284 research outputs found
Business Models, Tools and Definitions - a Literature Review
The report includes a literature review on business models, possible definition, their use, a description of descriptive and comparative methods and summary of some literature examples related to business model development. It also outlines future steps in the VIVACE WP 2.1 business model work and proposes a possible approach
The Impact of Tax-Exempt Status: The Supply-Side Subsidies
Schmalbeck provides some background and history of the tax rules governing health care institutions and assess the significance of the subsidies these tax rules create
An interactive resource of molecular signalling in the developing human haematopoietic stem cell (HSC) niche
Carbon implications of forest restitution in post-socialist Romania
The collapse of socialism in 1989 triggered a phase of institutional restructuring in Central and Eastern Europe. Several countries chose to privatize forests or to return them to pre-socialist owners. Here, we assess the implications of forest restitution on the terrestrial
The collapse of socialism in 1989 triggered a phase of institutional restructuring in Central and Eastern Europe. Several countries chose to privatize forests or to return them to pre-socialist owners. Here, we assess the implications of forest restitution on the terrestrial carbon balance. New forest owners have strong incentives to immediately clearcut their forests, resulting in increased terrestrial emissions. On the other hand, logging generally decreased after 1989 and forests are expanding on unused or abandoned farmland, both of which may offset increased logging on restituted forests. We mapped changes in forest cover for the entire country of Romania using Landsat satellite images from 1990 to 2010. We use our satellite estimates, together with historic data on logging rates and changes in forest cover, to parameterize a carbon book-keeping model for estimating the terrestrial carbon flux (above and below ground) as a consequence of land use change and forest harvest. High logging rates during socialism resulted in substantial terrestrial carbon emissions and Romania was a net carbon source until the 1980s. After the collapse of the Soviet Union forest harvest rates decreased dramatically, but since restitution laws were implemented they have increased by 60% (from 15â122 ± 5397 ha y â 1 in 2000 to 23â884 ± 11â510 ha y â 1 in 2010), but still remain lower than prior to 1989. Romania currently remains a terrestrial carbon sink, offsetting 7.6% ± 2.5% of anthropogenic carbon emissions. A further increase in logging could result in net emissions from terrestrial ecosystems during the coming decades. However, forest expansion on degraded land and abandoned farmland offers great potential for carbon sequestration.
decreased after 1989 and forests are expanding on unused or abandoned farmland, both of
which may offset increased logging on restituted forests. We mapped changes in forest cover
for the entire country of Romania using Landsat satellite images from 1990 to 2010. We use
our satellite estimates, together with historic data on logging rates and changes in
forest cover, to parameterize a carbon book-keeping model for estimating the
terrestrial carbon flux (above and below ground) as a consequence of land use change
and forest harvest. High logging rates during socialism resulted in substantial
terrestrial carbon emissions and Romania was a net carbon source until the 1980s.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union forest harvest rates decreased dramatically,
but since restitution laws were implemented they have increased by 60% (from
15â122 ± 5397 ha y â 1 in 2000 to
23â884 ± 11â510 ha y â 1 in 2010),
but still remain lower than prior to 1989. Romania currently remains a terrestrial carbon sink, offsetting
7.6% ± 2.5%
of anthropogenic carbon emissions. A further increase in logging could result in net
emissions from terrestrial ecosystems during the coming decades. However, forest
expansion on degraded land and abandoned farmland offers great potential for carbon
sequestration.Peer Reviewe
Helium abundance in the most metal-deficient blue compact galaxies: I Zw 18 and SBS 0335-052
We present high-quality spectroscopic observations of the two most-metal
deficient blue compact galaxies known, I Zw 18 and SBS 0335-052 to determine
the helium abundance. The underlying stellar absorption strongly influences the
observed intensities of He I emission lines in the brightest NW component of I
Zw 18, and hence this component should not be used for primordial He abundance
determination. The effect of underlying stellar absorption, though present, is
much smaller in the SE component. Assuming all systematic uncertainties are
