Environmental qualification testing of TFE valve components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eyvindson, A.; Krasinski, W.; McCutcheon, R.

1997-01-01

Valves containing tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) components are being used in many CANDU Nuclear Generating Stations. However, some concerns remain about the performance of TFE after exposure to high levels of radiation. Stations must therefore ensure that such valves perform reliably after being exposed to postulated accident radiation dose levels. The current Ontario Hydro Environmental Qualification [EQ] program specifies much higher postulated radiation exposure than the original design, to account for conditions following a LOCA. Initial assessments indicated that Teflon components would require replacement. Proof of acceptable performance can remove the need for large scale replacement, avoiding a significant cost penalty and preserving benefits due to the superior performance of TFE-based seals. A test program was undertaken at Chalk River Laboratories (CRL) to investigate the performance of three valves after irradiation to 10 Mrad. Such valves are currently used at the Bruce B Nuclear Generating Station. Each contains TFE packing rings; one also has TFE seats. Two of the valves are used in the ECIS recovery system, while the third is used for instrumentation loop isolation or as drain valves. All are exposed to little or no radiation during normal use. Based on the results of the tests, all the valves tested will still meet functional and performance requirements after the TFE components have been exposed to 10 Mrad of irradiation. (author)

Early environmental exposures influence schizophrenia expression even in the presence of strong genetic predisposition.

Science.gov (United States)

Husted, Janice A; Ahmed, Rashid; Chow, Eva W C; Brzustowicz, Linda M; Bassett, Anne S

2012-05-01

There are few studies of environmental factors in familial forms of schizophrenia. We investigated whether childhood adversity or environmental factors were associated with schizophrenia in a familial sample where schizophrenia is associated with the NOSA1P gene. We found that a cumulative adversity index including childhood illness, family instability and cannabis use was significantly associated with narrow schizophrenia, independent of NOSA1P risk genotype, previously measured childhood trauma, covariates and familial clustering (adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval)=1.55 (1.01, 2.38)). The results provide further support that early environmental exposures influence schizophrenia expression even in the presence of strong genetic predisposition. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Experience on environmental qualification of safety-related components for Darlington Nuclear Generating Station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, A.S.; Kukreti, B.M.

1987-01-01

The proliferation of Nuclear Power Plant safety concerns has lead to increasing attention over the Environmental Qualification (EQ) of Nuclear Power Plant Safety-Related Components to provide the assurance that the safety related equipment will meet their intended functions during normal operation and postulated accident conditions. The environmental qualification of these components is also a Licensing requirement for Darlington Nuclear Generating Station. This paper provides an overview of EQ and the experience of a pilot project, in the qualification of the Main Moderator System safety-related functions for the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station currently under construction. It addresses the various phases of qualification from the identification of the EQ Safety-Related Components List, definition of location specific service conditions (normal, adbnormal and accident), safety-related functions, Environmental Qualification Assessments and finally, an EQ system summary report for the Main Moderator System. The results of the pilot project are discussed and the methodology reviewed. The paper concludes that the EQ Program developed for Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, as applied to the qualification of the Main Moderator System, contained all the elements necessary in the qualification of safety-related equipment. The approach taken in the qualification of the Moderator safety-related equipment proves to provide a sound framework for the qualification of other safety-related components in the station

Process for environmentally safe disposal of used fluorescent lamp potted ballast assemblies with component part reclamation and/or recycling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nardella, A.; Norian, B.

1993-07-27

A process is described for the environmentally safe and economical disposal of used fluorescent lamp potted ballast housing assemblies comprising removing from the housing the potted assembly with its embedded electrical component assemblies including a component capacitor containing environmentally hazardous material PCB's; after or before such removing, immersing the potted assembly in a cryogenic bath and freezing the same to reader the potting sufficiently brittle to fragment into small pieces upon being impacted; impacting the potting thoroughly to crush and fragment the same into small pieces and to cleanly remove substantially all traces of the potting from all the electrical components and parts embedded therein and without imparting damage to the components and parts; disconnecting the component containing the environmentally hazardous material; and incinerating only the component containing the environmentally hazardous material, leaving all other components and parts including the housing and potting fragments for salvage, re-use and/or recycling.

Revealing Components of the Economic Value for Environmental Goods and Services from Forest

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bakhtiari, Fatemeh

The overall purpose and contribution of this thesis is increasing the understanding of components of the value of environmental goods. It investigates how the public perceive environmental goods (lay people’s perception) and the elements of it that they value. Providing such knowledge contributes...... to improving valuation methods, e.g. the use of the Choice Experiment (CE) for valuing forest biodiversity conservation. Increasing knowledge of lay people’s perception and mental constructs of environmental goods can help researchers to know how they can present environmental goods in CEs which align...... with respondents’ perceptions and to further understand the appropriate way of measuring these values....

Fault diagnosis for the heat exchanger of the aircraft environmental control system based on the strong tracking filter.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Jian; Lu, Chen; Liu, Hongmei

2015-01-01

The aircraft environmental control system (ECS) is a critical aircraft system, which provides the appropriate environmental conditions to ensure the safe transport of air passengers and equipment. The functionality and reliability of ECS have received increasing attention in recent years. The heat exchanger is a particularly significant component of the ECS, because its failure decreases the system's efficiency, which can lead to catastrophic consequences. Fault diagnosis of the heat exchanger is necessary to prevent risks. However, two problems hinder the implementation of the heat exchanger fault diagnosis in practice. First, the actual measured parameter of the heat exchanger cannot effectively reflect the fault occurrence, whereas the heat exchanger faults are usually depicted by utilizing the corresponding fault-related state parameters that cannot be measured directly. Second, both the traditional Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) and the EKF-based Double Model Filter have certain disadvantages, such as sensitivity to modeling errors and difficulties in selection of initialization values. To solve the aforementioned problems, this paper presents a fault-related parameter adaptive estimation method based on strong tracking filter (STF) and Modified Bayes classification algorithm for fault detection and failure mode classification of the heat exchanger, respectively. Heat exchanger fault simulation is conducted to generate fault data, through which the proposed methods are validated. The results demonstrate that the proposed methods are capable of providing accurate, stable, and rapid fault diagnosis of the heat exchanger.

Fault diagnosis for the heat exchanger of the aircraft environmental control system based on the strong tracking filter.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jian Ma

Full Text Available The aircraft environmental control system (ECS is a critical aircraft system, which provides the appropriate environmental conditions to ensure the safe transport of air passengers and equipment. The functionality and reliability of ECS have received increasing attention in recent years. The heat exchanger is a particularly significant component of the ECS, because its failure decreases the system's efficiency, which can lead to catastrophic consequences. Fault diagnosis of the heat exchanger is necessary to prevent risks. However, two problems hinder the implementation of the heat exchanger fault diagnosis in practice. First, the actual measured parameter of the heat exchanger cannot effectively reflect the fault occurrence, whereas the heat exchanger faults are usually depicted by utilizing the corresponding fault-related state parameters that cannot be measured directly. Second, both the traditional Extended Kalman Filter (EKF and the EKF-based Double Model Filter have certain disadvantages, such as sensitivity to modeling errors and difficulties in selection of initialization values. To solve the aforementioned problems, this paper presents a fault-related parameter adaptive estimation method based on strong tracking filter (STF and Modified Bayes classification algorithm for fault detection and failure mode classification of the heat exchanger, respectively. Heat exchanger fault simulation is conducted to generate fault data, through which the proposed methods are validated. The results demonstrate that the proposed methods are capable of providing accurate, stable, and rapid fault diagnosis of the heat exchanger.

Genetic and environmental components of female depression as a function of the severity of the disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Rusby, James S M; Tasker, Fiona; Cherkas, Lynn

2016-10-01

Both clinical care and genome-wide studies need to account for levels of severity in the etiology of depression. The purpose of the study is to estimate the genetic and environmental components of female depression as a function of the severity of the disorder. A genetic and environmental model analysis of depression incidence was made using the IOP Depression Severity Measure (IDSM). Details of lifetime depression incidence were obtained by questionnaire from twins on the DTR registry. Data from 1449 matched female twin pairs in the age range 19-85 years in four ordinal categories of increasing severity were employed in the analysis. Estimates of additive and dominance genetic components of 27% and 25% were found when all three levels of depression were included, and near zero and 33% when the recurrent/severe level was excluded. Shared environmental effects were not significant in either case, but the estimate for random environmental effects was greater when the severe level was excluded. These results suggest that the incidence of severe depression is associated with homozygotic alleles and the less severe with heterozygotic alleles. This is in accord with the finding that the hereditary component of severe depression is relatively high and that milder forms are more dependent on life-time environmental factors. Such conclusions have clinical implications for the diagnosis and treatment of the disorder by practicing psychiatrists. They also lead to the importance of focusing future genome-wide and linkage studies on those females with severe levels of depression if progress in identifying genetic risk loci is to be made.

Plasmons in strong superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baldo, M.; Ducoin, C.

2011-01-01

We present a study of the possible plasmon excitations that can occur in systems where strong superconductivity is present. In these systems the plasmon energy is comparable to or smaller than the pairing gap. As a prototype of these systems we consider the proton component of Neutron Star matter just below the crust when electron screening is not taken into account. For the realistic case we consider in detail the different aspects of the elementary excitations when the proton, electron components are considered within the Random-Phase Approximation generalized to the superfluid case, while the influence of the neutron component is considered only at qualitative level. Electron screening plays a major role in modifying the proton spectrum and spectral function. At the same time the electron plasmon is strongly modified and damped by the indirect coupling with the superfluid proton component, even at moderately low values of the gap. The excitation spectrum shows the interplay of the different components and their relevance for each excitation modes. The results are relevant for neutrino physics and thermodynamical processes in neutron stars. If electron screening is neglected, the spectral properties of the proton component show some resemblance with the physical situation in high-T c superconductors, and we briefly discuss similarities and differences in this connection. In a general prospect, the results of the study emphasize the role of Coulomb interaction in strong superconductors.

Dynamics and spatio-temporal variability of environmental factors in Eastern Australia using functional principal component analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Szabo, J.K.; Fedriani, E.M.; Segovia-Gonzalez, M. M.; Astheimer, L.B.; Hooper, M.J.

2010-01-01

This paper introduces a new technique in ecology to analyze spatial and temporal variability in environmental variables. By using simple statistics, we explore the relations between abiotic and biotic variables that influence animal distributions. However, spatial and temporal variability in rainfall, a key variable in ecological studies, can cause difficulties to any basic model including time evolution. The study was of a landscape scale (three million square kilometers in eastern Australia), mainly over the period of 19982004. We simultaneously considered qualitative spatial (soil and habitat types) and quantitative temporal (rainfall) variables in a Geographical Information System environment. In addition to some techniques commonly used in ecology, we applied a new method, Functional Principal Component Analysis, which proved to be very suitable for this case, as it explained more than 97% of the total variance of the rainfall data, providing us with substitute variables that are easier to manage and are even able to explain rainfall patterns. The main variable came from a habitat classification that showed strong correlations with rainfall values and soil types. ?? 2010 World Scientific Publishing Company.

Environmental health hazards of e-cigarettes and their components: Oxidants and copper in e-cigarette aerosols

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lerner, Chad A.; Sundar, Isaac K.; Watson, Richard M.; Elder, Alison; Jones, Ryan; Done, Douglas; Kurtzman, Rachel; Ossip, Deborah J.; Robinson, Risa; McIntosh, Scott; Rahman, Irfan

2015-01-01

To narrow the gap in our understanding of potential oxidative properties associated with Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) i.e. e-cigarettes, we employed semi-quantitative methods to detect oxidant reactivity in disposable components of ENDS/e-cigarettes (batteries and cartomizers) using a fluorescein indicator. These components exhibit oxidants/reactive oxygen species reactivity similar to used conventional cigarette filters. Oxidants/reactive oxygen species reactivity in e-cigarette aerosols was also similar to oxidant reactivity in cigarette smoke. A cascade particle impactor allowed sieving of a range of particle size distributions between 0.450 and 2.02 μm in aerosols from an e-cigarette. Copper, being among these particles, is 6.1 times higher per puff than reported previously for conventional cigarette smoke. The detection of a potentially cytotoxic metal as well as oxidants from e-cigarette and its components raises concern regarding the safety of e-cigarettes use and the disposal of e-cigarette waste products into the environment. - Highlights: • E-cigarettes disposal is associated with environmental health hazard/pollution. • Oxidants associated with electronic cigarette components and aerosols. • Metal copper and nanoparticles detected in electronic cigarette aerosols. • Environmental disposal of e-cigarettes components must be regulated with guidelines. - An electronic cigarette with disposable cartomizer exhibits oxidant reactivity similar to conventional cigarettes and releases copper and other particles associated with its aerosols

Proof of fatigue strength of nuclear components part II: Numerical fatigue analysis for transient stratification loading considering environmental effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krätschmer, D.; Roos, E.; Schuler, X.; Herter, K.-H.

2012-01-01

For the construction, design and operation of nuclear components and systems the appropriate technical codes and standards provide detailed analysis procedures which guarantee a reliable behaviour of the structural components throughout the specified lifetime. Especially for cyclic stress evaluation the different codes and standards provide different fatigue analyses procedures to be performed considering the various mechanical and thermal loading histories and geometric complexities of the components. To consider effects of light water reactor coolant environments, new design curves included in report NUREG/CR-6909 for austenitic stainless steels and for low alloy steels have been presented. For the usage of these new design curves an environmental fatigue correction factor for incorporating environmental effects has to be calculated and used. The application of this environmental correction factor to a fatigue analysis of a nozzle with transient stratification loads, derived by in-service monitoring, has been performed. The results are used to compare with calculated usage factors, based on design curves without taking environmental effects particularly into account. - Highlights: ► We model an nozzle for fatigue analysis und mechanical and thermal loading conditions. ► A simplified as well as a general elastic–plastic fatigue analysis considering environmental effects is performed. ► The influence of different factors calculating the environmental factor F en are shown. ► The presented numerical evaluation methodology allows the consideration of all relevant parameters to assess lifetime.

Investigation of LWR environmental effect on fatigue lifetime of austenitic stainless steel component

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, J. S.; Youm, H. K.; Jin, T. E.

1999-01-01

The fatigue lifetime of principal components in nuclear power plant is evaluated by using the design fatigue curves in ASME B and PV code during design process. However, it is inadequate to evaluate fatigue lifetime considering the LWR environmental effect by these design fatigue curves because these are presented only under atmosphere environment. Therefore, many studies are recently performed for the design fatigue curves considering LWR environmental effect and are presented that the design fatigue curves in ASME B and PV code can be non-conservative. In present paper, the limits and differences of the design fatigue curves considering environmental effect are presented. To investigate the change of fatigue lifetime according to each design fatigue curve, the CUFs for the pressurizer spray nozzle partly composed of austenitic stainless steel are calculated according to each one. Finally, if the evaluation result can not be satisfied with fatigue design requirement, the alternatives to reduce design cumulative usage factor are discussed. (author)

Radiation-induced structural transitions in composite materials with strong interaction of polymer components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zaikin, Yu.A.; Koztaeva, U.P.

2002-01-01

In earlier papers the internal friction (IF) method was applied to studies of structural relaxation in different types of polymer-based composite materials (glass-cloth, paper-based and foiled laminates impregnated by epoxy and phenolic resins) irradiated by 2 MeV electrons in the dose range of 0.1-50.0 MGy. Selectivity and high sensibility of the internal friction method allowed to distinguish glassy transitions in different structural components of the composites. The relaxation processes observed were identified and attributed to structural alterations in the polymer filler, the binder and the boundary layers. It was shown that changes in the parameters of relaxation maximums during irradiation can be considered as quantitative characteristics for the degree of radiation-induced degradation or cross-linking of polymer molecules. This paper deals with specific features of IF spectra in paper-based laminates where both the filler fibers and the binder are strongly interacting polymers. Anisotropy of viscous and elastic properties is very weak for this kind of materials, so that IF measurements give nearly the same result independently on the filler fiber orientation in the sample. The main reasons for it are the rigid chain structure of fillers (polyethylene-terephthalate and cellulose) and the good adhesion strengthened by diffusion of the epoxy or phenolic binder to defect regions of the filler.The IF temperature dependence observed in paper-based laminates is represented by superposition of two very broad relaxation maximums associated with transitions from glassy to high-elastic state in structural components, each based on one of the polymers. The inflection points characteristic for IF temperature dependence in paper-based laminates give a reason to treat them as a superposition of α-peaks associated with transitions from glassy to high-elastic state in structural components of a composite based on the binder and the filler, respectively. Another

Decoherence recuperating fast environmental dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cetinbas, Murat

2010-01-01

We examine the exact internal decoherence dynamics of a qubit in an isolated Josephson charge-qubit quantum computer in the presence of one- and two-body static internal imperfections. By help of open system dynamics quantifiers, i.e. purity, fidelity, covariance and Loschmidt echo, we distinguish between non-unitary and unitary components of internal decoherence dynamics and show that the non-unitary component consists of two processes: system-environment entanglement and incoherence. Our results indicate that the incoherence process is the major source of internal decoherence rather than system-environment entanglement. We find that strong one-body intra-environmental interactions, which generate fast environmental dynamics, result in a rapid suppression of decoherence induced by both system-environment entanglement and incoherence processes. We explain the mechanisms of suppression of decoherence for these two processes and discuss our results.

Operational Flexibility Responses to Environmental Uncertainties

OpenAIRE

Miller, Kent D.

1994-01-01

This study develops and tests a behavioral model of organizational changes in operational flexibility. Regression results using an international data set provide strong support for the general proposition that uncertainties associated with different environmental components--poitical, government policy, macroeconomic, competitive, input and product demand uncertainties--have different implications for firm internal, locational, and supploer flexibility. Slack acts as a buffer attenuating, a...

Environmental risk assessment of biocidal products: identification of relevant components and reliability of a component-based mixture assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Coors, Anja; Vollmar, Pia; Heim, Jennifer; Sacher, Frank; Kehrer, Anja

2018-01-01

Biocidal products are mixtures of one or more active substances (a.s.) and a broad range of formulation additives. There is regulatory guidance currently under development that will specify how the combined effects of the a.s. and any relevant formulation additives shall be considered in the environmental risk assessment of biocidal products. The default option is a component-based approach (CBA) by which the toxicity of the product is predicted from the toxicity of 'relevant' components using concentration addition. Hence, unequivocal and practicable criteria are required for identifying the 'relevant' components to ensure protectiveness of the CBA, while avoiding unnecessary workload resulting from including by default components that do not significantly contribute to the product toxicity. The present study evaluated a set of different criteria for identifying 'relevant' components using confidential information on the composition of 21 wood preservative products. Theoretical approaches were complemented by experimentally testing the aquatic toxicity of seven selected products. For three of the seven tested products, the toxicity was underestimated for the most sensitive endpoint (green algae) by more than factor 2 if only the a.s. were considered in the CBA. This illustrated the necessity of including at least some additives along with the a.s. Considering additives that were deemed 'relevant' by the tentatively established criteria reduced the underestimation of toxicity for two of the three products. A lack of data for one specific additive was identified as the most likely reason for the remaining toxicity underestimation of the third product. In three other products, toxicity was overestimated by more than factor 2, while prediction and observation fitted well for the seventh product. Considering all additives in the prediction increased only the degree of overestimation. Supported by theoretical calculations and experimental verifications, the present

Cost-consequence analysis of multimodal interventions with environmental components for pediatric asthma in the state of Maryland.

Science.gov (United States)

Jassal, Mandeep S; Diette, Gregory B; Dowdy, David W

2013-08-01

Applied environmental strategies for asthma control are often expensive, but may save longer-term healthcare costs. Whether these savings outweigh additional costs of implementing these strategies is uncertain. We conducted a systematic review to estimate the expenditures and savings of environmental interventions for asthma in the state of Maryland. Direct costs included hospitalizations, emergency room, and clinic visits. Indirect expenditures included costs of lost work productivity and travel incurred during the usage of healthcare services. We used decision analysis, assuming a hypothetical cohort of the approximated 49,290 pediatric individuals in Maryland with persistent asthma, to compare costs and benefits of environmental asthma interventions against the standard of care (no intervention) from the societal perspective. Three interventions among nine articles met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review: 1) environmental education using medical professionals; 2) education using non-medical personnel; and 3) multi-component strategy involving education with non-medical personnel, allergen-impermeable covers, and pest management. All interventions were found to be cost-saving relative to the standard of care. Home environmental education using non-medical professionals yielded the highest net savings of $14.1 million (95% simulation interval (SI): $-.283 million, $19.4 million), while the multi-component intervention resulted in the lowest net savings of $8.1 million (95% SI: $-4.9 million, $15.9 million). All strategies were most sensitive to the baseline number of hospitalizations in those not receiving targeted interventions for asthma. Limited environmental reduction strategies for asthma are likely to be cost-saving to the healthcare system in Maryland and should be considered for broader scale-up in other economically similar settings.

Strong environmental coupling in a Josephson parametric amplifier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mutus, J. Y.; White, T. C.; Barends, R.; Chen, Yu; Chen, Z.; Chiaro, B.; Dunsworth, A.; Jeffrey, E.; Kelly, J.; Neill, C.; O'Malley, P. J. J.; Roushan, P.; Sank, D.; Vainsencher, A.; Wenner, J.; Cleland, A. N.; Martinis, John M.; Megrant, A.; Sundqvist, K. M.

2014-01-01

We present a lumped-element Josephson parametric amplifier designed to operate with strong coupling to the environment. In this regime, we observe broadband frequency dependent amplification with multi-peaked gain profiles. We account for this behavior using the “pumpistor” model which allows for frequency dependent variation of the external impedance. Using this understanding, we demonstrate control over the complexity of gain profiles through added variation in the environment impedance at a given frequency. With strong coupling to a suitable external impedance, we observe a significant increase in dynamic range, and large amplification bandwidth up to 700 MHz giving near quantum-limited performance.

Reusable Component Services

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — The Reusable Component Services (RCS) is a super-catalog of components, services, solutions and technologies that facilitates search, discovery and collaboration in...

Ionospheric convection response to changes of interplanetary magnetic field B-z component during strong B-y component

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huang, C.S.; Murr, D.; Sofko, G.J.

2000-01-01

response to IMF Bz changes during strong IMF BZ. On March 23, 1995, B-x was small, B-y was strongly positive (7-11 nT), and the B-z polarity changed several times after 1300 UT. The dayside ionospheric convection is dominated by a large clockwise convection cell. The cell focus (the "eye" of the convection...... cell, or the largest change in the convection pattern, is limited roughly to the region between the previous cell focus and the new cell focus. Outside this region, the ionospheric flows could be greatly enhanced or weakened, while the convection pattern shape changes very little. When B-y is strong...... the dawn-dusk meridian plane, which is interpreted as propagation or expansion of newly generated convection cells in the cusp region. Other studies showed that the change in convection pattern in response to IMF reorientations is spatially fixed. In this paper, we investigate the ionospheric convection...

Environmental dosimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gold, R.

1977-01-01

For more than 60 years, natural radiation has offered broad opportunities for basic research as evidenced by many fundamental discoveries. Within the last decade, however, dramatic changes have occurred in the motivation and direction of this research. The urgent need for economical energy sources entailing acceptably low levels of environmental impact has compelled the applied aspects of our radiation environment to become overriding considerations. It is within this general framework that state-of-the-art environmental dosimetry techniques are reviewed. Although applied motivation and relevance underscores the current milieu for both reactor and environmental dosimetry, a perhaps even more unifying force is the broad similarity of reactor and environmental radiation fields. In this review, a comparison of these two mixed radiation fields is presented stressing the underlying similarities that exist. On this basis, the evolution of a strong inner bond between dosimetry methods for both reactor and environmental radiation fields is described. The existence of this bond will be illustrated using representative examples of observed spectra. Dosimetry methods of particularly high applicability for both of these fields are described. Special emphasis is placed on techniques of high sensitivity and absolute accuracy which are capable of resolving the components of these mixed radiation fields

Can carbon footprint serve as proxy of the environmental burden from urban consumption patterns?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kalbar, Pradip; Birkved, Morten; Karmakar, Subhankar

2017-01-01

(covering consumption of materials for the construction of dwellings) and use of energy in terms of thermal energy, and electricity. The results for the individual consumption components showed a strong correlation between CFP and nearly all other impact indicators for all the applied LCIA methods However...... urbanized areas. Applying four different Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) methods environmental impact profiles were determined for the consumption patterns of 1281 Danish urban residents. Six main consumption components were distinguished including road transport, air travel, food, accommodation......Carbon footprint (CFP) is widely applied as an indicator when assessing environmental sustainability of products and services. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the validity of CFP as overall environmental indicator for representing the environmental burden of residents from...

Strong Decomposition of Random Variables

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hoffmann-Jørgensen, Jørgen; Kagan, Abram M.; Pitt, Loren D.

2007-01-01

A random variable X is stongly decomposable if X=Y+Z where Y=Φ(X) and Z=X-Φ(X) are independent non-degenerated random variables (called the components). It is shown that at least one of the components is singular, and we derive a necessary and sufficient condition for strong decomposability...... of a discrete random variable....

Advanced Environmental Barrier Coating Development for SiC-SiC Ceramic Matrix Composite Components

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Dongming; Harder, Bryan; Hurst, Janet B.; Halbig, Michael Charles; Puleo, Bernadette J.; Costa, Gustavo; Mccue, Terry R.

2017-01-01

This presentation reviews the NASA advanced environmental barrier coating (EBC) system development for SiC-SiC Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) combustors particularly under the NASA Environmentally Responsible Aviation, Fundamental Aeronautics and Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Programs. The emphases have been placed on the current design challenges of the 2700-3000F capable environmental barrier coatings for low NOX emission combustors for next generation turbine engines by using advanced plasma spray based processes, and the coating processing and integration with SiC-SiC CMCs and component systems. The developments also have included candidate coating composition system designs, degradation mechanisms, performance evaluation and down-selects; the processing optimizations using TriplexPro Air Plasma Spray Low Pressure Plasma Spray (LPPS), Plasma Spray Physical Vapor Deposition and demonstration of EBC-CMC systems. This presentation also highlights the EBC-CMC system temperature capability and durability improvements under the NASA development programs, as demonstrated in the simulated engine high heat flux, combustion environments, in conjunction with high heat flux, mechanical creep and fatigue loading testing conditions.

Fatigue evaluation including environmental effects for primary circuit components in nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seichter, Johannes [Siempelkamp Pruef- und Gutachter-Gesellschaft mbH, Dresden (Germany); Reese, Sven H.; Klucke, Dietmar [E.ON Kernkraft GmbH, Hannover (Germany). Component Technology

2013-06-01

The influence of LWR coolant environment to the lifetime of materials in nuclear power plants is being discussed internationally. Environmental phenomena had been investigated in laboratory tests and published in recent years. The discussion is mainly focused both on the transition from laboratory to real plant components and on numerical calculation procedures. Since publishing of the NUREG/CR-6909 report in 2007, formulae for calculating the Fen factors have been modified several times. Various calculation procedures are discussed and recommendations are made how to avoid extremely conservative results. (orig.)

Activism: A Strong Predictor of Proactive Environmentally Friendly Buying Behavior in Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahu Ergen

2014-02-01

Full Text Available The market for environmentally friendly products in Turkey is growing, and marketing experts are trying to understand the behavior of the consumers in this market with the help of variables such as demographic factors, information, attitudes, values and life styles. This study analyzes the effects of environmental activism, environmental knowledge and the perceived seriousness of environmental problems on green buying behavior. The study involved 516 Turkish consumers, over eighteen years of age. The results show that environmental activism, environmental knowledge and the perceived seriousness of environmental problems are all meaningful factors in environmentally friendly buying behavior. It was found that the most explanatory variables are environmental activism for proactive environmentally friendly buying behavior and the perceived seriousness of environmental problems for optional environmentally friendly buying behavior. The study is significant since it will offer insights for green marketing experts who especially target specific segments as activists, voluntary simplifiers or green consumers in Turkey.

Activism: A Strong Predictor of Proactive Environmentally Friendly Buying Behavior in Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahu Ergen

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The market for environmentally friendly products in Turkey is growing, and marketing experts are trying to understand the behavior of the consumers in this market with the help of variables such as demographic factors, information, attitudes, values and life styles. This study analyzes the effects of environmental activism, environmental knowledge and the perceived seriousness of environmental problems on green buying behavior. The study involved 516 Turkish consumers, over eighteen years of age. The results show that environmental activism, environmental knowledge and the perceived seriousness of environmental problems are all meaningful factors in environmentally friendly buying behavior. It was found that the most explanatory variables are environmental activism for proactive environmentally friendly buying behavior and the perceived seriousness of environmental problems for optional environmentally friendly buying behavior. The study is significant since it will offer insights for green marketing experts who especially target specific segments as activists, voluntary simplifiers or green consumers in Turkey.

Environmental Forces - Some Esthetic Components.

Science.gov (United States)

Severino, D. Alexander

Although our system of mass culture has raised our civilization to an extremely high level of material success and affluence, the fact remains that this system has the inherent flaw of not fully recognizing the esthetic needs of man. To overcome this weakness we need to re-introduce into the system a sizable component of first-hand experience…

Responses to social and environmental stress are attenuated by strong male bonds in wild macaques

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Christopher; Majolo, Bonaventura; Heistermann, Michael; Schülke, Oliver; Ostner, Julia

2014-01-01

In humans and obligatory social animals, individuals with weak social ties experience negative health and fitness consequences. The social buffering hypothesis conceptualizes one possible mediating mechanism: During stressful situations the presence of close social partners buffers against the adverse effects of increased physiological stress levels. We tested this hypothesis using data on social (rate of aggression received) and environmental (low temperatures) stressors in wild male Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus) in Morocco. These males form strong, enduring, and equitable affiliative relationships similar to human friendships. We tested the effect of the strength of a male’s top three social bonds on his fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) levels as a function of the stressors’ intensity. The attenuating effect of stronger social bonds on physiological stress increased both with increasing rates of aggression received and with decreasing minimum daily temperature. Ruling out thermoregulatory and immediate effects of social interactions on fGCM levels, our results indicate that male Barbary macaques employ a tend-and-befriend coping strategy in the face of increased environmental as well as social day-to-day stressors. This evidence of a stress-ameliorating effect of social bonding among males under natural conditions and beyond the mother–offspring, kin or pair bond broadens the generality of the social buffering hypothesis. PMID:25489097

Valued ecosystem components for watershed cumulative effects: an analysis of environmental impact assessments in the South Saskatchewan River watershed, Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Ball, Murray A; Noble, Bram F; Dubé, Monique G

2013-07-01

The accumulating effects of human development are threatening water quality and availability. In recognition of the constraints to cumulative effects assessment (CEA) under traditional environmental impact assessment (EIA), there is an emerging body of research dedicated to watershed-based cumulative effects assessment (WCEA). To advance the science of WCEA, however, a standard set of ecosystem components and indicators is required that can be used at the watershed scale, to inform effects-based understanding of cumulative change, and at the project scale, to inform regulatory-based project based impact assessment and mitigation. A major challenge, however, is that it is not clear how such ecosystem components and indicators for WCEA can or should be developed. This study examined the use of aquatic ecosystem components and indicators in EIA practice in the South Saskatchewan River watershed, Canada, to determine whether current practice at the project scale could be "scaled up" to support ecosystem component and indicator development for WCEA. The hierarchy of assessment components and indicators used in a sample of 35 environmental impact assessments was examined and the factors affecting aquatic ecosystem component selection and indicator use were identified. Results showed that public environmental impact statements are not necessarily publically accessible, thus limiting opportunities for data and information sharing from the project to the watershed scale. We also found no consistent terminology across the sample of impact statements, thus making comparison of assessment processes and results difficult. Regulatory compliance was found to be the dominant factor influencing the selection of ecosystem components and indicators for use in project assessment, rather than scientific reasoning, followed by the mandate of the responsible government agency for the assessment, public input to the assessment process, and preexisting water licensing arrangements external

Activism: A Strong Predictor of Proactive Environmentally Friendly Buying Behavior in Turkey

OpenAIRE

Ahu Ergen; Filiz Bozkurt; Caner Giray

2016-01-01

The market for environmentally friendly products in Turkey is growing, and marketing experts are trying to understand the behavior of the consumers in this market with the help of variables such as demographic factors, information, attitudes, values and life styles. This study analyzes the effects of environmental activism, environmental knowledge and the perceived seriousness of environmental problems on green buying behavior. The study involved 516 Turkish consumers, over eighteen years of ...

