Digital Health Services and Digital Identity in Alberta.

PubMed

McEachern, Aiden; Cholewa, David

2017-01-01

The Government of Alberta continues to improve delivery of healthcare by allowing Albertans to access their health information online. Alberta is the only province in Canada with provincial electronic health records for all its citizens. These records are currently made available to medical practitioners, but Alberta Health believes that providing Albertans access to their health records will transform the delivery of healthcare in Alberta. It is important to have a high level of assurance that the health records are provided to the correct Albertan. Alberta Health requires a way for Albertans to obtain a digital identity with a high level of identity assurance prior to releasing health records via the Personal Health Portal. Service Alberta developed the MyAlberta Digital ID program to provide a digital identity verification service. The Ministry of Health is leveraging MyAlberta Digital ID to enable Albertans to access their personal health records through the Personal Health Portal. The Government of Alberta is advancing its vision of patient-centred healthcare by enabling Albertans to access a trusted source for health information and their electronic health records using a secure digital identity.

Western Energy Corridor -- Energy Resource Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Leslie Roberts; Michael Hagood

2011-06-01

The world is facing significant growth in energy demand over the next several decades. Strategic in meeting this demand are the world-class energy resources concentrated along the Rocky Mountains and northern plains in Canada and the U.S., informally referred to as the Western Energy Corridor (WEC). The fossil energy resources in this region are rivaled only in a very few places in the world, and the proven uranium reserves are among the world's largest. Also concentrated in this region are renewable resources contributing to wind power, hydro power, bioenergy, geothermal energy, and solar energy. Substantial existing and planned energy infrastructure,more » including refineries, pipelines, electrical transmission lines, and rail lines provide access to these resources.« less

Evaluating the oil sands reclamation process: Assessing policy capacity and stakeholder access for government and non-governmental organizations operating in Alberta's oil sands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patterson, Tyler

. In an effort to discern the overall status of reclamation in the oil sands this study explores several factors essential to policy capacity: work environment, training, employee attitudes, perceived capacity, policy tools, evidence based work, and networking. Data was collected through key informant interviews with senior policy professionals in government and non-government agencies in Alberta. The following are agencies of interest in this research: Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP); Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (AESRD); Alberta Energy Regulator (AER); Cumulative Environmental Management Association (CEMA); Alberta Environment Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting Agency (AEMERA); Wood Buffalo Environmental Association (WBEA). The aim of this research is to explain how and why reclamation policy is conducted in Alberta's oil sands. This will illuminate government capacity, NGO capacity, and the interaction of these two agency typologies. In addition to answering research questions, another goal of this project is to show interpretive analysis of policy capacity can be used to measure and predict policy effectiveness. The oil sands of Alberta will be the focus of this project, however, future projects could focus on any government policy scenario utilizing evidence-based approaches.

Alberta Education's Computer Technology Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thiessen, Jim

This description of activities initiated through the Computer Technology Project of the provincial education ministry in Alberta, Canada, covers the 2-year period beginning with establishment of the project by the Alberta Department of Education in October 1981. Activities described include: (1) the establishment of the Office of Educational…

Alberta Advanced Education Annual Report 2005-06

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Advanced Education, 2006

2006-01-01

The Public Accounts of Alberta are prepared in accordance with the Financial Administration Act and the "Government Accountability Act." The Public Accounts consist of the annual report of the Government of Alberta and the annual reports of each of the 24 ministries. The annual report of the Government of Alberta released June 26, 2006…

The road to pharmacist prescribing in Alberta Health Services.

PubMed

Gray, Margaret; Mysak, Tania

2016-09-15

The implementation of policy within a health organization to support a new legislative and regulatory framework of pharmacist prescribing in the Canadian province of Alberta is described. The evolution of pharmacists' practice activities to encompass medication management through independent prescribing authority has occurred in many jurisdictions around the world. In 2007, Alberta pharmacists were granted the most progressive scope of practice in all of North America. Pursuant to a series of legislative and regulatory initiatives enacted since 2000, the provincial health authority, Alberta Health Services (AHS), has worked to (1) establish a policy framework that supports pharmacist prescribing, (2) provide opportunities for pharmacist prescribing in both inpatient and ambulatory care practice environments, and (3) provide motivation and resources for AHS pharmacists to acquire "additional prescribing authorization" (APA) that enables them to independently prescribe and manage patients' ongoing drug therapy. Pharmacists with APA currently are permitted to prescribe all medications requiring a prescription, with the exception of opiates and other controlled substances; efforts to expand pharmacist prescribing to include those medications are ongoing. Currently, nearly half of all AHS pharmacists have APA. The health authority plans to make APA a standard expectation for all clinical pharmacists working in collaborative practice settings. Opportunities provided to Alberta pharmacists by legislation have been embraced by the provincial health authority. The AHS leadership remains committed to ensuring that its pharmacists practice to the full extent of their scope of practice and actively encourages and supports them in their efforts to provide optimal patient care. Copyright © 2016 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

Extending stakeholder theory to promote resource management initiatives to key stakeholders: a case study of water transfers in Alberta, Canada.

PubMed

Lafreniere, Katherine C; Deshpande, Sameer; Bjornlund, Henning; Hunter, M Gordon

2013-11-15

Many attempts to implement resource management initiatives in Canadian and international communities have been resisted by stakeholders despite inclusion of their representatives in the decision-making process. Managers' failure to understand stakeholders' perspectives when proposing initiatives is a potential cause of this resistance. Our study uses marketing thought to enhance stakeholder theory by bringing in an audience-centric perspective. We attempt to understand how stakeholders perceive their interests in an organization and consequently decide how to influence that organization. By doing so, we investigate whether a disconnect exists between the perceptions of managers and those of stakeholders. Natural resource managers can utilize this knowledge to garner stakeholder support for the organization and its activities. We support this claim with findings from a water transfer plebiscite held in the Canadian province of Alberta. Sixteen personal interviews employing narrative inquiry were conducted to document voters' (i.e., irrigators') interpretations. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The American Imprint on Alberta Politics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiseman, Nelson

2011-01-01

Characteristics assigned to America's classical liberal ideology--rugged individualism, market capitalism, egalitarianism in the sense of equality of opportunity, and fierce hostility toward centralized federalism and socialism--are particularly appropriate for fathoming Alberta's political culture. The author contends that Alberta's early…

Screening with Papanicolaou tests in Alberta

PubMed Central

Symonds, Christopher J.; Chen, Wenxin; Rose, Marianne Sarah; Cooke, Lara J.

2018-01-01

Abstract Objective To describe the prevalence and geographic distribution of cervical cancer screening, as well as the age groups of those undergoing screening, in Alberta, and to determine if screening practices conform to current guidelines and follow Choosing Wisely Canada recommendations. Design Descriptive study using data from the Alberta Ministry of Health Analytics and Performance Reporting Branch. Setting Alberta. Participants Women who had 1 or more Papanicolaou tests between 2011 and 2013. Main outcome measures Number of women aged 15 to 20 and those aged 70 and older who had 1 or more Pap tests in a 3-year period; year-to-year trends in screening rates for women in these 2 age groups; trends in screening rates in various geographic regions (ie, cities and zones) in Alberta; and the discipline of clinicians who ordered the Pap tests. Results Between 2011 and 2013, 805 632 women in the province of Alberta had 1 or more Pap tests for cervical cancer screening. Overall, 25 511 (17.5%) women aged 15 to 20 and 16 818 (10.3%) aged 70 and older were screened contrary to most existing guidelines. Screening rates varied markedly in different geographic regions of the province. Most Pap tests were ordered by family physicians or general practitioners. Conclusion Within the geographic regions of Alberta, provincial, national, and international guidelines for screening with Pap tests are inconsistently followed. This strongly echoes the need for clinicians and patients to consider the Choosing Wisely Canada recommendations and current guidelines for cervical cancer screening. PMID:29358254

Cancer incidence attributable to excess body weight in Alberta in 2012

PubMed Central

Brenner, Darren R.; Poirier, Abbey E.; Grundy, Anne; Khandwala, Farah; McFadden, Alison; Friedenreich, Christine M.

2017-01-01

Background: Excess body weight has been consistently associated with colorectal, breast, endometrial, esophageal, gall bladder, pancreatic and kidney cancers. The objective of this analysis was to estimate the proportion of total and site-specific cancers attributable to excess body weight in adults in Alberta in 2012. Methods: We estimated the proportions of attributable cancers using population attributable risk. Risk estimates were obtained from recent meta-analyses, and exposure prevalence estimates were obtained from the Canadian Community Health Survey. People with a body mass index of 25.00-29.99 kg/m2 and of 30 kg/m2 or more were categorized as overweight and obese, respectively. Results: About 14%-47% of men and 9%-35% of women in Alberta were classified as either overweight or obese; the proportion increased with increasing age for both sexes. We estimate that roughly 17% and 12% of obesity-related cancers among men and women, respectively, could be attributed to excess body weight in Alberta in 2012. The heaviest absolute burden in terms of number of cases was seen for breast cancer among women and for colorectal cancer among men. Overall, about 5% of all cancers in adults in Alberta in 2012 were estimated to be attributable to excess body weight in 2000-2003. Interpretation: Excess body weight contributes to a substantial proportion of cases of cancers associated with overweight and obesity annually in Alberta. Strategies to improve energy imbalance and reduce the proportion of obese and overweight Albertans may have a notable impact on cancer incidence in the future. PMID:28455439

Cancer incidence attributable to excess body weight in Alberta in 2012.

PubMed

Brenner, Darren R; Poirier, Abbey E; Grundy, Anne; Khandwala, Farah; McFadden, Alison; Friedenreich, Christine M

2017-04-28

Excess body weight has been consistently associated with colorectal, breast, endometrial, esophageal, gall bladder, pancreatic and kidney cancers. The objective of this analysis was to estimate the proportion of total and site-specific cancers attributable to excess body weight in adults in Alberta in 2012. We estimated the proportions of attributable cancers using population attributable risk. Risk estimates were obtained from recent meta-analyses, and exposure prevalence estimates were obtained from the Canadian Community Health Survey. People with a body mass index of 25.00-29.99 kg/m2 and of 30 kg/m2 or more were categorized as overweight and obese, respectively. About 14%-47% of men and 9%-35% of women in Alberta were classified as either overweight or obese; the proportion increased with increasing age for both sexes. We estimate that roughly 17% and 12% of obesity-related cancers among men and women, respectively, could be attributed to excess body weight in Alberta in 2012. The heaviest absolute burden in terms of number of cases was seen for breast cancer among women and for colorectal cancer among men. Overall, about 5% of all cancers in adults in Alberta in 2012 were estimated to be attributable to excess body weight in 2000-2003. Excess body weight contributes to a substantial proportion of cases of cancers associated with overweight and obesity annually in Alberta. Strategies to improve energy imbalance and reduce the proportion of obese and overweight Albertans may have a notable impact on cancer incidence in the future. Copyright 2017, Joule Inc. or its licensors.

Preferences of Residents in Four Northern Alberta Communities regarding Local Post-Secondary Programming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fahy, Patrick J.; Steel, Nancy; Martin, Patricia

2009-01-01

The western Canadian province of Alberta has used some of the proceeds from exploitation of its extraordinary natural resources to make available a range of post-secondary training and education opportunities to residents. While these provisions appear comprehensive, this study examined how well they actually suit the express needs of the…

Health Effects of Energy Resources

USGS Publications Warehouse

Orem, William; Tatu, Calin; Pavlovic, Nikola; Bunnell, Joseph; Kolker, Allan; Engle, Mark; Stout, Ben

2010-01-01

Energy resources (coal, oil, and natural gas) are among the cornerstones of modern industrial society. The exploitation of these resources, however, is not without costs. Energy materials may contain harmful chemical substances that, if mobilized into air, water, or soil, can adversely impact human health and environmental quality. In order to address the issue of human exposure to toxic substances derived from energy resources, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Energy Resources Program developed a project entitled 'Impacts of Energy Resources on Human Health and Environmental Quality.' The project is intended to provide policymakers and the public with the scientific information needed to weigh the human health and environmental consequences of meeting our energy needs. This fact sheet discusses several areas where the USGS Energy Resources Program is making scientific advances in this endeavor.

Assessment in Alberta: Dimensions of Authenticity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horvath, Frank G.

The assessment programs of Alberta Education (Canada) are described, and the principles that guide these programs are reviewed. Alberta is committed to authentic assessment in its three major assessment programs: (1) the Diploma Examinations Program for certification in specific courses at the end of high school; (2) the Achievement Testing…

The distribution of methane in groundwater in Alberta (Canada) and associated aqueous geochemistry conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Humez, Pauline; Mayer, Bernhard; Nightingale, Michael; Becker, Veith; Kingston, Andrew; Taylor, Stephen; Millot, Romain; Kloppmann, Wolfram

2016-04-01

Development of unconventional energy resources such as shale gas and coalbed methane has generated some public concern with regard to the protection of groundwater and surface water resources from leakage of stray gas from the deep subsurface. In terms of environmental impact to and risk assessment of shallow groundwater resources, the ultimate challenge is to distinguish: (a) natural in-situ production of biogenic methane, (b) biogenic or thermogenic methane migration into shallow aquifers due to natural causes, and (c) thermogenic methane migration from deep sources due to human activities associated with the exploitation of conventional or unconventional oil and gas resources. We have conducted a NSERC-ANR co-funded baseline study investigating the occurrence of methane in shallow groundwater of Alberta (Canada), a province with a long record of conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon exploration. Our objective was to assess the occurrence and sources of methane in shallow groundwaters and to also characterize the hydrochemical environment in which the methane was formed or transformed through redox processes. Ultimately our aim was to determine whether methane was formed in-situ or whether it migrated from deeper formations into shallow aquifers. Combining hydrochemical and dissolved and free geochemical gas data from 372 groundwater samples obtained from 186 monitoring wells of the provincial groundwater observation well network (GOWN) in Alberta, it was found that methane is ubiquitous in groundwater in Alberta and is predominantly of biogenic origin. The highest concentrations of dissolved biogenic methane (> 0.01 mM or > 0.2 mg/L), characterized by δ13CCH4 values < -55‰, occurred in anoxic Na-Cl, Na-HCO3 and Na-HCO3-Cl type groundwater with negligible concentrations of nitrate and sulfate suggesting that methane was formed in-situ under methanogenic conditions consistent with the redox ladder concept. Despite quite variable gas concentrations and a

Is There a Future for Nuclear Power? Wind and Emission Reduction Targets in Fossil-Fuel Alberta

PubMed Central

Duan, Jun; Lynch, Rachel

2016-01-01

This paper explores the viability of relying on wind power to replace upwards of 60% of electricity generation in Alberta that would be lost if coal-fired generation is phased out. Using hourly wind data from 17 locations across Alberta, we are able to simulate the potential wind power output available to the Alberta grid when modern, 3.5 MW-capacity wind turbines are spread across the province. Using wind regimes for the years 2006 through 2015, we find that available wind power is less than 60% of installed capacity 98% of the time, and below 30% of capacity 74% of the time. There is only a small amount of correlation between wind speeds at different locations, but yet it remains necessary to rely on fossil fuel generation. Then, based on the results from a grid allocation model, we find that CO2 emissions can be reduced by about 30%, but only through a combination of investment in wind energy and reliance on purchases of hydropower from British Columbia. Only if nuclear energy is permitted into the generation mix would Alberta be able to meet its CO2-emissions reduction target in the electricity sector. With nuclear power, emissions can be reduced by upwards of 85%. PMID:27902712

Is There a Future for Nuclear Power? Wind and Emission Reduction Targets in Fossil-Fuel Alberta.

PubMed

van Kooten, G Cornelis; Duan, Jun; Lynch, Rachel

2016-01-01

This paper explores the viability of relying on wind power to replace upwards of 60% of electricity generation in Alberta that would be lost if coal-fired generation is phased out. Using hourly wind data from 17 locations across Alberta, we are able to simulate the potential wind power output available to the Alberta grid when modern, 3.5 MW-capacity wind turbines are spread across the province. Using wind regimes for the years 2006 through 2015, we find that available wind power is less than 60% of installed capacity 98% of the time, and below 30% of capacity 74% of the time. There is only a small amount of correlation between wind speeds at different locations, but yet it remains necessary to rely on fossil fuel generation. Then, based on the results from a grid allocation model, we find that CO2 emissions can be reduced by about 30%, but only through a combination of investment in wind energy and reliance on purchases of hydropower from British Columbia. Only if nuclear energy is permitted into the generation mix would Alberta be able to meet its CO2-emissions reduction target in the electricity sector. With nuclear power, emissions can be reduced by upwards of 85%.

Energy Efficiency Resources to Support State Energy Planning

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Office of Strategic Programs, Strategic Priorities and Impact Analysis Team

An early step for most energy efficiency planning is to identify and quantify energy savings opportunities, and then to understand how to access this potential. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy offers resources that can help with both of these steps. This fact sheet presents those resources. The resources are also available on the DOE State and Local Solution Center on the "Energy Efficiency: Savings Opportunities and Benefits" page: https://energy.gov/eere/slsc/energy-efficiency-savings-opportunities-and-benefits.

Achieving Conservation when Opportunity Costs Are High: Optimizing Reserve Design in Alberta's Oil Sands Region

PubMed Central

Schneider, Richard R.; Hauer, Grant; Farr, Dan; Adamowicz, W. L.; Boutin, Stan

2011-01-01

Recent studies have shown that conservation gains can be achieved when the spatial distributions of biological benefits and economic costs are incorporated in the conservation planning process. Using Alberta, Canada, as a case study we apply these techniques in the context of coarse-filter reserve design. Because targets for ecosystem representation and other coarse-filter design elements are difficult to define objectively we use a trade-off analysis to systematically explore the relationship between conservation targets and economic opportunity costs. We use the Marxan conservation planning software to generate reserve designs at each level of conservation target to ensure that our quantification of conservation and economic outcomes represents the optimal allocation of resources in each case. Opportunity cost is most affected by the ecological representation target and this relationship is nonlinear. Although petroleum resources are present throughout most of Alberta, and include highly valuable oil sands deposits, our analysis indicates that over 30% of public lands could be protected while maintaining access to more than 97% of the value of the region's resources. Our case study demonstrates that optimal resource allocation can be usefully employed to support strategic decision making in the context of land-use planning, even when conservation targets are not well defined. PMID:21858046

Alberta's economic development of the Athabasca oil sands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steinmann, Michael

This dissertation examines the 61-year evolution of public policies pertaining to development of Alberta's non-conventional source of crude oil. The Athabasca oil sands contain an estimated 1.5 trillion barrels and provide for a safe continental supply. The Provincial Government first sponsored this undertaking in 1943. The period from then to 1971 was one of a transition from a wheat economy to a natural-resource economic base. A stable government emerged and was able to negotiate viable development policies. A second period, 1971 to 1986, was marked by unstable world conditions that afforded the Alberta government the ability to set terms of development with multi-national oil firms. A 50% profit-sharing plan was implemented, and basic 1973 terms lasted until 1996. However, 1986 was a critical year because the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) reduced prices, causing the Alberta economy to lapse into recession. During a third period, 1986 to 1996, the Alberta Government was unable to adapt quickly to world conditions. A new leadership structure in 1996 made major changes to create ongoing fiscal and development policies. That history provides answers to two primary research questions: How do public policies affect the behaviors of the modern corporation and visa versa? What are the implications for development theory? Two sources of information were used for this study. First, it was possible to review the Premier's files located in the Provincial Archives. Materials from various government libraries were also examined. Some 7,000 documents were used to show the evolution of government policymaking. Second, interviews with leaders of oil companies and federal research facilities were important. Findings support the thesis that, to facilitate oil sands development, government and the private sector have closely collaborated. In particular, revenue policies have allowed for effective R&D organization. Relying on intensive technological

Elementary Health: Authorized Resources Annotated List.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton. Curriculum Standards Branch.

This comprehensive, annotated resource list is designed to assist in selecting resources authorized by the Alberta (Canada) Education Department for the elementary health classroom (Grades 1-6). Within each grade and topic, annotated entries for basic learning resources are listed, followed by support learning resources and authorized teaching…

The Alberta smoke plume observation study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, Kerry; Pankratz, Al; Mooney, Curtis; Fleetham, Kelly

2018-02-01

A field project was conducted to observe and measure smoke plumes from wildland fires in Alberta. This study used handheld inclinometer measurements and photos taken at lookout towers in the province. Observations of 222 plumes were collected from 21 lookout towers over a 6-year period from 2010 to 2015. Observers reported the equilibrium and maximum plume heights based on the plumes' final levelling heights and the maximum lofting heights, respectively. Observations were tabulated at the end of each year and matched to reported fires. Fire sizes at assessment times and forest fuel types were reported by the province. Fire weather conditions were obtained from the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (CWFIS). Assessed fire sizes were adjusted to the appropriate size at plume observation time using elliptical fire-growth projections. Though a logical method to collect plume observations in principle, many unanticipated issues were uncovered as the project developed. Instrument limitations and environmental conditions presented challenges to the investigators, whereas human error and the subjectivity of observations affected data quality. Despite these problems, the data set showed that responses to fire behaviour conditions were consistent with the physical processes leading to plume rise. The Alberta smoke plume observation study data can be found on the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System datamart (Natural Resources Canada, 2018) at http://cwfis.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/datamart.

Alaska Energy Inventory Project: Consolidating Alaska's Energy Resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papp, K.; Clough, J.; Swenson, R.; Crimp, P.; Hanson, D.; Parker, P.

2007-12-01

Alaska has considerable energy resources distributed throughout the state including conventional oil, gas, and coal, and unconventional coalbed and shalebed methane, gas hydrates, geothermal, wind, hydro, and biomass. While much of the known large oil and gas resources are concentrated on the North Slope and in the Cook Inlet regions, the other potential sources of energy are dispersed across a varied landscape from frozen tundra to coastal settings. Despite the presence of these potential energy sources, rural Alaska is mostly dependent upon diesel fuel for both electrical power generation and space heating needs. At considerable cost, large quantities of diesel fuel are transported to more than 150 roadless communities by barge or airplane and stored in large bulk fuel tank farms for winter months when electricity and heat are at peak demands. Recent increases in the price of oil have severely impacted the price of energy throughout Alaska, and especially hard hit are rural communities and remote mines that are off the road system and isolated from integrated electrical power grids. Even though the state has significant conventional gas resources in restricted areas, few communities are located near enough to these resources to directly use natural gas to meet their energy needs. To address this problem, the Alaska Energy Inventory project will (1) inventory and compile all available Alaska energy resource data suitable for electrical power generation and space heating needs including natural gas, coal, coalbed and shalebed methane, gas hydrates, geothermal, wind, hydro, and biomass and (2) identify locations or regions where the most economic energy resource or combination of energy resources can be developed to meet local needs. This data will be accessible through a user-friendly web-based interactive map, based on the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Land Records Information Section's (LRIS) Alaska Mapper, Google Earth, and Terrago Technologies' Geo

Fire, Aim… Ready? Alberta's Big Bang Approach to Healthcare Disintegration.

PubMed

Donaldson, Cam

2010-08-01

Alberta's abolition in 2008 of its health regions and the creation of Alberta Health Services (AHS) was a bold move, but the reasons for the change remain hazy. The stated goals were to "help make Alberta's … system more effective and efficient" and to "provide equitable access to health services and long-term sustainability." Data show, however, that Alberta's health regions were already performing well on these goals relative to other provinces, and where changes have since occurred, they cannot necessarily be attributed to AHS.

Use of chronic disease management programs for diabetes: in Alberta's primary care networks.

PubMed

Campbell, David J T; Sargious, Peter; Lewanczuk, Richard; McBrien, Kerry; Tonelli, Marcello; Hemmelgarn, Brenda; Manns, Braden

2013-02-01

To determine the types of chronic disease management (CDM) programs offered for patients with diabetes in Alberta's primary care networks (PCNs). A survey was administered to PCNs to determine the types of CDM programs offered for patients with diabetes; CDM programs were organized into categories by their resource intensity and effectiveness. Results of the survey were reported using frequencies and percentages. Alberta has recently created PCNs-groups of family physicians who receive additional funds to enable them to support activities that fall outside the typical physician-based fee-for-service model, but which address specified objectives including CDM. It is currently unknown what additional programs are being provided through the PCN supplemental funding. A survey was administered to the individual responsible for CDM in each PCN. This included executive directors, chronic disease managers, and CDM nurses. We determined the CDM strategies used in each PCN to care for patients with diabetes, whether they were available to all patients, and whether the services were provided exclusively by the PCN or in conjunction with other agencies. There was considerable variation across PCNs with respect to the CDM programs offered for people with diabetes. Nearly all PCNs used multidisciplinary teams (which could include nurses, dietitians, and pharmacists) and patient education. Fewer than half of the PCNs permitted personnel other than the primary physician to write or alter prescriptions for medications. Alberta's PCNs have successfully established many different types of CDM programs. Multidisciplinary care teams, which are among the most effective CDM strategies, are currently being used by most of Alberta's PCNs.

Unconventional energy resources: 2007-2008 review

USGS Publications Warehouse

Warwick, Peter D.; ,

2009-01-01

This paper summarizes five 2007–2008 resource commodity committee reports prepared by the Energy Minerals Division (EMD) of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. Current United States and global research and development activities related to gas hydrates, gas shales, geothermal resources, oil sands, and uranium resources are included in this review. These commodity reports were written to advise EMD leadership and membership of the current status of research and development of unconventional energy resources. Unconventional energy resources are defined as those resources other than conventional oil and natural gas that typically occur in sandstone and carbonate rocks. Gas hydrate resources are potentially enormous; however, production technologies are still under development. Gas shale, geothermal, oil sand, and uranium resources are now increasing targets of exploration and development, and are rapidly becoming important energy resources that will continue to be developed in the future.

Reforming Long-Term Care Funding in Alberta.

PubMed

Crump, R Trafford; Repin, Nadya; Sutherland, Jason M

2015-01-01

Like many provinces across Canada, Alberta is facing growing demand for long-term care. Issues with the mixed funding model used to pay long-term care providers had Alberta Health Services concerned that it was not efficiently meeting the demand for long-term care. Consequently, in 2010, Alberta Health Services introduced the patient/care-based funding (PCBF) model. PCBF is similar to activity-based funding in that it directly ties the complexity and care needs of long-term care residents to the payment received by long-term care providers. This review describes PCBF and discusses some of its strengths and weaknesses. In doing so, this review is intended to inform other provinces faced with similar long-term care challenges and contemplating their own funding reforms.

The development of the ''Sleeping Giant'' deep basin natural gas, Alberta Canada

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bowman, D.L.

1984-02-01

During the past seven years attention has been focused on ''mega'' projects and the frontier areas for continental energy self sufficiency. However, a giant conventional resource project has been developing without fanfare. This project has potential impact on the well being of Canada and the North American energy scene. This ''Sleeping Giant'', which delivered its initial sales gas on November 1, 1979 is the Alberta (Elmworth) Deep Basin. The project area covers 67,400 square km (26,000 square miles) and contains potentially hydrocarbon bearing sediments over a thickness of 4,572 meters (15,000 feet). This basin is best equated in terms ofmore » size and reserves to the famous San Juan Basin. Since its discovery in 1976 approximately 1,000 multi-zoned gas wells have been drilled and reserves in the order of 140,000 10/sup 6/m/sup 3/ (5 trillion cubic feet) have been recognized by gas purchasers. Ten gas plants have been constructed with capacity of roughly 28,174 10/sup 3/m/sup 3/ (1 billion cubic feet) per day. This paper documents the development of these reserves and the stages in the construction of field facilities.« less

Research Funding at Alberta Universities, 2000-2001 Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Innovation and Science, Edmonton. University Research and Strategic Investments Branch.

This report presents facts related to the funding of research at Alberta, Canada, universities. Data are provided by the universities, derived from audited financial schedules. Research at Alberta universities is supported in part by the provincial government through a number of programs. Sponsored research funding, funding received outside of…

Research Funding at Alberta Universities. 2001/2002 Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Innovation and Science, Edmonton. University Research and Strategic Investments Branch.

This report summarizes sponsored research revenues at Alberta Universities. Sponsored research revenues are those that are received outside of regular university operating grant and include both research grants and research contracts. Research at Alberta universities is supported in part by the provincial government through a number of programs.…

Manufacturing (Il)Literacy in Alberta's Classrooms: The Case of an Oil-Dependent State

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodgkins, Andrew

2010-01-01

This paper examines involvement of education-business "partnerships" presently occurring in the province of Alberta, Canada. Specific attention is paid to the promotion and sponsorship by oil multinational corporations (MNCs) of corporate propaganda masquerading as energy and environmental literacy programs targeted for the K-12 school…

Education in Alberta: Some Major Societal Trends. Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton. Planning and Policy Secretariat.

The major societal trends happening in Alberta, Canada, have an impact on educational effectiveness in the region. Statistics are provided in the areas of demographics, family and society, Alberta's youth, labor force, and advances in science and technology. The section on demographics includes data on population growth, births, fertility rates,…

Learning and Technology in Alberta (1975 to 2009)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Education, 2009

2009-01-01

Alberta's education system is a leader in the use of technology in teaching and learning. New information technologies create options for how teachers teach, how students learn, and how classrooms look and operate. This document chronicles the history of computer technology in Alberta from 1975-2009. The information is arranged in a tabulated…

Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Program - monitoring effectiveness of sustainable forest management planning

Treesearch

J. John Stadt; Jim Schieck; Harry Stelfox

2006-01-01

The Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Program is a rigorous science-based initiative that is being developed to monitor and report on biodiversity status and trends throughout the province of Alberta, Canada. Forest management plans in Alberta are required to monitor and report on the achievement of stated sustainable forest management objectives; however, the...

De-agglomeration Effect of the US Pharmacopeia and Alberta Throats on Carrier-Based Powders in Commercial Inhalation Products.

PubMed

Leung, Sharon Shui Yee; Tang, Patricia; Zhou, Qi Tony; Tong, Zhenbo; Leung, Cassandra; Decharaksa, Janwit; Yang, Runyu; Chan, Hak-Kim

2015-11-01

The US pharmacopeia (USP) and Alberta throats were recently reported to cause further de-agglomeration of carrier-free powders emitted from some dry powder inhalers (DPIs). This study assessed if they have similar influences on commercially available carrier-based DPIs. A straight tube, a USP throat, and an Alberta throat (non-coated and coated) were used for cascade impaction testing. Aerosol fine particle fraction (FPF ≤ 5 μm) was computed to evaluate throat-induced de-agglomeration. Computational fluid dynamics are employed to simulate airflow patterns and particle trajectories inside the USP and Alberta throats. For all tested products, no significant differences in the in vitro aerosol performance were observed between the USP throat and the straight tube. Using fine lactose carriers (<10 μm), Symbicort(®) and Oxis(™) showed minimal impaction inside the Alberta throat and resulted in similar FPF among all induction ports. For products using coarse lactose carriers (>10 μm), impaction frequency and energy inside the Alberta throat were significant. Further de-agglomeration was noted inside the non-coated Alberta throat for Seretide(®) and Spiriva(®), but agglomerates emitted from Relenza(®), Ventolin(®), and Foradil(®) did not further break up into smaller fractions. The coated Alberta throat considerably reduced the FPF values of these products due to the high throat retention, but they generally agreed better with the in vivo data. In conclusion, depending on the powder formulation (including carrier particle size), the inhaler, and the induction port, further de-agglomeration could happen ex-inhaler and create differences in the in vitro measurements.

Resources for health promotion: rhetoric, research and reality.

PubMed

Minke, Sharlene Wolbeck; Raine, Kim D; Plotnikoff, Ronald C; Anderson, Donna; Khalema, Ernest; Smith, Cynthia

2007-01-01

Canadian political discourse supports the importance of health promotion and advocates the allocation of health resources to health promotion. Furthermore, the current literature frequently identifies financial and human resources as important elements of organizational capacity for health promotion. In the Alberta Heart Health Project (AHHP), we sought to learn if the allocation of health resources in a regionalized health system was congruent with the espoused support for health promotion in Alberta, Canada. The AHHP used a mixed method approach in a time series design. Participants were drawn from multiple organizational levels (i.e., service providers, managers, board members) across all Regional Health Authorities (RHAs). Data were triangulated through multiple collection methods, primarily an organizational capacity survey, analysis of organizational documents, focus groups, and personal interviews. Analysis techniques were drawn from quantitative (i.e., frequency distributions, ANOVAs) and qualitative (i.e., content and thematic analysis) approaches. In most cases, small amounts (<5%) of financial resources were allocated to health promotion in RHAs' core budgets. Respondents reported seeking multiple sources of public health financing to support their health promotion initiatives. Human resources for health promotion were characterized by fragmented responsibilities and short-term work. Furthermore, valuable human resources were consumed in ongoing searches for funding that typically covered short time periods. Resource allocations to health promotion in Alberta RHAs are inconsistent with the current emphasis on health promotion as an organizational priority. Inadequate and unstable funding erodes the RHAs' capacity for health promotion. Sustainable health promotion calls for the assured allocation of adequate, sustainable financial resources.

Vocational Training and Education in Alberta. Coombe Lodge Case Study. Information Bank Number 2003.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marsh, D. T.

This paper describes the provision of vocational education in the Province of Alberta, especially the education provided by Alberta Vocational Centres (AVCs). The paper is organized in two sections. The first, introductory section describes the Province of Alberta and its educational system. The second section focuses on Alberta Vocational Centres…

Cancer incidence attributable to insufficient fibre consumption in Alberta in 2012

PubMed Central

Grundy, Anne; Poirier, Abbey E.; Khandwala, Farah; McFadden, Alison; Friedenreich, Christine M.; Brenner, Darren R.

2017-01-01

Background: Insufficient fibre consumption has been associated with a increased risk of colorectal cancer. The purpose of this study was to estimate the proportion and absolute number of cancers in Alberta that could be attributed to insufficient fibre consumption in 2012. Methods: The number and proportion of colorectal cancers in Alberta attributable to insufficient fibre consumption were estimated using the population attributable risk. Relative risks were obtained from the World Cancer Research Fund's 2011 Continuous Update Project on colorectal cancer, and the prevalence of insufficient fibre consumption (< 23 g/d) was estimated using dietary data from Alberta's Tomorrow Project. Age- and sex-specific colorectal cancer incidence data for 2012 were obtained from the Alberta Cancer Registry. Results: Between 66% and 67% of men and between 73% and 78% of women reported a diet with insufficient fibre consumption. Population attributable risk estimates for colorectal cancer were marginally higher in men, ranging from 6.3% to 6.8% across age groups, whereas in women they ranged from 5.0% to 5.5%. Overall, 6.0% of colorectal cancers or 0.7% of all cancers in Alberta in 2012 were estimated to be attributable to insufficient fibre consumption. Interpretation: Insufficient fibre consumption accounted for 6.0% of colorectal cancers in Alberta in 2012. Increasing fibre consumption in Alberta has the potential to reduce to the future burden of colorectal cancer in the province. PMID:28401112

Accounting for Human Health and Ecosystems Quality in Developing Sustainable Energy Products: The Implications of Wood Biomass-based Electricity Strategies to Climate Change Mitigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weldu, Yemane W.

The prospect for transitions and transformations in the energy sector to mitigate climate change raises concerns that actions should not shift the impacts from one impact category to another, or from one sustainability domain to another. Although the development of renewables mostly results in low environmental impacts, energy strategies are complex and may result in the shifting of impacts. Strategies to climate change mitigation could have potentially large effects on human health and ecosystems. Exposure to air pollution claimed the lives of about seven million people worldwide in 2010, largely from the combustion of solid fuels. The degradation of ecosystem services is a significant barrier to achieving millennium development goals. This thesis quantifies the biomass resources potential for Alberta; presents a user-friendly and sector-specific framework for sustainability assessment; unlocks the information and policy barriers to biomass integration in energy strategy; introduces new perspectives to improve understanding of the life cycle human health and ecotoxicological effects of energy strategies; provides insight regarding the guiding measures that are required to ensure sustainable bioenergy production; validates the utility of the Environmental Life Cycle Cost framework for economic sustainability assessment; and provides policy-relevant societal cost estimates to demonstrate the importance of accounting for human health and ecosystem externalities in energy planning. Alberta is endowed with a wealth of forest and agricultural biomass resources, estimated at 458 PJ of energy. Biomass has the potential to avoid 11-15% of GHG emissions and substitute 14-17% of final energy demand by 2030. The drivers for integrating bioenergy sources into Alberta's energy strategy are economic diversification, technological innovation, and resource conservation policy objectives. Bioenergy pathways significantly improved both human health and ecosystem quality from coal

Energy Resources | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Science.gov Websites

Alaska MAPTEACH Tsunami Inundation Mapping Energy Resources Gas Hydrates Sponsors' Proposals STATEMAP content Energy Resources Additional information Energy Resources Posters and Presentations Gas Hydrates Sponsors' Proposals Energy Resources Staff Projects The Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

The U.S. Geological Survey Energy Resources Program

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2006-01-01

The United States uses tremendous amounts of geologic energy resources. In 2004 alone, the United States consumed more than 7.4 billion barrels of oil, 21.9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 1.1 billion short tons of coal. Forecasts indicate the Nation's need for energy resources will continue to grow, raising several questions: How much domestic and foreign petroleum resources are available to meet the growing energy demands of the Nation and world? Does the United States have coal deposits of sufficient quantity and quality to meet demand over the next century? What other geologic energy resources can be added to the U.S. energy mix? How do the occurrence and use of energy resources affect environmental quality and human health? Unbiased information from robust scientific studies is needed for sound energy policy and resource management decisions addressing these issues. The U.S. Geological Survey Energy Resources Program provides impartial, scientifically robust information to advance the understanding of geologically based energy resources including: petroleum (oil, natural gas, natural gas liquids), coal, gas hydrates, geothermal resources, oil shale, oil sands, uranium, and heavy oil and natural bitumen. This information can be used to contribute to plans for a secure energy future and to facilitate evaluation and responsible use of resources.

Teacher Resources Catalogue.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton. Special Educational Services Branch.

This annotated bibliography contains approximately 90 selected print and media resources to help Alberta (Canada) teachers implement special education programs. Items were selected to ensure that content fits the curriculum, the content is current, the conceptual level is appropriate, there is Canadian content, and controversial issues are treated…

Annual Research Highlights, 1979-80. Alberta Education, September 1980.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton. Planning and Research Branch.

The Planning and Research Branch is a service branch of Alberta Education which provides information to planning and policy makers within Alberta Education to assist in making realistic decisions about educational directions and programs. This guide presents information about the operation of the Branch and reports in capsule form on a selection…

Cancer incidence attributable to air pollution in Alberta in 2012

PubMed Central

Poirier, Abbey E.; Grundy, Anne; Khandwala, Farah; Friedenreich, Christine M.; Brenner, Darren R.

2017-01-01

Background: The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified outdoor air pollution (fine particulate matter [PM2.5]) as a Group 1 lung carcinogen in humans. We aimed to estimate the proportion of lung cancer cases attributable to PM2.5 exposure in Alberta in 2012. Methods: Annual average concentrations of PM2.5 in 2011 for 22 communities across Alberta were extracted from the Clean Air Strategic Alliance Data Warehouse and were population-weighted across the province. Using 7.5 µg/m3 and 3.18 µg/m3 as the annual average theoretical minimum risk concentrations of PM2.5, we estimated the proportion of the population above this cut-off to determine the population attributable risk of lung cancer due to PM2.5 exposure. Results: The mean population-weighted concentration of PM2.5 for Alberta in 2011 was 10.03 µg/m3. We estimated relative risks of 1.02 and 1.06 for theoretical minimum risk PM2.5 concentration thresholds of 7.5 µg/m3 and 3.18 µg/m3, respectively. About 1.87%-5.69% of incident lung cancer cases in Alberta were estimated to be attributable to PM2.5 exposure. Interpretation: Our estimate of attributable burden is low compared to that reported in studies in other areas of the world owing to the relatively low levels of PM2.5 recorded in Alberta. Reducing PM2.5 emissions in Alberta should continue to be a priority to help decrease the burden of lung cancer in the population. PMID:28659352

Health care delivery for head-and-neck cancer patients in Alberta: a practice guideline

PubMed Central

Harris, J.R.; Lau, H.; Surgeoner, B.V.; Chua, N.; Dobrovolsky, W.; Dort, J.C.; Kalaydjian, E.; Nesbitt, M.; Scrimger, R.A.; Seikaly, H.; Skarsgard, D.; Webster, M.A.

2014-01-01

Background The treatment of head-and-neck cancer is complex and requires the involvement of various health care professionals with a wide range of expertise. We describe the process of developing a practice guideline with recommendations about the organization and delivery of health care services for head-and-neck cancer patients in Alberta. Methods Outcomes of interest included composition of the health care team, qualification requirements for team members, cancer centre and team member volumes, infrastructure needs, and wait times. A search for existing practice guidelines and a systematic review of the literature addressing the organization and delivery of health care services for head-and-neck cancer patients were conducted. The search included the Standards and Guidelines Evidence (sage) directory of cancer guidelines and PubMed. Results One practice guideline was identified for adaptation. Three additional practice guidelines provided supplementary evidence to inform guideline recommendations. Members of the Alberta Provincial Head and Neck Tumour Team (consisting of various health professionals from across the province) provided expert feedback on the adapted recommendations through an online and in-person review process. Selected experts in head-and-neck cancer from outside the province participated in an external online review. SUMMARY The recommendations outlined in this practice guideline are based on existing guidelines that have been modified to fit the Alberta context. Although specific to Alberta, the recommendations lend credence to similar published guidelines and could be considered for use by groups lacking the resources of appointed guideline panels. The recommendations are meant to be a guide rather than a fixed protocol. The implementation of this practice guideline will depend on many factors, including but not limited to availability of trained personnel, adequate funding of infrastructure, and collaboration with other associations of

Alberta's Student Teacher Practicum: A Legal Analysis of the Statutory and Regulatory Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donlevy, J. Kent

2009-01-01

In 2005, a total of approximately 2, 915 student teachers were placed for practicum purposes in Alberta's schools by the five Alberta universities which offer teacher preparation programs leading to the Bachelor of Education degree: the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary, the University of Lethbridge, King's University College, and…

Parent Resources Inventory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Education Response Centre, Edmonton.

This resource guide provides an annotated bibliography of 101 articles and newsletters of interest to parents and teachers of children in preschool through grade 3. The bibliography contains the titles and short descriptions of materials, selected with the assistance of parents and teachers from across Alberta (Canada), on a wide range of topics…

The U.S.Geological Survey Energy Resources Program

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2010-01-01

Energy resources are an essential component of modern society. Adequate, reliable, and affordable energy supplies obtained using environmentally sustainable practices underpin economic prosperity, environmental quality and human health, and political stability. National and global demands for all forms of energy are forecast to increase significantly over the next several decades. Throughout its history, our Nation has faced important, often controversial, decisions regarding the competing uses of public lands, the supply of energy to sustain development and enable growth, and environmental stewardship. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Energy Resources Program (ERP) provides information to address these challenges by supporting scientific investigations of energy resources, such as research on the geology, geochemistry, and geophysics of oil, gas, coal, heavy oil and natural bitumen, oil shale, uranium, and geothermal resources, emerging resources such as gas hydrates, and research on the effects associated with energy resource occurrence, production, and (or) utilization. The results from these investigations provide impartial, robust scientific information about energy resources and support the U.S. Department of the Interior's (DOI's) mission of protecting and responsibly managing the Nation's natural resources. Primary consumers of ERP information and products include the DOI land- and resource-management Bureaus; other Federal, State, and local agencies; the U.S. Congress and the Administration; nongovernmental organizations; the energy industry; academia; international organizations; and the general public.

Philippines Wind Energy Resource Atlas Development

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Elliott, D.

2000-11-29

This paper describes the creation of a comprehensive wind energy resource atlas for the Philippines. The atlas was created to facilitate the rapid identification of good wind resource areas and understanding of the salient wind characteristics. Detailed wind resource maps were generated for the entire country using an advanced wind mapping technique and innovative assessment methods recently developed at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Offshore Wind Energy Resource Assessment for Alaska

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Doubrawa Moreira, Paula; Scott, George N.; Musial, Walter D.

This report quantifies Alaska's offshore wind resource capacity while focusing on its unique nature. It is a supplement to the existing U.S. Offshore Wind Resource Assessment, which evaluated the offshore wind resource for all other U.S. states. Together, these reports provide the foundation for the nation's offshore wind value proposition. Both studies were developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The analysis presented herein represents the first quantitative evidence of the offshore wind energy potential of Alaska. The technical offshore wind resource area in Alaska is larger than the technical offshore resource area of all other coastal U.S. states combined.more » Despite the abundant wind resource available, significant challenges inhibit large-scale offshore wind deployment in Alaska, such as the remoteness of the resource, its distance from load centers, and the wealth of land available for onshore wind development. Throughout this report, the energy landscape of Alaska is reviewed and a resource assessment analysis is performed in terms of gross and technical offshore capacity and energy potential.« less

Hyper-Activating Inukshuks: The Renewal of Social Studies in Alberta

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Couture, J-C

2017-01-01

A recent study that surveyed close to 500 Alberta social studies teachers concluded that irreconcilable pressures "point to tensions between the formal program of studies and its prescribed outcomes, and the realities and complexities of classrooms where teachers attempt to realize good practices" (Alberta Teachers' Association, 2016, p,…

Satisfaction with Education in Alberta Survey, 2007/08. Summary Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Education, 2008

2008-01-01

Alberta Education conducts a set of annual telephone surveys to obtain feedback from education system stakeholders regarding their perceptions of Alberta's education system. Respondents for the survey include senior high school students, parents of children in the K-12 education system, parents of children with severe special needs, teachers in…

Predicting lodgepole pine site index from climatic parameters in Alberta.

Treesearch

Robert A. Monserud; Shongming Huang; Yuqing Yang

2006-01-01

We sought to evaluate the impact of climatic variables on site productivity of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm.) for the province of Alberta. Climatic data were obtained from the Alberta Climate Model, which is based on 30-year normals from the provincial weather station network. Mapping methods were based...

Parent Resources Inventory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Education Response Centre, Edmonton.

This resource inventory is for the use of parent groups and others who are concerned with parent education and support services. The inventory contains the titles of articles, copies of which are available through the Alberta Education Response Centre. The articles and publications listed cover a wide range of topics related to child development…

Global change and rampant land and water resource development a case study in western Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byrne, J.; Kienzle, S.; Schindler, D.

2006-12-01

This paper reviews the impacts of global and regional change on the land and water resources in Alberta, Canada. Alberta contains most of Canada's fossil fuel energy resources, including: extensive conventional crude oil and natural gas fields; widespread coal deposits over the southern half of the province with potential for mining and coal bed methane extraction (CBM); and the Athabasca oil sands a crude oil supply of at least several hundred billion barrels entangled in extensive sand deposits lying along the Athabasca River. The province is also a focal point for intensive agriculture in the form of irrigation that has led to over allocated rivers in the south, and a booming economy associated with rapid population growth and associated urban sprawl in support of rapid resource development. All this development is occurring in a region where global climate change is expected to have substantial impacts on land and water in the next few decades. This work outlines the potential impacts of a range of human activities associated with some of the most intensive and extensive resource development plans in North America focused on one region - Alberta. Oil sands investments alone in the next few decades are forecast to exceed one hundred billion dollars! There are plans to double and triple primary and secondary agricultural production; expand coal mining in support of conventional coal fired power plants; and establish CBM well networks over much of the southern half of the province, including extensive development of CBM on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, the principal source of water for most of the semi-arid Canadian plains. The development pace and direction will likely result in widespread environmental contamination of regional and global consequence.

Evaluating Tidal Energy Resource Assessment Guidelines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haas, K. A.