negligible, the He mass fraction derived in this component is Y =
0.243+/-0.007. The high signal-to-noise ratio spectrum (> 100 in the continuum)
of SBS 0335-052 allows us to measure the helium mass fraction with a precision
better than 2% -- 5% in nine different regions along the slit. Assuming all
systematic uncertainties are negligible, the weighted mean He mass fraction in
SBS 0335-052 is Y = 0.2437+/-0.0014 when the three He I 4471, 5876 and 6678
emission lines are used, and is 0.2463+/-0.0015 when the He I 4471 emission
line is excluded. The weighted mean helium mass fraction in the two most
metal-deficient BCGs I Zw 18 and SBS 0335-052, Y=0.2462+/-0.0015, after
correction for the stellar He production results in a primordial He mass
fraction Yp = 0.2452+/-0.0015. The derived Yp leads to a baryon-to-photon ratio
of (4.7+/-1.0) 10^{-10}, consistent with the values derived from the primordial
D and 7Li abundances, and supporting the standard big bang nucleosynthesis
theory. For the most consistent set of primordial D, 4He, and 7Li abundances we
derive an equivalent number of light neutrino species 3.0+/-0.3 (95% C.L.).Comment: 28 pages, 10 figures. To appear in Ap
Variability in Proto-Planetary Nebulae: I. Light Curve Studies of 12 Carbon-Rich Objects
We have carried out long-term (14 years) V and R photometric monitoring of 12
carbon-rich proto-planetary nebulae. The light and color curves display
variability in all of them. The light curves are complex and suggest multiple
periods, changing periods, and/or changing amplitudes, which are attributed to
pulsation. A dominant period has been determined for each and found to be in
the range of ~150 d for the coolest (G8) to 35-40 d for the warmest (F3). A
clear, linear inverse relationship has been found in the sample between the
pulsation period and the effective temperature and also an inverse linear
relationship between the amplitude of light variation and the effective
temperature. These are consistent with the expectation for a pulsating post-AGB
star evolving toward higher temperature at constant luminosity. The published
spectral energy distributions and mid-infrared images show these objects to
have cool (200 K), detached dust shells and published models imply that
intensive mass loss ended a few thousand years ago. The detection of periods as
long as 150 d in these requires a revision in the published post-AGB evolution
models that couple the pulsation period to the mass loss rate and that assume
that intensive mass loss ended when the pulsation period had decreased to 100
d. This revision will have the effect of extending the time scale for the early
phases of post-AGB evolution. It appears that real time evolution in the
pulsation periods of individual objects may be detectable on the time scale of
two decades
Chemical abundances in an UV-selected sample of galaxies
We discuss the chemical properties of a sample of UV-selected
intermediate-redshift (0 < z < 0.4) galaxies in the context of their physical
nature and star formation history. This work represents an extension of our
previous studies (Treyer et al. 1998; Sullivan et al. 2000, 2001) on
UV-selected galaxies. We revisit the optical spectra of these galaxies and
perform further emission-line measurements restricting the analysis to those
spectra with the full set of emission lines required to derive chemical
abundances. Our final sample consists of 68 galaxies with heavy element
abundance ratios and both UV and CCD B-band photometry. Diagnostics based on
emission-line ratios show that all but one of the galaxies in our sample are
powered by hot, young stars rather than by an AGN. Oxygen-to-hydrogen (O/H) and
nitrogen-to-oxygen (N/O) abundance ratios are compared to those for various
local and intermediate-redshift samples. Our UV-selected galaxies span a wide
range of oxygen abundances, from 0.1 Zsun to solar, intermediate between
low-mass HII galaxies and massive starburst nuclei. For a given oxygen
abundance, most have strikingly low N/O values. Moreover, UV-selected and HII
galaxies systematically deviate from the usual metallicity-luminosity relation
in the sense of being more luminous by 2-3 magnitudes. Adopting the
"delayed-release" chemical evolution model, we propose our UV-selected sources
are observed at a special stage in their evolution, following a powerful
starburst which enriched their ISM in oxygen and temporarily lowered their
mass-to-light ratios. We discuss briefly the implications of our conclusions on
the nature of similarly-selected high-redshift galaxies.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, and 2 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRA
The SNARE Protein SNAP23 and the SNARE-Interacting Protein Munc18c in Human Skeletal Muscle Are Implicated in Insulin Resistance/Type 2 Diabetes