Quantifying Wheat Sensitivities to Environmental Constraints to Dissect Genotype × Environment Interactions in the Field.

Science.gov (United States)

Parent, Boris; Bonneau, Julien; Maphosa, Lance; Kovalchuk, Alex; Langridge, Peter; Fleury, Delphine

2017-07-01

Yield is subject to strong genotype-by-environment (G × E) interactions in the field, especially under abiotic constraints such as soil water deficit (drought [D]) and high temperature (heat [H]). Since environmental conditions show strong fluctuations during the whole crop cycle, geneticists usually do not consider environmental measures as quantitative variables but rather as factors in multienvironment analyses. Based on 11 experiments in a field platform with contrasting temperature and soil water deficit, we determined the periods of sensitivity to drought and heat constraints in wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) and determined the average sensitivities for major yield components. G × E interactions were separated into their underlying components, constitutive genotypic effect (G), G × D, G × H, and G × H × D, and were analyzed for two genotypes, highlighting contrasting responses to heat and drought constraints. We then tested the constitutive and responsive behaviors of two strong quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated previously with yield components. This analysis confirmed the constitutive effect of the chromosome 1B QTL and explained the G × E interaction of the chromosome 3B QTL by a benefit of one allele when temperature rises. In addition to the method itself, which can be applied to other data sets and populations, this study will support the cloning of a major yield QTL on chromosome 3B that is highly dependent on environmental conditions and for which the climatic interaction is now quantified. © 2017 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

Modified Principal Component Analysis for Identifying Key Environmental Indicators and Application to a Large-Scale Tidal Flat Reclamation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kejian Chu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Identification of the key environmental indicators (KEIs from a large number of environmental variables is important for environmental management in tidal flat reclamation areas. In this study, a modified principal component analysis approach (MPCA has been developed for determining the KEIs. The MPCA accounts for the two important attributes of the environmental variables: pollution status and temporal variation, in addition to the commonly considered numerical divergence attribute. It also incorporates the distance correlation (dCor to replace the Pearson’s correlation to measure the nonlinear interrelationship between the variables. The proposed method was applied to the Tiaozini sand shoal, a large-scale tidal flat reclamation region in China. Five KEIs were identified as dissolved inorganic nitrogen, Cd, petroleum in the water column, Hg, and total organic carbon in the sediment. The identified KEIs were shown to respond well to the biodiversity of phytoplankton. This demonstrated that the identified KEIs adequately represent the environmental condition in the coastal marine system. Therefore, the MPCA is a practicable method for extracting effective indicators that have key roles in the coastal and marine environment.

Environmental Survey preliminary report, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho and Component Development and Integration Facility, Butte, Montana

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-09-01

This report presents the preliminary findings of the first phase of the Environmental Survey of the United States Department of Energy's (DOE) Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) and Component Development and Integration Facility (CDIF), conducted September 14 through October 2, 1987. The Survey is being conducted by an interdisciplinary team of environmental specialists, led and managed by the Office of Environment, Safety and Health's Office of Environmental Audit. The team includes outside experts supplied by a private contractor. The objective of the Survey is to identify environmental problems and areas of environmental risk associated with the INEL and CDIF. The Survey covers all environmental media and all areas of environmental regulation. It is being performed in accordance with the DOE Environmental Survey Manual. The on-site phase of the Survey involves the review of existing site environmental data, observations of the operations' carried on at the INEL and the CDIF, and interviews with site personnel. The Survey team developed a Sampling and Analysis (S ampersand A) Plan to assist in further assessing certain of the environmental problems identified during its on-site activities. The S ampersand A Plan will be executed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. When completed, the S ampersand A results will be incorporated into the INEL/CDIF Survey findings for inclusion into the Environmental Survey Summary Report. 90 refs., 95 figs., 77 tabs

Environmental Survey preliminary report, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho and Component Development and Integration Facility, Butte, Montana

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1988-09-01

This report presents the preliminary findings of the first phase of the Environmental Survey of the United States Department of Energy's (DOE) Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) and Component Development and Integration Facility (CDIF), conducted September 14 through October 2, 1987. The Survey is being conducted by an interdisciplinary team of environmental specialists, led and managed by the Office of Environment, Safety and Health's Office of Environmental Audit. The team includes outside experts supplied by a private contractor. The objective of the Survey is to identify environmental problems and areas of environmental risk associated with the INEL and CDIF. The Survey covers all environmental media and all areas of environmental regulation. It is being performed in accordance with the DOE Environmental Survey Manual. The on-site phase of the Survey involves the review of existing site environmental data, observations of the operations' carried on at the INEL and the CDIF, and interviews with site personnel. The Survey team developed a Sampling and Analysis (S A) Plan to assist in further assessing certain of the environmental problems identified during its on-site activities. The S A Plan will be executed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. When completed, the S A results will be incorporated into the INEL/CDIF Survey findings for inclusion into the Environmental Survey Summary Report. 90 refs., 95 figs., 77 tabs.

Adaptation to Environmental Stimuli within the Host: Two-Component Signal Transduction Systems of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Science.gov (United States)

Bretl, Daniel J.; Demetriadou, Chrystalla; Zahrt, Thomas C.

2011-01-01

Summary: Pathogenic microorganisms encounter a variety of environmental stresses following infection of their respective hosts. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the etiological agent of tuberculosis, is an unusual bacterial pathogen in that it is able to establish lifelong infections in individuals within granulomatous lesions that are formed following a productive immune response. Adaptation to this highly dynamic environment is thought to be mediated primarily through transcriptional reprogramming initiated in response to recognition of stimuli, including low-oxygen tension, nutrient depletion, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, altered pH, toxic lipid moieties, cell wall/cell membrane-perturbing agents, and other environmental cues. To survive continued exposure to these potentially adverse factors, M. tuberculosis encodes a variety of regulatory factors, including 11 complete two-component signal transduction systems (TCSSs) and several orphaned response regulators (RRs) and sensor kinases (SKs). This report reviews our current knowledge of the TCSSs present in M. tuberculosis. In particular, we discuss the biochemical and functional characteristics of individual RRs and SKs, the environmental stimuli regulating their activation, the regulons controlled by the various TCSSs, and the known or postulated role(s) of individual TCSSs in the context of M. tuberculosis physiology and/or pathogenesis. PMID:22126994

Environmental components of OCS policy committee recommendations regarding national oil spill prevention and response program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Groat, C.G.; Thorman, J.

1991-01-01

The Exxon Valdez oil spill of March 24, 1989 resulted in thousands of pages of analytical reports assessing the environmental, organizational, legal, procedural, social, economic, and political aspects of the event. Even though the accident was a transportation incident, it had a major impact on the public and political perception of offshore oil operations. This caused the OCS Policy Committee, which advises the Secretary of the Interior and the Minerals Management Service on Outer Continental Shelf resource development and environmental matters, to undertake a review of the reports for the purpose of developing recommendations to the secretary for improvements in OCS operations that would insure maximum efforts to prevent spills and optimal ability to deal with any that occur. The Committee felt strongly that 'a credible national spill prevention and response program from both OCS and non-OCS oil spills in the marine environment is needed to create the political climate for a viable OCS program.' The report of the Committee described eight essential elements of this program; four of these focused on the environmental aspects of oil spills, calling for (1) adequate characterization of the marine and coastal environment, including both information and analysis, accessible to decision makers, (2) the capacity to restore economic and environmental resources as quickly as possible if damage occurs, (3) a mechanism for research on oil spill impacts, and (4) a meaningful role for all interested and responsible parties, including the public, in as many of these activities as possible, from spill prevention and contingency planning to environmental oversight of ongoing operations and participation in clean-up and restoration activities

Clay components in soil dictate environmental stability and bioavailability of cervid prions in mice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Christy Wyckoff

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Chronic wasting disease affects cervids and is the only known prion disease to affect free-ranging wildlife populations. CWD spread continues unabated, and exact mechanisms of its seemingly facile spread among deer and elk across landscapes in North America remain elusive. Here we confirm that naturally contaminated soil contains infectious CWD prions that can be transmitted to susceptible model organisms. We show that smectite clay content of soil potentiates prion binding capacity of different soil types from CWD endemic and non-endemic areas, likely contributing to environmental stability of bound prions. The smectite clay montmorillonite (Mte increased prion retention and bioavailability in vivo. Trafficking experiments in live animals fed bound and unbound prions showed that mice retained significantly more Mte-bound than unbound prions. Mte promoted rapid uptake of prions from the stomach to the intestines via enterocytes and M cells, and then to macrophages and eventually CD21+ B cells in Peyer’s patches and spleens. These results confirm clay components in soil as an important vector in CWD transmission at both environmental and organismal levels.□

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

Science.gov (United States)

Hammond, Geoffrey P; Li, Bo

2016-09-01

Environmental or 'ecological' footprints have been widely used in recent years as indicators of resource consumption and waste absorption presented in terms of biologically productive land area [in global hectares (gha)] required per capita with prevailing technology. In contrast, 'carbon footprints' are the amount of carbon (or carbon dioxide equivalent) emissions for such activities in units of mass or weight (like kilograms per functional unit), but can be translated into a component of the environmental footprint (on a gha basis). The carbon and environmental footprints associated with the world production of liquid biofuels have been computed for the period 2010-2050. Estimates of future global biofuel production were adopted from the 2011 International Energy Agency (IEA) 'technology roadmap' for transport biofuels. This suggests that, although first generation biofuels will dominate the market up to 2020, advanced or second generation biofuels might constitute some 75% of biofuel production by 2050. The overall environmental footprint was estimated to be 0.29 billion (bn) gha in 2010 and is likely to grow to around 2.57 bn gha by 2050. It was then disaggregated into various components: bioproductive land, built land, carbon emissions, embodied energy, materials and waste, transport, and water consumption. This component-based approach has enabled the examination of the Manufactured and Natural Capital elements of the 'four capitals' model of sustainability quite broadly, along with specific issues (such as the linkages associated with the so-called energy-land-water nexus). Bioproductive land use was found to exhibit the largest footprint component (a 48% share in 2050), followed by the carbon footprint (23%), embodied energy (16%), and then the water footprint (9%). Footprint components related to built land, transport and waste arisings were all found to account for an insignificant proportion to the overall environmental footprint, together amounting to

Genetic and environmental contributions to cardiovascular disease risk in American Indians: the strong heart family study.

Science.gov (United States)

North, Kari E; Howard, Barbara V; Welty, Thomas K; Best, Lyle G; Lee, Elisa T; Yeh, J L; Fabsitz, Richard R; Roman, Mary J; MacCluer, Jean W

2003-02-15

The aims of the Strong Heart Family Study are to clarify the genetic determinants of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in American Indians and to map and identify genes for CVD susceptibility. The authors describe the design of the Strong Heart Family Study (conducted between 1998 and 1999) and evaluate the heritabilities of CVD risk factors in American Indians from this study. In the first phase of the study, approximately 950 individuals, aged 18 years or more, in 32 extended families, were examined. The examination consisted of a personal interview, physical examination, laboratory tests, and an ultrasound examination of the carotid arteries. The phenotypes measured during the physical examination included anthropometry, lipoproteins, blood pressure, glycemic status, and clotting factors. Heritabilities for CVD risk factor phenotypes were estimated using a variance component approach and the program SOLAR. After accounting for the effects of covariates, the authors detected significant heritabilities for many CVD risk factor phenotypes (e.g., high density lipoprotein cholesterol (heritability = 0.50) and diastolic blood pressure (heritability = 0.34)). These results suggest that heredity explains a substantial proportion of the variability of CVD risk factors and that these heritabilities are large enough to warrant a search for major risk factor genes.

Application of strong phosphoric acid to radiochemistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Terada, Kikuo

1977-01-01

Not only inorganic and organic compounds but also natural substrances, such as accumulations in soil, are completely decomposed and distilled by heating with strong phosphoric acid for 30 to 50 minutes. As applications of strong phosphoric acid to radiochemistry, determination of uranium and boron by use of solubilization effect of this substance, titration of uranyl ion by use of sulfuric iron (II) contained in this substance, application to tracer experiment, and determination of radioactive ruthenium in environmental samples are reviewed. Strong phosphoric acid is also applied to activation analysis, for example, determination of N in pyrographite with iodate potassium-strong phosphoric acid method, separation of Os and Ru with sulfuric cerium (IV) - strong phosphoric acid method or potassium dechromate-strong phosphoric acid method, analysis of Se, As and Sb rocks and accumulations with ammonium bromide, sodium chloride and sodium bromide-strong phosphoric acid method. (Kanao, N.)

Environmental variability facilitates coexistence within an alcid community at sea

Science.gov (United States)

Haney, J. Christopher; Schauer, Amy E.S.

1994-01-01

We examined coexistence at sea among 7 taxa of diving, wing-propelled seabirds (Alcidae) in the genera Aethia, Uria, Cepphus, and Fratercula. Species abundances were measured simultaneously with a suite of environmental factors in the northern Bering Sea, Alaska, USA; data from 260 adjacent and non-adjacent sites occupied by alcids foraging offshore near breeding colonies were then subjected to principal component analysis (PCA). We used PCA to group redundant environmental descriptors, to identify orthogonal axes for constructing a multi-dimensional niche, and to differentiate species associations within niche dimensions from species associations among niche dimensions. Decomposition of the correlation matrix for 22 environmental and 7 taxonomic variables with PCA gave 14 components (10 environmental and 4 species interactions) that retained 90% of the original available variance. Alcid abundances (all species) were most strongly correlated with axes representing tidal stage, a time-area interaction (due to sampling layout), water masses, and a temporal or intra-seasonal trend partially associated with weather changes. Axes representing tidal stage, 2 gradients in macro-habitat (Anadyr and Bering Shelf Water masses), the micro-habitat of the sea surface, and an air-sea interaction were most important for detecting differences among species within niche dimensions. Contrary to assumptions of competition, none of 4 compound variables describing primarily species-interactions gave strong evidence for negative associations between alcid taxa sharing similar body sizes and feeding requirements. This exploratory analysis supports the view that alcids may segregate along environmental gradients at sea. But in this community, segregation was unrelated to foraging distance from colonies, in part because foraging 'substrate' was highly variable in structure, location, and area1 extent. We contend that coexistence within this seabird group is facilitated via expanded niche

Control component retainer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walton, L.A.; King, R.A.

1983-01-01

An apparatus is described for retaining an undriven control component assembly disposed in a fuel assembly in a nuclear reactor of the type having a core grid plate. The first part of the mechanism involves a housing for the control component and the second part is a brace with a number of arms that reach under the grid plate. The brace and the housing are coupled together to firmly hold the control components in place even under strong flows of th coolant

Secondary Students’ Environmental Attitudes: The Case of Environmental Education in Bangladesh

OpenAIRE

Mahbub Sarkar

2011-01-01

This paper examined secondary students’ environmental attitudes in Bangladesh by employing a standardized environmental attitude scale. The scale consisted of 15 questions rated on a Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). 400 secondary students, with equal number of boys and girls from both the urban and rural schools participated in this study. The study found that overall students from both the urban and rural areas expressed favourable environmental att...

Dynamics of a strongly driven two-component Bose-Einstein condensate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salmond, G.L.; Holmes, C.A.; Milburn, G.J.

2002-01-01

We consider a two-component Bose-Einstein condensate in two spatially localized modes of a double-well potential, with periodic modulation of the tunnel coupling between the two modes. We treat the driven quantum field using a two-mode expansion and define the quantum dynamics in terms of the Floquet Operator for the time periodic Hamiltonian of the system. It has been shown that the corresponding semiclassical mean-field dynamics can exhibit regions of regular and chaotic motion. We show here that the quantum dynamics can exhibit dynamical tunneling between regions of regular motion, centered on fixed points (resonances) of the semiclassical dynamics

Environmental 222Rn as a background source in the solar neutrino experiment GALLEX

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wojcik, M.

1996-01-01

The radiochemical neutrino experiment GALLEX is described. Its aim is to measure the flux of low energy solar neutrinos. In this experiment it is essential to suppress strongly the background of environmental origin, like charged cosmic rays, neutrons and gamma rays. In low-level radioactivity measurements performed in deep underground laboratory where flux of charged comic rays is strongly reduced, radon (Rn) exhaled from rock or concrete walls forms a most important strong, time-dependent background component. In this work the impact of Rn on the GALLEX experiment has been discussed and attempts to recognize and minimize its influence on the counter background were described. 63 refs, 22 figs, 11 tabs

Self-gravito-acoustic shock structures in a self-gravitating, strongly coupled, multi-component, degenerate quantum plasma system

Science.gov (United States)

Mamun, A. A.

2017-10-01

The existence of self-gravito-acoustic (SGA) shock structures (SSs) associated with negative self-gravitational potential in a self-gravitating, strongly coupled, multi-component, degenerate quantum plasma (SGSCMCDQP) system is predicted for the first time. The modified Burgers (MB) equation, which is valid for both planar and non-planar (spherical) geometries, is derived analytically, and solved numerically. It is shown that the longitudinal viscous force acting on inertial plasma species of the plasma system is the source of dissipation and is responsible for the formation of these SGA SSs in the plasma system. The time evolution of these SGA SSs is also shown for different values (viz., 0.5, 1, and 2) of Γ, where Γ is the ratio of the nonlinear coefficient to the dissipative coefficient in the MB equation. The SGSCMCDQP model and the numerical analysis of the MB equation presented here are so general that they can be applied in any type of SGSCMCDQP systems like astrophysical compact objects having planar or non-planar (spherical) shape.

Supporting aboriginal knowledge and practice in health care: lessons from a qualitative evaluation of the strong women, strong babies, strong culture program.

Science.gov (United States)

Lowell, Anne; Kildea, Sue; Liddle, Marlene; Cox, Barbara; Paterson, Barbara

2015-02-05

The Strong Women, Strong Babies, Strong Culture Program (the Program) evolved from a recognition of the value of Aboriginal knowledge and practice in promoting maternal and child health (MCH) in remote communities of the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. Commencing in 1993 it continues to operate today. In 2008, the NT Department of Health commissioned an evaluation to identify enabling factors and barriers to successful implementation of the Program, and to identify potential pathways for future development. In this paper we focus on the evaluation findings related specifically to the role of Aborignal cultural knowledge and practice within the Program. A qualitative evaluation utilised purposive sampling to maximise diversity in program history and Aboriginal culture. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 76 participants were recorded in their preferred language with a registered Interpreter when required. Thematic analysis of data was verified or modified through further discussions with participants and members of the evaluation team. Although the importance of Aboriginal knowledge and practice as a fundamental component of the Program is widely acknowledged, there has been considerable variation across time and location in the extent to which these cultural dimensions have been included in practice. Factors contributing to this variation are complex and relate to a number of broad themes including: location of control over Program activities; recognition and respect for Aboriginal knowledge and practice as a legitimate component of health care; working in partnership; communication within and beyond the Program; access to transport and working space; and governance and organisational support. We suggest that inclusion of Aboriginal knowledge and practice as a fundamental component of the Program is key to its survival over more than twenty years despite serious challenges. Respect for the legitimacy of Aboriginal knowledge and practice within health

Automobile - environmental impact

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franze, H.

1993-01-01

The way balances have been drawn up by business companies until now, they can be regarded as an attempt to develop an instrument for environmental management within the company that makes it possible to examine the ecological effects of the manufactured products during their life cycle. The strong points of such ecobalances can be put to use in the following areas in the future: Information on products and processes obtained through an analysis of the weakest points of the production process can be used for puposes of environmental management. With the aid of such examinations for weak points it then becomes possible to optimise products or processes. Comparative studies extending over years permit an assessment of corporate measures for environment protection and process adjustment. Moreover, ecobalances can serve as a guide for the selection of component concepts. The advantage of a balance related to the whole life cycle lies above all in the fact that the piecemeal studies on energy consumption and waste accumulation by stage can now be replaced by an integral, comprehensive registration of data and processes. (orig./UA) [de

Environmental Pollution Liability Insurance in China: In Need of Strong Government Backing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Feng, Y.; Mol, A.P.J.; Lu, Y.; He, G.; Koppen, van C.S.A.

2014-01-01

Environmental pollution liability insurance was officially introduced in China only in 2006, as part of new market-based approaches for managing environmental risks. By 2012, trial applications of pollution insurance had been launched in 14 provinces and cities. More than ten insurance companies

Web components and the semantic web

OpenAIRE

Casey, Maire; Pahl, Claus

2003-01-01

Component-based software engineering on the Web differs from traditional component and software engineering. We investigate Web component engineering activites that are crucial for the development,com position, and deployment of components on the Web. The current Web Services and Semantic Web initiatives strongly influence our work. Focussing on Web component composition we develop description and reasoning techniques that support a component developer in the composition activities,fo cussing...

Fatigue evaluation including environmental effects for primary circuit components in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seichter, Johannes; Reese, Sven H.; Klucke, Dietmar

2013-01-01

The influence of LWR coolant environment to the lifetime of materials in Nuclear Power Plants is in discussion internationally. Environmental phenomena were investigated in laboratory tests and published in recent years. The discussion is mainly focused both on the transition from laboratory to real plant components and on numerical calculation procedures. Since publishing of the NUREG/CR-6909 report in 2007, formulae for calculating the Fen factors have been modified several times. Various calculation procedures like the so called 'Strain-integrated Method' and 'Simplified Approach' have been published while each approach yields to different results. The recent revision of the calculation procedure, proposed by ANL in 2012, is presented and discussed with regard to possible variations in the results depending on the assumptions made. In German KTA Rules the effect of environmentally assisted fatigue (EAF) is taken into account by means of so called attention thresholds. If the threshold value is exceeded, further measures like NDT, in-service inspections including fracture mechanical evaluations or detailed assessment procedures have to be performed. One way to handle those measures is to apply sophisticated procedures and to show that the calculated CUF is below the defined attention thresholds. On the basis of a practical example, methods and approaches will be discussed and recommendations in terms of avoiding over-conservatism and misinterpretation will be presented.

Fatigue evaluation including environmental effects for primary circuit components in nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seichter, Johannes [Siempelkamp Pruef- und Gutachter-Gesellschaft mbH, Dresden (Germany); Reese, Sven H.; Klucke, Dietmar [Component Technology Global Unit Generation, E.ON Kernkraft GmbH, Hannover (Germany)

2013-05-15

The influence of LWR coolant environment to the lifetime of materials in Nuclear Power Plants is in discussion internationally. Environmental phenomena were investigated in laboratory tests and published in recent years. The discussion is mainly focused both on the transition from laboratory to real plant components and on numerical calculation procedures. Since publishing of the NUREG/CR-6909 report in 2007, formulae for calculating the Fen factors have been modified several times. Various calculation procedures like the so called 'Strain-integrated Method' and 'Simplified Approach' have been published while each approach yields to different results. The recent revision of the calculation procedure, proposed by ANL in 2012, is presented and discussed with regard to possible variations in the results depending on the assumptions made. In German KTA Rules the effect of environmentally assisted fatigue (EAF) is taken into account by means of so called attention thresholds. If the threshold value is exceeded, further measures like NDT, in-service inspections including fracture mechanical evaluations or detailed assessment procedures have to be performed. One way to handle those measures is to apply sophisticated procedures and to show that the calculated CUF is below the defined attention thresholds. On the basis of a practical example, methods and approaches will be discussed and recommendations in terms of avoiding over-conservatism and misinterpretation will be presented.

Impact of sample size on principal component analysis ordination of an environmental data set: effects on eigenstructure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shaukat S. Shahid

2016-06-01

Full Text Available In this study, we used bootstrap simulation of a real data set to investigate the impact of sample size (N = 20, 30, 40 and 50 on the eigenvalues and eigenvectors resulting from principal component analysis (PCA. For each sample size, 100 bootstrap samples were drawn from environmental data matrix pertaining to water quality variables (p = 22 of a small data set comprising of 55 samples (stations from where water samples were collected. Because in ecology and environmental sciences the data sets are invariably small owing to high cost of collection and analysis of samples, we restricted our study to relatively small sample sizes. We focused attention on comparison of first 6 eigenvectors and first 10 eigenvalues. Data sets were compared using agglomerative cluster analysis using Ward’s method that does not require any stringent distributional assumptions.

Environmental {sup 222}Rn as a background source in the solar neutrino experiment GALLEX

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wojcik, M. [Uniwersytet Jagiellonski, Cracow (Poland). Inst. Fizyki; BOREXINO

1996-12-31

The radiochemical neutrino experiment GALLEX is described. Its aim is to measure the flux of low energy solar neutrinos. In this experiment it is essential to suppress strongly the background of environmental origin, like charged cosmic rays, neutrons and gamma rays. In low-level radioactivity measurements performed in deep underground laboratory where flux of charged comic rays is strongly reduced, radon (Rn) exhaled from rock or concrete walls forms a most important strong, time-dependent background component. In this work the impact of Rn on the GALLEX experiment has been discussed and attempts to recognize and minimize its influence on the counter background were described. 63 refs, 22 figs, 11 tabs.

Environmental {sup 222}Rn as a background source in the solar neutrino experiment GALLEX

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wojcik, M [Uniwersytet Jagiellonski, Cracow (Poland). Inst. Fizyki; BOREXINO,

1997-12-31

The radiochemical neutrino experiment GALLEX is described. Its aim is to measure the flux of low energy solar neutrinos. In this experiment it is essential to suppress strongly the background of environmental origin, like charged cosmic rays, neutrons and gamma rays. In low-level radioactivity measurements performed in deep underground laboratory where flux of charged comic rays is strongly reduced, radon (Rn) exhaled from rock or concrete walls forms a most important strong, time-dependent background component. In this work the impact of Rn on the GALLEX experiment has been discussed and attempts to recognize and minimize its influence on the counter background were described. 63 refs, 22 figs, 11 tabs.

Reliability testing across the Environmental Quality Index and national environmental indices.

Science.gov (United States)

One challenge in environmental epidemiology is the exploration of cumulative environmental exposure across multiple domains (e.g. air, water, land). The Environmental Quality Index (EQI), created by the U.S. EPA, uses principle component analyses combining environmental domains (...

Cosmological applications of strong gravitational lensing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Paraficz, Danuta

value of the energy density of the two above components, together with measuring the Hubble constant that determines the age of the Universe, is a major goal of modern astrophysics. An interesting method for estimating these parameters is strong gravitational lensing of quasars (QSOs). As shown...

Methodology for measuring environmental health within Europe. Health Risk from Environmental Pollution Levels in Urban Systems (HEREPLUS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anja Zscheppang

2008-12-01

Full Text Available

<strong>Background>: The European Commission funds a European research project titled “Health Risk from Environmental Pollution Levels in Urban Systems” (HEREPLUS that focuses on environmental health within Europe. The HEREPLUS project was presented at the 16th EUPHA conference in Lisbon in November 2008 within a workshop named “The assessment of the effect of air pollution on population and environmental health: the integration of epidemiology and geographical information system (GIS”.

<strong>Methods>: The HEREPLUS project aims to measure the correlation between air pollution (especially ozone and particulate matter, meteorology, vegetation and human health in four European cities (Rome, Madrid, Athens and Dresden by using a Geoinformation System to develop risk maps and subsequently guidelines to reduce air pollution and number of diseases.

<strong>Results>: The project started in September 2008 and a large, structured, relational database has been developed and completed. A literature review including national as well as international scientific literature goes on and will be completed in April 2009. Final results will be presented and published in 2011.

<strong>Conclusions>: Detailed scientific knowledge is important and needed to implement environmental programmes with the overall aim to protect human population against environmental related diseases.

Final environmental impact statement for the continued operation of the Pantex Plant and associated storage of nuclear weapon components. Volume 1 -- Main report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-11-01

This document assesses the potential environmental impacts over approximately 10 years of continued operation of Pantex Plant, including foreseeable projects and activities. For Pantex Plant, this document assesses the alternatives of No Action, Relocation of the storage of plutonium components (pits) resulting from nuclear weapon disassembly activities at Pantex Plant to another site, and the Proposed Action (Preferred Alternative) of continuing operations and increasing the quantity of pits in interim storage at Pantex Plant. For the Pit Storage Relocation Alternative, this document also assesses the potential environmental impacts to three DOE candidate sites and one Department of Defense candidate site that could be selected for the relocation of the nuclear component storage activities from Pantex Plant. Evaluations of site infrastructure, land resources, geology and soils, water resources, air quality, acoustics, biotic resources, cultural resources, socio-economic resources, intrasite transportation, waste management, human health, aircraft accidents, and environmental justice for Pantex Plant and the candidate sites are included in the assessment. The intersite transportation of nuclear and hazardous materials is also assessed

Partitioning the impact of environment and spatial structure on alpha and beta components of taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity in European ants.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnan, Xavier; Cerdá, Xim; Retana, Javier

2015-01-01

We analyze the relative contribution of environmental and spatial variables to the alpha and beta components of taxonomic (TD), phylogenetic (PD), and functional (FD) diversity in ant communities found along different climate and anthropogenic disturbance gradients across western and central Europe, in order to assess the mechanisms structuring ant biodiversity. To this aim we calculated alpha and beta TD, PD, and FD for 349 ant communities, which included a total of 155 ant species; we examined 10 functional traits and phylogenetic relatedness. Variation partitioning was used to examine how much variation in ant diversity was explained by environmental and spatial variables. Autocorrelation in diversity measures and each trait's phylogenetic signal were also analyzed. We found strong autocorrelation in diversity measures. Both environmental and spatial variables significantly contributed to variation in TD, PD, and FD at both alpha and beta scales; spatial structure had the larger influence. The different facets of diversity showed similar patterns along environmental gradients. Environment explained a much larger percentage of variation in FD than in TD or PD. All traits demonstrated strong phylogenetic signals. Our results indicate that environmental filtering and dispersal limitations structure all types of diversity in ant communities. Strong dispersal limitations appear to have led to clustering of TD, PD, and FD in western and central Europe, probably because different historical and evolutionary processes generated different pools of species. Remarkably, these three facets of diversity showed parallel patterns along environmental gradients. Trait-mediated species sorting and niche conservatism appear to structure ant diversity, as evidenced by the fact that more variation was explained for FD and that all traits had strong phylogenetic signals. Since environmental variables explained much more variation in FD than in PD, functional diversity should be a

Emerging technology for component life assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Donnell, W.J.; Porowski, J.S.

1991-01-01

In this paper operating plant component damage and failure experience is reviewed. Loading conditions such as thermal stratification and striping, turbulent flow and flow-induced vibrations are often found to limit useful life, even though such loadings were typically not considered when the components were designed. High cycle thermal and mechanical fatigue are identified as important damage mechanisms. A new method of correlating fatigue data and extrapolating to the very high cycle regime is described. The results of environmental degradation testing during the past fifteen years have shown that such effects are much more deleterious than previously assumed. Therefore environmental and aging effects must be taken into account in evaluating the reliability and dependability of components for extended periods of operation. Since most of the available data on environmental effects focuses on measured crack growth rates, methods of developing improved fatigue life evaluation methods which include environmental effects on crack growth rates are now being developed. Fatigue tests on polished specimens are characterized by nominal stress amplitudes over yield, where linear elastic fracture mechanics (da/dn vs Δk) methods, such as those used in the ASME Code, are not valid

The Association of Arsenic Exposure and Arsenic Metabolism with the Metabolic Syndrome and its Individual Components: Prospective Evidence from the Strong Heart Family Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Spratlen, Miranda J; Grau-Perez, Maria; Best, Lyle G; Yracheta, Joseph; Lazo, Mariana; Vaidya, Dhananjay; Balakrishnan, Poojitha; Gamble, Mary V; Francesconi, Kevin A; Goessler, Walter; Cole, Shelley A; Umans, Jason G; Howard, Barbara V; Navas-Acien, Ana

2018-03-15

Inorganic arsenic exposure is ubiquitous and both exposure and inter-individual differences in its metabolism have been associated with cardiometabolic risk. The association between arsenic exposure and arsenic metabolism with metabolic syndrome and its individual components, however, is relatively unknown. We used poisson regression with robust variance to evaluate the association between baseline arsenic exposure (urine arsenic levels) and metabolism (relative percentage of arsenic species over their sum) with incident metabolic syndrome and its individual components (elevated waist circumference, elevated triglycerides, reduced HDL, hypertension, elevated fasting plasma glucose) in 1,047 participants from the Strong Heart Family Study, a prospective family-based cohort in American Indian communities (baseline visits in 1998-1999 and 2001-2003, follow-up visits in 2001-2003 and 2006-2009). 32% of participants developed metabolic syndrome over follow-up. An IQR increase in arsenic exposure was associated with 1.19 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.41) greater risk for elevated fasting plasma glucose but not with other individual components or overall metabolic syndrome. Arsenic metabolism, specifically lower MMA% and higher DMA% was associated with higher risk of overall metabolic syndrome and elevated waist circumference, but not with any other component. These findings support there is a contrasting and independent association between arsenic exposure and arsenic metabolism with metabolic outcomes which may contribute to overall diabetes risk.

