Financial viability of offshore wind on the Texas Gulf Coast

Offshore wind is already a significant component of the electricity generation mix in Europe, and improvements in technology and cost are enabling increased offshore wind penetration in new markets around the world. Thus far, the US has struggled to materially participate in this industry, with only a single 30 MW offshore project in operation. Navigating a complicated regulatory framework, the lack of a coherent national policy, and facing local opposition, the industry has experienced some spectacular failures in recent years. However, the US now has an opportunity to take advantage of the lessons learned from years of (primarily) European development and combine them with excellent offshore wind resources close to transmission-constrained load centers. By far the leader of the US onshore wind industry, and with a long history of offshore oil and gas development, Texas has some major advantages when it comes to offshore wind. Wind resources in the Gulf of Mexico are more than adequate for economic production. With shallow depths and relatively calm seas, the Texas Gulf Coast is also well suited to offshore wind construction. These factors, coupled with a pro-development state regulatory scheme and extended jurisdiction over submerged lands, suggest that Texas is an ideal candidate for offshore wind development. With no currently active projects in the pipeline, this thesis examines the economic viability of offshore wind development on the Texas Gulf Coast at the project level. Using an ideal location and cost data from National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Energy Information Administration (EIA), and industry sources, a hypothetical “test project” was developed and evaluated against three cost estimate cases and ten regulatory scenarios. These inputs were fed into a Discounted Cash Flow model to determine potential competitiveness in the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) market in the ERCOT region. Results indicate that without significant cost reductions or major changes to either market conditions or federal/state incentive schemes, Texas Gulf Coast offshore wind cannot compete with other forms of onshore renewable generation. With ever-decreasing costs, it is not impossible that offshore wind could become viable at some point in the future, but given current conditions, it is not likely that any projects are on the near-term horizon.Energy and Earth Resource

Forecast Performance of Futures Price Models for Corn, Soybeans, and Wheat

Replaced with revised version of paper 06/15/07.Marketing,

The DNA Sequence From A Cloned 15 Kilobase Fragment Of The Chlamydomonas Acidophila Mitochondrial Genome And RNA Transcript Production In Response To Cadmium

Chlamydomonas acidophila is a unicellular green alga of the order Chlamydomonadales. Our research efforts were allied along two lines: (1) Characterization of the C. acidophila mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) and (2) Elucidation of any molecular events responsible for C. acidophila\u27s heavy metal tolerance. The mitochondrial genomes of the protists have been underrepresented in the sequence databases. Among the protists, the alga genera Chlamydomonas shows a reduced mtDNA content with a highly rearranged gene structure. It was decided to sequence C. acidophila\u27s mtDNA to further elucidate the evolutionary paths among the Chlamydomonads and add to the protist sequence database. A 15 kb fragment of C. acidophila\u27s mtDNA was cloned and sequenced. The genes identified included apocytochrome b; partial sequences of subunits 2 and 5 and a complete subunit 1 of the NADH dehydrogenase complex; subunit 1 of the cytochrome oxidase complex; discontinuous and scrambled large and small subunit ribosomal rRNA; and four tRNAs whose anticodons specify tryptophan, glutamine, and 2 methionines (one of which appears to be a pseudogene). The mtDNA of C. acidophila, therefore, probably encodes a reduced gene coding capacity common among the Chlamydomonadales. In fact the basic gene order is colinear with that of C. eugametos. However, C. acidophila appears to have two distinctive features: (1) The reduced size of intergenic spacers, and (2) Non-synonymous insertion of a number of group I introns within the partial sequence. These differences suggest a recent divergence between C. acidophila and C. eugametos, and place them very close phylogenetically. It was also noticed that C. acidophila exhibits a higher tolerance for cadmium than do other Chlamydomonas species. Cadmium is a potent environmental toxin and carcinogen that is accumulating in the environment through anthropogenic and natural means. Knowledge of the characteristics of metal tolerant species has yielded valuable insights into the nature of cadmium tolerance, and may one day aid in the safe disposal of this metal. In an attempt to understand the role of mtDNA during cadmium exposure, a 5 kb Hind III fragment of mtDNA was cloned onto a pGem vector (pJB2). That fragment was hybridized to Northern blots of cadmium challenged C. acidophila cells, and a transcript of ∼300 bp in size was shown to increase during cadmium challenge. Restriction studies and DNA sequencing has revealed that the transcript was produced from a 1500 bp region and appears to be rRNA

Effects Department of Justice Investigations have on Violent Crime and Arrest Rates

In 1994 Congress enacted the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, which in part gave the Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division (DOJCRD) the power to investigate local law enforcement agencies for Constitutional and civil rights violations. Researchers have found these investigations are expensive, time consuming, and highly intrusive to a law enforcement agency. To understand how these investigations are impacting communities, data were gathered on cities with local law enforcement agencies that have experienced an investigation by the DOJCRD. Using a quasi-experimental, multiple time-series research design with a paired samples t-test, the dependent variables (violent crime and arrest rates) were analyzed for any differences before and after the introduction of the independent variable (the commencement of a DOJCRD investigation). With an established a = .05, adjusting for non-reported crime, and comparing to a non-equivalent control variable (national crime rate), the research findings indicate increased violent crime with the commencement of these investigations. The results also show that arrest rates significantly decreased indicating the possibility of de-policing. The negative impact to communities with increased violent crime rates and decreased arrest rates calls into question the efficacy of DOJCRD investigations. By supporting the recommendation for Congress to repeal this power given to the DOJCRD, this research can lead to positive social change by preventing federal government intrusion into local government that is negatively impacting communities

Letter to Chapter Presidents regarding the AALL Annual Meeting, March 10, 1992

A letter from Constance Scott and Marci Hoffman to AALL Chapter Presidents with information on the AALL Annual Meeting

Preterm birth : can we do better?

