Wave Energy Operation And Maintenance Parametric Analysis

The Wave Energy Maintenance Model, as described in the Summary, was produced to allow the effect of variations in WEC design or in maintenance strategy on the total Operation and Maintenance (O & M) costs of wave energy array to be easily and quickly calculated and assessed. Since the model is parametric, factors can be changed and the results of the changes can be seen in the costs of the various operations. Having this facility available, an analysis of the sensitivity of the O & M costs to changes in certain parameters has been possible. The results presented in this report are not device specific. They are based on an array of devices which have the main plant items on-board the WECs. The devices may be bottom sitting or floating. The aim of the results shown here is to indicate trends in O & M costs and to provide some basic rules of thumb that can be applied to O & M costs for any device. The actual costs given are of the right order of magnitude for current devices, but do not represent the actual O & M costs of a specific device. Throughout the report, O & M costs are broken down into the same Cost Centres as used in the Model and described in the Model Summary. This report also contains an Appendix which illustrates the inter-dependancies existing between cost items in different areas of the Model. This allows the full effect of a change in parameters to be seen. It also describes the fundamental assumptions implicit in these results presented in this report

Mechanisms of Action of Currently Prescribed and Newly Developed Antiepileptic Drugs

Clinically available antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) decrease membrane excitability by interacting with neurotransmitter receptors or ion channels. AEDs developed before 1980 appear to act on sodium (Na) channels, -y-aminobutyric acid A (GABA A ) receptors, or calcium (Ca) channels. Benzodiazepines and barbiturates enhance GABA A -receptor-mediated inhibition. Phenytoin, car-bamazepine and, possibly, valproate (VPA) decrease high-frequency repetitive firing of action potentials by enhancing Na channel inactivation. Ethosuximide and VPA reduce a low threshold (T-type) Ca-channel current. The mechanisms of action of recently developed AEDs are less clear. Lamotrigine may decrease sustained high-frequency repetitive firing of voltage-dependent Na action potentials, and gabapentin (GBP) appears to bind to a specific binding site in the CNS with a restricted regional distribution. However, the identity of the binding site and the mechanism of action of GBP remain uncertain. The antiepileptic effect of felbamate may involve interaction at the strychnine-insensitive glycine site of the Af-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, but the mechanism of action is not yet proven.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65554/1/j.1528-1157.1994.tb05955.x.pd

Acupuncture or low frequency infrared treatment for low back pain in Chinese patients: a discrete choice experiment

Acupuncture is a popular but controversial treatment option for low back pain. In China, it is practised as traditional Chinese medicine; other treatment strategies for low back pain are commonly practised as Western medicine. Research on patient preference for low back-pain treatment options has been mainly conducted in Western countries and is limited to a willingness-to-pay approach. A stated-preference, discrete choice experiment was conducted to determine Chinese patient preferences and trade-offs for acupuncture and low frequency infrared treatment in low back pain from September 2011 to August 2012 after approval from the Department of Scientific Research in the study settings. Eight-six adult outpatients who visited the ‘traditional medicine department’ at a traditional Chinese medicine hospital and the ‘rehabilitation department’ at a Western medicine hospital in Guangdong Province of China for chronic low back pain during study period participated in an interview survey. A questionnaire containing 10 scenarios (5 attributes in each scenario) was used to ask participants' preference for acupuncture, low frequency infrared treatment or neither option. Validated responses were analysed using a nested-logit model. The decision on whether to receive a therapy was not associated with the expected utility of receiving therapy, female gender and higher out-of-pocket payment significantly decreased chance to receive treatments. Of the utility of receiving either acupuncture or low frequency infrared treatment, the treatment sensation was the most important attribute as an indicator of treatment efficacy, followed by the maximum efficacy, maintenance duration and onset of efficacy, and the out-of-pocket payment. The willingness-to-pay for acupuncture and low frequency infrared treatment were about $618.6 and$592.4 USD per course respectively, demonstrated patients' demand of pain management. The treatment sensation was regarded as an indicator of treatment efficacy and the most important attribute for choosing acupuncture or low frequency infrared treatment. The high willingness-to-pay demonstrated patients' demand of pain management. However, there may be other factors influencing patients' preference to receive treatments

The dynamics of expanding mangroves in New Zealand

In contrast to the global trend of mangrove decline, New Zealand mangroves are rapidly expanding, facilitated by elevated sediment inputs in coastal waters as a consequence of large-scale land use changes following European settlement. New Zealand mangroves are at the southern limit of the global mangrove extent, which limits the tree height of Avicennia marina var. australasica, the only mangrove species present. Mangroves in New Zealand thrive in the sheltered environments of infilling drowned river valleys with abundant supply of fine terrigenous sediments, showing various stages of mangrove succession and expansion dynamics. Bio-physical interactions and carbon dynamics in these expanding temperate mangrove systems show similarities to, but also differ from those in tropical mangrove forests, for instance due to the limited height and complexity of the mangrove communities. Likewise, ecosystem services provided by New Zealand mangroves deviate from those offered by tropical mangroves. In particular, the association of mangrove expansion with the accumulation of (the increased supply of) fine sediments and the consequent change of estuarine ecosystems, has provoked a negative perception of mangrove expansion and subsequently led to mangrove clearance. Over recent decades, a body of knowledge has been developed regarding the planning and decision making relating to mangrove removal, yet there are still effects that are unknown, for example with respect to the post-clearance recovery of the original sandflat ecosystems. In this chapter we discuss the dynamics of New Zealand’s expanding mangroves from a range of viewpoints, with the aim of elucidating the possible contributions of expanding mangroves to coastal ecosystem services, now and in the future. This chapter also reviews current policies and practice regarding mangrove removal in New Zealand and addresses the (un)known effects of mangrove clearance. These combined insights may contribute to the development of integrated coastal management strategies that recognise the full potential of expanding mangrove ecosystems

Reducing terrestrial greenhouse gas emissions: a human dimensions contribution

This paper describes achievements from the human dimensions research within New Zealand's 'Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Terrestrial Biosphere' programme, in three parts: (i) regional responses to climate change policy development, (ii) indigenous groups, land use and climate change, and (iii) participation in the Land Use in Rural New Zealand (LURNZ) model development. We then critically review our work, using a post-normal science framework to inform further development of this research.climate change policy; policy development; discourse analysis; econometric modelling; governance; Maori land use; mitigation; post-normal science; greenhouse gas emissions; emissions reduction; rural areas; New Zealand; indigenous groups; terrestrial biosphere.