Annual Report 2014 of the Institute for Nuclear and Energy Technologies (KIT Scientific Reports ; 7702)

The annual report of the Institute for Nuclear and Energy Technologies of KIT summarizes its research activities and provides some highlights of each working group, like thermal-hydraulic analyses for nuclear fusion reactors, accident analyses for light water reactors, and research on innovative energy technologies: liquid metal technologies for energy conversion, hydrogen technologies and geothermal power plants. The institute has been engaged in education and training in energy technologies

Annual Report 2017-2018 of the Institute for Nuclear and Energy Technologies (KIT Scientific Reports ; 7756)

The annual report of the Institute for Nuclear and Energy Technologies of KIT summarizes its research activities and provides some highlights of each working group, like thermal-hydraulic analyses for nuclear fusion reactors, accident analyses for light water reactors, and research on innovative energy technologies: liquid metal technologies for energy conversion, hydrogen technologies and geothermal power plants. The institute has been engaged in education and training in energy technologies

High Performance Light Water Reactor : Design and Analyses

The High Performance Light Water Reactor is a nuclear reactor concept of the 4th generation which is cooled and moderated with supercritical water. The concept has been worked out by a consortium of European partners, co-funded by the European Commission. It features a once through steam cycle, a pressure vessel type reactor, and a compact containment with pressure suppression pool. The conceptual design enables to assess its feasibility, its safety features and its economic potential

Annual Report 2013 of the Institute for Nuclear and Energy Technologies (KIT Scientific Reports ; 7678)

The annual report of the Institute for Nuclear and Energy Technologies of KIT summarizes its research activities and provides some highlights of each working group, like thermal-hydraulic analyses for nuclear fusion reactors, accident analyses for light water reactors, and research on innovative energy technologies: liquid metal technologies for energy conversion, hydrogen technologies and geothermal power plants. The institute has been engaged in education and training in energy technologies

Annual Report 2016 of the Institute for Nuclear and Energy Technologies (KIT Scientific Reports ; 7742)

The annual report of the Institute for Nuclear and Energy Technologies of KIT summarizes its research activities and provides some highlights of each working group, like thermal-hydraulic analyses for nuclear fusion reactors, accident analyses for light water reactors, and research on innovative energy technologies: liquid metal technologies for energy conversion, hydrogen technologies and geothermal power plants. The institute has been engaged in education and training in energy technologies

Non‐medical use of prescription opioids during the transition to adulthood: a multi‐cohort national longitudinal study

Aims To examine non‐medical use of prescription opioids ( NMUPO ) patterns during the transition from adolescence to adulthood, and assess individual characteristics and other substance use behaviors associated with longitudinal patterns of NMUPO . Design Nationally representative samples of high school seniors in the U nited S tates (wave 1: modal age 18 years) were followed longitudinally across three biennial follow‐up waves (waves 2, 3 and 4: modal ages 19/20, 21/22 and 23/24 years). Setting Data were collected via self‐administered questionnaires to high school seniors and young adults. Participants The longitudinal sample consisted of 27 268 individuals in 30 cohorts (high school senior years 1976–2005) who participated in all four waves. Measurements Self‐reports of NMUPO and other substance use behaviors. Findings Approximately 11.6% [95% confidence interval ( CI)  = 11.2%, 12.0%] of the sample reported past‐year NMUPO in at least one of the four waves. Among those who reported past‐year NMUPO in at least one wave, 69.0% (67.6%, 70.4%), 20.5% (19.3%, 21.7%), 7.8% (7.1%, 8.6%) and 2.7% (2.3%, 3.1%) reported NMUPO at one, two, three and four waves, respectively. Several wave 1 variables were associated with greater odds of multiple waves of NMUPO and individuals who reported more waves of NMUPO had greater odds of other substance use behaviors. Conclusions Although most non‐medical use of prescription opioids among 18‐year‐olds in the U nited S tates appears to be non‐continuing, approximately one‐third of the sample reporting non‐medical use of prescription opioids appear to continue use beyond age 18 and have elevated odds of other substance use behaviors at ages 23/24.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102152/1/add12347.pd

Systematics, biogeography, and diversification of Scytalopus tapaculos (Rhinocryptidae), an enigmatic radiation of Neotropical montane birds

Copyright © American Ornithological Society 2020. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail: [email protected]. We studied the phylogeny, biogeography, and diversification of suboscine passerines in the genus Scytalopus (Rhinocryptidae), a widespread, species-rich, and taxonomically challenging group of Neotropical birds. We analyzed nuclear (exons, regions flanking ultraconserved elements) and mitochondrial (ND2) DNA sequence data for a taxonomically and geographically comprehensive sample of specimens collected from Costa Rica to Patagonia and Brazil. We found that Scytalopus is a monophyletic group sister to Eugralla and consists of 3 main clades roughly distributed in (1) the Southern Andes, (2) eastern Brazil, and (3) the Tropical Andes and Central America. The clades from the Southern Andes and eastern Brazil are sister to each other. Despite their confusing uniformity in plumage coloration, body shape, and overall appearance, rates of species accumulation through time in Scytalopus since the origin of the clade in the Late Miocene are unusually high compared with those of other birds, suggesting rapid non-adaptive diversification in the group. We attribute this to their limited dispersal abilities making them speciation-prone and their occurrence in a complex landscape with numerous barriers promoting allopatric differentiation. Divergence times among species and downturns in species accumulation rates in recent times suggest that most speciation events in Scytalopus predate climatic oscillations of the Pleistocene. Our analyses identified various cases of strong genetic structure within species and lack of monophyly of taxa, flagging populations which likely merit additional study to clarify their taxonomic status. In particular, detailed analyses of species limits are due in S. parvirostris, S. latrans, S. speluncae, the S. atratus complex, and the Southern Andes clade

A roadmap to identifying and filling shortfalls in Neotropical ornithology

Abstract Securing the long-term resilience of the world’s most speciose avifauna, that of the Neotropics, requires spatially and temporally explicit data to inform decisions. We examine gaps in our knowledge of the region’s avifauna through the lens of the biodiversity shortfall concept: the gaps between realized knowledge and complete knowledge. This framework serves as a useful tool to take stock of the last 25 yr of Neotropical ornithological work since the untimely death of Ted Parker. Here, we highlight 7 key shortfalls: taxonomy, distribution, abundance, evolutionary patterns, abiotic tolerances, species traits, and biotic interactions. We then propose an eighth—and new—“Parkerian” shortfall that reflects a lack of basic natural history knowledge key to understanding how species might respond to environmental challenges. Bridging this shortfall will help reverse declines by informing reintroduction, recovery network, and habitat restoration efforts. We discuss the challenges imposed by each shortfall and how strategies such as citizen-science initiatives and technological advances can either remedy or mitigate the uncertainty they generate