Flow over riblet curved surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loureiro, J B R; Freire, A P Silva, E-mail: atila@mecanica.ufrj.br [Mechanical Engineering Program, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (COPPE/UFRJ), C.P. 68503, 21.941-972, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2011-12-22

The present work studies the mechanics of turbulent drag reduction over curved surfaces by riblets. The effects of surface modification on flow separation over steep and smooth curved surfaces are investigated. Four types of two-dimensional surfaces are studied based on the morphometric parameters that describe the body of a blue whale. Local measurements of mean velocity and turbulence profiles are obtained through laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) and particle image velocimetry (PIV).

["Podmoskovie"--health resort institution of the Federal Drug Control Service of the Russian Federation celebrates the 20th anniversary].

Science.gov (United States)

Bondar', I V; Minaev, D Iu; Nasretdinov, I N; Petukhov, A E

2014-12-01

The article is dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Federal government health resort institution of the Federal Drug Control Service of the Russian Federation (FGI "Health resort "Podmoskovie" of the Federal Drug Control Service of the Russian Federation). In this health resort were developed treatment programs for patients with abnormalities of the cardiovascular, respiratory and digestive systems; methods of ultrasonic, laser and magnetic therapy, atmospheric hypoxic, herbal medicine, speleotherapy are employed. Widely used natural healing factors of Ruza district of the Moscow region such as climate therapy, treatment with mineral water group of X type of Smolensk from own wells and balneo-mudtherapy. Over the past 20 years 70 000 patients received an appropriate treatment in this health resort.

Physician-owned companies.

Science.gov (United States)

Kostuik, John P

2007-05-15

The author relates his experience in the development of a spinal implant development company (K2M) that is significantly advised by physicians. To provide information about the development of a spinal implant company (K2M) advised by a group of professional spinal surgeons. To relate the federal laws (STARK and anti-kickback) as they pertain to surgeon-influenced companies. To discuss the role of a scientific advisory board. A self-developed company was developed together with significant, but minority physician financial input and majority scientific advice. A privately owned spinal implant development corporation (K2M) was developed 3 years ago. Physician financial participation was less than 20% (Stark laws state no more than 40%). Users of product are greater than 60% non-investor physicians. The development of a large scientific advisory board has been very influential in product development. A privately owned spinal implant company (K2M) has been developed strictly within Federal laws. Its board of scientific advisors that receives recompense commissurate only with effort significantly impacts the company policy.

Atmosphere-surface interactions over polar oceans and heterogeneous surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vihma, T.

1995-12-31

Processes of interaction between the atmospheric boundary layer and the planetary surface have been studied with special emphasis on polar ocean surfaces: the open ocean, leads, polynyas and sea ice. The local exchange of momentum, heat and moisture has been studied experimentally both in the Weddell Sea and in the Greenland Sea. Exchange processes over heterogeneous surfaces are addressed by modelling studies. Over a homogeneous surface, the local turbulent fluxes can be reasonably well estimated using an iterative flux-profile scheme based on the Monin-Obukhov similarity theory. In the Greenland Sea, the near-surface air temperature and the generally small turbulent fluxes over the open ocean were affected by the sea surface temperature fronts. Over the sea ice cover in the Weddell Sea, the turbulent sensible heat flux was generally downwards, and together with an upward oceanic heat flux through the ice it compensated the heat loss from the surface via long-wave radiation. The wind dominated on time scales of days, while the current became important on longer time scales. The drift dynamics showed apparent spatial differences between the eastern and western regions, as well as between the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and the rest of the Weddell Sea. Inertial motion was present in regions of low ice concentration. The surface heterogeneity, arising e.g. from roughness or temperature distribution, poses a problem for the parameterization of surface exchange processes in large-scale models. In the case of neutral flow over a heterogeneous terrain, an effective roughness length can be used to parameterize the roughness effects

Atmosphere-surface interactions over polar oceans and heterogeneous surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vihma, T

1996-12-31

Processes of interaction between the atmospheric boundary layer and the planetary surface have been studied with special emphasis on polar ocean surfaces: the open ocean, leads, polynyas and sea ice. The local exchange of momentum, heat and moisture has been studied experimentally both in the Weddell Sea and in the Greenland Sea. Exchange processes over heterogeneous surfaces are addressed by modelling studies. Over a homogeneous surface, the local turbulent fluxes can be reasonably well estimated using an iterative flux-profile scheme based on the Monin-Obukhov similarity theory. In the Greenland Sea, the near-surface air temperature and the generally small turbulent fluxes over the open ocean were affected by the sea surface temperature fronts. Over the sea ice cover in the Weddell Sea, the turbulent sensible heat flux was generally downwards, and together with an upward oceanic heat flux through the ice it compensated the heat loss from the surface via long-wave radiation. The wind dominated on time scales of days, while the current became important on longer time scales. The drift dynamics showed apparent spatial differences between the eastern and western regions, as well as between the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and the rest of the Weddell Sea. Inertial motion was present in regions of low ice concentration. The surface heterogeneity, arising e.g. from roughness or temperature distribution, poses a problem for the parameterization of surface exchange processes in large-scale models. In the case of neutral flow over a heterogeneous terrain, an effective roughness length can be used to parameterize the roughness effects

30 CFR 903.842 - Federal inspections.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... jurisdiction over mining. ... Mineral Resources OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING RECLAMATION AND ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR PROGRAMS FOR THE CONDUCT OF SURFACE MINING OPERATIONS WITHIN EACH STATE ARIZONA § 903.842 Federal...

The Emergence of Public Relations in the Russian Federation.

Science.gov (United States)

Guth, David W.

2000-01-01

Describes the emergence of public relations in the Russian Federation over the past 7 years. Concludes that Russia is developing its own vision of public relations, similar in many aspects to that found in the West but also adapted to the harsh realities of Russian life. (NH)

77 FR 14303 - Federal Acquisition Regulation; Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Program

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-09

... Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) Concerns (APR 2012) (15 U.S.C. 637(m)).'' 4. On...: ``(25) 52.219-30, Notice of Set-Aside for Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Concerns Eligible Under the... Business Concerns Eligible Under the Women-Owned Small Business Program (APR 2012)'' [FR Doc. C1-2012-4475...

Financial statistics of major publicly owned electric utilities, 1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

The Financial Statistics of Major Publicly Owned Electric Utilities publication presents summary and detailed financial accounting data on the publicly owned electric utilities. The objective of the publication is to provide Federal and State governments, industry, and the general public with data that can be used for policymaking and decisionmaking purposes relating to publicly owned electric utility issues

Financial statistics of major publicly owned electric utilities, 1991

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-03-31

The Financial Statistics of Major Publicly Owned Electric Utilities publication presents summary and detailed financial accounting data on the publicly owned electric utilities. The objective of the publication is to provide Federal and State governments, industry, and the general public with data that can be used for policymaking and decisionmaking purposes relating to publicly owned electric utility issues.

Financial statistics of major investor-owned electric utilities, 1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

The Financial Statistics of major Investor-Owned Electric Utilities publication presents summary and detailed financial accounting data on the investor-owned electric utilities. The objective of the publication is to provide Federal and State governments, industry, and the general public with current and historical data that can be used for policymaking and decisionmaking purposes related to investor-owned electric utility issues

Financial statistics of selected investor-owned electric utilities, 1989

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-01-01

The Financial Statistics of Selected Investor-Owned Electric Utilities publication presents summary and detailed financial accounting data on the investor-owned electric utilities. The objective of the publication is to provide the Federal and State governments, industry, and the general public with current and historical data that can be used for policymaking and decisionmaking purposes related to investor-owned electric utility issues.

Coal Fields and Federal Lands of the Conterminous United States

Science.gov (United States)

Biewick, Laura

1997-01-01

The map depicts the relationship of coal and public lands in the conterminous U. S. Multiple GIS layers are being created for the purpose of deriving estimates of how much coal is owned and administered by the Federal government. Federal coal areas have a profound effect on land-management decisions. Regulatory agencies attempt to balance energy development with alternative land-use and environmental concerns. A GIS database of Federal lands used in energy resource assessments is being developed by the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to integrate information on status of public land, and minerals owned by the Federal government with geologic information on coal resources, other spatial data, coal quality characteristics, and coal availability for development. Using national-scale data we estimate that approximately 60 percent of the area underlain by coal-bearing rocks in the conterminous United States are under Federal surface. Coal produced from Federal leases has tripled from about 12 percent of the total U.S. production in 1976 to almost 34 percent in 1995 (Energy Information Administration website ftp://ftp.eia.doe.gov/pub/coal/cia_95_tables/t13p01.txt). The reason for this increase is demand for low-sulfur coal for use in power plants and the fact that large reserves of this low-sulfur coal are in the western interior U.S., where the Federal government owns the rights to most of the coal reserves. The map was created using Arc/Info 7.0.3 on a UNIX system. The HPGL2 plot file for this map is available from the USGS Energy Resource Surveys Team from http://energy.cr.usgs.gov:8080/energy/coal.html.

BioFed: federated query processing over life sciences linked open data.

Science.gov (United States)

Hasnain, Ali; Mehmood, Qaiser; Sana E Zainab, Syeda; Saleem, Muhammad; Warren, Claude; Zehra, Durre; Decker, Stefan; Rebholz-Schuhmann, Dietrich

2017-03-15

Biomedical data, e.g. from knowledge bases and ontologies, is increasingly made available following open linked data principles, at best as RDF triple data. This is a necessary step towards unified access to biological data sets, but this still requires solutions to query multiple endpoints for their heterogeneous data to eventually retrieve all the meaningful information. Suggested solutions are based on query federation approaches, which require the submission of SPARQL queries to endpoints. Due to the size and complexity of available data, these solutions have to be optimised for efficient retrieval times and for users in life sciences research. Last but not least, over time, the reliability of data resources in terms of access and quality have to be monitored. Our solution (BioFed) federates data over 130 SPARQL endpoints in life sciences and tailors query submission according to the provenance information. BioFed has been evaluated against the state of the art solution FedX and forms an important benchmark for the life science domain. The efficient cataloguing approach of the federated query processing system 'BioFed', the triple pattern wise source selection and the semantic source normalisation forms the core to our solution. It gathers and integrates data from newly identified public endpoints for federated access. Basic provenance information is linked to the retrieved data. Last but not least, BioFed makes use of the latest SPARQL standard (i.e., 1.1) to leverage the full benefits for query federation. The evaluation is based on 10 simple and 10 complex queries, which address data in 10 major and very popular data sources (e.g., Dugbank, Sider). BioFed is a solution for a single-point-of-access for a large number of SPARQL endpoints providing life science data. It facilitates efficient query generation for data access and provides basic provenance information in combination with the retrieved data. BioFed fully supports SPARQL 1.1 and gives access to the

30 CFR 903.843 - Federal enforcement.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... request, to a designated Arizona State agency with jurisdiction over mining. ... Mineral Resources OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING RECLAMATION AND ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR PROGRAMS FOR THE CONDUCT OF SURFACE MINING OPERATIONS WITHIN EACH STATE ARIZONA § 903.843 Federal...

Financial statistics of major US investor-owned electric utilities 1994

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-12-01

The Financial Statistics of Major U.S. Investor-Owned Electric Utilities publication presents summary and detailed financial accounting data on the investor-owned electric utilities. The objective of the publication is to provide Federal and State Governments, industry, and the general public with current and historical data that can be used for making policy and decisions relating to investor-owned electric utility issues.

76 FR 18324 - Federal Acquisition Regulation; Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-51; Small Entity Compliance Guide

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-01

...--Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Program (FAR Case 2010-015) (Interim) This interim rule amends the FAR to add subpart 19.15, Women-Owned Small Business Program, which will assist Federal agencies in achieving the 5 percent statutory goal for contracting with women-owned small business (WOSB) concerns...

48 CFR 1852.245-79 - Use of Government-owned property.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

...-owned facilities (real property or plant equipment), special test equipment, or special tooling... property. 1852.245-79 Section 1852.245-79 Federal Acquisition Regulations System NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND... and Clauses 1852.245-79 Use of Government-owned property. As prescribed in 1845.106-70(i), insert the...

49 CFR 41.110 - New DOT owned buildings and additions to buildings.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false New DOT owned buildings and additions to buildings....110 New DOT owned buildings and additions to buildings. (a) DOT Operating Administrations responsible for the design and construction of new DOT Federally owned buildings will ensure that each building is...

22 CFR 226.33 - Federally-owned and exempt property.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... Section 226.33 Foreign Relations AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION OF ASSISTANCE AWARDS TO U.S. NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS Post-award Requirements Property Standards § 226.33 Federally... research equipment to educational and non-profit organizations in accordance with E.O. 12821, “Improving...

Financial statistics of selected publicly owned electric utilities 1989. [Contains glossary

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-02-06

The Financial Statistics of Selected Publicly Owned Electric Utilities publication presents summary and detailed financial accounting data on the publicly owned electric utilities. The objective of the publication is to provide the Federal and State governments, industry, and the general public with data that can be used for policymaking and decision making purposes relating to publicly owned electric utility issues. 21 tabs.

Financial statistics of major U.S. investor-owned electric utilities 1993

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1995-01-01

The Financial Statistics of Major US Investor-Owned Electric Utilities publication presents summary and detailed financial accounting data on the investor-owned electric utilities. The objective of the publication is to provide Federal and State governments, industry, and the general public with current and historical data that can be used for policymaking and decisionmaking purposes related to investor-owned electric utility issues.

Federal Lands

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Homeland Security — This map layer consists of federally owned or administered lands of theUnited States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Only areas of 640 acres or more are...

75 FR 62257 - Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contract Program

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-07

...) program in these industries would reduce the effects of the discrimination affecting women-owned small... reluctance to register on the CCR could itself result from gender discrimination. The SBO database in the... sufficiently important objective: To redress the effects of past discrimination against women in contracting...

48 CFR 1852.245-70 - Contractor requests for Government-owned equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... the equipment and the reasons why contractor-owned property cannot be used, citing the applicable FAR... 1419, DOD Industrial Plant Equipment Requisition, or equivalent format, for each item requested and (ii... Government-owned equipment. 1852.245-70 Section 1852.245-70 Federal Acquisition Regulations System NATIONAL...

30 CFR 903.700 - Arizona Federal program.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Resources has jurisdiction over the mining of minerals, and oil and gas under Title 27 of the Arizona....700 Mineral Resources OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING RECLAMATION AND ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR PROGRAMS FOR THE CONDUCT OF SURFACE MINING OPERATIONS WITHIN EACH STATE ARIZONA § 903.700 Arizona Federal...

An intercomparison and validation of satellite-based surface radiative energy flux estimates over the Arctic

Science.gov (United States)

Riihelä, Aku; Key, Jeffrey R.; Meirink, Jan Fokke; Kuipers Munneke, Peter; Palo, Timo; Karlsson, Karl-Göran

2017-05-01

Accurate determination of radiative energy fluxes over the Arctic is of crucial importance for understanding atmosphere-surface interactions, melt and refreezing cycles of the snow and ice cover, and the role of the Arctic in the global energy budget. Satellite-based estimates can provide comprehensive spatiotemporal coverage, but the accuracy and comparability of the existing data sets must be ascertained to facilitate their use. Here we compare radiative flux estimates from Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) Synoptic 1-degree (SYN1deg)/Energy Balanced and Filled, Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) surface energy budget, and our own experimental FluxNet / Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring cLoud, Albedo and RAdiation (CLARA) data against in situ observations over Arctic sea ice and the Greenland Ice Sheet during summer of 2007. In general, CERES SYN1deg flux estimates agree best with in situ measurements, although with two particular limitations: (1) over sea ice the upwelling shortwave flux in CERES SYN1deg appears to be underestimated because of an underestimated surface albedo and (2) the CERES SYN1deg upwelling longwave flux over sea ice saturates during midsummer. The Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer-based GEWEX and FluxNet-CLARA flux estimates generally show a larger range in retrieval errors relative to CERES, with contrasting tendencies relative to each other. The largest source of retrieval error in the FluxNet-CLARA downwelling shortwave flux is shown to be an overestimated cloud optical thickness. The results illustrate that satellite-based flux estimates over the Arctic are not yet homogeneous and that further efforts are necessary to investigate the differences in the surface and cloud properties which lead to disagreements in flux retrievals.

Transient disturbance growth in flows over convex surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Karp, Michael; Hack, M. J. Philipp

2017-11-01

Flows over curved surfaces occur in a wide range of applications including airfoils, compressor and turbine vanes as well as aerial, naval and ground vehicles. In most of these applications the surface has convex curvature, while concave surfaces are less common. Since monotonic boundary-layer flows over convex surfaces are exponentially stable, they have received considerably less attention than flows over concave walls which are destabilized by centrifugal forces. Non-modal mechanisms may nonetheless enable significant disturbance growth which can make the flow susceptible to secondary instabilities. A parametric investigation of the transient growth and secondary instability of flows over convex surfaces is performed. The specific conditions yielding the maximal transient growth and strongest instability are identified. The effect of wall-normal and spanwise inflection points on the instability process is discussed. Finally, the role and significance of additional parameters, such as the geometry and pressure gradient, is analyzed.

Studies of nanosecond pulse surface ionization wave discharges over solid and liquid dielectric surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petrishchev, Vitaly; Leonov, Sergey; Adamovich, Igor V

2014-01-01

Surface ionization wave discharges generated by high-voltage nanosecond pulses, propagating over a planar quartz surface and over liquid surfaces (distilled water and 1-butanol) have been studied in a rectangular cross section test cell. The discharge was initiated using a custom-made, alternating polarity, high-voltage nanosecond pulse plasma generator, operated at a pulse repetition rate of 100–500 Hz, with a pulse peak voltage and current of 10–15 kV and 7–20 A, respectively, a pulse FWHM of ∼100 ns, and a coupled pulse energy of 2–9 mJ/pulse. Wave speed was measured using a capacitive probe. ICCD camera images demonstrated that the ionization wave propagated predominantly over the quartz wall or over the liquid surface adjacent to the grounded waveguide placed along the bottom wall of the test cell. Under all experimental conditions tested, the surface plasma ‘sheet’ was diffuse and fairly uniform, both for positive and negative polarities. The parameters of ionization wave discharge propagating over distilled water and 1-butanol surfaces were close to those of the discharge over a quartz wall. No perturbation of the liquid surface by the discharge was detected. In most cases, the positive polarity surface ionization wave propagated at a higher speed and over a longer distance compared to the negative polarity wave. For all three sets of experiments (surface ionization wave discharge over quartz, water and 1-butanol), wave speed and travel distance decreased with pressure. Diffuse, highly reproducible surface ionization wave discharge was also observed over the liquid butanol–saturated butanol vapor interface, as well as over the distilled water–saturated water vapor interface, without buffer gas flow. No significant difference was detected between surface ionization discharges sustained using single-polarity (positive or negative), or alternating polarity high-voltage pulses. Plasma emission images yielded preliminary evidence of charge

Contrasting self-aggregation over land and ocean surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Inda Diaz, H. A.; O'Brien, T. A.

2017-12-01

The spontaneous organization of convection into clusters, or self-aggregation, demonstrably changes the nature and statistics of precipitation. While there has been much recent progress in this area, the processes that control self-aggregation are still poorly understood. Most of the work to date has focused on self-aggregation over ocean-like surfaces, but it is particularly pressing to understand what controls convective aggregation over land, since the associated change in precipitation statistics—between non-aggregated and aggregated convection—could have huge impacts on society and infrastructure. Radiative-convective equilibrium (RCE), has been extensively used as an idealized framework to study the tropical atmosphere. Self-aggregation manifests in numerous numerical models of RCE, nevertheless, there is still a lack of understanding in how it relates to convective organization in the observed world. Numerous studies have examined self-aggregation using idealized Cloud Resolving Models (CRMs) and General Circulation Models over the ocean, however very little work has been done on RCE and self-aggregation over land. Idealized models of RCE over ocean have shown that aggregation is sensitive to sea surface temperature (SST), more intense precipitation occurs in aggregated systems, and a variety of feedbacks—such as surface flux, cloud radiative, and upgradient moisture transport— contribute to the maintenance of aggregation, however it is not clear if these results apply over land. Progress in this area could help relate understanding of self-aggregation in idealized simulations to observations. In order to explore the behavior of self-aggregation over land, we use a CRM to simulate idealized RCE over land. In particular, we examine the aggregation of convection and how it compares with aggregation over ocean. Based on previous studies, where a variety of different CRMs exhibit a SST threshold below which self-aggregation does not occur, we hypothesize

23 CFR 710.601 - Federal land transfer.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RIGHT-OF-WAY AND ENVIRONMENT RIGHT-OF-WAY AND REAL ESTATE Federal Assistance Programs § 710.601 Federal land transfer. (a) The provisions of this... agency will be notified and a right-of-entry requested. The land-owning agency shall have a period of...

Effect of taxes and financial incentives on family-owned forest land

Science.gov (United States)

John L. Greene; Thomas J. Straka; Tamara L. Cushing

2013-01-01

Key FindingsFederal and State taxes reduce the pre-tax value of family-owned forest land in the South by amounts ranging from little more than one-quarter to nearly half, with the greatest share of the reduction attributable to the Federal income tax and State property taxes.Most family forest owners are aware of some general...

Reversible peptide oligomerization over nanoscale gold surfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kazushige Yokoyama

2015-11-01

Full Text Available A selective oligomeric formation of amyloid beta 1-40 (Ab1-40 monomers over a nanogold colloidal surface was investigated. An unfolded Ab1-40 monomer is considered to construct a dimer or trimer based oligomeric form with its hydrophobic segment placing outward under an acidic condition. Under a basic condition, a conformation of Ab is expected to take a folded monomeric form with its hydrophilic segment folded inward, avoiding the networking with residual colloidal particles. The most probable oligomeric form constructed over a 20 nm gold colloidal surface within a 25 ℃ to 65 ℃ temperature range is a dimer based unit and that over 30 or 40 nm gold colloidal surface below 15 ℃ is concluded to be a trimer based unit. However, selective oligomerization was not successfully reproduced under the rest of the conditions. A dipole-induced dipole interaction must cause a flexible structural change between folded and unfolded forms.

Financial statistics of major US publicly owned electric utilities 1993

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1995-02-01

The 1993 edition of the Financial Statistics of Major U.S. Publicly Owned Electric Utilities publication presents five years (1989 to 1993) of summary financial data and current year detailed financial data on the major publicly owned electric utilities. The objective of the publication is to provide Federal and State governments, industry, and the general public with current and historical data that can be used for policymaking and decision making purposes related to publicly owned electric utility issues. Generator and nongenerator summaries are presented in this publication. The primary source of publicly owned financial data is the Form EIA-412, the Annual Report of Public Electric Utilities, filed on a fiscal basis.

Initial state regulation of investor-owned utilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Savitski, D.W.

2001-01-01

This paper examines state initiation of public service (or utility) commission regulation of investor-owned utilities (IOUs) using an economic theory of regulation. The decision to regulate IOUs is assumed to have depended on the strength of competing interest groups, e.g. consumers and producers, and on institutional factors, e.g. whether commissioners were appointed or elected. Regulators, which then had jurisdiction over IOU rates, are assumed to have been optimizing agents. The potential benefits of regulation, in turn, translated into pressure to initiate regulation. To test this, a hazard model is applied to state-level data. On the demand side of the regulation market, the distribution of federal power and population density were unrelated, while a set of time dummies was positively related to the probability that a state initiated regulation. On the supply side, the fraction of the population that was urban and whether the governor was Republican or not were positively and negatively related to this probability

76 FR 14566 - Federal Acquisition Regulation; Socioeconomic Program Parity

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-16

... businesses and their relationship to the other small business programs. FAR Case 2010- 015, Women-Owned Small... Women- owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contract Program final rule, (75 FR 62258, October 7, 2010...-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns participation. * * * * * PART 19--SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS 19...

Cleanups In My Community (CIMC) - Federal Facility RCRA Sites, National Layer

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Federal facilities are properties owned by the federal government. This data layer provides access to Federal facilities that are Resource Conservation and Recovery...

The Remote Sensing of Surface Radiative Temperature over Barbados.

Science.gov (United States)

remote sensing of surface radiative temperature over Barbados was undertaken using a PRT-5 attached to a light aircraft. Traverses across the centre of the island, over the rugged east coast area, and the urban area of Bridgetown were undertaken at different times of day and night in the last week of June and the first week of December, 1969. These traverses show that surface variations in long-wave radiation emission lie within plus or minus 5% of the observations over grass at a representative site. The quick response of the surface to sunset and sunrise was

New Mexico Federal Lands

Data.gov (United States)

Earth Data Analysis Center, University of New Mexico — This map layer consists of federally owned or administered lands of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Only areas of 640 acres or more are...

36 CFR Appendix B to Part 79 - Example of a Memorandum of Understanding for Curatorial Services for a Federally-Owned Collection

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

..., herein called the Collection, listed in Attachment A which is attached hereto and made a part hereof, and... control over the Collection and any other U.S. Government-owned personal property, listed in Attachment B... project) project, located in (name of the nearest city or town), (name of the county) county, in the State...

Economic model of a cloud provider operating in a federated cloud

OpenAIRE

Goiri Presa, Íñigo; Guitart Fernández, Jordi; Torres Viñals, Jordi

2012-01-01

Resource provisioning in Cloud providers is a challenge because of the high variability of load over time. On the one hand, the providers can serve most of the requests owning only a restricted amount of resources, but this forces to reject customers during peak hours. On the other hand, valley hours incur in under-utilization of the resources, which forces the providers to increase their prices to be profitable. Federation overcomes these limitations and allows pro...

Direct NO decomposition over stepped transition-metal surfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Falsig, Hanne; Bligaard, Thomas; Christensen, Claus H.

2007-01-01

We establish the full potential energy diagram for the direct NO decomposition reaction over stepped transition-metal surfaces by combining a database of adsorption energies on stepped metal surfaces with known Bronsted-Evans-Polanyi (BEP) relations for the activation barriers of dissociation...

Multifractal scaling analysis of autopoisoning reactions over a rough surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaudhari, Ajay; Yan, Ching-Cher Sanders; Lee, S.-L.

2003-01-01

Decay type diffusion-limited reactions (DLR) over a rough surface generated by a random deposition model were performed. To study the effect of the decay profile on the reaction probability distribution (RPD), multifractal scaling analysis has been carried out. The dynamics of these autopoisoning reactions are controlled by the two parameters in the decay function, namely, the initial sticking probability (P ini ) of every site and the decay rate (m). The smaller the decay rate, the narrower is the range of α values in the α-f(α) multifractal spectrum. The results are compared with the earlier work of DLR over a surface of diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA). We also considered here the autopoisoning reactions over a smooth surface for comparing our results, which show clearly how the roughness affects the chemical reactions. The q-τ(q) multifractal curves for the smooth surface are linear whereas those for the rough surface are nonlinear. The range of α values in the case of a rough surface is wider than that of the smooth surface

48 CFR 23.704 - Application to Government-owned or -leased facilities.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... ACQUISITION REGULATION SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Application to Government... and Services 23.704 Application to Government-owned or -leased facilities. Executive Order 13101...

Russian Dreams and Prussian Ghosts: Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University and Debates over Historical Memory and Identity in Kaliningrad

Science.gov (United States)

Clarkson, Alexander

2017-01-01

This article examines how the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University and the Kaliningrad State Technical University have come to exert considerable influence over debates surrounding historical memory and identity in the Kaliningrad region. Under the direct control of the Russian Federation, the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad is surrounded by…

Ethanol adsorption on the {10(1)over-bar4} calcite surface

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sand, Karina Krarup; Stipp, Susan Louise Svane; Hassenkam, Tue

2008-01-01

Preliminary atomic force microscopy investigations of the {10 (1) over bar4} calcite Surface cleaved in ethanol indicate a different surface behaviour than that of the {10 (1) over bar4} surface cleaved in air. The results are consistent with recent theoretical studies and suggest strong ordering...

Ammonia synthesis over a Ru(0001) surface studied by density functional calculations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Logadottir, Ashildur; Nørskov, Jens Kehlet

2003-01-01

In this paper we present DFT studies of all the elementary steps in the synthesis of ammonia from gaseous hydrogen and nitrogen over a ruthenium crystal. The stability and configurations of intermediates in the ammonia synthesis over a Ru(0001) surface have been investigated, both over a flat...... surface and over a stepped surface. The calculations show that the step sites on the surface are much more reactive than the terrace sites. The DFT results are then used to study the mechanism of promotion by alkalies over the Ru(0001) and to determine the rate-determining step in the synthesis of ammonia...

Summations over equilaterally triangulated surfaces and the critical string measure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smit, D.J.; Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA

1992-01-01

We propose a new approach to the summation over dynamically triangulated Riemann surfaces which does not rely on properties of the potential in a matrix model. Instead, we formulate a purely algebraic discretization of critical string path integral. This is combined with a technique which assigns to each equilateral triangulation of a two-dimensional surface a Riemann surface defined over a certain finite extension of the field of rational numbers, i.e. an arithmetic surface. Thus we establish a new formulated in which the sum over randomly triangulated surfaces defines an invariant measure on the moduli space of arithmetic surfaces. It is shown that because of this it is far from obvious that this measure for large genera approximates the measure defined by the continuum theory, i.e. Liouville theory or critical string theory. In low genus this subtlety does not exist. In the case of critical string theory we explicitly compute the volume of the moduli space of arithmetic surfaces in terms of the modular height function and show that for low genus it approximates correctly the continuum measure. We also discuss a continuum limit which bears some resemblance with a double scaling limit in matrix models. (orig.)

Inclusion of Solar Elevation Angle in Land Surface Albedo Parameterization Over Bare Soil Surface.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Zhiyuan; Wei, Zhigang; Wen, Zhiping; Dong, Wenjie; Li, Zhenchao; Wen, Xiaohang; Zhu, Xian; Ji, Dong; Chen, Chen; Yan, Dongdong

2017-12-01

Land surface albedo is a significant parameter for maintaining a balance in surface energy. It is also an important parameter of bare soil surface albedo for developing land surface process models that accurately reflect diurnal variation characteristics and the mechanism behind the solar spectral radiation albedo on bare soil surfaces and for understanding the relationships between climate factors and spectral radiation albedo. Using a data set of field observations, we conducted experiments to analyze the variation characteristics of land surface solar spectral radiation and the corresponding albedo over a typical Gobi bare soil underlying surface and to investigate the relationships between the land surface solar spectral radiation albedo, solar elevation angle, and soil moisture. Based on both solar elevation angle and soil moisture measurements simultaneously, we propose a new two-factor parameterization scheme for spectral radiation albedo over bare soil underlying surfaces. The results of numerical simulation experiments show that the new parameterization scheme can more accurately depict the diurnal variation characteristics of bare soil surface albedo than the previous schemes. Solar elevation angle is one of the most important factors for parameterizing bare soil surface albedo and must be considered in the parameterization scheme, especially in arid and semiarid areas with low soil moisture content. This study reveals the characteristics and mechanism of the diurnal variation of bare soil surface solar spectral radiation albedo and is helpful in developing land surface process models, weather models, and climate models.

Controlling disasters: Local emergency management perceptions about Federal Emergency Management and Homeland Security actions after September 11, 2001.

Science.gov (United States)

Hildebrand, Sean

This article examines local emergency manager's beliefs regarding control over tasks during various stages of the hazard cycle since federal policies went into effect following the September 11 attacks. The study considers whether a disparity exists between the actions of local officials during each phase of the "hazard cycle" and the policy expectations of the federal government, which call for greater federal control over activities in emergency management and homeland security. To do so, hypothesis testing investigates the jurisdiction's use of comprehensive emergency management (CEM) practices, the perceived "clarity" of the federal policy demands, and if the local actors feel coerced to comply with federal policy demands so that grant funding is not compromised. Using a model developed from "third-generation" policy implementation research, the results show that the odds of local officials citing federal control over these actions have very limited statistical significance. This signals that the perceived lack of local input into the development of these federal policies and the policies' limited use of traditional CEM measures may not be in concert with what local actors perform in the field. Simply put, the respondents claim to understand the federal policy demands, support the concept of federal control as the policies describe, yet follow their own plans or traditional CEM principles, even if such actions do not support the federal policy demands. These results align with pre-existing research in the emergency management field that show issues with efforts to centralize policies under the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The Surface Radiation Budget over Oceans and Continents.

Science.gov (United States)

Garratt, J. R.; Prata, A. J.; Rotstayn, L. D.; McAvaney, B. J.; Cusack, S.

1998-08-01

An updated evaluation of the surface radiation budget in climate models (1994-96 versions; seven datasets available, with and without aerosols) and in two new satellite-based global datasets (with aerosols) is presented. All nine datasets capture the broad mean monthly zonal variations in the flux components and in the net radiation, with maximum differences of some 100 W m2 occurring in the downwelling fluxes at specific latitudes. Using long-term surface observations, both from land stations and the Pacific warm pool (with typical uncertainties in the annual values varying between ±5 and 20 W m2), excess net radiation (RN) and downwelling shortwave flux density (So) are found in all datasets, consistent with results from earlier studies [for global land, excesses of 15%-20% (12 W m2) in RN and about 12% (20 W m2) in So]. For the nine datasets combined, the spread in annual fluxes is significant: for RN, it is 15 (50) W m2 over global land (Pacific warm pool) in an observed annual mean of 65 (135) W m2; for So, it is 25 (60) W m2 over land (warm pool) in an annual mean of 176 (197) W m2.The effects of aerosols are included in three of the authors' datasets, based on simple aerosol climatologies and assumptions regarding aerosol optical properties. They offer guidance on the broad impact of aerosols on climate, suggesting that the inclusion of aerosols in models would reduce the annual So by 15-20 W m2 over land and 5-10 W m2 over the oceans. Model differences in cloud cover contribute to differences in So between datasets; for global land, this is most clearly demonstrated through the effects of cloud cover on the surface shortwave cloud forcing. The tendency for most datasets to underestimate cloudiness, particularly over global land, and possibly to underestimate atmospheric water vapor absorption, probably contributes to the excess downwelling shortwave flux at the surface.

Critical Infrastructure Protection and Federal Statutory Authority for the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense to Perform Two Key Tasks

Science.gov (United States)

2017-04-13

enforcement information, intelligence information, and other information …. to – (A) identify and assess the nature and scope of terrorist threats...This report was prepared for the US and the Canadian governments. It demonstrates that the majority of utilities are investor owned and that it is...utilities are federally owned; 189 are investor owned; 2,013 are publicly owned by non- federal entities; and 887 are consumer owned. 22 US GAO

Federated software defined network operations for LHC experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Dongkyun; Byeon, Okhwan; Cho, Kihyeon

2013-09-01

The most well-known high-energy physics collaboration, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which is based on e-Science, has been facing several challenges presented by its extraordinary instruments in terms of the generation, distribution, and analysis of large amounts of scientific data. Currently, data distribution issues are being resolved by adopting an advanced Internet technology called software defined networking (SDN). Stability of the SDN operations and management is demanded to keep the federated LHC data distribution networks reliable. Therefore, in this paper, an SDN operation architecture based on the distributed virtual network operations center (DvNOC) is proposed to enable LHC researchers to assume full control of their own global end-to-end data dissemination. This may achieve an enhanced data delivery performance based on data traffic offloading with delay variation. The evaluation results indicate that the overall end-to-end data delivery performance can be improved over multi-domain SDN environments based on the proposed federated SDN/DvNOC operation framework.

77 FR 12930 - Federal Acquisition Regulation: Socioeconomic Program Parity

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-02

... (SDVOSB) Program, or the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Program. DATES: Effective Date: April 2, 2012...) Program (see subpart 19.14); or (iv) Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Program (see subpart 19.15). (3... amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement a section of the Small Business Jobs Act of...

Cleanups In My Community (CIMC) - Federal facilities that are also Superfund sites, National Layer

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Federal facilities are properties owned by the federal government. This data layer provides access to Federal facilities that are Superfund sites as part of the CIMC...

SURFACE ENERGY BALANCE OVER ORANGE ORCHARD USING SURFACE RENEWAL ANALYSIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salvatore Barbagallo

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Reliable estimation of surface sensible and latent heat flux is the most important process to appraise energy and mass exchange among atmosphere and biosphere. In this study the surface energy fluxes were measured over an irrigated orange orchard during 2005-2008 monitoring periods using a Surface Renewal- Energy Balance approach. The experimental area is located in a representative orchard growing area of eastern Sicily (Italy. The performance of Surface Renewal (SR analysis for estimating sensible heat flux (H was analysed and evaluated in terms of correlation with H fluxes from the eddy covariance (EC method. Study revealed that the mean available energy (RN- G and latent heat flux (LE were of about 300 W m-2 and 237 W m-2, respectively, during dry periods and unstable-case atmospheric conditions. The estimated crop coefficient Kc values for the orchard crop averaged close to 0.80, which is considerably higher than previous FAO studies that found the value to be 0.65 for citrus with 70% of ground cover. The intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (LI PAR by the crop was measured and relationships between LAI and crop coefficient (Kc were established.

The criminal responsibility of a person who owns a vehicle ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A person who owns a vehicle apprehended transporting illegal coffee is punished by a fine of Birr 50,000 and an imprisonment of three to five years under Article 15(6) of the Federal Coffee Quality Control and Marketing Proclamation. The wording of the provision and different interpretation rules indicate that the crime is a ...

Financial statistics of major US investor-owned electric utilities 1992

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-12-28

The Financial Statistics of Major US Investor-Owned Electric Utilities publication presents summary and detailed financial accounting data on the investor-owned electric utilities. The objective of the publication is to provide Federal and State governments, industry, and the general public with current and historical data that can be used for policymaking and decisionmaking purposes related to investor-owned electric utility issues. The Financial Statistics of Major US Investor-Owned Electric Utilities publication provides information about the financial results of operations of investor-owned electric utilities for use by government, industry, electric utilities, financial organizations and educational institutions in energy planning. In the private sector, the readers of this publication are researchers and analysts associated with the financial markets, the policymaking and decisionmaking members of electric utility companies, and economic development organizations. Other organizations that may be interested in the data presented in this publication include manufacturers of electric power equipment and marketing organizations. In the public sector, the readers of this publication include analysts, researchers, statisticians, and other professionals engaged in regulatory, policy, and program areas. These individuals are generally associated with the Congress, other legislative bodies, State public utility commissions, universities, and national strategic planning organizations.

Mobile Phone Health Applications for the Federal Sector.

Science.gov (United States)

Burrows, Christin S; Weigel, Fred K

2016-01-01

As the US healthcare system moves toward a mobile care model, mobile phones will play a significant role in the future of healthcare delivery. Today, 90% of American adults own a mobile phone and 64% own a smartphone, yet many healthcare organizations are only beginning to explore the opportunities in which mobile phones can improve and streamline care. After searching Google Scholar, the Association for Computing Machinery Database, and PubMed for articles related to mobile phone health applications and cell phone text message health, we selected articles and studies related to the application of mobile phones in healthcare. From our initial review, we identified the potential application areas and continued to refine our search, identifying a total of 55 articles for additional review and analysis. From the literature, we identified 3 main themes for mobile phone implementation in improving healthcare: primary, preventive, and population health. We recommend federal health leaders pursue the value and potential in these areas; not only because 90% of Americans already own mobile phones, but also because mobile phone integration can provide substantial access and potential cost savings. From the positive findings of multiple studies in primary, preventive, and population health, we propose a 5-year federal implementation plan to integrate mobile phone capabilities into federal healthcare delivery. Our proposal has the potential to improve access, reduce costs, and increase patient satisfaction, therefore changing the way the federal sector delivers healthcare by 2021.

13 CFR 127.203 - What are the rules governing the requirement that economically disadvantaged women must own EDWOSBs?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... requirement that economically disadvantaged women must own EDWOSBs? 127.203 Section 127.203 Business Credit and Assistance SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS FEDERAL CONTRACT ASSISTANCE... woman if the transfer was: (1) To or on behalf of an immediate family member for that individual's...

ENSO surface longwave radiation forcing over the tropical Pacific

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. G. Pavlakis

2007-01-01

Full Text Available We have studied the spatial and temporal variation of the surface longwave radiation (downwelling and net over a 21-year period in the tropical and subtropical Pacific Ocean (40 S–40 N, 90 E–75 W. The fluxes were computed using a deterministic model for atmospheric radiation transfer, along with satellite data from the ISCCP-D2 database and reanalysis data from NCEP/NCAR (acronyms explained in main text, for the key atmospheric and surface input parameters. An excellent correlation was found between the downwelling longwave radiation (DLR anomaly and the Niño-3.4 index time-series, over the Niño-3.4 region located in the central Pacific. A high anti-correlation was also found over the western Pacific (15–0 S, 105–130 E. There is convincing evidence that the time series of the mean downwelling longwave radiation anomaly in the western Pacific precedes that in the Niño-3.4 region by 3–4 months. Thus, the downwelling longwave radiation anomaly is a complementary index to the SST anomaly for the study of ENSO events and can be used to asses whether or not El Niño or La Niña conditions prevail. Over the Niño-3.4 region, the mean DLR anomaly values range from +20 Wm−2 during El Niño episodes to −20 Wm−2 during La Niña events, while over the western Pacific (15–0 S, 105–130 E these values range from −15 Wm−2 to +10 Wm−2, respectively. The long- term average (1984–2004 distribution of the net downwelling longwave radiation at the surface over the tropical and subtropical Pacific for the three month period November-December-January shows a net thermal cooling of the ocean surface. When El Niño conditions prevail, the thermal radiative cooling in the central and south-eastern tropical Pacific becomes weaker by 10 Wm−2 south of the equator in the central Pacific (7–0 S, 160–120 W for the three-month period of NDJ, because the DLR increase is larger than the increase in surface thermal emission. In contrast, the

ARC discharge sliding over a conducting surface

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Goor, F.A.; Mitko, S.; Ochkin, V.N.; Paramonov, A.P.; Witteman, W.J.

1997-01-01

Results of experimental and theoretical studies of the arc discharge which slides over the surface of a conductor are reported. Experiments were performed in air and argon ambients at various pressures. It is found that the velocity of the discharge plasma front depends linearly on the strength of

76 FR 31395 - Federal Acquisition Regulation; Sustainable Acquisition

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-31

..., landfill gas, ocean (including tidal, wave, current, and thermal), municipal solid waste, or new... maintenance costs; (4) Ensure that rehabilitation of Federally-owned historic buildings utilizes best...

Development of 6-axis portable manipulator which traces over 3-dimensional curved surface for ultrasonic inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayashi, Tetsuji; Tsuzuki, Satoshi; Tsunewaki, Hiroshi.

1993-01-01

A 6-axis portable manipulator, weighing 120 N (12.3 kg) which traces over a 3-dimensional curved surface for ultrasonic testing has been developed. The manipulator body is made of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic and magnesium alloy. A feature of the system is that deviation of the manipulator from its nominal path caused by arm bending due to its own weight can be corrected. The deviation is calculated by premeasuring spring coefficients and hysteresis characteristics of the arm structure. In a mock-up calibration performance test the accuracy was shown to be as high as that of a human inspector. The manipulator can be installed within 3 minutes by a single person. Joint angles are calculated with a direct memory access (DMA) handler using a poling method. Signals are transmitted to servo-controllers through an optical fiber of 2.5 Mbps. (author)

Sulphur dioxide removal by turbulent transfer over grass, snow, and water surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Whelpdale, D M; Shaw, R W

1974-01-01

Vertical gradients of sulphur dioxide concentration have been measured over grass, snow, and water surfaces in order to assess the importance of these surfaces as SO/sub 2/ sinks. Concentrations were usually found to be lower near the surface indicating that removal occurs there. Vertical concentration gradients, normalized with repect to the concentration at 8 m, were generally greatest over water and least over snow, independent of meteorological conditions, suggesting that a water surface is the strongest SO/sub 2/ sink, with grass next, and snow weakest. The turbulent transfer of SO/sub 2/ to the interface is discussed in relation to stability of the lower atmosphere and physical and chemical properties of the surfaces. Using a bulk aerodynamic transfer approach similar to that for water vapour, values of SO/sub 2/ flux averaged over periods of from one to several hours were found to be of the order of 1 microgram/M/sup 2//S to the water and grass surfaces, and an order of magnitude smaller to the snow surface. Deposition velocities were found to be of the order of 1 cm/s.

Water vapor retrieval over many surface types

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borel, C.C.; Clodius, W.C.; Johnson, J.

1996-04-01

In this paper we present a study of of the water vapor retrieval for many natural surface types which would be valuable for multi-spectral instruments using the existing Continuum Interpolated Band Ratio (CIBR) for the 940 nm water vapor absorption feature. An atmospheric code (6S) and 562 spectra were used to compute the top of the atmosphere radiance near the 940 nm water vapor absorption feature in steps of 2.5 nm as a function of precipitable water (PW). We derive a novel technique called ``Atmospheric Pre-corrected Differential Absorption`` (APDA) and show that APDA performs better than the CIBR over many surface types.

The GST/HST: Creating an Integrated Sales Tax in a Federal Country

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard M. Bird

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Canada is not a country with a reputation for bold experimentation. However, decades of federal-provincial compromises have successfully disproved the belief that an invoice-credit, destination-based value-added tax (VAT is unworkable at the subnational level. Canada’s experiences with the GST, as well as with subordinate VATs like the HST and independent vats like the QST, have three important and interlinked consequences for future tax reform in Canada. First, the exact shape of provincial-level taxes is largely irrelevant to the smooth functioning of a federal VAT — although lack of provincial-federal coordination inevitably raises administrative costs. Second, the nature of a subordinate sales tax is extremely important at the provincial level. As the furor over British Columbia’s HST demonstrates, governments can’t ignore voters’ views and must retain the freedom to tailor provincial-level taxes to meet them, even when public opinion leads to suboptimal outcomes. And third, the best way Ottawa can avoid such outcomes is to provide the provinces with critical support and encouragement in the form of administrative and economic assistance. Since the federal government controls Canada’s borders, over which imports and exports flow, and administers its own sales tax, there is plenty of scope for cooperation. This paper traces the history of federal sales taxation, from the first turnover tax in 1920 right up the present-day GST, along with comprehensive examinations of regional sales tax issues in every corner of Canada, making it one of the best available summary treatments of the GST.

Total expenditures per patient in hospital-owned and physician-owned physician organizations in California.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, James C; Miller, Kelly

physician organizations owned by multihospital systems had mean expenditures of $4776 (95% CI, $4349 to $5202) per patient. After adjusting for patient severity and other factors over the period, local hospital-owned physician organizations incurred expenditures per patient 10.3% (95% CI, 1.7% to 19.7%) higher than did physician-owned organizations (adjusted difference, $435 [95% CI, $105 to $766], P = .02). Organizations owned by multihospital systems incurred expenditures 19.8% (95% CI, 13.9% to 26.0%) higher (adjusted difference, $704 [95% CI,$512 to $895], P per patient 9.2% (95% CI, 3.8% to 15.0%, P = .001) higher than the smallest organizations (adjusted difference, $130 [95% CI, $-32 to $292]). From the perspective of the insurers and patients, between 2009 and 2012, hospital-owned physician organizations in California incurred higher expenditures for commercial HMO enrollees for professional, hospital, laboratory, pharmaceutical, and ancillary services than physician-owned organizations. Although organizational consolidation may increase some forms of care coordination, it may be associated with higher total expenditures.

Financial statistics major US publicly owned electric utilities 1996

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-03-01

The 1996 edition of The Financial Statistics of Major US Publicly Owned Electric Utilities publication presents 5 years (1992 through 1996) of summary financial data and current year detailed financial data on the major publicly owned electric utilities. The objective of the publication is to provide Federal and State governments, industry, and the general public with current and historical data that can be used for policymaking and decision making purposes related to publicly owned electric utility issues. Generator and nongenerator summaries are presented in this publication. Five years of summary financial data are provided. Summaries of generators for fiscal years ending June 30 and December 31, nongenerators for fiscal years ending June 30 and December 31, and summaries of all respondents are provided. The composite tables present aggregates of income statement and balance sheet data, as well as financial indicators. Composite tables also display electric operation and maintenance expenses, electric utility plant, number of consumers, sales of electricity, and operating revenue, and electric energy account data. 2 figs., 32 tabs.

Variability of surface ozone with cloud coverage over Kolkata, India

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Critical analysis of experimental surface ozone data and cloud coverage is reported over Kolkata during the period January 2011 to December 2011. Significant relationship between these two parameters is observed. Analysis shows that the trend of surface ozone concentration and cloud coverage follow opposite ...

Federally-Recognized Tribes of the Columbia-Snake Basin.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

United States. Bonneville Power Administration

1997-11-01

This is an omnibus publication about the federally-recognized Indian tribes of the Columbia-Snake river basin, as presented by themselves. It showcases several figurative and literal snapshots of each tribe, bits and pieces of each tribe`s story. Each individual tribe or tribal confederation either submitted its own section to this publication, or developed its own section with the assistance of the writer-editor. A federally-recognized tribe is an individual Indian group, or confederation of Indian groups, officially acknowledged by the US government for purposes of legislation, consultation and benefits. This publication is designed to be used both as a resource and as an introduction to the tribes. Taken together, the sections present a rich picture of regional indian culture and history, as told by the tribes.

Paying for Default: Change over Time in the Share of Federal Financial Aid Sent to Institutions with High Student Loan Default Rates

Science.gov (United States)

Jaquette, Ozan; Hillman, Nicholas W.

2015-01-01

Both federal spending on financial aid and student loan default rates have increased over the past decade. These trends have intensified policymakers' concerns that some postsecondary institutions-- particularly in the for-profit sector--maximize revenue derived from federal financial aid without helping students to graduate or find employment.…

Reconstruction of surface impedance of an object located over a planar PEC surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uenal, Guel Seda; Cayoeren, Mehmet; Tetik, Evrim

2008-01-01

A method for the determination of inhomogeneous surface impedance of an arbitrary shaped cylindrical object located over a perfectly conducting (PEC) plane is presented. The problem is reduced to the solution of an ill-posed integral equation by the use of single layer representation which is handled by Truncated Singular Value Decomposition (TSVD). The total field and its normal derivative on the boundary of the object which are required for the evaluation of the surface impedance are obtained through Nystroem method. The method can also be used in shape reconstruction by using the relation between the shape of a PEC object and its equivalent one in terms of the surface impedance. The numerical implementations yield quite satisfactory results.

