Бароосмотичний аналіз як новий метод гідрогеологічних досліджень

Запропоновано методику бароосмотичного аналiзу гiдрогеологiчних даних для окремих свердловин, за якою визначаються величина бароосмотичного напору H2O у пластових (порових) водах i ступiнь вiдхилення їх вiд стану бароосмотичної рiвноваги на кiлькох водоносних горизонтах. Результати аналiзу для чотирьох свердловин з рiзних регiонiв пiдтвердили iснування вертикальних бароосмотичних потокiв у глинистих товщах усiх розрiзiв i дали змогу визначити напрями цих потокiв та виявити зони впливу особливих локальних гiдрогеологiчних процесiв.Methods of baroosmotic analysis of hydrogeological data for separate boreholes have been proposed. They can be applied to determine the baroosmotic pressure of H2O in formational (porous) waters and the degree of their defection from the state of baroosmotic balance at several water-bearing horizons. The results of analysis conducted at 4 boreholes from different regions have confirmed the existence of vertical baroosmotic flows in clayey units of all sections and have allowed us to determine the directions of these flows and to reveal the zones affected by specific local hydrogeological processes

A quasi-time-dependent radiative transfer model of OH104.9+2.4

We investigate the pulsation-phase dependent properties of the circumstellar dust shell (CDS) of the OH/IR star OH104.9+2.4 based on radiative transfer modeling (RTM) using the code DUSTY. Our previous study concerning simultaneous modeling of the spectral energy distribution (SED) and near-infrared (NIR) visibilities (Riechers et al. 2004) has now been extended by means of a more detailed analysis of the pulsation-phase dependence of the model parameters of OH104.9+2.4. In order to investigate the temporal variation in the spatial structure of the CDS, additional NIR speckle interferometric observations in the K' band were carried out with the 6 m telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory (SAO). At a wavelength of 2.12 micron the diffraction-limited resolution of 74 mas was attained. Several key parameters of our previous best-fitting model had to be adjusted in order to be consistent with the newly extended amount of observational data. It was found that a simple rescaling of the bolometric flux F_bol is not sufficient to take the variability of the source into account, as the change in optical depth over a full pulsation cycle is rather high. On the other hand, the impact of a change in effective temperature T_eff on SED and visibility is rather small. However, observations, as well as models for other AGB stars, show the necessity of including a variation of T_eff with pulsation phase in the radiative transfer models. Therefore, our new best-fitting model accounts for these changes.Comment: 7 pages, including 5 postscript figures and 3 tables. Published in Astronomy and Astrophysics. (v1: accepted version; v2: published version, minor grammatical changes

How China became a leader in solar PV: An innovation system analysis

In this paper we focus on understanding the rapid rise of the Chinese PV industry and its profound impact on the global PV industry. We investigate how it is possible that a nation that is still focusing on catching up in terms of industry, innovation and technology has been able to bring manufacturers from leading industrialized nations to their knees. This paper applies the framework of the Technological Innovation System (TIS), and also takes the context into account, in terms of the Chinese national innovation system (NIS) and the global PV TIS. It concludes that the rise of the Chinese PV TIS can be explained by the interaction of three context factors (the change in Chinese institutions, technology transfer, and the large European market) and specific PV TIS dynamics. The study empirically shows the importance of extending the national TIS studies by including the influences of context factors

Chapter 24: Policies for the Energy Technology Innovation System (ETIS)

