Implications and Policy Options of California's Reliance on Natural Gas

Examines existing and currently anticipated infrastructure, rising gas prices, and recurring supply problems, and looks at options to alleviate the problem. Part of a series of research reports that examines energy issues facing California

Review of Engel\u27s and Comstocks The Moral Rights of Animals

A brief review of Engel\u27s and Comstock\u27s The Moral Rights of Animal

The Process Recombinator: A Tool for Generating New Business Process Ideas

A critical need for many organizations in the next century will be the ability to quickly develop innovative business processes to take advantage of rapidly changing technologies and markets. Current process design tools and methodologies, however, are very resource-intensive and provide little support for generating (as opposed to merely recording) new design alternatives. This paper describes the Process Recombinator, a novel tool for generating new business process ideas by recombining elements from a richly structured repository of knowledge about business processes. The key contribution of the work is the technical demonstration of how such a repository can be used to automatically generate a wide range of innovative process designs. We have also informally evaluated the Process Recombinator in several field studies, which are briefly described here as well. Keywords: process innovation, business process repository, BPR, business process design 1. THE CHALLENGE: DESIG..

Determining the efficiency of residential electricity consumption

Increasing energy efficiency is a key global policy goal for climate protection. An important step toward an optimal reduction of energy consumption is the identification of energy saving potentials in different sectors and the best strategies for increasing efficiency. This paper analyzes these potentials in the household sector by estimating the degree of inefficiency in the use of electricity and its determinants. Using stochastic frontier analysis and disaggregated household data, we estimate an input requirement function and inefficiency on a sample of 2000 German households. Our results suggest that the mean inefficiency amounts to around 20%, indicating a notable potential for energy savings. Moreover, we find that household size and income are among the main determinants of individual inefficiency. This information can be used to increase the cost-efficiency of programs aimed to enhance energy efficiency

Preclinical evaluation of the antineoplastic action of 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine and different histone deacetylase inhibitors on human Ewing's sarcoma cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Most patients with advanced Ewing's sarcoma (EWS) respond poorly to conventional chemotherapy, indicating the need for new treatment approaches. Epigenetic events, such as promoter hypermethylation and chromatin histone deacetylation, silence the expression of tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) and play an important role in tumorigenesis. These epigenetic changes can be reversed by using 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5AZA-CdR), a potent inhibitor of DNA methylation, in combination with an inhibitor of histone deacetylase (HDAC).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here, we used a clonogenic assay to evaluate the <it>in vitro </it>antineoplastic activity of 5AZA-CdR in combination with different HDAC inhibitors on EWS cells. We observed that the HDAC inhibitors, MS-275, trichostatin-A, phenylbutyrate, LAQ824 and depsipeptide, enhanced the antineoplastic action of 5AZA-CdR on EWS cells. The combination of 5AZA-CdR and MS-275 showed marked synergy, and was correlated with significant reactivation of the expression of two TSGs, E-cadherin and tumor suppressor lung cancer-1 (TSLC1), in a EWS cell line.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results suggest the value of future clinical studies investigating the combination of 5AZA-CdR and MS-275 in patients with advanced EWS.</p

A new paradigm for credibly administering placebo alcohol to underage drinkers

Background: The primary goal of this study was to establish a paradigm for credibly administering placebo alcohol to underage drinkers. We also sought to create a new, valid procedure for establishing placebo alcohol believability. Method: Participants were 138 American college students (66.7% female) predominantly (90.0%) under the legal drinking age. Groups of 2–3 participants and one same-sex confederate consumed mixed drinks, purportedly containing alcohol, ad-lib in a naturalistic bar-laboratory for 20 min. All beverages, however, were non-alcoholic but we used visual, olfactory, and taste cues to maximize placebo credibility. Also, the confederate made two scripted statements designed to increase the perception of drinking real alcohol. After the drinking portion, participants responded to survey items related to alcohol consumption and intoxication. Next, they were individually debriefed, with open-ended responses used to make a determination of whether the participant was deceived with respect to placebo alcohol. Results: All participants estimated consuming some amount of alcohol. However, using a more conservative criteria for estimating alcohol believability based on the debrief, 89.1% of participants were classified as deceived. Deceived participants were much more likely to estimate having a positive blood alcohol content and to say that their current level of intoxication was typical given the amount of alcohol consumed than non-deceived participants. Discussion: Credibly administering placebo alcohol to underage drinkers is possible. This approach carries great potential for future laboratory work. In addition, the methodology used here to classify participants as deceived or not deceived appears valid based on self-reported BAC estimation and intoxication levels

Final Report

The year 2008 resulted in 99 scans that were funded through NIH agencies. An additional 43 MRI scans were funded by industry. Over 250 scans were acquired by various investigators as �pilot� data to be used for future grant applications. While these numbers are modest in comparison to most busy research MRI Centers, they are in line with that of a newly established MRI research facility. The initial 12-18 months of operation were primarily dedicated to establishing new IRB approved research studies, and acquiring pilot data for future grant applications. During the year 2009 the MRI Center continued to show positive growth with respect to funded studies and the number of scan sessions. The number of NIH sponsored scans increased to 242 and the number of industry funded studies climbed to 81. This more than doubled our numbers of funded scans over the previous year. In addition, 398 scans were acquired as pilot data; most of which were fMRI�s. The MRI Center continued to expand with additional researchers who were interested in probing the brain�s response to chronic pain. Other studies looked at regions of brain activation in patients with impulsivity disorders; including smokers. A large majority of the imaging studies were focused on the brain; however, the MRI Center continued to accommodate the needs of various types of investigators, who studied various types of human pathology. Studies of porcine cardiac function and myocardial perfusion were performed. Another study of ultra-fast acute abdominal MRI in children was underway; eventually leading to publication in AJR. These non-neuro type research projects allowed the MRI Center to expand upon the depth and breadth of service that has now become available to researchers at UVM. The UVM MRI Center became the first clinical/research site in North America to install dual radio frequency (RF) amplifiers on a 3T MRI system. The use of dual RF amplifiers helps to eliminate standing wave artifacts that are prevalent at 3T. Standing wave artifacts often rendered spine or abdominal 3T MR images to be poor quality or unreadable prior to the availability of multi-transmit. A research collaboration agreement with Philips Healthcare, Best, Netherlands allowed our site to have first use of the technology; while at the same time giving us the opportunity to provide critical feedback to Philips Healthcare about our experiences with multi-transmit. This dramatically improved image quality for 3T MRI sites across the US and the world. Philips has stationed an onsite MRI physicist at UVM to work collaboratively with researchers at the University of Vermont on various MRI related projects. He has worked collaboratively with UVM investigators toward the design and publication of several journal articles and abstracts during his time at UVM. As the MRI Center advanced through the year 2010, an additional MRI technologist and a MRI physicist were hired to accommodate the increased demand for MRI scanning and data processing expertise. This enabled us to not only expand our hours of operation; it also helped to augment our MRI pulse programming and data processing capabilities. Studies that used state-of-the-art MRI techniques like pseudo continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) allowed researchers from the Department of Obstetrics and Reproductive Services to obtain non-contrast brain perfusion values of women to help them to better understand the effects of preeclampsia. At year-end 2010 the MRI Center completed 303 NIH funded and 198 industry funded scans. The number of no charge pilot scans decreased to 189