2016-02-01

All tidal energy projects require resource assessments for determining the feasibility of a particular site, performing the project layout design and providing the projected annual energy production (AEP). The methods for the different resource assessments depend on both the assessment scope as well as the project scale. To assist with the development of the hydrokinetic industry as a whole, much work over the past decade has been completed to develop international technical standards that can be used by the full range of stakeholders in the hydrokinetic industry. In particular, a new International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Technical Specification (TS) has recently been published outlining a standardized methodology for performing tidal energy resource assessments. This presentation will cover the various methods for performing the different types of tidal resource assessments (national reconnaissance, regional feasibility and layout design). Illustrations through case studies will be presented for each type of resource assessment. In particular, the ability of a grid refinement technique which satisfies the TS grid resolution requirements for the assessment of tidal current energy while maintaining low computational expenses will be evaluated. Example applications will be described for mapping the tidal resources near two facilities (Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine and Key West Naval Station in Florida) for possible future deployments of Marine Hydro-Kinetic (MHK) technologies. These assessments will include and demonstrate the importance of the effect of energy extraction as required by the TS.

Performance assessment of Saskatchewan's water resource system under uncertain inter-provincial water supply

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassanzadeh, Elmira; Elshorbagy, Amin; Nazemi, Ali; Wheater, Howard

2014-05-01

The trans-boundary Saskatchewan River Basin supports livelihoods and the economy of the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Water users include irrigated agriculture, hydropower, potash mining, urban centers, and ecosystem services. Water availability in Saskatchewan is highly dependent on the flows from the upstream province of Alberta. These flows mostly originate from the Rocky Mountains headwaters and are highly regulated, due to intensive water use and redistribution before they get to the Alberta/Saskatchewan border. Warming climate and increasing water demands in Alberta have changed the incoming flow characteristics from Alberta to Saskatchewan. It is critical to assess the performance and the viability of Saskatchewan's water resources system under uncertain future inter-provincial inflows. For this purpose, a possible range of future changes in the inflows from Alberta to Saskatchewan is considered in this study. The considered changes include various combinations of shifts in the timing of the annual peak and volumetric change in the annual flow volumes. These shifts are implemented using a copula-based stochastic simulation method to generate multiple realizations of weekly flow series at two key locations of inflow to Saskatchewan's water resources system, in a way that the spatial dependencies between weekly inflows are maintained. Each flow series is of 31-years length and constitutes a possible long term water availability scenario. The stochastically generated flows are introduced as an alternative to the historical inflows for water resources planning and management purposes in Saskatchewan. Both historical and reconstructed inflows are fed into a Sustainability-oriented Water Allocation, Management, and Planning (SWAMP) model to analyze the effects of inflow changes on Saskatchewan's water resources system. The SWAMP model was developed using the System Dynamics approach and entails irrigation/soil moisture, non-irrigation uses and economic

Evolving Nature of School Psychology in Alberta: Politics and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, R. Coranne; Zwiers, Michael L.

2016-01-01

Over the past 15 years, the practice of school psychology in the province of Alberta reflects the entrenchment of assessment with the emerging possibility of a broader service provider role. This article articulates the influence that politics and government has had on the role of school psychologists in Alberta schools as special education…

Circle of Courage Infusion into the Alberta Indigenous Games 2011

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marchand, Dawn Marie

2011-01-01

Thousands of indigenous people from across North America came to the Enoch Cree Nation for the Alberta Indigenous Games, six days of sport, education, and cultural awakening. The vision of the Alberta Indigenous Games is to recognize the value and potential of Indigenous culture and the young people. Activities include sports, indigenous arts,…

InSAR Monitoring of Surface Deformation in Alberta's Oil Sands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pearse, J.; Singhroy, V.; Li, J.; Samsonov, S. V.; Shipman, T.; Froese, C. R.

2013-05-01

Alberta's oil sands are among the world's largest deposits of crude oil, and more than 80% of it is too deep to mine, so unconventional in-situ methods are used for extraction. Most in situ extraction techniques, such as Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD), use steam injection to reduce the viscosity of the bitumen, allowing it to flow into wells to be pumped to the surface. As part of the oil sands safety and environmental monitoring program, the energy regulator uses satellite radar to monitor surface deformation associated with in-situ oil extraction. The dense vegetation and sparse infrastructure in the boreal forest of northern Alberta make InSAR monitoring a challenge; however, we have found that surface heave associated with steam injection can be detected using traditional differential InSAR. Infrastructure and installed corner reflectors also allow us to use persistent scatterer methods to obtain time histories of deformation at individual sites. We have collected and processed several tracks of RADARSAT-2 data over a broad area of the oil sands, and have detected surface deformation signals of approximately 2-3 cm per year, with time series that correlate strongly with monthly SAGD steam injection volumes.

AmeriFlux CA-WP3 Alberta - Western Peatland - Rich Fen (Carex)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Flanagan, Lawrence B.

This is the AmeriFlux version of the carbon flux data for the site CA-WP3 Alberta - Western Peatland - Rich Fen (Carex). Site Description - Peatland (rich fen) Alberta. 54.47°N, 113.32°W Southwest of the AB-WPL site.

Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, Canada, 2012

USGS Publications Warehouse

Higley, Debra K.

2013-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey recently completed a geoscience-based assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of provinces within the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. The Western Canada Sedimentary Basin primarily comprises the (1) Alberta Basin Province of Alberta, eastern British Columbia, and the southwestern Northwest Territories; (2) the Williston Basin Province of Saskatchewan, southeastern Alberta, and southern Manitoba; and (3) the Rocky Mountain Deformed Belt Province of western Alberta and eastern British Columbia. This report is part of the U.S. Geological Survey World Petroleum Resources Project assessment of priority geologic provinces of the world. The assessment was based on geoscience elements that define a total petroleum system (TPS) and associated assessment unit(s). These elements include petroleum source rocks (geochemical properties and petroleum generation, migration, and accumulation), reservoir description (reservoir presence, type, and quality), and petroleum traps (trap and seal types, and timing of trap and seal formation relative to petroleum migration). Using this framework, the Elk Point-Woodbend Composite TPS, Exshaw-Fernie-Mannville Composite TPS, and Middle through Upper Cretaceous Composite TPS were defined, and four conventional assessment units within the total petroleum systems were quantitatively assessed for undiscovered resources in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin.

Alberta's Performance-Based Funding Mechanism.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnetson, Bob

This paper provides an overview of the performance indicator-based accountability and funding mechanism implemented in the higher education system of Alberta, Canada. The paper defines the terms accountability and regulation, examines the use of performance indicators to demonstrate accountability, and explains how performance indicator-based…

University Student Conceptual Resources for Understanding Energy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sabo, Hannah C.; Goodhew, Lisa M.; Robertson, Amy D.

2016-01-01

We report some of the common, prevalent conceptual resources that students used to reason about energy, based on our analysis of written responses to questions given to 807 introductory physics students. These resources include, for example, associating forms of energy with indicators, relating forces and energy, and representing energy…

New Management Finance Plan for Alberta.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congdon, R. E.

1984-01-01

The Alberta Management and Finance Plan (MFP) for the administration of, distribution of, and reporting on educational funding will be implemented in stages during the next three years. A process chart illustrates the MFP. (MLF)

Energy resources - cornucopia or empty barrel?

USGS Publications Warehouse

McCabe, P.J.

1998-01-01

Over the last 25 yr, considerable debate has continued about the future supply of fossil fuel. On one side are those who believe we are rapidly depleting resources and that the resulting shortages will have a profound impact on society. On the other side are those who see no impending crisis because long-term trends are for cheaper prices despite rising production. The concepts of resources and reserves have historically created considerable misunderstanding in the minds of many nongeologists. Hubbert-type predictions of energy production assume that there is a finite supply of energy that is measurable; however, estimates of resources and reserves are inventories of the amounts of a fossil fuel perceived to be available over some future period of time. As those resources/reserves are depleted over time, additional amounts of fossil fuels are inventoried. Throughout most of this century, for example, crude oil reserves in the United States have represented a 10-14-yr supply. For the last 50 yr, resource crude oil estimates have represented about a 60-70-yr supply for the United States. Division of reserve or resource estimates by current or projected annual consumption therefore is circular in reasoning and can lead to highly erroneous conclusions. Production histories of fossil fuels are driven more by demand than by the geologic abundance of the resource. Examination of some energy resources with well-documented histories leads to two conceptual models that relate production to price. The closed-market model assumes that there is only one source of energy available. Although the price initially may fall because of economies of scale long term, prices rise as the energy source is depleted and it becomes progressively more expensive to extract. By contrast, the open-market model assumes that there is a variety of available energy sources and that competition among them leads to long-term stable or falling prices. At the moment, the United States and the world

Energy Conservation: Field Projects. Phase 2: External Evaluation. Document 1: Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanley Associates, Edmonton (Alberta).

Objectives of Phase 2: Energy Conservation Field Projects were to: test the generalizability of the energy conservation measures outlined in "Guidelines for Conserving Energy in Alberta Schools" and augment these guidelines as required; develop standards of energy consumption for Alberta schools by school type and size, and on the basis…

Energy and resource consumption

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

The present and projected energy requirements for the United States are discussed. The energy consumption and demand sectors are divided into the categories: residential and commercial, transportation, and industrial and electrical generation (utilities). All sectors except electrical generation use varying amounts of fossile fuel resources for non-energy purposes. The highest percentage of non-energy use by sector is industrial with 71.3 percent. The household and commercial sector uses 28.4 percent, and transportation about 0.3 percent. Graphs are developed to project fossil fuel demands for non-energy purposes and the perdentage of the total fossil fuel used for non-energy needs.

Alberta Education's Clearinghouse: Functions and Findings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wighton, David

1984-01-01

Discusses functions of the Alberta (Canada) Computer Technology Project's courseware clearinghouse, reviews findings on instructional software quality, identifies software development trends, and discusses need for support systems to facilitate the incorporation of computer assisted instruction in Canadian schools. (MBR)

Millennium Open Pit Mine, Alberta, Canada

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-11-26

Near Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, on the east bank of the Athabasca River, are found the Steepbank and Millennium open pit mines. These images were acquired by NASA Terra satellite on September 22, 2000 and July 31, 2007.

Auctions for coastal energy resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffin, Robert M.

It is becoming increasingly common to allocate public resources to the private sector for the purpose of developing these resources. One of the earliest uses of auctions in the U.S. for allocating rights to public resources was in the offshore oil and gas industry. The U.S. Federal government, through the Department of Interior (DOI), has used auctions to allocate development rights to offshore oil and gas resources to the private sector since the 1950's. Since then many things have changed. Oil and gas markets have gone through boom and bust cycles, giant technological advances in extraction and assessment have taken place, and alternative energy based in the coastal zone is now in demand in markets as well. There has been an enormous amount of research into the drivers of bidder behavior in auctions and optimal auction design in the last 60 years as well. Throughout all of this, the DOI has continued to use basically the same exact auction design to allocate oil and gas leases. The U.S. offshore oil and gas resources sold by the Department of Interior have accounted for more than $65 billion in revenue since the program started. These offshore resources are an important source of government revenue and national wealth. Additionally, the expansion of the energy sector offshore has enormous potential for electricity generation in the U.S., estimated by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory as approaching 54 gigawatts by 2030 (U.S. Department of Energy, 2008). Taken together, the DOI controls access to a large part of the future of energy in the U.S. The research herein assesses the auction formats used to allocate both fossil fuels and renewable resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The first manuscript looks at the current method used by the DOI to allocate oil and gas leases on the OCS, and is primarily interested in how bidders behave in this environment. Using latent class estimation techniques to separate distinct bidding behavior in a laboratory

Terminology Guideline for Classifying Offshore Wind Energy Resources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beiter, Philipp; Musial, Walt

The purpose of this guideline is to establish a clear and consistent vocabulary for conveying offshore wind resource potential and to interpret this vocabulary in terms that are familiar to the oil and gas (O&G) industry. This involves clarifying and refining existing definitions of offshore wind energy resource classes. The terminology developed in this guideline represents one of several possible sets of vocabulary that may differ with respect to their purpose, data availability, and comprehensiveness. It was customized to correspond with established offshore wind practices and existing renewable energy industry terminology (e.g. DOE 2013, Brown et al. 2015) while conformingmore » to established fossil resource classification as best as possible. The developers of the guideline recognize the fundamental differences that exist between fossil and renewable energy resources with respect to availability, accessibility, lifetime, and quality. Any quantitative comparison between fossil and renewable energy resources, including offshore wind, is therefore limited. For instance, O&G resources are finite and there may be significant uncertainty associated with the amount of the resource. In contrast, aboveground renewable resources, such as offshore wind, do not generally deplete over time but can vary significantly subhourly, daily, seasonally, and annually. The intent of this guideline is to make these differences transparent and develop an offshore wind resource classification that conforms to established fossil resource classifications where possible. This guideline also provides methods to quantitatively compare certain offshore wind energy resources to O&G resource classes for specific applications. Finally, this guideline identifies areas where analogies to established O&G terminology may be inappropriate or subject to misinterpretation.« less

AmeriFlux CA-WP2 Alberta - Western Peatland - Poor Fen (Sphagnum moss)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Flanagan, Lawrence B.

This is the AmeriFlux version of the carbon flux data for the site CA-WP2 Alberta - Western Peatland - Poor Fen (Sphagnum moss). Site Description - Peatland (poor fen) Alberta. 55.5375°N, 112.3343°W North of the AB-WPL site.

The Support Service Approach to University Education for Native Students in Alberta.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore-Eyman, Evelyn

Of the four universities within the Province of Alberta, the University of Calgary has most effectively met the bicultural needs of Native students. Athabasca University's correspondence courses are usually not effective for Native students. The University of Alberta's "Morningstar" program allows teacher certification before completion…

America's Changing Energy Landscape - USGS National Coal Resources Data System Changes to National Energy Resources Data System.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

East, J. A., II

2016-12-01

The U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Eastern Energy Resources Science Center (EERSC) has an ongoing project which has mapped coal chemistry and stratigraphy since 1977. Over the years, the USGS has collected various forms of coal data and archived that data into the National Coal Resources Data System (NCRDS) database. NCRDS is a repository that houses data from the major coal basins in the United States and includes information on location, seam thickness, coal rank, geologic age, geographic region, geologic province, coalfield, and characteristics of the coal or lithology for that data point. These data points can be linked to the US Coal Quality Database (COALQUAL) to include ultimate, proximate, major, minor and trace-element data. Although coal is an inexpensive energy provider, the United States has shifted away from coal usage recently and branched out into other forms of non-renewable and renewable energy because of environmental concerns. NCRDS's primary method of data capture has been USGS field work coupled with cooperative agreements with state geological agencies and universities doing coal-related research. These agreements are on competitive five-year cycles that have evolved into larger scope research efforts including solid fuel resources such as coal-bed methane, shale gas and oil. Recently these efforts have expanded to include environmental impacts of the use of fossil fuels, which has allowed the USGS to enter into agreements with states for the Geologic CO2 Storage Resources Assessment as required by the Energy Independence and Security Act. In 2016 they expanded into research areas to include geothermal, conventional and unconventional oil and gas. The NCRDS and COALQUAL databases are now online for the public to use, and are in the process of being updated to include new data for other energy resources. Along with this expansion of scope, the database name will change to the National Energy Resources Data System (NERDS) in FY 2017.

English as a Second Language (ESL) in Alberta Schools. Parent Handbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton.

Schools in Alberta provide English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) program support to immigrant students while they are adjusting to Canadian culture and learning the English language. This booklet is for parents who are new to Alberta, whose children are learning ESL and/or who need more information about ESL program support. A description of the…

Government Policy and Postsecondary Education in Alberta: A "Field Theory" Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmaus, David; Wimmer, Randolph

2013-01-01

While the landscape of postsecondary education in Alberta continues to expand and diversify, there seems to be very little written about the organization of postsecondary education in the province over the past 15 to 20 years (Wimmer & Schmaus, 2010). This paper provides an analysis of postsecondary education in Alberta over the past 15 to 20…

Alberta Northern Field Work, 1966

PubMed Central

Greenhill, S.; Mulholland, D.; Mundy, D.; Nobert, L.

1967-01-01

A sociologic and medical study was undertaken of the incidence of rheumatic heart disease in an isolated Mennonite colony in Northern Alberta, Canada. A group of Métis in a nearby settlement was used as a control. A total of 1294 individuals were examined, and evidence of carditis was found in 42 Mennonites. This project is one of a series of student summer research programs sponsored by the Department of Community Medicine, University of Alberta, and supported by grants from the Provincial Department of Health during the past three summers. The students - medical and dental - receive in Edmonton a seven- to 10-day orientation and indoctrination course dealing with the sociological, anthropological and medical problems likely to be met with in the North. Research protocol and methodological techniques are prepared and devised with student participation. A minimum of supervision is given in the field to encourage the undergraduates to adapt and adjust to a changed environment. Student response to this type of learning experience has been most encouraging. PMID:6020554

Renewable Energy Project Development Resource Directory

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Renewable Energy Project Development Resource Directory provides a curated list of solar project development resources for higher education and local government, including case studies, guidance, fact sheets, presentations, templates, and more.

Alberta: evaluation of nursing retention and recruitment programs.

PubMed

Weidner, Arlene; Graham, Carol; Smith, Jennifer; Aitken, Julia; Odell, Jill

2012-03-01

Retention and recruitment strategies are essential to address nursing workforce supply and ensure the viability of healthcare delivery in Canada. Knowledge transfer between experienced nurses and those new to the profession is also a focus for concern. The Multi-Employer/United Nurses of Alberta Joint Committee attempted to address these issues by introducing a number of retention and recruitment (R&R) initiatives for nurses in Alberta: in total, seven different programs that were introduced to some 24,000 nurses and employers across the province of Alberta in 2001 (the Transitional Graduate Nurse Recruitment Program) and 2007 (the remaining six R&R programs). Approximately 1,600 nurses participated in the seven programs between 2001 and 2009. Of the seven strategies, one supported entry into the workplace, two were pre-retirement strategies and four involved flexible work options. This project entailed a retrospective evaluation of the seven programs and differed from the other Research to Action (RTA) projects because it was solely concerned with evaluation of pre-existing initiatives. All seven programs were launched without a formal evaluation component, and the tracking of local uptake varied throughout the province. The union and various employers faced challenges in implementing these strategies in a timely fashion, as most were designed at the bargaining table during negotiations. As a result, systems, policy and procedural changes had to be developed to support their implementation after they became available.Participants in the programs indicated improvements over time in several areas, including higher levels of satisfaction with work–life balance, hours worked and their current practice and profession. The evaluation found that participation led to perceived improvements in nurses' confidence, greater control over their work environment, decreased stress levels, increased energy and morale and perceived improved ability to provide high-quality care

Energy for lunar resource exploitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glaser, Peter E.

1992-02-01

Humanity stands at the threshold of exploiting the known lunar resources that have opened up with the access to space. America's role in the future exploitation of space, and specifically of lunar resources, may well determine the level of achievement in technology development and global economic competition. Space activities during the coming decades will significantly influence the events on Earth. The 'shifting of history's tectonic plates' is a process that will be hastened by the increasingly insistent demands for higher living standards of the exponentially growing global population. Key to the achievement of a peaceful world in the 21st century, will be the development of a mix of energy resources at a societally acceptable and affordable cost within a realistic planning horizon. This must be the theme for the globally applicable energy sources that are compatible with the Earth's ecology. It is in this context that lunar resources development should be a primary goal for science missions to the Moon, and for establishing an expanding human presence. The economic viability and commercial business potential of mining, extracting, manufacturing, and transporting lunar resource based materials to Earth, Earth orbits, and to undertake macroengineering projects on the Moon remains to be demonstrated. These extensive activities will be supportive of the realization of the potential of space energy sources for use on Earth. These may include generating electricity for use on Earth based on beaming power from Earth orbits and from the Moon to the Earth, and for the production of helium 3 as a fuel for advanced fusion reactors.

Energy for lunar resource exploitation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glaser, Peter E.

1992-01-01

Humanity stands at the threshold of exploiting the known lunar resources that have opened up with the access to space. America's role in the future exploitation of space, and specifically of lunar resources, may well determine the level of achievement in technology development and global economic competition. Space activities during the coming decades will significantly influence the events on Earth. The 'shifting of history's tectonic plates' is a process that will be hastened by the increasingly insistent demands for higher living standards of the exponentially growing global population. Key to the achievement of a peaceful world in the 21st century, will be the development of a mix of energy resources at a societally acceptable and affordable cost within a realistic planning horizon. This must be the theme for the globally applicable energy sources that are compatible with the Earth's ecology. It is in this context that lunar resources development should be a primary goal for science missions to the Moon, and for establishing an expanding human presence. The economic viability and commercial business potential of mining, extracting, manufacturing, and transporting lunar resource based materials to Earth, Earth orbits, and to undertake macroengineering projects on the Moon remains to be demonstrated. These extensive activities will be supportive of the realization of the potential of space energy sources for use on Earth. These may include generating electricity for use on Earth based on beaming power from Earth orbits and from the Moon to the Earth, and for the production of helium 3 as a fuel for advanced fusion reactors.

Reserve Growth of Alberta Oil Pools

USGS Publications Warehouse

Verma, Mahendra K.; Cook, Troy

2008-01-01

This Open-File Report is based on a presentation delivered at the Fourth U.S. Geological Survey Workshop on Reserve Growth on March 10-11, 2008. It summarizes the results of a study of reserve growth of oil pools in Alberta Province, Canada. The study is part of a larger effort involving similar studies of fields in other important petroleum provinces around the world, with the overall objective of gaining a better understanding of reserve growth in fields with different geologic/reservoir parameters and different operating environments. The goals of the study were to: 1. Evaluate historical oil reserve data and assess reserve growth. 2. Develop reserve growth models/functions to help forecast hydrocarbon volumes. 3. Study reserve growth sensitivity to various parameters ? for example, pool size, porosity, oil gravity, and lithology. 4. Compare reserve growth in oil pools/fields of Alberta provinces with those from other large petroleum provinces.

An Energy Resource List.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

VocEd, 1979

1979-01-01

Selected energy resource information, from both federal and private sources, is listed under funding, general information and assistance, recycling, solar, transportation, utilities, and wind power. Books, pamphlets, films, journals, newsletters, and other materials are included. (MF)

Generation of Hot Water from Hot-Dry for Heavy-Oil Recovery in Northern Alberta, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pathak, V.; Babadagli, T.; Majorowicz, J. A.; Unsworth, M. J.

2011-12-01

The focus of prior applications of hot-dry-rock (HDR) technology was mostly aimed at generating electricity. In northern Alberta, the thermal gradient is low and, therefore, this technology is not suitable for electricity generation. On the other hand, the cost of steam and hot water, and environmental impacts, are becoming critical issues in heavy-oil and bitumen recovery in Alberta. Surface generation of steam or hot-water accounts for six percent of Canada's natural gas consumption and about 50 million tons of CO2 emission. Lowered cost and environmental impacts are critical in the widespread use of steam (for in-situ recovery) and hot-water (for surface extraction of bitumen) in this region. This paper provides an extensive analysis of hot-water generation to be used in heavy-oil/bitumen recovery. We tested different modeling approaches used to determine the amount of energy produced during HDR by history matching to example field data. The most suitable numerical and analytical models were used to apply the data obtained from different regions containing heavy-oil/bitumen deposits in northern Alberta. The heat generation capacity of different regions was determined and the use of this energy (in the form of hot-water) for surface extraction processes was evaluated. Original temperature gradients were applied as well as realistic basement formation characteristics through an extensive hydro thermal analysis in the region including an experimental well drilled to the depth of 2,500m. Existing natural fractures and possible hydraulic fracturing scenarios were evaluated from the heat generation capacity and the economics points of view. The main problem was modeling difficulties, especially determination and representation of fracture network characteristics. A sensitivity analysis was performed for the selected high temperature gradient regions in Alberta. In this practice, the characteristics of hydraulic fractures, injection rate, depth, the distance between

Wind Energy Resource Atlas of the Dominican Republic

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Elliott, D.; Schwartz, M.; George, R.

2001-10-01

The Wind Energy Resource Atlas of the Dominican Republic identifies the wind characteristics and the distribution of the wind resource in this country. This major project is the first of its kind undertaken for the Dominican Republic. The information contained in the atlas is necessary to facilitate the use of wind energy technologies, both for utility-scale power generation and off-grid wind energy applications. A computerized wind mapping system developed by NREL generated detailed wind resource maps for the entire country. This technique uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to produce high-resolution (1-square kilometer) annual average wind resource maps.

Resource impact factor (RIF) approach to optimal use of energy resources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jones, R.R.

1976-10-01

A concept called the Resource Impact Factor (RIF) is presented as a means to quantify the social value of energy resources for buildings. The flow of various raw resources from the point of extraction to the building project boundary is shown, and a flow chart indicating the decision making process is given. (PMA)

Scenario-based Water Resources Management Using the Water Value Concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassanzadeh, Elmira; Elshorbagy, Amin; Wheater, Howard

2013-04-01

The Saskatchewan River is the key water resource for the 3 prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Western Canada, and thus it is necessary to pursue long-term regional and watershed-based planning for the river basin. The water resources system is complex because it includes multiple components, representing various demand sectors, including the environment, which impose conflicting objectives, and multiple jurisdictions. The biophysical complexity is exacerbated by the socioeconomic dimensions associated for example with impacts of land and water management, value systems including environmental flows, and policy and governance dimensions.. We focus on the South Saskatchewan River Basin (SSRB) in Alberta and Saskatchewan, which is already fully allocated in southern Alberta and is subject to increasing demand due to rapid economic development and a growing population. Multiple sectors and water uses include agricultural, municipal, industrial, mining, hydropower, and environmental flow requirements. The significant spatial variability in the level of development and future needs for water places different values on water across the basin. Water resources planning and decision making must take these complexities into consideration, yet also deal with a new dimension—climate change and its possible future impacts on water resources systems. There is a pressing need to deal with water in terms of its value, rather than a mere commodity subject to traditional quantitative optimization. In this research, a value-based water resources system (VWRS) model is proposed to couple the hydrological and the societal aspects of water resources in one integrated modeling tool for the SSRB. The objective of this work is to develop the VWRS model as a negotiation, planning, and management tool that allows for the assessment of the availability, as well as the allocation scenarios, of water resources for competing users under varying conditions. The proposed

77 FR 43592 - System Energy Resources, Inc.; Notice of Filing

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-25

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. EL12-52-001] System Energy Resources, Inc.; Notice of Filing Take notice that on July 18, 2012, System Energy Resources, Inc. (System Energy Resources), submitted a supplement to its petition filed on March 28, 2012 (March 28 petition...

Hours spent and energy expended in physical activity domains: Results from The Tomorrow Project cohort in Alberta, Canada

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Knowledge of adult activity patterns across domains of physical activity is essential for the planning of population-based strategies that will increase overall energy expenditure and reduce the risk of obesity and related chronic diseases. We describe domain-specific hours of activity and energy expended among participants in a prospective cohort in Alberta, Canada. Methods The Past Year Total Physical Activity Questionnaire was completed by 15,591 Tomorrow Project® participants, between 2001 and 2005 detailing physical activity type, duration, frequency and intensity. Domain-specific hours of activity and activity-related energy expenditure, expressed as a percent of total energy expenditure (TEE) (Mean (SD); Median (IQR)) are reported across inactive (<1.4), low active (1.4 to 1.59), active (1.6 to 1.89) and very active (≥ 1.9) Physical Activity Level (PAL = TEE:REE) categories. Results In very active women and amongst all men except those classified as inactive, activity-related energy expenditure comprised primarily occupational activity. Amongst inactive men and women in active, low active and inactive groups, activity-related energy expenditure from household activity was comparable to, or exceeded that for occupational activity. Leisure-time activity-related energy expenditure decreased with decreasing PAL categories; however, even amongst the most active men and women it accounted for less than 10 percent of TEE. When stratified by employment status, leisure-time activity-related energy expenditure was greatest for retired men [mean (SD): 10.8 (8.5) percent of TEE], compared with those who were fully employed, employed part-time or not employed. Transportation-related activity was negligible across all categories of PAL and employment status. Conclusion For the inactive portion of this population, active non-leisure activities, specifically in the transportation and occupational domains, need to be considered for inclusion in daily routines

Hours spent and energy expended in physical activity domains: results from the Tomorrow Project cohort in Alberta, Canada.

PubMed

Csizmadi, Ilona; Lo Siou, Geraldine; Friedenreich, Christine M; Owen, Neville; Robson, Paula J

2011-10-10

Knowledge of adult activity patterns across domains of physical activity is essential for the planning of population-based strategies that will increase overall energy expenditure and reduce the risk of obesity and related chronic diseases. We describe domain-specific hours of activity and energy expended among participants in a prospective cohort in Alberta, Canada. The Past Year Total Physical Activity Questionnaire was completed by 15,591 Tomorrow Project® participants, between 2001 and 2005 detailing physical activity type, duration, frequency and intensity. Domain-specific hours of activity and activity-related energy expenditure, expressed as a percent of total energy expenditure (TEE) (Mean (SD); Median (IQR)) are reported across inactive (<1.4), low active (1.4 to 1.59), active (1.6 to 1.89) and very active (≥ 1.9) Physical Activity Level (PAL = TEE:REE) categories. In very active women and amongst all men except those classified as inactive, activity-related energy expenditure comprised primarily occupational activity. Amongst inactive men and women in active, low active and inactive groups, activity-related energy expenditure from household activity was comparable to, or exceeded that for occupational activity. Leisure-time activity-related energy expenditure decreased with decreasing PAL categories; however, even amongst the most active men and women it accounted for less than 10 percent of TEE. When stratified by employment status, leisure-time activity-related energy expenditure was greatest for retired men [mean (SD): 10.8 (8.5) percent of TEE], compared with those who were fully employed, employed part-time or not employed. Transportation-related activity was negligible across all categories of PAL and employment status. For the inactive portion of this population, active non-leisure activities, specifically in the transportation and occupational domains, need to be considered for inclusion in daily routines as a means of increasing population

Quantitative variability of renewable energy resources in Norway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christakos, Konstantinos; Varlas, George; Cheliotis, Ioannis; Aalstad, Kristoffer; Papadopoulos, Anastasios; Katsafados, Petros; Steeneveld, Gert-Jan

2017-04-01

Based on European Union (EU) targets for 2030, the share of renewable energy (RE) consumption should be increased at 27%. RE resources such as hydropower, wind, wave power and solar power are strongly depending on the chaotic behavior of the weather conditions and climate. Due to this dependency, the prediction of the spatiotemporal variability of the RE resources is more crucial factor than in other energy resources (i.e. carbon based energy). The fluctuation of the RE resources can affect the development of the RE technologies, the energy grid, supply and prices. This study investigates the variability of the potential RE resources in Norway. More specifically, hydropower, wind, wave, and solar power are quantitatively analyzed and correlated with respect to various spatial and temporal scales. In order to analyze the diversities and their interrelationships, reanalysis and observational data of wind, precipitation, wave, and solar radiation are used for a quantitative assessment. The results indicate a high variability of marine RE resources in the North Sea and the Norwegian Sea.

Wind Energy Resource Atlas of the Philippines

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Elliott, D.; Schwartz, M.; George, R.

2001-03-06

This report contains the results of a wind resource analysis and mapping study for the Philippine archipelago. The study's objective was to identify potential wind resource areas and quantify the value of those resources within those areas. The wind resource maps and other wind resource characteristic information will be used to identify prospective areas for wind-energy applications.

Selected Alberta science and research success stories. Volume 2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1996-12-31

This publication provides a sampling of the value of science and research to Albertans, to the Alberta economy, and to the global community as revealed in stories of successful science and research activities in the province. Each story includes name of developer, inventor, company, and/or supporter; names of co-operating agencies, if any; contact name and address for further information; and a list of expected or realized benefits. The stories are organized under subject areas relating to agriculture and agri-food, arts and culture, biotechnology, construction, education, energy, environment, forest sector, health and medicine, human and community development, information and communications, manufacturing,more » mineral sector, tourism, and transportation.« less

Bloody Lucky: the careless worker myth in Alberta, Canada.

PubMed

Barnetson, Bob; Foster, Jason

2012-01-01

As the Canadian province of Alberta has adopted neoliberal prescriptions for government, it has increasingly attributed workplace injuries to worker carelessness. Blaming workers for their injuries appears to be part of a broader strategy (which includes under-reporting injury levels and masking ineffective state enforcement with public condemnation of injurious work) to contain the potential political consequences associated with unsafe workplaces. This reflects the state's sometimes conflicting goals of maintaining the production process and the political legitimacy of the government and the capitalist social formation. This case study considers the political dynamics of occupational health and safety in Alberta to understand the escalating use of the careless worker myth over time. Alberta's emphasis on employer self-regulation has resulted in a large number of annual workplace injuries. The 2008 "Bloody Lucky" safety awareness campaign intensified this attribution of blame via gory videos aimed at young workers. This case study examines the validity of this attribution to reveal that this campaign provides workers, particularly young workers, with inaccurate information about injury causation, which may impede their ability and motivation to mitigate workplace risks.

Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) in Alberta: A New Remote Sensing Tool for Wide Area Measurement of Particulates, CO2, and CH4 Emissions from Energy Extraction and Production Sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wojcik, M.; Lemon, R.; Crowther, B. G.; Valupadas, P.; Fu, L.; Yang, Z.; Huda, Q.; Leung, B.; Chambers, A.

2014-12-01

Alberta Environmental Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Agency (AEMERA) in cooperation with the Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) of Utah State University, have developed a mobile DIAL sensor designed specifically for particle, CO2 and CH4 emissions measurement. Rapid expansion of the oil and gas industry in Alberta, including the oil sands, has challenged the Alberta Government to keep pace in its efforts to monitor and mitigate the environmental impacts of development. The limitations of current monitoring systems has pushed the provincial government to seek out advanced sensing technologies such as differential absorption lidar (DIAL) to help assess the impact of energy development and industrial operations. This instrument is housed inside a 36' trailer and can be quickly staged and used to characterize source emissions and to locate fugitive leaks. DIAL is capable of measuring concentrations for carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) at ranges of up to 3 km with a spatial resolution of 1.5 m. DIAL can map both CO2 and CH4, as well as particulate matter (PM) in a linear fashion; by scanning the laser beam in both azimuth and elevation, DIAL can create images of emissions concentrations and ultimately can be used to determine emission factors, locate fugitive leaks, assess plume dispersion and confirm air dispersion modeling. The DIAL system has been deployed at a landfill, a coal-fired power plant, and an oil sands production area. A system overview of the DIAL instrument and recent results will be discussed.

Training the next generation of Space and Earth Science Engineers and Scientists through student design and development of an Earth Observation Nanosatellite, AlbertaSat-1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lange, B. A.; Bottoms, J.

2011-12-01

This presentation addresses the design and developmental process of a Nanosatellite by an interdisciplinary team of undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Alberta. The Satellite, AlbertaSat-1, is the University of Alberta's entry in the Canadian Satellite Design Challenge (CDSC); an initiative to entice Canadian students to contribute to space and earth observation technologies and research. The province of Alberta, while home to a few companies, is very limited in its space industry capacity. The University of Alberta reflects this fact, where one of the major unifying foci of the University is oil, the provinces greatest resource. For students at the U of A, this lack of focus on astronautical, aerospace and space/earth observational research limits their education in these industries/disciplines. A fully student operated project such as AlbertaSat-1 provides this integral experience to almost every discipline. The AlbertaSat-1 team is comprised of students from engineering, physics, chemistry, earth and atmospheric science, business, and computer science. While diverse in discipline, the team is also diverse in experience, spanning all levels from 1st year undergraduate to experienced PhD. Many skill sets are required and the diverse group sees that this is covered and all opinions voiced. Through immersion in the project, students learn quickly and efficiently. The necessity for a flawless product ensures that only the highest quality of work is presented. Students participating must research and understand their own subsystem as well as all others. This overall system view provides the best educational tool, as students are able to see the real impacts of their work on other subsystems. As the project is completely student organized, the participants gain not only technical engineering, space and earth observational education, but experience in operations and financial management. The direct exposure to all aspects of the space and earth

Investigating Urban Eighth-Grade Students' Knowledge of Energy Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bodzin, Alec

2012-01-01

This study investigated urban eighth-grade students' knowledge of energy resources and associated issues including energy acquisition, energy generation, storage and transport, and energy consumption and conservation. A 39 multiple-choice-item energy resources knowledge assessment was completed by 1043 eighth-grade students in urban schools in two…

Public health preparedness in Alberta: a systems-level study.

PubMed

Moore, Douglas; Shiell, Alan; Noseworthy, Tom; Russell, Margaret; Predy, Gerald

2006-12-28

Recent international and national events have brought critical attention to the Canadian public health system and how prepared the system is to respond to various types of contemporary public health threats. This article describes the study design and methods being used to conduct a systems-level analysis of public health preparedness in the province of Alberta, Canada. The project is being funded under the Health Research Fund, Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research. We use an embedded, multiple-case study design, integrating qualitative and quantitative methods to measure empirically the degree of inter-organizational coordination existing among public health agencies in Alberta, Canada. We situate our measures of inter-organizational network ties within a systems-level framework to assess the relative influence of inter-organizational ties, individual organizational attributes, and institutional environmental features on public health preparedness. The relative contribution of each component is examined for two potential public health threats: pandemic influenza and West Nile virus. The organizational dimensions of public health preparedness depend on a complex mix of individual organizational characteristics, inter-agency relationships, and institutional environmental factors. Our study is designed to discriminate among these different system components and assess the independent influence of each on the other, as well as the overall level of public health preparedness in Alberta. While all agree that competent organizations and functioning networks are important components of public health preparedness, this study is one of the first to use formal network analysis to study the role of inter-agency networks in the development of prepared public health systems.

Alberta's Pluriform School System: Beyond the "Public-Secular" versus "Private-Religious" Divide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hiemstra, John

2017-01-01

The Canadian province of Alberta runs a unique school system that offers ten options for school plurality and choice, nine of which provide some form of faith-based schooling. This article argues that Alberta has created a pragmatic version of a "pluriform school system." This system breaks with the assumption, shared by many Christian…

Distributed Energy Resource (DER) Cybersecurity Standards

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saleem, Danish; Johnson, Jay

This presentation covers the work that Sandia National Laboratories and National Renewable Energy Laboratory are doing for distributed energy resource cybersecurity standards, prepared for NREL's Annual Cybersecurity & Resilience Workshop on October 9-10, 2017.

Just Another Format: Integrating Resources for Users of Personal Digital Assistants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koufogiannakis, Denise; Ryan, Pam; Dahl, Susan

2005-01-01

This article discusses the integration of library resources for users of personal digital assistants (PDAs), with a focus on collections issues within an academic environment. The University of Alberta Libraries' PDA services initiative is used as an example of integrating services and resources into a library collection. Licensing issues, loaning…

Hawaii energy strategy project 3: Renewable energy resource assessment and development program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1995-11-01

RLA Consulting (RLA) has been retained by the State of Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) to conduct a Renewable Energy Resource Assessment and Development Program. This three-phase program is part of the Hawaii Energy Strategy (HES), which is a multi-faceted program intended to produce an integrated energy strategy for the State of Hawaii. The purpose of Phase 1 of the project, Development of a Renewable Energy Resource Assessment Plan, is to better define the most promising potential renewable energy projects and to establish the most suitable locations for project development in the state. In order tomore » accomplish this goal, RLA has identified constraints and requirements for renewable energy projects from six different renewable energy resources: wind, solar, biomass, hydro, wave, and ocean thermal. These criteria were applied to areas with sufficient resource for commercial development and the results of Phase 1 are lists of projects with the most promising development potential for each of the technologies under consideration. Consideration of geothermal energy was added to this investigation under a separate contract with DBEDT. In addition to the project lists, a monitoring plan was developed with recommended locations and a data collection methodology for obtaining additional wind and solar data. This report summarizes the results of Phase 1. 11 figs., 22 tabs.« less

Wind Energy Resource Atlas of Sri Lanka and the Maldives

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Elliott, D.; Schwartz, M.; Scott, G.

2003-08-01

The Wind Energy Resource Atlas of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, produced by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) wind resource group identifies the wind characteristics and distribution of the wind resource in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The detailed wind resource maps and other information contained in the atlas facilitate the identification of prospective areas for use of wind energy technologies, both for utility-scale power generation and off-grid wind energy applications.

Enterprise & Innovation. Teacher Resource Manual. Interim.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton. Curriculum Branch.

This teacher resource manual is a support document developed to assist teachers responsible for Enterprise and Innovation courses; it is intended to be used in conjunction with the corresponding program of studies in the curriculum for Alberta, Canada. The manual has been developed to assist classroom teachers by providing the following: (1)…

Sources for Selecting School Library Resource Materials.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friderichsen, Blanche

A Department of Education publication on an integrated program for Alberta school libraries, this document recommends the use of specific material selection sources designed to aid schools in developing their library collections. Materials are listed in the following sections: (1) Sources for Selecting School Library Resource Materials; (2)…

Junior High Computer Studies: Teacher Resource Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton. Curriculum Branch.

This manual is designed to help classroom teachers in Alberta, Canada implement the Junior High Computer Studies Program. The first eight sections cover the following material: (1) introduction to the teacher resource manual; (2) program rationale and philosophy; (3) general learner expectations; (4) program framework and flexibility; (5) program…

Alberta Catholic Schools...A Social History.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tkach, Nicholas

The purposes of this book are to trace the influence of major social forces on the Alberta, Canada, public and Catholic school systems and to detail the evolution of these two systems. Beginning with a review of "The First People" of the Northwest Territories, chapter I examines political, economic, and sociocultural developments and…

Cancer incidence attributable to insufficient fruit and vegetable consumption in Alberta in 2012

PubMed Central

Grundy, Anne; Poirier, Abbey E.; Khandwala, Farah; McFadden, Alison; Friedenreich, Christine M.; Brenner, Darren R.

2016-01-01

Background: Sufficient fruit and vegetable consumption (≥ 5 servings/d) has been associated with a probable decreased risk for cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, stomach and lung (fruit only). The purpose of this study was to estimate the proportion and absolute number of cancer cases in Alberta in 2012 that were attributable to insufficient fruit and vegetable consumption. Methods: The numbers and proportions of cancers attributable to insufficient fruit and vegetable consumption were estimated using the population attributable risk. Relative risks were obtained from international collaborative panels and peer-reviewed literature. Prevalence data for insufficient fruit and vegetable consumption in Alberta were obtained from the Canadian Community Health Survey (2003, 2004, 2005, 2007/08). Age-, site- and sex-specific cancer incidence data for 2012 were obtained from the Alberta Cancer Registry. Results: The proportion of men consuming 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day ranged from 25.9%-30.4% across age groups; the range among women was 46.8%-51.5% across age groups. The proportion of cancers attributable to insufficient fruit and vegetable consumption in Alberta was highest for esophageal cancer (40.0%) and lowest for lung cancer (3.3%). Overall, 290 cancer cases (1.8%) in Alberta in 2012 were attributable to insufficient fruit and vegetable consumption. Interpretation: Almost 2% of cancers in Alberta can be attributed to insufficient fruit and vegetable consumption. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables has benefits for the prevention of cancer and other chronic diseases; thus, increasing the proportion of Albertans who meet cancer prevention guidelines for fruit and vegetable consumption is a priority. PMID:28018892

Alberta's and Ontario's liquor boards: why such divergent outcomes?

PubMed

Bird, Malcolm G

2010-01-01

The provinces of Alberta and Ontario have chosen very different methods to distribute alcoholic beverages: Alberta privatized the Alberta Liquor Control Board (ALCB) in 1993 and established a private market to sell beverage alcohol, while Ontario, in stark contrast, opted to retain and expand the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO). This article examines the reasons for the divergent policy choices made by Ralph Klein and Mike Harris' Conservative governments in each province. The article draws on John Kingdon's “multiple streams decision-making model,” to examine the mindsets of the key decision-makers, as well as “historical institutionalism,” to organize the pertinent structural, historical and institutional variables that shaped the milieu in which decision-makers acted. Unique, province-specific political cultures, histories, institutional configurations (including the relative influence of a number of powerful actors), as well as the fact that the two liquor control boards were on opposing trajectories towards their ultimate fates, help to explain the different decisions made by each government. Endogenous preference construction in this sector, furthermore, implies that each system is able to satisfy all relevant stakeholders, including consumers.

Maintaining the Momentum. Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training Board, 2002-2003 Annual Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Learning, Edmonton. Apprenticeship and Industry Training.

Alberta's apprenticeship system offers training in 50 designated trades and 4 designated occupations and includes 40,398 registered apprentices and 11,1984 employers. The main components of Alberta's apprenticeship and training system are as follows: (1) a network of local and provincial apprenticeship committees in the designated occupations; (2)…

Technical Resources for Energy Savings Plus Health

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Energy Savings Plus Health Guide equips school districts to integrate indoor air quality protections into school energy efficiency retrofits and other building upgrade projects. This page lists additional resources related to Energy Savings Plus Health

Prediction of Wind Energy Resources (PoWER) Users Guide

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-01

ARL-TR-7573● JAN 2016 US Army Research Laboratory Prediction of Wind Energy Resources (PoWER) User’s Guide by David P Sauter...not return it to the originator. ARL-TR-7573 ● JAN 2016 US Army Research Laboratory Prediction of Wind Energy Resources (PoWER...2016 2. REPORT TYPE Final 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) 09/2015–11/2015 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Prediction of Wind Energy Resources (PoWER) User’s

Herpes zoster vaccine (HZV): utilization and coverage 2009 - 2013, Alberta, Canada.

PubMed

Liu, Xianfang C; Simmonds, Kimberley A; Russell, Margaret L; Svenson, Lawrence W

2014-10-23

Herpes zoster vaccine (HZV) is not publicly funded in the province of Alberta, Canada. We estimated vaccine coverage among those aged 60 years or older for 2013, as well as vaccine utilization rates per hundred thousand population over the period 2009 - 2013. We explored for factors associated with HZV dispensing rates. We used administrative data from the Alberta Pharmaceutical Information Network (PIN) database to identify unique persons for whom HZV had been dispensed from community pharmacies over 2009 - 2013. PIN data were also used to estimate the pharmacy/population ratios for rural and urban Alberta over the period. Denominators for rates were estimated using mid-year population estimates from the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan Registry. Income quintile data were estimated from the 2006 Census of Canada. Crude, age, sex, geographic (rural vs. urban), income-quintile and year specific rates of HZV vaccine dispensing were estimated per 100,000 population. Rates were adjusted for pharmacy/population ratio. Vaccine coverage for persons aged 60 years or older was estimated using counts of all unique persons for whom the vaccine was dispensed over the period in the numerator and a 2013 mid- year population denominator. HZV dispensing rates rose annually from 2009 - 2013. Vaccine coverage was estimated to be 8.4% among persons aged 60 years or older. Rates of dispensing were highest for persons aged 60-69 years and were higher for females than males and for persons from higher compared to lower income quintiles. Dispensing rates were lower for rural than for urban residents. About 2% of vaccine was dispensed for persons aged less than 50 years. Rates of HZV dispensing are increasing rapidly in Alberta despite a lack of public funding. A small proportion of the vaccine may be dispensed off-label.

Cancer incidence attributable to inadequate physical activity in Alberta in 2012

PubMed Central

Brenner, Darren R.; Poirier, Abbey E.; Grundy, Anne; Khandwala, Farah; McFadden, Alison; Friedenreich, Christine M.

