EPA Collaboration on International Air Pollution Standards for Aircraft

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA has collaborated with the United Nation’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to set a timeframe for initiating the U.S. domestic regulatory process for addressing greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft under the Clean Air Act.

Advanced Collaborative Emissions Study Auxiliary Findings on 2007-Compliant Diesel Engines: A Comparison With Diesel Exhaust Genotoxicity Effects Prior to 2007

PubMed Central

Hallberg, Lance M; Ward, Jonathan B; Wickliffe, Jeffrey K; Ameredes, Bill T

2017-01-01

Since its beginning, more than 117 years ago, the compression-ignition engine, or diesel engine, has grown to become a critically important part of industry and transportation. Public concerns over the health effects from diesel emissions have driven the growth of regulatory development, implementation, and technological advances in emission controls. In 2001, the United States Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board issued new diesel fuel and emission standards for heavy-duty engines. To meet these stringent standards, manufacturers used new emission after-treatment technology, and modified fuel formulations, to bring about reductions in particulate matter and nitrogen oxides within the exhaust. To illustrate the impact of that technological transition, a brief overview of pre-2007 diesel engine exhaust biomarkers of genotoxicity and health-related concerns is provided, to set the context for the results of our research findings, as part of the Advanced Collaborative Emissions Study (ACES), in which the effects of a 2007-compliant diesel engine were examined. In agreement with ACES findings reported in other tissues, we observed a lack of measurable 2007-compliant diesel treatment–associated DNA damage, in lung tissue (comet assay), blood serum (8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine [8-OHdG] assay), and hippocampus (lipid peroxidation assay), across diesel exhaust exposure levels. A time-dependent assessment of 8-OHdG and lipid peroxidation also suggested no differences in responses across diesel exhaust exposure levels more than 24 months of exposure. These results indicated that the 2007-compliant diesel engine reduced measurable reactive oxygen species–associated tissue derangements and suggested that the 2007 standards–based mitigation approaches were effective. PMID:28659715

Collaboration in Action: Office of Research and Development ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The "Collaboration in Action: US EPA's Office of Research and Develop - Current Wildfire Research Program" was invited by the USDA's US Forest Service's Scientific Executive Committee to provide USFS scientific leadership active and potential future opportunities for cooperation/collaboration. Health impacts of wildfire smoke merit the attention and action of the US EPA and current research is supported in the ACE and SHC Research Programs. Wildland fire smoke research has taken on greater importance because the 1) contribution of wildland fire PM emissions relative to total US PM emissions is increasing, 2) the population health impacts are measurable and costly, 3) vulnerable and sensitive populations at-risk are increasing attendant to our aging U.S. population and the increasing area of the wildland-urban interface, and 4) health impacts of smoke could be minimized by identifying at-risk individuals and reducing their exposures. Examples are provided. The "Collaboration in Action: US EPA's Office of Research and Develop - Current Wildfire Research Program" was invited by the USDA's US Forest Service's Scientific Executive Committee to provide USFS scientific leadership active and potential future opportunities for cooperation/collaboration.

Collaborative Research on the Ultra High Bypass Ratio Engine Cycle to Reduce Noise, Emissions and Fuel Consumption

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hughes, Christopher

2008-01-01

A pictorial history of NASA development of advanced engine technologies for reducing environmental emissions and increasing performance from the 1970s to present is presented. The goals of the Subsonic Fixed Wing Program portion of the NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Program are addressed, along with the areas of investigation currently being pursued by the Ultra High Bypass Partnership Element of the Subsonic Fixed Wing Program to meet the goals. Ultra High Bypass cycle research collaboration successes with Pratt & Whitney are presented.

Assessment of atmospheric mercury emissions in Finland

PubMed

Mukherjee; Melanen; Ekqvist; Verta

2000-10-02

This paper is part of the study of atmospheric emissions of heavy metals conducted by the Finnish Environment Institute in collaboration with the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) under the umbrella of the Finnish Ministry of the Environment. The scope of our study is limited solely to anthropogenic mercury that is emitted directly to the atmosphere. This article addresses emission factors and trends of atmospheric mercury emissions during the 1990s and is based mainly on the database of the Finnish Environmental Administration. In addition, data based on the measurements taken by the VTT regarding emission factors have been used to estimate emissions of mercury from the incineration of waste. The study indicates that the total emission of mercury has decreased from 1140 kg in 1990 to 620 kg in 1997, while industrial and energy production have been on the increase simultaneously. The 45% emission reduction is due to improved gas cleaning equipment, process changes, automation, the installation of flue gas desulfurization process in coal-fired power plants and strict pollution control laws. In the past, some authors have estimated a higher mercury emission in Finland. In this study, it is also observed that there are no big changes in the quality of raw materials. Estimated emission factors can be of great help to management for estimating mercury emissions and also its risk assessment.

Mercury Emissions Capture Efficiency with Activated Carbon ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EPA-led project, conducted in collaboration with UNEP, the Swedish Environmental Institute and various Russian Institutes, that demonstrates that the mercury emission control efficiencies of activated carbon injection technologies applied at a Russian power plant burning Russian coals are similar to those found at U.S. plants burning US coals. (The US funding was from funds provided to the EPA by the Department of State pursuant to the Bio-Chemical Redirect Program which engages former Russian (and other former Soviet) weapons scientists in research projects with US collaborators.) Among other things, this report will aid the major task, of developing guidance on best available mercury control technology/best environmental practices (BAT/BEP) for coal-fired power plants, a major source a global anthropogenic emissions. (The new Minamata Convention requires BAT/BEP for new power plants and other major emission sources within five years of treaty ratification.)

MEMO2 - MEthane goes MObile - MEasurements and Modelling - Part 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Röckmann, Thomas; Walter, Sylvia

2017-04-01

As mitigation of climate change is a key scientific and societal challenge, the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris (COP21) agreed to limit global warming "well below" 2˚ C and, if possible, below 1.5˚ C. Reaching this target requires massive reductions of greenhouse gas emissions, and achieving significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is a logical headline targets of the EU climate action and of the H2020 strategy. CH4 emissions are a major contributor to Europe's global warming impact and emissions are not well quantified yet. There are significant discrepancies between official inventories of emissions and estimates derived from direct atmospheric measurement. Effective emission reduction can only be achieved if sources are properly quantified, and mitigation efforts are verified. New advanced combinations of measurement and modelling are needed to archive such quantification. MEMO2 will contribute to the targets of the EU with a focus on methane (CH4). The project will bridge the gap between large-scale scientific estimates from in situ monitoring programs and the 'bottom-up' estimates of emissions from local sources that are used in the national reporting by I) developing new and advanced mobile methane (CH4) measurements tools and networks, II) isotopic source identification, and III) modelling at different scales. Within the project qualified scientists will be educated in the use and implementation of interdisciplinary knowledge and techniques that are essential to meet and verify emission reduction goals. MEMO2 will facilitate intensive collaboration between the largely academic greenhouse gas monitoring community and non-academic partners who are responsible for evaluating and reporting greenhouse gas emissions to policy makers. MEMO2 is a European Training Network with more than 20 collaborators from 7 countries. It is a 4-years project and we will present the project and its objectives to the scientific community to foster collaboration and scientific exchange from the beginning.

A Collaborative Study of Source Apportionment and Total City Emissions of CH4 from Indianapolis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hajny, K. D.; Davis, K. J.; Franklin, J. E.; Harvey, R. M.; Lavoie, T. N.; Miles, N. L.; Richardson, S.; Salmon, O. E.; Sarmiento, D. P.; Shepson, P. B.; Stirm, B. H.; Wofsy, S.

2016-12-01

Methane (CH4) is the second most important greenhouse gas emitted in the United States, accounting for about 11% of all US greenhouse gas emissions in 2014. Over 60% of CH4 emissions globally are due to human activity and two of the largest anthropogenic sources of CH4 are waste decomposition in landfills and losses from the energy sector. Indianapolis has been a testbed site for development of methods for quantitative urban-scale greenhouse gas emissions measurements, through the Indianapolis Flux Experiment (INFLUX) since 2010. Multiple airborne mass balance experiments with Purdue University's Airborne Laboratory for Atmospheric Research (ALAR) have been performed in the area to quantify greenhouse gas emissions, since 2008. Previous research has shown that the large landfill in Indianapolis is the only significant point source, emitting 45 ± 14 mols CH4/s or roughly 1/3 of all CH4 emissions. Propane/methane ratios have indicated that all other CH4 emissions were due to leaks in the natural gas distribution system in the city, but not all the sources have been identified. A recent collaborative effort aimed to investigate this further using tower based inversions from INFLUX data, ground based Lagrangian transport modeling using Fourier Transform Spectrometers, and airborne based mass balance experiments using ALAR. Within the 2-week long project there were 4 days with atmospheric conditions that allowed for simultaneous airborne and ground based measurements. Here we will discuss selected outcomes from this effort, including city-wide mass balance measurements from ALAR, our results in light of the FTS observations, and how the results compare to the historical data base for Indianapolis.

Characterization and variability of pollutant concentrations for the Las Vegas implementation of the National Near-Road Mobile Source Air Toxics Study

EPA Science Inventory

EPA, in collaboration with FHWA, has been involved in a large-scale monitoring research study in an effort to characterize highway vehicle emissions in a near-road environment. The pollutants of interest include particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 microns ...

NEUROTOXICITY OF CARBONYL SULFIDE IN F344 RATS FOLLOWING INHALATION EXPOSURE FOR UP TO 12 WEEKS.

EPA Science Inventory

Carbonyl sulfide (COS) was nominated to the National Toxicology Program for testing in 1996 due to emissions levels and a lack of data. Through an inter-agency collaboration, functional and electrophysiological endpoints were included in the studies. This manuscript describes b...

Experimental Development of Low-emittance Field-emission Electron Sources

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

Lueangaranwong, A.; Buzzard, C.; Divan, R.

2016-10-10

Field emission electron sources are capable of extreme brightness when excited by static or time-dependent electro- magnetic fields. We are currently developing a cathode test stand operating in DC mode with possibility to trigger the emission using ultra-short (~ 100-fs) laser pulses. This contribution describes the status of an experiment to investigate field-emission using cathodes under development at NIU in collaboration with the Argonne’s Center for Nanoscale Materials.

Measurement of Oil and Gas Well Pad Enclosed Combustor Emissions Using Optical Remote Sensing Technologies

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development and U.S. EPA Region 8 are collaborating to investigate the impact of energy production under the EPA’s Regional Applied Research Effort (RARE) program. As part of this effort, a research study was conducted to evaluate technologies...

Arctic Council Nations Could Encourage Development of Climate Indicator: Flux to the Atmosphere from Arctic Permafrost Carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ekwurzel, B.; Yona, L.; Natali, S.; Holmes, R. M.; Schuur, E.

2015-12-01

Permafrost regions store almost twice the carbon in the atmosphere (Tarnocai et al 2009). As climate warms a proportion of this carbon will be released as carbon dioxide and methane. The Arctic Council may be best suited to harness international scientific collaboration for policy relevant knowledge about the global impacts of permafrost thaw. Scientists in Arctic Council and observer states have historically collaborated on permafrost research (e.g. Permafrost Carbon Network, part of Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) project). This work increased knowledge of permafrost carbon pool size and vulnerability. However, data gaps persist across the Arctic. Despite gaps, numerous studies directly inform international policy negotiations aiming to stay below 2° C. Some suggest "permafrost carbon feedback" may comprise 3 to 11% of total allowed emissions through 2100 under a RCP4.5 (Schaefer et al2014). Understanding and accounting for future permafrost atmospheric carbon release requires science and policy coordination that the Arctic Council could incentivize. For example, Council nations could convene scientists and stakeholders to develop a Permafrost-Climate Indicator providing more direct decision support than current permafrost indicators, and identify research needed for a periodic estimate of Arctic permafrost CO2 and CH4 emissions. This presentation covers current challenges scientists and policymakers may face to develop a practical and robust Permafrost Climate Indicator. For example, which timescales are most appropriate for international emissions commitments? Do policy-relevant timescales align with current scientific knowledge? What are the uncertainties and how can they be decreased? We present likely strengths and challenges of a Permafrost Climate Indicator co-developed by scientists and stakeholders. Potential greenhouse gas atmospheric flux from Arctic permafrost carbon may be greater than some nations' United Nations emissions reductions commitments. Investing in better understanding greenhouse gas emissions from thawing permafrost is relevant for all nations and essential to setting global emission targets.

Mercury Emissions Capture Efficiency with Activated Carbon Injection at a Russian Coal-Fired Thermal Power Plant

EPA Science Inventory

This EPA-led project, conducted in collaboration with UNEP, the Swedish Environmental Institute and various Russian Institutes, that demonstrates that the mercury emission control efficiencies of activated carbon injection technologies applied at a Russian power plant burning Rus...

New developments in high pressure x-ray spectroscopy beamline at High Pressure Collaborative Access Team

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

Xiao, Y. M., E-mail: yxiao@carnegiescience.edu; Chow, P.; Boman, G.

The 16 ID-D (Insertion Device - D station) beamline of the High Pressure Collaborative Access Team at the Advanced Photon Source is dedicated to high pressure research using X-ray spectroscopy techniques typically integrated with diamond anvil cells. The beamline provides X-rays of 4.5-37 keV, and current available techniques include X-ray emission spectroscopy, inelastic X-ray scattering, and nuclear resonant scattering. The recent developments include a canted undulator upgrade, 17-element analyzer array for inelastic X-ray scattering, and an emission spectrometer using a polycapillary half-lens. Recent development projects and future prospects are also discussed.

Microbiological Diversity Demonstrates the Potential which Collaboratively Metabolize Nitrogen Oxides ( NOx) under Smog Environmental Stress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, X. Z.; Zhao, X. H.; Chen, X. P.

2018-03-01

Recently, smoggy weather has become a daily in large part of China because of rapidly economic growth and accelerative urbanization. Stressed on the smoggy situation and economic growth, the green and environment-friendly technology is necessary to reduce or eliminate the smog and promote the sustainable development of economy. Previous studies had confirmed that nitrogen oxides ( NOx ) is one of crucial factors which forms smog. Microorganisms have the advantages of quickly growth and reproduction and metabolic diversity which can collaboratively Metabolize various NOx. This study will design a kind of bacteria & algae cultivation system which can metabolize collaboratively nitrogen oxides in air and intervene in the local nitrogen cycle. Furthermore, the nitrogen oxides can be transformed into nitrogen gas or assembled in protein in microorganism cell by regulating the microorganism types and quantities and metabolic pathways in the system. Finally, the smog will be alleviated or eliminated because of reduction of nitrogen oxides emission. This study will produce the green developmental methodology.

Evaluation of monitored concentrations using Motor Vehicle emissions Sumulator (MOVES) and American Meteorological Society/U.S. EPA Regulatory Modeling Stystem (AERMOD)

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been collaborating on a research project to investigate pollutant concentrations in a near-road environment. The first study city was Las Vegas with data collected from mid-December 2008 thru mid-December 2009. Roadside concentra...

Behavior of Mercury Emissions from a Commercial Coal-Fired Utility Boiler: TheRelationship Between Stack Speciation and Near-Field Plume Measurements

EPA Science Inventory

The reduction of divalent gaseous mercury (Hg^II) to elemental gaseous mercury (Hg⁰) in a commercial coal-fired power plant (CFPP)exhaust plume was investigated by simultaneous measurement in-stack and in-plume as part of a collaborative study among the U.S....

Environmental health collaboration: United States and Russia.

PubMed

Rubin, C H; Jones, R L; Revich, B; Avaliani, S L; Gurvich, E

2003-08-01

Developed nations share similar challenges to human health from commercial and agricultural chemicals that are released into the environment. Although Russia and the United States are historically distinct and unique, both countries are geographically large and economically dependent on emission-producing surface transportation. This paper describes U.S.-Russian collaborative activities that grew from a 1995 conference in Moscow that brought together environmental health investigators from both countries to discuss common concerns about the human health impact of environmental pollutants. Lead, pesticides, volatile organic compounds, and mercury were identified as contaminants of greatest concern. Collaborative studies were initiated that included collecting blood and hair samples and splitting samples for analyses in both countries, and introducing and sharing new portable blood and environmental sample analyses instruments. The findings demonstrated that hair analysis was not a good predictor of BLL and that Russian children in the first city sampled had a mean BLL of 7.7 microg/dl. Although higher than the U.S. mean, this level was below the 10.0 microg/dl CDC level of concern. This manuscript summarizes additional study results and describes their impacts on Russian policy. On-going collaborative environmental investigations are described.

Minerals and Trace Elements in Milk, Milk Products, Infant Formula, and Adult/Pediatric Nutritional Formula, ICP-MS Method: Collaborative Study, AOAC Final Action 2015.06, ISO/DIS 21424, IDF 243.

PubMed

Pacquette, Lawrence H; Thompson, Joseph J; Malaviole, I; Zywicki, R; Woltjes, F; Ding, Y; Mittal, A; Ikeuchi, Y; Sadipiralla, B; Kimura, S; Veltman, H; Miura, A

2018-03-01

AOAC Final Action Official MethodSM 2015.06 "Minerals and Trace Elements in Milk, Milk Products, Infant Formula and Adult/Pediatric Nutritional Formula, ICP-MS Method" was collaboratively studied. Note that "milk, milk products" has now been added to the title of the Final Action method because whole milk and several dairy ingredients were successfully incorporated into the collaborative study for the purpose of developing an International Organization for Standardization/International Dairy Federation standard (ISO/DIS 21424; in progress). The method determines sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, iron, manganese, zinc, copper, chromium, molybdenum, and selenium by inductively coupled plasma (ICP)-MS after microwave digestion. Ten laboratories participated in the study, and data from five different model ICP-MS units were represented. Thirteen products, five placebo products, and six dairy samples were tested as blind duplicates in this study, along with a standard reference material, for a total 50 samples. The overall repeatability and reproducibility for all samples met Standard Method Performance Requirements put forth by the AOAC Stakeholder Panel on Infant Formula and Adult Nutritionals, with a few exceptions. Comparisons are made to ICP-atomic emission data from a collaborative study of AOAC Official Method 2011.14 carried out concurrently on these same samples.

Interim Joint Technical Assessment Report: Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards and Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards for Model Years 2017-2025

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA and the NHTSA collaborated with CARB on this joint Technical Assessment Report to build on the success of the first phase of the National Program to regulate fuel economy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from U.S. light-duty vehicles.

What measurements tell us about air composition and emissions in three US oil and gas fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petron, G.; Miller, B. R.; Montzka, S. A.; Dlugokencky, E. J.; Kofler, J.; Sweeney, C.; Karion, A.; Frost, G. J.; Helmig, D.; Hueber, J.; Schnell, R. C.; Conley, S. A.; Tans, P. P.

2013-12-01

In 2012 and 2013, the NOAA Global Monitoring Division and several collaborators conducted intensive airborne and ground campaigns in three US oil and gas plays to study emissions of methane and surface ozone precursors. In this presentation we will focus on the multiple species analysis in discrete air samples collected with the NOAA Mobile Laboratory (ML) and the light aircraft in the Uinta Basin (Utah), Denver Julesburg Basin (Colorado) and Barnett Shale (Texas). Hydrocarbon ratios in samples collected with the ML downwind of specific sources show significantly more variability than the aircraft samples. These surface samples provide some useful information about the composition of various sources in each region. Ratios of the non-methane hydrocarbons on the ground and higher in the boundary layer show some differences between the plays, which could be explained by the different composition of the raw gas being produced or by different mixes of sources contributions. Understanding the speciation of atmospheric emissions is critical to identify emission vectors and to assess their potential air quality and climate impacts. Our measurement results will be compared with data from other studies, including emission inventories.

Determination of arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, lead, molybdenum, nickel, and selenium in fertilizers by microwave digestion and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry detection: collaborative study.

PubMed

Kane, Peter F; Hall, William L

2006-01-01

There is increasing regulatory interest in the non-nutritive metals content of fertilizer materials, but at present there is no consensus analytical method for acid digestion and instrument detection of those elements in fertilizer matrixes. This lack of method standardization has resulted in unacceptable variability of results between fertilizer laboratories performing metals analysis. A method has been developed using microwave digestion with nitric acid at 200 degrees C, followed by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry instrument detection, for the elements arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, molybdenum, nickel, lead, and selenium. The method has been collaboratively studied, and statistical results are here reported. Fourteen collaborators were sent 62 sample materials in a blind duplicate design. Materials represented a broad cross section of fertilizer types, including phosphate ore, manufactured phosphate products, N-P-K blends, organic fertilizers, and micro-nutrient materials. As much as possible within the limit of the number of samples, materials were selected from different regions of the United States and the world. Limit of detection (LOD) was determined using synthetic fertilizers consisting of reagent grade chemicals with near zero levels of the non-nutritive elements, analyzed blindly. Samples with high iron content caused the most variability between laboratories. Most samples reasonably above LOD gave HorRat values within the range 0.5 to 2.0, indicating acceptable method performance according to AOAC guidelines for analyses in the mg/kg range. The method is recommended for AOAC Official First Action status.

Caroline Sallum Uriarte | NREL

Science.gov Websites

integration Research Interests Climate change mitigation and adaptation Low emissions development strategies International collaboration to address climate change Renewable energy technology development, resource

LEONA: Transient Luminous Event and Thunderstorm High Energy Emission Collaborative Network in Latin America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sao Sabbas, F. T.

2012-12-01

This project has the goal of establishing the Collaborative Network LEONA, to study the electrodynamical coupling of the atmospheric layers signaled by Transient Luminous Events - TLEs and high energy emissions from thunderstorms. We will develop and install a remotely controlled network of cameras to perform TLE observations in different locations in South America and one neutron detector in southern Brazil. The camera network will allow building a continuous data set of the phenomena studied in this continent. The first two trial units of the camera network are already installed, in Brazil and Peru, and two more will be installed until December 2012, in Argentina and Brazil. We expect to determine the TLE geographic distribution, occurrence rate, morphology, and possible coupling with other geophysical phenomena in South America, such as the South Atlantic Magnetic Anomaly - SAMA. We also expect to study thunderstorm neutron emissions in a region of intense electrical activity, measuring neutron fluxes with high time resolution simultaneously with TLEs and lightning for the first time in South America. Using an intensified high-speed camera for TLE observation during 2 campaigns we expect to be able to determine the duration and spatial- temporal development of the TLEs observed, to study the structure and initiation of sprites and to measure the velocity of development of sprite structures and the sprite delay. The camera was acquired via the FAPESP project DEELUMINOS (2005-2010), which also nucleated our research group Atmospheric Electrodynamical Coupling - ACATMOS. LEONA will nucleate this research in other institutions in Brazil and other countries in South America, providing continuity for this important research in our region. The camera network will be an unique tool to perform consistent long term TLE observation, and in fact is the only way to accumulate a data set for a climatological study of South America, since satellite instrumentation turns off in this region to avoid damages due to the South Atlantic Magnetic Anomaly - SAMA. Thus this project is not only a potential benchmark in TLE research by creating a collaborative network in Latin America and nucleating this research locally, it is also strategic since LEONA's camera network will be able to provide extremely valuable information to fill up this gap that most satellite measurements have.

EPA Collaboration with Indonesia

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Indonesia is a key actor in the global environmental arena. In addition to significant ecological resources, Indonesia also has the fourth largest population in the world and the third largest greenhouse gas emissions.

The organic trace gas composition over South Korea as measured by PTR-ToF-MS during KORUS-AQ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wisthaler, A.; Eichler, P.; Kaser, L.; Mikoviny, T.; Müller, M.

2017-12-01

Nonmethane organic gases (NMOGs) are important air quality constituents. Many of them act as precursors to ozone and fine particles and some NMOGs (e.g. benzene) are classified as air toxics. During the Korea-United States Air Quality (KORUS-AQ) study in May and June of 2016, we deployed a proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR-ToF-MS) aboard the NASA DC-8 for measuring NMOGs at high speed (10 Hz) and sensitivity (ppt levels). The aircraft sampled emissions from a variety of point and area sources (e.g. urban emissions from Seoul and Daegu, industrial emission from the Daesan and Ulsan complexes, biogenic emissions over central South Korea and agricultural fire emissions in the Western provinces) as well as the pollution inflow from the Yellow Sea. We will provide an overview of NMOG profiles associated with these sources, give an estimate of emission rates where possible, and discuss potential implications for local and regional air quality. We will further give examples on how NMOG tracers can be used for source characterization and highlight findings that should undergo future collaborative analyses within the KORUS-AQ Science Team.

EPA Collaboration with Vietnam

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Vietnam, one of Asia’s emerging economies, is an important environmental partner for EPA in Asia. EPA’s current cooperation with Vietnam primarily focuses on dioxin remediation and technical assistance to reduce methane emissions.

Port Authority Best Practices

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Best practices for port authorities include near-port community collaboration, anti-idling policies, expanding off-peak hours, development of EMS, developing an emissions inventory, education, electric power and substituting trucking for rail or barge.

Midwest Clean Diesel Initiative

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Midwest Clean Diesel Initiative (MCDI) is a collaboration of federal, state and local agencies, along with communities, non-profit organizations and private companies working together by reducing exposure to emissions from diesel engines

Atmospheric emissions of typical toxic heavy metals from open burning of municipal solid waste in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yan; Cheng, Ke; Wu, Weidong; Tian, Hezhong; Yi, Peng; Zhi, Guorui; Fan, Jing; Liu, Shuhan

2017-03-01

Municipal solid waste (MSW) contains considerable hazardous components and the widely-distributed open MSW burning in heavily-populated urban areas can cause direct exposure of hazardous materials to citizens. By determining the best available representation of composition-varying and time-varying emission factors with fuzzy mathematics method and S-shape curves, a comprehensive atmospheric emission inventories of 9 typical toxic heavy metals (THMs, e.g. mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), selenium (Se), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and nickel (Ni)) from open MSW burning activities in China is established during the period of 2000-2013 for the first time. Further, the emissions in 2013 are allocated at a high spatial resolution of 0.5° × 0.5° grid by surrogate indexes. The results show that 9 typical THMs emissions from open MSW burning are estimated at 21.25 t for Hg, 131.52 t for As, 97.12 t for Pb, 10.12 t for Cd, 50.58 t for Cr, 81.95 t for Se, 382.42 t for Cu, 1790.70 t for Zn, and 43.50 t for Ni, respectively. In terms of spatial variation, the majority of emissions are concentrated in relatively developed and densely-populated regions, especially for the eastern, central and southern regions. Moreover, future emissions are also projected for the period of 2015-2030 based on different scenarios of the independent and collaborative effects of control proposals including minimizing waste, improving MSW incineration ratio, and enhancing waste sorting and recycling, etc. The collaborative effect of the above proposals is expected to bring the most effective reduction to THMs emissions from open MSW burning in China except for Hg. The results will be supplementary to all anthropogenic emissions and useful for relevant policy-making and the improvement of urban air quality as well as human health.

EPA Collaboration with China

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA’s bilateral relationship with China is one of its most significant. Cooperative activities are aimed at building capacity to reduce emissions of pollutants, toxics, and greenhouse gases and limiting threats to public health caused by pollution.

Analysis of SO II point source emissions using NASA atmospheric infrared sounder data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Sylvia S.; Miller, David P.; Lewis, Paul E.

2007-04-01

Determining the extent to which large power plant emission sources interacting with atmospheric constituents affect the environment could play a significant role in future U.S. energy production policy. The effects on the environment caused by the interaction between power plant emissions and atmospheric constituents has not been investigated in depth due to the lack of calibrated spectral data on a suitable temporal and spatial scale. The availability of NASA's space-based Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) data makes it possible to explore, and begin the first steps toward establishing, a correlation between known emission sources and environmental indicators. An exploratory study was conducted in which a time series of 26 cloud-free AIRS data containing two coal-fired power plants in northern New Mexico were selected, acquired, and analyzed for SO II emissions. A generic forward modeling process was also developed to derive an estimate of the expected AIRS pixel radiance containing the SO II emissions from the two power plants based on published combustion analysis data for coal and available power plant documentation. Analysis of the AIRS NEΔR calculated in this study and subsequent comparison with the radiance values for SO II calculated from the forward model provided essential information regarding the suitability and risk in the use of a modified AIRS configuration for monitoring anthropogenic point source emissions. The results of this study along with its conclusions and recommendations in conjunction with additional research collaboration in several specific topics will provide guidance for the development of the next generation infrared spectrometer system that NASA is considering building for environmental monitoring.

