Surface studies on semiconductor processing and related phenomena

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:D92667 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

The Australian Wool Corporation's Reserve Price Scheme: An Assessment of Price Stabilisation and Producer Benefits

This paper presents a new framework for evaluating the producer benefits from price stabilisation schemes. The methodology includes formulae for explicitly characterising the floor price feature typical of such schemes. This methodology is applied to an analysis of the Australian Wool Corporation's (AWC) Reserve Price Scheme (RPS) for wool. Using post intervention data to generate values of ex ante (unstabilised) and ex post (stabilised) price variability, results indicate that the coefficient of variation of wool prices has declined in response to the operation of the RPS by 41 per cent. A large decrease in price instability from historical levels to the level estimated in this paper is also observed. It is suggested that some of this reduction in price instability may be attributed to an existence effect of the RPS. As a consequence, ignoring this existence effect may lead to an understatement of the benefits from price stabilisation

The Australian Wool Corporation's Reserve Price Scheme: An Assessment of Price Stabilisation and Producer Benefits

This paper presents a new framework for evaluating the producer benefits from price stabilisation schemes. The methodology includes formulae for explicitly characterising the floor price feature typical of such schemes. This methodology is applied to an analysis of the Australian Wool Corporation's (AWC) Reserve Price Scheme (RPS) for wool. Using post intervention data to generate values of ex ante (unstabilised) and ex post (stabilised) price variability, results indicate that the coefficient of variation of wool prices has declined in response to the operation of the RPS by 41 per cent. A large decrease in price instability from historical levels to the level estimated in this paper is also observed. It is suggested that some of this reduction in price instability may be attributed to an existence effect of the RPS. As a consequence, ignoring this existence effect may lead to an understatement of the benefits from price stabilisation

Inflammation is present in early human tendinopathy

Background: The cellular mechanisms of tendinopathy remain unclear particularly with respect to the role of inflammation in early disease. The authors previously identified increased levels of inflammatory cytokines in an early human model of tendinopathy and sought to extend these studies to the cellular analysis of tissue. Purpose: To characterize inflammatory cell subtypes in early human tendinopathy, the authors explored the phenotype and quantification of inflammatory cells in torn and control tendon samples. Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Torn supraspinatus tendon and matched intact subscapularis tendon samples were collected from 20 patients undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery. Control samples of subscapularis tendon were collected from 10 patients undergoing arthroscopic stabilization surgery. Tendon biopsy samples were evaluated immunohistochemically by quantifying the presence of macrophages (CD68 and CD206), T-cells (CD3), mast cells (mast cell tryptase), and vascular endothelium (CD34). Results: Subscapularis tendon samples obtained from patients with a torn supraspinatus tendon exhibited significantly greater macrophage, mast cell, and T-cell expression compared with either torn supraspinatus samples or control subscapularis-derived tissue (P < .01). Inflammatory cell infiltrate correlated inversely (r = .5; P < .01) with rotator cuff tear size, with larger tears correlating with a marked reduction in all cell lineages. There was a modest but significant correlation between mast cells and CD34 expression (r - .4; P < .01) in matched subscapularis tendons from shoulders with supraspinatus ruptures. Conclusion: This study provides evidence for an inflammatory cell infiltrate in early mild/moderate human tendinopathy. In particular, the authors demonstrate significant infiltration of mast cells and macrophages, suggesting a role for innate immune pathways in the events that mediate early tendinopathy

Roadmap for the next-generation of hybrid photovoltaic-thermal solar energy collectors

For hybrid photovoltaic-thermal collectors to become competitive with other types of solar energy converters, they must offer high performance at fluid outlet temperatures above 60 °C, as is required for space heating and domestic hot water provision, which together account for nearly 50% of heat demand. A roadmap is presented of the technological advances required to achieve this goal. Strategies for reducing convective, radiative and electrical losses at elevated temperature are discussed, and an experimental characterisation of a novel transparent low-emissivity coating for photovoltaic solar cells is presented. An experimentally-validated simulation formalism is used to project the performance of different combinations of loss-reduction strategies implemented together. Finally, a techno-economic analysis is performed to predict the price points at which the hybrid technologies along the roadmap become competitive with non-hybrid photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies. The most advanced hybrid technology along the roadmap employs an evacuated cavity, a transparent low-emissivity coating, and silicon heterojunction photovoltaic cells