Radial Distribution Functions of Strongly Coupled Two-Temperature Plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Shaffer, Nathaniel R.; Tiwari, Sanat Kumar; Baalrud, Scott D.

2017-10-01

We present tests of three theoretical models for the radial distribution functions (RDFs) in two-temperature strongly coupled plasmas. RDFs are useful in extending plasma thermodynamics and kinetic theory to strong coupling, but they are usually known only for thermal equilibrium or for approximate one-component model plasmas. Accurate two-component modeling is necessary to understand the impact of strong coupling on inter-species transport, e.g., ambipolar diffusion and electron-ion temperature relaxation. We demonstrate that the Seuferling-Vogel-Toeppfer (SVT) extension of the hypernetted chain equations not only gives accurate RDFs (as compared with classical molecular dynamics simulations), but also has a simple connection with the Yukawa OCP model. This connection gives a practical means to recover the structure of the electron background from knowledge of the ion-ion RDF alone. Using the model RDFs in Effective Potential Theory, we report the first predictions of inter-species transport coefficients of strongly coupled plasmas far from equilibrium. This work is supported by NSF Grant No. PHY-1453736, AFSOR Award No. FA9550-16-1-0221, and used XSEDE computational resources.

Two component systems: physiological effect of a third component.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Baldiri Salvado

Full Text Available Signal transduction systems mediate the response and adaptation of organisms to environmental changes. In prokaryotes, this signal transduction is often done through Two Component Systems (TCS. These TCS are phosphotransfer protein cascades, and in their prototypical form they are composed by a kinase that senses the environmental signals (SK and by a response regulator (RR that regulates the cellular response. This basic motif can be modified by the addition of a third protein that interacts either with the SK or the RR in a way that could change the dynamic response of the TCS module. In this work we aim at understanding the effect of such an additional protein (which we call "third component" on the functional properties of a prototypical TCS. To do so we build mathematical models of TCS with alternative designs for their interaction with that third component. These mathematical models are analyzed in order to identify the differences in dynamic behavior inherent to each design, with respect to functionally relevant properties such as sensitivity to changes in either the parameter values or the molecular concentrations, temporal responsiveness, possibility of multiple steady states, or stochastic fluctuations in the system. The differences are then correlated to the physiological requirements that impinge on the functioning of the TCS. This analysis sheds light on both, the dynamic behavior of synthetically designed TCS, and the conditions under which natural selection might favor each of the designs. We find that a third component that modulates SK activity increases the parameter space where a bistable response of the TCS module to signals is possible, if SK is monofunctional, but decreases it when the SK is bifunctional. The presence of a third component that modulates RR activity decreases the parameter space where a bistable response of the TCS module to signals is possible.

Characterization of additional components of the environmental pH-sensing complex in the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans.

Science.gov (United States)

Pianalto, Kaila M; Ost, Kyla S; Brown, Hannah E; Alspaugh, J Andrew

2018-05-16

Pathogenic microorganisms must adapt to changes in their immediate surroundings, including alterations in pH, to survive the shift from the external environment to that of the infected host. In the basidiomycete fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans , these pH changes are primarily sensed by the fungal-specific, alkaline pH-sensing Rim/Pal pathway. The C. neoformans Rim pathway has diverged significantly from that described in ascomycete fungi. We recently identified the C. neoformans putative pH sensor Rra1, which activates the Rim pathway in response to elevated pH. In this study, we probed the function of Rra1 by analyzing its cellular localization and performing protein co-immunoprecipitation to identify potential Rra1 interactors. We found that Rra1 does not strongly colocalize or interact with immediate downstream Rim pathway components. However, these experiments identified a novel Rra1 interactor, the previously uncharacterized C. neoformans nucleosome assembly protein 1 (Nap1), which was required for Rim pathway activation. We observed that Nap1 specifically binds to the C-terminal tail of the Rra1 sensor, likely promoting Rra1 protein stability. This function of Nap1 is conserved in fungi closely related to C. neoformans that contain Rra1 orthologs, but not in the more distantly-related ascomycete fungus Saccharomyces cerevisiae In conclusion, our findings have revealed the sophisticated, yet distinct, molecular mechanisms by which closely and distantly related microbial phyla rapidly adapt to environmental signals and changes such as alterations in pH. Published under license by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Equilibrium statistical mechanics of strongly coupled plasmas by numerical simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DeWitt, H.E.

1977-01-01

Numerical experiments using the Monte Carlo method have led to systematic and accurate results for the thermodynamic properties of strongly coupled one-component plasmas and mixtures of two nuclear components. These talks are intended to summarize the results of Monte Carlo simulations from Paris and from Livermore. Simple analytic expressions for the equation of state and other thermodynamic functions have been obtained in which there is a clear distinction between a lattice-like static portion and a thermal portion. The thermal energy for the one-component plasma has a simple power dependence on temperature, (kT)/sup 3 / 4 /, that is identical to Monte Carlo results obtained for strongly coupled fluids governed by repulsive l/r/sup n/ potentials. For two-component plasmas the ion-sphere model is shown to accurately represent the static portion of the energy. Electron screening is included in the Monte Carlo simulations using linear response theory and the Lindhard dielectric function. Free energy expressions have been constructed for one and two component plasmas that allow easy computation of all thermodynamic functions

The Role of Environmentally Conscious Architecture and Planning As Components of Future National Development Plans in Egypt

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karim M. Ayyad

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Egypt has been experiencing challenging economic, social and political disturbance during the end of the twentieth century and towards the beginning of the twenty-first. With its fast expanding population, high consumption rate and economic deficit, the Egyptian community continues to experience a low quality of living. These issues contributed greatly to the uprising, following the Tunisian model, in January, 2011. However, the political change that followed did not help a lot, as development strategies are still far from being sustainable. In the beginning of the millennium, Egypt experienced an 8.6% energy deficit, followed by a growing energy crisis [1]. Knowing that almost 50% of the energy produced in Egypt is consumed inside buildings [2], environmentally conscious architecture can be a very powerful tool in development plans, as it can reasonably reduce the consumption of energy and other resources and enhance the quality of living for people. This work analyzes the supposed role of environmentally conscious architecture and, hence, evaluates its importance as a major component of national development plans in the near future. The analysis encompasses a review of the status quo in terms of consumption patterns and required services and, then, compares it with the case in which environmentally conscious architecture is adopted.

A method for reducing environmental pollution by using essential oils in rodent pest management program.

Science.gov (United States)

Jokić, Goran; Blažić, Tanja; Đurović-Pejčev, Rada; Đorđević, Tijana; Đedović, Suzana; Vukša, Marina

2017-08-01

Strong-smelling plant extracts, such as essential oils, have a variety of feeding effects on mammals. Considering current concerns over long-term health issues and environmental effects of chemicals, plant-based products with repellent or antifungal activities may represent good solutions for improvement of rodent pest control programs. The present study was therefore focused on examining the effects of bergamot, lavender, and thyme essential oils as additional bait components on daily intakes of cereal-based baits by wild house mice. Lavender essential oil, containing linalool and linalyl acetate as main components, and thyme essential oil with a prevailing thymol component had no effects on house mice diet. Bergamot essential oil, whose main components were linalool, limonene, and linalyl acetate, showed a repellent effect on house mouse diet.

LDA+DMFT Approach to Magnetocrystalline Anisotropy of Strong Magnets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jian-Xin Zhu

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The new challenges posed by the need of finding strong rare-earth-free magnets demand methods that can predict magnetization and magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy (MAE. We argue that correlated electron effects, which are normally underestimated in band-structure calculations, play a crucial role in the development of the orbital component of the magnetic moments. Because magnetic anisotropy arises from this orbital component, the ability to include correlation effects has profound consequences on our predictive power of the MAE of strong magnets. Here, we show that incorporating the local effects of electronic correlations with dynamical mean-field theory provides reliable estimates of the orbital moment, the mass enhancement, and the MAE of YCo_{5}.

Component Structure of Individual Differences in True and False Recognition of Faces

Science.gov (United States)

Bartlett, James C.; Shastri, Kalyan K.; Abdi, Herve; Neville-Smith, Marsha

2009-01-01

Principal-component analyses of 4 face-recognition studies uncovered 2 independent components. The first component was strongly related to false-alarm errors with new faces as well as to facial "conjunctions" that recombine features of previously studied faces. The second component was strongly related to hits as well as to the conjunction/new…

Choice of mineral fertilizer substitution principle strongly influences LCA environmental benefits of nutrient cycling in the agri-food system.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanserud, Ola Stedje; Cherubini, Francesco; Øgaard, Anne Falk; Müller, Daniel B; Brattebø, Helge

2018-02-15

Increased nutrient cycling in the agri-food system is a way to achieve a healthier nutrient stewardship and more sustainable food production. In life cycle assessment (LCA) studies, use of recycled fertilizer products is often credited by the substitution method, which subtracts the environmental burdens associated with avoided production of mineral fertilizer from the system under study. The environmental benefits from avoided fertilizer production can make an important contribution to the results, but different calculation principles and often implicit assumptions are used to estimate the amount of avoided mineral fertilizer. This may hinder comparisons between studies. The present study therefore examines how the choice of substitution principles influences LCA results. Three different substitution principles, called one-to-one, maintenance, and adjusted maintenance, are identified, and we test the importance of these in a case study on cattle slurry management. We show that the inventory of avoided mineral fertilizer varies greatly when the different principles are applied, with strong influences on two-thirds of LCA impact categories. With the one-to-one principle, there is a risk of systematically over-estimating the environmental benefits from nutrient cycling. In a sensitivity analysis we show that the difference between the principles is closely related to the application rate and levels of residual nutrients in the soil. We recommend that LCA practitioners first and foremost state and justify the substitution method they use, in order to increase transparency and comparability with other studies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated cleaning of electronic components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drotning, W.; Meirans, L.; Wapman, W.; Hwang, Y.; Koenig, L.; Petterson, B.

1994-01-01

Environmental and operator safety concerns are leading to the elimination of trichloroethylene and chlorofluorocarbon solvents in cleaning processes that remove rosin flux, organic and inorganic contamination, and particulates from electronic components. Present processes depend heavily on these solvents for manual spray cleaning of small components and subassemblies. Use of alternative solvent systems can lead to longer processing times and reduced quality. Automated spray cleaning can improve the quality of the cleaning process, thus enabling the productive use of environmentally conscious materials, while minimizing personnel exposure to hazardous materials. We describe the development of a prototype robotic system for cleaning electronic components in a spray cleaning workcell. An important feature of the prototype system is the capability to generate the robot paths and motions automatically from the CAD models of the part to be cleaned, and to embed cleaning process knowledge into the automatically programmed operations

Do invasive alien plants benefit more from global environmental change than native plants?

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yanjie; Oduor, Ayub M O; Zhang, Zhen; Manea, Anthony; Tooth, Ifeanna M; Leishman, Michelle R; Xu, Xingliang; van Kleunen, Mark

2017-08-01

Invasive alien plant species threaten native biodiversity, disrupt ecosystem functions and can cause large economic damage. Plant invasions have been predicted to further increase under ongoing global environmental change. Numerous case studies have compared the performance of invasive and native plant species in response to global environmental change components (i.e. changes in mean levels of precipitation, temperature, atmospheric CO 2 concentration or nitrogen deposition). Individually, these studies usually involve low numbers of species and therefore the results cannot be generalized. Therefore, we performed a phylogenetically controlled meta-analysis to assess whether there is a general pattern of differences in invasive and native plant performance under each component of global environmental change. We compiled a database of studies that reported performance measures for 74 invasive alien plant species and 117 native plant species in response to one of the above-mentioned global environmental change components. We found that elevated temperature and CO 2 enrichment increased the performance of invasive alien plants more strongly than was the case for native plants. Invasive alien plants tended to also have a slightly stronger positive response to increased N deposition and increased precipitation than native plants, but these differences were not significant (N deposition: P = 0.051; increased precipitation: P = 0.679). Invasive alien plants tended to have a slightly stronger negative response to decreased precipitation than native plants, although this difference was also not significant (P = 0.060). So while drought could potentially reduce plant invasion, increases in the four other components of global environmental change considered, particularly global warming and atmospheric CO 2 enrichment, may further increase the spread of invasive plants in the future. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Components of laboratory accreditation.

Science.gov (United States)

Royal, P D

1995-12-01

Accreditation or certification is a recognition given to an operation or product that has been evaluated against a standard; be it regulatory or voluntary. The purpose of accreditation is to provide the consumer with a level of confidence in the quality of operation (process) and the product of an organization. Environmental Protection Agency/OCM has proposed the development of an accreditation program under National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program for Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) laboratories as a supplement to the current program. This proposal was the result of the Inspector General Office reports that identified weaknesses in the current operation. Several accreditation programs can be evaluated and common components identified when proposing a structure for accrediting a GLP system. An understanding of these components is useful in building that structure. Internationally accepted accreditation programs provide a template for building a U.S. GLP accreditation program. This presentation will discuss the traditional structure of accreditation as presented in the Organization of Economic Cooperative Development/GLP program, ISO-9000 Accreditation and ISO/IEC Guide 25 Standard, and the Canadian Association for Environmental Analytical Laboratories, which has a biological component. Most accreditation programs are managed by a recognized third party, either privately or with government oversight. Common components often include a formal review of required credentials to evaluate organizational structure, a site visit to evaluate the facility, and a performance evaluation to assess technical competence. Laboratory performance is measured against written standards and scored. A formal report is then sent to the laboratory indicating accreditation status. Usually, there is a scheduled reevaluation built into the program. Fee structures vary considerably and will need to be examined closely when building a GLP program.

Effects of growing location on the production of main active components and antioxidant activity of Dasiphora fruticosa (L.) Rydb. by chemometric methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Wei; Wang, Dongmei; Hou, Xiaogai; Yang, Yueqin; Xue, Xian; Jia, Qishi; Zhang, Lixia; Zhao, Wei; Yin, Dongxue

2018-05-17

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plays a very important role in the health system of China. The content and activity of active component are main indexes that evaluate the quality of TCM, however they may vary with environmental factors in their growing locations. In this study, effects of environmental factors on the contents of active components and antioxidant activity of Dasiphora fruticosa from the five main production areas of China were investigated. The contents of tannin, total flavonoid and rutin were determined and varied within the range of 7.65-10.69%, 2.30-5.39% and 0.18-0.81%, respectively. Antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH assay, with the DPPH IC 50 values ranged from 8.791 to 32.534μg mL -1 . In order to further explore the cause of these significant geographical variations, the chemometric methods including correlation analysis, principal component analysis, gray correlation analysis, and path analysis were conducted. The results showed environmental factors had significant effect on the active component contents and antioxidant activity. Rapidly available phosphorus (RAP) and rapidly available nitrogen (RAN) were common dominant factors, and a significant positive correlation was observed between RAP and active components and antioxidant activity (Pcomponents and strong antioxidant activity, Bange in Tibet and Geermu in Qinghai Province was selected as a favorable growing location, respectively. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Global existence and blow-up phenomena for two-component Degasperis-Procesi system and two-component b-family system

OpenAIRE

Liu, Jingjing; Yin, Zhaoyang

2014-01-01

This paper is concerned with global existence and blow-up phenomena for two-component Degasperis-Procesi system and two-component b-family system. The strategy relies on our observation on new conservative quantities of these systems. Several new global existence results and a new blowup result of strong solutions to the two-component Degasperis- Procesi system and the two-component b-family system are presented by using these new conservative quantities.

Environmental Studies and Utilitarian Ethics

Science.gov (United States)

Wolff, Brian G.

2009-01-01

Environmental ethicists have focused much attention on the limits of utilitarianism and have generally defined "environmental ethics" in a manner that treats utilitarian environmental ethics as an oxymoron. This is unfortunate because utilitarian ethics can support strong environmental policies, and environmental ethicists have not yet produced a…

Explosion source strong ground motions in the Mississippi embayment

Science.gov (United States)

Langston, C.A.; Bodin, P.; Powell, C.; Withers, M.; Horton, S.; Mooney, W.

2006-01-01

Two strong-motion arrays were deployed for the October 2002 Embayment Seismic Excitation Experiment to study the spatial variation of strong ground motions in the deep, unconsolidated sediments of the Mississippi embayment because there are no comparable strong-motion data from natural earthquakes in the area. Each linear array consisted of eight three-component K2 accelerographs spaced 15 m apart situated 1.2 and 2.5 kin from 2268-kg and 1134-kg borehole explosion sources, respectively. The array data show distinct body-wave and surface-wave arrivals that propagate within the thick, unconsolidated sedimentary column, the high-velocity basement rocks, and small-scale structure near the surface. Time-domain coherence of body-wave and surface-wave arrivals is computed for acceleration, velocity, and displacement time windows. Coherence is high for relatively low-frequency verticalcomponent Rayleigh waves and high-frequency P waves propagating across the array. Prominent high-frequency PS conversions seen on radial components, a proxy for the direct S wave from earthquake sources, lose coherence quickly over the 105-m length of the array. Transverse component signals are least coherent for any ground motion and appear to be highly scattered. Horizontal phase velocity is computed by using the ratio of particle velocity to estimates of the strain based on a plane-wave-propagation model. The resulting time-dependent phase-velocity map is a useful way to infer the propagation mechanisms of individual seismic phases and time windows of three-component waveforms. Displacement gradient analysis is a complementary technique for processing general spatial-array data to obtain horizontal slowness information.

Three-dimensional electromagnetic strong turbulence. II. Wave packet collapse and structure of wave packets during strong turbulence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graham, D. B.; Robinson, P. A.; Cairns, Iver H.; Skjaeraasen, O.

2011-01-01

Large-scale simulations of wave packet collapse are performed by numerically solving the three-dimensional (3D) electromagnetic Zakharov equations, focusing on individual wave packet collapses and on wave packets that form in continuously driven strong turbulence. The collapse threshold is shown to decrease as the electron thermal speed ν e /c increases and as the temperature ratio T i /T e of ions to electrons decreases. Energy lost during wave packet collapse and dissipation is shown to depend on ν e /c. The dynamics of density perturbations after collapse are studied in 3D electromagnetic strong turbulence for a range of T i /T e . The structures of the Langmuir, transverse, and total electric field components of wave packets during strong turbulence are investigated over a range of ν e /c. For ν e /c e /c > or approx. 0.17, transverse modes become trapped in density wells and contribute significantly to the structure of the total electric field. At all ν e /c, the Langmuir energy density contours of wave packets are predominantly oblate (pancake shaped). The transverse energy density contours of wave packets are predominantly prolate (sausage shaped), with the major axis being perpendicular to the major axes of the Langmuir component. This results in the wave packet becoming more nearly spherical as ν e /c increases, and in turn generates more spherical density wells during collapse. The results obtained are compared with previous 3D electrostatic results and 2D electromagnetic results.

Derivation of the one component plasma fluid equation of state in strong coupling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DeWitt, H.E.; Rosenfeld, Y.

1979-01-01

A variational calculation of the one component plasma energy using the hard sphere Percus-Yevick g(r) and the virial entropy gives U/NkT = a GAMMA + b GAMMAsup(1/4) + c + d/ GAMMAsup(1/4) + ... in agreement with the empirical fit to Monte Carlo data. (orig.)

Application of environmentally-corrected fatigue curves to nuclear power plant components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ware, A.G.; Morton, D.K.; Nitzel, M.E.

1996-01-01

Recent test data indicate that the effects of the light water reactor (LWR) environment could significantly reduce the fatigue resistance of materials used in the reactor coolant pressure boundary components of operating nuclear power plants. Argonne National Laboratory has developed interim fatigue curves based on test data simulating LWR conditions, and published them in NUREG/CR-5999. In order to assess the significance of these interim fatigue curves, fatigue evaluations of a sample of the components in the reactor coolant pressure boundary of LWRs were performed. The sample consists of components from facilities designed by each of the four US nuclear steam supply system vendors. For each facility, six locations were studied including two locations on the reactor pressure vessel. In addition, there are older vintage plants where components of the reactor coolant pressure boundary were designed to codes that did not require an explicit fatigue analysis of the components. In order to assess the fatigue resistance of the older vintage plants, an evaluation was also conducted on selected components of three of these plants. This paper discusses the insights gained from the application of the interim fatigue curves to components of seven operating nuclear power plants

Exploring the link between environmental identity, behaviors and decision making

Science.gov (United States)

Freed, Allison

This study was conducted with undergraduate students at a large university to investigate the association between environmental identity, pro-environmental behaviors and environmental decision-making. This study explored how environmental identity as defined by Clayton (2003) influenced the type of pro-environmental behaviors individuals choose to participate in. Environmental decision-making based on Kahneman's (2003, 2011) System 1 and System 2 framework was also assessed in association with environmental identity. A survey including the Environmental Identity Survey (Clayton, 2003), the Environmentally Responsible Behaviors Index (Smith-Sebasto & D'Acosta, 1995), and a Decision Making Questionnaire were administered. After administering the surveys, eight participants were chosen for a 60-minute interview. The quantitative results of the study showed there was a significant relationship between environmental identity and participating in environmental behaviors more often. There was also a significant relation between environmental identity and making the decision to recycle in a fast and automatic way. The interview results showed that participants with both a strong and a weak environmental identity recycled often and thought it was a fast decision. The results of this study show that certain components of environmental identity are important, but other factors like the physical environment and social norms influence the thinking that goes into recycling more than environmental identity alone. This study provides evidence of the importance of social norms and environmental structures in fostering pro-environmental behaviors and influencing the type of thinking that goes into making environmental decisions. Keywords: environmental identity, environmental behaviors, System 1, System 2, recycling.

Hyperspherical Treatment of Strongly-Interacting Few-Fermion Systems in One Dimension

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Volosniev, A. G.; Fedorov, D. V.; Jensen, A. S.

2015-01-01

We examine a one-dimensional two-component fermionic system in a trap, assuming that all particles have the same mass and interact through a strong repulsive zero-range force. First we show how a simple system of three strongly interacting particles in a harmonic trap can be treated using...

Facilitative and competitive interaction components among New England salt marsh plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John F. Bruno

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Intra- and interspecific interactions can be broken down into facilitative and competitive components. The net interaction between two organisms is simply the sum of these counteracting elements. Disentangling the positive and negative components of species interactions is a critical step in advancing our understanding of how the interaction between organisms shift along physical and biotic gradients. We performed a manipulative field experiment to quantify the positive and negative components of the interactions between a perennial forb, Aster tenuifolius, and three dominant, matrix-forming grasses and rushes in a New England salt marsh. Specifically, we asked whether positive and negative interaction components: (1 are unique or redundant across three matrix-forming species (two grasses; Distichlis spicata and Spartina patens, and one rush; Juncus gerardi, and (2 change across Aster life stages (seedling, juvenile, and adult. For adult Aster the strength of the facilitative component of the matrix-forb interaction was stronger than the competitive component for two of the three matrix species, leading to net positive interactions. There was no statistically significant variation among matrix species in their net or component effects. We found little difference in the effects of J. gerardi on Aster at later life-history stages; interaction component strengths did not differ between juveniles and adults. However, mortality of seedlings in neighbor removal plots was 100%, indicating a particularly strong and critical facilitative effect of matrix species on this forb during the earliest life stages. Overall, our results indicate that matrix forming grasses and rushes have important, yet largely redundant, positive net effects on Aster performance across its life cycle. Studies that untangle various components of interactions and their contingencies are critical to both expanding our basic understanding of community organization, and predicting

LCA profiles for building components:

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Marsh, Rob

2016-01-01

. A full bivariate linear regression analysis is performed, showing statistically significant correlations with strong direct relationships between environmental impact categories. A simplified LCA profile consisting of total primary energy, global warming potential and acidification potential is developed...

Fractional energy states of strongly-interacting bosons in one dimension

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zinner, Nikolaj Thomas; G. Volosniev, A.; V. Fedorov, D.

2014-01-01

We study two-component bosonic systems with strong inter-species and vanishing intra-species interactions. A new class of exact eigenstates is found with energies that are {\\it not} sums of the single-particle energies with wave functions that have the characteristic feature that they vanish over...... than three particles. The states can be probed using the same techniques that have recently been used for fermionic few-body systems in quasi-1D.......We study two-component bosonic systems with strong inter-species and vanishing intra-species interactions. A new class of exact eigenstates is found with energies that are {\\it not} sums of the single-particle energies with wave functions that have the characteristic feature that they vanish over...... extended regions of coordinate space. This is demonstrated in an analytically solvable model for three equal mass particles, two of which are identical bosons, which is exact in the strongly-interacting limit. We numerically verify our results by presenting the first application of the stochastic...

Application of kernel principal component analysis and computational machine learning to exploration of metabolites strongly associated with diet.

Science.gov (United States)

Shiokawa, Yuka; Date, Yasuhiro; Kikuchi, Jun

2018-02-21

Computer-based technological innovation provides advancements in sophisticated and diverse analytical instruments, enabling massive amounts of data collection with relative ease. This is accompanied by a fast-growing demand for technological progress in data mining methods for analysis of big data derived from chemical and biological systems. From this perspective, use of a general "linear" multivariate analysis alone limits interpretations due to "non-linear" variations in metabolic data from living organisms. Here we describe a kernel principal component analysis (KPCA)-incorporated analytical approach for extracting useful information from metabolic profiling data. To overcome the limitation of important variable (metabolite) determinations, we incorporated a random forest conditional variable importance measure into our KPCA-based analytical approach to demonstrate the relative importance of metabolites. Using a market basket analysis, hippurate, the most important variable detected in the importance measure, was associated with high levels of some vitamins and minerals present in foods eaten the previous day, suggesting a relationship between increased hippurate and intake of a wide variety of vegetables and fruits. Therefore, the KPCA-incorporated analytical approach described herein enabled us to capture input-output responses, and should be useful not only for metabolic profiling but also for profiling in other areas of biological and environmental systems.

Primary prevention in patients with a strong family history of coronary heart disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Burke, Lora A

2003-01-01

The interplay of genetic and environmental factors places first-degree relatives of individuals with premature coronary heart disease at greater risk of developing the disease than the general population. Disease processes, such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, and glucose and insulin metabolism, and lifestyle habits, such as eating and exercise patterns, as well as socioeconomic status aggregate in families with coronary heart disease. The degree of risk associated with a family history varies with the degree of relationship and the age at onset of disease. All individuals with a family history of premature heart disease should have a thorough coronary risk assessment performed, which can be initiated in an office visit. Absolute risk for coronary heart disease determination will predict the intensity of preventive interventions. This article reviews the components of risk determination and primary prevention in individuals with a strong family history of coronary heart disease.

Three-dimensional electromagnetic strong turbulence. I. Scalings, spectra, and field statistics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graham, D. B.; Robinson, P. A.; Cairns, Iver H.; Skjaeraasen, O.

2011-01-01

The first fully three-dimensional (3D) simulations of large-scale electromagnetic strong turbulence (EMST) are performed by numerically solving the electromagnetic Zakharov equations for electron thermal speeds ν e with ν e /c≥0.025. The results of these simulations are presented, focusing on scaling behavior, energy density spectra, and field statistics of the Langmuir (longitudinal) and transverse components of the electric fields during steady-state strong turbulence, where multiple wave packets collapse simultaneously and the system is approximately statistically steady in time. It is shown that for ν e /c > or approx. 0.17 strong turbulence is approximately electrostatic and can be explained using the electrostatic two-component model. For v e /c > or approx. 0.17 the power-law behaviors of the scalings, spectra, and field statistics differ from the electrostatic predictions and results because ν e /c is sufficiently high to allow transverse modes to become trapped in density wells. The results are compared with those of past 3D electrostatic strong turbulence (ESST) simulations and 2D EMST simulations. For number density perturbations, the scaling behavior, spectra, and field statistics are shown to be only weakly dependent on ν e /c, whereas the Langmuir and transverse scalings, spectra, and field statistics are shown to be strongly dependent on ν e /c. Three-dimensional EMST is shown to have features in common with 2D EMST, such as a two-component structure and trapping of transverse modes which are dependent on ν e /c.

Replaceable LMFBR core components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evans, E.A.; Cunningham, G.W.

1976-01-01

Much progress has been made in understanding material and component performance in the high temperature, fast neutron environment of the LMFBR. Current data have provided strong assurance that the initial core component lifetime objectives of FFTF and CRBR can be met. At the same time, this knowledge translates directly into the need for improved core designs that utilize improved materials and advanced fuels required to meet objectives of low doubling times and extended core component lifetimes. An industrial base for the manufacture of quality core components has been developed in the US, and all procurements for the first two core equivalents for FFTF will be completed this year. However, the problem of fabricating recycled plutonium while dramatically reducing fabrication costs, minimizing personnel exposure, and protecting public health and safety must be addressed

Effects of interaction imbalance in a strongly repulsive one-dimensional Bose gas

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barfknecht, Rafael Emilio; Zinner, Nikolaj Thomas; Foerster, Angela

2018-01-01

We calculate the spatial distributions and the dynamics of a few-body two-component strongly interacting Bose gas confined to an effectively one-dimensional trapping potential. We describe the densities for each component in the trap for different interaction and population imbalances. We calculate...

Gene Expression of Type VI Secretion System Associated with Environmental Survival in Acidovorax avenae subsp. avenae by Principle Component Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhouqi Cui

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Valine glycine repeat G (VgrG proteins are regarded as one of two effectors of Type VI secretion system (T6SS which is a complex multi-component secretion system. In this study, potential biological roles of T6SS structural and VgrG genes in a rice bacterial pathogen, Acidovorax avenae subsp. avenae (Aaa RS-1, were evaluated under seven stress conditions using principle component analysis of gene expression. The results showed that growth of the pathogen was reduced by H2O2 and paraquat-induced oxidative stress, high salt, low temperature, and vgrG mutation, compared to the control. However, pathogen growth was unaffected by co-culture with a rice rhizobacterium Burkholderia seminalis R456. In addition, expression of 14 T6SS structural and eight vgrG genes was significantly changed under seven conditions. Among different stress conditions, high salt, and low temperature showed a higher effect on the expression of T6SS gene compared with host infection and other environmental conditions. As a first report, this study revealed an association of T6SS gene expression of the pathogen with the host infection, gene mutation, and some common environmental stresses. The results of this research can increase understanding of the biological function of T6SS in this economically-important pathogen of rice.

Gene Expression of Type VI Secretion System Associated with Environmental Survival in Acidovorax avenae subsp. avenae by Principle Component Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Zhouqi; Jin, Guoqiang; Li, Bin; Kakar, Kaleem Ullah; Ojaghian, Mohammad Reza; Wang, Yangli; Xie, Guanlin; Sun, Guochang

2015-09-11

Valine glycine repeat G (VgrG) proteins are regarded as one of two effectors of Type VI secretion system (T6SS) which is a complex multi-component secretion system. In this study, potential biological roles of T6SS structural and VgrG genes in a rice bacterial pathogen, Acidovorax avenae subsp. avenae (Aaa) RS-1, were evaluated under seven stress conditions using principle component analysis of gene expression. The results showed that growth of the pathogen was reduced by H₂O₂ and paraquat-induced oxidative stress, high salt, low temperature, and vgrG mutation, compared to the control. However, pathogen growth was unaffected by co-culture with a rice rhizobacterium Burkholderia seminalis R456. In addition, expression of 14 T6SS structural and eight vgrG genes was significantly changed under seven conditions. Among different stress conditions, high salt, and low temperature showed a higher effect on the expression of T6SS gene compared with host infection and other environmental conditions. As a first report, this study revealed an association of T6SS gene expression of the pathogen with the host infection, gene mutation, and some common environmental stresses. The results of this research can increase understanding of the biological function of T6SS in this economically-important pathogen of rice.

Components of sustainability considerations in management of petrochemical industries.