Common challenge, collaborative response: a roadmap for US-China cooperation on energy and climate change

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

NONE

2009-01-15

This Report which was produced in partnership between Asia Society's Center on U.S.-China Relations and Pew Center on Global Climate Change, in collaboration with The Brookings Institution, Council on Foreign Relations, National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, and Environmental Defense Fund presents both a vision and a concrete Roadmap for such Sino-U.S. collaboration. With input from scores of experts and other stakeholders from the worlds of science, business, civil society, policy, and politics in both China and the United States, the Report, or 'Roadmap', explores the climate and energy challenges facing both nations and recommends a concrete program for sustained, high-level,more » bilateral engagement and on-the-ground action. The Report recommends that, as a first step in forging this new partnership, the leaders of the two countries should convene a leaders summit as soon as practically possible following the inauguration of Barack Obama to launch a 'U.S.-China Partnership on Energy and Climate Change'. This presidential summit should outline a major plan of joint-action and empower relevant officials in each country to take the necessary actions to ensure its implementation. Priority areas of collaboration include: deploying low-emissions coal technologies; improving energy efficiency and conservation; developing an advanced electric grid; promoting renewable energy; and quantifying emissions and financing low-carbon technologies. 5 figs., 1 tab., 2 apps.« less

Foreign and Domestic Contributions to Springtime Ozone Pollution over China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ni, R.; Lin, J.; Yan, Y.; Lin, W.; Chen, H.

2017-12-01

Ozone is a critical air pollutant that damages human health and vegetation. Previous studies for the United States and Europe have shown large influences of foreign emissions on domestic ozone levels, whereas the relative contributions of foreign versus domestic emissions are much less clear for China. Here, we use a global-regional two-way coupled model system based on GEOS-Chem to quantify the contributions to springtime ozone over China from anthropogenic emissions in major source regions across the globe. Our results indicate considerable influences of foreign anthropogenic pollution on China's ozone pollution. Together, foreign anthropogenic emissions enhance springtime surface ozone over China by 3 12 ppb. Of all ozone over China produced by global anthropogenic emissions, foreign emissions contribute 40% near the surface, and the contribution increases with altitude until a value of 80% in the upper troposphere. Impact from Japan and Korea is 1 2 ppb over east coastal regions, and negligible in inland. Anthropogenic emissions of South and South-East Asia increase ozone over Tibet and the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau by up to 5 ppb, and their contribution increases with height due to strong vertical transport. Pollution from North America and Europe mainly accompanies strong westerly winds and frequent cyclonic activities that are favorable to long-range transport. European anthropogenic pollution enhances surface ozone by 1 3 ppb over West and North China. Despite a much longer transport distance, the contribution from North America is greater than European contribution due to the nearly doubled amount of anthropogenic NMVOC emissions. The high percentage contribution of foreign anthropogenic emissions to China's ozone pollution can be partly explained by excessive domestic NOx emissions that suppress ozone production efficiency and even destroy ozone. Our study is relevant to Chinese ozone pollution control and global environmental protection collaboration.

Plasma and radio waves from Neptune: Source mechanisms and propagation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, H. K.

1994-03-01

This report summarizes results obtained through the support of NASA Grant NAGW-2412. The objective of this project is to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the radio wave emission observed by the planetary radio astronomy (PRA) instrument on board Voyager 2 as if flew by Neptune. This study has included data analysis, theoretical and numerical calculations, ray tracing, and modeling to determine the possible source mechanism(s) and locations of the Neptune radio emissions. We have completed four papers, which are included in the appendix. The paper 'Modeling of Whistler Ray Paths in the Magnetosphere of Neptune' investigated the propagation and dispersion of lighting-generated whistler in the magnetosphere of Neptune by using three dimensional ray tracing. The two papers 'Numerical Simulations of Bursty Radio Emissions from Planetary Magnetospheres' and 'Numerical Simulations of Bursty Planetary Radio Emissions' employed numerical simulations to investigate an alternate source mechanism of bursty radio emissions in addition to the cyclotron maser instability. We have also studied the possible generation of Z and whistler mode waves by the temperature anisotropic beam instability and the result was published in 'Electron Cyclotron Wave Generation by Relativistic Electrons.' Besides the aforementioned studies, we have also collaborated with members of the PRA team to investigate various aspects of the radio wave data. Two papers have been submitted for publication and the abstracts of these papers are also listed in the appendix.

Plasma and radio waves from Neptune: Source mechanisms and propagation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wong, H. K.

1994-01-01

This report summarizes results obtained through the support of NASA Grant NAGW-2412. The objective of this project is to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the radio wave emission observed by the planetary radio astronomy (PRA) instrument on board Voyager 2 as if flew by Neptune. This study has included data analysis, theoretical and numerical calculations, ray tracing, and modeling to determine the possible source mechanism(s) and locations of the Neptune radio emissions. We have completed four papers, which are included in the appendix. The paper 'Modeling of Whistler Ray Paths in the Magnetosphere of Neptune' investigated the propagation and dispersion of lighting-generated whistler in the magnetosphere of Neptune by using three dimensional ray tracing. The two papers 'Numerical Simulations of Bursty Radio Emissions from Planetary Magnetospheres' and 'Numerical Simulations of Bursty Planetary Radio Emissions' employed numerical simulations to investigate an alternate source mechanism of bursty radio emissions in addition to the cyclotron maser instability. We have also studied the possible generation of Z and whistler mode waves by the temperature anisotropic beam instability and the result was published in 'Electron Cyclotron Wave Generation by Relativistic Electrons.' Besides the aforementioned studies, we have also collaborated with members of the PRA team to investigate various aspects of the radio wave data. Two papers have been submitted for publication and the abstracts of these papers are also listed in the appendix.

Regulated and unregulated emissions from modern 2010 emissions-compliant heavy-duty on-highway diesel engines.

PubMed

Khalek, Imad A; Blanks, Matthew G; Merritt, Patrick M; Zielinska, Barbara

2015-08-01

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established strict regulations for highway diesel engine exhaust emissions of particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) to aid in meeting the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. The emission standards were phased in with stringent standards for 2007 model year (MY) heavy-duty engines (HDEs), and even more stringent NOX standards for 2010 and later model years. The Health Effects Institute, in cooperation with the Coordinating Research Council, funded by government and the private sector, designed and conducted a research program, the Advanced Collaborative Emission Study (ACES), with multiple objectives, including detailed characterization of the emissions from both 2007- and 2010-compliant engines. The results from emission testing of 2007-compliant engines have already been reported in a previous publication. This paper reports the emissions testing results for three heavy-duty 2010-compliant engines intended for on-highway use. These engines were equipped with an exhaust diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC), high-efficiency catalyzed diesel particle filter (DPF), urea-based selective catalytic reduction catalyst (SCR), and ammonia slip catalyst (AMOX), and were fueled with ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel (~6.5 ppm sulfur). Average regulated and unregulated emissions of more than 780 chemical species were characterized in engine exhaust under transient engine operation using the Federal Test Procedure cycle and a 16-hr duty cycle representing a wide dynamic range of real-world engine operation. The 2010 engines' regulated emissions of PM, NOX, nonmethane hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide were all well below the EPA 2010 emission standards. Moreover, the unregulated emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nitroPAHs, hopanes and steranes, alcohols and organic acids, alkanes, carbonyls, dioxins and furans, inorganic ions, metals and elements, elemental carbon, and particle number were substantially (90 to >99%) lower than pre-2007-technology engine emissions, and also substantially (46 to >99%) lower than the 2007-technology engine emissions characterized in the previous study.

Particle Emission and Charging Effects Induced by Fracture

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-06-15

were completed in a collaboration with K. C. Yoo (Westinghouse R & D) and R. G. Rosemeer ( Brimrose Corporation). This work is described in Section XII... Brimrose Corporation of America, Baltimore, MD 21236 1 204 I Eadr experimental and theoretical studies on various ircot-eissimon phenomena have been reported...Tr 84302 3251 Hanover Street B204 Lockheed Palo Alto Research Lab Palto Alto, CA 94304 R.G. Rosemeier Brimrose Corporation 7720 Belair Road R.A

USDA Collaboration with EPA/ORD

EPA Science Inventory

For more than seven years, EPA scientists have been leveraging the USDA Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) model to reduce uncertainty in our estimates of agricultural emissions, ambient PM concentrations and subsequent human exposure risk. This presentation summariz...

Estimated tetrachloroethylene (C2Cl4) emissions for 1992 2014 in China and a high resolution gridded emission in 2010

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bie, P.; Li, Z.; Hu, J.

2016-12-01

Estimated tetrachloroethylene (C2Cl4) emissions for 1992 2014 in China and a high resolution gridded emission in 2010 Pengju Bie1, Zhifang Li1, Jianxin Hu1,*1Collaborative Innovation Center for Regional Environmental Quality, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China *Corresponding author E-mail: jianxin@pku.edu.cnTel: 86-10-62756593 Fax: 86-10-62760755 Evaluating the contribution from tetrachloroethylene (C2Cl4, PCE) to stratospheric halogen loading requires the knowledge of the spatial and temporal variability of emissions, and thus the tropospheric degradation and removal. And the short atmospheric lifetime (90 days) leads to a large regional variability. This study estimated the emissions of China from 1992 to 2014, based on emission functions and aggregated information given reasonable uncertainties. Results show that the emissions increased from 5.3(3.8 7.0) Gg to 176.9(131.2 232.1) Gg with a moderate growth rate of 17.3%/yr during 1992 2014. More than 97.3% of emissions stemmed from solvents sector. Considering the GDP data availability and the comparable estimate to that of top-down method in 2010, we developed a gridded emission inventory on a 0.5°×0.5° latitude-longitude grid of this year. Due to the more advanced social-economic conditions and more intensive industrial establishment, greater PCE emissions were observed to originate from East China, especially for Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and Pearl River Delta (PRD) region.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE MODEL OF GALACTIC INTERSTELLAR EMISSION FOR STANDARD POINT-SOURCE ANALYSIS OF FERMI LARGE AREA TELESCOPE DATA

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

Acero, F.; Ballet, J.; Ackermann, M.

2016-04-01

Most of the celestial γ rays detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope originate from the interstellar medium when energetic cosmic rays interact with interstellar nucleons and photons. Conventional point-source and extended-source studies rely on the modeling of this diffuse emission for accurate characterization. Here, we describe the development of the Galactic Interstellar Emission Model (GIEM), which is the standard adopted by the LAT Collaboration and is publicly available. This model is based on a linear combination of maps for interstellar gas column density in Galactocentric annuli and for the inverse-Compton emission producedmore » in the Galaxy. In the GIEM, we also include large-scale structures like Loop I and the Fermi bubbles. The measured gas emissivity spectra confirm that the cosmic-ray proton density decreases with Galactocentric distance beyond 5 kpc from the Galactic Center. The measurements also suggest a softening of the proton spectrum with Galactocentric distance. We observe that the Fermi bubbles have boundaries with a shape similar to a catenary at latitudes below 20° and we observe an enhanced emission toward their base extending in the north and south Galactic directions and located within ∼4° of the Galactic Center.« less

Development of the Model of Galactic Interstellar Emission for Standard Point-Source Analysis of Fermi Large Area Telescope Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Acero, F.; Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Albert, A.; Baldini, L.; Ballet, J.; Barbiellini, G.; Bastieri, D.; Bellazzini, R.; Brandt, T. J.;

DESGW: Optical Follow-up of BBH LIGO-Virgo Events with DECam

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

Butler, Robert E.; Soares-Santos, M.; Annis, j.

2017-12-14

The DESGW program is a collaboration between members of the Dark Energy Survey, the wider astronomical community, and the LIGO-Virgo Collaboration to search for optical counterparts of gravitational wave events, such as those expected from binary neutron star mergers or neutron star-black hole mergers. While binary black hole (BBH) events are not expected to produce an electromagnetic (EM) signature, emission is certainly not impossible. The DESGW program has performed follow-up observations of four BBH events detected by LIGO in order to search for any possible EM counterpart. Failure to nd such counterparts is still relevant in that it produces limitsmore » on optical emission from such events. This is a review of follow-up results from O1 BBH events and a discussion of the status of ongoing uniform re-analysis of all BBH events that DESGW has followed up to date.« less

Technical discussions on Emissions and Atmospheric Modeling (TEAM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frost, G. J.; Henderson, B.; Lefer, B. L.

2017-12-01

A new informal activity, Technical discussions on Emissions and Atmospheric Modeling (TEAM), aims to improve the scientific understanding of emissions and atmospheric processes by leveraging resources through coordination, communication and collaboration between scientists in the Nation's environmental agencies. TEAM seeks to close information gaps that may be limiting emission inventory development and atmospheric modeling and to help identify related research areas that could benefit from additional coordinated efforts. TEAM is designed around webinars and in-person meetings on particular topics that are intended to facilitate active and sustained informal communications between technical staff at different agencies. The first series of TEAM webinars focuses on emissions of nitrogen oxides, a criteria pollutant impacting human and ecosystem health and a key precursor of ozone and particulate matter. Technical staff at Federal agencies with specific interests in emissions and atmospheric modeling are welcome to participate in TEAM.

Evaluation of pollution prevention options to reduce styrene emissions from fiber-reinforced plastic open molding processes.

PubMed

Nunez, C M; Ramsey, G H; Kong, E J; Bahner, M A; Wright, R S; Clayton, C A; Baskir, J N

1999-03-01

Pollution prevention (P2) options to reduce styrene emissions, such as new materials and application equipment, are commercially available to the operators of open molding processes. However, information is lacking on the emissions reduction that these options can achieve. To meet this need, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Air Pollution Prevention and Control Division, working in collaboration with Research Triangle Institute, measured styrene emissions for several of these P2 options. In addition, the emission factors calculated from these test results were compared with the existing EPA emission factors for gel coat sprayup and resin applications. Results show that styrene emissions can be reduced by up to 52% by using controlled spraying (i.e., reducing overspray), low-styrene and styrene-suppressed materials, and nonatomizing application equipment. Also, calculated emission factors were 1.6-2.5 times greater than the mid-range EPA emission factors for the corresponding gel coat and resin application. These results indicate that facilities using existing EPA emission factors to estimate emissions in open molding processes are likely to underestimate actual emissions. Facilities should investigate the applicability and feasibility of these P2 options to reduce their styrene emissions.

Ship Technology Workshop Materials from Collaboration with Mexico to Reduce Emissions from Ships

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

On September 26, 2012, a ship technology seminar was held to provide Mexican stakeholders with information about some of the ship technologies needed to meet the requirements of MARPOL Annex VI and an ECA.

The NOx Budget Trading Program: A Collaborative, Innovative Approach to Solving a Regional Air Pollution Problem

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This article examines the development and implementation of the NOx Budget Trading Program (NBP) and the lessons the Environmental Protection Agency has learned from this seasonal emissions cap-and-trade program.

Interlocal collaboration on energy efficiency, sustainability and climate change issues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Ssu-Hsien

Interlocal energy collaboration builds upon network structures among local policy actors dealing with energy, climate change and sustainability issues. Collaboration efforts overcome institutional collective action (ICA) dilemmas, and cope with the problems spanning jurisdictional boundaries, externalities, and free-rider problems. Interlocal energy collaboration emerges as the agreements in greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction, pollution control, land use, purchasing, retrofits, transportation, and so forth. Cities work collaboratively through contractual mechanisms (i.e. formal/informal agreements) and collective mechanisms (i.e. regional partnerships or membership organizations) on a variety of energy issues. What factors facilitate interlocal energy collaboration? To what extent is collaboration through interlocal contractual mechanisms different from collective mechanisms? This dissertation tries to answer these questions by examining: city goal priority on energy related issues as well as other ICA explanatory factors. Research data are drawn mainly from the 2010 national survey "Implementation of energy efficiency and sustainability program" supported by National Science Foundation and the IBM Endowment for the Business of Government. The research results show that city emphasis on common pool resource, scale economies and externality issues significantly affect individual selection of tools for energy collaboration. When expected transaction costs are extremely high or low, the contractual mechanism of informal agreement is more likely to be selected to preserve most local autonomy and flexibility; otherwise, written and formal tools for collaboration are preferred to impose constraints on individual behavior and reduce the risks of defection.

Photosystem II Water Oxidation: Mechanism, Efficiency and Flux in Diverse Oxygenic Phototrophs

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

Dismukes, Gerard Charles; Ananyev, Gennady; Gates, Colin

In one year, we pursued four aims: 1) extend the VZAD model to allow analysis of PSII chlorophyll fluorescence emission as modulated by interaction with the WOC (partial success); 2) compare the solar energy conversion efficiencies of PSII-WOCs from intact cells, isolated thylakoid membranes and PSII core complexes and crystals from cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus elongatus (collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; some success after changing collaborator); 3) determine whether PSIIs can store light energy by pumping protons across the thylakoid membrane (PSII-cyclic electron flow) and how it is regulated within the green alga Chlorella ohadii (collaboration with the Hebrew University ofmore » Jerusalem; some success); and 4) genetically replace the native PSII-D1 protein subunit from a higher plant with two cyanobacterial D1 isoforms to test whether their functional advantages in growth and photoprotection can be transferred (collaboration with Rutgers University; success).« less

MIX: a mosaic Asian anthropogenic emission inventory under the international collaboration framework of the MICS-Asia and HTAP

DOE PAGES

Li, Meng; Zhang, Qiang; Kurokawa, Jun-ichi; ...

2017-01-20

Here, the MIX inventory is developed for the years 2008 and 2010 to support the Model Inter-Comparison Study for Asia (MICS-Asia) and the Task Force on Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollution (TF HTAP) by a mosaic of up-to-date regional emission inventories. Emissions are estimated for all major anthropogenic sources in 29 countries and regions in Asia. We conducted detailed comparisons of different regional emission inventories and incorporated the best available ones for each region into the mosaic inventory at a uniform spatial and temporal resolution. Emissions are aggregated to five anthropogenic sectors: power, industry, residential, transportation, and agriculture. We estimate the totalmore » Asian emissions of 10 species in 2010 as follows: 51.3 Tg SO 2, 52.1 Tg NO x, 336.6 Tg CO, 67.0 Tg NMVOC (non-methane volatile organic compounds), 28.8 Tg NH 3, 31.7 Tg PM 10, 22.7 Tg PM 2.5, 3.5 Tg BC, 8.3 Tg OC, and 17.3 Pg CO 2. Emissions from China and India dominate the emissions of Asia for most of the species. We also estimated Asian emissions in 2006 using the same methodology of MIX. The relative change rates of Asian emissions for the period of 2006–2010 are estimated as follows: –8.1 % for SO 2, +19.2 % for NO x, +3.9 % for CO, +15.5 % for NMVOC, +1.7 % for NH 3, –3.4 % for PM 10, –1.6 % for PM 2.5, +5.5 % for BC, +1.8 % for OC, and +19.9 % for CO 2. Model-ready speciated NMVOC emissions for SAPRC-99 and CB05 mechanisms were developed following a profile-assignment approach.« less

FY2014 National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance (Diesel Emissions Reduction Act) Programmatic Terms and Conditions

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Substantial federal involvement will take the form of monitoring the project by EPA, participation and collaboration between EPA and the recipient in program content, review of project progress, and quantification and reporting ofresults.

Tribal Energy Program for California Indian Tribes

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

Singer, S.

A strategic plan is needed to catalyze clean energy in the more than 100 California Indian tribal communities with varying needs and energy resources. We propose to conduct a scoping study to identify tribal lands with clean energy potential, as well as communities with lack of grid-tied energy and communications access. The research focus would evaluate the energy mixture and alternatives available to these tribal communities, and evaluate greenhouse gas emissions associated with accessing fossil fuel used for heat and power. Understanding the baseline of energy consumption and emissions of communities is needed to evaluate improvements and advances from technology.more » Based on this study, we will develop a strategic plan that assesses solutions to address high energy fuel costs due to lack of electricity access and inform actions to improve economic opportunities for tribes. This could include technical support for tribes to access clean energy technologies and supporting collaboration for on-site demonstrations.« less

MAGIC discovers VHE gamma-ray emission from the blazar 1ES 1727+502

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mariotti, Mose

2011-11-01

The MAGIC Collaboration reports the discovery of Very High Energy (VHE; E>100 GeV) gamma-ray emission from the BL Lac object 1ES 1727+502 (also known as OT546) with redshift z=0.055. The source was selected from the compilation of Costamante, L. & Ghisellini, G. 2002, A&A, 384, 56. Previous observations with the single MAGIC-I telescope yielded an upper limit on the level of 11.8% of the Crab Nebula flux above 140 GeV (J.

Understanding AGNs in the Local Universe through Optical Reverberation Mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pei, Liuyi

2016-01-01

I present the results of observational projects aimed at measuring the mass of the black hole at the center of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and understanding the structure and kinematics of the broad-line emitting gas within the black hole's sphere of influence.The first project aims to measure the black hole mass in the Kepler-field AGN KA1858. We obtained simultaneous spectroscopic data from the Lick Observatory 3-m telescope using the Kast Double Spectrograph and photometry data from five ground-based telescopes, and used reverberation mapping (RM) techniques to measure the emission-line light curves' lags relative to continuum variations. We obtained lags for H-beta, H-gamma, H-delta, and He II, and obtained the first black hole mass measurement for this object. Our results will serve as a reference point for future studies on relations between black hole mass and continuum variability characteristics using Kepler AGN light curves.The second project, in collaboration with the AGN STORM team, aims to understand the structure and dynamics of the broad line region (BLR) in NGC 5548 in both UV and optical wavelengths. To supplement 6 months of HST UV observations, we obtained simultaneous optical spectroscopic data from six ground-based observatories. We obtained emission-line lags for the optical H-beta and He II lines as well as velocity-resolved lag measurements for H-beta. We also compared the velocity-resolved lags for H-beta to the UV emission lines C IV and Ly-alpha and found similar lag profiles for all three lines.Finally, I will discuss my contributions to two other collaborations in AGN RM. A key component in RM is monitoring continuum variability, which is often done through ground-based photometry. I will present a pipeline that performs aperture photometry on any number of images of an AGN with WCS coordinates and immediately produces relative light curves. This pipeline enables quick looks of AGN variability in real time and has been used in the LAMP 2011 and the LCOGT Key Project collaborations. It is also applicable to large archival datasets in preparation for survey campaigns in the near future.

Identification of lubrication oil in the particulate matter emissions from engine exhaust of in-service commercial aircraft.

PubMed

Yu, Zhenhong; Herndon, Scott C; Ziemba, Luke D; Timko, Michael T; Liscinsky, David S; Anderson, Bruce E; Miake-Lye, Richard C

2012-09-04

Lubrication oil was identified in the organic particulate matter (PM) emissions of engine exhaust plumes from in-service commercial aircraft at Chicago Midway Airport (MDW) and O'Hare International Airport (ORD). This is the first field study focused on aircraft lubrication oil emissions, and all of the observed plumes described in this work were due to near-idle engine operations. The identification was carried out with an Aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF AMS) via a collaborative laboratory and field investigation. A characteristic mass marker of lubrication oil, I(85)/I(71), the ratio of ion fragment intensity between m/z = 85 and 71, was used to distinguish lubrication oil from jet engine combustion products. This AMS marker was based on ion fragmentation patterns measured using electron impact ionization for two brands of widely used lubrication oil in a laboratory study. The AMS measurements of exhaust plumes from commercial aircraft in this airport field study reveal that lubrication oil is commonly present in organic PM emissions that are associated with emitted soot particles, unlike the purely oil droplets observed at the lubrication system vent. The characteristic oil marker, I(85)/I(71), was applied to quantitatively determine the contribution from lubrication oil in measured aircraft plumes, which ranges from 5% to 100%.

Development of the Model of Galactic Interstellar Emission for Standard Point-Source Analysis of Fermi Large Area Telescope Data

DOE PAGES

Acero, F.

2016-04-22

Most of the celestial γ rays detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) aboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope originate from the interstellar medium when energetic cosmic rays interact with interstellar nucleons and photons. Conventional point and extended source studies rely on the modeling of this diffuse emission for accurate characterization. We describe here the development of the Galactic Interstellar Emission Model (GIEM) that is the standard adopted by the LAT Collaboration and is publicly available. The model is based on a linear combination of maps for interstellar gas column density in Galactocentric annuli and for the inverse Compton emissionmore » produced in the Galaxy. We also include in the GIEM large-scale structures like Loop I and the Fermi bubbles. The measured gas emissivity spectra con rm that the cosmic-ray proton density decreases with Galactocentric distance beyond 5 kpc from the Galactic Center. The measurements also suggest a softening of the proton spectrum with Galactocentric distance. We observe that the Fermi bubbles have boundaries with a shape similar to a catenary at latitudes below 20° and we observe an enhanced emission toward their base extending in the North and South Galactic direction and located within ~4° of the Galactic Center.« less

Impact of information network structure on interorganizational partnership collaboration : a hierarchical perspective.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-01-01

Transportation is one of the leading contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, ground : based air pollution and pollution in waters and streams. Researchers have also linked the : human health issues of obesity and lung disease with automobile use. T...

The First FERMI-LAT Gamma-Ray Burst Catalog

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Asano, K.; Axelsson, M.; Baldini, L.; Ballet, J.; Barbiellini, G.; Bastieri, D.; Bechtol, K.; Bellazzini, R.;

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

Acero, F.

Most of the celestial γ rays detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) aboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope originate from the interstellar medium when energetic cosmic rays interact with interstellar nucleons and photons. Conventional point and extended source studies rely on the modeling of this diffuse emission for accurate characterization. We describe here the development of the Galactic Interstellar Emission Model (GIEM) that is the standard adopted by the LAT Collaboration and is publicly available. The model is based on a linear combination of maps for interstellar gas column density in Galactocentric annuli and for the inverse Compton emissionmore » produced in the Galaxy. We also include in the GIEM large-scale structures like Loop I and the Fermi bubbles. The measured gas emissivity spectra con rm that the cosmic-ray proton density decreases with Galactocentric distance beyond 5 kpc from the Galactic Center. The measurements also suggest a softening of the proton spectrum with Galactocentric distance. We observe that the Fermi bubbles have boundaries with a shape similar to a catenary at latitudes below 20° and we observe an enhanced emission toward their base extending in the North and South Galactic direction and located within ~4° of the Galactic Center.« less

The first Fermi-LAT Gamma-Ray burst catalog

DOE PAGES

Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Asano, K.; ...

2013-10-23

In three years of observations since the beginning of nominal science operations in 2008 August, the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope has observed high-energy (gsim 20 MeV) γ-ray emission from 35 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Among these, 28 GRBs have been detected above 100 MeV and 7 GRBs above ~20 MeV. The first Fermi-LAT catalog of GRBs is a compilation of these detections and provides a systematic study of high-energy emission from GRBs for the first time. To generate the catalog, we examined 733 GRBs detected by the Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor (GBM) on Fermi andmore » processed each of them using the same analysis sequence. Details of the methodology followed by the LAT collaboration for the GRB analysis are provided. Here, we summarize the temporal and spectral properties of the LAT-detected GRBs. We also discuss characteristics of LAT-detected emission such as its delayed onset and longer duration compared with emission detected by the GBM, its power-law temporal decay at late times, and the fact that it is dominated by a power-law spectral component that appears in addition to the usual Band model.« less

Atmospheric Infrasound during a Large Wildfire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vance, Alexis; Elbing, Brian

2017-11-01

Numerous natural and manmade sources generate infrasound, including tornado producing storms, human heart, hurricanes, and volcanoes. Infrasound is currently being studied as part of Collaboration Leading Operational UAS Development for Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics (CLOUD MAP), which is a multi-university collaboration focused on development and implementation of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and integration with sensors for atmospheric measurements. To support this effort a fixed infrasonic microphone located in Stillwater, Oklahoma has been monitoring atmospheric emissions since September of 2016. While severe storm systems is the primary focus of this work, the system also captures a wide range of infrasonic sources from distances in excess of 300 miles due to an acoustic ceiling and weak atmospheric absorption. The current presentation will focus on atmospheric infrasound observations during a large wildfire on the Kansas-Oklahoma border that occurred between March 6-22, 2017. This work was supported by NSF Grant 1539070.

New Approach in Modelling Indonesian Peat Fire Emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Putra, E. I.; Cochrane, M. A.; Saharjo, B.; Yokelson, R. J.; Stockwell, C.; Vetrita, Y.; Zhang, X.; Hagen, S. C.; Nurhayati, A. D.; Graham, L.

2017-12-01

Peat fires are a serious problem for Indonesia, producing devastating environmental effects and making the country the 3rd largest emitter of CO2. Extensive fires ravaged vast areas of peatlands in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Papua during the pronounced El-Nino of 2015, causing international concern when the resultant haze blanketed Indonesia and neighboring countries, severely impacting the health of millions of people. Our recent unprecedented in-situ studies of aerosol and gas emissions from 35 peat fires of varying depths near Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan have documented the range and variability of emissions from these major fires. We strongly suggest revisions to previously recommended IPPC's emission factors (EFs) from peat fires, notably: CO2 (-8%), CH4 (-55%), NH3 (-86%), and CO (+39%). Our findings clearly showed that Indonesian carbon equivalent measurements (100 years) might have been 19% less than what current IPCC emission factors indicate. The results also demonstrate the toxic air quality in the area with HCN, which is almost only emitted by biomass burning, accounting for 0.28% and the carcinogenic compound formaldehyde 0.04% of emissions. However, considerable variation in emissions may exist between peat fires of different Indonesian peat formations, illustrating the need for additional regional field emissions measurements for parameterizing peatland emissions models for all of Indonesia's major peatland areas. Through the continuous mutual research collaboration between the Indonesian and USA scientists, we will implement our standardized field-based analyses of fuels, hydrology, peat burning characteristics and fire emissions to characterize the three major Indonesian peatland formations across four study provinces (Central Kalimantan, Riau, Jambi and West Papua). We will provide spatial and temporal drivers of the modeled emissions and validate them at a national level using biomass burning emissions estimations derived from Visible/Infrared Imager and Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). Multiple LiDAR datasets (2014, 2011, 2007) for Kalimantan will be used to quantify model accuracy, and new work will be undertaken to quantify uncertainty in our most recent LiDAR-based digital terrain model (DTM), further improving assessments of modelling errors.

Spectral emission measurements of lithium on the lithium tokamak experiment.

PubMed

Gray, T K; Biewer, T M; Boyle, D P; Granstedt, E M; Kaita, R; Maingi, R; Majeski, R P

2012-10-01

There has been a long-standing collaboration between ORNL and PPPL on edge and boundary layer physics. As part of this collaboration, ORNL has a large role in the instrumentation and interpretation of edge physics in the lithium tokamak experiment (LTX). In particular, a charge exchange recombination spectroscopy (CHERS) diagnostic is being designed and undergoing staged testing on LTX. Here we present results of passively measured lithium emission at 5166.89 A in LTX in anticipation of active spectroscopy measurements, which will be enabled by the installation of a neutral beam in 2013. Preliminary measurements are made in transient LTX plasmas with plasma current, I(p) < 70 kA, ohmic heating power, P(oh) ∼ 0.3 MW and discharge lifetimes of 10-15 ms. Measurements are made with a short focal length spectrometer and optics similar to the CHERS diagnostics on NSTX [R. E. Bell, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 68(2), 1273-1280 (1997)]. These preliminary measurements suggest that even without the neutral beam for active spectroscopy, there is sufficient passive lithium emission to allow for line-of-sight profile measurements of ion temperature, T(i); toroidal velocity and v(t). Results show peak T(i) = 70 eV and peak v(t) = 45 km/s were reached 10 ms into the discharge.

Future research needs associated with the assessment of potential human health risks from exposure to toxic ambient air pollutants.

PubMed Central

Möller, L; Schuetzle, D; Autrup, H

1994-01-01

This paper presents key conclusions and future research needs from a Workshop on the Risk Assessment of Urban Air, Emissions, Exposure, Risk Identification, and Quantification, which was held in Stockholm during June 1992 by 41 participants from 13 countries. Research is recommended in the areas of identification and quantification of toxics in source emissions and ambient air, atmospheric transport and chemistry, exposure level assessment, the development of improved in vitro bioassays, biomarker development, the development of more accurate epidemiological methodologies, and risk quantification techniques. Studies are described that will be necessary to assess and reduce the level of uncertainties associated with each step of the risk assessment process. International collaborative research efforts between industry and government organizations are recommended as the most effective way to carry out this research. PMID:7529703

Improving SLCF Science in the Himalayan Region: ICIMOD's Atmosphere Initiative

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panday, A. K.; Pradhan, B. B.; Surapipith, V.

2013-12-01

What fraction of the black carbon arriving on Yala Glacier in Langtang, Nepal, is from cooking fires in the houses in the valley below? What fraction is from elsewhere in rural Nepal? What fraction is from industrial and transport sources in Kathmandu? What fraction is from northern India and beyond? What fraction is from the high altitude forest fires that take place during March or April? Effectively mitigating the impacts of black carbon and other short-lived climate forcers requires detailed understanding not just of emissions and impacts, but also of the atmospheric transport pathways that connect the two. In mountainous areas of the Hindu-Kush Himalaya detailed quantitative knowledge about emissions, atmospheric processes, and impacts is still largely missing. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is an intergovernmental organization covering Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, China, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. ICIMOD's recently established Atmosphere Initiative not only assesses mitigation options and contributes to policy and capacity building in the region, but also works actively to promote collaboration among researchers in the region, while building up an in-house team whose research will address key questions about SLCF. In Spring 2013 ICIMOD's Atmosphere Initiative, in collaboration with the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam, Germany, carried out the largest field campaign to date in Nepal, hosting instruments belonging to dozens of institutions around the world, at nine field site within and upwind of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. The dataset that has been collected gives unprecedented insights into the emissions and atmospheric processes taking place downwind of and within the largest urban agglomeration in the Himalaya region. Meanwhile, in collaboration with national partner institutions, ICIMOD is in the process of setting up one atmospheric observatory each in Bhutan and in Nepal. Each will be on a mountain peak overlooking the Indo-Gangetic Plains. A building will house laboratories and visitor space, and will have a small tower. Each site will be equipped with a Picarro G2401 analyzer for CO, CO¬2, methane and water vapor, aerosol filter samplers, as well as instruments to measure black carbon, ozone, aerosol size distribution, aerosol scattering, cloud condensation nuclei, solar radiation, aerosol optical depth, and meteorology. Together with output from ICIMOD's new atmospheric modeling centre, the data from the sites will allow quantifying the flux of pollutants from the Indo-Gangetic Plains towards the high Himalaya, and to estimate emissions of SLCFs within the Himalayan foothills region. The infrastructure at both observatory sites is designed to accommodate training and future expansion as well as to host visiting instruments.

A new fish in the pond: the C-BASS Migrates to HartRAO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonas, Justin

2007-04-01

On 14 February 2007 a new 7.2m dish was broughtto HartRAO to form the South African component of the C-BASS project, an international collaboration that will map the polarization of he radio emission from the Milky Way.

Measurement of Particulate Matter During Dairy Operations in California

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A collaborative experiment with Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) was set up to measure particulate emissions from tillage processes and other operations at a dairy in California. The dairy was located in the San Joaquin Valley, a traditional agricultural area with increasing urbanization. The air was...

Dust emission: small-scale processes with global consequences

USGS Publications Warehouse

Okin, Gregory S.; Bullard, Joanna E.; Reynolds, Richard L.; Ballantine, John-Andrew C.; Schepanski, Kerstin; Todd, Martin C.; Belnap, Jayne; Baddock, Matthew C.; Gill, Thomas E.; Miller, Mark E.

2011-01-01

Desert dust, both modern and ancient, is a critical component of the Earth system. Atmospheric dust has important effects on climate by changing the atmospheric radiation budget, while deposited dust influences biogeochemical cycles in the oceans and on land. Dust deposited on snow and ice decreases its albedo, allowing more light to be trapped at the surface, thus increasing the rate of melt and influencing energy budgets and river discharge. In the human realm, dust contributes to the transport of allergens and pathogens and when inhaled can cause or aggravate respiratory diseases. Dust storms also represent a significant hazard to road and air travel. Because it affects so many Earth processes, dust is studied from a variety of perspectives and at multiple scales, with various disciplines examining emissions for different purposes using disparate strategies. Thus, the range of objectives in studying dust, as well as experimental approaches and results, has not yet been systematically integrated. Key research questions surrounding the production and sources of dust could benefit from improved collaboration among different research communities. These questions involve the origins of dust, factors that influence dust production and emission, and methods through which dust can be monitored.

[Positron emission tomography: diagnostic imaging on a molecular level].

PubMed

Allemann, K; Wyss, M; Wergin, M; Bley, C Rohrer; Ametamay, S; Bruehlmeier, M; Kaser-Hotz, B

2004-08-01

In human medicine positron emission tomography (PET) is a modern diagnostic imaging method. In the present paper we outline the physical principles of PET and give an overview over the main clinic fields where PET is being used, such as neurology, cardiology and oncology. Moreover, we present a current project in veterinary medicine (in collaboration with the Paul Scherrer Institute and the University Hospital Zurich), where a hypoxia tracer is applied to dogs and cats suffering from spontaneous tumors. Finally new developments in the field of PET were discussed.

Contributions from the Milagro Collaboration to the XXVII International Cosmic Ray Conference, Hamburg, Germany

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

Gisler, Galen R.; Haines, T. J.; Hoffman, C. M.

2001-01-01

The Milagro gamma-ray observatory, located near Los Alamos, NM, employs a water-Cherenkov technique to continuously monitor the northern sky for astrophysical gamma-ray emission near 1 TeV. Milagro's high duty-cycle (-95%) and wide aperture (-2 sr) allows for the detection of flaring behavior associated with TeV AGN, even during daytime transits. Results are presented from a search of the Milagro 2000-2001 data set for 'rev emission from selected AGN, including the bright fare of Mrk421 in early 2001.

Emissions Scenario Portal for Visualization of Low Carbon Pathways

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedrich, J.; Hennig, R. J.; Mountford, H.; Altamirano, J. C.; Ge, M.; Fransen, T.

2016-12-01

This proposal for a presentation is centered around a new project which is developed collaboratively by the World Resources Institute (WRI), Google Inc., and Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project (DDPP). The project aims to develop an online, open portal, the Emissions Scenario Portal (ESP),to enable users to easily visualize a range of future greenhouse gas emission pathways linked to different scenarios of economic and energy developments, drawing from a variety of modeling tools. It is targeted to users who are not modelling experts, but instead policy analysts or advisors, investment analysts, and similar who draw on modelled scenarios to inform their work, and who can benefit from better access to, and transparency around, the wide range of emerging scenarios on ambitious climate action. The ESP will provide information from scenarios in a visually appealing and easy-to-understand manner that enable these users to recognize the opportunities to reduce GHG emissions, the implications of the different scenarios, and the underlying assumptions. To facilitate the application of the portal and tools in policy dialogues, a series of country-specific and potentially sector-specific workshops with key decision-makers and analysts, supported by relevant analysis, will be organized by the key partners and also in broader collaboration with others who might wish to convene relevant groups around the information. This project will provide opportunities for modelers to increase their outreach and visibility in the public space and to directly interact with key audiences of emissions scenarios, such as policy analysts and advisors. The information displayed on the portal will cover a wide range of indicators, sectors and important scenario characteristics such as macroeconomic information, emission factors and policy as well as technology assumptions in order to facilitate comparison. These indicators have been selected based on existing standards (such as the IIASA AR5 database, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and accounting literature) and stakeholder consultations. Examples for use cases include: technical advisers for governments NGO/Civil Society advocates Investors and bankers Modelers and academics Business sustainability officers

Development of a 350ppm community carbon budget in Eugene, Oregon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rice, A. L.; McRae, M.

2016-12-01

In the absence of national greenhouse gas emissions regulations, cities and county agencies across the United States have pursued a patchwork of emissions reduction targets and approaches to achieve those targeted goals. Some regions currently aim to meet efforts in mitigation with ambitious reduction targets that go beyond those pursued at national or international levels (e.g., UNFCCC, Paris, 2015). In 2014 The City of Eugene (Oregon, USA) City Council passed the Climate Recovery Ordinance which, in addition to outlining City emissions targets for 2020 and 2030, requested a proposal to adopt a community greenhouse gas reduction target consistent with achieving a global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration of 350ppm by the year 2100. A 350ppm 2100 target, if achieved, could keep global average temperature rise to within 1°C by century-end but would necessarily limit cumulative fossil fuel carbon emissions to 500GtC (currently 375GtC). In contrast to historically-based approaches to greenhouse gas mitigation targets typically established by cities, the request of a community target based on a 350ppm target required the development of new methods by the City of Eugene. Collaborating with a Thriving Earth Exchange (TEX) scientist and working with a peer review team of regional analysts, the City of Eugene City Manager's Office produced a report which described a methodology for establishing a 350ppm community carbon budget and led a multi-session dialog with Eugene City Council members on possible action towards this goal. Here, we describe the methods developed and the collaborative effort which made it possible. The work led to the recent Eugene City Council adoption of an ambitious community-wide greenhouse gas emission reduction goal of 7.6% per year, consistent with global emissions reductions needed to achieve an atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration 350ppm by 2100.

The 2010 California Research at the Nexus of Air Quality and Climate Change (CalNex) field study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryerson, T. B.; Andrews, A. E.; Angevine, W. M.; Bates, T. S.; Brock, C. A.; Cairns, B.; Cohen, R. C.; Cooper, O. R.; de Gouw, J. A.; Fehsenfeld, F. C.; Ferrare, R. A.; Fischer, M. L.; Flagan, R. C.; Goldstein, A. H.; Hair, J. W.; Hardesty, R. M.; Hostetler, C. A.; Jimenez, J. L.; Langford, A. O.; McCauley, E.; McKeen, S. A.; Molina, L. T.; Nenes, A.; Oltmans, S. J.; Parrish, D. D.; Pederson, J. R.; Pierce, R. B.; Prather, K.; Quinn, P. K.; Seinfeld, J. H.; Senff, C. J.; Sorooshian, A.; Stutz, J.; Surratt, J. D.; Trainer, M.; Volkamer, R.; Williams, E. J.; Wofsy, S. C.

2013-06-01

The California Research at the Nexus of Air Quality and Climate Change (CalNex) field study was conducted throughout California in May, June, and July of 2010. The study was organized to address issues simultaneously relevant to atmospheric pollution and climate change, including (1) emission inventory assessment, (2) atmospheric transport and dispersion, (3) atmospheric chemical processing, and (4) cloud-aerosol interactions and aerosol radiative effects. Measurements from networks of ground sites, a research ship, tall towers, balloon-borne ozonesondes, multiple aircraft, and satellites provided in situ and remotely sensed data on trace pollutant and greenhouse gas concentrations, aerosol chemical composition and microphysical properties, cloud microphysics, and meteorological parameters. This overview report provides operational information for the variety of sites, platforms, and measurements, their joint deployment strategy, and summarizes findings that have resulted from the collaborative analyses of the CalNex field study. Climate-relevant findings from CalNex include that leakage from natural gas infrastructure may account for the excess of observed methane over emission estimates in Los Angeles. Air-quality relevant findings include the following: mobile fleet VOC significantly declines, and NOx emissions continue to have an impact on ozone in the Los Angeles basin; the relative contributions of diesel and gasoline emission to secondary organic aerosol are not fully understood; and nighttime NO3 chemistry contributes significantly to secondary organic aerosol mass in the San Joaquin Valley. Findings simultaneously relevant to climate and air quality include the following: marine vessel emissions changes due to fuel sulfur and speed controls result in a net warming effect but have substantial positive impacts on local air quality.

Anthropogenic and Biogenic Emissions, and their Contributions to Summertime Haze in the Southeast U.S.: Results from the NOAA SENEX Study in 2013

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Gouw, J. A.

2015-12-01

The NOAA Southeast Nexus of Air Quality and Climate Change (SENEX) study was focused on biogenic and anthropogenic emissions in the Southeast United States, their interactions to form oxidants and aerosol, and the implications of these processes for air quality and climate. For SENEX, the NOAA WP-3D research aircraft was deployed out of a regional airport in Smyrna, Tennessee during June and July of 2013. The aircraft carried an extensive suite of instruments to characterize the gas- and aerosol-phase composition of the atmosphere, as well as the climate-relevant properties of the aerosol. The SENEX study was performed in close collaboration with several other studies in the framework of the Southeast Atmosphere Study. Some highlights of the measurements will be presented with a particular focus on the processes by which anthropogenic and biogenic emissions interact to form secondary species including aerosol. The FLEXPART Lagrangian transport model was found to be a useful tool to quantify the relative contribution from anthropogenic and biogenic emissions to different trace species in the sampled air masses. Observations in power plant plumes provided constraints on the dependence of hydroxyl radical concentrations on nitrogen oxides (NOx). Oxidation rates were higher at enhanced concentrations of NOx, leading to faster production of products from biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in polluted conditions. Organic aerosol was formed from isoprene downwind from one power plant that had relatively high sulfur emissions. Nighttime flights were conducted to constrain organic aerosol formation from the reaction between biogenic VOCs and nitrate radicals. The volume of aerosol water depends on aerosol composition (e.g. sulfate versus organics), which has been proposed as a link between anthropogenic emissions and products of aqueous-phase chemistry. Vertical profiles of aerosol volume and composition provided evidence for aqueous-phase formation of sulfate aerosol, but formation of organic aerosol was not significant within the uncertainties of the analysis.

Jet and electromagnetic tomography (JET) of extreme phases of matter in heavy-ion collisions

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

Heinz, Ulrich

2015-08-31

The Ohio State University (OSU) group contributed to the deliverables of the JET Collaboration three major products: 1. The code package iEBE-VISHNU for modeling the dynamical evolution of the soft medium created in relativistic heavy-ion collisions, from its creation all the way to final freeze-out using a hybrid approach that interfaces a free-streaming partonic pre-equilbrium stage with a (2+1)-dimensional viscous relativistic fluid dynamical stage for the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) phase and the microscopic hadron cascade UrQMD for the hadronic rescattering and freeze-out stage. Except for UrQMD, all dynamical evolution components and interfaces were developed at OSU and tested and implementedmore » in collaboration with the Duke University group. 2. An electromagnetic radiation module for the calculation of thermal photon emission from the QGP and hadron resonance gas stages of a heavy-ion collision, with emission rates that have been corrected for viscous effects in the expanding medium consistent with the bulk evolution. The electromagnetic radiation module was developed under OSU leadership in collaboration with the McGill group and has been integrated in the iEBE-VISHNU code package. 3. An interface between the Monte Carlo jet shower evolution and hadronization codes developed by the Wayne State University (WSU), McGill and Texas A&M groups and the iEBE-VISHNU bulk evolution code, for performing jet quenching and jet shape modification studies in a realistically modeled evolving medium that was tuned to measured soft hadron data. Building on work performed at OSU for the theoretical framework used to describe the interaction of jets with the medium, initial work on the jet shower Monte Carlo was started at OSU and moved to WSU when OSU Visiting Assistant Professor Abhijit Majumder accepted a tenure track faculty position at WSU in September 2011. The jet-hydro interface was developed at OSU and WSU and tested and implemented in collaboration with the McGill, Texas A&M, and LBNL groups.« less

Opportunities and Challenges in Using Research to Facilitate Climate Communication Collaborations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akerlof, K.; Johnson, B. B.; Nackerman, C. J.; Maibach, E.

2014-12-01

Climate change represents the worst of wicked environmental problems, requiring collaborations among individuals and groups that cross public, private and voluntary sectors on a global scale to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for impacts. The Climate Communication Consortium of Maryland represents such a collaboration on a state level for the purpose of supporting governments, non-profits, businesses and universities in communicating with the public about climate and energy within the context of multiple frames, such as public health, extreme weather, and coastal resilience. The collaboration was developed using communication research as an organizational framework - providing data from yearly public opinion surveys on Marylanders' attitudes, behaviors and policy support, and a variety of other qualitative and quantitative studies. In this presentation, we will highlight four dimensions of the use of research within collaborative organizational climate communication that can lead to success, or impediments: 1) individual organizational ability and resources for using audience data; 2) the linking of research questions to programmatic development goals and processes; 3) the weighing of audience- versus communicator-oriented values and priorities; and 4) identification of overarching communication objectives that span individual organizational interests. We will illustrate these dimensions using findings from surveys of our member organizations describing the types of barriers organizations face in communicating about climate change effectively, including their use of formative and evaluative research, and will discuss some of the findings from our public opinion and experimental research, illustrating the ways in which these findings influenced programmatic development and were used by Consortium member organizations.

Development and Application of Version 2.1 of the Fire INventory from NCAR (FINN)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDonald-Buller, E.; Wiedinmyer, C.; Kimura, Y.

2016-12-01

The Fire INventory from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (FINN) generates global daily emissions estimates of trace gases and particles from open biomass burning, including wildfires, agricultural fires, and prescribed burning. FINN has been widely used for global and regional air quality studies, offering high spatial and temporal resolution necessary for capturing daily variations in emissions and chemistry, consistency across geopolitical boundaries, and chemical speciation profiles for volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions for the GEOS-Chem, SAPRC99, MOZART-4, and Carbon Bond mechanisms. FINN v.1 was first released in 2010 and updated in 2011. FINN v. 1.5 was released in 2014. The work presented here focuses on a collaborative effort between NCAR and the University of Texas at Austin to develop the next generation of the public release of the model, FINN v.2.1, to benefit air quality management and research initiatives within the U.S. and internationally. Specific objectives have included developing a new algorithm for estimating area burned from satellite-derived fire detections, distinguishing major crop types typically found in the U.S., improving the spatial resolution of fuel loading in the United States, and providing flexibility for applying alternative land cover representations from emerging global, U.S. national, and regional land cover products. A case study applies FINN2.1 for regional emission estimates and air quality predictions in Texas during 2012.

Comparison of the predictions of two road dust emission models with the measurements of a mobile van

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kauhaniemi, M.; Stojiljkovic, A.; Pirjola, L.; Karppinen, A.; Härkönen, J.; Kupiainen, K.; Kangas, L.; Aarnio, M. A.; Omstedt, G.; Denby, B. R.; Kukkonen, J.

2014-02-01

The predictions of two road dust suspension emission models were compared with the on-site mobile measurements of suspension emission factors. Such a quantitative comparison has not previously been reported in the reviewed literature. The models used were the Nordic collaboration model NORTRIP (NOn-exhaust Road TRaffic Induced Particle emissions) and the Swedish-Finnish FORE model (Forecasting Of Road dust Emissions). These models describe particulate matter generated by the wear of road surface due to traction control methods and processes that control the suspension of road dust particles into the air. An experimental measurement campaign was conducted using a mobile laboratory called SNIFFER, along two selected road segments in central Helsinki in 2007 and 2008. The suspended PM10 concentration was measured behind the left rear tyre and the street background PM10 concentration in front of the van. Both models reproduced the measured seasonal variation of suspension emission factors fairly well during both years at both measurement sites. However, both models substantially under-predicted the measured emission values. The results indicate that road dust emission models can be directly compared with mobile measurements; however, more extensive and versatile measurement campaigns will be needed in the future.

Marine Research Infrastructure collaboration in the COOPLUS project framework - Promoting synergies for marine ecosystems studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beranzoli, L.; Best, M.; Embriaco, D.; Favali, P.; Juniper, K.; Lo Bue, N.; Lara-Lopez, A.; Materia, P.; Ó Conchubhair, D.; O'Rourke, E.; Proctor, R.; Weller, R. A.

2017-12-01

Understanding effects on marine ecosystems of multiple drivers at various scales; from regional such as climate and ocean circulation, to local, such as seafloor gas emissions and harmful underwater noise, requires long time-series of integrated and standardised datasets. Large-scale research infrastructures for ocean observation are able to provide such time-series for a variety of ocean process physical parameters (mass and energy exchanges among surface, water column and benthic boundary layer) that constitute important and necessary measures of environmental conditions and change/development over time. Information deduced from these data is essential for the study, modelling and prediction of marine ecosystems changes and can reveal and potentially confirm deterioration and threats. The COOPLUS European Commission project brings together research infrastructures with the aim of coordinating multilateral cooperation among RIs and identifying common priorities, actions, instruments, resources. COOPLUS will produce a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) which will be a shared roadmap for mid to long-term collaboration. In particular, marine RIs collaborating in COOPLUS, namely the European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water column Observatory: EMSO (Europe), the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI, USA), Ocean Networks Canada (ONC), and the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS, Australia), can represent a source of important data for researchers of marine ecosystems. The RIs can then, in turn, receive suggestions from researchers for implementing new measurements and stimulating cross-cutting collaborations and data integration and standardisation from their user community. This poster provides a description of EMSO, OOI, ONC and IMOS for the benefit of marine ecosystem studies and presents examples of where the analyses of time-series have revealed noteworthy environmental conditions, temporal trends and events.

Development of a Regional U.S. MARKAL Database for Energy and Emissions Modeling

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) is a collaborative effort among 13 agencies of the U.S. federal government. From the CCSP's 2003 strategic plan, its mission is to: "facilitate the creation and application of knowledge of the earth's global environment through resea...

Overview of NASA's Propulsion 21 Effort

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Long-Davis, Mary Jo

2006-01-01

Propulsion 21 technologies contribute to reducing CO2 and NO(x) emissions and noise. Integrated Government/Industry/University research efforts have produced promising initial technical results. Graduate students from 5 partnering universities will benefit from this collaborative research--> educating the future engineering workforce. Phase 2 Efforts scheduled to be completed 3QFY06.

Measurement of Oil and Natural Gas Well Pad Enclosed Combustor Emissions Using Optical Remote Sensing Technologies

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Research and Development (ORD) and EPA Region 8 are collaborating under the EPA’s Regional Applied Research Effort (RARE) program to evaluate ground-based remote sensing technologies that could be used to characterize emis...

Coronal magnetic structures observing campaign. I - Simultaneous microwave and soft X-ray observations of active regions at the solar limb

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nitta, N.; White, S. M.; Kundu, M. R.; Gopalswamy, N.; Holman, G. D.; Brosius, J. W.; Schmelz, J. T.; Saba, J. L. R.; Strong, K. T.

1991-06-01

Using simultaneous microwave and soft X-ray measurements made with the Very Large Array (VLA) at 6 and 20 cm and the X-ray Polychromator (XRP) aboard the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM), we have studied two active regions near the solar limb. These observations were taken as part of the Coronal Magnetic Structures Observing Campaign (CoMStOC), a collaboration designed to study the magnetic field in the solar corona. The images in soft X-rays and at 20 cm wavelength are similar: both show peaks above the active regions and extended bridge of emission 200,000 km long connecting the two regions. The brightness temperature of the 20 cm emission is lower than that predicted from the X-ray emitting material, however; it can be attributed to free-free emission in cooler (<106 K) plasma not visible to XRP, with an optical depth ˜1. The 6 cm emission is concentrated at lower altitudes and in a ˜160,000 km long bundle of loops in the northern active region. Comparison of the 6 cm map with the potential magnetic field lines computed from photospheric magnetic fields (measured 2 days earlier) indicates that the 6 cm emission is associated with fields of less than ˜200 G. Such fields would be too weak to attribute the observed 6 cm emission to gyroresonance radiation. Analysis of the 6 cm loop bundle indicates that it is strongly asymmetric, with the magnetic field in the northern leg ˜2 times stronger than in the southern leg; the 6 cm emission most likely arises from a combination of hot ( ≥ 2 × 106 K) and cool plasmas, while the 20 cm emission becomes optically thick in the cooler (˜9 × 103 K) plasma. We estimate an Alfvén speed ˜7000 km s-1 and ratio of electron gyrofrequency to plasma frequency ˜1.0 in the northern leg of the 6 cm loop.

Broadband study of blazar 1ES 1959+650 during flaring state in 2016

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patel, S. R.; Shukla, A.; Chitnis, V. R.; Dorner, D.; Mannheim, K.; Acharya, B. S.; Nagare, B. J.

