk, tudengi- ja lühifilmide festivali Sleepwalkers kava festivali juht Helen Vinogradov, animafilmide festivali Animated Dreams kava programmijuht Heilika Pikkov, laste- ja noortefilmide festivali Just Film kava festivali juht Mikk Granström

  20. Milleks monumenti = Why a monument? / Heie Treier

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Treier, Heie, 1963-

    2006-01-01

    2006. a. toimunud Jüri Lotmani mälestusmärgi konkursist, Mati Karmini ja Andres Lunge võidutööst. Monumentide positiivseid näiteid: Tubina plats Tartus (Aili Vahtrapuu, Veronika Valk, Louis Dandrel), ideekavandid: Estonia teatri juubelimonument Tallinnas (Tiiu Kirsipuu, Üla Koppel) ja Eesti iseseisvuse monument Pärnus Rüütli platsil (Mart Aas, Kaarel Eelma, Mikk Mutso). Bibl. lk. 73

  1. The MERIT High-Power Target Experiment at the CERN PS

    CERN Document Server

    McDonald, K T; Park, H; Tsang, T; Efthymiopoulos, I; Fabich, A; Haug, F; Lettry, J; Palm, M; Pereira, H; Mokhov, N; Striganov, S; Carroll, A J; Graves, V B; Spampinato, P T; Bennett, J R J; Caretta, O; Loveridge, P

    2010-01-01

    The MERIT (MER­cury In­tense Tar­get) ex­per­i­ment was run in the fall of 2007 using 14 and 24 GeV in­tense pro­ton beams from the CERN PS. It is a proof-of-prin­ci­ple ex­per­i­ment de­signed to val­i­date a tar­get con­cept for pro­duc­ing an in­tense muon source for a fu­ture muon col­lid­er or neu­tri­no fac­to­ry. The ex­per­i­ment suc­cess­ful­ly demon­strat­ed a tar­get tech­nique for mul­ti-MW pro­ton beams that uti­lizes a free-flow­ing liq­uid metal jet with­in the con­fines of a high-field solenoid. We de­scribe the ex­per­i­men­tal strat­e­gy and pa­ram­e­ters, as well as the re­sults ob­tained and their im­pli­ca­tions for fu­ture muon-based ac­cel­er­a­tor fa­cil­i­ties.

  2. Electrical properties and figures of merit for new chalcogenide-based thermoelectric materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schindler, J L; Hogan, T P; Brazis, P W; Kannewurf, C R; Chung, D Y; Kanatzidis, M G

    1997-07-01

    New Bi-based chalcogenide compounds have been prepared using the polychalcogenide flux technique for crystal growth. These materials exhibit characteristics of good thermoelectric materials. Single crystals of the compound CsBi{sub 4}Te{sub 6} have shown conductivity as high as 2440 S/cm with a p-type thermoelectric power of {approx}+110 {micro}V/K at room temperature. A second compound, {beta}-K{sub 2}Bi{sub 8}Se{sub 13} shows lower conductivity {approx}240 S/cm, but a larger n-type thermopower {approx}{minus}200 {micro}V/K. Thermal transport measurements have been performed on hot-pressed pellets of these materials and the results show comparable or lower thermal conductivities than Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3}. This improvement may reflect the reduced lattice symmetry of the new chalcogenide thermoelectrics. The thermoelectric figure of merit for CsBi{sub 4}Te{sub 6} reaches ZT {approx} 0.32 at 260 K and for {beta}-K{sub 2}Bi{sub 8}Se{sub 13} ZT {approx} 0.32 at room temperature, indicating that these compounds are viable candidates for thermoelectric refrigeration applications.

  3. U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program 2012 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report: May 14-18, 2012, Arlington, VA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    2012-09-01

    This document summarizes the comments provided by peer reviewers on hydrogen and fuel cell projects presented at the fiscal year (FY) 2012 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program and Vehicle Technologies Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR), held May 14-18, 2012, in Arlington, VA.

  4. Effect of microemulsion component purity on the chromatographic figures of merit in chiral microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kojtari, Adeline B; Foley, Joe P

    2009-04-17

    Numerous combinations of one-, two-, and three-chiral-component microemulsions have been previously prepared in our group, using N-dodecoxycarbonylvaline (DDCV), 2-hexanol, and ethyl acetate, dibutyl tartrate, or diethyl tartrate. A few results of the various formulations investigated suggested the possible presence of minor impurities in one or more components of the microemulsion. In this study, the purity of the current lots of R- and S-surfactant were measured, as was the subsequent effect of minor impurities on the relevant chromatographic figures of merit (CFOMs) that describe a chiral separation, i.e., efficiency, enantioselectivity, retention, migration window (elution range), and resolution. Two related methods are proposed for correcting enantioselectivities measured in the presence of chiral impurities in the chiral microemulsion.

  5. Ultrahigh pyroelectric figures of merit associated with distinct bistable dielectric phase transition in a new molecular compound: di-n-butylaminium trifluoroacetate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Zhihua; Tang, Yuanyuan; Zhang, Shuquan; Ji, Chengmin; Chen, Tianliang; Luo, Junhua

    2015-08-26

    Ultrahigh pyroelectric figures of merit are achieved in a new phase-transition material, di-n-butylaminium trifluoroacetate, of which the peak values are an order of magnitude larger than those of their inorganic counterparts. Such an attractive behavior of pyroelectric detectivity is strongly related to its distinct bistable dielectric behavior, which recalls excellent thermoelectric response in organic molecular phase-transition systems. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. Wind power merit-order and feed-in-tariffs effect: A variability analysis of the Spanish electricity market

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Azofra, D.; Jiménez, E.; Martínez, E.; Blanco, J.; Saenz-Díez, J.C.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • M5P algorithm-based model determines influence of wind power on Spanish spot market. • Assessment of the wind power influence for different levels of wind resource. • Cost-benefit analysis is developed, accounting feed-in-tariffs and merit order effect. • The worst and best levels of wind power production for the system are determined. - Abstract: The incipient large-scale energy-storage technologies are not sufficiently developed yet, which means that the wind power production depends on the wind speed at every moment. This, along with the fact that the wind resource is not constant over time, makes wind power production quite variable. Therefore, an artificial intelligence-based technique (M5P algorithm) is applied to empirical hourly data to determine the influence of wind power technology on the spot market for different levels of wind resource in 2012. It concludes that wind power depressed the spot prices between 7.42 and 10.94 €/MW h for a wind power production of 90% and 110% of the real one, respectively. Furthermore, taking into account the important presence of wind power in the Spanish generation mix, the above range has been extended up to 0% in order to determine the worst and best level of wind power production for the Spanish electrical system (from an economical point of view). To do so, both feed-in-tariffs and wind power impact on spot market (merit order effect) have been accounted in accordance with the different levels of wind power production. Since empirical data from 2012 have been used to conduct the research, the results presented in this paper may provide policy makers with a worst and best-case scenario to discuss about the convenience of the last cutting expenses over wind power technology in Spain

  7. Gamma and neutron detection modeling in the nuclear detection figure of merit (NDFOM) portal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stroud, Phillip D.; Saeger, Kevin J.

    2009-01-01

    The Nuclear Detection Figure Of Merit (NDFOM) portal is a database of objects and algorithms for evaluating the performance of radiation detectors to detect nuclear material. This paper describes the algorithms used to model the physics and mathematics of radiation detection. As a first-principles end-to-end analysis system, it starts with the representation of the gamma and neutron spectral fluxes, which are computed with the particle and radiation transport code MCNPX. The gamma spectra emitted by uranium, plutonium, and several other materials of interest are described. The impact of shielding and other intervening material is computed by the method of build-up factors. The interaction of radiation with the detector material is computed by a detector response function approach. The construction of detector response function matrices based on MCNPX simulation runs is described in detail. Neutron fluxes are represented in a three group formulation to treat differences in detector sensitivities to thermal, epithermal, and fast neutrons.

  8. The application of a figure of merit for nuclear explosive utility as a metric for material attractiveness in a nuclear material theft scenario

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    King, Wayne E., E-mail: weking@llnl.go [Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94551 (United States); Bradley, Keith [Global Security Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94551 (United States); Jones, Edwin D. [Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94551 (United States); Kramer, Kevin J.; Latkowski, Jeffery F. [Engineering Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94551 (United States); Robel, Martin [Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94551 (United States); Sleaford, Brad W. [Engineering Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94551 (United States)

    2010-11-15

    Effective integration of nonproliferation management into the design process is key to the broad deployment of advanced nuclear energy systems, and is an explicit goal of the Laser Inertial Fusion Energy (LIFE) project at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The nuclear explosives utility of a nuclear material to a state (proliferator) or sub-state (terrorist) is a critical factor to be assessed and is one aspect of material attractiveness. In this work, we approached nuclear explosives utility through the calculation of a 'figure of merit' (FOM) that has recently been developed to capture the relative viability and difficulty of constructing nuclear explosives starting from various nuclear material forms and compositions. We discuss the integration of the figure of merit into an assessment of a nuclear material theft scenario and its use in the assessment. This paper demonstrates that material attractiveness is a multidimensional concept that embodies more than the FOM. It also seeks to propose that other attributes may be able to be quantified through analogous FOMs (e.g., transformation) and that, with quantification, aggregation may be possible using concepts from the risk community.

  9. DEVELOPMENT ACQUIREMENTS AND WORKING LIFE COLLABORATION OF INTERNATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS : Case: Digital Business Development

    OpenAIRE

    Tuukkanen, Laura; Pudas, Sini

    2014-01-01

    This thesis is commissioned by Mikkeli University of Applied Sciences, Business Department. The research is a case study of an intensive study module Digital Business Development held in August 2014. The purpose of the thesis was to investigate international higher education students’ development acquirements during a three week Digital Business Development course. The research also investigated the success of partnership between Mamk, MPY and international higher education students in th...

  10. Analysis of nanostructuring in high figure-of-merit Ag{sub 1-x}Pb{sub m}SbTe{sub 2+m} thermoelectric materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cook, Bruce A; Harringa, Joel L [Materials and Engineering Physics Program, Ames Laboratory, Iowa State University Ames, IA (United States); Kramer, Matthew J [Materials Science and Engineering, Iowa State University Ames, IA (United States); Han, Mi-Kyung [Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University Evanston, IL (United States); Chung, Duck-Young [Material Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, IL (United States); Kanatzidis, Mercouri G [Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University Evanston, IL (United States); Material Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, IL (United States)

    2009-04-23

    Thermoelectric materials based on quaternary compounds Ag{sub 1-x}Pb{sub m}SbTe{sub 2+m} exhibit high dimensionless figure-of-merit values, ranging from 1.5 to 1.7 at 700 K. The primary factor contributing to the high figure of merit is a low lattice thermal conductivity, achieved through nanostructuring during melt solidification. As a consequence of nucleation and growth of a second phase, coherent nanoscale inclusions form throughout the material, which are believed to result in scattering of acoustic phonons while causing only minimal scattering of charge carriers. Here, characterization of the nanosized inclusions in Ag{sub 0.53}Pb{sub 18}Sb{sub 1.2}Te{sub 20} that shows a strong tendency for crystallographic orientation along the {l_brace}001{r_brace} planes, with a high degree of lattice strain at the interface, consistent with a coherent interfacial boundary is reported. The inclusions are enriched in Ag relative to the matrix, and seem to adopt a cubic, 96 atom per unit cell Ag{sub 2}Te phase based on the Ti{sub 2}Ni type structure. In-situ high-temperature synchrotron radiation diffraction studies indicated that the inclusions remain thermally stable to at least 800 K. (Abstract Copyright [2009], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

  11. Phenotypic and genetic relationships of feeding behavior with feed intake, growth performance, feed efficiency, and carcass merit traits in Angus and Charolais steers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, L; Mao, F; Crews, D H; Vinsky, M; Li, C

    2014-03-01

    Feeding behavior traits including daily feeding duration (FD), daily feeding head down time (HD), average feeding duration per feeding event (FD_AVE), average feeding head down time per feeding event (HD_AVE), feeding frequency (FF), and meal eating rate (ER) were analyzed to estimate their phenotypic and genetic correlations with feed intake, growth performance, residual feed intake (RFI), ultrasound, and carcass merit traits in Angus and Charolais finishing steers. Heritability estimates for FD, HD, FD_AVE, HD_AVE, FF, and ER were 0.27 ± 0.09 (SE), 0.25 ± 0.09, 0.19 ± 0.06, 0.11 ± 0.05, 0.24 ± 0.08, and 0.38 ± 0.10, respectively, in the Angus population and 0.49 ± 0.12, 0.38 ± 0.11, 0.31 ± 0.09, 0.29 ± 0.10, 0.43 ± 0.11, and 0.56 ± 0.13, respectively, in the Charolais population. In both the Angus and Charolais steer populations, FD and HD had relatively stronger phenotypic (0.17 ± 0.06 to 0.32 ± 0.04) and genetic (0.29 ± 0.17 to 0.54 ± 0.18) correlations with RFI in comparison to other feeding behavior traits investigated, suggesting the potential of FD and HD as indicators in assessing variation of RFI. In general, feeding behavior traits had weak phenotypic correlations with most of the ultrasound and carcass merit traits; however, estimated genetic correlations of the feeding behavior traits with some fat deposition related traits were moderate to moderately strong but differed in magnitude or sign between the Angus and Charolais steer populations, likely reflecting their different biological types. Genetic parameter estimation studies involving feeding behavior traits in beef cattle are lacking and more research is needed to better characterize the relationships between feeding behavior and feed intake, growth, feed utilization, and carcass merit traits, in particular with respect to different biological types of cattle.

  12. Additional merit of coronal STIR imaging for MR imaging of lumbar spine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ranjana Gupta

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Back pain is a common clinical problem and is the frequent complaint for referral of lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI. Coronal short tau inversion recovery sequence (STIR can provide diagnostically significant information in small percentage of patients. Materials and Methods: MRI examinations of a total of 350 patients were retrospectively included in the study. MR sequences were evaluated in two settings. One radiologist evaluated sagittal and axial images only, while another radiologist evaluated all sequences, including coronal STIR sequence. After recording the diagnoses, we compared the MRI findings in two subsets of patients to evaluate additional merit of coronal STIR imaging. Results: With addition of coronal STIR imaging, significant findings were observed in 24 subjects (6.8%. Twenty-one of these subjects were considered to be normal on other sequences and in three subjects diagnosis was changed with the addition of coronal STIR. Additional diagnoses on STIR included sacroiliitis, sacroiliac joint degenerative disease, sacral stress/insufficiency fracture/Looser′s zones, muscular sprain and atypical appendicitis. Conclusion: Coronal STIR imaging can provide additional diagnoses in a small percentage of patients presenting for lumbar spine MRI for back pain. Therefore, it should be included in the routine protocol for MR imaging of lumbar spine.

  13. High thermoelectric figure of merit by resonant dopant in half-Heusler alloys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Long; Liu, Yamei; He, Jian; Tritt, Terry M.; Poon, S. Joseph

    2017-06-01

    Half-Heusler alloys have been one of the benchmark high temperature thermoelectric materials owing to their thermal stability and promising figure of merit ZT. Simonson et al. early showed that small amounts of vanadium doped in Hf0.75Zr0.25NiSn enhanced the Seebeck coefficient and correlated the change with the increased density of states near the Fermi level. We herein report a systematic study on the role of vanadium (V), niobium (Nb), and tantalum (Ta) as prospective resonant dopants in enhancing the ZT of n-type half-Heusler alloys based on Hf0.6Zr0.4NiSn0.995Sb0.005. The V doping was found to increase the Seebeck coefficient in the temperature range 300-1000 K, consistent with a resonant doping scheme. In contrast, Nb and Ta act as normal n-type dopants, as evident by the systematic decrease in electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient. The combination of enhanced Seebeck coefficient due to the presence of V resonant states and the reduced thermal conductivity has led to a state-of-the-art ZT of 1.3 near 850 K in n-type (Hf0.6Zr0.4)0.99V0.01NiSn0.995Sb0.005 alloys.

  14. The Merit(nTOF-11) High Intensity Liquid Mercury Target Experiment at the CERN PS

    CERN Document Server

    Efthymiopoulos, I; Caretta, O; Carroll, A J; Fabich, A; Graves, V B; Grudiev, A; Haug, F; Kirk, H G; Lettry, Jacques; Loveridge, P; McDonald, K T; Mokhov, N; Palm, M; Park, H; Pernegger, H; Spampinato, P T; Steerenberg, R; Striganov, S; Tsang, T

    2008-01-01

    The MERIT(nTOF-11) experiment is a proof-ofprinciple test of a target system for a high power proton beam to be used as front-end for a neutrino factory or a muon collider. The experiment took data in autumn 2007 with the fast-extracted beam from the CERN Proton Synchrotron (PS) to a maximum intensity of $30 × 10^{12}$ per pulse. The target system, based on a free mercury jet, is capable of intercepting a 4-MW proton beam inside a 15-T magnetic field required to capture the low energy secondary pions as the source for intense muon beams. Partice detectors installed around the target setup measure the secondary particle flux out of the target and can probe cavitation effects in the mercury jet when excited by an intense proton beam.Preliminary results of the data analysis will be presented here.

  15. Figures of merit of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for compliant analysis of waters and wastes using USEPA standard operating procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brenner, I.B.; Spence, B.; Walder, A.

    2004-01-01

    The scope of this study is to critically review the performance of the ICP-MS instrumentation and aspects of the analytical methodology for compliant determination of Al, Sb, As, Ba, Be, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Ni, Se, Ag, Tl, V, and Zn in surface and subsurface water, soil, sludge, sediments and various solid wastes. The evaluation was performed using conventional and practical figures of analytical merit detailed in using USEPA SW (Solid Waste) 846 procedures and ISO/EC 17025

  16. The merits of a robot: a Dutch experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mobach, Mark P

    2006-01-01

    To determine the merits of a robot at the community pharmacy in a quasi-experiment. The applied methods for data-collection were barcode-time measurements, direct observations, time-interval studies, and tally at a Dutch community pharmacy. The topics consisted of workload, waiting times, congestion, slack, general work, counter work, and work at the consultation room. The topics were studied in pre-test and post-test stages, each stage during six weeks. By using these topics and some additional data from the pharmacy, the economics of the robot were also assessed. The workload decreased with 15 prescriptions per person per day. The waiting times decreased with one minute and 18 seconds per dispensing process, reducing the wait until counter contact. The day congestion decreased with one hour 27 minutes and 36 seconds, and the day slack increased with 28 minutes. The analysis of the general work showed no appreciable difference in the bulk of the care-related activities and the other activities. However, some work was re-shuffled: 7% increase at counter work and 7% decrease at logistics. Moreover, statistically significant increases were observed at counter work (5%) and robot work (4%), and significant decreases at telephone (3%) and filling work in presence of the patient (4%). The counter tally study showed a rise in care-related activities with 8%. Moreover, it also illuminated a statistically significant decrease at no information (11%) and an increase at only social (2%). The consultation room was never used during the study. The pharmacy economics of the robot showed that the robot had high estimated costs for purchase, depreciation, and maintenance: EUR 187,024 in the first year. Moreover, the robot had positive impact on waiting times, congestion, staffing, logistics, and care-related work, which was estimated on EUR 91,198 in the first year. The estimated payback time of the robot was three years. An introduction of the robot may indeed have the often

  17. Relationship between the merit factor of thermoelectric materials and the air conditioning unit of urban electric cars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buffet, J.

    1994-01-01

    The main benefit of electric cars is to reduce air pollution in cities that is thus desirable to equip them with non polluting air conditioning units and this rules out frigorific compressors operating with CFC. The planned replacement of CFC by HFC is at best an interim solution. The best solution is certainly to use thermoelectric air conditioning units, which are inherently pollution-free. However, these have a fairly low COPF when compared to traditional compressor units. We study the relationship between the cooling of the interior of urban electric cars and the merit factor of the thermoelectric material in their Peltier unit. This should help provide concrete target properties of future T E materials. copyright 1995 American Institute of Physics

  18. The equivalent width as a figure of merit for XPS narrow scans

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, Bhupinder; Velázquez, Daniel; Terry, Jeff; Linford, Matthew R.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • We introduce a new figure of merit for XPS narrow scans: the equivalent width (EW XPS ). • EW XPS is less subjective and involves lesser user bias than traditional peak fitting. • EW XPS is responsive to changes in chemical states of materials. • EW XPS could be used for quality control and comparing spectra from similar samples. • EW XPS has the potential to be part of an expert software system for machine interpretation of spectra. - Abstract: X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) is a widely used surface analytical tool that provides information about the near surface regions of materials. And while indispensable for XPS data analysis, peak fitting of narrow scans is often a fairly subjective exercise. Herein we introduce the equivalent width (EW) as an additional and less subjective figure of merit for XPS narrow scans. We believe that this parameter will prove particularly useful for analyzing series of similar or nominally identical spectra, perhaps as a component of an expert software system for the machine interpretation of spectra. It also appears to be useful, shedding light on the chemical state of materials, when additional information about a sample is known. The EW XPS is simply defined as the area of a narrow scan divided by the height of the maximum of its peak envelope. To limit any ambiguity in EW XPS for a series of spectra, we may also list the peak position of the maximum of the envelope (PE max ). The potential usefulness and limitations of the EW XPS and PE max parameters are demonstrated by their application to the narrow scans of: (i) four sets of ozone-treated carbon nanotubes (EW XPS ∼ 2.11–2.16 eV for a Shirley background, and up to 2.88 eV for no background, PE max ∼ 284.4–284.5 eV), (ii) a series of silicon wafers with different oxide thicknesses (EW XPS ∼ 1.5–2.8 eV, PE max ∼ 99–103 eV), (iii) hydrogen-terminated silicon before and after derivatization with pentyl groups, and after annealing of

  19. Current developments on the coal and gas markets and their retroactive effects on the Merit Order

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hecking, Harald; Cam, Eren; Schoenfisch, Max; Schulte, Simon

    2017-01-01

    Coal and gas continue to play a significant role in the European power generation system, especially in Germany. According to the AG energy balances, the share of hard coal in German gross electricity generation in 2016 was 17.2% and natural gas 12.4%. In addition to the CO 2 price, the prices for steam coal and natural gas are a key factor in determining which gas or coal power station is in Merit Order and whether it comes to a fuel switch. Declining gas prices have been rising sharply since the middle of 2016, and the volatile prices for steam coal have been rising. This article discusses the developments and factors responsible for these developments, which could be expected in the near future, and the implications for the gas-coal spread in the electricity market. [de

  20. Illusiooni võitlus igavusega ehk Kes teatris ei käi, see ise on / Andrus Laansalu, Margus Kasterpalu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Laansalu, Andrus

    1996-01-01

    Dialoog. Draamateatri külalisetendused Tartus: Oskar Lutsu - Toomas Kalli 'Tagahoovis' (lav. Eino Baskin); William Shakespeare'i 'Eksituste komöödia' (lav. Evald Hermaküla); Pierre Corneille' 'Näitaja näitab ja vaataja vaatab ehk Illusioon' (lav. Mati Unt); Arthur Milleri 'Vaade sillalt' (Mikk Mikiver); Peter Shafferi 'Leekrüübe' (Priit Pedajas) ja 'Amadeus' (Kalju Komissarov); Alan Ayckbourni 'Intiimsed tehingud' ja Noel Cowardi 'Heinapalavik' (mõlemad Ivo Eensalu)

  1. Errors in the calculation of new salary positions and performance premiums – 2017 MERIT exercise

    CERN Multimedia

    Staff Association

    2017-01-01

    Following the receipt of the letters dated May 12th announcing the qualification of their performance (MERIT 2017), and the notification of their salary slips for the month of May, several colleagues have come to us to enquire about the calculation of salary increases and performance premiums. After verification, the Staff Association has informed the Management, in a meeting of the Standing Concertation Committee on June 1st, about errors owing to rounding in the applied formulas. James Purvis, Head of HR department, has published in the CERN Bulletin dated July 18th an article, under the heading “Better precision (rounding)”, that gives a short explanation of these rounding effects. But we want to further bring you more precise explanations. Advancement On the salary slips for the month of May, the calculations of the advancement and new salary positions were done, by the services of administrative computing in the FAP department, on the basis of the salary, rounded to the nearest franc...

