On the future navigability of Arctic sea routes: high-resolution projections of the Arctic Ocean and sea ice

The rapid Arctic summer sea ice reduction in the last decade has lead to debates in the maritime industries on the possibility of an increase in cargo transportation in the region. Average sailing times on the North Sea Route along the Siberian Coast have fallen from 20 days in the 1990s to 11 days in 2012–2013, attributed to easing sea ice conditions along the Siberian coast. However, the economic risk of exploiting the Arctic shipping routes is substantial. Here a detailed high-resolution projection of ocean and sea ice to the end of the 21st century forced with the RCP8.5 IPCC emission scenario is used to examine navigability of the Arctic sea routes. In summer, opening of large areas of the Arctic Ocean previously covered by pack ice to the wind and surface waves leads to Arctic pack ice cover evolving into the Marginal Ice Zone. The emerging state of the Arctic Ocean features more fragmented thinner sea ice, stronger winds, ocean currents and waves. By the mid 21st century, summer season sailing times along the route via the North Pole are estimated to be 13–17 days, which could make this route as fast as the North Sea Route

PENGARUH JUMLAH PENDUDUK, PENDIDIKAN DAN TINGKAT UPAH TERHADAP PENYERAPAN TENAGA KERJA DI KOTA MANADO

ABSTRAK Tenaga kerja adalah salah satu dari faktor produksi yang penting, karena produktivitas dari faktor produksi lain bergantung pada produktivitas tenaga kerja dalam menghasilkan produksi. Menurut Todaro (2006) pertumbuhan penduduk dan pertumbuhan Angkatan Kerja (AK) secara tradisional dianggap sebagai salah satu faktor positif yang memacu pertumbuhan ekonomi. Selain itu hampir semua negara berkembang menghadapi masalah kualitas dan kuantitas SDM akibat rendahnya pendidikan. Upah adalah suatu penerimaan sebagai imbalann jasa yang telah maupun yang akan dilakukan. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah mengetahui pengaruh jumlah penduduk, tingkat pendidikan dan tingkat upah terhadap penyerapan tenaga kerja. Metode analisis data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah analisis regresi linear berganda dengan varibel X1 jumlah penduduk, X2 tingkat pendidikan, X3 tingkat upah dan Y penyerapan tenaga kerja. Berdasarkan hasil analisis data penelitian dan pembahasan didapat bahwa secara parsial variabel jumlah penduduk dan tingkat upah tidak berpengaruh terhadap penyerapan tenaga kerja, sedangkan variabel tingkat pendidikan berpengaruh terhadap penyerapan tenaga kerja. Kemudian secara simultan variabel jumlah penduduk, tingkat pendidikan dan tingkat upah berpengaruh signifikan terhadap penyerapan tenaga kerja di Kota Manado. Kata Kunci: Jumlah Penduduk, Tingkat Pendidikan, Tingkat Upah, Penyerapan Tenaga Kerja  ABSTRACT Labor is one of the important production factors, because the productivity of other production factors depends on the productivity of labor in producing production. According to Todaro (2006) population growth and growth of the Work Force (AK) are traditionally considered as one of the positive factors that spur economic growth. In addition, almost all developing countries face the problem of quality and quantity of human resources due to low education. Wages are revenues as compensation for services that have been or will be done. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of population, education level and wage level on employment absorption. The data analysis method used in this study is multiple linear regression analysis with X1 variable population, X2 education level, X3 wage level and Y labor absorption. Based on the results of the research data analysis and discussion, it was found that partially the population number and wage level did not influence labor absorption, while the education level variable had an effect on employment absorption. Then simultaneously the variable population, education level and wage level have a significant effect on employment in Manado City. Keyword: Population, Education Level, Wage Level, Labor Absorptio

Signature of ocean warming at the mixed layer base

The warming climate influences the ocean by changing its wind‐driven dynamics and by inputting extra heat. This study analyzes the warming where temperature anomalies penetrate the ocean interior, i.e. by focusing on the winter mixed layer (WML) base. This allows to distinguish regions where ocean circulation contribute to warm anomalies from locations where density‐compensated temperature anomalies locally enter the ocean along isopycnals. Multidecadal (1980‐2018) local temperature trends from a hydrographic dataset are examined at the WML base, and partitioned into components relating to isopycnal movement (heave) and change along isopycnals (spice). Subtropical gyres and western boundary currents show warming larger than the global average that mostly projects onto heave. This is the result of the strengthening of the circulation in the Southern Hemisphere subtropical gyres, and is related to both wind‐driven changes and Southern Ocean warming. Subtropical regions of surface salinity maxima are influenced by warm anomalies along isopycnals

Determination of Thermal Conductivity of Some Shale Samples in Awi Formation and Its Geophysical Implications, Cross River State, Nigeria

The thermal Conductivity of some about sixty – two (62) shale samples from four locations within the Awi formation using modified Lee’s method were determined. It was observed that the thermal agitation in the sample increases as the temperature increases, after which thermal stability was attained. The Shale samples collected from location two and four tend to have high  average thermal conductivity values ranging from 1.4490 W/m0C and 1.0802 W/m0C respectively while location one and three exhibits low values of thermal conductivity ranging from 0.8544 W/m0C and 0.7027 W/m0C respectively during the rising temperature measurement. During the falling temperature measurement location two and four still have high average thermal conductivity values of 1.3020 W/m0C and 0.9884 W/m0C respectively and location one has an average value of 0.8339  W/m0C while location Three has 0.6544 W/m0C. The low values exhibited by Location one and three is largely due to the fact  that the outcrops in these locations were along the road  and have been exposed to weather and  human activities. However, the values from location two and four, suggests that shales within this location are post matured. Keywords: Conductivity, agitation, stability, outcrops, post- mature

