22,971 research outputs found

    Comprehensive entropy weight observability-controllability risk analysis and its application to water resource decision-making

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    Decision making for water resource planning is often related to social, economic and environmental factors. There are various methods for making decisions about water resource planning alternatives and measures with various shortcomings. A comprehensive entropy weight observability-controllability risk analysis approach is presented in this study. Computing methods for entropy weight (EW) and subjective weight (SW) are put forward based on information entropy theory and experimental psychology principles, respectively. Comprehensive weight (CW) consisting of EW and SW is determined. The values of observability-controllability risk (Roc) and gain by comparison (Gbc) are obtained based on the CWs. The quantitative analysis of alternatives and measures is achieved based on Roc and Gbc. A case study on selection of water resource planning alternatives and measures in the Yellow River Basin, China, was performed. Results demonstrate that the approach presented in this study can achieve optimal decision-making results

    Enhanced Steroid Metabolites Production by Resting Cell Phytosterol Bioconversion

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    The steroid metabolites 9-hydroxy-androstenedione (9-OH-AD), androstadienedione (ADD) and androstenedione (AD) are important steroidal pharmaceuticals. In order to raise the production of steroid metabolites, an efficient resting cell phytosterol bioconversion process was developed to produce 9-OH-AD in the presence of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD). Cell growth medium containing phytosterol as an inducer positively improved cell activity. Under aerobic conditions, bioconversion proceeded at 70 g L–1 phytosterol in the presence of HP-β-CD (the optimized molar ratio of HP-β-CD/phytosterol was 1:1) with 30 g L–1 resting Mycobacterium neoaurum NwIB-yV cells (cell dry mass) in a 5-L bioreactor, where 9-OH-AD production and space-time yield reached 36.4 g L–1 and 9.1 g L–1 d–1, respectively. The recycling of cells and HP-β-CD enables cost-saving and industrial applications. This bioprocess was also applied for the production of ADD and AD. The production of these steroid metabolites was much higher than that reported in previous studies

    A Novel Large Moment Antiferromagnetic Order in K0.8Fe1.6Se2 Superconductor

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    The discovery of cuprate high Tc superconductors has inspired searching for unconventional su- perconductors in magnetic materials. A successful recipe has been to suppress long-range order in a magnetic parent compound by doping or high pressure to drive the material towards a quantum critical point, which is replicated in recent discovery of iron-based high TC superconductors. The long-range magnetic order coexisting with superconductivity has either a small magnetic moment or low ordering temperature in all previously established examples. Here we report an exception to this rule in the recently discovered potassium iron selenide. The superconducting composition is identified as the iron vacancy ordered K0.8Fe1.6Se2 with Tc above 30 K. A novel large moment 3.31 {\mu}B/Fe antiferromagnetic order which conforms to the tetragonal crystal symmetry has the unprecedentedly high an ordering temperature TN = 559 K for a bulk superconductor. Staggeredly polarized electronic density of states thus is suspected, which would stimulate further investigation into superconductivity in a strong spin-exchange field under new circumstance.Comment: 5 figures, 5 pages, and 2 tables in pdf which arXiv.com cannot tak

    Who Can “Seize the Day?”: Analyzing Who Is an “Employee” for Purposes of Unionization and Collective Bargaining Through the Lens of the “Newsie” Strike of 1899

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    In the summer of 1899, the Newsboys of New York banded together, formed a union, and began to “strike” against two of the city’s largest newspapers in response to a price increase. After a two-week struggle, the newspaper companies agreed to compromise by buying back any unsold papers at the end of the day from the Newsboys. They did not, however, agree to the Newsboys’ classification of the effort as a “strike.” The newspapers saw this as a boycott of non-employees, or independent contractors. After the turn of the century, Congress began to pass laws protecting employees, and in 1935 they passed the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which protected employees’ rights to unionize, collectively bargain, and strike. The Newsboys, eager to solidify their rights, argued to the Supreme Court in 1944, in NLRB. v. Hearst Publications, Inc., that they were in fact employees. Although the Court agreed, Congress did not, and in response passed the “Taft-Hartley” amendments to the NLRA. These amendments excluded independent contractors from the definition of employee, introducing a major issue into the labor realm—how do you differentiate between an independent contractor and an employee for the purposes of unionization and collective bargaining? This Note examines the distinction between employees and independent contractors through the case example of the Newsboys and ponders if the distinction is necessary or if it merely denies workers’ rights
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