  2. Inglased loovad Tallinna tarkvaraarenduskeskust / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2006-01-01

    Suurbritannia majandus- ja tarkvarafirma Coda ostis Rootsi tarkvarafirma Simple Concepts, millega sai endale ka selle tütarfirma Simple Concepts Eesti OÜ. Inglased otsustasid Tallinna osakonda selle kinnipanemise asemel laiendada. Lisa: Mis on Coda?

  3. Õpikud rahu teenistuses / Jaan Mikk

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Mikk, Jaan, 1939-

    2008-01-01

    Ekspertide nõupidamisest teemal "Rahu kujundamine ja kasvatamine õpikute innovaatilise koostamisega" (Thinking and Building Peace Through Innovative Textbook Design, UNESCO, 2007), mis toimus eelmisel aastal Pariisis ja mida korraldas UNESCO

  4. Leedulased valitsevad Eesti reisiturgu / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2006-01-01

    Eesti reisikorraldamisturu liider on leedulastele kuuluv Novatours. Firma valmistub sisenema nn. vanadele turgudele, tehes uuringuid Taanis ja Soomes. Teistest suurematest reisifirmadest Eestis. Lisad: Novatours. Horizon Travel. Marhaba. Top Tours; Eestlaste maitset määrab Vahemeri

  5. Eestis katsetatakse suurfirmade klaasi / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2008-01-01

    TTÜ juurde loodud spin-off firma Glasstress mõõdab eri firmade klaasitoodangu taset ning valmistab klaasi kvaliteedi mõõtmiseks mõeldud aparaate maailma suurimatele klaasitootjatele Saint-Cobain ja Pilkington

  6. Genetic merit for fertility traits in Holstein cows: IV. Transition period, uterine health, and resumption of cyclicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, S G; Fair, T; Lonergan, P; Butler, S T

    2014-05-01

    The objective of this study was to monitor the dry matter intake (DMI), metabolic status, uterine health, and resumption of cyclicity in cows with similar genetic merit for milk production traits but with either good (Fert+) or poor genetic merit (Fert-) for fertility traits. Twenty-six cows were enrolled in the study and data are reported for 15 Fert+ and 10 Fert- cows that completed the study. All cows received a total mixed ration diet during early lactation and were turned out to pasture in late spring. Dry matter intake was recorded daily from wk -2 to 5 relative to parturition. Blood metabolites and metabolic hormones were measured from wk -2 to 8 relative to parturition. Milk production, body condition score, and body weight until wk 35 of lactation are reported. To monitor uterine health, vaginal mucus was scored weekly on a scale of 0 (no pus) to 3 (≥ 50% pus) from parturition to wk 8 and uterine polymorphonuclear neutrophil count was measured at wk 3 and 6 postpartum. Prepartum DMI was similar between genotypes, but Fert+ cows had significantly greater DMI than Fert- cows (19.7 vs. 16.8 kg of dry matter/d) during the postpartum period. Energy balance at wk 1 was significantly greater in Fert+ cows than in Fert- cows [2.3 vs. -1.12 unité fourragère lait (UFL)/d]. The Fert+ cows had significantly greater daily milk solids production (1.89 vs. 1.74 kg/d) and tended to have greater daily milk yield (24.2 vs. 22.3 kg/d). The Fert+ cows had significantly greater mean circulating insulin-like growth factor-I (102.62 vs. 56.85 ng/mL) and tended to have greater mean circulating insulin (3.25 vs. 2.62 μIU/mL) compared with Fert- cows from wk -2 to 8 relative to parturition. Mean circulating glucose (3.40 vs. 3.01 mmol/L) concentrations were significantly greater in Fert+ cows compared with Fert- cows from wk -2 to 3 relative to parturition. The Fert+ cows maintained significantly greater mean body condition score throughout lactation compared with Fert- cows

  7. Linear reaction norm models for genetic merit prediction of Angus cattle under genotype by environment interaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cardoso, F F; Tempelman, R J

    2012-07-01

    The objectives of this work were to assess alternative linear reaction norm (RN) models for genetic evaluation of Angus cattle in Brazil. That is, we investigated the interaction between genotypes and continuous descriptors of the environmental variation to examine evidence of genotype by environment interaction (G×E) in post-weaning BW gain (PWG) and to compare the environmental sensitivity of national and imported Angus sires. Data were collected by the Brazilian Angus Improvement Program from 1974 to 2005 and consisted of 63,098 records and a pedigree file with 95,896 animals. Six models were implemented using Bayesian inference and compared using the Deviance Information Criterion (DIC). The simplest model was M(1), a traditional animal model, which showed the largest DIC and hence the poorest fit when compared with the 4 alternative RN specifications accounting for G×E. In M(2), a 2-step procedure was implemented using the contemporary group posterior means of M(1) as the environmental gradient, ranging from -92.6 to +265.5 kg. Moreover, the benefits of jointly estimating all parameters in a 1-step approach were demonstrated by M(3). Additionally, we extended M(3) to allow for residual heteroskedasticity using an exponential function (M(4)) and the best fitting (smallest DIC) environmental classification model (M(5)) specification. Finally, M(6) added just heteroskedastic residual variance to M(1). Heritabilities were less at harsh environments and increased with the improvement of production conditions for all RN models. Rank correlations among genetic merit predictions obtained by M(1) and by the best fitting RN models M(3) (homoskedastic) and M(5) (heteroskedastic) at different environmental levels ranged from 0.79 and 0.81, suggesting biological importance of G×E in Brazilian Angus PWG. These results suggest that selection progress could be optimized by adopting environment-specific genetic merit predictions. The PWG environmental sensitivity of

  8. Strategic Genco offers in electric energy markets cleared by merit order

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasan, Ebrahim A. Rahman

    In an electricity market cleared by merit-order economic dispatch we identify necessary and sufficient conditions under which the market outcomes supported by pure strategy Nash equilibria (NE) exist when generating companies (Gencos) game through continuously variable incremental cost (IC) block offers. A Genco may own any number of units, each unit having multiple blocks with each block being offered at a constant IC. Next, a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) scheme devoid of approximations or iterations is developed to identify all possible NE. The MILP scheme is systematic and general but computationally demanding for large systems. Thus, an alternative significantly faster lambda-iterative approach that does not require the use of MILP was also developed. Once all NE are found, one critical question is to identify the one whose corresponding gaming strategy may be considered by all Gencos as being the most rational. To answer this, this thesis proposes the use of a measure based on the potential profit gain and loss by each Genco for each NE. The most rational offer strategy for each Genco in terms of gaming or not gaming that best meets their risk/benefit expectations is the one corresponding to the NE with the largest gain to loss ratio. The computation of all NE is tested on several systems of up to ninety generating units, each with four incremental cost blocks. These NE are then used to examine how market power is influenced by market parameters, specifically, the number of competing Gencos, their size and true ICs, as well as the level of demand and price cap.

  9. Considerations on the dispatch out of economic merit order regarding to energy from thermal plants; Consideracoes sobre o despacho fora da ordem de merito economico referente a energia proveniente de usinas termeletricas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Makaron, Paula [Service Energy, Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)], email: paula@servicegroup.com.br; Parente, Virginia [Universidade de Sao Paulo (IEE/USP), SP (Brazil). Instituto de Eletrotecnica e Energia], email: vparente@iee.usp.br

    2010-07-01

    This paper present a brief overview of the methodology of centralized order carried by the National System Operator (NSO) and analyze the theoretical and political questions involved: (a) orders out of merit, triggered by exceeding the Risk Curve Aversion (RCA), and (b) in other orders authorized by the Monitoring Committee of the Electricity Sector (MCES). In this context, we discuss the consequences of those orders outside the order of merit of thermoelectric plants with an average cost of generating considerably superior to optimized cost calculated by computer models Newave / Decomp. This analysis is based on the comparison of historical data made available by the ONS, National Energy Agency (ANEEL) and Board of Electric Energy Commercialization (CCEE) in the years 2007 to 2009. (author)

  10. Live animal measurements, carcass composition and plasma hormone and metabolite concentrations in male progeny of sires differing in genetic merit for beef production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clarke, A M; Drennan, M J; McGee, M; Kenny, D A; Evans, R D; Berry, D P

    2009-07-01

    In genetic improvement programmes for beef cattle, the effect of selecting for a given trait or index on other economically important traits, or their predictors, must be quantified to ensure no deleterious consequential effects go unnoticed. The objective was to compare live animal measurements, carcass composition and plasma hormone and metabolite concentrations of male progeny of sires selected on an economic index in Ireland. This beef carcass index (BCI) is expressed in euros and based on weaning weight, feed intake, carcass weight and carcass conformation and fat scores. The index is used to aid in the genetic comparison of animals for the expected profitability of their progeny at slaughter. A total of 107 progeny from beef sires of high (n = 11) or low (n = 11) genetic merit for the BCI were compared in either a bull (slaughtered at 16 months of age) or steer (slaughtered at 24 months of age) production system, following purchase after weaning (8 months of age) from commercial beef herds. Data were analysed as a 2 × 2 factorial design (two levels of genetic merit by two production systems). Progeny of high BCI sires had heavier carcasses, greater (P animal value (obtained by multiplying carcass weight by carcass value, which was based on the weight of meat in each cut by its commercial value) than progeny of low BCI sires. Regression of progeny performance on sire genetic merit was also undertaken across the entire data set. In steers, the effect of BCI on carcass meat proportion, calculated carcass value (c/kg) and animal value was positive (P carcass fat proportion (P carcass weight followed the same trends as BCI. Muscularity scores, carcass meat proportion and calculated carcass value increased, whereas scanned fat depth, carcass fat and bone proportions decreased with increasing sire EPD for conformation score. The opposite association was observed for sire EPD for fat score. Results from this study show that selection using the BCI had positive

  11. The equivalent width as a figure of merit for XPS narrow scans

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Singh, Bhupinder [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, C-100 BNSN, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602 (United States); Velázquez, Daniel [Department of Physics, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL 60616 (United States); Terry, Jeff, E-mail: terryj@iit.edu [Department of Physics, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL 60616 (United States); Linford, Matthew R., E-mail: mrlinford@chem.byu.edu [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, C-100 BNSN, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602 (United States)

    2014-12-15

    Highlights: • We introduce a new figure of merit for XPS narrow scans: the equivalent width (EW{sub XPS}). • EW{sub XPS} is less subjective and involves lesser user bias than traditional peak fitting. • EW{sub XPS} is responsive to changes in chemical states of materials. • EW{sub XPS} could be used for quality control and comparing spectra from similar samples. • EW{sub XPS} has the potential to be part of an expert software system for machine interpretation of spectra. - Abstract: X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) is a widely used surface analytical tool that provides information about the near surface regions of materials. And while indispensable for XPS data analysis, peak fitting of narrow scans is often a fairly subjective exercise. Herein we introduce the equivalent width (EW) as an additional and less subjective figure of merit for XPS narrow scans. We believe that this parameter will prove particularly useful for analyzing series of similar or nominally identical spectra, perhaps as a component of an expert software system for the machine interpretation of spectra. It also appears to be useful, shedding light on the chemical state of materials, when additional information about a sample is known. The EW{sub XPS} is simply defined as the area of a narrow scan divided by the height of the maximum of its peak envelope. To limit any ambiguity in EW{sub XPS} for a series of spectra, we may also list the peak position of the maximum of the envelope (PE{sub max}). The potential usefulness and limitations of the EW{sub XPS} and PE{sub max} parameters are demonstrated by their application to the narrow scans of: (i) four sets of ozone-treated carbon nanotubes (EW{sub XPS} ∼ 2.11–2.16 eV for a Shirley background, and up to 2.88 eV for no background, PE{sub max} ∼ 284.4–284.5 eV), (ii) a series of silicon wafers with different oxide thicknesses (EW{sub XPS} ∼ 1.5–2.8 eV, PE{sub max} ∼ 99–103 eV), (iii) hydrogen-terminated silicon before

  12. The merits and problems of Neuropsychiatric Inventory as an assessment tool in people with dementia and other neurological disorders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lai CKY

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Claudia KY LaiSchool of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China Objective: The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI is one of the most commonly used ­assessment scales for assessing symptoms in people with dementia and other neurological disorders. This paper analyzes its conceptual framework, measurement mode, psychometric properties, and merits and problems.Method: All articles discussing the psychometric properties and factor structure of the NPI were searched for in Medline via Ovid. The abstracts of these papers were read to determine their relevance to the purpose of this paper. If deemed appropriate, a full paper was then obtained and read. Results: The NPI has reasonably good content validity and internal consistency, and good test–retest and interrater reliability. There is limited information about its sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and, in particular, responsiveness. Merits of the NPI include being comprehensive, avoiding symptom overlap, ease of use, and flexibility. It has problems in scoring (no multiples of 5, 7, and 11 and, therefore, analysis using parametric tests may not be appropriate. The use of individual subscales also warrants further investigation.Conclusion: In terms of its content and concurrent validity, intra- and interrater reliability, test–retest reliability, and internal consistency, the NPI can be considered as valid and reliable, and can be used across different ethnic groups. The tool is most likely unable to deliver as good a performance in terms of discriminating between different disorders. More studies are required to further evaluate its psychometric properties, particularly in the areas of factor structure and responsiveness. The clinical utility of the NPI also needs to be further explored. Keywords: measurement, neuropsychiatric symptoms, outcome assessment

  13. The merit order effect of wind and photovoltaic electricity generation in Germany 2008–2016: Estimation and distributional implications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cludius, Johanna; Hermann, Hauke; Matthes, Felix Chr.; Graichen, Verena

    2014-01-01

    Generation from renewable energy sources in Germany has experienced a considerable uptake in recent years. Mainly responsible for this development is the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (Erneuerbare Energien Gesetz, EEG). This paper considers redistributive implications of the EEG for different electricity consumers. Using time-series regression analysis, we show that electricity generation by wind and PV has reduced spot market prices considerably by 6 €/MWh in 2010 rising to 10 €/MWh in 2012. We use these results to build a near-term forecasting tool for merit order effects, projected to reach 14-16 €/MWh in 2016. On the other hand, the costs of the EEG are passed forward to consumers in the form of a surcharge. Our findings highlight significant redistributive transfers under the current design of the EEG. In particular, some energy-intensive industries are benefiting from lower wholesale electricity prices whilst being largely exempted from contributing to the costs of the scheme. We also highlight implications of our results for other areas for reform of the EEG, such as adequate remuneration mechanisms that ensure efficient operation and investment decisions are made under the scheme. More generally, these findings suggest that policy makers need to integrate distributional assessments into policy design and implementation. - Highlights: • The German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) has important distributional impacts on different electricity consumers. • Likely wealth transfers from households and small business to energy-intensive industry. • Merit order effects of around 10 €/MWh in 2012 are set to rise to 14–16 €/MWh in 2016. • These effects likely overcompensate exempt industry for contribution to cost of the EEG. • Implications for short- and long-term reform of the EEG and the design of renewable energy policy in general

  14. Transparent conductors from layer-by-layer assembled SWNT films: importance of mechanical properties and a new figure of merit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shim, Bong Sup; Zhu, Jian; Jan, Edward; Critchley, Kevin; Kotov, Nicholas A

    2010-07-27

    New transparent conductors (TCs) capable of replacing traditional indium tin oxide (ITO) are much needed for displays, sensors, solar cells, smart energy-saving windows, and flexible electronics. Technical requirements of TCs include not only high electrical conductivity and transparency but also environmental stability and mechanical property which are often overlooked in the research environment. Single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) coatings have been suggested as alternative TC materials but typically lack sufficient wear resistance compared to ITO. Balancing conductance, transparency, durability, and flexibility is a formidable challenge, which leads us to the introduction of a new TC figure of merit, PiTC, incorporating all these qualities. Maximization of PiTC to that of ITO or better can be suggested as an initial research goal. Fine tuning of SWNT layer-by-layer (LBL) polymeric nanocomposite structures makes possible integration of all the necessary properties. The produced TC demonstrated resistivity of 86 Omega/sq with 80.2% optical transmittance combined with tensile modulus, strength, and toughness of the film of 12.3+/-3.4 GPa, 218+/-13 MPa, and 8+/-1.7 J/g, respectively. A new transparent capping layer to conserve these properties in the hostile environment with matching or better strength, toughness, and transparency parameters was also demonstrated. Due to application demands, bending performance of TC made by LBL was of special interest and exceeded that of ITO by at least 100 times. Cumulative figure of merit PiTC for the produced coatings was 0.15 Omega(-1), whereas the conventional ITO showed PiTCOmega(-1). With overall electrical and optical performance comparable to ITO and exceptional mechanical properties, the described coatings can provide an excellent alternative to ITO or other nanowire- and nanotube-based TC specifically in flexible electronics, displays, and sensors.

  15. Simm jagas Anapas piitsa ja präänikut / Peeter Simm ; interv. Tiit Tuumalu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Simm, Peeter, 1953-

    2002-01-01

    Žürii liige SRÜ ja Baltimaade 11. filmifestivalil Anapas, eesti režissöör P. Simm festivalist ja eesti filmi tasemest endiste nõukogude vabariikide tänaste tegijate kõrval. Parima meesnäitleja preemia sai Rain Simmul Nika osa eest Arvo Iho mängufilmis "Karu süda". Videoprogrammi grand prix sai Mikk Ranna animafilm "Sääsk ja hobune", samas märgiti ära ka Mark Soosaare "La Paloma"

  16. The Challenges Organic Food Processors Meet at Small Emerging Market – Estonian Case

    OpenAIRE

    Sarapuu, Kerttu; Pehme, Sirli; Peetsmann, Elen; Matt, Darja

    2014-01-01

    Organic farming and demand for organic products is continually a growing trend all over the world (Willer et al., 2013). In Estonia the share of organic land is 15% of all agricultural land and the number of organic farmers is also growing (Vetemaa, Mikk 2013). Estonian organic food market is still in forming stage being affected by local organic farming development, marketing situation, economic situation and consumer attitudes. Organic processing has clearly not kept up with organic farming...

  17. Comparing Russian and Finnish standards of water purification

    OpenAIRE

    Maria, Pupkova

    2012-01-01

    The subject of this thesis is water purification. The first aim of this thesis is to consider different ways of water purification. The second aim is to compare Finnish and Russian standards of water purification. The third one is to show water purification methods on the pattern of Mikkeli water purification plan. Water purification methods of water intended for human consumption will be described.Combined tables will be done according to the quality requirement of drinking water of both,...

  18. U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program 2016 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report: June 6-10, 2016, Washington, DC

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Popovich, Neil

    2016-10-01

    The fiscal year 2016 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR), in conjunction with DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office AMR, was held from June 6-10, 2015, in Washington, D.C.. This report is a summary of comments by AMR peer reviewers about the hydrogen and fuel cell projects funded by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

  19. U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program 2015 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report: June 8-12, 2015, Arlington, Virginia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Popovich, Neil

    2015-10-01

    The fiscal year 2015 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR), in conjunction with DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office AMR, was held from June 8-12, 2015, in Arlington, Virginia. This report is a summary of comments by AMR peer reviewers about the hydrogen and fuel cell projects funded by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

  20. Figures of Merit Software: Description, User's Guide, Installation Notes, Versions Description, and License Agreement

    Science.gov (United States)

    hoelzer, H. D.; Fourroux, K. A.; Rickman, D. L.; Schrader, C. M.

    2011-01-01

    Figures of Merit (FoMs) and the FoM software provide a method for quantitatively evaluating the quality of a regolith simulant by comparing the simulant to a reference material. FoMs may be used for comparing a simulant to actual regolith material, specification by stating the value a simulant s FoMs must attain to be suitable for a given application and comparing simulants from different vendors or production runs. FoMs may even be used to compare different simulants to each other. A single FoM is conceptually an algorithm that computes a single number for quantifying the similarity or difference of a single characteristic of a simulant material and a reference material and provides a clear measure of how well a simulant and reference material match or compare. FoMs have been constructed to lie between zero and 1, with zero indicating a poor or no match and 1 indicating a perfect match. FoMs are defined for modal composition, particle size distribution, particle shape distribution, (aspect ratio and angularity), and density. This TM covers the mathematics, use, installation, and licensing for the existing FoM code in detail.