2018-03-01

Aims: The nearby TeV blazar 1ES 1959+650 (z = 0.047) was reported to be in flaring state during June-July 2016 by Fermi-LAT, FACT, MAGIC and VERITAS collaborations. We studied the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) in different states of the flare during MJD 57530-57589 using simultaneous multiwaveband data with the aim of understanding the possible broadband emission scenario during the flare. Methods: The UV-optical and X-ray data from UVOT and XRT respectively on board Swift and high energy γ-ray data from Fermi-LAT were used to generate multiwaveband lightcurves as well as to obtain high flux states and quiescent state SEDs. The correlation and lag between different energy bands was quantified using discrete correlation function. The synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) model was used to reproduce the observed SEDs during flaring and quiescent states of the source. Results: A good correlation is seen between X-ray and high energy γ-ray fluxes. The spectral hardening with increase in the flux is seen in X-ray band. The power law index vs. flux plot in γ-ray band indicates the different emission regions for 0.1-3 GeV and 3-300 GeV energy photons. Two zone SSC model satisfactorily fits the observed broadband SEDs. The inner zone is mainly responsible for producing synchrotron peak and high energy γ-ray part of the SED in all states. The second zone is mainly required to produce less variable optical-UV and low energy γ-ray emission. Conclusions: Conventional single zone SSC model does not satisfactorily explain broadband emission during observation period considered. There is an indication of two emission zones in the jet which are responsible for producing broadband emission from optical to high energy γ-rays.

Physical properties of particulate matter (PM) from late model heavy-duty diesel vehicles operating with advanced PM and NO x emission control technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biswas, Subhasis; Hu, Shaohua; Verma, Vishal; Herner, Jorn D.; Robertson, William H.; Ayala, Alberto; Sioutas, Constantinos

Emission control technologies designed to meet the 2007 and 2010 emission standards for heavy-duty diesel vehicles (HDDV) remove effectively the non-volatile fraction of particles, but are comparatively less efficient at controlling the semi-volatile components. A collaborative study between the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the University of Southern California was initiated to investigate the physicochemical and toxicological characteristics of the semi-volatile and non-volatile particulate matter (PM) fractions from HDDV emissions. This paper reports the physical properties, including size distribution, volatility (in terms of number and mass), surface diameter, and agglomeration of particles emitted from HDDV retrofitted with advanced emission control devices. Four vehicles in combination with six after-treatment devices (V-SCRT ®, Z-SCRT ®, CRT ®, DPX, Hybrid-CCRT ®, EPF) were tested under three driving cycles: steady state (cruise), transient (urban dynamometer driving schedule, UDDS), and idle. An HDDV without any control device is served as the baseline vehicle. Substantial reduction of PM mass emissions (>90%) was accomplished for the HDDV operating with advanced emission control technologies. This reduction was not observed for particle number concentrations under cruise conditions, with the exceptions of the Hybrid-CCRT ® and EPF vehicles, which were efficient in controlling both—mass and number emissions. In general, significant nucleation mode particles (<50 nm) were formed during cruise cycles in comparison with the UDDS cycles, which emit higher PM mass in the accumulation mode. The nucleation mode particles (<50 nm) were mainly internally mixed, and evaporated considerably between 150 and 230 °C. Compared to the baseline vehicle, particles from vehicles with controls (except of the Hybrid-CCRT ®) had a higher mass specific surface area.

Chinese air pollution embodied in trade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, S. J.

2014-12-01

Rapid economic development in China has been accompanied by high levels of air pollution in many areas of China. Although researchers have applied a range of methods to monitor and track pollutant emissions in the atmosphere, studies of the underlying economic and technological drivers of this pollution have received considerably less attention. I will present results of a series of studies that have quantified the air pollutants embodied in goods being traded both within China and internationally. The results show that trade is facilitating the concentration of pollution in less economically developed areas, which in turn export pollution-intensive goods to more affluent areas. However, the export-related pollution itself is sometimes transported long distances; for instance, we have quantified the impacts of the Chinese pollution embodied in internationally-exported goods on air quality in the US. These findings important implications for Chinese efforts to curb CO2 emissions and improve air quality. The research to be presented reflects the efforts of a multiple year, ongoing collaboration among interdisciplinary researchers in China, the US and the UK.

NOx emissions and photochemistry associated with oil and gas production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edwards, P.; Brown, S. S.; Dube, W. P.; Holloway, J. S.; Petron, G.; Kofler, J.; Warneke, C.; Williams, E. J.; Young, C. J.; Geiger, F.

2012-12-01

Winter ozone concentrations exceeding the current national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) were observed in the Uintah basin, Utah, during the winters of 2009-2010 and 2010-2011. The chemistry driving these ground level ozone episodes, usually considered an urban summertime phenomenon, is currently poorly understood. Emissions of ozone precursor species in the Uintah basin are complex, and thought to be driven largely by extensive oil and gas development and production within the basin. The Uintah Basin Winter Ozone Study (UBWOS) was a major collaborative field study in February-March 2012, with the aim of increasing our understanding of this important air quality issue. Through the use of a comprehensive suite of instrumentation and multiple measurement platforms we have been able to better characterize the sources of important ozone precursors, in particular NOx and VOCs, within the basin. These observations enable an investigation of the unique aspects of local sources and chemistry that lead to winter ozone formation within the Uintah basin.

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

Weisenberger, Andrew G.; Kross, Brian J.; Lee, Seung Joo

The ability to detect the emissions of radioactive isotopes through radioactive decay (e.g. beta particles, x-rays and gamma-rays) has been used for over 80 years as a tracer method for studying natural phenomena. More recently a positron emitting radioisotope of carbon: {sup 11}C has been utilized as a {sup 11}CO{sub 2} tracer for plant ecophysiology research. Because of its ease of incorporation into the plant via photosynthesis, the {sup 11}CO{sub 2} radiotracer is a powerful tool for use in plant biology research. Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging has been used to study carbon transport in live plants using {sup 11}CO{submore » 2}. Presently there are several groups developing and using new PET instrumentation for plant based studies. Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) in collaboration with the Duke University Phytotron and the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL) is involved in PET detector development for plant imaging utilizing technologies developed for nuclear physics research. The latest developments of the use of a LYSO scintillator based PET detector system for {sup 11}CO{sub 2} tracer studies in plants will be briefly outlined.« less

Environmental Defense Fund Oil and Gas Methane Studies: Principles for Collaborating with Industry Partners while Maintaining Scientific Objectivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamburg, S.

2016-12-01

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) launched a series of 16 research studies in 2012 to quantify methane emissions from the U.S. oil and gas (O&G) supply chain. In addition to EDF's funding from philanthropic individuals and foundations and in-kind contributions from universities, over forty O&G companies contributed money to the studies. For a subset of studies that required partner companies to provide site access to measure their equipment, five common principles were followed to assure that research was objective and scientifically rigorous. First, academic scientists were selected as principal investigators (PIs) to lead the studies. In line with EDF's policy of not accepting money from corporate partners, O&G companies provided funding directly to academic PIs. Technical work groups and steering committees consisting of EDF and O&G partner staff advised the PIs in the planning and implementation of research, but PIs had the final authority in scientific decisions including publication content. Second, scientific advisory panels of independent experts advised the PIs in the study design, data analysis, and interpretation. Third, studies employed multiple methodologies when possible, including top-down and bottom-up measurements. This helped overcome the limitations of individual approaches to decrease the uncertainty of emission estimates and minimize concerns with data being "cherry-picked". Fourth, studies were published in peer-reviewed journals to undergo an additional round of independent review. Fifth, transparency of data was paramount. Study data were released after publication, although operator and site names of individual data points were anonymized to ensure transparency and allow independent analysis. Following these principles allowed an environmental organization, O&G companies, and academic scientists to collaborate in scientific research while minimizing conflicts of interest. This approach can serve as a model for a scientifically rigorous process minimally influenced by study partners.

ACR-SPR-STR Practice Parameter for the Performance of Cardiac Positron Emission Tomography - Computed Tomography (PET/CT) Imaging.

PubMed

Subramaniam, Rathan M; Janowitz, Warren R; Johnson, Geoffrey B; Lodge, Martin A; Parisi, Marguerite T; Ferguson, Mark R; Hellinger, Jeffrey C; Gladish, Gregory W; Gupta, Narainder K

2017-12-01

This clinical practice parameter has been developed collaboratively by the American College of Radiology (ACR), the Society for Pediatric Radiology (SPR), and the Society of Thoracic Radiology (STR). This document is intended to act as a guide for physicians performing and interpreting positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) of cardiac diseases in adults and children. The primary value of cardiac PET/CT imaging include evaluation of perfusion, function, viability, inflammation, anatomy, and risk stratification for cardiac-related events such as myocardial infarction and death. Optimum utility of cardiac PET/CT is achieved when images are interpreted in conjunction with clinical information and laboratory data. Measurement of myocardial blood flow, coronary flow reserve and detection of balanced ischemia are significant advantages of cardiac PET perfusion studies. Increasingly cardiac PET/CT is used in diagnosis and treatment response assessment for cardiac sarcoidosis.

Astroparticle and neutrino oscillation research with KM3NeT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulikovskiy, V.

2017-05-01

Two next generation underwater neutrino telescopes are under construction in the Mediterranean sea by the KM3NeT Collaboration. The first, ORCA, optimised for atmospheric neutrinos detection will be capable to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy with >3{σ} after three years of operation, i.e. as early as 2023. The second, ARCA, is optimised for high energy neutrino astronomy. Its location allows for surveying most of the Galactic Plane, including the Galactic Centre and the most promising source candidates. The neutrino diffuse emission flux measured by the IceCube Collaboration can be observed with 5{σ} in less than one year.

Observation of Gravitational Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzalez, Gabriela

2016-06-01

On September 14 2015, the two LIGO gravitational wave detectors in Hanford, Washington and Livingston, Louisiana registered a nearly simultaneous signal with time-frequency properties consistent with gravitational-wave emission by the merger of two massive compact objects. Further analysis of the signals by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration revealed that the gravitational waves detected by LIGO came from the merger of a binary black hole (BBH) system approximately 420 Mpc distant (z=0.09) with constituent masses of 36 and 29 M_sun. I will describe the details of the observation, the status of ground-based interferometric detectors, and prospects for future observations in the new era of gravitational wave astronomy.

Zero Emission Bay Area (ZEBA) Fuel Cell Bus Demonstration Results: Fifth Report

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

Eudy, Leslie; Post, Matthew; Jeffers, Matthew

This report presents results of a demonstration of fuel cell electric buses (FCEB) operating in Oakland, California. Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) leads the Zero Emission Bay Area (ZEBA) demonstration, which includes 13 advanced-design fuel cell buses and two hydrogen fueling stations. The ZEBA partners are collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to evaluate the buses in revenue service. NREL has published four previous reports describing operation of these buses. This report presents new and updated results covering data from January 2015 through December 2015.

Zero Emission Bay Area (ZEBA) Fuel Cell Bus Demonstration Results: Sixth Report

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

Eudy, Leslie; Post, Matthew B.; Jeffers, Matthew A.

This report presents results of a demonstration of fuel cell electric buses (FCEB) operating in Oakland, California. Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) leads the Zero Emission Bay Area (ZEBA) demonstration, which includes 13 advanced-design fuel cell buses and two hydrogen fueling stations. The ZEBA partners are collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to evaluate the buses in revenue service. NREL has published five previous reports describing operation of these buses. This report presents new and updated results covering data from January 2016 through December 2016.

Measuring the Local Diffusion Coefficient with H.E.S.S. Observations of Very High-Energy Electrons

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

Hooper, Dan; Linden, Tim

2017-11-20

The HAWC Collaboration has recently reported the detection of bright and spatially extended multi-TeV gamma-ray emission from Geminga, Monogem, and a handful of other nearby, middle-aged pulsars. The angular profile of the emission observed from these pulsars is surprising, in that it implies that cosmic-ray diffusion is significantly inhibited within ~25 pc of these objects, compared to the expectations of standard Galactic diffusion models. This raises the important question of whether the diffusion coefficient in the local interstellar medium is also low, or whether it is instead better fit by the mean Galactic value. Here, we utilize recent observations ofmore » the cosmic-ray electron spectrum (extending up to ~20 TeV) by the H.E.S.S. Collaboration to show that the local diffusion coefficient cannot be as low as it is in the regions surrounding Geminga and Monogem. Instead, we conclude that cosmic rays efficiently diffuse through the bulk of the local interstellar medium. Among other implications, this further supports the conclusion that pulsars significantly contribute to the observed positron excess.« less

Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Beef Cattle Production in the Southern Great Plains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kannan, N.; Niraula, R.; Saleh, A.; Osei, E.; Cole, A.; Todd, R.; Waldrip, H.; Aljoe, H.

2017-12-01

A five-year USDA-funded study titled "Resilience and vulnerability of beef cattle production in the Southern Great Plains under changing climate, land use, and markets" was initiated as a multi-institutional collaboration involving Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research (TIAER)—Tarleton State University, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)—Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in El Reno, Oklahoma, USDA—ARS in Bushland, Texas, Kansas State University, Oklahoma State University, University of Oklahoma, and the Noble Research Institute in Ardmore, Oklahoma. The project goal is to safeguard and promote regional beef production while mitigating its environmental footprint. Conducting a full Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is one of the major objectives of the study, in addition to field experiments, extension, outreach, and education. Estimation of all the resource use and greenhouse gas emissions are parts of the LCA. A computer model titled Animal Production Life Cycle Analysis Tool (APLCAT) is developed and applied to conduct the LCA on beef cattle production in the study region. The model estimates water use, energy requirements, and emissions of enteric methane, manure methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide. Also included in the LCA analysis are land-atmospheric exchanges of methane, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide and the global warming potential. Our study is focused on the cow-calf and stocker phases of beef cattle production. The animal production system in the study region is predominantly forage based with protein and energy supplements when needed. Spring calving typical to the study region. In the cow-calf phase animals typically graze native prairie although introduced pasture grazing is also prevalent. Stockers use winter pasture as the major feed. The results of greenhouse gas emissions summarized per kg of hot carcass weight or animal fed will be presented.

The Fundamental Physical Processes Producing and Controlling Stellar Coronal/ Transition-Region/Chromospheric Activity and Structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ayres, Thomas R.; Brown, Alexander

1998-01-01

Our LTSA grant supports a long-term collaborative investigation of stellar activity. The project involves current NASA spacecraft and supporting ground-based telescopes, will make use of future missions, and utilizes the extensive archives of IUE, ROSAT, HST, and EUVE. Our interests include observational work (with a nonnegligible groundbased component); specialized processing techniques for imaging and spectral data; and semiempirical modeling, ranging from optically-thin emission measure studies to simulations of optically-thick resonance lines. Collaborations with our cool-star colleagues here in Boulder (at JILA and the High Altitude Observatory) provide access to even broader expertise, particularly on the solar corona, convection, and magnetohydrodynamic phenomena (including "dynamo" theories). The broad-brush of our investigation include the following: (1) where do coronae occur in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram? (2) the winds of coronal stars: hot, cool, or both? (3) age, activity, rotation relations; (4) atmospheric inhomogeneities; and (5) heating mechanisms, subcoronal flows and flares. Our observation task has been to map the global properties of chromospheres and coronae in the H-R diagram and conduct detailed studies of key objects.

High Energy Astrophysics and Cosmology from Space: NASA's Physics of the Cosmos Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hornschemeier, Ann

2016-03-01

We summarize currently-funded NASA activities in high energy astrophysics and cosmology, embodied in the NASA Physics of the Cosmos program, including updates on technology development and mission studies. The portfolio includes development of a space mission for measuring gravitational waves from merging supermassive black holes, currently envisioned as a collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) on its L3 mission and development of an X-ray observatory that will measure X-ray emission from the final stages of accretion onto black holes, currently envisioned as a NASA collaboration on ESA's Athena observatory. The portfolio also includes the study of cosmic rays and gamma ray photons resulting from a range of processes, of the physical process of inflation associated with the birth of the universe and of the nature of the dark energy that dominates the mass-energy of the modern universe. The program is supported by an analysis group called the PhysPAG that serves as a forum for community input and analysis and the talk will include a description of activities of this group.

ANTARES constrains a blazar origin of two IceCube PeV neutrino events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

ANTARES Collaboration; Adrián-Martínez, S.; Albert, A.; André, M.; Anton, G.; Ardid, M.; Aubert, J.-J.; Baret, B.; Barrios, J.; Basa, S.; Bertin, V.; Biagi, S.; Bogazzi, C.; Bormuth, R.; Bou-Cabo, M.; Bouwhuis, M. C.; Bruijn, R.; Brunner, J.; Busto, J.; Capone, A.; Caramete, L.; Carr, J.; Chiarusi, T.; Circella, M.; Coniglione, R.; Costantini, H.; Coyle, P.; Creusot, A.; De Rosa, G.; Dekeyser, I.; Deschamps, A.; De Bonis, G.; Distefano, C.; Donzaud, C.; Dornic, D.; Dorosti, Q.; Drouhin, D.; Dumas, A.; Eberl, T.; Enzenhöfer, A.; Escoffier, S.; Fehn, K.; Felis, I.; Fermani, P.; Folger, F.; Fusco, L. A.; Galatà, S.; Gay, P.; Geißelsöder, S.; Geyer, K.; Giordano, V.; Gleixner, A.; Gómez-González, J. P.; Gracia-Ruiz, R.; Graf, K.; van Haren, H.; Heijboer, A. J.; Hello, Y.; Hernández-Rey, J. J.; Herrero, A.; Hößl, J.; Hofestädt, J.; Hugon, C.; James, C. W.; de Jong, M.; Kalekin, O.; Katz, U.; Kießling, D.; Kooijman, P.; Kouchner, A.; Kulikovskiy, V.; Lahmann, R.; Lattuada, D.; Lefèvre, D.; Leonora, E.; Loehner, H.; Loucatos, S.; Mangano, S.; Marcelin, M.; Margiotta, A.; Martínez-Mora, J. A.; Martini, S.; Mathieu, A.; Michael, T.; Migliozzi, P.; Neff, M.; Nezri, E.; Palioselitis, D.; Păvălaş, G. E.; Perrina, C.; Piattelli, P.; Popa, V.; Pradier, T.; Racca, C.; Riccobene, G.; Richter, R.; Roensch, K.; Rostovtsev, A.; Saldaña, M.; Samtleben, D. F. E.; Sánchez-Losa, A.; Sanguineti, M.; Sapienza, P.; Schmid, J.; Schnabel, J.; Schulte, S.; Schüssler, F.; Seitz, T.; Sieger, C.; Spies, A.; Spurio, M.; Steijger, J. J. M.; Stolarczyk, Th.; Taiuti, M.; Tamburini, C.; Tayalati, Y.; Trovato, A.; Tselengidou, M.; Tönnis, C.; Vallage, B.; Vallée, C.; Van Elewyck, V.; Visser, E.; Vivolo, D.; Wagner, S.; de Wolf, E.; Yepes, H.; Zornoza, J. D.; Zúñiga, J.; TANAMI Collaboration; Krauß, F.; Kadler, M.; Mannheim, K.; Schulz, R.; Trüstedt, J.; Wilms, J.; Ojha, R.; Ros, E.; Baumgartner, W.; Beuchert, T.; Blanchard, J.; Bürkel, C.; Carpenter, B.; Edwards, P. G.; Eisenacher Glawion, D.; Elsässer, D.; Fritsch, U.; Gehrels, N.; Gräfe, C.; Großberger, C.; Hase, H.; Horiuchi, S.; Kappes, A.; Kreikenbohm, A.; Kreykenbohm, I.; Langejahn, M.; Leiter, K.; Litzinger, E.; Lovell, J. E. J.; Müller, C.; Phillips, C.; Plötz, C.; Quick, J.; Steinbring, T.; Stevens, J.; Thompson, D. J.; Tzioumis, A. K.

2015-04-01

Context. The source(s) of the neutrino excess reported by the IceCube Collaboration is unknown. The TANAMI Collaboration recently reported on the multiwavelength emission of six bright, variable blazars which are positionally coincident with two of the most energetic IceCube events. Objects like these are prime candidates to be the source of the highest-energy cosmic rays, and thus of associated neutrino emission. Aims: We present an analysis of neutrino emission from the six blazars using observations with the ANTARES neutrino telescope. Methods: The standard methods of the ANTARES candidate list search are applied to six years of data to search for an excess of muons - and hence their neutrino progenitors - from the directions of the six blazars described by the TANAMI Collaboration, and which are possibly associated with two IceCube events. Monte Carlo simulations of the detector response to both signal and background particle fluxes are used to estimate the sensitivity of this analysis for different possible source neutrino spectra. A maximum-likelihood approach, using the reconstructed energies and arrival directions of through-going muons, is used to identify events with properties consistent with a blazar origin. Results: Both blazars predicted to be the most neutrino-bright in the TANAMI sample (1653-329 and 1714-336) have a signal flux fitted by the likelihood analysis corresponding to approximately one event. This observation is consistent with the blazar-origin hypothesis of the IceCube event IC 14 for a broad range of blazar spectra, although an atmospheric origin cannot be excluded. No ANTARES events are observed from any of the other four blazars, including the three associated with IceCube event IC20. This excludes at a 90% confidence level the possibility that this event was produced by these blazars unless the neutrino spectrum is flatter than -2.4. Figures 2, 3 and Appendix A are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Comparison of the predictions of two road dust emission models with the measurements of a mobile van

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kauhaniemi, M.; Stojiljkovic, A.; Pirjola, L.; Karppinen, A.; Härkönen, J.; Kupiainen, K.; Kangas, L.; Aarnio, M. A.; Omstedt, G.; Denby, B. R.; Kukkonen, J.

2014-09-01

The predictions of two road dust suspension emission models were compared with the on-site mobile measurements of suspension emission factors. Such a quantitative comparison has not previously been reported in the reviewed literature. The models used were the Nordic collaboration model NORTRIP (NOn-exhaust Road TRaffic Induced Particle emissions) and the Swedish-Finnish FORE model (Forecasting Of Road dust Emissions). These models describe particulate matter generated by the wear of road surface due to traction control methods and processes that control the suspension of road dust particles into the air. An experimental measurement campaign was conducted using a mobile laboratory called SNIFFER, along two selected road segments in central Helsinki in 2007 and 2008. The suspended PM10 concentration was measured behind the left rear tyre and the street background PM10 concentration in front of the van. Both models reproduced the measured seasonal variation of suspension emission factors fairly well during both years at both measurement sites. However, both models substantially under-predicted the measured emission values. The article illustrates the challenges in conducting road suspension measurements in densely trafficked urban conditions, and the numerous requirements for input data that are needed for accurately applying road suspension emission models.

MONITORING H{alpha} EMISSION AND CONTINUUM OF UXORs: RR Tauri

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

Bedell, Megan; Villaume, Alexa; Weiss, Lauren

2011-11-15

The Maria Mitchell Observatory, in collaboration with the Astrokolkhoz Observatory, started a program of photometric monitoring of UX Ori-type stars (UXORs) with narrowband interference filters (IFs; augmented with the traditional broadband filters) aimed at separating the H{alpha} emission variations from those of the continuum. We present the method of separation and the first results for RR Tau obtained in two seasons, each roughly 100 days long (2010 Winter-Spring and 2010 Fall-2011 Spring). We confirm the conclusion from previous studies that the H{alpha} emission in this star is less variable than the continuum. Although some correlation between the two is notmore » excluded, the amplitude of H{alpha} variations is much smaller (factors of 3-5) than that of the continuum. These results are compatible with Grinin's model of UXORs, which postulates the presence of small obscuring circumstellar clouds as the cause of the continuum fading, as well as the presence of a circumstellar reflection/emission nebula, larger than the star and the obscuring clouds, which is responsible for H{alpha} emission and the effect of the 'color reversal' in deep minima. However, the results of both our broadband and narrowband photometry indicate that the obscuration model may be insufficient to explain all of the observations. Disk accretion, the presence of stellar or (proto) planetary companion(s), as well as the intrinsic variations of the star, may contribute to the observed light variations. We argue, in particular, that the H{alpha} emission may be more closely correlated with the intrinsic variations of the star than with the much stronger observed variations caused by the cloud obscuration. If this hypothesis is correct, the close monitoring of H{alpha} emission with IFs, accessible to small-size telescopes, may become an important tool in studying the physical nature of the UXORs' central stars.« less

Wintertime Emission Ratios of CO2 and NOy from Washington, D.C.-Baltimore

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salmon, O. E.; Shepson, P. B.; Ren, X.; Stirm, B. H.; Brown, S. S.; Fibiger, D. L.; Thornton, J. A.; Dickerson, R. R.; McDuffie, E. E.; Gurney, K. R.

2016-12-01

Cities are known to be key emitters of the combustion products carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx=NO+NO2), as a result of spatially concentrated combustion sources from the transportation sector and electric energy generating stations. Wintertime in mid-latitude cities provides a unique environment for these species to accumulate and react. Fewer daylight hours of relatively weak radiation, along with lower temperatures, can lead to slower oxidation of NOx, which influences the partitioning of total reactive nitrogen (NOy; the sum of NOx, NO3, N2O5, ClNO2, HNO3, acyl peroxy nitrates, and alkyl nitrates). The altered photochemical lifetimes of these reactive nitrogen species can result in unique chemistry and transport, altering the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere within the city, and downwind of it as well. A collaborative study, employing three airborne platforms, named the Wintertime INvestigation of Transport, Emissions, and Reactivity (WINTER) was conducted in the northeastern United States in 2015 to investigate these cold season trends. Recent studies have suggested national inventories overestimate NOx emissions. We estimate city-wide emission rates of NOy from the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore area, and report their magnitude as emission factors relative to CO2. The University of Maryland's (UMD) 402B research Cessna and Purdue University's Airborne Laboratory for Atmospheric Research were instrumented to measure CO2, NO2, and other gaseous species. Measurements of NOy, and partitioning of its constituent species, were conducted from the NCAR C-130. NOy mixing ratios were estimated from the UMD and Purdue NO2 measurements using the C-130 measurements of NO2:NOy, a ratio whose magnitude is a function of time since emission from the cities. The Purdue and UMD mass balance flights around Washington, D.C.-Baltimore allow for the determination of the urban area's downwind enhancement in CO2 and estimated NOy. The urban enhancements in these gases are multiplied by the perpendicular wind speed to give the total emission rate. Here we compare our absolute NOy emission rates and the relative NOy:CO2 emission ratios from the UMD and Purdue flights to inventory estimates.

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

Strayer, M.R.

This talk surveys a thirteen-year collaboration with Chris Bottcher on various aspects of strong field electrodynamics. Most of the work centers on the atomic physics associated with the peripheral collisions of ultrarelativistic heavy atoms. The earliest, beginning in about 1979, dealt with the spontaneous emission of positrons from nuclear quasimolecules and touched briefly on the formation of axions as a possible explanation of the anomalous peaks in the spectrum. This work stimulated the extensive studies of particle production from coherent fields that laid the foundations for investigations of nuclear form factors, structure functions, and production mechanisms for the Higgs andmore » other exotic particles. Chris conjectured that the strong fields that are present in these collisions would give rise to nonperturbative effects. Thus, during this time, Chris also worked to develop basis-spline collocation methods for solving dynamical relativistic fermions in super strong fields. This was perhaps one of the best of times for Chris; on these problems alone, he co-authored fifty articles with more than twenty different collaborators.« less

Infrasonic Emissions From A Tornado

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrin, Christopher; Elbing, Brian

2017-11-01

Tornadoes cause dozens of deaths and significant damage throughout the United States every year. Tornado-producing storm systems emit infrasound (sound at frequencies below human hearing) up to 2 hours before tornadogenesis. Weak atmospheric attenuation at these frequencies allows them to be detected hundreds of miles away. Hence, passive infrasonic monitoring may be used for long-range study of tornadogenesis. This requires characterization of infrasound during the life of a tornado and from other background sources. This is being accomplished as part of the Collaboration Leading Operational UAS Development for Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics (CLOUD-MAP) project, a multi-university collaboration focused on the development and implementation of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and their integration with sensors for atmospheric measurement. This presentation will report findings from a fixed infrasonic microphone that has been continuously monitoring the atmosphere since September 2, 2016. Infrasound from a tornado that occurred 19 km from the microphone on May 11, 2017 will be presented as well as an overview of other infrasonic observations. This work was supported by NSF Grant 1539070.

Atmospheric Modeling of Cool Giant and Supergiant Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Linsky, Jeffrey L.

1984-07-01

We propose to continue our collaborative program of obtaining and analysing high dispersion SWP spectra of cool stars. We request high dispersion, short wavelength IUE spectra of the stars alpha Tau (K5III), gamma Cru (M3III), epsilon Peg (K2Ib) and beta Cam (G0Ib) with exposure times of 16 hours or more. These spectra will provide measurements of line profiles, widths and Doppler shifts in addition to density-sensitive and opacity-sensitive line ratios. Models of chromospheric and transition region (where present) structure will be calculated by a combination of emission measure analysis, line opacity/probability of escape methods and model atmosphere calculations for optically thick resonance lines such as MgII h and k, including partial redistribution radiative transfer. These models will be used to investigate the atmospheric energy balance and the nature of energy transport and nonradiative energy deposition processes. The results will be considered in relation to stellar evolution and compared with the chromospheric properties of other stars previously studied by the authors and their collaborators.