Coherent changes of wintertime surface air temperatures over North Asia and North America.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Bin; Lin, Hai

2018-03-29

The surface temperature variance and its potential change with global warming are most prominent in winter over Northern Hemisphere mid-high latitudes. Consistent wintertime surface temperature variability has been observed over large areas in Eurasia and North America on a broad range of time scales. However, it remains a challenge to quantify where and how the coherent change of temperature anomalies occur over the two continents. Here we demonstrate the coherent change of wintertime surface temperature anomalies over North Asia and the central-eastern parts of North America for the period from 1951 to 2015. This is supported by the results from the empirical orthogonal function analysis of surface temperature and temperature trend anomalies over the Northern Hemisphere extratropical lands and the timeseries analysis of the regional averaged temperature anomalies over North Asia and the Great Plains and Great Lakes. The Asian-Bering-North American (ABNA) teleconnection provides a pathway to connect the regional temperature anomalies over the two continents. The ABNA is also responsible for the decadal variation of the temperature relationship between North Asia and North America.

Fiscal and policy implications of selling pipe tobacco for roll-your-own cigarettes in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Morris, Daniel S; Tynan, Michael A

2012-01-01

The Federal excise tax was increased for tobacco products on April 1, 2009. While excise tax rates prior to the increase were the same for roll-your-own (RYO) and pipe tobacco, the tax on pipe tobacco was $21.95 per pound less than the tax on RYO tobacco after the increase. Subsequently, tobacco manufacturers began labeling loose tobacco as pipe tobacco and marketing these products to RYO consumers at a lower price. Retailers refer to these products as "dual purpose" or "dual use" pipe tobacco. Data on tobacco tax collections comes from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Joinpoint software was used to identify changes in sales trends. Estimates were generated for the amount of pipe tobacco sold for RYO use and for Federal and state tax revenue lost through August 2011. Approximately 45 million pounds of pipe tobacco has been sold for RYO use from April 2009 to August 2011, lowering state and Federal revenue by over $1.3 billion. Marketing pipe tobacco as "dual purpose" and selling it for RYO use provides an opportunity to avoid paying higher cigarette prices. This blunts the public health impact excise tax increases would otherwise have on reducing tobacco use through higher prices. Selling pipe tobacco for RYO use decreases state and Federal revenue and also avoids regulations on flavored tobacco, banned descriptors, prohibitions on shipping, and reporting requirements.

Smooth Bézier surfaces over unstructured quadrilateral meshes

CERN Document Server

Bercovier, Michel

2017-01-01

Using an elegant mixture of geometry, graph theory and linear analysis, this monograph completely solves a problem lying at the interface of Isogeometric Analysis (IgA) and Finite Element Methods (FEM). The recent explosion of IgA, strongly tying Computer Aided Geometry Design to Analysis, does not easily apply to the rich variety of complex shapes that engineers have to design and analyse. Therefore new developments have studied the extension of IgA to unstructured unions of meshes, similar to those one can find in FEM. The following problem arises: given an unstructured planar quadrilateral mesh, construct a C1-surface, by piecewise Bézier or B-Spline patches defined over this mesh. This problem is solved for C1-surfaces defined over plane bilinear Bézier patches, the corresponding results for B-Splines then being simple consequences. The method can be extended to higher-order quadrilaterals and even to three dimensions, and the most recent developments in this direction are also mentioned here.

Estimation of surface air temperature over central and eastern Eurasia from MODIS land surface temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen Suhung; Leptoukh, Gregory G

2011-01-01

Surface air temperature (T a ) is a critical variable in the energy and water cycle of the Earth–atmosphere system and is a key input element for hydrology and land surface models. This is a preliminary study to evaluate estimation of T a from satellite remotely sensed land surface temperature (T s ) by using MODIS-Terra data over two Eurasia regions: northern China and fUSSR. High correlations are observed in both regions between station-measured T a and MODIS T s . The relationships between the maximum T a and daytime T s depend significantly on land cover types, but the minimum T a and nighttime T s have little dependence on the land cover types. The largest difference between maximum T a and daytime T s appears over the barren and sparsely vegetated area during the summer time. Using a linear regression method, the daily maximum T a were estimated from 1 km resolution MODIS T s under clear-sky conditions with coefficients calculated based on land cover types, while the minimum T a were estimated without considering land cover types. The uncertainty, mean absolute error (MAE), of the estimated maximum T a varies from 2.4 °C over closed shrublands to 3.2 °C over grasslands, and the MAE of the estimated minimum T a is about 3.0 °C.

Evolution of the lower planetary boundary layer over strongly contrasting surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coulter, R.L.; Gao, W.; Martin, T.J.; Shannon, J.D.; Doran, J.C.; Hubbe, J.M.; Shaw, W.M.

1992-01-01

In a multilaboratory field study held near Boardman in northeastern Oregon in June 1991, various properties of the surface and lower atmospheric boundary layer over heavily irrigated cropland and adjacent desert steppe were investigated in the initial campaign of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program. The locale was selected because its disparate characteristics over various spatial scales stress the ability of general circulation models (GCMS) to describe lower boundary conditions, particularly across the discontinuity between desert (in which turbulent flux of heat must be primarily as sensible heat) and large irrigated tracts (in which turbulent flux of latent heat should be the larger term). This campaign of ARM seeks to increase knowledge in three critical areas: (1) determination of the relationships between surface heat fluxes measured over multiple scales and the controlling surface parameters within each scale, (2) integration of local and nearly local heat flux estimates to produce estimates appropriate for GCM grid cells of 100-200 km horizontal dimension, and (3) characterization of the growth and development of the atmospheric boundary layer near transitions between surfaces with strongly contrasting moisture availabilities

Understanding the Role of Wind in Reducing the Surface Mass Balance Estimates over East Antarctica

Science.gov (United States)

Das, I.; Scambos, T. A.; Koenig, L.; Creyts, T. T.; Bell, R. E.; van den Broeke, M. R.; Lenaerts, J.; Paden, J. D.

2014-12-01

Accurate quantification of surface snow-accumulation over Antarctica is important for mass balance estimates and climate studies based on ice core records. An improved estimate of surface mass balance must include the significant role near-surface wind plays in the sublimation and redistribution of snow across Antarctica. We have developed an empirical model based on airborne radar and lidar observations, and modeled surface mass balance and wind fields to produce a continent-wide prediction of wind-scour zones over Antarctica. These zones have zero to negative surface mass balance, are located over locally steep ice sheet areas (>0.002) and controlled by bedrock topography. The near-surface winds accelerate over these zones, eroding and sublimating the surface snow. This scouring results in numerous localized regions (≤ 200 km2) with reduced surface accumulation. Each year, tens of gigatons of snow on the Antarctic ice sheet are ablated by persistent near-surface katabatic winds over these wind-scour zones. Large uncertainties remain in the surface mass balance estimates over East Antarctica as climate models do not adequately represent the small-scale physical processes that lead to mass loss through sublimation or redistribution over the wind-scour zones. In this study, we integrate Operation IceBridge's snow radar over the Recovery Ice Stream with a series of ice core dielectric and depth-density profiles for improved surface mass balance estimates that reflect the mass loss over the wind-scour zones. Accurate surface mass balance estimates from snow radars require spatially variable depth-density profiles. Using an ensemble of firn cores, MODIS-derived surface snow grain size, modeled accumulation rates and surface temperatures from RACMO2, we assemble spatially variable depth-density profiles and use our mapping of snow density variations to estimate layer mass and net accumulation rates from snow radar layer data. Our study improves the quantification of

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Semiannual Regulatory Agenda

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-20

... financial institutions in cooperation with minority- and women-owned financial institutions and low-income... Financial Assets Transferred by an Insured Depository Institution: The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation...: Market Risk: The OCC, Board and the FDIC proposed revisions to the market risk capital rule to enhance...

A wind tunnel study of flows over idealised urban surfaces with roughness sublayer corrections

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Yat-Kiu; Liu, Chun-Ho

2017-10-01

Dynamics in the roughness (RSLs) and inertial (ISLs) sublayers in the turbulent boundary layers (TBLs) over idealised urban surfaces are investigated analytically and experimentally. In this paper, we derive an analytical solution to the mean velocity profile, which is a continuous function applicable to both RSL and ISL, over rough surfaces in isothermal conditions. Afterwards, a modified mixing-length model for RSL/ISL transport is developed that elucidates how surface roughness affects the turbulence motions. A series of wind tunnel experiments are conducted to measure the vertical profiles of mean and fluctuating velocities, together with momentum flux over various configurations of surface-mounted ribs in cross flows using hot-wire anemometry (HWA). The analytical solution agrees well with the wind tunnel result that improves the estimate to mean velocity profile over urban surfaces and TBL dynamics as well. The thicknesses of RSL and ISL are calculated by monitoring the convergence/divergence between the temporally averaged and spatio-temporally averaged profiles of momentum flux. It is found that the height of RSL/ISL interface is a function of surface roughness. Examining the direct, physical influence of roughness elements on near-surface RSL flows reveals that the TBL flows over rough surfaces exhibit turbulence motions of two different length scales which are functions of the RSL and ISL structure. Conclusively, given a TBL, the rougher the surface, the higher is the RSL intruding upward that would thinner the ISL up to 50 %. Therefore, the conventional ISL log-law approximation to TBL flows over urban surfaces should be applied with caution.

On the measurement of the surface energy budget over a land ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The measurement of surface energy balance over a land surface in an open area in Bangalore is reported. Measurements of all variables needed to calculate the surface energy balance on time scales longer than a week are made. Components of radiative fluxes are measured while sensible and latent heat fluxes are ...

76 FR 71888 - Federal Travel Regulation (FTR); Storage of a Privately Owned Vehicle When Assigned a Temporary...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-21

... AGENCY: Office of Governmentwide Policy, General Services Administration (GSA). ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This final rule amends the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR), and allows agencies to establish...-307; Docket Number 2011-0025, sequence 1] RIN 3090-AJ18 Federal Travel Regulation (FTR); Storage of a...

Variability of surface meteorological parameters over the Arabian Sea

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

RameshKumar, M.R.; Fernandes, A.A

different parameters shows that the sea surface temperature and air temperature are positively and significantly correlated over the study area. A similar relationship is found between wind speed and cloudiness amount. Wind speed and cloudiness...

Estimation of Surface Air Temperature Over Central and Eastern Eurasia from MODIS Land Surface Temperature

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Suhung; Leptoukh, Gregory G.

2011-01-01

Surface air temperature (T(sub a)) is a critical variable in the energy and water cycle of the Earth.atmosphere system and is a key input element for hydrology and land surface models. This is a preliminary study to evaluate estimation of T(sub a) from satellite remotely sensed land surface temperature (T(sub s)) by using MODIS-Terra data over two Eurasia regions: northern China and fUSSR. High correlations are observed in both regions between station-measured T(sub a) and MODIS T(sub s). The relationships between the maximum T(sub a) and daytime T(sub s) depend significantly on land cover types, but the minimum T(sub a) and nighttime T(sub s) have little dependence on the land cover types. The largest difference between maximum T(sub a) and daytime T(sub s) appears over the barren and sparsely vegetated area during the summer time. Using a linear regression method, the daily maximum T(sub a) were estimated from 1 km resolution MODIS T(sub s) under clear-sky conditions with coefficients calculated based on land cover types, while the minimum T(sub a) were estimated without considering land cover types. The uncertainty, mean absolute error (MAE), of the estimated maximum T(sub a) varies from 2.4 C over closed shrublands to 3.2 C over grasslands, and the MAE of the estimated minimum Ta is about 3.0 C.

48 CFR 831.7001-3 - Books, supplies, and equipment required to be personally owned.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Books, supplies, and... PROCEDURES Contract Cost Principles and Procedures 831.7001-3 Books, supplies, and equipment required to be personally owned. (a) Reimbursement for supplies (including books, equipment, or other supplies) will be made...

Turbulent flow over an interactive alternating land-water surface

Science.gov (United States)

Van Heerwaarden, C.; Mellado, J. P.

2014-12-01

The alternating land-water surface is a challenging surface to represent accurately in weather and climate models, but it is of great importance for the surface energy balance in polar regions. The complexity of this surface lies in the fact that secondary circulations, which form at the boundary of water and land, interact strongly with the surface energy balance. Due to its large heat capacity, the water temperature adapts slowly to the flow, thus the properties of the atmosphere determine the uptake of energy from the water. In order to study this complex system in a simpler way, retaining only the most essential physics, we have simplified the full surface energy balance including radiation. We have derived a boundary condition that mimics the full balance and can be formulated as a so-called Robin boundary condition: a linear combination of Dirichlet (fixed temperature) and Neumann (fixed temperature gradient) ones. By spatially varying the coefficients, we are able to express land and water using this boundary condition. We have done a series of direct numerical simulations in which we generate artificial land-water patterns from noise created from a Gaussian spectrum centered around a dominant wave number. This method creates realistic random patterns, but we are still in control of the length scales. We show that the system can manifest itself in three regimes: micro-, meso- and macro-scale. In the micro-scale, we find perfect mixing of the near-surface atmosphere that results in identical air properties over water and land. In the meso-scale, secondary circulations alter the heat exchange considerably by advecting air between land and water. In addition, they bring the surface temperature of the land closer to that of the air, thereby modulating the energy loss due to outgoing longwave radiation. In the macro-scale regime, the flow over land and water become independent of each other and only the large scale forcings determine the energy balance.

Estimating surface fluxes over the north Tibetan Plateau area with ASTER imagery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weiqiang Ma

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Surface fluxes are important boundary conditions for climatological modeling and Asian monsoon system. The recent availability of high-resolution, multi-band imagery from the ASTER (Advanced Space-borne Thermal Emission and Reflection radiometer sensor has enabled us to estimate surface fluxes to bridge the gap between local scale flux measurements using micrometeorological instruments and regional scale land-atmosphere exchanges of water and heat fluxes that are fundamental for the understanding of the water cycle in the Asian monsoon system. A parameterization method based on ASTER data and field observations has been proposed and tested for deriving surface albedo, surface temperature, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI, Modified Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (MSAVI, vegetation coverage, Leaf Area Index (LAI, net radiation flux, soil heat flux, sensible heat flux and latent heat flux over heterogeneous land surface in this paper. As a case study, the methodology was applied to the experimental area of the Coordinated Enhanced Observing Period (CEOP Asia-Australia Monsoon Project (CAMP on the Tibetan Plateau (CAMP/Tibet, located at the north Tibetan Plateau. The ASTER data of 24 July 2001, 29 November 2001 and 12 March 2002 was used in this paper for the case of summer, winter and spring. To validate the proposed methodology, the ground-measured surface variables (surface albedo and surface temperature and land surface heat fluxes (net radiation flux, soil heat flux, sensible heat flux and latent heat flux were compared to the ASTER derived values. The results show that the derived surface variables and land surface heat fluxes in three different months over the study area are in good accordance with the land surface status. Also, the estimated land surface variables and land surface heat fluxes are in good accordance with ground measurements, and all their absolute percentage difference (APD is less than 10% in the validation sites

Characteristics of pulse corona discharge over water surface

Science.gov (United States)

Fujii, Tomio; Arao, Yasushi; Rea, Massimo

2008-12-01

Production of ozone and OH radical is required to advance the plasma chemical reactions in the NOx removal processes for combustion gas treatment. The corona discharge to the water surface is expected to induce the good conditions for the proceeding of the NO oxidation and the NO2 dissolution removal into water. In order to get the fundamental data of the corona discharge over the water surface, the positive and negative V-I characteristics and the ozone production were measured with the multi needle and the saw-edge type of the discharge electrodes. The pulse corona characteristics were also measured with some different waveforms of the applied pulse voltage. The experiments were carried out under the atmospheric pressure and room temperature. Both the DC and the pulse corona to the water surface showed a stable and almost the same V-I characteristics as to plate electrodes though the surface of water was waved by corona wind. The positive streamer corona showed more ozone production than the negative one both in the DC and in the pulse corona.

Characteristics of pulse corona discharge over water surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujii, Tomio; Arao, Yasushi; Rea, Massimo

2008-01-01

Production of ozone and OH radical is required to advance the plasma chemical reactions in the NOx removal processes for combustion gas treatment. The corona discharge to the water surface is expected to induce the good conditions for the proceeding of the NO oxidation and the NO 2 dissolution removal into water. In order to get the fundamental data of the corona discharge over the water surface, the positive and negative V-I characteristics and the ozone production were measured with the multi needle and the saw-edge type of the discharge electrodes. The pulse corona characteristics were also measured with some different waveforms of the applied pulse voltage. The experiments were carried out under the atmospheric pressure and room temperature. Both the DC and the pulse corona to the water surface showed a stable and almost the same V-I characteristics as to plate electrodes though the surface of water was waved by corona wind. The positive streamer corona showed more ozone production than the negative one both in the DC and in the pulse corona.

Atmospheric stability analysis over statically and dynamically rough surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Maric, Emina; Metzger, Meredith; Singha, Arindam; Sadr, Reza

2011-11-01

The ratio of buoyancy flux to turbulent kinetic energy production in the atmospheric surface layer is investigated experimentally for air flow over two types of surfaces characterized by static and dynamic roughness. In this study, ``static'' refers to the time-invariant nature of naturally-occurring roughness over a mud/salt playa; while, ``dynamic'' refers to the behavior of water waves along an air-water interface. In both cases, time-resolved measurements of the momentum and heat fluxes were acquired from synchronized 3D sonic anemometers mounted on a vertical tower. Field campaigns were conducted at two sites, representing the ``statically'' and ``dynamically'' rough surfaces, respectively: (1) the SLTEST facility in Utah's western desert, and (2) the new Doha airport in Qatar under construction along the coast of the Persian Gulf. Note, at site 2, anemometers were located directly above the water by extension from a tower secured to the end of a 1 km-long pier. Comparisons of the Monin-Obukhov length, flux Richardson number, and gradient Richardson number are presented, and discussed in the context of the observed evolution of the turbulent spectra in response to diurnal variations of atmospheric stability. Supported by the Qatar National Research Fund.

Mechanics of fluid flow over compliant wrinkled polymeric surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Raayai, Shabnam; McKinley, Gareth; Boyce, Mary

2014-03-01

Skin friction coefficients (based on frontal area) of sharks and dolphins are lower than birds, fish and swimming beetles. By either exploiting flow-induced changes in their flexible skin or microscale textures, dolphins and sharks can change the structure of the fluid flow around them and thus reduce viscous drag forces on their bodies. Inspired by this ability, investigators have tried using compliant walls and riblet-like textures as drag reduction methods in aircraft and marine industries and have been able to achieve reductions up to 19%. Here we investigate flow-structure interaction and wrinkling of soft polymer surfaces that can emulate shark riblets and dolphin's flexible skin. Wrinkling arises spontaneously as the result of mismatched deformation of a thin stiff coating bound to a thick soft elastic substrate. Wrinkles can be fabricated by controlling the ratio of the stiffness of the coating and substrate, the applied displacement and the thickness of the coating. In this work we will examine the evolution in the kinematic structures associated with steady viscous flow over the polymer wrinkled surfaces and in particular compare the skin friction with corresponding results for flow over non-textured and rigid surfaces.

"Our federalism" moves indoors.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruger, Theodore W

2013-04-01

A great deal of the US Supreme Court's federalism jurisprudence over the past two decades has focused on the outer limits of federal power, suggesting a mutually exclusive division of jurisdiction between the states and the federal government, where subjects are regulated by one sovereign or the other but not both. This is not an accurate picture of American governance as it has operated over the past half century - most important areas of American life are regulated concurrently by both the federal government and the states. The Supreme Court's June 2012 decision clearing the way for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to move forward thus should not be regarded as an affront to state sovereignty but as a realistic embrace of state power in its active, modern form. The PPACA is infused with multiple major roles for the states, and as the statute goes into operation over the next few years, states retain, and are already exercising, substantial policy discretion.

Improving Land Surface Temperature Retrievals over Mountainous Regions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Virgílio A. Bento

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Algorithms for Land Surface Temperature (LST retrieval from infrared measurements are usually sensitive to the amount of water vapor present in the atmosphere. The Satellite Application Facilities on Climate Monitoring and Land Surface Analysis (CM SAF and LSA SAF are currently compiling a 25 year LST Climate data record (CDR, which uses water vapor information from ERA-Int reanalysis. However, its relatively coarse spatial resolution may lead to systematic errors in the humidity profiles with implications in LST, particularly over mountainous areas. The present study compares LST estimated with three different retrieval algorithms: a radiative transfer-based physical mono-window (PMW, a statistical mono-window (SMW, and a generalized split-windows (GSW. The algorithms were tested over the Alpine region using ERA-Int reanalysis data and relied on the finer spatial scale Consortium for Small-Scale Modelling (COSMO model data as a reference. Two methods were developed to correct ERA-Int water vapor misestimation: (1 an exponential parametrization of total precipitable water (TPW appropriate for SMW/GSW; and (2 a level reduction method to be used in PMW. When ERA-Int TPW was used, the algorithm missed the right TPW class in 87% of the cases. When the exponential parametrization was used, the missing class rate decreased to 9%, and when the level reduction method was applied, the LST corrections went up to 1.7 K over the study region. Overall, the correction for pixel orography in TPW leads to corrections in LST estimations, which are relevant to ensure that long-term LST records meet climate requirements, particularly over mountainous regions.

Nuclear waste management: a challenge to Federalism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lucas, P.

1979-01-01

The controversy over state/Federal authority over waste disposal has already had a significant effect regardless of the choice Congress ultimately makes between an informal deference to state will and a statutory authorization of state control over Federal repositories. The highly emotional issue of local disposal of nuclear waste and the assertions of state control over waste disposal have made the nation and the Federal bureaucracy more aware of the status of the waste management program. State resistance to Federal siting efforts and the passage of state waste disposal legislation has compelled the Federal government to provide the states with a larger role in waste management. State power to exclude Federal repositories would give states additional political leverage. Ideally, public attention and effective state veto power will contribute to a more successful program, without impeding progress toward the immediate goal of siting and developing permanent repositories

Extended KN algebras and extended conformal field theories over higher genus Riemann surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ceresole, A.; Huang Chaoshang

1990-01-01

A global operator formalism for extended conformal field theories over higher genus Riemann surfaces is introduced and extended KN algebra are obtained by means of the KN bases. The BBSS construction of the spin-3 operator is carried out for Kac-Moody algebra A 2 over a Riemann surface of arbitrary genus. (orig.)

Building a community of practice in rural medical education: growing our own together.

Science.gov (United States)

Longenecker, Randall L; Schmitz, David

2017-01-01

, professional groups, academic units, governmental entities such as state offices of rural health, and national associations with a stake in rural medical education. The consortium has succeeded in (1) supporting established and new RTTs, (2) increasing medical student interest in these programs, and (3) demonstrating the effectiveness of this strategy through a minimum dataset and registry of RTT trainees. From a low of 21 programs in 2012, the number has grown to 32, accounting for a total of 68 positions in each year of training. The RTT Collaborative, the non-profit that has emerged as the sustainable product of that federal funding, is now supported by a national cooperative of participating rural programs and continues the work. Growing a community of practice in this fashion requires the organic building of relationships over time. The RTT TA consortium, and now the RTT Collaborative as a sustainable successor, have laid a strong foundation for community-engaged rural health professions education into the future - from each growing their own, to 'growing our own … together.

Aerodynamics of a thin airfoil flying over and in proximity to a wavy-wall surface. ; Lifting surface theory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ando, S [Nagoya University, Nagoya (Japan); Ichikawa, M [Government Industrial Research Institute, Nagoya, Nagoya (Japan)

1991-05-04

Aerodynamic characteristics of a thin airfoil flying over and in proximity to a wavy-wall surface such as uneven ground or water surface were analyzed two-dimensionally by lifting surface theory in the simplest fundamental case only. The theoretical equation was simplified assuming that flow is inviscid and incompressible, all disturbances are sufficiently small, the wall surface is sinusoidal and rigid, and the wall moves in the same direction as free stream but with a constant velocity different from that of the stream. The equation was verified in the case where an airfoil with a constant angle-of-attack flies over a flat ground surface, and calculations were made with a set of important parameters such as mean airfoil height from the wall, wave length of the wall surface and the wall velocity. The whole effect of wavy wall proximity was divided into the first and second-order ground effects. The first one was just Kemp{prime}s upwash problem, and the second one was revealed through the present study which becomes significant for lower airfoil heights. 18 refs., 5 figs.

Effective slip lengths for flows over surfaces with nanobubbles: the effects of finite slip

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hendy, S C; Lund, N J

2009-01-01

We consider effective slip lengths for flows of simple liquids over surfaces contaminated by gaseous nanobubbles. In particular, we examine whether the effects of finite slip over the liquid-bubble interface are important in limiting effective slip lengths over such surfaces. Using an expression that interpolates between the perfect slip and finite slip regimes for flow over bubbles, we conclude that for the bubble dimensions and coverages typically reported in the literature the effects of finite slip are secondary, reducing effective slip lengths by only 10%. Further, we find that nanobubbles do not significantly increase slip lengths beyond those reported for bare hydrophobic surfaces.

Method and apparatus for reducing the drag of flows over surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Keefe, Laurence R. (Inventor)

1998-01-01

An apparatus, and its accompanying method, for reducing the drag of flows over a surface includes arrays of small disks and sensors. The arrays are embedded in the surface and may extend above, or be depressed below, the surface, provided they remain hydraulically smooth either when operating or when inactive. The disks are arranged in arrays of various shapes, and spaced according to the cruising speed of the vehicle on which the arrays are installed. For drag reduction at speeds of the order of 30 meters/second, preferred embodiments include disks that are 0.2 millimeter in diameter and spaced 0.4 millimeter apart. For drag reduction at speeds of the order of 300 meters/second, preferred embodiments include disks that are 0.045 millimeter in diameter and spaced 0.09 millimeter apart. Smaller and larger dimensions for diameter and spacing are also possible. The disks rotate in the plane of the surface, with their rotation axis substantially perpendicular to the surface. The rotating disks produce velocity perturbations parallel to the surface in the overlying boundary layer. The sensors sense the flow at the surface and connect to control circuitry that adjusts the rotation rates and duty cycles of the disks accordingly. Suction and blowing holes can be interspersed among, or made coaxial with, the disks for creating general three-component velocity perturbations in the near-surface region. The surface can be a flat, planar surface or a nonplanar surface, such as a triangular riblet surface. The present apparatus and method have potential applications in the field of aeronautics for improving performance and efficiency of commercial and military aircraft, and in other industries where drag is an obstacle, including gas and oil delivery through long-haul pipelines.

78 FR 58382 - Notice of Final Federal Agency Actions on the Proposed U.S. 50 Study Crossing Over Sinepauxent...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-23

... 5th Street to Somerset Street located in the Town of Ocean City, Worcester County, Maryland. This... on the Proposed U.S. 50 Study Crossing Over Sinepauxent Bay in the Town of Ocean City, Worcester County, Maryland AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT. ACTION: Notice of limitation on...

Brazilian Federal Police drug chemical profiling - the PeQui project.

Science.gov (United States)

Zacca, Jorge J; Botelho, Elvio Dias; Vieira, Maurício L; Almeida, Fernanda L A; Ferreira, Luciana S; Maldaner, Adriano O

2014-07-01

Over the past six years the Brazilian Federal Police has undertaken major efforts in order to implement and to develop its own drug chemical profiling program. This paper aims to provide a broad perspective regarding the managerial strategies and some examples of subsequent technical issues involved in the implementation of such a project. Close collaboration with local drug enforcement and investigation teams, establishment of proper worldwide partnerships with well recognized institutions in the field of drug analysis and the attainment of suitable funding and human resources are shown to be key success factors. Some preliminary results concerning the chemical profile of cocaine seizures in Brazil during this process are presented. Copyright © 2014 Forensic Science Society. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

41 CFR 102-75.1260 - Does GSA conduct Federal screening on every property reported as excess real property?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... of hazardous substances at the Government-owned facility; (e) The property is an easement; (f) The... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Does GSA conduct Federal... Contracts and Property Management Federal Property Management Regulations System (Continued) FEDERAL...

Observational study of surface wind along a sloping surface over mountainous terrain during winter

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Young-Hee; Lee, Gyuwon; Joo, Sangwon; Ahn, Kwang-Deuk

2018-03-01

The 2018 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held in Pyeongchang, Korea, during February and March. We examined the near surface winds and wind gusts along the sloping surface at two outdoor venues in Pyeongchang during February and March using surface wind data. The outdoor venues are located in a complex, mountainous terrain, and hence the near-surface winds form intricate patterns due to the interplay between large-scale and locally forced winds. During February and March, the dominant wind at the ridge level is westerly; however, a significant wind direction change is observed along the sloping surface at the venues. The winds on the sloping surface are also influenced by thermal forcing, showing increased upslope flow during daytime. When neutral air flows over the hill, the windward and leeward flows show a significantly different behavior. A higher correlation of the wind speed between upper- and lower-level stations is shown in the windward region compared with the leeward region. The strong synoptic wind, small width of the ridge, and steep leeward ridge slope angle provide favorable conditions for flow separation at the leeward foot of the ridge. The gust factor increases with decreasing surface elevation and is larger during daytime than nighttime. A significantly large gust factor is also observed in the leeward region.

Comparative Analysis Of Agricultural News Covered By Federal ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study investigated the frequency of agricultural news coverage in three Nigerians newspapers. The three papers were the Federal Government Daily Times, the Rivers State Government Tide, and a Privately owned and well read The Guardian. The objective of the study was to compare the extent of agricultural news ...

To the Federal Trade Commission in the Matter of a Trade Regulation Rule on Over-the-Counter Drug Advertising.

Science.gov (United States)

Council on Children, Media, and Merchandising, Washington, DC.

This report supports amending the proposed Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Rule on Over-the Counter (OTC) Drug Advertising to insure better protection for children, illiterate populations, the deaf and the blind, from advertising on the air-waves. Several points are addressed: (1) the difficulties of combining the rule making schedules of the Food…

PROBABLE CHARACTERISTICS ОF ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD ENVIRONMENT AT EARTH SURFACE CAUSED BY RADIO-ELECTRONIC AIDS OPERATING OVER EARTH SURFACE

OpenAIRE

V. I. Mordachev

2009-01-01

The paper provides results of modeling distribution of signal probability of radio-electronic aids located over the Earth surface at a specific height and determining an electromagnetic environment on its surface according to a power parameter and an input direction angle at an optionally selected observation point being on the earth surface.

Federal R and D Reductions, Market Share, and Aerospace Information Usage

Science.gov (United States)

Rocker, JoAnne; Roncaglia, George

2000-01-01

Reductions in federally funded research have a rippling effect over the entire aerospace industry. The decline in federal R&D spending in aerospace in recent years coincides with declines in U.S. aerospace market share, One of the lesser-understood factors in the declining U.S. market share may be the differing ways and intensity with which the U.S. and its competitors approach another trend, the increasing availability of large amounts of aerospace research information on the World Wide Web. The U.S. has been a pioneer in making research information available in electronic form, and the international community has long been a heavy consumer of that information. In essence, the U.S. contributes to the research efforts of its competitors, thus contributing to foreign aerospace consortiums efforts to gain market share in the aerospace industry, This may be a cautionary note to the U.S. aerospace industry to consider the use of R&D output in its own development and strategy because the foreign competition is using the U.S. scientific and technical literature.

A new design of the LAPS land surface scheme for use over and through heterogeneous and non-heterogeneous surfaces: Numerical simulations and tests

Science.gov (United States)

Mihailovic, Dragutin T.; Lazic, Jelena; Leśny, Jacek; Olejnik, Janusz; Lalic, Branislava; Kapor, Darko; Cirisan, Ana

2010-05-01

Numerical simulations and tests with the recently redesigned land-air parameterization scheme (LAPS) are presented. In all experiments, supported either by one-point micrometeorological, 1D or 3D simulations, the attention has been directed to: (1) comparison of simulation outputs, expressing the energy transfer over and through heterogeneous and non-heterogeneous surfaces, versus observations and (2) analysis of uncertainties occurring in the solution of the energy balance equation at the land-air interface. To check the proposed method for aggregation of albedo, "propagating hole" sensitivity tests with LAPS over a sandstone rock grid cell have been performed with the forcing meteorological data for July 17, 1999 in Baxter site, Philadelphia (USA). Micrometeorological and biophysical measurements from the surface experiments conducted over crops and apple orchard in Serbia, Poland, Austria and France were used to test the operation of LAPS in calculating surface fluxes and canopy environment temperatures within and above plant covers of different densities. In addition, sensitivity tests with single canopy covers over the Central Europe region and comparison against the observations taken from SYNOP data using 3D simulations were made. Validation of LAPS performances over a solid surface has been done by comparison of 2 m air temperature observations against 5-day simulations over the Sahara Desert rocky ground using 3D model. To examine how realistically the LAPS simulates surface processes over a heterogeneous surface, we compared the air temperature measured at 2 m and that predicted by the 1D model with the LAPS as the surface scheme. Finally, the scheme behaviour over urban surface was tested by runs over different parts of a hypothetical urban area. The corresponding 1D simulations were carried out with an imposed meteorological dataset collected during HAPEX-MOBILHY experiment at Caumont (France). The quantities predicted by the LAPS compare well with the

PROBABLE CHARACTERISTICS ОF ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD ENVIRONMENT AT EARTH SURFACE CAUSED BY RADIO-ELECTRONIC AIDS OPERATING OVER EARTH SURFACE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. I. Mordachev

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The paper provides results of modeling distribution of signal probability of radio-electronic aids located over the Earth surface at a specific height and determining an electromagnetic environment on its surface according to a power parameter and an input direction angle at an optionally selected observation point being on the earth surface.

Financial statistics of major US publicly owned electric utilities 1992

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1994-01-01

The 1992 edition of the Financial Statistics of Major US Publicly Owned Electric Utilities publication presents 4 years (1989 through 1992) of summary financial data and current year detailed financial data on the major publicly owned electric utilities. The objective of the publication is to provide Federal and State governments, industry, and the general public with current and historical data that can be used for policymaking and decisionmaking purposes related to publicly owned electric utility issues. Generator and nongenerator summaries are presented in this publication. Four years of summary financial data are provided. Summaries of generators for fiscal years ending June 30 and December 31, nongenerators for fiscal years ending June 30 and December 31, and summaries of all respondents are provided. The composite tables present aggregates of income statement and balance sheet data, as well as financial indicators. Composite tables also display electric operation and maintenance expenses, electric utility plant, number of consumers, sales of electricity, and operating revenue, and electric energy account data. The primary source of publicly owned financial data is the Form EIA-412, {open_quotes}Annual Report of Public Electric Utilities.{close_quotes} Public electric utilities file this survey on a fiscal year, rather than a calendar year basis, in conformance with their recordkeeping practices. In previous editions of this publication, data were aggregated by the two most commonly reported fiscal years, June 30 and December 31. This omitted approximately 20 percent of the respondents who operate on fiscal years ending in other months. Accordingly, the EIA undertook a review of the Form EIA-412 submissions to determine if alternative classifications of publicly owned electric utilities would permit the inclusion of all respondents.

Bring-Your-Own-Device: Turning Cell Phones into Forces for Good

Science.gov (United States)

Imazeki, Jennifer

2014-01-01

Over the last few years, classroom response systems (or "clickers") have become increasingly common. Although most systems require students to use a standalone handheld device, bring-your-own-device (BYOD) systems allow students to use devices they already own (e.g., a cell phone, tablet or laptop) to submit responses via text message or…

Variability of surface ozone with cloud coverage over Kolkata, India

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

influences the weather and climate of a place, thus acting as an ... earth by absorbing the most energetic part of the ... effect of cloud coverage on the surface ozone over. Kolkata. 2. ..... Burrows W R 1997 CART regression models for predicting.

26 CFR 1.846-2 - Election by taxpayer to use its own historical loss payment pattern.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Other Insurance Companies § 1.846-2... timely filed Federal income tax return for the determination year to discount unpaid losses using its own...) Anti-abuse rule. To prevent avoidance of the requirement that the election to use historical loss...

Financial statistics of major U.S. publicly owned electric utilities 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-07-01

The 1995 Edition of the Financial Statistics of Major U.S. Publicly Owned Electric Utilities publication presents 5 years (1991 through 1995) of summary financial data and current year detailed financial data on the major publicly owned electric utilities. The objective of the publication is to provide Federal and State governments, industry, and the general public with current and historical data that can be used for policymaking and decisionmaking purposes related to publicly owned electric utility issues. Generator (Tables 3 through 11) and nongenerator (Tables 12 through 20) summaries are presented in this publication. Five years of summary financial data are provided (Tables 5 through 11 and 14 through 20). Summaries of generators for fiscal years ending June 30 and December 31, nongenerators for fiscal years ending June 30 and December 31, and summaries of all respondents are provided in Appendix C. The composite tables present aggregates of income statement and balance sheet data, as well as financial indicators. Composite tables also display electric operation and maintenance expenses, electric utility plant, number of consumers, sales of electricity, and operating revenue, and electric energy account data. 9 figs., 87 tabs.

Financial statistics of major U.S. publicly owned electric utilities 1995

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-07-01

The 1995 Edition of the Financial Statistics of Major U.S. Publicly Owned Electric Utilities publication presents 5 years (1991 through 1995) of summary financial data and current year detailed financial data on the major publicly owned electric utilities. The objective of the publication is to provide Federal and State governments, industry, and the general public with current and historical data that can be used for policymaking and decisionmaking purposes related to publicly owned electric utility issues. Generator (Tables 3 through 11) and nongenerator (Tables 12 through 20) summaries are presented in this publication. Five years of summary financial data are provided (Tables 5 through 11 and 14 through 20). Summaries of generators for fiscal years ending June 30 and December 31, nongenerators for fiscal years ending June 30 and December 31, and summaries of all respondents are provided in Appendix C. The composite tables present aggregates of income statement and balance sheet data, as well as financial indicators. Composite tables also display electric operation and maintenance expenses, electric utility plant, number of consumers, sales of electricity, and operating revenue, and electric energy account data. 9 figs., 87 tabs

Multi-sensor remote sensing parameterization of heat fluxes over heterogeneous land surfaces

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Faivre, R.D.

2014-01-01

The parameterization of heat transfer by remote sensing, and based on SEBS scheme for turbulent heat fluxes retrieval, already proved to be very convenient for estimating evapotranspiration (ET) over homogeneous land surfaces. However, the use of such a method over heterogeneous landscapes (e.g.

Ability to Gain Control Over One’s Own Brain Activity and its Relation to Spiritual Practice: A Multimodal Imaging Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvia E. Kober

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Spiritual practice, such as prayer or meditation, is associated with focusing attention on internal states and self-awareness processes. As these cognitive control mechanisms presumably are also important for neurofeedback (NF, we investigated whether people who pray frequently (N = 20 show a higher ability of self-control over their own brain activity compared to a control group of individuals who rarely pray (N = 20. All participants underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI and one session of sensorimotor rhythm (SMR, 12–15 Hz based NF training. Individuals who reported a high frequency of prayer showed improved NF performance compared to individuals who reported a low frequency of prayer. The individual ability to control one’s own brain activity was related to volumetric aspects of the brain. In the low frequency of prayer group, gray matter volumes in the right insula and inferior frontal gyrus were positively associated with NF performance, supporting prior findings that more general self-control networks are involved in successful NF learning. In contrast, participants who prayed regularly showed a negative association between gray matter volume in the left medial orbitofrontal cortex (Brodmann’s area (BA 10 and NF performance. Due to their regular spiritual practice, they might have been more skillful in gating incoming information provided by the NF system and avoiding task-irrelevant thoughts.

Financial statistics of major U.S. publicly owned electric utilities 1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-12-01

The 1997 edition of the ``Financial Statistics of Major U.S. Publicly Owned Electric Utilities`` publication presents 5 years (1993 through 1997) of summary financial data and current year detailed financial data on the major publicly owned electric utilities. The objective of the publication is to provide Federal and State governments, industry, and the general public with current and historical data that can be used for policymaking and decisionmaking purposes related to publicly owned electric utility issues. Generator (Tables 3 through 11) and nongenerator (Tables 12 through 20) summaries are presented in this publication. Five years of summary financial data are provided (Tables 5 through 11 and 14 through 20). Summaries of generators for fiscal years ending June 30 and December 31, nongenerators for fiscal years ending June 30 and December 31, and summaries of all respondents are provided in Appendix C. The composite tables present aggregates of income statement and balance sheet data, as well as financial indicators. Composite tables also display electric operation and maintenance expenses, electric utility plant, number of consumers, sales of electricity, operating revenue, and electric energy account data. The primary source of publicly owned financial data is the Form EIA-412, ``Annual Report of Public Electric Utilities.`` Public electric utilities file this survey on a fiscal year basis, in conformance with their recordkeeping practices. The EIA undertook a review of the Form EIA-412 submissions to determine if alternative classifications of publicly owned electric utilities would permit the inclusion of all respondents. The review indicated that financial indicators differ most according to whether or not a publicly owned electric utility generates electricity. Therefore, the main body of the report provides summary information in generator/nongenerator classifications. 2 figs., 101 tabs.

Financial statistics of major U.S. publicly owned electric utilities 1997

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-12-01

The 1997 edition of the ''Financial Statistics of Major U.S. Publicly Owned Electric Utilities'' publication presents 5 years (1993 through 1997) of summary financial data and current year detailed financial data on the major publicly owned electric utilities. The objective of the publication is to provide Federal and State governments, industry, and the general public with current and historical data that can be used for policymaking and decisionmaking purposes related to publicly owned electric utility issues. Generator (Tables 3 through 11) and nongenerator (Tables 12 through 20) summaries are presented in this publication. Five years of summary financial data are provided (Tables 5 through 11 and 14 through 20). Summaries of generators for fiscal years ending June 30 and December 31, nongenerators for fiscal years ending June 30 and December 31, and summaries of all respondents are provided in Appendix C. The composite tables present aggregates of income statement and balance sheet data, as well as financial indicators. Composite tables also display electric operation and maintenance expenses, electric utility plant, number of consumers, sales of electricity, operating revenue, and electric energy account data. The primary source of publicly owned financial data is the Form EIA-412, ''Annual Report of Public Electric Utilities.'' Public electric utilities file this survey on a fiscal year basis, in conformance with their recordkeeping practices. The EIA undertook a review of the Form EIA-412 submissions to determine if alternative classifications of publicly owned electric utilities would permit the inclusion of all respondents. The review indicated that financial indicators differ most according to whether or not a publicly owned electric utility generates electricity. Therefore, the main body of the report provides summary information in generator/nongenerator classifications. 2 figs., 101 tabs

The application of slip length models to larger textures in turbulent flows over superhydrophobic surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Fairhall, Chris; Garcia-Mayoral, Ricardo

2017-11-01

We present results from direct numerical simulations of turbulent flows over superhydrophobic surfaces. We assess the validity of simulations where the surface is modelled as homogeneous slip lengths, comparing them to simulations where the surface texture is resolved. Our results show that once the coherent flow induced by the texture is removed from the velocity fields, the remaining flow sees the surface as homogeneous. We then investigate how the overlying turbulence is modified by the presence of surface texture. For small textures, we show that turbulence is shifted closer to the wall due to the presence of slip, but otherwise remains essentially unmodified. For larger textures, the texture interacts with the turbulent lengthscales, thereby modifying the overlying turbulence. We also show that the saturation of the effect of the spanwise slip length (Fukagata et al. 2006, Busse & Sandham 2012, Seo & Mani 2016), which is drag increasing, is caused by the impermeability imposed at the surface. This work was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

Study design for a clinical trial to examine food price elasticity among participants in federal food assistance programs: A laboratory-based grocery store study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zach Conrad

2018-06-01

Full Text Available We present a protocol for a study investigating the effect of food price changes on purchasing decisions among individuals participating in federal food assistance programs and among those not participating in these programs. We use a laboratory-based grocery store design, which provides greater control over factors influencing food purchasing than in situ experiments in actual grocery stores. We focus primarily, but not exclusively, on eggs because they are highly nutritious, easy to prepare, can be included in many different dishes, and are a part of a wide range of cultural food menus. The primary aim of this study is to compare the own-and cross-price elasticity of eggs between individuals participating in federal food assistance programs and those not participating in these programs. Our secondary aims are to 1 compare the own- and cross-price elasticity of eggs between overweight/obese individuals and non-overweight/obese individuals, 2 examine whether delay discounting moderates the effect of income on own- and cross-price elasticity, 3 examine whether subjective social status moderates the effect of participation in federal food assistance programs on the purchase of high nutrient-dense foods, and 4 examine whether usual psychological stress level moderates the effect of subjective social status on the purchase of high-nutrient dense foods. The results of this study will provide information about the drivers of food demand among low-income adults. A better understanding of these drivers is needed to develop effective nutrition interventions for this large population. Keywords: Price elasticity, Food assistance, Egg, Obesity, Social status, Stress

A new direction for prioritizing federal agency cleanups

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCrillis, L.

1995-01-01

Departments and agencies of the federal government manage a vast array of activities at 27,000 facilities. Due to the nature of such activities, federal facilities could be contaminated with hazardous substances. It is estimated that the federal government ultimately will be responsible for or have a significant role in the cleanup of up to 500,000 sites. Although federal facilities comprise only a small percentage of the community regulated under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), federal facilities owned or operated by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Defense (DOD) are usually larger and more complex than their private industrial counterparts. Federal facilities routinely have a larger number of sites on their facilities with varying degrees of risk. At present, the approaches for allocating resources for environmental restoration of federal facilities, for incorporating stakeholder concerns in the allocation, and for obtaining funding from Congress vary greatly from one agency to another. In light of these concerns, the federal government recognizes the need to evaluate the current resource allocation system for funding remediation projects and to establish a broader-based publicly supported priority-setting method. This paper outlines a possible new direction and summarizes the conclusions reached in a handful of forums created to address the issue of priority setting

32 CFR 37.570 - What must I do if a CAS-covered participant accounts differently for its own and the Federal...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... that are subject to the Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) in part 30 of the Federal Acquisition... organization subject to the FAR cost principles in 48 CFR parts 31 and 231 proposes to charge: (1) Its share of... Federal Government procurement contracts, as allowed under the FAR cost principles; and (2) The Federal...

Correlation of Water Frost Porosity in Laminar Flow over Flat Surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Kandula, Max

2011-01-01

A dimensionless correlation has been proposed for water frost porosity expressing its dependence on frost surface temperature and Reynolds number for laminar forced flow over a flat surface. The correlation is presented in terms of a dimensionless frost surface temperature scaled with the cold plate temperature, and the freezing temperature. The flow Reynolds number is scaled with reference to the critical Reynolds number for laminar-turbulent transition. The proposed correlation agrees satisfactorily with the simultaneous measurements of frost density and frost surface temperature covering a range of plate temperature, ambient air velocity, humidity, and temperature. It is revealed that the frost porosity depends primarily on the frost surface and the plate temperatures and the flow Reynolds number, and is only weakly dependent on the relative humidity. The results also point out the general character of frost porosity displaying a decrease with an increase in flow Reynolds number.

Modeling dose-rate on/over the surface of cylindrical radio-models using Monte Carlo methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiao Xuefu; Ma Guoxue; Wen Fuping; Wang Zhongqi; Wang Chaohui; Zhang Jiyun; Huang Qingbo; Zhang Jiaqiu; Wang Xinxing; Wang Jun

2004-01-01

Objective: To determine the dose-rates on/over the surface of 10 cylindrical radio-models, which belong to the Metrology Station of Radio-Geological Survey of CNNC. Methods: The dose-rates on/over the surface of 10 cylindrical radio-models were modeled using the famous Monte Carlo code-MCNP. The dose-rates on/over the surface of 10 cylindrical radio-models were measured by a high gas pressurized ionization chamber dose-rate meter, respectively. The values of dose-rate modeled using MCNP code were compared with those obtained by authors in the present experimental measurement, and with those obtained by other workers previously. Some factors causing the discrepancy between the data obtained by authors using MCNP code and the data obtained using other methods are discussed in this paper. Results: The data of dose-rates on/over the surface of 10 cylindrical radio-models, obtained using MCNP code, were in good agreement with those obtained by other workers using the theoretical method. They were within the discrepancy of ±5% in general, and the maximum discrepancy was less than 10%. Conclusions: As if each factor needed for the Monte Carlo code is correct, the dose-rates on/over the surface of cylindrical radio-models modeled using the Monte Carlo code are correct with an uncertainty of 3%

Fractal behaviour of flow of an inhomogeneous fluid over a smooth inclined surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rouhani, S.; Maleki Jirsarani, N.; Ghane Motlagh, B.; Baradaran, S.; Shokrian, E.

2001-01-01

We have observed and analyzed fractal patterns made by the flow of an inhomogeneous fluid (a suspension) over an inclined smooth surface. We observed that if the angle of inclination is above a threshold (10 d eg C - 12 d eg C), the length of fractal clusters become infinity. We measured a fractal dimension of df=1.40 ± 0.05. This falls within the same general class of patterns of flow of water over an inhomogeneous surface. This observation is consistent with the results of theoretical modes for nonlinear fluid flow in random media

Speed of streamers in argon over a flat surface of a dielectric

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sobota, A; Kramer, N J; Van Veldhuizen, E M; Stoffels, W W; Haverlag, M [Eindhoven University of Technology, Department of Applied Physics, PO Box 513, 5600MB Eindhoven (Netherlands); Lebouvier, A [Ecole Polytechnique de l' Universite d' Orleans, 12 rue de Blois, BP 6744, 45067 Orleans Cedex 2 (France); Manders, F [Advanced Development Lighting, Philips Lighting, Mathildelaan 1, 5611 BD, Eindhoven (Netherlands)], E-mail: a.sobota@tue.nl

2009-01-07

A pin-pin electrode geometry was used to study the velocities of streamers propagating over a flat dielectric surface and in gas close to the dielectric. The experiments were done in an argon atmosphere, at pressures from 0.1 to 1 bar, with repetitive voltage pulses. The dielectric surface played a noticeable role in discharge ignition and propagation. The average speed of the discharge decreased with higher pressure and lower voltage pulse rise rate. It was higher when the conductive channel between the electrodes was formed over the dielectric, rather than through the gas. Space resolved measurements revealed an increase in velocity of the discharge as it travelled towards the grounded electrode.

