“Black, White and Grey”: Wartime Arguments for and against the Strategic Bomber Offensive

The strategic bomber offensive against Nazi Germany has attracted more than its fair share of attention, most of which has been highly critical, both on moral as well as pragmatic grounds. Scholarly articles and books, in addition to a much larger number of sensationalized popular accounts, have appeared at a steady rate since the end of the war.1 More recently, journalists and television producers—capitalising on the fiftieth anniversary commemorations of the Second World War—have taken an interest in this controversial yet highly marketable and therefore profitable subject. Partly revisionist, and deliberately emotive, their “factions” (part fact and part dramatic recreation or fiction) all too often have focused narrowly on a single, spurious theme; the Anglo-American bomber offensive was orchestrated and conducted by a group of “bloodthirsty bone-heads and blimps,” whose policy of saturation bombing was a grievous crime against humanity.

Identification of a novel regulatory mechanism for the disease associated protein, uPAR

Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs), as determined through a series of statistical association studies collectively known as genome-wide association (GWA) studies, have provided us with a hypothesis free approach for the investigation into regulatory loci for disease and disease-associated proteins. This has led to the identification of multiple novel gene-disease interactions, especially in the field of respiratory medicine. This review describes the case study of a GWA approach in order to identify eQTLs for the soluble form of the urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR), a protein associated with obstructive respiratory disease. Molecular and cellular investigations based on the eQTLs identified for this GWA study has led to the identification of a novel regulatory mechanism with implications in the disease processes with which this protein is associated. This highlights the potential of eQTLs defined associations in the identification of novel mechanisms, with implications in disease.peer-reviewe

Offshore Turbine Arrays: Numerical Modeling and Experimental Validation

The interaction between wind turbines in a large wind farm needs to be better understood to reduce array losses and improve energy production. A numerical test bed for an array of offshore wind turbines was developed in the open-source computational fluid dynamics (CFD) framework OpenFOAM. It provides a computational tool which can be used in combination with physical model turbine array studies in the Flow Physics Facility (FPF) at UNH as well as other test facilities. Turbines were modeled as actuator disks with turbulence sources to reduce computational cost. Both k-ϵ and k-ω SST turbulence models were utilized to capture the flow in the near-wall, wake, and free stream regions. Experimental studies were performed in the FPF to validate the numerical results and to provide realistic initial and boundary conditions, for example turbulent boundary layer inlet velocity profiles. Mesh refinement and boundary condition studies were performed. Numerical simulations were executed on a custom-built server, designed to be the head node of a future CFD cluster. The entire project was built on open-source software to facilitate replication and expansion. The numerical model provides building blocks for simulations of large wind turbine arrays, computational resources permitting. The numerical model currently replicates a three by one array of wind turbines in the FPF, and provides detailed insight into the array fluid dynamics

Independent Energy

In the world of energy, an elite selection of the world’s most influential leaders dictates the development of the world. The correlation between petroleum production and global influence is hard to ignore. The world needs energy to move and those with the energy control the movement. Saudi Arabia, Russia, and the US combine to contribute over a third of world oil production. OPEC countries however, dominate the vast energy markets around the world. Well inundated with regional conflict and hostile relations, OPEC countries remain volatile and on top of global energy production. The energy industry has become extremely productive, fueling an amazing demand for petroleum-based products and the energy required to move around the world with such ease that modern society exhibit. Technological advances allow never before seen efficiencies in extraction, processing, and transmission. Current iterations of operations allow high rates of extraction at extremely low costs with massive profit margins for those in control. Providing that oil stays profitable, the exclusivity of the market holds that those in charge will continue to drive the direction of energy development. Now what if oil is no longer profitable? Current market conditions provide adequate scenarios where OPEC countries may no longer remain king in the energy sector. The energy sector is facing pressure from both sides of the fence. Consumer trends show that oil consumption is decreasing in barrels per day in most developed countries. Germany, France, Spain, and Italy have all seen sharp reductions in consumption in the last twenty years. Availability of alternatives has increased and awareness on the dangers of fossil fuel use has sparked a change in how Europeans power their daily lives and is spreading across the world. Consumers have realized the impact of fossil fuels on the environment and have made their opinions know. Governments have responded accordingly with global climate initiatives and national policy to curb fossil fuel use and production. Increased regulations with respect to environmental and social costs have sharply declined profit margins for both oil producing nations and corporations alike. Saudi Arabia’s Aramco, their state owned oil monopoly, is offering equity through a public debt offering, a bold grab for revenue in a bearish energy market. Oil producers in the export market have been facing difficult times while a barrel of oil in the world market trades for $40-$50. Prices are expected to decrease with upcoming political shifts in the US and deregulation of the American market. Geopolitical conditions hinge on the ability of oil to remain in the global market, adding volatility and tensions to trade deals. Oil is in a state of uncertainty and the world reflects it. Conflict in the Middle East, tensions over oil production, and world development have all intermingled to create an intricate web of uncertainty. Production in OPEC countries had agreed to decrease by 1.2 million barrels per day starting in January but those reductions are now viewed skeptically. Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Russia are involved in these cuts but a deal to slash output by 1.2 million barrels per day between both OPEC and non-OPEC is considered hopeful at best. Russia has previously joined OPEC reductions only to renege; their oil production consists of many, small wells where OPEC countries produce with significantly larger operations. Shutting down that many wells in Russia could pose more cost than benefit, incentivizing continued production. The competition between nations to get their slice of the profits has led to sleight of hand tactics to misled and misrepresent overproduction and excess supply. Cheating is rampant and punishment is infrequent. Recent reports suggest that overproduction of oil has driven to misled reports of oil reserves, adding additional supply and driving price down. Saudi Arabia and Iran have been feuding over production levels, threatening to increase production and continue to pinch each other’s margins. American crude stockpiles have recently increased over 14 million barrels in one week at the end of November, the sharpest weekly climb in history. This week also saw additional 9 oil rigs added to US production, increasing US oil production. With shale drilling, US producers in East Texas are said to be able to continue profit margins even with $40-$50/barrel prices. America’s energy reliance on foreign relations is volatile and dangerous. Technology and the political environment are prime to coincide for American energy independence in the near future. While the continued use of fossil fuels may not be ideal in the long term, current conditions do not allow for blanket implementation of renewable energy sources. In the short term, the United States should move to decrease reliance on foreign energy. Geopolitical and economic uncertainty allow for a prime resurgence of American energy

