Comparison of Feed in Tariff, Quota and Auction Mechanisms to Support Wind Power Development

A comparison of policy instruments employed to support onshore wind projects suggests that in terms of capacity installed, policies adopted in Germany have been more effective than those adopted in the UK. Price comparisons have frequently neglected differences in resource base: once accounted for we find the cost of policies to be similar. A developer survey identifies planning constraints as only one reason why installed capacity is greater in Germany, and indicates that price support is also important. Information provided by developers also suggests that although the tendering process adopted in the UK is highly competitive in terms of price paid for energy delivered, competition in other areas of the market is significantly lower than in Germany.Wind Generation, Renewable Energy, Subsidy, Policy

Chinese herbal medicine and depression: the research evidence

Background. Alternative approaches for managing depression are often sought and herbal mixtures are widely used in China. The aim of this paper was to provide an overall picture of the current evidence by analysing published systematic reviews and presenting a supplementary systematic review of trials in Western databases. Methods. Searches were conducted using AMED, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycINFO, and trial registers. Results were screened and selected trials were evaluated by two reviewers working independently. Systematic reviews were identified and assessed using key criteria. Results. Five systematic reviews were located addressing the Chinese literature, adjunctive use of Chinese herbs, and the formulae Chaihu-Shugan-San, Xiao Yao San, and Free and Easy Wanderer Plus. The supplementary review located 8 trials, 3 of which were not included in previous reviews. Positive results were reported: no significant differences from medication, greater effect than medication or placebo, reduced adverse event rates when combined or compared with antidepressants. However, limitations in methodology and reporting were revealed. Conclusions. Despite promising results, particularly for Xiao Yao San and its modifications, the effectiveness of Chinese herbal medicine in depression could not be fully substantiated based on current evidence. Further well-designed, well-reported trials that reflect practice may be worth pursuing

Unsung heroes: Constituency election agents in British general elections

Despite their central role in the electoral process, constituency agents have been largely overlooked by political scientists and this article seeks to rectify the omission. It sketches the origins and development of the role of agent from the late 19th century and suggests that a serious rethink of the role took place in the 1990s. Survey-based evidence about the social characteristics of agents is presented confirming that they are largely middle-aged, middle-class, well-educated men. They are also becoming more experienced, offer realistic assessments of the impact of constituency campaigning and, arguably, many take a long-term view of how their party's support can be maximised

Indices for the identification of biologically productive cashmere goats within farms

Objectively comparing cashmere goats with different cashmere production, mean fibre diameter (MFD) and staple length (SL) is difficult for farmers. We aimed to develop indices to enable cashmere producers to identify productive goats within their own farms once adjustments had been made for the primary determinants of cashmere production. That is we aimed to develop indices that identify goats and herds that biologically have a high fleece weight in relation to MFD and SL. We used a sample of 1244 commercial cashmere fleeces from goats originating from many Australian farms based in different environmental zones and a previously developed general linear model that related the logarithm of clean cashmere production (CCMwt) and any other potential determinant. In the present study, sub-models were investigated in order to develop new indices for comparing goats in the same farm, based on fleece characteristics and biological efficiency. New Index (MFD), equal to 6.02×CCMwt/1.1531MFD, was developed to identify animals of biologically high CCMwt in relation to their MFD. Unlike previously reported results that MFD is not a useful measurement for comparing the biological efficiency of cashmere goats across farms, the New Index (MFD) allows comparison of the biological efficiency of cashmere goats within farms. New Index (SL), equal to 2.70 × CCMwt/1.1414SL, was developed to identify animals of biologically high CCMwt in relation to their SL. New Index (SL) is very similar to the Clean Cashmere Staple Length Index (CCSLI) that had been previously reported for comparison of cashmere goats across farms, and thus the CCSLI can be usefully used for comparing the biological efficiency of cashmere goats both across and within farms. New Index MFD, SL = 8.90 × CCMwt/1.243(MFD+SL)/2 was developed to identify animals of biologically high CCMwt in relation to both their MFD and SL within farms, and provides useful information above using either New Index (MFD) or CCSLI. The indices can be presented in the same measurement units as fleece weight, which is a biological concept easily understood by cashmere producers, and enable comparisons to be made between animals using just one attribute, clean cashmere weight

