7 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
BIOCHEMICAL PROCESSES FOR GEOTHERMAL BRINE TREATMENT
As part of the DOE Geothermal Energy Program, BNL's Advanced Biochemical Processes for Geothermal Brines (ABPGB) project is aimed at the development of cost-efficient and environmentally acceptable technologies for the disposal of geothermal wastes. Extensive chemical studies of high and low salinity brines and precipitates have indicated that in addition to trace quantities of regulated substances, e.g., toxic metals such as arsenic and mercury, there are significant concentrations of valuable metals, including gold, silver and platinum. Further chemical and physical studies of the silica product have also shown that the produced silica is a valuable material with commercial potential. A combined biochemical and chemical technology is being developed which (1) solubilizes, separates, and removes environmentally regulated constituents in geothermal precipitates and brines (2) generates an amorphous silica product which may be used as feedstock for the production of revenue generating materials, (3) recover economically valuable trace metals and salts. Geothermal power resources which utilize low salinity brines and use the Stretford process for hydrogen sulfide abatement generate a contaminated sulfur cake. Combined technology converts such sulfur to a commercial grade sulfur, suitable for agricultural use. The R and D activities at BNL are conducted jointly with industrial parties in an effort focused on field applications
Mission evaluation: expert evaluation system for large-scale combat tasks of the weapon system of systems
Political participation, diffused governance, and the transformation of democracy : patterns of change
Although democratic governments have introduced a number of institutional reforms in part intended to increase citizens’ political involvement, studies show a continued decline in regular political engagement. This book examines different forms of political participation in democracies, and in what way the delegation of public responsibilities—or, the diffusion of politics—has affected patterns of participation since the 1980s. The book addresses this paradox by directly investigating the impact of institutional changes on citizens’ political participation empirically. It re-analyses patterns of political participation in contemporary democracies, providing an in-depth time series cross-sectional analysis that helps develop a better understanding of how variation in political participation can be explained, both between countries and over time. As such, it develops an institutional theoretical framework which can help to explain levels of participation and shows that, instead of displaying more political apathy, citizens have reallocated or displaced their activities to a broader array of forms of participation.-- Part I: The Changing Democratic System -- 1. Patterns of Change -- 2. The Three Sides of the Coin: Unpacking Political Participation -- 3. Structuring Diffusion: Explaining Levels of Political Participation -- Part II: Patterns of Participation: The Impact of Competence Diffusion -- 4. Participation and Horizontal Diffusion -- 5. Participation and Vertical Diffusion -- 6. Political Participation and Diagonal Diffusion -- Part III: Democracy at the Crossroads? Some Conclusions -- 7. Levels of Political Participation and Multi-Directional Diffusion -- 8. Patterns of Change: Diffused DemocracyPublished version of EUI PhD thesis, 201