Offshore rectenna feasbility

A preliminary study of the feasibility and cost of an offshore rectenna to serve the upper metropolitan east coast was performed. A candidate site at which to build a 5 GW rectenna was selected on the basis of proximity to load centers, avoidance of shipping lanes, sea floor terrain, and relocated conditions. Several types of support structures were selected for study based initially on the reference system rectenna concept of a wire mesh ground screen and dipoles each with its own rectifier and filter circuits. Possible secondary uses of an offshore rectenna were examined and are evaluated

From vocational training to education: the development of a no-frontiers education policy for Europe?

This article focuses on developments towards an EU educational policy. Education was not included as one of the Community competencies in the Treaty of Rome. The first half of the article analyses the way that the European Court of Justice and the Commission of the European Communities between them managed to develop a series of substantial Community programmes out of Article 128 on vocational training. The second half of the article discusses educational developments in the community following the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty of Amsterdam. Whilst the legal competence of the community now includes education, the author's argument is that the inclusion of an educational competence will not result in further developments to mirror those in the years before the Treaty on Europe</p

Telling stories about European Union Health Law: The emergence of a new field of law

The ideational narrative power of law has now solidified, and continues to solidify, ‘European Union health law’, into an entity with a distinctive legal identity. EU health law was previously seen as either non-existent, or so broad as to be meaningless, or as existing only in relations between EU law and health (the ‘and’ approach), or as consisting of a body of barely or loosely connected policy domains (the ‘patchwork’ approach). The process of bringing EU health law into being is a process of narration. The ways in which EU health law is narrated (and continues to be narrated) involve three main groups of actors: the legislature, courts and the academy

Health ‘Brexternalities’: The Brexit effect on health and health care outside the UK

The principal effects of Brexit on health and health care will fall within the United Kingdom, and all forms of Brexit have overwhelmingly negative implications for health care and health within the UK. This article focuses on the external effects of Brexit (‘Brexternalities’) for health and health care. The EU is a particularly powerful institutional and legal arrangement for managing economic and political externalities, in health policy as in any other policy. Equally, when a state leaves the EU, the manner of leaving will result in better or worse management of relevant externalities. ‘Brexternalities’ thus involve questions about policy legitimacy and accountability. Health ‘Brexternalities’ do not fall equally in all EU countries. They are felt more distinctly in the context of those elements of health policy that are most closely entwined with the UK’s health policy: for instance, on the island of Ireland; certain areas of Spain and other parts of southern Europe. Some health ‘Brexternalities’, such as in medicines safety, will be imposed on the whole population of the EU. And some health ‘Brexternalities’, such as communicable disease control, will be felt globally

Metaproteomic evidence of changes in protein expression following a change in electrode potential in a robust biocathode microbiome

Microorganisms that respire electrodes may be exploited for biotechnology applications if key pathways for extracellular electron transfer (EET) can be identified and manipulated through bioengineering. To determine whether expression of proposed Biocathode-MCL EET proteins are changed by modulating electrode potential without disrupting the relative distribution of microbial constituents, metaproteomic and 16S rRNA gene expression analyses were performed after switching from an optimal to suboptimal potential based on an expected decrease in electrode respiration. Five hundred and seventy-nine unique proteins were identified across both potentials, the majority of which were assigned to three previously defined Biocathode-MCL metagenomic clusters: a Marinobacter sp., a member of the family Chromatiaceae, and a Labrenzia sp. Statistical analysis of spectral counts using the Fisher's exact test identified 16 proteins associated with the optimal potential, five of which are predicted electron transfer proteins. The majority of proteins associated with the suboptimal potential were involved in protein turnover/turnover, motility, and membrane transport. Unipept and 16S rRNA gene expression analyses indicated that the taxonomic profile of the microbiome did not change after 52 hours at the suboptimal potential. These findings show that protein expression is sensitive to the electrode potential without inducing shifts in community composition, a feature that may be exploited for engineering Biocathode-MCL

The Wisconsin-IIASA Set of Energy/Environment (WISE) Models for Regional Planning and Management: An Overview

