415 research outputs found
Trends in Building Energy Usage in Texas State Agencies
In late 1983, a cost containment program was
initiated out of the governor's office directed at
the major state agencies. The Energy Management
Group at Texas A&M University provided technical
expertise in obtaining agency energy usage and cost
figures for the fiscal years 1981 to 1983. While
there is considerable diversity from agency to
agency, the trend is toward dramatically higher
energy cost per square foot for virtually all
agencies. This alarming trend can be partially
explained by rising unit costs for gas and
electricity and a lack of incentives for
conservation efforts due to the method of utility
budget allocations. A building standard signed into
law in 1976 could have reduced energy consumption,
but was never enforced. Beginning in fiscal year
1986, universities will be allowed to comingle
utility money with capital operating money so that
conservation can really pay off for them
The Impact of Endothall on the Aquatic Plant Community of Kress Lake, Washington
CA dense mat-forming population of Eurasian watermilfoil
(
Myriophyllum spicatum
L
.
) was interfering with fishing and
recreation in a small western Washington lake. A low concentration
(1.5 mg/L active ingredient) of the herbicide endothall
formulated as Aquathol® K was used in 2000 to attempt
to selectively control the Eurasian watermilfoil. Aquatic plant
biomass and frequency data were collected before treatment,
ten weeks after treatment and during the growing season for
3 additional years. Macrophyte data were analyzed to assess
the herbicide’s impacts on Eurasian watermilfoil as well as
the rest of the aquatic plant community. Results showed a significant
decrease in Eurasian watermilfoil biomass and frequency
10 weeks after treatment. The Eurasian watermilfoil
continued to be present, but at a significantly reduced level
through the remainder of the study (3 years after treatment).
Of the native plant species, large-leaf pondweed (
Potamogeton
amplifolius
Tucker
.
) frequency and biomass was significantly
reduced after treatment. Common elodea (
Elodea canadensis
Rich.), muskgrass (
Chara
sp. Vallaint.) and bladderwort (
Utricularia
sp. L.) all increased significantly after treatment.
(PDF has 6 pages.
Program Overview: The Texas LoanSTAR Program; 1989-October 1999, A 10-Year Experience
The Texas LoanSTAR (Loans to Save Taxes
and Resources) program was conceived as a $98.6
million capital retrofit program for building energy
efficiency. The funding source is petroleum
violation escrow funds (PVE) from the Federal
government. LoanSTAR is administered by the
Texas State Energy Conservation Office of the
Comptroller's Office, under the guidance of Dub
Taylor, Director, and is the largest revolving loan
fund administered by a state for conservation
purposes. LoanSTAR was conceived in 1988 and
began in 1989. This paper summarizes the program
dollar savings and environmental impact from its
inception through October 1999
Influence of Infrared Radiation on Attic Heat Transfer
An experimental study concerned with different modes
of heal transfer in fibrous and cellulose insulating material
is presented. A series of experiments were conducted using
an attic simulator to determine the effects of ventilation
on attic heat transfer, and the effect of infrared radiation
on the thermal conductivity of the insulation system and
on attic heat transfer. All the tests were performed at
steady state conditions by controlling the roof deck temperature.
Calculations are performed for insulation thicknesses
between 1 inch (2.54cm) and 6.0 inches (15.24cm)
and roof deck temperatures between 145°F (62.78°C) and
100°F (36.78°C).
The temperature profiles within the insulation were
measured by placing thermocouples at various levels within
the insulation. The profiles for the cellulose insulation are
linear. The profiles within the glass fiber insulation are
non-linear due to the effect of infrared radiation. Also heat
fluxes were measured through different insulation thicknesses
and for different roof temperatures. It was found
that a radiant barrier such as aluminum foil can reduce the
heat flux significantly.