  1. The merit-order effect in the Italian power market: The impact of solar and wind generation on national wholesale electricity prices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clò, Stefano; Cataldi, Alessandra; Zoppoli, Pietro

    2015-01-01

    Italy promoted one of the most generous renewable support schemes worldwide which resulted in a high increase of solar power generation. We analyze the Italian day-ahead wholesale electricity market, finding empirical evidence of the merit-order effect. Over the period 2005–2013 an increase of 1 GWh in the hourly average of daily production from solar and wind sources has, on average, reduced wholesale electricity prices by respectively 2.3€/MWh and 4.2€/MWh and has amplified their volatility. The impact on prices has decreased over time in correspondence with the increase in solar and wind electricity production. We estimate that, over the period 2009–2013, solar production has generated higher monetary savings than wind production, mainly because the former is more prominent than the latter. However, in the solar case, monetary savings are not sufficient to compensate the cost of the related supporting schemes which are entirely internalized within end-user tariffs, causing a reduction of the consumer surplus, while the opposite occurs in the case of wind. - Highlights: • We find empirical evidence of the merit-order effect in the Italian market. • 1 GWh from solar and wind (hourly average) reduces prices by 2.3€/MW and 4.2€/MWh. • The impact of RES on price has declined as RES production has increased. • Monetary savings from solar production do not compensate the cost of the incentives. • Monetary savings from wind production are higher than the cost of the incentives

  2. Self-Care for Nurse Leaders in Acute Care Environment Reduces Perceived Stress: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study Merits Further Investigation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dyess, Susan Mac Leod; Prestia, Angela S; Marquit, Doren-Elyse; Newman, David

    2018-03-01

    Acute care practice settings are stressful. Nurse leaders face stressful demands of numerous competing priorities. Some nurse leaders experience unmanageable stress, but success requires self-care. This article presents a repeated measures intervention design study using mixed methods to investigate a self-care simple meditation practice for nurse leaders. Themes and subthemes emerged in association with the three data collection points: at baseline (pretest), after 6 weeks, and after 12 weeks (posttest) from introduction of the self-care simple meditation practice. An analysis of variance yielded a statistically significant drop in perceived stress at 6 weeks and again at 12 weeks. Conducting future research is merited.

  3. Theory and Applications of Covalent Docking in Drug Discovery: Merits and Pitfalls

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hezekiel Mathambo Kumalo

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available he present art of drug discovery and design of new drugs is based on suicidal irreversible inhibitors. Covalent inhibition is the strategy that is used to achieve irreversible inhibition. Irreversible inhibitors interact with their targets in a time-dependent fashion, and the reaction proceeds to completion rather than to equilibrium. Covalent inhibitors possessed some significant advantages over non-covalent inhibitors such as covalent warheads can target rare, non-conserved residue of a particular target protein and thus led to development of highly selective inhibitors, covalent inhibitors can be effective in targeting proteins with shallow binding cleavage which will led to development of novel inhibitors with increased potency than non-covalent inhibitors. Several computational approaches have been developed to simulate covalent interactions; however, this is still a challenging area to explore. Covalent molecular docking has been recently implemented in the computer-aided drug design workflows to describe covalent interactions between inhibitors and biological targets. In this review we highlight: (i covalent interactions in biomolecular systems; (ii the mathematical framework of covalent molecular docking; (iii implementation of covalent docking protocol in drug design workflows; (iv applications covalent docking: case studies and (v shortcomings and future perspectives of covalent docking. To the best of our knowledge; this review is the first account that highlights different aspects of covalent docking with its merits and pitfalls. We believe that the method and applications highlighted in this study will help future efforts towards the design of irreversible inhibitors.

  4. A Figure-of-Merit for Designing High-Performance Inductive Power Transmission Links.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiani, Mehdi; Ghovanloo, Maysam

    2012-11-16

    Power transfer efficiency (PTE) and power delivered to the load (PDL) are two key inductive link design parameters that relate to the power source and driver specs, power loss, transmission range, robustness against misalignment, variations in loading, and interference with other devices. Designers need to strike a delicate balance between these two because designing the link to achieve high PTE will degrade the PDL and vice versa. We are proposing a new figure-of-merit (FoM), which can help designers to find out whether a two-, three-, or four-coil link is appropriate for their particular application and guide them through an iterative design procedure to reach optimal coil geometries based on how they weigh the PTE versus PDL for that application. Three design examples at three different power levels have been presented based on the proposed FoM for implantable microelectronic devices, handheld mobile devices, and electric vehicles. The new FoM suggests that the two-coil links are suitable when the coils are strongly coupled, and a large PDL is needed. Three-coil links are the best when the coils are loosely coupled, the coupling distance varies considerably, and large PDL is necessary. Finally, four-coil links are optimal when the PTE is paramount, the coils are loosely coupled, and their relative distance and alignment are stable. Measurement results support the accuracy of the theoretical design procedure and conclusions.

  5. Understanding the Merits and Demerits of High and Low Context Oriented Communication Cultures in Intercultural Business Conflict : the case of Fukushima and Japanese communication schema

    OpenAIRE

    Ryan, Stephen B.

    2012-01-01

    This paper shall highlight the merits and demerits of both high and low context oriented communication cultures - particularly in cross-cultural business contexts. Intercultural Communication (IC) theories such as high . low context, universalism . particularism and monochromic . polychromic time are meant to serve as guideposts for the international sojourner to communicate effectively in the host country. We shall also briefly discuss the idea that the English language serves as a low conte...

  6. Kasvatusteaduslike tööde 2001. aasta riikliku konkursi võitjad on selgunud / Ulve Kala

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Kala, Ulve, 1947-

    2001-01-01

    Konkursile esitatud töid hindas komisjon koosseisus TPÜ dots. U. Kala (esimees), HM-i üldhariduse osakonna peaekspert M. Kadakas, Eesti Akadeemilise Pedagoogika Seltsi esimees I. Kraav, TPÜ prof. J. Orn, TÜ dots. T. Pedastsaar, TPÜ dots. H. Sikka, HM-i teaduse talituse juhataja M. Toimet. Eesti keeles publitseeritud teadustöö preemia: E. Krull monograafia "Pedagoogilise psühholoogia käsiraamat" ja kogumikule "Kõnelev ja kõneldav inimene : Eesti erinevate eluvaldkondade diskursus", autorid V.-R. Ruus, V. Kalmus, H. Krull, T. Kuurme, M.-L. Laherand, M. Lauristin, M. Leino, A. Liimets, K. Loogma, R. Ruutsoo, E.-S. Sarv, J. Veimer, M. Volt. Võõrkeeles publitseeritud teadustöö preemia: J. Mikk monograafia "Textbook : Research and Writing", ja M. Veisson "Disabled Children - the Psychological Status of Parents and the Social Network of Siblings". Populaarteaduslike tööde preemia: kogumik "Õppejõudu otsimas", autorid L. Erilt, K. Mits, A. Kincaid, T. Kuurme, K. Kütt, K. Loogma, E. Lõhkivi, M. Lõhmus, J. Mikk, S. Priimägi, S. Ransdell, V.-R. Ruus, A. Viru, K. Vogelberg, R. Walker. Heino Liimetsa nimeline magistritöö preemia: E. Jakobson magistritöö "Liitklassid ja eriealiste laste koosõpetamine" (juhendaja dots. V. Maanso) ja S. Jehe magistritöö "Ülesanded õppija kujunemiseks : töövihik ja õpetajavihik eesti kirjanduse käsitlemiseks gümnaasiumis" (juhendaja dots. T. Pedastsaar)

  7. Application of the MERIT survey in the multi-criteria quality assessment of occupational health and safety management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korban, Zygmunt

    2015-01-01

    Occupational health and safety management systems apply audit examinations as an integral element of these systems. The examinations are used to verify whether the undertaken actions are in compliance with the accepted regulations, whether they are implemented in a suitable way and whether they are effective. One of the earliest solutions of that type applied in the mining industry in Poland involved the application of audit research based on the MERIT survey (Management Evaluation Regarding Itemized Tendencies). A mathematical model applied in the survey facilitates the determination of assessment indexes WOPi for each of the assessed problem areas, which, among other things, can be used to set up problem area rankings and to determine an aggregate (synthetic) assessment. In the paper presented here, the assessment indexes WOPi were used to calculate a development measure, and the calculation process itself was supplemented with sensitivity analysis.

  8. High-performance piezoelectric nanogenerators for self-powered nanosystems: quantitative standards and figures of merit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Wenzhuo

    2016-03-01

    Harvesting energies from the atmosphere cost-effectively is critical for both addressing worldwide long-term energy needs at the macro-scale, and achieving the sustainable maintenance-free operation of nanodevices at the micro-scale (Wang and Wu 2012 Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 51 11700-21). Piezoelectric nanogenerator (NG) technology has demonstrated its great application potential in harvesting the ubiquitous and abundant mechanical energy. Despite of the progress made in this rapidly-advancing field, a fundamental understanding and common standard for consistently quantifying and evaluating the performance of the various types of piezoelectric NGs is still lacking. In their recent study Crossley and Kar-Narayan (2015 Nanotechnology 26 344001), systematically investigated dynamical properties of piezoelectric NGs by taking into account the effect of driving mechanism and load frequency on NG performance. They further defined the NGs’ figures of merit as energy harvested normalized by applied strain or stress for NGs under strain-driven or stress-driven conditions, which are commonly seen in the vibrational energy harvesting. This work provides new insight and a feasible approach for consistently evaluating piezoelectric nanomaterials and NG devices, which is important for designing and optimizing nanoscale piezoelectric energy harvesters, as well as promoting their applications in emerging areas e.g. the internet of things, wearable devices, and self-powered nanosystems.

  9. Genetic and phenotypic relationships of serum leptin concentration with performance, efficiency of gain, and carcass merit of feedlot cattle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nkrumah, J D; Keisler, D H; Crews, D H; Basarab, J A; Wang, Z; Li, C; Price, M A; Okine, E K; Moore, S S

    2007-09-01

    Leptin is the hormone product of the obese gene that is synthesized and predominantly expressed by adipocytes. This study estimated the genetic variation in serum leptin concentration and evaluated the genetic and phenotypic relationships of serum leptin concentration with performance, efficiency of gain, and carcass merit. There were 464 steers with records for serum leptin concentration, performance, and efficiency of gain and 381 steers with records for carcass traits. The analyses included a total of 813 steers, including those without phenotypic records. Phenotypic and genetic parameter estimates were obtained using SAS and ASREML, respectively. Serum leptin concentration was moderately heritable (h2 = 0.34 +/- 0.13) and averaged 13.91 (SD = 5.74) ng/mL. Sire breed differences in serum leptin concentration correlated well with breed differences in body composition. Specifically, the serum leptin concentration was 20% greater in Angus-sired steers compared with Charolais-sired steers (P 0.10). Serum leptin concentration was correlated phenotypically with ultrasound backfat (r = 0.41; P < 0.001), carcass 12th-rib fat (r = 0.42; P < 0.001), ultrasound marbling (r = 0.25; P < 0.01), carcass marbling (r = 0.28; P < 0.01), ultrasound LM area (r = -0.19; P < 0.01), carcass LM area (r = -0.17; P < 0.05), lean meat yield (r = -0.38; P < 0.001), and yield grade (r = 0.32; P < 0.001). The corresponding genetic correlations were generally greater than the phenotypic correlations and included ultrasound backfat (r = 0.76 +/- 0.19), carcass 12th-rib fat (r = 0.54 +/- 0.23), ultrasound marbling (r = 0.27 +/- 0.22), carcass marbling (r = 0.76 +/- 0.21), ultrasound LM area (r = -0.71 +/- 0.19), carcass LM area (r = -0.75 +/- 0.20), lean meat yield (r = -0.59 +/- 0.22), and yield grade (r = 0.39 +/- 0.26). Serum leptin concentration can be a valuable tool that can be incorporated into appropriate selection programs to favorably improve the carcass merit of cattle.

  10. Computational cluster validation for microarray data analysis: experimental assessment of Clest, Consensus Clustering, Figure of Merit, Gap Statistics and Model Explorer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Utro Filippo

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Inferring cluster structure in microarray datasets is a fundamental task for the so-called -omic sciences. It is also a fundamental question in Statistics, Data Analysis and Classification, in particular with regard to the prediction of the number of clusters in a dataset, usually established via internal validation measures. Despite the wealth of internal measures available in the literature, new ones have been recently proposed, some of them specifically for microarray data. Results We consider five such measures: Clest, Consensus (Consensus Clustering, FOM (Figure of Merit, Gap (Gap Statistics and ME (Model Explorer, in addition to the classic WCSS (Within Cluster Sum-of-Squares and KL (Krzanowski and Lai index. We perform extensive experiments on six benchmark microarray datasets, using both Hierarchical and K-means clustering algorithms, and we provide an analysis assessing both the intrinsic ability of a measure to predict the correct number of clusters in a dataset and its merit relative to the other measures. We pay particular attention both to precision and speed. Moreover, we also provide various fast approximation algorithms for the computation of Gap, FOM and WCSS. The main result is a hierarchy of those measures in terms of precision and speed, highlighting some of their merits and limitations not reported before in the literature. Conclusion Based on our analysis, we draw several conclusions for the use of those internal measures on microarray data. We report the main ones. Consensus is by far the best performer in terms of predictive power and remarkably algorithm-independent. Unfortunately, on large datasets, it may be of no use because of its non-trivial computer time demand (weeks on a state of the art PC. FOM is the second best performer although, quite surprisingly, it may not be competitive in this scenario: it has essentially the same predictive power of WCSS but it is from 6 to 100 times slower in time

  11. Computed a multiple band metamaterial absorber and its application based on the figure of merit value

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Chao; Sheng, Yuping; Jun, Wang

    2018-01-01

    A high performed multiple band metamaterial absorber is designed and computed through the software Ansofts HFSS 10.0, which is constituted with two kinds of separated metal particles sub-structures. The multiple band absorption property of the metamaterial absorber is based on the resonance of localized surface plasmon (LSP) modes excited near edges of metal particles. The damping constant of gold layer is optimized to obtain a near-perfect absorption rate. Four kinds of dielectric layers is computed to achieve the perfect absorption perform. The perfect absorption perform of the metamaterial absorber is enhanced through optimizing the structural parameters (R = 75 nm, w = 80 nm). Moreover, a perfect absorption band is achieved because of the plasmonic hybridization phenomenon between LSP modes. The designed metamaterial absorber shows high sensitive in the changed of the refractive index of the liquid. A liquid refractive index sensor strategy is proposed based on the computed figure of merit (FOM) value of the metamaterial absorber. High FOM values (116, 111, and 108) are achieved with three liquid (Methanol, Carbon tetrachloride, and Carbon disulfide).

  12. An initial test of a normative Figure Of Merit for the quality of overall task performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lemay, Moira; Comstock, J. R., Jr.

    1990-01-01

    An overall indicator, or Figure Of Merit (FOM), of the quality of crew/vehicle system performance is needed to establish the effect of workload on efficiency and to identify overload conditions. A normative FOM is proposed in which performance is measured on a representative task and a normative data base obtained. FOMs for subsequent executions of the task are then reported in terms of weighted deviations from average task performance. Performance of discrete tasks is measured primarily in terms of subtask time and errors. Discrete task performance is then combined with a measure of continuous vehicle control. In order to test the normative FOM procedure, the technique was applied to an existing set of data from a simulated landing task in which standard communications with ATC was compared with a data link communications system. The results indicated that while mean task performance was not affected, task variability, as measured by the FOM, was significantly higher when data link communications were used. In order to establish the sensitivity of the normative FOM method, further testing of the measure is recommended.

  13. Hotelli Cumulus Mikkelin majoitusasiakkaiden tyytyväisyys

    OpenAIRE

    Kinnunen, Jenni Ljuba

    2016-01-01

    Tämän opinnäytetyön tavoitteena on tutkia majoitusasiakkaiden tyytyväisyyttä hotelli Cumulus Mikkelissä keskittyen pääosin hotellin vastaanottoon, hotellihuoneeseen, Huviretki-ravintolaan ja aamiaiseen. Opinnäytetyön toimeksiantaja on hotelli Cumulus Mikkeli. Tässä opinnäytetyössä käytetään kvalitatiivista tutkimusmenetelmää ja tutkimusaineisto kerättiin haastattelemalla hotellin majoitusasiakkaita yksitellen kyselylomakkeen kanssa. Haastateltujen asiakkaiden määrä oli 20, joista 10 ...

  14. Retrospective modeling of the merit-order effect on wholesale electricity prices from distributed photovoltaic generation in the Australian National Electricity Market

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McConnell, Dylan; Hearps, Patrick; Eales, Dominic; Sandiford, Mike; Dunn, Rebecca; Wright, Matthew; Bateman, Lachlan

    2013-01-01

    In electricity markets that use a merit order dispatch system, generation capacity is ranked by the price that it is bid into the market. Demand is then met by dispatching electricity according to this rank, from the lowest to the highest bid. The last capacity dispatched sets the price received by all generation, ensuring the lowest cost provision of electricity. A consequence of this system is that significant deployments of low marginal cost electricity generators, including renewables, can reduce the spot price of electricity. In Australia, this prospect has been recognized in concern expressed by some coal-fired generators that delivering too much renewable generation would reduce wholesale electricity prices. In this analysis we calculate the likely reduction of wholesale prices through this merit order effect on the Australian National Electricity Market. We calculate that for 5 GW of capacity, comparable to the present per capita installation of photovoltaics in Germany, the reduction in wholesale prices would have been worth in excess of A$1.8 billion over 2009 and 2010, all other factors being equal. We explore the implications of our findings for feed-in tariff policies, and find that they could deliver savings to consumers, contrary to prevailing criticisms that they are a regressive form of taxation. - Highlights: ► We model the impact of photovoltaic generation on the Australian electricity market. ► Photovoltaic generation depresses electricity prices, particularly in summer peaks. ► Over the course of a year, the depression in wholesale prices has significant value. ► 5 GW of solar generation would have saved $1.8 billion in the market over two years. ► The depression of wholesale prices offsets the cost of support mechanisms

  15. An Investigation of How Black STEM Faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities Approach the National Science Foundation Merit Review Process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rankins, Falcon

    This qualitative inquiry explored the ways in which US-born, Black faculty member participants in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) interact with the National Science Foundation (NSF). Eight Black HBCU STEM faculty members with a range of involvement in NSF-related activities were individually interviewed. Topics of discussion with participants included their prior experiences with NSF, their understanding of the merit review process, and their understanding of their personal and institutional relationships with NSF and the STEM community. Two broad findings emerged from the conversations. The first was that issues of communities and social identity were important to the participants' work as research scientists. Participants prioritized advancing people and communities over advancing the knowledge of ambiguous, disembodied scientific disciplines, and some participants were motivated by interests in social justice. However, participants maintained strong identities as scientists and the discussions provided no evidence that other social factors influenced their application of the scientific method. The second major finding dealt with the role participants perceived their institutions playing in their involvement with NSF. All participants described challenges associated with pursuing research in HBCU environments and, in some cases, the institutional challenges served as the motivation for participants' projects, with varying consequences. The participants' discussions about their institutions also raised important questions about how well-aligned participants' visions are with the visions of their institutional leadership, regarding how research should be incorporated into the HBCU mission. Finally, this study developed and refined a theoretical framework for explaining the underrepresentation of HBCUs in NSF funding streams. In developing this framework, a brief history of

  16. U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program 2014 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report: June 16-20, 2014, Washington, D.C.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    2014-10-01

    The fiscal year (FY) 2014 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR), in conjunction with DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office AMR, was held from June 16-20, 2014, at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, D.C. This report is a summary of comments by AMR peer reviewers about the hydrogen and fuel cell projects funded by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).

  17. Matrix Organization and Merit Factor Evaluation as a Method to Address the Challenge of Finding a Polymer Material for Roll Coated Polymer Solar Cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bundgaard, Eva; Livi, Francesco; Hagemann, Ole

    2015-01-01

    The results presented demonstrate how the screening of 104 light-absorbing low band gap polymers for suitability in roll coated polymer solar cells can be accomplished through rational synthesis according to a matrix where 8 donor and 13 acceptor units are organized in rows and columns. Synthesis...... silver comb back electrode structure. The matrix organization enables fast identification of active layer materials according to a weighted merit factor that includes more than simply the power conversion efficiency and is used as a method to identify the lead candidates. Based on several characteristics...

  18. The merits of DNA content and cell kinetic parameters for the assessment of intrinsic cellular radiosensitivity to photon and high-LET neutron irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Theron, C.S.; Serafin, A.; Bohm, L.; Slabbert, J.P.

    1997-01-01

    Differences of the intrinsic cellular radiosensitivity between tumours make the selection of patients for specific radiation schedules very difficult. The reasons for these variations are still unclear, but are thought to be due to genomic and cellular characteristics. Radiosensitivities vary between cell cycle stages, with S-phase cells being most radioresistant and G2/M phase cells most radiosensitive. It is also well established that most tumour cells have an abnormal ploidy. DNA content and cellular proliferation kinetics therefore could influence the intrinsic radiosensitivity. This prompted us to assess the merits of these parameters as predictors of radiation response. (authors)

  19. Nad saavad endiselt hakkama / Mikk Vanapõld

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Vanapõld, Mikk

    2001-01-01

    Näitleja Maria Avdjushko räägib Kanal 2 uuest kodumaisest teleseriaalist "Me saame hakkama", mille üks kolmest produtsendist ta on : stsenarist Mihkel Ulman : režissöör Ain Prosa : helilooja Ardo-Ran Varres : mängivad Andrus, Maarika ja Marta Vaarik, Ülle Kaljuste, Maria Avdjushko, Hilja Varem jt. : Wireframe Productions. Ka : Teleleht nr. 1, lk. 40-41

  20. Hiina haridusinnovatsioon neljaks tunniks Eestis / Mikk Kasesalk

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Kasesalk, Mikk

    2016-01-01

    Shanghai on Hiina haridussüsteemi edulugu. Sealsete õppeasutuste esindajatega on võimalik kohtuda 13. mail Tallinna ülikoolis toimuval Shanghai haridusmessil. Tallinna ülikoolis on võimalik õppida Aasia uuringute eriala

  1. Mazheikiu Nafta otsib uut omanikku / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2006-01-01

    Autori sõnul on alanud kõige kõrgemal tasemel võitlus, kes saab Mazeikiu Nafta uueks omanikuks. Et mitte anda Jukosele võimalust müüa aktsiad ükskõik kellele, võeti Leedus vastu seadus, mille kohaselt on valitsusel võimalus naftafirma tagasiostmiseks laenu kasutada. Mazeikiu Nafta võimalikest ostjatest. Diagrammid: Balti riikide suurim rahamasin. Lisa: Väikeaktsionärid pimeduses

  2. Kuidas levib traadita internet Eestis / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2007-01-01

    Traadita internet katab eksperdi arvates aastaks 2012 tervet Eestit, samas ei jõuta kindlasti veel keskmise lauaarvuti ühenduskiiruseni. Vt. samas: Traadita interneti kvaliteet; Traadita internetilahenduste võrdlus

  3. Merit of Ginseng in the Treatment of Heart Failure in Type 1-Like Diabetic Rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cheng-Chia Tsai

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The present study investigated the merit of ginseng in the improvement of heart failure in diabetic rats and the role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors δ (PPARδ. We used streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat (STZ-rat to screen the effects of ginseng on cardiac performance and PPARδ expression. Changes of body weight, water intake, and food intake were compared in three groups of age-matched rats; the normal control (Wistar rats received vehicle, STZ-rats received vehicle and ginseng-treated STZ-rats. We also determined cardiac performances in addition to blood glucose level in these animals. The protein levels of PPARδ in hearts were identified using Western blotting analysis. In STZ-rats, cardiac performances were decreased but the food intake, water intake, and blood glucose were higher than the vehicle-treated control. After a 7-day treatment of ginseng in STZ-rats, cardiac output was markedly enhanced without changes in diabetic parameters. This treatment with ginseng also increased the PPARδ expression in hearts of STZ-rats. The related signal of cardiac contractility, troponin I phosphorylation, was also raised. Ginseng-induced increasing of cardiac output was reversed by the cotreatment with PPARδ antagonist GSK0660. Thus, we suggest that ginseng could improve heart failure through the increased PPARδ expression in STZ-rats.