This report presents an overview of the analytical framework and quantitative methods used in the IIASA case studies on Regional Energy/Environment Management and Planning. Its purpose is to summarize the structure of the models, to provide a complete listing of the sources of more detailed model and data descriptions, and to indicate how the models are integrated to provide a foundation for regional energy/environment policy maker analysis. The audience for the report includes managers, planners, technical advisors, and modelers. The set of models used in the research project encompasses socioeconomic links to the energy system; energy demand in the residential, industrial, commercial/service, agricultural and transportation sectors; the energy supply sector, environmental impacts associated with the energy system; and policy makers' preferences. The report gives a brief description of the purpose and general structure of each model, data requirements, examples of input and output, and model limitations. As a whole, the models integrate information about energy flows in a region to simulate the energy system and its relationship to other regional variables, e.g., demographic and economic trends and the environment

A Previously Uncharacterized, Nonphotosynthetic Member of the Chromatiaceae Is the Primary CO_2-Fixing Constituent in a Self-Regenerating Biocathode

Biocathode extracellular electron transfer (EET) may be exploited for biotechnology applications, including microbially mediated O_2 reduction in microbial fuel cells and microbial electrosynthesis. However, biocathode mechanistic studies needed to improve or engineer functionality have been limited to a few select species that form sparse, homogeneous biofilms characterized by little or no growth. Attempts to cultivate isolates from biocathode environmental enrichments often fail due to a lack of some advantage provided by life in a consortium, highlighting the need to study and understand biocathode consortia in situ. Here, we present metagenomic and metaproteomic characterization of a previously described biocathode biofilm (+310 mV versus a standard hydrogen electrode [SHE]) enriched from seawater, reducing O_2, and presumably fixing CO_2 for biomass generation. Metagenomics identified 16 distinct cluster genomes, 15 of which could be assigned at the family or genus level and whose abundance was roughly divided between Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria. A total of 644 proteins were identified from shotgun metaproteomics and have been deposited in the the ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD001045. Cluster genomes were used to assign the taxonomic identities of 599 proteins, with Marinobacter, Chromatiaceae, and Labrenzia the most represented. RubisCO and phosphoribulokinase, along with 9 other Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle proteins, were identified from Chromatiaceae. In addition, proteins similar to those predicted for iron oxidation pathways of known iron-oxidizing bacteria were observed for Chromatiaceae. These findings represent the first description of putative EET and CO_2 fixation mechanisms for a self-regenerating, self-sustaining multispecies biocathode, providing potential targets for functional engineering, as well as new insights into biocathode EET pathways using proteomics

The gynecologic oncologist in academic departments : Report of survey

Now that the subspecialty of gynecologic oncology is well established within the specialty of obstetrics and gynecology, it seems timely to evaluate the pros and cons, the strengths and weaknesses of such a program as it interrelates with other programs in an academic department. A survey is presented which reflects the beliefs of both members and candidate members of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists on such issues as gynecologic oncologists as chairmen of departments; teaching demands; time commitments to patient care and research in an academic institution; and surgical privileges for gastro-intestinal and urologic procedures in various hospitals. Financial and budgetary items are also discussed. Perspectives from three different points of view are presented as a discussion of the report of the survey.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/24676/1/0000095.pd

Awake brain tumor resection during pregnancy: Decision making and technical nuances

The co-occurrence of primary brain tumor and pregnancy poses unique challenges to the treating physician. If a rapidly growing lesion causes life-threatening mass effect, craniotomy for tumor debulking becomes urgent. The choice between awake craniotomy versus general anesthesia becomes complicated if the tumor is encroaching on eloquent brain because considerations pertinent to both patient safety and oncological outcome, in addition to fetal wellbeing, are involved. A 31-year-old female at 30 weeks gestation with twins presented to our hospital seeking awake craniotomy to resect a 7 × 6 × 5 cm left frontoparietal brain tumor with 7 mm left-to-right subfalcine herniation on imaging that led to word finding difficulty, dysfluency, right upper extremity paralysis, and right lower extremity weakness. She had twice undergone tumor debulking under general anesthesia during the same pregnancy at an outside hospital at 16 weeks and 28 weeks gestation. There were considerations both for and against awake brain tumor resection over surgery under general anesthesia. The decision-making process and the technical nuances related to awake brain tumor resection in this neurologically impaired patient are discussed. Awake craniotomy benefits the patient who harbors a tumor that encroaches on the eloquent brain by allowing a greater extent of resection while preserving the language and sensorimotor function. It can be successfully done in pregnant patients who are neurologically impaired. The patient should be motivated and well informed of the details of the process. A multidisciplinary and collaborative effort is also crucial