Speed of streamers in argon over a flat surface of a dielectric

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sobota, A; Kramer, N J; Van Veldhuizen, E M; Stoffels, W W; Haverlag, M; Lebouvier, A; Manders, F

2009-01-01

A pin-pin electrode geometry was used to study the velocities of streamers propagating over a flat dielectric surface and in gas close to the dielectric. The experiments were done in an argon atmosphere, at pressures from 0.1 to 1 bar, with repetitive voltage pulses. The dielectric surface played a noticeable role in discharge ignition and propagation. The average speed of the discharge decreased with higher pressure and lower voltage pulse rise rate. It was higher when the conductive channel between the electrodes was formed over the dielectric, rather than through the gas. Space resolved measurements revealed an increase in velocity of the discharge as it travelled towards the grounded electrode.

Characterizing Land Surface Anisotropic Reflectance over Rugged Terrain: A Review of Concepts and Recent Developments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianguang Wen

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Rugged terrain, including mountains, hills, and some high lands are typical land surfaces around the world. As a physical parameter for characterizing the anisotropic reflectance of the land surface, the importance of the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF has been gradually recognized in the remote sensing community, and great efforts have been dedicated to build BRDF models over various terrain types. However, on rugged terrain, the topography intensely affects the shape and magnitude of the BRDF and creates challenges in modeling the BRDF. In this paper, after a brief introduction of the theoretical background of the BRDF over rugged terrain, the status of estimating land surface BRDF properties over rugged terrain is comprehensively reviewed from a historical perspective and summarized in two categories: BRDFs describing solo slopes and those describing composite slopes. The discussion focuses on land surface reflectance retrieval over mountainous areas, the difference in solo slope and composite slope BRDF models, and suggested future research to improve the accuracy of BRDFs derived with remote sensing satellites.

EPA perspective on federal facility agreements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grundler, C.

1988-01-01

Although DOE's image with Congress and the media concerning environmental compliance may be poor, EPA sees the Department's recent attitude toward the environment as good. DOE and EPA must continue to move forward. In particular, EPA would like to emphasize less study of a problem and more clean-up. Strong, enforceable agreements will allow this goal to be met by letting EPA take more risks in its decision making. Currently EPA is developing an enforcement strategy for Federal facilities. This strategy will address identifying Federal facilities of concern, increasing enforcement and compliance monitoring activities at those facilities, implementing the model agreements, resource planning, and the establishment of an Agency Management System for Federal facilities. There are over 1000 Federal facilities which are listed on the EPA compliance docket. Over 200 Federal facilities are expected to be included on the NPL. Increased EPA attention may increase the ability of the various Federal agencies to obtain the necessary funding. Another subject being addressed by EPA is the liability of government contractors under the environmental statutes. The Agency is developing a GoCo enforcement strategy. In the hazardous waste enforcement program, three criteria are being considered for determining when to proceed against a contractor: Degree of contractor control over the hazardous waste management activity. Who is actually performing the work, and Degree of Departmental cooperation

13 CFR 124.105 - What does it mean to be unconditionally owned by one or more disadvantaged individuals?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 51 percent of the annual distribution of dividends paid on the stock of a corporate applicant concern... to financial institutions licensed or chartered by Federal, state or local government, including... structure so long as one or more disadvantaged individuals own and control it after the change and SBA...

Unsteady convection flow and heat transfer over a vertical stretching surface.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Wenli; Su, Ning; Liu, Xiangdong

2014-01-01

This paper investigates the effect of thermal radiation on unsteady convection flow and heat transfer over a vertical permeable stretching surface in porous medium, where the effects of temperature dependent viscosity and thermal conductivity are also considered. By using a similarity transformation, the governing time-dependent boundary layer equations for momentum and thermal energy are first transformed into coupled, non-linear ordinary differential equations with variable coefficients. Numerical solutions to these equations subject to appropriate boundary conditions are obtained by the numerical shooting technique with fourth-fifth order Runge-Kutta scheme. Numerical results show that as viscosity variation parameter increases both the absolute value of the surface friction coefficient and the absolute value of the surface temperature gradient increase whereas the temperature decreases slightly. With the increase of viscosity variation parameter, the velocity decreases near the sheet surface but increases far away from the surface of the sheet in the boundary layer. The increase in permeability parameter leads to the decrease in both the temperature and the absolute value of the surface friction coefficient, and the increase in both the velocity and the absolute value of the surface temperature gradient.

Federated querying architecture with clinical & translational health IT application.

Science.gov (United States)

Livne, Oren E; Schultz, N Dustin; Narus, Scott P

2011-10-01

We present a software architecture that federates data from multiple heterogeneous health informatics data sources owned by multiple organizations. The architecture builds upon state-of-the-art open-source Java and XML frameworks in innovative ways. It consists of (a) federated query engine, which manages federated queries and result set aggregation via a patient identification service; and (b) data source facades, which translate the physical data models into a common model on-the-fly and handle large result set streaming. System modules are connected via reusable Apache Camel integration routes and deployed to an OSGi enterprise service bus. We present an application of our architecture that allows users to construct queries via the i2b2 web front-end, and federates patient data from the University of Utah Enterprise Data Warehouse and the Utah Population database. Our system can be easily adopted, extended and integrated with existing SOA Healthcare and HL7 frameworks such as i2b2 and caGrid.

Volcano Relations for Oxidation of Hydrogen Halides over Rutile Oxide Surfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Toftelund, Anja; Man, Isabela C.; Hansen, Heine A.

2012-01-01

over a range of different rutile oxide surfaces. Based on the scaling relations, two descriptors are identified that describe the reactions uniquely. By combining scaling with the micro-kinetic model, activity volcanoes for the three different oxidation reactions are derived. It is found...

Implementing Workplace Charging with Federal Agencies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Margaret Smith

2017-04-28

The number of Americans that chose to purchase plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), which include plug-in hybrid electric vehicles(PHEVs) and all-electric vehicles (EVs), has steadily increased since 2011. Many of these drivers commute to federal worksites in communities across the country. The opportunity to charge a personal vehicle while at work is valuable to PEV drivers. Employees who have access to workplace charging are six times more likely to own a PEV than those who lack such access.

The effect of federal and state off-label marketing investigations on drug prescribing: The case of olanzapine.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Bo; Studdert, David M; Sarpatwari, Ameet; Franklin, Jessica M; Landon, Joan; Kesselheim, Aaron S

2017-01-01

In the past decade, the federal government has frequently investigated and prosecuted pharmaceutical manufacturers for illegal promotion of drugs for indications not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ("off-label" uses). State governments can choose to coordinate with the federal investigation, or pursue their own independent state investigations. One of the largest-ever off-label prosecutions relates to the atypical antipsychotic drug olanzapine (Zyprexa). In a series of settlements between 2008 and 2010, Eli Lilly paid $1.4 billion to the federal government and over $290 million to state governments. We examined the effect of these settlements on off-label prescribing of this medication, taking advantage of geographical differences in states' involvement in the investigations and the timing of the settlements. However, we did not find a reduction in off-label prescribing; rather, there were no prescribing changes among states that joined the federal investigation, those that pursued independent state investigations, and states that pursued no investigations at all. Since the settlements of state investigations of off-label prescribing do not appear to significantly impact prescribing rates, policymakers should consider alternate ways of reducing the prevalence of non-evidence-based off-label use to complement their ongoing investigations.

Videographic Education: Owning the Polar Crisis

Science.gov (United States)

Vachon, R. W.; Buhr, S. M.

2007-12-01

Television and internet-served video is an increasingly important media tool for reaching into society. This talk will present clips from a film designed to educate the public about warming in the polar regions, the socioeconomic and environmental implications of this warming; and the actions we can take to slow down human contributions to climate change. This talk will present a short film Owning the Polar Crisis, which is drawn from footage for Polar Visions, a four segment film available for educational audiences and the public.. The films are unique in that they draw from the perspectives of well-known climate scientists, citizens from all over the planet and natives of the Arctic. The compelling images were taken from numerous locations around the Arctic, including Alaska and Greenland. Owning the Polar Crisis was filmed, directed and produced by Dr. Ryan Vachon, a climate scientist and videographer with an intimate knowledge of the subject matter.

Decadal changes of surface elevation over permafrost area estimated using reflected GPS signals

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Lin; Larson, Kristine M.

2018-02-01

Conventional benchmark-based survey and Global Positioning System (GPS) have been used to measure surface elevation changes over permafrost areas, usually once or a few times a year. Here we use reflected GPS signals to measure temporal changes of ground surface elevation due to dynamics of the active layer and near-surface permafrost. Applying the GPS interferometric reflectometry technique to the multipath signal-to-noise ratio data collected by a continuously operating GPS receiver mounted deep in permafrost in Barrow, Alaska, we can retrieve the vertical distance between the antenna and reflecting surface. Using this unique kind of observables, we obtain daily changes of surface elevation during July and August from 2004 to 2015. Our results show distinct temporal variations at three timescales: regular thaw settlement within each summer, strong interannual variability that is characterized by a sub-decadal subsidence trend followed by a brief uplift trend, and a secular subsidence trend of 0.26 ± 0.02 cm year-1 during 2004 and 2015. This method provides a new way to fully utilize data from continuously operating GPS sites in cold regions for studying dynamics of the frozen ground consistently and sustainably over a long time.

Federal Tax Incentives for Energy Storage Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anderson, Katherine H [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Elgqvist, Emma M [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Settle, Donald E [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2018-01-16

Investments in renewable energy are more attractive due to the contribution of two key federal tax incentives. The investment tax credit (ITC) and the Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS) depreciation deduction may apply to energy storage systems such as batteries depending on who owns the battery and how the battery is used. The guidelines in this fact sheet apply to energy storage systems installed at the same time as the renewable energy system.

TAX FEDERALISM IN LATIN AMERICA: THE CASES OF MÉXICO, ARGENTINA AND BRAZIL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thiago Guerreiro Bastos

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The federalism is a unique expression of a political form adopted by the state. Because of that, it is possible to affirm that there is no universal or global model to be adopted by all the countries that aims the federal form. The tax power given to the subnational levels is the key to sustain a federal form because without it the political decentralization might not happen. Because of that, it was decided to develop a focused paper on fiscal federalism in America Latina context with three countries: Mexico, Argentina and Brazil. All three, in their own way, developed huge levels of fiscal centralization. In the end, the results tends to be very close in political terms and consequences to an inefficient fiscal federalism that tends to stifle the autonomy of the federated units.

Discussion: some new findings from surface subsidence monitoring over longwall panels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luo, Y.; Peng, S.S.; Arioglu, E.

1992-01-01

The article consists of a discussion of the paper, 'some new findings from surface subsidence monitoring over longwall panels' and a reply by the paper's authors, Luo and Peng. The reviewer, Arioglu, regards the paper favourably but suggests that surface subsidence can be represented by an exponential expression, and that there is a regression equation linking possible subsidence, pillar loading and the height-to-width ratio of the pillars left. Luo and Peng reply with their reasons for preferring their original linear regression model to the non-linear models suggested by Arioglu. 4 figs

Torsional surface waves in an inhomogeneous layer over a gravitating anisotropic porous half-space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, Shishir; Pramanik, Abhijit

2015-01-01

The present work aims to deal with the propagation of torsional surface wave in an inhomogeneous layer over a gravitating anisotropic porous half space. The inhomogeneous layer exhibits the inhomogeneity of quadratic type. In order to show the effect of gravity the equation for the velocity of torsional wave has been obtained. It is also observed that for a layer over a homogeneous half space without gravity, the torsional surface wave does not propagate. An attempt is also made to assess the possible propagation of torsional surface waves in that medium in the absence of the upper layer. The effects of inhomogeneity factors and porosity on the phase velocity are depicted by means of graphs. (paper)

Seasonal and spatial variability of surface ozone over China: contributions from background and domestic pollution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Wang

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Both observations and a 3-D chemical transport model suggest that surface ozone over populated eastern China features a summertime trough and that the month when surface ozone peaks differs by latitude and region. Source-receptor analysis is used to quantify the contributions of background ozone and Chinese anthropogenic emissions on this variability. Annual mean background ozone over China shows a spatial gradient from 55 ppbv in the northwest to 20 ppbv in the southeast, corresponding with changes in topography and ozone lifetime. Pollution background ozone (annual mean of 12.6 ppbv shows a minimum in the summer and maximum in the spring. On the monthly-mean basis, Chinese pollution ozone (CPO has a peak of 20–25 ppbv in June north of the Yangtze River and in October south of it, which explains the peaks of surface ozone in these months. The summertime trough in surface ozone over eastern China can be explained by the decrease of background ozone from spring to summer (by −15 ppbv regionally averaged over eastern China. Tagged simulations suggest that long-range transport of ozone from northern mid-latitude continents (including Europe and North America reaches a minimum in the summer, whereas ozone from Southeast Asia exhibits a maximum in the summer over eastern China. This contrast in seasonality provides clear evidence that the seasonal switch in monsoonal wind patterns plays a significant role in determining the seasonality of background ozone over China.

New directions in federal energy management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ginsberg, M.

1993-01-01

The fuel embargo of 1973, followed by the oil disruption of 1979 heightened national security concerns over the availability and price of foreign oil to sustain all sectors of the U.S. economy. As a result of our growing dependence on foreign oil and diminishing resources at home, the Federal government has worked since 1974 to identify and implement a variety of measures to reduce energy consumption in Federal buildings and operations. Federal energy expenditures peaked at almost $14 billion in 1982 but has now been reduced to approximately $10 billion a year. However, much more needs to be done. Since the 1973 oil embargo, a series of legislative initiatives and Presidential authorities established the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) and then expanded it to address a broad range of energy-related issues affecting the Federal sector. Administered by the U.S. Department of Energy, FEMP coordinates the design and implementation of energy-saving programs for Federal buildings and operations. This includes working with other Federal agencies through interagency committees to interpret and implement Federal policy, to provide technical assistance to other Federal agencies, and to collect and report Federal energy consumption data to Congress. In addition, with the passage of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, concerns over global climate change and a range of man-made and natural pollutants, environmental issues now play a critical role in our nation's energy policy. As a major consumer of energy, the Federal sector can serve as an important model for other sectors of the economy as a result of some of the innovative and cost-effective measures planned or currently underway. My talk today will focus on the Federal government's plans to ensure the energy efficient design and operation of Federal facilities, with an emphasis on life-cycle cost analyses

Retrieval of sea surface air temperature from satellite data over Indian Ocean: An empirical approach

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Sathe, P.V.; Muraleedharan, P.M.

the sea surface air temperature from satellite derived sea surface humidity in the Indian Ocean. Using the insitu data on surface met parameters collected on board O.R.V. Sagar Kanya in the Indian Ocean over a period of 15 years, the relationship between...

Estimating potential stranded commitments for U.S. investor-owned electric utilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baxter, L.; Hirst, E.

1995-01-01

New technologies, low natural gas prices, and federal and state utility regions are restructuring the electricity industry. Yesterday's vertically integrated utility with a retail monopoly franchise may be a very different organization in a few years. Conferences, regulatory-commission hearings, and other industry fora are dominated by debates over the extent and form of utility deintegration, wholesale competition, and retail wheeling. A key obstacle to restructuring the electricity industry is stranded commitments. Past investments, power-purchase contracts, and public-policy-driven programs that made sense in an era of cost-of-service regulation may not be cost-effective in a competitive power market. Regulators, utilities, and other parties face tough decisions concerning the mitigation and allocation of these stranded commitments. The authors developed and applied a simple method to calculate the amount of stranded commitments facing US investor-owned electric utilities. The results obtained with this method depend strongly on a few key assumptions: (1) the fraction of utility sales that is at risk with respect to competition, (2) the market price of electric generation, and (3) the number of years during which the utility would lose money because of differences between its embedded cost of production and the market price

Evaluation of Standards for Access Control Enabling PHR-S Federation.

Science.gov (United States)

Mense, Alexander; Urbauer, Philipp; Sauermann, Stefan

2017-01-01

The adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) and mobile applications in the healthcare may transform the healthcare industry by offering better disease tracking and management as well as patient empowerment. Unfortunately, almost all of these new systems set up their own ecosystem and to be really valuable for the care process they need to be integrated or federated with user managed access control services based on international standards and profiles to enable interoperability. Thus, this work presents the results of an evaluation of available specifications for federated authorization, based on a set of basic requirements.

CAUSES: On the Role of Surface Energy Budget Errors to the Warm Surface Air Temperature Error Over the Central United States

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, H.-Y.; Klein, S. A.; Xie, S.; Zhang, C.; Tang, S.; Tang, Q.; Morcrette, C. J.; Van Weverberg, K.; Petch, J.; Ahlgrimm, M.; Berg, L. K.; Cheruy, F.; Cole, J.; Forbes, R.; Gustafson, W. I.; Huang, M.; Liu, Y.; Merryfield, W.; Qian, Y.; Roehrig, R.; Wang, Y.-C.

2018-03-01

Many weather forecast and climate models simulate warm surface air temperature (T2m) biases over midlatitude continents during the summertime, especially over the Great Plains. We present here one of a series of papers from a multimodel intercomparison project (CAUSES: Cloud Above the United States and Errors at the Surface), which aims to evaluate the role of cloud, radiation, and precipitation biases in contributing to the T2m bias using a short-term hindcast approach during the spring and summer of 2011. Observations are mainly from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains sites. The present study examines the contributions of surface energy budget errors. All participating models simulate too much net shortwave and longwave fluxes at the surface but with no consistent mean bias sign in turbulent fluxes over the Central United States and Southern Great Plains. Nevertheless, biases in the net shortwave and downward longwave fluxes as well as surface evaporative fraction (EF) are contributors to T2m bias. Radiation biases are largely affected by cloud simulations, while EF bias is largely affected by soil moisture modulated by seasonal accumulated precipitation and evaporation. An approximate equation based upon the surface energy budget is derived to further quantify the magnitudes of radiation and EF contributions to T2m bias. Our analysis ascribes that a large EF underestimate is the dominant source of error in all models with a large positive temperature bias, whereas an EF overestimate compensates for an excess of absorbed shortwave radiation in nearly all the models with the smallest temperature bias.

Maximal Cohen-Macaulay modules over non-isolated surface singularities and matrix problems

CERN Document Server

Burban, Igor

2017-01-01

In this article the authors develop a new method to deal with maximal Cohen-Macaulay modules over non-isolated surface singularities. In particular, they give a negative answer on an old question of Schreyer about surface singularities with only countably many indecomposable maximal Cohen-Macaulay modules. Next, the authors prove that the degenerate cusp singularities have tame Cohen-Macaulay representation type. The authors' approach is illustrated on the case of \\mathbb{k} x,y,z/(xyz) as well as several other rings. This study of maximal Cohen-Macaulay modules over non-isolated singularities leads to a new class of problems of linear algebra, which the authors call representations of decorated bunches of chains. They prove that these matrix problems have tame representation type and describe the underlying canonical forms.

Carbon Sequestration on Surface Mine Lands

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Donald Graves; Christopher Barton; Richard Sweigard; Richard Warner; Carmen Agouridis

2006-03-31

Since the implementation of the federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) in May of 1978, many opportunities have been lost for the reforestation of surface mines in the eastern United States. Research has shown that excessive compaction of spoil material in the backfilling and grading process is the biggest impediment to the establishment of productive forests as a post-mining land use (Ashby, 1998, Burger et al., 1994, Graves et al., 2000). Stability of mine sites was a prominent concern among regulators and mine operators in the years immediately following the implementation of SMCRA. These concerns resulted in the highly compacted, flatly graded, and consequently unproductive spoils of the early post-SMCRA era. However, there is nothing in the regulations that requires mine sites to be overly compacted as long as stability is achieved. It has been cultural barriers and not regulatory barriers that have contributed to the failure of reforestation efforts under the federal law over the past 27 years. Efforts to change the perception that the federal law and regulations impede effective reforestation techniques and interfere with bond release must be implemented. Demonstration of techniques that lead to the successful reforestation of surface mines is one such method that can be used to change perceptions and protect the forest ecosystems that were indigenous to these areas prior to mining. The University of Kentucky initiated a large-scale reforestation effort to address regulatory and cultural impediments to forest reclamation in 2003. During the three years of this project 383,000 trees were planted on over 556 acres in different physiographic areas of Kentucky (Table 1, Figure 1). Species used for the project were similar to those that existed on the sites before mining was initiated (Table 2). A monitoring program was undertaken to evaluate growth and survival of the planted species as a function of spoil characteristics and

Examination of the effect of blowing on the near-surface flow structure over a dimpled surface

Science.gov (United States)

Borchetta, C. G.; Martin, A.; Bailey, S. C. C.

2018-03-01

The near surface flow over a dimpled surface with flow injection through it was documented using time-resolved particle image velocimetry. The instantaneous flow structure, time-averaged statistics, and results from snapshot proper orthogonal decomposition were used to examine the coherent structures forming near the dimpled surface. In particular, the modifications made to the flow structures by the addition of flow injection through the surface were studied. It was observed that without flow injection, inclined flow structures with alternating vorticity from neighboring dimples are generated by the dimples and advect downstream. This behavior is coupled with fluid becoming entrained inside the dimples, recirculating and ejecting away from the surface. When flow injection was introduced through the surface, the flow structures became more disorganized, but some of the features of the semi-periodic structures observed without flow injection were preserved. The structures with flow injection appear in multiple wall-normal layers, formed from vortical structures shed from upstream dimples, with a corresponding increase in the size of the advecting structures. As a result of the more complex flow field observed with flow injection, there was an increase in turbulent kinetic energy and Reynolds shear stress, with the Reynolds shear stress representing an increase in vertical transport of momentum by sweeping and ejecting motions that were not present without flow injection.

Surface pressure drag for hydrostatic two-layer flow over axisymmetric mountains

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leutbecher, M.

2000-07-01

The effect of partial reflections on surface pressure drag is investigated for hydrostatic gravity waves in two-layer flow with piecewise constant buoyancy frequency. The variation of normalized surface pressure drag with interface height is analyzed for axisymmetric mountains. The results are compared with the familiar solution for infinitely long ridges. The drag for the two-layer flow is normalized with the drag of one-layer flow, which has the buoyancy frequency of the lower layer. An analytical expression for the normalized drag of axisymmetric mountains is derived from linear theory of steady flow. Additionally, two-layer flow over finite-height axisymmetric mountains is simulated numerically for flow with higher stability in the upper layer. The temporal evolution of the surface pressure drag is examined in a series of experiments with different interface and mountain heights. The focus is on the linear regime and the nonlinear regime of nonbreaking gravity waves. The dispersion of gravity waves in flow over isolated mountains prevents that the entire wave spectrum is in resonance at the same interface height, which is the case in hydrostatic flow over infinitely long ridges. In consequence, the oscillation of the normalized drag with interface height is smaller for axisymmetric mountains than for infinitely long ridges. However, even for a reflection coefficient as low as 1/3 the drag of an axisymmetric mountain can be amplified by 50% and reduced by 40%. The nonlinear drag becomes steady in the numerical experiments in which no wave breaking occurs. The steady state nonlinear drag agrees quite well with the prediction of linear theory if the linear drag is computed for a slightly lowered interface. (orig.)

77 FR 74184 - Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-13

... currently valid control number. No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a... permit federally recognized Native American Tribes and Alaska Native Villages (``Tribal Nations'') and entities owned or controlled by Native Nations (collectively, ``Tribal Nation Applicants'') to hold LPFM...

WRF Simulation over the Eastern Africa by use of Land Surface Initialization

Science.gov (United States)

Sakwa, V. N.; Case, J.; Limaye, A. S.; Zavodsky, B.; Kabuchanga, E. S.; Mungai, J.

2014-12-01

The East Africa region experiences severe weather events associated with hazards of varying magnitude. It receives heavy precipitation which leads to wide spread flooding and lack of sufficient rainfall in some parts results into drought. Cases of flooding and drought are two key forecasting challenges for the Kenya Meteorological Service (KMS). The source of heat and moisture depends on the state of the land surface which interacts with the boundary layer of the atmosphere to produce excessive precipitation or lack of it that leads to severe drought. The development and evolution of precipitation systems are affected by heat and moisture fluxes from the land surface within weakly-sheared environments, such as in the tropics and sub-tropics. These heat and moisture fluxes during the day can be strongly influenced by land cover, vegetation, and soil moisture content. Therefore, it is important to represent the land surface state as accurately as possible in numerical weather prediction models. Improved modeling capabilities within the region have the potential to enhance forecast guidance in support of daily operations and high-impact weather over East Africa. KMS currently runs a configuration of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model in real time to support its daily forecasting operations, invoking the Non-hydrostatic Mesoscale Model (NMM) dynamical core. They make use of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration / National Weather Service Science and Training Resource Center's Environmental Modeling System (EMS) to manage and produce the WRF-NMM model runs on a 7-km regional grid over Eastern Africa.SPoRT and SERVIR provide land surface initialization datasets and model verification tool. The NASA Land Information System (LIS) provide real-time, daily soil initialization data in place of interpolated Global Forecast System soil moisture and temperature data. Model verification is done using the Model Evaluation Tools (MET) package, in order

Infrared beam-steering using acoustically modulated surface plasmons over a graphene monolayer

KAUST Repository

Chen, Paiyen; Farhat, Mohamed; Askarpour, Amir Nader; Tymchenko, Mykhailo; Alù , Andrea

2014-01-01

We model and design a graphene-based infrared beamformer based on the concept of leaky-wave (fast traveling wave) antennas. The excitation of infrared surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) over a 'one-atom-thick' graphene monolayer is typically

Language learners privilege structured meaning over surface frequency

Science.gov (United States)

Culbertson, Jennifer; Adger, David

2014-01-01

Although it is widely agreed that learning the syntax of natural languages involves acquiring structure-dependent rules, recent work on acquisition has nevertheless attempted to characterize the outcome of learning primarily in terms of statistical generalizations about surface distributional information. In this paper we investigate whether surface statistical knowledge or structural knowledge of English is used to infer properties of a novel language under conditions of impoverished input. We expose learners to artificial-language patterns that are equally consistent with two possible underlying grammars—one more similar to English in terms of the linear ordering of words, the other more similar on abstract structural grounds. We show that learners’ grammatical inferences overwhelmingly favor structural similarity over preservation of superficial order. Importantly, the relevant shared structure can be characterized in terms of a universal preference for isomorphism in the mapping from meanings to utterances. Whereas previous empirical support for this universal has been based entirely on data from cross-linguistic language samples, our results suggest it may reflect a deep property of the human cognitive system—a property that, together with other structure-sensitive principles, constrains the acquisition of linguistic knowledge. PMID:24706789

Environmental federalism and US climate change policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaeger, L.M.

2004-01-01

Environmental disputes involving states over the proper state and federal roles have grown in number and magnitude over the last several years, with many disputes engaging dozens of states. States with competing views are fully engaged in the ongoing debate over climate change, a textbook case for testing the contours of environmental federalism. The issue has all the necessary components: transboundary environmental impacts; competing state economic and environmental interests; state self-interest; disagreement on first principles including what is the proper role of the states; and a somewhat ill-defined federal role. With those qualities, one would expect the federal government to step in and regulate. Instead, the federal government has declined to regulate, inviting a national discourse on whether and how to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As of Spring 2004, twenty-eight states have launched or are planning initiatives, some of which will directly regulate sources of GHG emissions. As these programs take root, pressure will build for a greater federal role. This paper will advance the position that even with this building momentum, the federal government is not likely to emulate state programs that mandate CO 2 emission reductions. In the face of high national cost, uncertain environmental benefits, and a history of federal non-regulatory action, federal regulation at this time appears to be a remote possibility. State efforts to address global climate change add value to the debate, but they do not create the cocoon of consensus the federal government seeks before launching mandatory programs of this magnitude. The more likely scenario is that the federal government will continue on its present course, funding research and development, investing in energy efficient technologies, and supporting voluntary measures. Under this scenario, states and the private sector would continue to function as the 'laboratories' to develop new ideas to improve energy

NRC Task Force report on review of the federal/state program for regulation of commercial low-level radioactive waste burial grounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-01-01

The underlying issue explored in this report is that of Federal vs State regulation of commercial radioactive waste burial grounds. The need for research and development, a comprehensive set of standards and criteria, a national plan for low-level waste management, and perpetual care funding are closely related to the central issue and are also discussed. Five of the six commercial burial grounds are regulated by Agreement States; the sixth is regulated solely by the NRC (NRC also regulates Special Nuclear Material at the sites). The sites are operated commercially. The operators contribute to the perpetual care funds for the sites at varying rates. The States have commitments for the perpetual care of the decommissioned sites except for one site, located on Federally owned land. Three conclusions are reached. Federal control over the disposal of low-level waste should be increased by requiring joint Federal/State site approval, NRC licensing, Federal ownership of the land, and a Federally administered perpetual care program. The NRC should accelerate the development of its regulatory program for the disposal of low-level waste. The undisciplined proliferation of low-level burial sites must be avoided. NRC should evaluate alternative disposal methods, conduct necessary studies, and develop a comprehensive low-level waste regulatory program (i.e., accomplish the above recommendations) prior to the licensing of new disposal sites

Build Your Own Payment Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Berlin, Joey

2017-07-01

Physicians participating in MACRA have a unique opportunity to create and submit their own alternative payment models to the government and take command of their own future payments. At least one Texas physician is taking a crack at developing his own model.

Mixed convection-radiation interaction in boundary-layer flow over horizontal surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Ibrahim, F. S.; Hady, F. M.

1990-06-01

The effect of buoyancy forces and thermal radiation on the steady laminar plane flow over an isothermal horizontal flat plate is investigated within the framework of first-order boundary-layer theory, taking into account the hydrostatic pressure variation normal to the plate. The fluid considered is a gray, absorbing-emitting but nonscattering medium, and the Rosseland approximation is used to describe the radiative heat flux in the energy equation. Both a hot surface facing upward and a cold surface facing downward are considered in the analysis. Numerical results for the local Nusselt number, the local wall shear stress, the local surface heat flux, as well as the velocity and temperature distributions are presented for gases with a Prandtl number of 0.7 for various values of the radiation-conduction parameter, the buoyancy parameter, and the temperature ratio parameter.

Measurements of the near-surface flow over a hill

Science.gov (United States)

Vosper, S. B.; Mobbs, S. D.; Gardiner, B. A.

2002-10-01

The near-surface flow over a hill with moderate slope and height comparable with the boundary-layer depth is investigated through field measurements of the mean flow (at 2 m), surface pressure, and turbulent momentum flux divergence between 8 and 15 m. The measurements were made along an east-west transect across the hill Tighvein (height 458 m, approximate width 8 km) on the Isle of Arran, south-west Scotland, during two separate periods, each of around three-weeks duration. Radiosonde ascents are used to determine the variation of a Froude number, FL = U/NL, where U is the wind speed at the middle-layer height, hm, N is the mean Brunt-Väisälä frequency below this height and L is a hill length-scale. Measurements show that for moderately stratified flows (for which FL 0.25) a minimum in the hill-induced surface-pressure perturbation occurs across the summit and this is accompanied by a maximum in the near-surface wind speed. In the more strongly stratified case (FL 0.25) the pressure field is more asymmetric and the lee-slope flow is generally stronger than on the windward slope. Such a flow pattern is qualitatively consistent with that predicted by stratified linear boundary-layer and gravity-wave theories. The near-surface momentum budget is analysed by evaluating the dominant terms in a Bernoulli equation suitable for turbulent flow. Measurements during periods of westerly flow are used to evaluate the dominant terms, and the equation is shown to hold to a reasonable approximation on the upwind slope of the hill and also on the downwind slope, away from the summit. Immediately downwind of the summit, however, the Bernoulli equation does not hold. Possible reasons for this, such as non-separated sheltering and flow separation, are discussed.

The governance of federal debt in the United States of America

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gisele Mah

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The United State of America has been experiencing high debt to GDP ratio of more than 100% and these Public debts are detrimental. The main purpose of this study was to examine the shocks of the variables on others in the USA economy by using quarterly data. The variance decomposition and the Generalised Impulse Response Function techniques were employed to analyse the data. The result revealed that high variation of shocks in real federal debt is explained by their own innovations in the short run, by CPI followed by real federal debt its self. In the long run, this leads to CPI and real government spending. The GIRF reveals that in the short run, real federal debt responds negatively to shocks from CPI, real federal interest payment and real federal government tax receipts and positively to real federal debt and real government spending. In medium term, only real federal government tax receipts are negative while the others are positive. In the long run, the response are all positive to shock from the independent variables. The results lead to the recommendation that the US government should focus on real federal debt in the short run. In the medium term, US government should focus on increasing real government spending and reducing only real federal government tax receipts. In the long run the target should real be federal debt, CPI, real federal interest payment, real government spending and real federal government tax receipts

Frost Growth and Densification in Laminar Flow Over Flat Surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Kandula, Max

2011-01-01

One-dimensional frost growth and densification in laminar flow over flat surfaces has been theoretically investigated. Improved representations of frost density and effective thermal conductivity applicable to a wide range of frost circumstances have been incorporated. The validity of the proposed model considering heat and mass diffusion in the frost layer is tested by a comparison of the predictions with data from various investigators for frost parameters including frost thickness, frost surface temperature, frost density and heat flux. The test conditions cover a range of wall temperature, air humidity ratio, air velocity, and air temperature, and the effect of these variables on the frost parameters has been exemplified. Satisfactory agreement is achieved between the model predictions and the various test data considered. The prevailing uncertainties concerning the role air velocity and air temperature on frost development have been elucidated. It is concluded that that for flat surfaces increases in air velocity have no appreciable effect on frost thickness but contribute to significant frost densification, while increase in air temperatures results in a slight increase the frost thickness and appreciable frost densification.

30 CFR 933.843 - Federal enforcement.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... PROGRAMS FOR THE CONDUCT OF SURFACE MINING OPERATIONS WITHIN EACH STATE NORTH CAROLINA § 933.843 Federal... violations on surface coal mining and reclamation operations. (b) OSM will furnish a copy of each enforcement action and order to show cause issued pursuant to this part to the North Carolina Department of Natural...

Roughness Length of Water Vapor over Land Surfaces and Its Influence on Latent Heat Flux

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sang-Jong Park

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Latent heat flux at the surface is largely dependent on the roughness length for water vapor (z0q. The determination of z0q is still uncertain because of its multifaceted characteristics of surface properties, atmospheric conditions and insufficient observations. In this study, observed values from the Fluxes Over Snow Surface II field experiment (FLOSS-II from November 2002 to March 2003 were utilized to estimate z0q over various land surfaces: bare soil, snow, and senescent grass. The present results indicate that the estimated z0q over bare soil is much smaller than the roughness length of momentum (z0m; thus, the ratio z0m/z0q is larger than those of previous studies by a factor of 20 - 150 for the available flow regime of the roughness Reynolds number, Re* > 0.1. On the snow surface, the ratio is comparable to a previous estimation for the rough flow (Re* > 1, but smaller by a factor of 10 - 50 as the flow became smooth (Re* < 1. Using the estimated ratio, an optimal regression equation of z0m/z0q is determined as a function of Re* for each surface type. The present parameterization of the ratio is found to greatly reduce biases of latent heat flux estimation compared with that estimated by the conventional method, suggesting the usefulness of current parameterization for numerical modeling.

Microclimatic models. Estimation of components of the energy balance over land surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heikinheimo, M; Venaelaeinen, A; Tourula, T [Finnish Meteorological Inst., Helsinki (Finland). Air Quality Dept.

1997-12-31

Climates at regional scale are strongly dependent on the interaction between atmosphere and its lower boundary, the oceans and the land surface mosaic. Land surfaces influence climate through their albedo, and the aerodynamic roughness, the processes of the biosphere and many soil hydrological properties; all these factors vary considerably geographically. Land surfaces receive a certain portion of the solar irradiance depending on the cloudiness, atmospheric transparency and surface albedo. Short-wave solar irradiance is the source of the heat energy exchange at the earth`s surface and also regulates many biological processes, e.g. photosynthesis. Methods for estimating solar irradiance, atmospheric transparency and surface albedo were reviewed during the course of this project. The solar energy at earth`s surface is consumed for heating the soil and the lower atmosphere. Where moisture is available, evaporation is one of the key components of the surface energy balance, because the conversion of liquid water into water vapour consumes heat. The evaporation process was studied by carrying out field experiments and testing parameterisation for a cultivated agricultural surface and for lakes. The micrometeorological study over lakes was carried out as part of the international `Northern Hemisphere Climatic Processes Experiment` (NOPEX/BAHC) in Sweden. These studies have been aimed at a better understanding of the energy exchange processes of the earth`s surface-atmosphere boundary for a more accurate and realistic parameterisation of the land surface in atmospheric models

Microclimatic models. Estimation of components of the energy balance over land surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heikinheimo, M.; Venaelaeinen, A.; Tourula, T. [Finnish Meteorological Inst., Helsinki (Finland). Air Quality Dept.

1996-12-31

Climates at regional scale are strongly dependent on the interaction between atmosphere and its lower boundary, the oceans and the land surface mosaic. Land surfaces influence climate through their albedo, and the aerodynamic roughness, the processes of the biosphere and many soil hydrological properties; all these factors vary considerably geographically. Land surfaces receive a certain portion of the solar irradiance depending on the cloudiness, atmospheric transparency and surface albedo. Short-wave solar irradiance is the source of the heat energy exchange at the earth`s surface and also regulates many biological processes, e.g. photosynthesis. Methods for estimating solar irradiance, atmospheric transparency and surface albedo were reviewed during the course of this project. The solar energy at earth`s surface is consumed for heating the soil and the lower atmosphere. Where moisture is available, evaporation is one of the key components of the surface energy balance, because the conversion of liquid water into water vapour consumes heat. The evaporation process was studied by carrying out field experiments and testing parameterisation for a cultivated agricultural surface and for lakes. The micrometeorological study over lakes was carried out as part of the international `Northern Hemisphere Climatic Processes Experiment` (NOPEX/BAHC) in Sweden. These studies have been aimed at a better understanding of the energy exchange processes of the earth`s surface-atmosphere boundary for a more accurate and realistic parameterisation of the land surface in atmospheric models

Projections of rapidly rising surface temperatures over Africa under low mitigation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Engelbrecht, Francois; Bopape, Mary-Jane; Naidoo, Mogesh; Garland, Rebecca; Adegoke, Jimmy; Thatcher, Marcus; McGregor, John; Katzfey, Jack; Werner, Micha; Ichoku, Charles; Gatebe, Charles

2015-01-01

An analysis of observed trends in African annual-average near-surface temperatures over the last five decades reveals drastic increases, particularly over parts of the subtropics and central tropical Africa. Over these regions, temperatures have been rising at more than twice the global rate of temperature increase. An ensemble of high-resolution downscalings, obtained using a single regional climate model forced with the sea-surface temperatures and sea-ice fields of an ensemble of global circulation model (GCM) simulations, is shown to realistically represent the relatively strong temperature increases observed in subtropical southern and northern Africa. The amplitudes of warming are generally underestimated, however. Further warming is projected to occur during the 21st century, with plausible increases of 4–6 °C over the subtropics and 3–5 °C over the tropics by the end of the century relative to present-day climate under the A2 (a low mitigation) scenario of the Special Report on Emission Scenarios. High impact climate events such as heat-wave days and high fire-danger days are consistently projected to increase drastically in their frequency of occurrence. General decreases in soil-moisture availability are projected, even for regions where increases in rainfall are plausible, due to enhanced levels of evaporation. The regional dowscalings presented here, and recent GCM projections obtained for Africa, indicate that African annual-averaged temperatures may plausibly rise at about 1.5 times the global rate of temperature increase in the subtropics, and at a somewhat lower rate in the tropics. These projected increases although drastic, may be conservative given the model underestimations of observed temperature trends. The relatively strong rate of warming over Africa, in combination with the associated increases in extreme temperature events, may be key factors to consider when interpreting the suitability of global mitigation targets in terms of

Human sex differences in emotional processing of own-race and other-race faces.

Science.gov (United States)

Ran, Guangming; Chen, Xu; Pan, Yangu

2014-06-18

There is evidence that women and men show differences in the perception of affective facial expressions. However, none of the previous studies directly investigated sex differences in emotional processing of own-race and other-race faces. The current study addressed this issue using high time resolution event-related potential techniques. In total, data from 25 participants (13 women and 12 men) were analyzed. It was found that women showed increased N170 amplitudes to negative White faces compared with negative Chinese faces over the right hemisphere electrodes. This result suggests that women show enhanced sensitivity to other-race faces showing negative emotions (fear or disgust), which may contribute toward evolution. However, the current data showed that men had increased N170 amplitudes to happy Chinese versus happy White faces over the left hemisphere electrodes, indicating that men show enhanced sensitivity to own-race faces showing positive emotions (happiness). In this respect, men might use past pleasant emotional experiences to boost recognition of own-race faces.

Three Dimensional Computer Graphics Federates for the 2012 Smackdown Simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Fordyce, Crystal; Govindaiah, Swetha; Muratet, Sean; O'Neil, Daniel A.; Schricker, Bradley C.

2012-01-01

The Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization (SISO) Smackdown is a two-year old annual event held at the 2012 Spring Simulation Interoperability Workshop (SIW). A primary objective of the Smackdown event is to provide college students with hands-on experience in developing distributed simulations using High Level Architecture (HLA). Participating for the second time, the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAHuntsville) deployed four federates, two federates simulated a communications server and a lunar communications satellite with a radio. The other two federates generated 3D computer graphics displays for the communication satellite constellation and for the surface based lunar resupply mission. Using the Light-Weight Java Graphics Library, the satellite display federate presented a lunar-texture mapped sphere of the moon and four Telemetry Data Relay Satellites (TDRS), which received object attributes from the lunar communications satellite federate to drive their motion. The surface mission display federate was an enhanced version of the federate developed by ForwardSim, Inc. for the 2011 Smackdown simulation. Enhancements included a dead-reckoning algorithm and a visual indication of which communication satellite was in line of sight of Hadley Rille. This paper concentrates on these two federates by describing the functions, algorithms, HLA object attributes received from other federates, development experiences and recommendations for future, participating Smackdown teams.

Environmental federalism and US climate change policy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jaeger, L.M. [Bracewell and Patterson, LLP (United States)

2004-07-01

Environmental disputes involving states over the proper state and federal roles have grown in number and magnitude over the last several years, with many disputes engaging dozens of states. States with competing views are fully engaged in the ongoing debate over climate change, a textbook case for testing the contours of environmental federalism. The issue has all the necessary components: transboundary environmental impacts; competing state economic and environmental interests; state self-interest; disagreement on first principles including what is the proper role of the states; and a somewhat ill-defined federal role. With those qualities, one would expect the federal government to step in and regulate. Instead, the federal government has declined to regulate, inviting a national discourse on whether and how to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As of Spring 2004, twenty-eight states have launched or are planning initiatives, some of which will directly regulate sources of GHG emissions. As these programs take root, pressure will build for a greater federal role. This paper will advance the position that even with this building momentum, the federal government is not likely to emulate state programs that mandate CO{sub 2} emission reductions. In the face of high national cost, uncertain environmental benefits, and a history of federal non-regulatory action, federal regulation at this time appears to be a remote possibility. State efforts to address global climate change add value to the debate, but they do not create the cocoon of consensus the federal government seeks before launching mandatory programs of this magnitude. The more likely scenario is that the federal government will continue on its present course, funding research and development, investing in energy efficient technologies, and supporting voluntary measures. Under this scenario, states and the private sector would continue to function as the 'laboratories' to develop new ideas to

Validation of AIRS V6 Surface Temperature over Greenland with GCN and NOAA Stations

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jae N.; Hearty, Thomas; Cullather, Richard; Nowicki, Sophie; Susskind, Joel

2016-01-01

This work compares the temporal and spatial characteristics of the AIRSAMSU (Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit A) Version 6 and MODIS (Moderate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) Collection 5 derived surface temperatures over Greenland. To estimate uncertainties in space-based surface temperature measurements, we re-projected the MODIS Ice Surface Temperature (IST) to 0.5 by 0.5 degree spatial resolution. We also re-gridded AIRS Skin Temperature (Ts) into the same grid but classified with different cloud conditions and surface types. These co-located data sets make intercomparison between the two instruments relatively straightforward. Using this approach, the spatial comparison between the monthly mean AIRS Ts and MODIS IST is in good agreement with RMS 2K for May 2012. This approach also allows the detection of any long-term calibration drift and the careful examination of calibration consistency in the MODIS and AIRS temperature data record. The temporal correlations between temperature data are also compared with those from in-situ measurements from GC-Net (GCN) and NOAA stations. The coherent time series of surface temperature evident in the correlation between AIRS Ts and GCN temperatures suggest that at monthly time scales both observations capture the same climate signal over Greenland. It is also suggested that AIRS surface air temperature (Ta) can be used to estimate the boundary layer inversion.

30 CFR 931.30 - State-Federal cooperative agreement.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

.... 7401, et seq., and implementing regulations. 7. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act, 33 U.S.C. 1251... INTERIOR PROGRAMS FOR THE CONDUCT OF SURFACE MINING OPERATIONS WITHIN EACH STATE NEW MEXICO § 931.30 State-Federal cooperative agreement. The State of New Mexico (State) acting through the Governor and the...

Variability of emissivity and surface temperature over a sparsely vegetated surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Humes, K.S.; Kustas, W.P.; Moran, M.S.; Nichols, W.D.; Weltz, M.A.

1994-01-01

Radiometric surface temperatures obtained from remote sensing measurements are a function of both the physical surface temperature and the effective emissivity of the surface within the band pass of the radiometric measurement. For sparsely vegetated areas, however, a sensor views significant fractions of both bare soil and various vegetation types. In this case the radiometric response of a sensor is a function of the emissivities and kinetic temperatures of various surface elements, the proportion of those surface elements within the field of view of the sensor, and the interaction of radiation emitted from the various surface components. In order to effectively utilize thermal remote sensing data to quantify energy balance components for a sparsely vegetated area, it is important to examine the typical magnitude and degree of variability of emissivity and surface temperature for such surfaces. Surface emissivity measurements and ground and low-altitude-aircraft-based surface temperature measurements (8-13 micrometer band pass) made in conjunction with the Monsoon '90 field experiment were used to evaluate the typical variability of those quantities during the summer rainy season in a semiarid watershed. The average value for thermal band emissivity of the exposed bare soil portions of the surface was found to be approximately 0.96; the average value measured for most of the varieties of desert shrubs present was approximately 0.99. Surface composite emissivity was estimated to be approximately 0.98 for both the grass-dominated and shrub-dominated portions of the watershed. The spatial variability of surface temperature was found to be highly dependent on the spatial scale of integration for the instantaneous field of view (IFOV) of the instrument, the spatial scale of the total area under evaluation, and the time of day

Immigration Federalism as Ideology: Lessons from the States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lina Newton

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Over the last decade states passed hundreds of immigration bills covering a range of policy areas. This article considers the recent state legislative surge against scholarly treatments of immigration federalism, and identifies the symbolic politics in state lawmaking. The analysis combines a historical treatment of key court decisions that delineated boundaries of state and federal immigration roles with a legislative analysis of over 2200 immigration bills passed between 2006 and 2013, to identify the numerous ways in which national immigration policy shapes state measures. It argues that recent laws must be considered against symbolic federalism which privileges state sovereignty and justifies social policy devolution by advancing frames of intergovernmental conflict, state-level policy pragmatism, and federal ineffectiveness.

Rethinking Federal Regulation of Sexual Harassment

Science.gov (United States)

Melnick, R. Shep

2018-01-01

Over the past decade, federal regulation of education under Title IX has been sucked into the impetuous vortex of partisan polarization. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits schools that receive federal funding from discriminating on the basis of sex. For decades, intercollegiate athletics was the main source of controversy.…

Evolution of surface sensible heat over the Tibetan Plateau under the recent global warming hiatus

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Lihua; Huang, Gang; Fan, Guangzhou; Qu, Xia; Zhao, Guijie; Hua, Wei

2017-10-01

Based on regular surface meteorological observations and NCEP/DOE reanalysis data, this study investigates the evolution of surface sensible heat (SH) over the central and eastern Tibetan Plateau (CE-TP) under the recent global warming hiatus. The results reveal that the SH over the CE-TP presents a recovery since the slowdown of the global warming. The restored surface wind speed together with increased difference in ground-air temperature contribute to the recovery in SH. During the global warming hiatus, the persistent weakening wind speed is alleviated due to the variation of the meridional temperature gradient. Meanwhile, the ground surface temperature and the difference in ground-air temperature show a significant increasing trend in that period caused by the increased total cloud amount, especially at night. At nighttime, the increased total cloud cover reduces the surface effective radiation via a strengthening of atmospheric counter radiation and subsequently brings about a clear upward trend in ground surface temperature and the difference in ground-air temperature. Cloud-radiation feedback plays a significant role in the evolution of the surface temperature and even SH during the global warming hiatus. Consequently, besides the surface wind speed, the difference in ground-air temperature becomes another significant factor for the variation in SH since the slowdown of global warming, particularly at night.

Influence of Surface Processes over Africa on the Atlantic Marine ITCZ and South American Precipitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hagos, Samson M.; Cook, Kerry H.

2005-12-01

Previous studies show that the climatological precipitation over South America, particularly the Nordeste region, is influenced by the presence of the African continent. Here the influence of African topography and surface wetness on the Atlantic marine ITCZ (AMI) and South American precipitation are investigated.Cross-equatorial flow over the Atlantic Ocean introduced by north south asymmetry in surface conditions over Africa shifts the AMI in the direction of the flow. African topography, for example, introduces an anomalous high over the southern Atlantic Ocean and a low to the north. This results in a northward migration of the AMI and dry conditions over the Nordeste region.The implications of this process on variability are then studied by analyzing the response of the AMI to soil moisture anomalies over tropical Africa. Northerly flow induced by equatorially asymmetric perturbations in soil moisture over northern tropical Africa shifts the AMI southward, increasing the climatological precipitation over northeastern South America. Flow associated with an equatorially symmetric perturbation in soil moisture, however, has a very weak cross-equatorial component and very weak influence on the AMI and South American precipitation. The sensitivity of the AMI to soil moisture perturbations over certain regions of Africa can possibly improve the skill of prediction.

