Implications and Policy Options of California's Reliance on Natural Gas

Examines existing and currently anticipated infrastructure, rising gas prices, and recurring supply problems, and looks at options to alleviate the problem. Part of a series of research reports that examines energy issues facing California

Radio numbers for generalized prism graphs

A radio labeling is an assignment $c:V(G) \rightarrow \textbf{N}$ such that every distinct pair of vertices $u,v$ satisfies the inequality d(u,v)+|c(u)-c(v)|\geq \diam(G)+1. The span of a radio labeling is the maximum value. The radio number of $G$, $rn(G)$, is the minimum span over all radio labelings of $G$. Generalized prism graphs, denoted $Z_{n,s}$, $s \geq 1$, $n\geq s$, have vertex set $\{(i,j)\,|\, i=1,2 \text{and} j=1,...,n\}$ and edge set $\{((i,j),(i,j \pm 1))\} \cup \{((1,i),(2,i+\sigma))\,|\,\sigma=-\left\lfloor\frac{s-1}{2}\right\rfloor\,\ldots,0,\ldots,\left\lfloor\frac{s}{2}\right\rfloor\}$. In this paper we determine the radio number of $Z_{n,s}$ for $s=1,2$ and $3$. In the process we develop techniques that are likely to be of use in determining radio numbers of other families of graphs.Comment: To appear in Discussiones Mathematicae Graph Theory. 16 pages, 1 figur

Angiotensin II and Aldosterone Increase with Fasting in Breeding Adult Male Northern Elephant Seals (Mirounga angustirostris)

The renin‐angiotensin‐aldosterone system (RAAS) appears to contribute significantly to osmoregulation of fasting northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) pups; however, RAAS has not been characterized in fasting adult seals. Therefore, this study examined the contribution of RAAS to water turnover rates in fasting adult male northern elephant seals. Blood samples were obtained twice during their breeding fast at an interval of 6.5 wk, and water efflux rate was estimated by isotopic dilution during the same period. Serum electrolytes (Na+, K+, Cl−) and osmolality were unaltered between the two sampling periods, indicating ionic and osmotic homeostasis during the fast. Despite the lack of an increase in vasopressin, serum angiotensin II and aldosterone were increased and were significantly and positively correlated. Changes in aldosterone concentration and water efflux rate were significantly and negatively correlated, suggesting that the greater the increase in aldosterone, the smaller the loss of water. Adult male seals maintain ionic and osmotic homeostasis similar to that of fasting weaned pups, and this homeostasis appears to be mediated, at least in part, by RAAS, which probably contributes to increased water retention as well. The hormonal mechanisms by which northern elephant seals maintain water and electrolyte balance during fasting conditions appear to be similar regardless of age

Physiological responses to prolonged bed rest in humans: A compendium of research, 1981-1988

Clinical observations and results form more basic studies that help to elucidate the physiological mechanisms of the adaptation of humans to prolonged bed rest. If the authors' abstract or summary was appropriate, it was included. In some cases a more detailed synopsis was provided under the subheadings of purpose, methods, results, and conclusions

Hormone and Metabolite Changes associated with Extended Breeding Fasts in Male Northern Elephant Seals (Mirounga Angustirostris)

We measured metabolic hormones and several key metabolites in breeding adult male northern elephant seals to examine the regulation of fuel metabolism during extended natural fasts of over 3 months associated with high levels of energy expenditure. Males were sampled twice, early and late in the fast, losing an average of 23% of body mass and 47% of adipose stores between measurements. Males exhibited metabolic homeostasis over the breeding fast with no changes in glucose, non-esterified fatty acids, or blood urea nitrogen. Ketoacids increased over the fast but were very low when compared to other fasting species. Changes within individuals in total triiodothyronine (tT3) were positively related to daily energy expenditure (DEE) and protein catabolism. Differences in levels of thyroid hormones relative to that observed in weaned pups and females suggest a greater deiodination of T4 to support the high DEE of breeding males. Relative levels of leptin and ghrelin were consistent with the suppression of appetite but a significant reduction in growth hormone across the fast was contrary to expectation in fasting mammals. The lack of the increase in cortisol during fasting found in conspecific weaned pups and lactating females may contribute to the ability of breeding males to spare protein despite high levels of energy expenditure. Together these findings reveal significant differences with conspecifics under varying nutrient demands, suggesting metabolic adaptation to extended high energy fasts

Integrated Multi-Well Reservoir and Decision Model to Determine Optimal Well Spacing in Unconventional Gas Reservoirs

