Technology alternatives for the SPS

Emerging technologies may offer advantages over those selected for the reference design adopted for the SPS. While it is not possible to list all the technological innovations that may affect the SPS, it is feasible to develop a systematic methodology for assessing technical alternatives. This may be of value in evaluating proposed technologies and identifying high priority areas for research. Such a methodology includes involves (1) variation of guidelines; (2) analysis of system functions; (3) analysis of system sensitivity; (4) analysis of technology status and risk; and (5) external costs, problem areas, and criticisms of the SPS concept. The methodology is a first step towards the creation of a formal decision analytic framework which can support design choices and program decisions as development proceeds

DEMAND FOR ORGANIC AND CONVENTIONAL FROZEN VEGETABLES

In this paper, we examine retail sales of organic and conventional frozen vegetables (broccoli, green beans, green peas, and sweet corn) using supermarket scanner data. Descriptive analysis includes comparisons of sales volume, prices, and market shares. Price and expenditure elasticities are estimated using the almost ideal demands system (AIDS).organic foods, frozen vegetables, almost ideal demand system, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis,

Coarse-grained simulation of polymer translocation through an artificial nanopore

The translocation of a macromolecule through a nanometer-sized pore is an interesting process with important applications in the development of biosensors for single--molecule analysis and in drug delivery and gene therapy. We have carried out a molecular dynamics simulation study of electrophoretic translocation of a charged polymer through an artificial nanopore to explore the feasibility of semiconductor--based nanopore devices for ultra--fast DNA sequencing. The polymer is represented by a simple bead--spring model designed to yield an appropriate coarse-grained description of the phosphate backbone of DNA in salt--free aqueous solution. A detailed analysis of single translocation event is presented to assess whether the passage of individual ions through the pore can be detected by a nanoscale field--effect transistor by measuring variations in electrostatic potential during polymer translocation. We find that it is possible to identify single events corresponding to the passage of counterions through the pore, but that discrimination of individual ions on the polymer chain based on variations in electrostatic potential is problematic. Several distinct stages in the translocation process are identified, characterized by changes in polymer conformation and by variations in the magnitude and direction of the internal electric field induced by the fluctuating charge distribution. The dependence of the condensed fraction of counterions on Bjerrum length leads to significant changes in polymer conformation, which profoundly affect the dynamics of electrophoresis and translocation.Comment: 37 pages Revtex, 11 postscript figure

Evaluation of solar cell materials for a Solar Power Satellite

Alternative solar cell materials being considered for the solar power satellite are described and price, production, and availability projections through the year 2000 are presented. The chief materials considered are silicon and gallium arsenide

Being Healthy: a Grounded Theory Study of Help Seeking Behaviour among Chinese Elders living in the UK

The health of older people is a priority in many countries as the world’s population ages. Attitudes towards help seeking behaviours in older people remain a largely unexplored field of research. This is particularly true for older minority groups where the place that they have migrated to presents both cultural and structural challenges. The UK, like other countries,has an increasingly aging Chinese population about who relatively little is known. This study used a qualitative grounded theory design following the approach of Glaser (1978). Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 33 Chinese elders who were aged between 60 and 84, using purposive and theoretical sampling approaches. Data were analysed using the constant comparative method until data saturation occurred and a substantive theory was generated. ‘Being healthy’ (the core category) with four interrelated categories: self-management, normalizing/minimizing, access to health services, and being cured form the theory. The theory was generated around the core explanations provided by participants and Chinese elders’ concerns about health issues they face in their daily life. We also present data about how they direct their health-related activities towards meeting their physical and psychological goals of being healthy. Their differential understanding of diseases and a lack of information about health services were potent predictors of non�help seeking and ‘self’ rather than medical management of their illnesses. This study highlights the need for intervention and health support for Chinese elders

Limited availability of cardiac rehabilitation for heart failure patients in the United Kingdom: findings from a national survey

Background: Participation of patients with heart failure in cardiac rehabilitation in the UK is low. This study investigated the availability of cardiac rehabilitation services for patients with heart failure in the UK and the views of service coordinators on ideal service models. Design: Our study was a cross-sectional national postal survey that was mailed to 342 service coordinators in the UK between April and June 2009. Methods: We developed a 38-item questionnaire to survey all cardiac rehabilitation service coordinators on theNational Audit of Cardiac Rehabilitation register in the UK in 2009. Results: The survey response rate was 71% (244/342). Forty three per cent (105/244) of coordinators did not accept patients with heart failure to their cardiac rehabilitation services. Most coordinators who did accept patients with heart failure offered their services to patients with a variety of cardiac conditions, though referral criteria and models of care varied widely. Services inconsistently used New York Heart Association classes and left ventricular ejection fraction measures to select patients. Few offered separate dedicated heart failure programmes (14%; 33/244) but where these existed they ran for longer than programmes which included patients with heart failure alongside other cardiac patients (10.9 vs 8.5 weeks; F=4.04; p=0.019). Few offered home-based options for patients with heart failure (11%; 27/244). Coordinators accepting patients with heart failure to their cardiac rehabilitation services tended to agree that patients with heart failure should be included in services alongside other cardiac patients (X2=6.2; p=0.013). Conclusions: There is limited access for patients with heart failure to cardiac rehabilitation in the UK. Local policies on referral and selection criteria differ and reflect coordinators views rather than clinical guidance. © The European Society of Cardiology 2013 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav

An 826 MOPS, 210 uW/MHz Unum ALU in 65 nm

To overcome the limitations of conventional floating-point number formats, an interval arithmetic and variable-width storage format called universal number (unum) has been recently introduced. This paper presents the first (to the best of our knowledge) silicon implementation measurements of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for unum floating-point arithmetic. The designed chip includes a 128-bit wide unum arithmetic unit to execute additions and subtractions, while also supporting lossless (for intermediate results) and lossy (for external data movements) compression units to exploit the memory usage reduction potential of the unum format. Our chip, fabricated in a 65 nm CMOS process, achieves a maximum clock frequency of 413 MHz at 1.2 V with an average measured power of 210 uW/MHz