  4. Figures of merit for the determination of the polymorphic purity of carbamazepine by infrared spectroscopy and multivariate calibration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braga, Jez Willian B; Poppi, Ronei Jesus

    2004-08-01

    Polymorphism is an important property in the quality control of pharmaceutical products. In this regard, partial least squares regression and the net analytical signal were used to build and validate a multivariate calibration model using diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy in the region of 900-1100 cm(-1) for the determination of the polymorphic purity of carbamazepine. Physical mixtures of the polymorphs were made by weight, from 80 to 100% (w/w) form III mixed with form I. Figures of merit, such as sensitivity, analytical sensitivity, selectivity, confidence limits, precision (mean, repeatability, intermediate), accuracy, and signal-to-noise ratio were calculated. Feasible results were obtained with maximum absolute error of 2% and an average error of 0.53%, indicating that the proposed methodology can be used by the pharmaceutical industry as an alternative to the X-ray diffraction (United States Pharmacopoeiamethod). Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 93:2124-2134, 2004

  5. Merit-Based Incentive Payment System: Meaningful Changes in the Final Rule Brings Cautious Optimism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manchikanti, Laxmaiah; Helm Ii, Standiford; Calodney, Aaron K; Hirsch, Joshua A

    2017-01-01

    The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) eliminated the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) act formula - a longstanding crucial issue of concern for health care providers and Medicare beneficiaries. MACRA also included a quality improvement program entitled, "The Merit-Based Incentive Payment System, or MIPS." The proposed rule of MIPS sought to streamline existing federal quality efforts and therefore linked 4 distinct programs into one. Three existing programs, meaningful use (MU), Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), value-based payment (VBP) system were merged with the addition of Clinical Improvement Activity category. The proposed rule also changed the name of MU to Advancing Care Information, or ACI. ACI contributes to 25% of composite score of the four programs, PQRS contributes 50% of the composite score, while VBP system, which deals with resource use or cost, contributes to 10% of the composite score. The newest category, Improvement Activities or IA, contributes 15% to the composite score. The proposed rule also created what it called a design incentive that drives movement to delivery system reform principles with the inclusion of Advanced Alternative Payment Models (APMs).Following the release of the proposed rule, the medical community, as well as Congress, provided substantial input to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS),expressing their concern. American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) focused on 3 important aspects: delay the implementation, provide a 3-month performance period, and provide ability to submit meaningful quality measures in a timely and economic manner. The final rule accepted many of the comments from various organizations, including several of those specifically emphasized by ASIPP, with acceptance of 3-month reporting period, as well as the ability to submit non-MIPS measures to improve real quality and make the system meaningful. CMS also provided a mechanism for

  6. Vana hea nõukogude kvaliteet / Jaak Kilmi

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Kilmi, Jaak, 1973-

    2002-01-01

    SRÜ ja Baltimaade 11. filmifestivalil Anapas programmi "Avatud videoööd" koostaja muleid ja hinnanguid festivalilt. Parima meesnäitleja preemia sai Rain Simmul Nika osa eest Arvo Iho mängufilmis "Karu süda", žürii märkis ära Mark Soosaare 8-minutilise "La Paloma", "Avatud videoööde" peapreemia sai Mikk Ranna "Sääsk ja hobune". Festivali parimaks filmiks kuulutati Igor Minajevi "Kuumaastikud" ("Lunnõje poljanõ"), mille peaosatäitja Alissa Bogart sai parima naisnäitleja preemia

  7. Oskusteabe tarbekunsti-tiritamm / Lylian Meister

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Meister, Lylian, 1966-

    2009-01-01

    Tallinna 5. rakenduskunsti triennaalist. Peanäitus "Know how" Eesti Tarbekunsti- ja Disainimuuseumis kuni 21. 02. 2010 (kuraator Kärt Maran, kujundajad: Ott Kadarik, Tuuli Aule). Kolm võrdset preemiat said Marta Boan (Hispaania), autorite kollektiiv Jaan Evart (Eesti), Julian Hagen (Austria) ja Daniel Maarleveld (Holland) ning Kieren Jones (Suurbritannia). Satelliitnäitused: "EKA Know How. See on imelihtne?" (kuraatorid: Eeva Käsper, Tiina Sarapu) Eesti Kunstiakadeemia galeriis 12. 11.-10. 12. 2009, "Praktiline Kunst ja Kodu" (kuraator Kai Lobjakas, kujundaja Mikk Heinsoo) Hobusepea galeriis 14.-23. 11. 2009

  8. Enhanced thermoelectric figure-of-merit in thermally robust, nanostructured superlattices based on SrTiO3

    KAUST Repository

    Abutaha, Anas I.

    2015-03-24

    Thermoelectric (TE) metal oxides overcome crucial disadvantages of traditional heavy-metal-alloy-based TE materials, such as toxicity, scarcity, and instability at high temperatures. Here, we report the TE properties of metal oxide superlattices, composed from alternating layers of 5% Pr3+-doped SrTiO3-δ (SPTO) and 20% Nb5+-doped SrTiO3-δ (STNO) fabricated using pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Excellent stability is established for these superlattices by maintaining the crystal structure and reproducing the TE properties after long-time (20 h) annealing at high temperature (∼1000 K). The introduction of oxygen vacancies as well as extrinsic dopants (Pr3+ and Nb5+), with different masses and ionic radii, at different lattice sites in SPTO and STNO layers, respectively, results in a substantial reduction of thermal conductivity via scattering a wider range of phonon spectrum without limiting the electrical transport and thermopower, leading to an enhancement in the figure-of-merit (ZT). The superlattice composed of 20 SPTO/STNO pairs, 8 unit cells of each layer, exhibits a ZT value of 0.46 at 1000 K, which is the highest among SrTiO3-based thermoelectrics. © 2015 American Chemical Society.

  9. Enhanced thermoelectric figure-of-merit in thermally robust, nanostructured superlattices based on SrTiO3

    KAUST Repository

    Abutaha, Anas I.; Sarath Kumar, S. R.; Li, Kun; Dehkordi, Arash Mehdizadeh; Tritt, Terry M.; Alshareef, Husam N.

    2015-01-01

    Thermoelectric (TE) metal oxides overcome crucial disadvantages of traditional heavy-metal-alloy-based TE materials, such as toxicity, scarcity, and instability at high temperatures. Here, we report the TE properties of metal oxide superlattices, composed from alternating layers of 5% Pr3+-doped SrTiO3-δ (SPTO) and 20% Nb5+-doped SrTiO3-δ (STNO) fabricated using pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Excellent stability is established for these superlattices by maintaining the crystal structure and reproducing the TE properties after long-time (20 h) annealing at high temperature (∼1000 K). The introduction of oxygen vacancies as well as extrinsic dopants (Pr3+ and Nb5+), with different masses and ionic radii, at different lattice sites in SPTO and STNO layers, respectively, results in a substantial reduction of thermal conductivity via scattering a wider range of phonon spectrum without limiting the electrical transport and thermopower, leading to an enhancement in the figure-of-merit (ZT). The superlattice composed of 20 SPTO/STNO pairs, 8 unit cells of each layer, exhibits a ZT value of 0.46 at 1000 K, which is the highest among SrTiO3-based thermoelectrics. © 2015 American Chemical Society.

  10. What Are the Relative Macroeconomic Merits and Environmental Impacts of Direct Job Creation and Basic Income Guarantees?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pavlina R. Tcherneva

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available There is a body of literature that favors universal and unconditional public assurance policies over those that are targeted and means-tested. Two such proposals—the basic income proposal and job guarantees—are discussed here. The paper evaluates the impact of each program on macroeconomic stability, arguing that direct job creation has inherent stabilization features that are lacking in the basic income proposal. A discussion of modern finance and labor market dynamics renders the latter proposal inherently inflationary, and potentially stagflationary. After studying the macroeconomic viability of each program, the paper elaborates on their environmental merits. It is argued that the “green” consequences of the basic income proposal are likely to emerge, not from its modus operandi, but from the tax schemes that have been advanced for its financing. By contrast, the job guarantee proposal can serve as an institutional vehicle for achieving various environmental goals by explicitly targeting environmental rehabilitation, conservation, and sustainability. Finally, in the hope of consensus building, the paper advances a joint policy proposal that is economically viable, environmentally friendly, and socially just.

  11. Ability of dairy cows to be inseminated according to breed and genetic merit for production traits under contrasting pasture-based feeding systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bedere, N; Disenhaus, C; Ducrocq, V; Leurent-Colette, S; Delaby, L

    2017-05-01

    Strong genetic selection on production traits is considered to be responsible for the declined ability of dairy cows to ensure reproduction. The present study aimed to quantify the effect of genetic characteristics (breeds and genetic merit for production traits) and feeding systems (FS) on the ability of dairy cows to be inseminated. An experiment was conducted during 9 years on Normande and Holstein cows assigned to contrasted pasture-based FS. Diets were based on maize silage in winter and grazing plus concentrate in spring in the High FS; and on grass silage in winter and grazing with no concentrate during spring in the low FS. Within breed, cows were classified into two genetic groups with similar estimated breeding values (EBV) for milk solids: cows with high EBV for milk yield were included in a Milk-Group and those with high EBV for fat and protein contents were included in a Content-Group. Holstein produced more milk throughout lactation than Normande cows (+2294 kg in the High FS and +1280 kg in the Low FS, PGenetic group neither affected ovulation detection rate nor DAI1. Within breed and FS, cows with high genetic merit for milk yield had later CLA and DAI1. Cows in the High FS produced more milk and lost less condition to nadir than cows in the Low FS. FS did not affect dairy cows' ability to be inseminated. However, cows with higher milk protein content, and presumably better energy balance, had earlier CLA (P<0.01) and DAI1 (P<0.10). In addition, higher milk yield was associated with poorer ovulation detection rate and oestrus intensity (P<0.05). The study showed that at similar EBV level for milk solids, selection for increased milk fat and protein content resulted in improved cyclicity and similar oestrous expression and submission rates compared with selection for increased milk yield.

  12. Genetic and phenotypic relationships of feed intake and measures of efficiency with growth and carcass merit of beef cattle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nkrumah, J D; Basarab, J A; Wang, Z; Li, C; Price, M A; Okine, E K; Crews, D H; Moore, S S

    2007-10-01

    Feed intake and efficiency of growth are economically important traits of beef cattle. This study determined the relationships of daily DMI, feed:gain ratio [F:G, which is the reciprocal of the efficiency of gain (G:F) and therefore increases as the efficiency of gain decreases and vice versa, residual feed intake (RFI), and partial efficiency of growth (efficiency of ADG, PEG) with growth and carcass merit of beef cattle. Residual feed intake was calculated from phenotypic regression (RFIp) or genetic regression (RFIg) of ADG and metabolic BW on DMI. An F1 half-sib pedigree file containing 28 sires, 321 dams, and 464 progeny produced from crosses between Alberta Hybrid cows and Angus, Charolais, or Alberta Hybrid bulls was used. Families averaged 20 progeny per sire (range = 3 to 56). Performance, ultrasound, and DMI data was available on all progeny, of which 381 had carcass data. Phenotypic and genetic parameters were obtained using SAS and ASREML software, respectively. Differences in RFIp and RFIg, respectively, between the most and least efficient steers (i.e., steers with the lowest PEG) were 5.59 and 6.84 kg of DM/d. Heritabilities for DMI, F:G, PEG, RFIp, and RFIg were 0.54 +/- 0.15, 0.41 +/- 0.15, 0.56 +/- 0.16, 0.21 +/- 0.12, and 0.42 +/- 0.15, respectively. The genetic (r = 0.92) and phenotypic (r = 0.97) correlations between RFIp and RFIg indicated that the 2 indices are very similar. Both indices of RFI were favorably correlated phenotypically (P 0.50), but only DMI had strong genetic (r = 0.87 +/- 0.10) and phenotypic (r = 0.65) correlations with metabolic BW. Generally, the phenotypic and genetic correlations of RFI with carcass merit were not different from zero, except genetic correlations of RFI with ultrasound and carcass LM area and carcass lean yield and phenotypic correlations of RFI with backfat thickness (P < 0.01). Daily DMI had moderate to high phenotypic (P < 0.01) and genetic correlations with all the ultrasound and carcass traits

  13. MASS TRANSPORT PROPERTIES OF A FLOW-THROUGH ELECTROLYTIC REACTOR USING A POROUS ELECTRODE: PERFORMANCE AND FIGURES OF MERIT FOR Pb(II REMOVAL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bertazzoli R.

    1998-01-01

    Full Text Available The removal of lead from an acid borate-nitrate solution containing Pb(II was used to characterize the mass transport properties of an electrolytic reactor with reticulated vitreous carbon cathodes, operated in the flow-through mode. Current potential curves recorded at a rotating vitreous carbon disc electrode were used to determine the diffusion coefficient for Pb(II under the conditions of the experiments. The performance and figures of merit of the electrolytic reactor were investigated by using different flowrates and cathode porosities. Dimensionless Sherwood and Reynolds numbers were correlated to characterize the mass transport properties of the reactor, and they were fitted to the equation Sh=24Re0.32Sc0.33.

  14. Methods for mapping recreational and social values in urban green spaces in the nordic countries and their comparative merits for urban planning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lindholst, Andrej Christian; Hjorth Caspersen, Ole; Konijnendijk van den Bosch, Cecil C

    2015-01-01

    One of the challenges faced by urban planning is to identify and evaluate recreational and social values of urban and peri-urban green spaces. Over the past 30 years a number of methods for mapping recreational and social values have been developed and implemented in the Nordic countries......, in dialogue between research and urban planning practice. This paper provides a framework for assessment of planning methods and an analysis of the comparative merits of seven Nordic mapping methods and how they address the challenges of identification and evaluation of recreational and social values....... The assessment shows that challenges are addressed in complementary ways and are tailored to different planning purposes. There is also scope for further improvements of the link between research and planning....

  15. The use of net analyte signal (NAS) in near infrared spectroscopy pharmaceutical applications: interpretability and figures of merit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarraguça, Mafalda Cruz; Lopes, João Almeida

    2009-05-29

    Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been extensively used as an analytical method for quality control of solid dosage forms for the pharmaceutical industry. Pharmaceutical formulations can be extremely complex, containing typically one or more active product ingredients (API) and various excipients, yielding very complex near infrared (NIR) spectra. The NIR spectra interpretability can be improved using the concept of net analyte signal (NAS). NAS is defined as the part of the spectrum unique to the analyte of interest. The objective of this work was to compare two different methods to estimate the API's NAS vector of different pharmaceutical formulations. The main difference between the methods is the knowledge of API free formulations NIR spectra. The comparison between the two methods was assessed in a qualitative and quantitative way. Results showed that both methods produced good results in terms of the similarity between the NAS vector and the pure API spectrum, as well as in the ability to predict the API concentration of unknown samples. Moreover, figures of merit such as sensitivity, selectivity, and limit of detection were estimated in a straightforward manner.

  16. Maaleht soovitab : Anu Tali dirigeerib Vanemuises "Toscat". Vivaldi, Casanova ja Veneetsia. "Uinuv kaunitar" Vanemuises. Andrew Lloyd Webberi juubelikontserdid. Pärimusmuusika lõiluspidu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2008-01-01

    27. sept. juhatab Anu Tali Vanemuise teatris Mikk Mikiveri lavastatud ja Ervin Õunapuu taastatud Puccini ooperilavastust "Tosca". Barokkansambel Corelli Consort ja Raivo Järvi esitavad kava "Vivaldi, Casanova ja Veneetsia" 15. okt. Maardu mõisa muusikasalongis, 18. okt. Pärnus sarjas "Café Grand muusikasalong" ja 19. okt. Eesti Teaduste Akadeemia majas sarjas "Toompea muusikasalong". Vanemuisees esietendub 4. okt. Pjotr Tshaikovski ballett "Uinuv kaunitar". Tallinnas Saku Suurhallis toimuvad 18. okt. briti muusikalihelilooja Andrew Lloyd Webberi 60. sünnipäevale pühendatud juubelikontserdid. Viljandi Pärimusmuusika Aidas peetakse 10.-11. okt. "Pärimusmuusika lõikuspidu"

  17. Rupture and Continuity : how history and memory are represented on the stage / Luule Epner

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Epner, Luule, 1953-

    2007-01-01

    Vaadeldakse ajalooteadvuse ja kollektiivse mälu kajastamist Eesti näidendites ja teatrilaval 1990ndatel aastatel ja 21. sajandi algul. Aluseks võetud Paul-Erik Rummo näidend "Valguse põik" (Viljandi Kultuurikolledzh 1993, lav. Lembit Peterson ja Ugala 1993, lav. Andres Noormets), Madis Kõivu "Tali" Oskar Lutsu ainetel (Vanemuine 1996, lav. Raivo Adlas) ja Mati Undi "Täna õhtul kell kuus viskame lutsu" samuti Lutsu ainetel (Eesti Draamateater 1988), Madis Kõivu "Stseene saja-aastasest sõjast" (Eesti Draamateater 1998, lav. Mikk Mikiver) ja Andrus Kivirähki "Helesinine vagun" (Ugala 2003, lav. Taago Tubin). Viited lk. 195-196

  18. A high figure of merit localized surface plasmon sensor based on a gold nanograting on the top of a gold planar film

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Zu-Yin; Wang Li-Na; Hu Hai-Feng; Li Kang-Wen; Ma Xun-Peng; Song Guo-Feng

    2013-01-01

    We investigate the sensitivity and figure of merit (FOM) of a localized surface plasmon (LSP) sensor with gold nanograting on the top of planar metallic film. The sensitivity of the localized surface plasmon sensor is 317 nm/RIU, and the FOM is predicted to be above 8, which is very high for a localized surface plasmon sensor. By employing the rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) method, we analyze the distribution of the magnetic field and find that the sensing property of our proposed system is attributed to the interactions between the localized surface plasmon around the gold nanostrips and the surface plasmon polarition on the surface of the gold planar metallic film. These findings are important for developing high FOM localized surface plasmon sensors. (electromagnetism, optics, acoustics, heat transfer, classical mechanics, and fluid dynamics)

  19. The effects of demand uncertainty on strategic gaming in the merit-order electricity pool market

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frem, Bassam

    In a merit-order electricity pool market, generating companies (Gencos) game with their offered incremental cost to meet the electricity demand and earn bigger market shares and higher profits. However when the demand is treated as a random variable instead of as a known constant, these Genco gaming strategies become more complex. After a brief introduction of electricity markets and gaming, the effects of demand uncertainty on strategic gaming are studied in two parts: (1) Demand modelled as a discrete random variable (2) Demand modelled as a continuous random variable. In the first part, we proposed an algorithm, the discrete stochastic strategy (DSS) algorithm that generates a strategic set of offers from the perspective of the Gencos' profits. The DSS offers were tested and compared to the deterministic Nash equilibrium (NE) offers based on the predicted demand. This comparison, based on the expected Genco profits, showed the DSS to be a better strategy in a probabilistic sense than the deterministic NE. In the second part, we presented three gaming strategies: (1) Deterministic NE (2) No-Risk (3) Risk-Taking. The strategies were then tested and their profit performances were compared using two assessment tools: (a) Expected value and standard deviation (b) Inverse cumulative distribution. We concluded that despite yielding higher profit performance under the right conjectures, Risk-Taking strategies are very sensitive to incorrect conjectures on the competitors' gaming decisions. As such, despite its lower profit performance, the No-Risk strategy was deemed preferable.

  20. Enhancing Thermoelectric Figure-of-Merit of Polycrystalline Na y CoO2 by a Combination of Non-stoichiometry and Co-substitution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mallick, Md. Mofasser; Vitta, Satish

    2018-06-01

    Co-oxides with a layered structure are of interest for high-temperature thermoelectric applications as they can be tuned to enhance their electrical conductivity while retaining their low thermal conductivity. The figure-of-merit of Na y CoO2 has been enhanced using the combined effects of Na-non-stoichiometry and non-isoelectronic Co-substitution. A series of compounds Na0.7Co1- x Ni x O2 with x ≤ 0.1 have been synthesized using conventional techniques. Structural analysis using x-ray diffraction and Rietveld refinement shows the formation of a γ-NaCoO2-type phase in all the compounds. The presence of a small amount of NiO for x > 0.05 indicates that the solubility limit of Ni in Na0.7CoO2 is 5 at.%. All the compounds have been found to be p-type with the thermopower reaching a maximum of 220 μV K-1 at 1023 K for x = 0.1. The thermopower has been found to vary linearly with temperature for all the compounds; a degenerate metallic behavior. The electrical resistivity varies between 3 and 10 mΩ cm at all temperatures and has a metallic temperature dependence in agreement with the thermopower results. The power factor for the x = 0.1 compound reaches a maximum value of 0.55 mW m-1 K-2 at ˜ 900 K compared to 0.45 mW m-1 K-2 for the compound with no substitution. The thermal conductivity at 1023 K decreases from 1.2 to 0.9 W m-1 K-1 for x = 0.1. These factors lead to an increase of the figure-of-merit, zT, to 0.58 at 1023 K for x = 0.1, an increase of 57% compared to the unsubstituted compound. The magnetic studies show that Na0.7CoO2 is paramagnetic with an antiferromagnetic transition at ˜ 36 K. Substitution of Ni2+ for Co3+ has been found to induce a ferromagnetic-like transition at ˜ 240 K which is suppressed at high fields.