2017-01-01

Background: Physical inactivity has been consistently associated with increased risk of colorectal, endometrial, breast (in postmenopausal women), prostate, lung and ovarian cancers. The objective of the current analysis was to estimate the proportion and absolute number of site-specific cancer cases attributable to inadequate physical activity in Alberta in 2012. Methods: We used population attributable risks to estimate the proportion of each site-specific cancer attributable to inactivity. Relative risk estimates were obtained from the epidemiological literature, and prevalence estimates were calculated with the use of data from the Canadian Community Health Survey cycle 2.1 (2003). Respondents who acquired 1.5-2.9 kcal/kg per day and less than 1.5 kcal/kg per day of physical activity were classified as moderately active and inactive, respectively, and both levels were considered inadequate for mitigating cancer risks. We obtained age-, sex- and site-specific cancer incidence data from the Alberta Cancer Registry for 2012. Results: About 59%-75% of men and 69%-78% of women did not engage in adequate physical activity. Overall, 13.8% of cancers across all associated cancers were estimated to be attributable to inadequate physical activity, representing 7.2% of all cancers diagnosed in Alberta in 2012. Suboptimal levels of physical activity had a greater impact among women: the proportion of all associated cancers attributable to inadequate physical activity was 18.3% for women and 9.9% for men. Interpretation: A substantial proportion of cancer cases diagnosed in Alberta were estimated to be attributable to inadequate physical activity. With the high prevalence of physical inactivity among adults in the province, developing strategies to increase physical activity levels could have a notable impact on reducing future cancer burden in Alberta. PMID:28468830

Spatiotemporal variability and predictability of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in Alberta, Canada.

PubMed

Jiang, Rengui; Xie, Jiancang; He, Hailong; Kuo, Chun-Chao; Zhu, Jiwei; Yang, Mingxiang

2016-09-01

As one of the most popular vegetation indices to monitor terrestrial vegetation productivity, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) has been widely used to study the plant growth and vegetation productivity around the world, especially the dynamic response of vegetation to climate change in terms of precipitation and temperature. Alberta is the most important agricultural and forestry province and with the best climatic observation systems in Canada. However, few studies pertaining to climate change and vegetation productivity are found. The objectives of this paper therefore were to better understand impacts of climate change on vegetation productivity in Alberta using the NDVI and provide reference for policy makers and stakeholders. We investigated the following: (1) the variations of Alberta's smoothed NDVI (sNDVI, eliminated noise compared to NDVI) and two climatic variables (precipitation and temperature) using non-parametric Mann-Kendall monotonic test and Thiel-Sen's slope; (2) the relationships between sNDVI and climatic variables, and the potential predictability of sNDVI using climatic variables as predictors based on two predicted models; and (3) the use of a linear regression model and an artificial neural network calibrated by the genetic algorithm (ANN-GA) to estimate Alberta's sNDVI using precipitation and temperature as predictors. The results showed that (1) the monthly sNDVI has increased during the past 30 years and a lengthened growing season was detected; (2) vegetation productivity in northern Alberta was mainly temperature driven and the vegetation in southern Alberta was predominantly precipitation driven for the period of 1982-2011; and (3) better performances of the sNDVI-climate relationships were obtained by nonlinear model (ANN-GA) than using linear (regression) model. Similar results detected in both monthly and summer sNDVI prediction using climatic variables as predictors revealed the applicability of two models for

Resource Assessment | Energy Analysis | NREL

Science.gov Websites

water bodies, urban areas, cropland, forests, very steep terrain, and protected areas. Once resource study concluded that in Afghanistan: Biogas generation from animal manure and waste-to-energy from urban

Energy resources of the United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Theobald, P.K.; Schweinfurth, Stanley P.; Duncan, Donald Cave

1972-01-01

Estimates are made of United States resources of coal, petroleum liquids, natural gas, uranium, geothermal energy, and oil from oil shale. The estimates, compiled by specialists of the U.S. Geological Survey, are generally made on geologic projections of favorable rocks and on anticipated frequency of the energy resource in the favorable rocks. Accuracy of the estimates probably ranges from 20 to 50 percent for identified-recoverable resources to about an order of magnitude for undiscovered-submarginal resources. The total coal resource base in the United States is estimated to be about 3,200 billion tons, of which 200-390 billion tons can be considered in the category identified and recoverable. More than 70 percent of current production comes from the Appalachian basin where the resource base, better known than for the United States as a whole, is about 330 billion tons, of which 22 billion tons is identified and recoverable. Coals containing less than 1 percent sulfur are the premium coals. These are abundant in the western coal fields, but in the Appalachian basin the resource base for low-sulfur coal is estimated to be only a little more than 100 billion tons, of which 12 billion tons is identified and recoverable. Of the many estimates of petroleum liquids and natural-gas resources, those of the U.S. Geological Survey are the largest because, in general, our estimates include the largest proportion of favorable ground for exploration. We estimate the total resource base for petroleum liquids to be about 2,900 billion barrels, of which 52 billion barrels is identified and recoverable. Of the total resource base, some 600 billion barrels is in Alaska or offshore from Alaska, 1,500 billion barrels is offshore from the United States, and 1,300 billion barrels is onshore in the conterminous United States. Identified-recoverable resources of petroleum liquids corresponding to these geographic units are 11, 6, and 36 billion barrels, respectively. The total natural

An Energy Management Programme for Grande Prairie Public School District. Energy Conservation: Energy Management.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calgary Univ. (Alberta).

This report describes a pilot energy conservation project in Grande Prairie (Alberta) School District No. 2357. Extensive data collection and analysis were undertaken to provide a sound, quantitative basis for evaluation of the program. Energy conserving measures requiring capital outlays were not considered. During the project, electric demand…

Reliability and Validity of the Alberta Context Tool (ACT) with Professional Nurses: Findings from a Multi-Study Analysis

PubMed Central

Squires, Janet E.; Hayduk, Leslie; Hutchinson, Alison M.; Mallick, Ranjeeta; Norton, Peter G.; Cummings, Greta G.; Estabrooks, Carole A.

2015-01-01

Although organizational context is central to evidence-based practice, underdeveloped measurement hindersitsassessment. The Alberta Context Tool, comprised of 59 items that tap10 modifiable contextual concepts, was developed to address this gap. The purpose of this study to examine the reliability and validity of scores obtained when the Alberta Context Tool is completed by professional nurses across different healthcare settings. Five separate studies (N = 2361 nurses across different care settings) comprised the study sample. Reliability and validity were assessed. Cronbach’s alpha exceeded 0.70 for9/10 Alberta Context Tool concepts. Item-total correlations exceeded acceptable standards for 56/59items. Confirmatory Factor Analysescoordinated acceptably with the Alberta Context Tool’s proposed latent structure. The mean values for each Alberta Context Tool concept increased from low to high levels of research utilization(as hypothesized) further supporting its validity. This study provides robust evidence forreliability and validity of scores obtained with the Alberta Context Tool when administered to professional nurses. PMID:26098857

2016 Offshore Wind Energy Resource Assessment for the United States

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Musial, Walt; Heimiller, Donna; Beiter, Philipp

2016-09-01

This report, the 2016 Offshore Wind Energy Resource Assessment for the United States, was developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and updates a previous national resource assessment study, and refines and reaffirms that the available wind resource is sufficient for offshore wind to be a large-scale contributor to the nation's electric energy supply.

World Energy Resources and New Technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szmyd, Janusz S.

2016-01-01

The development of civilisation is linked inextricably with growing demand for electricity. Thus, the still-rapid increase in the level of utilisation of natural resources, including fossil fuels, leaves it more and more urgent that conventional energy technologies and the potential of the renewable energy sources be made subject to re-evaluation. It is estimated that last 200 years have seen use made of more than 50% of the available natural resources. Equally, if economic forecasts prove accurate, for at least several more decades, oil, natural gas and coal will go on being the basic primary energy sources. The alternative solution represented by nuclear energy remains a cause of considerable public concern, while the potential for use to be made of renewable energy sources is seen to be very much dependent on local environmental conditions. For this reason, it is necessary to emphasise the impact of research that focuses on the further sharpening-up of energy efficiency, as well as actions aimed at increasing society's awareness of the relevant issues. The history of recent centuries has shown that rapid economic and social transformation followed on from the industrial and technological revolutions, which is to say revolutions made possible by the development of power-supply technologies. While the 19th century was "the age of steam" or of coal, and the 20th century the era of oil and gas, the question now concerns the name that will at some point come to be associated with the 21st century. In this paper, the subjects of discussion are primary energy consumption and energy resources, though three international projects on the global scale are also presented, i.e. ITER, Hydrates and DESERTEC. These projects demonstrate new scientific and technical possibilities, though it is unlikely that commercialisation would prove feasible before 2050. Research should thus be focused on raising energy efficiency. The development of high-efficiency technologies that

Community Design for Optimal Energy and Resource Utilization.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bilenky, Stephen; And Others

Presented is a study which investigated the energy and resource dynamics of a semi-autonomous domestic system for 30 people. The investigation is organized on three levels: (1) developing a preliminary design and design parameters; (2) development and quantification of the energy and resource dynamics; and (3) designing a model to extrapolate…

Frontier nursing: nursing work and training in Alberta, 1890-1905.

PubMed

Richardson, S

1996-01-01

This article analyzes the relationship of nursing work and training from 1890 to 1905 in that part of the North West Territory which in 1905 became the province of Alberta. Primary (archival) and secondary (published) data are analyzed to determine the nature of salaried nursing work, how nurses were recruited, the conditions of employment, how women were prepared for nursing work, and the relationship between hospital training programs and the salaried work of graduate nurses. Prior to 1905, most graduate nurses in Alberta were employed in hospitals. Their work involved administration as well as attending to patients and assisting physicians. Hospital boards had difficulty recruiting graduate nurses and began training programs to remedy their labour shortage. Programs were begun by the Medicine Hat General Hospital in 1894 and the Calgary General Hospital in 1895. Hospitals with training programs soon came to rely on pupil nurses for staffing. The success of these programs stimulated other Alberta hospitals to begin training programs, and by 1915 there were 10 programs in existence. Graduates of hospital programs were expected to be entrepreneurs, seeking employment in private practice and being reimbursed on a free-for-service basis by their patients. Although they were not designed to prepare nurses for private practice, hospital training programs did achieve some integration between hospital and home nursing work, partly because the primitive conditions of Alberta hospitals matched those of the ranches, homesteads, and even town homes. Pupil nurses became oriented to private duty when they were "hired out" during their period of training to care for ill individuals in their homes.

Energy and other non-renewable resources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

Anticipated U.S. demands for non-renewable energy and mineral resources exceed domestic supplies essential for economic growth. For the long term changes necessary in the energy supply and demand gap, new technologies and substitute materials as well as legislation and socio-economic strategies are elaborated.

The Politics of Educational Reform: The Alberta Charter School Experiment 20 Years Later

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bosetti, Lynn; Butterfield, Phil

2016-01-01

In this paper we examine the public charter school movement in the Province of Alberta, Canada over the past 20 years to determine how charter school policy and regulations have limited and controlled the impact of charter schools on public education. Specifically we focus on the extent to which charter schools in Alberta fulfilled the aims and…

Information literacy skills and training of licensed practical nurses in Alberta, Canada: results of a survey.

PubMed

Wadson, Kelley; Phillips, Leah Adeline

2018-06-01

Although information literacy skills are recognized as important to the curriculum and professional outcomes of two-year nursing programs, there is a lack of research on the information literacy skills and support needed by graduates. To identify the information literacy skills and consequent training and support required of Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) in Alberta, Canada. An online survey using a random sample of new graduates (graduated within 5 years) from the registration database of the College of Practical Nurses of Alberta (CLPNA). There was a 43% response rate. Approximately 25-38% of LPNs felt they were only moderately or to a small extent prepared to use evidence effectively in their professional practice. LPNs use the internet and websites most frequently, in contrast to library resources that are used least frequently. Developing lifelong learning skills, using information collaboratively, and locating and retrieving information are areas where LPNs desire more effective or increased training. The results suggest there are significant gaps in the preparedness and ability of LPNs to access and apply research evidence effectively in the workplace. There are several areas in which the training provided by Librarians appears either misaligned or ineffective. © 2018 Health Libraries Group.

ENCORE: Energy Conservation Resources for Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas A and M Univ., College Station. Dept. of Industrial Education.

This publication contains the energy education materials for middle schools from project ENCORE (Energy Conservation Resources for Education). These modules were originally field tested in Texas schools during the 1976-77 academic year. The revised materials in this publication are organized into four major units and thirteen chapters. The…

Lung cancer incidence attributable to residential radon exposure in Alberta in 2012

PubMed Central

Grundy, Anne; Brand, Kevin; Khandwala, Farah; Poirier, Abbey; Tamminen, Sierra; Friedenreich, Christine M.; Brenner, Darren R.

2017-01-01

Background: Radon is carcinogenic, and exposure to radon has been shown to increase the risk of lung cancer. The objective of this study was to quantify the proportion and number of lung cancer cases in Alberta in 2012 that could be attributed to residential radon exposure. Methods: We estimated the population attributable risk of lung cancer for residential radon using radon exposure data from the Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes from 2009-2011 and data on all-cause and lung cancer mortality from Statistics Canada from 2008-2012. We used cancer incidence data from the Alberta Cancer Registry for 2012 to estimate the total number of lung cancers attributable to residential radon exposure. Estimates were also stratified by sex and smoking status. Results: The mean geometric residential radon level in Alberta in 2011 was 71.0 Bq/m3 (geometric standard deviation 2.14). Overall, an estimated 16.6% (95% confidence interval 9.4%-29.8%) of lung cancers were attributable to radon exposure, corresponding to 324 excess attributable cancer cases. The estimated population attributable risk of lung cancer due to radon exposure was higher among those who had never smoked (24.8%) than among ever smokers (15.6%). However, since only about 10% of cases of lung cancer occur in nonsmokers, the estimated total number of excess cases was higher for ever smokers (274) than for never smokers (48). Interpretation: With about 17% of lung cancer cases in Alberta in 2012 attributable to residential radon exposure, exposure reduction has the potential to substantially reduce Alberta's lung cancer burden. As such, home radon testing and remediation techniques represent important cancer prevention strategies. PMID:28663187

Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth: awareness and use in schools.

PubMed

Downs, Shauna M; Farmer, Anna; Quintanilha, Maira; Berry, Tanya R; Mager, Diana R; Willows, Noreen D; McCargar, Linda J

2011-01-01

In June 2008, the Alberta government released the Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth. We evaluated the awareness of and intent to use the guidelines in Alberta schools, and sought to determine whether organizational characteristics were a factor in adoption of the guidelines. Randomly selected schools from across Alberta completed a 19-question telephone survey, which included open- and closed-ended questions about the schools' characteristics, the priority given to healthy eating, awareness of the guidelines, and the schools' intent to use the guidelines. Of the 554 schools contacted, 357 (64%) completed the survey. Overall, 76.1% of schools were aware of the guidelines and 65% were in the process of adopting them. Fifty percent of schools identified healthy eating as a high priority and 65.9% reported making changes to improve the nutritional quality of foods offered in the past year. Schools that were larger, public, and urban, and had a school champion and healthy eating as a high priority were more likely to be adopting the guidelines. Most schools were aware of the nutrition guidelines and many had begun the adoption process. Identifying a school champion may be an important first step for schools in terms of adopting health promotion initiatives.

Energy Policy Case Study - California: Renewables and Distributed Energy Resources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Homer, Juliet S.; Bender, Sadie R.; Weimar, Mark R.

2016-09-19

The purpose of this document is to present a case study of energy policies in California related to power system transformation and renewable and distributed energy resources (DERs). Distributed energy resources represent a broad range of technologies that can significantly impact how much, and when, electricity is demanded from the grid. Key policies and proceedings related to power system transformation and DERs are grouped into the following categories: 1.Policies that support achieving environmental and climate goals 2.Policies that promote deployment of DERs 3.Policies that support reliability and integration of DERs 4.Policies that promote market animation and support customer choice. Majormore » challenges going forward are forecasting and modeling DERs, regulatory and utility business model issues, reliability, valuation and pricing, and data management and sharing.« less

Pandemic Planning Guide for Alberta School Authorities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Education, 2008

2008-01-01

A crisis always seems like something that happens somewhere else - that is, until it arrives on your doorstep. Although other issues and challenges scream for your attention, School Authorities should not postpone developing an influenza pandemic plan. The "Pandemic Planning Guide for Alberta School Authorities" (the "Guide")…

USGS research on energy resources, 1986; program and abstracts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carter, Lorna M.H.

1986-01-01

The extended abstracts in this volume are summaries of the papers presented orally and as posters in the second V. E. McKelvey Forum on Mineral and Energy Resources, entitled "USGS Research on Energy Resources-1986." The Forum has been established to improve communication between the USGS and the earth science community by presenting the results of current USGS research on nonrenewable resources in a timely fashion and by providing an opportunity for individuals from other organizations to meet informally with USGS scientists and managers. It is our hope that the McKelvey Forum will help to make USGS programs more responsive to the needs of the earth science community, particularly the mining and petroleum industries, and Win foster closer cooperation between organizations and individuals. The Forum was named after former Director Vincent E. McKelvey in recognition of his lifelong contributions to research, development, and administration in mineral and energy resources, as a scientist, as Chief Geologist, and as Director of the U.S. Geological Survey. The Forum will be an annual event, and its subject matter will alternate between mineral and energy resources. We expect that the format will change somewhat from year to year as various approaches are tried, but its primary purpose will remain the same: to encourage direct communication between USGS scientists and the representatives of other earth-science related organizations. Energy programs of the USGS include oil and gas, coal, geothermal, uranium-thorium, and oil shale; work in these programs spans the national domain, including surveys of the offshore Exclusive Economic Zone. The topics selected for presentation at this McKelvey Forum represent an overview of the scientific breadth of USGS research on energy resources. They include aspects of petroleum occurrence in Eastern United States rift basins, the origin of magnetic anomalies over oil fields, accreted terranes and energy-resource implications, coal

Interconnection of Distributed Energy Resources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reiter, Emerson

2017-04-19

This is a presentation on interconnection of distributed energy resources, including the relationships between different aspects of interconnection, best practices and lessons learned from different areas of the U.S., and an update on technical advances and standards for interconnection.

A Guide to Native Organizations in Alberta.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Native Affairs, Edmonton.

Names, addresses, names of directors, and telephone numbers for 182 organizations formed by or serving Canada Natives in Alberta are presented, grouped by their area of interest. Listed are 17 arts and crafts organizations, 10 business and employment development services, 8 radio stations and newspapers, 12 cultural groups, 19 educational…

Crustal Seismic Structure of Central Alberta from Receiver Function Inversions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Y.; Dokht, R.; Gu, Y. J.; Sacchi, M. D.

2013-12-01

It is widely believed that the basement structure of central Alberta represents the tectonic assembly and evolution of several Archean lithospheric fragments. These fragments underwent episodes of rifting, collision, subduction and melting during the Proterozoic, giving rise to a complex network of tectonic domains with considerable differences in the crustal magnetic and seismic signatures. Observational support for these episodes, e.g., the coeval subduction around the Hearne province, has been limited due to the lack of exposed geology and insufficient teleseismic data prior to 2006. Since mid 2007, the establishment of the Canadian Rockies and Alberta Network (CRANE) has greatly improved the broadband seismic data coverage in central and southern Alberta. Based on 5+ years of CRANE data, we systematically analyze crust and shallow mantle shear velocities through simultaneous inversions of low and high frequency receiver functions. P-to-S converted waves from several stations in central Alberta suggest a significant mid crustal low velocity zone (LVZ), where shear velocity could vary by as much as 35 percent in a depth range of 15-35 km. This structure is not required by the receiver functions from stations along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. While LVZ of notable magnitudes have been suggested previously in an overlapped part of the study region and attributed to the presence of serpentine or intrusive sill, the spatial dimensions of the anomaly reported in the current study is significantly larger: this anomaly spans hundreds of kilometers horizontally and is generally thicker than 10 km. The presence of mid/lower crustal LVZ in central Alberta is supported by recent group velocity maps based on noise correlation tomography, and the southeastward orientation of this LVZ is consistent with the proposed direction of the subducted oceanic microplate beneath the northwestern Hearne province during the Proterozoic. Still, the cause of the LVZ remains

Assessment of physician performance in Alberta: the Physician Achievement Review

PubMed Central

Hall, W; Violato, C; Lewkonia, R; Lockyer, J; Fidler, H; Toews, J; Jennett, P; Donoff, M; Moores, D

1999-01-01

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta, in collaboration with the Universities of Calgary and Alberta, has developed a program to routinely assess the performance of physicians, intended primarily for quality improvement in medical practice. The Physician Achievement Review (PAR) provides a multidimensional view of performance through structured feedback to physicians. The program will also provide a new mechanism for identifying physicians for whom more detailed assessment of practice performance or medical competence may be needed. Questionnaires were created to assess an array of performance attributes, and then appropriate assessors were designated--the physician himself or herself (self-evaluation), patients, medical peers, consultants and referring physicians, and non-physician coworkers. A pilot study with 308 physician volunteers was used to evaluate the psychometric and statistical properties of the questionnaires and to develop operating policies. The pilot surveys showed good statistical validity and technical reliability of the PAR questionnaires. For only 28 (9.1%) of the physicians were the PAR results more than one standard deviation from the peer group means for 3 or more of the 5 major domains of assessment (self, patients, peers, consultants and coworkers). In post-survey feedback, two-thirds of the physicians indicated that they were considering or had implemented changes to their medical practice on the basis of their PAR data. The estimated operating cost of the PAR program is approximately $200 per physician. In February 1999, on the basis of the operating experience and the results of the pilot survey, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta implemented this innovative program, in which all Alberta physicians will be required to participate every 5 years. PMID:10420867

Potential change in lodgepole pine site index and distribution under climatic change in Alberta.

Treesearch

Robert A. Monserud; Yuqing Yang; Shongming Huang; Nadja Tchebakova

2008-01-01

We estimated the impact of global climate change on lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex. Loud. var. latifolia Engelm.) site productivity in Alberta based on the Alberta Climate Model and the A2 SRES climate change scenario projections from three global circulation models (CGCM2, HADCM3, and ECHAM4). Considerable warming is...

Gender and professional identity in psychiatric nursing practice in Alberta, Canada, 1930-75.

PubMed

Boschma, Geertje; Yonge, Olive; Mychajlunow, Lorraine

2005-12-01

This paper examines gender-specific transformations of nursing practice in institutional mental health-care in Alberta, Canada, based on archival records on two psychiatric hospitals, Alberta Hospital Ponoka and Alberta Hospital Edmonton, and on oral histories with psychiatric mental health nurses in Alberta. The paper explores class and gender as interrelated influences shaping the work and professional identity of psychiatric mental health nurses from the 1930s until the mid-1970s. Training schools for nurses in psychiatric hospitals emerged in Alberta in the 1930s under the influence of the mental hygiene movement, evolving quite differently for female nurses compared to untrained aides and male attendants. The latter group resisted their exclusion from the title 'nurse' and successfully helped to organize a separate association of psychiatric nurses in the 1950s. Post-World War II, reconstruction of health-care and a de-institutionalization policy further transformed nurses' practice in the institutions. Using social history methods of analysis, the paper demonstrates how nurses responded to their circumstances in complex ways, actively participating in the reconstruction of their practice and finding new ways of professional organization that fit the local context. After the Second World War more sophisticated therapeutic roles emerged and nurses engaged in new rehabilitative practices and group therapies, reconstructing their professional identities and transgressing gender boundaries. Nurses' own stories help us to understand the striving toward psychiatric nursing professionalism in the broader context of changing gender identities and work relationships, as well as shifting perspectives on psychiatric care.

Identifying sources, formation pathways and geological controls of methane in shallow groundwater above unconventional natural gas plays in Alberta, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayer, B.; Humez, P.; Nightingale, M.; Ing, J.; Kingston, A. W.; Clarkson, C.; Cahill, A.; Parker, B. L.; Cherry, J. A.; Millot, R.; Kloppmann, W.; Osadetz, K.; Lawton, D.

2015-12-01

With the advent of shale gas development facilitated by hydraulic fracturing it has become increasingly important to develop tracer tools to scientifically determine potential impacts of stray gases on shallow aquifers. To assess potential future impacts on shallow aquifers by leakage of natural gas from unconventional energy resource development, it is essential to establish a reliable baseline. Occurrence of methane in shallow groundwater in Alberta (Canada) between 2006 and 2014 was assessed and was ubiquitous in 186 sampled monitoring wells. Free and dissolved gas sampling and measurement approaches yielded comparable results with often low methane concentrations in shallow groundwater, but in 28 samples methane exceeded 10 mg/L in dissolved gas and 300,000 ppmv in free gas. Methane concentrations in free and dissolved gas samples were found to increase with well depth and were especially elevated in groundwater obtained from aquifers containing coal seams and shale units. Carbon isotope ratios of methane averaged -69.7 ± 11.1 ‰ in free gas and -65.6 ± 8.9 ‰ in dissolved gas. δ13C values were not found to vary with well depth or lithology indicating that the methane in Alberta groundwater was formed via a similar mechanism. The low δ13C values in concert with average δ2H values of -289 ± 44 ‰ suggest that most methane was of biogenic origin predominantly generated via CO2 reduction. This interpretation is confirmed by gas dryness parameters typically >500 due to only small amounts of ethane and a lack of propane in most samples. Novel approaches of in-situ concentration and isotope measurements for methane during drilling of a 530 m deep well yielded a mud-gas profile characterizing natural gas occurrences in the intermediate zone. Comparison with mudgas profile carbon isotope data revealed that methane in the investigated shallow groundwater in Alberta is isotopically similar to hydrocarbon gases found in 100-250 meter depths in the Western

Job satisfaction in relation to energy resource consciousness and perceptions of energy utilization in selected Illinois manufacturing firms

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Haynes, T.S.

1986-01-01

This study was developed through a synthesis and review of literature and research related to the current status of job satisfaction, energy resources, and perceptions of how energy is utilized in the manufacturing work environment. This synthesis and review revolved around several proven contributing factors of job satisfaction, such as age, education, and challenge from work itself. Quality of work life programs and their components are discussed in relation to their impact on job satisfaction. The nature of energy resource utilization is traced back through history with an emphasis on the limitations of current resources and options for the future.more » The review highlights the current debate over what should be the future path of energy resource development. The concept of satisfaction of human needs is reviewed and related to job satisfaction and energy resources. The purpose of this research study was to contribute to the understanding of how perceptions of energy resources relate to job satisfaction. Results of the study indicated that there were no significant differences between an individual's energy resource consciousness and perceptions of energy utilization in the work place, energy resource consciousness and job satisfaction, and job satisfaction and perceptions of energy utilization in the workplace.« less

Assessment in Alberta: Six Areas of Concern

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aitken, Nola; Webber, Charles F.; Lupart, Judy; Scott, Shelleyann; Runte, Robert

2011-01-01

This report on the Alberta Student Assessment Study describes the context, methodology, and emergent themes. It outlines the purposes and uses of assessment according to the various stakeholder groups. Using both qualitative and quantitative data from students and parents, as well as educators at all levels, there were six areas or themes that…

Development of the Alberta Diagnostic Reading Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horvath, Frank G.; Machura, Shirley

The development of the Alberta Diagnostic Reading Program (ADRP) was based on a current psycholinguistic theory that describes reading as a process in which the reader uses background information to communicate with the author. To ensure its usefulness and effectiveness, the developers of the ADRP sought the advice and direct involvement of many…

Business Studies 9. Junior High School. Teacher Resource Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton. Curriculum Branch.

This manual provides learning strategies and activities, evaluation instruments, and learning resources for use by junior high school business education teachers. It is correlated with the Alberta business education curriculum. The manual begins with an overview of the course rationale and philosophy and general and specific learner expectations.…

French as a Second Language. Annotated Bibliography of Learning Resources: Beginning Level. Early Childhood Services - Grade 12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton. Language Services Branch.

This annotated bibliography of instructional resources for Alberta (Canada) introductory French second language teaching in early childhood, elementary, and secondary education consists of citations in 10 categories: audio/video recordings; communicative activity resources (primarily texts and workbooks); dictionaries and vocabulary handbooks;…

Lessons learned from post-wildfire monitoring and implications for land management and regional drinking water treatability in Southern Rockies of Alberta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diiwu, J.; Silins, U.; Kevin, B.; Anderson, A.

2008-12-01

Like many areas of the Rocky Mountains, Alberta's forests on the eastern slopes of the Rockies have been shaped by decades of successful fire suppression. These forests are at high risk to fire and large scale insect infestation, and climate change will continue to increase these risks. These headwaters forests provide the vast majority of usable surface water supplies to large region of the province, and large scale natural disasters can have dramatic effects on water quality and water availability. The population in the region has steadily increased and now this area is the main source water for many Alberta municipalities, including the City of Calgary, which has a population of over one million. In 2003 a fire burned 21,000 ha in the southern foothills area. The government land managers were concerned about the downstream implications of the fire and salvage operations, however there was very limited scientific information to guide the decision making. This led to establishment of the Southern Rockies Watershed Project, which is a partnership between Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, the provincial government department responsible for land management and the University of Alberta. After five years of data collection, the project has produced quantitative information that was not previously available about the effects of fire and management interventions such as salvage logging on headwaters and regional water quality. This information can be used to make decisions on forest operations, fire suppression, and post-fire salvage operations. In the past few years this project has captured the interest of large municipalities and water treatment researchers who are keen to investigate the potential implications of large natural disturbances to large and small drinking water treatment facilities. Examples from this project will be used to highlight the challenges and successes encountered while bridging the gap between science and land management policy.

Teachers Environmental Resource Unit: Energy and Power.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bemiss, Clair W.

Problems associated with energy production and power are studied in this teacher's guide to better understand the impact of man's energy production on the environment, how he consumes energy, and in what quantities. The resource unit is intended to provide the teacher with basic information that will aid classroom review of these problems. Topics…

Calgary, Edmonton and the University of Alberta: the extraordinary medical mobilization by Canada’s newest province

PubMed Central

Da Cambra, Mark P.; McAlister, Vivian C.

2017-01-01

Summary The Canadian contribution of medical services to the British Empire during the First World War was a national endeavour. Physicians from across the country enlisted in local regiments to join. No other region provided more physicians per capita than the newly formed province of Alberta. Largely organized through the Medical School of the University of Alberta, the No. 11 Canadian Field Ambulance out of Edmonton and the No. 8 Canadian Field Ambulance out of Calgary ultimately enlisted between one-third and half of the province’s doctors to the war campaign. Many individuals from this region distinguished themselves, including LCol J.N. Gunn from Calgary, who commanded the No. 8 Canadian Field Ambulance; Maj Heber Moshier, one of the founders of the School of Pharmacy at the University of Alberta; and Dr. A.C. Rankin, who would go on to be the first Dean of Medicine at the University of Alberta. These Canadian heroes, and the many others like them who served with the No. 8 and 11 Field Ambulances, personify the sacrifice, strength and resilience of the medical community in Alberta and should not be forgotten. PMID:28930035

Profit-based conventional resource scheduling with renewable energy penetration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reddy, K. Srikanth; Panwar, Lokesh Kumar; Kumar, Rajesh; Panigrahi, B. K.

2017-08-01

Technological breakthroughs in renewable energy technologies (RETs) enabled them to attain grid parity thereby making them potential contenders for existing conventional resources. To examine the market participation of RETs, this paper formulates a scheduling problem accommodating energy market participation of wind- and solar-independent power producers (IPPs) treating both conventional and RETs as identical entities. Furthermore, constraints pertaining to penetration and curtailments of RETs are restructured. Additionally, an appropriate objective function for profit incurred by conventional resource IPPs through reserve market participation as a function of renewable energy curtailment is also proposed. The proposed concept is simulated with a test system comprising 10 conventional generation units in conjunction with solar photovoltaic (SPV) and wind energy generators (WEG). The simulation results indicate that renewable energy integration and its curtailment limits influence the market participation or scheduling strategies of conventional resources in both energy and reserve markets. Furthermore, load and reliability parameters are also affected.

Trades-Related Post-Secondary Educational Attainment among Immigrant and Canadian-Born Young Adults in Alberta

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hira-Friesen, Parvinder Kaur; Haan, Michael; Krahn, Harvey

2013-01-01

This paper examines trades-related and university educational attainment (by age 25) of immigrant and Canadian-born Alberta youth while controlling for gender, family socio-economic status, high school grades, and parental encouragement regarding higher education. Data from the longitudinal Alberta School-Work Transitions Study (1996-2003) reveal…

The impact of roads on the demography of grizzly bears in Alberta.

PubMed

Boulanger, John; Stenhouse, Gordon B

2014-01-01

One of the principal factors that have reduced grizzly bear populations has been the creation of human access into grizzly bear habitat by roads built for resource extraction. Past studies have documented mortality and distributional changes of bears relative to roads but none have attempted to estimate the direct demographic impact of roads in terms of both survival rates, reproductive rates, and the interaction of reproductive state of female bears with survival rate. We applied a combination of survival and reproductive models to estimate demographic parameters for threatened grizzly bear populations in Alberta. Instead of attempting to estimate mean trend we explored factors which caused biological and spatial variation in population trend. We found that sex and age class survival was related to road density with subadult bears being most vulnerable to road-based mortality. A multi-state reproduction model found that females accompanied by cubs of the year and/or yearling cubs had lower survival rates compared to females with two year olds or no cubs. A demographic model found strong spatial gradients in population trend based upon road density. Threshold road densities needed to ensure population stability were estimated to further refine targets for population recovery of grizzly bears in Alberta. Models that considered lowered survival of females with dependant offspring resulted in lower road density thresholds to ensure stable bear populations. Our results demonstrate likely spatial variation in population trend and provide an example how demographic analysis can be used to refine and direct conservation measures for threatened species.

The Impact of Roads on the Demography of Grizzly Bears in Alberta

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

One of the principal factors that have reduced grizzly bear populations has been the creation of human access into grizzly bear habitat by roads built for resource extraction. Past studies have documented mortality and distributional changes of bears relative to roads but none have attempted to estimate the direct demographic impact of roads in terms of both survival rates, reproductive rates, and the interaction of reproductive state of female bears with survival rate. We applied a combination of survival and reproductive models to estimate demographic parameters for threatened grizzly bear populations in Alberta. Instead of attempting to estimate mean trend we explored factors which caused biological and spatial variation in population trend. We found that sex and age class survival was related to road density with subadult bears being most vulnerable to road-based mortality. A multi-state reproduction model found that females accompanied by cubs of the year and/or yearling cubs had lower survival rates compared to females with two year olds or no cubs. A demographic model found strong spatial gradients in population trend based upon road density. Threshold road densities needed to ensure population stability were estimated to further refine targets for population recovery of grizzly bears in Alberta. Models that considered lowered survival of females with dependant offspring resulted in lower road density thresholds to ensure stable bear populations. Our results demonstrate likely spatial variation in population trend and provide an example how demographic analysis can be used to refine and direct conservation measures for threatened species. PMID:25532035

Cattle and the oil and gas industry in Alberta: A literature review with recommendations for environmental management

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1996-12-31

The purpose of this report is to bring together a review of published information on the potential effects of upstream oil and gas industry operations on the cattle industry in Alberta, some indication of the probability of occurrence of these effects, and recommendations on how they might be avoided or mitigated. Based on reviews of scientific papers and industry good-practice manuals, the report describes: The sources and quantities of environmental contaminants generated by Alberta`s oil and gas industry, including normal operations, accidental releases, and the effects of aging infrastructure; the chemical composition of the products, materials, and wastes associated withmore » the industry; the fate and transport of the contaminants through air, water, and soil; cattle operations in Alberta; the toxicology of oil and gas industry contaminants in cattle; and selected Alberta case studies of accidental releases and planned experiments. Conclusions and recommendations deal with critical information gaps and strategies for the sustainable management of cattle and oil/gas operations in the province.« less

Forest gene conservation programs in Alberta, Canada

Treesearch

Jodie Krakowski

2017-01-01

Provincial tree improvement programs in Alberta began in 1976. Early gene conservation focused on ex situ measures such as seed and clone banking, and research trials of commercial species with tree improvement programs. The gene conservation program now encompasses representative and unique populations of all native tree species in situ. The ex situ program aims to...

Alberta's systems approach to chronic disease management and prevention utilizing the expanded chronic care model.

PubMed

Delon, Sandra; Mackinnon, Blair

2009-01-01

Alberta's integrated approach to chronic disease management programming embraces client-centred care, supports self-management and facilitates care across the continuum. This paper presents strategies implemented through collaboration with primary care to improve care of individuals with chronic conditions, evaluation evidence supporting success and lessons learned from the Alberta perspective.

Funding Mechanisms, Cost Drivers, and the Distribution of Education Funds in Alberta: A Case Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neu, Dean; Taylor, Alison

2000-01-01

Critical analysis of historical financial data of the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) examined the impact of Alberta's 1994 funding changes on the CBE and the distribution of Alberta's education funding. Findings illustrate how funding mechanisms are used to govern from a distance and how seemingly neutral accounting/funding techniques function…

77 FR 41481 - Integration of Variable Energy Resources

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-13

...The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is amending the pro forma Open Access Transmission Tariff to remove unduly discriminatory practices and to ensure just and reasonable rates for Commission- jurisdictional services. Specifically, this Final Rule removes barriers to the integration of variable energy resources by requiring each public utility transmission provider to: offer intra-hourly transmission scheduling; and, incorporate provisions into the pro forma Large Generator Interconnection Agreement requiring interconnection customers whose generating facilities are variable energy resources to provide meteorological and forced outage data to the public utility transmission provider for the purpose of power production forecasting.

77 FR 21557 - System Energy Resources, Inc.; Notice of Petition for Declaratory Order

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-10

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. EL12-52-000] System Energy Resources, Inc.; Notice of Petition for Declaratory Order Take notice that on March 28, 2012, System Energy Resources, Inc. (System Energy Resources), submitted a petition requesting the Federal Energy Regulatory...

Identifying productive resources in secondary school students' discourse about energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrer, Benedikt

A growing program of research in science education acknowledges the beginnings of disciplinary reasoning in students' ideas and seeks to inform instruction that responds productively to these disciplinary progenitors in the moment to foster their development into sophisticated scientific practice. This dissertation examines secondary school students' ideas about energy for progenitors of disciplinary knowledge and practice. Previously, researchers argued that students' ideas about energy were constrained by stable and coherent conceptual structures that conflicted with an assumed unified scientific conception and therefore needed to be replaced. These researchers did not attend to the productive elements in students' ideas about energy. To analyze the disciplinary substance in students' ideas, a theoretical perspective was developed that extends Hammer and colleagues' resources framework. This elaboration allows for the identification of disciplinary productive resources---i.e., appropriately activated declarative and procedural pieces of knowledge---in individual students' utterances as well as in the interactions of multiple learners engaged in group learning activities. Using this framework, original interview transcripts from one of the most influential studies of students' ideas about energy (Watts, 1983. Some alternative views of energy. Physics Education, 18/5, 213-217) were analyzed. Disciplinary productive resources regarding the ontology of energy, indicators for energy, and mechanistic reasoning about energy were found to be activated by interviewed students. These valuable aspects were not recognized by the original author. An interpretive analysis of video recorded student-centered discourse in rural Maine middle schools was carried out to find cases of resource activation in classroom discussions. Several cases of disciplinary productive resources regarding the nature of energy and its forms as well as the construction of a mechanistic energy story

Optimal Energy Management for a Smart Grid using Resource-Aware Utility Maximization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abegaz, Brook W.; Mahajan, Satish M.; Negeri, Ebisa O.

2016-06-01

Heterogeneous energy prosumers are aggregated to form a smart grid based energy community managed by a central controller which could maximize their collective energy resource utilization. Using the central controller and distributed energy management systems, various mechanisms that harness the power profile of the energy community are developed for optimal, multi-objective energy management. The proposed mechanisms include resource-aware, multi-variable energy utility maximization objectives, namely: (1) maximizing the net green energy utilization, (2) maximizing the prosumers' level of comfortable, high quality power usage, and (3) maximizing the economic dispatch of energy storage units that minimize the net energy cost of the energy community. Moreover, an optimal energy management solution that combines the three objectives has been implemented by developing novel techniques of optimally flexible (un)certainty projection and appliance based pricing decomposition in an IBM ILOG CPLEX studio. A real-world, per-minute data from an energy community consisting of forty prosumers in Amsterdam, Netherlands is used. Results show that each of the proposed mechanisms yields significant increases in the aggregate energy resource utilization and welfare of prosumers as compared to traditional peak-power reduction methods. Furthermore, the multi-objective, resource-aware utility maximization approach leads to an optimal energy equilibrium and provides a sustainable energy management solution as verified by the Lagrangian method. The proposed resource-aware mechanisms could directly benefit emerging energy communities in the world to attain their energy resource utilization targets.

Potential for natural evaporation as a reliable renewable energy resource.

PubMed

Cavusoglu, Ahmet-Hamdi; Chen, Xi; Gentine, Pierre; Sahin, Ozgur

2017-09-26

About 50% of the solar energy absorbed at the Earth's surface drives evaporation, fueling the water cycle that affects various renewable energy resources, such as wind and hydropower. Recent advances demonstrate our nascent ability to convert evaporation energy into work, yet there is little understanding about the potential of this resource. Here we study the energy available from natural evaporation to predict the potential of this ubiquitous resource. We find that natural evaporation from open water surfaces could provide power densities comparable to current wind and solar technologies while cutting evaporative water losses by nearly half. We estimate up to 325 GW of power is potentially available in the United States. Strikingly, water's large heat capacity is sufficient to control power output by storing excess energy when demand is low, thus reducing intermittency and improving reliability. Our findings motivate the improvement of materials and devices that convert energy from evaporation.The evaporation of water represents an alternative source of renewable energy. Building on previous models of evaporation, Cavusoglu et al. show that the power available from this natural resource is comparable to wind and solar power, yet it does not suffer as much from varying weather conditions.

Advancing Indigenous primary health care policy in Alberta, Canada.

PubMed

Henderson, Rita; Montesanti, Stephanie; Crowshoe, Lindsay; Leduc, Charles

2018-06-01

For Indigenous people worldwide, accessing Primary Health Care (PHC) services responsive to socio-cultural realities is challenging, with institutional inequities in healthcare and jurisdictional barriers encumbering patients, providers, and decision-makers. In the Canadian province of Alberta, appropriate Indigenous health promotion, disease prevention, and primary care health services are needed, though policy reform is hindered by complex networks and competing interests between: federal/provincial funders; reserve/urban contexts; medical/allied health professional priorities; and three Treaty territories each structuring fiduciary responsibilities of the Canadian government. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada released a final report from over six years spent considering impacts of the country's history of Indian residential schools, which for more than a century forcibly removed thousands of children from their families and communities. The TRC directed 94 calls to action to all levels of society, including health systems, to address an historical legacy of cultural assimilationism against Indigenous peoples. To address TRC calls that Indigenous health disparities be recognized as resulting from previous government policies, and to integrate Indigenous leadership and perspectives into health systems, PHC decision-makers, practitioners, and scholars in the province of Alberta brought together stakeholders from across Canada. The gathering detailed here explored Indigenous PHC models from other Canadian provinces to collaboratively build relationships for policy reform and identify opportunities for PHC innovations within Alberta. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the Alberta School for the Deaf.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarke, S. C. T.; Nyberg, V. R.

The report summarized a formative evaluation of the Alberta (Canada) School for the Deaf (ASD). Data were collected via observations by 12 consultants; interviews; and questionnaires completed by parents, teachers, students, and administrators. The evaluation was designed to focus on such aspects as instruction (including curriculum) and total…

Parameterization of the ACRU model for estimating biophysical and climatological change impacts, Beaver Creek, Alberta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forbes, K. A.; Kienzle, S. W.; Coburn, C. A.; Byrne, J. M.

2006-12-01

Multiple threats, including intensification of agricultural production, non-renewable resource extraction and climate change, are threatening Southern Alberta's water supply. The objective of this research is to calibrate/evaluate the Agricultural Catchments Research Unit (ACRU) agrohydrological model; with the end goal of forecasting the impacts of a changing environment on water quantity. The strength of this model is the intensive multi-layered soil water budgeting routine that integrates water movement between the surface and atmosphere. The ACRU model was parameterized using data from Environment Canada's climate database for a twenty year period (1984-2004) and was used to simulate streamflow for Beaver Creek. The simulated streamflow was compared to Environment Canada's historical streamflow database to validate the model output. The Beaver Creek Watershed, located in the Porcupine Hills southwestern Alberta, Canada contains a heterogeneous cover of deciduous, coniferous, native prairie grasslands and forage crops. In a catchment with highly diversified land cover, canopy architecture cannot be overlooked in rainfall interception parameterization. Preliminary testing of ACRU suggests that streamflows were sensitive to varied levels of leaf area index (LAI), a representative fraction of canopy foliage. Further testing using remotely sensed LAI's will provide a more accurate representation of canopy foliage and ultimately best represent this important element of the hydrological cycle and the associated processes which govern the natural hydrology of the Beaver Creek watershed.

Coordinated Collaboration between Heterogeneous Distributed Energy Resources

DOE PAGES

Abdollahy, Shahin; Lavrova, Olga; Mammoli, Andrea

2014-01-01

A power distribution feeder, where a heterogeneous set of distributed energy resources is deployed, is examined by simulation. The energy resources include PV, battery storage, natural gas GenSet, fuel cells, and active thermal storage for commercial buildings. The resource scenario considered is one that may exist in a not too distant future. Two cases of interaction between different resources are examined. One interaction involves a GenSet used to partially offset the duty cycle of a smoothing battery connected to a large PV system. The other example involves the coordination of twenty thermal storage devices, each associated with a commercial building.more » Storage devices are intended to provide maximum benefit to the building, but it is shown that this can have a deleterious effect on the overall system, unless the action of the individual storage devices is coordinated. A network based approach is also introduced to calculate some type of effectiveness metric to all available resources which take part in coordinated operation. The main finding is that it is possible to achieve synergy between DERs on a system; however this required a unified strategy to coordinate the action of all devices in a decentralized way.« less

Energy Technology Allocation for Distributed Energy Resources: A Technology-Policy Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mallikarjun, Sreekanth

Distributed energy resources (DER) are emerging rapidly. New engineering technologies, materials, and designs improve the performance and extend the range of locations for DER. In contrast, constructing new or modernizing existing high voltage transmission lines for centralized generation are expensive and challenging. In addition, customer demand for reliability has increased and concerns about climate change have created a pull for swift renewable energy penetration. In this context, DER policy makers, developers, and users are interested in determining which energy technologies to use to accommodate different end-use energy demands. We present a two-stage multi-objective strategic technology-policy framework for determining the optimal energy technology allocation for DER. The framework simultaneously considers economic, technical, and environmental objectives. The first stage utilizes a Data Envelopment Analysis model for each end-use to evaluate the performance of each energy technology based on the three objectives. The second stage incorporates factor efficiencies determined in the first stage, capacity limitations, dispatchability, and renewable penetration for each technology, and demand for each end-use into a bottleneck multi-criteria decision model which provides the Pareto-optimal energy resource allocation. We conduct several case studies to understand the roles of various distributed energy technologies in different scenarios. We construct some policy implications based on the model results of set of case studies.

Energy and other resource conservation within urbanizing areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rowe, Peter G.

1982-05-01

The reported research seeks to answer several questions regarding energy conservation within urbanizing areas. As a practical matter, to what extent can dependence upon exhaustible resources be reduced? Can these reductions be achieved without severely impairing social well-being and environmental quality? And, what seem to be the prevailing institutional constraints limiting energy conservation within urbanizing areas? The study area was the proposed “downtown” of The Woodlands, a new town north of Houston, Texas. Two plans were developed for this area. In one, no particular attempt was made to conserve energy (conventional plan), while in the other, energy conservation was a primary consideration (conservation plan). For both plans, estimates were made of energy consumption within buildings, in the transportation sector, and in the actual production of building materials themselves (embodied energy). In addition, economic and environmental analyses were performed, including investigation of other resource issues such as water supply, solid waste disposal, stormwater management, and atmospheric emissions. Alternative on-site power systems were also investigated. Within the bounds of economic feasibility and development practicality, it was found that application of energy-conserving methods could yield annual energy savings of as much as 23%, and reduce dependence on prime fuels by 30%. Adverse economic effects on consumers were found to be minimal and environmental quality could be sustained. The major institutional constraints appeared to be those associated with traditional property ownership and with the use of common property resources. The resistance to change of everyday practices in land development and building industries also seemed to constrain potential applications.

Energy Education Resources: Kindergarten through 12th Grade.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Energy Information Administration (DOE), Washington, DC.

