343 research outputs found
A Review of Energy Models. No. 3 (Special Issue on Soviet Models)
The experience of the USSR in the field of energy systems development modeling reveals certain patterns and principles that influence the structure and use of energy models, principally:
-- The need to use mainly optimization models since, for planning purposes, optimal solutions must be found;
-- The need to coordinate individual models in order to obtain the country's objectives;
-- The existing organizational structure of planning which must be taken into account;
-- The dependence of models on time aspects of planning (annual, 5-year, 15-year);
-- The elaboration of corresponding methods for providing necessary input data.
This has required the development of a special concept for optimizing energy systems development with the use of mathematical models. It is based on consideration of the energy industries of the country as complex with a hierarchical structure of energy systems of various territorial and branch levels. At the same time, the differentiation of aims at different times during the planning period have been taken into account.
This concept is given here in its existing state (it is continuously developed and perfected) for better understanding of the energy models described. In particular, we show the role of the system of models for optimization of the energy supply system as a whole, and that of more detailed branch models (oil, gas, coal, electricity production systems).
For optimal energy strategy evaluation, the most important models are those used on the highest levels of the energy systems hierarchy, i.e. the general (aggregate) energy systems of the country and of economic regions, and branch energy systems. Only these models are described here; models used on lower levels for solving some technical problems are far more diverse and numerous, and it is impossible to consider them all in a single review
A Review of Energy Models No.4 - July 1978
This review is the fourth in the IIASA series A REVIEW OF ENERGY MODELS (RR-74-10, No. 1 of May 1974 as revised in September 1976; RR-75-30, No. 2 of July 1975; and RR-77-13, No. 3, Special Issue of Soviet Models), which aims at wider diffusion of energy modeling work in progress at other institutions. Fourteen models are described in this issue and again classified in terms of substance and geographical applicability with further subdivision into groups corresponding to model user requirements: the majority of the models focus on the energy problem; they are mostly national ones involving either one or several kinds of fuel; six other models, both international and national, combine energy and overall economic aspects; they may be of particular interest for a more global consideration of energy problems
Study on public perceptions and protective behaviors regarding Lyme disease among the general public in the Netherlands: Implications for prevention programs
Background: Lyme disease (LD) is the most common tick-borne disease in the United States and in Europe. The aim of this study was to examine knowledge, perceived risk, feelings of anxiety, and behavioral responses of the general public in relation to tick bites and LD in the Netherlands. Methods. From a representative Internet panel a random sample was drawn of 550 panel members aged 18 years and older (8-15 November 2010) who were invited to complete an online questionnaire. Results: Response rate (362/550, 66%). This study demonstrates that knowledge, level of concern, and perceived efficacy are the main determinants of preventive behavior. 35% (n = 125/362) of the respondents reported a good general knowledge of LD. While 95% (n = 344/362) perceived LD as severe or very severe, the minority (n = 130/362, 36%) perceived their risk of LD to be low. Respondents were more likely to check their skin after being outdoors and remove ticks if necessary, than to wear protective clothing and/or use insect repellent skin products. The percentage of respondents taking preventive measures ranged from 6% for using insect repellent skin products, to 37% for wearing protective clothing. History of tick bites, higher levels of knowledge and moderate/high levels of worry were significant predictors of checking the skin. Significant predictors of wearing protective clothing were being unemployed/retired, higher knowledge levels, higher levels of worry about LD and higher levels of perceived efficacy of wearing protective clothing. Conclusions: Prevention programs targeting tick bites and LD should aim at influencing people's perceptions and increasin
A Simple Empirical Calibration of Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDXA) on the Cornea
Monitoring of the corneal electrolyte content is important for the study of chemical eye burns. This paper describes quantitative measurements on gelatin standards, corneas and a cornea homogenate with an energy dispersive X-ray analyzer (EDX) in the scanning electron microscope (SEM). Ten micrometers thick cryosections were freeze-dried and mounted on solid carbon supports. The applied quantification procedure was a local peak background analysis with a specifically designed computer program. Similar chemical and physical properties of gelatin, cornea homogenate, and cornea were proven by EDX-analysis and wet chemical analysis. Gelatin standards with known concentrations of different added salts showed linear correlations with a correlation coefficient higher than 0.95 for all considered elements. The local background generation on carbon supports was the same for gelatin standards and corneal tissue. The results demonstrate that quantitative EDX analysis of semi-thin samples, mounted on neutral carbon supports, can be reliably used for the assessment of the corneal mineral composition
Q fever in the Netherlands: Public perceptions and behavioral responses in three different epidemiological regions: A follow-up study
Background: Over the past years, Q fever has become a major public health problem in the Netherlands, with a peak of 2,357 human cases in 2009. In the first instance, Q fever was mainly a local problem of one province with a high density of large dairy goat farms, but in 2009 an alarming incre
A New Approach in Energy Demand. Part I: Methodology and Illustrative Examples
A great deal of work has been carried out on the relation between per capita GNP and per capita energy consumption. In this short paper we substitute the structure of GNP to its absolute level. Three sectors were only retained: namely, agriculture, industry, and services (including transportation). The relation between per capita energy consumption and GNP structure explicitly constructed and adjusted on data is a potential in the space of GNP structures
The ALTCRISS project on board the International Space Station
The Altcriss project aims to perform a long term survey of the radiation
environment on board the International Space Station. Measurements are being
performed with active and passive devices in different locations and
orientations of the Russian segment of the station. The goal is to perform a
detailed evaluation of the differences in particle fluence and nuclear
composition due to different shielding material and attitude of the station.