Innovation and technological change are integral to the energy system transformations described in the Global Energy Assessment (GEA) pathways. Energy technology innovations range from incremental improvements to radical breakthroughs and from technologies and infrastructure to social institutions and individual behaviors. This Executive Summary synthesizes the main policy-relevant findings of Chapter 24 . The innovation process involves many stages – from research through to incubation, demonstration, (niche) market creation, and ultimately, widespread diffusion. Feedbacks between these stages influence progress and likely success, yet innovation outcomes are unavoidably uncertain. Innovations do not happen in isolation; interdependence and complexity are the rule under an increasingly globalized innovation system. Any emphasis on particular technologies or parts of the energy system, or technology policy that emphasizes only particular innovation stages or processes (e.g., an exclusive focus on energy supply from renewables, or an exclusive focus on Research and Development [R&D], or feed-in tariffs) is inadequate given the magnitude and multitude of challenges represented by the GEA objectives. A first, even if incomplete, assessment of the entire global resource mobilization (investments) in both energy supply and demand-side technologies and across different innovation stages suggests current annual Research, Development & Demonstration (RD&D) investments of some US$50 billion, market formation investments (which rely on directed public policy support) of some US$150 billion, and an estimated US$1 trillion to US$5 trillion investments in mature energy supply and end-use technologies (technology diffusion). Major developing economies like Brazil, India and above all China, have become significant players in global energy technology RD&D, with public- and private-sector investments approaching US20 billion, or almost half of global innovation investments, which is significantly above the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries’ public-sector energy RD&D investments (US13 billion). Important data and information gaps exist for all stages of the energy technology innovation investments outside public sector R&D funding in OECD countries, particularly in the areas of recent technology-specific private sector and non-OECD R&D expenditures, and energy end-use diffusion investments. Analysis of investment flows into different stages of the innovation process reveals an apparent mismatch of resource allocation and resource needs. Early in the innovation process, public expenditure on R&D is heavily weighted toward large-scale supply-side technologies. Of an estimated US$50 billion in annual investment globally, less than US$10 billion are allocated to energy end-use technologies and energy efficiency. Later in the innovation process, annual market (diffusion) investment in supply-side plant and infrastructure total roughly US 2005 $0.8 trillion, compared with a conservative estimate of some US$1–4 trillion spent on demand-side technologies. These relative proportions are, however, insufficiently reflected in market deployment investment incentives of technologies, which almost exclusively focus on supply-side options, to the detriment of energy end use in general and energy efficiency in particular foregoing also important employment and economic growth stimuli effects from end-use investments that are critical in improving energy efficiency. The need for investment to support the widespread diffusion of efficient end-use technologies is also clearly shown in the GEA pathway analyses. The demand side generally tends to contribute more than the supply-side options to realizing the GEA goals. This apparent mismatch suggests the necessity of rebalancing public innovation expenditure and policy incentives to include smaller-scale demand-side technologies within innovation portfolios . Given persistent barriers to the adoption of energy-efficient technologies even when they are cost competitive on a life cycle basis, technology policies need to move toward a more integrated approach, simultaneously stimulating the development as well as the adoption of energy efficiency technologies and measures. R&D initiatives that fail to incentivize consumers to adopt the outcomes of innovation efforts (e.g., promoting energy-efficient building designs without strengthened building codes, or Carbon Capture and Storage [CCS] development without a price on carbon) risk not only being ineffective but also precluding the market feedback and learning that are critical for continued improvements in technologies. Little systematic data are available for private-sector innovation inputs (including investments), particularly in developing countries. Information is patchy on innovation spillovers or transfers between technologies, between sectors, and between countries. It is also not clearly understood how fast knowledge generated by innovation investments may depreciate, although policy and investment volatility are recognized as critical factors. Technical performance and economic characteristics for technologies in the lab, in testing, and in the field are not routinely available. Innovation successes are more widely documented than innovation failures. Although some of the data constraints reflect legitimate concerns to protect intellectual property, most do not. Standardized mechanisms to collect, compile, and make data on energy technology innovation publicly available are urgently needed. The benefits of coupling these information needs to public policy support have been clearly demonstrated. A positive policy example is provided by the early US Solar Thermal Electricity Program, which required formal, non-proprietary documentation of cost improvements resulting from public R&D support for the technology. The energy technology innovation system is founded on knowledge generation and flows. These are increasingly global, but this global knowledge needs to be adapted, modified, and applied to local conditions. The generation of knowledge requires independent and stable institutions to balance the competing needs and interests of the market, policy makers, and the R&D community. The technology roadmaps and the policy regime that characterize innovation in end-use technologies in the Japanese Top Runner program are a good example of the actor coordination and knowledge exchange needed to stimulate technological innovation. Generated knowledge needs to spread through the innovation system. Knowledge flows and feedbacks create and strengthen links between different actors. This can take place formally or informally. Policies that are overly focused on the development of technological “hardware” should be rebalanced to support interactions and learning between actors. The provision of test facilities in the early years of the Danish wind industry is a good example of how policy can support knowledge flows and the strengthening of collaborative links within networks of actors in an innovation system (energy companies, turbine manufacturers, local owners). Long-term, consistent, and credible institutions underpin investments in knowledge generation, particularly from the private sector, and consistency does not preclude learning. Knowledge institutions must be responsive to experience and adaptive to changing conditions. Although knowledge flows through international cooperation and experience sharing cannot presently be analyzed in detail, the scale of the innovation challenge emphasizes their importance alongside efforts to develop the capacity to absorb and adapt knowledge to local needs and conditions. The current global cooperation in energy technology innovation is well illustrated by the International Energy Agency (IEA) technology cooperation programs reviewed in Section 4.4 ; all invariably show a sparse involvement from developing countries. Clear, stable, and consistent expectations about the direction and shape of the innovation system are necessary for innovation actors to commit time, money, and effort with only the uncertain promise of distant returns. To date, policy support for the innovation system has been characterized by volatility, changes in emphasis, and a lack of clarity. The debilitating consequences on innovation outcomes of stop-go policies are well illustrated by the wind and solar water heater programs in the United States through the 1980s, as well as the large-scale (but fickle) US efforts to develop alternative liquid fuels (Synfuels). The legacy of such innovation policy failures can be long lasting. The creation of a viable and successful Brazilian ethanol industry through consistent policy support over several decades, including agricultural R&D, guaranteed ethanol purchase prices, and fuel distribution infrastructures, as well as vehicle manufacturing (flex fuel cars), is a good example of a stable, aligned, and systemic technology policy framework. It is worth noting that even in this highly successful policy example, it has taken some three decades for domestic renewable ethanol to become directly cost competitive with imported gasoline. Policies need also to be aligned . Innovation support through early research and development is undermined by an absence of support for their demonstration to potential investors and their subsequent deployment in potential markets. Policies to support innovations in low-carbon technologies are undermined by subsidies to support carbon-intensive technologies. Fuel efficiency standards that set minimum (static) efficiency floors fail to stimulate continuous technological advances, meaning innovations in efficiency stagnate once standards are reached. As a further example of misalignment, the lack of effective policies to limit the demand for mobility mean efficiency improvements can be swamped by rising activity levels. Policies should support a wide range of technologies. However seductive they seem, “silver bullets” do not exist without the benefit of hindsight. Innovation policies should use a portfolio approach under a risk-hedging and “insurance policy” decision-making paradigm. Portfolios need to recognize also that innovation is inherently risky. Failures vastly outnumber successes. Experimentation, often for prolonged periods (decades rather than years), is critical to generate the applied knowledge necessary to support the scaling up of innovations to the mass market. The whole energy system should be represented in innovation portfolios, not only particular groups or types of technologies; the entire suite of innovation processes should be included, not just particular stages or individual mechanisms. Less capital-intensive, smaller-scale (i.e., granular ) technologies or projects are less of a drain on scarce resources, and failure has less serious consequences. Granular projects and technologies with smaller scales (MW rather than GW) therefore should figure prominently in any innovation portfolio. Finally, public technology policy should not be beholden to incumbent interests that favor support for particular technologies that either perpetuate the lock-in of currently dominant technologies or transfer all high innovation risks of novel concepts to the public sector