This resource guide provides students, educators, and other information users with a list of generally available free or low-cost energy-related educational materials. The 163 organizations listed are each related to the subject fields of coal, electricity, energy efficiency/energy conservation, the environment, geosciences/earth sciences, natural…

Energy resources of the developing countries and some priority markets for the use of solar energy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Siddiqi, T. A.; Hein, G. F.

1977-01-01

Energy consumption for the developed and non-developed world is expressed as a function of GNP. An almost straight-line graph results when energy consumption statistics are treated in this manner. The richest countries consume the most energy, and the poorest countries the least. It therefore follows that greater energy production in the developing countries (leading to greater energy consumption) will contribute to their economic growth. Energy resources in the developing countries are compared, including: solid fossil fuels, crude oil, natural gas, oil shale, and uranium. Mention is also made of the potential of renewable energy resources, such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric power, in the underdeveloped world; and it is these resources which offer the greatest possibilities for economic improvement if the money is forthcoming, i.e., from the world bank, to fund the necessary technology.

Mental health services costs within the Alberta criminal justice system.

PubMed

Jacobs, Philip; Moffatt, Jessica; Dewa, Carolyn S; Nguyen, Thanh; Zhang, Ting; Lesage, Alain

2016-01-01

Mental illness has been widely cited as a driver of costs in the criminal justice system. The objective of this paper is to estimate the additional mental health service costs incurred within the criminal justice system that are incurred because of people with mental illnesses who go through the system. Our focus is on costs in Alberta. We set up a model of the flow of all persons through the criminal justice system, including police, court, and corrections components, and for mental health diversion, review, and forensic services. We estimate the transitional probabilities and costs that accrue as persons who have been charged move through the system. Costs are estimated for the Alberta criminal justice system as a whole, and for the mental illness component. Public expenditures for each person diverted or charged in Alberta in the criminal justice system, including mental health costs, were $16,138. The 95% range of this estimate was from $14,530 to $19,580. Of these costs, 87% were for criminal justice services and 13% were for mental illness-related services. Hospitalization for people with mental illness who were reviewed represented the greatest additional cost associated with mental illnesses. Treatment costs stemming from mental illnesses directly add about 13% onto those in the criminal justice system. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multi-objective optimal dispatch of distributed energy resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Longe, Ayomide

This thesis is composed of two papers which investigate the optimal dispatch for distributed energy resources. In the first paper, an economic dispatch problem for a community microgrid is studied. In this microgrid, each agent pursues an economic dispatch for its personal resources. In addition, each agent is capable of trading electricity with other agents through a local energy market. In this paper, a simple market structure is introduced as a framework for energy trades in a small community microgrid such as the Solar Village. It was found that both sellers and buyers benefited by participating in this market. In the second paper, Semidefinite Programming (SDP) for convex relaxation of power flow equations is used for optimal active and reactive dispatch for Distributed Energy Resources (DER). Various objective functions including voltage regulation, reduced transmission line power losses, and minimized reactive power charges for a microgrid are introduced. Combinations of these goals are attained by solving a multiobjective optimization for the proposed ORPD problem. Also, both centralized and distributed versions of this optimal dispatch are investigated. It was found that SDP made the optimal dispatch faster and distributed solution allowed for scalability.

Supporting Safe, Secure and Caring Schools in Alberta.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMullen, Dean

Alberta Learning expects all schools to have a safe and caring teaching and learning environment to ensure students have the opportunity to meet the standards of education set by the Minister of Learning. The primary objectives of this manual are to facilitate action that is legally, professionally, and educationally sound; identify and support…

A Survey of Mental Health Services at Post-Secondary Institutions in Alberta

PubMed Central

Heck, Emma; Jaworska, Natalia; DeSomma, Elisea; Dhoopar, Arjun Sunny; MacMaster, Frank P; Dewey, Deborah; MacQueen, Glenda

2014-01-01

Objectives: The relatively high prevalence of mental health problems among students at post-secondary institutions in Canada is well documented; in contrast, less is known about the adequacy of mental health services available to Canadian post-secondary students on campuses. Our study sought to examine the current state of campus mental health initiatives and services in Alberta as well as the extent to which resources identified in mental health literature as being key in mental health problem prevention and promotion appear to be available. Methods: A 60-question, online survey was sent to staff (primarily front-line workers; n = 45) at Alberta’s 26 publicly funded post-secondary institutions. Responses were organized according to small (less than 2000 students), medium (2000 to 10 000 students), and large (10 000 or more students) institutions. Results: All of Alberta’s post-secondary institutions were represented in the responses. Mental health initiatives and services are available, to varying extent, at all of Alberta’s post-secondary institutions. However, many institutions do not have initiatives and (or) services aimed at identifying students with mental health problems or policies for monitoring their mental health services. Additionally, smaller institutions are less likely to offer certain services (for example, gatekeeper training and campus medical services), compared with larger ones. Finally, a systematic review or an evaluation of services appears to be infrequently conducted. Conclusions: These findings highlight the need for post-secondary institutions in Alberta, and by extension in Canada, to develop and institute a comprehensive strategy to evaluate and optimize the delivery of mental health initiatives and services. PMID:25007278

Summary of the mineral- and energy-resource endowment, BLM roswell resource area, east-central New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bartsch-Winkler, S.; Sutphin, D.M.; Ball, M.M.; Korzeb, S.L.; Kness, R.F.; Dutchover, J.T.

1993-01-01

In this summary of two comprehensive resource reports produced by the U.S. Bureau of Mines and the U.S. Geological Survey for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, we discuss the mineral- and energyresource endowment of the 14-millon-acre Roswell Resource Area, New Mexico, managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The Bureau and Survey reports result from separate studies that are compilations of published and unpublished data and integrate new findings on the geology, geochemistry, geophysics, mineral, industrial, and energy commodities, and resources for the seven-county area. The reports have been used by the Bureau of Land Management in preparation of the Roswell Resource Area Resource Management Plan, and will have future use in nationwide mineral- and energy-resource inventories and assessments, as reference and training documents, and as public-information tools. In the Roswell Resource Area, many metals, industrial mineral commodities, and energy resources are being, or have been, produced or prospected. These include metals and high-technology materials, such as copper, gold, silver, thorium, uranium and/or vanadium, rare-earth element minerals, iron, manganese, tungsten, lead, zinc, and molybdenum; industrial mineral resources, including barite, limestone/dolomite, caliche, clay, fluorspar, gypsum, scoria, aggregate, and sand and gravel; and fuels and associated resources, such as oil, gas, tar sand and heavy oil, coal, and gases associated with hydrocarbons. Other commodities that have yet to be identified in economic concentrations include potash, halite, polyhalite, anhydrite, sulfur, feldspar, building stone and decorative rock, brines, various gases associated with oil and gas exploration, and carbon dioxide. ?? 1993 Oxford University Press.

The Energy Education Bibliography. An Annotated Bibliography of Key Resources for Energy and Conservation Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scherner, Sharon; And Others

The annotated bibliography lists approximately 180 energy and conservation education resources. The bibliography is intended to aid K-12 classroom teachers and curriculum developers identify key resources as they develop and implement energy education programs. Sample topics in the works listed deal with the story of natural gas, living with…

Qualitative Assessment of Key Messages about Nutrition and Weight Gain in Pregnancy in Printed Educational Materials in Alberta.

PubMed

Forbes, Laura; Baarda, Janis; Mayan, Maria; Bell, Rhonda C

2017-12-01

Printed educational materials are a common source of health information, although their effectiveness in improving women's knowledge or self-care in pregnancy has been questioned. This study describes the information in printed educational materials that address healthy eating during pregnancy and gestational weight gain (GWG) that are currently used in Alberta, Canada. Content of 6 resources was analyzed using a constant comparison qualitative approach. Resources emphasized healthy eating, prenatal supplements, folate supplementation, and healthy weight gain. More resources discussed the importance of "eating enough" than provided guidance on avoiding excessive GWG. Themes identified were: "everything is important" meaning that all healthy behaviours are important, making prioritization difficult; "more is more" emphasized eating more over moderation; "everyone is individual" suggests women seek individualized care through the care provider; and "contradictions" describes differences in content and recommendations within and between resources. New or revised versions of resources should provide congruent information with up-to-date recommendations that are easily prioritized. Care providers should be aware of contradictory information or information that does not align with current recommendations within printed educational materials and be ready to help women address the areas important for her personal behaviour change.

Science 26: Teacher Resource Manual. Integrated Occupational Program. Interim 1991.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton. Curriculum Branch.

The Integrated Occupation Science 26 Program is an optional program designed to allow students in Alberta, Canada to meet the credit requirements of the Certificate of Achievement and facilitate transfer to the General High School Diploma Program. This Teacher Resource Manual is provided to assist classroom teachers to implement the Science 26…

Potential for natural evaporation as a reliable renewable energy resource

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cavusoglu, Ahmet-Hamdi; Chen, Xi; Gentine, Pierre

About 50% of the solar energy absorbed at the Earth’s surface drives evaporation, fueling the water cycle that affects various renewable energy resources, such as wind and hydropower. Recent advances demonstrate our nascent ability to convert evaporation energy into work, yet there is little understanding about the potential of this resource. Here in this paper we study the energy available from natural evaporation to predict the potential of this ubiquitous resource. We find that natural evaporation from open water surfaces could provide power densities comparable to current wind and solar technologies while cutting evaporative water losses by nearly half. Wemore » estimate up to 325 GW of power is potentially available in the United States. Strikingly, water’s large heat capacity is sufficient to control power output by storing excess energy when demand is low, thus reducing intermittency and improving reliability. Our findings motivate the improvement of materials and devices that convert energy from evaporation.« less

Potential for natural evaporation as a reliable renewable energy resource

DOE PAGES

Cavusoglu, Ahmet-Hamdi; Chen, Xi; Gentine, Pierre; ...

2017-09-26

About 50% of the solar energy absorbed at the Earth’s surface drives evaporation, fueling the water cycle that affects various renewable energy resources, such as wind and hydropower. Recent advances demonstrate our nascent ability to convert evaporation energy into work, yet there is little understanding about the potential of this resource. Here in this paper we study the energy available from natural evaporation to predict the potential of this ubiquitous resource. We find that natural evaporation from open water surfaces could provide power densities comparable to current wind and solar technologies while cutting evaporative water losses by nearly half. Wemore » estimate up to 325 GW of power is potentially available in the United States. Strikingly, water’s large heat capacity is sufficient to control power output by storing excess energy when demand is low, thus reducing intermittency and improving reliability. Our findings motivate the improvement of materials and devices that convert energy from evaporation.« less

Alberta Learning: Early Development Instrument Pilot Project Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meaney, Wanda; Harris-Lorenze, Elayne

The Early Development Instrument (EDI) was designed by McMaster University to measure the outcomes of childrens early years as they influence their readiness to learn at school. The EDI was piloted in several Canadian cities in recent years through two national initiatives. Building on these initiatives, Alberta Learning piloted the EDI as a…

Impact of future energy policy on water resources in Kazakhstan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivotti, Pedro; Karatayev, Marat; Sobral Mourão, Zenaida; Shah, Nilay; Clarke, Michèle; Konadu, D. Dennis

2017-04-01

As part of its commitment to become one of the top-30 developed countries in the world, Kazakhstan set out an ambitious target of increasing the share of renewables and alternative sources of energy in its power generation mix to 50% by 2050. This vision greatly contrasts with the current situation, with coal and natural gas power plants producing around 90% of total electricity in 2016. While this transition provides a unique opportunity to improve the sustainability of the national energy system, major natural resources challenges currently faced in the country should be taken into account. Particularly in the case of water resources management, the current system is characterised by significant losses, heavy reliance on irrigation for the agricultural sector, unevenly distributed surface water, vulnerability to climate change and variations in transboundary inflows, amongst other issues. In this context, this study aims to investigate the future availability of water resources to support food production and the transition to a new energy system. Given the challenges mentioned above, tackling this question requires an integrated analysis of the water-energy-food systems in Kazakhstan. This is done in three stages: (1) characterising the water supply and demand in the country; (2) establishing the linkages between water resources and activities in the power production and agricultural sectors; and (3) identifying potential conflicts at the nexus between water, energy and food, taking into account future energy policy scenarios, trends for food production and water resource use.

Renewable Energy Resources in Lebanon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamdy, R.

2010-12-01

The energy sector in Lebanon plays an important role in the overall development of the country, especially that it suffers from many serious problems. The fact that Lebanon is among the few countries that are not endowed with fossil fuels in the Middle East made this sector cause one third of the national debt in Lebanon. Despite the large government investments in the power sector, demand still exceeds supply and Lebanon frequently goes through black out in peak demand times or has to resort to importing electricity from Syria. The Energy production sector has dramatic environmental and economical impacts in the form of emitted gasses and environment sabotage, accordingly, it is imperative that renewable energy (RE) be looked at as an alternative energy source. Officials at the Ministry of Energy and Water (MEW) and Lebanese Electricity (EDL) have repeatedly expressed their support to renewable energy utilization. So far, only very few renewable energy applications can be observed over the country. Major efforts are still needed to overcome this situation and promote the use of renewable energy. These efforts are the shared responsibility of the government, EDL, NGO's and educational and research centers. Additionally, some efforts are being made by some international organizations such as UNDP, ESCWA, EC and other donor agencies operating in Lebanon. This work reviews the status of Energy in Lebanon, the installed RE projects, and the potential projects. It also reviews the stakeholders in the field of RE in Lebanon Conclusion In considering the best R.E. alternative, it is important to consider all potential R.E. sources, their costs, market availability, suitability for the selected location, significance of the energy produced and return on investment. Several RE resources in Lebanon have been investigated; Tides and waves energy is limited and not suitable two tentative sites for geothermal energy are available but not used. Biomass resources badly affect the

Towards Integrating Distributed Energy Resources and Storage Devices in Smart Grid.

PubMed

Xu, Guobin; Yu, Wei; Griffith, David; Golmie, Nada; Moulema, Paul

2017-02-01

Internet of Things (IoT) provides a generic infrastructure for different applications to integrate information communication techniques with physical components to achieve automatic data collection, transmission, exchange, and computation. The smart grid, as one of typical applications supported by IoT, denoted as a re-engineering and a modernization of the traditional power grid, aims to provide reliable, secure, and efficient energy transmission and distribution to consumers. How to effectively integrate distributed (renewable) energy resources and storage devices to satisfy the energy service requirements of users, while minimizing the power generation and transmission cost, remains a highly pressing challenge in the smart grid. To address this challenge and assess the effectiveness of integrating distributed energy resources and storage devices, in this paper we develop a theoretical framework to model and analyze three types of power grid systems: the power grid with only bulk energy generators, the power grid with distributed energy resources, and the power grid with both distributed energy resources and storage devices. Based on the metrics of the power cumulative cost and the service reliability to users, we formally model and analyze the impact of integrating distributed energy resources and storage devices in the power grid. We also use the concept of network calculus, which has been traditionally used for carrying out traffic engineering in computer networks, to derive the bounds of both power supply and user demand to achieve a high service reliability to users. Through an extensive performance evaluation, our data shows that integrating distributed energy resources conjointly with energy storage devices can reduce generation costs, smooth the curve of bulk power generation over time, reduce bulk power generation and power distribution losses, and provide a sustainable service reliability to users in the power grid.

Towards Integrating Distributed Energy Resources and Storage Devices in Smart Grid

PubMed Central

Xu, Guobin; Yu, Wei; Griffith, David; Golmie, Nada; Moulema, Paul

2017-01-01

Internet of Things (IoT) provides a generic infrastructure for different applications to integrate information communication techniques with physical components to achieve automatic data collection, transmission, exchange, and computation. The smart grid, as one of typical applications supported by IoT, denoted as a re-engineering and a modernization of the traditional power grid, aims to provide reliable, secure, and efficient energy transmission and distribution to consumers. How to effectively integrate distributed (renewable) energy resources and storage devices to satisfy the energy service requirements of users, while minimizing the power generation and transmission cost, remains a highly pressing challenge in the smart grid. To address this challenge and assess the effectiveness of integrating distributed energy resources and storage devices, in this paper we develop a theoretical framework to model and analyze three types of power grid systems: the power grid with only bulk energy generators, the power grid with distributed energy resources, and the power grid with both distributed energy resources and storage devices. Based on the metrics of the power cumulative cost and the service reliability to users, we formally model and analyze the impact of integrating distributed energy resources and storage devices in the power grid. We also use the concept of network calculus, which has been traditionally used for carrying out traffic engineering in computer networks, to derive the bounds of both power supply and user demand to achieve a high service reliability to users. Through an extensive performance evaluation, our data shows that integrating distributed energy resources conjointly with energy storage devices can reduce generation costs, smooth the curve of bulk power generation over time, reduce bulk power generation and power distribution losses, and provide a sustainable service reliability to users in the power grid1. PMID:29354654

Alberta's provincial take-home naloxone program: A multi-sectoral and multi-jurisdictional response to overdose.

PubMed

Freeman, Lisa K; Bourque, Stacey; Etches, Nick; Goodison, Karin; O'Gorman, Claire; Rittenbach, Kay; Sikora, Christopher A; Yarema, Mark

2017-11-09

Alberta is a prairie province located in western Canada, with a population of approximately 4.3 million. In 2016, 363 Albertans died from apparent drug overdoses related to fentanyl, an opioid 50-100 times more toxic than morphine. This surpassed the number of deaths from motor vehicle collisions and homicides combined. Naloxone is a safe, effective, opioid antagonist that may quickly reverse an opioid overdose. In July 2015, a committee of community-based harm reduction programs in Alberta implemented a geographically restricted take-home naloxone (THN) program. The successes and limitations of this program demonstrated the need for an expanded, multi-sectoral, multi-jurisdictional response. The provincial health authority, Alberta Health Services (AHS), used previously established incident command system processes to coordinate implementation of a provincial THN program. Alberta's provincial THN program was implemented on December 23, 2015. This collaborative program resulted in a coordinated response across jurisdictional levels with wide geographical reach. Between December 2015 and December 2016, 953 locations, including many community pharmacies, registered to dispense THN kits, 9572 kits were distributed, and 472 reversals were reported. The provincial supply of THN kits more than tripled from 3000 to 10 000. Alberta was uniquely poised to deliver a large, province-wide, multi-sectoral and multi-jurisdictional THN program as part of a comprehensive response to increasing opioid-related morbidity and mortality. The speed at which AHS was able to roll out the program was made possible by work done previously and the willingness of multiple jurisdictions to work together to build on and expand the program.

Empirical Ground Motion Characterization of Induced Seismicity in Alberta and Oklahoma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novakovic, M.; Atkinson, G. M.; Assatourians, K.

2017-12-01

We develop empirical ground-motion prediction equations (GMPEs) for ground motions from induced earthquakes in Alberta and Oklahoma following the stochastic-model-based method of Atkinson et al. (2015 BSSA). The Oklahoma ground-motion database is compiled from over 13,000 small to moderate seismic events (M 1 to 5.8) recorded at 1600 seismic stations, at distances from 1 to 750 km. The Alberta database is compiled from over 200 small to moderate seismic events (M 1 to 4.2) recorded at 50 regional stations, at distances from 30 to 500 km. A generalized inversion is used to solve for regional source, attenuation and site parameters. The obtained parameters describe the regional attenuation, stress parameter and site amplification. Resolving these parameters allows for the derivation of regionally-calibrated GMPEs that can be used to compare ground motion observations between waste water injection (Oklahoma) and hydraulic fracture induced events (Alberta), and further compare induced observations with ground motions resulting from natural sources (California, NGAWest2). The derived GMPEs have applications for the evaluation of hazards from induced seismicity and can be used to track amplitudes across the regions in real time, which is useful for ground-motion-based alerting systems and traffic light protocols.

Wet Waste-to-Energy Resources in the United States

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Milbrandt, Anelia R; Heimiller, Donna M; Seiple, Timothy

Waste-to-energy (WTE) technologies present an opportunity to recycle organic waste material into renewable energy while offsetting disposal and environmental costs. A key challenge to ensuring economic and environmental viability of WTE is understanding the variability of individual WTE resource characteristics, including their location, amount, and quality. The main objective of this study is to estimate the wet WTE resource potential in the United States and illustrate its geographic distribution. The wet resources considered in this study are wastewater sludge, animal manure, food waste, and FOG (fats, oils, and greases). This study is the first to achieve results below national level,more » at the finest geographic resolution. Our analysis indicates that about 566 teragrams (Tg) of wet WTE resources are generated annually in the United States. This amount corresponds to about 1 exajoule (EJ), which is sufficient to displace about 18% of the 2015 U.S. on-highway diesel consumption on an energy basis. About half of this potential is generated by animal manure.« less

Energy Crisis: Libya's and Nigeria's Role. Resource Packet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

African-American Inst., New York, NY. School Services Div.

This resource packet contains practical suggestions and resource materials to help secondary teachers teach about Libya's and Nigeria's roles in the energy crisis. Students become acquainted with the governments and cultures of the two countries, examine their social problems, and learn how the Libyan and Nigerian governments are using money from…

Quetiapine use in adults in the community: a population-based study in Alberta, Canada.

PubMed

Duncan, Diane; Cooke, Lara; Symonds, Chris; Gardner, David; Pringsheim, Tamara

2016-03-21

The objective of this study was to evaluate trends in prescribing of the second-generation antipsychotic medication quetiapine to adults in the province of Alberta from 2008 to 2013 through examination of dispensed prescriptions, and diagnoses associated with users of quetiapine in 2013. We analysed administrative data from Alberta Health; the Alberta Pharmaceutical Information Network (PIN) Dispenses health data set, the Practitioner Payments (Fee-For-Service claims) health data set and the Population Registry health data set. These data sets allowed us to identify discrete quetiapine recipients for each calendar year from 2008 to 2013. To evaluate diagnoses associated with users of quetiapine, we evaluated diagnostic codes used by physicians in billings claims in 2013. Quetiapine use increased over the 6-year time period studied. In 2008, there were 16,087 unique quetiapine recipients in Alberta (7.2 per 1000). By 2013, there were 35,314 unique quetiapine recipients (13.3 per 1000). Use by women was higher than men at all time points. Depression was most common diagnosis associated with quetiapine recipients, which was present in 56% of users of quetiapine. Other common diagnoses associated with quetiapine use included neurotic disorders, bipolar disorder and sleep disturbances. The current study of quetiapine use in the province of Alberta provides confirmatory data of the increasing use of quetiapine for the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders. Safe and rational prescribing practices must be encouraged in light of the modest advantages of quetiapine over no treatment as an adjunctive treatment of major depression, and the known harms of this medication. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Sweet Grass Elementary School: A Study in Energy Conservation. Energy Conservation: School Design.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edmonton Public Schools (Alberta).

The results of building a new school in Edmonton (Alberta) in accordance with energy efficient principles are described in this report, the third and last in a series describing three projects utilizing different approaches to energy conservation. The Sweet Grass Elementary School project consisted in designing, building, and monitoring an energy…

The need for economic evaluation of telemedicine to evolve: the experience in Alberta, Canada.

PubMed

Hailey, David; Jennett, Penny

2004-01-01

Economic evaluation of telemedicine applications is required to provide decision makers in health care with appropriate information on costs and benefits of this information and communications technology. The level of economic evaluation should evolve as telemedicine applications mature. At the basic level, economic evaluation may include basic cost analysis and primarily observational data on nonmonetary benefits. The focus will change as telemedicine programs develop. At this intermediate level, practice patterns and workforce issues are addressed as they affect utilization and costs of telemedicine services. Longer-term economic evaluation, thus far not achieved in telemedicine assessment, should focus on assessment of health outcomes and economic impact. Alberta, Canada has made progress assessing telemedicine applications in psychiatry, radiology, rheumatology, and rehabilitation. Data availability and analytic resources continue to present challenges to economic assessment of telemedicine.

The Alberta Case: The Challenge to the School Amendment Act, 1994 and Provincial Achievement of Fiscal Equity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jefferson, Anne L.

1996-01-01

Addresses litigation launched by a wealthy school district against the Alberta (Canada) Ministry of Education, regarding legislation to increase fiscal equity among school systems. Reviews the concept of fiscal equality, financial plans to achieve this goal, and the Alberta funding structure. Describes proposed changes to the School Act. The…

Reported antibiotic use in 90 swine farms in Alberta

PubMed Central

Reid-Smith, Richard; Deckert, Anne E.; Dewey, Catherine E.; McEwen, Scott A.

2006-01-01

Abstract Antibiotic use was described using a convenience sample of 90 Alberta swine farms representing approximately 25% of the Alberta market swine production. Data on the use of antibiotics were collected through an on-farm interview questionnaire. The vast majority of antibiotics were used in feed. The chlortetracycline/sulfamethazine/penicillin combination and tylosin were the most frequently used in-feed antibiotics in weaners and growers/finishers, respectively. The use of antibiotics through water was reported mostly occasionally in all categories. The use of injectable antibiotics was reported mostly in sick pigs. Penicillin was the most common in-water and injectable antibiotic in all categories. The apparent low frequency of critically important antimicrobials for use in humans (quinolones and 3rd generation cephalosporins) is an encouraging finding from a public health perspective. The widespread and frequently reported use of penicillin and tetracycline are of public health concern considering that both antimicrobials are also used for therapeutic purposes in human medicine. PMID:16734370

Bibliography of The World Energy Resources Program

USGS Publications Warehouse

Masters, Charles D.

1994-01-01

The following publications were prepared in the course of World Energy Studies by program scientists. Most are open-file reports because we consider it our prime responsibility to get the program supporting data into the public record. Various of the authors have also seen fit to publish their work in refereed scientific journals and those publication outlets are also listed.The summation of the program work is reported in the proceedings volumes of the World Petroleum Congresses-see Global section of the bibliography. In those reports, petroleum resource data were aggregated by major petroleum resource countries. It is our intention to ultimately report resource data by petroleum basin in order to provide a closer tie of resource understanding and petroleum geology.

Cesarean sections in Alberta from April 1979 to March 1988.

PubMed Central

Saunders, L D; Flowerdew, G

1991-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To determine (a) trends in the cesarean section rate in Alberta from April 1979 to March 1988, (b) the contribution of different primary indications to the overall increase in the cesarean section rate and (c) trends in the cesarean section rate by residence of the mother. DESIGN: Retrospective study. PARTICIPANTS: Women who gave birth in acute care hospitals in Alberta during the study period. Indications for cesarean section were defined by a hierarchic classification system. Geographic regions were identified according to the mother's residence. MAIN RESULTS: The crude cesarean section rate increased from 13.2 to 17.3 per 100 deliveries between 1979-80 and 1987-88. Previous cesarean section accounted for 54% of the increase, breech presentation for 17%, fetal distress for 17% and dystocia for 10%. The contribution of previous cesarean section was due to the substantial increase in the number of women presenting with a previous cesarean section. The cesarean section rate among women who had previously had the procedure decreased from 96.7% in 1979-80 to 84.6% in 1987-88. The crude cesarean section rates by region varied from 10.3 to 22.3 per 100 deliveries. CONCLUSIONS: Further efforts to reduce the rate of cesarean section among women who have previously undergone the procedure are needed to control the rate of cesarean section in Alberta. Decreasing the rate of primary cesarean section is also an important goal. PMID:2025819

Physical Education Resource Guide: Kindergarten to Grade 12. ABCD's of Physical Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glassford, Jeanine; Jordan, Dave

This guide identifies resources that can support program planning for implementation of the Physical Education Program of Studies, Kindergarten to Grade 12, Alberta, Canada. The program is indented to enable individuals to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to lead an active, healthy lifestyle. The program emphasizes active…

Iceland's Central Highlands: Nature conservation, ecotourism, and energy resource utilization

Treesearch

Bjorn Gunnarsson; Maria-Victoria Gunnarsson

2002-01-01

Iceland’s natural resources include an abundance of geothermal energy and hydropower, of which only 10 to 15 percent is currently being utilized. These are clean, renewable sources of energy. The cost to convert these resources to electricity is relatively low, making them attractive and highly marketable for industrial development, particularly for heavy industry....

School Identity in the Context of Alberta Charter Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Merlin; Gereluk, Dianne; Kowch, Eugene

2016-01-01

The central tenet of this investigation is that educational institutions possess their own school identity. Acknowledging that school identity is influenced by institutional mechanisms and personal dynamics, we examine school identity in the context of 13 Alberta charter schools. Narratives of 73 educational stakeholders across the network of…

Literacy Proposal for the Community of Nose Creek, Alberta.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larsen, Pat

This paper overviews a proposal for implementing an adult literacy program in a small tribal community in northern Alberta (Canada). The program would enhance participants' ability to manage change affecting the community's economic, social, and educational circumstances. Recent data indicate that 24 percent of Native Americans in northern Alberta…

Tourism and recreation system planning in Alberta provincial parks

Treesearch

Paul F.J. Eagles; Angela M. Gilmore; Luis X. Huang; Denise A. Keltie; Kimberley Rae; Hong Sun; Amy K. Thede; Meagan L. Wilson; Jennifer A. Woronuk; Ge Yujin

2007-01-01

Traditionally, system planning in parks and protected areas concentrated on biogeographical concepts, while neglecting tourism and recreation. The existing system plan for parks and protected areas in Alberta, Canada, divides the province into six natural regions based on a geographic classifi cation system (Grassland, Parkland, Foothills, Rocky Mountains, Boreal...

Assessment of Global Wind Energy Resource Utilization Potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, M.; He, B.; Guan, Y.; Zhang, H.; Song, S.

2017-09-01

Development of wind energy resource (WER) is a key to deal with climate change and energy structure adjustment. A crucial issue is to obtain the distribution and variability of WER, and mine the suitable location to exploit it. In this paper, a multicriteria evaluation (MCE) model is constructed by integrating resource richness and stability, utilization value and trend of resource, natural environment with weights. The global resource richness is assessed through wind power density (WPD) and multi-level wind speed. The utilizable value of resource is assessed by the frequency of effective wind. The resource stability is assessed by the coefficient of variation of WPD and the frequency of prevailing wind direction. Regression slope of long time series WPD is used to assess the trend of WER. All of the resource evaluation indicators are derived from the atmospheric reanalysis data ERA-Interim with spatial resolution 0.125°. The natural environment factors mainly refer to slope and land-use suitability, which are derived from multi-resolution terrain elevation data 2010 (GMTED 2010) and GlobalCover2009. Besides, the global WER utilization potential map is produced, which shows most high potential regions are located in north of Africa. Additionally, by verifying that 22.22 % and 48.8 9% operational wind farms fall on medium-high and high potential regions respectively, the result can provide a basis for the macroscopic siting of wind farm.

Marine Renewable Energy: Resource Characterization and Physical Effects

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, Zhaoqing; Copping, Andrea E.

This complete reference to marine renewable energy covers aspects of resource characterization and physical effects of harvesting the ocean’s vast and powerful resources—from wave and tidal stream to ocean current energy. Experts in each of these areas contribute their insights to provide a cohesive overview of the marine renewable energy spectrum based on theoretical, numerical modeling, and field-measurement approaches.

Potential methane production and oxidation in soil reclamation covers of an oil sands mining site in Alberta, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pum, Lisa; Reichenauer, Thomas; Germida, Jim

2015-04-01

Anthropogenic activities create a number of significant greenhouse gases and thus potentially contribute to global warming. Methane production is significant in some agricultural production systems and from wetlands. In soil, methane can be oxidised by methanotrophic bacteria. However, little is known about methane production and oxidation in oil sand reclamation covers. The purpose of this study was to investigate methane production and oxidation potential of tailing sands and six different reclamation layers of oil sands mining sites in Alberta, Canada. Methane production and oxidation potential were investigated in laboratory scale microcosms through continuous headspace analysis using gas chromatography. Samples from a reclamation layer were collected at the Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL) reclamation site at depths of 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm and 20-40 cm in October 2014. In addition, tailing sands provided by Suncor Energy Inc. and soil from a CNRL wetland were studied for methane production. Samples were dried, crushed and sieved to 4 mm, packed into serum bottle microcosms and monitored for eight weeks. Methane production potential was assessed by providing an anoxic environment and by adjusting the samples to a moisture holding capacity of 100 %. Methane oxidation potential was examined by an initial application of 2 vol % methane to the microcosms and by adjusting the samples to a moisture holding capacity of 50 %. Microcosm headspace gas was analysed for methane, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and oxygen. All experiments were carried out in triplicates, including controls. SF6 and Helium were used as internal standards to detect potential leaks. Our results show differences for methane production potential between the soil depths, tailing sands and wetlands. Moreover, there were differences in the methane oxidation potential of substrate from the three depths investigated and between the reclamation layers. In conclusion, the present study shows that

The Effect of Waves on the Tidal-Stream Energy Resource

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewis, M. J.; Neill, S. P.; Robins, P. E.; Hashemi, M. R.

2016-02-01

The tidal-stream energy resource is typically estimated using depth-averaged "tide-only" hydrodynamic models and do not consider the influence of waves. We find that waves will reduce the available resource, and the wave climate needs to be considered when designing a resilient and efficient tidal-stream energy device. Using well-validated oceanographic models of the Irish Sea and Northwest European shelf, we show tidal-stream energy sites with quiescent wave climates are extremely limited, with limited sea-space and limited scope for future development. To fully realise the potential of tidal-stream energy and to ensure globally deployable devices, the influence of waves on the resource and turbines must be considered. The effect of waves upon the tidal current was investigated using observations (ADCP and wave buoy time-series), and a state-of-the-art, 3-dimensional, dynamically coupled wave-tide model (COAWST). The presence of waves reduced the depth-averaged tidal current, which reduced the potential extractable power by 10% per metre wave height increase. To ensure resilience and survivability, tidal-stream energy device may cease to produce electricity during extremes (often called downtime), however the wave conditions threshold for device shut-down is unknown, and requires future work. The presence of waves will also effect turbine performance and design criteria; for example, the presence of waves was found to alter the shape of the velocity profile, and wave-current misalignment (waves propagating at an angle oblique to the plane of tidal flow) was found to occur for a significant amount of time at many potential tidal-stream energy sites. Therefore, waves reduced the available resource, furthermore the influence of waves on the interaction between tidal energy devices and the tidal-stream resource needs to be characterised in physically-scaled tank experiments and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical models.

Reserve growth in oil pools of Alberta: Model and forecast

USGS Publications Warehouse

Verma, M.; Cook, T.

2010-01-01

Reserve growth is recognized as a major component of additions to reserves in most oil provinces around the world, particularly in mature provinces. It takes place as a result of the discovery of new pools/reservoirs and extensions of known pools within existing fields, improved knowledge of reservoirs over time leading to a change in estimates of original oil-in-place, and improvement in recovery factor through the application of new technology, such as enhanced oil recovery methods, horizontal/multilateral drilling, and 4D seismic. A reserve growth study was conducted on oil pools in Alberta, Canada, with the following objectives: 1) evaluate historical oil reserve data in order to assess the potential for future reserve growth; 2) develop reserve growth models/ functions to help forecast hydrocarbon volumes; 3) study reserve growth sensitivity to various parameters (for example, pool size, porosity, and oil gravity); and 4) compare reserve growth in oil pools and fields in Alberta with those from other large petroleum provinces around the world. The reported known recoverable oil exclusive of Athabasca oil sands in Alberta increased from 4.5 billion barrels of oil (BBO) in 1960 to 17 BBO in 2005. Some of the pools that were included in the existing database were excluded from the present study for lack of adequate data. Therefore, the known recoverable oil increased from 4.2 to 13.9 BBO over the period from 1960 through 2005, with new discoveries contributing 3.7 BBO and reserve growth adding 6 BBO. This reserve growth took place mostly in pools with more than 125,000 barrels of known recoverable oil. Pools with light oil accounted for most of the total known oil volume, therefore reflecting the overall pool growth. Smaller pools, in contrast, shrank in their total recoverable volumes over the years. Pools with heavy oil (gravity less than 20o API) make up only a small share (3.8 percent) of the total recoverable oil; they showed a 23-fold growth compared to

The Saskatchewan-Alberta large acceptance detector for photonuclear physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cairns, E. B.; Cameron, J.; Choi, W. C.; Fielding, H. W.; Green, P. W.; Greeniaus, L. G.; Hackett, E. D.; Holm, L.; Kolb, N. R.; Korkmaz, E.; Langill, P. P.; McDonald, W. J.; Mack, D.; Olsen, W. C.; Peterson, B. A.; Rodning, N. L.; Soukup, J.; Zhu, J.; Hutcheon, D.; Caplan, H. S.; Pywell, R. E.; Skopik, D. M.; Vogt, J. M.; van Heerden, I. J.

1992-09-01

The Saskatchewan-Alberta Large Acceptance Detector (SALAD) is a 4 π detector designed and built for studies of photonuclear reactions with a tagged photon beam. The design and performance of the detector are described. Its characteristics have been studied by examining p-p elastic scattering with a proton beam at TRIUMF.

Economic analysis of threatened species conservation: The case of woodland caribou and oilsands development in Alberta, Canada.

PubMed

Hauer, Grant; Vic Adamowicz, W L; Boutin, Stan

2018-07-15

Tradeoffs between cost and recovery targets for boreal caribou herds, threatened species in Alberta, Canada, are examined using a dynamic cost minimization model. Unlike most approaches used for minimizing costs of achieving threatened species targets, we incorporate opportunity costs of surface (forests) and subsurface resources (energy) as well as direct costs of conservation (habitat restoration and direct predator control), into a forward looking model of species protection. Opportunity costs of conservation over time are minimized with an explicit target date for meeting species recovery targets; defined as the number of self-sustaining caribou herds, which requires that both habitat and population targets are met by a set date. The model was run under various scenarios including three species recovery criteria, two oil and gas price regimes, and targets for the number of herds to recover from 1 to 12. The derived cost curve follows a typical pattern as costs of recovery per herd increase as the number of herds targeted for recovery increases. The results also show that the opportunity costs for direct predator control are small compared to habitat restoration and protection costs. However, direct predator control is essential for meeting caribou population targets and reducing the risk of extirpation while habitat is recovered over time. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parenthood and Productivity: A Study of Demands, Resources and Family-Friendly Firms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallace, Jean E.; Young, Marisa C.

2008-01-01

We examine how the presence of children is related to women's and men's productivity. We hypothesize family demands, family resources, and family-friendly workplaces are also related to productivity. Productivity for 670 Alberta law firm lawyers is analyzed using a standardized measure of productivity referred to as billable hours. The results…

Effective management of combined renewable energy resources in Tajikistan.

PubMed

Karimov, Khasan S; Akhmedov, Khakim M; Abid, Muhammad; Petrov, Georgiy N

2013-09-01

Water is needed mostly in summer time for irrigation and in winter time for generation of electric power. This results in conflicts between downstream countries that utilize water mostly for irrigation and those upstream countries, which use water for generation of electric power. At present Uzbekistan is blocking railway connection that is going to Tajikistan to interfere to transportation of the equipment and materials for construction of Rogun hydropower plant. In order to avoid conflicts between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan a number of measures for the utilization of water resources of the trans-boundary Rivers Amu-Darya and Sir-Darya are discussed. In addition, utilization of water with the supplement of wind and solar energy projects for proper and efficient management of water resources in Central Asia; export-import exchanges of electric energy in summer and winter time between neighboring countries; development of small hydropower project, modern irrigation system in main water consuming countries and large water reservoir hydropower projects for control of water resources for hydropower and irrigation are also discussed. It is also concluded that an effective management of water resources can be achieved by signing Water treaty between upstream and downstream countries, first of all between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. In this paper management of water as renewable energy resource in Tajikistan and Central Asian Republics are presented. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Health disparities in chickenpox or shingles in Alberta?

PubMed

Russell, M L; Schopflocher, D P; Svenson, L W

2008-01-01

Exploring for evidence of socio-economic health disparities in chickenpox and shingles in Alberta, Canada. Chickenpox and shingles cases were identified from administrative data from Alberta's universal health care insurance system for 1994-2002. Incident cases were those with the earliest dated utilization of a health service (chickenpox: ICD9-CM 052/ICD10-CA B01; shingles: ICD9-CM 053/ ICD10-CA B02). Crude and age-specific rates were estimated for each year by an indicator of socio-demographic status based upon the nature of the payer and eligibility for health care premium subsidy (SES-proxy) for the provincial health care insurance system. Among young children there is a gradient of disparity in chickenpox rates prior to the year in which publicly funded vaccination programs were implemented. After this point, disparities decline but less so for First Nations children than for others. There was no evidence of disparity by SES-proxy for shingles. Publicly funded vaccination programs may effectively contribute to reduction in disease disparities for vaccine-preventable diseases. Further study is required to ascertain why disparities continue for First Nations children.

U.S. Geological Survey Energy and Minerals science strategy: a resource lifecycle approach

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ferrero, Richard C.; Kolak, Jonathan J.; Bills, Donald J.; Bowen, Zachary H.; Cordier, Daniel J.; Gallegos, Tanya J.; Hein, James R.; Kelley, Karen D.; Nelson, Philip H.; Nuccio, Vito F.; Schmidt, Jeanine M.; Seal, Robert R.

2013-01-01

The economy, national security, and standard of living of the United States depend heavily on adequate and reliable supplies of energy and mineral resources. Based on population and consumption trends, the Nation’s use of energy and minerals can be expected to grow, driving the demand for ever broader scientific understanding of resource formation, location, and availability. In addition, the increasing importance of environmental stewardship, human health, and sustainable growth places further emphasis on energy and mineral resources research and understanding. Collectively, these trends in resource demand and the interconnectedness among resources will lead to new challenges and, in turn, require cutting- edge science for the next generation of societal decisions. The long and continuing history of U.S. Geological Survey contributions to energy and mineral resources science provide a solid foundation of core capabilities upon which new research directions can grow. This science strategy provides a framework for the coming decade that capitalizes on the growth of core capabilities and leverages their application toward new or emerging challenges in energy and mineral resources research, as reflected in five interrelated goals.

Interactive energy atlas for Colorado and New Mexico: an online resource for decisionmakers

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carr, Natasha B.; Ignizio, Drew A.; Diffendorfer, James E.; Latysh, Natalie; Matherne, Ann Marie; Linard, Joshua I.; Leib, Kenneth J.; Hawkins, Sarah J.

2013-01-01

Throughout the western United States, increased demand for energy is driving the rapid development of nonrenewable and renewable energy resources. Resource managers must balance the benefits of energy development with the potential consequences for ecological resources and ecosystem services. To facilitate access to geospatial data related to energy resources, energy infrastructure, and natural resources that may be affected by energy development, the U.S. Geological Survey has developed an online Interactive Energy Atlas (Energy Atlas) for Colorado and New Mexico. The Energy Atlas is designed to meet the needs of varied users who seek information about energy in the western United States. The Energy Atlas has two primary capabilities: a geographic information system (GIS) data viewer and an interactive map gallery. The GIS data viewer allows users to preview and download GIS data related to energy potential and development in Colorado and New Mexico. The interactive map gallery contains a collection of maps that compile and summarize thematically related data layers in a user-friendly format. The maps are dynamic, allowing users to explore data at different resolutions and obtain information about the features being displayed. The Energy Atlas also includes an interactive decision-support tool, which allows users to explore the potential consequences of energy development for species that vary in their sensitivity to disturbance.

A Review of School Board Cyberbullying Policies in Alberta

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nosworthy, Nicole; Rinaldi, Christina

2012-01-01

An online search for school board cyberbullying/bullying policies in Alberta was conducted. The results showed that while only five school boards had a bullying policy, many schools had technology or Internet use guidelines. The online search included an assessment of one extensive school board cyberbullying policy as well as Internet use…

Global impacts of energy demand on the freshwater resources of nations.

PubMed

Holland, Robert Alan; Scott, Kate A; Flörke, Martina; Brown, Gareth; Ewers, Robert M; Farmer, Elizabeth; Kapos, Valerie; Muggeridge, Ann; Scharlemann, Jörn P W; Taylor, Gail; Barrett, John; Eigenbrod, Felix

2015-12-01

The growing geographic disconnect between consumption of goods, the extraction and processing of resources, and the environmental impacts associated with production activities makes it crucial to factor global trade into sustainability assessments. Using an empirically validated environmentally extended global trade model, we examine the relationship between two key resources underpinning economies and human well--being-energy and freshwater. A comparison of three energy sectors (petroleum, gas, and electricity) reveals that freshwater consumption associated with gas and electricity production is largely confined within the territorial boundaries where demand originates. This finding contrasts with petroleum, which exhibits a varying ratio of territorial to international freshwater consumption, depending on the origin of demand. For example, although the United States and China have similar demand associated with the petroleum sector, international freshwater consumption is three times higher for the former than the latter. Based on mapping patterns of freshwater consumption associated with energy sectors at subnational scales, our analysis also reveals concordance between pressure on freshwater resources associated with energy production and freshwater scarcity in a number of river basins globally. These energy-driven pressures on freshwater resources in areas distant from the origin of energy demand complicate the design of policy to ensure security of fresh water and energy supply. Although much of the debate around energy is focused on greenhouse gas emissions, our findings highlight the need to consider the full range of consequences of energy production when designing policy.

Global impacts of energy demand on the freshwater resources of nations

PubMed Central

Holland, Robert Alan; Scott, Kate A.; Flörke, Martina; Brown, Gareth; Ewers, Robert M.; Farmer, Elizabeth; Kapos, Valerie; Muggeridge, Ann; Taylor, Gail; Barrett, John; Eigenbrod, Felix

2015-01-01

The growing geographic disconnect between consumption of goods, the extraction and processing of resources, and the environmental impacts associated with production activities makes it crucial to factor global trade into sustainability assessments. Using an empirically validated environmentally extended global trade model, we examine the relationship between two key resources underpinning economies and human well-being—energy and freshwater. A comparison of three energy sectors (petroleum, gas, and electricity) reveals that freshwater consumption associated with gas and electricity production is largely confined within the territorial boundaries where demand originates. This finding contrasts with petroleum, which exhibits a varying ratio of territorial to international freshwater consumption, depending on the origin of demand. For example, although the United States and China have similar demand associated with the petroleum sector, international freshwater consumption is three times higher for the former than the latter. Based on mapping patterns of freshwater consumption associated with energy sectors at subnational scales, our analysis also reveals concordance between pressure on freshwater resources associated with energy production and freshwater scarcity in a number of river basins globally. These energy-driven pressures on freshwater resources in areas distant from the origin of energy demand complicate the design of policy to ensure security of fresh water and energy supply. Although much of the debate around energy is focused on greenhouse gas emissions, our findings highlight the need to consider the full range of consequences of energy production when designing policy. PMID:26627262

Airborne vs. Inventory Measurements of Methane Emissions in the Alberta Upstream Oil and Gas Sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, M.; Tyner, D. R.; Conley, S.; Schwietzke, S.; Zavala Araiza, D.

2017-12-01

Airborne measurements of methane emission rates were directly compared with detailed, spatially-resolved inventory estimates for different oil and gas production regions in Alberta, Canada. For a 50 km × 50 km region near Red Deer, Alberta, containing 2700 older gas and oil wells, measured methane emissions were 16 times higher than reported venting and flaring volumes would suggest, but consistent with regional inventory estimates (which include estimates for additional emissions from pneumatic equipment, fugitive leaks, gas migration, etc.). This result highlights how 94% of methane emissions in this region are attributable to sources missing from current reporting requirements. The comparison was even more stark for a 60 km × 60 km region near Lloydminster, dominated by 2300 cold heavy oil with sand (CHOPS) production sites. Aircraft measured methane emissions in this region were 5 times larger than that expected from reported venting and flaring volumes, and more than 3 times greater than regional inventory estimates. This significant discrepancy is most likely attributable to underreported intentional venting of casing gas at CHOPS sites, which is generally estimated based on the product of the measured produced oil volume and an assumed gas to oil ratio (GOR). GOR values at CHOPS sites can be difficult to measure and can be notoriously variable in time. Considering the implications for other CHOPS sites across Alberta only, the present results suggest that total reported venting in Alberta is low by a factor of 2.4 (range of 2.0-2.7) and total methane emissions from the conventional oil and gas sector (excluding mined oil sands) are likely at least 25-41% greater than currently estimated. This work reveals critical gaps in current measurement and reporting, while strongly supporting the need for urgent mitigation efforts in the context of newly proposed federal methane regulations in Canada, and separate regulatory development efforts in the province of

Evidence of genetic heterogeneity in Alberta Hutterites with Usher syndrome type I.