Corrigendum to "Non-exhaust PM emissions from electric vehicles" [Atmos. Environ. 134 (June 2016) 10-17

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Timmers, Victor R. J. H.; Achten, Peter A. J.

2016-12-01

The authors regret that as Victor Timmers did not carry out the research under the auspices of the University of Edinburgh, nor in collaboration or consultation with any personnel at the University of Edinburgh, the affiliation of "University of Edinburgh" has now been removed from this work at the request of the Institution. In addition, subsequent to the publication of the Paper, Victor Timmers has disclosed a potential Conflict of Interest with regard to the work, namely: "non-financial support from Innas B.V, during the conduct of the study".

Evaluating the Effects of Restraint Systems on 4WD Testing Methodologies: A Collaborative Effort between the NVFEL and ANL

EPA Science Inventory

Testing vehicles for emissions and fuel economy has traditionally been conducted with a single-axle chassis dynamometer. The 2006 SAE All Wheel Drive Symposium cited four wheel drive (4WD) and all wheel drive (AWD) sales as climbing from 20% toward 30% of a motor vehicle mar...

Regulated and unregulated emissions from modern 2010 emissions-compliant heavy-duty on-highway diesel engines

PubMed Central

Khalek, Imad A.; Blanks, Matthew G.; Merritt, Patrick M.; Zielinska, Barbara

2015-01-01

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established strict regulations for highway diesel engine exhaust emissions of particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) to aid in meeting the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. The emission standards were phased in with stringent standards for 2007 model year (MY) heavy-duty engines (HDEs), and even more stringent NOX standards for 2010 and later model years. The Health Effects Institute, in cooperation with the Coordinating Research Council, funded by government and the private sector, designed and conducted a research program, the Advanced Collaborative Emission Study (ACES), with multiple objectives, including detailed characterization of the emissions from both 2007- and 2010-compliant engines. The results from emission testing of 2007-compliant engines have already been reported in a previous publication. This paper reports the emissions testing results for three heavy-duty 2010-compliant engines intended for on-highway use. These engines were equipped with an exhaust diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC), high-efficiency catalyzed diesel particle filter (DPF), urea-based selective catalytic reduction catalyst (SCR), and ammonia slip catalyst (AMOX), and were fueled with ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel (~6.5 ppm sulfur). Average regulated and unregulated emissions of more than 780 chemical species were characterized in engine exhaust under transient engine operation using the Federal Test Procedure cycle and a 16-hr duty cycle representing a wide dynamic range of real-world engine operation. The 2010 engines’ regulated emissions of PM, NOX, nonmethane hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide were all well below the EPA 2010 emission standards. Moreover, the unregulated emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nitroPAHs, hopanes and steranes, alcohols and organic acids, alkanes, carbonyls, dioxins and furans, inorganic ions, metals and elements, elemental carbon, and particle number were substantially (90 to >99%) lower than pre-2007-technology engine emissions, and also substantially (46 to >99%) lower than the 2007-technology engine emissions characterized in the previous study. Implications: Heavy-duty on-highway diesel engines equipped with DOC/DPF/SCR/AMOX and fueled with ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel produced lower emissions than the stringent 2010 emission standards established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. They also resulted in significant reductions in a wide range of unregulated toxic emission compounds relative to older technology engines. The increased use of newer technology (2010+) diesel engines in the on-highway sector and the adaptation of such technology by other sectors such as nonroad, displacing older, higher emissions engines, will have a positive impact on ambient levels of PM, NOx, and volatile organic compounds, in addition to many other toxic compounds. PMID:26037832

An international partnership approach to clean energy technology innovation: Carbon capture and storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xiaoliang

Is a global research partnership effective in developing, deploying, and diffusing clean energy technologies? Drawing on and extending innovation system studies, this doctoral dissertation elaborates an analytical model for a global technology learning system; examines the rationales, mechanisms, and effectiveness of the United States-- China Clean Energy Research Center Advanced Coal Technology Consortium (CERC-ACTC); and analyzes government's role in developing and implementing carbon capture and storage technologies in the United States (U.S.) and China. Studies have shown that successful technology innovation leads to economic prosperity and national competence, and prove that technology innovation does not happen in isolation but rather within interactive systems among stakeholders. However, the innovation process itself remains unclear, particularly with regard to interactive learning among and between major institutional actors, including technology developers, regulators, and financial organizations. This study seeks to advance scholarship on the interactive learning from the angle of global interactive learning. This dissertation research project seeks, as well, to inform policy-makers of how to strengthen international collaboration in clean energy technology development. The U.S.--China CERC-ACTC announced by Presidents Obama and Hu in 2009, provided a unique opportunity to close this scholarly gap. ACTC aimed to "advance the coal technology needed to safely, effectively, and efficiently utilize coal resources including the ability to capture, store, and utilize the emissions from coal use in both nations " through the joint research and development by U.S. and Chinese scientists and engineers. This dissertation project included one-year field research in the two countries, with in-depth interviews of key stakeholders, a survey of Consortium participants, analysis of available data, and site visits to collaborative research projects from 2013-2014. This research project collected new data and developed models of collaborative, international technology innovation that can be used in the analysis of policy options for clean energy technology development. The findings show that this bilateral initiative is facilitating the technology learning to some degree, becoming a major component of the U.S.-China climate change collaboration; however, policy makers and collaborative practitioners must overcome political, administrative, cultural, and other challenges in their own national contexts before achieving more concrete outcomes.

Radio to Gamma-Ray Emission from Shell-Type Supernova Remnants: Predictions from Non-Linear Shock Acceleration Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baring, Matthew G.; Ellison, Donald C.; Reynolds, Stephen P.; Grenier, Isabelle A.; Goret, Philippe

1998-01-01

Supernova remnants (SNRs) are widely believed to be the principal source of galactic cosmic rays, produced by diffusive shock acceleration in the environs of the remnant's expanding blast wave. Such energetic particles can produce gamma-rays and lower energy photons via interactions with the ambient plasma. The recently reported observation of TeV gamma-rays from SN1006 by the CANGAROO Collaboration, combined with the fact that several unidentified EGRET sources have been associated with known radio/optical/X-ray-emitting remnants, provides powerful motivation for studying gamma-ray emission from SNRs. In this paper, we present results from a Monte Carlo simulation of non-linear shock structure and acceleration coupled with photon emission in shell-like SNRs. These non-linearities are a by-product of the dynamical influence of the accelerated cosmic rays on the shocked plasma and result in distributions of cosmic rays which deviate from pure power-laws. Such deviations are crucial to acceleration efficiency considerations and impact photon intensities and spectral shapes at all energies, producing GeV/TeV intensity ratios that are quite different from test particle predictions.

Fourth Workshop on Science with the New Generation of High Energy Gamma-ray Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Massai, Marco Maria; Omodei, Nicola; Spandre, Gloria

I. Space-based telescope. Integral-4 years in orbit / P. Umbertini, P. Caraveo. The Suzaku mission / K. Yamaoka. The Swift mission: two years of operation / A. Moretti. Gamma-ray astrophysics with AGILE / F.Longo et al., The AGILE collaboration. The GLAST mission / J.E. McEnery -- II. Ground-based telescope. Recent results from CANGAROO / M. Mori for the CANGAROO team. The H.E.S.S. project / C. Masterson for the H.E.S.S. collaboration. The MAGIC experiment / N. Turini for the MAGIC collaboration. VERITAS: status and performance / J. Holder for the VERITAS collaboration -- III. Galactic variable sources. Galactic variable sky with EGRET and GLAST / S. Digel. Galactic variable sources observed with H.E.S.S. / N. Komin for the H.E.S.S collaboration. Gamma ray pulsars in the GLAST era / M. Razzano. Solving the riddle of unidentified high-energy gamma-ray sources / P. Caraveo. Supernovae and gamma-ray burst / M. Della Valle. First cycle of MAGIC galactic observations / J. Cortina for the MAGIC collaboration. Gamma-rays and neutrinos from a SNR in the galactic center / V. Cavasinni, D. Grasso, L. Maccione. Solving GRBs and SGRs puzzles by precessing jets / D. Fargion, O. Lanciano, P. Oliva -- IV. Extragalactic sources. Multiwavelength observations and theories of blazers / G. Tosti. AGN observations with the MAGIC telescope / C. Bigongiari for the MAGIC collaboration. Gamma ray bursts/ L. Amati. X-rays and GeV flares in GRB light curves / A. Galli ... [et al.]. The highest energy emission from gamma ray bursts: MILAGRO's constraints and HAWC's potential / B. Dingus for the MILAGRO and HAWC collaborations. Observation of GRB with the MAGIC telescope / N. Galante, P. Piccioli for the MAGIC collaboration. GRB 060218 and the outliers with respect to the E-E correlation / G. Ghirlanda, G. Ghibellini -- V. Poster session. Study of the performance and calibration of the GLAST-LAT silicon tracker / M. Brigida, N. Giglietto, P. Spinelli. The online monitor for the GLAST calibration unit beam test / L. Baldini, J. Bregeon, C. Sgrò. ARGO-YBJ experiment: the scalar mode technique / I. James. on behalf of ARGO-YBJ collaboration. Analysis of pulsars in LAT data challenge 2: a population point of view / M. Razzano. Search of optimized cuts for gamma-ray pulsar detection with GLAST-LAT instrument / A. Calandro, N. Biglietto, P. Spinelli. Gamma-ray burst physics with GLAST / N. Omodei. The global fit approach to time-resolved spectroscopy GRBs / A. Chernenko.

Climate-smart soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paustian, Keith; Lehmann, Johannes; Ogle, Stephen; Reay, David; Robertson, G. Philip; Smith, Pete

2016-04-01

Soils are integral to the function of all terrestrial ecosystems and to food and fibre production. An overlooked aspect of soils is their potential to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Although proven practices exist, the implementation of soil-based greenhouse gas mitigation activities are at an early stage and accurately quantifying emissions and reductions remains a substantial challenge. Emerging research and information technology developments provide the potential for a broader inclusion of soils in greenhouse gas policies. Here we highlight ‘state of the art’ soil greenhouse gas research, summarize mitigation practices and potentials, identify gaps in data and understanding and suggest ways to close such gaps through new research, technology and collaboration.

Testing the OPERA superluminal neutrino anomaly at the LHC

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

Davoudiasl H.; Rizzo, T.

2011-11-28

The OPERA Collaboration has reported the observation of superluminal muon neutrinos, whose speed v{sub v} exceeds that of light c, with (v{sub v}-c)/c {approx_equal} 2.5 x 10{sup -5}. In a recent work, Cohen and Glashow have refuted this claim by noting that such neutrinos will lose energy, by pair emission of particles, at unacceptable rates. Following the Cohen and Glashow arguments, we point out that pair emissions consistent with the OPERA anomaly can lead to detectable signals for neutrinos originating from decays of highly boosted top quarks at the LHC, allowing an independent test of the superluminal neutrino hypothesis.

Testing the OPERA Superluminal Neutrino Anomaly at the LHC

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

Davoudiasl, Hooman; /Brookhaven; Rizzo, Thomas G.

2012-03-15

The OPERA collaboration has reported the observation of superluminal muon neutrinos, whose speed v{sub {nu}} exceeds that of light c, with (v{sub {nu}}-c)/c {approx_equal} 2.5 x 10{sup -5}. In a recent work, Cohen and Glashow (CG) have refuted this claim by noting that such neutrinos will lose energy, by pair-emission of particles, at unacceptable rates. Following the CG arguments, we point out that pair-emissions consistent with the OPERA anomaly can lead to detectable signals for neutrinos originating from decays of highly boosted top quarks at the LHC, allowing an independent test of the superluminal neutrino hypothesis.

Testing the OPERA superluminal neutrino anomaly at the LHC

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

Davoudiasl, Hooman; Rizzo, Thomas G.

2011-11-01

The OPERA Collaboration has reported the observation of superluminal muon neutrinos, whose speed v{sub {nu}} exceeds that of light c, with (v{sub {nu}}-c)/c{approx_equal}2.5x10{sup -5}. In a recent work, Cohen and Glashow have refuted this claim by noting that such neutrinos will lose energy, by pair emission of particles, at unacceptable rates. Following the Cohen and Glashow arguments, we point out that pair emissions consistent with the OPERA anomaly can lead to detectable signals for neutrinos originating from decays of highly boosted top quarks at the LHC, allowing an independent test of the superluminal neutrino hypothesis.

Atmospheric Science Without Borders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panday, Arnico; Praveen, Ps; Adhikary, Bhupesh; Bhave, Prakash; Surapipith, Vanisa; Pradhan, Bidya; Karki, Anita; Ghimire, Shreta; Thapa, Alpha; Shrestha, Sujan

2016-04-01

The Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) in northern South Asia are among the most polluted and most densely populated places in the world, and they are upwind of vulnerable ecosystems in the Himalaya mountains. They are also fragmented across 5 countries between which movement of people, data, instruments and scientific understanding have been very limited. ICIMOD's Atmosphere Initiative has for the past three years been working on filling data gaps in the region, while facilitating collaborations across borders. It has established several atmospheric observatories at low and mid elevations in Bhutan and Nepal that provide new data on the inflow of pollutants from the IGP towards the mountains, as well as quantify the effects of local emissions on air quality in mountain cities. EGU will be the first international conference where these data will be presented. ICIMOD is in the process of setting up data servers through which data from the region will be shared with scientists and the general public across borders. Meanwhile, to promote cross-border collaboration among scientists in the region, while addressing an atmospheric phenomenon that affects the lives of the several hundred million people, ICIMOD' Atmosphere Initiative has been coordinating an interdisciplinary multi-year study of persistent winter fog over the Indo-Gangetic Plains, with participation by researchers from Pakistan, India, China, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. Using a combination of in-situ measurements and sample collection, remote sensing, modeling and community based research, the researchers are studying how changing moisture availability and air pollution have led to increases in fog frequency and duration, as well as the fog's impacts on local communities and energy demand that may affect air pollution emissions. Preliminary results of the Winter 2015-2016 field campaign will be shown.

Transportation Energy Futures: Combining Strategies for Deep Reductions in Energy Consumption and GHG Emissions (Brochure)

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

Not Available

2013-03-01

This fact sheet summarizes actions in the areas of light-duty vehicle, non-light-duty vehicle, fuel, and transportation demand that show promise for deep reductions in energy use. Energy efficient transportation strategies have the potential to simultaneously reduce oil consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Transportation Energy Futures (TEF) project examined how the combination of multiple strategies could achieve deep reductions in GHG emissions and petroleum use on the order of 80%. Led by NREL, in collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory, the project's primary goal was to help inform domestic decisions about transportation energy strategies, priorities, and investments, with an emphasismore » on underexplored opportunities. TEF findings reveal three strategies with the potential to displace most transportation-related petroleum use and GHG emissions: 1) Stabilizing energy use in the transportation sector through efficiency and demand-side approaches. 2) Using additional advanced biofuels. 3) Expanding electric drivetrain technologies.« less

The OCAPI collaborative platform: study of two particle pollution episodes in 2016 in Paris

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foret, Gilles; Michoud, Vincent; Formenti, Paola; Gratien, Aline; Beekmann, Matthias; Peinado, Florian; Favez, Olivier; Haeffelin, Martial; Dupont, Jean-Charles; Bodichon, Renaud; Gros, Valérie; Ghersi, Véronique; Meleux, Frédérik; Xuéref-Rémy, Irène

2017-04-01

Air pollution and its impacts are subject to an expanded interest since the middle of the 20th century, especially in urban areas which gathered an important part of emission sources. These polluted urban air masses are composed by a complex mixture of gases and aerosols coming from various emission sources (vehicular traffic, industries, residential heating, agricultural activities, natural sources) or chemical processes. To efficiently reduce this pollution and its impacts on population, it is important to understand its drivers, its sources and its impact on human health. To get some insights in Paris air pollution, a collaborative measurement platform called OCAPI ("Observation de la Composition Atmosphérique Parisienne de l'IPSL") has been built and implies several Parisian research laboratories of IPSL institute (CEREA, LSCE, LMD, LISA, LATMOS, LERMA and METIS) as well as public agencies and institutes in charge of Paris air pollution monitoring (AIRPARIF, INERIS). OCAPI platform aims at gathering skills and instruments of these laboratories to measure the composition and dynamics of Paris atmosphere. In this framework, multi-site measurements were performed during two intense particle pollution episodes which occurred in March 2016 and between November and December 2016. These two episodes were characterized by different meteorological conditions and different type of emission sources. Indeed, March episode was related to intense agricultural activities and high ammonium nitrate contribution to aerosol composition; while end of year episode was related to low wind speed, cold conditions and thin boundary layer which favoured the stagnation of locally emitted pollutants. This latter episode was characterized by large contribution of organics in aerosol composition. In this presentation, a study of these two episodes will be presented. We will first present the context and the OCAPI platform. Then, first results of dynamics and aerosol composition measurements will be shown to discuss the drivers of these two episodes. Finally conclusions will be drawn and perspectives will be given by presenting the objectives of the forthcoming EPPI project which will deal with the OCAPI platform measurement device.

Isolating the effects of reactivity stratification in reactivity-controlled compression ignition with iso-octane and n-heptane on a light-duty multi-cylinder engine

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

Wissink, Martin L.; Curran, Scott J.; Roberts, Greg

Reactivity-controlled compression ignition (RCCI) is a dual-fuel variant of low-temperature combustion that uses in-cylinder fuel stratification to control the rate of reactions occurring during combustion. Using fuels of varying reactivity (autoignition propensity), gradients of reactivity can be established within the charge, allowing for control over combustion phasing and duration for high efficiency while achieving low NO x and soot emissions. In practice, this is typically accomplished by premixing a low-reactivity fuel, such as gasoline, with early port or direct injection, and by direct injecting a high-reactivity fuel, such as diesel, at an intermediate timing before top dead center. Both themore » relative quantity and the timing of the injection(s) of high-reactivity fuel can be used to tailor the combustion process and thereby the efficiency and emissions under RCCI. While many combinations of high- and low-reactivity fuels have been successfully demonstrated to enable RCCI, there is a lack of fundamental understanding of what properties, chemical or physical, are most important or desirable for extending operation to both lower and higher loads and reducing emissions of unreacted fuel and CO. This is partly due to the fact that important variables such as temperature, equivalence ratio, and reactivity change simultaneously in both a local and a global sense with changes in the injection of the high-reactivity fuel. This study uses primary reference fuels iso-octane and n-heptane, which have similar physical properties but much different autoignition properties, to create both external and in-cylinder fuel blends that allow for the effects of reactivity stratification to be isolated and quantified. This study is part of a collaborative effort with researchers at Sandia National Laboratories who are investigating the same fuels and conditions of interest in an optical engine. Furthermore, this collaboration aims to improve our fundamental understanding of what fuel properties are required to further develop advanced combustion modes.« less

Isolating the effects of reactivity stratification in reactivity-controlled compression ignition with iso-octane and n-heptane on a light-duty multi-cylinder engine

DOE PAGES

Wissink, Martin L.; Curran, Scott J.; Roberts, Greg; ...

2017-10-09

Reactivity-controlled compression ignition (RCCI) is a dual-fuel variant of low-temperature combustion that uses in-cylinder fuel stratification to control the rate of reactions occurring during combustion. Using fuels of varying reactivity (autoignition propensity), gradients of reactivity can be established within the charge, allowing for control over combustion phasing and duration for high efficiency while achieving low NO x and soot emissions. In practice, this is typically accomplished by premixing a low-reactivity fuel, such as gasoline, with early port or direct injection, and by direct injecting a high-reactivity fuel, such as diesel, at an intermediate timing before top dead center. Both themore » relative quantity and the timing of the injection(s) of high-reactivity fuel can be used to tailor the combustion process and thereby the efficiency and emissions under RCCI. While many combinations of high- and low-reactivity fuels have been successfully demonstrated to enable RCCI, there is a lack of fundamental understanding of what properties, chemical or physical, are most important or desirable for extending operation to both lower and higher loads and reducing emissions of unreacted fuel and CO. This is partly due to the fact that important variables such as temperature, equivalence ratio, and reactivity change simultaneously in both a local and a global sense with changes in the injection of the high-reactivity fuel. This study uses primary reference fuels iso-octane and n-heptane, which have similar physical properties but much different autoignition properties, to create both external and in-cylinder fuel blends that allow for the effects of reactivity stratification to be isolated and quantified. This study is part of a collaborative effort with researchers at Sandia National Laboratories who are investigating the same fuels and conditions of interest in an optical engine. Furthermore, this collaboration aims to improve our fundamental understanding of what fuel properties are required to further develop advanced combustion modes.« less

High Pressure Low NOx Emissions Research: Recent Progress at NASA Glenn Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chi-Ming, Lee; Tacina, Kathleen M.; Wey, Changlie

2007-01-01

In collaboration with U.S. aircraft engine companies, NASA Glenn Research Center has contributed to the advancement of low emissions combustion systems. For the High Speed Research Program (HSR), a 90% reduction in nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions (relative to the then-current state of the art) has been demonstrated in sector rig testing at General Electric Aircraft Engines (GEAE). For the Advanced Subsonic Technology Program (AST), a 50% reduction in NOx emissions relative to the 1996 International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards has been at demonstrated in sector rigs at both GEAE and Pratt & Whitney (P&W). During the Ultra Efficient Engine Technology Program (UEET), a 70% reduction in NOx emissions, relative to the 1996 ICAO standards, was achieved in sector rig testing at Glenn in the world class Advanced Subsonic Combustion Rig (ASCR) and at contractor facilities. Low NOx combustor development continues under the Fundamental Aeronautics Program. To achieve these reductions, experimental and analytical research has been conducted to advance the understanding of emissions formation in combustion processes. Lean direct injection (LDI) concept development uses advanced laser-based non-intrusive diagnostics and analytical work to complement the emissions measurements and to provide guidance for concept improvement. This paper describes emissions results from flametube tests of a 9- injection-point LDI fuel/air mixer tested at inlet pressures up to 5500 kPa. Sample results from CFD and laser diagnostics are also discussed.

NASA Glenn High Pressure Low NOx Emissions Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tacina, Kathleen M.; Wey, Changlie

2008-01-01

In collaboration with U.S. aircraft engine companies, NASA Glenn Research Center has contributed to the advancement of low emissions combustion systems. For the High Speed Research Program (HSR), a 90% reduction in nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions (relative to the then-current state of the art) has been demonstrated in sector rig testing at General Electric Aircraft Engines (GEAE). For the Advanced Subsonic Technology Program (AST), a 50% reduction in NOx emissions relative to the 1996 International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards has been demonstrated in sector rigs at both GEAE and Pratt & Whitney (P&W). During the Ultra Efficient Engine Technology Program (UEET), a 70% reduction in NOx emissions, relative to the 1996 ICAO standards, was achieved in sector rig testing at Glenn in the world class Advanced Subsonic Combustion Rig (ASCR) and at contractor facilities. Low NOx combustor development continues under the Fundamental Aeronautics Program. To achieve these reductions, experimental and analytical research has been conducted to advance the understanding of emissions formation in combustion processes. Lean direct injection (LDI) concept development uses advanced laser-based non-intrusive diagnostics and analytical work to complement the emissions measurements and to provide guidance for concept improvement. This paper describes emissions results from flametube tests of a 9-injection-point LDI fuel/air mixer tested at inlet pressures up to 5500 kPa. Sample results from CFD and laser diagnostics are also discussed.

VLA radio upper limit on Type IIn Supernova 2008S

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandra, Poonam; Soderberg, Alicia

2008-02-01

Poonam Chandra and Alicia Soderberg report on behalf of a larger collaboration: We observed type IIn supernova SN 2008S (CBET 1234) with the Very Large Array (VLA) on 2008, February 10.62 UT. We do not detect any radio emission at the supernova position (CBET 1234). The flux density at the supernova position is -62 +/- 36 uJy.

Gaseous Emissions Results from a Three-Cup Flametube Test of a Third-Generation Swirl-Venturi Lean Direct Injection Combustion Concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tacina, Kathleen M.; Podboy, Derek P.; Lee, Phil; Dam, Bidhan

2017-01-01

This paper summarizes the development of lean direct injection (LDI) combustor technology at, or in collaboration with, the NASA Glenn Research Center. These configurations differ mainly in fuel-air mixing strategy. The paper reviews the NOx performance and operability characteristics of multiple LDI configurations tested at NASA Glenn.

A joint modelling exercise designed to assess the respective impact of emission changes and meteorological variability on the observed air quality trends in major urban hotspots.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colette, Augustin; Bessagnet, Bertrand; Dangiola, Ariela; D'Isidoro, Massimo; Gauss, Michael; Granier, Claire; Hodnebrog, Øivind; Jakobs, Hermann; Kanakidou, Maria; Khokhar, Fahim; Law, Kathy; Maurizi, Alberto; Meleux, Frederik; Memmesheimer, Michael; Nyiri, Agnes; Rouil, Laurence; Stordal, Frode; Tampieri, Francesco

2010-05-01

With the growth of urban agglomerations, assessing the drivers of variability of air quality in and around the main anthropogenic emission hotspots has become a major societal concern as well as a scientific challenge. These drivers include emission changes and meteorological variability; both of them can be investigated by means of numerical modelling of trends over the past few years. A collaborative effort has been developed in the framework of the CityZen European project to address this question. Several chemistry and transport models (CTMs) are deployed in this activity: four regional models (BOLCHEM, CHIMERE, EMEP and EURAD) and three global models (CTM2, MOZART, and TM4). The period from 1998 to 2007 has been selected for the historic reconstruction. The focus for the present preliminary presentation is Europe. A consistent set of emissions is used by all partners (EMEP for the European domain and IPCC-AR5 beyond) while a variety of meteorological forcing is used to gain robustness in the ensemble spread amongst models. The results of this experiment will be investigated to address the following questions: - Is the envelope of models able to reproduce the observed trends of the key chemical constituents? - How the variability amongst models changes in time and space and what does it tell us about the processes driving the observed trends? - Did chemical regimes and aerosol formation processes changed in selected hotspots? Answering the above questions will contribute to fulfil the ultimate goal of the present study: distinguishing the respective contribution of meteorological variability and emissions changes on air quality trends in major anthropogenic emissions hotspots.

Efficient generation of cavitation bubbles and reactive oxygen species using triggered high-intensity focused ultrasound sequence for sonodynamic treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yasuda, Jun; Yoshizawa, Shin; Umemura, Shin-ichiro

2016-07-01

Sonodynamic treatment is a method of treating cancer using reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by cavitation bubbles in collaboration with a sonosensitizer at a target tissue. In this treatment method, both localized ROS generation and ROS generation with high efficiency are important. In this study, a triggered high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) sequence, which consists of a short, extremely high intensity pulse immediately followed by a long, moderate-intensity burst, was employed for the efficient generation of ROS. In experiments, a solution sealed in a chamber was exposed to a triggered HIFU sequence. Then, the distribution of generated ROS was observed by the luminol reaction, and the amount of generated ROS was quantified using KI method. As a result, the localized ROS generation was demonstrated by light emission from the luminol reaction. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the triggered HIFU sequence has higher efficiency of ROS generation by both the KI method and the luminol reaction emission.

An Emission Measure Analysis of Stars Near the Transition Region Dividing Line

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Linsky, Jeffery L.

We request high dispersion, short wavelength IUE spectra for three of the stars beta Gem (K0III), alpha Tau (K5III), epsilon Gem (G81b) and beta Cam (G0Ib) with exposure times of 16 hours or greater. These data will allow the measurement of line profiles, widths and Doppler shifts as well as density sensitive and opacity sensitive line ratios. Models of chromospheric and transition region structure will be calculated by emission measure techniques and model atmosphere computations for optically thick resonance lines such as MgII h and k, including partial redistribution radiation transfer. The chromospheric models will be used to investigate the energy balance of the atmosphere and the nature of the energy deposition processes. These results will be considered in relation to the evolutionary status of the stars, and will be compared with the atmospheric model properties of other stars previously studied by the authors and their collaborators.