  1. Ameerika kõige kuumemad uued firmad / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2005-01-01

    Ajakirjas Red Herring avaldatud tabelist Ameerika kõige lootustandvamate uute väikeste firmade kohta. Võrdlus analoogse tabeliga Euroopa esimese saja firma kohta. Tabel: Rahastamine. Lisa: Nano-Tex muudab tekstiilitööstust

  2. MAC - sõda roppude kanadalaste vastu! / Mikk Rand

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Rand, Mikk

    2000-01-01

    Animafilm "South Park : suurem, pikem ja lõikamata" ("South Park . Bigger, Longer & Uncut") : Stsenaristid Trey Parker, Matt Stone ja Pam Brady : režissöör Trey Parker : Ameerika Ühendriigid 1999

  3. Juhatuse esimeheks saavad eelkõige finantsjuhid / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2008-01-01

    Instituto de Empresa teadlane Monika Hamor uuris 500 suurema USA ja 300 suurema Euroopa firma juhatuste esimeeste varasemat karjääri, uuringu kohaselt on umbes viiendik juhte tõusnud tippjuhiks finantsvaldkonna kaudu

  4. Tartu Waldorf-keskus : arhitektuurne ideekonkurss / Mikk Pärdi

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Pärdi, Mikk

    2013-01-01

    Arhitektuurivõistluse eesmärgiks oli leida terviklik lahendus Tartu Waldorf-keskusele: lasteaed, 12-klassiline kool ja sotsiaalkeskus. Rudolf Steinerist ja lühidalt Waldorf-pedagoogikast. Waldorf-koolide arhitektuurist. Võistlustöödest, I preemia pälvinud tööst "Birch" (Joachim Zimmer, Imme Denker, Saksamaa)

  5. Adidas ja Nike - nina vastu nina / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2005-01-01

    Spordikaupade tootja Adidas ostab Reeboki 3 miljardi euro eest. Adidase ja Reeboki ühinemisse suhtub skeptiliselt Puma, selle tegevjuht Jochen Zeitz lükkab tagasi kuuldused Nike'i ja Puma võimaliku ühinemise kohta

  6. Danske Markets: Läti valuutarisk suureneb / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2009-01-01

    Läti parlament hääletas vastu seaduseelnõule, mis oli osa Läti ja IMF-i vahelisest kokkuleppest. Danske Marketsi hinnangul on vähemalt Lätile laenajate vaatenurgast tegemist Läti-poolse lepingumurdmisega

  7. Penske Logistics plaanib tulla Eesti turule / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2005-01-01

    Samal ajal kui Penske korporatsiooni kuuluv Penske Logistics tuleb Eesti turule, investeerib logistikafirma Smarten Tallinna lähedale logistikakeskuse rajamisse 250 miljonit krooni. Smarteni tegevusest. Lisa: Kaubanduskettidel oma logistika; Kiired ajad logistikas

  8. Kuidas uued pilvelõhkujad majanduslangust kuulutavad / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2008-01-01

    Autor toob näiteid, kus pilvelõhkuja valmimisele on järgnenud börsilangus. Tema sõnul vajavad börsimullid ja erakordsed kinnisvaraprojektid teostumiseks üht ja sama eeltingimust - odavat raha. Lisa: Eri indeksid

  9. Unistuste Rail Baltic - ilus ja kallis / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2011-01-01

    Rail Balticu puhul on tähtsaim küsimus, kas uut raudteeühendust on üldse vaja, mitte aga see, kas tee läheb läbi Tartu või Pärnu. Konsutatsioonifirma AECOM koostatud raportist Rail Balticu tasuvuse kohta

  10. Põhikooli ainesõnastikud / Heiki Jaan Kaalep, Jaan Mikk

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Kaalep, Heiki-Jaan, 1962-

    2008-01-01

    Eesti vene õppekeelega koolidele keskastme ainesõnastike loomise konkursi tulemustest, kirjeldatakse koostatud sõnastike eesmärke ja kirjestruktuuri, samuti loomisprotsessi etappe. Vaadeldakse ka morfoloogiaalase tarkvara kasutamisvõimalusi sõnastiku loomisel

  11. Enhanced thermoelectric figure-of-merit in environmentally benign BaxSr2-xTiCoO6 double perovskites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saxena, Mandvi; Roy, Pinku; Acharya, Megha; Bose, Imon; Tanwar, Khagesh; Maiti, Tanmoy

    2016-12-01

    Environmental friendly, non-toxic double perovskite BaxSr2-xTiCoO6 compositions with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.2 were synthesized using solid-state reaction route for high temperature thermoelectric (TE) applications. XRD and SEM studies confirmed the presence of single-phase solid solution with highly dense microstructure for all the oxide compositions. Temperature dependent electrical conductivity measurement showed semiconductor to metal (M-S) transition in these double perovskites. Incorporation of barium in Sr2TiCoO6 pushed M-S transition to higher temperature making it a potential candidate for high temperature TE applications. Conductivity behaviors of these oxides were explained by small polaron model. Furthermore, these oxides exhibit a glass like behavior resulting in low thermal conductivity. Low temperature dielectric measurement revealed relaxor ferroelectric behavior in these oxides below room temperature. Transition of these relaxors into a glassy state beyond Burns temperature (TD) was found responsible for having low thermal conductivity in these oxides. Maximum dimensionless TE figure-of-merit ZT = 0.29 at 1223 K was achieved for BaxSr2-xTiCoO6 composition with x = 0.2.

  12. High figure of merit and thermoelectric properties of Bi-doped Mg2Si0.4Sn0.6 solid solutions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Wei; Zhang, Qiang; Yin, Kang; Chi, Hang; Zhou, Xiaoyuan; Tang, Xinfeng; Uher, Ctirad

    2013-01-01

    The study of Mg 2 Si 1−x Sn x -based thermoelectric materials has received widespread attention due to a potentially high thermoelectric performance, abundant raw materials, relatively low cost of modules, and non-toxic character of compounds. In this research, Mg 2.16 (Si 0.4 Sn 0.6 ) 1−y Bi y solid solutions with the nominal Bi content of 0≤y≤0.03 are prepared using a two-step solid state reaction followed by spark plasma sintering consolidation. Within this range of Bi concentrations, no evidence of second phase segregation was found. Bi is confirmed to occupy the Si/Sn sites in the crystal lattice and behaves as an efficient n-type dopant in Mg 2 Si 0.4 Sn 0.6 . Similar to the effect of Sb, Bi doping greatly increases the electron density and the power factor, and reduces the lattice thermal conductivity of Mg 2.16 Si 0.4 Sn 0.6 solid solutions. Overall, the thermoelectric figure of merit of Bi-doped Mg 2.16 Si 0.4 Sn 0.6 solid solutions is improved by about 10% in comparison to values obtained with Sb-doped materials of comparable dopant content. This improvement comes chiefly from a marginally higher Seebeck coefficient of Bi-doped solid solutions. The highest ZT∼1.4 is achieved for the y=0.03 composition at 800 K. - Graphical abstract: (a)The relationship between electrical conductivity and power factor for Sb/Bi-doped Mg 2.16 (Si 0.4 Sn 0.6 ) 1−y (Sb/Bi) y (0 2.16 (Si 0.4 Sn 0.6 ) 1−y Bi y (0≤y≤0.03) solid solutions. (c)Temperature dependent dimensionless figure of merit ZT of Mg 2.16 (Si 0.4 Sn 0.6 ) 1−y Bi y (0≤y≤0.03) solid solutions. - Highlights: • Bi doped Mg 2.16 Si 0.4 Sn 0.6 showed 15% enhancement in the power factor as compared to Sb doped samples. • Bi doping reduced κ ph of Mg 2.16 Si 0.4 Sn 0.6 due to stronger point defect scattering. • The highest ZT=1.4 at 800 K was achieved for Mg 2.16 (Si 0.4 Sn 0.6 ) 0.97 Bi 0.03

  13. The merit-order effect: A detailed analysis of the price effect of renewable electricity generation on spot market prices in Germany

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sensfuss, Frank; Ragwitz, Mario; Genoese, Massimo

    2008-01-01

    The German feed-in support of electricity generation from renewable energy sources has led to high growth rates of the supported technologies. Critics state that the costs for consumers are too high. An important aspect to be considered in the discussion is the price effect created by renewable electricity generation. This paper seeks to analyse the impact of privileged renewable electricity generation on the electricity market in Germany. The central aspect to be analysed is the impact of renewable electricity generation on spot market prices. The results generated by an agent-based simulation platform indicate that the financial volume of the price reduction is considerable. In the short run, this gives rise to a distributional effect which creates savings for the demand side by reducing generator profits. In the case of the year 2006, the volume of the merit-order effect exceeds the volume of the net support payments for renewable electricity generation which have to be paid by consumers. (author)

  14. Figures of merit and constraints from testing general relativity using the latest cosmological data sets including refined COSMOS 3D weak lensing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dossett, Jason N.; Moldenhauer, Jacob; Ishak, Mustapha

    2011-01-01

    We use cosmological constraints from current data sets and a figure of merit approach in order to probe any deviations from general relativity at cosmological scales. The figure of merit approach is used to study and compare the constraining power of various combinations of data sets on the modified gravity (MG) parameters. We use the recently refined HST-COSMOS weak-lensing tomography data, the ISW-galaxy cross correlations from 2MASS and SDSS luminous red galaxy surveys, the matter power spectrum from SDSS-DR7 (MPK), the WMAP7 temperature and polarization spectra, the baryon acoustic oscillations from Two-Degree Field and SDSS-DR7, and the Union2 compilation of type Ia supernovae, in addition to other bounds from Hubble parameter measurements and big bang nucleosynthesis. We use three parametrizations of MG parameters that enter the perturbed field equations. In order to allow for variations of the parameters with the redshift and scale, the first two parametrizations use recently suggested functional forms while the third is based on binning methods. Using the first parametrization, we find that the CMB+ISW+WL combination provides the strongest constraints on the MG parameters followed by CMB+WL or CMB+MPK+ISW. Using the second parametrization or the binning methods, we find that the combination CMB+MPK+ISW consistently provides some of the strongest constraints. This shows that the constraints are parametrization dependent. We find that adding up current data sets does not improve consistently the uncertainties on MG parameters due to tensions between the best-fit MG parameters preferred by different data sets. Furthermore, some functional forms imposed by the parametrizations can lead to an exacerbation of these tensions. Next, unlike some studies that used the CFHTLS lensing data, we do not find any deviation from general relativity using the refined HST-COSMOS data, confirming previous claims in those studies that their result may have been due to some

  15. Optimization of Counting Times, Figure of Merit and Mass Thickness for Low-background Alpha/beta Proportional Counter in Sea Water

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pakkong, Pannee; Wongsanit, Sarinya; Tumnoi, Yutthana; Udomsomporn, Suchin

    2011-06-01

    Full text: The determination of gross alpha and beta activity in environmental aqueous samples can be done by using a low-background alpha/beta proportional counter with multiple detector type (Bert hold LB770). The co precipitate sea water samples were considered for optimal regime of counting time, the minimum detectable activity (MDA), mass thickness of samples (mg/cm-2) and figure of merit (FOM). The result showed that the MDA of the measurements were estimated to be 0.07 Bq/l for gross alpha and 0.05 Bq/l for gross beta at counting time of 100 and 200 minute, respectively. The thickness of samples prepared by coprecipitation technique indicated more parochial range when compared to evaporation to dryness method. In addition, the samples were in the suitable range that can be corrected by the previous self-absorption correction factor (F a ) as 0.0003w 2 -0.0414 w+1.692; where F a is the self-absorption correction factor and w is the weight of the final precipitate in milligrams

  16. Tilausprosessin kehittäminen liikennemyymälässä

    OpenAIRE

    Kytö, Toni

    2012-01-01

    Opinnäytetyön tarkoitus oli kehittää ABC Mikkeli Tuukkalan marketin automaattista tilausjärjestelmää päivittäistavaroiden osalta. Pääasiallisena tarkoituksena oli saada tilausprosessi entistä tehokkaammaksi, pienentää varastoa, sekä myymälätoimintojen tehokkaampi toteuttaminen tämän myötä. Työn alussa selvitettiin tämän hetkinen tilanne ja tavoitteet toimeksiantajan puolelta. Tämän jälkeen selvityksen kohteeksi joutuivat tilausajat, jotka määrittelevät tilausten lähtö- ja saapumispäivät j...

  17. Enhanced thermoelectric figure-of-merit in Bi-Sb-Te nanocomposites with homogenously dispersed oxide ceramic ZrO2 nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madavali, B.; Kim, H. S.; Lee, K. H.; Hong, S. J.

    2017-06-01

    In this research, p-type BiSbTe/ZrO2 nanocomposite powders were fabricated by high-energy ball milling. Different weight percentages of ZrO2 (2, 4, and 6 wt. %) nanoparticles were incorporated into the bulk (BiSbTe) matrix by consolidation of as-synthesized nanocomposites (NCs) powder by spark plasma sintering at 673 K. The phase and existence of ZrO2 nano-inclusions was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy-selected area electron diffraction analysis. The Seebeck coefficient of the BiSbTe/ZrO2 NCs was significantly improved (˜36% for 4 wt. % added NCs) by a decrease in the carrier concentration and energy filtering effect, whereas the thermal conductivity was much reduced via strong scattering of carriers/phonons. The peak thermoelectric figure-of-merit (1.34 ± 0.06) was obtained for BiSbTe into which 2 wt. % ZrO2 was dispersed, which was approximately 20% greater than that of the undispersed sample. The hardness of the nanocomposites was significantly improved (˜27%) due to grain-boundary hardening and a dispersion strengthening mechanism.

  18. Methodology for predicting the characteristics and performance of different PET camera designs: The choice of figures of merit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deconinck, F.; Defrise, M.; Kuyk, S.; Bossuyt, A.

    1985-01-01

    In order to compare different PET camera designs (ring and planar geometry), this paper proposes ''figures of merit which allow questions such as ''Is it better, given an particular design, to achieve a coincidence rate of 10 kHz with 5% randoms, or a 20 kHz rate with 10% randoms?'' to be answered. The authors propose a methodology based on information theory. The image is the three dimensional distribution which conveys the information to the human or electronic observer. The image is supposed to consist of discrete image elements (voxels) of uniform size, and each characterized by a coincidence density. The performance of a non-ideal imager can be studied by evaluating the effect on the visibility surface: the number of events per image element will be affected by the limited efficiency, geometrical acceptance angle, temporal resolution, energy resolution. The authors show that the effect of the degradations can be introduced in the formula by replacing the number of true coincidences by an effective number of coincidences. The non-ideal imager will distort the visibility surface, so the authors compare the performance of different PET cameras by comparing the different distortions which they induce and hence their ability to detect the information present in study objects

  19. Room temperature deposition of high figure of merit Al-doped zinc oxide by pulsed-direct current magnetron sputtering: Influence of energetic negative ion bombardment on film's optoelectronic properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fumagalli, F., E-mail: francesco.fumagalli@iit.it; Martí-Rujas, J., E-mail: javier.rujas@iit.it; Di Fonzo, F., E-mail: fabio.difonzo@iit.it

    2014-10-31

    Aluminum-doped zinc oxide is regarded as a promising indium-free transparent conductive oxide for photovoltaic and transparent electronics. In this study high transmittance (up to 90,6%) and low resistivity (down to 8,4°1{sup −4} Ω cm) AZO films were fabricated at room temperature on thermoplastic and soda-lime glass substrates by means of pulsed-DC magnetron sputtering in argon gas. Morphological, optical and electrical film properties were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, UV–vis–nIR photo-spectrometer, X-ray spectroscopy and four probes method. Optimal deposition conditions were found to be strongly related to substrate position. The dependence of functional properties on substrate off-axis position was investigated and correlated to the angular distributions of negative ions fluxes emerging from the plasma discharge. Figure of merit as high as 2,15 ± 0,14 Ω{sup −1} were obtained outside the negative oxygen ions confinement region. Combination of high quality AZO films deposited on flexible polymers substrates by means of a solid and scalable fabrication technique is of interest for application in cost-effective optoelectrical devices, organic photovoltaics and polymer based electronics. - Highlights: • High figure of merit transparent conductive oxide's deposited at room temperature. • High transmittance and low resistivity obtained on thermoplastic substrates. • Competitive optoelectrical properties compared to high temperature deposition. • Negative ion fluxes confinement influence structural and optoelectrical properties. • Easily adaptable for scaled-up low temperature AZO film deposition installations.

  20. Curve resolution and figures of merit estimation for determination of trace elements in geological materials by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lorber, A.; Harel, A.; Goldbart, Z.; Brenner, I.B.

    1987-01-01

    In geochemical analysis using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), spectral interferences and background enhancement in response to sample concomitants are the main cause of deterioration of the limit of detection (LOD) and inaccuracy of the determination at the trace and minor element levels. In this account, the authors describe the chemometric procedure of curve resolution for compensating for these sources of error. A newly developed method for calculating figures of merit is used to evaluate the correction procedure, test the statistical significance of the determined concentration, and determine LODs for each sample. The technique involves scanning the vicinity of the spectral line of the analyte. With prior knowledge of potential spectral interferences, deconvolution of the overlapped response is possible. Analytical data for a wide range of geological standard reference materials demonstrate the effectiveness of the chemometric techniques. Separation of 0.002 nm spectral coincidence, employing a 0.02 nm resolution spectrometer, is demonstrated

  1. Figure of merit for dark energy constraints from current observational data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Yun

    2008-01-01

    In order to make useful comparisons of different dark energy experiments, it is important to choose the appropriate figure of merit (FoM) for dark energy constraints. Here we show that for a set of dark energy parameters (f i ), it is most intuitive to define FoM=1/√(detCov(f 1 ,f 2 ,f 3 ,...)), where Cov(f 1 ,f 2 ,f 3 ,...) is the covariance matrix of (f i ). In order for this FoM to represent the dark energy constraints in an optimal manner, the dark energy parameters (f i ) should have clear physical meaning and be minimally correlated. We demonstrate two useful choices of (f i ) using 182 SNe Ia (from the HST/GOODS program, the first year Supernova Legacy Survey, and nearby SN Ia surveys), [R(z * ),l a (z * ),Ω b h 2 ] from the five year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe observations, and Sloan Digital Sky Survey measurement of the baryon acoustic oscillation scale, assuming the Hubble Space Telescope prior of H 0 =72±8 (km/s) Mpc -1 , and without assuming spatial flatness. We find that for a dark energy equation of state linear in the cosmic scale factor a, the correlation of (w 0 ,w 0.5 ) [w 0 =w X (z=0), w 0.5 =w X (z=0.5), with w X (a)=3w 0.5 -2w 0 +3(w 0 -w 0.5 )a] is significantly smaller than that of (w 0 ,w a ) [with w X (a)=w 0 +(1-a)w a ]. In order to obtain model-independent constraints on dark energy, we parametrize the dark energy density function X(z)=ρ X (z)/ρ X (0) as a free function with X 0.5 , X 1.0 , and X 1.5 [values of X(z) at z=0.5, 1.0, and 1.5] as free parameters estimated from data. If one assumes a linear dark energy equation of state, current observational data are consistent with a cosmological constant at 68% C.L. If one assumes X(z) to be a free function parametrized by (X 0.5 ,X 1.0 ,X 1.5 ), current data deviate from a cosmological constant at z=1 at 68% C.L., but are consistent with a cosmological constant at 95% C.L. Future dark energy experiments will allow us to dramatically increase the FoM of constraints on (w 0

  2. DEMONSTRATION OF THE ITER IGNITION FIGURE OF MERIT AT q95>4 IN STATIONARY PLASMAS IN DIII-D

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    WADE, M.R.; LUCE, T.C.; POLITZER, P.A.; FERRON, J.R.; HYATT, A.W.; SCOVILLE, J.T.; La HAYE, R.J.; KINSEY, J.E.; LASNIER, C.J.; MURAKAMI, M.; PETY, C.C.

    2002-01-01

    In order to maximize the probability of achieving ignition, the present International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) [1] design (as well as many of its predecessors) is based on operation at high plasma current. This constraint poses many significant engineering challenges, primarily related to the possibility of a sudden termination of the plasma current. Currents induced in the vessel and associated systems in such an event can lead to large forces, and runaway electrons may cause damage to the interior of the vacuum vessel. Present design methods (including those used for ITER) assume that the probability of experiencing such a major disruption increases with plasma current at fixed magnetic field and size. Because fusion performance is assumed to scale in a similar manner, reactor designs tend to seek a compromise between increased fusion performance and reduced susceptibility to disruptions, generally resulting in a design with q 95 ∼ 3.0. Discharges recently developed in the DIII-D tokamak offer a way to obtain equivalent fusion performance with more margin against disruption consequences, having obtained an ignition figure of merit comparable to the ITER baseline scenario with q 95 = 4.5. These discharges have been shown to be stationary on the thermal, resistive, and wall time scales and involve feedback control only of global quantities rather than profiles

  3. Ability of dairy cows to ensure pregnancy according to breed and genetic merit for production traits under contrasted pasture-based systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bedere, N; Disenhaus, C; Ducrocq, V; Leurent-Colette, S; Delaby, L

    2017-04-01

    The present study aimed to assess and measure the effects of breed, genetic merit for production traits, and feeding systems (FS) on the ability of dairy cows to ensure pregnancy through its components (fertilization, embryonic losses, recalving). An experiment was conducted over 9 yr on Normande and Holstein cows assigned to contrasted FS. Diets were based on maize silage in winter and grazing plus concentrate in spring in the high FS group, and on grass silage in winter and grazing with no concentrate during spring in the low FS group. Within breeds, cows were classified into 2 groups with similar estimated breeding values (EBV) for milk solids: cows with high EBV for milk yield were included in a milk group and those with high EBV for fat and protein contents were included in a content group. Holstein cows produced more milk throughout lactation than Normande cows (the differential was greater in the high FS group, +2,294 kg, compared with +1,280 kg in the low FS group) and lost more body condition to nadir (the differential was greater in the high FS group, -1.00 point, compared with -0.80 point in the low FS group). Within breeds, milk solids production was similar between genetic groups. Cows in the high FS group produced more milk (+2,495 kg for Holstein and +1,481 kg for Normande cows) and had a higher body condition score at nadir (+0.40 point for Holstein and +0.60 point for Normande) than cows in the low FS group. Holstein cows had a lower recalving rate than Normande cows (-19 percentage units). We found no effect of genetic group and FS on fertility of Normande cows. However, according to FS, Holstein cows in the content group exhibited different fertility failure patterns. In the low FS group, Holstein cows in the content group had more nonfertilizations or early embryo mortality (+26 percentage units at first and second services) than Holstein cows in the milk group. In the high FS group, Holstein cows in the content group had a higher proportion of

  4. Päikesepatareide arendaja sai Skandinaaviast suure investeeringu / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2009-01-01

    Tallinna Tehnikaülikooli spin-off-firmana asutatud päikesepatareitehnoloogia arendaja Crystalsol saab investeeringu riskikapitalikonsortsiumilt, mille moodustavad kaks Põhjamaade investeerimisfondi. Kangalaadsest päikesepatareist

  5. Ettevõtja - uue aja alkeemik / Mikk Tamme, Taivo Paju

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Tamme, Mikk

    2004-01-01

    Autorid kirjeldavad ettevõtja Peeter Nieleri tegevust Läti ajakirjandusturul ning tema erinevate firmade NetMerger, Netfinger, Smart Media ja Baltic Media Agency käekäiku. Lühidalt Charles Handy raamatust "New Alchemists"

  6. Endel Siff loob Neivelti abiga tehnoloogiafirmade gruppi / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2006-01-01

    Endel Siff ostis peenmehaanikafirma Zircon Technologies, millel on võimalusi teha koostööd Sifile kuuluvate ettevõtetega LDI ja Ghenesto. LDI võitis konkursi, mille tulemusel ostab Rumeenia LDI-lt keskkonnareostuse mõõteseadme. Tabel: Zircon Technologies

  7. Eesti peidusolevad tšempionid / Mikk Salu, Erik Aru

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2011-01-01

    Eesti ettevõtetest, mille tegutsemine majandusruumis ei tekita suurt vastukaja, kuid on samal ajal oma valdkonnas regiooni turuliidrite hulgas. Liidriteks osutusid Tallink Grupp, Eesti Energia (Enefit), Playtech Ltd, Molycorp Silmet, Kiviõli Keemiatööstus ja Viru Keemia Grupp, Wendre ja Krimelte

  8. Devalveerimisest rääkimine on vastutustundlik / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2009-01-01

    Tartu rahulepingu 89. aastapäeva puhul peetud kõnes ütles president Toomas Hendrik Ilves, et krooni devalveerimise teemal spekuleerimine on vastutustundetu. Artikli autori sõnul võib intellektuaalselt veenvalt argumenteerida nii devalveerimise poolt kui ka vastu

  9. Suurfirmade 2008. aasta eelarved kinnitavad majanduse jahtumist / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2008-01-01

    Eesti suurettevõtete juhid räägivad, kuidas nad oma ettevõtte uue aasta eelarvet on planeerinud, kui palju on arvestanud palgakasvuks. Pindi Kinnisvara arvestab oma tulude 20-protsendilise langusega. Peep Sooman, Enn Saar, Vahur Roossaar, Tarmo Noop, Siim Kallast ja Meelis Milder vastavad küsimusele, millist palgatõusu nad prognoosivad 2008. aastal

  10. Kriis levib maailmas kui vähkkasvaja / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2007-01-01

    Maailma finantsturgude kriisi juured ulatuvad USA subprime-laenude turule, need on kinnisvaralaenud, mis on antud väikese sissetulekuga ja tihti ka ilma sissetulekuta inimestele. Vt. samas: Kriisi kronoloogia; Kas finantskriis uputab maailma majanduse?; Mõju Eesti majandusele

  11. Effect of soaking and fermentation on content of phenolic compounds of soybean (Glycine max cv. Merit) and mung beans (Vigna radiata [L] Wilczek).