Preterm birth (PTB) remains the most serious complication in obstetrics and a substantial excess burden in US healthcare economics. The etiology of PTB is complex and likely has multiple physiological pathways. Unfortunately, current antenatal care screening methods have not been successful in predicting and, eventually, preventing PTB. Although treatments such as progesterone, cerclage and pessary are available for patients with historical risk factors and shortened cervix, these treatments are not universally efficacious. Antenatal care is in great need of new prediction and prevention strategies. The role of more global methods of screening and treatment is still undefined. Most women with clinical risk factors will not deliver early, and aggressive interventions in large segments of the population may not be warranted or cost effective. Furthermore, over half of women who experience PTB have no historical risk factors. Even second-trimester cervical length (CL) has only modest ability to predict which women will experience PTB. There is thus a clear need to identify biomarkers that provide quantitative, individualized assessment of risk early in pregnancy that is specific for each individual woman. The ideal biomarkers would be indicative of the pathway leading to PTB, require no special testing equipment, have a low false positive and negative rate, and offer early identification, allowing adequate time to intervene. We need an aggressive and comprehensive approach to see a dramatic reduction in rates of preterm delivery in the U.

The Inhibition of Growth of S. cerevisiae, U. maydis, and M. lychinidis-dioicae by Apiaecea Plant Extracts

The Apiaceae family of plants contains over 3,500 species, many of which are used as food crops: vegetables (carrot, parsnip, celery, etc.), herbs (cilantro, fennel, dill, etc.), and spices (cumin, anise, caraway, etc.). Many spices have been shown to exhibit antimicrobial properties against both bacteria and fungi. We set out to determine if the Apiaceae spice extracts currently used in our lab for anticancer studies exhibit any antimicrobial properties. Ethanolic extracts were made from several Apiaceae seeds: Apium graveolens (celery), Cuminum cyminum (cumin), Anethum graveolens(dill), Foeniculum vulgare (fennel), Coriandrum satvium (coriander), Pimpinella ansium (anise), Trachyspermum ammi (ajwain), Carum carvi (caraway).The antimicrobial effects of the extracts were assayed with the Kirby-Bauer (KB) Assay against several microbial species; four bacterial species (E. coli, S. aureus, S. pyogenes, S. enterica) and three fungal species (U. maydis, S. cerevisiae, and M. lyocens-diociae). KB assays for bacteria were performed on LB plates with ampicillin positive controls and ethanol solvent controls, while fungal KB assays were performed on YPD plates with zeocin positive controls and ethanol solvent controls. KB diffusion disks were placed on inoculated plates and impregnated with the extracts and controls. The zones of inhibition for each extract and control were measured and compared. The antibacterial KB assays revealed minimal effects when compared to the ethanol control in all bacterial species tested. The antifungal KB assays indicated that some of the spice extracts exhibit antifungal properties. The celery and ajwain extracts had broad antifungal effects against all three fungal species, while the anise and cumin were only able to inhibit U. maydis, showing minimal effects against the other two fungal species.https://ir.library.louisville.edu/uars/1055/thumbnail.jp

Multi-Wavelength Infared Laser

A long wavelength infrared laser system is disclosed where radiation from laser sources such as frequency-doubled Nd:YAG or a Cr:LiSAF is used to resonantly pump a gain medium consisting of a holmium-doped fluoride crystal having a high active ion concentration. The laser pump source has a pulse duration that may be short enough to gain switch a particular transition or long enough to allow end-pumping with high energy densities without damage. The gain material has an absorption approximately resonant with the pump source wavelength, and the dopant concentration is selected to maximize absorption strength for a given excitation. The output radiation from the laser system consists of one or more wavelengths including, in particular 3.9 nm but also other infrared wavelgths such as 1.4 .mu.m, 2.9 .mu.m and 3.4 .mu.m., several of which may be produced simultaneousely from the same laser material through the mechanism of cascade transitions

Basement-cover relations and internal structure of the Cape Smith klippe: A 1.9 Ga greenstone belt in northern Quebec, Canada

The Cape Smith Belt is a 380x60 km tectonic klippe composed of greenschistto amphibolite-grade mafic and komatiitic lava flows and fine-grained quartzose sediment, intruded by minor syn- to post-tectonic granitoids. Previously studied transects in areas of relatively high structural level show that the belt is constructed of seven or more north-dipping thrust sheets which verge toward the Superior Province (Archean) foreland in the south and away from an Archean basement massif (Kovik Antiform) external to the Trans-Hudson Orogen (Early Proterozoic) in the north. A field project (mapping and structural-stratigraphic-metamorphic studies) directed by MRS was begun in 1985 aimed at the structurally deeper levels of the belt and underlying basement, which are superby exposed in oblique cross-section (12 km minimum structural relief) at the west-plunging eastern end of the belt. Mapping now complete of the eastern end of the belt confirms that all of the metavolcanic and most of the metasedimentary rocks are allochthonous with respect to the Archean basement, and that the thrusts must have been rooted north of Kovik Antiform. The main findings follow