The Sileye-3/Alteino detector is used to identify nuclei up to Iron in the
energy range above 60 MeV/n. Several passive dosimeters (TLDs, CR39) are also
placed in the same location of Sileye-3 detector. Polyethylene shielding is
periodically interposed in front of the detectors to evaluate the effectiveness
of shielding on the nuclear component of the cosmic radiation. The project was
submitted to ESA in reply to the AO in the Life and Physical Science of 2004
and data taking began in December 2005. Dosimeters and data cards are rotated
every six months: up to now three launches of dosimeters and data cards have
been performed and have been returned with the end of expedition 12 and 13.Comment: Accepted for publication on Advances in Space Research
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2007.04.03
Cornering New Physics in b --> s Transitions
We derive constraints on Wilson coefficients of dimension-six effective
operators probing the b --> s transition, using recent improved measurements of
the rare decays Bs --> mu+mu-, B --> K mu+mu- and B --> K* mu+mu- and including
all relevant observables in inclusive and exclusive decays. We consider
operators present in the SM as well as their chirality-flipped counterparts and
scalar operators. We find good agreement with the SM expectations. Compared to
the situation before winter 2012, we find significantly more stringent
constraints on the chirality-flipped coefficients due to complementary
constraints from B --> K mu+mu- and B --> K* mu+mu- and due to the LHCb
measurement of the angular observable S_3 in the latter decay. We also list the
full set of observables sensitive to new physics in the low recoil region of B
--> K* mu+mu-.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, 4 tables. v3: typos correcte
Bayesian Fit of Exclusive Decays: The Standard Model Operator Basis
We perform a model-independent fit of the short-distance couplings
within the Standard Model set of and operators. Our analysis of , and decays is the first to harness the full
power of the Bayesian approach: all major sources of theory uncertainty
explicitly enter as nuisance parameters. Exploiting the latest measurements,
the fit reveals a flipped-sign solution in addition to a Standard-Model-like
solution for the couplings . Each solution contains about half of the
posterior probability, and both have nearly equal goodness of fit. The Standard
Model prediction is close to the best-fit point. No New Physics contributions
are necessary to describe the current data. Benefitting from the improved
posterior knowledge of the nuisance parameters, we predict ranges for currently
unmeasured, optimized observables in the angular distributions of .Comment: 42 pages, 8 figures; v2: Using new lattice input for f_Bs,
considering Bs-mixing effects in BR[B_s->ll]. Main results and conclusion
unchanged, matches journal versio
Implications from clean observables for the binned analysis of B -> K*ll at large recoil
We perform a frequentist analysis of q^2-dependent B-> K*(->Kpi)ll angular
observables at large recoil, aiming at bridging the gap between current
theoretical analyses and the actual experimental measurements. We focus on the
most appropriate set of observables to measure and on the role of the
q^2-binning. We highlight the importance of the observables P_i exhibiting a
limited sensitivity to soft form factors for the search for New Physics
contributions. We compute predictions for these binned observables in the
Standard Model, and we compare them with their experimental determination
extracted from recent LHCb data. Analyzing b->s and b->sll transitions within
four different New Physics scenarios, we identify several New Physics benchmark
points which can be discriminated through the measurement of P_i observables
with a fine q^2-binning. We emphasise the importance (and risks) of using
observables with (un)suppressed dependence on soft form factors for the search
of New Physics, which we illustrate by the different size of hadronic
uncertainties attached to two related observables (P_1 and S_3). We illustrate
how the q^2-dependent angular observables measured in several bins can help to
unravel New Physics contributions to B-> K*(->Kpi)ll, and show the
extraordinary constraining power that the clean observables will have in the
near future. We provide semi-numerical expressions for these observables as
functions of the relevant Wilson coefficients at the low scale.Comment: 50 pages, 21 figures. Improved form factor analysis, conclusions
unchanged. Plots with full resolution. Version published in JHE
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