Quasi-one-dimensional electron transport over the surface of a liquid-helium film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sokolov, Sviatoslav; Studart, Nelson

2003-01-01

Quasi-one-dimensional mobility of surface electrons over a liquid-helium suspended film is studied for a conducting channel. The electron mobility is calculated taking into account the electron scattering by helium atoms in the vapor phase, ripplons, and surface defects of the film substrate both in one-electron regime and in the so-called complete-control limit where the influence of inter-electron collisions on the electron distribution function is taken into account. It is shown that the mobility for low temperatures is dominated by the surface-defect scattering and its temperature dependence is essentially different from that of the electron-ripplon scattering

Federal tax effects on the financial attractiveness of renewable versus conventional power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, L.J.; Hadley, S.W.

1995-01-01

In this paper, we examine the effects of federal tax laws on the financial attractiveness of seven renewable and four conventional electric power generating technologies adopted by investor owned utilities (IOUs) and non-utility electricity generators (NUGs). The results show that federal income tax laws applicable to renewable generating technologies generally provide very attractive financial incentives for the adoption of these technologies by IOUs and NUGs. If an IOU and NUG is subject to the alternative minimum tax, however, it may not be able to take full advantage of these financial incentives. (author)

Filamentation of a surface plasma wave over a semiconductor-free space interface

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Gagan; Tripathi, V. K.

2007-12-01

A large amplitude surface plasma wave (SPW), propagating over a semiconductor-free space interface, is susceptible to filamentation instability. A small perturbation in the amplitude of the SPW across the direction of propagation exerts a ponderomotive force on free electrons and holes, causing spatial modulation in free carrier density and hence the effective permittivity ɛeff of the semiconductor. The regions with higher ɛeff attract more power from the nieghborhood, leading to the growth of the perturbation. The growth rate increases with the intensity of the surface wave. It decreases with the frequency of the SPW.

Federal supervisory powers in administrative action on behalf of the Federal Government. Bundesaufsicht in der Bundesauftragsverwaltung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tschentscher, T

1992-01-01

The Federal Government's authority to give instructions in matters of public administration pursuant to Art. 85 III GG has been gaining in significance over the last few years in the course of federal disputes about the licenses issued to the NUKEM company under atomic energy law, or about the licensing of the Kalkar fast breeder reactor. Proceeding from the above federal controversy about issues relating to atomic energy law, the author extends his study to the general constitutional level, investigating the provisions of the German constitution relating to the supervisory power and the authority to give instructions on the part of the Federal Government, and the rights and means of the Laender governments to defend their administrative rights. (orig.).

Atmospheric components of the surface energy budget over young sea ice: Results from the N-ICE2015 campaign

Science.gov (United States)

Walden, Von P.; Hudson, Stephen R.; Cohen, Lana; Murphy, Sarah Y.; Granskog, Mats A.

2017-08-01

The Norwegian young sea ice campaign obtained the first measurements of the surface energy budget over young, thin Arctic sea ice through the seasonal transition from winter to summer. This campaign was the first of its kind in the North Atlantic sector of the Arctic. This study describes the atmospheric and surface conditions and the radiative and turbulent heat fluxes over young, thin sea ice. The shortwave albedo of the snow surface ranged from about 0.85 in winter to 0.72-0.80 in early summer. The near-surface atmosphere was typically stable in winter, unstable in spring, and near neutral in summer once the surface skin temperature reached 0°C. The daily average radiative and turbulent heat fluxes typically sum to negative values (-40 to 0 W m-2) in winter but then transition toward positive values of up to nearly +60 W m-2 as solar radiation contributes significantly to the surface energy budget. The sensible heat flux typically ranges from +20-30 W m-2 in winter (into the surface) to negative values between 0 and -20 W m-2 in spring and summer. A winter case study highlights the significant effect of synoptic storms and demonstrates the complex interplay of wind, clouds, and heat and moisture advection on the surface energy components over sea ice in winter. A spring case study contrasts a rare period of 24 h of clear-sky conditions with typical overcast conditions and highlights the impact of clouds on the surface radiation and energy budgets over young, thin sea ice.

Characterization of D2 tool steel friction surfaced coatings over low carbon steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sekharbabu, R.; Rafi, H. Khalid; Rao, K. Prasad

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Solid state coating by friction surfacing method. • D2 tool steel is coated over relatively softer low carbon steel. • Defect free interface between tool steel coating and low carbon steel substrate. • D2 coatings exhibited higher hardness and good wear resistance. • Highly refined martensitic microstructure in the coating. - Abstract: In this work D2 tool steel coating is produced over a low carbon steel substrate using friction surfacing process. The process parameters are optimized to get a defect free coating. Microstructural characterization is carried out using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Infrared thermography is used to measure the thermal profile during friction surfacing of D2 steel. Wear performance of the coating is studied using Pin-on-Disk wear tests. A lower rotational speed of the consumable rod and higher translational speed of the substrate is found to result in thinner coatings. Friction surfaced D2 steel coating showed fine-grained martensitic microstructure compared to the as-received consumable rod which showed predominantly ferrite microstructure. Refinement of carbides in the coating is observed due to the stirring action of the process. The infrared thermography studies showed the peak temperature attained by the D2 coating to be about 1200 °C. The combined effect of martensitic microstructure and refined carbides resulted in higher hardness and wear resistance of the coating

Comparison of CERES-MODIS cloud microphysical properties with surface observations over Loess Plateau

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Hongru; Huang, Jianping; Minnis, Patrick; Yi, Yuhong; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Wang, Tianhe; Nakajima, Takashi Y.

2015-03-01

To enhance the utility of satellite-derived cloud properties for studying the role of clouds in climate change and the hydrological cycle in semi-arid areas, it is necessary to know their uncertainties. This paper estimates the uncertainties of several cloud properties by comparing those derived over the China Loess Plateau from the MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on Terra and Aqua by the Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) with surface observations at the Semi-Arid Climate and Environment Observatory of Lanzhou University (SACOL). The comparisons use data from January 2008 to June 2010 limited to single layer and overcast stratus conditions during daytime. Cloud optical depths (τ) and liquid water paths (LWP) from both Terra and Aqua generally track the variation of the surface counterparts with modest correlation, while cloud effective radius (re) is only weakly correlated with the surface retrievals. The mean differences between Terra and the SACOL retrievals are -4.7±12.9, 2.1±3.2 μm and 30.2±85.3 g m-2 for τ, re and LWP, respectively. The corresponding differences for Aqua are 2.1±8.4, 1.2±2.9 μm and 47.4±79.6 g m-2, respectively. Possible causes for biases of satellite retrievals are discussed through statistical analysis and case studies. Generally, the CERES-MODIS cloud properties have a bit larger biases over the Loess Plateau than those in previous studies over other locations.

The role of soil moisture in land surface-atmosphere coupling: climate model sensitivity experiments over India

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Charles; Turner, Andrew

2015-04-01

It is generally acknowledged that anthropogenic land use changes, such as a shift from forested land into irrigated agriculture, may have an impact on regional climate and, in particular, rainfall patterns in both time and space. India provides an excellent example of a country in which widespread land use change has occurred during the last century, as the country tries to meet its growing demand for food. Of primary concern for agriculture is the Indian summer monsoon (ISM), which displays considerable seasonal and subseasonal variability. Although it is evident that changing rainfall variability will have a direct impact on land surface processes (such as soil moisture variability), the reverse impact is less well understood. However, the role of soil moisture in the coupling between the land surface and atmosphere needs to be properly explored before any potential impact of changing soil moisture variability on ISM rainfall can be understood. This paper attempts to address this issue, by conducting a number of sensitivity experiments using a state-of-the-art climate model from the UK Meteorological Office Hadley Centre: HadGEM2. Several experiments are undertaken, with the only difference between them being the extent to which soil moisture is coupled to the atmosphere. Firstly, the land surface is fully coupled to the atmosphere, globally (as in standard model configurations); secondly, the land surface is entirely uncoupled from the atmosphere, again globally, with soil moisture values being prescribed on a daily basis; thirdly, the land surface is uncoupled from the atmosphere over India but fully coupled elsewhere; and lastly, vice versa (i.e. the land surface is coupled to the atmosphere over India but uncoupled elsewhere). Early results from this study suggest certain 'hotspot' regions where the impact of soil moisture coupling/uncoupling may be important, and many of these regions coincide with previous studies. Focusing on the third experiment, i

Impact of the surface wind flow on precipitation characteristics over the southern Himalayas: GPM observations

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Aoqi; Fu, Yunfei; Chen, Yilun; Liu, Guosheng; Zhang, Xiangdong

2018-04-01

The distribution and influence of precipitation over the southern Himalayas have been investigated on regional and global scales. However, previous studies have been limited by the insufficient emphasis on the precipitation triggers or the lack of droplet size distribution (DSD) data. Here, precipitating systems were identified using Global Precipitation Mission dual-frequency radar data, and then categorized into five classes according to surface flow from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast Interim data. The surface flow is introduced to indicate the precipitation triggers, which is validated in this study. Using case and statistical analysis, we show that the precipitating systems with different surface flow had different precipitation characteristics, including spatio-temporal features, reflectivity profile, DSD, and rainfall intensity. Furthermore, the results show that the source of the surface flow influences the intensity and DSD of precipitation. The terrain exerts different impacts on the precipitating systems of five categories, leading to various distributions of precipitation characteristics over the southern Himalayas. Our results suggest that the introduction of surface flow and DSD for precipitating systems provides insight into the complex precipitation of the southern Himalayas. The different characteristics of precipitating systems may be caused by the surface flow. Therefore, future study on the orographic precipitations should take account the impact of the surface flow and its relevant dynamic mechanism.

Who owns the child in hospital? A preliminary discussion.

Science.gov (United States)

Shields, Linda; Kristensson-Hallström, Inger; Kristjánsdóttir, Gudrun; Hunter, Judith

2003-02-01

To 'own' a person is considered an infringement of human rights, but we suggest that concepts of ownership influence interactions between parents and staff when a child is admitted to hospital. This paper aims to stimulate debate and contains an explanation of the exploration of the literature for research and discussion of ownership of the child. A wide variety of library indexes, databases and populist media were examined although it was impossible to examine all literature which may have contained references to this topic, and, apart from databases which contained abstracts in English, we could not include literature written in any language other than English, Swedish, and Icelandic. We found no research that examines how concepts of ownership of a child affects communication between health professionals and parents and, ultimately, the delivery of health care. This paper begins discussion on the issues. Historical literature shows that ownership of humans has been a part of many cultures, and parents were once considered to own their children. Ownership of another has legal connotations, for instance in guardianship struggles of children during marriage breakup and in ethical debates over surrogacy and products of assisted conception. Within health care, it becomes a contentious issue in transplantation of body parts, in discourse on autonomy and informed consent, and for religious groups who refuse blood transfusions. In health care, models such as family centred care and partnership in care depend on positive communication between parents and staff. If a hospital staff member feels that he/she owns a child for whom he/she is caring, then conflict between the staff member and the parents over who has the 'best interests of the child' at heart is possible. We encourage debate about concepts of who owns the hospitalized child - the parents or the staff? Should it be argued at all? Is the whole concept of ownership of another, be it adult or child, the ethical

Federalism as an Instrument for Unity and the Protection of Minorities

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Legesse Tigabu Mengie

principles of federalism across these federal systems cannot be done in a single ... 2 Michael Burgess (2006), Comparative Federalism: Theory and Practice, Routledge, pp. ... A federal system is also different from other forms of association like ... though the FDRE Constitution prevails over all federal and state laws and.

Comparative Analysis of the Surface Ozone Regime Over Russia and Europe

Science.gov (United States)

Kuznetsov, G. I.; Tarasova, O. A.; Elansky, N. F.; Beloglazov, M. I.

2004-05-01

The data of the measurements of the surface ozone concentration (SOC) at several Russian cites, in TROICA expeditions, data of EMEP network as well as the results of LOTOS model application were used to compare the main characteristics of ozone spatial and temporal variability over Russia and Europe. To carry out this investigation the number of new methods of data analysis were developed and applied. Their complex application gave us possibility to separate clearly the contribution of photochemical processes having mainly periodical component (daily and seasonal). Hence more attention could be paid to the dynamical mechanism impacting SOC regime, their spatial and temporal variability including trends estimation. Spectral windowing application to the filtered database of EMEP network showed that among the different processes providing annual and shorter variability the main part (about 40% of dispersion) is governed by local and synoptical scale processes in the range of 2-7 days. At the same time the spatial distribution of these percentage contribution is non-uniform over Europe. One of the important mechanisms providing this type of variability as well as the longer ones is air transport. To study the impact of air transport the correlation fields were calculated for the transport indices using 2D NILU trajectories and SOC at EMEP network. They showed that at the Eastern border of Europe the growth of the westerlies provides not the decrease but the growth of observed SOC. This approach was use to study the features of the zonal and meridianal transport, its seasonal characteristics and annual variability. Moreover at Kislovodsk High Mountain Station the changes of the transport patters can partly explain even observed trend of SOC. Comparison of the regime at the different locations using TROICA data shows that in the most of Russian cities ozone destruction is observed. The generation of the surface ozone is only possible in the cases of combination of

Young children's preference for unique owned objects.

Science.gov (United States)

Gelman, Susan A; Davidson, Natalie S

2016-10-01

An important aspect of human thought is the value we place on unique individuals. Adults place higher value on authentic works of art than exact replicas, and young children at times value their original possessions over exact duplicates. What is the scope of this preference in early childhood, and when do children understand its subjective nature? On a series of trials, we asked three-year-olds (N=36) to choose between two toys for either themselves or the researcher: an old (visibly used) toy vs. a new (more attractive) toy matched in type and appearance (e.g., old vs. brand-new blanket). Focal pairs contrasted the child's own toy with a matched new object; Control pairs contrasted toys the child had never seen before. Children preferred the old toys for Focal pairs only, and treated their own preferences as not shared by the researcher. By 3years of age, young children place special value on unique individuals, and understand the subjective nature of that value. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Laboratory coupling tests for optimum land streamer design over sand dunes surface

KAUST Repository

Almalki, Hashim

2012-02-26

The cost of data acquisition in land is becoming a major issue as we strive to cover larger areas with seismic surveys at high resolution. Over sand dunes the problem is compounded by the week coupling obtain using geophones, which often forces us to bury the phone. A major challenge is designing such a land streamer system that combines durability, mobility and the required coupling. We share a couple of such designs and discuss the merits behind such designs and test their capability. The testing includes, the level of coupling, mobility and drag over sand surfaces. For specific designs loose sand can accumulate inside the steamer reducing its mobility. On the other hand, poor coupling will attenuate the high frequencies and cause an effective delay in the signal. The weight of the streamer is also an important factor in both mobility and coupling as it adds to the coupling it reduces the mobility of the streamer. We study the impact of weight and base plate surface area on the seismic signal quality, as well as the friction factor of different designs.

Heat Transfer and Mass Diffusion in Nanofluids over a Moving Permeable Convective Surface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Qasim

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Heat transfer and mass diffusion in nanofluid over a permeable moving surface are investigated. The surface exhibits convective boundary conditions and constant mass diffusion. Effects of Brownian motion and thermophoresis are considered. The resulting partial differential equations are reduced into coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations using suitable transformations. Shooting technique is implemented for the numerical solution. Velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles are analyzed for different key parameters entering into the problem. Performed comparative study shows an excellent agreement with the previous analysis.

How Hybridity has Evolved in the Governance of State-owned Enterprises

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tolstrup Christensen, Lene

2017-01-01

This paper focuses on the evolution of the governance of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in passenger rail services. Two opposite cases are presented: one from Sweden and the other from Denmark. Using institutional change theory, the paper shows how the SOEs' hybrid character changed over time. Th...

Exercising the federal radiological emergency response plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gant, K.S.; Adler, M.V.; Wolff, W.F.

1986-01-01

Multiagency exercises were an important part of the development of the Federal Radiological Emergency Response Plan. This paper concentrates on two of these exercises, the Federal Field Exercise in March 1984 and the Relocation Tabletop Exercise in December 1985. The Federal Field Exercise demonstrated the viability and usefulness of the draft plan; lessons learned from the exercise were incorporated into the published plan. The Relocation Tabletop Exercise examined the federal response in the postemergency phase. This exercise highlighted the change over time in the roles of some agencies and suggested response procedures that should be developed or revised. 8 refs

Evaluation of coarse scale land surface remote sensing albedo product over rugged terrain

Science.gov (United States)

Wen, J.; Xinwen, L.; You, D.; Dou, B.

2017-12-01

Satellite derived Land surface albedo is an essential climate variable which controls the earth energy budget and it can be used in applications such as climate change, hydrology, and numerical weather prediction. The accuracy and uncertainty of surface albedo products should be evaluated with a reliable reference truth data prior to applications. And more literatures investigated the validation methods about the albedo validation in a flat or homogenous surface. However, the albedo performance over rugged terrain is still unknow due to the validation method limited. A multi-validation strategy is implemented to give a comprehensive albedo validation, which will involve the high resolution albedo processing, high resolution albedo validation based on in situ albedo, and the method to upscale the high resolution albedo to a coarse scale albedo. Among them, the high resolution albedo generation and the upscale method is the core step for the coarse scale albedo validation. In this paper, the high resolution albedo is generated by Angular Bin algorithm. And a albedo upscale method over rugged terrain is developed to obtain the coarse scale albedo truth. The in situ albedo located 40 sites in mountain area are selected globally to validate the high resolution albedo, and then upscaled to the coarse scale albedo by the upscale method. This paper takes MODIS and GLASS albedo product as a example, and the prelimarily results show the RMSE of MODIS and GLASS albedo product over rugged terrain are 0.047 and 0.057, respectively under the RMSE with 0.036 of high resolution albedo.

Seasonal Cycle of the Near-Surface Diurnal Wind Field Over the Bay of La Paz, Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Turrent, Cuauhtémoc; Zaitsev, Oleg

2014-05-01

The results of numerical simulations of the troposphere over the Bay of La Paz, calculated for the months of January, April, July and October during the period 2006-2010 with the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF v3.5) regional model, are used to describe the seasonal features of the diurnal cycle of planetary boundary-layer winds. Two distinct near-surface diurnal flows with strong seasonal variability were identified: (1) a nocturnal and matutinal breeze directed from the subtropical Pacific Ocean, over the Baja California peninsula and the Bay of La Paz, into the Gulf of California that is associated with the regional sea-surface temperature difference between those two major water bodies; and (2) a mid to late afternoon onshore sea-breeze related to the peninsula's daily cycle of insolation heating that evolves with counter-clockwise rotation over the Bay of La Paz. The model results reveal the interaction over Baja California of opposing afternoon sea-breeze fronts that originate from the subtropical Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California, with a convergence line forming over the peaks of the peninsula's topography and the associated presence of a closed vertical circulation cell over the Bay of La Paz and the adjacent Gulf. The collision of the opposing sea-breeze fronts over the narrow peninsula drives convection that is relatively weak due to the reduced heat source and only appears to produce precipitation sporadically. The spatial structure of the sea-breeze fronts over the Bay of La Paz region is complex due to shoreline curvature and nearby topographic features. A comparison of the numerical results with available meteorological near-surface observations indicates that the modelling methodology adequately reproduced the observed features of the seasonal variability of the local planetary boundary-layer diurnal wind cycle and confirms that the low-level atmospheric circulation over the Bay of La Paz is dominated by kinetic energy in the diurnal band

[The federal government discourse during the political decentralization process and the obstacles to implement the Brazilian Public Health Care System].

Science.gov (United States)

Pellegrini, Bárbara

2007-01-01

A discourse analysis carried out on basic operating standard Norma Operacional Básica do Sistema Unico de Saúde (NOB-SUS 01/96) of the Brazilian public health care system aiming at locating signs that could allow to identify lines of thought which have influenced health care policies prioritized by the federal administration. The author points out a peculiarity in the kind of discourse employed by the ministry directive: its structure is based on isolated aspects of legislation and on ideas advocated by other discourse communities, articulated with redefined legal principles - an effort towards authorizing the official reasoning in favor of the relevance in keeping the decentralization process under the control of the federal administration. The analysis concludes that an infra-legal standard can neither grant state and federal administrations a hierarchical superiority (mediation function) over municipal administrations, nor can it transfer the legal responsibilities pertaining to Health Councils over to inter-administration commissions (Comissões Intergestores) , thus making the former mere decision ratifiers. This study found that granting privileges not contemplated in the legislation to state and federal administrations surfaced again and more strongly so in 2001 in yet another operating standard.

The role of clouds in the surface energy balance over the Amazon forest

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eltahir, E.A.B.; Humphries, E.J. Jr.

1998-01-01

Deforestation in the Amazon region will initially impact the energy balance at the land surface through changes in land cover and surface hydrology. However, continuation of this human activity will eventually lead to atmospheric feedbacks, including changes in cloudiness which may play an important role in the final equilibrium of solar and terrestrial radiation at the surface. In this study, the different components of surface radiation over an undisturbed forest in the Amazon region are computed using data from the Amazon region micrometerological experiment (ARME). Several measures of cloudiness are defined: two estimated from the terrestrial radiation measurements, and one from the solar radiation measurements. The sensitivity of the surface fluxes of solar and terrestrial radiation to natural variability in cloudiness is investigated to infer the potential role of the cloudiness feedback in the surface energy balance. The results of this analysis indicate that a 1% decrease in cloudiness would increase net solar radiation by ca. 1.6 W/m 2 . However, the overall magnitude of this feedback, due to total deforestation of the Amazon forest, is likely to be of the same order as the magnitude of the decrease in net solar radiation due to the observed increase in surface albedo following deforestation. Hence, the total change in net solar radiation is likely to have a negligible magnitude. In contrast to this conclusion, we find that terrestrial radiation is likely to be more strongly affected; reduced cloudiness will decrease net terrestrial radiation; a 1% decrease in cloudiness induces a reduction in net terrestrial radiation of ca. 0.7 W/m 2 ; this process augments the similar effects of the predicted warming and drying in the boundary layer. Due to the cloudiness feedback, the most significant effect of large-scale deforestation on the surface energy balance is likely to be in the modification of the terrestrial radiation field rather than the classical albedo

49 CFR 237.73 - Protection of bridges from over-weight and over-dimension loads.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Protection of bridges from over-weight and over... (Continued) FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION BRIDGE SAFETY STANDARDS Capacity of Bridges § 237.73 Protection of bridges from over-weight and over-dimension loads. (a) Each track owner...

Own brand label restorative materials-A false bargain?

Science.gov (United States)

Johnsen, Gaute Floer; Thieu, Minh Khai Le; Hussain, Badra; Pamuła, Elzbieta; Reseland, Janne Elin; Lyngstadaas, Ståle Petter; Haugen, Håvard

2017-01-01

This study aims at evaluating and comparing mechanical, chemical, and cytotoxicological parameters of a commercial brand name composite material against two 'own brand label' (OBL) composites. Parameters included depth of cure, flexural strength, degree of conversion, polymerization shrinkage, filler particle morphology and elemental analyzes, Vickers hardness, surface roughness parameters after abrasion, monomer elution, and cytotoxicity. The conventional composite outperformed the OBLS in terms of depth of cure (pbrand-name composites, but at a lower price. Dentists are highly recommended to reconsider utilization of OBLs lacking sound scientific scrutiny, and our findings underscore this recommendation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Infrared beam-steering using acoustically modulated surface plasmons over a graphene monolayer

KAUST Repository

Chen, Paiyen

2014-09-01

We model and design a graphene-based infrared beamformer based on the concept of leaky-wave (fast traveling wave) antennas. The excitation of infrared surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) over a \\'one-atom-thick\\' graphene monolayer is typically associated with intrinsically \\'slow light\\'. By modulating the graphene with elastic vibrations based on flexural waves, a dynamic diffraction grating can be formed on the graphene surface, converting propagating SPPs into fast surface waves, able to radiate directive infrared beams into the background medium. This scheme allows fast on-off switching of infrared emission and dynamic tuning of its radiation pattern, beam angle and frequency of operation, by simply varying the acoustic frequency that controls the effective grating period. We envision that this graphene beamformer may be integrated into reconfigurable transmitter/receiver modules, switches and detectors for THz and infrared wireless communication, sensing, imaging and actuation systems.

Spatiotemporal control over molecular delivery and cellular encapsulation from electropolymerized micro- and nanopatterned surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Stern, Eric; Jay, Steven M; Demento, Stacey L; Murelli, Ryan P; Reed, Mark A; Malinski, Tadeusz; Spiegel, David A; Mooney, David J; Fahmy, Tarek M

2009-07-13

Bioactive, patterned micro- and nanoscale surfaces that can be spatially engineered for three-dimensional ligand presentation and sustained release of signaling molecules represent a critical advance for the development of next-generation diagnostic and therapeutic devices. Lithography is ideally suited to patterning such surfaces due to its precise, easily scalable, high-throughput nature; however, to date polymers patterned by these techniques have not demonstrated the capacity for sustained release of bioactive agents. We demonstrate here a class of lithographically-defined, electropolymerized polymers with monodisperse micro- and nanopatterned features capable of sustained release of bioactive drugs and proteins. We show that precise control can be achieved over the loading capacity and release rates of encapsulated agents and illustrate this aspect using a fabricated surface releasing a model antigen (ovalbumin) and a cytokine (interleukin-2) for induction of a specific immune response. We further demonstrate the ability of this technique to enable three-dimensional control over cellular encapsulation. The efficacy of the described approach is buttressed by its simplicity, versatility, and reproducibility, rendering it ideally suited for biomaterials engineering.

Area-averaged surface fluxes and their time-space variability over the FIFE experimental domain

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, E. A.; Hsu, A. Y.; Crosson, W. L.; Field, R. T.; Fritschen, L. J.; Gurney, R. J.; Kanemasu, E. T.; Kustas, W. P.; Nie, D.; Shuttleworth, W. J.

1992-01-01

The underlying mean and variance properties of surface net radiation, sensible-latent heat fluxes and soil heat flux are studied over the densely instrumented grassland region encompassing FIFE. Flux variability is discussed together with the problem of scaling up to area-averaged fluxes. Results are compared and contrasted for cloudy and clear situations and examined for the influence of surface-induced biophysical controls (burn and grazing treatments) and topographic controls (aspect ratios and slope factors).

Inventory of power plants in the United States. [By state within standard Federal Regions, using county codes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1977-12-01

The purpose of this inventory of power plants is to provide a ready reference for planners whose focus is on the state, standard Federal region, and/or national level. Thus the inventory is compiled alphabetically by state within standard Federal regions. The units are listed alphabetically within electric utility systems which in turn are listed alphabetically within states. The locations are identified to county level according to the Federal Information Processing Standards Publication Counties and County Equivalents of the States of the United States. Data compiled include existing and projected electrical generation units, jointly owned units, and projected construction units.

Near-surface wind pattern in regional climate projections over the broader Adriatic region

Science.gov (United States)

Belušić, Andreina; Telišman Prtenjak, Maja; Güttler, Ivan; Ban, Nikolina; Leutwyler, David; Schär, Christoph

2017-04-01

The Adriatic region is characterized by the complex coastline, strong topographic gradients and specific wind regimes. This represents excellent test area for the latest generation of the regional climate models (RCMs) applied over the European domain. The most famous wind along the Adriatic coast is bora, which due to its strength, has a strong impact on all types of human activities in the Adriatic region. The typical bora wind is a severe gusty downslope flow perpendicular to the mountains. Besides bora, in the Adriatic region, typical winds are sirocco (mostly during the wintertime) and sea/land breezes (dominantly in the warm part of the year) as a part of the regional Mediterranean wind system. Thus, it is substantial to determine future changes in the wind filed characteristics (e.g., changes in strength and frequencies). The first step was the evaluation of a suite of ten EURO- and MED-CORDEX models (at 50 km and 12.5 km resolution), and two additional high resolution models from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich (ETHZ, at 12.5 km and 2.2. km resolution) in the present climate. These results provided a basis for the next step where wind field features, in an ensemble of RCMs forced by global climate models (GCMs) in historical and future runs are examined. Our aim is to determine the influence of the particular combination of RCMs and GCMs, horizontal resolution and emission scenario on the future changes in the near-surface wind field. The analysis reveals strong sensitivity of the simulated wind flow and its statistics to both season and location analyzed, to the horizontal resolution of the RCM and on the choice of the particular GCM that provides boundary conditions.

Green Roofs: Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) Federal Technology Alert

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scholz-Barth, K.; Tanner, S.

2004-09-01

In a ''green roof,'' a layer of vegetation (e.g., a roof garden) covers the surface of a roof to provide shade, cooler indoor and outdoor temperatures, and effective storm-water management to reduce runoff. The main components are waterproofing, soil, and plants. There are two basic kinds: intensive and extensive. An intensive green roof often features large shrubs and trees, and it can be expensive to install and maintain. An extensive green roof features shallow soil and low-growing, horizontally spreading plants that can thrive in the alpine conditions of many rooftops. These plants do not require a lot of water or soil, and they can tolerate a significant amount of exposure to the sun and wind. This Federal Technology Alert focuses on the benefits, design, and implementation of extensive green roofs and includes criteria for their use on federal facilities.

Russian Federation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

In the Russian Federation (RF), management of radioactive wastes will be carried out within the framework of the Federal Target Program for management of radioactive wastes and used nuclear materials for the period 1996-2005. The agency within the RF responsible for this program is the Ministry of Russian Federation on Atomic Energy. Current radioactive waste disposal activities are focused on creating regional repositories for wastes generated by radiochemical production, nuclear reactors, science centers, and from other sources outside of the nuclear-fuel cycle (the latter wastes are managed by Scientific and Industrial Association, 'RADON'). Wastes of these types are in temporary storage, with the exception of non-fuel cycle wastes which are in long term storage managed by SAI 'RADON'. The criteria for segregating between underground or near-surface disposal of radioactive waste are based on the radiation fields and radionuclide composition of the wastes. The most progress in creating regional repositories has been made in the Northwest region of Russia. However, development of a detailed design has begun for a test facility in the Northeast for disposal of radioactive wastes generated in Murmansk and Arkhangelsk provinces. The feasibility study for construction of this facility is being evaluated by state monitoring organizations, the heads of administrations of the Arkhangelsk and Murmansk provinces, and Minatom of Russia

The development of Tobacco Harm Prevention Law in Vietnam: stakeholder tensions over tobacco control legislation in a state owned industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Higashi, Hideki; Khuong, Tuan A; Ngo, Anh D; Hill, Peter S

2011-09-18

Building on its National Tobacco Control Policy initiated in 2000, Vietnam is currently considering introducing a comprehensive law to strengthen the implementation of tobacco control policy. This study analyses the positions of key stakeholders in the development of tobacco control legislation in the context of a largely state-owned industry, and discusses their implications for the policy process. Several qualitative methods were employed for the study including: literature review and documentary analysis; key informant interview; focus groups discussion; and key stakeholders survey. The Ministry of Health, Ministry of Trade and Industry, and Ministry of Finance are key players in the tobacco control policy and legislation, representing competing bureaucratic interests over health, macro-economy and revenue. High-ranking officials, including the Communist Party and National Assembly members, take a rather relaxed position reflecting the low political stakes placed on tobacco issues. The state-owned tobacco industry is regarded as an important contributor to the government revenue and gross domestic product, and the relative weight on health and socioeconomic issues placed by stakeholders determine their positions on tobacco control. Overall, short-term economic interests have more immediate influence in setting policy directions, with the consequences of health gains perceived as relegated to a distant future. This was reflected in the position of tobacco control advocates, including MOH, that presented with reluctance in insisting on some tobacco control strategies revealing a mixture attitude of concessions to the socioeconomic uncertainties and a sense of bargaining to win the strategies that are more likely to be accepted. The state-ownership of tobacco industry poses a major paradox within the government that benefits from manufacturing of tobacco products and is also responsible for controlling tobacco consumption. The perceptions of negative implications

Developing Renewable Energy Projects Larger Than 10 MWs at Federal Facilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2013-03-01

To accomplish Federal goals for renewable energy, sustainability, and energy security, large-scale renewable energy projects must be developed and constructed on Federal sites at a significant scale with significant private investment. For the purposes of this Guide, large-scale Federal renewable energy projects are defined as renewable energy facilities larger than 10 megawatts (MW) that are sited on Federal property and lands and typically financed and owned by third parties.1 The U.S. Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) helps Federal agencies meet these goals and assists agency personnel navigate the complexities of developing such projects and attract the necessary private capital to complete them. This Guide is intended to provide a general resource that will begin to develop the Federal employee’s awareness and understanding of the project developer’s operating environment and the private sector’s awareness and understanding of the Federal environment. Because the vast majority of the investment that is required to meet the goals for large-scale renewable energy projects will come from the private sector, this Guide has been organized to match Federal processes with typical phases of commercial project development. FEMP collaborated with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and professional project developers on this Guide to ensure that Federal projects have key elements recognizable to private sector developers and investors. The main purpose of this Guide is to provide a project development framework to allow the Federal Government, private developers, and investors to work in a coordinated fashion on large-scale renewable energy projects. The framework includes key elements that describe a successful, financially attractive large-scale renewable energy project. This framework begins the translation between the Federal and private sector operating environments. When viewing the overall

Block grants and the resurgence of federalism.

Science.gov (United States)

Brandt, E N

1981-01-01

In an address, this past summer, to the National Convention of State Legislatures, President Reagan captured to essence of the block grant proposal in a sentence. "Our task," the President said, "is to restore the constitutional symmetry between the Central Government and the States and to re-establish the freedom and variety of federalism." Consolidating the current profusion of complex and often overlapping Federal health grants into four State-administered packages will greatly reduce administrative costs and allow us to make wise use of scarce health dollars in a time of economic trial. At the same time, these changes will give States the managerial and policy flexibility that they need, but have lacked, to respond to their own most pressing needs. Of perhaps most importance in the long run, this system of grants will return a just portion of responsibility for the preservation and improvement of our health care system to the States, their communities, and the people. It is precisely this kind of equilibrium, this symmetry, that the President had in mind and that, for too many years, the Federal-State-Private partnership in health has been without. The restoration of this equilibrium, it should be noted by all, is underway. PMID:7302102

Reaction of ethane with deuterium over platinum(111) single-crystal surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zaera, F.; Somorhai, G.A.

1985-01-01

Deuterium exchange and hydrogenolysis of ethane were studied over (111) platinum surfaces under atmospheric pressures and a temperature range of 475-625 K. Activation energies of 19 kcal/mol for exchange and 34 kcal/mol for hydrogenolysis were obtained. The exchange reaction rates displayed kinetic orders with respect to deuterium and ethane partial pressures of -0.55 and 1.2, respectively. The exchange production distribution was U-shaped, peaking at one and six deuterium atoms per ethane molecule, similar to results reported for other forms of platinum, e.g., supported, films, and foils. The pressure of ethylidyne moieties on the surface was inferred from low-energy electron diffraction and thermal desorption spectroscopy. A mechanism is proposed to explain the experimental results, in which ethylidyne constitutes an intermediate in one of two competitive pathways. 31 references, 9 figures, 3 tables

Development of laser surface cladding through energy transmission over optical fiber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirano, Kenji; Morishige, Norio; Irisawa, Toshio

1990-01-01

Much attention has recently been paid to laser cladding techniques as an approach in controlling the composition and structure of the metal surface. If YAG laser is used as the cladding method, the flexibility of laser cladding process increases extremely because YAG laser beam is transmitted through an optical fiber, and enabling cladding on pipes installed in actual plants. So experiments on YAG laser cladding through energy transmission over an optical fiber were performed to prevent stress corrosion cracking in austenitic stainless steel pipes. In order to build a cladding layer, mixed metal powder were pre-placed on the inner surface of the pipe using organic binder and the pre-placed powder beds were melted with YAG laser beam transmitted using an optical fiber. This paper introduces the method of building a cladding layer on pipes in actual nuclear plants. (author)

Electric field measurements in nanosecond pulse discharges in air over liquid water surface

Science.gov (United States)

Simeni Simeni, Marien; Baratte, Edmond; Zhang, Cheng; Frederickson, Kraig; Adamovich, Igor V.

2018-01-01

Electric field in nanosecond pulse discharges in ambient air is measured by picosecond four-wave mixing, with absolute calibration by a known electrostatic field. The measurements are done in two geometries, (a) the discharge between two parallel cylinder electrodes placed inside quartz tubes, and (b) the discharge between a razor edge electrode and distilled water surface. In the first case, breakdown field exceeds DC breakdown threshold by approximately a factor of four, 140 ± 10 kV cm-1. In the second case, electric field is measured for both positive and negative pulse polarities, with pulse durations of ˜10 ns and ˜100 ns, respectively. In the short duration, positive polarity pulse, breakdown occurs at 85 kV cm-1, after which the electric field decreases over several ns due to charge separation in the plasma, with no field reversal detected when the applied voltage is reduced. In a long duration, negative polarity pulse, breakdown occurs at a lower electric field, 30 kV cm-1, after which the field decays over several tens of ns and reverses direction when the applied voltage is reduced at the end of the pulse. For both pulse polarities, electric field after the pulse decays on a microsecond time scale, due to residual surface charge neutralization by transport of opposite polarity charges from the plasma. Measurements 1 mm away from the discharge center plane, ˜100 μm from the water surface, show that during the voltage rise, horizontal field component (Ex ) lags in time behind the vertical component (Ey ). After breakdown, Ey is reduced to near zero and reverses direction. Further away from the water surface (≈0.9 mm), Ex is much higher compared to Ey during the entire voltage pulse. The results provide insight into air plasma kinetics and charge transport processes near plasma-liquid interface, over a wide range of time scales.

Recycling inflow method for simulations of spatially evolving turbulent boundary layers over rough surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xiang I. A.; Meneveau, Charles

2016-01-01

The technique by Lund et al. to generate turbulent inflow for simulations of developing boundary layers over smooth flat plates is extended to the case of surfaces with roughness elements. In the Lund et al. method, turbulent velocities on a sampling plane are rescaled and recycled back to the inlet as inflow boundary condition. To rescale mean and fluctuating velocities, appropriate length scales need be identified and for smooth surfaces, the viscous scale lν = ν/uτ (where ν is the kinematic viscosity and uτ is the friction velocity) is employed for the inner layer. Different from smooth surfaces, in rough wall boundary layers the length scale of the inner layer, i.e. the roughness sub-layer scale ld, must be determined by the geometric details of the surface roughness elements and the flow around them. In the proposed approach, it is determined by diagnosing dispersive stresses that quantify the spatial inhomogeneity caused by the roughness elements in the flow. The scale ld is used for rescaling in the inner layer, and the boundary layer thickness δ is used in the outer region. Both parts are then combined for recycling using a blending function. Unlike the blending function proposed by Lund et al. which transitions from the inner layer to the outer layer at approximately 0.2δ, here the location of blending is shifted upwards to enable simulations of very rough surfaces in which the roughness length may exceed the height of 0.2δ assumed in the traditional method. The extended rescaling-recycling method is tested in large eddy simulation of flow over surfaces with various types of roughness element shapes.

How drops start sliding over solid surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Nan; Geyer, Florian; Pilat, Dominik W.; Wooh, Sanghyuk; Vollmer, Doris; Butt, Hans-Jürgen; Berger, Rüdiger

2018-02-01

It has been known for more than 200 years that the maximum static friction force between two solid surfaces is usually greater than the kinetic friction force--the force that is required to maintain the relative motion of the surfaces once the static force has been overcome. But the forces that impede the lateral motion of a drop of liquid on a solid surface are not as well characterized, and there is a lack of understanding about liquid-solid friction in general. Here, we report that the lateral adhesion force between a liquid drop and a solid can also be divided into a static and a kinetic regime. This striking analogy with solid-solid friction is a generic phenomenon that holds for liquids of different polarities and surface tensions on smooth, rough and structured surfaces.

76 FR 10894 - Notice of Issuance of Prevention of Significant Deterioration and Federal Operating Permits to...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-28

... Deterioration and Federal Operating Permits to Grand Casino Hinckley AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency... Corporate Commission doing business as Grand Casino Hinckley. This permit authorizes Grand Casino Hinckley... owned by Mille Lacs Band Corporate Commission doing business as Grand Casino Hinckley. EPA received an...

The economy of privately owned windmills

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

The Danish government ordered that an investigation of the economy of privately owned windmills be undertaken from 1991. Updating is a part of the follow-up of Danish energy policy designated ''Energi 2000'' (Energy 2000). The report contains descriptions of the calculation methods used and related conditions, data on individual privately owned windmills, a summary of the most important tax and duty regulations, details of conditions for private windmill owners, a sensitivity analysis and an analysis of the development of the economy of privately owned windmills since 1991. It is concluded that, based on the current values named in the 1991 report, there is a drop in the case of cooperatively owned windmills of ca. 235,000 DKr and a rise in current value in the case of one-man owned windmills of 270,000 DKr. It is concluded that the changed conditions of the economy since 1991 has resulted in a poorer economy in relation to cooperatively owned windmills and an improvement in single-ownership windmills so that the current value in the latter is now positive. (AB)

Federal Grants to State and Local Governments

Science.gov (United States)

Congressional Budget Office, 2013

2013-01-01

In fiscal year 2011, the federal government provided $607 billion in grants to state and local governments. Those funds accounted for 17 percent of federal outlays, 4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), and a quarter of spending by state and local governments that year. Over the past 30 years, those "intergovernmental" grants--financial…

Land-restoration provisions of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act: constitutional considerations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eichbaum, W.M.; Buente, D.T.

1980-01-01

This examination of the land-capability requirements of SMCRA rested upon the proposition that a proper application of constitutional principles requires an appreciation of changing national conditions. Accordingly, this article examined the possible Fifth and Tenth Amendment challenges to SMCRA's land-capability provisions in the context of an evolving history of national concern over natural resources and in light of lengthy congressional deliberations based on concern for future national environmental and energy needs. The analysis suggests that SMCRA's land-capability requirements are well within the constitutional authority of the national government. The history of environmental protection legislation in the 1970's suggests that Federal action will increasingly impose regulatory restraints on the use of privately-owned natural resources. This trend is meeting strong resistance, including varied demands to reduce the impact and scope of Federal regulation. While the conclusion may be limited to SMCRA, its approach to examining constitutional challenges to Federal regulation protecting natural resources can be broadly applied. Natural resources are essential, finite, and irrevocably threatened by human activity. In the absence of effective state action, Federal protective action to provide national management of those resources is necessary and consistent with constitutional principles. 184 references.

Sea surface wind perturbations over the Kashevarov Bank of the Okhotsk Sea. A satellite study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tarkhova, T.I.; Permyakov, M.S.; Potalova, E.Yu.; Semykin, V.I. [V.I. Il' ichev Pacific Oceanological Institute of the Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok (Russian Federation). Lab. of the Ocean and Atmosphere Interaction Studies

2011-07-01

Sea surface wind perturbations over sea surface temperature (SST) cold anomalies over the Kashevarov Bank (KB) of the Okhotsk Sea are analyzed using satellite (AMSR-E and QuikSCAT) data during the summerautumn period of 2006-2009. It is shown, that frequency of cases of wind speed decreasing over a cold spot in August- September reaches up to 67%. In the cold spot center SST cold anomalies reached 10.5 C and wind speed lowered down to {proportional_to}7ms {sup -1} relative its value on the periphery. The wind difference between a periphery and a centre of the cold spot is proportional to SST difference with the correlations 0.5 for daily satellite passes data, 0.66 for 3-day mean data and 0.9 for monthly ones. For all types of data the coefficient of proportionality consists of {proportional_to}0.3 {sup -1} on 1 C. (orig.)

40 CFR Appendix B to Subpart E of... - Federal Guidelines-User Charges for Operation and Maintenance of Publicly Owned Treatment Works

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... charges is to distribute the cost of operation and maintenance of publicly owned treatment works to the... not be acceptable. Savings resulting from economies of scale should be apportioned to all users or...

Numerical solutions for magnetohydrodynamic flow of nanofluid over a bidirectional non-linear stretching surface with prescribed surface heat flux boundary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahanthesh, B.; Gireesha, B.J.; Gorla, R.S. Reddy; Abbasi, F.M.; Shehzad, S.A.

2016-01-01

Numerical solutions of three-dimensional flow over a non-linear stretching surface are developed in this article. An electrically conducting flow of viscous nanoliquid is considered. Heat transfer phenomenon is accounted under thermal radiation, Joule heating and viscous dissipation effects. We considered the variable heat flux condition at the surface of sheet. The governing mathematical equations are reduced to nonlinear ordinary differential systems through suitable dimensionless variables. A well-known shooting technique is implemented to obtain the results of dimensionless velocities and temperature. The obtained results are plotted for multiple values of pertinent parameters to discuss the salient features of these parameters on fluid velocity and temperature. The expressions of skin-friction coefficient and Nusselt number are computed and analyzed comprehensively through numerical values. A comparison of present results with the previous results in absence of nanoparticle volume fraction, mixed convection and magnetic field is computed and an excellent agreement noticed. We also computed the results for both linear and non-linear stretching sheet cases. - Highlights: • Hydromagnetic flow of nanofluid over a bidirectional non-linear stretching surface is examined. • Cu, Al 2 O3 and TiO 2 types nanoparticles are taken into account. • Numerical solutions have been computed and addressed. • The values of skin-friction and Nusselt number are presented.

Asymmetric flows over symmetric surfaces: capacitive coupling in induced-charge electro-osmosis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mansuripur, T S [Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States); Pascall, A J; Squires, T M [Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States)], E-mail: squires@engineering.ucsb.edu

2009-07-15

We report curious asymmetric induced-charge electro-osmotic (ICEO) flows over a symmetric, planar gate electrode under applied ac electric fields, whereas symmetric, counter-rotating rolls are expected. Furthermore, the asymmetric component of the flow is consistently directed towards the grounded electrode. We propose that capacitive coupling of the gate electrode to the microscope stage-a comparatively large equipotential surface that acts effectively as a ground-is responsible for this symmetry breaking. This stray capacitance drives the formation of a double layer whose zeta potential is proportional to the potential drop from the electrolyte directly above the gate electrode to the external stage. Therefore, the charge in this 'stray' double layer varies in phase with the driving field, resulting in a rectified, steady flow as with standard ICEO. We experimentally vary the stray capacitance, the electric potential of the stage and the location of the gate electrode, and find that the effect on the stray flow is qualitatively consistent with the predictions of the proposed mechanism. In the process, we demonstrate that capacitive coupling offers an additional means of manipulating fluid flow over a polarizable surface.

Asymmetric flows over symmetric surfaces: capacitive coupling in induced-charge electro-osmosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mansuripur, T S; Pascall, A J; Squires, T M

2009-01-01

We report curious asymmetric induced-charge electro-osmotic (ICEO) flows over a symmetric, planar gate electrode under applied ac electric fields, whereas symmetric, counter-rotating rolls are expected. Furthermore, the asymmetric component of the flow is consistently directed towards the grounded electrode. We propose that capacitive coupling of the gate electrode to the microscope stage-a comparatively large equipotential surface that acts effectively as a ground-is responsible for this symmetry breaking. This stray capacitance drives the formation of a double layer whose zeta potential is proportional to the potential drop from the electrolyte directly above the gate electrode to the external stage. Therefore, the charge in this 'stray' double layer varies in phase with the driving field, resulting in a rectified, steady flow as with standard ICEO. We experimentally vary the stray capacitance, the electric potential of the stage and the location of the gate electrode, and find that the effect on the stray flow is qualitatively consistent with the predictions of the proposed mechanism. In the process, we demonstrate that capacitive coupling offers an additional means of manipulating fluid flow over a polarizable surface.

Regulatory environment and its impact on the market value of investor-owned electric utilities

Science.gov (United States)

Vishwanathan, Raman

While other regulated industries have one by one been exposed to competitive reform, electric power, for over eighty years, has remained a great monopoly. For all those years, the vertically integrated suppliers of electricity in the United States have been assigned exclusive territorial (consumer) franchises and have been closely regulated. This environment is in the process change because the electric power industry is currently undergoing some dramatic adjustments. Since 1992, a number of states have initiated regulatory reform and are moving to allow retail customers to choose their energy supplier. There has also been a considerable federal government role in encouraging competition in the generation and transmission of electricity. The objective of this research is to investigate the reaction of investors to the prevailing regulatory environment in the electric utility industry by analyzing the market-to-book value for investor-owned electric utilities in the United States as a gauge of investor concern or support for change. In this study, the variable of interest is the market valuation of utilities, as it captures investor confidence to changes in the regulatory environment. Initially a classic regression model is analyzed on the full sample (of the 96 investor-owned utilities for the years 1992 through 1996), providing a total number of 480 (96 firms over 5 years) observations. Later fixed- and random-effects models are analyzed for the same full-sample model specified in the previous analysis. Also, the analysis is carried forward to examine the impact of the size of the utility and its degree of reliability on nuclear power generation on market values. In the period of this study, 1992--1996, the financial security markets downgraded utilities that were still operating in a regulated environment or had a substantial percentage of their power generation from nuclear power plants. It was also found that the financial market was sensitive to the size of

Algorithms for Inclusion : Data Driven Lending for Women Owned SMEs

OpenAIRE

Alibhai, Salman; Achew, Mengistu Bessir; Coleman, Rachel; Khan, Anushe; Strobbe, Francesco

2017-01-01

All over the world, women have less access to credit than men. Because of both discriminatory property laws and unwritten social customs, women are less likely than men to own high-value assets that can be used as collateral to secure loans. Financial institutions in developing countries rely on heavy collateral requirements because they don’t have enough information about their borrowers....

Wiping the Slate Clean: A New Federalism for the 21st Century Student. State-Federal Partnerships in Postsecondary Education

Science.gov (United States)

Applegate, James L.; Fulton, Mary

2016-01-01

Substantial increases in federal support for higher education over the last decade or more have made the federal government the largest direct investor in U.S. higher education. That increase however, has not produced the expected level of increase in college educated people in the workforce. This is largely for two reasons. First the investment…

[Connections between fiscal federalism and the funding of the Brazilian health care policy].

