864,403 research outputs found
STS-26 solid rocket booster post flight structural assessment
A post flight assessment of the Space Shuttle's Solid Rocket Boosters was conducted at the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida after the launch of STS-26. The two boosters were inspected for structural damage and the results of this inspection are presented. Overall, the boosters were in good condition. However, there was some minor damage attributed to splash down. Some of this damage is a recurring problem. Explanations of these problems are provided
International Emissions Trading and Induced Carbon-Saving Technical Change: Effects of Restricting the Trade in Carbon Rights
This paper examines the implications of restricting the tradability of carbon rights in the presence of induced technical change. Unlike earlier approaches aiming at exploring the tradability-technology linkage we focus on climate-relevant 'carbon-saving' technical change. This is achieved by incorporating endogenous investment in carbon productivity into the RICE-99 integrated assessment model of Nordhaus and Boyer (2000). Simulation analysis of various emission reduction scenarios with several restrictions on emissions trading reveals a pronounced dichotomy of effects across regions: Restrictions to trading raise the investments in carbon productivity in permit demanding regions while reducing them in permit supplying regions. In terms of per capita consumption, permit demanding regions lose and permit supplying regions gain from restrictions. In scenarios that involve 'hot air', restrictions to trade lower overall emissions which results in reduced climate damage for most regions. Reduced damage, in turn, reduces the incentive to invest in carbon productivity.Carbon-saving technological progress; Emissions trading; Flexibility mechanism; Induced technological change; Integrated assessment model
An integrative assessment to determine the genotoxic hazard of estuarine sediments: combining cell and whole-organism responses
The application of the Comet assay in environmental monitoring remains challenging in face of the complexity of environmental stressors, e.g., when dealing with estuarine sediments, that hampers the drawing of cause-effect relationships. Although the in vitro Comet assay may circumvent confounding factors, its application in environmental risk assessment (ERA) still needs validation. As such, the present work aims at integrating genotoxicity and oxidative DNA damage induced by sediment-bound toxicants in HepG2 cells with oxidative stress-related effects observed in three species collected from an impacted estuary. Distinct patterns were observed in cells exposed to crude mixtures of sediment contaminants from the urban/industrial area comparatively to the ones from the rural/riverine area of the estuary, with respect to oxidative DNA damage and oxidative DNA damage. The extracts obtained with the most polar solvent and the crude extracts caused the most significant oxidative DNA damage in HepG2 cells, as measured by the formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase (FPG)-modified Comet assay. This observation suggests that metals and unknown toxicants more hydrophilic than polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons may be important causative agents, especially in samples from the rural part of the estuary, where oxidative DNA damage was the most significant. Clams, sole, and cuttlefish responded differentially to environmental agents triggering oxidative stress, albeit yielding results accordant with the oxidative DNA damage observed in HepG2 cells. Overall, the integration of in vivo biomarker responses and Comet assay data in HepG2 cells yielded a comparable pattern, indicating that the in vitro FPG-modified Comet assay may be an effective and complementary line-of-evidence in ERA even in particularly challenging, natural, scenarios such as estuarine environments
Organ damage is a major determinant of work productivity impairment in Behçet's Syndrome: a post-hoc analysis of the BODI validation study
Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence, magnitude, and potential determinants of work productivity impairment in patients with Behçet's Syndrome (BS), focusing on the role of irreversible organ damage. Methods: A post-hoc analysis of the BS overall damage index (BODI) prospective validation study was performed. Demographics and clinical features were recorded in all patients. The Work Productivity and Activity Impairment: General Health (WPAI: GH) questionnaire was administered to assess the work limitation and the BODI to measure organ damage. The independent effect of BS features on WPAI: GH outcomes was evaluated by regression analysis. Results: Out of 148 patients, 34.5% were unemployed, with age (OR 1.035) and BODI score (OR 1.313 for 1-unit increase) as the only factors significantly (p< 0.05) associated with the unemployment state. An overall work impairment was reported in about 64.2% of the employed patients. Indeed, 22.7% reported missing work h due to their health (absenteeism), with a mean time loss of 34.4%; whereas 60.2% declared a reduced performance at work because of their health (presenteeism), with a mean productivity impairment of 45.4%. Ocular damage was associated with absenteeism (β 0.225); female sex (β 0.260), physician global assessment of disease activity (β 0.502) and an increased BODI score (β 0.166 for 1-point increase) with presenteeism; fibromyalgia (β 0.246), physician global assessment (β 0.469), and musculoskeletal damage (β 0.325) with overall work impairment. Conclusions: Disease activity and organ damage accrual remarkably affect work productivity in BS patients. Achieving remission and preventing damage accrual are crucial and complementary objectives
Assessment of Forest Damage in Croatia Caused by Natural Hazards in 2014
Background and Purpose: Recent natural disasters (ice-breaks, torrents, floods) that affected five Croatian counties caused significant damage on forest stands and forest infrastructure. Since in Croatia there is no common methodology for fast and reliable assessment of forest damage, the aim of this paper is to develop and present methodology for rapid damage assessment and to prescribe urgent recovery measures, as well as to provide first preliminary results of the total damage to forests.
Materials and Methods: An attempt was made to develop the methodology which would rely on existing legislations, regulations, instructions and experiences for forest damage assessment as much as possible. Estimation of forest damage was based on field observations, spatial data of forest management units and data from the existing Forest management plans.
Results: According to conducted assessment, forests of Primorsko-goranska County are the most affected by the overall damage caused by ice-storm. Major damages occurred both on the forest and on forest roads. Ice-storm also caused serious damages on forests and on forest roads in Ličko-senjska County and Karlovačka County, while floods and torrents caused damages on forest roads in Zagrebačka County, Sisačko-moslavačka County and Karlovačka County. Money-wise, the total forest damage amounts 942 252 183 €.
Conclusions: Methodology for rapid damage assessment presented in this paper resulted on first preliminary estimate of range, intensity and cost of forest damage caused by recent natural disturbances. More precise data on forest damage will be known after the implementation of the proposed emergency recovery measures. Also, certain improvements of methodology in terms of precision and collection of data may be achieved by incorporating remote sensing methods
Debris/Ice/TPS Assessment and Photographic Analysis for Shuttle Mission STS-37
A Debris/Ice/TPS assessment and photographic analysis was conducted for Space Shuttle Mission STS-37. Debris inspections of the flight elements and launch pad were performed before and after launch. Ice/frost conditions on the External Tank were assessed by the use of computer programs, nomographs, and infrared scanner data during cryogenic loading of the vehicle followed by on-pad visual inspection. High speed photography of launch was analyzed to identify ice/debris sources and evaluate potential vehicle damage and/or inflight anomalies. The debris/ice/TPS conditions and photographic analysis of Mission STS-37 are documented, along with their overall effect on the Space Shuttle Program
Debris/ice/TPS assessment and photographic analysis for Shuttle Mission STS-42
A Debris/Ice/TPS (Thermal Protection System) assessment and photographic analysis was conducted for Shuttle Mission STS-42. Debris inspection of the flight elements and launch pad were performed before and after launch. Ice/frost conditions on the External Tank were assessed by the use of computer programs, nomographs, and infrared scanner data during cryogenic loading of the vehicle followed by on-pad visual inspection. High speed photography was analyzed after launch to identify ice/debris sources and evaluate potential vehicle damage and/or in-flighr anomalies. The debris/ice/TPS conditions are documented along with photographic analysis of Mission STS-42, and their overall effect on the Space Shuttle Program
Debris/ice/TPS assessment and photographic analysis of shuttle mission STS-48
A Debris/Ice/TPS assessment and photographic analysis was conducted for Space Shuttle Mission STS-48. Debris inspection of the flight elements and launch pad were performed before and after launch. Ice/frost conditions on the External Tank were assessed by the use of computer programs, nomographs, and infrared scanner data during cryogenic loading of the vehicle followed by on-pad visual inspection. High speed photography was analyzed after launch to identify ice/debris sources and evaluate potential vehicle damage and/or in-flight anomalies. The debris/ice/TPS conditions and photographic analysis of Mission STS-48 are documented, along with their overall effect on the Space Shuttle Program
Pre-earthquake fuzzy logic-based rapid hazard assessment of reinforced concrete buildings
The main purpose of this paper is to present a rapid building assessment fuzzy logic (FL) modelling for risk assessment based on expert construction engineering verbal informatics. Before an earthquake, a set of input expert assessment variables are transformed into five types of hazard categorization as "no damage", "slight damage", "moderate damage", "severe damage", and "collapse". Main variables are reported by expert engineers based on visual inspection of structural components in addition to the building location's peak ground velocity (PGV) micro zonation numerical value, soil type and building's material information. Each input variable and output hazard class is fuzzified. A valid set of fuzzy rule base components is written based on input variables, each of which has an appropriate output hazard class. The fuzzy hazard assessment model has input and output variables in terms of fuzzy sets. Thus, the overall model output is in the form of a fuzzy set and then defuzzified to find the percentage of each hazard class for a single building. The application of this fuzzy logic model is presented for twenty existing reinforced concrete buildings, and the final hazard categories of these buildings are presented with interpretations and recommendations.Istanbul Medipol Universit
Debris/Ice/TPS Assessment and Photographic Analysis for Shuttle Mission STS-38
A debris/ice/TPS assessment and photographic analysis was conducted for the Space Shuttle Mission STS-38. Debris inspection of the flight elements and launch pad were performed before and after launch. Ice/frost conditions on the external tank were assessed by the use of computer programs, nomographs, and infrared scanner data during cryogenic loading of the vehicle followed by on-pad visual inspection. High speed photography was analyzed after launch to identify ice/debris sources and evaluate potential vehicle damage and/or in-flight anomalies. The debris/ice/TPS conditions and photographic analysis of Mission STS-38, and their overall effect on the Space Shuttle Program are documented
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