Are small firms really sub-optimal?: compensating factor differentials in small dutch manufacturing firms

The advent of a growing share of small firms in modern economies raises some intriguing questions. The most intriguing question undoubtedly is why so many smaller firms, which have traditionally been classified as sub-optimal scale firms, can exist. We suggest that, through pursuing a strategy of compensating factor differentials, that is by remunerating and deploying factors of production differently than their larger counterparts, small firms are able to compensate for size-inherent cost disadvantages. Using a sample of over seven thousand Dutch manufacturing firms, we find considerable evidence that such a strategy of compensating factor differentials is pursued within a European context. When viewed through a static lens, the existence of such a strategy, while making small and sub-optimal scale firms viable, suggests that they impose a net welfare loss on the economy. However, when viewed through a dynamic lens, the findings of a positive relationship between firm age and employee compensation as well as firm age and firm productivity suggest that there may be at least a tendency for the inefficient firm of today to become the efficient firm of tomorrow. 5 Are Small Firms Really Sub-Optimal

The imprint of Southern Ocean overturning on seasonal water mass variability in Drake Passage

Seasonal changes in water mass properties are discussed in thermohaline coordinates from a seasonal climatology and repeat hydrographic sections. The SR1b CTD transects along Drake Passage are used as a case study. The amount of water within temperature and salinity classes and changes therein are used to estimate dia-thermal and dia-haline transformations. These transformations are considered in combination with climatologies of surface buoyancy flux to determine the relative contributions of surface buoyancy fluxes and subsurface mixing to changes in the distribution of water in thermohaline coordinates. The framework developed provides unique insights into the thermohaline circulation of the water masses that are present within Drake Passage, including the erosion of Antarctic Winter Water (AAWW) during the summer months and the interaction between the Circumpolar Deep Waters (CDW) and Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW). The results presented are consistent with summertime wind-driven inflation of the CDW layer and deflation of the AAIW layer, and with new AAIW produced in the winter as a mixture of CDW, remnant AAWW, and surface waters. This analysis therefore highlights the role of surface buoyancy fluxes in the Southern Ocean overturning

Cost Estimate for Molybdenum and Tantalum Refractory Metal Alloy Flow Circuit Concepts

The Early Flight Fission-Test Facilities (EFF-TF) team at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has been tasked by the Naval Reactors Prime Contract Team (NRPCT) to provide a cost and delivery rough order of magnitude estimate for a refractory metal-based lithium (Li) flow circuit. The design is based on the stainless steel Li flow circuit that is currently being assembled for an NRPCT task underway at the EFF-TF. While geometrically the flow circuit is not representative of a final flight prototype, knowledge has been gained to quantify (time and cost) the materials, manufacturing, fabrication, assembly, and operations to produce a testable configuration. This Technical Memorandum (TM) also identifies the following key issues that need to be addressed by the fabrication process: Alloy selection and forming, cost and availability, welding, bending, machining, assembly, and instrumentation. Several candidate materials were identified by NRPCT including molybdenum (Mo) alloy (Mo-47.5 %Re), tantalum (Ta) alloys (T-111, ASTAR-811C), and niobium (Nb) alloy (Nb-1 %Zr). This TM is focused only on the Mo and Ta alloys, since they are of higher concern to the ongoing effort. The initial estimate to complete a Mo-47%Re system ready for testing is =$9,000k over a period of 30 mo. The initial estimate to complete a T-111 or ASTAR-811C system ready for testing is =$12,000k over a period of 36 mo

Maintenance and broadening of the ocean’s salinity distribution by the water cycle

The global water cycle leaves an imprint on ocean salinity through evaporation and precipitation. It has been proposed that observed changes in salinity can be used to infer changes in the water cycle. Here salinity is characterized by the distribution of water masses in salinity coordinates. Only mixing and sources and sinks of freshwater and salt can modify this distribution. Mixing acts to collapse the distribution, making saline waters fresher and fresh waters more saline. Hence, in steady state, there must be net precipitation over fresh waters and net evaporation over saline waters. A simple model is developed to describe the relationship between the breadth of the distribution, the water cycle, and mixing—the latter being characterized by an e-folding time scale. In both observations and a state-of-the-art ocean model, the water cycle maintains a salinity distribution in steady state with a mixing time scale of the order of 50 yr. The same simple model predicts the response of the salinity distribution to a change in the water cycle. This study suggests that observations of changes in ocean salinity could be used to infer changes in the hydrological cycle

Optimized loading of an optical dipole trap for the production of Chromium BECs

We report on a strategy to maximize the number of chromium atoms transferred from a magneto-optical trap into an optical trap through accumulation in metastable states via strong optical pumping. We analyse how the number of atoms in a chromium Bose Einstein condensate can be raised by a proper handling of the metastable state populations. Four laser diodes have been implemented to address the four levels that are populated during the MOT phase. The individual importance of each state is specified. To stabilize two of our laser diode, we have developed a simple ultrastable passive reference cavity whose long term stability is better than 1 MHz