Energy University: An Innovative Private-Sector Solution to Energy Education

Energy use is one of the most critical issues facing our world. The U.S. Energy Information Administration forecasts that the world’s energy consumption will double by 2050, with electricity use also doubling by 2030. Energy prices will grow accordingly, with oil reaching as much as $125 per barrel by some forecasts.1 We often focus on efficiency in transportation, which is an important goal, but industry and buildings consume nearly three times as much energy as transportation does. By focusing on clean, efficient energy we can reduce CO2 emissions and also meet the increased demand

Adsorbers for in-situ collection and at-sea gamma analysis of dissolved Thorium-234 in seawater

Two polypropylene cartridge types (Beta Pure and Hytrex II) were tested in the laboratory as adsorbers for in-situ collection of dissolved Thorium-234 (234TH) in seawater. Using a uranyl nitrate tracer, we determined that a Mn02 impregnated 3.25-inch Hytrex II cartridge with a flow rate of 8 liters/minute would collect 234TH with a greater than 60% effciency. The smaller size and composition of the 3.25 inch Hytrex II cartridge enabled it to be pressed into a permanent 1-inch "puck" for direct gamma counting. This protocol significantly reduced the handling between collection and counting. When field tested in the Gulf of Maine as a large volume (>500 liters) collector, the new adsorbers produced a greater than 80% collection effciency and a dissolved 234TH concentration which was consistent with independent samples collected at the same station and depth. These adsorbers were used successfully for the in-situ collection of 234TH in large volumes of seawater during the 1992 NOAA and NSF sponsored JGOFS EqPac program, with a mean collection efficiency of 0.79 +/- 9% (n=104 cartridge pairs).Funding was provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Offce of Global Programs under Contract OCE-920395200

A Strategic Approach to International Training: A Contingency Based Global Training Model

Training issues are complex regardless of the size or location of the actors involved. As firms make their way up the ladder of internationalization, the contextual nature of training as well as the limitations of its generalizability can inhibit its effectiveness in sharing between the various organizational sub-units, particularly those with different national cultures. In light of this, a model matching appropriately designed training regimens with the suitable type of international business operation is proposed in this paper. A number of propositions are also drawn from the model. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of the model and possible future research

The role of universities in attaining regional competitiveness under adversity – a research proposal

This study examines the role of the university in attaining regional competitiveness in technology in periods of extreme adversity such as has been the case in the post-Hurricane Katrina situation in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. In such situations, much can be learned from the experiences of developing nations which have successfully attained technological leadership in specific niches. University leadership will be important in several arenas. Teaching and research will need to be targeted to regionally-important areas. The research findings must be transferred to organizations which can exploit opportunities and develop needed technologies. Universities can serve as both disseminators of information and as collaborators in the process. Universities can both spark new businesses and support existing businesses. To determine what is needed and where the niches are, we highlight the importance of text mining of publication and patent databases. Text mining can identify regional strengths upon which competitive advantages can be built. In this paper, we propose research using text mining to identify regional strengths and opportunities

No evidence yet for hadronic TeV gamma-ray emission from SNR RX J1713.7-3946

Recent TeV-scale gamma-ray observations with the CANGAROO II telescope have led to the claim that the multi-band spectrum of RX J1713.7-3946 cannot be explained as the composite of a synchrotron and an inverse Compton component emitted by a population of relativistic electrons. It was argued that the spectrum of the high-energy emission is a good match to that predicted by pion decay, thus providing observational evidence that protons are accelerated in SNR to at least TeV energies. In this Letter we discuss the multi-band spectrum of RX J1713.7-3946 under the constraint that the GeV-scale emission observed from the closely associated EGRET source 3EG J1714-3857 is either associated with the SNR or an upper limit to the gamma-ray emission of the SNR. We find that the pion-decay model adopted by Enomoto et al. is in conflict with the existing GeV data. We have examined the possibility of a modified proton spectrum to explain the data, and find that we cannot do so within any existing theoretical framework of shock acceleration models.Comment: in press as Letter to Astronomy & Astrophysic