Science.gov (United States)

Aryanasl, Amir; Ghodousi, Jamal; Arjmandi, Reza; Mansouri, Nabiollah

2017-06-01

Sustainability comprises three pillars of social, environmental, and economic aspects. Petrochemical industry has a great inter-related complex impact on social and economic development of societies and adverse impact on almost all environmental aspects and resource depletion in many countries, which make sustainability a crucial issue for petrochemical industries. This study was conducted to propose components of sustainability considerations in management of petrochemical industries.A combination of exploratory study-to prepare a preliminary list of components of sustainable business in petrochemical industries based on review of literature and Delphi-to obtain experts' view on this preliminary list and provide a detailed list of components and sub-components that should be addressed to bring sustainability to petrochemical industries, were used.Two sets of components were provided. First general components, which include stakeholders (staffs, society, and environment) with four sub-components, financial resources with 11 sub-components, improvement of design and processes with nine sub-components, policy and strategy of cleaner production with seven sub-components and leadership with seven sub-components. The second operational components included raw material supply and preparation with five, synthesis with ten, product separation and refinement with nine, product handling and storage with five, emission abatement with eight, and improvement of technology and equipment with 16 sub-components.

Diffraction analysis of materials under strong plastic deformation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pyzalla, A.

2001-01-01

The applicability of X-ray diffraction in analyses of the microstructure texture and intrinsic stresses of materials under strong plastic deformation is illustrated by examples and discussed. The experimental methods and findings are supplemented by numeric calculations. It is shown how the microstructure, texture and intrinsic stresses can thus be optimized already in the production process. Analyses of changes in materials during operation of a component provide information on loads and material response to loads which can then be used for optimization of the component, e.g. by constructional modifications or selective heat treatment [de

Environmental factors in causing human cancers: emphasis on tumorigenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Sankpal, Umesh T; Pius, Hima; Khan, Moeez; Shukoor, Mohammed I; Maliakal, Pius; Lee, Chris M; Abdelrahim, Maen; Connelly, Sarah F; Basha, Riyaz

2012-10-01

The environment and dietary factors play an essential role in the etiology of cancer. Environmental component is implicated in ~80 % of all cancers; however, the causes for certain cancers are still unknown. The potential players associated with various cancers include chemicals, heavy metals, diet, radiation, and smoking. Lifestyle habits such as smoking and alcohol consumption, exposure to certain chemicals (e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, organochlorines), metals and pesticides also pose risk in causing human cancers. Several studies indicated a strong association of lung cancer with the exposure to tobacco products and asbestos. The contribution of excessive sunlight, radiation, occupational exposure (e.g., painting, coal, and certain metals) is also well established in cancer. Smoking, excessive alcohol intake, consumption of an unhealthy diet, and lack of physical activity can act as risk factors for cancer and also impact the prognosis. Even though the environmental disposition is linked to cancer, the level and duration of carcinogen-exposure and associated cellular and biochemical aspects determine the actual risk. Modulations in metabolism and DNA adduct formation are considered central mechanisms in environmental carcinogenesis. This review describes the major environmental contributors in causing cancer with an emphasis on molecular aspects associated with environmental disposition in carcinogenesis.

Stochastic Models of Defects in Wind Turbine Drivetrain Components

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rafsanjani, Hesam Mirzaei; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2013-01-01

The drivetrain in a wind turbine nacelle typically consists of a variety of heavily loaded components, like the main shaft, bearings, gearbox and generator. The variations in environmental load challenge the performance of all the components of the drivetrain. Failure of each of these components...

A strongly interacting polaritonic quantum dot

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Ningyuan; Schine, Nathan; Georgakopoulos, Alexandros; Ryou, Albert; Clark, Logan W.; Sommer, Ariel; Simon, Jonathan

2018-06-01

Polaritons are promising constituents of both synthetic quantum matter1 and quantum information processors2, whose properties emerge from their components: from light, polaritons draw fast dynamics and ease of transport; from matter, they inherit the ability to collide with one another. Cavity polaritons are particularly promising as they may be confined and subjected to synthetic magnetic fields controlled by cavity geometry3, and furthermore they benefit from increased robustness due to the cavity enhancement in light-matter coupling. Nonetheless, until now, cavity polaritons have operated only in a weakly interacting mean-field regime4,5. Here we demonstrate strong interactions between individual cavity polaritons enabled by employing highly excited Rydberg atoms as the matter component of the polaritons. We assemble a quantum dot composed of approximately 150 strongly interacting Rydberg-dressed 87Rb atoms in a cavity, and observe blockaded transport of photons through it. We further observe coherent photon tunnelling oscillations, demonstrating that the dot is zero-dimensional. This work establishes the cavity Rydberg polariton as a candidate qubit in a photonic information processor and, by employing multiple resonator modes as the spatial degrees of freedom of a photonic particle, the primary ingredient to form photonic quantum matter6.

Modeling Environmental Literacy of University Students

Science.gov (United States)

Teksoz, Gaye; Sahin, Elvan; Tekkaya-Oztekin, Ceren

2012-01-01

The present study proposed an Environmental Literacy Components Model to explain how environmental attitudes, environmental responsibility, environmental concern, and environmental knowledge as well as outdoor activities related to each other. A total of 1,345 university students responded to an environmental literacy survey (Kaplowitz and Levine…

Advancing Environmental Education and Training for Sustainable Management of Environmental Resources in Palestine

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Sa'ed, Rashed; Abu-Madi, Maher; Heun, Jetze

2009-01-01

This article describes the various capacity-building activities at the Institute of Environmental and Water Studies of Birzeit University during the past 10 years. It highlights the gained experience in advancing environmental science and engineering education and training programs as components of sustainable water and environmental management…

Nanomaterials environmental risks and recycling: Actual issues

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Živković Dragana

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Nanotechnologies are being spoken of as the driving force behind a new industrial revolution. Nanoscience has matured significantly during the last decade as it has transitioned from bench top science to applied technology. Presently, nanomaterials are used in a wide variety of commercial products such as electronic components, sports equipment, sun creams and biomedical applications. The size of nanoparticles allows them to interact strongly with biological structures, so they present potential human and environmental health risk. Nanometer size presents also a problem for separation, recovery, and reuse of the particulate matter. Therefore, industrial-scale manufacturing and use of nanomaterials could have strong impact on human health and the environment or the problematic of nanomaterials recycling. The catch-all term ''nanotechnology' is not sufficiently precise for risk governance and risk management purposes. The estimation of possible risks depends on a consideration of the life cycle of the material being produced, which involves understanding the processes and materials used in manufacture, the likely interactions between the product and individuals or the environment during its manufacture and useful life, and the methods used in its eventual disposal. From a risk-control point of view it will be necessary to systematically identify those critical issues, which should be looked at in more detail. Brief review of actual trends in nanomaterials environmental risks and recycling is given in this paper.

Corporate environmental management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Henning; Ulhøi, John Parm

With increasing population and economic growth and related demand for energy and natural resources as well, pollution, waste production and environmental sustainability have become issues of uttermost importance. For quite some time self-regulation, i.e. voluntary implementation of environmental......: how does industry respond to the environmental challenge? The paper concludes that despite the apparent attractiveness of self-regulation in industry, voluntary options tend not to be widely adopted thus pointing to a continued strong need for an effective regulation of industry’s environmental...

Strong spin-photon coupling in silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Samkharadze, N.; Zheng, G.; Kalhor, N.; Brousse, D.; Sammak, A.; Mendes, U. C.; Blais, A.; Scappucci, G.; Vandersypen, L. M. K.

2018-03-01

Long coherence times of single spins in silicon quantum dots make these systems highly attractive for quantum computation, but how to scale up spin qubit systems remains an open question. As a first step to address this issue, we demonstrate the strong coupling of a single electron spin and a single microwave photon. The electron spin is trapped in a silicon double quantum dot, and the microwave photon is stored in an on-chip high-impedance superconducting resonator. The electric field component of the cavity photon couples directly to the charge dipole of the electron in the double dot, and indirectly to the electron spin, through a strong local magnetic field gradient from a nearby micromagnet. Our results provide a route to realizing large networks of quantum dot–based spin qubit registers.

Abdominal obesity is strongly associated to blood pressure in young Mexicans.

Science.gov (United States)

Urquidez Romero, Rene; Murguía Romero, Miguel; Esparza Romero, Julián; Díaz Torres, Beatriz Araceli; Rodríguez Tadeo, Alejandra; Medrano Donlucas, Gabriel; Ramos Jiménez, Arnulfo; Wall Medrano, Abraham; Gallardo Ortíz, Itzell A; Tapia Pancardo, Diana C Tapia-Pancardo C; Méndez Cruz, A René; Jiménez Flores, J Rafael; Villalobos Molina, Rafael

2017-03-30

The objective of this study was to determine associations between abdominal obesity (AOb) and the other components of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in young Mexicans in a cross-sectional survey completed during a 4 year period. This cross-sectional study reports on components and prevalence of MetS by using Alberti et al. (16) criteria, as well as association between AOb and elevated blood pressure (BP) of 2,993 Mexican university students, ages 17 to 25 years (66% women) from central and northern Mexico, over a 4-year survey (2010-2013). The most prevalent MetS components in the total sample were low HDL-C concentration (43.6%) and AOb (41.1%). MetS prevalence was 11.8%, more men than women were classified with MetS (14.3% vs. 10.5%, p < 0.01). BP was the MetS component with the lowest prevalence (8.6%). A strong association between AOb and altered BP with in both men and women was found (OR 4.3, IC95% 2.5-7.4). Even BP was the component with the lowest prevalence, AOb was more strongly associated with it. This fact, could explain the prevalence of hypertension among young Mexican adults.

Electrical and non-electrical environment of wind turbine main components

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holboell, J.; Henriksen, M.; Olsen, R.S.

of the electrical components or even lead to catastrophic component failure. In the present paper, results are presented from investigations on existing standards which give detailed descriptions of the environmental and operational conditions of wind turbine components. It is found that there is currently a lack...... of application standards for wind turbine electrical equipment. Component-level environmental requirements as given in equipment-specific standards are compared with the environment described in the IEC's 61400 series concerning wind turbines. Based on methods defined in IEC 60721, the non-electrical environment...... of wind turbine is described by means of specific classes. In the paper, new class combinations are suggested covering the different operating conditions the components are exposed to. The class combinations include factors of climatic, mechanical and chemical character. The factors occur in different...

Environmental law in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Basse, Ellen Margrethe

Modern Danish environmental law has a strong international dimension due to membership of EU and participation in global and regional agreements. The concept of transnational law that includes EU environmental law that has vertical as well as horizontal effects across jurisdictions binding national...

Is the strongly penetrating component a sign of the strangelet passage through matter?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gladysz-Dziadus, E.; Wlodarczyk, Z.

1997-01-01

We investigate the possible connection between the very penetrating component, frequently accompanying the cosmic-ray exotic phenomena, and the hypothesis of the formation of strangelets, in the process of strangeness distillation, being the last stage of the evolution of the quark matter droplet. We find that the many-maxima long-range cascades observed in the homogeneous lead emulsion chambers of the Pamir and Chacaltaya experiments can be produced in the process of strangelet penetration through the apparatus. (author)

Nepal - Country Environmental Analysis : Strengthening Institutions and Management Systems for Enhanced Environmental Governance

OpenAIRE

World Bank

2007-01-01

The main objective of the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) in Nepal is to identify opportunities for enhancing the overall performance of select environmental management systems through improvements in the effectiveness of institutions, policies, and processes. CEA has been built upon the following three primary study components: (a) an examination of the environmental issues associate...

Diagnosing a Strong-Fault Model by Conflict and Consistency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenfeng Zhang

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The diagnosis method for a weak-fault model with only normal behaviors of each component has evolved over decades. However, many systems now demand a strong-fault models, the fault modes of which have specific behaviors as well. It is difficult to diagnose a strong-fault model due to its non-monotonicity. Currently, diagnosis methods usually employ conflicts to isolate possible fault and the process can be expedited when some observed output is consistent with the model’s prediction where the consistency indicates probably normal components. This paper solves the problem of efficiently diagnosing a strong-fault model by proposing a novel Logic-based Truth Maintenance System (LTMS with two search approaches based on conflict and consistency. At the beginning, the original a strong-fault model is encoded by Boolean variables and converted into Conjunctive Normal Form (CNF. Then the proposed LTMS is employed to reason over CNF and find multiple minimal conflicts and maximal consistencies when there exists fault. The search approaches offer the best candidate efficiency based on the reasoning result until the diagnosis results are obtained. The completeness, coverage, correctness and complexity of the proposals are analyzed theoretically to show their strength and weakness. Finally, the proposed approaches are demonstrated by applying them to a real-world domain—the heat control unit of a spacecraft—where the proposed methods are significantly better than best first and conflict directly with A* search methods.

Diagnosing a Strong-Fault Model by Conflict and Consistency.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Wenfeng; Zhao, Qi; Zhao, Hongbo; Zhou, Gan; Feng, Wenquan

2018-03-29

The diagnosis method for a weak-fault model with only normal behaviors of each component has evolved over decades. However, many systems now demand a strong-fault models, the fault modes of which have specific behaviors as well. It is difficult to diagnose a strong-fault model due to its non-monotonicity. Currently, diagnosis methods usually employ conflicts to isolate possible fault and the process can be expedited when some observed output is consistent with the model's prediction where the consistency indicates probably normal components. This paper solves the problem of efficiently diagnosing a strong-fault model by proposing a novel Logic-based Truth Maintenance System (LTMS) with two search approaches based on conflict and consistency. At the beginning, the original a strong-fault model is encoded by Boolean variables and converted into Conjunctive Normal Form (CNF). Then the proposed LTMS is employed to reason over CNF and find multiple minimal conflicts and maximal consistencies when there exists fault. The search approaches offer the best candidate efficiency based on the reasoning result until the diagnosis results are obtained. The completeness, coverage, correctness and complexity of the proposals are analyzed theoretically to show their strength and weakness. Finally, the proposed approaches are demonstrated by applying them to a real-world domain-the heat control unit of a spacecraft-where the proposed methods are significantly better than best first and conflict directly with A* search methods.

Early environmental exposures influence schizophrenia expression even in the presence of strong genetic predisposition

OpenAIRE

Husted, Janice A.; Ahmed, Rashid; Chow, Eva W.C.; Brzustowicz, Linda M.; Bassett, Anne S.

2012-01-01

There are few studies of environmental factors in familial forms of schizophrenia. We investigated whether childhood adversity or environmental factors were associated with schizophrenia in a familial sample where schizophrenia is associated with the NOSA1P gene. We found that a cumulative adversity index including childhood illness, family instability and cannabis use was significantly associated with narrow schizophrenia, independent of NOSA1P risk genotype, previously measured childhood tr...

Metal binding by food components

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tang, Ning

for zinc binding by the investigated amino acids, peptides and proteins. The thiol group or imidazole group containing amino acids, peptides and proteins which exhibited strong zinc binding ability were further selected for interacting with zinc salts in relation to zinc absorption. The interactions...... between the above selected food components and zinc citrate or zinc phytate will lead to the enhanced solubility of zinc citrate or zinc phytate. The main driving force for this observed solubility enhancement is the complex formation between zinc and investigated food components as revealed by isothermal...... titration calorimetry and quantum mechanical calculations. This is due to the zinc binding affinity of the relatively softer ligands (investigated food components) will become much stronger than citrate or phytate when they present together in aqueous solution. This mechanism indicates these food components...

Genetic and environmental influences on last-year major depression in adulthood: a highly heritable stable liability but strong environmental effects on 1-year prevalence.

Science.gov (United States)

Kendler, K S; Gardner, C O

2017-07-01

This study seeks to clarify the contribution of temporally stable and occasion-specific genetic and environmental influences on risk for major depression (MD). Our sample was 2153 members of female-female twin pairs from the Virginia Twin Registry. We examined four personal interview waves conducted over an 8-year period with MD in the last year defined by DSM-IV criteria. We fitted a structural equation model to the data using classic Mx. The model included genetic and environmental risk factors for a latent, stable vulnerability to MD and for episodes in each of the four waves. The best-fit model was simple and included genetic and unique environmental influences on the latent liability to MD and unique wave-specific environmental effects. The path from latent liability to MD in the last year was constant over time, moderate in magnitude (+0.65) and weaker than the impact of occasion-specific environmental effects (+0.76). Heritability of the latent stable liability to MD was much higher (78%) than that estimated for last-year MD (32%). Of the total unique environmental influences on MD, 13% reflected enduring consequences of earlier environmental insults, 17% diagnostic error and 70% wave-specific short-lived environmental stressors. Both genetic influences on MD and MD heritability are stable over middle adulthood. However, the largest influence on last-year MD is short-lived environmental effects. As predicted by genetic theory, the heritability of MD is increased substantially by measurement at multiple time points largely through the reduction of the effects of measurement error and short-term environmental risk factors.

Global Patterns in the Implementation of Payments for Environmental Services.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Driss Ezzine-de-Blas

Full Text Available Assessing global tendencies and impacts of conditional payments for environmental services (PES programs is challenging because of their heterogeneity, and scarcity of comparative studies. This meta-study systematizes 55 PES schemes worldwide in a quantitative database. Using categorical principal component analysis to highlight clustering patterns, we reconfirm frequently hypothesized differences between public and private PES schemes, but also identify diverging patterns between commercial and non-commercial private PES vis-à-vis their service focus, area size, and market orientation. When do these PES schemes likely achieve significant environmental additionality? Using binary logistical regression, we find additionality to be positively influenced by three theoretically recommended PES 'best design' features: spatial targeting, payment differentiation, and strong conditionality, alongside some contextual controls (activity paid for and implementation time elapsed. Our results thus stress the preeminence of customized design over operational characteristics when assessing what determines the outcomes of PES implementation.

Evolution of the mining legislation in environmental component

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzalez S, Carmen Lucia

1999-01-01

The concern for the rational and appropriate use of the renewable natural resources in the extraction processes, benefit, transformation of the minerals is recent, although there are dispositions from principles of the republic that refer to that relationship. Presently article is made a journey by such dispositions, it is explained how it should have restructured the executive branch of the public power to put on in consonance with the changes in environmental matter and like it has belonged the process of adaptation from the mining managers to those legislative changes

Itinerant Ferromagnetism in a Polarized Two-Component Fermi Gas

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Massignan, Pietro; Yu, Zhenhua; Bruun, Georg

2013-01-01

We analyze when a repulsively interacting two-component Fermi gas becomes thermodynamically unstable against phase separation. We focus on the strongly polarized limit, where the free energy of the homogeneous mixture can be calculated accurately in terms of well-defined quasiparticles, the repul......We analyze when a repulsively interacting two-component Fermi gas becomes thermodynamically unstable against phase separation. We focus on the strongly polarized limit, where the free energy of the homogeneous mixture can be calculated accurately in terms of well-defined quasiparticles...

Malignant renal cysts: Diagnostic performance and strong predictors at MDCT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Dae Yoon; Kim, Jeong Kon; Cho, Kyoung-Sik; Min, Gyeong-Eun; Ahn, Han-Jong

2010-01-01

Background: Utilization of multidetector-row CT (MDCT) is anticipated to improve the diagnostic accuracy and reliability for determining malignant cysts. Purpose: To assess the diagnostic accuracy, interobserver agreement, benefit of consensus reading, and strong predictors of malignancy in determining malignant cystic renal masses at MDCT. Material and Methods: Two radiologists independently rated the probability of malignancy at MDCT in 72 benign and 53 malignant cysts. The accuracy and interobserver agreement for determining malignant cysts were evaluated. The strong predictors of malignancy were determined, and in patients with interobserver disagreement for determining malignant cysts, consensus readings were performed. Results: Az value of the two readers was 0.905-0.936 and the sensitivity and specificity were 85-89% and 83-93%, respectively. The overall interobserver agreement for determining the malignant cyst was good as the κ value was 0.696 (% agreement, 61% (76/125)). Thickened irregular wall, thickened irregular septa, and enhancing soft tissue component were strong predictors for malignancy with both readers. In the 17 patients with interobserver disagreement for determining malignant cysts, the sensitivity was improved from 38-63% to 89% by the consensus reading. Conclusion: At MDCT, some false negative decisions for determining malignant cysts can be corrected by consensus reading, and thickened irregular septa, thickened irregular wall, and enhancing soft tissue component are the strong predictors of malignant cysts

Public environmental expenditure in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina (1997-2012

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Verónica L. Cáceres

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The article contributes to the discussion on public environmental issues in the province of Buenos Aires; in particular, it focuses on the analysis of public environmental expenditure during 1997-2012. It considers the estimation of expenditure, identifying the actors who execute and implement programs that allow you to have a reference to the relevance of the issue tacked by the provincial agenda. The work was done from the budgetary information produced by the General accounting of BAP, which is dependant of the Ministry of Finance, through classifiers used by the province. Firstly it presents the estimation and evolution of environmental expense according to the provincial classification, then it widens with the Classification of Environmental Protection Activities (CEPA 2000. Secondly it characterizes state actors that implement environmental expense and the financed program types. Finally it is presented some preliminary conclusions. The central input refers that environmental public expenses, later in one decade of increase after politic, social and economic crisis in 2001, does not achieve the convertibility participation levels. Also it emphasizes in the water and sanitation engineering; it has a strong component of participation of centralized agencies in detriment of those that agglutinates the main environmental functions; it is not observed instances of civil society participation in execution; and it adjudge a low relevance to the promotion and education activities in environmental matters.

Trends in chassis and automobile electronics components

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hackenberg, Ulrich [Volkswagen AG, Wolfsburg (Germany)

2008-07-01

The rapidly-growing importance of electronics in automobile construction is in part determined by the debate on sustainability and the clear trend towards electric power trains. Another factor, however, is the decisive impact of electronics on the further development of components, e.g. for chassis. Apart from environmental protection, key motivators for component development include comfort, safety, infotainment and driver assistance. (orig.)

Circulating anti-Mullerian hormone levels in adult men are under a strong genetic influence.

Science.gov (United States)

Pietiläinen, Kirsi H; Kaprio, Jaakko; Vaaralahti, Kirsi; Rissanen, Aila; Raivio, Taneli

2012-01-01

The determinants of serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels in adult men remain unclear. The objective of the study was to investigate the genetic and environmental components in determining postpubertal AMH levels in healthy men. Serum AMH levels, body mass index (BMI), and fat mass (dual energy x-ray absorptiometry) were measured in 64 healthy male (23 monozygotic and 41 dizygotic) twin pairs. Postpubertal AMH levels were highly genetically determined (broad sense heritability 0.92, 95% confidence interval 0.83-0.96). AMH correlated negatively with BMI (r = -0.26, P = 0.030) and fat mass (r = -0.23, P = 0.048). As AMH, BMI had a high heritability (0.68, 95% confidence interval 0.39-0.83), but no genetic correlation was observed between them. AMH levels in men after puberty are under a strong genetic influence. Twin modeling suggests that AMH and BMI are influenced by different sets of genes.

The neurobiology of social environmental risk for schizophrenia: an evolving research field.

Science.gov (United States)

Akdeniz, Ceren; Tost, Heike; Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas

2014-04-01

Schizophrenia is a severe and complex brain disorder that usually manifests in early adulthood and disturbs a wide range of human functions. More than 100 years after its initial description, the pathophysiology of the disorder is still incompletely understood. Many epidemiological studies strongly suggest a complex interaction between genetic and environmental risk factors for the development of the disorder. While there is considerable evidence for a social environmental component of this risk, the links between adverse social factors and altered brain function have just come into focus. In the present review, we first summarize epidemiological evidence for the significance of social environmental risk factors, outline the role of altered social stress processing in mental illness, and review the latest experimental evidence for the neural correlates of social environmental risk for schizophrenia. The studies we have discussed in this review provide a selection of the current work in the field. We suggest that many of the social environmental risk factors may impact on perceived social stress and engage neural circuits in the brain whose functional and structural architecture undergoes detrimental change in response to prolonged exposure. We conclude that multidisciplinary approaches involving various fields and thoroughly constructed longitudinal designs are necessary to capture complex structure of social environmental risks.

The Effect of Summer Environmental Education Program (SEEP) on Elementary School Students' Environmental Literacy

Science.gov (United States)

Erdogan, Mehmet

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of Summer Environmental Education Program (SEEP) on elementary school students' environmental knowledge, affect, skills and behavior which are the main components of environmental literacy. The sample consisted of 45 students (25 males, 20 females) studying in 4th through 8th grades and living in…

Adaptable component frameworks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Katajainen, Jyrki; Simonsen, Bo

2009-01-01

The CPH STL is a special edition of the STL, the containers and algorithms part of the C++ standard library. The specification of the generic components of the STL is given in the C++ standard. Any implementation of the STL, e.g. the one that ships with your standard-compliant C++ compiler, should...... for vector, which is undoubtedly the most used container of the C++ standard library. In particular, we specify the details of a vector implementation that is safe with respect to referential integrity and strong exception safety. Additionally, we report the experiences and lessons learnt from...... the development of component frameworks which we hope to be of benefit to persons engaged in the design and implementation of generic software libraries....

Renewing the New Environmental Paradigm Scale: The Underlying Diversity of Contemporary Environmental Worldviews

Science.gov (United States)

Bernstein, Jennifer M.

This dissertation explored the attitudes, values, and beliefs underlying the contemporary environmental movement. At present, the most widely used means of measuring environmental attitudes is the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) Scale. This dissertation chronicles the development and establishment of the NEP and the important role it has played in social science research. It also reviews key empirical and theoretical critiques of the scale, arguing that the worldview embodied by the NEP is representative of a narrow understanding of pro-environmental thought and that there remains the need for a new scale built using the core dimensions underlying contemporary environmentalism's diversity. Based on an assessment of contemporary environmental discourse, it was theorized that the key areas in which environmentalists diverge are with respect to nature, technology, and scale of societal response. To test this assertion, this project deeply explored a small sample of carefully selected participants with strong environmental identities and diverse attitudes and values. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected using survey question items and in-depth Repertory Grid interviews. Foremost, analysis showed that the sample of environmentalists studied were far from ideologically homogenous. While they agreed with respect to certain issues, such as the seriousness of environmental problems and the inability of the earth to accommodate unlimited resource demands, they also disagreed in key areas, such as the ability of technology to solve environmental problems and the scale at which effective change occurs. With respect to effective environmental problem solving, respondents mentioned green technologies, reducing resource consumption, and policy changes, and they differentiated between these solutions based on cost, the type of social change needed to bring these solutions to fruition, and how difficult they would be to enact. Demographic differences were also assessed

Spatial information in public consultation within environmental impact assessments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mwenda, A.N.

2015-01-01

Thesis Summary

<strong>Spatial information in public consultation within Environmental Impact Assessmentsstrong>

Angela N. Mwenda

Established in the United States of America in 1970, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an interdisciplinary approach that

Worksite Environmental Interventions for Obesity Prevention and Control: Evidence from Group Randomized Trials.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez, Isabel Diana; Becerra, Adan; Chin, Nancy P

2014-06-01

Worksites provide multiple advantages to prevent and treat obesity and to test environmental interventions to tackle its multiple causal factors. We present a literature review of group-randomized and non-randomized trials that tested worksite environmental, multiple component interventions for obesity prevention and control paying particular attention to the conduct of formative research prior to intervention development. The evidence on environmental interventions on measures of obesity appears to be strong since most of the studies have a low (4/8) and unclear (2/8) risk of bias. Among the studies reviewed whose potential risk of bias was low, the magnitude of the effect was modest and sometimes in the unexpected direction. None of the four studies describing an explicit formative research stage with clear integration of findings into the intervention was able to demonstrate an effect on the main outcome of interest. We present alternative explanation for the findings and recommendations for future research.

Evolution in fluctuating environments: decomposing selection into additive components of the Robertson-Price equation.

Science.gov (United States)

Engen, Steinar; Saether, Bernt-Erik

2014-03-01

We analyze the stochastic components of the Robertson-Price equation for the evolution of quantitative characters that enables decomposition of the selection differential into components due to demographic and environmental stochasticity. We show how these two types of stochasticity affect the evolution of multivariate quantitative characters by defining demographic and environmental variances as components of individual fitness. The exact covariance formula for selection is decomposed into three components, the deterministic mean value, as well as stochastic demographic and environmental components. We show that demographic and environmental stochasticity generate random genetic drift and fluctuating selection, respectively. This provides a common theoretical framework for linking ecological and evolutionary processes. Demographic stochasticity can cause random variation in selection differentials independent of fluctuating selection caused by environmental variation. We use this model of selection to illustrate that the effect on the expected selection differential of random variation in individual fitness is dependent on population size, and that the strength of fluctuating selection is affected by how environmental variation affects the covariance in Malthusian fitness between individuals with different phenotypes. Thus, our approach enables us to partition out the effects of fluctuating selection from the effects of selection due to random variation in individual fitness caused by demographic stochasticity. © 2013 The Author(s). Evolution © 2013 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Strategic environmental assessment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kørnøv, Lone

1997-01-01

The integration of environmental considerations into strategic decision making is recognized as a key to achieving sustainability. In the European Union a draft directive on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is currently being reviewed by the member states. The nature of the proposed SEA...... that the SEA directive will influence the decision-making process positively and will help to promote improved environmental decisions. However, the guidelines for public participation are not sufficient and the democratic element is strongly limited. On the basis of these findings, recommendations relating...

TWO METHODS OF ESTIMATING SEMIPARAMETRIC COMPONENT IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL KUZNET'S CURVE (EKC)

OpenAIRE

Paudel, Krishna P.; Zapata, Hector O.

2004-01-01

This study compares parametric and semiparametric smoothing techniques to estimate the environmental Kuznet curve. The ad hoc functional form where income is related either as a square or a cubic function to environmental quality is relaxed in search of a better nonlinear fit to the pollution-income relationship for panel data.

Correlation of horizontal and vertical components of strong ground motion for response-history analysis of safety-related nuclear facilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Yin-Nan, E-mail: ynhuang@ntu.edu.tw [Dept. of Civil Engineering, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China); Yen, Wen-Yi, E-mail: b01501059@ntu.edu.tw [Dept. of Civil Engineering, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China); Whittaker, Andrew S., E-mail: awhittak@buffalo.edu [Dept. of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, MCEER, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260 (United States)

2016-12-15

Highlights: • The correlation of components of ground motion is studied using 1689 sets of records. • The data support an upper bound of 0.3 on the correlation coefficient. • The data support the related requirement in the upcoming edition of ASCE Standard 4. - Abstract: Design standards for safety-related nuclear facilities such as ASCE Standard 4-98 and ASCE Standard 43-05 require the correlation coefficient for two orthogonal components of ground motions for response-history analysis to be less than 0.3. The technical basis of this requirement was developed by Hadjian three decades ago using 50 pairs of recorded ground motions that were available at that time. In this study, correlation coefficients for (1) two horizontal components, and (2) the vertical component and one horizontal component, of a set of ground motions are computed using records from a ground-motion database compiled recently for large-magnitude shallow crustal earthquakes. The impact of the orientation of the orthogonal horizontal components on the correlation coefficient of ground motions is discussed. The rules in the forthcoming edition of ASCE Standard 4 for the correlation of components in a set of ground motions are shown to be reasonable.

Environmental Management Competitive Pressure Effect on SME Environmental Innovation Activities: A Green Supply Chain Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Rashid, A. A.; Sidek, A. A.; Suffian, S. A.; Daud, M. R. C.

2018-01-01

The idea of assimilating green supply chain is to integrate and establish environmental management into the supply chain practices. The study aims to explore how environmental management competitive pressure influences a SME company in Malaysia to incorporate green supply chain integration, which is an efficient platform to develop environmental innovation. This study further advances green supply chain management research in Malaysia by using the method of quantitative analysis to analyze the model developed which data will be collected based on a sample of SMEs in Malaysia in manufacturing sector. The model developed in this study illustrates how environmental management competitive pressure from main competitors affects three fundamental dimensions of green supply chain integration. The research findings suggest that environmental management competitive pressure is a vital driving force for a SME company to incorporate internal and external collaboration in developing green product innovation. From the analysis conducted, the study strongly demonstrated that the best way for a company to counteract competitor’s environmental management success is to first implement strong internal green product development process then move to incorporate external environmental management innovation between their suppliers and customers. The findings also show that internal integration of green product innovation fully mediates the relationship of environmental management competitive pressure and the external integration of green product innovation.

