203 research outputs found
Innovation in Concentrating Solar Power Technologies: A Study Drawing on Patent Data
Better understanding the innovative process of renewable energy technologies is important for tackling climate change. Though concentrating solar power is receiving growing interest, innovation studies so far have explored innovative activity in solar technologies in general, ignoring the major differences between solar photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies. This study relies on patent data to examine international innovative activity in concentrating solar power technologies. Our unique contribution, based on engineering expertise and detailed datawork, is a classification system matching solar thermal technologies to the International Patent Classification (IPC) system. To this end we suggest a narrowly defined set of IPC classes and a broader one of technologies relevant to CSP, but not exclusively so. We moreover exploit information from three international patent offices, the European, the United States and the Japanese patent office. Innovative activity in narrowly defined CSP technologies has experienced an early boom before 1980 and only recently showed some signs of more activity - a pattern closely resembling the R&D support path. R&D and innovation are concentrated in few high-tech countries - such as the U.S. or Germany. Large CSP potential is not a sufficient condition for innovation, only developed countries such as Australia with both CSP potential and adequate economic and scientific capabilities are found to be among the group of relevant innovators.Innovation, patent data, solar technologies, climate change
Untersuchungen zur Entfernungsmessung terrestrischer Long-Range Laserscanner
Der vorliegende Beitrag beschĂ€ftigt sich mit Untersuchungen zur Entfernungsmessung terrestrischer Long-Range Laserscanner. FĂŒr diese Studie wurden dem Institut fĂŒr Markscheidewesen und GeodĂ€sie dankenswerter Weise von der Firma RIEGL ein Laserscanner VZ-4000 zur VerfĂŒgung gestellt. In diesem Beitrag werden der Versuchsaufbau erlĂ€utert und erste Ergebnisse des Soll-Ist-Vergleiches gezeigt. Die unterschiedlichen EinflussgröĂen, wie Temperatur und Luftdruck, die bei Messungen auf groĂe Entfernungen eine Rolle spielen, werden angesprochen.This paper deals with actual researches for measuring distances of terrestrial long-range Laser scanners. The Institute for Mine Surveying and Geodesy had a laser scanner VZ-4000 by the company RIEGL easy and unconventional provided. The paper presents the experimental setup and the results of the target-actual comparison. Several influences, for example temperature and atmospheric pressure, are considered for long-range measurements
Association of expired nitric oxide with occupational particulate exposure.
Particulate air pollution has been associated with adverse respiratory health effects. This study assessed the utility of expired nitric oxide to detect acute airway responses to metal-containing fine particulates. Using a repeated-measures study design, we investigated the association between the fractional concentration of expired nitric oxide (F(E)NO) and exposure to particulate matter with an aerodynamic mass median diameter of less than or equal to 2.5 micro m (PM(2.5)) in boilermakers exposed to residual oil fly ash and metal fumes. Subjects were monitored for 5 days during boiler repair overhauls in 1999 (n = 20) or 2000 (n = 14). The Wilcoxon median baseline F(E)NO was 10.6 ppb [95% confidence interval (CI): 9.1, 12.7] in 1999 and 7.4 ppb (95% CI: 6.7, 8.0) in 2000. The Wilcoxon median PM(2.5) 8-hr time-weighted average was 0.56 mg/m(3) (95% CI: 0.37, 0.93) in 1999 and 0.86 mg/m(3) (95% CI: 0.65, 1.07) in 2000. F(E)NO levels during the work week were significantly lower than baseline F(E)NO in 1999 (p < 0.001). A significant inverse exposure-response relationship between log-transformed F(E)NO and the previous workday's PM(2.5) concentration was found in 1999, after adjusting for smoking status, age, and sampling year. With each 1 mg/m(3) incremental increase in PM(2.5) exposure, log F(E)NO decreased by 0.24 (95% CI: -0.38, -0.10) in 1999. The lack of an exposure-response relationship between PM(2.5) exposure and F(E)NO in 2000 could be attributable to exposure misclassification resulting from the use of respirators. In conclusion, occupational exposure to metal-containing fine particulates was associated with significant decreases in F(E)NO in a survey of workers with limited respirator usage
Statistical strategy for stereospecific hydrogen NMR assignments: Validation procedures for the floating prochirality method
We examine the statistical and other considerations which determine the validity and reproducibility of stereospecific hydrogen NMR assignments obtained by the floating prochirality method. In this method, the assignment of a prochiral configuration of hydrogens at selected centers is allowed to âfloatâ during the structure refinement, and the distribution of prochiral orientations in highly refined structures is subjected to statistical analysis. The underlying statistical basis for this approach is examined and potential limitations of current approaches are identified. As an example, approximately 1300 distance constraints obtained from NOESY spectra of oxidized horse cytochrome c have been used to examine several computational strategies. Repeated calculations were done by several different methods on both the whole molecule (104 residues plus heme) and on a 23-residue fragment containing two helices, a turn, and flanking residues. The results show that, even with NOE constraints alone, one third of the centers may be reproducibly assigned, provided appropriate precautions are taken. These precautions include adjustments for multiple statistical comparisons and characterization of statistical interactions between prochiral centers. The analysis demonstrates that inadequately constrained systems, such as fragments from a larger molecule, may produce misleading results, raising concerns about methods which rely solely on intraresidue and sequential interresidue contraints. A mathematical model describing interactions among prochiral centers is described and validated, and protocols for assignment and statistical validation are presented.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43048/1/10858_2004_Article_BF00198371.pd