Science.gov (United States)

de Lima, Luciana Dias

2007-01-01

In the Brazilian society's context of meager financial resources for health care, associated with structural features of fiscal federalism and with the current model of funding transfers for the Unified Health System's (SUS), important inequities directly impact political negotiations and the deployment of federal financing alternatives which are not directly linked to the supply and production of health care activities and services by states and municipalities. We observed that health policies, since the second half of the nineties, have developed their own mechanisms that, in the above mentioned context, tend to accommodate different interests and federative conflicts generated by structural factors and by institutional rules. However, the absence of an integrated planning program between the criteria to establish resource redistribution for financing the Unified Health System and the Brazilian Federation's fiscal sharing system, end up reinforcing certain asymmetric patterns and generating new imbalances, making the compensation of inequities difficult in public health spending at the sub-national domain.

Enforcement, Integration, and the Future of Immigration Federalism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Rodriguez

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The federal government has a monopoly over the terms of immigration law, and it superintends the nation’s singular immigration enforcement bureaucracy. But our federalism nonetheless provides a vital playing field for sharp debates over the status of immigrants in American life. The forms of state and local involvement in immigration policy are varied, but they fall into two basic categories of mutually dependent and re-enforcing policies: enforcement federalism and integration federalism. Whereas enforcement federalism concerns the extent to which localities should assist or resist federal removal policies, integration federalism encompasses measures designed to assist immigrants, regardless of status, to plant roots and acculturate to life in the United States. Both forms of immigration federalism take shape through a wide variety of intergovernmental relations, not only between the federal government on the one hand and states and localities on the other, but also between states and the cities within them — an increasingly important dimension of immigration federalism today. These relations have important legal characteristics, and constitutional and statutory law bring them into being and mediate them. But the nature of any given intergovernmental dynamic will be shaped just as much by a combination of ideology and institutional imperatives. These elements can either unite the center and the periphery in common cause or produce the sort of conflict that has made immigration federalism a high-profile issue for decades. Given the density of the intergovernmental dynamics that shape the country’s immigration policy, developing a comprehensive strategy for immigration federalism requires more than a predilection toward or away from centralization of government authority. It requires a clear view on the appropriate metes and bounds of immigration enforcement, as well as a set of beliefs about the proper place in the social order of

Magnetohydrodynamic viscous flow over a nonlinearly moving surface: Closed-form solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Tiegang

2014-05-01

In this paper, the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flow over a nonlinearly (power-law velocity) moving surface is investigated analytically and solutions are presented for a few special conditions. The solutions are obtained in closed forms with hyperbolic functions. The effects of the magnetic, the wall moving, and the mass transpiration parameters are discussed. These solutions are important to show the flow physics as well as to be used as bench mark problems for numerical validation and development of new solution schemes.

BEP-relations for N2 dissociation over stepped transition metal and alloy surfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fronczek-Munter, Ture Rønved; Bligaard, Thomas; Christensen, Claus H.

2008-01-01

, a perfectly linear Bronsted-Evans-Polanyi (BEP) relation between the transition-state potential energy and the dissociative chemisorption energy is obtained. The perfect BEP relation, which extends over 12 eV in chemisorption energy, suggests that the manifestation of BEP relations for surface reactions...... is a general electronic structure effect, and that geometric effects are responsible for the scatter which is normally observed around the BEP line. The BEP relation is also shown to be valid for both surface and bulk alloys. The scatter is, however, larger than for the pure elements. This can be understood...

Rarefaction effects in gas flows over curved surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Dongari, Nishanth; White, Craig; Scanlon, Thomas J.; Zhang, Yonghao; Reese, Jason M.

2012-11-01

The fundamental test case of gas flow between two concentric rotating cylinders is considered in order to investigate rarefaction effects associated with the Knudsen layers over curved surfaces. We carry out direct simulation Monte Carlo simulations covering a wide range of Knudsen numbers and accommodation coefficients, and for various outer-to-inner cylinder radius ratios. Numerical data is compared with classical slip flow theory and a new power-law (PL) wall scaling model. The PL model incorporates Knudsen layer effects in near-wall regions by taking into account the boundary limiting effects on the molecular free paths. The limitations of both theoretical models are explored with respect to rarefaction and curvature effects. Torque and velocity profile comparisons also convey that mere prediction of integral flow parameters does not guarantee the accuracy of a theoretical model, and that it is important to ensure that prediction of the local flowfield is in agreement with simulation data.

Two-wavelength Method Estimates Heat fluxes over Heterogeneous Surface in North-China

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, G.; Zheng, N.; Zhang, J.

2017-12-01

Heat fluxes is a key process of hydrological and heat transfer of soil-plant-atmosphere continuum (SPAC), and now it is becoming an important topic in meteorology, hydrology, ecology and other related research areas. Because the temporal and spatial variation of fluxes at regional scale is very complicated, it is still difficult to measure fluxes at the kilometer scale over a heterogeneous surface. A technique called "two-wavelength method" which combines optical scintillometer with microwave scintillometer is able to measure both sensible and latent heat fluxes over large spatial scales at the same time. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the fluxes over non-uniform terrain in North-China. Estimation of heat fluxes was carried out with the optical-microwave scintillometer and an eddy covariance (EC) system over heterogeneous surface in Tai Hang Mountains, China. EC method was set as a benchmark in the study. Structure parameters obtained from scintillometer showed that the typical measurement values of Cn2 are around 10-13 m-2/3 for microwave scintillometer, and values of Cn2 were around 10-15 m-2/3 for optical scintillometer. The correlation of heat fluxes (H) derived from scintillometer and EC system showed as a ratio of 1.05,and with R2=0.75, while the correlation of latent heat fluxes (LE) showed as 1.29 with R2=0.67. It was also found that heat fluxes derived from the two system showed good agreement (R2=0.9 for LE, R2=0.97 for H) when the Bowen ratio (β) was 1.03, while discrepancies showed significantly when β=0.75, and RMSD in H was 139.22 W/m2, 230.85 W/m2 in LE respectively.Experiment results in our research shows that, the two-wavelength method gives a larger heat fluxes over the study area, and a deeper study should be conduct. We expect that our investigate and analysis can be promoted the application of scintillometry method in regional evapotranspiration measurements and relevant disciplines.

Upper-soil moisture inter-comparison from SMOS's products and land surface models over the Iberian Peninsula

Science.gov (United States)

Polcher, Jan; Barella-Ortiz, Anaïs; Aires, Filipe; Balsamo, Gianpaolo; Gelati, Emiliano; Rodríguez-Fernández, Nemesio

2015-04-01

Soil moisture is a key state variable of the hydrological cycle. It conditions runoff, infiltration and evaporation over continental surfaces, and is key for forecasting droughts and floods. It plays thus an important role in surface-atmosphere interactions. Surface Soil Moisture (SSM) can be measured by in situ measurements, by satellite observations or modelled using land surface models. As a complementary tool, data assimilation can be used to combine both modelling and satellite observations. The work presented here is an inter-comparison of retrieved and modelled SSM data, for the 2010 - 2012 period, over the Iberian Peninsula. The region has been chosen because its vegetation cover is not very dense and includes strong contrasts in the rainfall regimes and thus a diversity of behaviours for SSM. Furthermore this semi-arid region is strongly dependent on a good management of its water resources. Satellite observations correspond to the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) retrievals: the L2 product from an optimal interpolation retrieval, and 3 other products using Neural Network retrievals with different input information: SMOS time indexes, purely SMOS data, or addition of the European Advanced Scaterometer (ASCAT) backscattering, and the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) surface temperature information. The modelled soil moistures have been taken from the ORCHIDEE (ORganising Carbon and Hydrology In Dynamic EcosystEms) and the HTESSEL (Hydrology-Tiled ECMWF Scheme for Surface Exchanges over Land) land surface models. Both models are forced with the same atmospheric conditions (as part of the Earth2Observe FP7 project) over the period but they represent the surface soil moisture with very different degrees of complexity. ORCHIDEE has 5 levels in the top 5 centimetres of soil while in HTESSEL this variable is part of the top soil moisture level. The two types of SMOS retrievals are compared to the model outputs in their spatial and temporal

Sea surface wind perturbations over the Kashevarov Bank of the Okhotsk Sea: a satellite study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. I. Tarkhova

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Sea surface wind perturbations over sea surface temperature (SST cold anomalies over the Kashevarov Bank (KB of the Okhotsk Sea are analyzed using satellite (AMSR-E and QuikSCAT data during the summer-autumn period of 2006–2009. It is shown, that frequency of cases of wind speed decreasing over a cold spot in August–September reaches up to 67%. In the cold spot center SST cold anomalies reached 10.5 °C and wind speed lowered down to ~7 m s−1 relative its value on the periphery. The wind difference between a periphery and a centre of the cold spot is proportional to SST difference with the correlations 0.5 for daily satellite passes data, 0.66 for 3-day mean data and 0.9 for monthly ones. For all types of data the coefficient of proportionality consists of ~0.3 m s−1 on 1 °C.

CMS Use of a Data Federation

CERN Document Server

Bloom, Kenneth Arthur

2014-01-01

CMS is in the process of deploying an Xrootd based infrastructure to facilitate a global data federation. The services of the federation are available to export data from half the physical capacity and the majority of sites are configured to read data over the federation as a back-up. CMS began with a relatively modest set of use-cases for recovery of failed local file opens, debugging and visualization. CMS is finding that the data federation can be used to support small scale analysis and load balancing. Looking forward we see potential in using the federation to provide more flexibility in the location workflows are executed as the differenced between local access and wide area access are diminished by optimization and improved networking. In this presentation we will discuss the application development work and the facility deployment work, the use-cases currently in production, and the potential for the technology moving forward.

Survival of marine heterotrophic flagellates isolated from the surface and the deep sea at high hydrostatic pressure: Literature review and own experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Živaljić, Suzana; Schoenle, Alexandra; Nitsche, Frank; Hohlfeld, Manon; Piechocki, Julia; Reif, Farina; Shumo, Marwa; Weiss, Alexandra; Werner, Jennifer; Witt, Madeleine; Voss, Janine; Arndt, Hartmut

2018-02-01

Although the abyssal seafloor represents the most common benthic environment on Earth, eukaryotic microbial life at abyssal depths is still an uncharted territory. This is in striking contrast to their potential importance regarding the material flux and bacteria consumption in the deep sea. Flagellate genotypes determined from sedimentary DNA deep-sea samples might originate from vital deep-sea populations or from cysts of organisms sedimented down from surface waters. The latter one may have never been active under deep-sea conditions. We wanted to analyze the principal ability of cultivable heterotrophic flagellates of different phylogenetic groups (choanoflagellates, ancyromonads, euglenids, kinetoplastids, bicosoecids, chrysomonads, and cercozoans) to survive exposure to high hydrostatic pressure (up to 670 bar). We summarized our own studies and the few available data from literature on pressure tolerances of flagellates isolated from different marine habitats. Our results demonstrated that many different flagellate species isolated from the surface waters and deep-sea sediments survived drastic changes in hydrostatic pressure. Barophilic behavior was also recorded for several species isolated from the deep sea indicating their possible genetic adaptation to high pressures. This is in accordance with records of heterotrophic flagellates present in environmental DNA surveys based on clone libraries established for deep-sea environments.

Fiscal Federalism and Local Government Finance in Nigeria

Science.gov (United States)

Alo, Ejikeme Nonso

2012-01-01

Fiscal federalism deals with the sharing of resources in a federated nation. Over the years problems about local government finance have become an important aspect of intergovernmental relations. Constitutionally, local government is the third tier of government which exists as an independent entity, possessing some degree of autonomy and…

Promoting greater Federal energy productivity [Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hopkins, Mark; Dudich, Luther

2003-03-05

This document is a close-out report describing the work done under this DOE grant to improve Federal Energy Productivity. Over the four years covered in this document, the Alliance To Save Energy conducted liaison with the private sector through our Federal Energy Productivity Task Force. In this time, the Alliance held several successful workshops on the uses of metering in Federal facilities and other meetings. We also conducted significant research on energy efficiency, financing, facilitated studies of potential energy savings in energy intensive agencies, and undertook other tasks outlined in this report.

Global Validation of MODIS C6 and C6.1 Merged Aerosol Products over Diverse Vegetated Surfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Bilal

2018-03-01

Full Text Available In this study, the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS Collections 6 and 6.1 merged Dark Target (DT and Deep Blue (DB aerosol products (DTBC6 and DTBC6.1 at 0.55 µm were validated from 2004–2014 against Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET Version 2 Level 2.0 AOD obtained from 68 global sites located over diverse vegetated surfaces. These surfaces were categorized by static values of monthly Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI observations obtained for the same time period from the MODIS level-3 monthly NDVI product (MOD13A3, i.e., partially/non–vegetated (NDVIP ≤ 0.3, moderately–vegetated (0.3 < NDVIM ≤ 0.5 and densely–vegetated (NDVID > 0.5 surfaces. The DTBC6 and DTBC6.1 AOD products are accomplished by the NDVI criteria: (i use the DT AOD retrievals for NDVI > 0.3, (ii use the DB AOD retrievals for NDVI < 0.2, and (iii use an average of the DT and DB AOD retrievals or the available one with highest quality assurance flag (DT: QAF = 3; DB: QAF ≥ 2 for 0.2 ≤ NDVI ≤ 0.3. For comparison purpose, the DTBSMS AOD retrievals were included which were accomplished using the Simplified Merge Scheme, i.e., use an average of the DTC6.1 and DBC6.1 AOD retrievals or the available one for all the NDVI values. For NDVIP surfaces, results showed that the DTBC6 and DTBC6.1 AOD retrievals performed poorly over North and South America in terms of the agreement with AERONET AOD, and over Asian region in terms of retrievals quality as the small percentage of AOD retrievals were within the expected error (EE = ± (0.05 + 0.15 × AOD. For NDVIM surfaces, retrieval errors and poor quality in DTBC6 and DTBC6.1 were observed for Asian, North American and South American sites, whereas good performance, was observed for European and African sites. For NDVID surfaces, DTBC6 does not perform well over the Asian and North American sites, although it contains retrievals only from the DT algorithm which was developed for dark surfaces

Getting started with ownCloud

CERN Document Server

Patawari, Aditya

2013-01-01

This is a standard, precise, and short tutorial for setting up ownCloud and includes advanced topics like encryption, user management, and server security. This ownCloud book would be an ideal starting point for anyone who wants to store their data and also share it.This book is for first time users as well as administrators who are interested or responsible for managing an ownCloud instance. You do not need any prior experience with any of the technology, including Linux/Windows, Apache/IIS, SQLite/MySQL, or even PHP. It is a beginner-friendly book, written with a first time user in mind.

DNS of flows over superhydrophobic surfaces with small texture

Science.gov (United States)

Fairhall, Chris; Garcia-Mayoral, Ricardo

2015-11-01

We present results from direct numerical simulations of turbulent flows over superhydrophobic surfaces with small texture sizes, comparable to those of practical application. Textures studied with DNS are usually much larger, as the cost of the simulations would otherwise be prohibitive. For this reason, a multi-block code that allows for finer resolution near the walls has been developed. We focus particularly on the pressure distribution at the wall. This distribution can cause the deformation of the gas pockets, which can ultimately lead to their loss and that of the drag reduction effect. The layout of the texture causes stagnation pressures which can contribute substantially to the wall pressure signal (Seo et al. JFM, under review). We study a range of different textures and their influence on these pressures.

77 FR 31879 - Comment Request for Information Collection for 1205-0179: Unemployment Compensation for Federal...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-30

... states that ``Each agency of the United States and each wholly or partially owned instrumentality of the... eligibility for benefits. The Department of Labor has prescribed forms to enable SWAs to obtain this necessary information from the individual's Federal employing agency. Each of these forms is essential to the UCFE...

Direct numerical simulation of turbulent channel flow over a liquid-infused micro-grooved surface

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Jaehee; Jung, Taeyong; Choi, Haecheon; Kim, John

2016-11-01

Recently a superhydrophobic surface has drawn much attention as a passive device to achieve high drag reduction. Despite the high performance promised at ideal conditions, maintaining the interface in real flow conditions is an intractable problem. A non-wetting surface, known as the slippery liquid-infused porous surface (SLIPS) or the lubricant-impregnated surface (LIS), has shown a potential for drag reduction, as the working fluid slips at the interface but cannot penetrate into the lubricant layer. In the present study, we perform direct numerical simulation of turbulent channel flow over a liquid-infused micro-grooved surface to investigate the effects of this surface on the interfacial slip and drag reduction. The flow rate of water is maintained constant corresponding to Reτ 180 in a fully developed turbulent channel flow, and the lubricant layer is shear-driven by the turbulent water flow. The lubricant layer is also simulated with the assumption that the interface is flat (i.e. the surface tension effect is neglected). The solid substrate in which the lubricant is infused is modelled as straight ridges using an immersed boundary method. DNS results show that drag reduction by the liquid-infused surface is highly dependent on the viscosity of the lubricant.

Numerical solutions for magnetohydrodynamic flow of nanofluid over a bidirectional non-linear stretching surface with prescribed surface heat flux boundary

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mahanthesh, B., E-mail: bmanths@gmail.com [Department of Mathematics, AIMS Institutes, Peenya, 560058 Bangalore (India); Department of Studies and Research in Mathematics, Kuvempu University, Shankaraghatta, 577451 Shimoga, Karnataka (India); Gireesha, B.J., E-mail: bjgireesu@rediffmail.com [Department of Studies and Research in Mathematics, Kuvempu University, Shankaraghatta, 577451 Shimoga, Karnataka (India); Department of Mechanical Engineering, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH (United States); Gorla, R.S. Reddy, E-mail: r.gorla@csuohio.edu [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH (United States); Abbasi, F.M., E-mail: abbasisarkar@gmail.com [Department of Mathematics, Comsats Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad 44000 (Pakistan); Shehzad, S.A., E-mail: ali_qau70@yahoo.com [Department of Mathematics, Comsats Institute of Information Technology, Sahiwal 57000 (Pakistan)

2016-11-01

Numerical solutions of three-dimensional flow over a non-linear stretching surface are developed in this article. An electrically conducting flow of viscous nanoliquid is considered. Heat transfer phenomenon is accounted under thermal radiation, Joule heating and viscous dissipation effects. We considered the variable heat flux condition at the surface of sheet. The governing mathematical equations are reduced to nonlinear ordinary differential systems through suitable dimensionless variables. A well-known shooting technique is implemented to obtain the results of dimensionless velocities and temperature. The obtained results are plotted for multiple values of pertinent parameters to discuss the salient features of these parameters on fluid velocity and temperature. The expressions of skin-friction coefficient and Nusselt number are computed and analyzed comprehensively through numerical values. A comparison of present results with the previous results in absence of nanoparticle volume fraction, mixed convection and magnetic field is computed and an excellent agreement noticed. We also computed the results for both linear and non-linear stretching sheet cases. - Highlights: • Hydromagnetic flow of nanofluid over a bidirectional non-linear stretching surface is examined. • Cu, Al{sub 2}O3 and TiO{sub 2} types nanoparticles are taken into account. • Numerical solutions have been computed and addressed. • The values of skin-friction and Nusselt number are presented.

Spatial characteristics of secondary flow in a turbulent boundary layer over longitudinal surface roughness

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Hyeon Gyu; Lee, Jae Hwa

2017-11-01

Direct numerical simulations of turbulent boundary layers (TBLs) over spanwise heterogeneous surface roughness are performed to investigate the characteristics of secondary flow. The longitudinal surface roughness, which features lateral change in bed elevation, is described by immersed boundary method. The Reynolds number based on the momentum thickness is varied in the range of Reθ = 300-900. As the TBLs over the roughness elements spatially develop in the streamwise direction, a secondary flow emerges in a form of counter-rotating vortex pair. As the spanwise spacing between the roughness elements and roughness width vary, it is shown that the size of the secondary flow is determined by the valley width between the roughness elements. In addition, the strength of the secondary flow is mostly affected by the spanwise distance between the cores of the secondary flow. Analysis of the Reynolds-averaged turbulent kinetic energy transport equation reveals that the energy redistribution terms in the TBLs over-the ridge type roughness play an important role to derive low-momentum pathways with upward motion over the roughness crest, contrary to the previous observation with the strip-type roughness. This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (NRF-2017R1D1A1A09000537) and the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning (NRF-2017R1A5A1015311).

Navajo Generating Station and Federal Resource Planning; Volume 1: Sectoral, Technical, and Economic Trends

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hurlbut, David; Haase, Scott; Barrows, Clayton; Bird, Lori; Brinkman, Greg; Cook, Jeff; Day, Megan; Diakov, Victor; Hale, Elaine; Keyser, David; Lopez, Anthony; Mai, Trieu; McLaren, Joyce; Reiter, Emerson; Stoll, Brady; Tian, Tian; Cutler, Harvey; Bain, Dominique; Acker, Tom

2016-11-01

This study for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation examines conditions in the electricity sector that are likely to affect federal decisions with respect to Navajo Generating Station (NGS), the largest coal-fired power plant operating in the western United States. The federal government owns 24.3% of the 2.25-gigawatt plant, which amounts to 547 megawatts (MW) of capacity. By focusing on the unique public interests that depend on the federal share of NGS, this baseline study can help the federal government develop a road map for meeting all of its goals with respect to water delivery, clean energy, emission reduction, and economic development. There is no recommendation for action in this report. Rather, its aim is to provide a credible, thorough description of baseline conditions that might affect federal decisions regarding NGS. It describes facts and trends embedded in current data, but there are no conclusions about how Reclamation or DOI should respond to the trends. The interdependencies among the many sectoral trends and federal goals are complex, and the aim of this study is to provide a foundation from which options can be tested in a deliberate manner.

Regime-Dependent Differences in Surface Freshwater Exchange Estimates Over the Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Sun; Behrangi, Ali

2018-01-01

Differences in gridded precipitation (P), surface evaporation (E), and the resultant surface freshwater exchange (P - E) among different products over the ocean are diagnosed as functions of moisture advection (Qadvt) and moisture tendency by dynamical convergence (Qcnvg). Compared to the GPCP product, the TRMM3B42 product captures higher frequency of precipitation with larger extreme precipitation rates in regimes of deep convection and more light rain detections in regimes of frequent occurrence of boundary layer clouds. Discrepancies in E depend on moisture flux divergence, with the OAFlux product having the largest E in regimes of divergence. Discrepancies in mean P - E in deep convective regimes are highly influenced by differences in precipitation, with the TRMM3B42 product yielding P - E histograms closer to those inferred from the reanalysis moisture flux convergence. In nonconvergent regimes, observation-based P - E histograms skew toward positive values while the inferred reanalysis histograms are symmetric about the means.

Those who 'Cry Wolf' about nuclear safety damage their own credibility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shepherd, John [nuclear 24, Redditch (United Kingdom)

2016-06-15

Do you recall the fable of the boy who cried wolf? I was reminded of this following the latest call by Germany's Federal Environment Minister, Barbara Hendricks, for Belgium to take two of its nuclear reactors off the grid, citing ''questions'' about the units' safety. Those in positions of power and influence in one country should take care to be as responsible in their dealings with their neighbours as they are in handling domestic matters of state. Those who see 'danger' where there is none are not being good neighbours. They are generating fear and alarm without good cause and should mind their own business.

Propagation of liquid surface waves over finite graphene structured arrays of cylinders

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2011-01-01

Based on the multiple scattering method,this paper investigates a benchmark problem of the propagation of liquid surface waves over finite graphene (or honeycomb) structured arrays of cylinders.Comparing the graphene structured array with the square structured and with triangle structured arrays,it finds that the finite graphene structure can produce more complete band gaps than the other finite structures,and the finite graphene structure has less localized ability than the other finite structures.

Extensive validation of CM SAF surface radiation products over Europe.

Science.gov (United States)

Urraca, Ruben; Gracia-Amillo, Ana M; Koubli, Elena; Huld, Thomas; Trentmann, Jörg; Riihelä, Aku; Lindfors, Anders V; Palmer, Diane; Gottschalg, Ralph; Antonanzas-Torres, Fernando

2017-09-15

This work presents a validation of three satellite-based radiation products over an extensive network of 313 pyranometers across Europe, from 2005 to 2015. The products used have been developed by the Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring (CM SAF) and are one geostationary climate dataset (SARAH-JRC), one polar-orbiting climate dataset (CLARA-A2) and one geostationary operational product. Further, the ERA-Interim reanalysis is also included in the comparison. The main objective is to determine the quality level of the daily means of CM SAF datasets, identifying their limitations, as well as analyzing the different factors that can interfere in the adequate validation of the products. The quality of the pyranometer was the most critical source of uncertainty identified. In this respect, the use of records from Second Class pyranometers and silicon-based photodiodes increased the absolute error and the bias, as well as the dispersion of both metrics, preventing an adequate validation of the daily means. The best spatial estimates for the three datasets were obtained in Central Europe with a Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD) within 8-13 W/m 2 , whereas the MAD always increased at high-latitudes, snow-covered surfaces, high mountain ranges and coastal areas. Overall, the SARAH-JRC's accuracy was demonstrated over a dense network of stations making it the most consistent dataset for climate monitoring applications. The operational dataset was comparable to SARAH-JRC in Central Europe, but lacked of the temporal stability of climate datasets, while CLARA-A2 did not achieve the same level of accuracy despite predictions obtained showed high uniformity with a small negative bias. The ERA-Interim reanalysis shows the by-far largest deviations from the surface reference measurements.

Bring Your Own Device or Bring Your Own Distraction

Science.gov (United States)

Laxman, Kumar; Holt, Craig

2017-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory case study was to investigate the utilisation of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) technologies in the classroom to determine if students and teachers perceive that the use of a digital device increased a learner's access to learning opportunities within the classroom, and, if the use of digital devices increased their…

Exchange of current BPA surplus power for future power from certain companies' share of WNP-3 to settle a dispute over construction delay. Record of decision. Volume I

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-01-01

This Record of Decision (ROD) sets forth the Bonneville Power Administration's (BPA) reasons for settling litigation over the delay in constructing Washington Public Power Supply System (Supply System) Nuclear Project No. 3 (WNP-3). The litigation concerns the decision in May 1983 to defer construction until financing becomes available to the Supply System and a demonstrable need for the Project is established. The construction deferral was made at the request of the Administrator of BPA, a federal power marketing agency in the Pacific Northwest. BPA is obligated to pay principal and interest on bonds sold by the Supply System to finance 70 percent of the project. The construction delay was opposed by the project's minority owners, four Northwest investor-owned utilities (companies) which collectively own 30 percent of the project

Factual report 1986 accompanying the Federal Research Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-05-01

The factual report 1986 presents the facts and data explaining the Federal Government's sponsorship of research and technology. The material given shows: this year's government expenditure for research and technology amounts to DM 52.000 millions, corresponding to 2.8 p.c. of the Federal German GNP, which means a top rank in spending on the international level. The re-orientation of research policy started in the year 1982 has induced industry and business to increasingly indevelop their own initiatives and play a more active part, both with regard to financing and performance of R and D activities. Direct project sponsorship and the redoubling of indirect promotion of the economy have had a positive effect primarily on small and medium-size enterprises. The prorated amount of the BMFT budget available for fundamental research will hopefully be increased to 35 p.c. this year, as compared to 26.5 p.c. in 1982, which reflects the growing significance of basic research as a pathfinder to future developments in terms of society, economy, and technology. Other points of main effort of the Federal Government's research policy include promotion of existance care and of modern technologies in order to safeguard the economic competitiveness of the German industry. (orig./HP) [de

Physician-Owned Hospitals

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Section 6001 of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 amended section 1877 of the Social Security Act to impose additional requirements for physician-owned hospitals to...

The development of Tobacco Harm Prevention Law in Vietnam: stakeholder tensions over tobacco control legislation in a state owned industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ngo Anh D

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Building on its National Tobacco Control Policy initiated in 2000, Vietnam is currently considering introducing a comprehensive law to strengthen the implementation of tobacco control policy. This study analyses the positions of key stakeholders in the development of tobacco control legislation in the context of a largely state-owned industry, and discusses their implications for the policy process. Methods Several qualitative methods were employed for the study including: literature review and documentary analysis; key informant interview; focus groups discussion; and key stakeholders survey. Findings The Ministry of Health, Ministry of Trade and Industry, and Ministry of Finance are key players in the tobacco control policy and legislation, representing competing bureaucratic interests over health, macro-economy and revenue. High-ranking officials, including the Communist Party and National Assembly members, take a rather relaxed position reflecting the low political stakes placed on tobacco issues. The state-owned tobacco industry is regarded as an important contributor to the government revenue and gross domestic product, and the relative weight on health and socioeconomic issues placed by stakeholders determine their positions on tobacco control. Overall, short-term economic interests have more immediate influence in setting policy directions, with the consequences of health gains perceived as relegated to a distant future. This was reflected in the position of tobacco control advocates, including MOH, that presented with reluctance in insisting on some tobacco control strategies revealing a mixture attitude of concessions to the socioeconomic uncertainties and a sense of bargaining to win the strategies that are more likely to be accepted. Conclusion The state-ownership of tobacco industry poses a major paradox within the government that benefits from manufacturing of tobacco products and is also responsible for

30 CFR 933.842 - Federal inspections.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... PROGRAMS FOR THE CONDUCT OF SURFACE MINING OPERATIONS WITHIN EACH STATE NORTH CAROLINA § 933.842 Federal... coal mining and reclamation operations. (b) OSM will furnish a copy of any inspection report written pursuant to this part to the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Community Development upon...

Stuck in the tar sands : how the federal government's proposed climate change strategy lets oil companies off the hook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-10-01

The credibility of any federal climate change strategy must be measured against its ability to reduce emissions from the tar sands. However, the federal government has proposed a climate change strategy that would allow tar sands producers to double their total emissions over the next decade. This report discussed how the federal government's proposed climate change strategy lets oil companies off the hook. The report discussed the problems and harmful effects associated with tar sands development, including greenhouse gas emissions; water depletion and pollution; toxic air emissions; destruction of the boreal forest; violation of native rights; threat to energy security; and negative socio-economic spin-off from an overheated economy. The federal government's proposed strategy was also assessed in terms of its weak greenhouse gas targets; ignoring the recent growth in tar sands emissions; adopting intensity-based targets instead of hard caps on greenhouse gas pollution, allowing total emissions from the tar sands to keep climbing; putting off critical measures until 2018; awarding oil companies hundreds of millions of dollars in credits for meeting targets they have already adopted voluntarily; lowballing the price of oil and downplaying future growth in tar sands emissions; ignoring huge portions of the oil industry's greenhouse gas pollution; letting oil companies buy their way out at rockbottom prices instead of forcing them to reduce their own emissions; and subsidizing increased tar sands production. It was concluded that the federal government's proposed plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions was inadequate, because it failed to crack down on rising greenhouse gas emissions from the tar sands, one of Canada's most carbon intensive and fastest growing industries. 29 refs., 1 appendix

Observations of surface momentum exchange over the marginal ice zone and recommendations for its parametrisation

Science.gov (United States)

Elvidge, A. D.; Renfrew, I. A.; Weiss, A. I.; Brooks, I. M.; Lachlan-Cope, T. A.; King, J. C.

2016-02-01

Comprehensive aircraft observations are used to characterise surface roughness over the Arctic marginal ice zone (MIZ) and consequently make recommendations for the parametrisation of surface momentum exchange in the MIZ. These observations were gathered in the Barents Sea and Fram Strait from two aircraft as part of the Aerosol-Cloud Coupling And Climate Interactions in the Arctic (ACCACIA) project. They represent a doubling of the total number of such aircraft observations currently available over the Arctic MIZ. The eddy covariance method is used to derive estimates of the 10 m neutral drag coefficient (CDN10) from turbulent wind velocity measurements, and a novel method using albedo and surface temperature is employed to derive ice fraction. Peak surface roughness is found at ice fractions in the range 0.6 to 0.8 (with a mean interquartile range in CDN10 of 1.25 to 2.85 × 10-3). CDN10 as a function of ice fraction is found to be well approximated by the negatively skewed distribution provided by a leading parametrisation scheme (Lüpkes et al., 2012) tailored for sea-ice drag over the MIZ in which the two constituent components of drag - skin and form drag - are separately quantified. Current parametrisation schemes used in the weather and climate models are compared with our results and the majority are found to be physically unjustified and unrepresentative. The Lüpkes et al. (2012) scheme is recommended in a computationally simple form, with adjusted parameter settings. A good agreement holds for subsets of the data from different locations, despite differences in sea-ice conditions. Ice conditions in the Barents Sea, characterised by small, unconsolidated ice floes, are found to be associated with higher CDN10 values - especially at the higher ice fractions - than those of Fram Strait, where typically larger, smoother floes are observed. Consequently, the important influence of sea-ice morphology and floe size on surface roughness is recognised, and

Observations of surface momentum exchange over the marginal-ice-zone and recommendations for its parameterization

Science.gov (United States)

Elvidge, A. D.; Renfrew, I. A.; Weiss, A. I.; Brooks, I. M.; Lachlan-Cope, T. A.; King, J. C.

2015-10-01

Comprehensive aircraft observations are used to characterise surface roughness over the Arctic marginal ice zone (MIZ) and consequently make recommendations for the parameterization of surface momentum exchange in the MIZ. These observations were gathered in the Barents Sea and Fram Strait from two aircraft as part of the Aerosol-Cloud Coupling And Climate Interactions in the Arctic (ACCACIA) project. They represent a doubling of the total number of such aircraft observations currently available over the Arctic MIZ. The eddy covariance method is used to derive estimates of the 10 m neutral drag coefficient (CDN10) from turbulent wind velocity measurements, and a novel method using albedo and surface temperature is employed to derive ice fraction. Peak surface roughness is found at ice fractions in the range 0.6 to 0.8 (with a mean interquartile range in CDN10 of 1.25 to 2.85 × 10-3). CDN10 as a function of ice fraction is found to be well approximated by the negatively skewed distribution provided by a leading parameterization scheme (Lüpkes et al., 2012) tailored for sea ice drag over the MIZ in which the two constituent components of drag - skin and form drag - are separately quantified. Current parameterization schemes used in the weather and climate models are compared with our results and the majority are found to be physically unjustified and unrepresentative. The Lüpkes et al. (2012) scheme is recommended in a computationally simple form, with adjusted parameter settings. A good agreement is found to hold for subsets of the data from different locations despite differences in sea ice conditions. Ice conditions in the Barents Sea, characterised by small, unconsolidated ice floes, are found to be associated with higher CDN10 values - especially at the higher ice fractions - than those of Fram Strait, where typically larger, smoother floes are observed. Consequently, the important influence of sea ice morphology and floe size on surface roughness is

On fractal properties of equipotentials over a real rough surface faced to plasma in fusion devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Budaev, V.P.; Yakovlev, M.

2008-01-01

We consider a sheath region bounded by a corrugated surface of material conductor and a flat boundary held to a constant voltage bias. The real profile of the film deposited from plasma on a limiter in a fusion device was used in numerical solving of the Poisson's equation to find a profile of electrostatic potential. The rough surface influences the equipotential lines over the surface. We characterized a shape of equipotential lines by a fractal dimension. The long-range correlation in the potential field is imposed by the non-trivial fractal structure of the surface. Dust particles bounced in such irregular potential field can accelerate due to the Fermi acceleration. (author)

3-D surface properties of glacier penitentes over an ablation season, measured using a Microsoft Xbox Kinect

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. I. Nicholson

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In this study, the first small-scale digital surface models (DSMs of natural penitentes on a glacier surface were produced using a Microsoft Xbox Kinect sensor on Tapado Glacier, Chile (30°08′ S, 69°55′ W. The surfaces produced by the complete processing chain were within the error of standard terrestrial laser scanning techniques, but insufficient overlap between scanned sections that were mosaicked to cover the sampled areas can result in three-dimensional (3-D positional errors of up to 0.3 m. Between November 2013 and January 2014 penitentes become fewer, wider and deeper, and the distribution of surface slope angles becomes more skewed to steep faces. Although these morphological changes cannot be captured by manual point measurements, mean surface lowering of the scanned areas was comparable to that derived from manual measurements of penitente surface height at a minimum density of 5 m−1 over a 5 m transverse profile. Roughness was computed on the 3-D surfaces by applying two previously published geometrical formulae: one for a 3-D surface and one for single profiles sampled from the surface. Morphometric analysis shows that skimming flow is persistent over penitentes, providing conditions conducive for the development of a distinct microclimate within the penitente troughs. For each method a range of ways of defining the representative roughness element height was used, and the calculations were done both with and without application of a zero displacement height offset to account for the likelihood of skimming air flow over the closely spaced penitentes. The computed roughness values are on the order of 0.01–0.10 m during the early part of the ablation season, increasing to 0.10–0.50 m after the end of December, in line with the roughest values previously published for glacier ice. Both the 3-D surface and profile methods of computing roughness are strongly dependent on wind direction. However, the two

ANALYSES OF FAMILY OWNED ENTERPRISE’S CONTINUITY (CASE STUDY OF FOUR FAMILY OWNED ENTERPRISE IN JAKARTA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anita Maharani

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to examine the roles that have an influence on the Family-Owned Enterprise (FOE succession. This issue is raised because of the transition phenomena that occur between generations of the FOE, is interesting to study. Transition within the meaning of the Family Owned Enterprise is business continuity between generations. Gender aspects, was appointed as one of the problems in this study because gender is related to the sustainability of the Family-Owned Enterprise, among others because of aspects of the approach. Aspects of leadership became one of the problems in this research because it has relevance to the sustainability of the Family-Owned Enterprise, among others because of aspects of decision making. The aspects of entrepreneurship was appointed as one of the problems (because they have a relationship with the Family-Owned Enterprise continuity, partly because aspects of entrepreneurial orientation. This research will focus on all three roles at the level of Small and Medium Enterprises and Medium Enterprises. Literatures used in this study includes: Unified System, Sustainable Family, Dynamics Triangular. This research method is qualitative, and the approach is inductive-deductive. Information in this research will be conducted in four companies, namely small and medium enterprises and medium enterprises engaged in rice distribution.

Nanofluidic transport over a curved surface with viscous dissipation and convective mass flux

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mehmood, Zaffar; Iqbal, Z.; Azhar, Ehtsham; Maraj, E.N. [HITEC Univ., Taxila (Pakistan). Dept. of Mathematics

2017-06-01

This article is a numerical investigation of boundary layer flow of nanofluid over a bended stretching surface. The study is carried out by considering convective mass flux condition. Contribution of viscous dissipation is taken into the account along with thermal radiation. Suitable similarity transformations are employed to simplify the system of nonlinear partial differential equations into a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations. Computational results are extracted by means of a shooting method embedded with a Runge-Kutta Fehlberg technique. Key findings include that velocity is a decreasing function of curvature parameter K. Moreover, Nusselt number decreases with increase in curvature of the stretching surface while skin friction and Sherwood number enhance with increase in K.

Error sources in the retrieval of aerosol information over bright surfaces from satellite measurements in the oxygen A band

Science.gov (United States)

Nanda, Swadhin; de Graaf, Martin; Sneep, Maarten; de Haan, Johan F.; Stammes, Piet; Sanders, Abram F. J.; Tuinder, Olaf; Pepijn Veefkind, J.; Levelt, Pieternel F.

2018-01-01

Retrieving aerosol optical thickness and aerosol layer height over a bright surface from measured top-of-atmosphere reflectance spectrum in the oxygen A band is known to be challenging, often resulting in large errors. In certain atmospheric conditions and viewing geometries, a loss of sensitivity to aerosol optical thickness has been reported in the literature. This loss of sensitivity has been attributed to a phenomenon known as critical surface albedo regime, which is a range of surface albedos for which the top-of-atmosphere reflectance has minimal sensitivity to aerosol optical thickness. This paper extends the concept of critical surface albedo for aerosol layer height retrievals in the oxygen A band, and discusses its implications. The underlying physics are introduced by analysing the top-of-atmosphere reflectance spectrum as a sum of atmospheric path contribution and surface contribution, obtained using a radiative transfer model. Furthermore, error analysis of an aerosol layer height retrieval algorithm is conducted over dark and bright surfaces to show the dependence on surface reflectance. The analysis shows that the derivative with respect to aerosol layer height of the atmospheric path contribution to the top-of-atmosphere reflectance is opposite in sign to that of the surface contribution - an increase in surface brightness results in a decrease in information content. In the case of aerosol optical thickness, these derivatives are anti-correlated, leading to large retrieval errors in high surface albedo regimes. The consequence of this anti-correlation is demonstrated with measured spectra in the oxygen A band from the GOME-2 instrument on board the Metop-A satellite over the 2010 Russian wildfires incident.

An evaluation of WRF's ability to reproduce the surface wind over complex terrain based on typical circulation patterns.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jiménez, P.A.; Dudhia, J.; González-Rouco, J.F.; Montávez, J.P.; Garcia-Bustamante, E.; Navarro, J.; Vilà-Guerau de Arellano, J.; Munoz-Roldán, A.

2013-01-01

[1] The performance of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to reproduce the surface wind circulations over complex terrain is examined. The atmospheric evolution is simulated using two versions of the WRF model during an over 13¿year period (1992 to 2005) over a complex terrain region

Surface radiative forcing of forest disturbances over northeastern China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Yuzhen; Liang, Shunlin

2014-01-01

Forests provide important climate forcing through biogeochemical and biogeophysical processes. In this study, we investigated the climatic effects of forest disturbances due to changes in forest biomass and surface albedo in terms of radiative forcing over northeastern China. Four types of forest disturbances were considered: fires, insect damage, logging, and afforestation and reforestation. The mechanisms of the influence of forest disturbances on climate were different. ‘Instantaneous’ net radiative forcings caused by fires, insect damage, logging, and afforestation and reforestation were estimated at 0.53 ± 0.08 W m −2 , 1.09 ± 0.14 W m −2 , 2.23 ± 0.27 W m −2 , and 0.14 ± 0.04 W m −2 , respectively. Trajectories of CO 2 -driven radiative forcing, albedo-driven radiative forcing, and net forcing were different with time for each type of disturbance. Over a decade, the estimated net forcings were 2.24 ± 0.11 W m −2 , 0.20 ± 0.31 W m −2 , 1.06 ± 0.41 W m −2 , and −0.47 ± 0.07 W m −2 , respectively. These estimated radiative forcings from satellite observations provided evidence for the mechanisms of the influences of forest disturbances on climate. (paper)

Eddy covariance measurement of the spatial heterogeneity of surface energy exchanges over Heron Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Science.gov (United States)

MacKellar, M.; McGowan, H. A.; Phinn, S. R.

2011-12-01

Coral reefs cover 2.8 to 6.0 x 105 km2 of the Earth's surface and are warm, shallow regions that are believed to contribute enhanced sensible and latent heat to the atmosphere, relative to the surrounding ocean. To predict the impact of climate variability on coral reefs and their weather and climate including cloud, winds, rainfall patterns and cyclone genesis, accurate parameterisation of air-sea energy exchanges over coral reefs is essential. This is also important for the parameterisation and validation of regional to global scale forecast models to improve prediction of tropical and sub-tropical marine and coastal weather. Eddy covariance measurements of air-sea fluxes over coral reefs are rare due to the complexities of installing instrumentation over shallow, tidal water. Consequently, measurements of radiation and turbulent flux data for coral reefs have been captured remotely (satellite data) or via single measurement sites downwind of coral reefs (e.g. terrestrial or shipboard instrumentation). The resolution of such measurements and those that have been made at single locations on reefs may not capture the spatial heterogeneity of surface-atmosphere energy exchanges due to the different geomorphic and biological zones on coral reefs. Accordingly, the heterogeneity of coral reefs with regard to substrate, benthic communities and hydrodynamic processes are not considered in the characterization of the surface radiation energy flux transfers across the water-atmosphere interface. In this paper we present a unique dataset of concurrent in situ eddy covariance measurements made on instrumented pontoons of the surface energy balance over different geomorphic zones of a coral reef (shallow reef flat, shallow and deep lagoons). Significant differences in radiation transfers and air-sea turbulent flux exchanges over the reef were highlighted, with higher Bowen ratios over the shallow reef flat. Increasing wind speed was shown to increase flux divergence between

Spatial-temporal variations in surface ozone over Ushuaia and the Antarctic region: observations from in situ measurements, satellite data, and global models.

Science.gov (United States)

Nadzir, Mohd Shahrul Mohd; Ashfold, Matthew J; Khan, Md Firoz; Robinson, Andrew D; Bolas, Conor; Latif, Mohd Talib; Wallis, Benjamin M; Mead, Mohammed Iqbal; Hamid, Haris Hafizal Abdul; Harris, Neil R P; Ramly, Zamzam Tuah Ahmad; Lai, Goh Thian; Liew, Ju Neng; Ahamad, Fatimah; Uning, Royston; Samah, Azizan Abu; Maulud, Khairul Nizam; Suparta, Wayan; Zainudin, Siti Khalijah; Wahab, Muhammad Ikram Abdul; Sahani, Mazrura; Müller, Moritz; Yeok, Foong Swee; Rahman, Nasaruddin Abdul; Mujahid, Aazani; Morris, Kenobi Isima; Sasso, Nicholas Dal

2018-01-01

The Antarctic continent is known to be an unpopulated region due to its extreme weather and climate conditions. However, the air quality over this continent can be affected by long-lived anthropogenic pollutants from the mainland. The Argentinian region of Ushuaia is often the main source area of accumulated hazardous gases over the Antarctic Peninsula. The main objective of this study is to report the first in situ observations yet known of surface ozone (O 3 ) over Ushuaia, the Drake Passage, and Coastal Antarctic Peninsula (CAP) on board the RV Australis during the Malaysian Antarctic Scientific Expedition Cruise 2016 (MASEC'16). Hourly O 3 data was measured continuously for 23 days using an EcoTech O 3 analyzer. To understand more about the distribution of surface O 3 over the Antarctic, we present the spatial and temporal of surface O 3 of long-term data (2009-2015) obtained online from the World Meteorology Organization of World Data Centre for greenhouse gases (WMO WDCGG). Furthermore, surface O 3 satellite data from the free online NOAA-Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) database and online data assimilation from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)-Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate (MACC) were used. The data from both online products are compared to document the data sets and to give an indication of its quality towards in situ data. Finally, we used past carbon monoxide (CO) data as a proxy of surface O 3 formation over Ushuaia and the Antarctic region. Our key findings were that the surface O 3 mixing ratio during MASEC'16 increased from a minimum of 5 ppb to ~ 10-13 ppb approaching the Drake Passage and the Coastal Antarctic Peninsula (CAP) region. The anthropogenic and biogenic O 3 precursors from Ushuaia and the marine region influenced the mixing ratio of surface O 3 over the Drake Passage and CAP region. The past data from WDCGG showed that the annual O 3 cycle has a maximum during the winter of 30 to 35�

Effect of Climate Change on Surface Ozone over North America, Europe, and East Asia

Science.gov (United States)

Schnell, Jordan L.; Prather, Michael J.; Josse, Beatrice; Naik, Vaishali; Horowitz, Larry W.; Zeng, Guang; Shindell, Drew T.; Faluvegi, Greg

2016-01-01

The effect of future climate change on surface ozone over North America, Europe, and East Asia is evaluated using present-day (2000s) and future (2100s) hourly surface ozone simulated by four global models. Future climate follows RCP8.5, while methane and anthropogenic ozone precursors are fixed at year-2000 levels. Climate change shifts the seasonal surface ozone peak to earlier in the year and increases the amplitude of the annual cycle. Increases in mean summertime and high-percentile ozone are generally found in polluted environments, while decreases are found in clean environments. We propose climate change augments the efficiency of precursor emissions to generate surface ozone in polluted regions, thus reducing precursor export to neighboring downwind locations. Even with constant biogenic emissions, climate change causes the largest ozone increases at high percentiles. In most cases, air quality extreme episodes become larger and contain higher ozone levels relative to the rest of the distribution.

Federal tax incentives and disincentives for the adoption of wood-fuel electric-generating technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, L.J.; Hadley, S.W.

1995-01-01

In this paper, we estimate the effects of current federal tax policy on the financial criteria that investor-owned electric utilities (IOUs) and non-utility electricity generators (NUGs) use to evaluate wood-fuel electric-generating technologies, distinguishing between dedicated-plantation and wood-waste fuels. Accelerated tax depreciation, the 1.5 cent/kWh production tax credit for the dedicated-plantation technology, and the alternative minimum tax are the most important tax provisions. The results indicate that federal tax laws have significantly different effects on the evaluation criteria, depending on the plant's ownership (IOU vs NUG) and type of fuel (dedicated-plantation vs wood-waste). (Author)

The Economic Benefits Of Multipurpose Reservoirs In The United States- Federal Hydropower Fleet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hadjerioua, Boualem [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Witt, Adam M. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Stewart, Kevin M. [Dept. of Energy (DOE), Washington DC (United States). Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); Bonnet Acosta, Marisol [Dept. of Energy (DOE), Washington DC (United States). Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); Mobley, Miles [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2015-09-01

The United States is home to over 80,000 dams, of which approximately 3% are equipped with hydroelectric generating capabilities. When a dam serves as a hydropower facility, it provides a variety of energy services that range from clean, reliable power generation to load balancing that supports grid stability. In most cases, the benefits of dams and their associated reservoirs go far beyond supporting the nation s energy demand. As evidenced by the substantial presence of non-powered dams with the ability to store water in large capacities, the primary purpose of a dam may not be hydropower, but rather one of many other purposes. A dam and reservoir may support navigation, recreation, flood control, irrigation, and water supply, with each multipurpose benefit providing significant social and economic impacts on a local, regional, and national level. When hydropower is one of the services provided by a multipurpose reservoir, it is then part of an integrated system of competing uses. Operating rules, management practices, consumer demands, and environmental constraints must all be balanced to meet the multipurpose project s objectives. When federal dams are built, they are authorized by Congress to serve one or more functions. Legislation such as the Water Resources Development Act regulates the operation of the facility in order to coordinate the authorized uses and ensure the dam s intended objectives are being met. While multipurpose reservoirs account for billions of dollars in contributions to National Economic Development (NED) every year, no attempt has been made to evaluate their benefits on a national scale. This study is an on-going work conducted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory in an effort to estimate the economic benefits of multipurpose hydropower reservoirs in the United States. Given the important role that federal hydropower plays in the U.S., the first focus of this research will target the three main federal hydropower owners Tennessee Valley

Sand Dune Ridge Alignment Effects on Surface BRF over the Libya-4 CEOS Calibration Site

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yves M. Govaerts

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The Libya-4 desert area, located in the Great Sand Sea, is one of the most important bright desert CEOS pseudo-invariant calibration sites by its size and radiometric stability. This site is intensively used for radiometer drift monitoring, sensor intercalibration and as an absolute calibration reference based on simulated radiances traceable to the SI standard. The Libya-4 morphology is composed of oriented sand dunes shaped by dominant winds. The effects of sand dune spatial organization on the surface bidirectional reflectance factor is analyzed in this paper using Raytran, a 3D radiative transfer model. The topography is characterized with the 30 m resolution ASTER digital elevation model. Four different regions-of-interest sizes, ranging from 10 km up to 100 km, are analyzed. Results show that sand dunes generate more backscattering than forward scattering at the surface. The mean surface reflectance averaged over different viewing and illumination angles is pretty much independent of the size of the selected area, though the standard deviation differs. Sun azimuth position has an effect on the surface reflectance field, which is more pronounced for high Sun zenith angles. Such 3D azimuthal effects should be taken into account to decrease the simulated radiance uncertainty over Libya-4 below 3% for wavelengths larger than 600 nm.