Basic studies of baroclinic flows

A fully nonlinear 3-dimensional numerical model (GEOSIM), previously developed and validated for several cases of geophysical fluid flow, has been used to investigate the dynamical behavior of laboratory experiments of fluid flows similar to those of the Earth's atmosphere. The phenomena investigated are amplitude vacillation, and the response of the fluid system to uneven heating and cooling. The previous year's work included hysteresis in the transition between axisymmetric and wave flow. Investigation is also continuing of the flows in the Geophysical Fluid Flow Cell (GFFC), a low-gravity Spacelab experiment. Much of the effort in the past year has been spent in validation of the model under a wide range of external parameters including nonlinear flow regimes. With the implementation of a 3-dimensional upwind differencing scheme, higher spectral resolution, and a shorter time step, the model has been found capable of predicting the majority of flow regimes observed in one complete series of baroclinic annulus experiments of Pfeffer and co-workers. Detailed analysis of amplitude vacillation has revealed that the phase splitting described in the laboratory experiments occurs in some but not all cases. Through the use of animation of the models output, a vivid 3-dimensional view of the phase splitting was shown to the audience of the Southeastern Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Conference in March of this year. A study on interannual variability was made using GEOSIM with periodic variations in the thermal forcing. Thus far, the model has not predicted a chaotic behavior as observed in the experiments, although there is a sensitivity in the wavenumber selection to the initial conditions. Work on this subject, and on annulus experiments with non-axisymmetric thermal heating, will continue. The comparison of GEOSIM's predictions will result from the Spacelab 3 GFFC experiments continued over the past year, on a 'back-burner' basis. At this point, the study (in the form of a draft of a journal article) is nearly completed. The results from GEOSIM compared very well with the experiments, and the use of the model allows the demonstration of flow mechanics that were not possible with the experimental data. For example, animation of the model output shows that the forking of the spiral bands is a transient phenomenon, due to the differential east-west propagation of convection bands from different latitudes

Short-Interval Cortical Inhibition and Intracortical Facilitation during Submaximal Voluntary Contractions Changes with Fatigue

This study determined whether short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) and intracortical facilitation (ICF) change during a sustained submaximal isometric contraction. On 2 days, 12 participants (6 men, 6 women) performed brief (7-s) elbow flexor contractions before and after a 10-min fatiguing contraction; all contractions were performed at the level of integrated electromyographic activity (EMG) which produced 25 % maximal unfatigued torque. During the brief 7-s and 10-min submaximal contractions, single (test) and paired (conditioning–test) transcranial magnetic stimuli were applied over the motor cortex (5 s apart) to elicit motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) in biceps brachii. SICI and ICF were elicited on separate days, with a conditioning–test interstimulus interval of 2.5 and 15 ms, respectively. On both days, integrated EMG remained constant while torque fell during the sustained contraction by ~51.5 % from control contractions, perceived effort increased threefold, and MVC declined by 21–22 %. For SICI, the conditioned MEP during control contractions (74.1 ± 2.5 % of unconditioned MEP) increased (less inhibition) during the sustained contraction (last 2.5 min: 86.0 ± 5.1 %; P \u3c 0.05). It remained elevated in recovery contractions at 2 min (82.0 ± 3.8 %; P \u3c 0.05) and returned toward control at 7-min recovery (76.3 ± 3.2 %). ICF during control contractions (conditioned MEP 129.7 ± 4.8 % of unconditioned MEP) decreased (less facilitation) during the sustained contraction (last 2.5 min: 107.6 ± 6.8 %; P \u3c 0.05) and recovered to 122.8 ± 4.3 % during contractions after 2 min of recovery. Both intracortical inhibitory and facilitatory circuits become less excitable with fatigue when assessed during voluntary activity, but their different time courses of recovery suggest different mechanisms for the fatigue-related changes of SICI and ICF

The Pathobiology of Neisseria gonorrhoeae Lower Female Genital Tract Infection

Infection and disease associated with Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the gonococcus, continue to be a global health problem. Asymptomatic and subclinical gonococcal infections occur at a high frequency in females; thus, the true incidence of N. gonorrhoeae infections are presumed to be severely underestimated. Inherent to this asymptomatic/subclinical diseased state is the continued prevalence of this organism within the general population, as well as the medical, economic, and social burden equated with the observed chronic, disease sequelae. As infections of the lower female genital tract (i.e., the uterine cervix) commonly result in subclinical disease, it follows that the pathobiology of cervical gonorrhea would differ from that observed for other sites of infection. In this regard, the potential responses to infection that are generated by the female reproductive tract mucosa are unique in that they are governed, in part, by cyclic fluctuations in steroid hormone levels. The lower female genital tract has the further distinction of being able to functionally discriminate between resident commensal microbiota and transient pathogens. The expression of functionally active complement receptor 3 by the lower, but not the upper, female genital tract mucosa; together with data indicating that gonococcal adherence to and invasion of primary cervical epithelial cells and tissue are predominately aided by this surface-expressed host molecule; provide one explanation for asymptomatic/subclinical gonococcal cervicitis. However, co-evolution of the gonococcus with its sole human host has endowed this organism with variable survival strategies that not only aid these bacteria in successfully evasion of immune detection and function but also enhance cervical colonization and cellular invasion. To this end, we herein summarize current knowledge pertaining to the pathobiology of gonococcal infection of the human cervix

Basic studies of baroclinic flows

Computations were completed of transition curves in the conventional annulus, including hysteresis effect. The model GEOSIM was used to compute the transition between axisymmetric flow and baroclinic wave flow in the conventional annulus experiments. Thorough testing and documentation of the GEOSIM code were also completed. The Spacelab 3 results from the Geophysical Fluid Flow Cell (GFFC) were reviewed and numerical modeling was performed of many of the cases with horizontal temperature gradients as well as heating from below, with different rates of rotation. A numerical study of the lower transition to axisymmetric flow in the baroclinic annulus was performed using GEOSIM