PubMed

Zhou, Qi; Lenger, Chaeli; Smith, Richard; Kimberling, William J; Ye, Ming; Lehmann, Ordan; MacDonald, Ian

2012-01-01

To identify the genetic defect in a Hutterite population from northern Alberta with Usher syndrome type I. Complete ophthalmic examinations were conducted on two boys and two girls from two related Hutterite families diagnosed with Usher syndrome type I. DNA from patients and their parents was first evaluated for a mutation in exon 10 of the protocadherin-related 15 (PCDH15) gene (c.1471delG), previously reported in southern Alberta Hutterite patients with Usher syndrome (USH1F). Single nucleotide polymorphic linkage analysis was then used to confirm another locus, and DNA was analyzed with the Usher Chip v4.0 platform. Severe hearing impairment, unintelligible speech, and retinitis pigmentosa with varying degrees of visual acuity and visual field loss established a clinical diagnosis of Usher syndrome type I. The patients did not carry the exon 10 mutation in the PCDH15 gene; however, with microarray analysis, a previously reported mutation (c.52C>T; p.Q18X) in the myosin VIIA (MYO7A) gene was found in the homozygous state in the affected siblings. The finding of a MYO7A mutation in two related Hutterite families from northern Alberta provides evidence of genetic heterogeneity in Hutterites affected by Usher syndrome type I.

Improving an Assessment of Tidal Stream Energy Resource for Anchorage, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, T.; Haas, K. A.

2016-12-01

Increasing global energy demand is driving the pursuit of new and innovative energy sources leading to the need for assessing and utilizing alternative, productive and reliable energy resources. Tidal currents, characterized by periodicity and predictability, have long been explored and studied as a potential energy source, focusing on many different locations with significant tidal ranges. However, a proper resource assessment cannot be accomplished without accurate knowledge of the spatial-temporal distribution and availability of tidal currents. Known for possessing one of the top tidal energy sources along the U.S. coastline, Cook Inlet, Alaska is the area of interest for this project. A previous regional scaled resource assessment has been completed, however, the present study is to focus the assessment on the available power specifically near Anchorage while significantly improving the accuracy of the assessment following IEC guidelines. The Coupled-Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport (COAWST) modeling system is configured to simulate the tidal flows with grid refinement techniques for a minimum of 32 days, encompassing an entire lunar cycle. Simulation results are validated by extracting tidal constituents with harmonic analysis and comparing tidal components with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) observations and predictions. Model calibration includes adjustments to bottom friction coefficients and the usage of different tidal database. Differences between NOAA observations and COAWST simulations after applying grid refinement decrease, compared with results from a former study without grid refinement. Also, energy extraction is simulated at potential sites to study the impact on the tidal resources. This study demonstrates the enhancement of the resource assessment using grid refinement to evaluate tidal energy near Anchorage within Cook Inlet, Alaska, the productivity that energy extraction can achieve and the change in tidal

Improving Access to Eye Care: Teleophthalmology in Alberta, Canada

PubMed Central

Ng, ManCho; Nathoo, Nawaaz; Rudnisky, Chris J.; Tennant, Matthew T. S.

2009-01-01

Backround Diabetic retinopathy in Alberta and throughout Canada is common, with a prevalence up to 40% in people with diabetes. Unfortunately, due to travel distance, time, and expense, a third of patients with diabetes do not receive annual dilated eye examinations by ophthalmologists, despite universal health care access. In an effort to improve access, a teleophthalmology program was developed to overcome barriers to eye care. Prior to clinical implementation, teleophthalmology technology was clinically validated for the identification of treatable levels of diabetic retinopathy. Method Patients undergoing a teleophthalmology assessment underwent stereoscopic digital retinal photographs following pupillary dilation. Digital images were then packaged into an encrypted password-protected compressed file for uploading onto a secure server. Images were digitally unpackaged for review as a stereoscopic digital slide show and graded with a modified Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study algorithm. Reports were then generated automatically as a PDF file and sent back to the referring physician. Results Teleophthalmology programs in Alberta have assessed more than 5500 patients (9016 visits) to date. Nine hundred thirty patients have been referred for additional testing or treatment. Approximately 2% of teleophthalmology assessments have required referral for in-person examination due to ungradable image sets, most commonly due to cataract, corneal drying, or asteroid hyalosis. Conclusions In Alberta and throughout Canada, many patients with diabetes do not receive an annual dilated eye examination. Teleophthalmology is beneficial because patients can be assessed within their own communities. This decreases the time to treatment, allows treated patients to be followed remotely, and prevents unnecessary referrals. Health care costs may be reduced by the introduction of comprehensive teleophthalmology examinations by enabling testing and treatment to be planned prior

Improving access to eye care: teleophthalmology in Alberta, Canada.

PubMed

Ng, Mancho; Nathoo, Nawaaz; Rudnisky, Chris J; Tennant, Matthew T S

2009-03-01

Diabetic retinopathy in Alberta and throughout Canada is common, with a prevalence up to 40% in people with diabetes. Unfortunately, due to travel distance, time, and expense, a third of patients with diabetes do not receive annual dilated eye examinations by ophthalmologists, despite universal health care access. In an effort to improve access, a teleophthalmology program was developed to overcome barriers to eye care. Prior to clinical implementation, teleophthalmology technology was clinically validated for the identification of treatable levels of diabetic retinopathy. Patients undergoing a teleophthalmology assessment underwent stereoscopic digital retinal photographs following pupillary dilation. Digital images were then packaged into an encrypted password-protected compressed file for uploading onto a secure server. Images were digitally unpackaged for review as a stereoscopic digital slide show and graded with a modified Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study algorithm. Reports were then generated automatically as a PDF file and sent back to the referring physician. Teleophthalmology programs in Alberta have assessed more than 5500 patients (9016 visits) to date. Nine hundred thirty patients have been referred for additional testing or treatment. Approximately 2% of teleophthalmology assessments have required referral for in-person examination due to ungradable image sets, most commonly due to cataract, corneal drying, or asteroid hyalosis. In Alberta and throughout Canada, many patients with diabetes do not receive an annual dilated eye examination. Teleophthalmology is beneficial because patients can be assessed within their own communities. This decreases the time to treatment, allows treated patients to be followed remotely, and prevents unnecessary referrals. Health care costs may be reduced by the introduction of comprehensive teleophthalmology examinations by enabling testing and treatment to be planned prior to the patient's first visit. (c

The UK wave energy resource

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winter, A. J. B.

1980-10-01

Previous estimates of wave energy around the United Kingdom have been made by extrapolating measurements from a few sites to the whole UK seaboard. Here directional wave spectra are used from a numerical wave model developed by the Meteorological Office to make estimates which are verified where possible by observation. It is concluded that around 30 GW of power is available for capture by wave energy converters: when estimates of converter spacing and efficiency are considered an average of about 7 GW of electrical power could be supplied. This resource estimate is smaller than previous ones, though consistent with them when factors such as the directional properties of waves and the likelihood that converters will be sited near coasts are included.

The Epidemiology of Childhood Salmonella Infections in Alberta, Canada.

PubMed

Faulder, Kate E; Simmonds, Kimberley; Robinson, Joan L

2017-06-01

The objectives were to describe the incidence, demographics, laboratory findings, and suspected sources of childhood Salmonella infections in Alberta, Canada, with a focus on preventable cases. Data from Notifiable Disease Reports for children with nontyphoidal salmonellosis (NTS) or typhoid/paratyphoid fever from 2007 through 2015 were analyzed. NTS was detected from 2285 children. Bacteremia was documented in 55 cases (2.4%), whereas a single infant had NTS meningitis. The suspected source was food (N = 577; 25.3%) followed by animal or animal manure contact (N = 426; 18.6%), of which a reptile was the suspected source in 264 cases (11.5%). There were 44 outbreaks with none sharing the same food source. Ninety-five children were diagnosed with typhoid/paratyphoid fever, of which 48 cases (51%) were typhoid cases in unimmunized children 2 years or older. There are still ∼275 pediatric cases of Salmonella infection in Alberta annually, the bulk of which are preventable. Public education about reptile exposure, food safety, and pretravel immunizations could potentially prevent many cases of Salmonella infection.

76 FR 8723 - Minnesota Energy Resources Corporation; Notice of Application

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-15

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. CP11-75-000] Minnesota Energy Resources Corporation; Notice of Application Take notice that on February 1, 2011, Minnesota.... MERC proposes to take service from NorthWestern Energy near the South Dakota/Minnesota border, and...

Climate and Offshore Energy Resources.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-12-30

SECuRITY CL.ASSIPIcaTIoN OF, TIns PA@elm VaeVa CLMATE ANID OFFSHORE ENERGY RESOUACES A distinguished group of government officials, scientists, engineers...about the mech- anisms of climatic systems, and gaining a better understanding of the impact of climatic change on human resources.* He continued by...atmospheric constit- uents, but he particularly emphasized " changes " in C02. He suggested that the atmospheric conditions may be better now than they were half

Marketable energy resources in Alabama: a partially annotated research bibliography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1982-04-01

This bibliography has been compiled to provide a guide to the published research, both basic and applied, on the commercial potential and possible energy contribution of selected domestic renewable and non-renewable energy resources in Alabama. Some of the renewable and non-renewable energy resources documented in published form and highlighted in this bibliography include coal, oil, small-scale hydroelectric power, natural gas, wind energy, waste wood, and uranium. Citations dealing mainly with solar energy can be obtained by contacting organizations involved in the development of solar energy. The information for this publication was derived from a number of sources; including the Geologicalmore » Survey of Alabama, Office of State Planning and Federal Program's Planning Reference Service, US Department of Energy's Technical Information Center at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, School of Mines and Energy Development of the University of Alabama, Mineral Resources Institute and State Mine Experiment Station of the University of Alabama. Each citation is complete insofar as the information was available to the compiler. Most abstracts contain some summary information on uses, technology, and economics. These summaries are not meant to be exhaustive. Users of the bibliography should deal directly with the Technical Information Center, US Department of Energy, PO Box 62, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, or the supporting organization or project investigator as to the availability of copies of completed projects in report or book form. (PSB)« less

New Mexico energy research resource registry. Researchers and facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

Human resources and facilities in New Mexico available for application to energy research and development are listed. Information regarding individuals with expertise in the environmental, socio-economic, legal, and management and planning areas of the energy effort is included as well as those scientists, engineers, and technicians involved directly in energy research and development.

75 FR 45623 - Morris Energy Group, LLC v.PSEG Energy Resources & Trade LLC; PSEG Fossil LLC; and PSEG Power LLC...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-03

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. EL10-79-000] Morris Energy Group, LLC v.PSEG Energy Resources & Trade LLC; PSEG Fossil LLC; and PSEG Power LLC; Notice of Complaint...) filed a complaint against PSEG Energy Resources & Trade, LLC, PSEG Fossil LLC and PSEG Power LLC (PSEG...

Electricity End Uses, Energy Efficiency, and Distributed Energy Resources Baseline

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schwartz, Lisa; Wei, Max; Morrow, William

This report was developed by a team of analysts at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, with Argonne National Laboratory contributing the transportation section, and is a DOE EPSA product and part of a series of “baseline” reports intended to inform the second installment of the Quadrennial Energy Review (QER 1.2). QER 1.2 provides a comprehensive review of the nation’s electricity system and cover the current state and key trends related to the electricity system, including generation, transmission, distribution, grid operations and planning, and end use. The baseline reports provide an overview of elements of the electricity system. This report focuses onmore » end uses, electricity consumption, electric energy efficiency, distributed energy resources (DERs) (such as demand response, distributed generation, and distributed storage), and evaluation, measurement, and verification (EM&V) methods for energy efficiency and DERs.« less

Final Technical Report: Renewable Energy Feasibility Study and Resources Assessment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rivero, Mariah

In March 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded White Pine County, Nevada, a grant to assess the feasibility of renewable resource-related economic development activities in the area. The grant project included a public outreach and training component and was to include a demonstration project; however, the demonstration project was not completed due to lack of identification of an entity willing to locate a project in White Pine County. White Pine County completed the assessment of renewable resources and a feasibility study on the potential for a renewable energy-focused economic sector within the County. The feasibility study concluded "allmore » resources studied were present and in sufficient quantity and quality to warrant consideration for development" and there were varying degrees of potential economic impact based on the resource type and project size. The feasibility study and its components were to be used as tools to attract potential developers and other business ventures to the local market. White Pine County also marketed the County’s resources to the renewable energy business community in an effort to develop contracts for demonstration projects. The County also worked to develop partnerships with local educational institutions, including the White Pine County School District, conducted outreach and training for the local community.« less

Water, Energy, and Food Nexus: Modeling of Inter-Basin Resources Trading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

KIm, T. W.; Kang, D.; Wicaksono, A.; Jeong, G.; Jang, B. J.; Ahn, J.

2016-12-01

The water, energy, and food (WEF) nexus is an emerging issue in the concern of fulfilling the human requirements with a lack of available resources. The WEF nexus concept arises to develop a sustainable resources planning and management. In the concept, the three valuable resources (i.e. water, energy, and food) are inevitably interconnected thus it becomes a challenge for researchers to understand the complicated interdependency. A few studies have been committed for interpreting and implementing the WEF nexus using a computer based simulation model. Some of them mentioned that a trade-off is one alternative solution that can be taken to secure the available resources. Taking a concept of inter-basin water transfer, this study attempts to introduce an idea to develop a WEF nexus model for inter-basin resources trading simulation. Using the trading option among regions (e.g., cities, basins, or even countries), the model provides an opportunity to increase overall resources availability without draining local resources. The proposed model adopted the calculation process of an amount of water, energy, and food from a nation-wide model, with additional input and analysis process to simulate the resources trading between regions. The proposed model is applied for a hypothetic test area in South Korea for demonstration purposes. It is anticipated that the developed model can be a decision tool for efficient resources allocation for sustainable resources management. Acknowledgements This study was supported by a grant (14AWMP-B082564-01) from Advanced Water Management Research Program funded by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the Korean government.

Locating Leadership: The Blind Spot in Alberta's Technology Policy Discourse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brooks, Charmaine

2011-01-01

Over the last 20 years, technology and education policy discourse in Alberta, Canada has been philosophically polarized and dominated by value-neutral ways of thinking about technology (Brooks, 2011). While technology policy implementation has significant ramifications for schools and systems, for much of this time, system leaders, specifically…

Computer Processing 10-20-30. Teacher's Manual. Senior High School Teacher Resource Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, Mel; Lautt, Ray

Designed to help teachers meet the program objectives for the computer processing curriculum for senior high schools in the province of Alberta, Canada, this resource manual includes the following sections: (1) program objectives; (2) a flowchart of curriculum modules; (3) suggestions for short- and long-range planning; (4) sample lesson plans;…

Implementation of additional prescribing authorization among oncology pharmacists in Alberta.

PubMed

Au, Bianca; Dersch-Mills, Deonne; Ghosh, Sunita; Jupp, Jennifer; Chambers, Carole; Cusano, Frances; Danilak, Melanie

2018-01-01

Purpose To describe the practice settings and prescribing practices of oncology pharmacists with additional prescribing authorization. Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional survey of all oncology pharmacists in Alberta was conducted using a web-based questionnaire over four weeks between March and April 2016. Pharmacists were identified from the Cancer Services Pharmacy Directory and leadership staff in Alberta Health Services. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the practice setting, prescribing practices, motivators to apply for additional prescribing authorization, and the facilitators and barriers of prescribing. Logistic regression was used to explore factors associated with having additional prescribing authorization. Results The overall response rate was 41% (71 of 175 pharmacists). Oncology pharmacists with additional prescribing authorization made up 38% of respondents. They primarily worked in urban, tertiary cancer centers, and practiced in ambulatory care. The top 3 clinical activities they participated in were medication reconciliation, medication counseling/education, and ambulatory patient assessment. Respondents thought additional prescribing authorization was most useful for ambulatory patient assessment and follow-up. Antiemetics were prescribed the most often. The median number of prescriptions written in an average week of clinical work was 5. Competence, self-confidence, and the potential impact on patient care/perceived impact on work environment were the strongest facilitators of prescribing. The strongest motivators to apply for additional prescribing authorization were relevancy to practice, the potential for increased efficiency, and advancing the profession. Conclusion The current majority of oncology pharmacist prescribing in Alberta occurs in ambulatory care with a large focus on antiemetic prescribing. Pharmacists found additional prescribing authorization most useful for ambulatory patient assessment and follow-up.

25 CFR 162.520 - Who owns the energy resource information obtained under the WEEL?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... AND WATER LEASES AND PERMITS Wind and Solar Resource Leases Weels § 162.520 Who owns the energy resource information obtained under the WEEL? (a) The WEEL must specify the ownership of any energy... 25 Indians 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Who owns the energy resource information obtained under...

25 CFR 162.520 - Who owns the energy resource information obtained under the WEEL?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... AND WATER LEASES AND PERMITS Wind and Solar Resource Leases Weels § 162.520 Who owns the energy resource information obtained under the WEEL? (a) The WEEL must specify the ownership of any energy... 25 Indians 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Who owns the energy resource information obtained under...

Wave Resource Characterization at US Wave Energy Converter (WEC) Test Sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dallman, A.; Neary, V. S.

2016-02-01

The US Department of Energy's (DOE) Marine and Hydrokinetic energy (MHK) Program is supporting a diverse research and development portfolio intended to accelerate commercialization of the marine renewable industry by improving technology performance, reducing market barriers, and lowering the cost of energy. Wave resource characterization at potential and existing wave energy converter (WEC) test sites and deployment locations contributes to this DOE goal by providing a catalogue of wave energy resource characteristics, met-ocean data, and site infrastructure information, developed utilizing a consistent methodology. The purpose of the catalogue is to enable the comparison of resource characteristics among sites to facilitate the selection of test sites that are most suitable for a developer's device and that best meet their testing needs and objectives. It also provides inputs for the design of WEC test devices and planning WEC tests, including the planning of deployment and operations and maintenance. The first edition included three sites: the Pacific Marine Energy Center (PMEC) North Energy Test Site (NETS) offshore of Newport, Oregon, the Kaneohe Bay Naval Wave Energy Test Site (WETS) offshore of Oahu, HI, and a potential site offshore of Humboldt Bay, CA (Eureka, CA). The second edition was recently finished, which includes five additional sites: the Jennette's Pier Wave Energy Converter Test Site in North Carolina, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Field Research Facility (FRF), the PMEC Lake Washington site, the proposed PMEC South Energy Test Site (SETS), and the proposed CalWave Central Coast WEC Test Site. The operational sea states are included according to the IEC Technical Specification on wave energy resource assessment and characterization, with additional information on extreme sea states, weather windows, and representative spectra. The methodology and a summary of results will be discussed.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory Information Resources Catalogue. A collection of energy efficiency and renewable energy information resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1994-05-01

NREL's first annual Information Resources Catalogue is intended to inform anyone interested in energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies of NREL's outreach activities, including publications and services. For ease of use, all entries are categorized by subject. The catalogue is separated into six main sections. The first section lists and describes services that are available through NREL and how they may be accessed. The second section contains a list of documents that are published by NREL on a regular or periodic basis. The third section highlights NREL's series publications written for specific audiences and presenting a wide range of subjects. NREL's General Interest Publications constitute the fourth section of the catalogue and are written for nontechnical audiences. Descriptions are provided for these publications. The fifth section contains Technical Reports that detail research and development projects. The section on Conference Papers/Journal Articles/Book Chapters makes up the sixth and final section of the catalogue.

Biomass and biomass change in lodgepole pine stands in Alberta

Treesearch

Robert A. Monserud; Shongming Huang; Yuqing Yang

2006-01-01

We describe methods and results for broad-scale estimation and mapping of forest biomass for the Canadian province of Alberta. Differences over successive decades provided an estimate of biomass change. Over 1500 permanent sample plots (PSP) were analyzed from across the range of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm...

Student Success Programs at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soetaert, Elaine

The Master Student course was introduced at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology to improve student retention; provide individuals with skills to become successful students; and to graduate students with technical, critical thinking, and effective communication skills. The course provides a point of entry into the institution in the areas of…

25 CFR 224.80 - Under what authority will a tribe perform activities for energy resource development?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... energy resource development? 224.80 Section 224.80 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ENERGY AND MINERALS TRIBAL ENERGY RESOURCE AGREEMENTS UNDER THE INDIAN TRIBAL ENERGY DEVELOPMENT AND SELF DETERMINATION ACT Implementation of Tribal Energy Resource Agreements Applicable Authorities...

Simulation based energy-resource efficient manufacturing integrated with in-process virtual management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katchasuwanmanee, Kanet; Cheng, Kai; Bateman, Richard

2016-09-01

As energy efficiency is one of the key essentials towards sustainability, the development of an energy-resource efficient manufacturing system is among the great challenges facing the current industry. Meanwhile, the availability of advanced technological innovation has created more complex manufacturing systems that involve a large variety of processes and machines serving different functions. To extend the limited knowledge on energy-efficient scheduling, the research presented in this paper attempts to model the production schedule at an operation process by considering the balance of energy consumption reduction in production, production work flow (productivity) and quality. An innovative systematic approach to manufacturing energy-resource efficiency is proposed with the virtual simulation as a predictive modelling enabler, which provides real-time manufacturing monitoring, virtual displays and decision-makings and consequentially an analytical and multidimensional correlation analysis on interdependent relationships among energy consumption, work flow and quality errors. The regression analysis results demonstrate positive relationships between the work flow and quality errors and the work flow and energy consumption. When production scheduling is controlled through optimization of work flow, quality errors and overall energy consumption, the energy-resource efficiency can be achieved in the production. Together, this proposed multidimensional modelling and analysis approach provides optimal conditions for the production scheduling at the manufacturing system by taking account of production quality, energy consumption and resource efficiency, which can lead to the key competitive advantages and sustainability of the system operations in the industry.

Multi-objective generation scheduling with hybrid energy resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trivedi, Manas

In economic dispatch (ED) of electric power generation, the committed generating units are scheduled to meet the load demand at minimum operating cost with satisfying all unit and system equality and inequality constraints. Generation of electricity from the fossil fuel releases several contaminants into the atmosphere. So the economic dispatch objective can no longer be considered alone due to the environmental concerns that arise from the emissions produced by fossil fueled electric power plants. This research is proposing the concept of environmental/economic generation scheduling with traditional and renewable energy sources. Environmental/economic dispatch (EED) is a multi-objective problem with conflicting objectives since emission minimization is conflicting with fuel cost minimization. Production and consumption of fossil fuel and nuclear energy are closely related to environmental degradation. This causes negative effects to human health and the quality of life. Depletion of the fossil fuel resources will also be challenging for the presently employed energy systems to cope with future energy requirements. On the other hand, renewable energy sources such as hydro and wind are abundant, inexhaustible and widely available. These sources use native resources and have the capacity to meet the present and the future energy demands of the world with almost nil emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases. The costs of fossil fuel and renewable energy are also heading in opposite directions. The economic policies needed to support the widespread and sustainable markets for renewable energy sources are rapidly evolving. The contribution of this research centers on solving the economic dispatch problem of a system with hybrid energy resources under environmental restrictions. It suggests an effective solution of renewable energy to the existing fossil fueled and nuclear electric utilities for the cheaper and cleaner production of electricity with hourly

25 CFR 224.80 - Under what authority will a tribe perform activities for energy resource development?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... energy resource development? 224.80 Section 224.80 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ENERGY AND MINERALS TRIBAL ENERGY RESOURCE AGREEMENTS UNDER THE INDIAN TRIBAL ENERGY DEVELOPMENT... development? A tribe will perform activities for energy resource development activities undertaken under a...

Practical Materials for Teaching. Resource File: Edition I. Energy Management.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department of Energy, Washington, DC.

This directory lists energy education programs directed at increasing the energy conservation awareness of scientists, engineers, managers, and technicians working in fields where they are responsible for managing energy consumption. The resource is prepared to help with the process of identifying, selecting, and obtaining materials for promoting…

Transformism in Alberta: The Environmental Political Economy of the Bituminous Sands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katz-Rosene, Ryan

This thesis attempts to help establish environmental political economy as a viable academic field while providing an example of work in the discipline. It offers an analysis of societal processes resulting in the co-optation and/or neutralization of critical environmentalist ideas. Using Alberta's bituminous sands as a case study, and a Gramsci-influenced eco-Marxist theory as a foundation, the thesis argues that the term 'environmental transformism' (inspired by the Gramscian term trasformismo) is helpful in describing and framing such processes. Accordingly, the ensuing chapters provide an analysis of why environmental transformism is happening in Alberta, and demonstrate how this mechanism works at protecting the status quo from threatening ideologies, thereby consolidating neoliberal capitalism. A concluding argument discusses the inherent dangers posed to society by the transformism of certain environmental subjectivities. The thesis begins by introducing the contentious social and environmental issues surrounding the development of the bituminous sands.

Cancer incidence attributable to lifestyle and environmental factors in Alberta in 2012: summary of results

PubMed Central

Grundy, Anne; Poirier, Abbey E.; Khandwala, Farah; Grevers, Xin; Friedenreich, Christine M.; Brenner, Darren R.

2017-01-01

Background: Estimates of the proportion of cancer cases that can be attributed to modifiable risk factors are not available for Canada and, more specifically, Alberta. The purpose of this study was to estimate the total proportion of cancer cases in Alberta in 2012 that could be attributed to a set of 24 modifiable lifestyle and environmental risk factors. Methods: We estimated summary population attributable risk estimates for 24 risk factors (smoking [both passive and active], overweight and obesity, inadequate physical activity, diet [inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption, inadequate fibre intake, excess red and processed meat consumption, salt consumption, inadequate calcium and vitamin D intake], alcohol, hormones [oral contraceptives and hormone therapy], infections [Epstein-Barr virus, hepatitis B and C viruses, human papillomavirus, Helicobacter pylori], air pollution, natural and artificial ultraviolet radiation, radon and water disinfection by-products) by combining population attributable risk estimates for each of the 24 factors that had been previously estimated. To account for the possibility that individual cancer cases were the result of a combination of multiple risk factors, we subtracted the population attributable risk for the first factor from 100% and then applied the population attributable risk for the second factor to the remaining proportion that was not attributable to the first factor. We repeated this process in sequential order for all relevant exposures. Results: Overall, an estimated 40.8% of cancer cases in Alberta in 2012 were attributable to modifiable lifestyle and environmental risk factors. The largest proportion of cancers were estimated to be attributable to tobacco smoking, physical inactivity and excess body weight. The summary population attributable risk estimate was slightly higher among women (42.4%) than among men (38.7%). Interpretation: About 41% of cancer cases in Alberta may be attributable to known modifiable

Evaluation model of wind energy resources and utilization efficiency of wind farm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Jie

2018-04-01

Due to the large amount of abandoned winds in wind farms, the establishment of a wind farm evaluation model is particularly important for the future development of wind farms In this essay, consider the wind farm's wind energy situation, Wind Energy Resource Model (WERM) and Wind Energy Utilization Efficiency Model(WEUEM) are established to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the wind farm. Wind Energy Resource Model (WERM) contains average wind speed, average wind power density and turbulence intensity, which assessed wind energy resources together. Based on our model, combined with the actual measurement data of a wind farm, calculate the indicators using the model, and the results are in line with the actual situation. We can plan the future development of the wind farm based on this result. Thus, the proposed establishment approach of wind farm assessment model has application value.

Millennium Open Pit Mine, Alberta, Canada

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

Near Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, on the east bank of the Athabasca River, are found the Steepbank and Millennium mines. These open pit mines produce oil sands that are processed to recover bitumen, and then upgrade it to refinery-ready raw crude oil, and diesel fuel.

The ASTER images were acquired September 22, 2000 and July 31, 2007, cover an area of 22.5 x 25.5 km, and are located near 57 degrees north latitude, 111.5 degrees west longitude.

The U.S. science team is located at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The Terra mission is part of NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

Alberta's Post-Secondary Education System: Developing the Blueprint for Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Learning, Edmonton.

This paper was prepared as a step in the consultation process to develop a Blueprint for Change that will take postsecondary education in Alberta through the next decade. The Blueprint will identify key strategies to shape future directions and identify priorities for change. This document reflects feedback from stakeholders to a previous…

The use of teleglaucoma at the University of Alberta.

PubMed

Kassam, Faazil; Amin, Samreen; Sogbesan, Enitan; Damji, Karim F

2012-10-01

The aim of the teleglaucoma service at the University of Alberta is to improve access for people in northern Alberta who have early-stage glaucoma or who are at risk for glaucoma. Two types of teleglaucoma service are offered: remote and in-house. A standardized approach is used to capture patient information (structured histories, examinations and fundus photographs) which is then sent to a tertiary care centre for grading and recommendations. Only one grader reads and makes management recommendations for each case. Reports are sent electronically. A total of 195 cases have been graded through the remote service since 2008. A total of 62 cases have been graded through the in-house service since 2011. The average reporting time for consultations in the in-house service was 7 days, and it was also 7 days for the remote service. We believe that the use of teleglaucoma can improve the way that patients are diagnosed and managed, both in industrialized and developing countries. Teleglaucoma is currently being used as a screening tool at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi with mobile units equipped with a fundus camera and a visual field machine.

Task 2 Report - A GIS-Based Technical Potential Assessment of Domestic Energy Resources for Electricity Generation.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, Nathan; Grue, Nicholas W; Rosenlieb, Evan

The purpose of this report is to support the Lao Ministry of Energy and Mines in assessing the technical potential of domestic energy resources for utility scale electricity generation in the Lao PDR. Specifically, this work provides assessments of technical potential, and associated maps of developable areas, for energy technologies of interest. This report details the methodology, assumptions, and datasets employed in this analysis to provide a transparent, replicable process for future analyses. The methodology and results presented are intended to be a fundamental input to subsequent decision making and energy planning-related analyses. This work concentrates on domestic energy resourcesmore » for utility-scale electricity generation and considers solar photovoltaic, wind, biomass, and coal resources. This work does not consider potentially imported energy resources (e.g., natural gas) or domestic energy resources that are not present in sufficient quantity for utility-scale generation (e.g., geothermal resources). A technical potential assessment of hydropower resources is currently not feasible due to the absence of required data including site-level assessments of multiple characteristics (e.g., geology environment and access) as well as spatial data on estimated non-exploited hydropower resources. This report is the second output of the Energy Alternatives Study for the Lao PDR, a collaboration led by the Lao Ministry of Energy and Mines and the United States Agency for International Development under the auspices of the Smart Infrastructure for the Mekong program. The Energy Alternatives Study is composed of five successive tasks that collectively support the project's goals. This work is focused on Task 2 - Assess technical potential of domestic energy resources for electricity generation. The work was carried out by a team from the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in collaboration with the Lao Ministry of Energy

Evidence for Early Pleistocene Glaciation obtained from borecores collected in East-Central Alberta, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barendregt, R. W.; Andriashek, L. D.; Jackson, L. E.

2014-12-01

Borecores collected from the east-central region of Alberta, Canada have recently been sub-sampled and studied for paleomagnetic remanence characteristics. A preliminary magnetostratigraphy has been established for sediments previously assumed to represent multiple continental (Laurentide) glaciations, but for which no geochronology was available for the pre-late Wisconsin units. Comprised primarily of tills and lesser thicknesses of interbedded glacio-lacustrine and outwash sediments, the record is extensive, reaching to thicknesses of 300 metres within buried valleys. Most of the sampled units are not accessible from outcrop, and their sedimentology and stratigraphy is derived from core data only. The lowermost tills are reversely magnetized in the majority of borecores sampled to date. These tills are underlain by Empress Formation sediments and/or Colorado Group shales, and overlain by normally magnetized sediments. Both tills contain substantial weathering horizons at their surface, suggesting that interglacial or nonglacial conditions persisted for some time after each period of till deposition. Whether these tills represent a single Early Pleistocene glaciation, or perhaps two, will require additional borecore measurements. This new record of Early Pleistocene glaciation(s) in east-central Alberta places the westernmost extent of earliest Laurentide ice some 300 km farther westward from its previously established limit in the Saskatoon to Regina region of the western Canadian prairies, but still well short of the all-time limit and elevation reached during the Late Wisconsin (Late Pleistocene) in the foothills of the Alberta and Montana Rocky Mountains. Key Words: East-Central Alberta glacial history, Early Pleistocene (Laurentide) glaciation, till magnetostratigraphy, Quaternary history of Western Canadian Prairies, continental glaciations of North America.

Assessing Health Care Access and Use among Indigenous Peoples in Alberta: a Systematic Review.

PubMed

Nader, Forouz; Kolahdooz, Fariba; Sharma, Sangita

2017-01-01

Alberta's Indigenous population is growing, yet health care access may be limited. This paper presents a comprehensive review on health care access among Indigenous populations in Alberta with a focus on the health care services use and barriers to health care access. Scientific databases (PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO) and online search engines were systematically searched for studies and grey literature published in English between 2000 and 2013 examining health care services access, use and barriers to access among Indigenous populations in Alberta. Information on health care services use and barriers to use or access was synthesized based on the MOOSE guidelines. Overall, compared to non-Indigenous populations, health care use rates for hospital/emergency room services were higher and health care services use of outpatient specialists was lower among Indigenous peoples. Inadequate numbers of Indigenous health care professionals; a lack of cross-cultural training; fear of foreign environments; and distance from family and friends were barriers to health care use and access. Inequity in social determinants of health among Indigenous peoples and inadequate "health services with prevention approaches," may contribute to present health disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations in the province.

Energy [R]Evolution: Opportunities for Decarbonizing Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byrne, J. M.

2016-12-01

The future of conventional energy in Canada is uncertain. World oil prices have suffered steep declines recently and there are no strong arguments for recovery in the foreseeable future. The country is now engaged in serious debates and discussions over the value of GHG emissions, pipelines, oil and gas operations, and renewable energy. Oilsands deposits in northern Alberta require long-term investment and decades of consistent sales to repay those investments. The election of more progressive governments in Alberta and Canada may provide the national and global credibility and opportunity to address the environmental problems caused by Oilsands and other fossil fuel developments. The discussion will focus on the possible ways forward for Canada to diversify the regional and national economy with renewable energy networks, thereby meeting our Paris GHG emission reduction commitments. The end goal of this work is to see the Canadian economy decarbonized within two decades.

Teaching About Energy. Vol. 2. Units 1 and 2 of the Energy 80 Resource Book.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Enterprise for Education, Santa Monica, CA.

This document is the second of a three-volume teacher resource book for use with the Energy 80 energy education program. The program is designed to enhance students' understanding of energy, either through supplements to traditional courses, such as mathematics, science, social studies, or homemaking, or by developing a mini-course or…

Teaching About Energy. Vol. 3. Units 3 through 8 of the Energy 80 Resource Book.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Enterprise for Education, Santa Monica, CA.

This document is the third of a three-volume teacher resource book for use with the Energy 80 energy education program. The program is designed to enhance students' understanding of energy, either through supplements to traditional courses, such as mathematics, science, social studies, or homemaking, or by developing a mini-course or…

Wind and Solar Energy Resource Assessment for Navy Installations in the Midwestern US

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darmenova, K.; Apling, D.; Higgins, G. J.; Carnes, J.; Smith, C.

2012-12-01

A stable supply of energy is critical for sustainable economic development and the ever-increasing demand for energy resources drives the need for alternative weather-driven renewable energy solutions such as solar and wind-generated power. Recognizing the importance of energy as a strategic resource, the Department of the Navy has focused on energy efficient solutions aiming to increase tactical and shore energy security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Implementing alternative energy solutions will alleviate the Navy installations demands on the National power grid, however transitioning to renewable energy sources is a complex multi-stage process that involves initial investment in resource assessment and feasibility of building solar and wind power systems in Navy's facilities. This study focuses on the wind and solar energy resource assessment for Navy installations in the Midwestern US. We use the dynamically downscaled datasets at 12 km resolution over the Continental US generated with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to derive the wind climatology in terms of wind speed, direction, and wind power at 20 m above the surface for 65 Navy facilities. In addition, we derived the transmissivity of the atmosphere, diffuse radiation fraction, cloud cover and seasonal energy potential for a zenith facing surface with unobstructed horizon for each installation location based on the results of a broadband radiative transfer model and our cloud database based on 17-years of GOES data. Our analysis was incorporated in a GIS framework in combination with additional infrastructure data that enabled a synergistic resource assessment based on the combination of climatological and engineering factors.

Resource Letter AFHEP-1: Accelerators for the Future of High-Energy Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barletta, William A.

2012-02-01

This Resource Letter provides a guide to literature concerning the development of accelerators for the future of high-energy physics. Research articles, books, and Internet resources are cited for the following topics: motivation for future accelerators, present accelerators for high-energy physics, possible future machine, and laboratory and collaboration websites.

The History of Post-Secondary Finance in Alberta - An Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hauserman, Calvin P.; Stick, Sheldon L.

2005-01-01

Post-secondary systems throughout Canada and the United States have struggled with funding issues during most of the last decade of the 20th Century, and the new millennium did not open with great enthusiasm for change. This article examines the impact of post-secondary education funding changes in Alberta, Canada, by tracing the historical…

Rural Alberta Home-Based Businesses: A Profile of Workshop Participants.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Capjack, M. Linda; Fetterman, Nelma I.

1992-01-01

Of 252 rural Alberta attendees of home-based business workshops, 60 were in business. Of these, 65 percent produced sewing, textile, or food-related products; 73 percent contributed less than 5 percent of family income; 72 percent worked at home because a hobby became profitable; and the majority were married women over 40. (SK)

Toward a Regional Geography of Renewable Electrical Energy Resources.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pryde, Philip R.

It is postulated that many types of renewable energy resources, like fossil fuels, are amenable to regional availability analysis. Among these are hydropower, geothermal, ocean temperature gradient, wind, and direct solar energy. A review of the spatial attributes of each of these types reveals areas of the United States that contain comparative…

Opportunities for Fundamental University-Based Research in Energy and Resource Recovery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zoback, M. D.; Hitzman, M.; Tester, J. W.

2012-12-01

In this talk we present, from a university perspective, a few examples of fundamental research needs related to improved energy and resource recovery. One example of such a research need is related to the fact that it is not widely recognized that meeting domestic and worldwide energy needs with renewables such as wind and solar will be materials intensive. If widely deployed, the elements required by renewable technologies will be needed in significant quantities and shortage of these "energy critical elements" could significantly inhibit the adoption of otherwise game changing energy technologies. It is imperative to better understand the geology, metallurgy, and mining engineering of critical mineral deposits if we are to sustainably develop these new technologies. Unfortunately, there is currently no consensus among federal and state agencies, the national and international mining industry, the public, and the U.S. academic community regarding the importance of economic geology in the context of securing sufficient energy critical elements to undertake large-scale renewable energy development. Another option for transitioning away from our current hydrocarbon-based energy system to non-carbon based sources, is geothermal energy - from both conventional hydrothermal resources and enhanced or engineered geothermal systems (EGS). Although geothermal energy is currently used for both electric and non-electric applications worldwide from conventional hydrothermal resources and in ground source heat pumps, most of the emphasis in the US has been generating electricity. To this end, there is a need for research, development and demonstration in five important areas - estimating the magnitude and distribution of recoverable geothermal resources, establishing requirements for extracting and utilizing energy from EGS reservoirs the including drilling, reservoir design and stimulation, exploring end use options for district heating, electricity generation and co

Biomass resources for energy in Ohio: The OH-MARKAL modeling framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shakya, Bibhakar

The latest reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have indicated that human activities are directly responsible for a significant portion of global warming trends. In response to the growing concerns regarding climate change and efforts to create a sustainable energy future, biomass energy has come to the forefront as a clean and sustainable energy resource. Biomass energy resources are environmentally clean and carbon neutral with net-zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, since CO2 is absorbed or sequestered from the atmosphere during the plant growth. Hence, biomass energy mitigates greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions that would otherwise be added to the environment by conventional fossil fuels, such as coal. The use of biomass resources for energy is even more relevant in Ohio, as the power industry is heavily based on coal, providing about 90 percent of the state's total electricity while only 50 percent of electricity comes from coal at the national level. The burning of coal for electricity generation results in substantial GHG emissions and environmental pollution, which are responsible for global warming and acid rain. Ohio is currently one of the top emitters of GHG in the nation. This dissertation research examines the potential use of biomass resources by analyzing key economic, environmental, and policy issues related to the energy needs of Ohio over a long term future (2001-2030). Specifically, the study develops a dynamic linear programming model (OH-MARKAL) to evaluate biomass cofiring as an option in select coal power plants (both existing and new) to generate commercial electricity in Ohio. The OH-MARKAL model is based on the MARKAL (MARKet ALlocation) framework. Using extensive data on the power industry and biomass resources of Ohio, the study has developed the first comprehensive power sector model for Ohio. Hence, the model can serve as an effective tool for Ohio's energy planning, since it evaluates economic and environmental

Mid-Wisconsinan vertebrates and their environment from January Cave, Alberta, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burns, James A.

1991-01-01

January Cave, in the Rocky Mountains of southwestern Alberta, has yielded vertebrate remains from a coprocenosis of mid-Wisconsinan-age. Taphonomic analysis indicates accumulation by raptors, mostly owls, and mammalian carnivores. The vertebrate record, together with pollen analysis, indicates that cool, dry conditions prevailed in an extensive tundra-like environment, with prairie elements in the valleys below. Thirty-four mammalian taxa have been recovered from January Cave. Today, some of these species (e.g., Lemmus sibiricus and Dicrostonyx torquatus) do not coexist with others (e.g., Cynomys sp., Mustela nigripes, Vulpes velox, and Lagurus curtatus). Therefore, the January Cave local fauna represents a "nonanalog" mammalian community characteristic of the late Pleistocene. It suggests that the region enjoyed an equable climate, with reduced climatic extremes but still cool, further supporting a mid-Wisconsinan age estimate for the fauna. It is the first major, small vertebrate fauna of its age to be reported from Alberta.

Towards Designing an Integrated Earth Observation System for the Provision of Solar Energy Resource and Assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stackouse, Paul W., Jr.; Renne, D.; Beyer, H.-G.; Wald, L.; Meyers, R.; Perez, R.; Suri, M.

2006-01-01

The GEOSS strategic plan specifically targets the area of improved energy resource management due to the importance of these to the economic and social viability of every nation of the world. With the world s increasing demand for energy resources, the need for new alternative energy resources grows. This paper overviews a new initiative within the International Energy Agency that addresses needs to better manage and develop solar energy resources worldwide. The goal is to provide the solar energy industry, the electricity sector, governments, and renewable energy organizations and institutions with the most suitable and accurate information of the solar radiation resources at the Earth's surface in easily-accessible formats and understandable quality metrics. The scope of solar resource assessment information includes historic data sets and currently derived data products using satellite imagery and other means. Thus, this new task will address the needs of the solar energy sector while at the same time will serve as a model that satisfies GEOSS objectives and goals.

Positioning pharmacists' roles in primary health care: a discourse analysis of the compensation plan in Alberta, Canada.

PubMed

Hughes, Christine A; Breault, Rene R; Hicks, Deborah; Schindel, Theresa J

2017-11-23

A comprehensive Compensation Plan for pharmacy services delivered by community pharmacists was implemented in Alberta, Canada in July 2012. Services covered by the Compensation Plan include care planning services, prescribing services such as adapting prescriptions, and administering a drug or publicly-funded vaccine by injection. Understanding how the Compensation Plan was framed and communicated provides insight into the roles of pharmacists and the potential influence of language on the implementation of services covered by the Compensation Plan by Albertan pharmacists. The objective of this study is to examine the positioning of pharmacists' roles in documents used to communicate the Compensation Plan to Albertan pharmacists and other audiences. Publicly available documents related to the Compensation Plan, such as news releases or reports, published between January 2012 and December 2015 were obtained from websites such as the Government of Alberta, Alberta Blue Cross, the Alberta College of Pharmacists, the Alberta Pharmacists' Association, and the Blueprint for Pharmacy. Searches of the Canadian Newsstand database and Google identified additional documents. Discourse analysis was performed using social positioning theory to explore how pharmacists' roles were constructed in communications about the Compensation Plan. In total, 65 publicly available documents were included in the analysis. The Compensation Plan was put forward as a framework for payment for professional services and formal legitimization of pharmacists' changing professional roles. The discourse associated with the Compensation Plan positioned pharmacists' roles as: (1) expanding to include services such as medication management for chronic diseases, (2) contributing to primary health care by providing access to services such as prescription renewals and immunizations, and (3) collaborating with other health care team members. Pharmacists' changing roles were positioned in alignment with the

Model Predictive Control-based Optimal Coordination of Distributed Energy Resources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mayhorn, Ebony T.; Kalsi, Karanjit; Lian, Jianming

2013-01-07

Distributed energy resources, such as renewable energy resources (wind, solar), energy storage and demand response, can be used to complement conventional generators. The uncertainty and variability due to high penetration of wind makes reliable system operations and controls challenging, especially in isolated systems. In this paper, an optimal control strategy is proposed to coordinate energy storage and diesel generators to maximize wind penetration while maintaining system economics and normal operation performance. The goals of the optimization problem are to minimize fuel costs and maximize the utilization of wind while considering equipment life of generators and energy storage. Model predictive controlmore » (MPC) is used to solve a look-ahead dispatch optimization problem and the performance is compared to an open loop look-ahead dispatch problem. Simulation studies are performed to demonstrate the efficacy of the closed loop MPC in compensating for uncertainties and variability caused in the system.« less

Model Predictive Control-based Optimal Coordination of Distributed Energy Resources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mayhorn, Ebony T.; Kalsi, Karanjit; Lian, Jianming

2013-04-03

Distributed energy resources, such as renewable energy resources (wind, solar), energy storage and demand response, can be used to complement conventional generators. The uncertainty and variability due to high penetration of wind makes reliable system operations and controls challenging, especially in isolated systems. In this paper, an optimal control strategy is proposed to coordinate energy storage and diesel generators to maximize wind penetration while maintaining system economics and normal operation performance. The goals of the optimization problem are to minimize fuel costs and maximize the utilization of wind while considering equipment life of generators and energy storage. Model predictive controlmore » (MPC) is used to solve a look-ahead dispatch optimization problem and the performance is compared to an open loop look-ahead dispatch problem. Simulation studies are performed to demonstrate the efficacy of the closed loop MPC in compensating for uncertainties and variability caused in the system.« less

75 FR 3461 - Minnesota Energy Resources Corporation; Notice of Filing

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-21

... Resources Corporation; Notice of Filing January 13, 2010. Take notice that on December 29, 2009, Minnesota Energy Resources Corporation (MERC) filed to update the state approved rate for services under its... subscribers to receive e-mail notification when a document is added to a subscribed docket(s). For assistance...

Resource management tools based on renewable energy sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jannson, Tomasz; Forrester, Thomas; Boghrat, Pedram; Pradhan, Ranjit; Kostrzewski, Andrew

2012-06-01

Renewable energy is an important source of power for unattended sensors (ground, sea, air), tagging systems, and other remote platforms for Homeland Security and Homeland Defense. Also, Command, Control, Communication, and Intelligence (C3I) systems and technologies often require renewable energy sources for information assurance (IA), in general, and anti-tampering (AT), in particular. However, various geophysical and environmental conditions determine different types of energy harvesting: solar, thermal, vibration, acoustic, hydraulic, wind, and others. Among them, solar energy is usually preferable, but, both a solar habitat and the necessity for night operation can create a need for other types of renewable energy. In this paper, we introduce figures of merit (FoMs) for evaluating preferences of specific energy sources, as resource management tools, based on geophysical conditions. Also, Battery Systemic Modeling is discussed.