    Science.gov (United States)

    María Landete, José; Hernández, Teresa; Robredo, Sergio; Dueñas, Montserrat; de Las Rivas, Blanca; Estrella, Isabel; Muñoz, Rosario

    2015-03-01

    Mung beans (Vigna radiata [L] Wilczek) purchased from a Spanish company as "green soybeans", showed a different phenolic composition than yellow soybeans (Glycine max cv. Merit). Isoflavones were predominant in yellow soybeans, whereas they were completely absent in the green seeds on which flavanones were predominant. In order to enhance their health benefits, both types of bean were subjected to technological processes, such as soaking and fermentation. Soaking increased malonyl glucoside isoflavone extraction in yellow beans and produced an increase in apigenin derivatives in the green beans. Lactobacillus plantarum CECT 748 T fermentation produced an increase in the bioactivity of both beans since a conversion of glycosylated isoflavones into bioactive aglycones and an increase of the bioactive vitexin was observed in yellow and green beans, respectively. In spite of potential consumer confusion, since soybean and "green soybean" are different legumes, the health benefits of both beans were enhanced by lactic fermentation.

  12. A new approach to dose estimation and in-phantom figure of merit measurement in BNCT by using artificial neural networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahangari, R.; Afarideh, H.

    2011-01-01

    Full text: In-phantom figures of merit of the radiobiological dose distribution are the main criteria for evaluation of the boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) plan and neutron beam evaluation. Since in BNCT there are several reactions, which contribute to the total dose of the tissue, the calculation of the dose distribution is complicated and requires lengthy and time-consuming simulations. Any changes in the beam shaping assembly (BSA) design would lead to the change of the neutron/gamma spectrum at exit of therapeutic window. As a result of any changes in the beam spectrum, the dose distribution in the tissue will be altered; therefore, another set of lengthy and time-consuming simulations to recalculate the dose distribution would have to be performed. This study proposes a method that applies artificial neural network (ANN) for quick dose prediction in order to avoid lengthy calculations. This method allows us to estimate the depth-dose distribution and in-phantom figures of merit for any energy spectrum without performing a complete Monte Carlo code (MCNP) simulation. To train the ANNs for modeling the depth-dose distribution, this study used a database containing 500 simulations of the neutron depth-dose distribution and 280 simulations of the gamma depth-dose distribution. The calculations were carried out by the MCNP for various mono-energetic neutrons, ranging from thermal up to 10 MeV energy and 280 gamma energy group, ranging from 0.01 MeV up to 20 MeV, through the SNYDER head phantom which is located at the exit of the BSA. The trained ANN was capable of establishing a map between the neutron/gamma beam energy and the dose distribution in the phantom as an input and a response, respectively. The current method is founded upon the observation that the dose which is released by the beam of composite energy spectrum can be decomposing into the various energy components which make the neutron/gamma spectrum. Therefore, in this procedure the neutron

  13. Genetic and phenotypic relationships of feeding behavior and temperament with performance, feed efficiency, ultrasound, and carcass merit of beef cattle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nkrumah, J D; Crews, D H; Basarab, J A; Price, M A; Okine, E K; Wang, Z; Li, C; Moore, S S

    2007-10-01

    Feeding behavior and temperament may be useful in genetic evaluations either as indicator traits for other economically relevant traits or because the behavior traits may have a direct economic value. We determined the variation in feeding behavior and temperament of beef cattle sired by Angus, Charolais, or Hybrid bulls and evaluated their associations with performance, efficiency, and carcass merit. The behavior traits were daily feeding duration, feeding head down (HD) time, feeding frequency (FF), and flight speed (FS, as a measure of temperament). A pedigree file of 813 animals forming 28 paternal half-sib families with about 20 progeny per sire was used. Performance, feeding behavior, and efficiency records were available on 464 animals of which 381 and 302 had records on carcass merit and flight speed, respectively. Large SE reflect the number of animals used. Direct heritability estimates were 0.28 +/- 0.12 for feeding duration, 0.33 +/- 0.12 for HD, 0.38 +/- 0.13 for FF, and 0.49 +/- 0.18 for FS. Feeding duration had a weak positive genetic (r(g)) correlation with HD (r(g) = 0.25 +/- 0.32) and FS (r(g) = 0.42 +/- 0.26) but a moderate negative genetic correlation with FF (r(g) = -0.40 +/- 0.30). Feeding duration had positive phenotypic (r(p)) and genetic correlations with DMI (r(p) = 0.27; r(g) = 0.56 +/- 0.20) and residual feed intake (RFI; r(p) = 0.49; r(g) = 0.57 +/- 0.28) but was unrelated phenotypically with feed conversion ratio [FCR; which is the reciprocal of the efficiency of growth (G:F)]. Feeding duration was negatively correlated with FCR (r(g) = -0.25 +/- 0.29). Feeding frequency had a moderate to high negative genetic correlation with DMI (r(g) = -0.74 +/- 0.15), FCR (r(g) = -0.52 +/- 0.21), and RFI (r(g) = -0.77 +/- 0.21). Flight speed was negatively correlated phenotypically with DMI (r(p) = -0.35) but was unrelated phenotypically with FCR or RFI. On the other hand, FS had a weak negative genetic correlation with DMI (r(g) = -0.11 +/- 0

  14. Different measures of energetic efficiency and their phenotypic relationships with growth, feed intake, and ultrasound and carcass merit in hybrid cattle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nkrumah, J D; Basarab, J A; Price, M A; Okine, E K; Ammoura, A; Guercio, S; Hansen, C; Li, C; Benkel, B; Murdoch, B; Moore, S S

    2004-08-01

    Residual feed intake (RFI) has been proposed as an index for determining beef cattle energetic efficiency. Although the relationship of RFI with feed conversion ratio (FCR) is well established, little is known about how RFI compares to other measures of efficiency. This study examined the phenotypic relationships among different measures of energetic efficiency with growth, feed intake, and ultrasound and carcass merit of hybrid cattle (n = 150). Dry matter intake, ME intake (MEI), ADG, metabolic weight (MWT), and FCR during the test averaged 10.29 kg/d (SD = 1.62), 1,185.45 kJ/(kg0.75 x d) (SD = 114.69), 1.42 kg/d (SD = 0.25), 86.67 kg0.75 (SD = 10.21), and 7.27 kg of DM/kg of gain (SD = 1.00), respectively. Residual feed intake averaged 0.00 kg/d and ranged from -2.25 kg/d (most efficient) to 2.61 kg/d (least efficient). Dry matter intake (r = 0.75), MEI (r = 0.83), and FCR (r = 0.62) were correlated with RFI (P 0.5 SD) RFI vs. those with medium (+/-0.5 SD) or low (<0.5 SD) RFI (P < 0.001). Partial efficiency of growth (PEG; energetic efficiency for ADG) was correlated with RFI (r = -0.89, P < 0.001) and was lower (P < 0.001) for high- vs. medium- or low-RFI animals. However, RFI was not related to ADG (r = -0.03), MWT (r = -0.02), relative growth rate (RGR; growth relative to instantaneous body size; r = -0.04), or Kleiber ratio (KR; ADG per unit of MWT; r = -0.004). Also, DMI was correlated (P < 0.01) with ADG (r = 0.66), MWT (r = 0.49), FCR (r = 0.49), PEG (r = -0.52), RGR (r = 0.18), and KR (r = 0.36). Additionally, FCR was correlated (P < 0.001) with ADG (r = -0.63), PEG (r = -0.83), RGR (r = -0.75), and KR (r = -0.73), but not with MWT (r = 0.07). Correlations of measures of efficiency with ultrasound or carcass traits generally were not different from zero except for correlations of RFI, FCR, and PEG, respectively, with backfat gain (r = 0.30, 0.20, and -0.30), ultrasound backfat (r = 0.19, 0.21, and -0.25), grade fat (r = 0.25, 0.19, and -0.27), lean meat

  15. Thermal performance study of a box type solar cooker: evaluation of second figure of merit, F2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Subudh Kumar

    2006-01-01

    The thermal performance of a box type solar cooker can be evaluated through the determination of two figures of merit-F 1 and F 2 . The F 1 is defined as the ratio of optical efficiency factor (η o ) the overall heat loss coefficient (U L ) and F 2 relates to the effectiveness of heat exchange between cooker interiors and contents of the pots. The values of F 1 and F 2 can be found experimentally from the stagnation (no-load) and load (water) tests respectively. The sensible heating curve (a plot between pot water temperature and time) from the load test is used for determination of F 2 . An accurate determination of F 2 is necessary for making the correct and reliable assessment of solar cooker performance. In the present work, the thermal analysis has been carried out to simulate the sensible heating curves for different loads of water in the commercially available, fibre body double-glazed box type solar cooker (size 0.245 m 2 ) by using the heat balance equation. The comparison between the simulated and experimental sensible heating curves is presented. The close agreement in the results shows that the simulated heating curve can be employed for predicting the thermal performance (or F 2 ) of the solar cooker. The F 2 for different loads of water in the solar cooker have been obtained using the computer simulation, while considering the variable overall heat loss coefficient U L (a function of pot water temperature). The results indicate that F 2 increases linearly up to a load of 1.5 kg. Thereafter, the increase in the value of F 2 decreases gradually with the load

  16. International experience with the bundle behavior of fuel elements of sodium cooled reactors; derivation of a figure of merit for the judgement of fuel pin bundle parameters with respect to abrasion due to thermoelastic pin-pin interaction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Toebbe, H.

    1987-10-01

    The report describes the status of experience with respect to the abrasion behavior of bundles in standard fuel elements and test elements with wire or grid spacing in the reactors Rapsodie fortissimo, Phenix, DFR, PFR, EBR-II, FFTF, JOYO and KNK II. With the help of simple considerations concerning thermoelastic pin-pin interactions a figure of merit is deduced from the different bundle parameters, which allows a comparative judgement of the parameters of different bundle concepts [de

  17. Merits of the fat-tailed Barbarine sheep raised in different production systems in Tunisia: digestive, productive and reproductive characteristics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ben Salem, Hichem; Lassoued, Narjess; Rekik, Mourad

    2011-10-01

    Barbarine sheep is the dominant breed in Tunisia. This fat-tailed breed present in all production systems is characterised by metabolic and digestive adaptation to the contrasting environment conditions prevailing in the country (heat stress, water deprivation, salinity etc.). The fat tail (1.5 to 7 kg) is an energy reservoir that is used in periods of feed scarcity. Moreover, the rumen of this breed harbours a microflora enabling it to valorize low-quality roughages and native range vegetation. Barbarine sheep could make benefit from a wide range of local feed resources like fodder shrubs (e.g. cactus and oldman saltbushes), tannin-containing shrubs (e.g. Acacia cyanophylla) and agro-industrial by-products (e.g. olive cake, bran etc. conserved in the form of feed blocks or pellets). It has a very shallow anoestrous, the intensity of which is dependant upon nutrition conditions rather than day length as temperate breeds. Productive and reproductive performances of late pregnant-early suckling, pre-mating ewes and also rams of this breed are not affected when some alternative feed resources replace common feedstuffs which are expensive and cannot afford regularly to smallholders. In brief, the merits of the Barbarine sheep in the production systems and other main adaptive mechanisms of this breed are discussed in this paper. The prospective of Barbarine sheep husbandry in the system dynamics, climate change and the evolution of the socioeconomic context are also envisaged.

  18. Optoelectronic figure of merit of a metal nanoparticle—quantum dot (MNP-QD) hybrid molecule for assessing its suitability for sensing applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hapuarachchi, Harini; Mallawaarachchi, Sudaraka; Hattori, Haroldo T.; Zhu, Weiren; Premaratne, Malin

    2018-02-01

    Recently, many have studied various configurations of metal nanoparticle-quantum dot (MNP-QD) hybrid molecules based on different metals and tunable parameters. In this paper, we aim to incite the interest in using MNP-QD nanohybrids, which possess sensing capabilities superior to those of the individual constituents, for sensing applications that rely on scattered light. When assessing whether a given MNP-QD configuration is suited for an application, sometimes it is hard to assess the pros and cons of a given configuration against other candidates. Here we propose a simple, elegant relative figure of merit (RFoM), which focuses on maximizing the scattered intensity and the refractive index sensitivity of the nanohybrid, to rank the suitability of viable MNP-QD configurations for a particular sensing application. We use the proposed RFoM to analyse the optical spectra of noble, transition, post transition and alkali metal based MNP-QD nanohybrids using the representative metals Au, Ag, Cu, Al and Na, adopting a generalized nonlocal optical response (GNOR) method based cavity QED approach. Based on our observations, we suggest how the usage of MNP-QD nanohybrids could improve the conventionally studied tumour targeting applications. Moreover, we propose potential substitutes for noble metals conventionally considered for MNP-QD nanohybrids.

  19. Moderation of Genetic Influences on Alcohol Involvement by Rural Residency among Adolescents: Results from the 1962 National Merit Twin Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Christal N; Natta, Shanaliz S; Slutske, Wendy S

    2017-11-01

    Adolescents in rural and urban areas may experience different levels of environmental restrictions on alcohol use, with those in rural areas experiencing greater monitoring and less access to alcohol. Such restrictions may limit expression of genetic vulnerability for alcohol use, resulting in a gene-environment interaction (G × E). This phenomenon has previously been reported in Finnish and Minnesota adolescents. The current study used data from 839 same-sex twin pairs from the 1962 National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test to determine whether the G × E interaction would be evident in this earlier time period. We also assessed whether the G × E interaction would be moderated by sex, and whether family socioeconomic status (SES; income and parental education) may mediate the G × E interaction. Findings showed the expected interaction among females, with a weaker contribution of genes (2 vs. 44%) and greater contribution of shared environment (62 vs. 29%) to variation in alcohol involvement among rural as compared to urban residents. The G × E interaction was not observed among males, and operated independently from differences in family SES among rural and urban adolescents. This study represents a partial replication in a novel setting of the moderation of the genetic contribution to alcohol use by rural/urban residency, and suggests that SES differences may not explain this effect.

  20. Margus Reinsalu müüb Kristiine Kasiinot / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2006-01-01

    Kristiine Kasiino hind on ekspertide hinnangul kuni 250 miljonit krooni, ostuhuvilisi on olnud nii Eestist kui ka välismaalt. Autori sõnul võiksid huvilised olla Olympic Casino ja Vene meelelahutuskontsern Ritzio

  1. Eesti teadlaste äri : professorite taskufirmadest rahvusvaheliste korporatsioonideni / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2008-01-01

    Ilmunud ka: Vesti Dnja 24. märts lk. 5. Eesti teadlastest on viimaste aastatega saanud edukad ärimehed ja kõrgkoolidest on välja kasvanud mitmed tunnustatud ettevõtted. Vt. samas: Spin-off või mitte-spin-off

  2. Majanduse spetsialiseerujad ja kõigesööjad / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2007-01-01

    Kas riigid peaksid majandusedu saavutamiseks spetsialiseeruma või hoidma võimalikult laia profiili. Majandusteadlaste Ricardo Hausmanni ja Bailey Klingeri ning füüsikute Albert-Laszlo Barabasi ja Cesar Hidalgo vaatenurgast küsimusele, mida toota ja kuidas ühelt tootelt teisele üle minna

  3. Energiasääst ei lahenda globaalset energiakriisi / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2008-01-01

    Ajakirja The Economist arvates on maailm tehnoloogiabuumi lävel, mille sisuks on üleminek traditsiooniliselt energialt taastuvale energiale, kusjuures tähtsustuvad sellised alternatiivsed allikad kui tuul, päike ja biokütus. Diagramm: Primaarsete energiaallikate osakaal maailmas

  4. VP Market Eesti tööseadustega pahuksis / Merike Mikk

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Mikk, Merike, 1973-

    2004-01-01

    Leedu jaekaubanduskontserni VP Market endiste töötajate sõnul on ettevõte rikkunud Eestis kehtivaid tööseadusi töölepingute sõlmimisel, mille tõttu on Tartu ja Tallinna töövaidluskomisjonidele esitatud lahendamiseks 14 avaldust. Vt. samas: Leedu poekett kasvab jõuliselt; T-Marketid saanud kaks ettekirjutust; VP Marketi kommentaar artiklile; Säästumarketis lisatasu kord kirjas; Intervjuu endise T-Marketi juhataja Tessa Kütimetsaga

  5. 3G toob EMT-le praegu veel kahjumikroone / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2006-01-01

    Mobiilsidefirmal EMT on ligi 6000 3G klienti, sobivate telefonimudelite arv on kasvanud viieteistkümnele, 3G võrgutehnoloogia hind on hüppeliselt langenud - EMT investeerib 3G arendamisse vaid mõnikümmend miljonit krooni, samas kui mõni aasta tagasi kulutasid suured välismaised firmad miljardeid dollareid

  6. Aids Eestis nagu Botswanas / Mikk Jürisson ; interv. Svea Talving

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Jürisson, Mikk, 1963-

    2004-01-01

    Kui Eesti ei taha jõuda olukorda, mis tekkis Botswanas, kus aidsiepideemia ravi ja tõkestamine haaras lõviosa riigi tuludest ning keskmine eluiga lühenes drastiliselt, tuleks haiguse levik võtta range tähelepanu alla ja uurida, mida tasuks õppida Botswana kogemusest

  7. 1 patent aasta kohta - teadmistepõhine majandus Eestis / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2006-01-01

    Eestis viimastel aastatel välja antud patentide, esitatud patenditaotluste arvust, võrdlus Soomega. Patendiameti peadirektori Matti Pätsi sõnul patente ja leiutamist Eestis ei väärtustata. Patenteerimises edukatest ettevõtetest, valdkondadest. Lisad: 3 tingimust, millele patenti väärt leiutis peab vastama; Patenditaotlused 2005. aastal; Avastusest tooteni: piimhappebakter ME-3

  8. Linnaosad ja linnajuhtimise detsentraliseermine Eesti Vabariigis 1918-1940 / Mikk Lõhmus

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Lõhmus, Mikk, 1976-

    2008-01-01

    Kohaliku omavalitsuse taustast Eestis, Vene Ajutise Valitsuse 1917. a. määrustest, 1922. a. linnaseaduse eelnõust, 1938. a. linnaseadusest. Lisa: linnaosa staatust reguleerivate seaduste/seaduseelnõude võrdlus 2008. a. kehtivaga

  9. Irreversible and endoreversible behaviors of the LD-model for heat devices: the role of the time constraints and symmetries on the performance at maximum χ figure of merit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzalez-Ayala, Julian; Calvo Hernández, A.; Roco, J. M. M.

    2016-07-01

    The main unified energetic properties of low dissipation heat engines and refrigerator engines allow for both endoreversible or irreversible configurations. This is accomplished by means of the constraints imposed on the characteristic global operation time or the contact times between the working system with the external heat baths and modulated by the dissipation symmetries. A suited unified figure of merit (which becomes power output for heat engines) is analyzed and the influence of the symmetries on the optimum performance discussed. The obtained results, independent on any heat transfer law, are faced with those obtained from Carnot-like heat models where specific heat transfer laws are needed. Thus, it is shown that only the inverse phenomenological law, often used in linear irreversible thermodynamics, correctly reproduces all optimized values for both the efficiency and coefficient of performance values.

  10. High figure of merit ultra-compact 3-channel parallel-connected photonic crystal mini-hexagonal-H1 defect microcavity sensor array

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chunhong; Sun, Fujun; Fu, Zhongyuan; Ding, Zhaoxiang; Wang, Chao; Zhou, Jian; Wang, Jiawen; Tian, Huiping

    2017-08-01

    In this paper, a photonic crystal (PhC) butt-coupled mini-hexagonal-H1 defect (MHHD) microcavity sensor is proposed. The MHHD microcavity is designed by introducing six mini-holes into the initial H1 defect region. Further, based on a well-designed 1 ×3 PhC Beam Splitter and three optimal MHHD microcavity sensors with different lattice constants (a), a 3-channel parallel-connected PhC sensor array on monolithic silicon on insulator (SOI) is proposed. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations method is performed to demonstrate the high performance of our structures. As statistics show, the quality factor (Q) of our optimal MHHD microcavity attains higher than 7×104, while the sensitivity (S) reaches up to 233 nm/RIU(RIU = refractive index unit). Thus, the figure of merit (FOM) >104 of the sensor is obtained, which is enhanced by two orders of magnitude compared to the previous butt-coupled sensors [1-4]. As for the 3-channel parallel-connected PhC MHHD microcavity sensor array, the FOMs of three independent MHHD microcavity sensors are 8071, 8250 and 8250, respectively. In addition, the total footprint of the proposed 3-channel parallel-connected PhC sensor array is ultra-compactness of 12.5 μm ×31 μm (width × length). Therefore, the proposed high FOM sensor array is an ideal platform for realizing ultra-compact highly parallel refractive index (RI) sensing.