Independent Energy

In the world of energy, an elite selection of the world’s most influential leaders dictates the development of the world. The correlation between petroleum production and global influence is hard to ignore. The world needs energy to move and those with the energy control the movement. Saudi Arabia, Russia, and the US combine to contribute over a third of world oil production. OPEC countries however, dominate the vast energy markets around the world. Well inundated with regional conflict and hostile relations, OPEC countries remain volatile and on top of global energy production. The energy industry has become extremely productive, fueling an amazing demand for petroleum-based products and the energy required to move around the world with such ease that modern society exhibit. Technological advances allow never before seen efficiencies in extraction, processing, and transmission. Current iterations of operations allow high rates of extraction at extremely low costs with massive profit margins for those in control. Providing that oil stays profitable, the exclusivity of the market holds that those in charge will continue to drive the direction of energy development. Now what if oil is no longer profitable? Current market conditions provide adequate scenarios where OPEC countries may no longer remain king in the energy sector. The energy sector is facing pressure from both sides of the fence. Consumer trends show that oil consumption is decreasing in barrels per day in most developed countries. Germany, France, Spain, and Italy have all seen sharp reductions in consumption in the last twenty years. Availability of alternatives has increased and awareness on the dangers of fossil fuel use has sparked a change in how Europeans power their daily lives and is spreading across the world. Consumers have realized the impact of fossil fuels on the environment and have made their opinions know. Governments have responded accordingly with global climate initiatives and national policy to curb fossil fuel use and production. Increased regulations with respect to environmental and social costs have sharply declined profit margins for both oil producing nations and corporations alike. Saudi Arabia’s Aramco, their state owned oil monopoly, is offering equity through a public debt offering, a bold grab for revenue in a bearish energy market. Oil producers in the export market have been facing difficult times while a barrel of oil in the world market trades for $40-$50. Prices are expected to decrease with upcoming political shifts in the US and deregulation of the American market. Geopolitical conditions hinge on the ability of oil to remain in the global market, adding volatility and tensions to trade deals. Oil is in a state of uncertainty and the world reflects it. Conflict in the Middle East, tensions over oil production, and world development have all intermingled to create an intricate web of uncertainty. Production in OPEC countries had agreed to decrease by 1.2 million barrels per day starting in January but those reductions are now viewed skeptically. Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Russia are involved in these cuts but a deal to slash output by 1.2 million barrels per day between both OPEC and non-OPEC is considered hopeful at best. Russia has previously joined OPEC reductions only to renege; their oil production consists of many, small wells where OPEC countries produce with significantly larger operations. Shutting down that many wells in Russia could pose more cost than benefit, incentivizing continued production. The competition between nations to get their slice of the profits has led to sleight of hand tactics to misled and misrepresent overproduction and excess supply. Cheating is rampant and punishment is infrequent. Recent reports suggest that overproduction of oil has driven to misled reports of oil reserves, adding additional supply and driving price down. Saudi Arabia and Iran have been feuding over production levels, threatening to increase production and continue to pinch each other’s margins. American crude stockpiles have recently increased over 14 million barrels in one week at the end of November, the sharpest weekly climb in history. This week also saw additional 9 oil rigs added to US production, increasing US oil production. With shale drilling, US producers in East Texas are said to be able to continue profit margins even with $40-$50/barrel prices. America’s energy reliance on foreign relations is volatile and dangerous. Technology and the political environment are prime to coincide for American energy independence in the near future. While the continued use of fossil fuels may not be ideal in the long term, current conditions do not allow for blanket implementation of renewable energy sources. In the short term, the United States should move to decrease reliance on foreign energy. Geopolitical and economic uncertainty allow for a prime resurgence of American energy

Interleukin-4 receptor alpha gene variants and allergic disease

The interleukin-4 (IL-4) signalling cascade has been identified as a pathway potentially important in the development of asthma. Genetic variants within this signalling pathway might contribute to the risk of developing asthma in a given individual. A number of polymorphisms have been described within the IL-4 receptor alpha (IL-4Ralpha) gene. In addition polymorphism occurs in the promoter for the IL-4 gene itself. This commentary accompanies a paper by C Ober et al describing the contribution of IL-4Ralpha polymorphism to susceptibility to asthma and atopy in the Hutterite population and other outbred populations collected during the collaborative studies on the genetics of asthma (CSGA) programm

Energy storage in the UK electrical network : estimation of the scale and review of technology options

This paper aims to clarify the difference between stores of energy in the form of non-rechargeable stores of energy such as fossil-fuels, and the storage of electricity by devices that are rechargeable. The existing scale of these two distinct types of storage is considered in the UK context, followed by a review of rechargeable technology options. The storage is found to be overwhelmingly contained within the fossil-fuel stores of conventional generators, but their scale is thought to be determined by the risks associated with long supply chains and price variability. The paper also aims to add to the debate regarding the need to have more flexible supply and demand available within the UK electrical network in order to balance the expected increase of wind derived generation. We conclude that the decarbonisation challenge facing the UK electricity sector should be seen not only as a supply and demand challenge but also as a storage challenge. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved