Field Emissions of (Hydro)Chlorofluorocarbons and Methane from a California Landfill

A comprehensive field investigation was conducted at Potrero Hills Landfill (PHL) located in Suisun City, California to quantify emissions of twelve (hydro)chlorofluorocarbons (i.e. F-gases). The specific target constituents for this study included CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-113, CFC-114, HCFC-21, HCFC-22, HCFC-141b, HCFC-142b, HCFC-151a, HFC-134a, HFC-152a, and HFC-245fa. The majority of the F-gas emission studies have been conducted outside of the United States and very limited field landfill emission data are available in the United States. Because of historical usage of blowing agents in insulation foams including CFC-11, HCFC-142b, HFC-134a, and HFC-245fa, models reported in literature predicted high F-gas emissions from a landfill environment, but very limited field data are available to verify such predictions. In this investigation, the surface flux of the twelve F-gases, methane, and carbon dioxide was quantified from various landfill cover systems and in areas with different waste ages, waste heights, and cover thicknesses at Potrero Hills Landfill. In addition, destruction efficiencies for the twelve F-gases were determined based on inlet and outlet concentrations of the onsite flare system. Lastly, the surface flux values were scaled up to a facility-wide emission value to estimate the total fugitive emissions from the landfill. The F-gas flux values for the daily covers were in the 10 -8 to 10-1 g m-2 day -1 range and 10-7 to 10-2 g m-2 day-1 range for the wet and dry season, respectively. The F-gas flux values for the intermediate covers in the -10-6 to 10-4 g m-2 day-1 range and -10-6 to 10-4 g m-2 day-1 range for the wet and dry season, respectively. The F-gas flux values for the final covers were in the 10-7 to 10-5 g m-2 day-1 range and -10-7 to 10-6 g m-2 day-1 range for the wet and dry season, respectively. F-gas fluxes for the final covers had the highest number of below detection limit cases as well as lower than R2 threshold cases. Thest F-gas fluxes were measured from daily cover system constructed with auto shredder residue (i.e. auto fluff) for the both the wet and dry seasons. The highest fluxes were measured for CFC-11, HCFC-21, and HCFC-141b in the wet season and for CFC-11, HCFC-141b, and HFC-134a in the dry season across the seven cover locations. Lower level of variation was observed for methane and carbon dioxide with flux values ranging over five orders of magnitude for the seven tested locations. The methane flux values for the daily covers were in the 10-2 to 10+1 g m-2 d-1 range and 1 to 10+1 g m-2 day-1 range for the wet and dry season, respectively. The carbon dioxide flux values for the daily covers were in the -10+1 to 10+2 g m-2 day-1 range and -10+1 to 10+1 g m-2 day-1 range for the wet and dry season, respectively. The methane flux values for the intermediate covers were in the -10-2 to 10+1 g m-2 d-1 range and -10-3 to 10+1 g m-2 day-1 range for the wet and dry season, respectively. The carbon dioxide flux values for the intermediate covers were in the 1 to 10+2 g m-2 day-1 range for both seasons. The methane fluxes for the final cover were -10 -3 g m-2 day-1 and 10-4 g m-2 day-1 for the wet and dry season, respectively. The carbon dioxide flux values for the final cover were in the 10+1 g m-2 d-1 range and 1 to 10+1 g m-2 day-1 range for the wet and dry season, respectively. Negative flux values were typically observed during the wet season and at the intermediate and final covers. The destruction efficiencies for the twelve F-gases were above 99.5% for the onsite flare. Highest F-gas raw gas concentrations were measured for HFC-134a while the lowest F-gas concentration was measured for CFC-113. The F-gas concentrations in the raw gas ranged from 103 to 106 pptv. Similar to what has been reported in the literature, the landfill gas flare system was an efficient abatement device in controlling F-gas emissions. The surface emission measurement values from the field investigation were scaled up to estimate facility-wide fugitive emission values using the relative surface areas of the daily, intermediate, and final cover distributions in the landfill. The total fugitive emissions from the landfill including twelve F-gases, methane, and carbon dioxide ranged from 6,900 to 94,000 CO2E tonnes per year during the wet season, from 21,000 to 47,000 CO2E tonnes per year during the dry season, and from 13,000 to 75,000 CO2E tonnes per year during the year, prorated by the season (representing weighted average of 58% wet season emission rate and 42% dry season emission rate in a 12-month calendar year). The total fugitive F-gas emissions ranged from 1,600 to 4,800 CO2E tonnes per year during the wet season, from 140 to 600 CO2E tonnes per year during the dry season, and from 1,000 to 3,000 CO2E tonnes per year, prorated by the season. The total fugitive methane emissions ranged from 530 to 75,000 CO2E tonnes per year during the wet season, 17,000 to 35,000 CO2E tonnes per year during the dry season, and from 7,500 to 58,000 CO2E tonnes per year, prorated by the season. The total fugitive carbon dioxide emissions ranged from 5,000 to 14,000 CO2E tonnes per year during the wet season, 4,200 to 12,000 CO2E tonnes per year during the dry season, and from 4,500 to 13,000 CO2E tonnes per year, prorated by the season. In comparison to the total fugitive emission value derived from the first-order decay (FOD) model reported by USEPA and the total fugitive emission values calculated using waste-in-place (WIP) – landfill gas correlation equation presented in Spokas et al. (2015), the field-derived methane emission values were one to three orders of magnitude lower

Diagnostic and therapeutic considerations in idiopathic hypereosinophilia with warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia.

Hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) encompasses numerous diverse conditions resulting in peripheral hypereosinophilia that cannot be explained by hypersensitivity, infection, or atopy and that is not associated with known systemic diseases with specific organ involvement. HES is often attributed to neoplastic or reactive causes, such as chronic eosinophilic leukemia, although a majority of cases remains unexplained and are considered idiopathic. Here, we review the current diagnosis and management of HES and present a unique case of profound hypereosinophilia associated with warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia requiring intensive management. This case clearly illustrates the limitations of current knowledge with respect to hypereosinophilia syndrome as well as the challenges associated with its classification and management

Earnings management and managerial honesty: the investors’ perspectives

This paper studies how investors infer CEO commitment to honesty from earnings management and how these perceptions – in conjunction with investors’ own social and moral preferences – shape their investment choices. We conduct two laboratory experiments simulating investment choices. Our results show that participants perceive a CEO to be more committed to honesty when they infer that the CEO engaged less in earnings management. For investment decisions, a one standard deviation increase in a CEO's perceived commitment to honesty compared to another CEO reduces the relevance of differences in the CEOs’ claimed future returns by 40%. This effect is most prominent among investors with a proself value orientation. To prosocial investors, their own honesty values and those attributed to the CEO matter directly, while returns only play a secondary role. Overall, our results suggest that moral motives are not a niche concern for norm-constrained investors, but instead matter to different categories of investors for distinct reasons

The spectral-curvature parameter: an alternative tool for the analysis of synchrotron spectra

The so-called Spectral Curvature Parameter(SCP), when plotted versus the high-frequency spectral index ($alpha_{high}$) of synchrotron sources, provides crucial parameters on the continuum spectrum of synchrotron radiation without the more complex modeling of spectral ageing scenarios. An important merit of the SCP-$alpha$ diagram is the enhanced reliability of extracting multiple injection spectra, $alpha_{inj}$. Different from the colour-colour diagram, tracks of different $alpha_{inj}$s, especially when the synchrotron particles are young, exhibit less overlap and less smearing in the SCP-$alpha$ diagram. Three giant radio galaxies(GRGs) and a sample of Compact steep spectrum(CSS) souces are presented. GRGs exhibit asymmetries of their injection spectral indices $alpha_{inj}$ in the SCP-$alpha_{high}$ diagram. The obtained $alpha_{inj}$s and the trends in the sources are cross-checked with the literature and show remarkable confidence. Besides the spectral steepening, spectral flattening is prominent in the radio lobes. The spectral flattening is a clue to efficient re-acceleration processes in the lobes. It implies interaction with the surrounding intergalactic or intra-cluster medium is an important characteristic of GRGs. In the SW lobe of DA240, there is a clear sign of CI and KP/JP bifurcation at the source extremity. This indicates a highly relativistic energy transportation from the core or in situ acceleration in this typical FR I lobe. Our analysis proves, if exists, KP spectra imply the existence of strong $B_{sync}$ field with $B_{sync} > B_{CMB}$. In the CSS sources, our result confirms the CI model and $B_{sync} >> B_{CMB}$. The synchrotron self-absorption is significant in the CSS sample.Comment: to be published in A&

Earnings Management and the Role of Moral Values in Investing

In this study, we use earnings management to examine (1) how investors regard a CEO’s commitment to honesty and (2) the impact of their perceptions, in light of their own moral values, on their investment decisions. In two laboratory experiments using students as investor proxies, we find that investors perceive a CEO as being more committed to honesty when they believe the CEO has engaged less in earnings management. A one standard deviation increase in a CEO’s perceived commitment to honesty, compared to that of another CEO, leads to a 40% reduction in the importance the investors assigned, when making investment decisions, to differences in the two CEOs’ claimed future returns. This effect is particularly pronounced among investors with a proself value orientation. For prosocial investors, their moral values and those they attribute to the CEO directly influence their investment decisions, with returns playing a secondary role. Our findings contrast with the idea, implicit in the literature on ‘sin’ stocks, that morality is a niche concern. By contrast, we find that moral values play a significant role for distinct types of investors and that they influence investment decisions for both moral and pecuniary reasons

BitMEX Bitcoin derivatives: price discovery, informational efficiency and hedging effectiveness

BitMEX is the largest unregulated bitcoin derivatives exchange, listing contracts suitable for leverage trading and hedging. Using minute-by-minute data, we examine its price discovery and hedging effectiveness. We find that BitMEX derivatives lead prices on major bitcoin spot exchanges. Bid-ask spreads, inter-exchange spreads and relative trading volumes are important determinants of price discovery. Further analysis shows that BitMEX derivatives have positive net spillover effects, are informationally more efficient than bitcoin spot prices, and serve as effective hedges against spot price volatility. Our evidence suggests that regulators prioritise investigation of the legitimacy of BitMEX and its contracts

A template for resource productivity/sustainability programs in forest products manufacturing facilities

53 p.This document introduces the principles and practices of resource productivity and sustainable development as they may apply to forest products manufacturing firms and facilities. It was developed by a group of forest products professionals with staffing assistance from the Center for Watershed and Community Health at Portland State University. This is a working draft, and the authors request feedback on content, presentation and usefulness. Part I of the document provides background information on resource productivity and sustainability. It is intended to prepare the reader to use the template outlined in Part II. The template is organized around the steps involved with answering the five key questions that should drive the development of your resource productivity/sustainability program

Cyclic ADP Ribose-Dependent Ca2+ Release by Group I Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors in Acutely Dissociated Rat Hippocampal Neurons

Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (group I mGluRs; mGluR1 and mGluR5) exert diverse effects on neuronal and synaptic functions, many of which are regulated by intracellular Ca2+. In this study, we characterized the cellular mechanisms underlying Ca2+ mobilization induced by (RS)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG; a specific group I mGluR agonist) in the somata of acutely dissociated rat hippocampal neurons using microfluorometry. We found that DHPG activates mGluR5 to mobilize intracellular Ca2+ from ryanodine-sensitive stores via cyclic adenosine diphosphate ribose (cADPR), while the PLC/IP3 signaling pathway was not involved in Ca2+ mobilization. The application of glutamate, which depolarized the membrane potential by 28.5±4.9 mV (n = 4), led to transient Ca2+ mobilization by mGluR5 and Ca2+ influx through L-type Ca2+ channels. We found no evidence that mGluR5-mediated Ca2+ release and Ca2+ influx through L-type Ca2+ channels interact to generate supralinear Ca2+ transients. Our study provides novel insights into the mechanisms of intracellular Ca2+ mobilization by mGluR5 in the somata of hippocampal neurons

Platelet mitochondrial membrane depolarization reflects disease severity in patients with sepsis and correlates with clinical outcome

Introduction: Sepsis is still a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, even in modern times, and thrombocytopenia has been closely associated with unfavorable disease outcome. Decreases in mitochondrial membrane potential (depolarization) were found in different tissues during sepsis. Previous work suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction of platelets correlates with clinical disease activity in sepsis. However, platelet mitochondrial membrane potential (Mmp) has not been investigated in a clinical follow-up design and not with regard to disease outcome. Methods: In this study, platelet mitochondrial membrane depolarization was assessed by means of a fluorescent Mmp-Index with flow cytometry in 26 patients with sepsis compared with control patients. Platelet Mmp-Index on admission was correlated with the clinical disease scores Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation Score II (APACHE II), Sequential Organ Failure Score (SOFA), and Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II). Finally, platelet Mmp-Index on admission and follow-up were compared in the group of sepsis survivors and nonsurvivors. Expression of the prosurvival protein Bcl-xL in platelets was quantified by immunoblotting. Results: Platelet mitochondrial membrane depolarization correlated significantly with the simultaneously assessed clinical disease severity by APACHE II (r = -0.867; P < 0.0001), SOFA (r = -0.857; P < 0.0001), and SAPS II score (r = -0.839; P < 0.0001). Patients with severe sepsis showed a significant reduction in platelet Mmp-Index compared with sepsis without organ failure (0.18 (0.12 to 0.25) versus 0.79 (0.49 to 0.85), P < 0.0006) or with the control group (0.18 (0.12 to 0.25) versus 0.89 (0.68 to 1.00), P < 0.0001). Platelet Mmp-Index remained persistently low in sepsis nonsurvivors (0.269 (0.230 to 0.305)), whereas we observed recovery of platelet Mmp-Index in the survivor group (0.9 (0.713 to 1.017)). Furthermore, the level of prosurvival protein Bcl-xL decreased in platelets during severe sepsis. Conclusion: In this study, we demonstrated that mitochondrial membrane depolarization in platelets correlates with clinical disease severity in patients with sepsis during the disease course and may be a valuable adjunct parameter to aid in the assessment of disease severity, risk stratification, and clinical outcome