EPA's Sustainable Port Communities: Anticipating Changes in ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Port Communities Face Many Challenges: • Climate change – Sea Level Rise, Extreme Events: “Assets” become Vulnerabilities; Nuisance flooding; Changes in waste water and stormwater capacity; Changes in near-shore ecology and water quality • Port Expansion: Increasing multi-modal cargo transport, bigger ships; Energy use, transport; Invasive species; Homeland security; Increased development pressure (land use); Population growth • EJ Communities: Hazardous waste, cargo; Changes in emissions (amount, type, distribution) Changes in demographics, real estate values Disproportionately impacted by climate change • Competing Economic Interests Tourism and historical resources Protection of ecosystem services To make other federal agencies involved in resilience research aware of our study and to solicit collaboration.

Benefits of collaborative and comparative research on land use change and climate mitigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Zhiliang; Gong, Peng

2016-04-01

The world's two largest economies are also the latest greenhouse gas emitters. The United States is committed to reduce the net greenhouse gas emission by 28% below the 2005 level by 2025. Similarly China also announced significant climate mitigation steps at the Paris climate convention. These policy plans will require actions including reduction of GHG emissions as well as protection of carbon stored in biologic pools and increase of carbon sequestration by the natural ecosystems. Major drivers of ecosystem carbon sequestration and protection of existing carbon resources include land use, disturbances, and climate change. Recent studies indicate that vegetated ecosystems in the United States remain as a carbon sink but the sink is weakening due to increased disturbances (such as wildfire and harvesting) and aging of forests. Unique land use policies in China such as large-scale afforestation in the recent decades have reportedly led to significant increase in total forest area and aboveground biomass, although it is not clear to what degree the increase has translated to strengthened net uptake of atmospheric CO2 and the rate of sequestration by vegetated ecosystems. What lessons can we draw from different land management and land use practices in the U.S. and China that can benefit scientific advances and climate mitigation goals? Research conducted collaboratively by the U.S. Geological Survey and China Ministry of Science and Technology has led to improved techniques for tracking and modeling land use change and ecosystem disturbances and improved understanding of consequences of different land use change and management practices on ecosystem carbon sequestration capacities.

Perspectives on Fire Research Collaboration in Siberia: What Have We Learned; Why Does It Matter; and Where Do We Go from Here?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conard, S. G.

2010-12-01

My first experience of the vast taiga forests of Russia, and my first chance to meet and work with Russian fire researchers, was at a 1993 conference and field experiment planned jointly by Johann G. Goldammer from Germany and Valentin V. Furyaev from Russia. This meeting was the beginning of a long and fruitful collaboration among US, Canadian, and Russian fire scientists. We all became increasingly aware of the global signifiance of the circumpolar boreal zone, and of the need for better information on the extent and effects of boreal fires. Wildfires are the dominant disturbance regime in the Russian boreal zone, burning 10 to 20 million hectares per year. These fires are a significant source of CO2 and other greenhouse gases and aerosols. Our research team published some of the first remote-sensing based estimates of the extent of fire in Russia and of the potential variability in emissions that could result from different burning conditions. Through a series of 20 prescribed burns we were able to mimic a wide range of burning conditions and obtain information on the impacts on soils, vegetation, and fuel consumption. Based on these experimental fires, we have modeled the effects of weather and fuels on fuel consumption and other factors, and related fire characteristics to emissions, carbon stocks, and soil and vegetation processes. For the past 10 years, we have focused on the ecosystem effects of fires of varying severity in the Scots pine and mixed larch forests of central Siberia, on improved remote-sensing based estimates of burned area and fire effects, and on relating fire weather indices to fire potential and fuel consumption. Logging is an increasingly important disturbance in Russia’s forests, and logged sites, with their high fuel loads seem particularly susceptible to fire. We are currently studying interactions between logging and fire, with an emphasis on the differences in fuel consumption, emissions, and carbon stocks when fires burn in logged and unlogged areas. Fire activity and emissions are projected to increase substantially in the boreal zone as climate warms. We are currently working to develop a 30-yr fire record for Siberia based on satellite data. We will integrate these data with historic fire weather, emissions, and vegetation data to estimate fuel consumption and emissions from fires in Siberia from 1980 to 2010. We will reconstruct past fire regimes using dendrochronology data for selected sub-regions. The relationships derived through this work will provide a basis for projecting the future effects of changing climate on fire patterns, emissions and carbon cycle in Siberia. This project will provide critical information for input to global change models and for analysis of the regional and global impacts of changing fire regimes in the boreal zone.

Discovery of Very High Energy Gamma-Ray Emission from Rbs 0723 with the Magic Telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirzoyan, Razmik

2014-01-01

The MAGIC collaboration reports the discovery of very high energy (VHE; E>100 GeV) gamma-ray emission from RBS 0723 (RA: 08:47:12.9 DEC: +11:33:50, J2000.0) RBS 0723 is a BL Lac object at redshift z=0.198. The source has been detected by Fermi-LAT, in the Second Fermi-LAT source Catalogue (2FGL; Nolan et al. 2012) with F(>1 GeV) = (5.3+-1.2)e-10 cm^-2 s^-1 and with photon index 1.48+-0.16. It also belongs to the first Fermi-LAT catalog of >10 GeV sources (1FHL; Ackermann et al, 2013), showing a hard (photon index = 1.4 +- 0.4) and bright (photon flux = 9.6e-11 ph cm^-2 s^-1) emission above 10 GeV, and identified as a good candidate for VHE detection.

Integrated Dynamic Gloabal Modeling of Land Use, Energy and Economic Growth

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

Atul Jain, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL

2009-10-14

The overall objective of this collaborative project is to integrate an existing general equilibrium energy-economic growth model with a biogeochemical cycles and biophysical models in order to more fully explore the potential contribution of land use-related activities to future emissions scenarios. Land cover and land use change activities, including deforestation, afforestation, and agriculture management, are important source of not only CO2, but also non-CO2 GHGs. Therefore, contribution of land-use emissions to total emissions of GHGs is important, and consequently their future trends are relevant to the estimation of climate change and its mitigation. This final report covers the full projectmore » period of the award, beginning May 2006, which includes a sub-contract to Brown University later transferred to the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) when Co-PI Brian O'Neill changed institutional affiliations.« less

Pulsar observations with the MAGIC telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fidalgo, David

2016-07-01

The vast majority of spectra of gamma-ray pulsars exhibit an exponential cut-off at a few GeV, as seen by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board of the Fermi satellite. Due to this cut-off, current Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) with an energy threshold as low as 30 GeV, struggle to detect pulsars. So far, emission above 50 GeV has been confirmed only for the Crab and Vela pulsars. In the case of the former, the spectrum even extends up to about 1 TeV firmly revealing a second emission component. To further understand the emission mechanism of gamma-ray pulsars, the MAGIC collaboration continues the search of pulsars above 50 GeV. In this talk we report on recent results on the Crab and Geminga Pulsar obtained with the MAGIC telescopes, including the analysis of data taken with a new trigger system lowering the energy threshold of the MAGIC telescopes.

High-Energy Solar Energetic Particles & Long Duration Gamma-Ray Flares — Is there a Connection?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Nolfo, G. A.; Boezio, M.; Bruno, A.; Christian, E. R.; Martucci, M.; Mergè, M.; Mocchiutti, E.; Munini, R.; Ricci, M.; Ryan, J. M.; Share, G. H.; Stochaj, S.

2016-12-01

Little is known about the origin of the high-energy and sustained emission from Long Duration Gamma-Ray Flares (LDGRFs), identified with Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (CGRO), the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM), and now Fermi. Though Fermi/LAT has identified dozens of flares with LDGRF emission, the nature of this emission has been a challenge to explain both due to the extreme energies and long durations. The highest energy emission has generally been attributed to pion production from the interaction of high-energy protons with the ambient matter, suggesting that particle acceleration occurs over large volumes extending high in the corona, either from stochastic acceleration within large coronal loops or from back precipitation from CME-driven shocks. It is possible to test these models by making direct comparisons between the accelerated ion population at the flare derived from the observations of Fermi/LAT with PAMELA measurements of solar energetic particles in the energy range corresponding to the pion-related emission observed with Fermi. For nine SEP events, we compare the two populations (SEPs in space and the interacting population at the Sun) and discuss the implications in terms of the contending theories for LDGF emission. On behalf of the PAMELA Collaboration

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

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines (Co-Optima) initiative is accelerating the introduction of affordable, scalable, and sustainable fuels and high-efficiency, low-emission engines with a first-of-its-kind effort to simultaneously tackle fuel and engine research and development (R&D). This report summarizes accomplishments in the first year of the project. Co-Optima is conducting concurrent research to identify the fuel properties and engine design characteristics needed to maximize vehicle performance and affordability, while deeply cutting emissions. Nine national laboratories - the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Argonne, Idaho, Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, Pacific Northwest, andmore » Sandia National Laboratories - are collaborating with industry and academia on this groundbreaking research.« less

Common Methodology for Efficient Airspace Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sridhar, Banavar

2012-01-01

Topics include: a) Developing a common methodology to model and avoid disturbances affecting airspace. b) Integrated contrails and emission models to a national level airspace simulation. c) Developed capability to visualize, evaluate technology and alternate operational concepts and provide inputs for policy-analysis tools to reduce the impact of aviation on the environment. d) Collaborating with Volpe Research Center, NOAA and DLR to leverage expertise and tools in aircraft emissions and weather/climate modeling. Airspace operations is a trade-off balancing safety, capacity, efficiency and environmental considerations. Ideal flight: Unimpeded wind optimal route with optimal climb and descent. Operations degraded due to reduction in airport and airspace capacity caused by inefficient procedures and disturbances.

Radio detection of SN 2006jd with the VLA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandra, Poonam; Soderberg, Alicia

2007-11-01

Poonam Chandra and Alicia Soderberg report on behalf of a larger collaboration: We observed Type IIn supernova SN 2006jd (CBET 673), recently shown to be very bright in X-rays (ATel 1290), with the VLA in 8.46 GHz band on 2007, November 21.28 UT. We detect radio emission at the SN position (IAUC 8762) with the flux density of 238 +/- 40 uJy.

N+3 Aircraft Concept Designs and Trade Studies. Volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greitzer, E. M.; Bonnefoy, P. A.; DelaRosaBlanco, E.; Dorbian, C. S.; Drela, M.; Hall, D. K.; Hansman, R. J.; Hileman, J. I.; Liebeck, R. H.; Levegren, J.;

AIR Louisville: Addressing Asthma With Technology, Crowdsourcing, Cross-Sector Collaboration, And Policy.

PubMed

Barrett, Meredith; Combs, Veronica; Su, Jason G; Henderson, Kelly; Tuffli, Michael

2018-04-01

Cross-sector partnerships benefit public health by leveraging ideas, resources, and expertise from a wide range of partners. In this study we documented the process and impact of AIR Louisville (a collaboration forged among the Louisville Metro Government, a nonprofit institute, and a technology company) in successfully tackling a complex public health challenge: asthma. We enrolled residents of Louisville, Kentucky, with asthma and used electronic inhaler sensors to monitor where and when they used medication. We found that the use of the digital health platform achieved positive clinical outcomes, including a 78 percent reduction in rescue inhaler use and a 48 percent improvement in symptom-free days. Moreover, the crowdsourced real-world data on inhaler use, combined with environmental data, led to policy recommendations including enhancing tree canopy, tree removal mitigation, zoning for air pollution emission buffers, recommended truck routes, and developing a community asthma notification system. AIR Louisville represents a model that can be replicated to address many public health challenges by simultaneously guiding individual, clinical, and policy decisions.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Study of Aerosol Sources and Processing at the GVAX Pantnagar Supersite

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

Thornton, Joel A.; Worsnop, Douglas

2016-09-22

This project was part of a collaborative campaign, including the participation of scientists from seven research groups as part of the Winter Intensive Operating Period (January-February 2012) of the Clean Air for London (ClearfLo) campaign at a rural site in Detling, UK, 45 km southeast of central London to study wintertime sources of urban particulate matter. The UW contribution by PI Thornton’s group was to make the first deployment of a chemical ionization mass spectrometer instrument (MOVI-CI-ToFMS) to measure both particle and gas phase organic acids. The new instrument ran nearly continuously during the ClearfLo WINTER IOP at the Detlingmore » site, producing a first-ever data set of molecular composition information that can be used for source apportionment and process studies. The UW group published a paper in Environmental Science and Technology and contributed to another (Bohnenstengel et al BAMS 2015) detailing a direct molecular connection between biomass/biofuel burning particles and aerosol light absorption. The ES&T paper (Mohr, et al ES&T 2013) has received 42 citations in just 3 years indicative of its significant impact on the field. These measurements of urban and rural aerosol properties will contribute to improved modeling of regional aerosol emissions, and of atmospheric aging and removal.« less

Retrieval of tropospheric profiles from IR emission spectra: preliminary results with the DBIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Theriault, Jean-Marc; Anderson, Gail P.; Chetwynd, James H., Jr.; Murphy, Randall E.; Turner, Vernon; Cloutier, M.; Smith, A.; Moncet, Jean-Luc

1993-11-01

Recently, Smith and collaborators from University of Wisconsin-Madison have clearly established the possibilities of sounding tropospheric temperature and water vapor profiles with a ground-based uplooking interferometer. With the same perspective but for somewhat different applications, the Defence Research Establishment Valcartier (DREV) has initiated a project with the aim of exploring the many possible avenues of similar approaches. DREV, in collaboration with BOMEM (Quebec, Canada), has developed an instrument referred to as the Double Beam Interferometer Sounder (DBIS). This sounder has been conceived to match the needs encountered in many remote sensing scenarios: slant path capability, small field of view, very wide spectral coverage, and high spectral resolution. Preliminary tests with the DBIS have shown sufficient accuracy for remote sensing applications. In a series of field measurements, jointly organized by the Geophysics Directorate/PL, Hanscom AFB, and DREV, the instrument has been run in a wide variety of sky conditions. Several atmospheric emission spectra recorded with the sounder have been compared to calculations with FASCODE and MODTRAN models. The quality of measurement-model comparisons has prompted the development of an inversion algorithm based on these codes. The purpose of this paper is to report the recent progress achieved in this research. First, the design and operation of the instrument are reviewed. Second, recent field measurements of atmospheric emission spectra are analyzed and compared to models predictions. Finally, the simultaneous retrieval approach selected for the inversion of DBIS spectra to obtain temperature and water vapor profiles is described and preliminary results are presented.

Quantitative assessment of industrial VOC emissions in China: Historical trend, spatial distribution, uncertainties, and projection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Chenghang; Shen, Jiali; Zhang, Yongxin; Huang, Weiwei; Zhu, Xinbo; Wu, Xuecheng; Chen, Linghong; Gao, Xiang; Cen, Kefa

2017-02-01

The temporal trends of industrial volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions was comprehensively summarized for the 2011 to 2013 period, and the projections for 2020 to 2050 for China were set. The results demonstrate that industrial VOC emissions in China increased from 15.3 Tg in 2011 to 29.4 Tg in 2013 at an annual average growth rate of 38.3%. Guangdong (3.45 Tg), Shandong (2.85 Tg), and Jiangsu (2.62 Tg) were the three largest contributors collectively accounting for 30.4% of the national total emissions in 2013. The top three average industrial VOC emissions per square kilometer were Shanghai (247.2 ton/km2), Tianjin (62.8 ton/km2), and Beijing (38.4 ton/km2), which were 12-80 times of the average level in China. The data from the inventory indicate that the use of VOC-containing products, as well as the production and use of VOCs as raw materials, as well as for storage and transportation contributed 75.4%, 10.3%, 9.1%, and 5.2% of the total emissions, respectively. ArcGIS was used to display the remarkable spatial distribution variation by allocating the emission into 1 km × 1 km grid cells with a population as surrogate indexes. Combined with future economic development and population change, as well as implementation of policy and upgrade of control technologies, three scenarios (scenarios A, B, and C) were set to project industrial VOC emissions for the years 2020, 2030, and 2050, which present the industrial VOC emissions in different scenarios and the potential of reducing emissions. Finally, the result shows that the collaborative control policies considerably influenced industrial VOC emissions.

Source apportionment of surface ozone in the Yangtze River Delta, China in the summer of 2013

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, L.; An, J. Y.; Shi, Y. Y.; Zhou, M.; Yan, R. S.; Huang, C.; Wang, H. L.; Lou, S. R.; Wang, Q.; Lu, Q.; Wu, J.

2016-11-01

We applied ozone source apportionment technology (OSAT) with tagged tracers coupled within the Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions (CAMx) to study the region and source category contribution to surface ozone in the Yangtze River Delta area in summer of 2013. Results indicate that the daytime ozone concentrations in the YRD region are influenced by emissions both locally, regionally and super-regionally. At urban Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou receptors, the ozone formation is mainly VOC-limited, precursor emissions form Zhejiang province dominate their O3 concentrations. At the junction area among two provinces and Shanghai city, the ozone is usually influenced by all the three areas. The daily max O3 at the Dianshan Lake in July are contributed by Zhejiang (48.5%), Jiangsu (11.7%), Anhui (11.6%) and Shanghai (7.4%), long-range transport constitutes around 20.9%. At Chongming site, the BVOC emissions rate is higher than urban region. Regional contribution results show that Shanghai constitutes 15.6%, Jiangsu contributes 16.2% and Zhejiang accounts for 25.5% of the daily max O3. The analysis of the source category contribution to high ozone in the Yangtze River Delta region indicates that the most significant anthropogenic emission source sectors contributing to O3 pollution include industry, vehicle exhaust, although the effects vary with source sector and selected pollution episodes. Emissions of NOx and VOCs emitted from the fuel combustion of industrial boilers and kilns, together with VOCs emissions from industrial process contribute a lot to the high concentrations in urban Hangzhou, Suzhou and Shanghai. The contribution from regional elevated power plants cannot be neglected, especially to Dianshan Lake. Fugitive emissions of volatile pollution sources also have certain contribution to regional O3. These results indicate that the regional collaboration is of most importance to reduce ambient ozone pollution, particularly during high ozone episodes.

The travel-related carbon dioxide emissions of atmospheric researchers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stohl, A.

2008-11-01

Most atmospheric scientists agree that greenhouse gas emissions have already caused significant changes to the global climate system and that these changes will accelerate in the near future. At the same time, atmospheric scientists who like other scientists rely on international collaboration and information exchange travel a lot and, thereby, cause substantial emissions of CO2. In this paper, the CO2 emissions of the employees working at an atmospheric research institute (the Norwegian Institute for Air Research, NILU) caused by all types of business travel (conference visits, workshops, field campaigns, instrument maintainance, etc.) were calculated for the years 2005 2007. It is estimated that more than 90% of the emissions were caused by air travel, 3% by ground travel and 5% by hotel usage. The travel-related annual emissions were between 1.9 and 2.4 t CO2 per employee or between 3.9 and 5.5 t CO2 per scientist. For comparison, the total annual per capita CO2 emissions are 4.5 t worldwide, 1.2 t for India, 3.8 t for China, 5.9 t for Sweden and 19.1 t for Norway. The travel-related CO2 emissions of a NILU scientist, occurring in 24 days of a year on average, exceed the global average annual per capita emission. Norway's per-capita CO2 emissions are among the highest in the world, mostly because of the emissions from the oil industry. If the emissions per NILU scientist derived in this paper are taken as representative for the average Norwegian researcher, travel by Norwegian scientists would nevertheless account for a substantial 0.2% of Norway's total CO2 emissions. Since most of the travel-related emissions are due to air travel, water vapor emissions, ozone production and contrail formation further increase the relative importance of NILU's travel in terms of radiative forcing.

The travel-related carbon dioxide emissions of atmospheric researchers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stohl, A.

2008-04-01

Most atmospheric scientists agree that greenhouse gas emissions have already caused significant changes to the global climate system and that these changes will accelerate in the near future. At the same time, atmospheric scientists who - like other scientists - rely on international collaboration and information exchange travel a lot and, thereby, cause substantial emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). In this paper, the CO2 emissions of the employees working at an atmospheric research institute (the Norwegian Institute for Air Research, NILU) caused by all types of business travel (conference visits, workshops, field campaigns, instrument maintainance, etc.) were calculated for the years 2005-2007. It is estimated that more than 90% of the emissions were caused by air travel, 3% by ground travel and 5% by hotel usage. The travel-related annual emissions were between 1.9 and 2.4 t CO2 per employee or between 3.9 and 5.5 t CO2 per scientist. For comparison, the total annual per capita CO2 emissions are 4.5 t worldwide, 1.2 t for India, 3.8 t for China, 5.9 t for Sweden and 19.1 t for Norway. The travel-related CO2 emissions of a NILU scientist, occurring in 24 days of a year on average, exceed the global average annual per capita emission. Norway's per-capita CO2 emissions are among the highest in the world, mostly because of the emissions from the oil industry. If the emissions per NILU scientist derived in this paper are taken as representative for the average Norwegian researcher, travel by Norwegian scientists would nevertheless account for a substantial 0.2% of Norway's total CO2 emissions. Since most of the travel-related emissions are due to air travel, water vapor emissions, ozone production and contrail formation further increase the relative importance of NILU's travel in terms of radiative forcing.

ORNL diagnostic and modeling development for LAPD ICRF experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isler, R. C.; Caughman, J. B. O.; Lau, C.; Martin, E. H.; Perkins, R. J.; Compernolle, B. Van; Vincena, S.; Tripathi, S. K. P.; Gekelman, W.

2017-10-01

PPPL, UCLA, and ORNL scientists have recently collaborated on a three week ICRF campaign at the upgraded LAPD device to study near field-plasma interactions associated with a single strap antenna driven at 2.38 MHz with 100 kW of RF power. This poster highlights ORNL involvement through implementation of the following diagnostics: an optical emission probe to measure neutral density, a retarding field energy analyzer to measure fast ions, phase locked imaging to measure line integrated RF-driven optical emission fluctuations, and an RF compensated triple Langmuir probe to measure density and temperature. To interpret the results of the experimental campaign a 3D cold plasma finite element model with realistic antenna and vacuum vessel geometry was developed in COMSOL. A summary of these results will be discussed. Highlights include a proof of principle localized and spatially resolved measurement of the neutral density, a strong increase in RF-driven optical emission fluctuations directly in front of the RF antenna strap, a shift in fast ion energies near the plasma edge, and qualitative agreement between the COMSOL cold plasma model with the various diagnostics. Funded by the DOE OFES (DE-AC05-00OR22725, DE-AC02-09CH11466, and DE-FC02-07ER54918) and the Univ. of California (12-LR-237124).

TeV γ-ray fluxes from the long campaigns on Mrk 421 as constraints on the emission of TeV-PeV neutrinos and UHECRs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fraija, N.; Marinelli, A.

2015-10-01

Long TeV γ-ray campaigns have been carried out to study the spectrum, variability and duty cycle of the BL Lac object Markarian 421. These campaigns have given some evidence of the presence of protons in the jet: (i) Its spectral energy distribution which shows two main peaks; one at low energies (∼1 keV) and the other at high energies (hundreds of GeV), has been described by using synchrotron proton blazar model. (ii) The study of the variability at GeV γ-rays and X-rays has indicated no significant correlation. (iii) TeV γ-ray detections without activity in X-rays, called "orphan flares" have been observed in this object. Recently, The Telescope Array Collaboration reported the arrival of 72 ultra-high-energy cosmic rays with some of them possibly related to the direction of Markarian 421. The IceCube Collaboration reported the detection of 37 extraterrestrial neutrinos in the TeV-PeV energy range collected during three consecutive years. In particular, no neutrino track events were associated with this source. In this paper, we consider the proton-photon interactions to correlate the TeV γ-ray fluxes reported by long campaigns with the neutrino and ultra-high-energy cosmic ray observations around this blazar. Considering the results reported by The IceCube and Telescope Array Collaborations, we found that only from ∼25% to 70% of TeV fluxes described with a power law function with exponential cutoff can come from the proton-photon interactions.

Mission 2020: A collaborative platform for decarbonisation strategy and delivery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Higham, A.

2016-12-01

Mission 2020, under the leadership of Christiana Figueres, is a new type of collaborative venture that brings together institutions, governments and leaders of all kinds with the commitment to drive down global emission by 2020 in line with 1.5-degree C pathways in the interests of developing countries and the protection of the most vulnerable everywhere. Mission 2020 is a collaborative platform for sharpening and aligning strategies for change, and we invite all to contribute. In driving this change Mission 2020 targets two mutually reinforcing objectives. We aim to shift attitudes to and generate the enabling conditions for change by influencing thought leaders while also bending the curve of global emissions targeting the most critical tipping points and mobilizing the right stakeholders to achieve breakthroughs and shift investment patterns in rapidly accelerated timeframes. Many believe this is not possible. It is admittedly a moonshot, but just 2 years ago, so was as a credible long term goal in the Paris Agreement. Attitude for change matters. Mission 2020 is targeting material breakthroughs in 15 to 20 critical areas by 2020 that will collectively tip us over the edge of global peaking, and will encourage governments and all actors to raise their own ambitions under the Paris Agreement. This can be achieved both through the sustained focus of the right institutions and resources who together hold the keys to unlocking the issue, and also through the mobilization of leaders from across the globe who understand the urgency of peaking by 2020 and will commit to using their time and positions to unblock problems and advance issues as needed. Uniquely, the heart of this network will feature distinguished and committed women.

Interdisciplinary research in global biogeochemical cycling Nitrous oxide in terrestrial ecosystems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norman, S. D.; Peterson, D. L.

1984-01-01

NASA has begun an interdisciplinary research program to investigate various aspects of Global Biology and Global Habitability. An important element selected for the study of global phenomena is related to biogeochemical cycling. The studies involve a collaboration with recognized scientists in the areas of plant physiology, microbiology, nutrient cycling theory, and related areas. Selected subjects of study include nitrogen cycling dynamics in terrestrial ecosystems with special attention to biosphere/atmosphere interactions, and an identification of sensitive response variables which can be used in ecosystem models based on parameters derived from remotely sensed variables. A description is provided of the progress and findings over the past two years. Attention is given to the characteristics of nitrous oxide emissions, the approach followed in the investigations, the selection of study sites, radiometric measurements, and research in Sequoia.

Regulated and unregulated emissions from highway heavy-duty diesel engines complying with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2007 emissions standards.

PubMed

Khalek, Imad A; Bougher, Thomas L; Merritt, Patrick M; Zielinska, Barbara

2011-04-01

As part of the Advanced Collaborative Emissions Study (ACES), regulated and unregulated exhaust emissions from four different 2007 model year U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-compliant heavy-duty highway diesel engines were measured on an engine dynamometer. The engines were equipped with exhaust high-efficiency catalyzed diesel particle filters (C-DPFs) that are actively regenerated or cleaned using the engine control module. Regulated emissions of carbon monoxide, nonmethane hydrocarbons, and particulate matter (PM) were on average 97, 89, and 86% lower than the 2007 EPA standard, respectively, and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) were on average 9% lower. Unregulated exhaust emissions of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions were on, average 1.3 and 2.8 times higher than the NO, emissions reported in previous work using 1998- and 2004-technology engines, respectively. However, compared with other work performed on 1994- to 2004-technology engines, average emission reductions in the range of 71-99% were observed for a very comprehensive list of unregulated engine exhaust pollutants and air toxic contaminants that included metals and other elements, elemental carbon (EC), inorganic ions, and gas- and particle-phase volatile and semi-volatile organic carbon (OC) compounds. The low PM mass emitted from the 2007 technology ACES engines was composed mainly of sulfate (53%) and OC (30%), with a small fraction of EC (13%) and metals and other elements (4%). The fraction of EC is expected to remain small, regardless of engine operation, because of the presence of the high-efficiency C-DPF in the exhaust. This is different from typical PM composition of pre-2007 engines with EC in the range of 10-90%, depending on engine operation. Most of the particles emitted from the 2007 engines were mainly volatile nuclei mode in the sub-30-nm size range. An increase in volatile nanoparticles was observed during C-DPF active regeneration, during which the observed particle number was similar to that observed in emissions of pre-2007 engines. However, on average, when combining engine operation with and without active regeneration events, particle number emissions with the 2007 engines were 90% lower than the particle number emitted from a 2004-technology engine tested in an earlier program.

