Phytoxicity study of the products of wet oxidation of a representative biomass (lettuce)

In an attempt to verify the results reported previously concerning the phytotoxicity of wet-oxidation (wet-ox) products, lettuce solids were suspended in water and then heated to 548 K for 3.6 ksec (1 hr) under 4.1x10 to the -7 Pa (400 psig at 294 K) oxygen pressure and 1.52x10 to the 8th (1500 psig at 548 K) total pressure. Such treatment resulted in oxidation of 80% of the initial organic carbon to carbon dioxide. Thirty-three percent of the remaining organic carbon was present in acetic acid. Organic nitrogen in the feed was decreased 90% by the wet-ox treatment. Ammonia and nitrogen gas were the main nitrogen products. Analysis of the liquid product of wet-ox indicated that most of the minerals essential for plant growth were present. However, when tested using a lettuce-root growth-rate assay, the solution was toxic. This toxicity was not due to excessive salt or ammonia or to an improper pH. Analysis of the wet-ox solution revealed the presence of silver and chromium, thus implicating reactor corrosion as the cause of the phytotoxicity. Both cation and anion exchange resins removed the silver and the toxicity of the liquid effluent, indicating silver as the toxic component. Uptake of both silver and chromium by lettuce roots correlated with diminished root growth. Toxicity of the solution from wet-ox was not observed when precautions were taken to minimize contact of the liquid in the reactor with the metal reactor components

Impact of Quality of Bayesian Network Parameters on Accuracy of Medical Diagnostic Systems

While most knowledge engineers believe that the quality of results obtained by means of Bayesian networks is not too sensitive to imprecision in probabilities, this remains a conjecture with only modest empirical support. We summarize the results of several previously presented experiments involving Hepar II model, in which we manipulated the quality of the model's numerical parameters and checked the impact of these manipulations on the model's accuracy. The chief contribution of this paper are results of replicating our experiments on several medical diagnostic models derived from data sets available at the Irvine Machine Learning Repository. We show that the results of our experiments are qualitatively identical to those obtained earlier with Hepar II

There is Bread and Salt Between Us: Negotiating Subjecthood Through Gestures of Hospitality

This thesis investigates how those with complicated, conflicting, and hyphenated subjecthoods find expressions in contemporary art through explorations of nationality and identity, as well as cultural and historical entanglements. There is Bread and Salt Between Us, an exhibition installed at Open Space Gallery in March 2017, presents the works of four contemporary artists – Basil AlZeri, Tsēma Igharas, Lisa Myers, and Dana Prieto – whose creative engagements with gestures of hospitality both invite and unsettle the viewer. In their works, new conceptions of “home” are negotiated and created: often a pastiche of memories, cultural practices, and ideas of what it means to belong. This analysis explores the artworks through a framework of hospitality, speaking to contemporary realities and anxieties surrounding constructions of subjecthood within the Canadian context. In doing so, it acknowledges the challenging philosophical relationships and ethical questions that arise from the intersection of individuals, familial structures, cultures, and nations

Соціально-економічні умови функціонування особистих селянських господарств

Узагальнено теоретичні засади й методологічні підходи до дослідження функціонування соціально-економічних умов особистих селянських господарств. Здійснено кластеризацію районів Волинської області, за цією ознакою визначено пріоритетні напрями їхнього розвитку та трансформації. Обґрунтовано основні напрями вдосконалення агроінтеграцій- них процесів із залученням особистих селянських господарств. Обобщены теоретические принципы и методологические подходы к исследованию функционирования социально- экономических условий личных крестьянских хозяйств. Осуществлена кластеризация районов Волынской области, по это- му признаку определены приоритетные направления их развития и трансформации. Обоснованы основные направления совершенствования агроинтеграционных процессов с привлечением личных крестьянских хозяйств. The theoretical foundations and methodological principles of the research of farming households and social-economic conditions of their functioning are summarised and systematized. The districts of Volyn region are clustered due to these principles. The priority trends of the development and transformation of personal peasant economies in the perspective are determined. The principal lines of the improvement of agro-integration process on the basis of profitable cooperation with farming households