The Alberta K-9 Mathematics Program of Studies with Achievement Indicators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Education, 2007

2007-01-01

The "Alberta K-9 Mathematics Program of Studies with Achievement Indicators" has been derived from "The Common Curriculum Framework for K-9 Mathematics: Western and Northern Canadian Protocol," May 2006 (the Common Curriculum Framework). The program of studies incorporates the conceptual framework for Kindergarten to Grade 9…

Computing Services Planning, Downsizing, and Organization at the University of Alberta.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beltrametti, Monica

1993-01-01

In a six-month period, the University of Alberta (Canada) campus computing services department formulated a strategic plan, and downsized and reorganized to meet financial constraints and respond to changing technology, especially distributed computing. The new department is organized to react more effectively to trends in technology and user…

Strategies for Reforestation under Uncertain Future Climates: Guidelines for Alberta, Canada

PubMed Central

Gray, Laura K.; Hamann, Andreas

2011-01-01

Background Commercial forestry programs normally use locally collected seed for reforestation under the assumption that tree populations are optimally adapted to local environments. However, in western Canada this assumption is no longer valid because of climate trends that have occurred over the last several decades. The objective of this study is to show how we can arrive at reforestation recommendations with alternative species and genotypes that are viable under a majority of climate change scenarios. Methodology/Principal Findings In a case study for commercially important tree species of Alberta, we use an ecosystem-based bioclimate envelope modeling approach for western North America to project habitat for locally adapted populations of tree species using multi-model climate projections for the 2020s, 2050s and 2080s. We find that genotypes of species that are adapted to drier climatic conditions will be the preferred planting stock over much of the boreal forest that is commercially managed. Interestingly, no alternative species that are currently not present in Alberta can be recommended with any confidence. Finally, we observe large uncertainties in projections of suitable habitat that make reforestation planning beyond the 2050s difficult for most species. Conclusion/Significance More than 50,000 hectares of forests are commercially planted every year in Alberta. Choosing alternative planting stock, suitable for expected future climates, could therefore offer an effective climate change adaptation strategy at little additional cost. Habitat projections for locally adapted tree populations under observed climate change conform well to projections for the 2020s, which suggests that it is a safe strategy to change current reforestation practices and adapt to new climatic realities through assisted migration prescriptions. PMID:21853061

Strategies for reforestation under uncertain future climates: guidelines for Alberta, Canada.

PubMed

Gray, Laura K; Hamann, Andreas

2011-01-01

Commercial forestry programs normally use locally collected seed for reforestation under the assumption that tree populations are optimally adapted to local environments. However, in western Canada this assumption is no longer valid because of climate trends that have occurred over the last several decades. The objective of this study is to show how we can arrive at reforestation recommendations with alternative species and genotypes that are viable under a majority of climate change scenarios. In a case study for commercially important tree species of Alberta, we use an ecosystem-based bioclimate envelope modeling approach for western North America to project habitat for locally adapted populations of tree species using multi-model climate projections for the 2020s, 2050s and 2080s. We find that genotypes of species that are adapted to drier climatic conditions will be the preferred planting stock over much of the boreal forest that is commercially managed. Interestingly, no alternative species that are currently not present in Alberta can be recommended with any confidence. Finally, we observe large uncertainties in projections of suitable habitat that make reforestation planning beyond the 2050s difficult for most species. More than 50,000 hectares of forests are commercially planted every year in Alberta. Choosing alternative planting stock, suitable for expected future climates, could therefore offer an effective climate change adaptation strategy at little additional cost. Habitat projections for locally adapted tree populations under observed climate change conform well to projections for the 2020s, which suggests that it is a safe strategy to change current reforestation practices and adapt to new climatic realities through assisted migration prescriptions.

Development of differential absorption lidar (DIAL) for detection of CO2, CH4 and PM in Alberta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wojcik, Michael; Crowther, Blake; Lemon, Robert; Valupadas, Prasad; Fu, Long; Leung, Bonnie; Yang, Zheng; Huda, Quamrul; Chambers, Allan

2005-05-01

Rapid expansion of the oil and gas industry in Alberta, including the oil sands, has challenged the Alberta Government to keep pace in its efforts to monitor and mitigate the environmental impacts of development. The limitations of current monitoring systems has pushed the provincial government to seek out advanced sensing technologies such as satellite imagery and laser based sensors. The Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) of Utah State University, in cooperation with Alberta Environmental Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Agency (AEMERA), has developed North America's first mobile differential absorption lidar (DIAL) system designed specifically for emissions measurement. This instrument is housed inside a 36' trailer which allows for mobility to travel across Alberta to characterize source emissions and to locate fugitive leaks. DIAL is capable of measuring concentrations for carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) at ranges of up to 3 km with a spatial resolution of 10 meters. DIAL can map both CO2 and CH4, as well as particulate matter (PM) in a linear fashion; by scanning the laser beam in both azimuth and elevation DIAL can create images of emissions in two dimensions. DIAL imagery may be used to understand and control production practices, characterize source emissions, determine emission factors, locate fugitive leaks, assess plume dispersion, and confirm air dispersion modeling. A system overview of the DIAL instrument and some representative results will be discussed.

Resources for Teaching about Energy in the Social Studies Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sherman, Robin; Stone, Kim

1992-01-01

Lists instructional resources for use by social studies teachers in teaching about energy. Includes curriculum materials, videotapes, organizations, government agencies, and industry trade associations that can provide information. Suggests items on energy conservation, global warming, ecology, nuclear power, fossil fuels, oil spills, and…

A process-based agricultural model for the irrigated agriculture sector in Alberta, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ammar, M. E.; Davies, E. G.

2015-12-01

Connections between land and water, irrigation, agricultural productivity and profitability, policy alternatives, and climate change and variability are complex, poorly understood, and unpredictable. Policy assessment for agriculture presents a large potential for development of broad-based simulation models that can aid assessment and quantification of policy alternatives over longer temporal scales. The Canadian irrigated agriculture sector is concentrated in Alberta, where it represents two thirds of the irrigated land-base in Canada and is the largest consumer of surface water. Despite interest in irrigation expansion, its potential in Alberta is uncertain given a constrained water supply, significant social and economic development and increasing demands for both land and water, and climate change. This paper therefore introduces a system dynamics model as a decision support tool to provide insights into irrigation expansion in Alberta, and into trade-offs and risks associated with that expansion. It is intended to be used by a wide variety of users including researchers, policy analysts and planners, and irrigation managers. A process-based cropping system approach is at the core of the model and uses a water-driven crop growth mechanism described by AquaCrop. The tool goes beyond a representation of crop phenology and cropping systems by permitting assessment and quantification of the broader, long-term consequences of agricultural policies for Alberta's irrigation sector. It also encourages collaboration and provides a degree of transparency that gives confidence in simulation results. The paper focuses on the agricultural component of the systems model, describing the process involved; soil water and nutrients balance, crop growth, and water, temperature, salinity, and nutrients stresses, and how other disciplines can be integrated to account for the effects of interactions and feedbacks in the whole system. In later stages, other components such as

A Guide for Vocational Energy Education: Resources, Key People, Classroom Materials. Oregon Vocational Energy Education Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oregon Vocational Association, Gervais.

Intended as a resource tool for integrating energy and conservation education into the vocational skills areas, this resource guide consists of listings of instructional and technical materials pertaining to 14 vocational curriculum areas. These areas are agriculture, agriculture/agribusiness, architecture, automotive, business, construction,…

Energy Conservation Field Projects. Phase 2: External Evaluation. Document II: Appendices.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanley Associates, Edmonton (Alberta).

Provided are appendices which contain supporting documentation related to an external evaluation of the Phase 2: Energy Conservation Field Projects. Objectives of this program were to: test the generalizability of the energy conservations measures outlined in "Guidelines for Conserving Energy in Alberta Schools" and augment these…

Perceptions of the characteristics of the Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth by child care providers may influence early adoption of nutrition guidelines in child care centres.

PubMed

Nikolopoulos, Hara; Farmer, Anna; Berry, Tanya R; McCargar, Linda J; Mager, Diana R

2015-04-01

In 2008, the Alberta government released the Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth (ANGCY) as a resource for child care facilities to translate nutrition recommendations into practical food choices. Using a multiple case study method, early adoption of the guidelines was examined in two child care centres in Alberta, Canada. Key constructs from the Diffusion of Innovations framework were used to develop an interview protocol based on the perceived characteristics of the guidelines (relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability and observability) by child care providers. Analysis of the ANGCY was conducted by a trained qualitative researcher and validated by an external qualitative researcher. This entailed reviewing guideline content, layout, organisation, presentation, format, comprehensiveness and dissemination to understand whether characteristics of the guidelines affect the adoption process. Data were collected through direct observation, key informant interviews and documentation of field notes. Qualitative data were analysed using content analysis. Overall, the guidelines were perceived positively by child care providers. Child care providers found the guidelines to have a high relative advantage, be compatible with current practice, have a low level of complexity, easy to try and easy to observe changes. It is valuable to understand how child care providers perceive characteristics of guidelines as this is the first step in identifying the needs of child care providers with respect to early adoption and identifying potential educational strategies important for dissemination. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Access and Funding for International Students in Alberta: Frequently Asked Questions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Education, 2009

2009-01-01

Alberta classrooms are a microcosm of the world, with students representing a diversity of language and cultural groups. Some students are Canadian born or have adopted Canadian citizenship, while others are permanent residents, children of temporary foreign workers, refugees or students who have come to Canada specifically to study. Given this…

Changing Definitions and Off-loading Responsibility in Alberta's Post-Secondary System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnetson, Robert J.

1997-01-01

Outlines the process by which the government of Alberta (Canada) has compelled educational institutions to accept the introduction of a performance-based funding mechanism in spite of the substantial loss of autonomy the new process entails. Implications of the change are explored, and reasons for it are suggested. (Author/SLD)

Interactive energy atlas for Colorado and New Mexico: an online resource for decisionmakers and the public

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carr, N.B.; Babel, N.; Diffendorfer, J.; Ignizio, D.; Hawkins, S.; Latysh, N.; Leib, K.; Linard, J.; Matherne, A.

2012-01-01

Throughout the western United States, increased demand for energy is driving the rapid development of oil, gas (including shale gas and coal-bed methane), and uranium, as well as renewable energy resources such as geothermal, solar, and wind. Much of the development in the West is occurring on public lands, including those under Federal and State jurisdictions. In Colorado and New Mexico, these public lands make up about 40 percent of the land area. Both states benefit from the revenue generated by energy production, but resource managers and other decisionmakers must balance the benefits of energy development with the potential consequences for ecosystems, recreation, and other resources. Although a substantial amount of geospatial data on existing energy development and energy potential is available, much of this information is not readily accessible to natural resource decisionmakers, policymakers, or the public. Furthermore, the data often exist in varied formats, requiring considerable processing before these datasets can be used to evaluate tradeoffs among resources, compare development alternatives, or quantify cumulative impacts. To allow for a comprehensive evaluation among different energy types, an interdisciplinary team of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists has developed an online Interactive Energy Atlas for Colorado and New Mexico. The Energy and Environment in the Rocky Mountain Area (EERMA) interdisciplinary team includes investigators from several USGS science centers1. The purpose of the EERMA Interactive Energy Atlas is to facilitate access to geospatial data related to energy resources, energy infrastructure, and natural resources that may be affected by energy development. The Atlas is designed to meet the needs of various users, including GIS analysts, resource managers, policymakers, and the public, who seek information about energy in the western United States. Currently, the Atlas has two primary capabilities, a GIS data viewer and an

Alberta High School, College Elevate Learning with Rare Joint Venture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pearson, George

2012-01-01

The refusal by a group of parents in Olds, Alberta, in 2003 to accept a provincial grant to renovate their high school set in motion a remarkable collaboration that spawned an innovative learning campus for an entire community and beyond. The new Olds High School, which opened in 2010, is part of a new Community Learning Campus (CLC), a joint…

Owl broadcast surveys in the Foothills Model Forest, Alberta, Canada

Treesearch

D. Lisa Takats; Geoffrey L. Holroyd

1997-01-01

Broadcast surveys are used to determine the presence and relative abundance of nocturnal owls, but there has been little effort to standardize such surveys. This paper examines broadcast survey data collected in 1995 and 1996 in the Foothills Model Forest, Alberta, Canada. Three hundred calls from six species of owls were recorded at 893 stops for a call rate of 0.34...

The Socioeconomic Benefits Generated by 16 Community Colleges and Technical Institutes in Alberta. Executive Summary [and] Volume 1: Main Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christophersen, Kjell A.; Robison, M. Henry

This document contains an executive summary and main report that examine the ways in which the Alberta, Canada, economy benefits from the presence of the 16 community and technical colleges in the province. The colleges served an unduplicated headcount of 241,992 students in fiscal year 2001. The Alberta community colleges employed 8,374 full-time…

Potential causes of differences between ground and surface air temperature warming across different ecozones in Alberta, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majorowicz, Jacek A.; Skinner, Walter R.

1997-10-01

Analysis and modelling of temperature anomalies from 25 selected deep wells in Alberta show that the differences between GST (ground surface temperature) warming for the northern Boreal Forest ecozone and the combined Prairie Grassland ecozone and Aspen Parkland transition region to the south occur during the latter half of this century. This corresponds with recent changes in surface albedo resulting from permanent land development in the northern areas and also to increases in natural forest fires in the past 20 years. Differences between GST and SAT (surface air temperature) warming are much higher in the Boreal Forest ecozone than in the Prairie Grassland ecozone and Aspen Parkland transition region. Various hypotheses which could account for the existing differences between the GST and SAT warming in the different ecozones of Alberta, and western Canada in general, are tested. Analysis of existing data on soil temperature, hydrological piezometric surfaces, snowfall and moisture patterns, and land clearing and forest fires, indicate that large areas of Alberta, characterised by anomalous GST warming, have experienced widespread changes to the surface landscape in this century. It is postulated that this has resulted in a lower surface albedo with a subsequent increase in the absorption of solar energy. Heat flow modelling shows that, after climatic SAT warming, permanent clearing of the land is the most effective and likely cause of the observed changes in the GST warming. The greater GST warming in the Boreal Forest ecozone in the latter half of this century is related to landscape change due to land development and increasing forest fire activity. It appears to account for a portion of the observed SAT warming in this region through a positive feedback loop with the overlying air. The anthropogenic effect on regional climatic warming through 20th century land clearing and landscape alteration requires further study. In future, more accurate quantification of

A GLOBAL ASSESSMENT OF SOLAR ENERGY RESOURCES: NASA's Prediction of Worldwide Energy Resources (POWER) Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, T.; Stackhouse, P. W., Jr.; Chandler, W.; Hoell, J. M.; Westberg, D.; Whitlock, C. H.

2010-12-01

NASA's POWER project, or the Prediction of the Worldwide Energy Resources project, synthesizes and analyzes data on a global scale. The products of the project find valuable applications in the solar and wind energy sectors of the renewable energy industries. The primary source data for the POWER project are NASA's World Climate Research Project (WCRP)/Global Energy and Water cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Surface Radiation Budget (SRB) project (Release 3.0) and the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) assimilation model (V 4.0.3). Users of the POWER products access the data through NASA's Surface meteorology and Solar Energy (SSE, Version 6.0) website (http://power.larc.nasa.gov). Over 200 parameters are available to the users. The spatial resolution is 1 degree by 1 degree now and will be finer later. The data covers from July 1983 to December 2007, a time-span of 24.5 years, and are provided as 3-hourly, daily and monthly means. As of now, there have been over 18 million web hits and over 4 million data file downloads. The POWER products have been systematically validated against ground-based measurements, and in particular, data from the Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) archive, and also against the National Solar Radiation Data Base (NSRDB). Parameters such as minimum, maximum, daily mean temperature and dew points, relative humidity and surface pressure are validated against the National Climate Data Center (NCDC) data. SSE feeds data directly into Decision Support Systems including RETScreen International clean energy project analysis software that is written in 36 languages and has greater than 260,000 users worldwide.

NOGA Online: a USGS resource for energy GIS data and services

USGS Publications Warehouse

Biewick, Laura; Gunther, Greg L.

2003-01-01

The PowerPoint presentation in this report was given at the BLM Resource Management Tools Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, April, 2003. Some diagrams that appeared in the original presentation have been updated in this report. It informs that the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Central Energy Resources Team (CERT) in Denver, Colorado, is providing National Oil and Gas Assessment (NOGA) results online at http://energy.cr.usgs.gov/oilgas/noga/. Available at this site are recently completed assessments of the potential for undiscovered oil and natural gas resources of five priority provinces (Montana Thrust Belt, Powder River Basin, San Juan Basin, Southwestern Wyoming, Uinta-Piceance) to meet the requirements of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 2000 (EPCA 2000). High demand for current assessment results and for the entirely digital, 1995 NOGA results for other provinces, prompted CERT to develop an internet map application using ArcIMS to deliver geologic data to the public. CERT continues to work on assessing oil and natural gas resources of priority basins in the United States; assessment results and GIS layers are made available at this site on an ongoing basis.

Future petroleum energy resources of the world

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ahlbrandt, T.S.

2002-01-01

and gas endowment estimates. Whereas petroleum resources in the world appear to be significant, certain countries such as the United States may run into import deficits, particularly oil imports from Mexico and natural gas from both Canada and Mexico. The new assessment has been used as the reference supply case in energy supply models by the International Energy Agency and the Energy Information Agency of the Department of Energy. Climate energy modeling groups such as those at Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and others have also used USGS estimates in global climate models. Many of these models using the USGS estimates converge on potential oil shortfalls in 2036-2040. However, recent articles using the USGS (2000) estimates suggest peaking of oil in 2020-2035 and peaking of non-OPEC (Organization of Petroleum-Exporting Countries) oil in 2015-2020. Such a short time framework places greater emphasis on a transition to increased use of natural gas; i.e., a methane economy. Natural gas in turn may experience similar supply concerns in the 2050-2060 time frame according to some authors. Coal resources are considerable and provide significant petroleum potential either by extracting natural gas from them, by directly converting them into petroleum products, or by utilizing them to generate electricity, thereby reducing natural gas and oil requirements by fuel substitution. Non-conventional oil and gas are quite common in petroleum provinces of the world and represent a significant resources yet to be fully studied and developed. Seventeen non-conventional AU including coal-bed methane, basin-center gas, continuous oil, and gas hydrate occurrences have been preliminarily identified for future assessment. Initial efforts to assess heavy oil deposits and other non-conventional oil and gas deposits also are under way.

Fossil resource and energy security dynamics in conventional and carbon-constrained worlds

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McCollum, David; Bauer, Nico; Calvin, Katherine V.

Fossil resource endowments and the future development of fossil fuel prices are important factors that will critically influence the nature and direction of the global energy system. In this paper we analyze a multi-model ensemble of long-term energy and emissions scenarios that were developed within the framework of the EMF27 integrated assessment model inter-comparison exercise. The diverse nature of these models highlights large uncertainties in the likely development of fossil resource (coal, oil, and natural gas) consumption, trade, and prices over the course of the twenty-first century and under different climate policy frameworks. We explore and explain some of themore » differences across scenarios and models and compare the scenario results with fossil resource estimates from the literature. A robust finding across the suite of IAMs is that the cumulative fossil fuel consumption foreseen by the models is well within the bounds of estimated recoverable reserves and resources. Hence, fossil resource constraints are, in and of themselves, unlikely to limit future GHG emissions. Our analysis also shows that climate mitigation policies could lead to a major reallocation of financial flows between regions, in terms of expenditures on fossil fuels and carbon, and can help to alleviate near-term energy security concerns via the reductions in oil imports and increases in energy system diversity they will help to motivate.« less

Broadband Magnetotelluric Investigations of Crustal Resistivity Structure in North-Eastern Alberta: Implications for Engineered Geothermal Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liddell, M. V.; Unsworth, M. J.; Nieuwenhuis, G.

2013-12-01

Greenhouse gas emissions from hydrocarbon consumption produce profound changes in the global climate, and the implementation of alternative energy sources is needed. The oilsands industry in Alberta (Canada) is a major producer of greenhouse gases as natural gas is burnt to produce the heat required to extract and process bitumen. Geothermal energy could be utilized to provide this necessary heat and has the potential to reduce both financial costs and environmental impacts of the oilsands industry. In order to determine the geothermal potential the details of the reservoir must be understood. Conventional hydrothermal reservoirs have been detected using geophysical techniques such as magnetotellurics (MT) which measures the electrical conductivity of the Earth. However, in Northern Alberta the geothermal gradient is relatively low, and heat must be extracted from deep inside the basement rocks using Engineered Geothermal Systems (EGS) and therefore an alternative exploration technique is required. MT can be useful in this context as it can detect fracture zones and regions of elevated porosity. MT data were recorded near Fort McMurray with the goal of determining the geothermal potential by understanding the crustal resistivity structure beneath the Athabasca Oilsands. The MT data are being used to locate targets of significance for geothermal exploration such as regions of low resistivity in the basement rocks which can relate to in situ fluids or fracture zones which can facilitate efficient heat extraction or het transport. A total of 93 stations were collected ~500m apart on two profiles stretching 30 and 20km respectively. Signals were recorded using Phoenix Geophysics V5-2000 systems over frequency bands from 1000 to 0.001 Hz, corresponding to depths of penetration approximately 50m to 50km. Groom-Bailey tensor decomposition and phase tensor analysis shows a well defined geoelectric strike direction that varied along the profile from N60°E to N45�

The Changing Role of Guidance and Counselling in Alberta: Fact or Fiction?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carstensen, Peter; Melnychuk, Don

1980-01-01

Increased activity and production of materials and methods hold potential for constructive change in guidance and counseling. But there is need for reorganization of existing materials to alleviate the bandwagon effect if new methods of guidance and counseling are to improve in Alberta. (JAC)

Optimal Control of Distributed Energy Resources using Model Predictive Control

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mayhorn, Ebony T.; Kalsi, Karanjit; Elizondo, Marcelo A.

2012-07-22

In an isolated power system (rural microgrid), Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) such as renewable energy resources (wind, solar), energy storage and demand response can be used to complement fossil fueled generators. The uncertainty and variability due to high penetration of wind makes reliable system operations and controls challenging. In this paper, an optimal control strategy is proposed to coordinate energy storage and diesel generators to maximize wind penetration while maintaining system economics and normal operation. The problem is formulated as a multi-objective optimization problem with the goals of minimizing fuel costs and changes in power output of diesel generators, minimizingmore » costs associated with low battery life of energy storage and maintaining system frequency at the nominal operating value. Two control modes are considered for controlling the energy storage to compensate either net load variability or wind variability. Model predictive control (MPC) is used to solve the aforementioned problem and the performance is compared to an open-loop look-ahead dispatch problem. Simulation studies using high and low wind profiles, as well as, different MPC prediction horizons demonstrate the efficacy of the closed-loop MPC in compensating for uncertainties in wind and demand.« less

Thorium Energy Resources and its Potential of Georgian Republic, The Caucasus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gogoladze, Salome; Okrostsvaridze, Avtandil

2017-04-01

Energy resources, currently consumed by modern civilization, are represented by hydrocarbons - 78-80 %, however these reserves are exhausting. In light of these challenges, search of new energy resources is vital importance problem for the modern civilization. Based on the analysis of existing energy reserves and potential, as the main energy resources for the future of our civilization, the renewable and nuclear energy should be considered. However, thorium has a number of advantages compared to Uranium (Kazimi, 2003; et al.): It is concentrated in the earth crust 4-5 times more than uranium; extraction and enrichment of thorium is much cheaper than uranium's; It is less radioactive; complete destruction of its waste products is possible; thorium yields much more energy than uranium. Because of unique properties and currently existed difficult energetic situation thorium is considered as the main green energy resource in the 3rd millennium of the human civilization (Martin, 2009). Georgia republic, which is situated in the central part of Caucasus, poor of hydrocarbons, but has a thorium resource important potential. In general the Caucasus represents a collisional orogen, that formed along the Eurasian North continental margin and extends over 1200 km from Caspian to Black Sea. Three major units are distinguished in its construction: the Greater and Lesser Caucasian mobile belts and the Transcaucasus microplate. Currently it represents the Tethyan segment connecting the Mediterranean and Iran-Himalayan orogenic belts, between the Gondvana-derived Arabian plate and East European platform. Now in Georgian Republic are marked thorium four ore occurrences (Okrostsvaridze, 2014): 1- in the Sothern slope of the Greater Caucasus, in the quartz -plagioclases veins (Th concentrations vary between 51g/t - 3882 g/t); 2- in the Transcaucasus Dzirula massif hydrothermally altered rocks of the Precambrian quartz-diorite gneisses (Th concentrations vary between 117 g/t -266 g

The Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) cohort study: rationale and methods.

PubMed

Kaplan, Bonnie J; Giesbrecht, Gerald F; Leung, Brenda M Y; Field, Catherine J; Dewey, Deborah; Bell, Rhonda C; Manca, Donna P; O'Beirne, Maeve; Johnston, David W; Pop, Victor J; Singhal, Nalini; Gagnon, Lisa; Bernier, Francois P; Eliasziw, Misha; McCargar, Linda J; Kooistra, Libbe; Farmer, Anna; Cantell, Marja; Goonewardene, Laki; Casey, Linda M; Letourneau, Nicole; Martin, Jonathan W

2014-01-01

The Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) study is an ongoing prospective cohort study that recruits pregnant women early in pregnancy and, as of 2012, is following up their infants to 3 years of age. It has currently enrolled approximately 5000 Canadians (2000 pregnant women, their offspring and many of their partners). The primary aims of the APrON study were to determine the relationships between maternal nutrient intake and status, before, during and after gestation, and (1) maternal mood; (2) birth and obstetric outcomes; and (3) infant neurodevelopment. We have collected comprehensive maternal nutrition, anthropometric, biological and mental health data at multiple points in the pregnancy and the post-partum period, as well as obstetrical, birth, health and neurodevelopmental outcomes of these pregnancies. The study continues to follow the infants through to 36 months of age. The current report describes the study design and methods, and findings of some pilot work. The APrON study is a significant resource with opportunities for collaboration. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A Hybrid Ground-Motion Prediction Equation for Earthquakes in Western Alberta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spriggs, N.; Yenier, E.; Law, A.; Moores, A. O.

2015-12-01

Estimation of ground-motion amplitudes that may be produced by future earthquakes constitutes the foundation of seismic hazard assessment and earthquake-resistant structural design. This is typically done by using a prediction equation that quantifies amplitudes as a function of key seismological variables such as magnitude, distance and site condition. In this study, we develop a hybrid empirical prediction equation for earthquakes in western Alberta, where evaluation of seismic hazard associated with induced seismicity is of particular interest. We use peak ground motions and response spectra from recorded seismic events to model the regional source and attenuation attributes. The available empirical data is limited in the magnitude range of engineering interest (M>4). Therefore, we combine empirical data with a simulation-based model in order to obtain seismologically informed predictions for moderate-to-large magnitude events. The methodology is two-fold. First, we investigate the shape of geometrical spreading in Alberta. We supplement the seismic data with ground motions obtained from mining/quarry blasts, in order to gain insights into the regional attenuation over a wide distance range. A comparison of ground-motion amplitudes for earthquakes and mining/quarry blasts show that both event types decay at similar rates with distance and demonstrate a significant Moho-bounce effect. In the second stage, we calibrate the source and attenuation parameters of a simulation-based prediction equation to match the available amplitude data from seismic events. We model the geometrical spreading using a trilinear function with attenuation rates obtained from the first stage, and calculate coefficients of anelastic attenuation and site amplification via regression analysis. This provides a hybrid ground-motion prediction equation that is calibrated for observed motions in western Alberta and is applicable to moderate-to-large magnitude events.

Thorium Deposits of the United States - Energy Resources for the Future?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Van Gosen, Bradley S.; Gillerman, Virginia S.; Armbrustmacher, Theodore J.

2009-01-01

Many nations are exploring new ways to meet their growing energy supply needs, with a particular focus upon methods that produce lower carbon dioxide emissions compared to traditional oil, natural gas, and coal power plants. As a result, thorium-based nuclear power has experienced renewed attention as a potential energy source. Thus, it benefits the United States and other countries to identify and evaluate their indigenous thorium resources. This report describes the geology and resources of the principal thorium districts of the United States.

AmeriFlux CA-Let Alberta - Mixed Grass Prairie

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Flanagan, Lawrence B.

This is the AmeriFlux version of the carbon flux data for the site CA-Let Alberta - Mixed Grass Prairie. Site Description - Latitude 49.43° N; Longitude 112.56° W, altitude 951 meters,Mixed Grass Prairie that includes the following major species: Agropyron spp. (Wheat Grasses), Tragopogon dubius (Goat’s Beard), Vicia americana (Wild Vetch), Koleria cristata (June Grass), Eurotia lanata (Winter Fat), Stipa comata (Spear Grass), Achillea millefolium (Yarrow); Artemisia frigida (Pasture Sage); Carex spp. (Sedges), Bouteloua gracilis (Blue Grama Grass). Maximum canopy height varies from year to year

Energy resources available to the United States, 1985 to 2000.

PubMed

Hayes, E T

1979-01-19

Energy and the gross national product have grown hand in hand at 3 to 3(1/2) percent a year for almost 40 years. Our energy growth is slowing down and will sentially level off in the 1990's. Our production of oil and gas passed a peak in the early 1970's, and there is no resource base to justify predictions of increased yields. Coal is the only fossil fuel capable of increased production. There are serious doubts that our uranium resources can support a large light-water reactor program. Finding rates for petroleum, natural gas, and uranium are less than half of what they were 20 years ago.

Survival of metastatic colorectal cancer patients treated with chemotherapy in Alberta (1995-2004).

PubMed

Chen, Yiqun; Qiu, Zhenguo; Kamruzzaman, Anmmd; Snodgrass, Tom; Scarfe, Andrew; Bryant, Heather E

2010-02-01

Clinical trials have suggested that advances in chemotherapy significantly improve the survival of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Comparable evidence from clinical practice is scarce. This study aims to investigate the survival of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer treated with chemotherapy in Alberta, Canada. Trends of relative survival of patients diagnosed in 1994-2003 were assessed using Alberta Cancer Registry (ACR) data. The median overall survival (OS) of patients diagnosed in 2004 was determined by linking Cancer Registry data with Electronic Medical Records (EMR). Cox regression models were fitted to calculate the hazard ratio for patients treated with chemotherapy. The 2-year relative survival for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who received chemotherapy increased significantly from 29% to 41% over the 10 years (1994-2003, p < 0.015). A 69% reduction in the risk of mortality was observed in the 168 patients who received chemotherapy compared to the 87 patients who did not, after adjusting for age, gender, and number of metastases. The median OS of patients who received chemotherapy was 17.5 months. This is comparable to the 18-20 months seen in recently published clinical trials, considering the patients in this study were from the real clinical practice, nearly half of them were older than 70, and many of them might have important co-morbidities. The survival of patients diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer in Alberta has improved in recent years; this is most likely attributable in large part to the use of chemotherapy.

Lower Velocity Sites Improve the Tidal-Stream Energy Resource

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robins, P. E.; Lewis, M. J.; Neill, S. P.; Hashemi, M. R.; Stephenson, G.

2015-12-01

It is essential that developers have detailed knowledge of the tidal-stream energy resource. ROMS hydrodynamic models (~1 km resolution) of key areas in northwest Europe, were used to examine the spatial and temporal distribution of the tidal-stream resource. Currently, sites with peak spring tide velocities (M2 and S2 constituents) in excess of 2.5 m/s and water depths between 25 and 50 m are preferred. When assuming this so-called "1st generation" criteria, a limited resource with limited scope for long-term sustainability of the industry was calculated for the Irish Sea; a key area for UK development. Selecting sites that also included 20% lower velocities (>2 m/s) and deeper water locations (>25m) resulted in a seven-fold increase in the available resource (for the Irish Sea). Although new engineering challenges will be encountered (e.g. more wave exposed locations) by developing these 2nd generation tidal-stream energy sites (>2m/s and >25m), some oceanographic challenges would be improved. For example, the flood-ebb tidal flow is not typically rectilinear at 1st generation UK sites (a mean error from rectilinear of ~20° in this assumption), which is reduced to near-rectilinear flow (˜3° error) when including 2nd generation sites. Analysis of our northwest European model revealed more phase diversity is offered by developing lower tidal energy sites, allowing firm and constant electricity generation. Moreover, at 1st generation sites, we calculate significant, and unaccounted, variability in annual practical power generation. For example, mean peak spring tidal velocities can under-estimate the annual practical resource by up to 25%, for regions experiencing similar mean peak spring tidal velocities, due to the ratio of M2 and S2, together with the influence of other tidal constituents, such as K1 and O1. Therefore, based on prevalence, firm power and engineering challengers, we find a strong case for developing lower flow technologies.

Erosion of the Alberta badlands produces highly variable and elevated heavy metal concentrations in the Red Deer River, Alberta.

PubMed

Kerr, Jason G; Cooke, Colin A

2017-10-15

Erosion is important in the transport of heavy metals from terrestrial to fluvial environments. In this study, we investigated riverine heavy metal (Cd, Cu, Hg and Pb) dynamics in the Red Deer River (RDR) watershed at sites upstream (n=2) and downstream (n=7) of the Alberta badlands, an area of naturally high erosion. At sites draining the badlands, total water column Cd, Cu, Hg and Pb concentrations frequently exceeded guidelines for the protection of freshwater biota. Furthermore, peak concentrations of total Cd (9.8μgL -1 ), Cu (212μgL -1 ), Hg (649ngL -1 ) and Pb (361μgL -1 ) were higher than, or comparable to, values reported for rivers and streams heavily impacted by anthropogenic activities. Total suspended solids (TSS) explained a large proportion (r 2 =0.34-0.83) of the variation in total metal concentrations in the RDR and tributaries and metal fluxes were dominated by the particulate fraction (60-98%). Suspended sediment concentrations (C sed ) and metal to aluminum ratios were generally not indicative of substantial sediment enrichment. Rather, the highly variable and elevated metal concentrations in the RDR watershed were a function of the high and variable suspended sediment fluxes which characterize the river system. While the impact of this on aquatic biota requires further investigation, we suggest erosion in the Alberta badlands may be contributing to Hg-based fish consumption advisories in the RDR. Importantly, this highlights a broader need for information on contaminant dynamics in watersheds subject to elevated rates of erosion. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Water Resources Management for Shale Energy Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoxtheimer, D.

2015-12-01

The increase in the exploration and extraction of hydrocarbons, especially natural gas, from shale formations has been facilitated by advents in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies. Shale energy resources are very promising as an abundant energy source, though environmental challenges exist with their development, including potential adverse impacts to water quality. The well drilling and construction process itself has the potential to impact groundwater quality, however if proper protocols are followed and well integrity is established then impacts such as methane migration or drilling fluids releases can be minimized. Once a shale well has been drilled and hydraulically fractured, approximately 10-50% of the volume of injected fluids (flowback fluids) may flow out of the well initially with continued generation of fluids (produced fluids) throughout the well's productive life. Produced fluid TDS concentrations often exceed 200,000 mg/L, with elevated levels of strontium (Sr), bromide (Br), sodium (Na), calcium (Ca), barium (Ba), chloride (Cl), radionuclides originating from the shale formation as well as fracturing additives. Storing, managing and properly disposisng of these fluids is critical to ensure water resources are not impacted by unintended releases. The most recent data in Pennsylvania suggests an estimated 85% of the produced fluids were being recycled for hydraulic fracturing operations, while many other states reuse less than 50% of these fluids and rely moreso on underground injection wells for disposal. Over the last few years there has been a shift to reuse more produced fluids during well fracturing operations in shale plays around the U.S., which has a combination of economic, regulatory, environmental, and technological drivers. The reuse of water is cost-competitive with sourcing of fresh water and disposal of flowback, especially when considering the costs of advanced treatment to or disposal well injection and lessens

Satellite Power System (SPS) resource requirements (critical materials, energy, and land)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kotin, A. D.

1978-01-01

The resource impacts of the proposed satellite power system (SPS) were reviewed. Three classes of resource impacts were considered separately: critical materials, energy and land use. The analysis focused on the requirements associated with the annual development of two five-gigawatt satellites and the associated receiving facilities.

Satellite Power System (SPS) resource requirements (critical materials, energy and land)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kotin, A. D.

1978-01-01

The resource impacts of the proposed satellite power system are evaluated. Three classes of resource impacts are considered separately: critical materials, energy, and land use. The analysis focuses on the requirements associated with the annual development of two five-gigawatt satellites and the associated receiving facilities.

RACOL Project Delivers Distance Education to Rural Alberta Schools through Videoconferencing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

T.H.E. Journal, 2005

2005-01-01

The Fort Vermilion School Division (FVSD) covers an area twice the size of Vermont, yet the school system only has 3,600 students. This region of northwestern Alberta, Canada, is a mixture of agriculture and oil exploration, with most towns having fewer than 5,000 people. The mandate of the school district is to provide the best possible education…

Costs of health services utilization of people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder by sex and age group in Alberta, Canada.

PubMed

Thanh, Nguyen Xuan; Jonsson, Egon

2014-01-01

To estimate the annual health services utilization (HSU) cost per person with FASD by sex and age; the lifetime HSU cost per person with FASD by sex, and the annual HSU cost of FASD for Alberta by sex. The HSU costs of FASD including physician, outpatient, and inpatient services were described by sex and age. The costs per person-year were estimated by multiplying the average number of hospitalizations, outpatient visits, and physician visits per person-year by the average cost of each service. The annual HSU cost of FASD for Alberta was estimated by multiplying the annual HSU cost per person with FASD by the number of people living with FASD in Alberta in 2012. The lifetime HSU cost per person with FASD was estimated by sex for several lifespans ranging from 10 to 70 years. The annual cost of HSU for people with FASD in Alberta was $259 million, of which FAS accounted for 26%. The annual HSU cost per person with FAS and FASD were $6,200 and $5,600, respectively. The incremental annual HSU cost per person with FAS is $4,100 and with FASD is $3,400 as compared to the general population. The lifetime (70 years) HSU cost per person with FAS was $506,000 and with FASD was $245,000. Males had higher HSU costs than females. HSU costs of FAS and FASD varied greatly by age group. The findings suggest that FASD is a public health issue in Alberta and can be used for economic evaluations of FASD intervention and/or prevention in the province.

Projected wood energy impact on US forest wood resources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Skog, K.E.

1993-12-31

The USDA Forest Service has developed long-term projections of wood energy use as part of a 1993 assessment of demand for and supply of resources from forest and range lands in the United States. To assess the impact of wood energy demand on timber resources, a market equilibrium model based on linear programming was developed to project residential, industrial, commercial, and utility wood energy use from various wood energy sources: roundwood from various land sources, primary wood products mill residue, other wood residue, and black liquor. Baseline projections are driven by projected price of fossil fuels compared to price ofmore » wood fuels and the projected increase in total energy use in various end uses. Wood energy use is projected to increase from 2.67 quad in 1986 to 3.5 quad in 2030 and 3.7 quad in 2040. This is less than the DOE National Energy Strategy projection of 5.5 quad in 2030. Wood energy from forest sources (roundwood) is projected to increase from 3.1 billion (10{sup 9}) ft{sup 3} in 1986 to 4.4. billion ft{sup 3} in 2030 and 4.8 billion ft{sup 3} in 2040 (88, 124 and 136 million m{sup 3}, respectively). This rate of increase of roundwood use for fuel -- 0.8 percent per year -- is virtually the same as the projected increase rate for roundwood for pulpwood. Pulpwood roundwood is projected to increase from 4.2 billion ft{sup 3} in 1986 to 6.0 billion ft{sup 3} in 2030 and 6.4 billion ft{sup 3} in 2040 (119, 170 and 183 million m{sup 3}, respectively).« less

Grid of the Future: Quantification of Benefits from Flexible Energy Resources in Scenarios With Extra-High Penetration of Renewable Energy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bebic, Jovan; Hinkle, Gene; Matic, Slobodan

2015-01-15

The main objective of this study is to quantify the entitlement for system benefits attainable by pervasive application of flexible energy resources in scenarios with extra-high penetration of renewable energy. The quantified benefits include savings in thermal energy and reduction of CO 2 emissions. Both are primarily a result of displacement of conventional thermal generation by renewable energy production, but there are secondary improvements that arise from lowering operating reserves, removing transmission constraints, and by partially removing energy-delivery losses due to energy production by distributed solar. The flexible energy resources in the context of this study include energy storage andmore » adjustable loads. The flexibility of both was constrained to a time horizon of one day. In case of energy storage this means that the state of charge is restored to the starting value at the end of each day, while for load this means that the daily energy consumed is maintained constant. The extra-high penetration of renewable energy in the context of this study means the level of penetration resulting in significant number of hours where instantaneous power output from renewable resources added to the power output from baseload nuclear fleet surpasses the instantaneous power consumption by the load.« less

Resource Evaluation and Energy Production Estimate for a Tidal Energy Conversion Installation using Acoustic Flow Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gagnon, Ian; Baldwin, Ken; Wosnik, Martin

2015-11-01

The ``Living Bridge'' project plans to install a tidal turbine at Memorial Bridge in the Piscataqua River at Portsmouth, NH. A spatio-temporal tidal energy resource assessment was performed using long term bottom-deployed Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers ADCP. Two locations were evaluated: at the planned deployment location and mid-channel. The goal was to determine the amount of available kinetic energy that can be converted into usable electrical energy on the bridge. Changes in available kinetic energy with ebb/flood and spring/neap tidal cycles and electrical energy demand were analyzed. A system model is used to calculate the net energy savings using various tidal generator and battery bank configurations. Differences in the tidal characteristics between the two measurement locations are highlighted. Different resource evaluation methodologies were also analyzed, e.g., using a representative ADCP ``bin'' vs. a more refined, turbine-geometry-specific methodology, and using static bin height vs. bin height that move w.r.t. the free surface throughout a tidal cycle (representative of a bottom-fixed or floating turbine deployment, respectively). ADCP operating frequencies and bin sizes affect the standard deviation of measurements, and measurement uncertainties are evaluated. Supported by NSF-IIP grant 1430260.

A National Research Council Evaluation of the Department of Energy's Marine and Hydrokinetic Resource Assessments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glickson, D.; Holmes, K. J.; Cooke, D.

2012-12-01

Marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) resources are increasingly becoming part of energy regulatory, planning, and marketing activities in the U.S. and elsewhere. In particular, state-based renewable portfolio standards and federal production and investment tax credits have led to an increased interest in the possible deployment of MHK technologies. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-58) directed the Department of Energy (DOE) to estimate the size of the MHK resource base. In order to help DOE prioritize its overall portfolio of future research, increase the understanding of the potential for MHK resource development, and direct MHK device and/or project developers to locations of greatest promise, the DOE Wind and Water Power Program requested that the National Research Council (NRC) provide an evaluation of the detailed assessments being conducted by five individual resource assessment groups. These resource assessment groups were contracted to estimate the amount of extractable energy from wave, tidal, ocean current, ocean thermal energy conversion, and riverine resources. Performing these assessments requires that each resource assessment group estimate the average power density of the resource base, as well as the basic technology characteristics and spatial and temporal constituents that convert power into electricity for that resource. The NRC committee evaluated the methodologies, technologies, and assumptions associated with each of these resource assessments. The committee developed a conceptual framework for delineating the processes used to develop the assessment results requested by the DOE, with definitions of the theoretical, technical, and practical resource to clarify elements of the overall resource assessment process. This allowed the NRC committee to make a comparison of different methods, terminology, and processes among the five resource assessment groups. The committee concluded that the overall approach taken by the wave resource and

Short-Term Influence of Revised Provincial Accreditation Standards on Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Weight Status in Alberta, Canada Child Care Centers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carson, Valerie; Clark, Dawne; Ogden, Nancy; Harber, Vicki; Kuzik, Nicholas

2015-01-01

In December, 2013, revised Alberta child care accreditation standards were released by the Alberta Government in Canada that included a new standard for physical activity and sedentary behavior in accredited child care settings. The main purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the new accreditation standard in increasing physical…

Turkey's High Temperature Geothermal Energy Resources and Electricity Production Potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bilgin, Ö.

2012-04-01

Turkey is in the first 7 countries in the world in terms of potential and applications. Geothermal energy which is an alternative energy resource has advantages such as low-cost, clean, safe and natural resource. Geothermal energy is defined as hot water and steam which is formed by heat that accumulated in various depths of the Earth's crust; with more than 20oC temperature and which contain more than fused minerals, various salts and gases than normal underground and ground water. It is divided into three groups as low, medium and high temperature. High-temperature fluid is used in electricity generation, low and medium temperature fluids are used in greenhouses, houses, airport runways, animal farms and places such as swimming pools heating. In this study high temperature geothermal fields in Turkey which is suitable for electricity production, properties and electricity production potential was investigated.

NETL's Energy Data Exchange (EDX) - a coordination, collaboration, and data resource discovery platform for energy science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rose, K.; Rowan, C.; Rager, D.; Dehlin, M.; Baker, D. V.; McIntyre, D.

2015-12-01

Multi-organizational research teams working jointly on projects often encounter problems with discovery, access to relevant existing resources, and data sharing due to large file sizes, inappropriate file formats, or other inefficient options that make collaboration difficult. The Energy Data eXchange (EDX) from Department of Energy's (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is an evolving online research environment designed to overcome these challenges in support of DOE's fossil energy goals while offering improved access to data driven products of fossil energy R&D such as datasets, tools, and web applications. In 2011, development of NETL's Energy Data eXchange (EDX) was initiated and offers i) a means for better preserving of NETL's research and development products for future access and re-use, ii) efficient, discoverable access to authoritative, relevant, external resources, and iii) an improved approach and tools to support secure, private collaboration and coordination between multi-organizational teams to meet DOE mission and goals. EDX presently supports fossil energy and SubTER Crosscut research activities, with an ever-growing user base. EDX is built on a heavily customized instance of the open source platform, Comprehensive Knowledge Archive Network (CKAN). EDX connects users to externally relevant data and tools through connecting to external data repositories built on different platforms and other CKAN platforms (e.g. Data.gov). EDX does not download and repost data or tools that already have an online presence. This leads to redundancy and even error. If a relevant resource already has an online instance, is hosted by another online entity, EDX will point users to that external host either using web services, inventorying URLs and other methods. EDX offers users the ability to leverage private-secure capabilities custom built into the system. The team is presently working on version 3 of EDX which will incorporate big data analytical

A Healthy Communities Initiative in Rural Alberta: Building Rural Capacity for Health.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

GermAnn, Kathy; Smith, Neale; Littlejohns, Lori Baugh

Efforts of health professionals are shifting away from programs that "deliver health" toward those that build the capacity of communities to work together to create healthy places. The Healthy Communities Initiative (HCI) is a community development model in central Alberta (Canada) that involves the creation of a widely shared vision of…

Housing and Living Arrangements of South Asian Immigrant Seniors in Edmonton, Alberta

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ng, Cheuk Fan; Northcott, Herbert C.; Abu-Laban, Sharon McIrvin

2007-01-01

The Canadian population is aging and becoming more ethnically diverse. This paper focuses on South Asian immigrant seniors and examines differences in housing and living arrangements among seniors who immigrated at different life stages. We interviewed a convenience sample of 161 immigrant seniors of South Asian descent in Edmonton, Alberta, to…

Education of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students in Alberta: 1989-1990.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton. Education Response Centre.

Surveys of school administrators, teachers, and parents were used to gather data about students with impaired hearing in Alberta during the 1989-1990 school year. This survey report begins with an introductory section which highlights the findings. Section II then describes student characteristics of hearing impaired students, including the number…

Distribution System Pricing with Distributed Energy Resources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hledik, Ryan; Lazar, Jim; Schwartz, Lisa

Technological changes in the electric utility industry bring tremendous opportunities and significant challenges. Customers are installing clean sources of on-site generation such as rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. At the same time, smart appliances and control systems that can communicate with the grid are entering the retail market. Among the opportunities these changes create are a cleaner and more diverse power system, the ability to improve system reliability and system resilience, and the potential for lower total costs. Challenges include integrating these new resources in a way that maintains system reliability, provides an equitable sharing of system costs, and avoidsmore » unbalanced impacts on different groups of customers, including those who install distributed energy resources (DERs) and low-income households who may be the least able to afford the transition.« less

A new species of Anomognathus and new Canadian and provincial records of aleocharine rove beetles from Alberta, Canada (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae).