  11. Figure-of-merit (FOM), an improved criterion over the normalized chi-squared test for assessing goodness-of-fit of gamma-ray spectral peaks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garo Balian, H.; Eddy, N.W.

    1977-01-01

    A careful experimenter knows that in order to choose the best curve fits of peaks from a gamma ray spectrum for such purposes as energy or intensity calibration, half-life determination, etc., the application of the normalized chi-squared test, [chisub(N)] 2 =chi 2 /(n-m), is insufficient. One must normally verify the goodness-of-fit with plots, detailed scans of residuals, etc. Because of different techniques of application, variations in backgrounds, in peak sizes and shapes, etc., quotation of the [chisub(N)] 2 value associated with an individual peak fit conveys very little information unless accompanied by considerable ancillary data. (This is not to say that the traditional chi 2 formula should not be used as the source of the normal equations in the least squares fitting procedure. But after the fitting, it is unreliable as a criterion for comparison with other fits.) The authors present a formula designated figure-of-merit (FOM) which greatly improves on the uncertainty and fluctuations of the [chisub(N)] 2 formula. An FOM value of less than 2.5% indicates a good fit (in the authors' judgement) irrespective of background conditions and variations in peak sizes and shapes. Furthermore, the authors feel the FOM formula is less subject to fluctuations resulting from different techniques of application. (Auth.)

  12. Assessment of the relative merits of a few methods to detect evolutionary trends.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laurin, Michel

    2010-12-01

    Some of the most basic questions about the history of life concern evolutionary trends. These include determining whether or not metazoans have become more complex over time, whether or not body size tends to increase over time (the Cope-Depéret rule), or whether or not brain size has increased over time in various taxa, such as mammals and birds. Despite the proliferation of studies on such topics, assessment of the reliability of results in this field is hampered by the variability of techniques used and the lack of statistical validation of these methods. To solve this problem, simulations are performed using a variety of evolutionary models (gradual Brownian motion, speciational Brownian motion, and Ornstein-Uhlenbeck), with or without a drift of variable amplitude, with variable variance of tips, and with bounds placed close or far from the starting values and final means of simulated characters. These are used to assess the relative merits (power, Type I error rate, bias, and mean absolute value of error on slope estimate) of several statistical methods that have recently been used to assess the presence of evolutionary trends in comparative data. Results show widely divergent performance of the methods. The simple, nonphylogenetic regression (SR) and variance partitioning using phylogenetic eigenvector regression (PVR) with a broken stick selection procedure have greatly inflated Type I error rate (0.123-0.180 at a 0.05 threshold), which invalidates their use in this context. However, they have the greatest power. Most variants of Felsenstein's independent contrasts (FIC; five of which are presented) have adequate Type I error rate, although two have a slightly inflated Type I error rate with at least one of the two reference trees (0.064-0.090 error rate at a 0.05 threshold). The power of all contrast-based methods is always much lower than that of SR and PVR, except under Brownian motion with a strong trend and distant bounds. Mean absolute value of error

  13. Ga2O3 Schottky rectifiers with 1 ampere forward current, 650 V reverse breakdown and 26.5 MW.cm-2 figure-of-merit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Jiancheng; Ren, F.; Tadjer, Marko; Pearton, S. J.; Kuramata, A.

    2018-05-01

    A key goal for Ga2O3 rectifiers is to achieve high forward currents and high reverse breakdown voltages. Field-plated β-Ga2O3 Schottky rectifiers with area 0.01 cm2, fabricated on 10 μm thick, lightly-doped drift regions (1.33 x 1016 cm-3) on heavily-doped (3.6 x 1018 cm-3) substrates, exhibited forward current density of 100A.cm-2 at 2.1 V, with absolute current of 1 A at this voltage and a reverse breakdown voltage (VB) of 650V. The on-resistance (RON) was 1.58 x 10-2 Ω.cm2, producing a figure of merit (VB2/RON) of 26.5 MW.cm-2. The Schottky barrier height of the Ni was 1.04 eV, with an ideality factor of 1.02. The on/off ratio was in the range 3.3 x 106 - 5.7 x 109 for reverse biases between 5 and 100V. The reverse recovery time was ˜30 ns for switching from +2V to -5V. The results show the capability of β-Ga2O3 rectifiers to achieve exceptional performance in both forward and reverse bias conditions.

  14. Surmanuhtlus kõrgeima võimaliku karistusmäärana : [bakalaureusetöö] / Katrin Roosmaa ; Tartu Ülikool, õigusteaduskond ; juhendaja: Silvia Kaugia

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Roosmaa, Katrin, 1984-

    2007-01-01

    Surmanuhtluse olemus ja selle karistusliigiga sanktsioneeritud teod Eestis lähiminevikus, surmanuhtluse määramine ja täideviimine kuni 1998. a.-ni, surmanuhtluse kaotamise direktiiv ning seda toetavad ja mittetoetavad riigid, levinumad poolt- ja vastuargumendid, Eesti elanikkonna suhtumine

  15. Svensky tahab osta müügis olevaid toiduainetootjaid / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2007-01-01

    Hulgimüügifirma Svensky Kaubandus soovib osta ettevõtteid, mis ei konkureeri Svensky olemasolevate toodetega. Peale äsjaostetud Largo kuulub firmale kondiitritööstus Marmiton. Lisa: Edukas pereäri

  16. Masin, organism või psüühiline vangla? / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2008-01-01

    Juhtimisteoreetik Gareth Morgan õpetab oma raamatus "Organisatsiooni metafoorid" firmade toimimist ja juhtimist kaheksat eri tüüpi metafooride kaudu: organisatsioon kui masin, organism, aju, kultuur, poliitiline süsteem, psüühiline vangla, muutuste protsess, valitsemisvahend. Lisa: Praktiline õppevahend

  17. Tulumaks Eesti kohaliku omavalitsuse tuluallikana : praktilisi probleeme / Mikk Lõhmus, Urmas Koidu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Lõhmus, Mikk

    2007-01-01

    Artiklis näidatakse, millest moodustuvad kohaliku omavalitsuse tulud, millised on maakondlikud tuluerinevused, kuidas on laekunud tulumaks maakonniti, millised on olnud tulumaksust mahaarvamised, kuidas tasandusfondi ja diferentseeritud maamaksu kaudu tasandatakse erisusi. Tabelid: Mõnede Euroopa riikide kohaliku tulubaasi suhe SKT-sse ja avaliku sektori kogukuludesse; Kohalike eelarvete ja riigieelarve kasv aastail 2004-2006; Riigile laekunud tulu osakaal füüsilistelt isikutelt kinnipeetud tulumaksust 2004. a. ja 2005. a.; Tulumaksu mahaarvamiste osakaal kõigist tuludest ja keskmine deklareeritud tulu 2004. a. ja 2005. a.; Diagrammid: Eesti kohaliku omavalitsuse tulud 2006. a.; Maakondade (ja Tallinna linna) elanike arvu ja laekumiste osatähtsus Eestis 2006. a.; Tulumaksulaekumine elaniku kohta 2006. a.; Tulumaksulaekumise kasv elaniku kohta aastail 2004-2006; Tulumaksulaekumise suhteline kasv aastail 2004-2006 elaniku kohta; Lisad: Tulumaksu ja tasandusfondi laekumine aastail 2004-2006; Tulumaksu laekumise kasv aastail 2004-2006

  18. Edgar Savisaar : Ignalina on arvestatav projekt / Edgar Savisaar ; interv. Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Savisaar, Edgar, 1950-

    2006-01-01

    Majandus- ja kommunikatsiooniminister Edgar Savisaar vastab küsimustele, mis puudutavad poliitilist protsessi Ignalina uue tuumajaama ehitamise küsimuses, poliitiliste otsuste ajakava ja vormi, majandusministeeriumi koostööd Läti ja Leedu kolleegidega selles küsimuses, energeetilist sõltumatust ja lobitööd tuuleenergia teemal

  19. Vene meestel ei tasu eesti keele õppimine ära / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2011-01-01

    Tartu Ülikooli majandusteaduskonna vanemteaduri Ott Toometi poolt läbiviidud analüüsist selgub, et vene naistele toob eesti keele oskamine palgalisa, aga meestele mitte. Vastav teadusartikkel on ilmunud ka ajakirjas American Economic Review. Riigikogu liikme Jevgeni Ossinovski arvamus

  20. Financial Times näeb abiprogrammides ülemaailmset ohtu / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2009-01-01

    Financial Timesi kolumnisti Martin Wolfe'i hinnangul sünniks katastroof siis, kui USA valitsus kaks aastat küll pingutaks ja stimuleeriks majandust, kuid, tööpuudus oleks endiselt suur ja defitsiit kasvaks. Majandusprofessor Willem Buiter arvab, et lähima kahe aasta jooksul kukuvad maailmas kokku dollaris hinnatud varad

  1. Milliseid saladusi paljastab meie kohta õlle ja ajakirjanduse tellimine / Mikk Tamme

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Tamme, Mikk

    2009-01-01

    Autor tutvustab Dan Ariely raamatule "Predictably irrational: the hidden forces that shape our decisions" tuginedes käitumusliku majanduse uurimissuunda, mille eesmärgiks on mõista inimeste käitumist ja tarbimisotsuste põhjuseid

  2. Skype'i eestlastest omanikel lebab pangakontol 725 miljonit krooni / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2006-01-01

    Endale kuuluvad Skype'i aktsiad müünud neli eestlast on viimasel ajal asutanud mitmeid firmasid, mille tegevusala on investeeringute haldamine ja arendamine. Esimene suurim ühine investeering on 25 miljonit krooni, mis läheb investeerimispanga Cresco juhi Olev Schultsi firmasse Clifton. Tabel: Ambient Sound Investments OÜ. Lisa: Clifton ja pooljuhtlülitid

  3. Eesti Gaas tahab Eesti ja Soome vahele gaasitoru ehitada / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2006-01-01

    Eesti Gaasi juhi Aarne Saare sõnul võiks Eesti-Soome gaasijuhe valmida aastail 2010-2012, praegu uuritakse projekti teostatavust. Läti suurendab Incukalnsi gaasihoidla mahtu, Latvijas Gaze esindaja Vincents Makarise sõnul võiks Lätist saada üks EL-i gaasihoidlatest

  4. Autotööstuse Delphi juht ravib firmat pankrotiga / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2005-01-01

    Maailma suurima autoosade valmistaja Delphi tegevjuht Steve Miller, kes on kuulsaks saanud United Airlines'i ja Bethlehem Steel'i pankrotiga, kuulutas välja Delphi pankroti ning seadis ametiühingud valiku ette: kas kärbitakse palku või lõpetatakse pensionide maksmine. Lisa: Pensionikoorem. Diagramm: Delphi kuulutas välja pankroti

  5. In memoriam 1999

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2000-01-01

    Leopold Ennosaar (10. VI 1920-21. I), Silva Jaanberg (6. III 1922-5. X), Hilja Jõgi (31. X 1927-4. III), Lydia Jõõts (22. II 1911-27. XII), Ludvig Kruusmaa (19. XII 1920-7. XII), Ilmar Laasi (29. VII 1907-15. VIII), Urmas Mikk (25. XII 1957-15. I), Kaarel Pedak (12. V 1914-4. XII), Voldemar Peil (5. XI 1907-17. X), Aulin Rimm (27. VII 1930-21. IX), Igor Roosaar (6. XI 1915-17. X), Elle Tikerpäe (30. XI 1935-7. III), Aurora Tippe (23. I 1913-2. I), Ilmar Torn (1. I 1921-10. I), Tõnu Tulev (26. V 1955-26. VII), Voldemar Vaga (29. VI 1899-22. II), Ingi Vaher (31. V 1930-24. X), Aksel Vallaste (6. VI 1918-13. XII), Bernard Buffet (10. VII 1928-4. X), Raimo Kanerva (22. VIII 1941-17. IX).

  6. Multivariate analytical figures of merit as a metric for evaluation of quantitative measurements using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eftekhari, Ali; Parastar, Hadi

    2016-09-30

    The present contribution is devoted to develop multivariate analytical figures of merit (AFOMs) as a new metric for evaluation of quantitative measurements using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC×GC-MS). In this regard, new definition of sensitivity (SEN) is extended to GC×GC-MS data and then, other multivariate AFOMs including analytical SEN (γ), selectivity (SEL) and limit of detection (LOD) are calculated. Also, two frequently used second- and third-order calibration algorithms of multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) as representative of multi-set methods and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) as representative of multi-way methods are discussed to exploit pure component profiles and to calculate multivariate AFOMs. Different GC×GC-MS data sets with different number of components along with various levels of artifacts are simulated and analyzed. Noise, elution time shifts in both chromatographic dimensions, peak overlap and interferences are considered as the main artifacts in this work. Additionally, a new strategy is developed to estimate the noise level using variance-covariance matrix of residuals which is very important to calculate multivariate AFOMs. Finally, determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in aromatic fraction of heavy fuel oil (HFO) analyzed by GC×GC-MS is considered as real case to confirm applicability of the proposed metric in real samples. It should be pointed out that the proposed strategy in this work can be used for other types of comprehensive two-dimensional chromatographic (CTDC) techniques like comprehensive two dimensional liquid chromatography (LC×LC). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Evaluation of automatic dose rate control for flat panel imaging using a spatial frequency domain figure of merit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dehairs, M.; Bosmans, H.; Desmet, W.; Marshall, N. W.

    2017-08-01

    Current automatic dose rate controls (ADRCs) of dynamic x-ray imaging systems adjust their acquisition parameters in response to changes in patient thickness in order to achieve a constant signal level in the image receptor. This work compares a 3 parameter (3P) ADRC control to a more flexible 5-parameter (5P) method to meet this goal. A phantom composed of 15 composite poly(methyl) methacrylate (PMMA)/aluminium (Al) plates was imaged on a Siemens Artis Q dynamic system using standard 3P and 5P ADRC techniques. Phantom thickness covered a water equivalent thickness (WET) range of 2.5 cm to 37.5 cm. Acquisition parameter settings (tube potential, tube current, pulse length, copper filtration and focus size) and phantom entrance air kerma rate (EAKR) were recorded as the thickness changed. Signal difference to noise ratio (SDNR) was measured using a 0.3 mm iron insert centred in the PMMA stack, positioned at the system isocentre. SDNR was then multiplied by modulation transfer function (MTF) based correction factors for focal spot penumbral blurring and motion blurring, to give a spatial frequency dependent parameter, SDNR(u). These MTF correction factors were evaluated for an object motion of 25 mm s-1 and at a spatial frequency of 1.4 mm-1 in the object plane, typical for cardiac imaging. The figure of merit (FOM) was calculated as SDNR(u)²/EAKR for the two ADRC regimes. Using 5P versus 3P technique showed clear improvements over all thicknesses. Averaged over clinically relevant adult WET values (20 cm-37.5 cm), EAKR was reduced by 13% and 27% for fluoroscopy and acquisition modes, respectively, while the SDNR(u) based FOM increased by 16% and 34% for fluoroscopy and acquisition. In conclusion, the generalized FOM, taking into account the influence of focus size and object motion, showed benefit in terms of image quality and patient dose for the 5-parameter control over 3-parameter method for the ADRC programming of dynamic x-ray imaging systems.

  8. The Merits of Emeriti

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fishman, Seth Matthew

    2012-01-01

    The silver tide of faculty retirement continues to ebb and flow. While much of today's scholarship on faculty retirement focuses on the financial implications for colleges and universities, arguing that older faculty members clog up the faculty pipeline, cost more in salary and benefits, and are ineffective teachers who fear technology, little…

  9. Active placebo control groups of pharmacological interventions were rarely used but merited serious consideration: a methodological overview.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jensen, Jakob Solgaard; Bielefeldt, Andreas Ørsted; Hróbjartsson, Asbjørn

    2017-07-01

    active placebo control interventions are rarely used in randomized clinical trials, but they constitute a methodological tool which merits serious consideration. We suggest that active placebos are used more often in trials of drugs with noticeable side effects, especially in situations where the expected therapeutic effects are modest and the risk of bias due to unblinding is high. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Research Update: Enhancement of figure of merit for energy-harvesters based on free-standing epitaxial Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.480.99Nb0.01O3 thin-film cantilevers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Minh D. Nguyen

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available All-oxide free-standing cantilevers were fabricated with epitaxial (001-oriented Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48O3 (PZT and Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.480.99Nb0.01O3 (PNZT as piezoelectric layers and SrRuO3 electrodes. The ferroelectric and piezoelectric hysteresis loops were measured. From the zero-bias values, the figure-of-merits (FOMs for piezoelectric energy harvesting systems were calculated. For the PNZT cantilever, an extremely large value FOM = 55 GPa was obtained. This very high value is due to the large shifts of the hysteresis loops such that the zero-bias piezoelectric coefficient e31f is maximum and the zero-bias dielectric constant is strongly reduced compared to the value in the undoped PZT device. The results show that by engineering the self-bias field the energy-harvesting properties of piezoelectric systems can be increased significantly.

  11. Research Update: Enhancement of figure of merit for energy-harvesters based on free-standing epitaxial Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)0.99Nb0.01O3 thin-film cantilevers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Minh D.; Houwman, Evert; Dekkers, Matthijn; Schlom, Darrell; Rijnders, Guus

    2017-07-01

    All-oxide free-standing cantilevers were fabricated with epitaxial (001)-oriented Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (PZT) and Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)0.99Nb0.01O3 (PNZT) as piezoelectric layers and SrRuO3 electrodes. The ferroelectric and piezoelectric hysteresis loops were measured. From the zero-bias values, the figure-of-merits (FOMs) for piezoelectric energy harvesting systems were calculated. For the PNZT cantilever, an extremely large value FOM = 55 GPa was obtained. This very high value is due to the large shifts of the hysteresis loops such that the zero-bias piezoelectric coefficient e31f is maximum and the zero-bias dielectric constant is strongly reduced compared to the value in the undoped PZT device. The results show that by engineering the self-bias field the energy-harvesting properties of piezoelectric systems can be increased significantly.

  12. Online and face-to-face role-play simulations in promoting social work students’ argumentative problem solving

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kati Vapalahti

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper reports on a teaching experiment in which social work students (n=38 practiced problem solving through argumentative tasks. A teaching experiment was carried out at a Mikkeli University of Applied Sciences in Finland in connection with a course concerning preventative work against alcohol- and drug abuse. This quasi- experimental study investigated whether role-play simulation conducted either online (15 students or face-to-face (14 students improved students’ problem solving on social issues. As a pre-test, the students wrote an essay after having watched a dramatization of problematic cases on elderly people’s use of alcohol. The students also attended lectures (30 x 45 min on the effect of substance abuse and preventive work, and after the role-play simulation they wrote another essay (post-test. Nine controls wrote an essay without participating in the role-play simulation. Lastly, the students filled out feedback questionnaires.

  13. 80 aastat tagasi : Detsember 1928. 1 / Mati Märtin

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Märtin, Mati

    2008-01-01

    Muusikasündmustest 80 aastat tagasi: 1. dets. korraldas siseministeerium Tallinna Kaarli kirikus piduliku leinajumalateenistuse neli aastat tagasi kommunistliku mässukatse ajal langenute mälestuseks, kus esinesid bariton Aleksander Arder ja tšellist Raimond Bööcke (seda tähtpäeva tuletati meelde kõikjal üle Eesti), õnnistati Põltsamaa kiriku uus vendade Kriisade valmistatud orel (orelil esines August Topman), 2. dets. Tallinna Jaani kirikus esinesid tenor Tenno Vironi, organist Herman Känd ja sega- ja meeskoor A. Biltse juhatusel, 9. dets. esines Tallinna Jaani kirikus organist Peeter Laja (nii orelil kui lauljana), Tartu Ülikooli kirikus esinesid metsosopran Paula Brehm-Jürgenson ja Tallinna Toomkiriku organist Helene Spulge, Tartu Pauluse kirikus kanti ette Beethoveni missa C-duur (esinesid Muusikalise Hariduse ja Kultuuri Edendamise Seltsi sümfooniaorkester, Miina Hermanni Lauluselts ja solistid Olga Mikk-Krull, Ludmilla Orav, Evald Laanenbeck ja F. Zwetkov, dirigent Arkadius Krull)

  14. Global terrain classification using Multiple-Error-Removed Improved-Terrain (MERIT) to address susceptibility of landslides and other geohazards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iwahashi, J.; Yamazaki, D.; Matsuoka, M.; Thamarux, P.; Herrick, J.; Yong, A.; Mital, U.

    2017-12-01

    A seamless model of landform classifications with regional accuracy will be a powerful platform for geophysical studies that forecast geologic hazards. Spatial variability as a function of landform on a global scale was captured in the automated classifications of Iwahashi and Pike (2007) and additional developments are presented here that incorporate more accurate depictions using higher-resolution elevation data than the original 1-km scale Shuttle Radar Topography Mission digital elevation model (DEM). We create polygon-based terrain classifications globally by using the 280-m DEM interpolated from the Multi-Error-Removed Improved-Terrain DEM (MERIT; Yamazaki et al., 2017). The multi-scale pixel-image analysis method, known as Multi-resolution Segmentation (Baatz and Schäpe, 2000), is first used to classify the terrains based on geometric signatures (slope and local convexity) calculated from the 280-m DEM. Next, we apply the machine learning method of "k-means clustering" to prepare the polygon-based classification at the globe-scale using slope, local convexity and surface texture. We then group the divisions with similar properties by hierarchical clustering and other statistical analyses using geological and geomorphological data of the area where landslides and earthquakes are frequent (e.g. Japan and California). We find the 280-m DEM resolution is only partially sufficient for classifying plains. We nevertheless observe that the categories correspond to reported landslide and liquefaction features at the global scale, suggesting that our model is an appropriate platform to forecast ground failure. To predict seismic amplification, we estimate site conditions using the time-averaged shear-wave velocity in the upper 30-m (VS30) measurements compiled by Yong et al. (2016) and the terrain model developed by Yong (2016; Y16). We plan to test our method on finer resolution DEMs and report our findings to obtain a more globally consistent terrain model as there

  15. Milk production and composition, and progeny performance in young ewes with high merit for rapid growth and muscle and fat accumulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosales Nieto, C A; Ferguson, M B; Macleay, C A; Briegel, J R; Wood, D A; Martin, G B; Bencini, R; Thompson, A N

    2018-02-26

    In ewe lambs, acceleration of growth and accumulation of both muscle and fat leads to earlier sexual maturity and better reproductive performance. The next stage in the development of this theme is to test whether these aspects of growth in young ewes affect milk production in their first lactation and the growth of their first progeny. We studied 75 young Merino ewes that had known phenotypic values for depth of eye muscle (EMD) and fat (FAT), and known Australian Sheep Breeding Values for post-weaning weight (PWT) and depths of eye muscle (PEMD) and fat (PFAT). They lambed for the first time at 1 year of age. Their lambs were weighed weekly from birth to weaning at 10 weeks to determine live weight gain and weaning weight. Progeny birth weight was positively associated with live weight gain and weaning weight (P0.05). The PWT of the sire was positively associated with live weight gain (P0.05). The concentrations of fat, protein, lactose and total solids in the milk were not affected by the phenotype or genotype of the mothers or of the sires of the mothers, or by the sex of the progeny (P>0.05). We conclude that selection of young Merino ewes for better growth, and more rapid accumulation of muscle and fat, will lead to progeny that are heavier at birth, grow faster and are heavier at weaning. Moreover, milk production and composition do not seem to be affected by the genetic merit of the mother for post-weaning live weight or PEMD or PFAT. Therefore, Merino ewes can lamb at 1 year of age without affecting the production objectives of the Merino sheep industry.

  16. Evolution of thermoelectric performance for (Bi,Sb)2Te3 alloys from cutting waste powders to bulks with high figure of merit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Xi‧an; Cai, Xin zhi; Han, Xue wu; Zhang, Cheng cheng; Rong, Zhen zhou; Yang, Fan; Li, Guang qiang

    2016-01-01

    Bi2Te3 based cutting waste powders from cutting wafers were firstly selected as raw materials to prepare p-type Bi2Te3 based thermoelectric (TE) materials. Through washing, reducing, composition correction, smelting and resistance pressing sintering (RPS) process, p-type (Bi,Sb)2Te3 alloy bulks with different nominal stoichiometries were successfully obtained. The evolution of microstructure and TE performance for (Bi,Sb)2Te3 alloys were investigated in detail. All evidences confirmed that most of contaminants from line cutting process such as cutting fluid and oxides of Bi, Sb or Te could be removed by washing, reducing and smelting process used in this work. The carrier content and corresponding TE properties could be adjusted effectively by appropriate composition correction treatment. At lastly, a bulk with a nominal stoichiometry of Bi0.44Sb1.56Te3 was obtained and its' dimensionless figure of merit (ZT) was about 1.16 at 90 °C. The ZT values of Bi0.36Sb1.64Te3 and Bi0.4Sb1.6Te3 alloy bulks could also reach 0.98 and 1.08, respectively. Different from the conventional recycling technology such as hydrometallurgy extraction methods, the separation and extraction of beneficial elements such as Bi, Sb and Te did not need to be performed and the Bi2Te3 based bulks with high TE properties could be directly obtained from the cutting waste powders. In addition, the recycling technology introduced here was green and more suitable for practical industrial application. It can improve material utilization and lower raw material costs of manufacturers.

  17. Araabia šeik ostis tüki Tallinnas tegutsevast pangast / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2006-01-01

    SBM panga omaniku Marfin Grupi suurimaks aktsionäriks tõusis Dubai Financials, mis on autori sõnul emiiriperekonna Al Maktoumi võimalus Euroopasse sisenemisel. Marfini peajuristi Fotios Karatzenise hinnangul on huvitavad investeerimisobjektid Eestis sadamad ja kinnisvara. Vt. samas intervjuud Fotios Karatzenisega. Lisad: Teine tase; Marfin Grupp: Kreeka-Araabia pank

  18. Eestimaa.eu kuulub lätlasele ja riik.eu hollandlasele / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2006-01-01

    Zone Medias eu domeeninimesid registreeriva Jaanus Puttingu hinnangul on Eesti riik olnud passiivne EL-i domeeninime .eu sisaldavate lehekülgede kaitsmisel, sajad Eestile olulised domeeninimed on juba nii siinsete kui ka piiritaguste inimeste käes. Lisa: Rahvaliit.eu kuulub kinnisvaraportaalile

  19. Eestlaste loodud internetitelefon Skype - millest sa ometi elad? / Mikk Salu, Erik Aru

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2005-01-01

    Autorid uurivad, kust Skype raha saab. Lisad: Rupert Murdochi lapsed põgenevad isa firmast; Skype on internetitelefon; Internetiäri neli suurt üksteise marjamaal. Tabel: Nelja suure 2004. aasta tulemused

  20. Ärimudelid Ameerika (ja Eesti) kvaliteetajalehtede päästmiseks / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2009-01-01

    CNN-i endine juht Walter Isaacson pakkus välja mikromaksete süsteemi, kus ajalehtede online-versiooni sisu hakatakse müüma artikli kaupa. Yale'i ülikooli finantsjuhi David Swenseni arvates võiksid kvaliteetajalehed kopeerida ülikoolides kasutatavat ärimudelit - mittetulundusühingutest tuleks muutuda investeerimisfondideks

  1. Ravimitööstuse tuleviku kujundavad USA pensionärid / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2008-01-01

    Kolmveerand maailma ravimitööstuse kasumist tuleb USA-st. Ravimitootjate tähelepanu pälvivad need haigused, mis USA-s enim levinud - kõige rohkem on raha eraldatud ülekaalulisusega seotud haiguste, samuti vähi raviks

  2. Ravimifirma eestlasest Baltimaade juht edutati Skandinaaviamaadesse / Mikk Jürisson ; interv. Svea Talving

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Jürisson, Mikk, 1963-

    2005-01-01

    Mercki endine Baltimaade juht selgitab, milline oli tema motivatsioon tööle asumiseks Merck, Sharp & Dohme (MSD) Skandinaavia piirkonna turundusjuhina ning kirjeldab vastutusalasid, töö eripära ja tegevust uues ametis

  3. Majandus laastab kasiinoärimeeste pöörast varandust / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2008-01-01

    Kasiinoärimees Armin Karu varandus on majanduse jahtumise tõttu vähenenud viie miljardi krooni võrra. Ameerika Ühendriikides on majanduskasv aeglustunud, Las Vegases on langenud mängimisest saadav tulu. Olukorrast Eesti kasiinoäris. Lisa: Kasiinoäri ja majanduse seosed. Diagramm: Eesti kasiinoturg 2007

  4. Decouple electronic and phononic transport in nanotwinned structures: a new strategy for enhancing the figure-of-merit of thermoelectrics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Yanguang; Gong, Xiaojing; Xu, Ben; Hu, Ming

    2017-07-20

    Thermoelectric (TE) materials manifest themselves to enable direct conversion of temperature differences to electric power and vice versa. Though remarkable advances have been achieved in the past decades for various TE systems, the energy conversion efficiency of TE devices, which is characterized by a dimensionless figure-of-merit (ZT = S 2 σT/(κ el + κ ph )), generally remains a poor factor that severely limits TE devices' competitiveness and range of employment. The bottleneck for substantially boosting the ZT coefficient lies in the strong interdependence of the physical parameters involved in electronic (S and σ, and κ el ) and phononic (κ ph ) transport. Herein, we propose a new strategy of incorporating nanotwinned structures to decouple electronic and phononic transport. Combining the new concept of nanotwinned structures with the previously widely used nanocrystalline approach, the power factor of the nanotwin-nanocrystalline Si heterostructures is enhanced by 120% compared to that of bulk crystalline Si, while the lattice thermal conductivity is reduced to a level well below the amorphous limit, yielding a theoretical limit of 0.52 and 0.9 for ZT coefficient at room temperature and 1100 K, respectively. This value is almost two orders of magnitude larger than that for bulk Si and twice that for polycrystalline Si. Even for the experimentally obtained nanotwin-nanocrystalline heterostructures (e.g. grain size of 5 nm), the ZT coefficient can be as high as 0.26 at room temperature and 0.7 at 1100 K, which is the highest ZT value among all Si-based bulk nanostructures found thus far. Such substantial improvement stems from two aspects: (1) the improvement in the power factor is caused due to an increase in the Seebeck coefficient (degeneracy of the band valley) and the enhancement of electrical conductivity (the reduction of the effective band mass) and (2) the significant reduction of the lattice thermal conductivity is mainly caused due to the

  5. Highly porous thermoelectric nanocomposites with low thermal conductivity and high figure of merit from large-scale solution-synthesized Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 2.5}Se{sub 0.5} hollow nanostructures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xu, Biao; Wu, Yue [Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA (United States); Ames Laboratory, Department of Energy, Ames, IA (United States); Feng, Tianli; Ruan, Xiulin [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN (United States); Agne, Matthias T.; Snyder, G. Jeffery [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL (United States); Zhou, Lin [Ames Laboratory, Department of Energy, Ames, IA (United States)

    2017-03-20

    To enhance the performance of thermoelectric materials and enable access to their widespread applications, it is beneficial yet challenging to synthesize hollow nanostructures in large quantities, with high porosity, low thermal conductivity (κ) and excellent figure of merit (z T). Herein we report a scalable (ca. 11.0 g per batch) and low-temperature colloidal processing route for Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 2.5}Se{sub 0.5} hollow nanostructures. They are sintered into porous, bulk nanocomposites (phi 10 mm x h 10 mm) with low κ (0.48 W m{sup -1} K{sup -1}) and the highest z T (1.18) among state-of-the-art Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3-x}Se{sub x} materials. Additional benefits of the unprecedented low relative density (68-77 %) are the large demand reduction of raw materials and the improved portability. This method can be adopted to fabricate other porous phase-transition and thermoelectric chalcogenide materials and will pave the way for the implementation of hollow nanostructures in other fields. (copyright 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  6. Kasvatusteaduslike tööde konkursi tulemused / Ulve Kala

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Kala, Ulve, 1947-

    2002-01-01

    Eesti keeles publitseeritud teadustöö preemia anti Aleksander Elangole, Inger Kraavile ja Kristi Kõivule, diplom Ühiskondlikule Pedagoogika Uurimise Instituudile, Viivi Ekstale, Inger Kraavile, Inge Undile, Viivi Maansole. Võõrkeeles publitseeritud teadustöö preemia monograafiale "Integration als Problem in der Erziehungswissenschaft" (koostaja Airi Liimets, autorid Airi Liimets, Saila Anttonen, Gunnar Bergendal, Gerd-Bodo Reinert von Carlsburg, Helmut Wehr, Tiiu Kuurme, Pauli Siljander, Jüri Kruusvall, Sirje Priimägi, Ene-Silvia Sarv, Kristi Kõiv, Meri-Liis Laherand, Jaan Mikk, Hannele Niemi, Marika Veisson, Irina Würscher, Susanne Jena, Tiina Aunin, Reet Liimets, Heli Mattisen, Aivo Saar, Maie Vikat), diplom Aino Saarele ja Katrin Niglasele. Didaktilis-rakenduslike tööde preemia Eda Heinlale, Estelle Laanele ja Kalle Laanele, Tiiu Kadajasele. Populaarteadusliku töö preemia Maie Tuulikule, diplom Kristi Kõivule. H. Liimetsa nim magistritööde preemia Rain Mikserile, Margus Pedastele, Ülle Rannutile, Inger Kraavile, Tago Sarapuule, Martin Ehalale

  7. Diet-derived changes by sourdough-fermented rye bread in exhaled breath aspiration ion mobility spectrometry profiles in individuals with mild gastrointestinal symptoms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raninen, Kaisa; Lappi, Jenni; Kolehmainen, Mikko; Kolehmainen, Marjukka; Mykkänen, Hannu; Poutanen, Kaisa; Raatikainen, Olavi

    2017-12-01

    The potential of utilising exhaled breath volatile organic compound (VOC) profiles in studying diet-derived metabolic changes was examined. After a four-week initial diet period with white wheat bread (WW), seven participants received in randomised order high-fibre diets containing sourdough whole grain rye bread (WGR) or white wheat bread enriched with bioprocessed rye bran (WW + BRB), both for 4 weeks. Alveolar exhaled breath samples were analysed with ChemPro ® 100i analyser (Environics OY, Mikkeli, Finland) at the end of each diet period in fasting state and after a standardised meal. The AIMS signal intensities in fasting state were different after the WGR diet as compared to other diets. The result suggests that WGR has metabolic effects not completely explained by the rye fibre content of the diet. This study encourages to utilise the exhaled breath VOC profile analysis as an early screening tool in studying physiological functionality of foods.

  8. The merits of neutral theory

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Alonso, D.; Etienne, R.S.; McKane, A.J.

    2006-01-01

    Hubbell's neutral theory of biodiversity has challenged the classic niche-based view of ecological community structure. Although there have been many attempts to falsify Hubbell's theory, we argue that falsification should not lead to rejection, because there is more to the theory than neutrality

  9. Uus turunduskangelane SMS / Merit Raju

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Raju, Merit

    2002-01-01

    Lühisõnum SMS (Short Message Service) ja multimeediasõnum MMS (Multimedia Messaging System) - uued võimalused reklaami edastamiseks klientidele. Kommenteerib Henri Österlund. Lisa: SMS-reklaami võimalused

  10. Current controversies, is there merit?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Twetman, S

    2009-01-01

    Xylitol has become a debated measure in caries prevention. This paper aims to examine and comment on some possible controversies, with emphasis on the most recent literature. A search for clinical trials was conducted through 2007 in PubMed, and papers describing a controlled xylitol intervention...

  11. BACKWARD INDUCTION: MERITS AND FLAWS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kamiński Marek M.

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Backward induction (BI was one of the earliest methods developed for solving finite sequential games with perfect information. It proved to be especially useful in the context of Tom Schelling’s ideas of credible versus incredible threats. BI can be also extended to solve complex games that include an infinite number of actions or an infinite number of periods. However, some more complex empirical or experimental predictions remain dramatically at odds with theoretical predictions obtained by BI. The primary example of such a troublesome game is Centipede. The problems appear in other long games with sufficiently complex structure. BI also shares the problems of subgame perfect equilibrium and fails to eliminate certain unreasonable Nash equilibria.

  12. Korvpall algab tantsuga / Merit Pettai

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Pettai, Merit

    2005-01-01

    Vestlusest korvpallimeeskonna BIG/new balance Rapla ergutustüdrukutega ehk cheerleaderitega. Võrreldes tavaliste showtantsudega on cheerleaderite tantsud palju koormavamad. Arutletakse selle üle mida tähendab olla cheerleader

  13. Under Under Under / Merit Kask

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Kask, Merit

    2006-01-01

    20. nov. esietendub Kumu auditooriumis MTÜ Ühenduse R.A.A.A.M teatriprojekt "Under" poetess Marie Underist. Lavastajad Merle Karusoo ja Raimo Pass, kunstnik Jaagup Roomet, helilooja Urmas Lattikas, peaosas Katrin Saukas

  14. How Merit Pay Undermines Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramirez, Al

    2001-01-01

    Why cannot teachers be "incentivized" like lawyers and salespeople? The seemingly logical link between employee production and compensation is debatable and highly subjective. Educators' jobs involve more than teaching academic subjects and often extend beyond the measurable. Input/output reward systems ignore basic human-motivation…

  15. An Electrosurgical Endoknife with a Water-Jet Function (Flushknife Proves Its Merits in Colorectal Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection Especially for the Cases Which Should Be Removed En Bloc

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yoji Takeuchi

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Previously, we reported that the Flushknife (electrosurgical endoknife with a water-jet function could reduce the operation time of colorectal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD however, suitable situation for the Flushknife was obscure. This subgroup analysis of a prospective randomized controlled trial was aimed to investigate the suitable situation for the Flushknife. Methods. A total of 48 superficial colorectal neoplasms that underwent ESD using either the Flexknife or the Flushknife in a referral center were enrolled. The differences of operation time between the Flexknife and the Flushknife groups in each subgroup (tumor size, location, and macroscopic type were analyzed. Results. Median (95% CI operation time calculated using survival curves was significantly shorter in the Flushknife group than in the Flexknife group (55.5 min [41, 78] versus 74.0 [57, 90] min; , Hazard Ratio HR: 0.53; 95% CI (0.29–0.97. In particular, the HR in patients with laterally spreading tumors-nongranular type (LST-NG in the Flushknife group was significantly smaller than in the Flexknife group (HR: 0.1650.17; 95% CI (0.04–0.66. There was a trend of decreasing HRs according to larger lesion size. Conclusions. The Flushknife proved its merits in colorectal ESD especially for the lesions which should be removed en bloc (LST-NG and large lesion.

  16. Influence of microemulsion chirality on chromatographic figures of merit in EKC: results with novel three-chiral-component microemulsions and comparison with one- and two-chiral-component microemulsions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kahle, Kimberly A; Foley, Joe P

    2007-08-01

    Novel microemulsion formulations containing all chiral components are described for the enantioseparation of six pairs of pharmaceutical enantiomers (atenolol, ephedrine, metoprolol, N-methyl ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and synephrine). The chiral surfactant dodecoxycarbonylvaline (DDCV, R- and S-), the chiral cosurfactant S-2-hexanol, and the chiral oil diethyl tartrate (R- and S-) were combined to create four different chiral microemulsions, three of which were stable. Results obtained for enantioselectivity, efficiency, and resolution were compared for the triple-chirality systems and the single-chirality system that contained chiral surfactant only. Improvements in enantioselectivity and resolution were achieved by simultaneously incorporating three chiral components into the aggregate. The one-chiral-component microemulsion provided better efficiencies. Enantioselective synergies were identified for the three-chiral-component nanodroplets using a thermodynamic model. Additionally, two types of dual-chirality systems, chiral surfactant/chiral cosurfactant and chiral surfactant/chiral oil, were examined in terms of chromatographic figures of merit, with the former providing much better resolution. The two varieties of two-chiral-component microemulsions gave similar values for enantioselectivity and efficiency. Lastly, the microemulsion formulations were divided into categories based on the number of chiral microemulsion reagents and the average results for each pair of enantiomers were analyzed for trends. In general, enantioselectivity and resolution were enhanced while efficiency was decreased as more chiral components were used to create the pseudostationary phase (PSP).

  17. National Uranium Resource Evaluation. Groundwater prospecting for sandstone-type uranium deposits: the merits of mineral-solution equilibria versus single element tracer methods. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chatham, J.R.; Wanty, R.B.; Langmuir, D.

    1981-02-01

    Groundwaters from aquifers in two different sandstone-type uranium mining districts in Texas and Wyoming were collected and chemically analyzed. The data were used to compare the merits of using the computed saturation state of the groundwater with respect to uranium minerals, to that of single-element tracers in the groundwater for geochemical prospecting. Chemical properties of the Texas waters were influenced locally by preferred groundwater flow within buried fluvial channel deposits; upward leakage of brines along growth faults into the aquifer; and the establishment of a redox interface (Eh = 0 volts) within the aquifer. Chemical characteristics of aquifer waters in Wyoming changed gradually downdip, reflecting regional homogeneity in groundwater flow and a more gradual downdip reduction of Eh values than in Texas. The most reliable indicator of reduced uranium ore in both study sites was the saturation state of groundwater with respect to uraninite or coffinite. For both minerals, this saturation state increased from 15 to 20 log units as reduced ore deposits were approached over distances of 3 to 4.5 km in both sites. Tyuyamunite and carnotite approached or exceeded saturation in some oxidized waters of the Texas site reflecting possible occurrences of these minerals. The radiogenic elements Ta and Rn were excellent indicators of ore directly within the deposits, where anomalous values were 2 to 3 orders of magnitude above background. Helium also increased near the ore, although anomalies were generally displaced in the direction of groundwater flow. Uranium and uranium isotope values did not individually pinpoint ore, but may be used together to classify groundwater samples in terms of their position relative to uranium mineralization

  18. Kallas eitab süüdistusi ja kaalub kohtuteed / Mikk Salu, Laura Raus

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2011-01-01

    Euroopa Kontrollikoja endine liige Maarten Engwirda kritiseerib Euroopa Komisjoni volinikku Siim Kallast kontrollikoja-vastase meediarünnaku ja audiitorite sõltumatuse õõnestamise eest. Kallas peab süüdistusi laimuks ja kaalub kohtusse pöördumist

  19. Políticas tutelares asimétricas: conciliando preferencias individuales y sociales en salud pública Asymmetric policies for merit-goods: harmonizing individual and social preferences in public health

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Ramón Repullo Labrador

    2009-08-01

    , narcissistic individualism, and lack of trust in institutions, all of which hampered the ability of society's perspective to influence individual behavior. A review of health economics (especially merit goods and public health (ethics and values of health promotion and prevention may be useful to understand certain dilemmas in the balance between public intervention and individual autonomy. Given that many unhealthy decisions come from biased or irrational individual preferences, a promising new field in public health interventions is being developed, known as «asymmetric paternalism», or, more appropriately, as «asymmetric policies for merit-goods», which allow society to selectively influence those individuals whose decision biases lead to self-harming behavior, without constraining the autonomy of well informed autonomous individuals (even though their preferences may not coincide with society's recommended preferences.

  20. Comparison between quality parameters of image using the figure of merit; Comparação entre parâmetros de qualidade de imagem utilizando a figura de mérito

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Morais, Isabela S. de; Nogueira, Maria S.; Vilória, Carolina; Squair, Peterson L., E-mail: Isabela.morais@cdtn.br, E-mail: mnogue@cdtn.br, E-mail: cmvb@cdtn.br, E-mail: peterson.squair@cdtn.br [Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear (CDTN/CNEN-MG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil)

    2017-07-01

    Mammography is a technique that enables the early detection of breast cancer. Since it is the most used technique for this purpose and requires the use of ionizing radiation, it is necessary to optimize the technical parameters for the examination. Optimization maximizes image quality while minimizing the dose. An objective way of performing the optimization is through the Figure of Merit (FOM). The objective of this research is to compare two parameters of FOM image quality and CNR (Noise Contrast Ratio) to understand if the behavior of the two parameters are similar in the process of optimization of the radiographic technique in digital mammography using Computerized Radiology. In order to do this, two analyzes with 4.5 cm-thick breast simulators (CIRS and PMMA) were performed in the Siemens Mammomat 3000 Nova. The Kerma in the incident air was measured with the exposure factors obtained for each image performed, which enabled the calculation of the Mean Glandular Dose (MGD) these parameters. With the values of MGD and the CRN values associated with each image, the optimized technique was calculated through the FOM. Comparisons of these parameters were made. Both showed different results, but the breast simulators showed equivalence in their results.