Strong seismic ground motion propagation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seale, S.; Archuleta, R.; Pecker, A.; Bouchon, M.; Mohammadioun, G.; Murphy, A.; Mohammadioun, B.

1988-10-01

At the McGee Creek, California, site, 3-component strong-motion accelerometers are located at depths of 166 m, 35 m and 0 m. The surface material is glacial moraine, to a depth of 30.5 m, overlying homfels. Accelerations were recorded from two California earthquakes: Round Valley, M L 5.8, November 23, 1984, 18:08 UTC and Chalfant Valley, M L 6.4, July 21, 1986, 14:42 UTC. By separating out the SH components of acceleration, we were able to determine the orientations of the downhole instruments. By separating out the SV component of acceleration, we were able to determine the approximate angle of incidence of the signal at 166 m. A constant phase velocity Haskell-Thomson model was applied to generate synthetic SH seismograms at the surface using the accelerations recorded at 166 m. In the frequency band 0.0 - 10.0 Hz, we compared the filtered synthetic records to the filtered surface data. The onset of the SH pulse is clearly seen, as are the reflections from the interface at 30.5 m. The synthetic record closely matches the data in amplitude and phase. The fit between the synthetic accelerogram and the data shows that the seismic amplification at the surface is a result of the contrast of the impedances (shear stiffnesses) of the near surface materials

Influence of bioregion and environmental factors on the growth, size ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The influence of bioregion and important environmental factors in South Africa ... the production efficiency of cows through the implementation of management ... genetic component was not separated from the environmental components.

Development of the TRSSS-1 Satellite as the Major Component of the Space Based Information System(SBIS) for Effective Decision Support System for Thailand's Natural Resources and Environmental Management

OpenAIRE

Musigasam, Weerapant; Ditsariyakue, Praneet; Aphicholati, Navanit; Vibulsresth, Suvit

1997-01-01

The paper describes development of the first Thailand Remote Sensing Satellite System (TRSSS-1) by the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT), Ministry of Science Technology and Environment (MOSTE). The TRSSS-1 project has primarily been developed as a major component of the Space Base Information System (SBIS) for effective decision support system for Thailand's natural resources and environmental management. The Space Based Information System consists of three components namely, the u...

Environmental bureaucracies appraised

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Murphy, E F

1977-09-01

Bureaucratic mechanisms as a means of regulating the environment are evaluated. Bureaucracy as a technology is one among several instruments for regulation. Styles of environmentally concerned bureaucracies are described. Both local control and a central power to monitor developments that have a large impact on the environment and to force action beyond local strength should be established. The conflict surrounding choices for strong central powers and for a series of polycentric structures is surveyed. Bureaucracy and conflicting environmental values are discussed. Public participation in environmental bureaucracies is assessed. The institutionalization of environmental problems is reviewed. Basic social decisions should be able to prevent bureaucracy from institutionalizing environmental problems rather than trying to solve them. 1 drawing, 2 photos, 12 references.

The influence of environmental factors and dredging on chironomid larval diversity in urban drainage systems in polders strongly influenced by seepage from large rivers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vermonden, K.; Brodersen, Klaus Peter; Jacobsen, Dean

2011-01-01

, in urban waters strongly influenced by seepage of large rivers. Chironomid assemblages were studied in urban surface-water systems (man-made drainage ditches) in polder areas along lowland reaches of the rivers Rhine-Meuse in The Netherlands. Multivariate analysis was used to identify the key environmental...... factors. Taxon richness, Shannon index (H'), rareness of species, and life-history strategies at urban locations were compared with available data from similar man-made water bodies in rural areas, and the effectiveness of dredging for restoring chironomid diversity in urban waters was tested. Three...... diversity of chironomid communities in urban waters affected by nutrient-rich seepage or inlet of river water...

Chemical composition of the major components of PM in different sites at the Metropolitan Region of Chile

Science.gov (United States)

Reyes, F.; Castillo, M. A.; Rubio, M.; Gramsch, E.; Vasquez, Y.; Oyola, P.

2013-05-01

Santiago, Chile's capital is one of most polluted megacity (5.5 million of people) of the world. Currently, PM2.5 annual concentration is over 2.2 times the Chilean standard (20 μg/m3). Continuous measurements of non-refractory PM1.0 (sulfate, nitrate, chloride, ammonium and organics aerosols), black carbon, and PM2,5 mass concentration were determined using Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM, Aerodyne Research, Inc), absorption coefficient monitor (SIMCA, Santiago University) and dustrack monitor (TSI Inc) in order to know the temporal variability of the major components of PM. The measurements were carried out at kerbside, urban background, industrial and mixed residential/industrial locations during year 2012 and -2013. Meteorological data (Relative Humidity, temperature, wind speed, wind direction and precipitations) were obtained from the air quality network operated by the environmental authority. The results show strong correlation with the metropolitan region major sources. Multiple regression analysis indicates that precipitations have a strong impact on PM1.0 soluble components; relative humidity has effects only on chloride, sulfate and black carbon. Chloride concentration decrease when temperature is increasing. The perceptual contribution of each component is similar among all sites. All sites shows that OA (Organics Aerosol) as the major constituent of PM1.0 (>50%), followed of nitrates (>13%). Sulfate could be used to differentiate the industrial site; due to there is a strong impact of SO2 emission. Combustion sources direct impact can be seen at BC contribution at industrial and kerbside site. Also, the OA/BC ratio shows slow value at kerbside (3.05) and industrial (3.26) site, and higher at urban background site (4.15). Aged organics aerosols are majority found at all sites (f43/f44 plot), indicating that regional background is strong in all results. These results will be compared with size distribution measurements available from previous

Qubit absorption refrigerator at strong coupling

Science.gov (United States)

Mu, Anqi; Agarwalla, Bijay Kumar; Schaller, Gernot; Segal, Dvira

2017-12-01

We demonstrate that a quantum absorption refrigerator (QAR) can be realized from the smallest quantum system, a qubit, by coupling it in a non-additive (strong) manner to three heat baths. This function is un-attainable for the qubit model under the weak system-bath coupling limit, when the dissipation is additive. In an optimal design, the reservoirs are engineered and characterized by a single frequency component. We then obtain closed expressions for the cooling window and refrigeration efficiency, as well as bounds for the maximal cooling efficiency and the efficiency at maximal power. Our results agree with macroscopic designs and with three-level models for QARs, which are based on the weak system-bath coupling assumption. Beyond the optimal limit, we show with analytical calculations and numerical simulations that the cooling efficiency varies in a non-universal manner with model parameters. Our work demonstrates that strongly-coupled quantum machines can exhibit function that is un-attainable under the weak system-bath coupling assumption.

Spatio temporal media components for neurofeedback

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Camilla Birgitte Falk; Petersen, Michael Kai; Larsen, Jakob Eg

2013-01-01

A class of Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) involves interfaces for neurofeedback training, where a user can learn to self-regulate brain activity based on real-time feedback. These particular interfaces are constructed from audio-visual components and temporal settings, which appear to have...... a strong influence on the ability to control brain activity. Therefore, identifying the different interface components and exploring their individual effects might be key for constructing new interfaces that support more efficient neurofeedback training. We discuss experiments involving two different...

Haemophilus parasuis CpxRA two-component system confers bacterial tolerance to environmental stresses and macrolide resistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Qi; Feng, Fenfen; Wang, Huan; Xu, Xiaojuan; Chen, Huanchun; Cai, Xuwang; Wang, Xiangru

2018-01-01

Haemophilus parasuis is an opportunistic pathogen localized in the upper respiratory tracts of pigs, its infection begins from bacterial survival under complex conditions, like hyperosmosis, oxidative stress, phagocytosis, and sometimes antibiotics as well. The two-component signal transduction (TCST) system serves as a common stimulus-response mechanism that allows microbes to sense and respond to diverse environmental conditions via a series of phosphorylation reactions. In this study, we investigated the role of TCST system CpxRA in H. parasuis in response to different environmental stimuli by constructing the ΔcpxA and ΔcpxR single deletion mutants as well as the ΔcpxRA double deletion mutant from H. parasuis serotype 4 isolate JS0135. We demonstrated that H. parasuis TCST system CpxRA confers bacterial tolerance to stresses and bactericidal antibiotics. The CpxR was found to play essential roles in mediating oxidative stress, osmotic stresses and alkaline pH stress tolerance, as well as macrolide resistance (i.e. erythromycin), but the CpxA deletion did not decrease bacterial resistance to abovementioned stresses. Moreover, we found via RT-qPCR approach that HAPS_RS00160 and HAPS_RS09425, both encoding multidrug efflux pumps, were significantly decreased in erythromycin challenged ΔcpxR and ΔcpxRA mutants compared with wild-type strain JS0135. These findings characterize the role of the TCST system CpxRA in H. parasuis conferring stress response tolerance and bactericidal resistance, which will deepen our understanding of the pathogenic mechanism in H. parasuis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Ligand-binding sites in human serum amyloid P component

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heegaard, N.H.H.; Heegaard, Peter M. H.; Roepstorff, P.

1996-01-01

Amyloid P component (AP) is a naturally occurring glycoprotein that is found in serum and basement membranes, AP is also a component of all types of amyloid, including that found in individuals who suffer from Alzheimer's disease and Down's syndrome. Because AP has been found to bind strongly...

Environmental Inequality in Exposures to Airborne Particulate Matter Components in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Ebisu, Keita

2012-01-01

Background: Growing evidence indicates that toxicity of fine particulate matter ≤ 2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5) differs by chemical component. Exposure to components may differ by population. Objectives: We investigated whether exposures to PM2.5 components differ by race/ethnicity, age, and socioeconomic status (SES). Methods: Long-term exposures (2000 through 2006) were estimated for 215 U.S. census tracts for PM2.5 and for 14 PM2.5 components. Population-weighted exposures were combined to generate overall estimated exposures by race/ethnicity, education, poverty status, employment, age, and earnings. We compared population characteristics for tracts with and without PM2.5 component monitors. Results: Larger disparities in estimated exposures were observed for components than for PM2.5 total mass. For race/ethnicity, whites generally had the lowest exposures. Non-Hispanic blacks had higher exposures than did whites for 13 of the 14 components. Hispanics generally had the highest exposures (e.g., 152% higher than whites for chlorine, 94% higher for aluminum). Young persons (0–19 years of age) had levels as high as or higher than other ages for all exposures except sulfate. Persons with lower SES had higher estimated exposures, with some exceptions. For example, a 10% increase in the proportion unemployed was associated with a 20.0% increase in vanadium and an 18.3% increase in elemental carbon. Census tracts with monitors had more non-Hispanic blacks, lower education and earnings, and higher unemployment and poverty than did tracts without monitors. Conclusions: Exposures to PM2.5 components differed by race/ethnicity, age, and SES. If some components are more toxic than others, certain populations are likely to suffer higher health burdens. Demographics differed between populations covered and not covered by monitors. PMID:22889745

Final environmental impact statement for the continued operation of the Pantex Plant and associated storage of nuclear weapon components. Volume 3 -- Comment response

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-11-01

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the continued operation of Pantex Plant was published in March 1996. The document assessed the alternatives of no action, relocation of the storage of plutonium components resulting from nuclear weapon disassemble activities at Pantex Plant to another site, and the proposed action (preferred alternative) of continuing operations and increasing the quantity of pits in interim storage at Pantex Plant. This report contains the comments and responses received on the Draft EIS

Features of the marketing mix in environmental marketing

OpenAIRE

Bohdana Oksentyuk; Andriy Oksentyuk

2013-01-01

In the article the concept of "environmental marketing", its essence, the term "marketing mix" are defined and the key elements of the marketing mix such as product policy, pricing policy, communication policy and the distribution of environmental goods are presented. In the context of each of the components of the marketing mix their need is justified, main characteristics are defined, elements of each component with regard to their particular environmental aspect of the enterprise are shown.

Student's Environmental Literacy Profile Of Adiwiyata Green School In Surakarta, Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hephi Meilinda

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Environmental literacy refers to the knowledge of the mechanism of how the nature works and the roles of human to preserve the nature sustainably. The dynamic relation between human and environment can be seen from the life interaction along with all the components. One characteristic of society that has environmental literacy is highly concerned with environmental. This research aims to analyze students’ environmental literacy in Adiwiyata Green School in Surakarta. Environmental literacy covers some components including environmental knowledge, attitude, and environmental concern.This research was developed through descriptive qualitative design to obtain data by employing classroom observation and questionnaire based on environmental literacy to the students in Adiwiyata Green School in Surakarta. The research finding shows that (1 students’ environmental literacy in Adiwiyata Green School in Surakarta is categorized as low level. Data obtained from the instrument are 77,38% for environmental knowledge, 59,50% for attitude, 70,12% for environmental concern. The average percentage for all components is 68,97%. Based on the finding, it can be concluded that the environmental literacy is still low. It can be seen from (1 knowledge and concern aspects are higher than attitude aspect, (2 attitude aspect contains two components which are anti anthropocentrism and anti-exemptionalism, so that it is necessarily to increase students’ concern toward the environment.

Local Environmental Grassroots Activism: Contributions from Environmental Psychology, Sociology and Politics

Science.gov (United States)

Mihaylov, Nikolay L.; Perkins, Douglas D.

2015-01-01

Local environmental grassroots activism is robust and globally ubiquitous despite the ebbs and flows of the general environmental movement. In this review we synthesize social movement, environmental politics, and environmental psychology literatures to answer the following questions: How does the environment emerge as a topic for community action and how a particular environmental discourse (preservation, conservation, public health, Deep Ecology, justice, localism and other responses to modernization and development) becomes dominant? How does a community coalesce around the environmental issue and its particular framing? What is the relationship between local and supralocal (regional, national, global) activism? We contrast “Not in My Back Yard” (NIMBY) activism and environmental liberation and discuss the significance of local knowledge and scale, nature as an issue for activism, place attachment and its disruption, and place-based power inequalities. Environmental psychology contributions to established scholarship on environmental activism are proposed: the components of place attachment are conceptualized in novel ways and a continuous dweller and activist place attachment is elaborated. PMID:25806672

Local environmental grassroots activism: contributions from environmental psychology, sociology and politics.

Science.gov (United States)

Mihaylov, Nikolay L; Perkins, Douglas D

2015-03-23

Local environmental grassroots activism is robust and globally ubiquitous despite the ebbs and flows of the general environmental movement. In this review we synthesize social movement, environmental politics, and environmental psychology literatures to answer the following questions: How does the environment emerge as a topic for community action and how a particular environmental discourse (preservation, conservation, public health, Deep Ecology, justice, localism and other responses to modernization and development) becomes dominant? How does a community coalesce around the environmental issue and its particular framing? What is the relationship between local and supralocal (regional, national, global) activism? We contrast "Not in My Back Yard" (NIMBY) activism and environmental liberation and discuss the significance of local knowledge and scale, nature as an issue for activism, place attachment and its disruption, and place-based power inequalities. Environmental psychology contributions to established scholarship on environmental activism are proposed: the components of place attachment are conceptualized in novel ways and a continuous dweller and activist place attachment is elaborated.

Effects of Interaction Imbalance in a Strongly Repulsive One-Dimensional Bose Gas

Science.gov (United States)

Barfknecht, R. E.; Foerster, A.; Zinner, N. T.

2018-05-01

We calculate the spatial distributions and the dynamics of a few-body two-component strongly interacting Bose gas confined to an effectively one-dimensional trapping potential. We describe the densities for each component in the trap for different interaction and population imbalances. We calculate the time evolution of the system and show that, for a certain ratio of interactions, the minority population travels through the system as an effective wave packet.

Pricing end-of-life components

Science.gov (United States)

Vadde, Srikanth; Kamarthi, Sagar V.; Gupta, Surendra M.

2005-11-01

The main objective of a product recovery facility (PRF) is to disassemble end-of-life (EOL) products and sell the reclaimed components for reuse and recovered materials in second-hand markets. Variability in the inflow of EOL products and fluctuation in demand for reusable components contribute to the volatility in inventory levels. To stay profitable the PRFs ought to manage their inventory by regulating the price appropriately to minimize holding costs. This work presents two deterministic pricing models for a PRF bounded by environmental regulations. In the first model, the demand is price dependent and in the second, the demand is both price and time dependent. The models are valid for single component with no inventory replenishment sale during the selling horizon . Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the models.

Single, binary and multi-component adsorption of some anions and heavy metals on environmentally friendly Carpobrotus edulis plant.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiban, Mohamed; Soudani, Amina; Sinan, Fouad; Persin, Michel

2011-02-01

A low-cost adsorbent and environmentally friendly adsorbent from Carpobrotus edulis plant was used for the removal of NO(3)(-), H(2)PO(4)(-), Pb(2+) and Cd(2+) ions from single, binary and multi-component systems. The efficiency of the adsorbent was studied using batch adsorption technique under different experimental conditions by varying parameters such as pH, initial concentration and contact time. In single component systems, the dried C. edulis has the highest affinity for Pb(2+), followed by NO(3)(-), Cd(2+) and H(2)PO(4)(-), with adsorption capacities of 175mg/g, 125mg/g, 28mg/g and 26mg/g, respectively. These results showed that the adsorption of NO(3)(-) and H(2)PO(4)(-) ions from single and binary component systems can be successfully described by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. Freundlich adsorption model, showed the best fit to the single and binary experimental adsorption data. These results also indicated that the adsorption yield of Pb(2+) ion was reduced by the presence of Cd(2+) ion in binary metal mixture. The competitive adsorption of NO(3)(-), H(2)PO(4)(-), Pb(2+) and Cd(2+) ions on dried C. edulis plant shows that NO(3)(-) and H(2)PO(4)(-) anions are able to adsorb on different free binding sites and Pb(2+) and Cd(2+) cations are able to adsorb on the same active sites of C. edulis particles. The dried C. edulis was found to be efficient in removing nitrate, phosphate, cadmium and lead from aqueous solution as compared to other adsorbents already used for the removal of these ions. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ascaroside expression in Caenorhabditis elegans is strongly dependent on diet and developmental stage.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fatma Kaplan

2011-03-01

Full Text Available The ascarosides form a family of small molecules that have been isolated from cultures of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. They are often referred to as "dauer pheromones" because most of them induce formation of long-lived and highly stress resistant dauer larvae. More recent studies have shown that ascarosides serve additional functions as social signals and mating pheromones. Thus, ascarosides have multiple functions. Until now, it has been generally assumed that ascarosides are constitutively expressed during nematode development.Cultures of C. elegans were developmentally synchronized on controlled diets. Ascarosides released into the media, as well as stored internally, were quantified by LC/MS. We found that ascaroside biosynthesis and release were strongly dependent on developmental stage and diet. The male attracting pheromone was verified to be a blend of at least four ascarosides, and peak production of the two most potent mating pheromone components, ascr#3 and asc#8 immediately preceded or coincided with the temporal window for mating. The concentration of ascr#2 increased under starvation conditions and peaked during dauer formation, strongly supporting ascr#2 as the main population density signal (dauer pheromone. After dauer formation, ascaroside production largely ceased and dauer larvae did not release any ascarosides. These findings show that both total ascaroside production and the relative proportions of individual ascarosides strongly correlate with these compounds' stage-specific biological functions.Ascaroside expression changes with development and environmental conditions. This is consistent with multiple functions of these signaling molecules. Knowledge of such differential regulation will make it possible to associate ascaroside production to gene expression profiles (transcript, protein or enzyme activity and help to determine genetic pathways that control ascaroside biosynthesis. In conjunction with findings

FUNCTIONING OF AGRICULTURAL HOLDINGS IN UKRAINE: STRONG AND WEAK SIDES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Postgraduate, assistant Sergii Ivanovich TODORIUK

2014-06-01

Full Text Available One of the organizational forms of the agricultural management which is gaining popularity in the world is agricultural holdings. The essence of agricultural holdings is considered in the article. Also the peculiarities of their functioning in Ukraine and determination of the strengths and weaknesses of their activities is defined, as well as perspectives of their further functioning. Agrarian holding, as a relatively new organizational legal form of managing in Ukraine has its advantages and disadvantages. As the experience shows the advantages of agrarian holdings over the subjects of management are revealed mainly in the economic sphere. While their disadvantages over the subjects of management are revealed in social and ecological spheres. This is a negative moment considering the implementation in Ukraine of the concept of the sustainable development, which means the combination of these main components (economic component, environmental component, social component.

Sensory Perception, Rationalism and Outdoor Environmental Education

Science.gov (United States)

Auer, Matthew R.

2008-01-01

There is a strong emphasis on sensory perception and "hands-on" learning in the outdoor environmental education of children. In addition, normative concerns infuse children's environmental curricula, and in particular, the notion that environmental education is not a passive undertaking; when one appreciates the essential value of the…

Comparative study of environmental impact assessment methods ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study aims to introduce and systematically investigate the environmental issues during important decision-making stages. Meanwhile, impacts of development on the environmental components will be also analyzed. This research studies various methods of predicting the environmental changes and determining the ...

Trophic interactions among the heterotrophic components of plankton in man-made peat pools

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michał Niedźwiecki

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Man-made peat pools are permanent freshwater habitats developed due to non-commercial man-made peat extraction. Yet, they have not been widely surveyed in terms of ecosystem functioning, mainly regarding the complexity of heterotrophic components of the plankton. In this study we analysed distribution and trophic interrelations among heterotrophic plankton in man-made peat pools located in different types of peatbogs. We found that peat pools showed extreme differences in environmental conditions that occurred to be important drivers of distribution of microplankton and metazooplankton. Abundance of bacteria and protozoa showed significant differences, whereas metazooplankton was less differentiated in density among peat pools. In all peat pools stress-tolerant species of protozoa and metazoa were dominant. In each peat pool five trophic functional groups were distinguished. The abundance of lower functional trophic groups (bacteria, heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF and ciliates feeding on bacteria and HNF was weakly influenced by environmental drivers and was highly stable in all peat pool types. Higher functional trophic groups (naupli, omnivorous and carnivorous ciliates, cladocerans, adult copepods and copepodites were strongly influenced by environmental variables and exhibited lower stability. Our study contributes to comprehensive knowledge of the functioning of peat bogs, as our results have shown that peat pools are characterized by high stability of the lowest trophic levels, which can be crucial for energy transfer and carbon flux through food webs.

Environmental accounts. Environmentally related taxes, subsidies and emission permits; Miljoerelaterade skatter, subventioner och utslaeppsraetter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cederlund, Maja; Brolinson, Hanna; Palm, Viveka

2010-12-15

Environmental Economic instruments is seen as an important component towards a sustainable society. In Prop. (proposition) 2009/10:155 'Swedish environmental objectives - for a more effective environmental' the Ministry of the Environment says that 'We must therefore work to improve the price signals by internalising external environmental costs and increase the use of economic instruments in environmental policy.' Statistics Sweden have now for the first time quantified the environmental economic instruments, both individually and together. In addition, the results are broken down by industry and for most time series can be presented. The result of this work is presented in this report

PRISM, Processing and Review Interface for Strong Motion Data Software

Science.gov (United States)

Kalkan, E.; Jones, J. M.; Stephens, C. D.; Ng, P.

2016-12-01

A continually increasing number of high-quality digital strong-motion records from stations of the National Strong Motion Project (NSMP) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), as well as data from regional seismic networks within the U.S., calls for automated processing of strong-motion records with human review limited to selected significant or flagged records. The NSMP has developed the Processing and Review Interface for Strong Motion data (PRISM) software to meet this need. PRISM automates the processing of strong-motion records by providing batch-processing capabilities. The PRISM software is platform-independent (coded in Java), open-source, and does not depend on any closed-source or proprietary software. The software consists of two major components: a record processing engine composed of modules for each processing step, and a graphical user interface (GUI) for manual review and processing. To facilitate the use by non-NSMP earthquake engineers and scientists, PRISM (both its processing engine and GUI components) is easy to install and run as a stand-alone system on common operating systems such as Linux, OS X and Windows. PRISM was designed to be flexible and extensible in order to accommodate implementation of new processing techniques. Input to PRISM currently is limited to data files in the Consortium of Organizations for Strong-Motion Observation Systems (COSMOS) V0 format, so that all retrieved acceleration time series need to be converted to this format. Output products include COSMOS V1, V2 and V3 files as: (i) raw acceleration time series in physical units with mean removed (V1), (ii) baseline-corrected and filtered acceleration, velocity, and displacement time series (V2), and (iii) response spectra, Fourier amplitude spectra and common earthquake-engineering intensity measures (V3). A thorough description of the record processing features supported by PRISM is presented with examples and validation results. All computing features have been

Environmental management and monitoring for education building development

Science.gov (United States)

Masri, R. M.

2018-05-01

The purpose of research were (1) a conceptual, functional model designed and implementation for environmental management and monitoring for education building development, (2) standard operational procedure made for management and monitoring for education building development, (3) assessed physic-chemical, biological, social-economic environmental components so that fulfilling sustainable development, (4) environmental management and monitoring program made for decreasing negative and increasing positive impact in education building development activities. Descriptive method is used for the research. Cibiru UPI Campus, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia was study location. The research was conducted on July 2016 to January 2017. Spatial and activities analysis were used to assess physic-chemical, biological, social-economic environmental components. Environmental management and monitoring for education building development could be decreasing water, air, soil pollution and environmental degradation in education building development activities.

POTENTIAL APPLICATION OF NANOMETALS IN ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dagmara Malina

2017-02-01

Full Text Available In recent years, great interest in metallic nanoparticles has been observed, both because of their unlimited application possibilities, and also because of the unusual biological, chemical and physical features. It is expected that developments in nanotechnology will become the main promoter of scientific and technological innovations in the coming decades. Searching for a new and safe alternative to chemical pesticides, high hopes are associated with nanotechnology development. Particularly useful may be preparations containing nanoscale metal particles with strong antimicrobial properties. Importantly, safe and non-toxic for the plant components of biological origin may be used in nanoparticles synthesis. This article is a description of the potential applications of nanomaterials in environmental protection, which may become the basis for developing of new protection plant products with antimicrobial properties relative to plant pathogens and non-toxic to higher organisms.

Exploring the development of fourth graders' environmental identity through participation in a semi-formal nature club

Science.gov (United States)

Brock, Ryan J.

Nature deficit, where disconnections occur between children and nature have come to the forefront of environmental education in recent years. This study explored how fourth graders in an after-school Nature Club developed or strengthened their environmental identity, thus decreasing nature deficit. Through a program that utilized semi-formal instruction, both classroom learning and direct experiences with nature, took place over a nine week period of time. Six children were followed as qualitative data was collected and analyzed for themes that would reveal how adolescent children in the developmental stage of concrete operations developed environmental identity. The results indicate that all students strengthened their environmental identity when social aspects were embedded. Students who entered Nature Club with low environmental identity required more direct experiences with nature while those with higher environmental identity required a combination of reflective components along with nature experiences. Based upon this study, the nine-week program which combined formal and non-formal means of learning was able to strengthen environmental identity in each of the participants. A strong theme of social learning, not explicitly identified in the literature was found. Additionally, and most importantly, findings also indicate that educators, both formal and non-formal, who teach environmental education and seek to strengthen environmental identity for adolescents for early interventions need to understand the development of environmental identity in concrete operational learners at a theoretical level.

On the interpretation of the independent components underlying the abdominal phonogram: a study of their physiological relevance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiménez-González, A; James, C J

2012-01-01

Recorded by positioning a sensitive acoustic sensor over the maternal womb, the abdominal phonogram is a signal that contains valuable information for foetal surveillance (e.g. heart rate), which is hidden by maternal and environmental sources. To recover such information, previous work used single-channel independent component analysis (SCICA) to separate the abdominal phonogram into statistically independent components (ICs) that, once acquired, must be objectively associated with the real sources underlying the abdominal phonogram—either physiological or environmental. This is a typical challenge for blind source separation methodologies and requires further research on the signals of interest to find a suitable solution. Here, we have conducted a joint study on 75 sets of ICs by means of statistical, spectral, complexity and time-structure analysis methods. As a result, valuable and consistent characteristics of the components separated from the abdominal phonogram by SCICA have been revealed: (1) the ICs are spectrally disjoint and sorted according to their frequency content, (2) only the ICs with lower frequency content present strong regular patterns and (3) such regular patterns are driven by well-known physiological processes given by the maternal breathing rate, the maternal heart rate and the foetal heart rate. This information was so promising that it has been used in current work for automatic classification of ICs and recovery of the traces of the physiological sources underlying the abdominal phonogram. Future work will look for the extraction of information useful for surveillance (e.g. heart rate), not only about foetal well-being, but also about maternal condition. (paper)

An Improved Car-Following Model Accounting for Impact of Strong Wind

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dawei Liu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In order to investigate the effect of strong wind on dynamic characteristic of traffic flow, an improved car-following model based on the full velocity difference model is developed in this paper. Wind force is introduced as the influence factor of car-following behavior. Among three components of wind force, lift force and side force are taken into account. The linear stability analysis is carried out and the stability condition of the newly developed model is derived. Numerical analysis is made to explore the effect of strong wind on spatial-time evolution of a small perturbation. The results show that the strong wind can significantly affect the stability of traffic flow. Driving safety in strong wind is also studied by comparing the lateral force under different wind speeds with the side friction of vehicles. Finally, the fuel consumption of vehicle in strong wind condition is explored and the results show that the fuel consumption decreased with the increase of wind speed.

The effect of strong intermolecular and chemical interactions on the compatibility of polymers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Askadskii, Andrei A

1999-01-01

The data on compatibility and on the properties of polymer blends are generalised. The emphasis is placed on the formation of strong intermolecular interactions (dipole-dipole interaction and hydrogen bonding) between the components of blends, as well as on the chemical reactions between them. A criterion for the prediction of compatibility of polymers is described in detail. Different cases of compatibility are considered and the dependences of the glass transition temperatures on the composition of blends are analysed. The published data on the effect of strong intermolecular interactions between the blend components on the glass transition temperature are considered. The preparation of interpolymers is described whose macromolecules are composed of incompatible polymers, which leads to the so-called 'forced compatibility.' The bibliography includes 80 references.

Sparse modeling of spatial environmental variables associated with asthma.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Timothy S; Gangnon, Ronald E; David Page, C; Buckingham, William R; Tandias, Aman; Cowan, Kelly J; Tomasallo, Carrie D; Arndt, Brian G; Hanrahan, Lawrence P; Guilbert, Theresa W

2015-02-01

Geographically distributed environmental factors influence the burden of diseases such as asthma. Our objective was to identify sparse environmental variables associated with asthma diagnosis gathered from a large electronic health record (EHR) dataset while controlling for spatial variation. An EHR dataset from the University of Wisconsin's Family Medicine, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Departments was obtained for 199,220 patients aged 5-50years over a three-year period. Each patient's home address was geocoded to one of 3456 geographic census block groups. Over one thousand block group variables were obtained from a commercial database. We developed a Sparse Spatial Environmental Analysis (SASEA). Using this method, the environmental variables were first dimensionally reduced with sparse principal component analysis. Logistic thin plate regression spline modeling was then used to identify block group variables associated with asthma from sparse principal components. The addresses of patients from the EHR dataset were distributed throughout the majority of Wisconsin's geography. Logistic thin plate regression spline modeling captured spatial variation of asthma. Four sparse principal components identified via model selection consisted of food at home, dog ownership, household size, and disposable income variables. In rural areas, dog ownership and renter occupied housing units from significant sparse principal components were associated with asthma. Our main contribution is the incorporation of sparsity in spatial modeling. SASEA sequentially added sparse principal components to Logistic thin plate regression spline modeling. This method allowed association of geographically distributed environmental factors with asthma using EHR and environmental datasets. SASEA can be applied to other diseases with environmental risk factors. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Measurement of strong interaction parameters in antiprotonic hydrogen and deuterium

CERN Document Server

Augsburger, M A; Borchert, G L; Chatellard, D; Egger, J P; El-Khoury, P; Gorke, H; Gotta, D; Hauser, P R; Indelicato, P J; Kirch, K; Lenz, S; Siems, T; Simons, L M

1999-01-01

In the PS207 experiment at CERN, X-rays from antiprotonic hydrogen and deuterium have been measured at low pressure. The strong interaction shift and the broadening of the K/sub alpha / transition in antiprotonic hydrogen were $9 determined. Evidence was found for the individual hyperfine components of the protonium ground state. (7 refs).

Company Slogan and a Vivid Image of a Trademark - as Main Components of a Strong Brand

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Igor BELOSTECINIC

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Among other methods, good brand managers always affect clients and strengthen their fidelity to the brand by means of company advertising slogans and vivid images associated with this brand. Slogans may function as useful “levers” or “hooks” helping clients to understand the essence of a trademark and its peculiarity, as well as to nail in clients' minds the established image of a strong brand. One of the “hooks” attracting attention to brand and helping to nail it in a common man's mind – is a company (advertising slogan - short message or motto, which actively presents the key theme of the brand in general or of a certain advertising campaign, and contains substantial information, reflecting the essence of campaign's or product's marketing offer. One must admit that it is nice to recall favorite philosopher's aphorisms or sayings while getting up in the morning, and to whistle an aria from a renowned opera on your way to work. However, more often people sing unsophisticated verses about the “sign of a good taste” and get annoyed by a trivial call to “have a break” going round in their heads. This means that the advertisement of popular chocolate bars and drinks has hit its target. The main lever for success in generation of a positive and recognizable brand image - is the slogan and its graphic image in consumer's mind. Together with other brand components (logo, corporate colors, sound or music image a slogan generates the system of constant elements which ensure the brand's internal unity and are aimed at creation of exposure effect. To some extent, we all are “ad eaters” and are always capable of estimating an ad, even if it is at the level of feelings: whether we like it or not. So why a certain advertisement can make us smile, elicit good feelings and cause an urge to buy product/service that is being advertised, and another one - evokes disappointment and annoyance? The answer is obvious: the first one was

Spectral contents of electron waves under strong Langmuir turbulence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alves, Maria Virginia; Dallaqua, Renato Sergio [Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE), Sao Jose dos Campos, SP (Brazil); Prado, Fabio do [Centro Universitario UNIFEI, Itajuba, MG (Brazil); Karfidov, Dmitry Mikhailovich [General Physics Inst., Moscow (Russian Federation)

2003-07-01

Experimental results of electron plasma waves excited in a beam plasma system are presented. Based on our experimental results we determine the transition from the quasi-linear to non-linear regime. We present the space evolution of the electron beam distribution function for both regimes. The spectrum of the electron plasma wave in the non-linear regime shows a component with frequency larger than the plasma frequency besides the plasma frequency itself. We show that the higher frequency component is strongly affected by Landau damping, indicating a dissipation region. The measured experimental power spectrum of this wave shows a dependence on wave number k given by W{sub k} {proportional_to} k{sup -7/2} as theoretically predicted. (author)

Environmental Outcomes in the South African Learnership System ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Since 1994, the published environmental goals and objectives of the South African Government include environmental education outcomes in all education and ... of manifest and latent environmental outcomes distributed across learnerships and SETAs; a strong influence of occupational health and safety legislation; and a ...

Evolutionary recycling of light signaling components in fleshy fruits: new insights on the role of pigments to monitor ripening

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Briardo eLlorente

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Besides an essential source of energy, light provides environmental information to plants. Photosensory pathways are thought to have occurred early in plant evolution, probably at the time of the Archaeplastida ancestor, or perhaps even earlier. Manipulation of individual components of light perception and signaling networks in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum affects the metabolism of ripening fruit at several levels. Most strikingly, recent experiments have shown that some of the molecular mechanisms originally devoted to sense and respond to environmental light cues have been re-adapted during evolution to provide plants with useful information on fruit ripening progression. In particular, the presence of chlorophylls in green fruit can strongly influence the spectral composition of the light filtered through the fruit pericarp. The concomitant changes in light quality can be perceived and transduced by phytochromes and phytochrome-interacting factors, respectively, to regulate gene expression and in turn modulate the production of carotenoids, a family of metabolites that are relevant for the final pigmentation of ripe fruits. We raise the hypothesis that the evolutionary recycling of light-signaling components to finely adjust pigmentation to the actual ripening stage of the fruit may have represented a selective advantage for primeval fleshy-fruited plants even before the extinction of dinosaurs.

Evolutionary Recycling of Light Signaling Components in Fleshy Fruits: New Insights on the Role of Pigments to Monitor Ripening.

Science.gov (United States)

Llorente, Briardo; D'Andrea, Lucio; Rodríguez-Concepción, Manuel

2016-01-01

Besides an essential source of energy, light provides environmental information to plants. Photosensory pathways are thought to have occurred early in plant evolution, probably at the time of the Archaeplastida ancestor, or perhaps even earlier. Manipulation of individual components of light perception and signaling networks in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) affects the metabolism of ripening fruit at several levels. Most strikingly, recent experiments have shown that some of the molecular mechanisms originally devoted to sense and respond to environmental light cues have been re-adapted during evolution to provide plants with useful information on fruit ripening progression. In particular, the presence of chlorophylls in green fruit can strongly influence the spectral composition of the light filtered through the fruit pericarp. The concomitant changes in light quality can be perceived and transduced by phytochromes (PHYs) and PHY-interacting factors, respectively, to regulate gene expression and in turn modulate the production of carotenoids, a family of metabolites that are relevant for the final pigmentation of ripe fruits. We raise the hypothesis that the evolutionary recycling of light-signaling components to finely adjust pigmentation to the actual ripening stage of the fruit may have represented a selective advantage for primeval fleshy-fruited plants even before the extinction of dinosaurs.

Effective potential kinetic theory for strongly coupled plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Baalrud, Scott D.; Daligault, Jérôme

2016-11-01

The effective potential theory (EPT) is a recently proposed method for extending traditional plasma kinetic and transport theory into the strongly coupled regime. Validation from experiments and molecular dynamics simulations have shown it to be accurate up to the onset of liquid-like correlation parameters (corresponding to Γ ≃ 10-50 for the one-component plasma, depending on the process of interest). Here, this theory is briefly reviewed along with comparisons between the theory and molecular dynamics simulations for self-diffusivity and viscosity of the one-component plasma. A number of new results are also provided, including calculations of friction coefficients, energy exchange rates, stopping power, and mobility. The theory is also cast in the Landau and Fokker-Planck kinetic forms, which may prove useful for enabling efficient kinetic computations.

Integrating environmental and socioeconomic assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Branch, K.M.; Cluett, C.; Page, T.L.

1987-01-01

Since the passage of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in 1969, considerable scientific and regulatory attention has been given to the preparation of environmental impact assessments. Part of this attention has been directed to definition of the proper scope of an environmental assessment and to debate about how the ''human environment'' should be addressed. This debate continues, and is reflected in the ongoing evolution of the definition of and relationship between the ''environmental'' and ''socioeconomic'' components of an integrated environmental impact assessment. This paper discusses the need for close integration between the environmental and socioeconomic assessment efforts and examines some of the benefits and difficulties of achieving this integration

Environmental education

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdulhaye, F.

2005-01-01

The environment is an intricate mixture of natural, built and social components. The natural environment includes air, water, land, climate, flora and fauna, while the built environment consists of the fabric of building infrastructure and open space. The social component of the environment embraces the aesthetics, amenity quality, architectural style, heritages, law behavior, values and traditions of the society. In ecological terms the environment is a distortion of natural ecosystems or an ecosystem in its own right. A characteristic of the urban area is their fast changing nature with respect to their size, form, density and activity. This dynamism stems out of the basic functions of economic, social and cultural developments. The complexity and multiplicity of urban activities gives rise to a variety of environmental problems. Given their different level of economic and social development and the geography, not all the cities have identical problems, yet they have much in common. While the large cities of developed countries have long suffered the problem of pollution, inner city decay and neighborhood collapse, those in the less developed countries face more varied complex problems due to their overpopulation, poverty, inadequacy and poor quality of urban services, infrastructure, transportation, and changing life style. However the increasing pollution is common to the most of the cities and is the major cause of environmental degradation. Given the very serious nature of this problem it is essential to tackle this issue by incorporating the environmental concerns in the education system of Pakistan. This paper would give a brief overview of the environmental problems, and a detailed analysis of the status environmental issues in Pakistan. (author)

Extension of lattice cluster theory to strongly interacting, self-assembling polymeric systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Freed, Karl F

2009-02-14

A new extension of the lattice cluster theory is developed to describe the influence of monomer structure and local correlations on the free energy of strongly interacting and self-assembling polymer systems. This extension combines a systematic high dimension (1/d) and high temperature expansion (that is appropriate for weakly interacting systems) with a direct treatment of strong interactions. The general theory is illustrated for a binary polymer blend whose two components contain "sticky" donor and acceptor groups, respectively. The free energy is determined as an explicit function of the donor-acceptor contact probabilities that depend, in turn, on the local structure and both the strong and weak interactions.

Short-term alteration of biotic and abiotic components of the pelagic system in a shallow bay produced by a strong natural hypoxia event

Science.gov (United States)

Veas, Rodrigo; Anabalón, Valeria; Quiñones, Renato A.

2017-01-01

In January 2008 there was an intensive and extensive upwelling event in the southern Humboldt Current System. This event produced an intrusion of water with low dissolved oxygen into Coliumo Bay, which caused massive mortality and the beaching of pelagic and benthic organisms, including zooplankton. During this event, which lasted 3 to 5 days, we studied and evaluated the effect of the hypoxic water in the bay on the abundance of macrozooplankton, nanoplankton and microphytoplankton, the concentration of several nutrients and hydrographic conditions. At the beginning of the hypoxia event the water column had very low dissolved oxygen concentrations (oxygen minimum zone from the Humboldt Current System. Redox, pH, nitrate, phosphate, silicate and chlorophyll-a values were the lowest, while nitrate and the phaeopigment values were the highest. The N:P ratio was below 16, and the abundance of nano- and microphytoplankton were at their lowest, the latter also with the lowest proportion of live organisms. Macrozooplankton had the greatest abundance during hypoxia, dominated mainly by crustacean, fish eggs and amphipods. The hypoxia event generated a strong short-term alteration of all biotic and abiotic components of the pelagic system in Coliumo Bay and the neighboring coastal zone. These negative effects associated with strong natural hypoxia events could have important consequences for the productivity and ecosystem functioning of the coastal zone of the Humboldt Current System if, as suggested by several models, winds favorable to upwelling should increase due to climate change. The effects of natural hypoxia in this coastal zone can be dramatic especially for pelagic and benthic species not adapted to endure conditions of low dissolved oxygen. PMID:28715447

Equation of state of strongly coupled plasma mixtures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DeWitt, H.E.

1984-01-01

Thermodynamic properties of strongly coupled (high density) plasmas of mixtures of light elements have been obtained by Monte Carlo simulations. For an assumed uniform charge background the equation of state of ionic mixtures is a simple extension of the one-component plasma EOS. More realistic electron screening effects are treated in linear response theory and with an appropriate electron dielectric function. Results have been obtained for the ionic pair distribution functions, and for the electric microfield distribution

Pulsed Laser Deposition of Polymers Doped with Fluorescent Probes. Application to Environmental Sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rebollar, E; Villavieja, Mm; Gaspard, S; Oujja, M; Corrales, T; Georgiou, S; Domingo, C; Bosch, P; Castillejo, M

2007-01-01

Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) has been used to obtain thin films of poly(methyl methacrylate) and polystyrene doped with fluorescent probes, amino aromatic compounds S5 and S6, that could be used to sense the presence of contaminating environmental agents. These dopants both in solution and inserted in polymeric films are sensitive to changes in pH, viscosity and polarity, increasing their fluorescence emission and/or modifying the position of their emission band. Films deposits on quartz substrates, obtained by irradiating targets with a Ti:Sapphire laser (800 nm, 120 fs pulse) were analyzed by optical and Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fluorescence Microscopy, Laser-Induced Fluorescence, Micro Raman Spectroscopy and Flow Injection Analysis-Mass Spectrometry. The transfer of the polymer and the probe to the substrate is observed to be strongly dependent on the optical absorption coefficient of the polymeric component of the target at the irradiation wavelength

The Use of Principal Components in Long-Range Forecasting

Science.gov (United States)

Chern, Jonq-Gong

Large-scale modes of the global sea surface temperatures and the Northern Hemisphere tropospheric circulation are described by principal component analysis. The first and the second SST components well describe the El Nino episodes, and the El Nino index (ENI), suggested in this study, is consistent with the winter Southern Oscillation index (SOI), where this ENI is a composite component of the weighted first and second SST components. The large-scale interactive modes of the coupling ocean-atmosphere system are identified by cross-correlation analysis The result shows that the first SST component is strongly correlated with the first component of geopotential height in lead time of 6 months. In the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) evolution, the El Nino mode strongly influences the winter tropospheric circulation in the mid -latitudes for up to three leading seasons. The regional long-range variation of climate is investigated with these major components of the SST and the tropospheric circulation. In the mid-latitude, the climate of the central United States shows a weak linkage with these large-scale circulations, and the climate of the western United States appears to be consistently associated with the ENSO modes. These El Nino modes also show a dominant influence on Eastern Asia as evidenced in Taiwan Mei-Yu patterns. Possible regional long-range forecasting schemes, utilizing the complementary characteristics of the winter El Nino mode and SST anomalies, are examined with the Taiwan Mei-Yu.

Environmental testing techniques for electronics and materials

CERN Document Server

Dummer, Geoffrey W A; Fry, D W; Higinbotham, W

2013-01-01

Environmental Testing Techniques for Electronics and Materials reviews environmental testing techniques for evaluating the performance of electronic equipment, components, and materials. Environmental test planning, test methods, and instrumentation are described, along with the general environmental conditions under which equipment must operate. This book is comprised of 15 chapters and begins by explaining why environmental testing is necessary and describing the environment in which electronics must operate. The next chapter considers how an environmental test plan is designed; the methods

Mechanisms of molecular electronic rectification through electronic levels with strong vibrational coupling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kuznetsov, A.M.; Ulstrup, Jens

2002-01-01

We present a new view and an analytical formalism of electron flow through a donor-acceptor molecule inserted between a pair of metal electrodes. The donor and acceptor levels are strongly coupled to an environmental nuclear continuum. The formalism applies to molecular donor-acceptor systems bot...

Analysis of the Environmental Impact on Remanufacturing Wind Turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Sosa Skrainka, Manuel R.

To deliver clean energy the use of wind turbines is essential. In June 2011 there was an installed wind capacity equivalent to 211,000MW world-wide (WWEA, 2011). By the end of the year 2009 the U.S. had 35,100MW of wind energy installed capacity to generate electricity (AWEA, 2010). This industry has grown in recent years and is expected to grow even more in the future. The environmental impacts that will arise from the increased number of wind turbines and their end-of-life should be addressed, as large amounts of resources will be required to satisfy the current and future market demands for wind turbines. Since future 10MW wind turbines are expected to be as heavy as 1000 tons each, the study of the environmental response of profitable retirement strategies, such as remanufacturing for these machines, must be considered. Because of the increased number of wind turbines and the materials used, this study provides a comparison between the environmental impacts from remanufacturing the components installed inside the nacelle of multi-megawatt wind turbines and wind turbines manufactured using new components. The study methodology is the following: • Describe the life-cycle and the materials and processes employed for the manufacture and remanufacturing for components inside the nacelle. • Identify remanufacturing alternatives for the components inside the nacelle at the end of the expected life-time service of wind turbines. • Evaluate the environmental impacts from the remanufactured components and compare the results with the impacts of the manufacturing of new components using SimaPro. • Conduct sensitivity analysis over the critical parameters of the life cycle assessment • Propose the most environmentally friendly options for the retirement of each major component of wind turbines. After an analysis of the scenarios the goal of the study is to evaluate remanufacturing as an end-of-life option from an environmental perspective for commercial multi

Environmental species sorting dominates forest-bird community assembly across scales

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Özkan, Korhan; Svenning, J.-C.; Jeppesen, Erik

2013-01-01

species richness and composition within the metacommunity. Second, we analysed species' abundance–occupancy relationship across the metacommunity and used null models to assess whether occupancy is determined by species' environmental niches. Third, we used generalized linear models to test for links...... between species' metacommunity-wide occupancy and their broader WP regional populations and assessed whether these links are consistent with environmental species sorting. There was strong environmental control on local species richness and composition patterns within the metacommunity, but non......-environmental spatial factors had also an important joint role. Null model analyses on randomized communities showed that species' occupancy across the metacommunity was strongly determined by species' environmental niches, with occupancy being related to niche position marginality. Species' metacommunity...

Wigner functions for fermions in strong magnetic fields

Science.gov (United States)

Sheng, Xin-li; Rischke, Dirk H.; Vasak, David; Wang, Qun

2018-02-01

We compute the covariant Wigner function for spin-(1/2) fermions in an arbitrarily strong magnetic field by exactly solving the Dirac equation at non-zero fermion-number and chiral-charge densities. The Landau energy levels as well as a set of orthonormal eigenfunctions are found as solutions of the Dirac equation. With these orthonormal eigenfunctions we construct the fermion field operators and the corresponding Wigner-function operator. The Wigner function is obtained by taking the ensemble average of the Wigner-function operator in global thermodynamical equilibrium, i.e., at constant temperature T and non-zero fermion-number and chiral-charge chemical potentials μ and μ_5, respectively. Extracting the vector and axial-vector components of the Wigner function, we reproduce the currents of the chiral magnetic and separation effect in an arbitrarily strong magnetic field.

Combined Thermomechanical and Environmental Durability of Environmental Barrier Coating Systems on SiC/SiC Ceramic Matrix Composites

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Dongming; Harder, Bryan; Bhatt, Ramakrishna

2016-01-01

Environmental barrier coatings (EBCs) and SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) will play a crucial role in next generation turbine engines for hot-section component applications. The development of prime-reliant environmental barrier coatings is essential to the EBC-CMC system durability, ensuring the successful implementations of the high temperature and lightweight engine component technologies for engine applications.This paper will emphasize recent NASA environmental barrier coating and CMC developments for SiC/SiC turbine airfoil components, utilizing advanced coating compositions and processing methods. The emphasis has been particularly placed on thermomechanical and environment durability evaluations of EBC-CMC systems. We have also addressed the integration of the EBCs with advanced SiC/SiC CMCs, and studied the effects of combustion environments and Calcium-Magnesium-Alumino-Silicate (CMAS) deposits on the durability of the EBC-CMC systems under thermal gradient and mechanical loading conditions. Advanced environmental barrier coating systems, including multicomponent rare earth silicate EBCs and HfO2-Si based bond coats, will be discussed for the performance improvements to achieve better temperature capability and CMAS resistance for future engine operating conditions.

Observational Evidences for Multi-component Magnetic Field ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

explanation. The field strengths are about ±1.05kG in the background .... The simplest test of the presence of unresolved magnetic fields consists of a com- .... in the area of the strong field component the Doppler half width of the line profiles is.

DETECTION OF FORBIDDEN LINE COMPONENTS OF LITHIUM-LIKE CARBON IN STELLAR SPECTRA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Werner, Klaus; Rauch, Thomas; Hoyer, Denny [Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Kepler Center for Astro and Particle Physics, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Sand 1, D-72076 Tübingen (Germany); Quinet, Pascal [Physique Atomique et Astrophysique, Université de Mons—UMONS, B-7000 Mons (Belgium)

2016-08-10

We report the first identification of forbidden line components from an element heavier than helium in the spectrum of astrophysical plasmas. So far, these components were identified only in laboratory plasmas and not in astrophysical objects. Forbidden components are well known for neutral helium lines in hot stars, particularly in helium-rich post-AGB stars and white dwarfs. We discovered that two hitherto unidentified lines in the ultraviolet spectra of hot hydrogen-deficient (pre-) white dwarfs can be identified as forbidden line components of triply ionized carbon (C iv). The forbidden components (3p–4f and 3d–4d) appear in the blue and red wings of the strong, Stark broadened 3p–4d and 3d–4f lines at 1108 Å and 1169 Å, respectively. They are visible over a wide effective temperature range (60,000–200,000 K) in helium-rich (DO) white dwarfs and PG 1159 stars that have strongly oversolar carbon abundances.

How strong and generalisable is the Generation Y effect?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mueller, Simone; Remaud, Hervé; Chabin, Yann

2011-01-01

Purpose – This study aims to investigate how strongly Generation Y consumers differ in their values, attitudes and wine and alcoholic beverage consumption behaviour from older generations. The comparison spans seven culturally different markets. Design/methodology/approach – Large representative...... alcoholic beverage consumption. A number of noticeable differences appeared between countries: wine involvement and consumption increases with age in traditional European wine markets, while they decrease in North America; environmental concerns and purchase channel usage hardly differ between generations...

Supporting multi-stakeholder environmental decisions.

Science.gov (United States)

Hajkowicz, Stefan A

2008-09-01

This paper examines how multiple criteria analysis (MCA) can be used to support multi-stakeholder environmental management decisions. It presents a study through which 48 stakeholders from environmental, primary production and community interest groups used MCA to prioritise 30 environmental management problems in the Mackay-Whitsunday region of Queensland, Australia. The MCA model, with procedures for aggregating multi-stakeholder output, was used to inform a final decision on the priority of the region's environmental management problems. The result was used in the region's environmental management plan as required under Australia's Natural Heritage Trust programme. The study shows how relatively simple MCA methods can help stakeholders make group decisions, even when they hold strongly conflicting preferences.

THE ENERGY COMPONENT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY: UKRAINE IN THE MIRROR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Kharlamova

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Energy security is important for any state. It is important for the state’s environment and economy. Ukraine is an energy dependent state, as well as an import-energy dependent one. The paper is devoted to the statistical analyses of Ukrainian energy sector from the position of its world representation. The purpose of this research is on the base of statistical analysis of current internal and external trends in the energy sector of Ukraine to consider possible mechanisms to stimulate and accelerate environmental-friendly energy security of Ukraine. Main objectives: to trace the dynamics of world and Ukrainian main energy indicators in the synergy with the state energy security index; to cluster launched efficiency-targeted energy projects in Ukraine in geoindustry aspect. Analyses of dynamics of energetic vs environmental performance of Ukraine in 2000–2014 world ranks shows that being in low segment of world rankings on aspects of energy and environmental security, Ukraine shows positive tendencies to the improvement, however with slow steps. In order to identify the most promising and most attractive sector of the economy in Ukraine to investors we held grouping of current launching energy-efficient projects in the aspect of industries and sectors where energy-efficient technologies operate. The rank analyses depicted that the most popular among economic sectors for energyefficiency investments are enterprises of agriculture and consumer goods industry, and the most attractive regions of Ukraine for implementation of investments in energy efficient technologies are Ivano-Frankivsk, Luhansk and Kherson oblasts.

Relationships between structure of the tree component and environmental variables in a subtropical seasonal forest in the upper Uruguay River valley, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Máida Ariane de Mélo

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to analyze relationships among the structure of the tree component, edaphic variables and canopy discontinuity along a toposequence in a seasonal upland (hillside forest in southern Brazil. Soil and vegetation were sampled in 25 plots of 20 × 20 m each. We described the vegetation in terms of structure, richness and diversity, as well as by species distribution patterns. We evaluated canopy continuity, determined sloping and calculated spatial coordinates. We applied partial canonical correspondence analysis (pCCA to determine whether species distribution correlated with environmental and spatial variables. We identified 1201 individuals belonging to 76 species within 30 families. The species with highest density and frequency were Gymnanthes concolor Spreng., Calyptranthes tricona D.Legrand, Eugenia moraviana O.Berg and Trichilia claussenii DC. The pCCAs indicated significant correlations with environmental and spatial variables. Sand content, boron content and soil density collectively explained 36.17% of the species matrix variation (total inertia, whereas the spatial variables x, y and xy² collectively explained 14.27%. The interaction between environmental and spatial variables explained nearly 4.5%. However, 45.05% remained unexplained, attributed to stochastic variation or unmeasured variables. Terrain morphology and canopy discontinuity had no apparent influence on richness, and changes in species distribution were correlated with sloping, which affects soil features and determines the directional distribution of some species.

Evaluation of runaway-electron effects on plasma-facing components for NET

Science.gov (United States)

Bolt, H.; Calén, H.

1991-03-01

Runaway electrons which are generated during disruptions can cause serious damage to plasma facing components in a next generation device like NET. A study was performed to quantify the response of NET plasma facing components to runaway-electron impact. For the determination of the energy deposition in the component materials Monte Carlo computations were performed. Since the subsurface metal structures can be strongly heated under runaway-electron impact from the computed results damage threshold values for the thermal excursions were derived. These damage thresholds are strongly dependent on the materials selection and the component design. For a carbonmolybdenum divertor with 10 and 20 mm carbon armour thickness and 1 degree electron incidence the damage thresholds are 100 MJ/m 2 and 220 MJ/m 2. The thresholds for a carbon-copper divertor under the same conditions are about 50% lower. On the first wall damage is anticipated for energy depositions above 180 MJ/m 2.

Measuring processes with opto-electronic semiconductor components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-01-01

This is a report on the state of commercially available semiconductor emitters and detectors for the visible, near, middle and remote infrared range. A survey is given on the distance, speed, flow and length measuring techniques using opto-electronic components. Automatic focussing, the use of light barriers, non-contact temperature measurements, spectroscopic gas, liquid and environmental measurement techniques and gas analysis in medical techniques show further applications of the new components. The modern concept of guided radiation in optical fibres and their use in system technology is briefly explained. (DG) [de

Environmental radioactivity at Machu Picchu Scientific Station

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gonzales, S; Osores, J; Jara, R [Direccion General de Seguridad Radiologica, Instituto Peruano de Energia Nuclear, Lima (Peru)

1998-07-01

Studies on environmental radioactivity at the Peruvian Scientific Station were carried out in the last two austral summer periods. The main objective of this study is to establish an environmental radiological monitoring program for evaluating environmental components and achieving a baseline study related to artificial and natural radioactivity levels. For this purpose, samples such as seaweeds, mosses, lichens, soil seawater, ice, marine sediment and underground water were collected from the area surrounding the station starting from Punta Crepin to Playa Inca and Playa Naylamp; then they were pre-conditioned in Machu Picchu Station and were sent to the Environmental Radioactivity laboratory of 'Racso' Peruvian Nuclear Center to conduct beta and gamma spectrometry. The Obtained results showed the presence of Cs-137 in geological components (soil and sediment) and in biological components (lichens and mosses). Nevertheless, those levels seem to be in a range of normal fluctuations after atmospheric nuclear testing and they are not considered to be dangerous to the ecosystem of the Antarctic Region. On the other hand, high concentration of Be-7 has been detected in seaweed and lichens. Other natural radionuclide detected were Ra-226, Bi-214 and K-40.

Environmental radioactivity at Machu Picchu Scientific Station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzales, S.; Osores, J.; Jara, R.

1998-01-01

Studies on environmental radioactivity at the Peruvian Scientific Station were carried out in the last two austral summer periods. The main objective of this study is to establish an environmental radiological monitoring program for evaluating environmental components and achieving a baseline study related to artificial and natural radioactivity levels. For this purpose, samples such as seaweeds, mosses, lichens, soil seawater, ice, marine sediment and underground water were collected from the area surrounding the station starting from Punta Crepin to Playa Inca and Playa Naylamp; then they were pre-conditioned in Machu Picchu Station and were sent to the Environmental Radioactivity laboratory of 'Racso' Peruvian Nuclear Center to conduct beta and gamma spectrometry. The Obtained results showed the presence of Cs-137 in geological components (soil and sediment) and in biological components (lichens and mosses). Nevertheless, those levels seem to be in a range of normal fluctuations after atmospheric nuclear testing and they are not considered to be dangerous to the ecosystem of the Antarctic Region. On the other hand, high concentration of Be-7 has been detected in seaweed and lichens. Other natural radionuclide detected were Ra-226, Bi-214 and K-40

Decentralized environmental governance

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

Tula

Human Development, a Road to the. Future. Systematization of ... Opportunities for Sustainability and Natural Resources Access for Poor. Rural Areas ... natural resource management. Under this ... Governance is defined as the formal and informal ... approval of the Environmental Impact Study, the strong oppo- sition of the ...

Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke from husband more strongly impacts on the airway obstruction of nonsmoking women

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suyama K

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Kazuaki Suyama, Ryo Kozu, Takako Tanaka, Yuji Ishimatsu, Terumitsu Sawai Department of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Science, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan Background: The impact of airway obstruction of nonsmoking women caused by their husband’s smoking is unclear, despite the association between environmental tobacco smoke (ETS exposure at home and obstructive pulmonary diseases among nonsmoking women. The aim of this study was to provide evidence that ETS exposure from the husband at home has a more significant influence on the airway obstruction of nonsmoking women than other housemates. Participants and methods: Nonsmoking women aged 40 years or older were recruited from the health checkup during May 2015–December 2016, Japan. They answered structured questionnaires, including ETS exposure from their husbands and other housemates (parents, siblings and dependants, and performed spirometry. We categorized the women with any history of ETS exposure from housemates into three groups (A = husband, B = others and C = both of husband and others and defined the control group as those with no ETS exposure from housemates. Results: A total of 811 nonsmoking women completed questionnaires and spirometry. The proportion of nonsmoking women who had airway obstruction (forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1]/forced vital capacity [FVC] <70% among Group A (7.5% was significantly higher than those in the control group (1.1%, p<0.01 and Group B (0.8%, p<0.01. The proportion of airway obstruction in Group C (6.4% was also higher than that in the control group (p<0.05 and Group B (p<0.05. ETS exposure from husband (odds ratio [OR], 3.53; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.48–8.42 remained strongly associated with airway obstruction after multiple logistic regression analysis, adjusting for age, housemate’s smoking habits, family history and ETS exposure in childhood and at work. Conclusion: Nonsmoking

INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IN TREE COMPONENT OF FOREST FRAGMENTS IN SÃO FRANCISCO DE PAULA - RIO GRANDE DO SUL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniele Guarienti Rorato

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to characterize the influence of the soil and topography in the tree component of the fragments, in around the Divisa Reservoir, in the region of the Campos de Cima da Serra, Southern Brazil. The vegetation survey was conducted in four fragments, with each plot (10 x 20 m performed the identification and measurement of the circumference at breast height (CAP of subjects with CAP ≥ 30 cm. The vegetation data were subjected to cluster analysis. In addition, environmental variables were obtained as an average slope of plots and soil samples at 0-20 cm depth. The correlation between vegetation data and environmental data was performed by means of Canonical Correspondence Analysis. The soil physical characteristics showed no influence on the groups formed and species. In the geldings, the constant presence of cattle influenced negatively the structure of the understory, as well as the chemical characteristics of the soil. Aluminium and aluminum saturation have higher influenced on the predominant species of riparian vegetation as influenced copper and sulfur species present in geldings. Species such as Araucaria angustifolia, Eugenia uruguayensis, Blepharocalyx salicifolius, Calyptranthes concinna, Lithraea brasiliensis, Myrsine coriacea, Ocotea pulchella and Sebastiania commersoniana are adapted to riparian and can be used in the recovery and enrichment of these environments.

Femoral component loosening after hip resurfacing arthroplasty

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zustin, Jozef; Sauter, Guido; Hahn, Michael; Morlock, Michael M.; Ruether, Wolfgang; Amling, Michael

2010-01-01

Before the re-introduction of the current generation of total hip resurfacing arthroplasty, component loosening and osteolysis were of great concern to the orthopaedic community. Early, mid- and long-term clinical results are encouraging, but component loosening still exists. Macroscopic, contact radiographic and histopathological analyses after undecalcified preparation of bone tissue specimens were performed. To investigate the frequency and morphological patterns of the loosening of the femoral component, we analysed a series of 190 retrieved femoral remnants that were revised for aseptic failures. Thirty-five (18.4%) hips were revised for clinical and/or radiographic loosening of the femoral component. Pseudoarthrosis (n = 17; median in situ time: 16 weeks, interquartile range [IQR]: 9 to 34), collapsed osteonecrosis (n = 5; median in situ time: 79 weeks, IQR: 63 to 97), cement-socket debonding (n = 3; median in situ time: 89 weeks, IQR: 54 to 97) and at later follow-up bone-cement loosening (n = 10; median in situ time: 175 weeks; IQR 112 to 198; p =0.005) were distinct patterns of the femoral remnant-implant loosening. Fibrocartilaginous metaplasia of interface bone trabeculae (n = 38; median in situ time: 61 weeks, IQR: 32 to 138) was strongly associated with femoral component loosening (p = 0.009). Both the trabecular hyperosteoidosis (n = 32; median in situ time: 71 weeks, IQR 50 to 129) and excessive intraosseous lymphocyte infiltration (n = 12; median in situ time: 75 weeks, IQR 51 to 98) at the bone-cement interface correlated strongly with fibrocartilaginous metaplasia (p = 0.001 and p = 0.016 respectively) and all three lesions were associated with the female gender (p = 0.021, p = 0.009, and p = 0.051). Femoral component loosening at early follow-up was mostly caused by pathological changes of the femoral remnant bone tissue: pseudoarthrosis and collapsed osteonecrosis. Fibrocartilaginous metaplasia was frequently observed in hips with femoral

Environmental health literacy in support of social action: an environmental justice perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

White, Brandi M; Hall, Eric S; Johnson, Cheryl

2014-01-01

Different demographic groups in the U.S. experience unequal exposures to environmental hazards, i.e., 56% of the population in neighborhoods containing commercial waste facilities are people of color, with the associated poverty rates in those communities being 50% higher than in neighborhoods without commercial waste facilities. Developing programs to educate communities about environmental hazards affecting their health and quality of life is an essential component for a community to understand their true risk. The study described in this article examined the risk of environmental hazards as perceived by public housing residents and assessed the residents' preference for educational programs on environmental hazards. Residents perceived their risk factors in a broad context and they included environmental health risks caused by pollutants along with physical safety concerns from crime and law enforcement interactions. The most trusted sources of information on environmental health include community organizations, trusted individuals in the community, and television programs. Recommendations for developing community-specific environmental health education programs include using sources of environmental health information that community members trust.

