Iowa New Farms Project Update

A general description of the Iowa New Farms project was presented in A.S. Leaflet R 2095 in the Animal Industry Report 2006. This is an update of the project. Six dairy farm families have immigrated or moved from other states to Iowa under the New Farms Project. There is one additional dairy that has established an Iowa base, but has done so under an E-2 Visa. All of the others are utilizing the EB-5 Visa and have located in one of the 77 Iowa counties designated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. The economic impact of these new dairies is very significant. A Minnesota source estimates total economic impact of a dairy to be $15,000 per cow. That would give an economic impact of$15,000,000 on Iowa’s economy from the first 4 immigrant dairy farm families to establish in Iowa

Toekomstverkenning MIRA 2009 Wetenschappelijk rapport verzuring

In dit wetenschappelijk rapport worden de jaargemiddelde deposities, sectorale bijdragen en de overschrijding van kritische lasten voor verzuring bepaald in Vlaanderen, en dit voor twee MIRA-scenario’s, met name REF- scenario en EUR-scenario, voor de potentieel verzurende stoffen (NHx, NOy en SOx) voor de periode 2010 t.e.m. 2030. Het jaar 2006 werd beschouwd als referentiejaar. Er wordt ook bepaald wanneer herstel van bodemverzuring kan verwacht worden voor Vlaamse bosbodems

Degradation of methylammonium lead iodide perovskite structures through light and electron beam driven ion migration

[Image: see text] Organometal halide perovskites show promising features for cost-effective application in photovoltaics. The material instability remains a major obstacle to broad application because of the poorly understood degradation pathways. Here, we apply simultaneous luminescence and electron microscopy on perovskites for the first time, allowing us to monitor in situ morphology evolution and optical properties upon perovskite degradation. Interestingly, morphology, photoluminescence (PL), and cathodoluminescence of perovskite samples evolve differently upon degradation driven by electron beam (e-beam) or by light. A transversal electric current generated by a scanning electron beam leads to dramatic changes in PL and tunes the energy band gaps continuously alongside film thinning. In contrast, light-induced degradation results in material decomposition to scattered particles and shows little PL spectral shifts. The differences in degradation can be ascribed to different electric currents that drive ion migration. Moreover, solution-processed perovskite cuboids show heterogeneity in stability which is likely related to crystallinity and morphology. Our results reveal the essential role of ion migration in perovskite degradation and provide potential avenues to rationally enhance the stability of perovskite materials by reducing ion migration while improving morphology and crystallinity. It is worth noting that even moderate e-beam currents (86 pA) and acceleration voltages (10 kV) readily induce significant perovskite degradation and alter their optical properties. Therefore, attention has to be paid while characterizing such materials using scanning electron microscopy or transmission electron microscopy techniques

A general strategy for direct, enzyme-catalyzed conjugation of functional compounds to DNA

The methyltransferase enzymes can be applied to deliver a range of modifications to pre-determined sites on large DNA molecules with exceptional specificity and efficiency. To date, however, a limited number of modifications have been delivered in this way because of the complex chemical synthesis that is needed to produce a cofactor analogue carrying a specific function, such as a fluorophore. Here, we describe a method for the direct transfer of a series of functional compounds (seven fluorescent dyes, biotin and polyethylene glycol) to the DNA duplex. Our approach uses a functional cofactor analogue, whose final preparative step is performed alongiside the DNA modification reaction in a single pot, with no purification needed. We show that fluorophore conjugation efficiency in these mixtures is significantly improved compared to two-step labeling approaches. Our experiments highlight the remarkable malleability and selectivity of the methyltransferases tested. Additional analysis using high resolution localization of the fluorophore distribution indicates that target sites for the methyltransferase are predominantly labeled on a single strand of their palindromic site and that a small and randomly-distributed probability of off-site labeling exists.status: publishe

Composition of dissolved organic matter within a lacustrine environment

Freshwater dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a complex mixture of chemical components that are central to many environmental processes, including carbon and nitrogen cycling. However, questions remain as to its chemical characteristics, sources and transformation mechanisms. Here, we employ 1- and 2-D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to investigate the structural components of lacustrine DOM from Ireland, and how it varies within a lake system, as well as to assess potential sources. Major components found, such as carboxyl-rich alicyclic molecules (CRAM) are consistent with those recently identified in marine and freshwater DOM. Lignin-type markers and protein/peptides were identified and vary spatially. Phenylalanine was detected in lake areas influenced by agriculture, whereas it is not detectable where zebra mussels are prominent. The presence of peptidoglycan, lipoproteins, large polymeric carbo- hydrates and proteinaceous material supports the substantial contribution of material derived from microorganisms. Evidence is provided that peptidoglycan and silicate species may in part originate from soil microbes

Разработка системы измерения производительности реализаций blockchain

Долголев Филипп Петрович Разработка системы измерения производительности реализаций blockchain Старший преподаватель кафедры системного программирования Кириленко Яков Александрович При разработке приложений на основе технологии blockchain, из-за наличия множества различных реализаций, разработчики сталкиваются с проблемой выбора. Один из важных критериев при выборе - производительность. В процессе поиска системы, позволяющей измерить производительность различных реализаций blockchain, не обнаружены ни проприетарные системы, ни с открытым исходным кодом. В рамках этой работы рассматривается разработка модульной системы, решающей эту проблему. Использованных источников: 18 Долголев, Ф. П. Разработка системы измерения производительности реализаций blockchain: выпускная квалификационная работа: защищена 01.06.2017 / Долголев Филипп Петрович. – СПб., 2017. – 21 с. – Библиография: с. 20–21.Filipp Dolgolev Blockchain Implementations Benchmarking Tool senior lecturer, dept. of software engineering Iakov Kirilenko Mathematics & mechanics, software engineering department Since there are many different types of blockchain technologies, developers are faced with a dilemma of which technology to choose when developing applications for a particular use case. One of the most important criteria effecting the selection is performance. During our research, we were unable to source either proprietary, or open source solutions allowing to benchmark various blockchain technologies performances. In this context, we are considering the development of such a solution. Sources cited: 18 Dolgolev, F. Blockchain Implementations Benchmarking Tool: Graduation thesis: Defended 01.06.2017 / Filipp Dolgolev. – St. Petersburg., 2017. – 21 pp. – Bibliography: pp. 20–21

Recommendations for customer engagement strategies

Customers are expected to play a fundamental role in the transition to a decarbonised and digitalised energy system. However, experience so far suggests that customer engagement in energy markets cannot be given for granted. This report investigates those barriers hindering customer engagement in flexibility markets and discusses strategies for their mitigation, aiming to unlock the untapped potential of the resources located at the customer’s premises and foster a more consumer-centric power system. Drawing from an extensive and multi-disciplinary literature review and benefiting from interactions with OneNet cluster demonstrators, this research identifies economic, behavioural, legal, and technical barriers to customer engagement in flexibility markets. Tailored recommendations are provided to surmount each of these barriers, advocating, among other things, for value stacking support, targeted awareness campaigns, regulatory adaptations, and robust infrastructure enhancements