Performance Evaluation of a Hydraulic Asphalt Concrete Pavement Capping a Hazardous Waste Site

Hydrologic Consultants, Inc. was contracted to undertake the closure of a former pesticide facility. While pesticide compounds were present on the site, they were located primarily in the top two feet of soil. Five remedial action alternatives for the site were reviewed; the remedial action selected was to cap the site. Because of the expense of obtaining clay in sufficient quantities, a less costly alternative to clay was adopted: a high-bitumen-content hydraulic asphalt concrete (HAC) pavement. For preliminary design purposes, a performance assessment was conducted utilizing the Hydraulic Evaluation of Landfill Performance (HELP) model to compare the relative performance of clay and asphalt capping material. The results of model simulations indicated that the asphalt pavement design with a permeability value of 10-

Climate Dynamics

A Masters level modul

Quantification of Greenhouse Gas and Ammonia Emissions from a Midwestern Swine Breeding/Gestation/Farrowing Facility

Interest in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from animal feeding operations is increasing. However, information is meager concerning GHG emissions from swine operations, particularly from breeding, gestation, and farrowing facilities. The purpose of this study is to quantify GHG emissions from a breeding/gestation and farrowing facility located in Central Iowa. The monitored portion of the facility consists of a deep-pit breeding barn (1800 head), a deep-pit gestation barn (1800 head), and two shallow-pit farrowing rooms (40 farrowing crates per room). Monitoring began in January 2011 and will continue for one year to cover the seasonal effects on the emissions. This paper reports on data collected from January 12, 2011 to May 31, 2011. A mobile air emissions monitoring unit is dedicated to the extensive monitoring. At the time of this writing, results from the study show the following average daily emissions per animal unit (AU = 500 kg body mass): 31.9 g NH3, 8.82 kg CO2, 0.1 g N2O, and 283.1 g CH4 for sows in the breeding/early gestation barn; and 32.8 g NH3, 9.77 kg CO2, 0.1 g N2O, and 290.1 g CH4 for sows in the late gestation barn. For the farrowing rooms, results to date show the following average cumulative emissions per crate (sow and piglets): 1.02 kg NH3, 308 kg CO2, 0.0038 kg N2O, and 1.53 kg CH4. The 6 turns through each room had an average lactation period of 22 days, litter size of 10.5 piglets, and weaned piglet body weight of 5.59 kg

Ammonia and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of a Swine Breeding-Gestation-Farrowing Facility in the Midwestern USA

Aerial emissions from livestock production continue to be an area of concern for both the potential health and environmental impacts. However, information on gaseous, especially greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for swine breeding/gestation and farrowing production facilities is meager. A 4300-sow breeding, gestation, and farrowing facility in Iowa was selected for extensive field monitoring. A Mobile Air Emission Monitoring Unit (MAEMU) was installed to monitor the deep-pit breeding-early gestation barn (1800 head), the deep-pit late gestation barn (1800 head), and two shallow-pit (pull-plug) farrowing rooms (40 head per room). This paper reports on data collected from January 12, 2011 to March 31, 2012

How to Block Cartel Formation and Price-Fixing

Abstract written by the AEI-Brookings Joint Center: Allowing foreign buyers of goods produced by international cartels to pursue civil antitrust damages in U.S. courts would better deter cartel formation and price-fixing than do sanctions currently imposed by global criminal and civil justice systems.Technology and Industry, Regulatory Reform, Other Topics

Pubertal timing and breast density in young women: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND:Earlier age at onset of pubertal events and longer intervals between them (tempo) have been associated with increased breast cancer risk. It is unknown whether the timing and tempo of puberty are associated with adult breast density, which could mediate the increased risk. METHODS:From 1988 to 1997, girls participating in the Dietary Intervention Study in Children (DISC) were clinically assessed annually between ages 8 and 17 years for Tanner stages of breast development (thelarche) and pubic hair (pubarche), and onset of menses (menarche) was self-reported. In 2006-2008, 182 participants then aged 25-29 years had their percent dense breast volume (%DBV) measured by magnetic resonance imaging. Multivariable, linear mixed-effects regression models adjusted for reproductive factors, demographics, and body size were used to evaluate associations of age and tempo of puberty events with %DBV. RESULTS:The mean (standard deviation) and range of %DBV were 27.6 (20.5) and 0.2-86.1. Age at thelarche was negatively associated with %DBV (p trend = 0.04), while pubertal tempo between thelarche and menarche was positively associated with %DBV (p trend = 0.007). %DBV was 40% higher in women whose thelarche-to-menarche tempo was 2.9 years or longer (geometric mean (95%CI) = 21.8% (18.2-26.2%)) compared to women whose thelarche-to-menarche tempo was less than 1.6 years (geometric mean (95%CI) = 15.6% (13.9-17.5%)). CONCLUSIONS:Our results suggest that a slower pubertal tempo, i.e., greater number of months between thelarche and menarche, is associated with higher percent breast density in young women. Future research should examine whether breast density mediates the association between slower tempo and increased breast cancer risk