Near-infrared observations of water-ice in OH/IR stars

A search for the near-infrared water-ice absorption band was made in a number of very red OH/IR stars which are known to exhibit the 10um silicate absorption. As a by-product, accurate positions of these highly reddened objects are obtained. We derived a dust mass loss rate for each object by modelling the spectral energy distribution and the gas mass loss rate by solving the equation of motion for the dust drag wind. The derived mass loss rates show a strong correlation with the silicate optical depth as well as that of the water-ice. The stars have a high mass loss rate (> 1.0E-4 Msun/yr) with an average gas-to-dust mass ratio of 110. In objects which show the 3.1um water-ice absorption, the near-IR slope is much steeper than those with no water-ice. Comparison between our calculated mass loss rates and those derived from OH and CO observations indicates that these stars have recently increased their mass loss rates.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures : accepted for publication in A&

CO observations of water-maser post-AGB stars and detection of a high-velocity outflow in IRAS 15452-5459

Many aspects of the evolutionary phase in which Asymptotic Giant Branch stars (AGB stars) are in transition to become Planetary Nebulae (PNe) are still poorly understood. An important question is how the circumstellar envelopes of AGB stars switch from spherical symmetry to the axially symmetric structures frequently observed in PNe. In many cases there is clear evidence that the shaping of the circumstellar envelopes of PNe is linked to the formation of jets/collimated winds and their interaction with the remnant AGB envelope. Because of the short evolutionary time, objects in this phase are rare, but their identification provides valuable probes for testing evolutionary models. We have observed (sub)millimeter CO rotational transitions with the APEX telescope in a small sample of stars hosting high-velocity OH and water masers. These targets are supposed to have recently left the AGB, as indicated by the presence of winds traced by masers, with velocities larger than observed during that phase. We have carried out observations of several CO lines, ranging from J=2-1 up to J=7-6. In IRAS 15452-5459 we detect a fast molecular outflow in the central region of the nebula and estimate a mass-loss rate between 1.2x10^{-4} Msun yr^{-1} (assuming optically thin emission) and 4.9x10^{-4} Msun yr^{-1} (optically thick emission). We model the SED of this target taking advantage of our continuum measurement at 345 GHz to constrain the emission at long wavelengths. For a distance of 2.5 kpc, we estimate a luminosity of 8000 Lsun and a dust mass of 0.01 Msun. Through the flux in the [CII] line (158 um), we calculate a total mass of about 12 Msun for the circumstellar envelope, but the line is likely affected by interstellar contamination.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication on A&