International Collaboration in Satellite Observations for Disaster Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duda, Kenneth A.; Abrams, Michael

2012-01-01

When lives are threatened or lost due to catastrophic disasters, and when massive financial impacts are experienced, international emergency response teams rapidly mobilize to provide urgently required support. Satellite observations of affected areas often provide essential insight into the magnitude and details of the impacts. The large cost and high complexity of developing and operating satellite flight and ground systems encourages international collaboration in acquiring imagery for such significant global events in order to speed delivery of critical information to help those affected, and optimize spectral, spatial, and temporal coverage of the areas of interest. The International Charter-Space and Major Disasters was established to enable such collaboration in sensor tasking during times of crisis and is often activated in response to calls for assistance from authorized users. Insight is provided from a U.S. perspective into sensor support for Charter activations and other disaster events through a description of the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), which has been used to support emergency situations for over a decade through its expedited tasking and near real-time data delivery capabilities. Examples of successes achieved and challenges encountered in international collaboration to develop related systems and fulfill tasking requests suggest operational considerations for new missions as well as areas for future enhancements.

(Sub)millimeter emission lines of molecules in born-again stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tafoya, D.; Toalá, J. A.; Vlemmings, W. H. T.; Guerrero, M. A.; De Beck, E.; González, M.; Kimeswenger, S.; Zijlstra, A. A.; Sánchez-Monge, Á.; Treviño-Morales, S. P.

2017-04-01

Context. Born-again stars provide a unique possibility to study the evolution of the circumstellar envelope of evolved stars in human timescales. Up until now, most of the observations of the circumstellar material in these stars have been limited to studying the relatively hot gas and dust. In other evolved stars, the emission from rotational transitions of molecules, such as CO, is commonly used to study the cool component of their circumstellar envelopes. Thus, the detection and study of molecular gas in born-again stars is of great importance when attempting to understand their composition and chemical evolution. In addition, the molecular emission is an invaluable tool for exploring the physical conditions, kinematics, and formation of asymmetric structures in the circumstellar envelopes of these evolved stars. However, up until now, all attempts to detect molecular emission from the cool material around born-again stars have failed. Aims: We searched for emission from rotational transitions of molecules in the hydrogen-deficient circumstellar envelopes of born-again stars to explore the chemical composition, kinematics, and physical parameters of the relatively cool gas. Methods: We carried out observations using the APEX and IRAM 30 m telescopes to search for molecular emission toward four well-studied born-again stars, V4334 Sgr, V605 Aql, A30, and A78, that are thought to represent an evolutionary sequence. Results: For the first time, we detected emission from HCN and H13CN molecules toward V4334 Sgr, and CO emission in V605 Aql. No molecular emission was detected above the noise level toward A30 and A78. The detected lines exhibit broad linewidths ≳150 km s-1, which indicates that the emission comes from gas ejected during the born-again event, rather than from the old planetary nebula. A first estimate of the H12CN/H13CN abundance ratio in the circumstellar environment of V4334 Sgr is ≈3, which is similar to the value of the 12C/13C ratio measured from other observations. We derived a rotational temperature of Trot = 13 ± 1 K, and a total column density of NHCN = 1.6 ± 0.1 × 1016 cm-2 for V4334 Sgr. This result sets a lower limit on the amount of hydrogen that was ejected into the wind during the born-again event of this source. For V605 Aql, we obtained a lower limit for the integrated line intensities I12CO/I13CO> 4. This publication is based on data acquired with the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) and IRAM 30 m telescopes. APEX is a collaboration between the Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, the European Southern Observatory, and the Onsala Space Observatory. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain).

VLA radio upper limit on Type IIn Supernova 2007pk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandra, Poonam; Soderberg, Alicia

2007-11-01

Poonam Chandra and Alicia Soderberg report on behalf of a larger collaboration: We observed Type IIn supernova SN 2007pk (CBET 1129) with the VLA in 8.46 GHz band on 2007, November 12.20 UT, 1.89 days since discovery (CBET 1129). We do not detect radio emission from the SN position (CBET 1129). The flux density at the SN position is 11 +/-26 uJy.

Investigating the Fundamental Scientific Issues Affecting the Long-term Geologic Storage of Carbon Dioxide

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

Spangler, Lee; Cunningham, Alfred; Barnhart, Elliot

2014-12-19

The Zero Emissions Research and Technology (ZERT) collaborative was formed to address basic science and engineering knowledge gaps relevant to geologic carbon sequestration. The original funding round of ZERT (ZERT I) identified and addressed many of these gaps. ZERT II has focused on specific science and technology areas identified in ZERT I that showed strong promise and needed greater effort to fully develop.

21st Century Truck Partnership 2013 Fall Meeting Summary Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-01-14

unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT Medium - and heavy-duty vehicles serve as the backbone of America?s economy playing a vital role in moving...related to medium -duty and heavy-duty truck efficiency safety, and emissions by pursuing collaborative research and development among government and...Statement A. Approved for public release. 2   ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Medium - and heavy-duty vehicles serve as the backbone of America’s economy

LP DAAC MEaSUREs Project Artifact Tracking Via the NASA Earthdata Collaboration Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bennett, S. D.

2015-12-01

The Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC) is a NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) Data and Information System (EOSDIS) DAAC that supports selected EOS Community non-standard data products such as the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Global Emissivity Database (GED), and also supports NASA Earth Science programs such as Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments (MEaSUREs) to contribute in providing long-term, consistent, and mature data products. As described in The LP DAAC Project Lifecycle Plan (Daucsavage, J.; Bennett, S., 2014), key elements within the Project Inception Phase fuse knowledge between NASA stakeholders, data producers, and NASA data providers. To support and deliver excellence for NASA data stewardship, and to accommodate long-tail data preservation with Community and MEaSUREs products, the LP DAAC is utilizing NASA's own Earthdata Collaboration Environment to bridge stakeholder communication divides. By leveraging a NASA supported platform, this poster describes how the Atlassian Confluence software combined with a NASA URS/Earthdata support can maintain each project's members, status, documentation, and artifact checklist. Furthermore, this solution provides a gateway for project communities to become familiar with NASA clients, as well as educating the project's NASA DAAC Scientists for NASA client distribution.

Rubbertown NGEM Demonstration Project Planning meetings ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

From the shared perspective of industrial facilities, workers, regulators, and communities, cost-effective detection and assessment of significant onset fugitive leaks or process issues, is a mutually beneficial concept. If emissions that require mitigation can be detected and fixed quickly, benefits such as safer working environments, cost saving through reduced product loss, lower air shed pollutant impacts, and improved transparency and community relations can be realized. Under its next generation emission measurement program (NGEM), EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD), National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL) is working collaboratively with industry, instrument /information companies, state and local agencies, communities, and academic groups to explore new technical approaches for non-point source detection and migration. Techniques such as mobile and fixed point sensors and passive samplers employed on various spatial scales are being explored. With collaboration of the project team including EPA R4, the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District (LMAPCD), industrial facilities, and contractors to the EPA, a select subset of these NGEM approaches will be demonstrated in this project as per the quality assurance project plan. From April 17-20, 2017, E. Thoma will travel to Louisville KY to work with the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District (LMAPCD) and other parties for planning activities related to the

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

Gray, T. K.; Biewer, T. M.; Maingi, R.

There has been a long-standing collaboration between ORNL and PPPL on edge and boundary layer physics. As part of this collaboration, ORNL has a large role in the instrumentation and interpretation of edge physics in the lithium tokamak experiment (LTX). In particular, a charge exchange recombination spectroscopy (CHERS) diagnostic is being designed and undergoing staged testing on LTX. Here we present results of passively measured lithium emission at 5166.89 A in LTX in anticipation of active spectroscopy measurements, which will be enabled by the installation of a neutral beam in 2013. Preliminary measurements are made in transient LTX plasmas withmore » plasma current, I{sub p} < 70 kA, ohmic heating power, P{sub oh}{approx} 0.3 MW and discharge lifetimes of 10-15 ms. Measurements are made with a short focal length spectrometer and optics similar to the CHERS diagnostics on NSTX [R. E. Bell, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 68(2), 1273-1280 (1997)]. These preliminary measurements suggest that even without the neutral beam for active spectroscopy, there is sufficient passive lithium emission to allow for line-of-sight profile measurements of ion temperature, T{sub i}; toroidal velocity and v{sub t}. Results show peak T{sub i} = 70 eV and peak v{sub t} = 45 km/s were reached 10 ms into the discharge.« less

Observation of Repetition-Rate Dependent Emission From an Un-Gated Thermionic Cathode Rf Gun

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

Edelen, J. P.; Sun, Y.; Harris, J.R.

Recent work at Fermilab in collaboration with the Advanced Photon Source and members of other national labs, designed an experiment to study the relationship between the RF repetition rate and the average current per RF pulse. While existing models anticipate a direct relationship between these two parameters we observed an inverse relationship. We believe this is a result of damage to the barium coating on the cathode surface caused by a change in back-bombardment power that is unaccounted for in the existing theories. These observations shed new light on the challenges and fundamental limitations associated with scaling an ungated thermionicmore » cathode RF gun to high average current.« less

A modeling study of coarse particulate matter pollution in Beijing: regional source contributions and control implications for the 2008 summer Olympics

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

Litao Wang; Jiming Hao; Kebin He

In the last 10 yr, Beijing has made a great effort to improve its air quality. However, it is still suffering from regional coarse particulate matter (PM10) pollution that could be a challenge to the promise of clean air during the 2008 Olympics. To provide scientific guidance on regional air pollution control, the Mesoscale Modeling System Generation 5 (MM5) and the Models-3/Community Multiscale Air Quality Model (CMAQ) air quality modeling system was used to investigate the contributions of emission sources outside the Beijing area to pollution levels in Beijing. The contributions to the PM10 concentrations in Beijing were assessed formore » the following sources: power plants, industry, domestic sources, transportation, agriculture, and biomass open burning. In January, it is estimated that on average 22% of the PM10 concentrations can be attributed to outside sources, of which domestic and industrial sources contributed 37 and 31%, respectively. In August, as much as 40% of the PM10 concentrations came from regional sources, of which approximately 41% came from industry and 31% from power plants. However, the synchronous analysis of the hourly concentrations, regional contributions, and wind vectors indicates that in the heaviest pollution periods the local emission sources play a more important role. The implications are that long-term control strategies should be based on regional-scale collaborations, and that emission abatement of local sources may be more effective in lowering the PM10 concentration levels on the heavy pollution days. Better air quality can be attained during the Olympics by placing effective emission controls on the local sources in Beijing and by controlling emissions from industry and power plants in the surrounding regions. 44 refs., 6 figs., 3 tabs.« less

High excitation rovibrational molecular analysis in warm environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ziwei; Stancil, Phillip C.; Cumbee, Renata; Ferland, Gary J.

2017-06-01

Inspired by advances in infrared observation (e.g., Spitzer, Herschel and ALMA), we investigate rovibrational emission CO and SiO in warm astrophysical environments. With recent innovation in collisional rate coefficients and rescaling methods, we are able to construct more comprehensive collisional data with high rovibrational states (vibration up to v=5 and rotation up to J=40) and multiple colliders (H2, H and He). These comprehensive data sets are used in spectral simulations with the radiative transfer codes RADEX and Cloudy. We obtained line ratio diagnostic plots and line spectra for both near- and far-infrared emission lines over a broad range of density and temperature for the case of a uniform medium. Considering the importance of both molecules in probing conditions and activities of UV-irradiated interstellar gas, we model rovibrational emission in photodissociation region (PDR) and AGB star envelopes (such as VY Canis Majoris, IK Tau and IRC +10216) with Cloudy. Rotational diagrams, energy distribution diagrams, and spectra are produced to examine relative state abundances, line emission intensity, and other properties. With these diverse models, we expect to have a better understanding of PDRs and expand our scope in the chemical architecture and evolution of AGB stars and other UV-irradiated regions. The soon to be launched James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will provide high resolution observations at near- to mid-infrared wavelengths, which opens a new window to study molecular vibrational emission calling for more detailed chemical modeling and comprehensive laboratory astrophysics data on more molecules. This work was partially supported by NASA grants NNX12AF42G and NNX15AI61G. We thank Benhui Yang, Kyle Walker, Robert Forrey, and N. Balakrishnan for collaborating on the collisional data adopted in the current work.

Dust: Small-scale processes with global consequences

USGS Publications Warehouse

Okin, G.S.; Bullard, J.E.; Reynolds, R.L.; Ballantine, J.-A.C.; Schepanski, K.; Todd, M.C.; Belnap, J.; Baddock, M.C.; Gill, T.E.; Miller, M.E.

2011-01-01

Desert dust, both modern and ancient, is a critical component of the Earth system. Atmospheric dust has important effects on climate by changing the atmospheric radiation budget, while deposited dust influences biogeochemical cycles in the oceans and on land. Dust deposited on snow and ice decreases its albedo, allowing more light to be trapped at the surface, thus increasing the rate of melt and influencing energy budgets and river discharge. In the human realm, dust contributes to the transport of allergens and pathogens and when inhaled can cause or aggravate respiratory diseases. Dust storms also represent a significant hazard to road and air travel. Because it affects so many Earth processes, dust is studied from a variety of perspectives and at multiple scales, with various disciplines examining emissions for different purposes using disparate strategies. Thus, the range of objectives in studying dust, as well as experimental approaches and results, has not yet been systematically integrated. Key research questions surrounding the production and sources of dust could benefit from improved collaboration among different research communities. These questions involve the origins of dust, factors that influence dust production and emission, and methods through which dust can be monitored. ?? Author(s) 2011.

Thermionic Emission of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes Measured

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Landis, Geoffrey A.; Krainsky, Isay L.; Bailey, Sheila G.; Elich, Jeffrey M.; Landi, Brian J.; Gennett, Thomas; Raffaelle, Ryne P.

2004-01-01

Researchers at the NASA Glenn Research Center, in collaboration with the Rochester Institute of Technology, have investigated the thermionic properties of high-purity, single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) for use as electron-emitting electrodes. Carbon nanotubes are a recently discovered material made from carbon atoms bonded into nanometer-scale hollow tubes. Such nanotubes have remarkable properties. An extremely high aspect ratio, as well as unique mechanical and electronic properties, make single-wall nanotubes ideal for use in a vast array of applications. Carbon nanotubes typically have diameters on the order of 1 to 2 nm. As a result, the ends have a small radius of curvature. It is these characteristics, therefore, that indicate they might be excellent potential candidates for both thermionic and field emission.

Introducing the global carbon cycle to middle school students with a 14C research project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brodman Larson, L.; Phillips, C. L.; LaFranchi, B. W.

2012-12-01

Global Climate Change (GCC) is currently not part of the California Science Standards for 7th grade. Required course elements, however, such as the carbon cycle, photosynthesis, and cellular respiration could be linked to global climate change. Here we present a lesson plan developed in collaboration with scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, to involve 7th grade students in monitoring of fossil fuel emissions in the Richmond/San Pablo area of California. -The lesson plan is a Greenhouse Gas/Global Climate Change Unit, with an embedded research project in which students will collect plant samples from various locals for analysis of 14C, to determine if there is a correlation between location and how much CO2 is coming from fossil fuel combustion. Main learning objectives are for students to: 1) understand how fossil fuel emissions impact the global carbon cycle, 2) understand how scientists estimate fossil CO2 emissions, and 3) engage in hypothesis development and testing. This project also engages students in active science learning and helps to develop responsibility, two key factors for adolescentsWe expect to see a correlation between proximity to freeways and levels of fossil fuel emissions. This unit will introduce important GCC concepts to students at a younger age, and increase their knowledge about fossil fuel emissions in their local environment, as well as the regional and global impacts of fossil emissions.

The role of stakeholders in developing an international regulatory framework for carbon capture and storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Augustin, C. M.; Broad, K.; Swart, P. K.

2011-12-01

It is estimated that carbon capture and storage (CCS) could be used to achieve between 15% and 55% of the carbon emission reductions necessary to avoid dangerous levels of climate change. It is also believed that achieving emission reduction goals will be less costly with CCS than without it. The expansion of active CCS sites over the past decade, from three to 53 demonstrates the value that industry sees in CCS as a transition technology for governments seeking to reduce their CO2 emissions. However, to continue developing CCS for industry scale implementation, it is essential to provide the regulatory certainty needed to foster energy industry wide adoption of CCS. Existing CCS regulatory regimes are inadequate, fragmented and contradictory. There is a need for comprehensive, unifying regulations for CCS that are flexible enough to adapt as the technology develops. Governments are limited by the fact that carbon capture and storage is a multidisciplinary issue that touches on the fields of oil drilling, groundwater quality, greenhouse gas management, air quality, and risk management. Though it is in part a technological, environmental and management issue there is also a complex political element to tackling the CCS problem. Due to its cross-cutting nature, CCS regulations should be based off the best practices and standards developed by industry stakeholders. Industry standards are stakeholder developed and consensus based, created through a democratic and collaborative process by bodies such as the International Standards Organization, the National Institutes of Standards and Testing (USA), ASTM International, and the Canadian Standards Organization. Standards can typically be broken down into six general categories: test methods, specifications, classifications, practices, guides, and terminology. These standards are created by stakeholders across the industry and across geographic boundaries to create an trade-wide, rather than nationwide, consensus and ensuring that the standards are international in scope. This paper examines regulatory issues post-capture, particularly the transport and geological storage of carbon dioxide and seeks to identify areas where relevant stakeholders should collaborate to develop a comprehensive list of industry standards and provides several case study examples.

Measurements of Carbon Dioxide in the Portland, Oregon Metropolitan Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bostrom, G. A.; Rice, A. L.

2009-12-01

Urban centers provide large sources of carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere through intensive use of fossil fuels. Due to a lack of federal regulatory framework in the United States, a patchwork of regional and statewide approaches to reducing CO2 emissions has emerged. The City of Portland together with Multnomah County established itself as an early frontier in this regard by creating greenhouse gas emissions inventories in 1990 and adopting a regional plan to reduce emissions in 1993. Most recent emissions inventories suggest that County-wide emissions of CO2 are near 1990 levels, despite a growing population, with an ambitious goal of reducing emissions 80% by 2050. However, there has been no validation of either emissions inventories or their trends in time. Here, we detail preliminary results of a study aimed at testing regional CO2 emissions inventories through measurements of CO2 concentrations and its 13C isotopic composition. In collaboration with Oregon Department of Environmental Quality three test sites were established: a downtown Portland location on the campus of Portland State University; a residential Southeast Portland location; and at Sauvie Island, located ~30km northwest (upwind, rural) of Portland in the Columbia River Gorge. Continuous measurements of summertime CO2 concentrations since late July, 2009 range from approximately 370ppm to 420ppm (±2.7σ) for downtown and residential sites, and 360ppm to 420ppm for Sauvie Island, while maximum outlier levels at all three sites exceed 480ppm. Measurements at all three sites show a marked diurnal cycle averaging 25-35ppm. Maximum CO2 concentrations typically occur 6-8 am and minimum concentrations 5-7 pm. The two dominant forcing mechanisms of this strong diurnal cycle are varying biological sources and sinks and the dynamics of the planetary boundary layer. There is also a significant enhancement of ~7ppm in the average measured concentrations at the two urban sites (~395ppm) compared with the upwind Sauvie Island site (~388ppm). We interpret these results in terms of CO2 emissions inventories and sinks of CO2 in the Portland region. We also present preliminary measurements of the 13C isotopic composition of CO2 as a means of source apportionment with which to better refine emissions inventories.

Improved Fission Neutron Data Base for Active Interrogation of Actinides

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

Pozzi, Sara; Czirr, J. Bart; Haight, Robert

2013-11-06

This project will develop an innovative neutron detection system for active interrogation measurements. Many active interrogation methods to detect fissionable material are based on the detection of neutrons from fission induced by fast neutrons or high-energy gamma rays. The energy spectrum of the fission neutrons provides data to identify the fissionable isotopes and materials such as shielding between the fissionable material and the detector. The proposed path for the project is as follows. First, the team will develop new neutron detection systems and algorithms by Monte Carlo simulations and bench-top experiments. Next, They will characterize and calibrate detection systems bothmore » with monoenergetic and white neutron sources. Finally, high-fidelity measurements of neutron emission from fissions induced by fast neutrons will be performed. Several existing fission chambers containing U-235, Pu-239, U-238, or Th-232 will be used to measure the neutron-induced fission neutron emission spectra. The challenge for making confident measurements is the detection of neutrons in the energy ranges of 0.01 – 1 MeV and above 8 MeV, regions where the basic data on the neutron energy spectrum emitted from fission is least well known. In addition, improvements in the specificity of neutron detectors are required throughout the complete energy range: they must be able to clearly distinguish neutrons from other radiations, in particular gamma rays and cosmic rays. The team believes that all of these challenges can be addressed successfully with emerging technologies under development by this collaboration. In particular, the collaboration will address the area of fission neutron emission spectra for isotopes of interest in the advanced fuel cycle initiative (AFCI).« less

Life cycle based analysis of demands and emissions for residential water-using appliances.

PubMed

Lee, Mengshan; Tansel, Berrin

2012-06-30

Environmental impacts of energy and water demand and greenhouse gas emissions from three residential water-using appliances were analyzed using life cycle assessment (LCA) based approach in collaboration of economic input-output model. This study especially focused on indirect consumption and environmental impacts from end-use/demand phase of each appliance. Water-related activities such as water supply, water heating and wastewater treatment were included in the analysis. The results showed that environmental impacts from end-use/demand phase are most significant for the water system, particularly for the energy demand for water heating (73% for clothes washer and 93% for showerheads). Reducing water/hot water consumption during the end-use/demand phase is expected to improve the overall water-related energy burden and water use sustainability. In the analysis of optimal lifespan for appliances, the estimated values (8-21 years) using energy consumption balance approach were found to be lower than that using other methods (10-25 years). This implies that earlier replacement with efficiency models is encouraged to minimize the environmental impacts of the product. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hg0 and HgCl2 Reference Gas Standards: ?NIST Traceability ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA and NIST have collaborated to establish the necessary procedures for establishing the required NIST traceability of commercially-provided Hg0 and HgCl2 reference generators. This presentation will discuss the approach of a joint EPA/NIST study to accurately quantify the true concentrations of Hg0 and HgCl2 reference gases produced from high quality, NIST-traceable, commercial Hg0 and HgCl2 generators. This presentation will also discuss the availability of HCl and Hg0 compressed reference gas standards as a result of EPA's recently approved Alternative Methods 114 and 118. Gaseous elemental mercury (Hg0) and oxidized mercury (HgCl2) reference standards are integral to the use of mercury continuous emissions monitoring systems (Hg CEMS) for regulatory compliance emissions monitoring. However, a quantitative disparity of approximately 7-10% has been observed between commercial Hg0 and HgCl2 reference gases which currently limits the use of (HgCl2) reference gas standards. Resolving this disparity would enable the expanded use of (HgCl2) reference gas standards for regulatory compliance purposes.

Measurement of the ROT effect in the neutron induced fission of 235U in the 0.3 eV resonance at a hot source of polarized neutrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kopatch, Yuri; Novitsky, Vadim; Ahmadov, Gadir; Gagarsky, Alexei; Berikov, Daniyar; Danilyan, Gevorg; Hutanu, Vladimir; Klenke, Jens; Masalovich, Sergey

2018-03-01

The TRI and ROT asymmetries in fission of heavy nuclei have been extensively studied during more than a decade. The effects were first discovered in the ternary fission in a series of experiments performed at the ILL reactor (Grenoble) by a collaboration of Russian and European institutes, and were carefully measured for a number of fissioning nuclei. Later on, the ROT effect has been observed in the emission of prompt gamma rays and neutrons in fission of 235U and 233U, although its value was an order of magnitude smaller than in the α-particle emission from ternary fission. All experiments performed so far are done with cold polarized neutrons, what assumes a mixture of several spin states, the weights of these states being not well known. The present paper describes the first attempt to get "clean" data by performing the measurement of gamma and neutron asymmetries in an isolated resonance of 235U at the POLI instrument of the FRM2 reactor in Garching.

Gamma-ray Monitoring of Active Galactic Nuclei with HAWC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lauer, Robert; HAWC Collaboration

2016-03-01

Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are extra-galactic sources that can exhibit extreme flux variability over a wide range of wavelengths. TeV gamma rays have been observed from about 60 AGN and can help to diagnose emission models and to study cosmic features like extra-galactic background light or inter-galactic magnetic fields. The High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory is a new extensive air shower array that can complement the pointed TeV observations of imaging air Cherenkov telescopes. HAWC is optimized for studying gamma rays with energies between 100 GeV and 100 TeV and has an instantaneous field of view of ~2 sr and a duty cycle >95% that allow us to scan 2/3 of the sky every day. By performing an unbiased monitoring of TeV emissions of AGN over most of the northern and part of the southern sky, HAWC can provide crucial information and trigger follow-up observations in collaborations with pointed TeV instruments. Furthermore, HAWC coverage of AGN is complementary to that provided by the Fermi satellite at lower energies. In this contribution, we will present HAWC flux light curves of TeV gamma rays from various sources, notably the bright AGN Markarian 421 and Markarian 501, and highlight recent results from multi-wavelengths and multi-instrument studies.

Particulate Matter Emissions Factors for Dust from Unique Military Activities

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-01

projects progressed the opportunity arose from the collaborative effort to test the effectiveness of a hybrid measurement system, which combined a single ...function of wavelength The returned light signal is received by a single telescope and directed to a detector. The light is absorbed and scattered...that the plume impacts the tower. On the outer most summation, the term peak refers to the peak in particle concentrations associated with a single

Hydrogen Infrastructure Testing and Research Facility

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

None

2017-04-10

Learn about the Hydrogen Infrastructure Testing and Research Facility (HITRF), where NREL researchers are working on vehicle and hydrogen infrastructure projects that aim to enable more rapid inclusion of fuel cell and hydrogen technologies in the market to meet consumer and national goals for emissions reduction, performance, and energy security. As part of NREL’s Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF), the HITRF is designed for collaboration with a wide range of hydrogen, fuel cell, and transportation stakeholders.

Collaborative Autonomous Unmanned Aerial - Ground Vehicle Systems for Field Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-08-31

very limited payload capabilities of small UVs, sacrificing minimal computational power and run time, adhering at the same time to the low cost...configuration has been chosen because of its high computational capabilities, low power consumption, multiple I/O ports, size, low heat emission and cost. This...due to their high power to weight ratio, small packaging, and wide operating temperatures. Power distribution is controlled by the 120 Watt ATX power

Emissions and Noise Pervasive Panel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Henderson, Brenda; Lee, Chi

2008-01-01

Objectives include: Provide interagency coordination of technology development, aimed at engine noise reduction. a) Provide recommendations to the Steering Committee on potential areas of interagency technology collaboration to maximize the use of government investments in noise reduction. b) Serve as a forum for information and technology exchange in order to coordinate gas turbine engine environmental strategies and policies among the member agencies and industry; c) Coordinate activities across panel representatives; and d) Communicate progress to VAATE steering committee.

Environmentally Responsible Aviation: Propulsion Research to Enable Fuel Burn, Noise and Emissions Reduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Van Zante, Dale; Suder, Kenneth

2015-01-01

The NASA Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) program is maturing technologies to enable simultaneous reduction of fuel burn, noise and emissions from an aircraft engine system. Three engine related Integrated Technology Demonstrations (ITDs) have been completed at Glenn Research Center in collaboration with Pratt Whitney, General Electric and the Federal Aviation Administration. The engine technologies being matured are: a low NOx, fuel flexible combustor in partnership with Pratt Whitney; an ultra-high bypass, ducted propulsor system in partnership with Pratt Whitney and FAA; and high pressure ratio, front-stage core compressor technology in partnership with General Electric. The technical rationale, test configurations and overall results from the test series in each ITD are described. ERA is using system analysis to project the benefits of the ITD technologies on potential aircraft systems in the 2025 timeframe. Data from the ITD experiments were used to guide the system analysis assumptions. Results from the current assessments for fuel burn, noise and oxides of nitrogen emissions are presented.

STATISTICS OF GAMMA-RAY POINT SOURCES BELOW THE FERMI DETECTION LIMIT

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

Malyshev, Dmitry; Hogg, David W., E-mail: dm137@nyu.edu

2011-09-10

An analytic relation between the statistics of photons in pixels and the number counts of multi-photon point sources is used to constrain the distribution of gamma-ray point sources below the Fermi detection limit at energies above 1 GeV and at latitudes below and above 30 deg. The derived source-count distribution is consistent with the distribution found by the Fermi Collaboration based on the first Fermi point-source catalog. In particular, we find that the contribution of resolved and unresolved active galactic nuclei (AGNs) to the total gamma-ray flux is below 20%-25%. In the best-fit model, the AGN-like point-source fraction is 17%more » {+-} 2%. Using the fact that the Galactic emission varies across the sky while the extragalactic diffuse emission is isotropic, we put a lower limit of 51% on Galactic diffuse emission and an upper limit of 32% on the contribution from extragalactic weak sources, such as star-forming galaxies. Possible systematic uncertainties are discussed.« less

Microfabricated Gas Sensors Demonstrated in Fire and Emission Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, Gary W.