Pancreatic anastomosis training models:current status and future directions

Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality after pancreatoduodenectomy (PD), and previous research has focused on patient-related risk factors and comparisons between anastomotic techniques. However, it is recognized that surgeon experience is an important factor in POPF outcomes, and that there is a significant learning curve for the pancreatic anastomosis. The aim of this study was to review the current literature on training models for the pancreatic anastomosis, and to explore areas for future research. It is concluded that research is needed to understand the mechanical properties of the human pancreas in an effort to develop a synthetic model that closely mimics its mechanical properties. Virtual reality (VR) is an attractive alternative to synthetic models for surgical training, and further work is needed to develop a VR pancreatic anastomosis training module that provides both high fidelity and haptic feedback

Eucalypts as a biofuel feedstock

Eucalypts are both a proven but largely unexplored source of woody biomass for biofuel production. Few of the some 900 species have been evaluated for cropping, yet among them are the most productive and versatile biomass species in the world, grown in over 90 countries, with species found to suit most tropical and temperate climates. The biology, science and technology underlying the breeding and growing of eucalypts and their potential for biofuel production are reviewed. How eucalypts meet sustainability and economic criteria for biofuel feedstocks, and the advantages of woody feedstocks broadly, are considered. Relevant aspects of eucalypt taxonomy, evolution, natural distribution, human dispersal, composition, domestication and biotechnology of the groups' potential as a biofuel feedstock resource are reviewed. Two case studies are outlined, illustrating species identification, domestication and harvesting processes where eucalypts are prospective biofuel feedstocks. Eucalypts are strong contenders as a universal woody biomass feedstock for biofuel

Post-exercise cold-water immersion modulates skeletal muscle PGC-1α mRNA expression in immersed and non-immersed limbs: evidence of systemic regulation

Mechanisms mediating post-exercise cold-induced increases in PGC-1α gene expression in human skeletal muscle are yet to be fully elucidated, but may involve local cooling effects on AMPK and p38 MAPK related signalling and/or increased systemic β-adrenergic stimulation. We aimed to therefore examine whether post-exercise cold-water immersion enhancement of PGC-1α mRNA is mediated through local or systemic mechanisms. Ten subjects completed acute cycling (8x5 min at ~80% peak power output) followed by seated-rest (CON) or single-leg cold-water immersion (CWI; 10 min, 8°C). Muscle biopsies were obtained pre-, post- and 3 h post-exercise from a single limb in the CON condition but from both limbs in CWI (thereby providing tissue from a CWI and non-immersed limb, NOT). Muscle temperature decreased up to 2 h post-exercise following CWI (-5°C) in the immersed limb, with lesser changes observed in CON and NOT (-3°C; P<0.05). No differences between limbs were observed in p38MAPK phosphorylation at any time point (P<0.05), whilst a significant interaction effect was present for AMPK phosphorylation (P=0.031). Exercise (CON) increased gene expression of PGC-1α 3 h post-exercise (~5-fold; P<0.001). CWI augmented PGC-1α expression above CON in both the immersed (CWI; ~9-fold; P=0.003) and NOT limbs (~12-fold; P=0.001). Plasma Normetanephrine concentration was higher in CWI vs. CON immediately post-immersion (860 vs. 665 pmol/L; P=0.034). We report for the first time that local cooling of the immersed limb evokes transcriptional control of PGC1-α in the non-immersed limb, suggesting increased systemic β-adrenergic activation of AMPK mediates, in part, post-exercise cold-induction of PGC-1α mRNA

Comparison of Ammonia Emissions from Poultry Houses Based on Diurnal Integration vs. Daily Means of Gas Concentration and Building Ventilation Rate

Quantification of aerial emissions from animal feeding operations (AFOs) requires the knowledge of both concentration of the constituent of interest and the ventilation rate (VR) through the emitting source. Daily emissions can be and are normally determined from diurnal integration of frequent measurements, referred to as the diurnal integration method (DIM), but is resource intensive. Alternatively, daily emission may be more economically estimated from daily means of concentration and VR, referred to as diurnal means method (DMM). In this study, DMM was compared with DIM in determining daily ammonia (NH3) emissions from mechanically ventilated laying-hen, turkey and broiler houses under U.S. production conditions. Results show that deviations in daily NH3 emissions between DMM and DIM methods ranged from as small as \u3c 3% (e.g., for medium age turkey under both cold and warm weather conditions) to as high as 98% (e.g., broiler houses in summer). Deviations were related with coefficient of variation (CV) of VR or NH3 concentration, although prediction of the deviation using CV of VR and/or NH3 concentration alone will likely not produce reliable results. The study suggests that caution must be taken when using DMM to estimate daily NH3 emissions from poultry houses under typical US production conditions