Abundance and biomass responses of microbial food web components to hydrology and environmental gradients within a floodplain of the River Danube.

Science.gov (United States)

Palijan, Goran

2012-07-01

This study investigated the relationships of time-dependent hydrological variability and selected microbial food web components. Samples were collected monthly from the Kopački Rit floodplain in Croatia, over a period of 19 months, for analysis of bacterioplankton abundance, cell size and biomass; abundance of heterotrophic nanoflagellates and nanophytoplankton; and concentration of chlorophyll a. Similar hydrological variability at different times of the year enabled partition of seasonal effects from hydrological changes on microbial community properties. The results suggested that, unlike some other studies investigating sites with different connectivity, bacterioplankton abundance, and phytoplankton abundance and biomass increased during lentic conditions. At increasing water level, nanophytoplankton showed lower sensitivity to disturbance in comparison with total phytoplankton biomass: this could prolong autotrophic conditions within the floodplain. Bacterioplankton biomass, unlike phytoplankton, was not impacted by hydrology. The bacterial biomass less affected by hydrological changes can be an important additional food component for the floodplain food web. The results also suggested a mechanism controlling bacterial cell size independent of hydrology, as bacterial cell size was significantly decreased as nanoflagellate abundance increased. Hydrology, regardless of seasonal sucession, has the potential to structure microbial food webs, supporting microbial development during lentic conditions. Conversely, other components appear unaffected by hydrology or may be more strongly controlled by biotic interactions. This research, therefore, adds to understanding on microbial food web interactions in the context of flood and flow pulses in river-floodplain ecosystems.

Technical guidelines for environmental dredging of contaminated sediments

Science.gov (United States)

2008-09-01

This report provides technical guidelines for evaluating : environmental dredging as a sediment remedy component. This document : supports the Contaminated Sediment Remediation Guidance for : Hazardous Waste Sites, released by the U.S. Environmental ...

Commissioning of qualification of structures, systems and components for seismic and environmental loads of CIRENE nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bianchi, A.; Gatti, F.; Muzzi, F.; Zola, M.; De Pasquali, F.

1993-01-01

On behalf of the Italian National Electricity Board (ENEL) concerning the commissioning of qualification of structures, systems and components of CIRENE NPP, ISMES performed a technical surveillance on the documentation concerning the environmental and seismic qualification of the safety related systems and experimental activities (dynamic and static tests) on plant buildings. The aims of the work were: - the evaluation of the qualification carried out (by test, by analysis, by combination of analysis and test) on the equipment and system, compared with the requirements of the ENEL technical specifications and the most recent international regulations; - the experimental determination of modal quantities (frequencies, damping, mode shapes) of the structures and, in the case of reactor building, the complex impedance of the soil for supporting the analytical work. The present paper deals with the criteria, the system and the results concerning the technical surveillance and with the characteristics and the results of the experimental tests

The Pregnancy Exposome: Multiple Environmental Exposures in the INMA-Sabadell Birth Cohort.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Oliver; Basagaña, Xavier; Agier, Lydiane; de Castro, Montserrat; Hernandez-Ferrer, Carles; Gonzalez, Juan R; Grimalt, Joan O; Nieuwenhuijsen, Mark; Sunyer, Jordi; Slama, Rémy; Vrijheid, Martine

2015-09-01

The "exposome" is defined as "the totality of human environmental exposures from conception onward, complementing the genome" and its holistic approach may advance understanding of disease etiology. We aimed to describe the correlation structure of the exposome during pregnancy to better understand the relationships between and within families of exposure and to develop analytical tools appropriate to exposome data. Estimates on 81 environmental exposures of current health concern were obtained for 728 women enrolled in The INMA (INfancia y Medio Ambiente) birth cohort, in Sabadell, Spain, using biomonitoring, geospatial modeling, remote sensors, and questionnaires. Pair-wise Pearson's and polychoric correlations were calculated and principal components were derived. The median absolute correlation across all exposures was 0.06 (5th-95th centiles, 0.01-0.54). There were strong levels of correlation within families of exposure (median = 0.45, 5th-95th centiles, 0.07-0.85). Nine exposures (11%) had a correlation higher than 0.5 with at least one exposure outside their exposure family. Effectively all the variance in the data set (99.5%) was explained by 40 principal components. Future exposome studies should interpret exposure effects in light of their correlations to other exposures. The weak to moderate correlation observed between exposure families will permit adjustment for confounding in future exposome studies.

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

OpenAIRE

Hammond, Geoffrey P.; Li, Bo

2016-01-01

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

Inland Waterway Environmental Safety

Science.gov (United States)

Reshnyak, Valery; Sokolov, Sergey; Nyrkov, Anatoliy; Budnik, Vlad

2018-05-01

The article presents the results of development of the main components of the environmental safety when operating vessels on inland waterways, which include strategy selection ensuring the environmental safety of vessels, the selection and justification of a complex of environmental technical means, activities to ensure operation of vessels taking into account the environmental technical means. Measures to ensure environmental safety are developed on the basis of the principles aimed at ensuring environmental safety of vessels. They include the development of strategies for the use of environmental protection equipment, which are determined by the conditions for wastewater treatment of purified sewage and oily bilge water as well as technical characteristics of the vessels, the introduction of the process of the out-of-the-vessel processing of ship pollution as a technology for their movement. This must take into account the operating conditions of vessels on different sections of waterways. An algorithm of actions aimed at ensuring ecological safety of operated vessels is proposed.

Sensitivity analysis of uranium solubility under strongly oxidizing conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, L.; Neretnieks, I.

1999-01-01

To evaluate the effect of geochemical conditions in the repository on the solubility of uranium under strongly oxidizing conditions, a mathematical model has been developed to determine the solubility, by utilizing a set of nonlinear algebraic equations to describe the chemical equilibria in the groundwater environment. The model takes into account the predominant precipitation-dissolution reactions, hydrolysis reactions and complexation reactions that may occur under strongly oxidizing conditions. The model also includes the solubility-limiting solids induced by the presence of carbonate, phosphate, silicate, calcium, and sodium in the groundwater. The thermodynamic equilibrium constants used in the solubility calculations are essentially taken from the NEA Thermochemical Data Base of Uranium, with some modification and some uranium minerals added, such as soddyite, rutherfordite, uranophane, uranyl orthophosphate, and becquerelite. By applying this model, the sensitivities of uranium solubility to variations in the concentrations of various groundwater component species are systematically investigated. The results show that the total analytical concentrations of carbonate, phosphate, silicate, and calcium in deep groundwater play the most important role in determining the solubility of uranium under strongly oxidizing conditions

Simulated Space Environmental Effects on Thin Film Solar Array Components

Science.gov (United States)

Finckenor, Miria; Carr, John; SanSoucie, Michael; Boyd, Darren; Phillips, Brandon

2017-01-01

The Lightweight Integrated Solar Array and Transceiver (LISA-T) experiment consists of thin-film, low mass, low volume solar panels. Given the variety of thin solar cells and cover materials and the lack of environmental protection typically afforded by thick coverglasses, a series of tests were conducted in Marshall Space Flight Center's Space Environmental Effects Facility to evaluate the performance of these materials. Candidate thin polymeric films and nitinol wires used for deployment were also exposed. Simulated space environment exposures were selected based on SSP 30425 rev. B, "Space Station Program Natural Environment Definition for Design" or AIAA Standard S-111A-2014, "Qualification and Quality Requirements for Space Solar Cells." One set of candidate materials were exposed to 5 eV atomic oxygen and concurrent vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation for low Earth orbit simulation. A second set of materials were exposed to 1 MeV electrons. A third set of samples were exposed to 50, 100, 500, and 700 keV energy protons, and a fourth set were exposed to >2,000 hours of near ultraviolet (NUV) radiation. A final set was rapidly thermal cycled between -55 and +125degC. This test series provides data on enhanced power generation, particularly for small satellites with reduced mass and volume resources. Performance versus mass and cost per Watt is discussed.

<strong>Mini-project>

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Katajainen, Jyrki

2008-01-01

In this project the goal is to develop the safe * family of containers for the CPH STL. The containers to be developed should be safer and more reliable than any of the existing implementations. A special focus should be put on strong exception safety since none of the existing prototypes available...

Assessing the Effects of Grassland Management on Forage Production and Environmental Quality to Identify Paths to Ecological Intensification in Mountain Grasslands.

Science.gov (United States)

Loucougaray, Grégory; Dobremez, Laurent; Gos, Pierre; Pauthenet, Yves; Nettier, Baptiste; Lavorel, Sandra

2015-11-01

Ecological intensification in grasslands can be regarded as a process for increasing forage production while maintaining high levels of ecosystem functions and biodiversity. In the mountain Vercors massif, where dairy cattle farming is the main component of agriculture, how to achieve forage autonomy at farm level while sustaining environmental quality for tourism and local dairy products has recently stimulated local debate. As specific management is one of the main drivers of ecosystem functioning, we assessed the response of forage production and environmental quality at grassland scale across a wide range of management practices. We aimed to determine which components of management can be harnessed to better match forage production and environmental quality. We sampled the vegetation of 51 grasslands stratified across 13 grassland types. We assessed each grassland for agronomic and environmental properties, measuring forage production, forage quality, and indices based on the abundance of particular plant species such as timing flexibility, apiarian potential, and aromatic plants. Our results revealed an expected trade-off between forage production and environmental quality, notably by stressing the contrasts between sown and permanent grasslands. However, strong within-type variability in both production and environmental quality as well as in flexibility of timing of use suggests possible ways to improve this trade-off at grassland and farm scales. As achieving forage autonomy relies on increasing both forage production and grassland resilience, our results highlight the critical role of the ratio between sown and permanent grasslands as a major path for ecological intensification in mountain grasslands.

Designing environmental campaigns by using agent-based simulations: strategies for changing environmental attitudes.

Science.gov (United States)

Mosler, Hans-Joachim; Martens, Thomas

2008-09-01

Agent-based computer simulation was used to create artificial communities in which each individual was constructed according to the principles of the elaboration likelihood model of Petty and Cacioppo [1986. The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion. In: Berkowitz, L. (Ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology. Academic Press, New York, NY, pp. 123-205]. Campaigning strategies and community characteristics were varied systematically to understand and test their impact on attitudes towards environmental protection. The results show that strong arguments influence a green (environmentally concerned) population with many contacts most effectively, while peripheral cues have the greatest impact on a non-green population with fewer contacts. Overall, deeper information scrutiny increases the impact of strong arguments but is especially important for convincing green populations. Campaigns involving person-to-person communication are superior to mass-media campaigns because they can be adapted to recipients' characteristics.

Influence of environmental variables on the shrub and tree species distribution in two Semideciduous Forest sites in Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Pinto, Sheila Isabel do C; Martins, Sebastião V; de Barros, Nairam F; Dias, Herly Carlos T; Kunz, Sustanis H

2008-09-01

The floristic variations of shrub and tree components were studied in two sites of Semideciduous Forest, initial forest and mature forest, located in the Mata do Paraíso Forest Reserve, in Viçosa, State of Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil, in order to analyze the floristic similarity and the correlations between environmental variables and the distribution of tree species in these forests. Individual trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) > or = 4.8 cm were sampled in twenty 10 x 30 m plots (10 plots in each site). The plots were distributed systematically at 10 m intervals. The environmental variables analyzed were: the canopy openness and soil chemical and texture characteristics. The two forest sites showed clear differences in the levels of canopy openness and soil fertility, factors that reflect the floristic and successional differences of the shrub and tree component, revealed by the low similarity between these forests by cluster analysis. The canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) of environmental variables and species abundance indicated that the species in these forests studied are distributed under strong influence of canopy openness, moisture and soil fertility.

Encouraging pro-environmental behaviour : An integrative review and research agenda

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Steg, L.; Vlek, C.A.J.

Environmental quality strongly depends on human behaviour patterns. We review the contribution and the potential of environmental psychology for understanding and promoting pro-environmental behaviour A general framework is proposed, comprising: (1) identification of the behaviour to be changed, (2)

Which environmental factors most strongly influence a street's appeal for bicycle transport among adults? A conjoint study using manipulated photographs.

Science.gov (United States)

Mertens, Lieze; Van Dyck, Delfien; Ghekiere, Ariane; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse; Deforche, Benedicte; Van de Weghe, Nico; Van Cauwenberg, Jelle

2016-09-01

Micro-environmental factors (specific features within a streetscape), instead of macro-environmental factors (urban planning features), are more feasible to modify in existing neighborhoods and thus more practical to target for environmental interventions. Because it is often not possible to change the whole micro-environment at once, the current study aims to determine which micro-environmental factors should get the priority to target in physical environmental interventions increasing bicycle transport. Additionally, interaction effects among micro-environmental factors on the street's appeal for bicycle transport will be determined. In total, 1950 middle-aged adults completed a web-based questionnaire consisting of a set of 12 randomly assigned choice tasks with manipulated photographs. Seven micro-environmental factors (type of cycle path, speed limit, speed bump, vegetation, evenness of the cycle path surface, general upkeep and traffic density) were manipulated in each photograph. Conjoint analysis was used to analyze the data. Providing streets with a cycle path separated from motorized traffic seems to be the best strategy to increase the street's appeal for adults' bicycle transport. If this adjustment is not practically feasible, micro-environmental factors related to safety (i.e. speed limit, traffic density) may be more effective in promoting bicycle transport than micro-environmental factors related to comfort (i.e. evenness of the cycle path surface) or aesthetic (i.e. vegetation, general upkeep). On the other hand, when a more separated cycle path is already provided, micro-environmental factors related to comfort or aesthetic appeared to become more prominent. Findings obtained from this research could provide advice to physical environmental interventions about which environmental factors should get priority to modify in different environmental situations. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Ghent University Hospital. B

Spatial Downscaling of TRMM Precipitation Using Geostatistics and Fine Scale Environmental Variables

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

No-Wook Park

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A geostatistical downscaling scheme is presented and can generate fine scale precipitation information from coarse scale Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM data by incorporating auxiliary fine scale environmental variables. Within the geostatistical framework, the TRMM precipitation data are first decomposed into trend and residual components. Quantitative relationships between coarse scale TRMM data and environmental variables are then estimated via regression analysis and used to derive trend components at a fine scale. Next, the residual components, which are the differences between the trend components and the original TRMM data, are then downscaled at a target fine scale via area-to-point kriging. The trend and residual components are finally added to generate fine scale precipitation estimates. Stochastic simulation is also applied to the residual components in order to generate multiple alternative realizations and to compute uncertainty measures. From an experiment using a digital elevation model (DEM and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI, the geostatistical downscaling scheme generated the downscaling results that reflected detailed characteristics with better predictive performance, when compared with downscaling without the environmental variables. Multiple realizations and uncertainty measures from simulation also provided useful information for interpretations and further environmental modeling.

Multilevel corporate environmental responsibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Karassin, Orr; Bar-Haim, Aviad

2016-12-01

The multilevel empirical study of the antecedents of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been identified as "the first knowledge gap" in CSR research. Based on an extensive literature review, the present study outlines a conceptual multilevel model of CSR, then designs and empirically validates an operational multilevel model of the principal driving factors affecting corporate environmental responsibility (CER), as a measure of CSR. Both conceptual and operational models incorporate three levels of analysis: institutional, organizational, and individual. The multilevel nature of the design allows for the assessment of the relative importance of the levels and of their components in the achievement of CER. Unweighted least squares (ULS) regression analysis reveals that the institutional-level variables have medium relationships with CER, some variables having a negative effect. The organizational level is revealed as having strong and positive significant relationships with CER, with organizational culture and managers' attitudes and behaviors as significant driving forces. The study demonstrates the importance of multilevel analysis in improving the understanding of CSR drivers, relative to single level models, even if the significance of specific drivers and levels may vary by context. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Dynamic changes in soil respiration components and their regulating factors in the Moso bamboo plantation in subtropical China].

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Wen-jia; Li, Yong-fu; Jiang, Pei-kun; Zhou, Guo-mo; Liu, Juan

2015-10-01

Dynamic changes (from April 2013 to March 2014) in soil respiration components were investigated by Li-8100 in the Moso bamboo plantation in Lin' an City, Zhejiang Province. Results showed that the average annual values for the soil total respiration rate, heterotrophic respiration rate, and autotrophic respiration rate in the Moso bamboo plantation were 2.93, 1.92 and 1.01 imol CO2 . m-2 . s-1, respectively. The soil respiration rate and its components exhibited strongly a seasonal dynamic pattern. The maximum appeared in July 2013, and the minimum appeared in January 2014. The annual cumulative CO2 emissions through soil respiration, heterotrophic respiration, and autotrophic respiration were 37.25, 24.61 and 12.64 t CO2 . hm-2 . a-1, respectively. The soil respiration and its components showed a close relation with soil temperature of 5 cm depth, and the corresponding Q10, values at 5 cm depth were 2.05, 1.95 and 2.34, respectively. Both the soil respiration and heterotrophic respiration were correlated to soil water soluble organic C (WSOC) content, but no significant relationship between autotrophic respiration and WSOC was observed. There were no significant relationships between soil respiration components and soil moisture content or microbial biomass C. The seasonal changes in soil respiration components in the Moso bamboo plantation were predominantly controlled by the soil temperature, and the soil WSOC content was an important environmental factor controlling total soil respiration and soil heterotrophic respiration.

Annual theme report (October 2007 to September 2008) for the environmental impact (SWAT modeling) component of "Agroforestry and Sustainable Vegetable Production in Southeast Asian Watersheds" project

OpenAIRE

Ella, Victor B.

2008-01-01

The implementation of the Environmental Impact (SWAT Modeling) component of this SANREM CRSP project in year 3 was highlighted by further work on SWAT model development in Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam. In all three countries, additional input data have been collected over the past year for SWAT modeling purposes. Data Elevation Models (DEMs), land use maps and soil maps have also been prepared in all three countries. In the Philippines, SWAT model has been developed for assessing the hy...

Environmental Stability and Oxidation Behavior of HfO2-Si and YbGd(O) Based Environmental Barrier Coating Systems for SiCSiC Ceramic Matrix Composites

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Dongming; Farmer, Serene; McCue, Terry R.; Harder, Bryan; Hurst, Janet B.

2017-01-01

Ceramic environmental barrier coatings (EBC) and SiCSiC ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) will play a crucial role in future aircraft propulsion systems because of their ability to significantly increase engine operating temperatures, improve component durability, reduce engine weight and cooling requirements. Advanced EBC systems for SiCSiC CMC turbine and combustor hot section components are currently being developed to meet future turbine engine emission and performance goals. One of the significant material development challenges for the high temperature CMC components is to develop prime-reliant, environmental durable environmental barrier coating systems. In this paper, the durability and performance of advanced Electron Beam-Physical Vapor Deposition (EB-PVD) NASA HfO2-Si and YbGdSi(O) EBC bond coat top coat systems for SiCSiC CMC have been summarized. The high temperature thermomechanical creep, fatigue and oxidation resistance have been investigated in the laboratory simulated high-heat-flux environmental test conditions. The advanced NASA EBC systems showed promise to achieve 1500C temperature capability, helping enable next generation turbine engines with significantly improved engine component temperature capability and durability.

Uniformly Processed Strong Motion Database for Himalaya and Northeast Region of India

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, I. D.

2018-03-01

This paper presents the first uniformly processed comprehensive database on strong motion acceleration records for the extensive regions of western Himalaya, northeast India, and the alluvial plains juxtaposing the Himalaya. This includes 146 three components of old analog records corrected for the instrument response and baseline distortions and 471 three components of recent digital records corrected for baseline errors. The paper first provides a background of the evolution of strong motion data in India and the seismotectonics of the areas of recording, then describes the details of the recording stations and the contributing earthquakes, which is finally followed by the methodology used to obtain baseline corrected data in a uniform and consistent manner. Two different schemes in common use for baseline correction are based on the application of the Ormsby filter without zero pads (Trifunac 1971) and that on the Butterworth filter with zero pads at the start as well as at the end (Converse and Brady 1992). To integrate the advantages of both the schemes, Ormsby filter with zero pads at the start only is used in the present study. A large number of typical example results are presented to illustrate that the methodology adopted is able to provide realistic velocity and displacement records with much smaller number of zero pads. The present strong motion database of corrected acceleration records will be useful for analyzing the ground motion characteristics of engineering importance, developing prediction equations for various strong motion parameters, and calibrating the seismological source model approach for ground motion simulation for seismically active and risk prone areas of India.

Fatigue qualification of high thickness composite rotor components

Science.gov (United States)

Raggi, M.; Mariani, U.; Zaffaroni, G.

Fatigue qualification aspects of composite rotor components are presented according with the safe life procedure usually applied by helicopter manufacturers. Test activities are identified at three levels of specimen complexity: coupon, structural element and full scale component. Particular attention is given to high thickness laminates qualification as far as environmental exposure is concerned. A practical approach for an accelerated conditioning procedure is described. The application to a main rotor tension link is presented showing the negligible effect of the moisture absorption on its fatigue strength.

Environmental radioactivity in the antarctic station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzalez, S.; Osores, J.; Martinez, J.; Lopez, E.; Jara, R.

1998-01-01

Study about environmental radioactivity in the Peruvian antarctic station Machu Pichu they were carried out during the last three periods to the southern summer. The objective of the project it is to evaluate environmental component in order to elaborate a study it base on the levels background radioactivity and artificial in the antarctic region

Social networks and environmental outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Barnes, Michele L; Lynham, John; Kalberg, Kolter; Leung, PingSun

2016-06-07

Social networks can profoundly affect human behavior, which is the primary force driving environmental change. However, empirical evidence linking microlevel social interactions to large-scale environmental outcomes has remained scarce. Here, we leverage comprehensive data on information-sharing networks among large-scale commercial tuna fishers to examine how social networks relate to shark bycatch, a global environmental issue. We demonstrate that the tendency for fishers to primarily share information within their ethnic group creates segregated networks that are strongly correlated with shark bycatch. However, some fishers share information across ethnic lines, and examinations of their bycatch rates show that network contacts are more strongly related to fishing behaviors than ethnicity. Our findings indicate that social networks are tied to actions that can directly impact marine ecosystems, and that biases toward within-group ties may impede the diffusion of sustainable behaviors. Importantly, our analysis suggests that enhanced communication channels across segregated fisher groups could have prevented the incidental catch of over 46,000 sharks between 2008 and 2012 in a single commercial fishery.

43 CFR 46.310 - Contents of an environmental assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... implementation without the need for further analysis. Adaptive management includes a monitoring component... 43 Public Lands: Interior 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Contents of an environmental assessment... OF THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT OF 1969 Environmental Assessments § 46.310 Contents of an...

An Examination of Long-Term Environmental-Social Dynamics in the Balkans

Science.gov (United States)

Kulkarni, C.; Boger, R. A.

2015-12-01

This study examines the interactions of environmental and social dynamics in Central Balkans over the past millennium, a period that experienced three major climatic phases (Medieval Climate Anomaly, Little Ice Age, and the warm 20th century). Meanwhile, the same period witnessed a complex human history with the emergence-rise-decline of the Ottoman Empire and subsequent socio-political events (e.g. wars, famines, migrations). Environmental datasets for the analysis include biological proxies (pollen, spores, and charcoal), geochemical signals through X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and a detailed chronology based on AMS 14C dating of two western and central Serbian lakes while social datasets include historic population data, land use, settlement patterns, and critical historic events derived from a review of the literature and local archives. Among the environmental datasets, indigenous tree and herbaceous pollen from these Central Balkans records demonstrate fluctuations in woodland-grassland dynamics whereas potassium and titanium counts obtained through XRF act as a proxy for surface erosion and clastic input into the lakes. Microscopic charcoal, cereal pollen and subordinate anthropogenic pollen (e.g. cultivated fruits and vegetables) are used to distinguish strong human impact over the landscape. These key anthropogenic indicators create a more thorough social component of the analysis in association with the social datasets. After reconstructing the individual time series for each environmental and social dataset, the two Central Balkan records are correlated in order to identify the environmental and social homogeneity and heterogeneity patterns occurring at shorter and longer timescales during the period. Results provide insights on how a region responds to social and environmental stressors and our approach demonstrates ways to integrate natural and social science system research.

Non-exponential dynamic relaxation in strongly nonequilibrium nonideal plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morozov, I V; Norman, G E

2003-01-01

Relaxation of kinetic energy to the equilibrium state is simulated by the molecular dynamics method for nonideal two-component non-degenerate plasmas. Three limiting examples of initial states of strongly nonequilibrium plasma are considered: zero electron velocities, zero ion velocities and zero velocities of both electrons and ions. The initial non-exponential stage, its duration τ nB and subsequent exponential stages of the relaxation process are studied for a wide range of the nonideality parameter and the ion mass

Environmental auditing for oil drilling projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zambrano Solarte, Hugo Ibsen; Olaya Amaya, Alfredo

2003-01-01

The enforcement of legal regulations on the environment requires some mechanisms related to preservation and conservation of natural resources, as well as paleontological and archaeological wealth, in order to allow their use without endangering their integrity. This article reviews legal regulations, activities and performance indicators, which should be taken into account by Environmental Auditors in oil projects. Additionally, a Plan for Environmental management is analyzed with its main components and procedures for performing the environmental auditing

Corrosion of aluminum components and remedial measures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheikh, S.T.; Khalique, A.; Malik, F.A.

2006-01-01

Aluminum has versatile physical properties, mechanical strength, corrosion resistance, and is used in special applications like aerospace, automobiles and other strategic industries. The outdoor exposed structural components of aluminum have very good corrosion resistance due to the thick oxide layer (0.2 -0.4 micro). This study involves the corrosion of aluminum based components, though aluminum is protected by an oxide layer but due to extreme weather and environmental conditions the oxide layer was damaged. The corroded product was removed, pits or cavities formed due to the material removal were filled with epoxy resins and acrylic-based compounds containing fibreglass as reinforcement. Optimum results were obtained with epoxy resins incorporated with 5% glass fibers. The inner surface of the components was provided further protection with a cellulose nitrate compound. (author)

Insights into tetrabromobisphenol A adsorption onto soils: Effects of soil components and environmental factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Tong, Fei; Gu, Xueyuan; Gu, Cheng; Ji, Rong; Tan, Yinyue; Xie, Jinyu

2015-12-01

Concerns regarding tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), the most widely utilized brominated flame retardant in the world, are growing because of the wide application and endocrine-disrupting potential of this compound. To properly assess its environmental impacts, it is important to understand the mobility and fate of TBBPA in soil environments. In this study, the effects of soil components, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and heavy metal cations on TBBPA adsorption onto two Chinese soils (red soil and black soil) were investigated using batch sorption experiments. The desorption behavior of TBBPA when the two soils are irrigated with eutrophicated river water was also investigated. The results showed that pH greatly affects the adsorptive behavior of TBBPA in soils. Iron oxide minerals and phyllosilicate minerals are both active surfaces for TBBPA sorption, in addition to soil organic matter (SOM). DOC (50 mg OC L(-1)) exhibited a limited effect on TBBPA sorption only under neutral conditions. TBBPA sorption was only minimally affected by the heavy metals (Cu2+, Pb2+ and Cd2+) in the studied pH range. Eutrophicated river water significantly enhanced the desorption of TBBPA from red soil due to the change in soil solution pH. These findings indicate that mobility of TBBPA in soils is mainly associated with soil pH, organic matter and clay fractions: it will be retained by soils or sediments with high organic matter and clay fractions under acidic conditions but becomes mobile under alkaline conditions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Strong-field Photoionization of Sputtered Neutral Molecules for Molecular Depth Profiling

Science.gov (United States)

Willingham, D; Brenes, D. A.; Wucher, A

2009-01-01

Molecular depth profiles of an organic thin film of guanine vapor deposited onto a Ag substrate are obtained using a 40 keV C60 cluster ion beam in conjunction with time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometric (ToF-SIMS) detection. Strong-field, femtosecond photoionization of intact guanine molecules is used to probe the neutral component of the profile for direct comparison with the secondary ion component. The ability to simultaneously acquire secondary ions and photoionized neutral molecules reveals new fundamental information about the factors that influence the properties of the depth profile. Results show that there is an increased ionization probability for protonated molecular ions within the first 10 nm due to the generation of free protons within the sample. Moreover, there is a 50% increase in fragment ion signal relative to steady state values 25 nm before reaching the guanine/Ag interface as a result of interfacial chemical damage accumulation. An altered layer thickness of 20 nm is observed as a consequence of ion beam induced chemical mixing. In general, we show that the neutral component of a molecular depth profile using the strong-field photoionization technique can be used to elucidate the effects of variations in ionization probability on the yield of molecular ions as well as to aid in obtaining accurate information about depth dependent chemical composition that cannot be extracted from TOF-SIMS data alone. PMID:20495665

Radiological protection and environmental management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perez Fonseca, A.

2010-01-01

From the beginning of its industrial activity twenty five years ago, the Juzbado Factory of Enusa Group has always upheld a strong commitment with Radiological Protection and environmental respect and protection. Consequently, the evolution of dose shows a downward trend over the years. Although production has been increased gradually, the average doses to workers have stayed below 1 mSv. In order to identify and prevent the potential environmental impacts of its industrial activity and minimize its impact on the surroundings, the facility develops and environmental management system according to UNE-EN-ISO 14001 since 1999. (Author)

Chemistry for environmental scientists

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moeller, Detlev

2015-01-01

Non-chemists in environmental sciences and engineering (e.g. physicists, biologists, ecologists, geographers, soil scientists, hydrologists, meteorologists, economists, engineers) need chemical basic knowledge for understanding chemical processes in the environment. This book focuses on general and fundamental chemistry (including required physics) such as properties and bonding of matter, chemical kinetics and mechanisms, phase and chemical equilibrium, the basic features of air (gases), water (liquids) and soil (solids) and the most important substances and their reactions in the environment. Selected key environmental chemical processes are shortly characterised in the light of multi-component and multiphase chemistry. This book is also useful for chemists who are beginning work on environmental issues.

Chemistry for environmental scientists

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moeller, Detlev [Brandenburgische Technische Univ., Berlin (Germany). Lehrstuhl fuer Luftchemie und Luftreinhaltung

2015-07-01

Non-chemists in environmental sciences and engineering (e.g. physicists, biologists, ecologists, geographers, soil scientists, hydrologists, meteorologists, economists, engineers) need chemical basic knowledge for understanding chemical processes in the environment. This book focuses on general and fundamental chemistry (including required physics) such as properties and bonding of matter, chemical kinetics and mechanisms, phase and chemical equilibrium, the basic features of air (gases), water (liquids) and soil (solids) and the most important substances and their reactions in the environment. Selected key environmental chemical processes are shortly characterised in the light of multi-component and multiphase chemistry. This book is also useful for chemists who are beginning work on environmental issues.