PubMed

Klimaszewski, Jan; Langor, David W; Hammond, H E James; Bourdon, Caroline

2016-01-01

A new species, Anomognathus athabascensis Klimaszewski, Hammond & Langor, sp. n., and nine new provincial records including one new country record of aleocharine beetles are presented for the province of Alberta. Diagnostics, images of habitus and genital structures, distribution, natural history information and new locality data are provided for the newly recorded species. A checklist for all recorded aleocharines from Alberta is updated.

The perspectives and practices of alberta chiropractors regarding the sale of health care products in chiropractic offices.

PubMed

Page, Stacey A; Grod, Jaroslaw P; McMorland, D Gordon

2011-09-01

The purpose of this study is to describe the practices and perspectives of doctors of chiropractic in Alberta, Canada, regarding the sale of health products. This practice is considered in terms of ethical principles and professional practice standards. Chiropractic Web sites in Alberta were identified using the publically available Web site of the Alberta College and Association of Chiropractors. A random sample of chiropractors was drawn and mailed a brief 4-page survey and return envelope. There was a follow-up mail out to nonrespondents 3 weeks later. Practitioners provided responses regarding their personal and professional characteristics and their perspectives and practices regarding health product sales. A total of 265 responses were received (response rate, 51.2%). Most practitioners endorsed health product sales by chiropractors (95%), and most were engaged in the practice (89%). Orthotics (77%) and pillows (69%) were sold most often, followed by nutritional supplements (68%), hot/cold packs (68%), and vitamins (52%). Some respondents identified areas of potential ethical concern, including product safety and efficacy, professional influence on consumer product purchase, and potential conflict of interest. Codes of ethics and conduct offer some guidance to practitioners, but their awareness of standards varied. The chiropractic profession within Alberta condones product sales, and most of its membership engages in the practice. Individual members differ in their perspectives on this practice and in their awareness of the national code of ethics and conduct. Copyright © 2011 National University of Health Sciences. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Cost Effectiveness of Eplerenone for the Treatment of Systolic Heart Failure with Mild Symptoms in Alberta, Canada.

PubMed

Thanh, Nguyen X; Ezekowitz, Justin A; Tran, Dat T; Kaul, Padma

2016-10-01

Eplerenone has been demonstrated as being cost effective for the treatment of patients with systolic heart failure (HF) and mild symptoms in several jurisdictions; however, its cost effectiveness is unknown in the context of Alberta, Canada. We used a discrete-event simulation model to compare costs and outcomes between standard care and standard care plus eplerenone for the treatment of HF with mild symptoms. We used Alberta data (whenever possible) together with a healthcare perspective, a lifetime horizon, and 3 % annual discount rate for analyses. Clinically, eplerenone prevented HF hospitalizations, atrial fibrillations, and cardiovascular (CV) deaths, but incurred more adverse events and device implantations than standard care. The remaining life of patients receiving eplerenone was 7.08 versus 5.83 years for those receiving standard care. Eplerenone gained 1.25 life-years and 1.18 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), with an incremental cost of $Can7200. Therefore, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was $Can5700 per life-year gained and $Can6100 per QALY gained. Given the most cited ICER threshold is $Can50,000, the use of eplerenone as an adjunct to standard care for treating patients with systolic HF and mild symptoms is cost effective in the context of Alberta. Eplerenone would cost the Alberta health system about $Can4.6 million a year in drug costs. Incorporating reductions in health services utilization associated with eplerenone, the budget impact is smaller. For the first year, the use of eplerenone is cost saving and for 5 years the cost is approximately $Can6 million.

AY 2007-2008 Achieving U.S. Energy Security: Energy Industry Sector Report Seminar 8

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

de Desenvolvimento Economico e Social, Rio de Janeiro , Brazil Brazilian Petroleum, Gas, and Biofuels...Institute, Rio de Janeiro , Brazil Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration, Rio de Janeiro , Brazil Canada Energy Pipeline Association...Colombia, Canada Enbridge Inc., Calgary, Alberta, Canada Federation of Industries of the State of Rio de Janeiro , Rio , Brazil Point Lisas

Canada: irrational energy policies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Paehlke, R.C.

1982-09-01

Despite energy shortages, recent weeks have seen the collapse or at least postponement of three major energy projects in Canada: the Cold Lake (Alberta) heavy oil plant, the Alsands oil sands plant, and the Alaska Highway natural gas pipeline. All have fallen victim to the combination of high interest rates and increasing doubts that oil prices will continue to rise at an annual rate of five percent in real terms. Current energy problems and policies are discussed including decline of oil reserves, expanded domestic use and export of Canadian natural gas, expansion of the nuclear energy program, demand for electricity,more » and energy conservation. (JMT)« less

The largest renewable, easily exploitable, and economically sustainable energy resource

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbate, Giancarlo; Saraceno, Eugenio

2018-02-01

Sun, the ultimate energy resource of our planet, transfers energy to the Earth at an average power of 23,000 TW. Earth surface can be regarded as a huge panel transforming solar energy into a more convenient mechanical form, the wind. Since millennia wind is recognized as an exploitable form of energy and it is common knowledge that the higher you go, the stronger the winds flow. To go high is difficult; however Bill Gates cites high wind among possible energy miracles in the near future. Public awareness of this possible miracle is still missing, but today's technology is ready for it.

Accuracy of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) to detect developmental delay of gross motor skills in preterm infants: a systematic review.

PubMed

de Albuquerque, Plínio Luna; Lemos, Andrea; Guerra, Miriam Queiroz de Farias; Eickmann, Sophie Helena

2015-02-01

To assess, through a systematic review, the ability of Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) to diagnose delayed motor development in preterm infants. Systematic searches identified five studies meeting inclusion criteria. These studies were evaluated in terms of: participants' characteristics, main results and risk of bias. The risk of bias was assessed with the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies--second edition (QUADAS-2). All five studies included a high risk of bias in at least one of the assessed fields. The most frequent biases included were presented in patient selection and lost follow up. All studies used the Pearson correlation coefficient to assess the diagnostic capability of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale. None of the assessed studies used psychometric measures to analyze the data. Given the evidence, the research supporting the ability of Alberta Infant Motor Scale to diagnose delayed motor development in preterm infants presents limitations. Further studies are suggested in order to avoid the above-mentioned biases to assess the Alberta Infant Motor Scale accuracy in preterm babies.

Determinism, risk and safe driving behavior in northern Alberta, Canada.

PubMed

Rothe, J Peter; Elgert, Laureen

2003-09-01

There is evidence that Alberta's rural north is over-represented in the Canadian province's overall traffic fatality rate, even after weather, travel exposure and highway geometry are controlled for. The objective of this study was to identify underlying reasons and rationales that northern citizens use to accommodate risk and driving behavior. A total of 82 individuals participated in 13 focus groups, each with between 5 and 10 participants. Eight focus groups were conducted with general drivers and five with service professionals in five different Alberta locations. Discussions centered on a series of questions that were designed to elicit insight into general characteristics of the participants' world-view and featured two categories of questions, including dimensions of belief systems and driver characteristics and behavior. Although much of the discussions focused on freedom of choice, over half of the interviewees cited determinism as a key feature of responsibility. Three versions of determinism were emphasized as key in roadway safety: religious determinism, 'universal' determinism (fatalism), and humanistic determinism. These observations highlighted peoples' perception of the likelihood of getting into traffic situations outside one's control. In order to maximize the effectiveness of traffic safety in the north, professionals need to take an approach which addresses not only safety issues, but also issues regarding responsibility and its links with behavior.

Prevalence of maedi-visna infection in culled ewes in Alberta

PubMed Central

Fournier, Dominique; Campbell, John R.

2006-01-01

Abstract Maedi-visna (MV) is a relatively common chronic infection of sheep in North America resulting in economic loss to the sheep industry. The objectives of this study were to: 1) measure the prevalence of MV infection in culled ewes in Alberta, by histologic examination (lungs and udder) and serologic testing using an agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test, 2) examine any geographic differences in its prevalence in the province, 3) evaluate the level of agreement between histopathologic examination and serologic testing, 4) grade the lesions and correlate the serologic results with the presence of severe histological lesions, and 5) correlate the presence of histological lesions in the lungs and udder in the same animal. Based on histologic findings, the prevalence of MV was 26.8%, compared with 13.0% using serologic testing. There were no significant geographical differences in prevalence, fair agreement (kappa = 42.0%) between histopathologic and serologic results, and poor agreement (kappa = 11.5%) between the presence of lung and udder histological lesions within the same animal. This study indicates that MV is relatively common in culled ewes in Alberta, with no significant geographic variation. The poor sensitivity of the AGID test, compared with histologic examination, should be taken into consideration when interpreting serologic results. PMID:16734372

New radiocarbon dates for Columbian mammoth and Mexican horse from southern Alberta and the Lateglacial regional fauna

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hills, Leonard V.; Harington, C. Richard

2003-06-01

New radiocarbon dates on Columbian mammoth ( Mammuthus columbi) and Mexican horse ( Equus conversidens) specimens from southern Alberta are 10,930±100 BP and 10,870±45 years BP, respectively—older than originally thought. These specimens are reviewed in the light of 10 other sites in southern Alberta that have yielded large mammal remains radiocarbon dated to about 11,000 BP. Thus, the regional fauna includes at least 11 mammalian species. This fauna was not restricted to the foothills, but extended well onto the plains and may prove useful in correlating foothills terraces with those of the plains.

Energy resources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

A statistical analysis of the availability of fossil fuels for energy and non-energy production is presented. The cumulative requirements for petroleum, natural gas, and coal are discussed. Alternate forms of energy are described and the advantages and limitations are analyzed. Emphasis is placed on solar energy availability and methods for conversion. The Federal energy research and development funding for energy sources is tabulated.

Availability of Non-Nutritious Foods in Alberta Schools. Research Bulletin 77-1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton.

School authorities in a total of 68 Alberta school jurisdictions (representing 82 percent of the student population of the province) responded to a request for details about the availability in schools of nonnutritious foods--defined as food that contains minimal nutrients in proportion to number of calories. Foods that are commonly consumed at…

25 CFR 224.73 - How will the scope of energy resource development affect the Secretary's determination of the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false How will the scope of energy resource development affect... TRIBAL ENERGY DEVELOPMENT AND SELF DETERMINATION ACT Approval of Tribal Energy Resource Agreements § 224.73 How will the scope of energy resource development affect the Secretary's determination of the...

25 CFR 224.73 - How will the scope of energy resource development affect the Secretary's determination of the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... TRIBAL ENERGY DEVELOPMENT AND SELF DETERMINATION ACT Approval of Tribal Energy Resource Agreements § 224.73 How will the scope of energy resource development affect the Secretary's determination of the... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false How will the scope of energy resource development affect...

"Democracy was never intended for degenerates": Alberta's flirtation with eugenics comes back to haunt it.

PubMed Central

Cairney, R

1996-01-01

An Alberta woman recently won a lawsuit against the government of Alberta for wrongful sterilization that took place when she was a 14-year-old ward at the Provincial Training School for Mental Defectives. It was the first time the province has been held accountable for actions taken under the Sexual Sterilization Act, a 1927 law that promoted the theory of eugenics and led to the sterilization of more than 2800 people. It has since been repealed. A physician who served on the province's Eugenics Board said the decisions were based on the best scientific advice and medical techniques available at the time. Today, she added, eugenics is being practised in a different way through prenatal diagnosis and therapeutic abortion. Images p790-a PMID:8823227

"Democracy was never intended for degenerates": Alberta's flirtation with eugenics comes back to haunt it.

PubMed

Cairney, R

1996-09-15

An Alberta woman recently won a lawsuit against the government of Alberta for wrongful sterilization that took place when she was a 14-year-old ward at the Provincial Training School for Mental Defectives. It was the first time the province has been held accountable for actions taken under the Sexual Sterilization Act, a 1927 law that promoted the theory of eugenics and led to the sterilization of more than 2800 people. It has since been repealed. A physician who served on the province's Eugenics Board said the decisions were based on the best scientific advice and medical techniques available at the time. Today, she added, eugenics is being practised in a different way through prenatal diagnosis and therapeutic abortion.

Epidemiology and genotype analysis of sapovirus associated with gastroenteritis outbreaks in Alberta, Canada: 2004-2007.

PubMed

Pang, Xiaoli L; Lee, Bonita E; Tyrrell, Gregory J; Preiksaitis, Jutta K

2009-02-15

This study describes the epidemiology and circulating strains of sapovirus associated with gastroenteritis outbreaks in Alberta, Canada, from 2004 to 2007. Sapovirus was an important cause of gastroenteritis outbreaks, accounting for 43 (17.6%) of 244 outbreaks in which all samples tested were negative for norovirus. All 4 human sapovirus genotypes, GI, GII, GIV, and GV, were found in samples during these outbreaks. The greatest amount of sapovirus-associated outbreak activity occurred in 2007, after the emergence of genotype GIV in December 2006. The majority of sapovirus-associated outbreaks in Alberta during this period (27 [62.8%] of 43) occurred in hospitals, community long-term care facilities, and senior lodges. Adults>65 years of age were the age group most commonly affected.

Wind and solar energy resources on the 'Roof of the World'

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zandler, Harald; Morche, Thomas; Samimi, Cyrus

2015-04-01

The Eastern Pamirs of Tajikistan, often referred to as 'Roof of the World', are an arid high mountain plateau characterized by severe energy poverty that may have great potential for renewable energy resources due to the prevailing natural conditions. The lack of energetic infrastructure makes the region a prime target for decentralized integration of wind and solar power. However, up to date no scientific attempt to assess the regional potential of these resources has been carried out. In this context, it is particularly important to evaluate if wind and solar energy are able to provide enough power to generate thermal energy, as other thermal energy carriers are scarce or unavailable and the existing alternative, local harvest of dwarf shrubs, is unsustainable due to the slow regeneration in this environment. Therefore, this study examines the feasibility of using wind and solar energy as thermal energy sources. Financial frame conditions were set on a maximum amount of five million Euros. This sum provides a realistic scenario as it is based on the current budget of the KfW development bank to finance the modernization of the local hydropower plant in the regions only city, Murghab, with about 1500 households. The basis for resource assessment is data of four climate stations, erected for this purpose in 2012, where wind speed, wind direction, global radiation and temperature are measured at a half hourly interval. These measurements confirm the expectation of a large photovoltaic potential and high panel efficiency with up to 84 percent of extraterrestrial radiation reaching the surface and only 16 hours of temperatures above 25°C were measured in two years at the village stations on average. As these observations are only point measurements, radiation data and the ASTER GDEM was used to train a GIS based solar radiation model to spatially extrapolate incoming radiation. With mean validation errors ranging from 5% in July (minimum) to 15% in December (maximum

Geothermal Energy: Resource and Utilization. A Teaching Module.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nguyen, Van Thanh

The search for new energy resources as alternatives to fossil fuels have generated new interest in the heat of the earth itself. New geothermal areas with a variety of characteristics are being explored, as are new ways of extracting work from naturally heated steam and hot water. Some of this effort is discussed in this three-part module. Five…

Psychosocial Determinants of Adherence to Preventive Dental Attendance for Preschool Children Among Filipino Immigrants in Edmonton, Alberta.

PubMed

Badri, Parvaneh; Wolfe, Ruth; Farmer, Anna; Amin, Maryam

2018-06-01

Barriers to accessing oral healthcare are public health concerns faced by minorities and immigrants due to socioeconomic marginalization. Therefore, we explored how immigrant parents in Alberta-Edmonton's Filipino community experience adherence to preventive dental attendance (PDA) for their preschool children and the psychosocial factors influencing parental adherence. We employed a qualitative focused ethnography design. Data were collected through interviews and focus groups. Audiotapes of sessions were transcribed verbatim and concurrent thematic data analysis was performed. Stressors, resources, paradox and structural barriers comprised emergent psychosocial themes. Upon arriving in Canada, most Filipino parents held low-priority attitudes and perceptions toward PDA. After migration, however, they embraced new knowledge about the importance of PDA for their children. Filipino parents were open to the Western model of preventive oral healthcare, with the duration of their time in Canada playing a key role in promoting regular dental visits for their children.

Alberta Healthy Living Program--a model for successful integration of chronic disease management services.

PubMed

Morrin, Louise; Britten, Judith; Davachi, Shahnaz; Knight, Holly

2013-08-01

The most common presentation of chronic disease is multimorbidity. Disease management strategies are similar across most chronic diseases. Given the prevalence of multimorbidity and the commonality in approaches, fragmented single disease management must be replaced with integrated care of the whole person. The Alberta Healthy Living Program, a community-based chronic disease management program, supports adults with, or at risk for, chronic disease to improve their health and well being. Participants gain confidence and skills in how to manage their chronic disease(s) by learning to understand their health condition, make healthy eating choices, exercise safely and cope emotionally. The program includes 3 service pillars: disease-specific and general health patient education, disease-spanning supervised exercise and Better Choices, Better Health(TM) self-management workshops. Services are delivered in the community by an interprofessional team and can be tailored to target specific diverse and vulnerable populations, such as Aboriginal, ethno-cultural and francophone groups and those experiencing homelessness. Programs may be offered as a partnership between Alberta Health Services, primary care and community organizations. Common standards reduce provincial variation in care, yet maintain sufficient flexibility to meet local and diverse needs and achieve equity in care. The model has been implemented successfully in 108 communities across Alberta. This approach is associated with reduced acute care utilization and improved clinical indicators, and achieves efficiencies through an integrated, disease-spanning patient-centred approach. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Smartphones reveal angler behavior: A case study of a popular mobile fishing application in Alberta, Canada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Papenfuss, Jason T.; Phelps, Nicholas; Fulton, David C.; Venturelli, Paul A.

2015-01-01

Successfully managing fisheries and controlling the spread of invasive species depends on the ability to describe and predict angler behavior. However, finite resources restrict conventional survey approaches and tend to produce retrospective data that are limited in time or space and rely on intentions or attitudes rather than actual behavior. In this study, we used three years of angler data from a popular mobile fishing application in Alberta, Canada, to determine province-wide, seasonal patterns of (1) lake popularity that were consistent with conventional data and (2) anthropogenic lake connectivity that has not been widely described in North America. Our proof-of-concept analyses showed that mobile apps can be an inexpensive source of high-resolution, real-time data for managing fisheries and invasive species. We also identified key challenges that underscore the need for further research and development in this new frontier that combines big data with increased stakeholder interaction and cooperation.

Arctic Energy Resources: Energy Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gryc, George

1984-04-01

Arctic Energy Resources is a volume of 26 papers recording the proceedings of the Comite' Arctique International Conference, held at the Veritas Centre, Oslo, Norway, September 22-24, 1982. This was the fourth of a series of meetings on the Arctic organized by the Comite', an organization established in the Principality of Monaco with the active support of H.S.H. Prince Rainer III. The fourth Conference was opened by H.R.H. Crown Prins Harald of Norway, a noble beginning for a noble objective.The North Polar Region has drawn world attention recently because of several large hydrocarbon and other mineral discoveries and because of major political and environmental actions in the North American Arctic. Since 1923 when Naval Petroleum Reserve number 4 (NPR-4) was established, northern Alaska has been considered a major petroleum province. It was first explored systematically with modern techniques from 1943 to 1953. In 1958, Alaska became a state, and both federal and state lands in northern Alaska were available for private exploration. Building on the knowledge base provided by the Pet-4 program and its spinoff research laboratory at Barrow, industry explored the area east of NPR-4 and discovered the largest hydrocarbon accumulation (9.6 bbl crude oil and 26 Tcf (trillion cubic feet) gas) in North America at Prudhoe Bay. Concerns for environmental impacts, including oil spills, led to the passing of the National Environmental Policy Act in 1969. In 1970, over 9 million acres were set aside, now known as the Arctic National Wildlife Range, and in 1971 the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act was passed by the U.S. Congress. The Arab oil embargo of 1973 heightened the energy crisis and changed the economic basis for further exploration in the Arctic. The convergence of these events dramatically changed the balance of power and the pace of activity in the North American Arctic.

Cooperative Optimal Coordination for Distributed Energy Resources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, Tao; Wu, Di; Ren, Wei

In this paper, we consider the optimal coordination problem for distributed energy resources (DERs) including distributed generators and energy storage devices. We propose an algorithm based on the push-sum and gradient method to optimally coordinate storage devices and distributed generators in a distributed manner. In the proposed algorithm, each DER only maintains a set of variables and updates them through information exchange with a few neighbors over a time-varying directed communication network. We show that the proposed distributed algorithm solves the optimal DER coordination problem if the time-varying directed communication network is uniformly jointly strongly connected, which is a mildmore » condition on the connectivity of communication topologies. The proposed distributed algorithm is illustrated and validated by numerical simulations.« less

Wind Energy Resource Assessment on Alaska Native Lands in Cordova Region of Prince William Sound

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Whissel, John C.; Piche, Matthew

The Native Village of Eyak (NVE) has been monitoring wind resources around Cordova, Alaska in order to determine whether there is a role for wind energy to play in the city’s energy scheme, which is now supplies entirely by two run-of-the-river hydro plants and diesel generators. These data are reported in Appendices A and B. Because the hydro resources decline during winter months, and wind resources increase, wind is perhaps an ideal counterpart to round out Cordova’s renewable energy supply. The results of this effort suggests that this is the case, and that developing wind resources makes sense for ourmore » small, isolated community.« less

Characterizing China's energy consumption with selective economic factors and energy-resource endowment: a spatial econometric approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Lei; Ji, Minhe; Bai, Ling

2015-06-01

Coupled with intricate regional interactions, the provincial disparity of energy-resource endowment and other economic conditions in China have created spatially complex energy consumption patterns that require analyses beyond the traditional ones. To distill the spatial effect out of the resource and economic factors on China's energy consumption, this study recast the traditional econometric model in a spatial context. Several analytic steps were taken to reveal different aspects of the issue. Per capita energy consumption (AVEC) at the provincial level was first mapped to reveal spatial clusters of high energy consumption being located in either well developed or energy resourceful regions. This visual spatial autocorrelation pattern of AVEC was quantitatively tested to confirm its existence among Chinese provinces. A Moran scatterplot was employed to further display a relatively centralized trend occurring in those provinces that had parallel AVEC, revealing a spatial structure with attraction among high-high or low-low regions and repellency among high-low or low-high regions. By a comparison between the ordinary least square (OLS) model and its spatial econometric counterparts, a spatial error model (SEM) was selected to analyze the impact of major economic determinants on AVEC. While the analytic results revealed a significant positive correlation between AVEC and economic development, other determinants showed some intricate influential patterns. The provinces endowed with rich energy reserves were inclined to consume much more energy than those otherwise, whereas changing the economic structure by increasing the proportion of secondary and tertiary industries also tended to consume more energy. Both situations seem to underpin the fact that these provinces were largely trapped in the economies that were supported by technologies of low energy efficiency during the period, while other parts of the country were rapidly modernized by adopting advanced

Alberta High School Counsellors' Knowledge of Homosexuality and Their Attitudes toward Gay Males

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alderson, Kevin G.; Orzeck, Tricia L.; McEwen, Scott C.

2009-01-01

In this study we investigated Alberta high school counsellors' knowledge about homosexuality and their attitudes toward gay males. Three questionnaires were mailed to 648 high school counselling centres; 223 individuals returned the completed questionnaires. Most counsellors attained low scores in measured homo-negativity and high scores regarding…

From Community College to University: Institutionalization and Neoliberalism in British Columbia and Alberta

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levin, John S.; Aliyeva, Aida; Walker, Laurencia

2016-01-01

This qualitative investigation of higher education institutional development addresses new universities that were former community colleges in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. Stemming from an original study conducted nearly two decades earlier, this investigation's data were collected from the same institutions and from similar…

The ineffable disease: exploring young people's discourses about HIV/AIDS in Alberta, Canada.

PubMed

Graffigna, Guendalina; Olson, Kärin

2009-06-01

The ongoing epidemic of HIV/AIDS in Western societies (in particular in North America), where most of the population knows about the disease and how it is transmitted, suggests that providing information is not enough to change unsafe conduct. More complex psychosocial processes, mainly still unexplored, seem to underlie the translation of health knowledge about the disease and the infection into safe practices. In this article we explore the discourse of young people in Alberta about HIV/AIDS and discuss ways in which this information might be used to shape preventive strategies. We conducted eight focus groups with young people 18 to 25 years of age living in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and analyzed the data using psychosocial discourse analysis. The results confirm the role of young people's interpersonal exchanges in determining HIV/AIDS preventive conduct and show the importance of social discourses about HIV/AIDS in mediating the impact of preventive campaigns on young people's attitudes and beliefs.

Airborne LIDAR Measurements of Aerosol and Ozone Above the Alberta Oil Sands Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aggarwal, M.; Whiteway, J. A.; Seabrook, J.; Gray, L. H.

2014-12-01

Lidar measurements of ozone and aerosol were conducted from a Twin Otter aircraft above the oil sands region of northern Alberta. The field campaign was carried out with a total of five flights out of Fort McMurray, Alberta during the period between August 22 and August 26, 2013. Significant amounts of aerosol were observed within the boundary layer, up to a height of 1.6 km, but the ozone concentration remained at or below background levels. On August 24th the lidar observed a separated layer of aerosol above the boundary layer, at a height of 1.8 km, in which the ozone mixing ratio increased to 70 ppbv. Backward trajectory calculations revealed that the air containing this separated aerosol layer had passed over an area of forest fires. Directly below the layer of forest fire smoke, in the pollution from the oil sands industry, the measured ozone mixing ratio was lower than the background levels (≤35 ppbv).

Energy-nutrients-water nexus: integrated resource recovery in municipal wastewater treatment plants.

PubMed

Mo, Weiwei; Zhang, Qiong

2013-09-30

Wastewater treatment consumes large amounts of energy and materials to comply with discharge standards. At the same time, wastewater contains resources, which can be recovered for secondary uses if treated properly. Hence, the goal of this paper is to review the available resource recovery methods onsite or offsite of municipal wastewater treatment plants. These methods are categorized into three major resource recovery approaches: onsite energy generation, nutrient recycling and water reuse. Under each approach, the review provides the advantages and disadvantages, recovery potentials and current application status of each method, as well as the synthesized results of the life cycle studies for each approach. From a comprehensive literature review, it was found that, in addition to technology improvements, there is also a need to evaluate the applications of the resource recovery methods in wastewater treatment plants from a life cycle perspective. Future research should investigate the integration of the resource recovery methods to explore the combined benefits and potential tradeoffs of these methods under different scales. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

76 FR 36532 - Iberdrola Renewables, Inc., PacifiCorp, NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, Invenergy Wind North...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-22

... Renewables, Inc., PacifiCorp, NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, Invenergy Wind North America LLC, Horizon Wind...), Iberdrola Renewables, Inc., PacifiCorp, NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, Invenergy Wind North America LLC, and Horizon Wind Energy LLC (Complainants) filed a formal complaint against Bonneville Power Administration...

FLASTAR: Florida Alliance for Saving Taxes and Energy Resources. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sherwin, John R.; Parker, Danny S.

A study of the Florida Public Building Loan Concept pilot program determined its effectiveness in helping to upgrade building energy systems. The pilot program, termed FLASTAR (Florida Alliance for Saving Taxes and Resources), involved the comprehensive metering of an elementary school to demonstrate energy savings potential after retrofitting…

How Will Alberta's Second Language Students Ever Achieve Proficiency? ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, the CEFR and the "10,000-Hour Rule" in Relation to the Alberta K-12 Language-Learning Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eaton, Sarah Elaine

2012-01-01

Students of second and international languages in Alberta do not receive sufficient hours of instruction through formal classroom time alone to achieve distinguished levels of proficiency (Archibald, J., Roy, S., Harmel, S., Jesney, K., Dewey, E., Moisik, S., et al., 2006). This research study uses a constructivist approach (Guba & Lincoln,…

Evaluation of air quality indicators in Alberta, Canada - An international perspective.

PubMed

Bari, Md Aynul; Kindzierski, Warren B

2016-01-01

There has been an increase in oil sands development in northern Alberta, Canada and an overall increase in economic activity in the province in recent years. An evaluation of the state of air quality was conducted in four Alberta locations - urban centers of Calgary and Edmonton, and smaller communities of Fort McKay and Fort McMurray in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR). Concentration trends, diurnal hourly and monthly average concentration profiles, and exceedances of provincial, national and international air quality guidelines were assessed for several criteria air pollutants over the period 1998 to 2014. Two methods were used to evaluate trends. Parametric analysis of annual median 1h concentrations and non-parametric analysis of annual geometric mean 1h concentrations showed consistent decreasing trends for NO2 and SO2 (<1ppb per year), CO (<0.1ppm per year) at all stations, decreasing for THC (<0.1ppm per year) and increasing for O3 (≤0.52ppb per year) at most stations and unchanged for PM2.5 at all stations in Edmonton and Calgary over a 17-year period. Little consistency in trends was observed among the methods for the same air pollutants other than for THC (increasing in Fort McKay <0.1ppm per year and no trend in Fort McMurray), PM2.5 in Fort McKay and Fort McMurray (no trend) and CO (decreasing <0.1ppm per year in Fort McMurray) over the same period. Levels of air quality indicators at the four locations were compared with other Canadian and international urban areas to judge the current state of air quality. Median and annual average concentrations for Alberta locations tended to be the smallest in Fort McKay and Fort McMurray. Other than for PM2.5, Calgary and Edmonton tended to have median and annual average concentrations comparable to and/or below that of larger populated Canadian and U.S. cities, depending upon the air pollutant. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On forecasting severe storms in Alberta using environmental sounding data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dupilka, Maxwell L.

Thermodynamic and dynamic parameters computed from observed sounding data are examined to determine whether they can aid in forecasting the potential for severe weather in Alberta. The primary focus is to investigate which sounding parameters can provide probabilistic guidance to distinguish between Significant Tornadoes (F2 to F4), Weak Tornadoes (F0 and F1), and Non-Tornado severe hail storms (≥ 3 cm diameter hail but no reported tornado). The observational data set contains 87 thunderstorm events from 1967 to 2000 within 200 km of Stony Plain, Alberta. Three tornadic thunderstorms with F-scale ratings of F3 and F4 are examined in more detail. A secondary focus is to determine whether sounding data can be used to predict 24 hour snowfall amounts (specifically amounts ≥ 10 cm). Snowfall data covered all of Alberta east of the mountains from October 1990 to April 1993. The major findings were: (a) Significant Tornadoes tended to have stronger environmental bulk wind shear values than Weak Tornadoes or Non-Tornado storms, with a shear magnitude in the 900-500 mb layer exceeding 3 m s-1 km-1. Combining the 900-500 mb shear with the 900-800 mb shear increased the probabilistic guidance for the likelihood of Significant Tornado occurrence. (b) Values of storm-relative helicity showed skill in distinguishing Significant Tornadoes from both Weak Tornadoes and Non-Tornadoes. Significant Tornadoes tended to occur with 0-3 km storm-relative helicity >140 m2 s-2 whereas Weak Tornadoes were typically formed with values between 30 and 150 m 2 s-2. (c) The amount of precipitable water showed statistically significant differences between Significant Tornadoes and the other two groups. Significant Tornadoes had values exceeding 21 mm. Combining precipitable water values with the 900-500 mb shear increased the probabilistic guidance for the potential of Significant Tornadoes. (d) Values of thermal buoyancy, storm convergence, and height of the lifted condensation level

Improving hypertension management through pharmacist prescribing; the rural alberta clinical trial in optimizing hypertension (Rural RxACTION): trial design and methods

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Patients with hypertension continue to have less than optimal blood pressure control, with nearly one in five Canadian adults having hypertension. Pharmacist prescribing is gaining favor as a potential clinically efficacious and cost-effective means to improve both access and quality of care. With Alberta being the first province in Canada to have independent prescribing by pharmacists, it offers a unique opportunity to evaluate outcomes in patients who are prescribed antihypertensive therapy by pharmacists. Methods The study is a randomized controlled trial of enhanced pharmacist care, with the unit of randomization being the patient. Participants will be randomized to enhanced pharmacist care (patient identification, assessment, education, close follow-up, and prescribing/titration of antihypertensive medications) or usual care. Participants are patients in rural Alberta with undiagnosed/uncontrolled blood pressure, as defined by the Canadian Hypertension Education Program. The primary outcome is the change in systolic blood pressure between baseline and 24 weeks in the enhanced-care versus usual-care arms. There are also three substudies running in conjunction with the project examining different remuneration models, investigating patient knowledge, and assessing health-resource utilization amongst patients in each group. Discussion To date, one-third of the required sample size has been recruited. There are 15 communities and 17 pharmacists actively screening, recruiting, and following patients. This study will provide high-level evidence regarding pharmacist prescribing. Trial Registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00878566. PMID:21834970

Alberta's 2002 Teacher Strike: The Political Economy of Labor Relations in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnetson, Bob

2010-01-01

In 2002, approximately two thirds of school teachers in the Canadian province of Alberta went on strike. Drawing on media, government and union documents, this case study reveals some contours of the political economy of labor relations in education that are normally hidden from view. Among these features are that the state can react to worker…

Sensor Buoy System for Monitoring Renewable Marine Energy Resources.

PubMed

García, Emilio; Quiles, Eduardo; Correcher, Antonio; Morant, Francisco

2018-03-22

In this paper we present a multi-sensor floating system designed to monitor marine energy parameters, in order to sample wind, wave, and marine current energy resources. For this purpose, a set of dedicated sensors to measure the height and period of the waves, wind, and marine current intensity and direction have been selected and installed in the system. The floating device incorporates wind and marine current turbines for renewable energy self-consumption and to carry out complementary studies on the stability of such a system. The feasibility, safety, sensor communications, and buoy stability of the floating device have been successfully checked in real operating conditions.

Sensor Buoy System for Monitoring Renewable Marine Energy Resources

PubMed Central

García, Emilio; Morant, Francisco

2018-01-01

In this paper we present a multi-sensor floating system designed to monitor marine energy parameters, in order to sample wind, wave, and marine current energy resources. For this purpose, a set of dedicated sensors to measure the height and period of the waves, wind, and marine current intensity and direction have been selected and installed in the system. The floating device incorporates wind and marine current turbines for renewable energy self-consumption and to carry out complementary studies on the stability of such a system. The feasibility, safety, sensor communications, and buoy stability of the floating device have been successfully checked in real operating conditions. PMID:29565823

76 FR 26753 - Grant Program To Assess, Evaluate and Promote Development of Tribal Energy and Mineral Resources

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-09

...: (720) 407-0609, e-mail: [email protected] . Conventional Energy Projects (Oil, Natural Gas, Coal..., development, feasibility and market studies. Energy includes conventional energy resources (such as oil, gas, coal, uranium, and coal bed gas) and renewable energy resources (such as wind, solar, biomass, hydro...

A survey and taxonomy on energy efficient resource allocation techniques for cloud computing systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hameed, Abdul; Khoshkbarforoushha, Alireza; Ranjan, Rajiv

In a cloud computing paradigm, energy efficient allocation of different virtualized ICT resources (servers, storage disks, and networks, and the like) is a complex problem due to the presence of heterogeneous application (e.g., content delivery networks, MapReduce, web applications, and the like) workloads having contentious allocation requirements in terms of ICT resource capacities (e.g., network bandwidth, processing speed, response time, etc.). Several recent papers have tried to address the issue of improving energy efficiency in allocating cloud resources to applications with varying degree of success. However, to the best of our knowledge there is no published literature on this subjectmore » that clearly articulates the research problem and provides research taxonomy for succinct classification of existing techniques. Hence, the main aim of this paper is to identify open challenges associated with energy efficient resource allocation. In this regard, the study, first, outlines the problem and existing hardware and software-based techniques available for this purpose. Furthermore, available techniques already presented in the literature are summarized based on the energy-efficient research dimension taxonomy. The advantages and disadvantages of the existing techniques are comprehensively analyzed against the proposed research dimension taxonomy namely: resource adaption policy, objective function, allocation method, allocation operation, and interoperability.« less

Geology, energy- and mineral-resources assessment of the Socorro Area, New Mexico. Report No. 1

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krason, J.; Wodzicki, A.; Cruver, S.K.

1987-03-01

Geology, energy, and mineral (GEM) resource assessments were conducted in three wilderness study areas (WSAs) in Socorro County, in central New Mexico; Sierra Las Cansa, Veranito, and Stallion. The study assesses the potential for locatable, leasable, and salable energy and mineral resources within each WSA.

75 FR 22153 - Grant Program To Assess, Evaluate and Promote Development of Tribal Energy and Mineral Resources

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-27

... (Oil, Natural Gas, Coal): Bob Just, Tel: (720) 407-0611, e-mail: [email protected] ; Renewable Energy... and market studies. Energy includes conventional energy resources (such as oil, gas, coal, uranium, and coal bed gas) and renewable energy resources (such as wind, solar, biomass, hydro and geothermal...

ACCIDENTS AND UNSCHEDULED EVENTS ASSOCIATED WITH NON-NUCLEAR ENERGY RESOURCES AND TECHNOLOGY

EPA Science Inventory

Accidents and unscheduled events associated with non-nuclear energy resources and technology are identified for each step in the energy cycle. Both natural and anthropogenic causes of accidents or unscheduled events are considered. Data concerning these accidents are summarized. ...

Impacts of groundwater management on energy resources and greenhouse gas emissions in California.

PubMed

Hendrickson, Thomas P; Bruguera, Maya

2018-09-15

California faces significant energy and water infrastructure planning challenges in response to a changing climate. Immediately following the most severe recorded drought, the state experienced one of its wettest water years in recorded history. Despite the recent severe wet weather, much of the state's critical groundwater systems have not recovered from the drought. The recent Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) aims to eliminate future depletion risks, but may force California basins to seek alternative water sources by limiting groundwater withdrawals during droughts. These alternative water resources, such as recycled water or desalination, can have significantly higher energy demands in treatment and supply than local groundwater or surface water resources. This research developed potential scenarios of water supply sources for five overdrafted groundwater basins, and modeled the impacts of these scenarios on energy demands and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for water supply systems. Our results reveal that energy demands and GHG emissions in different water supply scenarios can vary substantially between basins, but could increase statewide energy consumption as much as 2% and GHG emissions by 0.5. These results highlight the need to integrate these energy and GHG impacts into water resource management. Better understanding these considerations enables water supply planners to avoid potential unintended consequences (i.e., increased energy demands and GHG emissions) of enhancing drought resilience. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Service guidelines based on Resource Utilization Groups Version III for Home Care provide decision-making support for case managers.

PubMed

Collister, Barbara; Stein, Glenda; Katz, Deborah; DeBruyn, Joan; Andrusiw, Linda; Cloutier, Sheila

2012-01-01

Increasing costs and budget reductions combined with increasing demand from our growing, aging population support the need to ensure that the scarce resources allocated to home care clients match client needs. This article details how Integrated Home Care for the Calgary Zone of Alberta Health Services considered ethical and economic principles and used data from the Resident Assessment Instrument for Home Care (RAI-HC) and case mix indices from the Resource Utilization Groups Version III for Home Care (RUG-III/HC) to formulate service guidelines. These explicit service guidelines formalize and support individual resource allocation decisions made by case managers and provide a consistent and transparent method of allocating limited resources.

Trends in the development of industrially assimilated renewable energy: the problem of resource restrictions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nizhegorodtsev, R. M.; Ratner, S. V.

2016-03-01

An analysis of the dynamics of the development of wind and solar energy and potential resource restrictions of the dissemination of these technologies of energy generation associated with intensive use of rare earth metals and some other mineral resources are presented. The technological prospects of various directions of decisions of the problem of resource restrictions, including escalating of volumes of extraction and production of necessary mineral components, creating substitutes of scarce materials and development of recycling are considered. The bottlenecks of each of the above-mentioned decisions were founded. Conclusions are drawn on the prospects of development of the Russian high-tech sectors of the economy in the context of the most probable decisions of the problem of resource restrictions of wind and solar energy. An increase in extraction and production of rare earth metals and some other materials, stimulation of domestic research and development (R&D) to create the permanent magnets of new types and new technologies of wind-powered generation, and reduction of the resource-demand and technology development of recycling the components of power equipment are the most prospective directions of progress. The innovations in these directions will be in demand on the European, Chinese, and North American markets in the near decades due to the end of the life cycle (approximately 30 years) of wind and solar energy projects started at the turn of the 20th-21st centuries (the beginning of exponential growth in plants). The private investors and relevant regional and federal government agencies can use the qualitative characteristics of the dynamics of industrially assimilated renewable energy to choose the most promising investment orientations in energy projects and selection of the most economically sound development methods of energy and related industries.

Matters of Care in Alberta's "Inspiring Education" Policy: A Critical Feminist Discourse Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bohachyk, Laura

2016-01-01

Using the ethics of care as a theoretical lens, alongside the techniques of discourse analysis, I critically analyze texts from Alberta's Inspiring Education policies. On the basis of this analysis, I identify two discourses: the sentimental treatment of care and the "facilitator discourse." I argue that a caring teacher-student…

The Required School Physical Education Program in Alberta. Planning and Research Study 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glassford, R. G.; And Others

Data obtained from a province-wide survey of compulsory physical education programs in Alberta, Canada, is presented (1) describing current parent and student perceptions of required physical education, (2) identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the program as it exists, (3) assessing areas of expressed or implied concerns, and (4) making…

Proceedings of the National Conference on Energy Resource Management. Volume 2: Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brumfield, J. O. (Editor); Schiffman, Y. M. (Editor)

1982-01-01

Subject areas related to the integration of remotely sensed data with geographic information systems for application in energy resource management are covered. The current trends and advances in the application of these systems to a number of energy concerns are addressed.

75 FR 70740 - Schuylkill Energy Resources, Inc.; Supplemental Notice That Initial Market-Based Rate Filing...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-18

... Energy Resources, Inc.; Supplemental Notice That Initial Market-Based Rate Filing Includes Request for... proceeding of Schuylkill Energy Resources, Inc.'s application for market-based rate authority, with an... subscribers to receive e-mail notification when a document is added to a subscribed docket(s). For assistance...

Energy and Mines. Guide to Standards and Implementation. Career & Technology Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton. Curriculum Standards Branch.

This Alberta curriculum guide defines competencies that help students build daily living skills, investigate career options in energy and mines, use technology in the fields of energy and mining effectively and efficiently, and prepare for entry into the workplace or related postsecondary programs in the field. The first section provides a program…

25 CFR 224.64 - How may a tribe assume management of development of different types of energy resources?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... DEVELOPMENT AND SELF DETERMINATION ACT Procedures for Obtaining Tribal Energy Resource Agreements Tera Requirements § 224.64 How may a tribe assume management of development of different types of energy resources... for development of another energy resource that is not included in the TERA, a tribe must apply for a...

Hazardous Alcohol Use in 2 Countries: A Comparison Between Alberta, Canada and Queensland, Australia

PubMed Central

Voaklander, Donald

2017-01-01

Objectives This article aimed to compare alcohol consumption between the populations of Queensland in Australia and Alberta in Canada. Furthermore, the associations between greater alcohol consumption and socio-demographic characteristics were explored in each population. Methods Data from 2500 participants of the 2013 Alberta Survey and the 2013 Queensland Social Survey were analyzed. Regression analyses were used to explore the associations between alcohol risk and socio-demographic characteristics. Results A higher rate of hazardous alcohol use was found in Queenslanders than in Albertans. In both Albertans and Queenslanders, hazardous alcohol use was associated with being between 18 and 24 years of age. Higher income, having no religion, living alone, and being born in Canada were also associated with alcohol risk in Albertans; while in Queenslanders, hazardous alcohol use was also associated with common-law marital status. In addition, hazardous alcohol use was lower among respondents with a non-Catholic or Protestant religious affiliation. Conclusions Younger age was associated with greater hazardous alcohol use in both populations. In addition, different socio-demographic factors were associated with hazardous alcohol use in each of the populations studied. Our results allowed us to identify the socio-demographic profiles associated with hazardous alcohol use in Alberta and Queensland. These profiles constitute valuable sources of information for local health authorities and policymakers when designing suitable preventive strategies targeting hazardous alcohol use. Overall, the present study highlights the importance of analyzing the socio-demographic factors associated with alcohol consumption in population-specific contexts. PMID:29020759

Prioritizing Sites for Protection and Restoration for Grizzly Bears (Ursus arctos) in Southwestern Alberta, Canada.

PubMed

Braid, Andrew C R; Nielsen, Scott E

2015-01-01

As the influence of human activities on natural systems continues to expand, there is a growing need to prioritize not only pristine sites for protection, but also degraded sites for restoration. We present an approach for simultaneously prioritizing sites for protection and restoration that considers landscape patterns for a threatened population of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in southwestern Alberta, Canada. We considered tradeoffs between bottom-up (food resource supply) and top-down (mortality risk from roads) factors affecting seasonal habitat quality for bears. Simulated annealing was used to prioritize source-like sites (high habitat productivity, low mortality risk) for protection, as well as sink-like sites (high habitat productivity, high mortality risk) for restoration. Priority source-like habitats identified key conservation areas where future developments should be limited, whereas priority sink-like habitats identified key areas for mitigating road-related mortality risk with access management. Systematic conservation planning methods can be used to complement traditional habitat-based methods for individual focal species by identifying habitats where conservation actions (both protection and restoration) have the highest potential utility.

GMLC Extreme Event Modeling -- Slow-Dynamics Models for Renewable Energy Resources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Korkali, M.; Min, L.

The need for slow dynamics models of renewable resources in cascade modeling essentially arises from the challenges associated with the increased use of solar and wind electric power. Indeed, the main challenge is that the power produced by wind and sunlight is not consistent; thus, renewable energy resources tend to have variable output power on many different timescales, including the timescales that a cascade unfolds.

An analysis of wind and solar energy resources for the State of Kuwait

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alhusainan, Haya Nasser

Kuwait is an important producer of oil and gas. Its rapid socio-economic growth has been characterized by increasing population, high rates of urbanization, and substantial industrialization, which is transforming it into a large big energy consumer as well. In addition to urbanization, climatic conditions have played an important function in increasing demand for electricity in Kuwait. Electricity for thermal cooling has become essential in the hot desert climate, and its use has developed rapidly along with the economic development, urbanization, and population growth. This study examines the long-term wind and solar resources over the Kuwait to determine the feasibility of these resources as potential sustainable and renewable energy sources. The ultimate goal of this research is to help identify the potential role of renewable energy in Kuwait. This study will examine the drivers and requirements for the deployment of these energy sources and their possible integration into the electricity generation sector to illustrate how renewable energy can be a suitable resource for power production in Kuwait and to illustrate how they can also be used to provide electricity for the country. For this study, data from sixteen established stations monitored by the meteorological department were analyzed. A solar resource map was developed that identifies the most suitable locations for solar farm development. A range of different relevant variables, including, for example, electric networks, population zones, fuel networks, elevation, water wells, streets, and weather stations, were combined in a geospatial analysis to predict suitable locations for solar farm development and placement. An analysis of recommendations, future energy targets and strategies for renewable energy policy in Kuwait are then conducted. This study was put together to identify issues and opportunities related to renewable energy in the region, since renewable energy technologies are still limited in

78 FR 19005 - Renewal of Agency Information Collection for Tribal Energy Resource Agreements

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-28

... Indian Energy and Economic Development Office (IEED) authorized by OMB Control Number 1076-0167. This... Number: 1076-0167. Title: Tribal Energy Resource Agreements, 25 CFR 224. Brief Description of Collection...

