The Law and Policy for Implementing a Unified Communications Regulator in the United Kingdom and Lessons for Hong Kong

In March 2006, the Hong Kong government issued a Consultation Paper proposing the merger of the existing Telecommunications and Broadcasting Authorities into a unifi ed communications regulator called the Communications Authority, which should be similar to the Offi ce of Communications (OFCOM) established by the United Kingdom (UK) in 2003. In this article, the authors fi rst study the proposals of the Hong Kong government on the establishment of a unifi ed Communications Authority. They then examine the background for the establishment of OFCOM by studying the telecommunications law and policy development in both the European Union (EU) and United Kingdom. The authors then evaluate the implementation experience of OFCOM from both legal and policy perspectives, and analyse the Offi ce of Communications Act 2002, the Communications Act 2003 and the Regulatory Framework for Electronic Communications Services 2002 adopted by the EU, as well as the regulatory and personnel policies of OFCOM. Finally, the authors argue that Hong Kong can learn eight lessons from the UK in its future implementation of a unifi ed communications regulator. These include strong political support, systematic planning, the appointment of credible and competent staff, adequate supporting legislation, a 'light-hand' regulatory approach, openness and transparency, the guarantee and promotion of media and cultural diversity and fi nally, adequate legal control of the powers of the regulator together with legal remedies for members of the public aggrieved by the policies or decisions of the regulator.published_or_final_versio

Orthogonal array design for biodiesel production optimization: using ultrasonic-assisted transestification of Camelina sativa L. Crantz oil

Bioenergy Technology (BE): 0234Camelina seed oil has recently attracted great interest as a low-cost feedstock for biodiesel production because of its high oil content and environmental benefits. In the present study, an orthogonal array design was used to optimize the biodiesel production from camelina seed oil using ultrasonic-assisted transesterification. Four relevant factors are investigated: methanol to oil ratio, catalyst concentration, reaction time and temperature to obtain maximum fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) yield of biodiesel. An OA25 matrix was employed to study the effect of the four factors, by which the effect of each factor was estimated using statistical analysis. Based on the results of the statistical analysis after the orthogonal experiments, maximal biodiesel FAME yield (98.6 %) was obtained under the conditions of 8:1 methanol to oil molar ratio, 1.25 wt.% catalyst concentration (KOH), 50 min reaction time, and 55 ℃ reaction temperature. Other properties of the optimized biodiesel, including density, kinematic viscosity, and acid value, were conformed to the relevant ASTM and EN biodiesel standards and thus the optimized biodiesel from camelina oil basically qualified to be used as diesel fuel.published_or_final_versionThe World Renewable Energy Congress (WREC 2011), Linköping, Sweden, 8-13 May 2011. In Linköping Electronic Conference Proceedings, 2011, ECP57, v. 1, p. 79-8

Long Range Correlations in the Disordered Phase of a Simple Three State Lattice Gas

We investigate the dynamics of a three-state stochastic lattice gas, consisting of holes and two oppositely "charged" species of particles, under the influence of an "electric" field, at zero total charge. Interacting only through an excluded volume constraint, particles can hop to nearest neighbour empty sites. With increasing density and drive, the system orders into a charge-segregated state. Using a combination of Langevin equations and Monte Carlo simulations, we study the steady-state structure factors in the disordered phase where homogeneous configurations are stable against small harmonic perturbations. They show a discontinuity singularity at the origin which in real space leads to an intricate crossover between power laws of different kinds.Comment: 7 RevTeX pages, 1 postscript figure include

Reducing the impact of the next influenza pandemic using household-based public health interventions.

Household-based public health interventions can effectively mitigate the impact of influenza pandemic, and the resources and compliance requirement are realistic and feasible.published_or_final_versio