How to protect a wind turbine from lightning

Techniques for reducing the chances of lightning damage to wind turbines are discussed. The methods of providing a ground for a lightning strike are discussed. Then details are given on ways to protect electronic systems, generating and power equipment, blades, and mechanical components from direct and nearby lightning strikes

\u3ci\u3eStachybotrys atra\u3c/i\u3e, an Effective Aggregator of Peorian Loess

Twelve cellulose-decomposing fungi were tested for aggregating ability with Peorian loess containing ground straw at a concentration of 1%. Of the 12 fungi, Stachybotrys atra was the most effective soil aggregator. Under laboratory conditions used, it produced from 2 to 30 times more aggregation than any of the other fungi tested. Studies were made of the influence of various environmental factors on the degree of aggregation effected by S. atra. An incubation time of 1 week was sufficient for a relatively high degree of aggregation. In comparison, longer periods resulted in only slightly improved aggregation. Varying the temperature between 20° and 28° C. had no appreciable effect on the aggregation by S. atra. Approximately equivalent aggregations were attained at the moisture levels of 20, 25, and 30%, which were definitely superior to the 10 and 15% levels. Alfalfa and straw, either separately or as a mixture, were satisfactory sources of energy material for S. atra. The aggregation obtained with alfalfa, however, was somewhat higher than that obtained with straw

Report of ESCOP Subcommittee on Domestic and International Markets and Policy

International Relations/Trade,

Paper Session II-D - Project Vision: A Model Program to Educate the Next Generation of Engineers, Scientists, and Mathematicians

Project VISION (Very Intensive Scientific Intercurricular On-Site Education) is a joint effort among NASA/John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida International University, Universidad del Turabo, Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the Caguas/Gurabo Public Schools in Puerto Rico. The project\u27s main mission is to institutionalize change among the elementary and middle school science and math teachers at participating schools. Thereafter, the teachers provide their students with continuously enriched instruction in the principles of science and math through the use of hands-on and minds-on experiments called learning modules. These learning modules have been classified according to the national science and math education standards established by the National Committee on Science Education Standards and Assessments and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, respectively

Paper Session II-D - Project Vision (Very Intensive Scientific Intercurricular Onsite Education): A Partnership Among NASA/John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida International University, Universidad del Turabo, Dade County Public Schools, and the Caguas/Gurabo Public Schools.

Project VISION is a joint effort among NASA/John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida International University, Universidad del Turabo, Dade County Public Schools and the Caguas/ Gurabo Public Schools. The project’s main mission is to institutionalize change among the 7th grade science and mathematics teachers at participating public middle schools. A further aspect of the mission is to enhance the science and math education of the public middle school students during the phase of institutionalization. Project VISION will not need to generate any new educational materials to fulfill its mission. Rather than generating new materials, Project VISION will use the vast quantities of high quality learning modules, lessons, hands-on experiments and other educational materials available at NASA and other scientific depositories. The project will identify, adopt and then adapt these learning modules or learning materials to best meet the needs and capabilities of the target student and teacher populations. A further goal of this project lies within the realm of NASA’s Mission - to specifically focus our activities on middle schools that serve socially and economically disadvantaged students. Additionally, the project will invite members of the private and public sectors to serve as lecturers, mentors and role models. The project will perform program evaluations to measure the levels of success and accomplishments of each of the proposed activities

Exploring the Zone of Tolerance for Internal Customers in IT-Enabled Call Centers

Today, call center employees’ service encounters with external customers are extensively supported with modern information technology (IT). However, prior research on service quality and zone of tolerance (ZOT) focuses primarily on external customers with little attention paid to how internal customers (e.g., service employees) respond to services provided by internal functions, particularly IT function that supports employees’ IT use. Drawing on theory of administrative behavior and IT success literature, we conducted a study at a call center of a telecommunications firm and found that the impact of internal IT service quality (ITSQ) on employees’ service quality (ESQ) to external customers, as well as on their satisfaction with and use of the deployed technology, exhibits a positive diminishing pattern as ITSQ increases from below to within and to above the ZOT. We also found that ITSQ’s impact on ESQ employees\u27 satisfaction with technology changes more dramatically around adequate service level than desired service level. Finally, we show that call center employees’ satisfaction with technology partially mediates ITSQ’s impact on ESQ. Besides adding to the service and IT literature, our findings suggest that managers should understand internal customers’ different levels of expectations toward internal IT service and the differential performance impacts of those levels

Benznidazole-Resistance in Trypanosoma cruzi Is a Readily Acquired Trait That Can Arise Independently in a Single Population

Benznidazole is the frontline drug used against Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease. However, treatment failures are often reported. Here, we demonstrate that independently acquired mutations in the gene encoding a mitochondrial nitroreductase (TcNTR) can give rise to distinct drug-resistant clones within a single population. Following selection of benznidazole-resistant parasites, all clones examined had lost one of the chromosomes containing the TcNTR gene. Sequence analysis of the remaining TcNTR allele revealed 3 distinct mutant genes in different resistant clones. Expression studies showed that these mutant proteins were unable to activate benznidazole. This correlated with loss of flavin mononucleotide binding. The drug-resistant phenotype could be reversed by transfection with wild-type TcNTR. These results identify TcNTR as a central player in acquired resistance to benznidazole. They also demonstrate that T. cruzi has a propensity to undergo genetic changes that can lead to drug resistance, a finding that has implications for future therapeutic strategies

Regional Adoption of Business-to-Business Electronic Commerce in China: Role of E-Readiness

Adoption of B2B e-commerce is a powerful driver of economic success in developed and developing countries. However, adoption rates in developing countries lag far behind. This paper draws on the Perceived eReadiness Model and research on the influence of inter-organizational relationships and economic-cultural contexts to explain the importance of three factors—inter-organizational power dependence, cooperativeness, and regional economic-cultural differences—for achieving higher levels of Internet-based Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) in the developing country of China. We employ survey data to empirically test both the individual and joint influence of these factors. The findings suggest that beyond intra-organizational and external factors, managers and policy makers wanting to promote Internet-based EDI adoption in developing countries must also account for the inter-organizational relationships of firms and the economic and cultural circumstances of the regions in which they operate

Managing uncertainty: a review of food system scenario analysis and modelling

Complex socio-ecological systems like the food system are unpredictable, especially to long-term horizons such as 2050. In order to manage this uncertainty, scenario analysis has been used in conjunction with food system models to explore plausible future outcomes. Food system scenarios use a diversity of scenario types and modelling approaches determined by the purpose of the exercise and by technical, methodological and epistemological constraints. Our case studies do not suggest Malthusian futures for a projected global population of 9 billion in 2050; but international trade will be a crucial determinant of outcomes; and the concept of sustainability across the dimensions of the food system has been inadequately explored so far. The impact of scenario analysis at a global scale could be strengthened with participatory processes involving key actors at other geographical scales. Food system models are valuable in managing existing knowledge on system behaviour and ensuring the credibility of qualitative stories but they are limited by current datasets for global crop production and trade, land use and hydrology. Climate change is likely to challenge the adaptive capacity of agricultural production and there are important knowledge gaps for modelling research to address