Association of Expired Nitric Oxide with Occupational Particulate Exposure
Particulate air pollution has been associated with adverse respiratory health effects. This study assessed the utility of expired nitric oxide to detect acute airway responses to metal-containing fine particulates. Using a repeated-measures study design, we investigated the association between the fractional concentration of expired nitric oxide (FNO) and exposure to particulate matter with an aerodynamic mass median diameter of less than or equal to 2.5 micro m (PM) in boilermakers exposed to residual oil fly ash and metal fumes. Subjects were monitored for 5 days during boiler repair overhauls in 1999 (n = 20) or 2000 (n = 14). The Wilcoxon median baseline FNO was 10.6 ppb [95% confidence interval (CI): 9.1, 12.7] in 1999 and 7.4 ppb (95% CI: 6.7, 8.0) in 2000. The Wilcoxon median PM 8-hr time-weighted average was 0.56 mg/m(3) (95% CI: 0.37, 0.93) in 1999 and 0.86 mg/m(3) (95% CI: 0.65, 1.07) in 2000. FNO levels during the work week were significantly lower than baseline FNO in 1999 (p < 0.001). A significant inverse exposure-response relationship between log-transformed FNO and the previous workday's PM concentration was found in 1999, after adjusting for smoking status, age, and sampling year. With each 1 mg/m incremental increase in PM exposure, log FNO decreased by 0.24 (95% CI: -0.38, -0.10) in 1999. The lack of an exposure-response relationship between PM exposure and FNO in 2000 could be attributable to exposure misclassification resulting from the use of respirators. In conclusion, occupational exposure to metal-containing fine particulates was associated with significant decreases in FNO in a survey of workers with limited respirator usage
Point-of-care diagnostic assay for the detection of Zika virus using the recombinase polymerase amplification method.
The sudden and explosive expansion of Zika virus (ZIKV) from the African continent through Oceania and culminating in the outbreak in South America has highlighted the importance of new rapid point-of-care diagnostic tools for the control and prevention of transmission. ZIKV infection has devastating consequences, such as neurological congenital malformations in infants born to infected mothers and Guillain-BarrĂ© syndrome in adults. Additionally, its potential for transmission through vector bites, as well as from person to person through blood transfusions and sexual contact, are important considerations for prompt diagnosis. Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA), an isothermal method, was developed as an alternative field-applicable assay to PCR. Here we report the development of a novel ZIKV real-time reverse transcriptase RPA (RT-RPA) assay capable of detecting a range of different ZIKV strains from a variety of geographical locations. The ZIKV RT-RPA was shown to be highly sensitive, being capable of detecting as few as five copies of target nucleic acid per reaction, and suitable for use with a battery-operated portable device. The ZIKV RT-RPA demonstrated 100â% specificity and 83â% sensitivity in clinical samples. Furthermore, we determined that the ZIKV RT-RPA is a versatile assay that can be applied to crude samples, such as saliva and serum, and can be used as a vector surveillance tool on crude mosquito homogenates. Therefore, the developed ZIKV RT-RPA is a useful diagnostic tool that can be transferred to a resource-limited location, eliminating the need for a specialized and sophisticated laboratory environment and highly trained staff
A Machine Checked Model of Idempotent MGU Axioms For Lists of Equational Constraints
We present formalized proofs verifying that the first-order unification
algorithm defined over lists of satisfiable constraints generates a most
general unifier (MGU), which also happens to be idempotent. All of our proofs
have been formalized in the Coq theorem prover. Our proofs show that finite
maps produced by the unification algorithm provide a model of the axioms
characterizing idempotent MGUs of lists of constraints. The axioms that serve
as the basis for our verification are derived from a standard set by extending
them to lists of constraints. For us, constraints are equalities between terms
in the language of simple types. Substitutions are formally modeled as finite
maps using the Coq library Coq.FSets.FMapInterface. Coq's method of functional
induction is the main proof technique used in proving many of the axioms.Comment: In Proceedings UNIF 2010, arXiv:1012.455
Quasiparticle transport in the vortex state of YBa_2Cu_3O_6.9
The effect of vortices on quasiparticle transport in cuprate superconductors
was investigated by measuring the low temperature thermal conductivity of
YBa_2Cu_3O_6.9 in magnetic fields up to 8 T. The residual linear term (as T \to
0) is found to increase with field, directly reflecting the occupation of
extended quasiparticle states. A study for different Zn impurity concentrations
reveals a good agreement with recent calculations for a d-wave superconductor,
thereby shedding light on the nature of scattering by both impurities and
vortices. It also provides a quantitative measure of the gap near the nodes.Comment: 4 pages, 2 included eps figures, significant new analysis wrt other
experiments, to appear in Phys Rev Lett 29 March 199
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