Experimental results were compared to a Three-Region
approximate solution developed at Oak Ridge National
Laboratories (ORNL). The model was in good agreement
with experimental results
Trends in Building Energy Usage in Texas State Agencies
In late 1983, a cost containment program was
initiated out of the governor's office directed at
the major state agencies. The Energy Management
Group at Texas A&M University provided technical
expertise in obtaining agency energy usage and cost
figures for the fiscal years 1981 to 1983. While
there is considerable diversity from agency to
agency, the trend is toward dramatically higher
energy cost per square foot for virtually all
agencies. This alarming trend can be partially
explained by rising unit costs for gas and
electricity and a lack of incentives for
conservation efforts due to the method of utility
budget allocations. A building standard signed into
law in 1976 could have reduced energy consumption,
but was never enforced. Beginning in fiscal year
1986, universities will be allowed to comingle
utility money with capital operating money so that
conservation can really pay off for them
Surface Geometric and Electronic Structure of BaFe2As2(001)
BaFe2As2 exhibits properties characteristic of the parent compounds of the
newly discovered iron (Fe)-based high-TC superconductors. By combining the real
space imaging of scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/S) with
momentum space quantitative Low Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED) we have
identified the surface plane of cleaved BaFe2As2 crystals as the As terminated
Fe-As layer - the plane where superconductivity occurs. LEED and STM/S data on
the BaFe2As2(001) surface indicate an ordered arsenic (As) - terminated
metallic surface without reconstruction or lattice distortion. It is surprising
that the STM images the different Fe-As orbitals associated with the
orthorhombic structure, not the As atoms in the surface plane.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure
Genome scan of Diabrotica virgifera virgifera for genetic variation associated with crop rotation tolerance
Crop rotation has been a valuable technique for control of Diabrotica virgifera virgifera for almost a century. However, during the last two decades, crop rotation has ceased to be effective in an expanding area of the US corn belt. This failure appears to be due to a change in the insect's oviposition behaviour, which, in all probability, has an underlying genetic basis. A preliminary genome scan using 253 amplified fragment-length polymorphism (AFLP) markers sought to identify genetic variation associated with the circumvention of crop rotation. Samples of D. v. virgifera from east-central Illinois, where crop rotation is ineffective, were compared with samples from Iowa at locations that the behavioural variant has yet to reach. A single AFLP marker showed signs of having been influenced by selection for the circumvention of crop rotation. However, this marker was not diagnostic. The lack of markers strongly associated with the trait may be due to an insufficient density of marker coverage throughout the genome. A weak but significant general heterogeneity was observed between the Illinois and Iowa samples at microsatellite loci and AFLP markers. This has not been detected in previous population genetic studies of D. v. virgifera and may indicate a reduction in gene flow between variant and wild-type beetles
Program Overview: The Texas LoanSTAR Program; 1989-October 1999, A 10-Year Experience
The Texas LoanSTAR (Loans to Save Taxes
and Resources) program was conceived as a $98.6
million capital retrofit program for building energy
efficiency. The funding source is petroleum
violation escrow funds (PVE) from the Federal
government. LoanSTAR is administered by the
Texas State Energy Conservation Office of the
Comptroller's Office, under the guidance of Dub
Taylor, Director, and is the largest revolving loan
fund administered by a state for conservation
purposes. LoanSTAR was conceived in 1988 and
began in 1989. This paper summarizes the program
dollar savings and environmental impact from its
inception through October 1999
Program Overview: The Texas LoanSTAR Program; 1989-August 1997
The Texas LoanSTAR mans to Save Taxes
and Resources) program was conceived as a $98.6
million capital retrofit program for building energy
efficiency. The funding source is petroleum violation
escrow funds (PVE) from the Federal government.
LoanSTAR is administered by the Texas State Energy
Conservation Office of the General Services
Commission, under the guidance of Tobin Harvey,
Director, and is the largest revolving loan fund
administered by a state for conservation purposes.
LoanSTAR was conceived in 1988 and began in
1989. This paper summarizes the program dollar
savings and environmental impact from its inception
through August 1997
Texas LoanSTAR Monitoring and Analysis Program: Report to the Monitoring and Analysis Review Committee
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