Awareness, use, and perceptions of biodiesel: A comparison of consumers in Belgium and the United States

Belgian (N = 61) and American (N = 134) fuel consumers were interviewed in the summer of 2012 to determine their awareness, use, and perceptions of biodiesel. Consumers who were aware of biodiesel were asked their perceptions. A significantly P \u3c 0.0001) higher percentage of Belgian consumers (78.7%) reported owning or driving a diesel vehicle compared to American consumers (9.0%). Belgian and American consumers moderately agreed biodiesel is a high-quality fuel. For both Belgian and American consumers, there was no significant association between owning a diesel vehicle and being aware of biodiesel or having purchased biodiesel. Although Belgian and American consumers agreed that using non-food crops for biodiesel is justified, Belgians were significantly less supportive than American consumers of using food crops for biodiesel. Both Belgian and American consumers disagreed with the statement “I would never use biodiesel”, and the two sets of consumers moderately disagreed that diesel engines would not run properly on biodiesel. Belgian and American consumers agreed that global warming is increasing; however, American consumers were more positive about the potential of biodiesel to reduce harmful exhaust emissions and global warming. Belgian consumers moderately agreed and American consumers agreed that biodiesel is better to use because it is made from renewable resources. Belgian and American consumers generally show similar perceptions of biodiesel, with the exception that American consumers were more positive toward the environmental and renewable aspects of biodiesel use. Recommendations for further research include gaining a better understanding of the potential positive influences that impact consumers’ perceptions of biodiesel

Parameter Estimation and Dynamic State Observer Design for Vapor Compression Systems

Between cooling our house, our workplace, and keeping our food cold both in home and commercially (among other uses), the vapor compression cycle (VCC) is a common method for removing heat from various environments and it accounts for a significant amount of the energy used throughout the world. Therefore, with an ever-growing demand for more efficient processes and reduced energy consumption, improving the ability to accurately model, predict the performance of, and control VCC systems is beneficial to society as whole. While there is much information available regarding the performance for some of the components found in VCC systems, much of the challenge associated with modelling the VCC lies within the complex behavior of the heat exchangers found within the system. Over the years, lumped parameter models have been developed for the VCC. However, many of these rely on simplified geometry (mainly a bare tube assumption), and neglect to capture the effect of the fins found throughout those heat exchangers. This thesis builds upon approaches used in the past by identifying effective heat transfer coefficients that capture this effect. Using this approach, a 2-ton residential air-conditioning unit was modelled, which was able to predict the heat removed by the VCC system within ±4% error when compared to published performance data from the manufacturer. Furthermore, these coefficients, along with the complete dynamic model, form the basis of a nonlinear state observer which can be used to further the ability to accurately predict and monitor system performance

On the positive eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a non-negative matrix

The paper develops the general theory for the items in the title, assuming that the matrix is countable and cofinal.Comment: Version 2 allows the matrix to have zero row(s) and rows with infinitely many non-zero entries. In addition the introduction has been rewritte

MS 113 Guide to Raymond D. Pruitt Papers (1930-1993)

The bulk of the Raymond D. Pruitt Papers consists of original manuscripts and/or copies of his professional and personal writings. A bibliography compiled from his curriculum vitae, documents in the papers and a PubMed search is provided. The major portion of his published and non-published documents cited in the bibliography are in this collection. Also included are photographs used in some of the printed articles and correspondence about some of his writings. See more at MS 113

SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF CHOICE BEHAVIOR IN RISKY SITUATIONS *

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73591/1/j.1749-6632.1961.tb20178.x.pd

Sex-specific roles of cellular inflammation and cardiometabolism in obesity-associated depressive symptomatology.