OBJECTIVE-Our previous studies suggest that the SNARE protein synaptosomal-associated protein of 23 kDa (SNAP23) is involved in the link between increased lipid levels and insulin resistance in cardiomyocytes. The objective was to determine whether SNAP23 may also be involved in the known association between lipid accumulation in skeletal muscle and insulin resistance/type 2 diabetes in humans, as well as to identify a potential regulator of SNAP23. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS-We analyzed skeletal muscle biopsies from patients with type 2 diabetes and healthy, insulin-sensitive control subjects for expression (mRNA and protein) and intracellular localization (subcellular fractionation and immunohistochemistry) of SNAP23, and for expression of proteins known to interact with SNARE proteins. Insulin resistance was determined by a euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp Potential mechanisms for regulation of SNAP23 were also investigated in the skeletal muscle cell line L6. RESULTS-We showed increased SNAP23 levels in skeletal muscle from patients with type 2 diabetes compared with that from lean control subjects Moreover, SNAP23 was redistributed from the plasma membrane to the microsomal/cytosolic compartment in the patients with the type 2 diabetes Expression of the SNARE-interacting protein Munc18c was higher in skeletal muscle from patients with type 2 diabetes Studies in L6 cells showed that Munc18c promoted the expression of SNAP23. CONCLUSIONS-We have translated our previous in vitro results into humans by showing that there is a change in the distribution of SNAP23 to the interior of the cell in skeletal muscle from patients with type 2 diabetes. We also showed that Munc18c is a potential regulator of SNAP23. Diabetes 59: 1870-1878, 201
Dimensioning a energy system for the new school in Jumkil : implementing geothermal heat pump, photovoltaic system and battery storage
The purpose of this study is to develop a modern and energy efficient system solution for a school in
Jumkil, combining solar power, battery storage and geothermal heat pump system. By using models,
simulations and available literature the study examines the dimensions of the included components for
optimal coverage of the schools energy demand. The type of solar cells used is monochrystalline silicon
solar cells and from an economical point of view, the installed effect should be 55 kWp. For such a solution
the optimal battery capacity is 60 kWh and the battery technique used is vanadium redox flow
battery. The vanadium redox flow battery technique is safe, have a long lifetime as well as a high depth of
discharge. Implementing a smaller photovoltaic plant of 22 kWp reduces the need of battery capacity to
20 kWh. The battery is used for several applications, for example storage of the excess solar production
and reducing the power peaks to eliminate expensive charge. An inverter heat pump of 79 kW is installed
to cover the heat demand. The study also shows that a geothermal automatically controlled heat pump
combined with floor heating is the best combination to reduce electricity costs annually. In interaction
with the self-produced power and the vanadium redox flow battery the system allows the school to reduce
their electricity consumption and thus the need of buying power from the grid decreases.Syftet med studien Àr att designa en modern och energieffektiv systemlösning för en skola i Jumkil dÀr
systemlösningen bestÄr av en solcellsanlÀggning, ett batterilager och en varvtalsstyrd vÀrmepump. Genom
att anvÀnda modeller, simuleringar och tillgÀnglig litteratur undersöker studien vilka dimensioner de olika
komponenterna bör ha för att tÀcka skolans vÀrme- och elbehov. Solcellerna som implementeras Àr av
typen monokristallina kiselsolceller och frÄn ett ekonomiskt perspektiv bör den installerade effekten vara
55 kWp. För en sÄdan lösning Àr den optimala batterikapaciteten 60 kWh och Àr av typen flödesbatteri.
Fördelarna med flödesbatterier Àr att de Àr sÀkra, har lÄng livslÀngd och stort urladdningsdjup. Om
en mindre solcellsanlÀggning med en installerad effekt pÄ 22 kWp installeras kan batterikapaciteten
reduceras till 20 kWh. Batteriet anvÀnds bland annat för att lagra överskottet av producerad solel och
för att kapa effekttoppar vilket minskar kostnaderna för inköpt el. Ăven en bergvĂ€rmepump med en effekt
pÄ 79 kW installeras för att tÀcka vÀrmebehovet. Studien visar att kombinationen av bergvÀrmepumpen
och golvvÀrme Àr det bÀsta sÀttet att minska Ärliga elkostnader. Tillsammans med den egenproducerade
elen och flödesbatteriet kan skolan minska sin elförbrukning och pÄ sÄ sÀtt minska behovet av att köpa
el frÄn nÀtet
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