Use of scenario evaluation in preparation for deployment of a collaborative system for knowledge transfer - the case of KiMERA

This paper presented an approach for the evaluation of a collaborative system, after the completion of system development and software testing but before its deployment. Scenario and collaborative episodes were designed and data collected from users role-playing. This was found to be a useful step in refining the user training, in setting the right level of user expectation when the system started to roll-out to real users and in providing feedback to the development team

Application of Hydrogeological parameters for evaluating the thermal resource potential for deep groundwater systems

Geothermal energy has significant global potential as a clean non-intermittent energy resource. Exploiting geothermal energy uses water which either flows naturally or is stimulated to flow in the sub-surface within deep aquifers or fractured basement. Therefore, it is necessary to understand fluid flow in the upper crust of the Earth (0–5 km depth). Fluid flow could be through waterbearing porous and permeable media (e.g. sandstones and limestones), fractured dry rocks or fluid filled fault zones. The UK has low to medium temperature geothermal resources related to past intrusive igneous activity. A thorough understanding of these low to medium temperature systems is particularly important, because their usefulness will only be realised by optimising site conditions from a geological and engineering standpoint. It is necessary not only to examine the temperatures at depth but to ensure that fluid flow is sufficient so that the geothermal resource is not quickly depleted. Conversely, we also need to ensure that any fluids removed for heat extraction can be re-injected elsewhere in the system to prevent discharge of warm, chemically unsuitable fluids to surface water courses. The requirement to understand these systems is critical for the UK because economic exploitation of a marginally productive resource relies upon the interplay of several finely balanced factors. This paper presents a hydrogeological evaluation of two geothermal case studies, one from north-east England and one from the North Sea. The applicability of these two case studies to other marginally productive geothermal areas is then discussed

Mode locking of semiconductor laser with curved waveguide and passive mode expander

Active mode locking is reported for a 1.55 μm semiconductor laser with a curved waveguide and passive mode expander, placed in a wavelength tunable external cavity. One facet with a very low reflectivity of 8×10−6 is achieved through a curved active region that tapers into an underlying passive waveguide, thus expanding the mode to give reduced divergence. 10 GHz pulses of 3.1 ps duration have been generated, with a linewidth of 0.81 nm

Nuclear Parton Distributions - a DGLAP Analysis

Nuclear parton distributions $f_A(x,Q^2)$ are studied within a framework of the DGLAP evolution. Measurements of $F_2^A/F_2^D$ in deep inelastic $lA$ collisions, and Drell--Yan dilepton cross sections measured in $pA$ collisions are used as constraints. Also conservation of momentum and baryon number is required. It is shown that the calculated $Q^2$ evolution of $F_2^{\rm Sn}/F_2^{\rm C}$ agrees very well with the recent NMC data, and that the ratios $R_f^A=f_A/f$ are only moderately sensitive to the choice of a specific modern set of free parton distributions. For general use, we offer a numerical parametrization of $R_f^A(x,Q^2)$ for all parton flavours $f$ in $A>2$, and at $10^{-6}\le x \le 1$ and $2.25 {\rm GeV}^2\le Q^2\le 10^4 {\rm GeV}^2$.Comment: Talk in Quark Matter '99, 5 pages, includes 3 eps-figure

High transverse momentum suppression and surface effects in Cu+Cu and Au+Au collisions within the PQM model

We study parton suppression effects in heavy-ion collisions within the Parton Quenching Model (PQM). After a brief summary of the main features of the model, we present comparisons of calculations for the nuclear modification and the away-side suppression factor to data in Au+Au and Cu+Cu collisions at 200 GeV. We discuss properties of light hadron probes and their sensitivity to the medium density within the PQM Monte Carlo framework.Comment: Comments: 6 pages, 8 figures. To appear in the proceedings of Hot Quarks 2006: Workshop for Young Scientists on the Physics of Ultrarelativistic Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions, Villasimius, Italy, 15-20 May 200

Deployment evaluation methodology for the electrometallurgical treatment of DOE-EM spent nuclear fuel

Part of the Department of Energy (DOE) spent nuclear fuel (SNF) inventory may require some type of treatment to meet acceptance criteria at various disposition sites. The current focus for much of this spent nuclear fuel is the electrometallurgical treatment process under development at Argonne National Laboratory. Potential flowsheets for this treatment process are presented. Deployment of the process for the treatment of the spent nuclear fuel requires evaluation to determine the spent nuclear fuel program need for treatment and compatibility of the spent nuclear fuel with the process. The evaluation of need includes considerations of cost, technical feasibility, process material disposition, and schedule to treat a proposed fuel. A siting evaluation methodology has been developed to account for these variables. A work breakdown structure is proposed to gather life-cycle cost information to allow evaluation of alternative siting strategies on a similar basis. The evaluation methodology, while created specifically for the electrometallurgical evaluation, has been written such that it could be applied to any potential treatment process that is a disposition option for spent nuclear fuel. Future work to complete the evaluation of the process for electrometallurgical treatment is discussed

Sustainable synthesis of enantiopure fluorolactam derivatives by a selective direct fluorination – amidase strategy