Economics and utility energy-efficiency programs: Energy-efficient manufactured housing

As utilities investigate ways to implement conservation programs, the differences between customer and utility economic perspectives become more important. Because utilities bear the cost of new energy sources, energy efficiency investments that are cost-effective to them may not be cost-effective to their customers who pay average energy prices and have different economic parameters. The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and other parties in the Pacific Northwest have initiated an innovative manufactured (mobile) home energy conservation program. Because manufactured homes are regulated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), are exempt from local regulations, and comprise up to 50% of new housing starts in some parts of the United States, utilities and energy planners need to find creative ways to make the economics of manufactured housing energy-efficiency investments more attractive. Differences between the economic criteria and perspectives of consumers and utilities can be used to design energy-efficiency programs. This paper discusses life-cycle cost (LCC) analysis as a framework for highlighting these differences and examines other economic criteria. It then presents information from the Pacific Northwest manufactured housing program to illustrate the application of this framework to a real-world program. Findings from this program should,be of interest to utility and government planners who are designing innovative energy-efficiency programs

A Three-Part Bayesian Network for Modeling Dwelling Fires and Their Impact upon People and Property.

In the United Kingdom, dwelling fires are responsible for the majority of all fire-related fatalities. The development of these incidents involves the interaction of a multitude of variables that combine in many different ways. Consequently, assessment of dwelling fire risk can be complex, which often results in ambiguity during fire safety planning and decision making. In this article, a three-part Bayesian network model is proposed to study dwelling fires from ignition through to extinguishment in order to improve confidence in dwelling fire safety assessment. The model incorporates both hard and soft data, delivering posterior probabilities for selected outcomes. Case studies demonstrate how the model functions and provide evidence of its use for planning and accident investigation

Realising advanced risk-based port state control inspection using data-driven Bayesian networks

In the past decades, maritime transportation not only contributes to economic prosperity, but also renders many threats to the industry, causing huge casualties and losses. As a result, various maritime safety measures have been developed, including Port State Control (PSC) inspections. In this paper, we propose a data-driven Bayesian Network (BN) based approach to analyse risk factors influencing PSC inspections, and predict the probability of vessel detention. To do so, inspection data of bulk carriers in seven major European countries from 2005 to 2008 1 in Paris MoU is collected to identify the relevant risk factors. Meanwhile, the network structure is constructed via TAN learning and subsequently validated by sensitivity analysis. The results reveal two conclusions: first, the key risk factors influencing PSC inspections include number of deficiencies, type of inspection, Recognised Organisation (RO) and vessel age. Second, the model exploits a novel way to predict the detention probabilities under different situations, which effectively help port authorities to rationalise their inspection regulations as well as allocation of the resources. Further effort will be made to conduct contrastive analysis between ‘Pre-NIR’ period and ‘Post-NIR’ period to test the impact of NIR started in 2008. © 2018 Elsevier Lt

Participatory modelling for stakeholder involvement in the development of flood risk management intervention options

Advancing stakeholder participation beyond consultation offers a range of benefits for local flood risk management, particularly as responsibilities are increasingly devolved to local levels. This paper details the design and implementation of a participatory approach to identify intervention options for managing local flood risk. Within this approach, Bayesian networks were used to generate a conceptual model of the local flood risk system, with a particular focus on how different interventions might achieve each of nine participant objectives. The model was co-constructed by flood risk experts and local stakeholders. The study employs a novel evaluative framework, examining both the process and its outcomes (short-term substantive and longer-term social benefits). It concludes that participatory modelling techniques can facilitate the identification of intervention options by a wide range of stakeholders, and prioritise a subset for further investigation. They can help support a broader move towards active stakeholder participation in local flood risk management