Energy report of the Federal Government

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-01-01

The Federal Government strikes a positive balance of its energy policy. It is an effective policy due to its making use of the capacities of the market, due to its leaving enough room for investors and consumers to make decisions at their own discretion and due to the fact that governmental intervention is limited to cases where it is considered indispensable. Progress in the reduction of dependencies, in energy conservation, international competitive conditions and low-pollution measures are particularly stressed as being positive developments. Emphasize is on topical problems of nuclear energy, the present situation of the energy market, the dominant aims of future energy policy with regard to the market in general and with respect to individual sectors. (HSCH) [de

Reduction of Surface Roughness by Means of Laser Processing over Additive Manufacturing Metal Parts.

Science.gov (United States)

Alfieri, Vittorio; Argenio, Paolo; Caiazzo, Fabrizia; Sergi, Vincenzo

2016-12-31

Optimization of processing parameters and exposure strategies is usually performed in additive manufacturing to set up the process; nevertheless, standards for roughness may not be evenly matched on a single complex part, since surface features depend on the building direction of the part. This paper aims to evaluate post processing treating via laser surface modification by means of scanning optics and beam wobbling to process metal parts resulting from selective laser melting of stainless steel in order to improve surface topography. The results are discussed in terms of roughness, geometry of the fusion zone in the cross-section, microstructural modification, and microhardness so as to assess the effects of laser post processing. The benefits of beam wobbling over linear scanning processing are shown, as heat effects in the base metal are proven to be lower.

Reproductive efficiency and herd demography of Nguni cattle in village-owned and group-owned enterprises under low-input communal production systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Tada, Obert; Muchenje, Voster; Dzama, Kennedy

2013-08-01

The objective of the study was to determine the herd demography and reproductive efficiency of the Nguni cattle in village-owned and group-owned enterprises under low-input communal production systems. Data on husbandry practices, reason of cattle entry/exist, herd structure, bulling rates, breeding females, age at first calving and calving interval were obtained from 22 village-owned and 19 group-owned enterprises in a cross-sectional survey of an ecologically controlled low-input cattle production system. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests of association were computed on enterprise ownership patterns, husbandry practices and herd demography. An AN(C)OVA was used to determine significant factors affecting herd structure, mortality, age at first calving and calving interval in the enterprises. Village-owned enterprises had higher (p 0.05). Significant differences were observed on the calving interval (p bulling rate was higher in village-owned enterprises, while the proportion of breeding females was higher in group-owned enterprises. Farmers with a college education had Nguni animals with the shortest calving interval. It was concluded that group-owned enterprises had significantly better calving intervals, mortality rates and overall herd structure than village-owned enterprises.

Surface energy exchanges over contrasting vegetation types on a subtropical sand island

Science.gov (United States)

Gray, Michael; McGowan, Hamish; Lowry, Andrew; Guyot, Adrien

2017-04-01

The surface energy balance of subtropical coastal vegetation communities has thus far received little attention. Here we present a multi-year observational data set using the eddy covariance method to quantify for the first time the surface energy balance over three contrasting vegetation types on a subtropical sand island in eastern Australia: a periodically inundated sedge swamp, an exotic pine plantation and a coastal heath. Maximum daily sensible heat flux varied between sites but was typically > 280 Wm-2 in the coastal heath and pine plantation but no more than 250 Wm-2 in the swamp when dry and 1. The partitioning of energy, as represented by β, is similar to a variety of Australian ecosystems, and a range of coastal vegetation types in other latitudes, but differs from other tropical or subtropical locations which have strongly seasonal rainfall patterns and therefore a switch from β > 1 before rainfall to β changes in background meteorology with the most important influences being net radiation, absolute humidity, and rainfall. The main factor differentiating the sites was soil water content, with the remnant coastal heath and swamp having ready access to water but the exotic pine plantation having much drier soils. Should the current balance between remnant vegetation and the pine plantation undergo changes there would be a corresponding shift in the surface energy balance of the island as a whole, and altered plant water use may lead to reduced water table depth, important because the groundwater of the local islands is used as part of a regional water grid. A better understanding of the response of coastal vegetation to atmospheric forcing will enable more informed decision making on land use changes, as coastal regions the world over face development pressure.

ANALYSIS OF CHP POTENTIAL AT FEDERAL SITES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

HADLEY, S.W.

2002-03-11

This document was prepared at the request of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) under its Technical Guidance and Assistance and Project Financing Programs. The purpose was to provide an estimate of the national potential for combined heat and power (also known as CHP; cogeneration; or cooling, heating, and power) applications at federal facilities and the associated costs and benefits including energy and emission savings. The report provides a broad overview for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and other agencies on when and where CHP systems are most likely to serve the government's best interest. FEMP's mission is to reduce the cost to and environmental impact of the federal government by advancing energy efficiency and water conservation, promoting the use of renewable energy, and improving utility management decisions at federal sites. FEMP programs are driven by its customers: federal agency sites. FEMP monitors energy efficiency and renewable energy technology developments and mounts ''technology-specific'' programs to make technologies that are in strong demand by agencies more accessible. FEMP's role is often one of helping the federal government ''lead by example'' through the use of advanced energy efficiency/renewable energy (EERE) technologies in its own buildings and facilities. CHP was highlighted in the Bush Administration's National Energy Policy Report as a commercially available technology offering extraordinary benefits in terms of energy efficiencies and emission reductions. FEMP's criteria for emphasizing a technology are that it must be commercially available; be proven but underutilized; have a strong constituency and momentum; offer large energy savings and other benefits of interest to federal sites and FEMP mission; be in demand; and carry sufficient federal market potential. As discussed in the report, CHP meets all

Influences of the variation in inflow to East Asia on surface ozone over Japan during 1996–2005

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Chatani

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Air quality simulations in which the global chemical transport model CHASER and the regional chemical transport model WRF/chem are coupled have been developed to consider the dynamic transport of chemical species across the boundaries of the domain of the regional chemical transport model. The simulation captures the overall seasonal variations of surface ozone, but overestimates its concentration over Japanese populated areas by approximately 20 ppb from summer to early winter. It is deduced that ozone formation around Northeast China and Japan in summer is overestimated in the simulation. On the other hand, the simulation well reproduces the interannual variability and the long-term trend of observed surface ozone over Japan. Sensitivity experiments have been performed to investigate the influence of the variation in inflow to East Asia on the interannual variability and the long-term trend of surface ozone over Japan during 1996–2005. The inflow defined in this paper includes the recirculation of species with sources within the East Asian region as well as the transport of species with sources out of the East Asian region. Results of sensitivity experiments suggest that inflow to East Asia accounts for approximately 30 % of the increasing trend of surface ozone, whereas it has much less influence on the interannual variability of observed surface ozone compared to meteorological processes within East Asia.

Reasons Why Teaching Professionals Continue or Resume University Study in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation: Knowledge for Its Own Sake? Economics? Altruism?

Science.gov (United States)

De Stercke, Joachim; Derobertmasure, Antoine; Duchatel, Julien; Temperman, Gaëtan; De Lièvre, Bruno; Robertson, Jean E.

2016-01-01

Preparing candidates for the rigours of the teaching profession represents a major challenge for educational systems, begging the question of whether the opportunity for professional educators to further their own university education represents, to them, a way of developing their teaching skills (intrinsic motivation), a means of earning a higher…

Hospital information system institutionalization processes in indonesian public, government-owned and privately owned hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Handayani, P W; Hidayanto, A N; Ayuningtyas, Dumilah; Budi, Indra

2016-11-01

The Hospital Information System (HIS) could help hospitals as a public entity to provide optimal health services. One of the main challenges of HIS implementation is an institutional change. Using institutional theory as the analytical lens, this study aims to explain the institutionalization of HIS as an instance of e-health initiatives in Indonesia. Furthermore, this paper aims for hospital management and researchers to improve the understanding of the social forces that influence hospital personnel's HIS acceptance within an organizational context. We use case studies from four public, government-owned hospitals and four privately owned (public and specialty) hospitals to explain the HIS institutionalization process by exploring the three concepts of institutional theory: institutional isomorphism, institutional logic, and institutional entrepreneurship. This study reveals that differences exist between public, government-owned and private hospitals with regard to the institutionalization process: public, government-owned hospitals' management is more motivated to implement HIS to comply with the regulations, while private hospitals' management views HIS as an urgent requirement that must be achieved. The study findings also reveal that various institutional isomorphism mechanisms and forms of institutional logic emerge during the process. Finally, three factors-self-efficacy, social influence, and management support-have a significant influence on the individual acceptance of HIS. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Political Economy of Federally Sponsored Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bart Ragon

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Librarian involvement in the Open Access (OA movement has traditionally focused on access to scholarly publications. Recent actions by the White House have focused attention on access on the data produced from federally sponsored research. Questions have emerged concerning access to the output of federally sponsored research and whether it is a public or private good. Understanding the political battle over access to federally funded research is closely tied to the ownership of the peer review process in higher education and associated revenue streams, and as a result, interest groups seeking to influence government regulation have politicized the issues. As a major funder of research in higher education, policies from the federal government are likely to drive change in research practices at higher education institutions and impact library services. The political economy of federally sponsored research data will shape research enterprises in higher education inspire a number of new services distributed throughout the research life cycle.

Social franchising for community owned renewable energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Richardson, K. [Community Renewable Energy, Newcastle upon Tyne (United Kingdom)

2008-07-01

In some European Union (EU) States community owned renewable projects have made a major contribution to the development of renewables as a whole, and this project wishes to build on their success. Other states have yet to establish relatively significant community renewable sectors. Community Renewable Energy (CoRE) has developed a new social enterprise franchise model to accelerate the take-up of renewable energy technologies across the EU. The model focuses on the three difficulties faced by communities wishing to develop renewable energy in a globalized and deregulated energy market. CoRE provides support in the forms of time, money and expertise, as a central function, to a federated or cooperative membership. In return CoRE takes a share of profits from each community project that it works with to cover its running costs, work with more communities and develop financial mechanisms to fund futher projects. The plan is to set up CoRE Europe to enable communities to become part of a decentralized energy network and share resources and knowledge. It will add to community sustainability and resilience, develop and support a range of other community benefits, for example: job creation, tackling fuel poverty and empowering communities in meeting the climate change challenge.

One-level modeling for diagnosing surface winds over complex terrain. II - Applicability to short-range forecasting

Science.gov (United States)

Alpert, P.; Getenio, B.; Zak-Rosenthal, R.

1988-01-01

The Alpert and Getenio (1988) modification of the Mass and Dempsey (1985) one-level sigma-surface model was used to study four synoptic events that included two winter cases (a Cyprus low and a Siberian high) and two summer cases. Results of statistical verification showed that the model is not only capable of diagnosing many details of surface mesoscale flow, but might also be useful for various applications which require operative short-range prediction of the diurnal changes of high-resolution surface flow over complex terrain, for example, in locating wildland fires, determining the dispersion of air pollutants, and predicting changes in wind energy or of surface wind for low-level air flights.

The Modelling Analysis of the Response of Convective Transport of Energy and Water to Multiscale Surface Heterogeneity over Tibetan Plateau

Science.gov (United States)

SUN, G.; Hu, Z.; Ma, Y.; Ma, W.

2017-12-01

The land-atmospheric interactions over a heterogeneous surface is a tricky issue for accurately understanding the energy-water exchanges between land surface and atmosphere. We investigate the vertical transport of energy and water over a heterogeneous land surface in Tibetan Plateau during the evolution of the convective boundary layer using large eddy simulation (WRF_LES). The surface heterogeneity is created according to remote sensing images from high spatial resolution LandSat ETM+ images. The PBL characteristics over a heterogeneous surface are analyzed in terms of secondary circulations under different background wind conditions based on the horizontal and vertical distribution and evolution of wind. The characteristics of vertical transport of energy and heat over a heterogeneous surface are analyzed in terms of the horizontal distribution as well as temporal evolution of sensible and latent heat fluxes at different heights under different wind conditions on basis of the simulated results from WRF_LES. The characteristics of the heat and water transported into the free atmosphere from surface are also analyzed and quantified according to the simulated results from WRF_LES. The convective transport of energy and water are analyzed according to horizontal and vertical distributions of potential temperature and vapor under different background wind conditions. With the analysis based on the WRF_LES simulation, the performance of PBL schemes of mesoscale simulation (WRF_meso) is evaluated. The comparison between horizontal distribution of vertical fluxes and domain-averaged vertical fluxes of the energy and water in the free atmosphere is used to evaluate the performance of PBL schemes of WRF_meso in the simulation of vertical exchange of energy and water. This is an important variable because only the energy and water transported into free atmosphere is able to influence the regional and even global climate. This work would will be of great significance not

Band gaps and localization of surface water waves over large-scale sand waves with random fluctuations

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yu; Li, Yan; Shao, Hao; Zhong, Yaozhao; Zhang, Sai; Zhao, Zongxi

2012-06-01

Band structure and wave localization are investigated for sea surface water waves over large-scale sand wave topography. Sand wave height, sand wave width, water depth, and water width between adjacent sand waves have significant impact on band gaps. Random fluctuations of sand wave height, sand wave width, and water depth induce water wave localization. However, random water width produces a perfect transmission tunnel of water waves at a certain frequency so that localization does not occur no matter how large a disorder level is applied. Together with theoretical results, the field experimental observations in the Taiwan Bank suggest band gap and wave localization as the physical mechanism of sea surface water wave propagating over natural large-scale sand waves.

Circumglobal wave train and the summer monsoon over northwestern India and Pakistan: the explicit role of the surface heat low

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saeed, Sajjad [Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Hamburg (Germany); International Max Planck Research School on Earth System Modeling, Hamburg (Germany); Pakistan Meteorological Department, Islamabad (Pakistan); Mueller, Wolfgang A.; Hagemann, Stefan; Jacob, Daniela [Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Hamburg (Germany)

2011-09-15

This study examines the influence of the mid-latitude circulation on the surface heat low (HL) and associated monsoon rainfall over northwestern India and Pakistan using the ERA40 data and high resolution (T106L31) climate model ECHAM5 simulation. Special emphasis is given to the surface HL which forms over Pakistan and adjoining areas of India, Iran and Afghanistan during the summer season. A heat low index (HLI) is defined to depict the surface HL. The HLI displays significant correlations with the upper level mid-latitude circulation over western central Asia and low level monsoon circulation over Arabian Sea and acts as a bridge connecting the mid-latitude wave train to the Indian summer monsoon. A time-lagged singular value decomposition analysis reveals that the eastward propagation of the mid-latitude circumglobal wave train (CGT) influences the surface pressure anomalies over the Indian domain. The largest low (negative) pressure anomalies over the western parts of the HL region (i.e., Iran and Afghanistan) occur in conjunction with the upper level anomalous high that develops over western-central Asia during the positive phase of the CGT. The composite analysis also reveals a significant increase in the low pressure anomalies over Iran and Afghanistan during the positive phase of CGT. The westward increasing low pressure anomalies with its north-south orientation provokes enormous north-south pressure gradient (lower pressure over land than over sea). This in turn enables the moist southerly flow from the Arabian Sea to penetrate farther northward over northwestern India and Pakistan. A monsoon trough like conditions develops over northwestern India and Pakistan where the moist southwesterly flow from the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf converge. The convergence in association with the orographic uplifting expedites convection and associated precipitation over northwestern India and Pakistan. The high resolution climate model ECHAM5 simulation also

A comparative analysis of business structures suitable for farmer-owned wind power projects in the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bolinger, Mark; Wiser, Ryan

2006-01-01

For years, farmers in the United States have looked with envy on their European counterparts' ability to profitably farm the wind through ownership of distributed, utility-scale wind projects. Only within the past few years, however, has farmer- or community-owned wind power development become a reality in the United States. The primary hurdle to this type of development in the United States has been devising and implementing suitable business and legal structures that enable such projects to take advantage of tax-based federal incentives for wind power. This article discusses the limitations of such incentives in supporting farmer- or community-owned wind projects, describes four ownership structures that potentially overcome such limitations, and finally conducts comparative financial analysis on those four structures, using as an example a hypothetical 1.5 MW farmer-owned project located in the state of Oregon. We find that material differences in the competitiveness of each structure do exist, but that choosing the best structure for a given project will largely depend on the conditions at hand; e.g., the ability of the farmer(s) to utilize tax credits, preference for individual versus 'cooperative' ownership, and the state and utility service territory in which the project will be located

Improving Surface Mass Balance Over Ice Sheets and Snow Depth on Sea Ice

Science.gov (United States)

Koenig, Lora Suzanne; Box, Jason; Kurtz, Nathan

2013-01-01

Surface mass balance (SMB) over ice sheets and snow on sea ice (SOSI) are important components of the cryosphere. Large knowledge gaps remain in scientists' abilities to monitor SMB and SOSI, including insufficient measurements and difficulties with satellite retrievals. On ice sheets, snow accumulation is the sole mass gain to SMB, and meltwater runoff can be the dominant single loss factor in extremely warm years such as 2012. SOSI affects the growth and melt cycle of the Earth's polar sea ice cover. The summer of 2012 saw the largest satellite-recorded melt area over the Greenland ice sheet and the smallest satellite-recorded Arctic sea ice extent, making this meeting both timely and relevant.

The impact of a non-uniform land surface on the radiation environment over an Arctic fjord - a study with a 3D radiative transfer model for stratus clouds over the Hornsund fjord, Spitsbergen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Izabela Górecka

2012-11-01

Full Text Available This paper estimates the influence of land topography and cover on 3D radiativeeffects under overcast skies in the Arctic coastal environment, in particular in theHornsund fjord region, Spitsbergen. The authors focus on the impact of anon-uniform surface on: (1 the spatial distribution of solar fluxesreaching the fjord surface, (2 spectral shortwave cloud radiative forcing atthe fjord surface, (3 the solar flux anomaly at the domain surface resultingfrom the assumption of a uniform surface, i.e. the error due to plane parallelassumptions in climate models, and (4 remote sensing of cloud opticalthickness over the fjord. Their dependence on spectral channel, cloud opticalthickness, cloud type, cloud base height, surface albedo and solar zenithangle is discussed. The analysis is based on Monte Carlo simulations of solarradiation transfer over a heterogeneous surface for selected channels of theMODIS radiometer. The simulations showed a considerable impact of the landsurrounding the fjord on the solar radiation over the fjord. The biggestdifferences between atmospheric transmittances over the fjord surface and over theocean were found for a cloud optical thickness τ = 12, low solar zenith angle θ, high cloud base and snow-covered land. For τ = 12, θ = 53°, cloud base height 1.8 km andwavelength λ = 469 nm, the enhancement in irradiance transmittanceover the fjord was 0.19 for the inner fjords and 0.10 for the whole fjord(λ = 469 nm. The land surrounding the Hornsund fjord also hada considerable impact on the spectral cloud radiative forcing on the fjordsurface and the solar flux anomaly at the domain surface due to the uniformsurface assumption. For the mouth and central part of the fjord the error dueto the use of channel 2 of the MODIS radiometer (λ = 858 nm forcloud optical thickness retrieval was < 1 in the case of low-level clouds(cloud base height 1 km, nadir radiance, θ = 53°, cloudoptical thickness retrieved solely from MODIS

Active colloidal propulsion over a crystalline surface

Science.gov (United States)

Choudhury, Udit; Straube, Arthur V.; Fischer, Peer; Gibbs, John G.; Höfling, Felix

2017-12-01

We study both experimentally and theoretically the dynamics of chemically self-propelled Janus colloids moving atop a two-dimensional crystalline surface. The surface is a hexagonally close-packed monolayer of colloidal particles of the same size as the mobile one. The dynamics of the self-propelled colloid reflects the competition between hindered diffusion due to the periodic surface and enhanced diffusion due to active motion. Which contribution dominates depends on the propulsion strength, which can be systematically tuned by changing the concentration of a chemical fuel. The mean-square displacements (MSDs) obtained from the experiment exhibit enhanced diffusion at long lag times. Our experimental data are consistent with a Langevin model for the effectively two-dimensional translational motion of an active Brownian particle in a periodic potential, combining the confining effects of gravity and the crystalline surface with the free rotational diffusion of the colloid. Approximate analytical predictions are made for the MSD describing the crossover from free Brownian motion at short times to active diffusion at long times. The results are in semi-quantitative agreement with numerical results of a refined Langevin model that treats translational and rotational degrees of freedom on the same footing.

Neural correlates of own name and own face detection in autism spectrum disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Cygan, Hanna B; Tacikowski, Pawel; Ostaszewski, Pawel; Chojnicka, Izabela; Nowicka, Anna

2014-01-01

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental condition clinically characterized by social interaction and communication difficulties. To date, the majority of research efforts have focused on brain mechanisms underlying the deficits in interpersonal social cognition associated with ASD. Recent empirical and theoretical work has begun to reveal evidence for a reduced or even absent self-preference effect in patients with ASD. One may hypothesize that this is related to the impaired attentional processing of self-referential stimuli. The aim of our study was to test this hypothesis. We investigated the neural correlates of face and name detection in ASD. Four categories of face/name stimuli were used: own, close-other, famous, and unknown. Event-related potentials were recorded from 62 electrodes in 23 subjects with ASD and 23 matched control subjects. P100, N170, and P300 components were analyzed. The control group clearly showed a significant self-preference effect: higher P300 amplitude to the presentation of own face and own name than to the close-other, famous, and unknown categories, indicating preferential attentional engagement in processing of self-related information. In contrast, detection of both own and close-other's face and name in the ASD group was associated with enhanced P300, suggesting similar attention allocation for self and close-other related information. These findings suggest that attention allocation in the ASD group is modulated by the personal significance factor, and that the self-preference effect is absent if self is compared to close-other. These effects are similar for physical and non-physical aspects of the autistic self. In addition, lateralization of face and name processing is attenuated in ASD, suggesting atypical brain organization.

Ground Boundary Conditions for Thermal Convection Over Horizontal Surfaces at High Rayleigh Numbers

Science.gov (United States)

Hanjalić, K.; Hrebtov, M.

2016-07-01

We present "wall functions" for treating the ground boundary conditions in the computation of thermal convection over horizontal surfaces at high Rayleigh numbers using coarse numerical grids. The functions are formulated for an algebraic-flux model closed by transport equations for the turbulence kinetic energy, its dissipation rate and scalar variance, but could also be applied to other turbulence models. The three-equation algebraic-flux model, solved in a T-RANS mode ("Transient" Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes, based on triple decomposition), was shown earlier to reproduce well a number of generic buoyancy-driven flows over heated surfaces, albeit by integrating equations up to the wall. Here we show that by using a set of wall functions satisfactory results are found for the ensemble-averaged properties even on a very coarse computational grid. This is illustrated by the computations of the time evolution of a penetrative mixed layer and Rayleigh-Bénard (open-ended, 4:4:1 domain) convection, using 10 × 10 × 100 and 10 × 10 × 20 grids, compared also with finer grids (e.g. 60 × 60 × 100), as well as with one-dimensional treatment using 1 × 1 × 100 and 1 × 1 × 20 nodes. The approach is deemed functional for simulations of a convective boundary layer and mesoscale atmospheric flows, and pollutant transport over realistic complex hilly terrain with heat islands, urban and natural canopies, for diurnal cycles, or subjected to other time and space variations in ground conditions and stratification.

Modelling of surface fluxes and Urban Boundary Layer over an old mediterannean city core

Science.gov (United States)

Lemonsu, A.; Masson, V.; Grimmond, Cs. B.

2003-04-01

In the frameworks of the UBL(Urban Boundary Layer)-ESCOMPTE campaign, the Town Energy Balance (TEB) model was run in off-line mode for Marseille. TEB's performance is evaluated with observations of surface temperatures and surface energy balance fluxes collected during the campaign. Parameterization improvements allow to better represent the energy exchanges between the air inside the canyon and the atmosphere above the roof level. Then, high resolution Méso-NH simulations are done to study the 3-D structure and the evolution of the Urban Boundary Layer (UBL) over Marseille. Will will give a special attention to the impact of the seabord effects (sea-breeze circulation) on the UBL.

Observations of surface momentum exchange over the marginal ice zone and recommendations for its parametrisation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. D. Elvidge

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Comprehensive aircraft observations are used to characterise surface roughness over the Arctic marginal ice zone (MIZ and consequently make recommendations for the parametrisation of surface momentum exchange in the MIZ. These observations were gathered in the Barents Sea and Fram Strait from two aircraft as part of the Aerosol–Cloud Coupling And Climate Interactions in the Arctic (ACCACIA project. They represent a doubling of the total number of such aircraft observations currently available over the Arctic MIZ. The eddy covariance method is used to derive estimates of the 10 m neutral drag coefficient (CDN10 from turbulent wind velocity measurements, and a novel method using albedo and surface temperature is employed to derive ice fraction. Peak surface roughness is found at ice fractions in the range 0.6 to 0.8 (with a mean interquartile range in CDN10 of 1.25 to 2.85  ×  10−3. CDN10 as a function of ice fraction is found to be well approximated by the negatively skewed distribution provided by a leading parametrisation scheme (Lüpkes et al., 2012 tailored for sea-ice drag over the MIZ in which the two constituent components of drag – skin and form drag – are separately quantified. Current parametrisation schemes used in the weather and climate models are compared with our results and the majority are found to be physically unjustified and unrepresentative. The Lüpkes et al. (2012 scheme is recommended in a computationally simple form, with adjusted parameter settings. A good agreement holds for subsets of the data from different locations, despite differences in sea-ice conditions. Ice conditions in the Barents Sea, characterised by small, unconsolidated ice floes, are found to be associated with higher CDN10 values – especially at the higher ice fractions – than those of Fram Strait, where typically larger, smoother floes are observed. Consequently, the important influence of sea-ice morphology and floe size on

The Impacts of Daily Surface Forcing in the Upper Ocean over Tropical Pacific: A Numerical Study

Science.gov (United States)

Sui, C.-H.; Rienecker, Michele M.; Li, Xiaofan; Lau, William K.-M.; Laszlo, Istvan; Pinker, Rachel T.

2001-01-01

Tropical Pacific Ocean is an important region that affects global climate. How the ocean responds to the atmospheric surface forcing (surface radiative, heat and momentum fluxes) is a major topic in oceanographic research community. The ocean becomes warm when more heat flux puts into the ocean. The monthly mean forcing has been used in the past years since daily forcing was unavailable due to the lack of observations. The daily forcing is now available from the satellite measurements. This study investigates the response of the upper ocean over tropical Pacific to the daily atmospheric surface forcing. The ocean surface heat budgets are calculated to determine the important processes for the oceanic response. The differences of oceanic responses between the eastern and western Pacific are intensively discussed.

Impact of Future Emissions and Climate Change on Surface Ozone over China

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, C. T.; Westervelt, D. M.; Fiore, A. M.; Rieder, H. E.; Kinney, P.; Wang, S.; Correa, G. J. P.

2017-12-01

China's immense ambient air pollution problem and world-leading greenhouse gas emissions place it at the forefront of global efforts to address these related environmental concerns. Here, we analyze the impact of ECLIPSE (Evaluating the Climate and Air Quality Impacts of Short-Lived Pollutants) future emissions scenarios representative of current legislation (CLE) and maximum technically feasible emissions reductions (MFR) on surface ozone (O3) concentrations over China in the 2030s and 2050s, in the context of a changing climate. We use a suite of simulations performed with the NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory's AM3 global chemistry-climate model. To estimate the impact of climate change in isolation on Chinese air quality, we hold emissions of air pollutants including O3 precursors fixed at 2015 levels but allow climate (global sea surface temperatures and sea ice cover) to change according to decadal averages for the years 2026-2035 and 2046-2055 from a three-member ensemble of GFDL-CM3 simulations under the RCP8.5 high warming scenario. Evaluation of the present-day simulation (2015 CLE) with observations from 1497 chiefly urban air quality monitoring stations shows that simulated surface O3 is positively biased by 26 ppb on average over the domain of China. Previous studies, however, have shown that the modeled ozone response to changes in NOx emissions over the Eastern United States mirrors the magnitude and structure of observed changes in maximum daily average 8-hour (MDA8) O3 distributions. Therefore, we use the model's simulated changes for the 2030s and 2050s to project changes in policy-relevant MDA8 O3 concentrations. We find an overall increase in MDA8 O3 for CLE scenarios in which emissions of NOx precursors are projected to increase, and under MFR scenarios, an overall decrease, with the highest changes occurring in summertime for both 2030 and 2050 MFR. Under climate change alone, the model simulates a mean summertime decrease of 1.3 ppb

Northerly surface winds over the eastern North Pacific Ocean in spring and summer

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, S.V.; Cayan, D.R.; Graham, N.E.; Georgakakos, K.P.

2008-01-01

Persistent spring and summer northerly surface winds are the defining climatological feature of the western coast of North America, especially south of the Oregon coast. Northerly surface winds are important for upwelling and a vast array of other biological, oceanic, and atmospheric processes. Intermittence in northerly coastal surface wind is characterized and wind events are quantitatively defined using coastal buoy data south of Cape Mendocino on the northern California coast. The defined wind events are then used as a basis for composites in order to explain the spatial evolution of various atmospheric and oceanic processes. Wind events involve large-scale changes in the three-dimensional atmospheric circulation including the eastern North Pacific subtropical anticyclone and southeast trade winds. Composites of QSCAT satellite scatterometer wind estimates from 1999 to 2005 based on a single coastal buoy indicate that wind events typically last 72-96 h and result in anomalies in surface wind and Ekman pumping that extend over 1000 kin from the west coast of North America. It may be useful to consider ocean circulation and dependent ecosystem dynamics and the distribution of temperature, moisture, and aerosols in the atmospheric boundary layer in the context of wind events defined herein. Copyright 2008 by the American Geophysical Union.

Integrating ASCAT surface soil moisture and GEOV1 leaf area index into the SURFEX modelling platform: a land data assimilation application over France

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. L. Barbu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The land monitoring service of the European Copernicus programme has developed a set of satellite-based biogeophysical products, including surface soil moisture (SSM and leaf area index (LAI. This study investigates the impact of joint assimilation of remotely sensed SSM derived from Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT backscatter data and the Copernicus Global Land GEOV1 satellite-based LAI product into the the vegetation growth version of the Interactions between Soil Biosphere Atmosphere (ISBA-A-gs land surface model within the the externalised surface model (SURFEX modelling platform of Météo-France. The ASCAT data were bias corrected with respect to the model climatology by using a seasonal-based CDF (Cumulative Distribution Function matching technique. A multivariate multi-scale land data assimilation system (LDAS based on the extended Kalman Filter (EKF is used for monitoring the soil moisture, terrestrial vegetation, surface carbon and energy fluxes across the domain of France at a spatial resolution of 8 km. Each model grid box is divided into a number of land covers, each having its own set of prognostic variables. The filter algorithm is designed to provide a distinct analysis for each land cover while using one observation per grid box. The updated values are aggregated by computing a weighted average. In this study, it is demonstrated that the assimilation scheme works effectively within the ISBA-A-gs model over a four-year period (2008–2011. The EKF is able to extract useful information from the data signal at the grid scale and distribute the root-zone soil moisture and LAI increments throughout the mosaic structure of the model. The impact of the assimilation on the vegetation phenology and on the water and carbon fluxes varies from one season to another. The spring drought of 2011 is an interesting case study of the potential of the assimilation to improve drought monitoring. A comparison between simulated and in situ soil

Federated Search in the Wild: the combined power of over a hundred search engines

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nguyen, Dong-Phuong; Demeester, Thomas; Trieschnigg, Rudolf Berend; Hiemstra, Djoerd

2012-01-01

Federated search has the potential of improving web search: the user becomes less dependent on a single search provider and parts of the deep web become available through a unified interface, leading to a wider variety in the retrieved search results. However, a publicly available dataset for

Dry deposition of submicron atmospheric aerosol over water surfaces in motion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nevenick, Calec

2013-01-01

Whether by chronic or accidental releases, the impact of a nuclear installation on the environment mainly depends on atmospheric transfers; and as the accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima show, affect the contamination of surfaces and impacts in the medium and long-term on the environment and the population. In this context, this work focuses on the characterization and modeling of dry deposition of submicron aerosols on liquid surfaces in motion such as rivers. Unlike wet deposition which is conditioned by washout and rainout (rain and clouds), dry deposition is a phenomenon that depends entirely on the characteristics of aerosols, receiving surfaces, and air flow. In practice, the evaluation of dry deposition is based on the estimation of flux modeling as the product of particle concentration and deposition velocity which can vary over several orders of magnitude depending on the receiving surfaces (forest, snow, urban, grassland...). This topic is motivated by the virtual non-existence of studies on the mechanisms of dry deposition on continental water systems such as rivers; and respect for submicron aerosols. They have the lowest deposition efficiencies and filtration and the longer residence time in the atmosphere. In addition, they are potentially the most dangerous to living beings because they can penetrate deeper into the airway. Due to the lack of data on the dry deposition of submicron aerosols on a liquid surface in motion, the approach was based on two axes: 1) the acquisition of experimental deposition velocities and 2) the analysis and interpretation of results through modeling. The experiments were performed with uranine aerosols released into the IOA wind tunnel (Interface Ocean Atmosphere) of the Institute for Research on Non Equilibrium Phenomena which is configured to study the coupling between the air flow and water. These experiments have given many dry deposition velocities for different configurations characterized according to wind

Dry deposition of submicron atmospheric aerosol over water surfaces in motion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calec, Nevenick

2013-01-01

Whether by chronic or accidental releases, the impact of a nuclear installation on the environment mainly depends on atmospheric transfers; and as the accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima show, affect the contamination of surfaces and impacts in the medium and long-term on the environment and the population. In this context, this work focuses on the characterization and modeling of dry deposition of submicron aerosols on liquid surfaces in motion such as rivers. Unlike wet deposition which is conditioned by washout and rainout (rain and clouds), dry deposition is a phenomenon that depends entirely on the characteristics of aerosols, receiving surfaces, and air flow. In practice, the evaluation of dry deposition is based on the estimation of flux modeling as the product of particle concentration and deposition velocity which can vary over several orders of magnitude depending on the receiving surfaces (forest, snow, urban, grassland..). This topic is motivated by the virtual non-existence of studies on the mechanisms of dry deposition on continental water systems such as rivers; and respect for submicron aerosols. They have the lowest deposition efficiencies and filtration and the longer residence time in the atmosphere. In addition, they are potentially the most dangerous to living beings because they can penetrate deeper into the airway. Due to the lack of data on the dry deposition of submicron aerosols on a liquid surface in motion, the approach was based on two axes: 1) the acquisition of experimental deposition velocities and 2) the analysis and interpretation of results through modeling. The experiments were performed with uranine aerosols released into the IOA wind tunnel (Interface Ocean Atmosphere) of the Institute for Research on Non Equilibrium Phenomena which is configured to study the coupling between the air flow and water. These experiments have given many dry deposition velocities for different configurations characterized according to wind

Surface Wind Regionalization over Complex Terrain: Evaluation and Analysis of a High-Resolution WRF Simulation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jiménez, P.A.; González-Rouco, J.F.; García-Bustamante, E.; Navarro, J.; Montávez, J.P.; Vilà-Guerau de Arellano, J.; Dudhia, J.; Muñoz-Roldan, A.

2010-01-01

This study analyzes the daily-mean surface wind variability over an area characterized by complex topography through comparing observations and a 2-km-spatial-resolution simulation performed with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model for the period 1992–2005. The evaluation focuses on the

Inventory of Owned and Leased Properties (IOLP)

Data.gov (United States)

General Services Administration — The Inventory of Owned and Leased Properties (IOLP) allows users to search properties owned and leased by the General Services Administration (GSA) across the United...

ENSO surface shortwave radiation forcing over the tropical Pacific

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. G. Pavlakis

2008-09-01

Full Text Available We have studied the spatial and temporal variation of the downward shortwave radiation (DSR at the surface of the Earth during ENSO events for a 21-year period over the tropical and subtropical Pacific Ocean (40° S–40° N, 90° E–75° W. The fluxes were computed using a deterministic model for atmospheric radiation transfer, along with satellite data from the ISCCP-D2 database, reanalysis data from NCEP/NCAR for the key atmospheric and surface input parameters, and aerosol parameters from GADS (acronyms explained in main text. A clear anti-correlation was found between the downward shortwave radiation anomaly (DSR-A time-series, in the region 7° S–5° N 160° E–160° W located west of the Niño-3.4 region, and the Niño-3.4 index time-series. In this region where the highest in absolute value DSR anomalies are observed, the mean DSR anomaly values range from −45 Wm⁻² during El Niño episodes to +40 Wm⁻² during La Niña events. Within the Niño-3.4 region no significant DSR anomalies are observed during the cold ENSO phase in contrast to the warm ENSO phase. A high correlation was also found over the western Pacific (10° S–5° N, 120–140° E, where the mean DSR anomaly values range from +20 Wm⁻² to −20 Wm⁻² during El Niño and La Niña episodes, respectively. There is also convincing evidence that the time series of the mean downward shortwave radiation anomaly in the off-equatorial western Pacific region 7–15° N 150–170° E, precedes the Niño-3.4 index time-series by about 7 months and the pattern of this anomaly is indicative of ENSO operating through the mechanism of the western Pacific oscillator. Thus, the downward shortwave radiation anomaly is a complementary index to the SST anomaly for the study of ENSO events and can be used to assess whether or not El Niño or La Niña conditions prevail.

Reviving manufacturing with a federal cogeneration policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, Marilyn A.; Cox, Matt; Baer, Paul

2013-01-01

Improving the energy economics of manufacturing is essential to revitalizing the industrial base of advanced economies. This paper evaluates ex-ante a federal policy option aimed at promoting industrial cogeneration—the production of heat and electricity in a single energy-efficient process. Detailed analysis using the National Energy Modeling System (NEMS) and spreadsheet calculations suggest that industrial cogeneration could meet 18% of U.S. electricity requirements by 2035, compared with its current 8.9% market share. Substituting less efficient utility-scale power plants with cogeneration systems would produce numerous economic and environmental benefits, but would also create an assortment of losers and winners. Multiple perspectives to benefit/cost analysis are therefore valuable. Our results indicate that the federal cogeneration policy would be highly favorable to manufacturers and the public sector, cutting energy bills, generating billions of dollars in electricity sales, making producers more competitive, and reducing pollution. Most traditional utilities, on the other hand, would lose revenues unless their rate recovery procedures are adjusted to prevent the loss of profits due to customer owned generation and the erosion of utility sales. From a public policy perspective, deadweight losses would be introduced by market-distorting federal incentives (ranging annually from $30 to $150 million), but these losses are much smaller than the estimated net social benefits of the federal cogeneration policy. - Highlights: ► Industrial cogeneration could meet 18% of US electricity demand by 2035, vs. 8.9% today. ► The policy would be highly favorable to manufacturers and the public. ► Traditional electric utilities would likely lose revenues. ► Deadweight loss would be introduced by tax incentives. ► The policy’s net social benefits would be much larger.

PingFederate

Data.gov (United States)

US Agency for International Development — PingFederate Server provides Identity Federation and Single Sign On Capabilities. Federated identity management (or identity federation) enables enterprises to...

Neural correlates of own name and own face detection in autism spectrum disorder.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hanna B Cygan

Full Text Available Autism spectrum disorder (ASD is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental condition clinically characterized by social interaction and communication difficulties. To date, the majority of research efforts have focused on brain mechanisms underlying the deficits in interpersonal social cognition associated with ASD. Recent empirical and theoretical work has begun to reveal evidence for a reduced or even absent self-preference effect in patients with ASD. One may hypothesize that this is related to the impaired attentional processing of self-referential stimuli. The aim of our study was to test this hypothesis. We investigated the neural correlates of face and name detection in ASD. Four categories of face/name stimuli were used: own, close-other, famous, and unknown. Event-related potentials were recorded from 62 electrodes in 23 subjects with ASD and 23 matched control subjects. P100, N170, and P300 components were analyzed. The control group clearly showed a significant self-preference effect: higher P300 amplitude to the presentation of own face and own name than to the close-other, famous, and unknown categories, indicating preferential attentional engagement in processing of self-related information. In contrast, detection of both own and close-other's face and name in the ASD group was associated with enhanced P300, suggesting similar attention allocation for self and close-other related information. These findings suggest that attention allocation in the ASD group is modulated by the personal significance factor, and that the self-preference effect is absent if self is compared to close-other. These effects are similar for physical and non-physical aspects of the autistic self. In addition, lateralization of face and name processing is attenuated in ASD, suggesting atypical brain organization.

Assessment of Satellite-Derived Surface Reflectances by NASA's CAR Airborne Radiometer over Railroad Valley, Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

Kharbouche, Said; Muller, Jan-Peter; Gatebe, Charles K.; Scanlon, Tracy; Banks, Andrew C.

2017-01-01

CAR (Cloud Absorption Radiometer) is a multi-angular and multi-spectral airborne radiometer instrument, whose radiometric and geometric characteristics are well calibrated and adjusted before and after each flight campaign. CAR was built by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) in 1984. On 16 May 2008, a CAR flight campaign took place over the well-known calibration and validation site of Railroad Valley in Nevada (38.504 deg N, 115.692 deg W).The campaign coincided with the overpasses of several key EO (Earth Observation) satellites such as Landsat-7, Envisat and Terra. Thus, there are nearly simultaneous measurements from these satellites and the CAR airborne sensor over the same calibration site. The CAR spectral bands are close to those of most EO satellites. CAR has the ability to cover the whole range of azimuth view angles and a variety of zenith angles depending on altitude and, as a consequence, the biases seen between satellite and CAR measurements due to both unmatched spectral bands and unmatched angles can be significantly reduced. A comparison is presented here between CARs land surface reflectance (BRF or Bidirectional Reflectance Factor) with those derived from Terra/MODIS (MOD09 and MAIAC), Terra/MISR, Envisat/MERIS and Landsat-7. In this study, we utilized CAR data from low altitude flights (approx. 180 m above the surface) in order to minimize the effects of the atmosphere on these measurements and then obtain a valuable ground-truth data set of surface reflectance. Furthermore, this study shows that differences between measurements caused by surface heterogeneity can be tolerated, thanks to the high homogeneity of the study site on the one hand, and on the other hand, to the spatial sampling and the large number of CAR samples. These results demonstrate that satellite BRF measurements over this site are in good agreement with CAR with variable biases across different spectral bands. This is most likely due to residual aerosol

Crushing data silos with ownCloud

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2013-01-01

More and more people store their personal files and documents in cloud services like Dropbox, Google Drive, Skydrive or iCloud. The reason is that they provide convenient features to sync your files between devices and share them with others. We are heading full speed into a future where a huge piece of the personal information of the world is stored in very few centralized services. Questions emerge what the impact on user privacy, surveillance, lawfulness of content and storage cost will be in in the long run. I don't think that a world where most of the personal data of the world is stored on servers of a hand full companies is a good one. This talk will discuss the problems of a future with centralized cloud file sync and share services and will present ownCloud as a possible solution. ownCloud is a free software project that offers a decentralized alternative to proprietary cloud services where everybody can run an own cloud service comparable with Dropbox but on own hardware and with full ...

FEATURES OF PERFECT AND IMPERFECT RESERVES AND RESERVE FUNDS WITHIN THE FEDERAL BUDGET OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tatyana P. Lomakina

2018-03-01

Full Text Available During the past two years (2016–2017, the mass media was engaged in tense discussion about the status and flow of funds within the two reserves – the Reserve Fund of the Russian Federation and the National Welfare Fund. The Reserve Fund of the Russian Federation aroused especial worries among the experts. Its funds rapidly declined and by December 2017 they were fully used to cover the deficit of the domestic budget. In accordance with the law “On Amendments to the Budget Code of the Russian Federation in the Use of Oil and Gas Revenues of the Federal Budget,” from February 1, 2018, the Reserve Fund of the Russian Federation will cease to exist. For financial theory, this fact can serve as an illustration of the process of forming the foundations of budgetary financial security, their change over time, circumstances and options the government can take to modify them. At the same time, there are other types of financial resources within the federal budget. Their diversity necessitates their classification in order to identify groups and types with similar characteristics. However, in financial theory, many types of reserves are not described in detail, and some are not described at all. This article introduces the concepts of “perfect” and “imperfect” reserves, for their characterization as part of the federal budget. The Russian Reserve Fund and the National Welfare Fund (Sovereign Funds are the examples of perfect financial reserves. Imperfect reserves comprise a large group of reserve funds that are included in the federal budget, for example, the Reserve Fund of the President of the Russian Federation and the Reserve Fund of the Government of the Russian Federation, the Reserve Fund of the Government of the Russian Federation for the prevention and control of emergencies and impact of natural disasters. The introduction of new typological features largely clarifies the situation with increased attention to one type of reserves

Extratropical Influence of Sea Surface Temperature and Wind on Water Recycling Rate Over Oceans and Coastal Lands

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Hua; Liu, W. Timothy

1999-01-01

Water vapor and precipitation are two important parameters confining the hydrological cycle in the atmosphere and over the ocean surface. In the extratropical areas, due to variations of midlatitude storm tracks and subtropical jetstreams, water vapor and precipitation have large variability. Recently, a concept of water recycling rate defined previously by Chahine et al. (GEWEX NEWS, August, 1997) has drawn increasing attention. The recycling rate of moisture is calculated as the ratio of precipitation to total precipitable water (its inverse is the water residence time). In this paper, using multi-sensor spacebased measurements we will study the role of sea surface temperature and ocean surface wind in determining the water recycling rate over oceans and coastal lands. Response of water recycling rate in midlatitudes to the El Nino event will also be discussed. Sea surface temperature data are derived from satellite observations from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) blended with in situ measurements, available for the period 1982-1998. Global sea surface wind observations are obtained from spaceborne scatterometers aboard on the European Remote-Sensing Satellite (ERS1 and 2), available for the period 1991-1998. Global total precipitable water provided by the NASA Water Vapor Project (NVAP) is available for the period 1988-1995. Global monthly mean precipitation provided by the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) is available for the period 1987-1998.

Reshaping the Federal System for a Postmodern Workforce

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daryl D. Green

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The federal government faces a human capital crisis over the next several years due to driving environmental forces, which include the reduction in the replacement labor force cohorts and the image problem of public service. One of the great challenges facing the federal service is the need to address the negative perceptions of the quality of work life experienced in the federal service, especially for younger employees. Consequently, governmental organizations must cope with increasing aging of their labor forces and elevated retirement levels exacerbating succession planning and knowledge transfer practices. This paper examines the current environment of the federal system and explores how it must adapt to postmodern influences that are embraced by Millennial and Generation X employees. While today’s federal system is rigid in many of its key leadership, performance management, and support service delivery systems, the postmodern workforce thrives on flexibility, involvement, and excitement. This paper further examines what leadership concepts and competencies can assist in the positive transformation of the federal government.

23 CFR 635.106 - Use of publicly owned equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE Contract Procedures § 635.106 Use of publicly owned equipment. (a) Publicly owned equipment should not normally compete with privately owned equipment on a project to be let to contract... publicly owned equipment is to be made available in connection with construction work to be let to contract...

Nano and Microscale Topographies for the Prevention of Bacterial Surface Fouling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mary V. Graham

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Bacterial surface fouling is problematic for a wide range of applications and industries, including, but not limited to medical devices (implants, replacement joints, stents, pacemakers, municipal infrastructure (pipes, wastewater treatment, food production (food processing surfaces, processing equipment, and transportation (ship hulls, aircraft fuel tanks. One method to combat bacterial biofouling is to modify the topographical structure of the surface in question, thereby limiting the ability of individual cells to attach to the surface, colonize, and form biofilms. Multiple research groups have demonstrated that micro and nanoscale topographies significantly reduce bacterial biofouling, for both individual cells and bacterial biofilms. Antifouling strategies that utilize engineered topographical surface features with well-defined dimensions and shapes have demonstrated a greater degree of controllable inhibition over initial cell attachment, in comparison to undefined, texturized, or porous surfaces. This review article will explore the various approaches and techniques used by researches, including work from our own group, and the underlying physical properties of these highly structured, engineered micro/nanoscale topographies that significantly impact bacterial surface attachment.

Caucasian infants scan own- and other-race faces differently.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Wheeler

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Young infants are known to prefer own-race faces to other race faces and recognize own-race faces better than other-race faces. However, it is entirely unclear as to whether infants also attend to different parts of own- and other-race faces differently, which may provide an important clue as to how and why the own-race face recognition advantage emerges so early. The present study used eye tracking methodology to investigate whether 6- to 10-month-old Caucasian infants (N = 37 have differential scanning patterns for dynamically displayed own- and other-race faces. We found that even though infants spent a similar amount of time looking at own- and other-race faces, with increased age, infants increasingly looked longer at the eyes of own-race faces and less at the mouths of own-race faces. These findings suggest experience-based tuning of the infant's face processing system to optimally process own-race faces that are different in physiognomy from other-race faces. In addition, the present results, taken together with recent own- and other-race eye tracking findings with infants and adults, provide strong support for an enculturation hypothesis that East Asians and Westerners may be socialized to scan faces differently due to each culture's conventions regarding mutual gaze during interpersonal communication.

Federal support of radiological research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hendee, W.R.