Pharmaceutically important chiral fluorolactam derivatives bearing a fluorine atom at a stereogenic centre were synthesized by a route involving copper catalyzed selective direct fluorination using fluorine gas for the construction of the key C–F bond and a biochemical amidase process for the crucial asymmetric cyclisation stage. A comparison of process green metrics with reported palladium catalyzed enantioselective fluorination methodology shows the fluorination-amidase route to be very efficient and more suitable for scale-up

Automated distal coronary bypass with a novel magnetic coupler (MVP system)

AbstractObjectiveWe sought to assess the feasibility of performing sutureless distal coronary artery bypass anastomoses with a novel magnetic coupling device.MethodsFrom May 2000 to April 2001, single-vessel side-to-side coronary artery bypass grafting on a beating heart was performed in 39 domestic white pigs (35-60 kg) without the use of mechanical stabilization, shunts, or perfusion bridges. Animals were divided into 2 groups. Seventeen pigs underwent right internal thoracic artery to right coronary artery bypass grafting through a median sternotomy (group 1) with a novel magnetic vascular positioning system (MVP system; Ventrica, Inc, Fremont, Calif). Twenty-two pigs underwent left internal thoracic artery to left anterior descending artery grafting with the MVP anastomotic device through a left anterior minithoracotomy (group 2). This system consists of 2 pairs of elliptical magnetic implants and a deployment device. One pair of magnets forms the anastomotic docking port within the graft; the other pair forms an identical anastomotic docking port within the target vessel. The anastomosis is created when the 2 docking ports magnetically couple. Anastomotic patency was evaluated by means of angiography during the first postoperative week and at 1 month. Histologic studies were performed at different time points as late as 6 months.ResultsRight internal thoracic artery to right coronary artery anastomoses and left internal thoracic artery to left anterior descending artery anastomoses were successfully performed with the system in all animals. The self-adherent and self-aligning properties of the implants allowed for immediate and secure approximation of the arteries (total anastomotic time between 2-3 minutes). Anastomoses were constructed without a stabilization platform. Five nondevice-related deaths occurred postoperatively. One-week angiography, performed in 35 surviving animals, showed a patent graft and anastomosis in all cases. The patency rate at 1 month was 97% (33/34). Histologic studies as late as 6 months demonstrated neointimal coverage of the magnets without any significant luminal obstruction. Histology also confirmed the presence of viable tissue between magnets.ConclusionThe MVP anastomotic system uses magnetic force to create rapid and secure distal coronary artery anastomoses, which might facilitate minimally invasive and totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass surgery

Water Body Temperature Model for Assessing Climate Change Impacts on Thermal Cooling

We develop and test a physically based semi-Lagrangian water body temperature model to apply climatological data and thermal pollution from river-based power plants to historical river flow data in order to better understand climate change impacts on surface water temperature and thermal power plant withdrawal allowances. The model is built for rapid assessment and use in Integrated Assessment Models. We first test the standalone model on a 190km river reach, the Delaware River, where we have detailed flow and temperature data. An R2 of 0.88 is obtained on hourly data for this initial test. Next, we integrate the standalone temperature model into a series of models—rainfall-runoff model, water demand model, water resource management model, and power plant uptake and release model—for the contiguous USA (CONUS), with about 19,000 segments total. With this system in place, we then validate the standalone water temperature model within the system for 16 river stations throughout the CONUS, where we have measured daily temperature data. The model performs reasonably well with a median R2 of 0.88. A variety of climate and emissions scenarios are then applied to the model to test regions of higher vulnerability to river temperature environmental violations, making use of output from two GCMs and six emissions scenarios focusing on projections out to 2050. We find that the two GCMs project significantly different impacts to water temperature, driven largely by the resulting changes in streamflow from the two models. We also find significantly different impacts on the withdrawal allowed by thermal power plants due to environmental regulations. Potential impacts on generation are between +3% and -4% by 2050 for the unconstrained emissions case and +3.5% to -2% for the stringent GHG mitigation policy (where 1% is equivalent to 32 TWh, or about 3 billion USD/year using 2005 electricity prices). We also find that once-through cooling plants are most vulnerable to climate change impacts, with summer impacts ranging from -0.8% to -6% for the unconstrained emissions case and +2.1% to -3.7% for the stringent GHG emissions case

Transport related air pollution and its implications on public health along selected road corridors in lagos metropolis, nigeria

The study investigated the ambient air quality caused by vehicular emission and its implications on the public health around major roadways in Lagos metropolis Nigeria. Field data on vehicular volumes and mix were collected for three months in the morning, afternoon, and evening peak periods for the five (5) selected major routes. Concurrently, air pollutants from vehicles were measured by portable gas detectors on the routes. Questionnaires were administered to the respondent near the routes to investigate the implications of exposure on their health. The concentration level of the air pollutants is highest between 8-9 am morning peak periods and lowest between 12-1 pm afternoon periods. The ambient air quality is polluted on all the studied routes and revealed a strong correlation (p<0.05) between pollutants concentration and traffic flow. The questionnaire results also showed that 74% of the sampled respondents around the corridor suffered from chest pain, frequent cough, nose running and sneezing, sore throat, difficulty in breathing, body weakness, fatigue, eye irritation, loss of appetite, headache, and fast breathing of which 6% of children and 54% of women were the most susceptible. The study recommended measures for the reduction of the negative impacts on ambient air quality and public health in developing African citiesPapers presented at the 40th International Southern African Transport Conference on 04 -08 July 202