HE 3-1475 AND ITS JETS

We present spectra and high-resolution images taken with HST, the NTT, the VLA, and the MPIA/ESO 2.2m of the emission-line star He 3-1475 which we suggest is a post-AGB star. The star is at the origin of a 15-arcsec-long structure containing symmetrically opposing bright knots. The knots have radial velocities of about 500 km/s from the center of He 3-1475 to the ends of the jets. HST snapshots show that the core of He 3-1475 is unipolar with a star at the SE end and the nebula fanning out toward the NW. VLA observations show the presence of OH masers, which are positioned parallel to the optical jets. A model is proposed that accounts for all of the observational data. This unusual object may link the OH/IR stars having extreme outflow velocities with highly bipolar planetary nebulae.Comment: 14 pages, uu-encoded postcript. 6 figures available on request from Matt Bobrowski ([email protected]

A Mid-Infrared Imaging Survey of Proto-Planetary Nebula Candidates

We present the data from a mid-infrared imaging survey of 66 proto-planetary nebula candidates using two mid-IR cameras (MIRAC2 and Berkcam) at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility and the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope. The goal of this survey is to determine the size, flux, and morphology of the mid-IR emission regions, which sample the inner regions of the circumstellar dust shells of proto-planetary nebulae. We imaged these proto-planetary nebulae with narrow-band filters ($\Delta\lambda / \lambda \sim 10$) at wavelengths of notable dust features. With our typical angular resolution of 1\arcsec, we resolve 17 sources, find 48 objects unresolved, and do not detect 1 source. For several sources, we checked optical and infrared associations and positions of the sources. In table format, we list the size and flux measurements for all the detected objects and show figures of all the resolved sources. Images for all the detected objects are available on line in FITS format from the Astronomy Digital Image Library at the National Center for Supercomputing Application. The proto-planetary nebula candidate sample includes, in addition to the predominant proto-planetary nebulae, extreme asymptotic giant branch stars, young planetary nebulae, a supergiant, and a luminous blue variable. We find that dust shells which are cooler ($\rm T \sim 150$ K) and brighter in the infrared are more easily resolved. Eleven of the seventeen resolved sources are extended and fall into one of two types of mid-IR morphological classes: core/elliptical or toroidal. Core/elliptical structures show unresolved cores with lower surface brightness elliptical nebulae. Toroidal structures show limb-brightened peaks suggesting equatorial density enhancements. We argue that core/ellipticals have denser dust shells than toroidals.Comment: 32 pages, 5 tables, 2 e/ps figures (fig3 is available through ADIL [see text]), to be published in ApJS May 1999 issu

Wellbeing at Work: Four Perspectives on What User Experiences with Artifacts May Contribute

Part 2: User Experiences and Wellbeing at Work (UX@Work)International audienceMost work involves the use of artifacts; thus, user experience (UX) is a factor in how most employees experience their work. This study revisits the tool, media, dialogue-partner, and system perspectives on artifact use to explore how UX may contribute to wellbeing at work. It is found that artifacts foster positive UX when they lend the user expressive power (tool), are transparent (media) or perceptive (dialogue partner).They foster negative UX when they break the user’s task focus or make the user a mere system component. These findings are discussed and refined by elaborating the classic concepts of ready to hand and present at hand

Observations of the 6 Centimeter Lines of OH in Evolved (OH/IR) Stars

Recent observational and theoretical advances have called into question traditional OH maser pumping models in evolved (OH/IR) stars. The detection of excited-state OH lines would provide additional constraints to discriminate amongst these theoretical models. In this Letter, we report on VLA observations of the 4750 MHz and 4765 MHz lines of OH toward 45 sources, mostly evolved stars. We detect 4765 MHz emission in the star forming regions Mon R2 and LDN 1084, but we do not detect excited-state emission in any evolved stars. The flux density and velocity of the 4765 MHz detection in Mon R2 suggests that a new flaring event has begun.Comment: 4 pages, to appear in ApJ