Seasonal distribution of the Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa) in Southwestern Alberta

Treesearch

Douglas M. Collister

1997-01-01

Great Gray Owls (Strix nebulosa) have been banded and monitored west of Calgary in the foothills of Alberta from 1986 to 1996. Thirty-six adult owls have been banded: 16 males, 16 females and 4 of unknown sex. Great Gray Owls were captured during every month except August and October although the majority (56 percent) were banded from March-May (n=18...

The Atlee School Question: The Effects of School Consolidation in Rural Alberta

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boddington, Steven

2010-01-01

In the mid-1960s, a bitter dispute broke out between parents in the Atlee-Jenner School District in Southern Alberta Canada, and the Medicine Hat School Board over the bussing of children for the first time to a new school a long distance away. The move was precipitated by the consolidation of several smaller school districts and the subsequent…

A machine learning approach for predicting the relationship between energy resources and economic development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cogoljević, Dušan; Alizamir, Meysam; Piljan, Ivan; Piljan, Tatjana; Prljić, Katarina; Zimonjić, Stefan

2018-04-01

The linkage between energy resources and economic development is a topic of great interest. Research in this area is also motivated by contemporary concerns about global climate change, carbon emissions fluctuating crude oil prices, and the security of energy supply. The purpose of this research is to develop and apply the machine learning approach to predict gross domestic product (GDP) based on the mix of energy resources. Our results indicate that GDP predictive accuracy can be improved slightly by applying a machine learning approach.

A wave model test bed study for wave energy resource characterization

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, Zhaoqing; Neary, Vincent S.; Wang, Taiping

This paper presents a test bed study conducted to evaluate best practices in wave modeling to characterize energy resources. The model test bed off the central Oregon Coast was selected because of the high wave energy and available measured data at the site. Two third-generation spectral wave models, SWAN and WWIII, were evaluated. A four-level nested-grid approach—from global to test bed scale—was employed. Model skills were assessed using a set of model performance metrics based on comparing six simulated wave resource parameters to observations from a wave buoy inside the test bed. Both WWIII and SWAN performed well at themore » test bed site and exhibited similar modeling skills. The ST4 package with WWIII, which represents better physics for wave growth and dissipation, out-performed ST2 physics and improved wave power density and significant wave height predictions. However, ST4 physics tended to overpredict the wave energy period. The newly developed ST6 physics did not improve the overall model skill for predicting the six wave resource parameters. Sensitivity analysis using different wave frequencies and direction resolutions indicated the model results were not sensitive to spectral resolutions at the test bed site, likely due to the absence of complex bathymetric and geometric features.« less

Supporting Democratic Discourses of Teacher Professionalism: The Case of the Alberta Teachers' Association

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osmond-Johnson, Pamela

2015-01-01

This paper explores understandings related to teacher professionalism amongst a sample of highly engaged members of the Alberta Teacher's Association (ATA). Highlighting the many ways in which the Association supported members in their bid to embody roles as leaders, learners, advocates, and policy actors, I argue that the ATA serves as a platform…

Cultural continuity, traditional Indigenous language, and diabetes in Alberta First Nations: a mixed methods study.

PubMed

Oster, Richard T; Grier, Angela; Lightning, Rick; Mayan, Maria J; Toth, Ellen L

2014-10-19

We used an exploratory sequential mixed methods approach to study the association between cultural continuity, self-determination, and diabetes prevalence in First Nations in Alberta, Canada. We conducted a qualitative description where we interviewed 10 Cree and Blackfoot leaders (members of Chief and Council) from across the province to understand cultural continuity, self-determination, and their relationship to health and diabetes, in the Alberta First Nations context. Based on the qualitative findings, we then conducted a cross-sectional analysis using provincial administrative data and publically available data for 31 First Nations communities to quantitatively examine any relationship between cultural continuity and diabetes prevalence. Cultural continuity, or "being who we are", is foundational to health in successful First Nations. Self-determination, or "being a self-sufficient Nation", stems from cultural continuity and is seriously compromised in today's Alberta Cree and Blackfoot Nations. Unfortunately, First Nations are in a continuous struggle with government policy. The intergenerational effects of colonization continue to impact the culture, which undermines the sense of self-determination, and contributes to diabetes and ill health. Crude diabetes prevalence varied dramatically among First Nations with values as low as 1.2% and as high as 18.3%. Those First Nations that appeared to have more cultural continuity (measured by traditional Indigenous language knowledge) had significantly lower diabetes prevalence after adjustment for socio-economic factors (p =0.007). First Nations that have been better able to preserve their culture may be relatively protected from diabetes.

Children and youth's biopsychosocial wellbeing in the context of energy resource activities.

PubMed

Cox, Robin S; Irwin, Pamela; Scannell, Leila; Ungar, Michael; Bennett, Trevor Dixon

2017-10-01

Children and youth emerge as key populations that are impacted by energy resource activities, in part because of their developmental vulnerabilities, as well as the compounding effects of energy systems on their families, communities, and physical environments. While there is a larger literature focused on fossil fuel emissions and children, the impacts of many aspects of energy systems on children and youth remain under examined and scattered throughout the health, social science, and environmental science literatures. This systematic interdisciplinary review examines the biological, psychosocial, and economic impacts of energy systems identified through social science research - specifically focused on household and industrial extraction and emissions - on children and youth functioning. A critical interpretive search of interdisciplinary and international social sciences literature was conducted using an adaptive protocol focusing on the biopsychosocial and economic impacts of energy systems on children and youth. The initial results were complemented with a purposeful search to extend the breadth and depth of the final collection of articles. Although relatively few studies have specifically focused on children and youth in this context, the majority of this research uncovers a range of negative health impacts that are directly and indirectly related to the development and ongoing operations of natural resource production, particularly oil and gas, coal, and nuclear energy. Psychosocial and cultural effects, however, remain largely unexamined and provide a rich avenue for further research. This synthesis identifies an array of adverse biopsychosocial health outcomes on children and youth of energy resource extraction and emissions, and identifies gaps that will drive future research in this area. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Resource utilization groups (RUGs): defining chronic care, rehabilitation and nursing home case mix in Canada.

PubMed

Botz, C K; Bestard, S; Demaray, M; Molloy, G

1993-01-01

The two major purposes of this study were: (1) to evaluate Resource Utilization Groups (RUGs III) as a unified method for classifying all residential, chronic care and rehabilitation patients at the St. Joseph's Health Centre, London, and (2) to compare the potential funding implications of RUGs and other patient/resident classification systems. RUGs were used to classify a total of 336 patients/residents in residential, extended care, chronic care and rehabilitation beds at the Health Centre. Patients were also concurrently classified according to the Alberta Long Term Care Classification System and the Medicus Long Term Care System. Results show that RUGs provide relatively more credit for higher acuity patients than do the Alberta or Medicus systems. If used as a basis for funding, chronic care and rehabilitation hospitals would be entitled to more funding (relative to residential/nursing homes) under RUGs than under the other two patient classification mechanisms.

Catchment scale water resource constraints on UK policies for low-carbon energy system transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konadu, D. D.; Fenner, R. A.

2017-12-01

Long-term low-carbon energy transition policy of the UK presents national scale propositions of different low-carbon energy system options that lead to meeting GHG emissions reduction target of 80% on 1990 levels by 2050. Whilst national-scale assessments suggests that water availability may not be a significant constrain on future thermal power generation systems in this pursuit, these analysis fail to capture the appropriate spatial scale where water resource decisions are made, i.e. at the catchment scale. Water is a local resource, which also has significant spatio-temporal regional and national variability, thus any policy-relevant water-energy nexus analysis must be reflective of these characteristics. This presents a critical challenge for policy relevant water-energy nexus analysis. This study seeks to overcome the above challenge by using a linear spatial-downscaling model to allocate nationally projected water-intensive energy system infrastructure/technologies to the catchment level, and estimating the water requirements for the deployment of these technologies. The model is applied to the UK Committee on Climate Change Carbon Budgets to 2030 as a case study. The paper concludes that whilst national-scale analyses show minimal long-term water related impacts, catchment level appraisal of water resource requirements reveal significant constraints in some locations. The approach and results presented in this study thus, highlights the importance of bringing together scientific understanding, data and analysis tools to provide better insights for water-energy nexus decisions at the appropriate spatial scale. This is particularly important for water stressed regions where the water-energy nexus must be analysed at appropriate spatial resolution to capture the full water resource impact of national energy policy.

Euoplocephalus tutus and the Diversity of Ankylosaurid Dinosaurs in the Late Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada, and Montana, USA

PubMed Central

Arbour, Victoria M.; Currie, Philip J.

2013-01-01

Few ankylosaurs are known from more than a single specimen, but the ankylosaurid Euoplocephalus tutus (from the Late Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada and Montana, USA) is represented by dozens of skulls and partial skeletons, and is therefore an important taxon for understanding intraspecific variation in ankylosaurs. Euoplocephalus is unusual compared to other dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of Alberta because it is recognized from the Dinosaur Park, Horseshoe Canyon, and Two Medicine formations. A comprehensive review of material attributed to Euoplocephalus finds support for the resurrection of its purported synonyms Anodontosaurus lambei and Scolosaurus cutleri, and the previously resurrected Dyoplosaurus acutosquameus. Anodontosaurus is found primarily in the Horseshoe Canyon Formation of Alberta and is characterized by ornamentation posterior to the orbits and on the first cervical half ring, and wide, triangular knob osteoderms. Euoplocephalus is primarily found in Megaherbivore Assemblage Zone 1 in the Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta and is characterized by the absence of ornamentation posterior to the orbits and on the first cervical half ring, and keeled medial osteoderms on the first cervical half ring. Scolosaurus is found primarily in the Two Medicine Formation of Montana (although the holotype is from Dinosaur Provincial Park), and is characterized by long, back-swept squamosal horns, ornamentation posterior to the orbit, and low medial osteoderms on the first cervical half ring; Oohkotokia horneri is morphologically indistinguishable from Scolosaurus cutleri. Dyoplosaurus was previously differentiated from Euoplocephalus sensu lato by the morphology of the pelvis and pes, and these features also differentiate Dyoplosaurus from Anodontosaurus and Scolosaurus; a narrow tail club knob is probably also characteristic for Dyoplosaurus. PMID:23690940

Characterising the spatial variability of the tidal stream energy resource from floating turbines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ward, Sophie; Neill, Simon; Robins, Peter

2017-04-01

The shelf seas, in particular the northwest European shelf seas surrounding the UK, contain significant tidal power potential. Tidal stream energy is both predictable and reliable providing that sites are well-selected based upon the hydrodynamic regime and the device specifics. In this high resolution three-dimensional tidal modelling study, we investigate how the tidal stream resource around the Welsh coast (UK) varies with water depth and location, with particular focus on the Pembrokeshire region. The potential extractable energy for a floating tidal stream energy converter is compared with that for a bottom-fixed device, highlighting the need to vary the resource characterisation criteria based on device specifics. We demonstrate how small variations in the tidal current speeds - with hub depth or due to tidal asymmetry - can lead to substantial variations in potential power output. Further, the results indicate that power generation from floating tidal energy converters will be more significantly influenced by tidal elevations in regions characterised by a lower tidal range (more progressive waves) than regions that experience a high tidal range (standing waves). As numerical modelling capacity improves and tidal stream energy converter technologies develop, ongoing improved quantification of the tidal resource is needed, as well as consideration of the possible feedbacks of the devices and energy extraction on the hydrodynamic regime and the surrounding area.

78 FR 1854 - Minnesota Energy Resources Corporation; Notice of Petition for Rate Approval

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-09

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. PR13-21-000] Minnesota..., Minnesota Energy Resources Corporation (MERC) filed a rate election pursuant to section 284.123(b)(1) of the... that conform to the recently revised rates approved by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, as...

Salmonella enteritidis infections associated with foods purchased from mobile lunch trucks--Alberta, Canada, October 2010-February 2011.

PubMed

2013-07-19

During October 2010-February 2011, an outbreak of 91 Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) infections in Alberta, Canada, was investigated by a local public health department (Alberta Health Services, Calgary Zone). Index cases initially were linked through a common history of consumption of food purchased from mobile food-vending vehicles (lunch trucks) operating at worksites in Alberta. Further investigation implicated one catering company that supplied items for the lunch trucks and other vendors. In 85 cases, patients reported consumption of food prepared by the catering company in the 7 days before illness. Six patients were employees of the catering company, and two food samples collected from the catering company were positive for SE. Foods likely were contaminated directly or indirectly through the use of illegally sourced, SE-contaminated eggs at the implicated catering facility and by catering employees who were infected with SE. Public health interventions put into place to control the outbreak included screening employees for Salmonella, excluding those infected from food-handling duties, and training employees in safe food-handling procedures. No further outbreak cases were identified after full implementation of the interventions. This investigation highlights the potential for lunch trucks to be a source of foodborne illness and the need for robust regulatory compliance monitoring of lunch trucks and their food suppliers.

Tidal Energy Conversion Installation at an Estuarine Bridge Site: Resource Evaluation and Energy Production Estimate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wosnik, M.; Gagnon, I.; Baldwin, K.; Bell, E.

2015-12-01

The "Living Bridge" project aims to create a self-diagnosing, self-reporting "smart bridge" powered by a local renewable energy source, tidal energy - transforming Memorial Bridge, a vertical lift bridge over the tidal Piscataqua River connecting Portsmouth, NH and Kittery, ME, into a living laboratory for researchers, engineers, scientists, and the community. The Living Bridge project includes the installation of a tidal turbine at the Memorial Bridge. The energy converted by the turbine will power structural health monitoring, environmental and underwater instrumentation. Utilizing locally available tidal energy can make bridge operation more sustainable, can "harden" transportation infrastructure against prolonged grid outages and can demonstrate a prototype of an "estuarine bridge of the future". A spatio-temporal tidal energy resource assessment was performed using long term bottom-deployed Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP) at two locations: near the planned deployment location in 2013-14 for 123 days and mid-channel in 2007 for 35 days. Data were evaluated to determine the amount of available kinetic energy that can be converted into usable electrical energy on the bridge. Changes in available kinetic energy with ebb/flood and spring/neap tidal cycles and electrical energy demand were analyzed. The target deployment site exhibited significantly more energetic ebb tides than flood tides, which can be explained by the local bathymetry of the tidal estuary. A system model is used to calculate the net energy savings using various tidal generator and battery bank configurations. Different resource evaluation methodologies were also analyzed, e.g., using a representative ADCP "bin" vs. a more refined, turbine-geometry-specific methodology, and using static bin height vs. bin height that move w.r.t. the free surface throughout a tidal cycle (representative of a bottom-fixed or floating turbine deployment, respectively). ADCP operating frequencies and bin

Prescribing by pharmacists in Alberta and its relation to culture and personality traits.

PubMed

Rosenthal, Meagen M; Houle, Sherilyn K D; Eberhart, Greg; Tsuyuki, Ross T

2015-01-01

As evidence for the efficacy of pharmacists' interventions, governments worldwide are developing legislation to formalize new practice approaches, including independent prescribing by pharmacists. Pharmacists in Alberta became the first in Canada availed of this opportunity; however, uptake of such has been slow. One approach to understanding this problem is through an examination of pharmacists who have already gained this ability. The primary objective of this study was to gain descriptive insight into the culture and personality traits of innovator, and early adopter, Alberta pharmacists with Additional Prescribing Authorization using the Organizational Culture Profile and Big Five Inventory. The study was a cross-sectional online survey of Alberta pharmacists who obtained Additional Prescribing Authorization (independent prescribing authority), in the fall of 2012. The survey contained three sections; the first contained basic demographic, background and practice questions; the second section contained the Organizational Culture Profile; and the third section contained the Big Five Inventory. Sixty-five survey instruments were returned, for a response rate of 39%. Respondents' mean age was 40 (SD 10) years. The top reason cited by respondents for applying for prescribing authority was to improve patient care. The majority of respondents perceived greater value in the cultural factors of competitiveness, social responsibility, supportiveness, performance orientation and stability, and may be more likely to exhibit behavior in line with the personality traits of extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness. Inferential statistical analysis revealed a significant linear relationship between Organizational Culture Profile responses to cultural factors of social responsibility and competitiveness and the number of prescription adaptations provided. This insight into the experiences of innovators and early adopter pharmacist prescribers can be used to

Development and implementation of the compensation plan for pharmacy services in Alberta, Canada.

PubMed

Breault, Rene R; Whissell, Jeff G; Hughes, Christine A; Schindel, Theresa J

To describe experiences with development and implementation of a compensation plan for pharmacy services delivered by pharmacists in community pharmacies. Community pharmacy practice in Alberta, Canada. Pharmacists in Alberta have one of the most progressive scopes of practice in North America. They have authority to prescribe drugs independently, administer drugs by injection, access electronic health records, and order laboratory tests. A publicly funded compensation plan for pharmacy services was implemented in 2012. Principles that guided development of the compensation plan aimed to 1) ensure payment for pharmacy services, 2) support pharmacists in using their full scope of practice, 3) enable the development of long-term relationships with patients, 4) facilitate expansion of services delivered by pharmacists, and 5) provide access to pharmacy services for all eligible Albertans. Services covered by the compensation plan include care planning, prescribing, and administering drugs by injection. The guiding principles were used to evaluate experiences with the compensation plan. Claims for pharmacy services covered by the compensation plan increased from 30,000 per month in July 2012 to 170,000 per month in March 2016. From September 2015 to August 2016, 1226 pharmacies submitted claims for services provided by 3901 pharmacists. The number of pharmacists with authorization to prescribe and administer injections continued to increase following implementation of the plan. Alberta's experiences with the development and implementation of the compensation plan will be of interest to jurisdictions considering implementation of remunerated pharmacy services. The potential impact of the plan on health and economic outcomes, in addition to the value of the services as perceived by the public, patients, pharmacists, and other health care providers, should also be explored. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Complementary Social Sciences Courses in the Alberta High School Curriculum: A Conceptual Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Staszenski, Donna; Smits, Hans

2008-01-01

In keeping with Alberta Education's goals and responsibilities to develop and evaluate curriculum and to set standards and assess outcomes, the Ministry is reviewing the status and purpose of social sciences courses as part of the high school curriculum. The present social sciences curriculum was revised in 1985. As part of the social sciences…

Corporate Competencies for Executive Women in Alberta: Oh, the Places You'll Go!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cocchio, Kathy L.

2009-01-01

The study sought to develop consensus opinion on the core competencies required to succeed as a female executive in the C-Suites of Alberta, Canada. The study was prompted by the significant under-representation of women in Canadian corporate executive positions and by a post-secondary institution's interest in determining whether a market exists…

Early gross motor development of preterm infants according to the Alberta Infant Motor Scale.

PubMed

van Haastert, I C; de Vries, L S; Helders, P J M; Jongmans, M J

2006-11-01

To systematically examine gross motor development in the first 18 months of life of preterm infants. A total of 800 preterm infants (356 boys), ages between 1 and 18 months and corrected for degree of prematurity, were assessed with the use of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale. Comparison of the mean Alberta Infant Motor Scale scores of the preterm infants with the norm-referenced values derived from term infants revealed that as a group, the preterm infants scored significantly lower at all age levels, even with full correction for degree of prematurity. In general, preterm infants exhibit different gross motor developmental trajectories compared with term infants in the first 18 months of life. The gross motor developmental profile of preterm infants may reflect a variant of typical gross motor development, which seems most likely to be specific for this population. As a consequence, adjusted norms should be used for proper evaluation and clinical decision-making in relation to preterm infants.

Concurrent Validity Between Live and Home Video Observations Using the Alberta Infant Motor Scale.

PubMed

Boonzaaijer, Marike; van Dam, Ellen; van Haastert, Ingrid C; Nuysink, Jacqueline

2017-04-01

Serial assessment of gross motor development of infants at risk is an established procedure in neonatal follow-up clinics. Assessments based on home video recordings could be a relevant addition. In 48 infants (1.5-19 months), the concurrent validity of 2 applications was examined using the Alberta Infant Motor Scale: (1) a home video made by parents and (2) simultaneous observation on-site by a pediatric physical therapist. Parents' experiences were explored using a questionnaire. The intraclass correlation coefficient agreement between live and home video assessment was 0.99, with a standard error of measurement of 1.41 items. Intra- and interrater reliability: intraclass correlation coefficients were more than 0.99. According to 94% of the parents, recording their infant's movement repertoire was easy to perform. Assessing the Alberta Infant Motor Scale based on home video recordings is comparable to assessment by live observation. The video method is a promising application that can be used with low burden for parents and infants.

The Alberta Hereditary Diseases Program: a regional model for delivery of genetic services.

PubMed Central

Lowry, R B; Bowen, P

1990-01-01

Genetic counselling and related services are generally provided at major university medical centres because they are very specialized. The need for rurally based genetic services prompted the inclusion of an outreached program in the Alberta Hereditary Diseases Program (AHDP), which was established in 1979; the AHDP was designed to provide services to the entire province through two regional centres and seven outreach clinics. There is a community health nurse in almost every health unit whose duties are either totally or partially devoted to the AHDP; thus, genetic help and information are as close as a rural health unit. The AHDP is designed to provide complete clinical (diagnostic, counselling and some management) services and laboratory (cytogenetic, biochemical and molecular) services for genetic disorders. In addition, the program emphasizes education and publishes a quarterly bulletin, which is sent free of charge to all physicians, hospitals, public health units, social service units, major radio and television stations, newspapers and public libraries and to selected individuals and groups in Alberta. PMID:2302614

Energy Conservation in Construction Trades. Special Packages: Instructional Resources for Vocational Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohio State Univ., Columbus. National Center for Research in Vocational Education.

Designed for secondary and postsecondary vocational teachers and administrators, this resource package on energy conservation in construction trades contains three sections of information. Section I provides an instructional module (developed by the Wisconsin Vocational Studies Center) on solar energy; the module is organized into seven units:…

Hot dry rock geothermal energy: A renewable energy resource that is ready for development now

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, D. W.; Potter, R. M.; Myers, C. W.

Hot dry rock (HDR) geothermal energy, which utilizes the natural heat contained in the earth's crust, is a very large and well-distributed resource of nonpolluting, and essentially renewable, energy that is available globally. Its use could help mitigate climatic change and reduce acid rain, two of the major environmental consequences of our ever-increasing use of fossil fuels for heating and power generation. In addition, HDR, as a readily available source of indigenous energy, can reduce our nations's dependence on imported oil, enhancing national security and reducing our trade deficit. On a national scale we can begin to develop this new source, using it directly for power generation or for direct-heat applications, or indirectly in hybrid geothermal/fossil-fuel power plants. In the HDR concept, which has been demonstrated in the field in two different applications and flow-tested for periods up to one year, heat is recovered from the earth by pressurized water in a closed-loop circulation system. As a consequence, minimal effluents are released to the atmosphere, and no wastes are produced. This paper describes the nature of the HDR resource and the technology required to implement the heat-mining concept. An assessment of the requirements for establishing HDR feasibility is presented in the context of providing a commercially competitive energy source.

Using the Spanish Online Resource "Aula Virtual de Espanol" (AVE) to Promote a Blended Teaching Approach in High School Spanish Language Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pellerin, Martine; Montes, Carlos Soler

2012-01-01

The study explores the effectiveness of the implementation of blended teaching (BT) by combining the Spanish online resource "Aula Virtual de Espanol" (AVE) with the face-to-face (F2F) delivery approach in second language Spanish programs in two high schools in Alberta, Canada. Findings demonstrate the effectiveness of combining the…

The difference between energy consumption and energy cost: Modelling energy tariff structures for water resource recovery facilities.

PubMed

Aymerich, I; Rieger, L; Sobhani, R; Rosso, D; Corominas, Ll

2015-09-15

The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of incorporating more realistic energy cost models (based on current energy tariff structures) into existing water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) process models when evaluating technologies and cost-saving control strategies. In this paper, we first introduce a systematic framework to model energy usage at WRRFs and a generalized structure to describe energy tariffs including the most common billing terms. Secondly, this paper introduces a detailed energy cost model based on a Spanish energy tariff structure coupled with a WRRF process model to evaluate several control strategies and provide insights into the selection of the contracted power structure. The results for a 1-year evaluation on a 115,000 population-equivalent WRRF showed monthly cost differences ranging from 7 to 30% when comparing the detailed energy cost model to an average energy price. The evaluation of different aeration control strategies also showed that using average energy prices and neglecting energy tariff structures may lead to biased conclusions when selecting operating strategies or comparing technologies or equipment. The proposed framework demonstrated that for cost minimization, control strategies should be paired with a specific optimal contracted power. Hence, the design of operational and control strategies must take into account the local energy tariff. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using Cognitive Coaching to Build School Leadership Capacity: A Case Study in Alberta

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, W. Todd; Hauserman, Cal P.; Skytt, Jacqueline

2016-01-01

The impact of Cognitive Coaching? included as part of the Leader2Leader (L2L) Leadership Pilot Program for beginning principals in Alberta, Canada, was evaluated in the present study. Fifteen qualified principals (coaches) and 23 new principals completed the L2L Pilot Program that took place over 18 months. Questionnaires for coaches and new…

WiFi in Schools, Electromagnetic Fields and Cell Phones: Alberta Health Fact Sheet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Education, 2012

2012-01-01

Wireless devices and the networks that support them are becoming more common in Alberta schools. WiFi is a wireless networking technology that allows computers and other devices to communicate over a wireless signal. Typically the signal is carried by radio waves over an area of up to 100 meters. Through the implementation of a WiFi network,…

Awareness and Misconceptions of High School Students about Renewable Energy Resources and Applications: Turkey Case

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tortop, Hasan Said

2012-01-01

Turkey is the one of the countries in the world which has potential of renewable energy resource because of its geographical position. However, being usage of renewable energy resources and applications (RERAs) is low, it shows that awareness and consciousness of RERAs is very low too. Education must play a key role in growing out of an energy…

Ambient volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in Calgary, Alberta: Sources and screening health risk assessment.

PubMed

Bari, Md Aynul; Kindzierski, Warren B

2018-08-01

Exposure to ambient volatile organic compound (VOCs) in urban areas is of interest because of their potential chronic and acute adverse effects to public health. Limited information is available about VOC sources in urban areas in Canada. An investigation of ambient VOCs levels, their potential sources and associated risks to public health was undertaken for the urban core of Alberta's largest city (downtown Calgary) for the period 2010-2015. Twenty-four hour arithmetic and geometric mean concentrations of total VOCs were 42μg/m 3 and 39μg/m 3 , respectively and ranged from 16 to 160μg/m 3 , with winter levels about two-fold higher than summer. Alkanes (58%) were the most dominant compounds followed by halogenated VOCs (22%) and aromatics (11%). Mean and maximum 24h ambient concentrations of selected VOCs of public health concern were below chronic and acute health risk screening criteria of the United States regulatory agencies and a cancer screening benchmark used in Alberta equivalent to 1 in 100,000 lifetime risk. The Positive matrix factorization (PMF) model revealed nine VOC sources at downtown Calgary, where oil/natural gas extraction/combustion (26%), fuel combustion (20%), traffic sources including gasoline exhaust, diesel exhaust, mixed fugitive emissions (10-15%), and industrial coatings/solvents (12%) were predominant. Other sources included dry cleaning (3.3%), biogenic (3.5%) and a background source (18%). Source-specific health risk values were also estimated. Estimated cancer risks for all sources were below the Alberta cancer screening benchmark, and estimated non-cancer risks for all sources were well below a safe level. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Global Perspective: NASA's Prediction of Worldwide Energy Resources (POWER) Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhang, Taiping; Stackhouse, Paul W., Jr.; Chandler, William S.; Hoell, James M.; Westberg, David; Whitlock, Charles H.

2007-01-01

The Prediction of the Worldwide Energy Resources (POWER) Project, initiated under the NASA Science Mission Directorate Applied Science Energy Management Program, synthesizes and analyzes data on a global scale that are invaluable to the renewable energy industries, especially to the solar and wind energy sectors. The POWER project derives its data primarily from NASA's World Climate Research Programme (WCRP)/Global Energy and Water cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Surface Radiation Budget (SRB) project (Version 2.9) and the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) assimilation model (Version 4). The latest development of the NASA POWER Project and its plans for the future are presented in this paper.

Petroleum and the Environment: Teaching about Petroleum and the Future of Energy Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hudson, Travis; Camphire, Geoffrey

2005-01-01

Students live in a world that is powered by petroleum and other energy resources to an unsurpassed degree. The United States today consumes more than 24% of all the energy used in the world--and about 60% of this energy is provided by petroleum (oil and natural gas). The availability of abundant, inexpensive energy is the main reason that the…

NREL: Renewable Resource Data Center - Geothermal Resource Information

Science.gov Websites

Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Geothermal Technologies Program. Its collection , and thermal springs. View NREL's Geothermal resource maps as well as maps for other renewable energy Geothermal Resource Information Geothermal Prospector Start exploring U.S. geothermal resources

A strategy for mineral and energy resource independence

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carter, W.D.

1983-01-01

Data acquired by Landsats 1, 2, and 3, are beginning to provide the information on which an improved mineral and energy resource exploration strategy can be based. Landsat 4 is expected to augment this capability with its higher resolution (30 m) and additional spectral bands in the Thematic Mapper (TM) designed specifically to discriminate clay minerals associated with mineral alteration. In addition, a new global magnetic anomaly map, derived from the recent Magsat mission, has recently been compiled by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and others. Preliminary, extremely small-scale renditions of this map indicate that global coverage is nearly complete and that the map will improve upon a previous one derived from Polar Orbiting Geophysical Observatory (POGO) data. Digital processing of the Landsat image data and Magsat geophysical data can be used to create three-dimensional stereoscopic models for which Landsat images provide surface reference to deep structural anomalies. Comparative studies of national Landsat lineament maps, Magsat stereoscopic models, and metallogenic information derived from the Computerized Resources Information Bank (CRIB) inventory of U.S. mineral resources, provide a way of identifying and selecting exploration areas that have mineral resource potential. Landsat images and computer-compatible tapes can provide new and better mosaics and also provide the capability for a closer look at promising sites. ?? 1983.

Smart Operations in Distributed Energy Resources System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Li; Jie, Shu; Zhang-XianYong; Qing, Zhou

Smart grid capabilities are being proposed to help solve the challenges concerning system operations due to that the trade-offs between energy and environmental needs will be constantly negotiated while a reliable supply of electricity needs even greater assurance in case of that threats of disruption have risen. This paper mainly explores models for distributed energy resources system (DG, storage, and load),and also reviews the evolving nature of electricity markets to deal with this complexity and a change of emphasis on signals from these markets to affect power system control. Smart grid capabilities will also impact reliable operations, while cyber security issues must be solved as a culture change that influences all system design, implementation, and maintenance. Lastly, the paper explores significant questions for further research and the need for a simulation environment that supports such investigation and informs deployments to mitigate operational issues as they arise.

Shifting the lens: the introduction of population-based funding in Alberta.

PubMed

Smith, Neale; Church, John

2008-01-01

This paper offers a detailed historical description of the development of Alberta's population-based funding model for Regional Health Authorities (RHAs). It focuses on key political factors that may have facilitated this transition--in particular, the role of institutions, organized interests, and ideas and values. Understanding the politics of policy change as exemplified in this case can be useful in assessing future prospects for health system reform in Canada and laying the groundwork for further comparative study.

Results at Mallik highlight progress in gas hydrate energy resource research and development

USGS Publications Warehouse

Collett, T.S.

2005-01-01

The recent studies that project the role of gas hydrates in the future energy resource management are reviewed. Researchers have long speculated that gas hydrates could eventually be a commercial resource for the future. A Joint Industry Project led by ChevronTexaco and the US Department of Energy is designed to characterize gas hydrates in the Gulf of Mexico. Countries including Japan, canada, and India have established large gas hydrate research and development projects, while China, Korea and Mexico are investigating the viability of forming government-sponsored gas hydrate research projects.

Egypt/United States cooperative energy assessment. Volume II, Annex 1. Energy resources of Egypt

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1979-04-01

This report contains the findings and recommendations of the US Geological Survey geologists assigned to survey Egypts indigenous energy resources. Data on oil and gas, coal and oil shale, uranium and thorium, geothermal energy, water resources, and energy related minerals are presented. Thirty-nine oil and gas fields have been discovered in Egypt, proven reserves of oil were estimated to be 1,559,000,000 barrels in 1976. The Egyptian government hopes to attain a production rate of 1 million barrels a day in 1982. While the Gulf of Suez basin holds the most immediate prospects, the most promising frontier regions are the unexploredmore » broad expanses of the Western Desert, the Nile Basin and the Northern Sinai while oil shales have been found in Egypt, they are only 10 to 15 feet thick and their hydrocarbon content is low. Recovery would not be economic. Coal deposits contain reserves estimated at 95 to 112 million tons. Only 1 deposit is deemed workable under present conditions of technology and economy. No uranium and thorium are being produced however geological conditions appear favorable for finding uranium deposits using appropriate programs of prospecting, exploration and development. The potential for development of low-level sources of geothermal energy in Egypt is good; there is no evidence of a high-temperature source or a vapor-dominated system. The Nile is the primary source of water. In the western desert, the Nubian aquifer supplies water for irrigation. Energy related minerals are generally found in uneconomic concentrations or not at all. However, deposits of material used in cement making and some iron ore for steel making are available. Deposits of manganese may become available upon return of the Sinai to Egypt. 44 figures, 24 tables. (DMC)« less

A preliminary investigation of the nocturnal temperature structure above the city of Edmonton, Alberta

Treesearch

D. Yap

1977-01-01

Information about the nocturnal temperature structure over Edmonton, Alberta. Observations of the temperature fields, including two- and three-dimensional forms of the nocturnal heat island, were obtained from minisonde ascents, an instrumented helicopter, and towers during a 3-week urban air-pollution field study. Results show that urban-induced temperature...

Proceedings: Second Annual Pacific Northwest Alternative and Renewable Energy Resources Conference.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

1980-01-01

Papers presented at the conference are published in this volume. The purpose of the conference was to solicit regional cooperation in the promoting of near-term development of such alternative and renewable energy resources in the Pacific Northwest as: cogeneration; biomass; wind; small hydro; solar end-use applications; and geothermal direct heat utilization. Separate abstracts of selected papers were prepared for inclusion in the Energy Data Base.

Evaluating Programs That Promote Climate and Energy Education-Meeting Teacher Needs for Online Resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lynds, S. E.; Buhr, S. M.

2011-12-01

The Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) Pathway, is a National Science Digital Library (NSDL) Pathways project that was begun in 2010. The main goal of CLEAN is to generate a reviewed collection of educational resources that are aligned with the Essential Principles of Climate Science (EPCS). Another goal of the project is to support a community that will assist students, teachers, and citizens in climate literacy. A complementary program begun in 2010 is the ICEE (Inspiring Climate Education Excellence) program, which is developing online modules and courses designed around the climate literacy principles for use by teachers and other interested citizens. In these projects, we learn about teacher needs through a variety of evaluation mechanisms. The programs use evaluation to assist in the process of providing easy access to high quality climate and energy learning resources that meet classroom requirements. The internal evaluation of the CLEAN program is multidimensional. At the CLEAN resource review camps, teachers and scientists work together in small groups to assess the value of online resources for use in the classroom. The review camps are evaluated using observation and feedback surveys; the resulting evaluation reports provide information to managers to fine-tune future camps. In this way, a model for effective climate resource development meetings has been refined. Evaluation methods used in ICEE and CLEAN include teacher needs assessment surveys, teacher feedback at professional development opportunities, scientist feedback at resource review workshops, and regular analysis of online usage of resources, forums, and education modules. This paper will review the most successful strategies for evaluating the effectiveness of online climate and energy education resources and their use by educators and the general public.

Challenges for fuel cells as stationary power resource in the evolving energy enterprise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rastler, Dan

The primary market challenges for fuel cells as stationary power resources in evolving energy markets are reviewed. Fuel cell power systems have significant barriers to overcome in their anticipated role as decentralized energy power systems. Market segments for fuel cells include combined heat and power; low-cost energy, premium power; peak shaving; and load management and grid support. Understanding the role and fit of fuel cell systems in evolving energy markets and the highest value applications are a major challenge for developers and government funding organizations. The most likely adopters of fuel cell systems and the challenges facing each adopter in the target market segment are reviewed. Adopters include generation companies, utility distribution companies, retail energy service providers and end-users. Key challenges include: overcoming technology risk; achieving retail competitiveness; understanding high value markets and end-user needs; distribution and service channels; regulatory policy issues; and the integration of these decentralized resources within the electrical distribution system.

Biomass for energy in the European Union - a review of bioenergy resource assessments

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

This paper reviews recent literature on bioenergy potentials in conjunction with available biomass conversion technologies. The geographical scope is the European Union, which has set a course for long term development of its energy supply from the current dependence on fossil resources to a dominance of renewable resources. A cornerstone in European energy policies and strategies is biomass and bioenergy. The annual demand for biomass for energy is estimated to increase from the current level of 5.7 EJ to 10.0 EJ in 2020. Assessments of bioenergy potentials vary substantially due to methodological inconsistency and assumptions applied by individual authors. Forest biomass, agricultural residues and energy crops constitute the three major sources of biomass for energy, with the latter probably developing into the most important source over the 21st century. Land use and the changes thereof is a key issue in sustainable bioenergy production as land availability is an ultimately limiting factor. PMID:22546368

Detection and analysis of recombination in GII.4 norovirus strains causing gastroenteritis outbreaks in Alberta.

PubMed

Hasing, Maria E; Hazes, Bart; Lee, Bonita E; Preiksaitis, Jutta K; Pang, Xiaoli L

2014-10-01

Recombination is an important mechanism generating genetic diversity in norovirus (NoV) that occurs commonly at the NoV polymerase-capsid (ORF1/2) junction. The genotyping method based on partial ORF2 sequences currently used to characterize circulating NoV strains in gastroenteritis outbreaks in Alberta cannot detect such recombination events and provides only limited information on NoV genetic evolution. The objective of this study was to determine whether any NoV GII.4 strains causing outbreaks in Alberta are recombinants. Twenty stool samples collected during outbreaks occurring between July 2004 and January 2012 were selected to include the GII.4 variants Farmington Hills 2002, Hunter 2004, Yerseke 2006a, Den Haag 2006b, Apeldoorn 2007, New Orleans 2009, and Sydney 2012 based on previous NoV ORF2-genotyping results. Near full-length NoV genome sequences were obtained, aligned with reference sequences from GenBank and analyzed with RDPv4.13. Two sequences corresponding to Apeldoorn 2007, and Sydney 2012 were identified as recombinants with breakpoints near the ORF1/2 junction and putative parental strains as previously reported. We also identified, for the first time, a non-recombinant sequence resembling the ORF2-3 parent of the recombinant cluster Sydney 2012 responsible for the most recent pandemic. Our results confirmed the presence of recombinant NoV GII.4 strains in Alberta, and highlight the importance of including additional genomic regions in surveillance studies to trace the evolution of pandemic NoV GII.4 strains. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simulating and validating coastal gradients in wind energy resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hahmann, Andrea; Floors, Rogier; Karagali, Ioanna; Vasiljevic, Nikola; Lea, Guillaume; Simon, Elliot; Courtney, Michael; Badger, Merete; Peña, Alfredo; Hasager, Charlotte

2016-04-01

The experimental campaign of the RUNE (Reducing Uncertainty of Near-shore wind resource Estimates) project took place on the western coast of Denmark during the winter 2015-2016. The campaign used onshore scanning lidar technology combined with ocean and satellite information and produced a unique dataset to study the transition in boundary layer dynamics across the coastal zone. The RUNE project aims at reducing the uncertainty of near-shore wind resource estimates produced by mesoscale modeling. With this in mind, simulations using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model were performed to identify the sensitivity in the coastal gradients of wind energy resources to various model parameters and model inputs. Among these: model horizontal grid spacing and the planetary boundary layer and surface-layer scheme. We report on the differences amongst these simulations and preliminary results on the comparison of the model simulations with the RUNE observations of lidar and satellite measurements and near coastal tall mast.

NASA's Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resource (POWER) Project Unveils a New Geospatial Data Portal

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-03-01

The Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resource (POWER) Project facilitates access to NASA's satellite and modeling analysis for Renewable Energy, Sustainable Buildings and Agroclimatology applications.  A   new ...

Occurrence of Greater Sage-Grouse X Sharp-tailed Grouse hybrids in Alberta

USGS Publications Warehouse

Aldridge, Cameron L.; Oyler-McCance, S.J.; Brigham, R.M.

2001-01-01

Two distinct grouse were regularly observed at two Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) leks in both 1999 and 2000 in southeastern Alberta. Physically and behaviorally, the birds exhibited characteristics of both Greater Sage-Grouse and Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus), suggesting they were hybrids. DNA analyses of blood and feather samples indicated that both birds were males with Greater Sage-Grouse mothers and thus, fathers that were likely Sharp-tailed Grouse.

Cultural Competence in Alberta Schools: Perceptions of ESL Families in Four Major School Boards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ngo, Hieu V.

2012-01-01

Complex linguistic, acculturative, and social needs of English-as-a-second-language (ESL) learners challenge the K-12 education system to develop cultural competence in working with culturally diverse families. This study surveyed 242 self-identified ESL students and their parents from four of Alberta's major school boards. Results of the survey…

Investigation of an anthrax outbreak in Alberta in 1999 using a geographic information system

PubMed Central

Parkinson, Robert; Rajic, Andrijana; Jenson, Chris

2003-01-01

A Geographic Information System was used to document an anthrax outbreak in Alberta in 1999 and to describe the physical and environmental conditions of the area. The majority of infected farms were located on poorly drained organic soils. Regulatory agencies should consider adopting this tool for animal disease outbreak investigations. PMID:12715984

Modeling of thermal storage systems in MILP distributed energy resource models

DOE PAGES

Steen, David; Stadler, Michael; Cardoso, Gonçalo; ...

2014-08-04

Thermal energy storage (TES) and distributed generation technologies, such as combined heat and power (CHP) or photovoltaics (PV), can be used to reduce energy costs and decrease CO 2 emissions from buildings by shifting energy consumption to times with less emissions and/or lower energy prices. To determine the feasibility of investing in TES in combination with other distributed energy resources (DER), mixed integer linear programming (MILP) can be used. Such a MILP model is the well-established Distributed Energy Resources Customer Adoption Model (DER-CAM); however, it currently uses only a simplified TES model to guarantee linearity and short run-times. Loss calculationsmore » are based only on the energy contained in the storage. This paper presents a new DER-CAM TES model that allows improved tracking of losses based on ambient and storage temperatures, and compares results with the previous version. A multi-layer TES model is introduced that retains linearity and avoids creating an endogenous optimization problem. The improved model increases the accuracy of the estimated storage losses and enables use of heat pumps for low temperature storage charging. Ultimately,results indicate that the previous model overestimates the attractiveness of TES investments for cases without possibility to invest in heat pumps and underestimates it for some locations when heat pumps are allowed. Despite a variation in optimal technology selection between the two models, the objective function value stays quite stable, illustrating the complexity of optimal DER sizing problems in buildings and microgrids.« less

Quantum resource theory of non-stabilizer states in the one-shot regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmadi, Mehdi; Dang, Hoan; Gour, Gilad; Sanders, Barry

Universal quantum computing is known to be impossible using only stabilizer states and stabilizer operations. However, addition of non-stabilizer states (also known as magic states) to quantum circuits enables us to achieve universality. The resource theory of non-stablizer states aims at quantifying the usefulness of non-stabilizer states. Here, we focus on a fundamental question in this resource theory in the so called single-shot regime: Given two resource states, is there a free quantum channel that will (approximately or exactly) convert one to the other?. To provide an answer, we phrase the question as a semidefinite program with constraints on the Choi matrix of the corresponding channel. Then, we use the semidefinite version of the Farkas lemma to derive the necessary and sufficient conditions for the conversion between two arbitrary resource states via a free quantum channel. BCS appreciates financial support from Alberta Innovates, NSERC, China's 1000 Talent Plan and the Institute for Quantum Information and Matter.

A mathematical method for verifying the validity of measured information about the flows of energy resources based on the state estimation theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pazderin, A. V.; Sof'in, V. V.; Samoylenko, V. O.

2015-11-01

Efforts aimed at improving energy efficiency in all branches of the fuel and energy complex shall be commenced with setting up a high-tech automated system for monitoring and accounting energy resources. Malfunctions and failures in the measurement and information parts of this system may distort commercial measurements of energy resources and lead to financial risks for power supplying organizations. In addition, measurement errors may be connected with intentional distortion of measurements for reducing payment for using energy resources on the consumer's side, which leads to commercial loss of energy resource. The article presents a universal mathematical method for verifying the validity of measurement information in networks for transporting energy resources, such as electricity and heat, petroleum, gas, etc., based on the state estimation theory. The energy resource transportation network is represented by a graph the nodes of which correspond to producers and consumers, and its branches stand for transportation mains (power lines, pipelines, and heat network elements). The main idea of state estimation is connected with obtaining the calculated analogs of energy resources for all available measurements. Unlike "raw" measurements, which contain inaccuracies, the calculated flows of energy resources, called estimates, will fully satisfy the suitability condition for all state equations describing the energy resource transportation network. The state equations written in terms of calculated estimates will be already free from residuals. The difference between a measurement and its calculated analog (estimate) is called in the estimation theory an estimation remainder. The obtained large values of estimation remainders are an indicator of high errors of particular energy resource measurements. By using the presented method it is possible to improve the validity of energy resource measurements, to estimate the transportation network observability, to eliminate

Farmers' preferences for water policy reforms: Results from a survey in Alberta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, W.; Bjornlund, H.; Klein, K.

2012-12-01

Facing increasingly urgent stress on global water scarcity, many reforms have been launched in countries around the world. As the biggest group of natural resource managers, farmers' behaviour is drawing increasingly wide attention. Satisfying new demands for water will depend on farmers' support since, generally, water will need to be transferred from farmers who have historically secure rights. Although water pricing reform is widely considered to lead to water conservation, the uncertainty of its potential impacts hinders the process of reform. This farmer-level empirical research explores farmers' possible responses to introduction of reforms in water pricing. A survey was conducted of about 300 farm households that use water for irrigating crops in Southern Alberta, an area that is facing water shortages and has had to stop issuing new water licences. By using structural equation modelling, the strength and direction of direct and indirect relationships between external, internal and behavioural variables as proposed in general attitude theory have been estimated. Farming as a family engagement, family members' and family unit's characteristics doubtlessly affect farming practice and farm decisions. Farmers' behaviour was explored under the family and farm context. In developing and testing conceptual models that integrate socio-demographic, psychological, farming context and social milieu factors, we may develop a deeper understanding of farmers' behaviour. The findings and recommendations will be beneficial for environmental practitioners and policy makers.

Developing Clean Energy Projects on Tribal Lands: Data and Resources for Tribes (Book)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

2012-12-01

This is a outreach brochure (booklet) for the DOE Office of Indian Energy summarizing the renewable energy technology potential on tribal lands. The booklet features tech potential maps for various technologies, information about the activities of DOE-IE, and resources for Tribes.

Responding to a Strong Economy. Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training Board 2001-2002 Annual Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Learning, Edmonton. Apprenticeship and Industry Training.

In 2001-2002, the Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training Board continued its collaboration with industry, government, and educators to maintain high standards of training and improve access to technical training. The board continued to strengthen the network of local and provincial apprenticeship committees, occupational committees, and…

Study on new energy development planning and absorptive capability of Xinjiang in China considering resource characteristics and demand prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, Hai; Miao, Xujuan; Liu, Jinpeng; Wu, Meng; Zhao, Xuehua

2018-02-01

Xinjiang, as the area where wind energy and solar energy resources are extremely rich, with good resource development characteristics, can provide a support for regional power development and supply protection. This paper systematically analyzes the new energy resource and development characteristics of Xinjiang and carries out the demand prediction and excavation of load characteristics of Xinjiang power market. Combing the development plan of new energy of Xinjiang and considering the construction of transmission channel, it analyzes the absorptive capability of new energy. It provides certain reference for the comprehensive planning of new energy development in Xinjiang and the improvement of absorptive capacity of new energy.