Fragmentations and reactions of three isotopically labelled dimethyl methylphosphonate ions produced by electrospray ionisation in an ion trap mass spectrometer

In an initial investigation into the electrospray ionisation ion trap mass spectrometry (ESI/ITMS) of simple organophosphate esters we reported that in one of the collision induced fragmentation steps of protonated dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP), formaldehyde was eliminated with a concomitant partial scrambling of the methyl group attached to the phosphorus and a methoxy group. The present paper describes a further investigation of this reaction. Three novel isotopomers of DMMP were used for this study and their synthesis and properties are reported. A mechanism for the formaldehyde elimination and scrambling of the methyl groups is proposed and supported by a kinetic analysis of a limiting case. During this study black holes were found to occur in one of the ITMS instruments used and it is shown that these could lead to severe distortions in the amounts of product ions observed. A brief analysis of this observation is presented

Low carbon heating and cooling by combining various technologies with Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage

A transition to a low carbon energy system is needed to respond to global challenge of climate change mitigation. Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) is a technology with worldwide potential to provide sustainable space heating and cooling by (seasonal) storage and recovery of heat in the subsurface. However, adoption of ATES varies strongly across Europe, because of both technical as well as organizational barriers, e.g. differences in climatic and subsurface conditions and legislation respectively. After identification of all these barriers in a Climate-KIC research project, six ATES pilot systems have been installed in five different EU-countries aiming to show how such barriers can be overcome. This paper presents the results of the barrier analysis and of the pilot plants. The barriers are categorized in general barriers, and barriers for mature and immature markets. Two pilots show how ATES can be successfully used to re-develop contaminated sites by combining ATES with soil remediation. Two other pilots show the added value of ATES because its storage capacity enables the utilization of solar heat in combination with solar power production. Finally, two pilots are realized in countries with legal barriers where ATES systems have not previously been applied at all.Accepted Author ManuscriptWater Resource

Low carbon heating and cooling by combining various technologies with Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage

A transition to a low carbon energy system is needed to respond to global challenge of climate change mitigation. Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) is a technology with worldwide potential to provide sustainable space heating and cooling by (seasonal) storage and recovery of heat in the subsurface. However, adoption of ATES varies strongly across Europe, because of both technical as well as organizational barriers, e.g. differences in climatic and subsurface conditions and legislation respectively. After identification of all these barriers in a Climate-KIC research project, six ATES pilot systems have been installed in five different EU-countries aiming to show how such barriers can be overcome. This paper presents the results of the barrier analysis and of the pilot plants. The barriers are categorized in general barriers, and barriers for mature and immature markets. Two pilots show how ATES can be successfully used to re-develop contaminated sites by combining ATES with soil remediation. Two other pilots show the added value of ATES because its storage capacity enables the utilization of solar heat in combination with solar power production. Finally, two pilots are realized in countries with legal barriers where ATES systems have not previously been applied at all.</p

Low carbon heating and cooling by combining various technologies with Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage

A transition to a lowcarbon energy systemis needed to respond to global challenge of climate change mitigation. Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) is a technology with worldwide potential to provide sustainable space heating and cooling by (seasonal) storage and recovery of heat in the subsurface. However, adoption of ATES varies strongly across Europe, because of both technical as well as organizational barriers, e.g. differences in climatic and subsurface conditions and legislation respectively. After identification of all these barriers in a Climate-KIC research project, six ATES pilot systems have been installed in five different EU-countries aiming to showhow such barriers can be overcome. This paper presents the results of the barrier analysis and of the pilot plants. The barriers are categorized in general barriers, and barriers for mature and immaturemarkets. Two pilots show how ATES can be successfully used to re-develop contaminated sites by combining ATES with soil remediation. Two other pilots show the added value of ATES because its storage capacity enables the utilization of solar heat in combination with solar power production. Finally, two pilots are realized in countries with legal barriers where ATES systems have not previously been applied at all