BackgroundObesity and depression are complex conditions with stronger comorbid relationships among women than men. Inflammation and cardiometabolic dysfunction are likely mechanistic candidates for increased depression risk, and their prevalence differs by sex. Whether these relationships extend to depressive symptoms is poorly understood. Therefore, we analyzed sex in associations between inflammation and metabolic syndrome (MetS) criteria on depressive symptomatology. Specifically, we examined whether sex positively moderates the relationship between depressive symptoms and inflammation among women, and whether MetS has parallel effects among men.MethodsDepressive symptoms, MetS, and inflammation were assessed in 129 otherwise healthy adults. Depressive symptoms were assessed using Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-Ia). Monocyte inflammation regulation (BARIC) was quantified using flow cytometry measurement of TNF-α suppression by β-agonist. Moderation effects of sex on associations between BARIC, MetS criteria, and BDI were estimated using two-way ANOVA and linear regression, adjusting for BMI, and by sex subgroup analyses.ResultsObese individuals reported more depressive symptoms. Sex did not formally moderate this relationship, though BDI scores tended to differ by BMI among women, but not men, in subgroup analysis. Poorer inflammation control and higher MetS criteria were correlated with somatic depressive symptoms. Sex moderated associations between MetS criteria and somatic symptoms; among men, MetS criteria predicted somatic symptoms, not among women. Subgroup analysis further indicated that poorer inflammation control tended to be associated with higher somatic symptoms in women.ConclusionsThese results indicate that obesity-related inflammation and MetS factors have sex-specific effects on depressive symptoms in a non-clinical population. Although pathophysiological mechanisms underlying sex differences remain to be elucidated, our findings suggest that distinct vulnerabilities to depressive symptoms exist between women and men, and highlight the need to consider sex as a key biological variable in obesity-depression relationships. Future clinical studies on comorbid obesity and depression should account for sex, which may optimize therapeutic strategies

NCBI Reference Sequences (RefSeq): current status, new features and genome annotation policy

The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Reference Sequence (RefSeq) database is a collection of genomic, transcript and protein sequence records. These records are selected and curated from public sequence archives and represent a significant reduction in redundancy compared to the volume of data archived by the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration. The database includes over 16 000 organisms, 2.4 × 106 genomic records, 13 × 106 proteins and 2 × 106 RNA records spanning prokaryotes, eukaryotes and viruses (RefSeq release 49, September 2011). The RefSeq database is maintained by a combined approach of automated analyses, collaboration and manual curation to generate an up-to-date representation of the sequence, its features, names and cross-links to related sources of information. We report here on recent growth, the status of curating the human RefSeq data set, more extensive feature annotation and current policy for eukaryotic genome annotation via the NCBI annotation pipeline. More information about the resource is available online (see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/RefSeq/)

Bilateral negotiation in a multi-agent supply chain system

A supply chain is a set of organizations directly linked by flows of services from suppliers to customers. Supply chain activities range from the ordering and receipt of raw materials to the production and distribution of finished goods. Supply chain management is the integration of key activities across a supply chain for the purposes of building competitive infrastructures, synchronizing supply with demand, and leveraging worldwide logistics. This paper addresses the challenges created by supply chain management towards improving long-term performance of companies. It presents a multi-agent supply chain system composed of multiple software agents, each responsible for one or more supply chain activities, and each interacting with other agents in the execution of their responsibilities. Additionally, this paper presents the key features of a negotiation model for software agents. The model handles bilateral multi-issue negotiation and incorporates an alternating offers protocol, a set of logrolling strategies, and a set of negotiation tactics

NCBI reference sequences (RefSeq): a curated non-redundant sequence database of genomes, transcripts and proteins

NCBI's reference sequence (RefSeq) database () is a curated non-redundant collection of sequences representing genomes, transcripts and proteins. The database includes 3774 organisms spanning prokaryotes, eukaryotes and viruses, and has records for 2 879 860 proteins (RefSeq release 19). RefSeq records integrate information from multiple sources, when additional data are available from those sources and therefore represent a current description of the sequence and its features. Annotations include coding regions, conserved domains, tRNAs, sequence tagged sites (STS), variation, references, gene and protein product names, and database cross-references. Sequence is reviewed and features are added using a combined approach of collaboration and other input from the scientific community, prediction, propagation from GenBank and curation by NCBI staff. The format of all RefSeq records is validated, and an increasing number of tests are being applied to evaluate the quality of sequence and annotation, especially in the context of complete genomic sequence