Complex dynamics induced by strong confinement - From tracer diffusion in strongly heterogeneous media to glassy relaxation of dense fluids in narrow slits

Science.gov (United States)

Mandal, Suvendu; Spanner-Denzer, Markus; Leitmann, Sebastian; Franosch, Thomas

2017-08-01

We provide an overview of recent advances of the complex dynamics of particles in strong confinements. The first paradigm is the Lorentz model where tracers explore a quenched disordered host structure. Such systems naturally occur as limiting cases of binary glass-forming systems if the dynamics of one component is much faster than the other. For a certain critical density of the host structure the tracers undergo a localization transition which constitutes a critical phenomenon. A series of predictions in the vicinity of the transition have been elaborated and tested versus computer simulations. Analytical progress is achieved for small obstacle densities. The second paradigm is a dense strongly interacting liquid confined to a narrow slab. Then the glass transition depends nonmonotonically on the separation of the plates due to an interplay of local packing and layering. Very small slab widths allow to address certain features of the statics and dynamics analytically.

NICER Detection of Strong Photospheric Expansion during a Thermonuclear X-Ray Burst from 4U 1820–30

Science.gov (United States)

Keek, L.; Arzoumanian, Z.; Chakrabarty, D.; Chenevez, J.; Gendreau, K. C.; Guillot, S.; Güver, T.; Homan, J.; Jaisawal, G. K.; LaMarr, B.; Lamb, F. K.; Mahmoodifar, S.; Markwardt, C. B.; Okajima, T.; Strohmayer, T. E.; in ’t Zand, J. J. M.

2018-04-01

The Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) on the International Space Station (ISS) observed strong photospheric expansion of the neutron star in 4U 1820–30 during a Type I X-ray burst. A thermonuclear helium flash in the star’s envelope powered a burst that reached the Eddington limit. Radiation pressure pushed the photosphere out to ∼200 km, while the blackbody temperature dropped to 0.45 keV. Previous observations of similar bursts were performed with instruments that are sensitive only above 3 keV, and the burst signal was weak at low temperatures. NICER's 0.2–12 keV passband enables the first complete detailed observation of strong expansion bursts. The strong expansion lasted only 0.6 s, and was followed by moderate expansion with a 20 km apparent radius, before the photosphere finally settled back down at 3 s after the burst onset. In addition to thermal emission from the neutron star, the NICER spectra reveal a second component that is well fit by optically thick Comptonization. During the strong expansion, this component is six times brighter than prior to the burst, and it accounts for 71% of the flux. In the moderate expansion phase, the Comptonization flux drops, while the thermal component brightens, and the total flux remains constant at the Eddington limit. We speculate that the thermal emission is reprocessed in the accretion environment to form the Comptonization component, and that changes in the covering fraction of the star explain the evolution of the relative contributions to the total flux.

Environmental issues affecting CCT development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reidy, M. [U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC (United States)

1997-12-31

While no final legislative schedule has been set for the new Congress, two issues with strong environmental ramifications which are likely to affect the coal industry seem to top the list of closely watched debates in Washington -- the Environmental Protection Agency`s proposed new ozone and particulate matter standards and utility restructuring. The paper discusses the background of the proposed standards, public comment, the Congressional review of regulations, other legislative options, and utility restructuring.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection of silver nanoparticles in environmental and biological samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, Huiyuan [Stockbridge School of Agriculture, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003 (United States); Xing, Baoshan, E-mail: bx@umass.edu [Stockbridge School of Agriculture, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003 (United States); Hamlet, Leigh C.; Chica, Andrea [Stockbridge School of Agriculture, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003 (United States); He, Lili, E-mail: lilihe@foodsci.umass.edu [Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003 (United States)

2016-06-01

Growing concerns over the potential release and threat of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) to environmental and biological systems urge researchers to investigate their fate and behavior. However, current analytical techniques cannot meet the requirements for rapidly, sensitively and reliably probing AgNPs in complex matrices. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has shown great capability for rapid detection of AgNPs based on an indicator molecule that can bind on the AgNP surface. The objective of this study was to exploit SERS to detect AgNPs in environmental and biological samples through optimizing the Raman indicator for SERS. Seven indicator molecules were selected and determined to obtain their SERS signals at optimal concentrations. Among them, 1,2-di(4-pyridyl)ethylene (BPE), crystal violet and ferric dimethyl-dithiocarbamate (ferbam) produced the highest SERS intensities. Further experiments on binding competition between each two of the three candidates showed that ferbam had the highest AgNPs-binding ability. The underlying mechanism lies in the strong binding affinity of ferbam with AgNPs via multiple sulfur atoms. We further validated ferbam to be an effective indicator for SERS detection of as low as 0.1 mg/L AgNPs in genuine surface water and 0.57 mg/L in spinach juice. Moreover, limited interference on SERS detection of AgNPs was found from environmentally relevant inorganic ions, organic matter, inorganic particles, as well as biologically relevant components, demonstrating the ferbam-assisted SERS is an effective and sensitive method to detect AgNPs in complex environmental and biological samples. - Graphical abstract: SERS signal intensity of ferbam indicates the concentration of AgNPs. - Highlights: • Ferbam was found to be the best indicator for SERS detection of AgNPs. • SERS was able to detect AgNPs in both environmental and biological samples. • Major components in the two matrices had limited effect on AgNP detection.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection of silver nanoparticles in environmental and biological samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Huiyuan; Xing, Baoshan; Hamlet, Leigh C.; Chica, Andrea; He, Lili

2016-01-01

Growing concerns over the potential release and threat of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) to environmental and biological systems urge researchers to investigate their fate and behavior. However, current analytical techniques cannot meet the requirements for rapidly, sensitively and reliably probing AgNPs in complex matrices. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has shown great capability for rapid detection of AgNPs based on an indicator molecule that can bind on the AgNP surface. The objective of this study was to exploit SERS to detect AgNPs in environmental and biological samples through optimizing the Raman indicator for SERS. Seven indicator molecules were selected and determined to obtain their SERS signals at optimal concentrations. Among them, 1,2-di(4-pyridyl)ethylene (BPE), crystal violet and ferric dimethyl-dithiocarbamate (ferbam) produced the highest SERS intensities. Further experiments on binding competition between each two of the three candidates showed that ferbam had the highest AgNPs-binding ability. The underlying mechanism lies in the strong binding affinity of ferbam with AgNPs via multiple sulfur atoms. We further validated ferbam to be an effective indicator for SERS detection of as low as 0.1 mg/L AgNPs in genuine surface water and 0.57 mg/L in spinach juice. Moreover, limited interference on SERS detection of AgNPs was found from environmentally relevant inorganic ions, organic matter, inorganic particles, as well as biologically relevant components, demonstrating the ferbam-assisted SERS is an effective and sensitive method to detect AgNPs in complex environmental and biological samples. - Graphical abstract: SERS signal intensity of ferbam indicates the concentration of AgNPs. - Highlights: • Ferbam was found to be the best indicator for SERS detection of AgNPs. • SERS was able to detect AgNPs in both environmental and biological samples. • Major components in the two matrices had limited effect on AgNP detection.

Environmental impact assessment of a turboprop engine with the aid of exergy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atılgan, Ramazan; Turan, Önder; Altuntaş, Önder; Aydın, Hakan; Synylo, Kateryna

2013-01-01

To develop approaches that effectively reduce engine environmental effect of aircrafts, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms that have enabled improvements in thermodynamic efficiency of aircraft engines. In the present work, a turboprop engine used in regional aircrafts that produces 1948 shp and 640 N.m torque is examined using exergo-environmental method. The results show compressor, combustion chamber, gas generator turbine, power turbine and exhaust nozzle create 9%, 69%, 13%, 7%, 2% of total environmental impact of the engine, respectively. According to rates, the compressor and gas turbine can be considered first to improve in case of component related environmental impact. Furthermore, total component related environmental impact for the turboprop engine is found to be 2.26 mPts/s for the constructional phase and 2.34 mPts/s for the operation/maintenance phases. Accordingly, it is suggested that, in order to estimate environmental impact metric of aircrafts, the exergo-environmental analysis can be employed for aircraft propulsion systems. - Highlights: • Evaluating the exergo-environmental aspects of the turboprop engine. • According to exergo-environmental results, the biggest candidate for improving is the combustion chamber. • Specific environmental impact dominates at engine exhaust outlet of the turboprop engine. • Greatest total component related environmental impact is found at the gas generator turbine of the turboprop engine

Environmental qualification program for new designs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doerffer, K.

2007-01-01

Qualification of nuclear power plant equipment and components important to safety (ITS) is an integral part of the design process. The qualification methodology differs based on the severity of service conditions (operational and ambient), to which the ITS equipment is exposed. In Canada, the licensing requirements for environmental qualification for new designs are governed by the Canadian Standard Association (CSA) standard, N290.13-2005 titled 'Environmental Qualification of Equipment for CANDU Nuclear Power Plants' and the pre-consultation draft, 'Requirements for Design of Nuclear Power Plants'(DRD), issued for trial use by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) in March 2005. This paper will describe AECL's current Environmental Qualification program developed to comply with the above licensing requirements as applied to new designs. The focus will be given to qualification of ITS systems structures and components (SSC) to harsh conditions occurring due to the Design Basis Accidents (DBA). (author)

Engineering the Dynamics of Effective Spin-Chain Models for Strongly Interacting Atomic Gases

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Volosniev, A. G.; Petrosyan, D.; Valiente, M.

2015-01-01

We consider a one-dimensional gas of cold atoms with strong contact interactions and construct an effective spin-chain Hamiltonian for a two-component system. The resulting Heisenberg spin model can be engineered by manipulating the shape of the external confining potential of the atomic gas. We...

Study on the atmospheric component with the scope of analyses on the environmental impact

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferrara, V.; La Camera, F.

1989-03-01

This work has been carried out following a specific request from Italian National Department for Environment and shows technical approaches and methodologies of analyses and forecasts set up for environmental impact studies referred to 'atmospheric environment'. This work is presented according to the general items and objectives fixed by the same Department in the wider operative system for the application in Italy of environmental impact procedures. (author)

Environmental Monitoring Plan - February 2016

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gallegos, G. M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Bertoldo, N. A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Blake, R. G. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Fish, C. B. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Grayson, A. R. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Griffin, D. M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Jones, H. E. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Patterson, L. E. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Revelli, M. A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Rosene, C. A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Wegrecki, T M; Williams, R A; Wilson, K R

2016-02-08

The purpose of environmental monitoring is to promote the early identification of, and response to, potential adverse environmental impacts associated with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) operations. Environmental monitoring supports the Integrated Safety Management System (ISMS), International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 Environmental Management Systems standard, and U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) Order 458.1, Radiation Protection oft/ic Pubile and the Environment. Specifically, environmental monitoring enables LLNL to detect, characterize, and respond to releases from LLNL activities; assess impacts; estimate dispersal patterns in the environment; characterize the pathways of exposure to members of the public; characterize the exposures and doses to individuals and to the population; and to evaluate the potential impacts to the hiota in the vicinity of LLNL. Environmental monitoring is also a major component of compliance demonstration for permits and other regulatory requirements.

Nuclear power: the environmental benefits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hawley, R.; Turner, W.

1994-01-01

There are many environmental benefits arising from the generation of electricity from nuclear power. These are accompanied by a minimal detrimental environmental impact, which is strictly regulated and monitored to a far greater degree than any other comparable industry. Because it does not produce greenhouse gases or acid rain emissions, the generation of electricity from nuclear energy is a vital component of a sustainable energy future for our planet. (Author)

Overview of Environmental Impact Assessment of Oil and Gas ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The environmental impact assessment (EIA) of oil and gas projects in Nigeria ... natural, social and health components of the environment; Determination of issues ... of impact quantification through which the Environmental Management Plan ...

Environmental security in North-West Russia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bjerke, S.

1999-01-01

The arms race and military security during the Cold War cost trillions of dollars. It has been claimed that the processes of disarmament, and the large-scale conversion from military to civilian production that is now under way, will be equally costly. This includes the cost of environmental clean up and other measures to deal with the environmental legacy of the Cold War. Norway strongly supports a holistic approach to environmental issues. The armed forces and military industry must also adapt to environmental demands and adopt the principles of modern environmental management. Our own defence forces have for some time been basing their choice of equipment partly on modern environmental criteria and are taking steps to remedy previous environmental damage. Field training and exercises are subject to stringent environmental restrictions. All along the former East-West divide the scope of military activity has been dramatically reduced. The time has come to focus more attention on military or arms-related environmental issues

Molecular Environmental Science: An Assessment of Research Accomplishments, Available Synchrotron Radiation Facilities, and Needs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, G

2004-02-05

Synchrotron-based techniques are fundamental to research in ''Molecular Environmental Science'' (MES), an emerging field that involves molecular-level studies of chemical and biological processes affecting the speciation, properties, and behavior of contaminants, pollutants, and nutrients in the ecosphere. These techniques enable the study of aqueous solute complexes, poorly crystalline materials, solid-liquid interfaces, mineral-aqueous solution interactions, microbial biofilm-heavy metal interactions, heavy metal-plant interactions, complex material microstructures, and nanomaterials, all of which are important components or processes in the environment. Basic understanding of environmental materials and processes at the molecular scale is essential for risk assessment and management, and reduction of environmental pollutants at field, landscape, and global scales. One of the main purposes of this report is to illustrate the role of synchrotron radiation (SR)-based studies in environmental science and related fields and their impact on environmental problems of importance to society. A major driving force for MES research is the need to characterize, treat, and/or dispose of vast quantities of contaminated materials, including groundwater, sediments, and soils, and to process wastes, at an estimated cost exceeding 150 billion dollars through 2070. A major component of this problem derives from high-level nuclear waste. Other significant components come from mining and industrial wastes, atmospheric pollutants derived from fossil fuel consumption, agricultural pesticides and fertilizers, and the pollution problems associated with animal waste run-off, all of which have major impacts on human health and welfare. Addressing these problems requires the development of new characterization and processing technologies--efforts that require information on the chemical speciation of heavy metals, radionuclides, and xenobiotic organic compounds and

Molecular Environmental Science: An Assessment of Research Accomplishments, Available Synchrotron Radiation Facilities, and Needs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, G

2004-01-01

Synchrotron-based techniques are fundamental to research in ''Molecular Environmental Science'' (MES), an emerging field that involves molecular-level studies of chemical and biological processes affecting the speciation, properties, and behavior of contaminants, pollutants, and nutrients in the ecosphere. These techniques enable the study of aqueous solute complexes, poorly crystalline materials, solid-liquid interfaces, mineral-aqueous solution interactions, microbial biofilm-heavy metal interactions, heavy metal-plant interactions, complex material microstructures, and nanomaterials, all of which are important components or processes in the environment. Basic understanding of environmental materials and processes at the molecular scale is essential for risk assessment and management, and reduction of environmental pollutants at field, landscape, and global scales. One of the main purposes of this report is to illustrate the role of synchrotron radiation (SR)-based studies in environmental science and related fields and their impact on environmental problems of importance to society. A major driving force for MES research is the need to characterize, treat, and/or dispose of vast quantities of contaminated materials, including groundwater, sediments, and soils, and to process wastes, at an estimated cost exceeding 150 billion dollars through 2070. A major component of this problem derives from high-level nuclear waste. Other significant components come from mining and industrial wastes, atmospheric pollutants derived from fossil fuel consumption, agricultural pesticides and fertilizers, and the pollution problems associated with animal waste run-off, all of which have major impacts on human health and welfare. Addressing these problems requires the development of new characterization and processing technologies--efforts that require information on the chemical speciation of heavy metals, radionuclides, and xenobiotic organic compounds and their reactions with

Molecular environmental science : an assessment of research accomplishments, available synchrotron radiation facilities, and needs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, G. E., Jr.; Sutton, S. R.; Bargar, J. R.; Shuh, D. K.; Fenter, P. A.; Kemner, K. M.

2004-10-20

Synchrotron-based techniques are fundamental to research in ''Molecular Environmental Science'' (MES), an emerging field that involves molecular-level studies of chemical and biological processes affecting the speciation, properties, and behavior of contaminants, pollutants, and nutrients in the ecosphere. These techniques enable the study of aqueous solute complexes, poorly crystalline materials, solid-liquid interfaces, mineral-aqueous solution interactions, microbial biofilm-heavy metal interactions, heavy metal-plant interactions, complex material microstructures, and nanomaterials, all of which are important components or processes in the environment. Basic understanding of environmental materials and processes at the molecular scale is essential for risk assessment and management, and reduction of environmental pollutants at field, landscape, and global scales. One of the main purposes of this report is to illustrate the role of synchrotron radiation (SR)-based studies in environmental science and related fields and their impact on environmental problems of importance to society. A major driving force for MES research is the need to characterize, treat, and/or dispose of vast quantities of contaminated materials, including groundwater, sediments, and soils, and to process wastes, at an estimated cost exceeding 150 billion dollars through 2070. A major component of this problem derives from high-level nuclear waste. Other significant components come from mining and industrial wastes, atmospheric pollutants derived from fossil fuel consumption, agricultural pesticides and fertilizers, and the pollution problems associated with animal waste run-off, all of which have major impacts on human health and welfare. Addressing these problems requires the development of new characterization and processing technologies--efforts that require information on the chemical speciation of heavy metals, radionuclides, and xenobiotic organic compounds and

Experimental investigation of the factors influencing the polymer-polymer bond strength during two component injection moulding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Islam, Mohammad Aminul; Hansen, Hans Nørgaard; Tang, Peter Torben

2007-01-01

Two component injection moulding is a commercially important manufacturing process and a key technology for Moulded Interconnect Devices (MIDs). Many fascinating applications of two component or multi component polymer parts are restricted due to the weak interfacial adhesion of the polymers...... effectively control the adhesion between two polymers. The effects of environmental conditions on the bond strength after moulding are also investigated. The material selections and environmental conditions were chosen based on the suitability of MID production, but the results and discussion presented....... A thorough understanding of the factors that influence the bond strength of polymers is necessary for multi component polymer processing. This paper investigates the effects of the process and material parameters on the bond strength of two component polymer parts and identifies the factors which can...

[Ethics and prevention: environmental and individual disparities].

Science.gov (United States)

Ricciardi, Claudio

2004-01-01

The complex interactions which exist between environmental variabilities, genetic susceptibility of population subgroups, and high individual variability for age, sex, gender, ethnicity and general status of health, acquire an ever-increasing bioethical significance. Different risk conditions caused by toxic environmental agents and environmental inequities and inequalities are increasingly evident. "Social determinants" of health increase the probability of health effects and an effective intervention of prevision and prevention for environmental pathologies is needed. The debate on environmental inequalities caused by cultural, social and economic factors and the uncertainty about possible prevention emphasize the limits of the "bio-medical model". Ethics with its further anthropological and philosophical considerations may strongly help to understand the relationship between environmental pollution and health.

Island-specific preferences of tourists for environmental features: implications of climate change for tourism dependent states

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Uyarra, M.C.; Cote, I.M. [East Anglia Univ., Norwich (United Kingdom). Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation; Gill, J.A. [East Anglia Univ., Norwich (United Kingdom). School of Environmental Sciences; Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, Norwich (United Kingdom); Tinch, R.T. [East Anglia Univ., Norwich (United Kingdom). School of Environmental Sciences; Macaulay Land Use Research Inst., Aberdeen (United Kingdom); Viner, D. [East Anglia Univ., Norwich (United Kingdom). Climate Research Unit; Watkinson, A.R. [East Anglia Univ., Norwich (United Kingdom). Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation; East Anglia Univ., Norwich (United Kingdom). School of Environmental Sciences

2005-03-15

Climate change may affect important environmental components of holiday destinations, which might have repercussions for tourism-dependent economies. This study documents the importance of environmental attributes in determining the choice and holiday enjoyment of tourists visiting Bonaire and Barbados, two Caribbean islands with markedly different tourism markets and infrastructure. Three hundred and sixteen and 338 participants from Bonaire and Barbados, respectively, completed standardized questionnaires. Warm temperatures, clear waters and low health risks were the most important environmental features determining holiday destination choice. However, tourists in Bonaire thereafter prioritized marine wildlife attributes (i.e. coral and fish diversity and abundance) over other environmental features, whereas tourists in Barbados exhibited stronger preferences for terrestrial features, particularly beach characteristics. The willingness of tourists to revisit these islands was strongly linked to the state of the preferred environmental attributes. More than 80% of tourists in Bonaire and Barbados would be unwilling to return for the same holiday price in the event, respectively, of coral bleaching as a result of elevated sea surface temperatures and reduced beach area as a result of sea level rise. Climate change might have a significant impact on Caribbean tourism economy through alteration of environmental features important to destination selection. Island-specific management strategies, such as focusing resources on the protection of key marine or terrestrial features, may provide a means of reducing the environmental and economic impacts of climate change. (author)

Environmental controls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, S.

1996-01-01

Members of the public are exposed to environmental radiations from a variety of sources. In terms of average dose received the major component is from natural sources of radiation for which there is little or no scope to reduce exposure. Where such opportunities do exist, in those homes with high radon concentrations, the householders tend to ignore the risks despite the availability of comparatively straightforward and inexpensive remediation measures. By comparison there is significant public concern about radioactive waste management and the disposal and discharge of radioactivity to the environment despite strict environmental controls. This paper describes the controls and the wider policy context for radioactive waste management following a major review of policy last year. (author)

A cross-sectional analysis of reported corporate environmental sustainability practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Cowan, Dallas M; Dopart, Pamela; Ferracini, Tyler; Sahmel, Jennifer; Merryman, Kimberly; Gaffney, Shannon; Paustenbach, Dennis J

2010-12-01

The concept of sustainability evolved throughout the 1970s and 1980s, but was formally described by the 27 principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development in 1992. Despite the passage of nearly 20years, to date there are no uniform set of federal rules, regulations, or guidelines specifically governing the environmental aspects of sustainability practices or related requirements in the United States. In this benchmark analysis, we have collected information on the sustainability programs of the five largest US companies in each of the 26 industrial sectors [based on the Forbes Global 2000 through 2009 (n=130)]. For each company, we reviewed the most recent corporate sustainability, citizenship, or responsibility report, limiting our scope to environmental components, if available. Ten criteria were identified and analyzed, including leadership, reporting, external review, certification, and individual components of environmental sustainability programs. With respect to the prevalence of sustainability components between various business sectors, we found that the Drugs and Biotechnology (87%), Household and Personal Products (87%) and Oil and Gas Operations (87%) industries had the most comprehensive environmental sustainability programs. Using the nine components of environmental sustainability as a benchmark, we identified four key components as the characteristics of the most comprehensive environmental sustainability programs. These were (1) empowering leadership with a commitment to sustainability (80%), (2) standardized reporting (87%), (3) third-party evaluation of the sustainability programs (73%), and (4) obtaining ISO 14001 certification (73%). We found that many firms shaped their own definition of sustainability and developed their associated sustainability programs based on their sector, stakeholder interests, products or services, and business model. We noted an emerging area that we have called product sustainability - one in which

Sex-specific selection under environmental stress in seed beetles.

Science.gov (United States)

Martinossi-Allibert, I; Arnqvist, G; Berger, D

2017-01-01

Sexual selection can increase rates of adaptation by imposing strong selection in males, thereby allowing efficient purging of the mutation load on population fitness at a low demographic cost. Indeed, sexual selection tends to be male-biased throughout the animal kingdom, but little empirical work has explored the ecological sensitivity of this sex difference. In this study, we generated theoretical predictions of sex-specific strengths of selection, environmental sensitivities and genotype-by-environment interactions and tested them in seed beetles by manipulating either larval host plant or rearing temperature. Using fourteen isofemale lines, we measured sex-specific reductions in fitness components, genotype-by-environment interactions and the strength of selection (variance in fitness) in the juvenile and adult stage. As predicted, variance in fitness increased with stress, was consistently greater in males than females for adult reproductive success (implying strong sexual selection), but was similar in the sexes in terms of juvenile survival across all levels of stress. Although genetic variance in fitness increased in magnitude under severe stress, heritability decreased and particularly so in males. Moreover, genotype-by-environment interactions for fitness were common but specific to the type of stress, sex and life stage, suggesting that new environments may change the relative alignment and strength of selection in males and females. Our study thus exemplifies how environmental stress can influence the relative forces of natural and sexual selection, as well as concomitant changes in genetic variance in fitness, which are predicted to have consequences for rates of adaptation in sexual populations. © 2016 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2016 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Towards Integrated Marmara Strong Motion Network

Science.gov (United States)

Durukal, E.; Erdik, M.; Safak, E.; Ansal, A.; Ozel, O.; Alcik, H.; Mert, A.; Kafadar, N.; Korkmaz, A.; Kurtulus, A.

2009-04-01

Istanbul has a 65% chance of having a magnitude 7 or above earthquake within the next 30 years. As part of the preparations for the future earthquake, strong motion networks have been installed in and around Istanbul. The Marmara Strong Motion Network, operated by the Department of Earthquake Engineering of Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute, encompasses permanent systems outlined below. It is envisaged that the networks will be run by a single entity responsible for technical management and maintanence, as well as for data management, archiving and dissemination through dedicated web-based interfaces. • Istanbul Earthquake Rapid Response and Early Warning System - IERREWS (one hundred 18-bit accelerometers for rapid response; ten 24-bit accelerometers for early warning) • IGDAŞ Gas Shutoff Network (100 accelerometers to be installed in 2010 and integrated with IERREWS) • Structural Monitoring Arrays - Fatih Sultan Mehmet Suspension Bridge (1200m-long suspension bridge across the Bosphorus, five 3-component accelerometers + GPS sensors) - Hagia Sophia Array (1500-year-old historical edifice, 9 accelerometers) - Süleymaniye Mosque Array (450-year-old historical edifice,9 accelerometers) - Fatih Mosque Array (237-year-old historical edifice, 9 accelerometers) - Kanyon Building Array (high-rise office building, 5 accelerometers) - Isbank Tower Array (high-rise office building, 5 accelerometers) - ENRON Array (power generation facility, 4 acelerometers) - Mihrimah Sultan Mosque Array (450-year-old historical edifice,9 accelerometers + tiltmeters, to be installed in 2009) - Sultanahmet Mosque Array, (390-year-old historical edifice, 9 accelerometers + tiltmeters, to be installed in 2009) • Special Arrays - Atakoy Vertical Array (four 3-component accelerometers at 25, 50, 75, and 150 m depths) - Marmara Tube Tunnel (1400 m long submerged tunnel, 128 ch. accelerometric data, 24 ch. strain data, to be installed in 2010) - Air-Force Academy

Encouraging environmentally strategic technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heaton, G.R.

1994-01-01

Having moved beyond its initial absorption with controlling new technology, environmental policy today must focus more strongly on promoting the development and adoption of new technologies. World Resource Institute's (WRI) ongoing study of 'environmentally strategic technology' is addressed to this fundamental policy issue. The study proposes criteria for identifying such technology, offers a specific list, suggests the kinds of public policy changes necessary to encourage their development and finally presents a comparison of critical technology lists (from the White House, the European Community, Japan and the US Department of Defense). (TEC)

Environmental Education, a Way to Introduce and Improve Urban Environmental Pollution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karami

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Background In this study, high school students in Tehran were selected to investigate the role of environmental education in the prevention and control of pollution. Objectives In this regard, 10 high schools from different areas of Tehran City were used to implement an Environmental Education (EE intervention program. Patients and Methods The students of 5 high schools (first group were trained by the paper-based guidebook and students of other 5 high schools (second group trained by a teacher (EE expert. This study has been designed as a quasi-experimental pretest/posttest design with comparison groups. The impact on the participant’s environmental literacy was assessed by measuring a number of environmental literacy components, including knowledge, attitude, values, and concerns as well as behavioral intention/behavior. The results were presented in a bipolar 5-point Likert response format, with an "undecided" category. Relationships among variables were examined using the general linear model formulation with subsequent ANOVA analyses. Results Results for the participants show a significant increase in the scores of knowledge and attitude about air pollution. Educational program and training tools had no effect on the concern indexes, values, and behavior toward air pollution. Review of the score changes toward waste component, shows that posttest scores (in comparison with pretest ones increases in 4 indicators of knowledge, attitude, concern, and behavior, however the value index did not change so much. Conclusions We can conclude that educational program can be used to convey the knowledge of the environment and in this regard, its implementation is necessary.

Methodological proposal for environmental impact evaluation since different specific methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leon Pelaez, Juan Diego; Lopera Arango Gabriel Jaime

1999-01-01

Some conceptual and practical elements related to environmental impact evaluation are described and related to the preparation of technical reports (environmental impact studies and environmental management plans) to be presented to environmental authorities for obtaining the environmental permits for development projects. In the first part of the document a summary of the main aspects of normative type is made that support the studies of environmental impact in Colombia. We propose a diagram for boarding and elaboration of the evaluation of environmental impact, which begins with the description of the project and of the environmental conditions in the area of the same. Passing then to identify the impacts through a method matricial and continuing with the quantitative evaluation of the same. For which we propose the use of the method developed by Arboleda (1994). Also we propose to qualify the activities of the project and the components of the environment in their relative importance, by means of a method here denominated agglomerate evaluation. Which allows finding those activities more impacting and the mostly impacted components. Lastly it is presented some models for the elaboration and presentation of the environmental management plans. The pursuit programs and those of environmental supervision

Promoting environmental protection in Nigeria through ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... pollution, land degradation, water security, forest fires, deforestation, climate ... The importance of environmental education has been strongly emphasized not just ... also through training in business and industry, through community activities ...

Tritium in fusion reactor components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watson, J.S.; Fisher, P.W.; Talbot, J.B.

1980-01-01

When tritium is used in a fusion energy experiment or reactor, several implications affect and usually restrict the design and operation of the system and involve questions of containment, inventory, and radiation damage. Containment is expected to be particularly important both for high-temperature components and for those components that are prone to require frequent maintenance. Inventory is currently of major significance in cases where safety and environmental considerations limit the experiments to very low levels of tritium. Fewer inventory restrictions are expected as fusion experiments are placed in more-remote locations and as the fusion community gains experience with the use of tritium. However, the advent of power-producing experiments with high-duty cycle will again lead to serious difficulties based principally on tritium availability; cyclic operations with significant regeneration times are the principal problems

Research on Air Quality Evaluation based on Principal Component Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xing; Wang, Zilin; Guo, Min; Chen, Wei; Zhang, Huan

2018-01-01

Economic growth has led to environmental capacity decline and the deterioration of air quality. Air quality evaluation as a fundamental of environmental monitoring and air pollution control has become increasingly important. Based on the principal component analysis (PCA), this paper evaluates the air quality of a large city in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Area in recent 10 years and identifies influencing factors, in order to provide reference to air quality management and air pollution control.

Environmental Education for Behaviour Change: Which Actions Should Be Targeted?

Science.gov (United States)

Boyes, Edward; Stanisstreet, Martin

2012-01-01

One aim of environmental education is to enable people to make informed decisions about their environmental behaviour; this is particularly significant with environmental problems that are believed to be both major and imminent, such as climate change resulting from global warming. Previous research suggests no strong link between a person's…

4-Ferrocenylpyridine- and 4-Ferrocenyl-3-ferrocenylmethyl-3,4-dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarbonitriles: Multi-Component Synthesis, Structures and Electrochemistry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis Ortiz-Frade

2012-08-01

Full Text Available The reactions of 2-cyano-3-ferrocenylacrylonitrile (<strong>1strong> with malononitrile (<strong>2strong> in a MeOH/H₂O or 2-PrOH/H₂O medium in the presence of Na₂CO₃ afforded 6-alkoxy-2-amino-4-ferrocenylpyridine-3,5-dicarbonitriles <strong>3astrong>,b> (multi-component condensation and 6-alkoxy-2-amino-4-ferrocenyl-3-ferrocenylmethyl-3,4-dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarbonitriles <strong>4astrong>,b> (multi-component cyclodimerization. Analogous reactions of <strong>1strong> with <strong>2strong> in an MeOH/H₂O medium in the presence of NaOH, piperidine, or morpholine gave compounds <strong>3astrong>, <strong>4astrong> and 2-amino-4-ferrocenyl-6-hydroxy-, 6-piperidino- and 6-morpholinopyridine-3,5-dicarbonitriles <strong>3cstrong>–e>, respectively. The structures of the compounds <strong>3bstrong>, <strong>4astrong> and <strong>4bstrong> were established by the spectroscopic data and X-ray diffraction analysis. The electrochemical behaviour of compounds <strong>3bstrong>, <strong>3dstrong> and <strong>4bstrong> was investigated by means of cyclic voltammetry.