Optimizing well spacing in unconventional gas reservoirs is difficult due to complex heterogeneity, large variability and uncertainty in reservoir properties, and lack of data that increase the production uncertainty. Previous methods are either suboptimal because they do not consider subsurface uncertainty (e.g., statistical moving-window methods) or they are too time-consuming and expensive for many operators (e.g., integrated reservoir characterization and simulation studies). This research has focused on developing and extending a new technology for determining optimal well spacing in tight gas reservoirs that maximize profitability. To achieve the research objectives, an integrated multi-well reservoir and decision model that fully incorporates uncertainty was developed. The reservoir model is based on reservoir simulation technology coupled with geostatistical and Monte Carlo methods to predict production performance in unconventional gas reservoirs as a function of well spacing and different development scenarios. The variability in discounted cumulative production was used for direct integration of the reservoir model with a Bayesian decision model (developed by other members of the research team) that determines the optimal well spacing and hence the optimal development strategy. The integrated model includes two development stages with a varying Stage-1 time span. The integrated tools were applied to an illustrative example in Deep Basin (Gething D) tight gas sands in Alberta, Canada, to determine optimal development strategies. The results showed that a Stage-1 length of 1 year starting at 160-acre spacing with no further downspacing is the optimal development policy. It also showed that extending the duration of Stage 1 beyond one year does not represent an economic benefit. These results are specific to the Berland River (Gething) area and should not be generalized to other unconventional gas reservoirs. However, the proposed technology provides insight into both the value of information and the ability to incorporate learning in a dynamic development strategy. The new technology is expected to help operators determine the combination of primary and secondary development policies early in the reservoir life that profitably maximize production and minimize the number of uneconomical wells. I anticipate that this methodology will be applicable to other tight and shale gas reservoirs

Towards automated design of quantum cascade lasers

We present an advanced technique for the design and optimization of GaAs/AlGaAs quantum cascade laser structures. It is based on the implementation of the simulated annealing algorithm with the purpose of determining a set of design parameters that satisfy predefined conditions, leading to an enhancement of the device output characteristics. Two important design aspects have been addressed: improved thermal behavior, achieved by the use of higher conduction band offset materials, and a more efficient extraction mechanism, realized via a ladder of three lower laser states, with subsequent pairs separated by the optical phonon energy. A detailed analysis of performance of the obtained structures is carried out within a full self-consistent rate equations model of the carrier dynamics. The latter uses wave functions calculated by the transfer matrix method, and evaluates all relevant carrier–phonon and carrier–carrier scattering rates from each quantized state to all others within the same and neighboring periods of the cascade. These values are then used to form a set of rate equations for the carrier density in each state, enabling further calculation of the current density and gain as a function of the applied field and temperature. This paper addresses the application of the described procedure to the design of lambda~9 µm GaAs-based mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers and presents the output characteristics of some of the designed optimized structures. © 2005 American Institute of Physic

Tissue biochemical diversity of 20 gooseberry cultivars and the effect of ethylene supplementation on postharvest life

The European gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa) is still an understudied crop with limited data available on its biochemical profile and postharvest life. A variety of polyphenols were detected in the skin and flesh of 20 gooseberry cvs, representing mainly flavonol glycosides, anthocyanins and flavan-3-ols. In contrast, gooseberry seeds were for the first time characterised by the presence of considerable amounts of hydroxycinnamic acid glycosides tentatively identified by UPLC-QToF/MS. All cvs examined represented a good source of vitamin C while being low in sugar. Furthermore, the postharvest stability of bioactives was explored by supplementation of exogenous ethylene in air at 5 °C. Results suggest a low sensitivity of gooseberries to ethylene. The overall quality of gooseberries remained stable over two weeks, showing potential for extended bioactive life

Projected seniority-two orbital optimization of the Antisymmetric Product of one-reference orbital Geminal

We present a new, non-variational orbital-optimization scheme for the Antisymmetric Product of one-reference orbital Geminal wave function. Our approach is motivated by the observation that an orbital-optimized seniority-zero configuration interaction (CI) expansion yields similar results to an orbital-optimized seniority-zero-plus-two CI expansion [J. Chem. Phys., 135, 044119 (2011)]. A numerical analysis is performed for the C$_2$, LiF and CH$_2$ molecules as well as for the symmetric stretching of hypothetical (linear) hydrogen chains. For these test cases, the proposed orbital-optimization protocol yields similar results to its variational orbital optimization counterpart, but prevents symmetry-breaking of molecular orbitals in most cases.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure

Mitigating tradeoffs in plant breeding

Tradeoffs among plant traits help maintain relative fitness under unpredictable conditions and maximize reproductive success. However, modifying tradeoffs is a breeding challenge since many genes of minor effect are involved. The intensive crosstalk and fine-tuning between growth and defense responsive phytohormones via transcription factors optimizes growth, reproduction, and stress tolerance. There are regulating genes in grain crops that deploy diverse functions to overcome tradeoffs, e.g., miR-156-IPA1 regulates crosstalk between growth and defense to achieve high disease resistance and yield, while OsALDH2B1 loss of function causes imbalance among defense, growth, and reproduction in rice. GNI-A1 regulates seed number and weight in wheat by suppressing distal florets and altering assimilate distribution of proximal seeds in spikelets. Knocking out ABA-induced transcription repressors (AITRs) enhances abiotic stress adaptation without fitness cost in Arabidopsis. Deploying AITRs homologs in grain crops may facilitate breeding. This knowledge suggests overcoming tradeoffs through breeding may expose new ones