1981-01-01

Pervading the plans and objective outlined herein for continued and enhanced federal support of research in radiology is a challenge of unparalleled magnitude, for the economic foundation on which this support is based has rarely been more precarious. The new administration in Washington may well be the most fiscally constrained in half a century, and its stated interest in reducing federal expenditures could have disastrous consequences for the scientific research effort in this country, including that in radiology and the radiological sciences. The circumvention of these consequences may well require the dedicated effort of the entire scientific community over the next few months and years, including that part representing radiology and the radiological sciences

77 FR 66087 - Federal Perkins Loan Program, Federal Family Education Loan Program, and William D. Ford Federal...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-01

..., and 685 Federal Perkins Loan Program, Federal Family Education Loan Program, and William D. Ford... 685 RIN 1840-AD05 [Docket ID ED-2012-OPE-0010] Federal Perkins Loan Program, Federal Family Education... (Perkins Loan) program, Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program, and William D. Ford Federal Direct...

Federal Agency Use of Public Key Technology for Digital Signatures and Authentication

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Lyons-Burke, Kathy

2000-01-01

... or authentication over open networks such as the Internet. This includes communications with other Federal or non-Federal entities, such as members of the public, private firms, citizen groups, and State and local Governments...

Revisiting the 'Buy versus Build' decision for publicly owned utilities in California considering wind and geothermal resources; TOPICAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bolinger, Mark; Wiser, Ryan; Golove, William

2001-01-01

The last two decades have seen a dramatic increase in the market share of independent, non-utility generators (NUGs) relative to traditional, utility-owned generation assets. Accordingly, the ''buy versus build'' decision facing utilities--i.e., whether a utility should sign a power purchase agreement (PPA) with a NUG, or develop and own the generation capacity itself-has gained prominence in the industry. Specific debates have revolved around the relative advantages of, the types of risk created by, and the regulatory incentives favoring each approach. Very little of this discussion has focused specifically on publicly owned electric utilities, however, perhaps due to the belief that public power's tax-free financing status leaves little space in which NUGs can compete. With few exceptions (Wiser and Kahn 1996), renewable sources of supply have received similarly scant attention in the buy versus build debate. In this report, we revive the ''buy versus build'' debate and apply it to the two sectors of the industry traditionally underrepresented in the discussion: publicly owned utilities and renewable energy. Contrary to historical treatment, this debate is quite relevant to public utilities and renewables because publicly owned utilities are able to take advantage of some renewable energy incentives only in a ''buy'' situation, while others accrue only in a ''build'' situation. In particular, possible economic advantages of public utility ownership include: (1) the tax-free status of publicly owned utilities and the availability of low-cost debt, and (2) the renewable energy production incentive (REPI) available only to publicly owned utilities. Possible economic advantages to entering into a PPA with a NUG include: (1) the availability of federal tax credits and accelerated depreciation schedules for certain forms of NUG-owned renewable energy, and (2) the California state production incentives available to NUGs but not utilities. This report looks at a publicly

Data Federation Strategies for ATLAS using XRootD

CERN Document Server

Gardner, R; The ATLAS collaboration; Duckeck, G; Elmsheuser, J; Hanushevski, A; Hönig, F; Iven, J; Legger, F; Vukotic, I; Yang, W

2014-01-01

In the past year the ATLAS Collaboration accelerated its program to federate data storage resources using an architecture based on XRootD with its attendant redirection and storage integration services. The main goal of the federation is an improvement in the data access experience for the end user while allowing more efficient and intelligent use of computing resources. Along with these advances come integration with existing ATLAS production services (PanDA and its pilot services) and data management services (DQ2, and in the next generation, Rucio). Functional testing of the federation has been integrated into the standard ATLAS and WLCG monitoring frameworks and a dedicated set of tools provides high granularity information on its current and historical usage. We use a federation topology designed to search from the site's local storage outward to its region and to globally distributed storage resources. We describe programmatic testing of various federation access modes including direct access over the w...

Data Federation Strategies for ATLAS using XRootD

CERN Document Server

Gardner, R; The ATLAS collaboration; Duckeck, G; Elmsheuser, J; Hanushevski, A; Hönig, F; Iven, J; Legger, F; Vukotic, I; Yang, W

2013-01-01

In the past year the ATLAS Collaboration accelerated its program to federate data storage resources using an architecture based on XRootD with its attendant redirection and storage integration services. The main goal of the federation is an improvement in the data access experience for the end user while allowing more efficient and intelligent use of computing resources. Along with these advances come integration with existing ATLAS production services (PanDA and its pilot services) and data management services (DQ2, and in the next generation, Rucio). Functional testing of the federation has been integrated into the standard ATLAS and WLCG monitoring frameworks and a dedicated set of tools provides high granularity information on its current and historical usage. We use a federation topology designed to search from the site's local storage outward to its region and to globally distributed storage resources. We describe programmatic testing of various federation access modes including direct access over the w...

Effect of texture randomization on the slip and interfacial robustness in turbulent flows over superhydrophobic surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, Jongmin; Mani, Ali

2018-04-01

Superhydrophobic surfaces demonstrate promising potential for skin friction reduction in naval and hydrodynamic applications. Recent developments of superhydrophobic surfaces aiming for scalable applications use random distribution of roughness, such as spray coating and etched process. However, most previous analyses of the interaction between flows and superhydrophobic surfaces studied periodic geometries that are economically feasible only in laboratory-scale experiments. In order to assess the drag reduction effectiveness as well as interfacial robustness of superhydrophobic surfaces with randomly distributed textures, we conduct direct numerical simulations of turbulent flows over randomly patterned interfaces considering a range of texture widths w+≈4 -26 , and solid fractions ϕs=11 %-25 % . Slip and no-slip boundary conditions are implemented in a pattern, modeling the presence of gas-liquid interfaces and solid elements. Our results indicate that slip of randomly distributed textures under turbulent flows is about 30 % less than those of surfaces with aligned features of the same size. In the small texture size limit w+≈4 , the slip length of the randomly distributed textures in turbulent flows is well described by a previously introduced Stokes flow solution of randomly distributed shear-free holes. By comparing DNS results for patterned slip and no-slip boundary against the corresponding homogenized slip length boundary conditions, we show that turbulent flows over randomly distributed posts can be represented by an isotropic slip length in streamwise and spanwise direction. The average pressure fluctuation on a gas pocket is similar to that of the aligned features with the same texture size and gas fraction, but the maximum interface deformation at the leading edge of the roughness element is about twice as large when the textures are randomly distributed. The presented analyses provide insights on implications of texture randomness on drag

Draft Federal Act of the Russian Federation 'The Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage and its Financial Security'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lebedeva, Yulia

2014-01-01

norms of international nuclear law, in particular the relevant provisions of the Vienna Convention, the Brussels Convention on the Liability of Operators of Nuclear Ships of 1962 and the Brussels Convention relating to Civil Liability in the Field of Maritime Carriage of Nuclear Materials of 1971. In addition, international experience has been analysed, both in the field of civil law and the special legislation on nuclear insurance and for compensation for nuclear damage, in particular: the US Price-Anderson Act (part of the US Atomic Energy Act of 1954), the Swiss Act on Nuclear Third Party Liability of 18 March 1983, the Japanese Law on Compensation for Nuclear Damage (No. 147, 17 June 1961, as amended) and the Canadian Nuclear Liability Act of 1970. The bill establishes the basic principles of civil liability for the operator of a nuclear installation to third parties for nuclear damage, defines a mechanism for its financing and describes special court proceedings for claims for compensation for nuclear damage. It also aims to provide financial guarantees for the protection of the rights and legitimate interests of natural persons and legal entities, as well as the environmental effects of radiation exposure. The elaboration and adoption of such an act in Russia was necessary for a number of reasons, namely: the inability to provide compensation for such damages from the federal budget, the limitation of an operator's own funds to provide for the full recovery of possible harm and the condition of the domestic insurance market, wherein private insurers cannot provide funds in the absence of legislation in this sphere. Although the Civil Code of the Russian Federation provides general rules relating to insurance, it does not contain provisions regarding nuclear damage or nuclear security. Further, while the Federal Act 'Use of Nuclear Energy' contains provisions about nuclear damage, it does not contain any special rules for compensation for nuclear damage or nuclear

Law in the laboratory a guide to the ethics of federally funded science research

CERN Document Server

Charrow, Robert P

2010-01-01

The National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation together fund more than $40 billon of research annually in the United States and around the globe. These large public expenditures come with strings, including a complex set of laws and guidelines that regulate how scientists may use NIH and NSF funds, how federally funded research may be conducted, and who may have access to or own the product of the research. Until now, researchers have had little instruction on the nature of these laws and how they work. But now, with Robert P. Charrow’s Law in the Laboratory, they have a readable and entertaining introduction to the major ethical and legal considerations pertaining to research under the aegis of federal science funding. For any academic whose position is grant funded, or for any faculty involved in securing grants, this book will be an essential reference manual. And for those who want to learn how federal legislation and regulations affect laboratory research, Charrow’s primer wil...

A Pilot Evaluation of the Reading Intervention 'Own-Voice Intensive Phonics'

Science.gov (United States)

Gwernan-Jones, Ruth; Macmillan, Philip; Norwich, Brahm

2018-01-01

This paper describes the mixed methodology evaluation of the Own-Voice Intensive Phonics (OVIP) programme with 33 secondary students with persistent literacy difficulties. The evaluation involved a quasi-experimental evaluation in which 33 students in years 7-9 in four schools used OVIP over an 8 week period and were monitored at three times for…

2008 Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) Market Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tremper, C.

2009-07-01

This report assesses the market for Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) services as it existed in FY 2008. It discusses Federal energy management goal progress in FY 2008, and examines the environment in which agencies implemented energy management projects over the last three years. The report also discusses some recent events that will increase the market for FEMP services, and outlines FEMP's major strategies to address these changes in FY 2009 and beyond.

50 CFR 14.17 - Personally owned pet birds.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Personally owned pet birds. 14.17 Section 14.17 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR... Ports § 14.17 Personally owned pet birds. Any person may import a personally owned pet bird at any port...

Evaluation of the surface structure of composite restorations in light of own pilot research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chalas Renata

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Research on the dental restorative materials employed in remedying dental cavities has been conducted on many levels and areas, both with application of clinical and laboratory methods. One of the elements that determines whether the restoration may be degraded is the condition of its surface. The aim of the study was to assess the texture surface of composite restorations using a non-contact method of teeth models scanning. In this work, ten medium size cavities on the occlusal surfaces of molars in adult patients were prepared and restored with resin composite. Before undertaking the procedure and after the finishing and polishing of the restorations, impressions were taken and sent into the laboratory so as to prepare plaster casts. Every cast was then scanned utilizing the non-contact 3D surface measurement instrument so as to assess the texture surface of the restoration. The resulting three dimensional analyses of post-restoration models showed the correct marginal adaptation of resin composite dental material to the hard tooth structures and its smooth filling occlusal surface. Additional comparison of scans done before and after restoring the cavities allowed the calculating of differences in volume, mean and maximum heights. The applied method of analysis is thought to be helpful in the detailed evaluation of restoration dental material texture. Moreover, the enabled possibility of continuous observation is expedient for assessing the usefulness of the method in standard dental practice.

Shallow to Deep Convection Transition over a Heterogeneous Land Surface Using the Land Model Coupled Large-Eddy Simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, J.; Zhang, Y.; Klein, S. A.

2017-12-01

The triggering of the land breeze, and hence the development of deep convection over heterogeneous land should be understood as a consequence of the complex processes involving various factors from land surface and atmosphere simultaneously. That is a sub-grid scale process that many large-scale models have difficulty incorporating it into the parameterization scheme partly due to lack of our understanding. Thus, it is imperative that we approach the problem using a high-resolution modeling framework. In this study, we use SAM-SLM (Lee and Khairoutdinov, 2015), a large-eddy simulation model coupled to a land model, to explore the cloud effect such as cold pool, the cloud shading and the soil moisture memory on the land breeze structure and the further development of cloud and precipitation over a heterogeneous land surface. The atmospheric large scale forcing and the initial sounding are taken from the new composite case study of the fair-weather, non-precipitating shallow cumuli at ARM SGP (Zhang et al., 2017). We model the land surface as a chess board pattern with alternating leaf area index (LAI). The patch contrast of the LAI is adjusted to encompass the weak to strong heterogeneity amplitude. The surface sensible- and latent heat fluxes are computed according to the given LAI representing the differential surface heating over a heterogeneous land surface. Separate from the surface forcing imposed from the originally modeled surface, the cases that transition into the moist convection can induce another layer of the surface heterogeneity from the 1) radiation shading by clouds, 2) adjusted soil moisture pattern by the rain, 3) spreading cold pool. First, we assess and quantifies the individual cloud effect on the land breeze and the moist convection under the weak wind to simplify the feedback processes. And then, the same set of experiments is repeated under sheared background wind with low level jet, a typical summer time wind pattern at ARM SGP site, to

Simulation and Analysis of Topographic Effect on Land Surface Albedo over Mountainous Areas

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, D.; Wen, J.; Xiao, Q.

2017-12-01

Land surface albedo is one of the significant geophysical variables affecting the Earth's climate and controlling the surface radiation budget. Topography leads to the formation of shadows and the redistribution of incident radiation, which complicates the modeling and estimation of the land surface albedo. Some studies show that neglecting the topography effect may lead to significant bias in estimating the land surface albedo for the sloping terrain. However, for the composite sloping terrain, the topographic effects on the albedo remain unclear. Accurately estimating the sub-topographic effect on the land surface albedo over the composite sloping terrain presents a challenge for remote sensing modeling and applications. In our study, we focus on the development of a simplified estimation method for land surface albedo including black-sky albedo (BSA) and white-sky albedo (WSA) of the composite sloping terrain at a kilometer scale based on the fine scale DEM (30m) and quantitatively investigate and understand the topographic effects on the albedo. The albedo is affected by various factors such as solar zenith angle (SZA), solar azimuth angle (SAA), shadows, terrain occlusion, and slope and aspect distribution of the micro-slopes. When SZA is 30°, the absolute and relative deviations between the BSA of flat terrain and that of rugged terrain reaches 0.12 and 50%, respectively. When the mean slope of the terrain is 30.63° and SZA=30°, the absolute deviation of BSA caused by SAA can reach 0.04. The maximal relative and relative deviation between the WSA of flat terrain and that of rugged terrain reaches 0.08 and 50%. These results demonstrate that the topographic effect has to be taken into account in the albedo estimation.

Models of bedrock surface and overburden thickness over Olkiluoto island and nearby sea area

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moenkkoenen, H. [WSP Finland Oy, Helsinki (Finland)

2012-04-15

In this report, a model of bedrock surface and a model of overburden thickness over the Olkiluoto Island and the nearby sea area are presented. Also in purpose to produce material for biosphere and radionuclide transport modelling, stratigraphy models of different sediment layers were created at two priority areas north and south of the Olkiluoto Island. The work concentrated on the collection and description of available data of bedrock surface and overburden thickness. Because the information on the bedrock surface and overburden is collected from different sources and is based on a number of types of data the quality and applicability of data sets varies. Consequently also the reliability in different parts of the models varies. Input data for the bedrock surface and overburden thickness models include 2928 single points and additional outcrops observations (611 polygons) in the modelled area. In addition, the input data include 173 seismic refraction lines (6534 points) and acousticseismic sounding lines (26655 points from which 13721 points are located in model area) in the Olkiluoto offshore area. The average elevation of bedrock surface in area is 2.1 metres above the sea level. The average thickness of overburden is 2.5 metres varying typically between 2 - 4 metres. Thickest overburden covers (approximately 16 metres) of terrestrial area are located at the western end of the Olkiluoto Island and in sea basin south of the island. (orig.)

Models of bedrock surface and overburden thickness over Olkiluoto island and nearby sea area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moenkkoenen, H.

2012-04-01

In this report, a model of bedrock surface and a model of overburden thickness over the Olkiluoto Island and the nearby sea area are presented. Also in purpose to produce material for biosphere and radionuclide transport modelling, stratigraphy models of different sediment layers were created at two priority areas north and south of the Olkiluoto Island. The work concentrated on the collection and description of available data of bedrock surface and overburden thickness. Because the information on the bedrock surface and overburden is collected from different sources and is based on a number of types of data the quality and applicability of data sets varies. Consequently also the reliability in different parts of the models varies. Input data for the bedrock surface and overburden thickness models include 2928 single points and additional outcrops observations (611 polygons) in the modelled area. In addition, the input data include 173 seismic refraction lines (6534 points) and acousticseismic sounding lines (26655 points from which 13721 points are located in model area) in the Olkiluoto offshore area. The average elevation of bedrock surface in area is 2.1 metres above the sea level. The average thickness of overburden is 2.5 metres varying typically between 2 - 4 metres. Thickest overburden covers (approximately 16 metres) of terrestrial area are located at the western end of the Olkiluoto Island and in sea basin south of the island. (orig.)

Evaluating the use of sharpened land surface temperature for daily evapotranspiration estimation over irrigated crops in arid lands

KAUST Repository

Rosas, Jorge

2014-12-01

Satellite remote sensing provides data on land surface characteristics, useful for mapping land surface energy fluxes and evapotranspiration (ET). Land-surface temperature (LST) derived from thermal infrared (TIR) satellite data has been reliably used as a remote indicator of ET and surface moisture status. However, TIR imagery usually operates at a coarser resolution than that of shortwave sensors on the same satellite platform, making it sometimes unsuitable for monitoring of field-scale crop conditions. This study applies the data mining sharpener (DMS; Gao et al., 2012) technique to data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), which sharpens the 1 km thermal data down to the resolution of the optical data (250-500 m) based on functional LST and reflectance relationships established using a flexible regression tree approach. The DMS approach adopted here has been enhanced/refined for application over irrigated farming areas located in harsh desert environments in Saudi Arabia. The sharpened LST data is input to an integrated modeling system that uses the Atmosphere-Land Exchange Inverse (ALEXI) model and associated flux disaggregation scheme (DisALEXI) in conjunction with model reanalysis data and remotely sensed data from polar orbiting (MODIS) and geostationary (MSG; Meteosat Second Generation) satellite platforms to facilitate daily estimates of evapotranspiration. Results are evaluated against available flux tower observations over irrigated maize near Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. Successful monitoring of field-scale changes in surface fluxes are of importance towards an efficient water use in areas where fresh water resources are scarce and poorly monitored. Gao, F.; Kustas, W.P.; Anderson, M.C. A Data Mining Approach for Sharpening Thermal Satellite Imagery over Land. Remote Sens. 2012, 4, 3287-3319.

Trends in federal and state highway investment

Science.gov (United States)

2003-06-18

In response to Congressional request the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) reviewed data from Federal Highway Administration 's Highway Statistics for the period from 1982 through 2001, adjusting expenditures to 2001 dollars to (1) identify overal...

Using Xrootd to Federate Regional Storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bauerdick, L; Benjamin, D; Bloom, K; Bockelman, B; Bradley, D; Dasu, S; Ernst, M; Ito, H; Rind, O; Gardner, R; Vukotic, I; Hanushevsky, A; Lesny, D; McGuigan, P; McKee, S; Severini, H; Sfiligoi, I; Tadel, M; Würthwein, F; Williams, S

2012-01-01

While the LHC data movement systems have demonstrated the ability to move data at the necessary throughput, we have identified two weaknesses: the latency for physicists to access data and the complexity of the tools involved. To address these, both ATLAS and CMS have begun to federate regional storage systems using Xrootd. Xrootd, referring to a protocol and implementation, allows us to provide data access to all disk-resident data from a single virtual endpoint. This “redirector” discovers the actual location of the data and redirects the client to the appropriate site. The approach is particularly advantageous since typically the redirection requires much less than 500 milliseconds and the Xrootd client is conveniently built into LHC physicists’ analysis tools. Currently, there are three regional storage federations - a US ATLAS region, a European CMS region, and a US CMS region. The US ATLAS and US CMS regions include their respective Tier 1, Tier 2 and some Tier 3 facilities; a large percentage of experimental data is available via the federation. Additionally, US ATLAS has begun studying low-latency regional federations of close-by sites. From the base idea of federating storage behind an endpoint, the implementations and use cases diverge. The CMS software framework is capable of efficiently processing data over high-latency links, so using the remote site directly is comparable to accessing local data. The ATLAS processing model allows a broad spectrum of user applications with varying degrees of performance with regard to latency; a particular focus has been optimizing n-tuple analysis. Both VOs use GSI security. ATLAS has developed a mapping of VOMS roles to specific file system authorizations, while CMS has developed callouts to the site's mapping service. Each federation presents a global namespace to users. For ATLAS, the global-to-local mapping is based on a heuristic-based lookup from the site's local file catalog, while CMS does the mapping

Using Xrootd to federate regional storage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bauerdick, L.; et al.

2012-01-01

While the LHC data movement systems have demonstrated the ability to move data at the necessary throughput, we have identified two weaknesses: the latency for physicists to access data and the complexity of the tools involved. To address these, both ATLAS and CMS have begun to federate regional storage systems using Xrootd. Xrootd, referring to a protocol and implementation, allows us to provide data access to all disk-resident data from a single virtual endpoint. This redirector discovers the actual location of the data and redirects the client to the appropriate site. The approach is particularly advantageous since typically the redirection requires much less than 500 milliseconds and the Xrootd client is conveniently built into LHC physicists analysis tools. Currently, there are three regional storage federations - a US ATLAS region, a European CMS region, and a US CMS region. The US ATLAS and US CMS regions include their respective Tier 1, Tier 2 and some Tier 3 facilities, a large percentage of experimental data is available via the federation. Additionally, US ATLAS has begun studying low-latency regional federations of close-by sites. From the base idea of federating storage behind an endpoint, the implementations and use cases diverge. The CMS software framework is capable of efficiently processing data over high-latency links, so using the remote site directly is comparable to accessing local data. The ATLAS processing model allows a broad spectrum of user applications with varying degrees of performance with regard to latency, a particular focus has been optimizing n-tuple analysis. Both VOs use GSI security. ATLAS has developed a mapping of VOMS roles to specific file system authorizations, while CMS has developed callouts to the site's mapping service. Each federation presents a global namespace to users. For ATLAS, the global-to-local mapping is based on a heuristic-based lookup from the site's local file catalog, while CMS does the mapping

Detection of heat wave using Kalpana-1 VHRR land surface temperature product over India

Science.gov (United States)

Shah, Dhiraj; Pandya, Mehul R.; Pathak, Vishal N.; Darji, Nikunj P.; Trivedi, Himanshu J.

2016-05-01

Heat Waves can have notable impacts on human mortality, ecosystem, economics and energy supply. The effect of heat wave is much more intense during summer than the other seasons. During the period of April to June, spells of very hot weather occur over certain regions of India and global warming scenario may result in further increases of such temperature anomalies and corresponding heat waves conditions. In this paper, satellite observations have been used to detect the heat wave conditions prevailing over India for the period of May-June 2015. The Kalpana-1 VHRR derived land surface temperature (LST) products have been used in the analysis to detect the heat wave affected regions over India. Results from the analysis shows the detection of heat wave affected pixels over Indian land mass. It can be seen that during the study period the parts of the west India, Indo-gangetic plane, Telangana and part of Vidarbh was under severe heat wave conditions which is also confirmed with Automatic Weather Station (AWS) air temperature observations.

A Performance Analysis of Long-term Acute-Care Hospitals Owned by Large, Multistate Investor-Owned Companies.

Science.gov (United States)

Nayar, Preethy; Liu, Xinliang; McCue, Michael J

2016-01-01

This study provides a descriptive assessment of the operating performance of for-profit long-term acute-care hospitals owned by multistate, investor-owned companies (large FP LTCHs) compared with FP LTCHs owned by smaller FP companies (small FP LTCHs) and nonprofit LTCHs (NP LTCHs). The study used the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services cost report data for 290 LTCHs from 2010 through 2012 to compare the financial performance of large and small FP LTCHs and NP LTCHs. The study found that the median operating profit margin for large FP LTCHs was 8.06%, which was twice as high as that of the small FP LTCHs and NP LTCHs (4.78% and 2.80%, respectively). Larger size, serving a greater proportion of private pay and more complex patients and incurring lower operating expenses, including salary expenses, may account for the higher operating margin of the large FP LTCHs.

ownCloud project at CNRS

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2014-01-01

CNRS will launch next November an ownCloud based service with the intend to serve CNRS research units. The first step is to deploy this service as a beta solution for 2 months and 2 000 end users, and then to generalize this offer to the whole CNRS users (potentialy 100 000 users). Our platform is based on ownCloud 7 community edition, with VMWare for virtualization, a Galera/MariaDB cluster database and Scality for the distributed storage backend. We will try to present during this workshop our service implementation in detail, and discuss about our choices, our concerns, … our troubles :)

Wind Tunnel Study on Flows over Various Two-dimensional Idealized Urban-liked Surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Yat-Kiu; Liu, Chun-Ho

2013-04-01

Extensive human activities (e.g. increased traffic emissions) emit a wide range of pollutants resulting in poor urban area air quality. Unlike open, flat and homogenous rural terrain, urban surface is complicated by the presence of buildings, obstacles and narrow streets. The irregular urban surfaces thus form a random roughness that further modifies the near-surface flows and pollutant dispersion. In this study, a physical modelling approach is employed to commence a series of wind tunnel experiments to study the urban-area air pollution problems. The flow characteristics over different hypothetical urban roughness surfaces were studied in a wind tunnel in isothermal conditions. Preliminary experiments were conducted based on six types of idealized two-dimensional (2D) street canyon models with various building-height-to-street-width (aspect) ratios (ARs) 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/10 and 1/12. The main instrumentation is an in-house 90o X-hotwire anemometry. In each set of configuration, a sampling street canyon was selected near the end of the streamwise domain. Its roof level, i.e. the transverse between the mid points of the upstream and downstream buildings, was divided into eight segments. The measurements were then recorded on the mid-plane of the spannwise domain along the vertical profile (from building roof level to the ceiling of wind tunnel) of the eight segments. All the data acquisition processes were handled by the NI data acquisition modules, NI 9239 and CompactDAQ-9188 hardware. Velocity calculation was carried out in the post-processing stage on a digital computer. The two-component flow velocities and velocity fluctuations were calculated at each sampling points, therefore, for each model, a streamwise average of eight vertical profiles of mean velocity and velocity fluctuations was presented. A plot of air-exchange rate (ACH) against ARs was also presented in order to examine the ventilation performance of different tested models. Preliminary results

Own-Choice Marriage and Fertility in Turkey.

Science.gov (United States)

Manglos-Weber, Nicolette D; Weinreb, Alexander A

2017-04-01

Goode's foundational work on the fertility transition identified own-choice marriage as a factor driving fertility decline, part of a widening repertoire of choice pertaining to marriage and childbearing. Yet research supporting this connection in today's transitional societies is scarce and somewhat contradictory, and it is unclear how other marital traditions, such as consanguineous marriage, shape this relationship. This study evaluates Goode's theorized connection using pooled Demographic and Health Survey data from Turkey, comparing children ever born, use of contraception, and parity progression across four types of marriage: own-choice and arranged marriage; and marriage to a cousin versus an unrelated spouse. Results are largely consistent with the idea that a move towards own-choice marriage reflects a widening repertoire of choice that also leads to fertility decline. However, they also show that hybrid models like own-choice marriage to a cousin tempers these effects.

Own-Choice Marriage and Fertility in Turkey

Science.gov (United States)

Weinreb, Alexander A.

2016-01-01

Goode’s foundational work on the fertility transition identified own-choice marriage as a factor driving fertility decline, part of a widening repertoire of choice pertaining to marriage and childbearing. Yet research supporting this connection in today’s transitional societies is scarce and somewhat contradictory, and it is unclear how other marital traditions, such as consanguineous marriage, shape this relationship. This study evaluates Goode’s theorized connection using pooled Demographic and Health Survey data from Turkey, comparing children ever born, use of contraception, and parity progression across four types of marriage: own-choice and arranged marriage; and marriage to a cousin versus an unrelated spouse. Results are largely consistent with the idea that a move towards own-choice marriage reflects a widening repertoire of choice that also leads to fertility decline. However, they also show that hybrid models like own-choice marriage to a cousin tempers these effects. PMID:28316343

Atmospheric Circulation Patterns over East Asia and Their Connection with Summer Precipitation and Surface Air Temperature in Eastern China during 1961-2013

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Shuping; Hou, Wei; Feng, Guolin

2018-04-01

Based on the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data and Chinese observational data during 1961-2013, atmospheric circulation patterns over East Asia in summer and their connection with precipitation and surface air temperature in eastern China as well as associated external forcing are investigated. Three patterns of the atmospheric circulation are identified, all with quasi-barotropic structures: (1) the East Asia/Pacific (EAP) pattern, (2) the Baikal Lake/Okhotsk Sea (BLOS) pattern, and (3) the eastern China/northern Okhotsk Sea (ECNOS) pattern. The positive EAP pattern significantly increases precipitation over the Yangtze River valley and favors cooling north of the Yangtze River and warming south of the Yangtze River in summer. The warm sea surface temperature anomalies over the tropical Indian Ocean suppress convection over the northwestern subtropical Pacific through the Ekman divergence induced by a Kelvin wave and excite the EAP pattern. The positive BLOS pattern is associated with below-average precipitation south of the Yangtze River and robust cooling over northeastern China. This pattern is triggered by anomalous spring sea ice concentration in the northern Barents Sea. The anomalous sea ice concentration contributes to a Rossby wave activity flux originating from the Greenland Sea, which propagates eastward to North Pacific. The positive ECNOS pattern leads to below-average precipitation and significant warming over northeastern China in summer. The reduced soil moisture associated with the earlier spring snowmelt enhances surface warming over Mongolia and northeastern China and the later spring snowmelt leads to surface cooling over Far East in summer, both of which are responsible for the formation of the ECNOS pattern.

Changes in Surface Wind Speed over North America from CMIP5 Model Projections and Implications for Wind Energy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sujay Kulkarni

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The centennial trends in the surface wind speed over North America are deduced from global climate model simulations in the Climate Model Intercomparison Project—Phase 5 (CMIP5 archive. Using the 21st century simulations under the RCP 8.5 scenario of greenhouse gas emissions, 5–10 percent increases per century in the 10 m wind speed are found over Central and East-Central United States, the Californian Coast, and the South and East Coasts of the USA in winter. In summer, climate models projected decreases in the wind speed ranging from 5 to 10 percent per century over the same coastal regions. These projected changes in the surface wind speed are moderate and imply that the current estimate of wind power potential for North America based on present-day climatology will not be significantly changed by the greenhouse gas forcing in the coming decades.

Intra-Industry Affiliate Trade of Foreign-Owned Companies in Transition Economies:

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Jørgen Ulff-Møller; Pawlik, Konrad

2008-01-01

Using a database containing trade and industry variables of foreign-owned companies in the Polish manufacturing industry for the years 1993-2002, we investigate the relationship between the organizational structure of multinational enterprises (MNE) in Poland and the intra-industry trade of their...... become a more important mode of organization for multinational enterprises as Poland has evolved into a relatively stable economic environment where MNEs feel comfortable basing their regional operations.......Using a database containing trade and industry variables of foreign-owned companies in the Polish manufacturing industry for the years 1993-2002, we investigate the relationship between the organizational structure of multinational enterprises (MNE) in Poland and the intra-industry trade...... of their affiliates (IIAT). We find labour intensity; scale economies and absorptive capacity of affiliates are the main explanatory variables for IIAT. Given the overall rise in export and import intensities of foreign affiliates over the period of investigation, our findings suggest that export-platform FDI has...

Policy gridlock in waste management: Balancing federal and state concerns

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feldman, D.L. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States); Peretz, J.H.; Jendrucko, B.K. [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)

1993-12-31

Current federal hazardous and low-level radioactive waste management policies fail to balance national concerns for policy consistency with state concerns for equity, discretion, and adequate resources. Failure to balance these competing values has resulted in {open_quotes}policy gridlock{close_quotes} - exemplified by conflicts over the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Acts. Both conflicts have resulted in recent U.S. Supreme Court litigation. After reviewing federal-state conflict in hazardous and low-level radioactive waste management, we propose that the solution to gridlock lies in modifying conjoint federalism. Conjoint federalism allows for joint responsibility for waste policy between federal and state governments, with state programs meeting minimum standards set by federal programs. However, conjoint federalism does not currently allow for sufficient state discretion, which is paramount for successful waste management programs. Specifically, Congress should expand conjoint federalism, to allow states to charge differential fees on imported hazardous waste as is done for low-level radioactive waste. This expansion would encourage waste minimization and better interstate planning.

Costs and results of federal incentives for commercial nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bezdek, R.H.; Wendling, R.M.

1991-01-01

This paper (1) estimates the total costs of federal expenditures in support of incentives for the development of commercial nuclear energy through 1988, and (2) analyzes the results and benefits to the nation of this federal investment. The federal incentives analyzed include research and development, regulation of commercial nuclear energy, tax incentives, waste management and disposal, enrichment plants, liability insurance, the uranium mining industry, and all other federal support activities. The authors estimate that net federal incentives totaled about $45-50 billion (1988 dollars). They estimate the results of the federal incentives, focusing on six categories, namely, electric energy produced, the total (direct plus indirect) economic benefits of the industry created, R and D program benefits, value of energy imports displaced, environmental effects, and health, safety, and risk effects. The results total $1.9 trillion, with approximately $250-300 billion identified as net benefits. The authors conclude that the high return on the investment justified federal incentives for nuclear energy development over the past four decades and that the federal government and the nation have received a significant return on the incentives investment

Policy gridlock in waste management: Balancing federal and state concerns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feldman, D.L.; Peretz, J.H.; Jendrucko, B.K.

1993-01-01

Current federal hazardous and low-level radioactive waste management policies fail to balance national concerns for policy consistency with state concerns for equity, discretion, and adequate resources. Failure to balance these competing values has resulted in open-quotes policy gridlockclose quotes - exemplified by conflicts over the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Acts. Both conflicts have resulted in recent U.S. Supreme Court litigation. After reviewing federal-state conflict in hazardous and low-level radioactive waste management, we propose that the solution to gridlock lies in modifying conjoint federalism. Conjoint federalism allows for joint responsibility for waste policy between federal and state governments, with state programs meeting minimum standards set by federal programs. However, conjoint federalism does not currently allow for sufficient state discretion, which is paramount for successful waste management programs. Specifically, Congress should expand conjoint federalism, to allow states to charge differential fees on imported hazardous waste as is done for low-level radioactive waste. This expansion would encourage waste minimization and better interstate planning

Green Energy Options for Consumer-Owned Business

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Co-opPlus of Western Massachusetts

2006-05-01

The goal of this project was to define, test, and prototype a replicable business model for consumer-owned cooperatives. The result is a replicable consumer-owned cooperative business model for the generation, interconnection, and distribution of renewable energy that incorporates energy conservation and efficiency improvements.

Learning to modulate one's own brain activity: The effect of spontaneous mental strategies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvia Erika Kober

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Using neurofeedback (NF, individuals can learn to modulate their own brain activity, in most cases electroencephalographic (EEG rhythms. Although a large body of literature reports positive effects of NF training on behavior and cognitive functions, there are hardly any reports on how participants can successfully learn to gain control over their own brain activity. About one third of people fail to gain significant control over their brain signals even after repeated training sessions. The reasons for this failure are still largely unknown. In this context, we investigated the effects of spontaneous mental strategies on NF performance. Twenty healthy participants performed either a SMR (sensorimotor rhythm, 12-15 Hz based or a Gamma (40-43 Hz based NF training over ten sessions. After the first and the last training session, they were asked to write down which mental strategy they have used for self-regulating their EEG. After the first session, all participants reported the use of various types of mental strategies such as visual strategies, concentration, or relaxation. After the last NF training session, four participants of the SMR group reported to employ no specific strategy. These four participants showed linear improvements in NF performance over the ten training sessions. In contrast, participants still reporting the use of specific mental strategies in the last NF session showed no changes in SMR based NF performance over the ten sessions. This effect could not be observed in the Gamma group. The Gamma group showed no prominent changes in Gamma power over the NF training sessions, regardless of the mental strategies used. These results indicate that successful SMR based NF performance is associated with implicit learning mechanisms. Participants stating vivid reports on strategies to control their SMR probably overload cognitive resources, which might be counterproductive in terms of increasing SMR power.

Why Trump’s pull-out of the Paris Agreement may open the door for state Governors to push their own climate action

OpenAIRE

Biedenkopf, Katja

2017-01-01

President Trump’s announcement to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement on climate change in June 2017 triggered the promise by a multitude of US cities and states to pursue and strengthen their own climate action, thereby counterbalancing the impact of the federal government’s policy choice. Former President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry invested major diplomatic efforts and skills in the international process to make possible an ambitious international agreement that woul...

Nocturnal surface ozone enhancement over Portugal during winter: Influence of different atmospheric conditions

KAUST Repository

Kulkarni, Pavan S.

2016-09-24

Four distinct nocturnal surface ozone (NSO) enhancement events were observed, with NSO concentration exceeding 80μg/m3, at multiple ozone (O3) monitoring stations (32 sites) in January, November and December between year 2000–2010, in Portugal. The reasonable explanation for the observed bimodal pattern of surface ozone with enhanced NSO concentration during nighttime has to be transport processes, as the surface ozone production ceases at nighttime. Simultaneous measurements of O3 at multiple stations during the study period in Portugal suggest that horizontal advection alone cannot explain the observed NSO enhancement. Thus, detailed analysis of the atmospheric conditions, simulated with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, were performed to evaluate the atmospheric mechanisms responsible for NSO enhancement in the region. Simulations revealed that each event occurred as a result of one or the combination of different atmospheric processes such as, passage of a cold front followed by a subsidence zone; passage of a moving surface trough, with associated strong horizontal wind speed and vertical shear; combination of vertical and horizontal transport at the synoptic scale; formation of a low level jet with associated vertical mixing below the jet stream. The study confirmed that large-scale flow pattern resulting in enhanced vertical mixing in the nocturnal boundary layer, plays a key role in the NSO enhancement events, which frequently occur over Portugal during winter months. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd

Nocturnal surface ozone enhancement over Portugal during winter: Influence of different atmospheric conditions

KAUST Repository

Kulkarni, Pavan S.; Dasari, Hari Prasad; Sharma, Ashish; Bortoli, D.; Salgado, Rui; Silva, A.M.

2016-01-01

Four distinct nocturnal surface ozone (NSO) enhancement events were observed, with NSO concentration exceeding 80μg/m3, at multiple ozone (O3) monitoring stations (32 sites) in January, November and December between year 2000–2010, in Portugal. The reasonable explanation for the observed bimodal pattern of surface ozone with enhanced NSO concentration during nighttime has to be transport processes, as the surface ozone production ceases at nighttime. Simultaneous measurements of O3 at multiple stations during the study period in Portugal suggest that horizontal advection alone cannot explain the observed NSO enhancement. Thus, detailed analysis of the atmospheric conditions, simulated with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, were performed to evaluate the atmospheric mechanisms responsible for NSO enhancement in the region. Simulations revealed that each event occurred as a result of one or the combination of different atmospheric processes such as, passage of a cold front followed by a subsidence zone; passage of a moving surface trough, with associated strong horizontal wind speed and vertical shear; combination of vertical and horizontal transport at the synoptic scale; formation of a low level jet with associated vertical mixing below the jet stream. The study confirmed that large-scale flow pattern resulting in enhanced vertical mixing in the nocturnal boundary layer, plays a key role in the NSO enhancement events, which frequently occur over Portugal during winter months. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd

Extended-range high-resolution dynamical downscaling over a continental-scale spatial domain with atmospheric and surface nudging

Science.gov (United States)

Husain, S. Z.; Separovic, L.; Yu, W.; Fernig, D.

2014-12-01

Extended-range high-resolution mesoscale simulations with limited-area atmospheric models when applied to downscale regional analysis fields over large spatial domains can provide valuable information for many applications including the weather-dependent renewable energy industry. Long-term simulations over a continental-scale spatial domain, however, require mechanisms to control the large-scale deviations in the high-resolution simulated fields from the coarse-resolution driving fields. As enforcement of the lateral boundary conditions is insufficient to restrict such deviations, large scales in the simulated high-resolution meteorological fields are therefore spectrally nudged toward the driving fields. Different spectral nudging approaches, including the appropriate nudging length scales as well as the vertical profiles and temporal relaxations for nudging, have been investigated to propose an optimal nudging strategy. Impacts of time-varying nudging and generation of hourly analysis estimates are explored to circumvent problems arising from the coarse temporal resolution of the regional analysis fields. Although controlling the evolution of the atmospheric large scales generally improves the outputs of high-resolution mesoscale simulations within the surface layer, the prognostically evolving surface fields can nevertheless deviate from their expected values leading to significant inaccuracies in the predicted surface layer meteorology. A forcing strategy based on grid nudging of the different surface fields, including surface temperature, soil moisture, and snow conditions, toward their expected values obtained from a high-resolution offline surface scheme is therefore proposed to limit any considerable deviation. Finally, wind speed and temperature at wind turbine hub height predicted by different spectrally nudged extended-range simulations are compared against observations to demonstrate possible improvements achievable using higher spatiotemporal

Federal finance: what can South Sudan and somalia learn from their ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The fiscal relationships between the federal and state governments are provided in the Constitution addressing the four major components of federal finance. The expenditure assignments among tiers of government appears to be in line with the general principles while taxing power is over concentrated in the hands of ...

Time-resolved PIV measurements of the atmospheric boundary layer over wind-driven surface waves

Science.gov (United States)

Markfort, Corey; Stegmeir, Matt

2017-11-01

Complex interactions at the air-water interface result in two-way coupling between wind-driven surface waves and the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). Turbulence generated at the surface plays an important role in aquatic ecology and biogeochemistry, exchange of gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide, and it is important for the transfer of energy and controlling evaporation. Energy transferred from the ABL promotes the generation and maintenance of waves. A fraction of the energy is transferred to the surface mixed layer through the generation of turbulence. Energy is also transferred back to the ABL by waves. There is a need to quantify the details of the coupled boundary layers of the air-water system to better understand how turbulence plays a role in the interactions. We employ time-resolved PIV to measure the detailed structure of the air and water boundary layers under varying wind and wave conditions in the newly developed IIHR Boundary-Layer Wind-Wave Tunnel. The facility combines a 30-m long recirculating water channel with an open-return boundary layer wind tunnel. A thick turbulent boundary layer is developed in the 1 m high air channel, over the water surface, allowing for the study of boundary layer turbulence interacting with a wind-driven wave field.

Land Surface Reflectance Retrieval from Hyperspectral Data Collected by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle over the Baotou Test Site

Science.gov (United States)

Duan, Si-Bo; Li, Zhao-Liang; Tang, Bo-Hui; Wu, Hua; Ma, Lingling; Zhao, Enyu; Li, Chuanrong

2013-01-01

To evaluate the in-flight performance of a new hyperspectral sensor onboard an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV-HYPER), a comprehensive field campaign was conducted over the Baotou test site in China on 3 September 2011. Several portable reference reflectance targets were deployed across the test site. The radiometric performance of the UAV-HYPER sensor was assessed in terms of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the calibration accuracy. The SNR of the different bands of the UAV-HYPER sensor was estimated to be between approximately 5 and 120 over the homogeneous targets, and the linear response of the apparent reflectance ranged from approximately 0.05 to 0.45. The uniform and non-uniform Lambertian land surface reflectance was retrieved and validated using in situ measurements, with root mean square error (RMSE) of approximately 0.01–0.07 and relative RMSE of approximately 5%–12%. There were small discrepancies between the retrieved uniform and non-uniform Lambertian land surface reflectance over the homogeneous targets and under low aerosol optical depth (AOD) conditions (AOD = 0.18). However, these discrepancies must be taken into account when adjacent pixels had large land surface reflectance contrast and under high AOD conditions (e.g. AOD = 1.0). PMID:23785513

77 FR 22786 - Privately Owned Vehicle Mileage Reimbursement Rates

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-17

... Owned Vehicle Mileage Reimbursement Rates AGENCY: Office of Governmentwide Policy (OGP), General... Privately Owned Vehicle Mileage Reimbursement Rates. SUMMARY: The General Services Administration's (GSA) special review of privately owned vehicle (POV) mileage reimbursement rates has resulted in adjusting the...

IMPROVEMENT OF STRATEGIC MANIPULATED FEDERAL PROPERTY THE EXAMPLE NON-CORE ASSETS OF JSC «CENTER OF NUCLEAR INDUSTRY NONCORE ASSETS» STATE CORPORATION «ROSATOM»

OpenAIRE

Ilya I. Rodin

2015-01-01

The article describes the main measures to improve the management of assets, federally-owned or private of public corporations - an inventory of the property, the recognition of non-core assets, the organization of decision-making systems, the sale of non-core assets at market value. The article provides the rationale for the creation within the large state-owned corporations specialized management companies responsible for the restructuring of non-core assets and improve management of the pr...

Mathematical modeling of rainwater runoff over catchment surface ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The subject of an article is the mathematical modeling of the rainwater runoff along the surface catchment taking account the transport of pollution which permeates into the water flow from a porous media of soil at the certain areas of this surface. The developed mathematical model consists of two types of equations: the ...

Direct numerical simulation of turbulent flows over superhydrophobic surfaces with gas pockets using linearized boundary conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, Jongmin; Bose, Sanjeeb; Garcia-Mayoral, Ricardo; Mani, Ali

2012-11-01

Superhydrophobic surfaces are shown to be effective for surface drag reduction under laminar regime by both experiments and simulations (see for example, Ou and Rothstein, Phys. Fluids 17:103606, 2005). However, such drag reduction for fully developed turbulent flow maintaining the Cassie-Baxter state remains an open problem due to high shear rates and flow unsteadiness of turbulent boundary layer. Our work aims to develop an understanding of mechanisms leading to interface breaking and loss of gas pockets due to interactions with turbulent boundary layers. We take advantage of direct numerical simulation of turbulence with slip and no-slip patterned boundary conditions mimicking the superhydrophobic surface. In addition, we capture the dynamics of gas-water interface, by deriving a proper linearized boundary condition taking into account the surface tension of the interface and kinematic matching of interface deformation and normal velocity conditions on the wall. We will show results from our simulations predicting the dynamical behavior of gas pocket interfaces over a wide range of dimensionless surface tensions. Supported by the Office of Naval Research and the Kwanjeong Educational Scholarship Foundation.

75 FR 82029 - Privately Owned Vehicle Mileage Reimbursement Rates

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-29

... Owned Vehicle Mileage Reimbursement Rates AGENCY: Office of Governmentwide Policy (OGP), General... Owned Vehicle Mileage Reimbursement Rates. SUMMARY: The General Services Administration's (GSA) annual privately owned vehicle (POV) mileage reimbursement rate reviews have resulted in new CY 2011 rates for the...

Estimation of Melt Ponds over Arctic Sea Ice using MODIS Surface Reflectance Data

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Y.; Cheng, X.; Liu, J.

2017-12-01

Melt ponds over Arctic sea ice is one of the main factors affecting variability of surface albedo, increasing absorption of solar radiation and further melting of snow and ice. In recent years, a large number of melt ponds have been observed during the melt season in Arctic. Moreover, some studies have suggested that late spring to mid summer melt ponds information promises to improve the prediction skill of seasonal Arctic sea ice minimum. In the study, we extract the melt pond fraction over Arctic sea ice since 2000 using three bands MODIS weekly surface reflectance data by considering the difference of spectral reflectance in ponds, ice and open water. The preliminary comparison shows our derived Arctic-wide melt ponds are in good agreement with that derived by the University of Hamburg, especially at the pond distribution. We analyze seasonal evolution, interannual variability and trend of the melt ponds, as well as the changes of onset and re-freezing. The melt pond fraction shows an asymmetrical growth and decay pattern. The observed melt ponds fraction is almost within 25% in early May and increases rapidly in June and July with a high fraction of more than 40% in the east of Greenland and Beaufort Sea. A significant increasing trend in the melt pond fraction is observed for the period of 2000-2017. The relationship between melt pond fraction and sea ice extent will be also discussed. Key Words: melt ponds, sea ice, Arctic

Supersonic flow over a pitching delta wing using surface pressure measurements and numerical simulations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mostafa HADIDOOLABI

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Experimental and numerical methods were applied to investigating high subsonic and supersonic flows over a 60° swept delta wing in fixed state and pitching oscillation. Static pressure coefficient distributions over the wing leeward surface and the hysteresis loops of pressure coefficient versus angle of attack at the sensor locations were obtained by wind tunnel tests. Similar results were obtained by numerical simulations which agreed well with the experiments. Flow structure around the wing was also demonstrated by the numerical simulation. Effects of Mach number and angle of attack on pressure distribution curves in static tests were investigated. Effects of various oscillation parameters including Mach number, mean angle of attack, pitching amplitude and frequency on hysteresis loops were investigated in dynamic tests and the associated physical mechanisms were discussed. Vortex breakdown phenomenon over the wing was identified at high angles of attack using the pressure coefficient curves and hysteresis loops, and its effects on the flow features were discussed.

44 CFR 327.3 - Policy.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... Emergency Management and Assistance FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY... afforded an advantage over his competitors and that Government-owned industrial plant equipment is... business establishments are provided with Government-owned industrial plant equipment shall be subject to...

An eddy covariance system to characterize the atmospheric surface layer and turbulent latent heat fluxes over a debris-covered Himalayan glacier.

Science.gov (United States)

Litt, Maxime; Steiner, Jakob F.; Stigter, Emmy E.; Immerzeel, Walter; Shea, Joseph Michael

2017-04-01

Over debris-covered glaciers, water content variations in the debris layer can drive significant changes in its thermal conductivity and significantly impact melt rates. Since sublimation and evaporation are favoured in high-altitude conditions, e.g., low atmospheric pressure and high wind speeds, they are expected to strongly influence the water balance of the debris-layer. Dedicated latent heat fluxes measurements at the debris surface are essential to characterize the debris heat conductivity in order to assess underlying ice melt. Furthermore, the contribution of the turbulent fluxes in the surface energy balance over debris covered glacier remains uncertain since they are generally evaluated through similarity methods which might not be valid in complex terrain. We present the first results of a 15-day eddy-covariance experiment installed at the end of the monsoon (September-October) on a 3-m tower above the debris-covered Lirung glacier in Nepal. The tower also included measurements of the 4 radiation components. The eddy covariance measurements allowed for the characterization of the turbulence in the atmospheric surface layer, as well as the direct measurements of evaporation, sublimation and turbulent sensible heat fluxes. The experiment helps us to evaluate the contribution of turbulent fluxes to the surface energy balance over this debris-covered glacier, through a precise characterization of the overlying turbulent atmospheric surface layer. It also helps to study the role of the debris-layer water content changes through evaporation and sublimation and its feedback on heat conduction in this layer. The large observed turbulent fluxes play a significant role in the energy balance at the debris surface and significantly influence debris moisture, conductivity and subsequently underlying ice melt.

Own-Race-Absent Racism | Martin | South African Journal of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

racepresent racism, the race of the racist figures as a term in her racist thinking; in own-race-absent racism it does not. While own-race-present racism might conform readily to commonsense understandings of racism, own-race-absent racism less clearly ...

On the use of radiative surface temperature to estimate sensible heat flux over sparse shrubs in Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

Chehbouni, A.; Nichols, W. D.; Qi, J.; Njoku, E. G.; Kerr, Y. H.; Cabot, F.

1994-01-01

The accurate partitioning of available energy into sensible and latent heat flux is crucial to the understanding of surface atmosphere interactions. This issue is more complicated in arid and semi arid regions where the relative contribution to surface fluxes from the soil and vegetation may vary significantly throughout the day and throughout the season. A three component model to estimate sensible heat flux over heterogeneous surfaces is presented. The surface was represented with two adjacent compartments. The first compartment is made up of two components, shrubs and shaded soil, the second of open 'illuminated' soil. Data collected at two different sites in Nevada (U.S.) during the Summers of 1991 and 1992 were used to evaluate model performance. The results show that the present model is sufficiently general to yield satisfactory results for both sites.

The influence of the circulation on surface temperature and precipitation patterns over Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. D. Jones

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The atmospheric circulation clearly has an important influence on variations in surface temperature and precipitation. In this study we illustrate the spatial patterns of variation that occur for the principal circulation patterns across Europe in the standard four seasons. We use an existing classification scheme of surface pressure patterns, with the aim of considering whether the patterns of influence of specific weather types have changed over the course of the 20th century. We consider whether the long-term warming across Europe is associated with more favourable weather types or related to warming within some of the weather types. The results indicate that the latter is occurring, but not all circulation types show warming. The study also illustrates that certain circulation types can lead to marked differences in temperature and/or precipitation for relatively closely positioned sites when the sites are located in areas of high relief or near coasts.

Quantifying changes in spatial patterns of surface air temperature dynamics over several decades

Science.gov (United States)

Zappalà, Dario A.; Barreiro, Marcelo; Masoller, Cristina

2018-04-01

We study daily surface air temperature (SAT) reanalysis in a grid over the Earth's surface to identify and quantify changes in SAT dynamics during the period 1979-2016. By analysing the Hilbert amplitude and frequency we identify the regions where relative variations are most pronounced (larger than ±50 % for the amplitude and ±100 % for the frequency). Amplitude variations are interpreted as due to changes in precipitation or ice melting, while frequency variations are interpreted as due to a northward shift of the inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ) and to a widening of the rainfall band in the western Pacific Ocean. The ITCZ is the ascending branch of the Hadley cell, and thus by affecting the tropical atmospheric circulation, ITCZ migration has far-reaching climatic consequences. As the methodology proposed here can be applied to many other geophysical time series, our work will stimulate new research that will advance the understanding of climate change impacts.

Retrievals of Surface Air Temperature Using Multiple Satellite Data Combinations over Complex Terrain in the Korean Peninsula

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, K.; Won, M.; Yoon, S.; Lim, J.

2016-12-01

Surface air temperature (Tair) is a fundamental factor for terrestrial environments and plays a major role in the fields of applied meteorology, climatology, and ecology. The satellite remotely sensed data offers the opportunity to estimate Tair on the earth's surface with high spatial and temporal resolutions. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) provides effective Tair retrievals although restricted to clear sky condition. MODIS Tair over complex terrain can result in significant retrieval errors due to the retrieval height mismatch to the elevation of local weather stations. In this study, we propose the methodology to estimate Tair over complex terrain for all sky conditions using multiple satellite data fusion based on the pixel-wise regression method. The combination of synergistic information from MODIS Tair and the brightness temperature (Tb) retrievals at 37 GHz frequency from the satellite microwave sensor were used for analysis. The air temperature lapse rate was applied to estimate the near-surface Tair considering the complex terrain such as mountainous regions. The retrieval results produced from this study showed a good agreement (RMSE Administration (KMA). The gaps in the MODIS Tair data due to cloud contamination were successfully filled using the proposed method which yielded similar accuracy as retrievals of clear sky. The results of this study indicate that the satellite data fusion can continuously produce Tair retrievals with reasonable accuracy and that the application of the temperature lapse rate can lead to improvement of the reliability over complex terrains such as the Korean Peninsula.

Indo-Pacific sea surface temperature influences on failed consecutive rainy seasons over eastern Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Hoell, Andrew; Funk, Christopher C.

2014-01-01

Rainfall over eastern Africa (10°S–10°N; 35°E–50°E) is bimodal, with seasonal maxima during the "long rains" of March–April–May (MAM) and the "short rains" of October–November–December (OND). Below average precipitation during consecutive long and short rains seasons over eastern Africa can have devastating long-term impacts on water availability and agriculture. Here, we examine the forcing of drought during consecutive long and short rains seasons over eastern Africa by Indo-Pacific sea surface temperatures (SSTs). The forcing of eastern Africa precipitation and circulation by SSTs is tested using ten ensemble simulations of a global weather forecast model forced by 1950–2010 observed global SSTs. Since the 1980s, Indo-Pacific SSTs have forced more frequent droughts spanning consecutive long and short rains seasons over eastern Africa. The increased frequency of dry conditions is linked to warming SSTs over the Indo-west Pacific and to a lesser degree to Pacific Decadal Variability. During MAM, long-term warming of tropical west Pacific SSTs from 1950–2010 has forced statistically significant precipitation reductions over eastern Africa. The warming west Pacific SSTs have forced changes in the regional lower tropospheric circulation by weakening the Somali Jet, which has reduced moisture and rainfall over the Horn of Africa. During OND, reductions in precipitation over recent decades are oftentimes overshadowed by strong year-to-year precipitation variability forced by the Indian Ocean Dipole and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation.

Federalism, Agenda Setting, and the Dynamics of Federal Education Policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Manna, Paul

This paper is part of a larger project on agenda setting in the U.S. federal system and the development of the federal education agenda since 1965. Two questions motivate the paper, one theoretical and the other empirical: (1) how does federalism affect the federal agenda?; and (2) what explains the development of federal involvement in K-12…

CILogon-HA. Higher Assurance Federated Identities for DOE Science

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Basney, James [Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States)

2015-08-01

The CILogon-HA project extended the existing open source CILogon service (initially developed with funding from the National Science Foundation) to provide credentials at multiple levels of assurance to users of DOE facilities for collaborative science. CILogon translates mechanism and policy across higher education and grid trust federations, bridging from the InCommon identity federation (which federates university and DOE lab identities) to the Interoperable Global Trust Federation (which defines standards across the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid, the Open Science Grid, and other cyberinfrastructure). The CILogon-HA project expanded the CILogon service to support over 160 identity providers (including 6 DOE facilities) and 3 internationally accredited certification authorities. To provide continuity of operations upon the end of the CILogon-HA project period, project staff transitioned the CILogon service to operation by XSEDE.

Federal Holidays

Data.gov (United States)

Office of Personnel Management — Federal law (5 U.S.C. 6103) establishes the following public holidays for Federal employees. Please note that most Federal employees work on a Monday through Friday...

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS OF AGRICULTURAL LAND MANAGEMENT IN THE NORTH CAUCASIAN FEDERAL DISTRICT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. R. Musayev

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Aim. The aim is to assess the environmental problems in the North Caucasus Federal District of the Russian Federation. Methods. An analysis of the literature and own research at a high anthropogenic pressure on agricultural land through the development of more stringent criteria for assessing the already degraded areas. Results. In the Stavropol region, Andropov district is in the most catastrophic state: of eight ratings five have the highest (fifth catastrophic degree degree of degradation; two the first (low and one rating has the second (middle. On the territory of Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, the highest degree of degradation of agricultural land is assigned to rocky ground, where it has a catastrophic rate of 9.76 points. For agricultural workers on steppe plains, the priority is to fight against deflation, as there is also a high degradation level 6.67 (above catastrophic. Conclusion. It was established that in the North Caucasus Federal District the system of rational use of land should be of environmental and resource-conserving nature and provide for the preservation of the soil, limiting the impact on flora and fauna, geological formations, and other components of the environment.

Manipulating surface diffusion and elastic interactions to obtain quantum dot multilayer arrangements over different length scales

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Placidi, E., E-mail: ernesto.placidi@ism.cnr.it; Arciprete, F. [Istituto di Struttura della Materia, CNR, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Rome (Italy); Università di Roma “Tor Vergata”, Dipartimento di Fisica, via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome (Italy); Latini, V.; Latini, S.; Patella, F. [Università di Roma “Tor Vergata”, Dipartimento di Fisica, via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome (Italy); Magri, R. [Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, Informatiche e Matematiche (FIM), Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, and Centro S3 CNR-Istituto Nanoscienze, Via Campi 213/A, 4100 Modena (Italy); Scuderi, M.; Nicotra, G. [CNR-IMM, Strada VIII, 5, 95121 Catania (Italy)

2014-09-15

An innovative multilayer growth of InAs quantum dots on GaAs(100) is demonstrated to lead to self-aggregation of correlated quantum dot chains over mesoscopic distances. The fundamental idea is that at critical growth conditions is possible to drive the dot nucleation only at precise locations corresponding to the local minima of the Indium chemical potential. Differently from the known dot multilayers, where nucleation of new dots on top of the buried ones is driven by the surface strain originating from the dots below, here the spatial correlations and nucleation of additional dots are mostly dictated by a self-engineering of the surface occurring during the growth, close to the critical conditions for dot formation under the fixed oblique direction of the incoming As flux, that drives the In surface diffusion.

Assimilating AOD retrievals from GOCI and VIIRS to forecast surface PM2.5 episodes over Eastern China

Science.gov (United States)

Pang, Jiongming; Liu, Zhiquan; Wang, Xuemei; Bresch, Jamie; Ban, Junmei; Chen, Dan; Kim, Jhoon

2018-04-01

In this study, Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) AOD and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) AOD data were assimilated to forecast surface PM2.5 concentrations over Eastern China, by using the three-dimensional variational (3DAVR) data assimilation (DA) system, to compare DA impacts by assimilating AOD retrievals from these two types of satellites. Three experiments were conducted, including a CONTROL without the AOD assimilation, and GOCIDA and VIIRSDA with the assimilation of AOD retrievals from GOCI and VIIRS, respectively. By utilizing the Weather Research and Forecasting with Chemistry (WRF/Chem) model, 48-h forecasts were initialized at each 06 UTC from 19 November to 06 December 2013. These forecasts were evaluated with 248 ground-based measurements from the air quality monitoring network across 67 China cities. The results show that overall the CONTROL underestimated surface PM2.5 concentrations, especially over Jing-Jin-Ji (JJJ) region and Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region. Both the GOCIDA and VIIRSDA produced higher surface PM2.5 concentrations mainly over Eastern China, which fits well with the PM2.5 measurements at these eastern sites, with more than 8% error reductions (ER). Moreover, compared to CONTROL, GOCIDA reduced 14.0% and 6.4% error on JJJ region and YRD region, respectively, while VIIRSDA reduced respectively 2.0% and 13.4% error over the corresponding areas. During the heavy polluted period, VIIRSDA improved all sites within YRD region, and GOCIDA enhanced 84% sites. Meanwhile, GOCIDA improved 84% sites on JJJ region, while VIIRSDA did not affect that region. These geographic distinctions might result from spatial dissimilarity between GOCI AOD and VIIRS AOD at time intervals. Moreover, the larger increment produced by AOD DA under stable meteorological conditions could lead to a longer duration (e.g., 1-2 days, > 2 days) of AOD DA impacts. Even though with AOD DA, surface PM2.5 concentrations were still underestimated

Ground and surface water in New Mexico: are they protected against uranium mining and milling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Townsend, K.K.

1978-01-01

Inadequate funds to allow New Mexico to collect data on the effects of uranium mining and milling on ground and surface water resources and vigorous opposition by the uranium companies have made the Environmental Protection Agency reluctant to adopt the state's request for control of discharges. The state is unable to monitor for the presence of toxic materials and questions have been raised over EPA's jurisdiction over groundwater. Federal and state water pollution regulations are reviewed and weaknesses noted, particularly the effect of terrain and the limitations on regulation of navigable waters

Who are you looking at? The influence of face gender on visual attention and memory for own- and other-race faces.

Science.gov (United States)

Lovén, Johanna; Rehnman, Jenny; Wiens, Stefan; Lindholm, Torun; Peira, Nathalie; Herlitz, Agneta

2012-01-01

Previous research suggests that the own-race bias (ORB) in memory for faces is a result of other-race faces receiving less visual attention at encoding. As women typically display an own-gender bias in memory for faces and men do not, we investigated whether face gender and sex of viewer influenced visual attention and memory for own- and other-race faces, and if preferential viewing of own-race faces contributed to the ORB in memory. Participants viewed pairs of female or male own- and other-race faces while their viewing time was recorded. Afterwards, they completed a surprise memory test. We found that (1) other-race males received the initial focus of attention, (2) own-race faces were viewed longer than other-race faces over time, although the difference was larger for female faces, and (3) even though longer viewing time increased the probability of remembering a face, it did not explain the magnified ORB in memory for female faces. Importantly, these findings highlight that face gender moderates attentional responses to and memory for own- and other-race faces.

Spatio-Temporal Modelling of Dust Transport over Surface Mining Areas and Neighbouring Residential Zones

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eva Gulikova

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Projects focusing on spatio-temporal modelling of the living environment need to manage a wide range of terrain measurements, existing spatial data, time series, results of spatial analysis and inputs/outputs from numerical simulations. Thus, GISs are often used to manage data from remote sensors, to provide advanced spatial analysis and to integrate numerical models. In order to demonstrate the integration of spatial data, time series and methods in the framework of the GIS, we present a case study focused on the modelling of dust transport over a surface coal mining area, exploring spatial data from 3D laser scanners, GPS measurements, aerial images, time series of meteorological observations, inputs/outputs form numerical models and existing geographic resources. To achieve this, digital terrain models, layers including GPS thematic mapping, and scenes with simulation of wind flows are created to visualize and interpret coal dust transport over the mine area and a neighbouring residential zone. A temporary coal storage and sorting site, located near the residential zone, is one of the dominant sources of emissions. Using numerical simulations, the possible effects of wind flows are observed over the surface, modified by natural objects and man-made obstacles. The coal dust drifts with the wind in the direction of the residential zone and is partially deposited in this area. The simultaneous display of the digital map layers together with the location of the dominant emission source, wind flows and protected areas enables a risk assessment of the dust deposition in the area of interest to be performed. In order to obtain a more accurate simulation of wind flows over the temporary storage and sorting site, 3D laser scanning and GPS thematic mapping are used to create a more detailed digital terrain model. Thus, visualization of wind flows over the area of interest combined with 3D map layers enables the exploration of the processes of coal dust

Analysis of observed surface ozone in the dry season over Eastern Thailand during 1997-2012

Science.gov (United States)

Assareh, Nosha; Prabamroong, Thayukorn; Manomaiphiboon, Kasemsan; Theramongkol, Phunsak; Leungsakul, Sirakarn; Mitrjit, Nawarat; Rachiwong, Jintarat

2016-09-01

This study analyzed observed surface ozone (O3) in the dry season over a long-term period of 1997-2012 for the eastern region of Thailand and incorporated several technical tools or methods in investigating different aspects of O3. The focus was the urbanized and industrialized coastal areas recently recognized as most O3-polluted areas. It was found that O3 is intensified most in the dry-season months when meteorological conditions are favorable to O3 development. The diurnal variations of O3 and its precursors show the general patterns of urban background. From observational O3 isopleth diagrams and morning ratios of non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), the chemical regime of O3 formation was identified as VOC-sensitive, and the degree of VOC sensitivity tends to increase over the years, suggesting emission control on VOC to be suitable for O3 management. Both total oxidant analysis and back-trajectory modeling (together with K-means clustering) indicate the potential role of regional transport or influence in enhancing surface O3 level over the study areas. A meteorological adjustment with generalized linear modeling was performed to statistically exclude meteorological effects on the variability of O3. Local air-mass recirculation factor was included in the modeling to support the coastal application. The derived trends in O3 based on the meteorological adjustment were found to be significantly positive using a Mann-Kendall test with block bootstrapping.

The community Noah land surface model with multiparameterization options (Noah-MP): 2. Evaluation over global river basins

KAUST Repository

Yang, Zong-Liang; Niu, Guo-Yue; Mitchell, Kenneth E.; Chen, Fei; Ek, Michael B.; Barlage, Michael; Longuevergne, Laurent; Manning, Kevin; Niyogi, Dev; Tewari, Mukul; Xia, Youlong

2011-01-01

The augmented Noah land surface model described in the first part of the two-part series was evaluated here over global river basins. Across various climate zones, global-scale tests can reveal a model's weaknesses and strengths that a local

Own power: Motives of having electricity without the energy company

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leenheer, Jorna; Nooij, Michiel de; Sheikh, Omer

2011-01-01

New technologies will enable households to generate an increasing amount of their own electricity. Intentions to generate own power are a preliminary step towards actual behavior. Because own generation is still very limited and the behavior of early adopters may not be representative for the complete population, our study focuses on intentions rather than actual behavior. A consumer survey among 2047 Dutch households reveals that environmental concerns are the most important driver of a household's intention to generate its own power. Affinity with technology and energy and the reputation of electricity companies are also significant drivers, but financial factors and power outages are not. About 40% of Dutch households have an intention to generate their own power, with an overrepresentation of young households. This group falls apart in two sub segments; for the 'generating savers' (21%) a high intention to generate own power coincides with a high intention to save energy, whereas generating users (18%) combine a high intention to generate own power with a low intention to save energy. - Highlights: → A consumer survey studies household intentions to generate own power. → Environmental concerns are the most important motive for generating own power. → Other drivers are affinity with technology and reputation of electricity companies. → About 40% of Dutch households feel a need to generate their own electricity.

ABOUT TRANSITION ALTITUDE IN RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This article is about establishing a common transition altitude over all territory of Russian Federation. The main objective is to prove the necessity of a common transition altitude in Russian airspace and to define, which variant of tran- sition altitude (low, medium, high is the most suitable to be implemented in Russia. ICAO and IFALPA points of view, data and experience from different states and regions all over the world were examined in order to show all the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches towards common transition altitude. The research showed that the most appro- priate common transition altitude in Russia will be 10000 feet (3050 meters, it will cover almost all the international aero- dromes and regions in the country. Only several exceptions are needed in mountainous areas. This article can be used to further study of the possibility of implementation of common transition altitude, because it can’t take into consideration all the local features of all the FIRs (Flight Information Regions in Russia. The conclusion is establishing a common transi- tion altitude over such a big part of the world as Russian Federation will lead to improvement of the flight safety, harmoni- zation with ICAO and IFALPA policies and flexibility in airspace design.

Incentive regulation of investor-owned nuclear power plants by public utility regulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKinney, M.D.; Elliot, D.B.

1993-01-01

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) periodically surveys the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and state regulatory commissions that regulate utility owners of nuclear power plants. The NRC is interested in identifying states that have established economic or performance incentive programs applicable to nuclear power plants, including states with new programs, how the programs are being implemented, and in determining the financial impact of the programs on the utilities. The NRC interest stems from the fact that such programs have the potential to adversely affect the safety of nuclear power plants. The information in this report was obtained from interviews conducted with each state regulatory agency that administers an incentive program and each utility that owns at least 10% of an affected nuclear power plant. The agreements, orders, and settlements that form the basis for each incentive program were reviewed as required. The interviews and supporting documentation form the basis for the individual state reports describing the structure and financial impact of each incentive program

Seroprevalence study of feline coronavirus in owned and feral cats in Sydney, Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, E T; Toribio, J A L M L; White, J D; Malik, R; Norris, J M

2006-03-01

i) To establish the seroprevalence of Feline Coronavirus (FCoV) infection in two defined groups of cats in Sydney: owned and feral cats; ii) to identify factors associated with an increased risk of infection with FCoV; and iii) to establish the seroprevalence and FCoV antibody titres of owned cats with immunohistochemically confirmed feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). Prospective multi-institutional cross sectional study. Procedure Serum samples from owned cats presented to three inner city veterinary clinics in Sydney and feral cats from a colony in South Western Sydney over an 11-month period were tested for FCoV antibodies using the Immunocomb test kit. The relationship between serological score and six major factors (breed, age, gender, number of cats per household, living environment and health status) in the owned cat sample population was analysed and compared to cats with FIR RESULTS: The seroprevalence of FCoV infection in the sample population of owned and feral cats was 34% and 0%, respectively. The median Immunocomb scores of DSH, Persian, Siamese and Devon Rex cats were significantly lower than that of Burmese, BSH, Abyssinian, Birman, Ragdoll and Russian Blue. The median lmmunocomb score of pedigree cats less than 2 years-of-age was significantly higher than for pedigree cats greater than 2 years-of-age. This distinction was not evident in DSH cats in these age groups. The number of cats per household at the time of blood collection had a strong positive association with Immunocomb score. The median Immunocomb score of cats with immunohistochemically confirmed FIP was significantly higher than cats in the sample population of owned cats but there was sufficient overlap between these two groups to make definitive diagnosis of FIP by serology impossible. This represents the first seroprevalence study of FCoV in Australia. The major determinants of antibody score of owned cats identified in this study were breed, age and the number of cats per

Build your own time machine

CERN Document Server

Clegg, Brian

2012-01-01

There is no physical law to prevent time travel nothing in physics to say it is impossible. So who is to say it can't be done? In Build Your Own Time Machine, acclaimed science writer Brian Clegg takes inspiration from his childhood heroes, Doctor Who and H. G. Wells, to explain the nature of time. How do we understand it and why measure it the way we do? How did the theories of one man change the way time was perceived by the world? Why wouldn't H. G. Wells's time machine have worked? And what would we need to do to make a real one? Build Your Own Time Machine explores the amazing possib

Visual processing of one's own body over the course of time: Evidence for the vigilance-avoidance theory in adolescents with anorexia nervosa?

Science.gov (United States)

Bauer, Anika; Schneider, Silvia; Waldorf, Manuel; Cordes, Martin; Huber, Thomas J; Braks, Karsten; Vocks, Silja

2017-10-01

The vigilance-avoidance theory postulates a specific threat-related pattern of attention deployment, characterized by initial orientation towards fear-evoking stimuli and subsequent directing of attention away from them. The current eye-tracking study was the first to examine the applicability of the theory for patients with eating disorders, who perceive their own body as a highly aversive, threat-evoking stimulus. N = 56 female adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN) and n = 43 healthy controls (HC) aged 13-18 viewed own-body pictures while their eye movements were recorded. Relative fixation times on self-defined unattractive body areas were compared between the groups by sequencing the overall presentation time of 6,000 ms into six intervals à 1,000 ms. Participants with AN showed a significantly stronger attentional bias for unattractive body areas than HC within the time intervals 1, 2, and 3. However, for intervals 4, 5, and 6, no significant group differences occurred. Within the AN group, the bias for unattractive body areas was significantly stronger in interval 1 compared to intervals 4, 5, and 6; whereas within the HC group, a stable pattern of attention deployment emerged. In AN, early attention deployment was positively correlated with the negative affect reported after photo presentation. The early vigilance in AN and the subsequent decrease in attention to unattractive body parts is in line with our assumptions. However, no indication of attentional avoidance was found. The current findings partially support the vigilance-avoidance theory for the exposure to one's own body in adolescents with AN. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Comparative geopolitical analysis of “hotspots” in the Russian federation and in the Republic of Serbia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vuković Nebojša

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The Russian Federation and the Republic of Serbia have experienced internal challenges to their own unity and coherence for a long time. This work represents the analysis of these challenges, which can be defined, geopolitically speaking, as “hotspots”. Relying on the observations of Russian political scientists, the author of this work analyzed the so-called “crisis potential” in four “hotspots” in the Russian Federation. In the Republic of Serbia, five areas are marked that emit instability and jeopardise (or can jeopardise its unity, peace and prosperity. Certain similarities are found between the compared “hotspots”, and differences as well. The region of North Caucasus is marked as the most dangerous “hotspot” in the Russian Federation, which has not been completely solved yet by the Russian federal authorities, due to the constant terrorist attacks. The purpose of the attacks is to extort from Russia the withdrawal from the area and create conditions for the political independence. The author found a geopolitical analogy to the North Caucasus “hotspot” (Chechnya in the Republic of Serbia on the territory of Kosovo and Metohija. In the conclusion, it is stated that, at present, disparate geopolitical processes are taking place in the two countries - the Federal Centre is strengthening in the Russian Federation and the Federal Subjects are losing their attributes of statehood, whereas in the Republic of Serbia, the centrifugal tendencies are gaining prominence that can completely fragment it.

Dexterity test data contribute to proper glovebox over-glove use

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cournoyer, Michael E.; Lawton, Cindy M.; Castro, Armanda M.; Costigan, Stephen A.; Apel, D.M.; Neal, G.E.; Castro, J.M.; Michelotti, R.A.

2010-01-01

Programmatic operations at the Los Alamos National Laboratory Plutonium Facility (TA-55) involve working with various amounts of plutonium and other highly toxic, alpha-emitting materials. The spread of radiological contamination on surfaces, airborne contamination, and excursions of contaminants into the operator's breathing zone are prevented through the use of a variety of gloveboxes (the glovebox, coupled with an adequate negative pressure gradient, provides primary confinement). The glovebox gloves are the weakest part of this engineering control. The Glovebox Glove Integrity Program, which controls glovebox gloves from procurement to disposal at TA-55, manages this vulnerability. A key element of this program is to consider measures that lower the overall risk of glovebox operations. Proper selection of over-gloves is one of these measures. Line management owning glovebox processes have the responsibility to approve the appropriate personal protective equipment/glovebox glove/over-glove combination. As low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) considerations to prevent unplanned glovebox glove openings must be balanced with glove durability and worker dexterity, both of which affect the final overall risk to the worker. In this study, the causes of unplanned glovebox glove openings, the benefits of over-glove features, the effect of over-gloves on task performance using standard dexterity tests, the pollution prevention benefits, and the recommended over-gloves for a task are presented.

Comparing SMAP to Macro-scale and Hyper-resolution Land Surface Models over Continental U. S.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Ming; Cai, Xitian; Chaney, Nathaniel; Wood, Eric

2016-04-01

SMAP sensors collect moisture information in top soil at the spatial resolution of ~40 km (radiometer) and ~1 to 3 km (radar, before its failure in July 2015). Such information is extremely valuable for understanding various terrestrial hydrologic processes and their implications on human life. At the same time, soil moisture is a joint consequence of numerous physical processes (precipitation, temperature, radiation, topography, crop/vegetation dynamics, soil properties, etc.) that happen at a wide range of scales from tens of kilometers down to tens of meters. Therefore, a full and thorough analysis/exploration of SMAP data products calls for investigations at multiple spatial scales - from regional, to catchment, and to field scales. Here we first compare the SMAP retrievals to the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) macro-scale land surface model simulations over the continental U. S. region at 3 km resolution. The forcing inputs to the model are merged/downscaled from a suite of best available data products including the NLDAS-2 forcing, Stage IV and Stage II precipitation, GOES Surface and Insolation Products, and fine elevation data. The near real time VIC simulation is intended to provide a source of large scale comparisons at the active sensor resolution. Beyond the VIC model scale, we perform comparisons at 30 m resolution against the recently developed HydroBloks hyper-resolution land surface model over several densely gauged USDA experimental watersheds. Comparisons are also made against in-situ point-scale observations from various SMAP Cal/Val and field campaign sites.

Applying the welfare model to at-own-risk discharges.

Science.gov (United States)

Krishna, Lalit Kumar Radha; Menon, Sumytra; Kanesvaran, Ravindran

2017-08-01

"At-own-risk discharges" or "self-discharges" evidences an irretrievable breakdown in the patient-clinician relationship when patients leave care facilities before completion of medical treatment and against medical advice. Dissolution of the therapeutic relationship terminates the physician's duty of care and professional liability with respect to care of the patient. Acquiescence of an at-own-risk discharge by the clinician is seen as respecting patient autonomy. The validity of such requests pivot on the assumptions that the patient is fully informed and competent to invoke an at-own-risk discharge and that care up to the point of the at-own-risk discharge meets prevailing clinical standards. Palliative care's use of a multidisciplinary team approach challenges both these assumptions. First by establishing multiple independent therapeutic relations between professionals in the multidisciplinary team and the patient who persists despite an at-own-risk discharge. These enduring therapeutic relationships negate the suggestion that no duty of care is owed the patient. Second, the continued employ of collusion, familial determinations, and the circumnavigation of direct patient involvement in family-centric societies compromises the patient's decision-making capacity and raises questions as to the patient's decision-making capacity and their ability to assume responsibility for the repercussions of invoking an at-own-risk discharge. With the validity of at-own-risk discharge request in question and the welfare and patient interest at stake, an alternative approach to assessing at-own-risk discharge requests are called for. The welfare model circumnavigates these concerns and preserves the patient's welfare through the employ of a multidisciplinary team guided holistic appraisal of the patient's specific situation that is informed by clinical and institutional standards and evidenced-based practice. The welfare model provides a robust decision-making framework for

Trends in Upper-Level Cloud Cover and Surface Divergence Over the Tropical Indo-Pacific Ocean Between 1952 And 1997

Science.gov (United States)

Norris, Joel R.

2005-01-01

This study investigated the spatial pattern of linear trends in surface-observed upper-level (combined mid-level and High-level) cloud cover, precipitation, and surface divergence over the tropical Indo-Pacific Ocean during 1952-1957. Cloud values were obtained from the Extended Edited Cloud Report Archive (EECRA), precipitation values were obtained from the Hulme/Climate Research Unit Data Set, and surface divergence was alternatively calculated from wind reported Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set and from Smith and Reynolds Extended Reconstructed sea level pressure data.

Selective hydrodechlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane to ethylene over Pd-Ag/Al_2O_3 catalysts prepared by surface reduction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Yuxiang; Gu, Guangfeng; Sun, Jingya; Wang, Wenjuan; Wan, Haiqin; Xu, Zhaoyi; Zheng, Shourong

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Surface reduction method was used for preparation of Pd-Ag(Cu) bimetallic catalysts. • Hydrodechlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane was investigated for production of ethylene. • Ag(Cu) selectively deposited on Pd surface during surface reduction process. • Ethylene selectivity was enhanced over Pd-Ag(Cu)/Al_2O_3 catalyst prepared by surface reduction. • Isolated Pd site is the key species for ethylene selectivity. - Abstract: Alumina supported Pd-Ag and (Cu) bimetallic catalysts (denoted as sr-Pd-Ag/Al_2O_3 or sr-Pd-Cu/Al_2O_3) with varied Pd/Ag (or Cu) ratios were prepared using the surface reduction method, and the gas-phase catalytic hydrodechlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane over the catalysts were investigated. For comparison, Pd-Ag bimetallic catalysts were prepared by the conventional co-impregnation method (denoted as im-Pd-Ag/Al_2O_3). The catalysts were characterized by N_2 adsorption, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and CO chemisorption. Characterization results indicated that surface reduction led to selective deposition of metallic Ag on the surface of Pd particles, while Pd and Ag just disorderly mixed in the catalyst prepared by impregnation method. Therefore, sr-Pd-Ag/Al_2O_3 exhibited a higher ethylene selectivity than im-Pd-Ag/Al_2O_3 for hydrodechlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane at a similar Ag loading amount. Moreover, among sr-Pd-Ag/Al_2O_3, sr-Pd-Cu/Al_2O_3 and im-Pd-Ag/Al_2O_3 catalysts, the ethylene selectivity decreased over these catalysts following the order: sr-Pd-Ag/Al_2O_3 > sr-Pd-Cu/Al_2O_3 > im-Pd-Ag/Al_2O_3. The present results indicate that surface reduction can be used as a potential method to synthesize catalyst with enhanced ethylene selectivity in hydrodechlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane.

75 FR 29933 - Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Design Standards for New Federal Buildings

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-28

... Federal agency has significant control over the design of the building (e.g., ``lease-constructs''). DOE..., relocation facilities, telecommuting centers, similar Federal facilities, and any other buildings or..., harbor, flood control, reclamation or power projects, for chemical manufacturing or development projects...

Assimilation of ASCAT near-surface soil moisture into the SIM hydrological model over France

Science.gov (United States)

Draper, C.; Mahfouf, J.-F.; Calvet, J.-C.; Martin, E.; Wagner, W.

2011-12-01

This study examines whether the assimilation of remotely sensed near-surface soil moisture observations might benefit an operational hydrological model, specifically Météo-France's SAFRAN-ISBA-MODCOU (SIM) model. Soil moisture data derived from ASCAT backscatter observations are assimilated into SIM using a Simplified Extended Kalman Filter (SEKF) over 3.5 years. The benefit of the assimilation is tested by comparison to a delayed cut-off version of SIM, in which the land surface is forced with more accurate atmospheric analyses, due to the availability of additional atmospheric observations after the near-real time data cut-off. However, comparing the near-real time and delayed cut-off SIM models revealed that the main difference between them is a dry bias in the near-real time precipitation forcing, which resulted in a dry bias in the root-zone soil moisture and associated surface moisture flux forecasts. While assimilating the ASCAT data did reduce the root-zone soil moisture dry bias (by nearly 50%), this was more likely due to a bias within the SEKF, than due to the assimilation having accurately responded to the precipitation errors. Several improvements to the assimilation are identified to address this, and a bias-aware strategy is suggested for explicitly correcting the model bias. However, in this experiment the moisture added by the SEKF was quickly lost from the model surface due to the enhanced surface fluxes (particularly drainage) induced by the wetter soil moisture states. Consequently, by the end of each winter, during which frozen conditions prevent the ASCAT data from being assimilated, the model land surface had returned to its original (dry-biased) climate. This highlights that it would be more effective to address the precipitation bias directly, than to correct it by constraining the model soil moisture through data assimilation.

How do local governments decide on public policy in fiscal federalism?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Köthenbürger, Marko

2011-01-01

Previous literature widely assumes that taxes are optimized in local public finance while expenditures adjust residually. This paper endogenizes the choice of the optimization variable. In particular, it analyzes how federal policy toward local governments influences the way local governments...... decide on public policy. Unlike the usual presumption, the paper shows that local governments may choose to optimize over expenditures. The result holds when federal policy subsidizes local taxation. The results offer a new perspective of the efficiency implications of federal policy toward local...

How Do Local Governments Decide on Public Policy in Fiscal Federalism?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Köthenbürger, Marko

2008-01-01

Previous literature widely assumes that taxes are optimized in local public finance while expenditures adjust residually. This paper endogenizes the choice of the optimization variable. In particular, it analyzes how federal policy toward local governments influences the way local governments...... decide on public policy. Unlike the presumption, the paper shows that local governments may choose to optimize over expenditures. The result most notably prevails when federal policy subsidizes local fiscal effort. The results offer a new perspective of the efficiency implications of federal policy...

Estimating a relationship between aerosol optical thickness and surface wind speed over the ocean

OpenAIRE

Glantz , P.; Nilsson , D. E.; Von Hoyningen-Huene , W.

2006-01-01

International audience; Retrieved aerosol optical thickness (AOT) based on data obtained by the Sea viewing Wide Field Sensor (SeaWiFS) is combined with surface wind speed, obtained at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWFs), over the North Pacific for September 2001. In this study a cloud screening approach is introduced in an attempt to exclude pixels partly or fully covered by clouds. The relatively broad swath width for which the nadir looking SeaWiFS instrument sc...

Path Loss Prediction Over the Lunar Surface Utilizing a Modified Longley-Rice Irregular Terrain Model

Science.gov (United States)

Foore, Larry; Ida, Nathan

2007-01-01

This study introduces the use of a modified Longley-Rice irregular terrain model and digital elevation data representative of an analogue lunar site for the prediction of RF path loss over the lunar surface. The results are validated by theoretical models and past Apollo studies. The model is used to approximate the path loss deviation from theoretical attenuation over a reflecting sphere. Analysis of the simulation results provides statistics on the fade depths for frequencies of interest, and correspondingly a method for determining the maximum range of communications for various coverage confidence intervals. Communication system engineers and mission planners are provided a link margin and path loss policy for communication frequencies of interest.

Ethics in family vs nonfamily owned businesses.

Science.gov (United States)

Hebert, Frederic J; Bass, Kenneth E; Tomkiewicz, Joseph

2002-12-01

This study investigated the ethical judgments in family vs nonfamily owned businesses. Respondents rated their ethical evaluations of 5 scenarios which involved ethical issues, e.g., promotion of a family member ahead of an equally qualified nonfamily employee. Analysis of responses from 120 participants yielded no statistically significant differences between the ethical judgment ratings of owner/managers of family and nonfamily owned firms.

Enhancing Noah Land Surface Model Prediction Skill over Indian Subcontinent by Assimilating SMOPS Blended Soil Moisture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akhilesh S. Nair

2016-11-01

Full Text Available In the present study, soil moisture assimilation is conducted over the Indian subcontinent, using the Noah Land Surface Model (LSM and the Soil Moisture Operational Products System (SMOPS observations by utilizing the Ensemble Kalman Filter. The study is conducted in two stages involving assimilation of soil moisture and simulation of brightness temperature (Tb using radiative transfer scheme. The results of data assimilation in the form of simulated Surface Soil Moisture (SSM maps are evaluated for the Indian summer monsoonal months of June, July, August, September (JJAS using the Land Parameter Retrieval Model (LPRM AMSR-E soil moisture as reference. Results of comparative analysis using the Global land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS SSM is also discussed over India. Data assimilation using SMOPS soil moisture shows improved prediction over the Indian subcontinent, with an average correlation of 0.96 and average root mean square difference (RMSD of 0.0303 m3/m3. The results are promising in comparison with the GLDAS SSM, which has an average correlation of 0.93 and average RMSD of 0.0481 m3/m3. In the second stage of the study, the assimilated soil moisture is used to simulate X-band brightness temperature (Tb at an incidence angle of 55° using the Community Microwave Emission Model (CMEM Radiative transfer Model (RTM. This is aimed to study the sensitivity of the parameterization scheme on Tb simulation over the Indian subcontinent. The result of Tb simulation shows that the CMEM parameterization scheme strongly influences the simulated top of atmosphere (TOA brightness temperature. Furthermore, the Tb simulations from Wang dielectric model and Kirdyashev vegetation model shows better similarity with the actual AMSR-E Tb over the study region.

Ensuring the Environmental and Industrial Safety in Solid Mineral Deposit Surface Mining

Science.gov (United States)

Trubetskoy, Kliment; Rylnikova, Marina; Esina, Ekaterina

2017-11-01

The growing environmental pressure of mineral deposit surface mining and severization of industrial safety requirements dictate the necessity of refining the regulatory framework governing safe and efficient development of underground resources. The applicable regulatory documentation governing the procedure of ore open-pit wall and bench stability design for the stage of pit reaching its final boundary was issued several decades ago. Over recent decades, mining and geomechanical conditions have changed significantly in surface mining operations, numerous new software packages and computer developments have appeared, opportunities of experimental methods of source data collection and processing, grounding of the permissible parameters of open pit walls have changed dramatically, and, thus, methods of risk assessment have been perfected [10-13]. IPKON RAS, with the support of the Federal Service for Environmental Supervision, assumed the role of the initiator of the project for the development of Federal norms and regulations of industrial safety "Rules for ensuring the stability of walls and benches of open pits, open-cast mines and spoil banks", which contribute to the improvement of economic efficiency and safety of mineral deposit surface mining and enhancement of the competitiveness of Russian mines at the international level that is very important in the current situation.

Own-gender imitation activates the brain's reward circuitry

Science.gov (United States)

Iacoboni, Macro; Martin, Alia; Dapretto, Mirella

2012-01-01

Imitation is an important component of human social learning throughout life. Theoretical models and empirical data from anthropology and psychology suggest that people tend to imitate self-similar individuals, and that such imitation biases increase the adaptive value (e.g., self-relevance) of learned information. It is unclear, however, what neural mechanisms underlie people's tendency to imitate those similar to themselves. We focused on the own-gender imitation bias, a pervasive bias thought to be important for gender identity development. While undergoing fMRI, participants imitated own- and other-gender actors performing novel, meaningless hand signs; as control conditions, they also simply observed such actions and viewed still portraits of the same actors. Only the ventral and dorsal striatum, orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala were more active when imitating own- compared to other-gender individuals. A Bayesian analysis of the BrainMap neuroimaging database demonstrated that the striatal region preferentially activated by own-gender imitation is selectively activated by classical reward tasks in the literature. Taken together, these findings reveal a neurobiological mechanism associated with the own-gender imitation bias and demonstrate a novel role of reward-processing neural structures in social behavior. PMID:22383803

Understanding Federalism.

Science.gov (United States)

Hickok, Eugene W., Jr.

1990-01-01

Urges returning to the original federalist debates to understand contemporary federalism. Reviews "The Federalist Papers," how federalism has evolved, and the centralization of the national government through acts of Congress and Supreme Court decisions. Recommends teaching about federalism as part of teaching about U.S. government…

Business Models and Producer-Owned Ventures: Choices, Challenges, and Changes

OpenAIRE

Kenkel, Philip L.; Park, John L.

2007-01-01

Producer-owned business models are rapidly evolving. Producer-owned, value-added ventures face a number of organizational challenges, including capital acquisition, security exchange registration, antitrust exemption, borrowing eligibility, and operational flexibility. This paper examines the success of evolving producer-owned business models in addressing these challenges. The need for uniform criteria to distinguish producer-owned business from other business forms throughout the complex st...

Winter to winter recurrence of atmospheric circulation anomalies over East Asia and its impact on winter surface air temperature anomalies.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Xia; Yang, Guang

2017-01-01

The persistence of atmospheric circulation anomalies over East Asia shows a winter to winter recurrence (WTWR) phenomenon. Seasonal variations in sea level pressure anomalies and surface wind anomalies display significantly different characteristics between WTWR and non-WTWR years. The WTWR years are characterized by the recurrence of both a strong (weak) anomalous Siberian High and an East Asian winter monsoon over two successive winters without persistence through the intervening summer. However, anomalies during the non-WTWR years have the opposite sign between the current and ensuing winters. The WTWR of circulation anomalies contributes to that of surface air temperature anomalies (SATAs), which is useful information for improving seasonal and interannual climate predictions over East Asia and China. In the positive (negative) WTWR years, SATAs are cooler (warmer) over East Asia in two successive winters, but the signs of the SATAs are opposite in the preceding and subsequent winters during the non-WTWR years.

UNA LECTURA REPUBLICANA I FEDERAL DE L'AUTODETERMINACIÓ

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miquel Caminal Badia

2007-10-01

Full Text Available The prospect of offering a positive solution to the right to self-determinationand to regulate it constitutionally is an inevitable step in the convergence betweenthe liberal democratic tradition and republican patriotism. As societiesbecome increasingly democratic, and become more advanced in terms ofmaterial equality, the more national diversity is recognised and the closer wecome to a republican and federal culture, given that we are allowing real nationsto speak without internal or external discrimination or domination. Arepublican and federal interpretation of self-determination is necessary tosucceed in reversing the treatment of national conflicts within liberal democracies.The time for unilateral decisions based on sovereignty is over, insofaras democratic constitutions include and regulate the multi-nation state andthe federal principle, such as recognition and the means to agreement betweennations based on equality, respectively.

75 FR 32317 - Proposed Revocation of Colored Federal Airway G-4; AK

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-08

... the Wood River (BTS) Non-directional Beacon (NDB) near the town of Dillingham, Alaska. DATES: Comments...) part 71 by removing Colored Federal airway G-4 associated with the planned BTS NDB decommissioning near Dillingham, AK. The BTS NDB has been non-operational for over two years. Colored Federal Airways are...

Surface water, particulate matter, and sediments of inland waters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mundschenk, H.

1985-01-01

The Bundesanstalt fuer Gewaesserkunde (BfG) since 1958 runs a system for monitoring the surface water and sediments of Federal German waterways in its capacity as a directing water monitoring centre. The data recorded over the years show that the radioactivity released by the various emission sources leads to radionuclide concentrations in water, particulate matter, or sediments that generally are below the detection limits defined in the relevant legal provisions governing monitoring and surveillance of nuclear facilities effluents. Representative examples of measuring methods and results (as for e.g. for H-3) are given. (DG) [de

Alien Asteroid Belt Compared to our Own

Science.gov (United States)

2005-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Figure 1: Band of Light Comparison This artist's concept illustrates what the night sky might look like from a hypothetical alien planet in a star system with an asteroid belt 25 times as massive as the one in our own solar system (alien system above, ours below; see Figure 1). NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope found evidence for such a belt around the nearby star called HD 69830, when its infrared eyes spotted dust, presumably from asteroids banging together. The telescope did not find any evidence for a planet in the system, but astronomers speculate one or more may be present. The movie begins at dusk on the imaginary world, when HD 69830, like our Sun, has begun to set over the horizon. Time is sped up to show the onset of night and the appearance of a brilliant band of light. This light comes from dust in a massive asteroid belt, which scatters sunlight. In our solar system, anybody observing the skies on a moonless night far from city lights can see the sunlight that is scattered by dust in our asteroid belt. Called zodiacal light and sometimes the 'false dawn,' this light appears as a dim band stretching up from the horizon when the Sun is about to rise or set. The light is faint enough that the disk of our Milky Way galaxy remains the most prominent feature in the sky. (The Milky Way disk is shown perpendicular to the zodiacal light in both pictures.) In contrast, the zodiacal light in the HD 69830 system would be 1,000 times brighter than our own, outshining even the Milky Way.

Federal Plan for Advanced Networking Research and Development

Data.gov (United States)

Networking and Information Technology Research and Development, Executive Office of the President — In the four decades since Federal research first enabled computers to send and receive data over networks, U.S. government research and development R and D in...

The political economy of Malaysian federalism: Economic development, public policy and conflict containment

OpenAIRE

Jomo, K. S.; Hui, Wee Chong

2002-01-01

Conflicts within the Malaysian federation have been rooted in socio-economic disparities and the struggle for control of natural resource rents, which State Governments previously had exclusive control over, as originally provided for by the federal constitution. The advance of fiscal centralization since then has also aggravated federal-state tensions, which have been relatively ignored due to the long-standing Malaysian pre-occupation with inter-ethnic tensions. Inter-regional resource tran...

Growing Women-Owned Businesse | CRDI - Centre de recherches ...

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

This project will help women-owned businesses connect to global markets and enhance their growth prospects. WEConnect International, a leading international certification body for women's business enterprises, is leading the project. The organization connects women-owned businesses to large private companies' ...

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Surface Water Protection: A Watershed Approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Coty, J

2009-03-16

This surface water protection plan (plan) provides an overview of the management efforts implemented at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) that support a watershed approach to protect surface water. This plan fulfills a requirement in the Department of Energy (DOE) Order 450.1A to demonstrate a watershed approach for surface water protection that protects the environment and public health. This plan describes the use of a watershed approach within which the Laboratory's current surface water management and protections efforts have been structured and coordinated. With more than 800 million acres of land in the U.S. under federal management and stewardship, a unified approach across agencies provides enhanced resource protection and cost-effectiveness. The DOE adopted, along with other federal agencies, the Unified Federal Policy for a Watershed Approach to Federal Land and Resource Management (UFP) with a goal to protect water quality and aquatic ecosystems on federal lands. This policy intends to prevent and/or reduce water pollution from federal activities while fostering a cost-effective watershed approach to federal land and resource management. The UFP also intends to enhance the implementation of existing laws (e.g., the Clean Water Act [CWA] and National Environmental Policy Act [NEPA]) and regulations. In addition, this provides an opportunity for the federal government to serve as a model for water quality stewardship using a watershed approach for federal land and resource activities that potentially impact surface water and its uses. As a federal land manager, the Laboratory is responsible for a small but important part of those 800 million acres of land. Diverse land uses are required to support the Laboratory's mission and provide an appropriate work environment for its staff. The Laboratory comprises two sites: its main site in Livermore, California, and the Experimental Test Site (Site 300), near Tracy, California. The main site

Multi-criterion model ensemble of CMIP5 surface air temperature over China

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Tiantian; Tao, Yumeng; Li, Jingjing; Zhu, Qian; Su, Lu; He, Xiaojia; Zhang, Xiaoming

2018-05-01

The global circulation models (GCMs) are useful tools for simulating climate change, projecting future temperature changes, and therefore, supporting the preparation of national climate adaptation plans. However, different GCMs are not always in agreement with each other over various regions. The reason is that GCMs' configurations, module characteristics, and dynamic forcings vary from one to another. Model ensemble techniques are extensively used to post-process the outputs from GCMs and improve the variability of model outputs. Root-mean-square error (RMSE), correlation coefficient (CC, or R) and uncertainty are commonly used statistics for evaluating the performances of GCMs. However, the simultaneous achievements of all satisfactory statistics cannot be guaranteed in using many model ensemble techniques. In this paper, we propose a multi-model ensemble framework, using a state-of-art evolutionary multi-objective optimization algorithm (termed MOSPD), to evaluate different characteristics of ensemble candidates and to provide comprehensive trade-off information for different model ensemble solutions. A case study of optimizing the surface air temperature (SAT) ensemble solutions over different geographical regions of China is carried out. The data covers from the period of 1900 to 2100, and the projections of SAT are analyzed with regard to three different statistical indices (i.e., RMSE, CC, and uncertainty). Among the derived ensemble solutions, the trade-off information is further analyzed with a robust Pareto front with respect to different statistics. The comparison results over historical period (1900-2005) show that the optimized solutions are superior over that obtained simple model average, as well as any single GCM output. The improvements of statistics are varying for different climatic regions over China. Future projection (2006-2100) with the proposed ensemble method identifies that the largest (smallest) temperature changes will happen in the

Helping Others Regulate Emotion Predicts Increased Regulation of One's Own Emotions and Decreased Symptoms of Depression.