2003-01-01

A range of microfabricated chemical sensors are being developed to meet the needs of fire detection and emission monitoring in aerospace applications. These sensors have the advantages over traditional technology of minimal size, weight, and power consumption as well as the ability to be placed closer to where the measurements need to be made. Sensor arrays are being developed to address detection needs in environments where multiple species need to be measured. For example, the monitoring of chemical species such as carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrocarbons, and other species is important in the detection of fires on airplanes and spacecraft. In contrast, different sensors are necessary for characterizing some aircraft engine designs where the monitoring of nitrogen oxides (NO(x)) and CO is of high interest. Demonstration of both fire and emission microsensor technology was achieved this year in a collaborative effort undertaken by the NASA Glenn Research Center, Case Western Reserve University, and Makel Engineering, Inc.

ULTRAFAST OUTFLOWS FROM BLACK HOLE MERGERS WITH A MINIDISK

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

Murase, Kohta; Mészáros, Peter; Shoemaker, Ian

2016-05-01

Recently, the direct detection of gravitational waves from black hole (BH) mergers was announced by the Advanced LIGO Collaboration. Multi-messenger counterparts of stellar-mass BH mergers are of interest, and it had been suggested that a small disk or celestial body may be involved in the binary of two BHs. To test such possibilities, we consider the fate of a wind powered by an active minidisk in a relatively short, super-Eddington accretion episode onto a BH with ∼10–100 solar masses. We show that its thermal emission could be seen as a fast optical transient with the duration from hours to days.more » We also find that the coasting outflow forms external shocks due to interaction with the interstellar medium, whose synchrotron emission might be expected in the radio band on a timescale of years. Finally, we also discuss a possible jet component and the associated high-energy neutrino emission as well as ultra-high-energy cosmic-ray acceleration.« less

Environmentally Responsible Aviation: Propulsion Research to Enable Fuel Burn, Noise and Emissions Reduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Van Zante, Dale E.; Suder, Kenneth L.

2015-01-01

The NASA Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) program is maturing technologies to enable simultaneous reduction of fuel burn, noise and emissions from an aircraft engine system. Three engine related Integrated Technology Demonstrations (ITDs) have been completed at Glenn Research Center in collaboration with Pratt Whitney, General Electric and the Federal Aviation Administration. The engine technologies being matured are a low NOx, fuel flexible combustor in partnership with Pratt Whitney, an ultra-high bypass, ducted propulsor system in partnership with Pratt Whitney FAA and high pressure ratio, front-stage core compressor technology in partnership with General Electric. The technical rationale, test configurations and overall results from the test series in each ITD are described. ERA is using system analysis to project the benefits of the ITD technologies on potential aircraft systems in the 2025 timeframe. Data from the ITD experiments were used to guide the system analysis assumptions. Results from the current assessments for fuel burn, noise and oxides of nitrogen emissions are presented.

Overview Of Cal-Mex 2010: US-Mexico Collaborative Project On Air Quality And Climate Change In The California-Mexico Border Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molina, L. T.; Cal-Mex Science Team

2010-12-01

The composition of the atmosphere over the US-Mexico border region is affected by cross-border transport of emissions in both directions. Air quality issues in the California-Mexico (Cal-Mex) border are associated with air masses originating in the portion of the border region adjacent to California, which includes two of the sister city pairs (Tijuana-San Diego and Mexicali-Calexico) that have the most severe air pollution problems, posing a serious health threat to their inhabitants as well as affecting ecosystem viability and regional climate for large downwind distances. During May-June 2010, an intensive field study was undertaken by US-Mexico collaborative teams to characterize the major sources of primary and secondary particulate matter and precursor gases in the California-Mexico (Cal-Mex) border region, their transport and transformation, and the impact of these emissions on regional air quality and climate. The ground-based measurements included a central fixed site located in Tijuana that housed state-of-the-science instruments to measure gases, aerosols, radiation and meteorological parameters; a mobile eddy covariance laboratory that measured surface-atmosphere exchange fluxes of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particle number; several mobile units for criteria pollutants and meteorological parameters; and measurements of fine particles and trace gases at the border crossing areas. Preliminary results from the field study will be presented. Cal-Mex Science Team includes: Molina Center for Energy and the Environment, Texas A & M University, Scripps Institution of Oceanography/University of California at San Diego, Virginia Tech, San Diego State University, National University of Mexico, National Institute of Ecology/Mexican Ministry of the Environment, University of the State of Morelos, LT Consulting Group, University of Baja California (Mexicali, Tijuana, Ensenada, Valle de Las Palmas campuses), Secretary of the Environment of Baja California, Tijuana Technological University, and University of Ciudad Juarez.

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

None, None

The LEDS Global Partnership (LEDS GP) strives to advance climate-resilient, low-emission development through catalyzing collaboration, information exchange, and action on the ground. The Government of Kenya is a key LEDS GP member and offers an inspiring example of how LEDS GP is having an impact globally. The 2012 LEDS Collaboration in Action workshop in London provided an interactive space for members to share experiences on cross-ministerial LEDS leadership and to learn about concrete development impacts of LEDS around the world. Inspired by these stories, the Kenya's Ministry of State for Planning, National Development and Vision 2030 (MPND) began to collaboratemore » closely with the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources to create strong links between climate change action and development in the country, culminating in the integration of Kenya's National Climate Change Action Plan and the country's Medium Term Development Plan.« less

Collaboration Expertise in Medicine - No Evidence for Cross-Domain Application from a Memory Retrieval Study

PubMed Central

Kiesewetter, Jan; Fischer, Frank; Fischer, Martin R.

2016-01-01

Background Is there evidence for expertise on collaboration and, if so, is there evidence for cross-domain application? Recall of stimuli was used to measure so-called internal collaboration scripts of novices and experts in two studies. Internal collaboration scripts refer to an individual’s knowledge about how to interact with others in a social situation. Method—Study 1 Ten collaboration experts and ten novices of the content domain social science were presented with four pictures of people involved in collaborative activities. The recall texts were coded, distinguishing between superficial and collaboration script information. Results—Study 1 Experts recalled significantly more collaboration script information (M = 25.20; SD = 5.88) than did novices (M = 13.80; SD = 4.47). Differences in superficial information were not found. Study 2 Study 2 tested whether the differences found in Study 1 could be replicated. Furthermore, the cross-domain application of internal collaboration scripts was explored. Method—Study 2 Twenty collaboration experts and 20 novices of the content domain medicine were presented with four pictures and four videos of their content domain and a video and picture of another content domain. All stimuli showed collaborative activities typical for the respective content domains. Results—Study 2 As in Study 1, experts recalled significantly more collaboration script information of their content domain (M = 71.65; SD = 33.23) than did novices (M = 54.25; SD = 15.01). For the novices, no differences were found for the superficial information nor for the retrieval of collaboration script information recalled after the other content domain stimuli. Discussion There is evidence for expertise on collaboration in memory tasks. The results show that experts hold substantially more collaboration script information than did novices. Furthermore, the differences between collaboration novices and collaboration experts occurred only in their own content domain, indicating that internal collaboration scripts are not easily stored and retrieved in memory tasks other than in the own content domain. PMID:26866801

A Student's Hands-on Introduction to Radio Astronomy With the Simple Construction, Operation and Testing, Utilizing Commonly Available Materials, of a Functioning Solar Radio Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knight, D.

2016-12-01

Our study of the Sun, an object that provides life to this planet but also is a serious threat to the existence we now enjoy, is frequently limited in hands-on activities by the unavailability of the necessary observational tools. While small optical telescopes are more easily obtained, telescopes that work the other regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, such as the radio frequencies, are unusual. Radio emissions from solar storms, however, can be "viewed" by a student constructing a simple, tunable and inexpensive radio telescope designed to receive the most common radio frequencies broadcast from the Sun during such a storm. The apparatus employs normally available materials and technology in new purposes. Utilizing this telescope, students have the ability to test and modify its design for changes in frequency and signal amplitude, and therefore examine a wide spectrum of radio emission emanating from our star. This engaging introduction to radio electronics not only involves the study of the electrical circuit involved, but also sets the student up for detailed study in the form of specific research projects focusing on solar activity in the radio wavelengths. So far, my students have been actively involved in varying the electrical properties of a simple one-transistor circuit that selects the observational frequencies of the solar radio telescope they have constructed. Student research projects also have examined antenna design in terms of directionality and signal strength gain. In the future, collaboration is possible to link student observers in different locations on this planet, allowing for significant peer evaluation and cooperation. NASA's "Project Jove", a program that Sonoma Valley High School and Robert Ferguson Observatory have been connected with since about the year 2000, already has a worldwide collaboration network in place for similar student-operated radio telescopes for primarily studying Jupiter. Because of the higher frequencies with most of the solar storm radio spectrum, our apparatus is correspondingly much smaller and easier to manipulate, thus promoting student research on a much larger scale.

Xenia: A Probe of Cosmic Chemical Evolution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kouveliotou, Chryssa; Piro, L.

2008-01-01

Xenia is a concept study for a medium-size astrophysical cosmology mission addressing the Cosmic Origins key objective of NASA's Science Plan. The fundamental goal of this objective is to understand the formation and evolution of structures on various scales from the early Universe to the present time (stars, galaxies and the cosmic web). Xenia will use X-and y-ray monitoring and wide field X-ray imaging and high-resolution spectroscopy to collect essential information from three major tracers of these cosmic structures: the Warm Hot Intergalactic Medium (WHIM), Galaxy Clusters and Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs). Our goal is to trace the chemo-dynamical history of the ubiquitous warm hot diffuse baryon component in the Universe residing in cosmic filaments and clusters of galaxies up to its formation epoch (at z =0-2) and to map star formation and galaxy metal enrichment into the re-ionization era beyond z 6. The concept of Xenia (Greek for "hospitality") evolved in parallel with the Explorer of Diffuse Emission and GRB Explosions (EDGE), a mission proposed by a multinational collaboration to the ESA Cosmic Vision 2015. Xenia incorporates the European and Japanese collaborators into a U.S. led mission that builds on the scientific objectives and technological readiness of EDGE.

Xenia: A Probe of Cosmic Chemical Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kouveliotou, Chryssa; Piro, L.; Xenia Collaboration

2008-03-01

Xenia is a concept study for a medium-size astrophysical cosmology mission addressing the Cosmic Origins key objective of NASA's Science Plan. The fundamental goal of this objective is to understand the formation and evolution of structures on various scales from the early Universe to the present time (stars, galaxies and the cosmic web). Xenia will use X-and γ-ray monitoring and wide field X-ray imaging and high-resolution spectroscopy to collect essential information from three major tracers of these cosmic structures: the Warm Hot Intergalactic Medium (WHIM), Galaxy Clusters and Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs). Our goal is to trace the chemo-dynamical history of the ubiquitous warm hot diffuse baryon component in the Universe residing in cosmic filaments and clusters of galaxies up to its formation epoch (at z =0-2) and to map star formation and galaxy metal enrichment into the re-ionization era beyond z 6. The concept of Xenia (Greek for "hospitality") evolved in parallel with the Explorer of Diffuse Emission and GRB Explosions (EDGE), a mission proposed by a multinational collaboration to the ESA Cosmic Vision 2015. Xenia incorporates the European and Japanese collaborators into a U.S. led mission that builds on the scientific objectives and technological readiness of EDGE.

Kinematics of the Diffuse Ionized Gas Disk of Andromeda

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thelen, Alexander; Howley, K.; Guhathakurta, P.; Dorman, C.; SPLASH Collaboration

2012-01-01

This research focuses on the flattened rotating diffuse ionized gas (DIG) disk of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). For this we use spectra from 25 multislit masks obtained by the SPLASH collaboration using the DEIMOS spectrograph on the Keck-II 10-meter telescope. Each mask contains 200 slits covering the region around M32 (S of the center of M31), the major axis of M31, and the SE minor axis. DIG emission was serendipitously detected in the background sky of these slits. By creating a normalized "sky spectrum” to remove various other sources of emission (such as night sky lines) in the background of these slits, we have examined the rotation of the DIG disk using individual line-of-sight velocity measurements of Hα, [NII] and [SII] emission. his emission is probably the result of newly formed stars ionizing the gas in the disk. The measured IG rotation will be compared to the rotation of M31's stellar disk and HI gas disk, as well as models of an infinitely thin rotating disk, to better understand the relationship between the components of the galactic disk and its differential rotation. We wish to acknowledge the NSF for funding on this project.

Research Data Acquired in World-Class, 60-atm Subsonic Combustion Rig

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Chi-Ming; Wey, Changlie

1999-01-01

NASA Lewis Research Center's new, world-class, 60-atmosphere (atm) combustor research facility, the Advanced Subsonic Combustion Rig (ASCR), is in operation and producing highly unique research data. Specifically, data were acquired at high pressures and temperatures representative of future subsonic engines from a fundamental flametube configuration with an advanced fuel injector. The data acquired include exhaust emissions as well as pressure and temperature distributions. Results to date represent an improved understanding of nitrous oxide (NOx) formation at high pressures and temperatures and include an NOx emissions reduction greater than 70 percent with an advanced fuel injector at operating pressures to 800 pounds per square inch absolute (psia). ASCR research is an integral part of the Advanced Subsonic Technology (AST) Propulsion Program. This program is developing critical low-emission combustion technology that will result in the next generation of gas turbine engines producing 50 to 70 percent less NOx emissions in comparison to 1996 International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) limits. The results to date indicate that the AST low-emission combustor goals of reducing NOx emissions by 50 to 70 percent are feasible. U.S. gas turbine manufacturers have started testing the low-emissions combustors at the ASCR. This collaborative testing will enable the industry to develop low-emission combustors at the high pressure and temperature conditions of future subsonic engines. The first stage of the flametube testing has been implemented. Four GE Aircraft Engines low-emissions fuel injector concepts, three Pratt & Whitney concepts, and two Allison concepts have been tested at Lewis ASCR facility. Subsequently, the flametube was removed from the test stand, and the sector combustor was installed. The testing of low emissions sector has begun. Low-emission combustors developed as a result of ASCR research will enable U.S. engine manufacturers to compete on a worldwide basis by producing environmentally acceptable commercial engines.

Prompt Neutrino Emission of Gamma-ray Bursts in the Dissipative Photospheric Scenario Revisited: Possible Contributions from Cocoons

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

Xiao, Di; Dai, Zi-Gao; Mészáros, Peter, E-mail: dzg@nju.edu.cn

2017-07-01

High-energy neutrinos are expected to originate from different stages in a gamma-ray burst (GRB) event. In this work, we revisit the dissipative photospheric scenario, in which the GRB prompt emission is produced around the photospheric radius. Meanwhile, possible dissipation mechanisms (e.g., internal shocks or magnetic reconnection) could accelerate cosmic-rays (CRs) to ultra-high energies and then produce neutrinos via hadronuclear and photohadronic processes, which are referred to as prompt neutrinos . In this paper, we obtain the prompt neutrino spectrum of a single GRB within a self-consistent analytical framework, in which the jet-cocoon structure and possible collimation effects are included. Wemore » investigate a possible neutrino signal from the cocoon, which has been ignored in the previous studies. We show that if a GRB event happens at a distance of the order of Mpc, there is a great chance to observe the neutrino emission from the cocoon by IceCube, which is even more promising than jet neutrinos, as the opening angle of the cocoon is much larger. We also determine the diffuse neutrino flux of GRB cocoons and find that it could be comparable with that of the jets. Our results are consistent with the latest result reported by the IceCube collaboration that no significant correlation between neutrino events and observed GRBs is seen in the new data.« less

Aviation Particle Emissions Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wey, Chowen C. (Editor)

2004-01-01

The Aviation Particle Emissions Workshop was held on November 18 19, 2003, in Cleveland, Ohio. It was sponsored by the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) under the Vehicle Systems Program (VSP) and the Ultra- Efficient Engine Technology (UEET) Project. The objectives were to build a sound foundation for a comprehensive particulate research roadmap and to provide a forum for discussion among U.S. stakeholders and researchers. Presentations included perspectives from the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, NASA, and United States airports. There were five interactive technical sessions: sampling methodology, measurement methodology, particle modeling, database, inventory and test venue, and air quality. Each group presented technical issues which generated excellent discussion. The five session leads collaborated with their members to present summaries and conclusions to each content area.

Compact, closed-loop controlled waste incinerator

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

Schadow, K.C.; Seeker, W.R.

1999-07-01

Technologies for solid and liquid waste destruction in compact incinerators are being developed in collaboration between industry, universities, and a Government laboratory. This paper reviews progress on one technology, namely active combustion control to achieve efficient and controlled afterburning of air-starved reaction products. This technology which uses synchronized waste gas injection into acoustically stabilized air vortices was transitioned to a simplified afterburner design and practical operational conditions. The full-scale, simplified afterburner, which achieved CO and NO{sub x} emissions of about 30 ppm with a residence time of less than 50 msec, was integrated with a commercially available marine incinerator tomore » increase throughput and reduce emissions. Closed-loop active control with diode laser sensors and novel control strategies was demonstrated on a sub-scale afterburner.« less

GeV-gamma-ray emission regions

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

NASA's Fermi Closes on Source of Cosmic Rays New images from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope show where supernova remnants emit radiation a billion times more energetic than visible light. The images bring astronomers a step closer to understanding the source of some of the universe's most energetic particles -- cosmic rays. Fermi mapped GeV-gamma-ray emission regions (magenta) in the W44 supernova remnant. The features clearly align with filaments detectable in other wavelengths. This composite merges X-rays (blue) from the Germany-led ROSAT mission, infrared (red) from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, and radio (orange) from the Very Large Array near Socorro, N.M. Credit: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT Collaboration, ROSAT, JPL-Caltech, and NRAO/AUI For more information: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/GLAST/news/cosmic-rays-source....

Providing Decision-Relevant Information for a State Climate Change Action Plan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wake, C.; Frades, M.; Hurtt, G. C.; Magnusson, M.; Gittell, R.; Skoglund, C.; Morin, J.

2008-12-01

Carbon Solutions New England (CSNE), a public-private partnership formed to promote collective action to achieve a low carbon society, has been working with the Governor appointed New Hampshire Climate Change Policy Task Force (NHCCTF) to support the development of a state Climate Change Action Plan. CSNE's role has been to quantify the potential carbon emissions reduction, implementation costs, and cost savings at three distinct time periods (2012, 2025, 2050) for a range of strategies identified by the Task Force. These strategies were developed for several sectors (transportation and land use, electricity generation and use, building energy use, and agriculture, forestry, and waste).New Hampshire's existing and projected economic and population growth are well above the regional average, creating additional challenges for the state to meet regional emission reduction targets. However, by pursuing an ambitious suite of renewable energy and energy efficiency strategies, New Hampshire may be able to continue growing while reducing emissions at a rate close to 3% per year up to 2025. This suite includes efficiency improvements in new and existing buildings, a renewable portfolio standard for electricity generation, avoiding forested land conversion, fuel economy gains in new vehicles, and a reduction in vehicle miles traveled. Most (over 80%) of these emission reduction strategies are projected to provide net economic savings in 2025.A collaborative and iterative process was developed among the key partners in the project. The foundation for the project's success included: a diverse analysis team with leadership that was committed to the project, an open source analysis approach, weekly meetings and frequent communication among the partners, interim reporting of analysis, and an established and trusting relationship among the partners, in part due to collaboration on previous projects.To develop decision-relevant information for the Task Force, CSNE addressed several challenges, including: allocating the emission reduction and economic impacts of local- to state-scale mitigation strategies that are in reality integrated on regional and/or national scales; incorporating changes to the details of the strategies over time; identifying and quantifying key variables; choosing appropriate levels of detail for over 100 strategies within the limited analysis timeframe; integrating individual strategies into a coherent whole; and structuring data presentation to maximize transparency of analysis without confusing or overwhelming decision makers.

Characterization of particle bound organic carbon from diesel vehicles equipped with advanced emission control technologies.

PubMed

Pakbin, Payam; Ning, Zhi; Schauer, James J; Sioutas, Constantinos

2009-07-01

A chassis dynamometer study was carried out by the University of Southern California in collaboration with the Air Resources Board (CARB) to investigate the physical, chemical, and toxicological characteristics of diesel emissions of particulate matter (PM) from heavy-duty vehicles. These heavy-duty diesel vehicles (HDDV) were equipped with advanced emission control technologies, designed to meet CARB retrofit regulations. A HDDV without any emission control devices was used as the baseline vehicle. Three advanced emission control technologies; continuously regenerating technology (CRT), zeolite- and vanadium-based selective catalytic reduction technologies (Z-SCRT and V-SCRT), were tested under transient (UDDS) (1) and cruise (80 kmph) driving cycles to simulate real-world driving conditions. This paper focuses on the characterization of the particle bound organic species from the vehicle exhaust. Physical and chemical properties of PM emissions have been reported by Biswas et al. Atmos. Environ. 2008, 42, 5622-5634) and Hu et al. (Atmos. Environ. 2008, submitted) Significant reductions in the emission factors (microg/mile) of particle bound organic compounds were observed in HDDV equipped with advanced emission control technologies. V-SCRT and Z-SCRT effectively reduced PAHs, hopanes and steranes, n-alkanes and acids by more than 99%, and often to levels below detection limits for both cruise and UDDS cycles. The CRT technology also showed similar reductions with SCRT for medium and high molecular weight PAHs, acids, but with slightly lower removal efficiencies for other organic compounds. Ratios of particle bound organics-to-OC mass (microg/g) from the baseline exhaust were compared with their respective ratios in diesel fuel and lubricating oil, which revealed that hopanes and steranes originate from lubricating oil, whereas PAHs can either form during the combustion process or originate from diesel fuel itself. With the introduction of emission control technologies, the particle bound organics-to-OC ratios (microg/g) decreased considerably for PAHs, while the reduction was insignificant for hopanes and steranes, implying that fuel and lubricating oil have substantially different contributions to the total OC emitted by vehicles operating with after-treatment control devices compared to the baseline vehicle since these control technologies had a much larger impact on PAH OC than hopanes and steranes OC.

Towards a Novel Integrated Approach for Estimating Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Support of International Agreements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reimann, S.; Vollmer, M. K.; Henne, S.; Brunner, D.; Emmenegger, L.; Manning, A.; Fraser, P. J.; Krummel, P. B.; Dunse, B. L.; DeCola, P.; Tarasova, O. A.

2016-12-01

In the recently adopted Paris Agreement the community of signatory states has agreed to limit the future global temperature increase between +1.5 °C and +2.0 °C, compared to pre-industrial times. To achieve this goal, emission reduction targets have been submitted by individual nations (called Intended Nationally Determined Contributions, INDCs). Inventories will be used for checking progress towards these envisaged goals. These inventories are calculated by combining information on specific activities (e.g. passenger cars, agriculture) with activity-related, typically IPCC-sanctioned, emission factors - the so-called bottom-up method. These calculated emissions are reported on an annual basis and are checked by external bodies by using the same method. A second independent method estimates emissions by translating greenhouse gas measurements made at regionally representative stations into regional/global emissions using meteorologically-based transport models. In recent years this so-called top-down approach has been substantially advanced into a powerful tool and emission estimates at the national/regional level have become possible. This method is already used in Switzerland, in the United Kingdom and in Australia to estimate greenhouse gas emissions and independently support the national bottom-up emission inventories within the UNFCCC framework. Examples of the comparison of the two independent methods will be presented and the added-value will be discussed. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and partner organizations are currently developing a plan to expand this top-down approach and to expand the globally representative GAW network of ground-based stations and remote-sensing platforms and integrate their information with atmospheric transport models. This Integrated Global Greenhouse Gas Information System (IG3IS) initiative will help nations to improve the accuracy of their country-based emissions inventories and their ability to evaluate the success of emission reductions strategies. This could foster trans-national collaboration on methodologies for estimation of emissions. Furthermore, more accurate emission knowledge will clarify the value of emission reduction efforts and could encourage countries to strengthen their reduction pledges.

Can satellite-based monitoring techniques be used to quantify volcanic CO2 emissions?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwandner, Florian M.; Carn, Simon A.; Kuze, Akihiko; Kataoka, Fumie; Shiomi, Kei; Goto, Naoki; Popp, Christoph; Ajiro, Masataka; Suto, Hiroshi; Takeda, Toru; Kanekon, Sayaka; Sealing, Christine; Flower, Verity

2014-05-01

Since 2010, we investigate and improve possible methods to regularly target volcanic centers from space in order to detect volcanic carbon dioxide (CO2) point source anomalies, using the Japanese Greenhouse gas Observing SATellite (GOSAT). Our long-term goals are: (a) better spatial and temporal coverage of volcano monitoring techniques; (b) improvement of the currently highly uncertain global CO2 emission inventory for volcanoes, and (c) use of volcanic CO2 emissions for high altitude, strong point source emission and dispersion studies in atmospheric science. The difficulties posed by strong relief, orogenic clouds, and aerosols are minimized by a small field of view, enhanced spectral resolving power, by employing repeat target mode observation strategies, and by comparison to continuous ground based sensor network validation data. GOSAT is a single-instrument Earth observing greenhouse gas mission aboard JAXA's IBUKI satellite in sun-synchronous polar orbit. GOSAT's Fourier-Transform Spectrometer (TANSO-FTS) has been producing total column XCO2 data since January 2009, at a repeat cycle of 3 days, offering great opportunities for temporal monitoring of point sources. GOSAT's 10 km field of view can spatially integrate entire volcanic edifices within one 'shot' in precise target mode. While it doesn't have any spatial scanning or mapping capability, it does have strong spectral resolving power and agile pointing capability to focus on several targets of interest per orbit. Sufficient uncertainty reduction is achieved through comprehensive in-flight vicarious calibration, in close collaboration between NASA and JAXA. Challenges with the on-board pointing mirror system have been compensated for employing custom observation planning strategies, including repeat sacrificial upstream reference points to control pointing mirror motion, empirical individualized target offset compensation, observation pattern simulations to minimize view angle azimuth. Since summer 2010 we have conducted repeated target mode observations of now almost 40 persistently active global volcanoes and other point sources, including Etna (Italy), Mayon (Philippines), Hawaii (USA), Popocatepetl (Mexico), and Ambrym (Vanuatu), using GOSAT FTS SWIR data. In this presentation we will summarize results from over three years of measurements and progress toward understanding detectability with this method. In emerging collaboration with the Deep Carbon Observatory's DECADE program, the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) global database of volcanic unrest (WOVOdat), and country specific observatories and agencies we see a growing potential for ground based validation synergies. Complementing the ongoing GOSAT mission, NASA is on schedule to launch its OCO-2 satellite in July 2014, which will provide higher spatial but lower temporal resolution. Further orbiting and geostationary satellite sensors are in planning at JAXA, NASA, and ESA.

Research and Project Activities in Astrophysics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harnden, F. Rick, Jr.; Kaluzienski, Louis J. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

In collaboration with G Micela, S. Sciortino, and others at the Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo G. S. Valens, we conducted studies of X-ray emission from normal stars, primarily via observations of several open star clusters and star forming regions (viz. the Pleiades, NBC 2516, NBC 2264, and the Orion Nebula Cluster). Our work was based on combined data from several X-ray observatories, Einstein, ROSAT, XMM-Newton and Chandra, as well as ground-based optical and radio data. Preliminary results were presented at several meetings: HEAD/AAS, November, 1997 a 195th AAS Meeting, January 2000 a Three Islands Conference, April 2000 a X-ray Astronomy 2000, September 2000 a 197th AAS Meeting, January 2001 Two Years of Science with Chandra, September 2001

Simulation results of a veto counter for the ClearPEM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trummer, J.; Auffray, E.; Lecoq, P.

2009-04-01

The Crystal Clear Collaboration (CCC) has built a prototype of a novel positron emission tomograph dedicated to functional breast imaging, the ClearPEM. The ClearPEM uses the common radio pharmaceutical FDG for imaging cancer. As FDG is a rather non-specific radio tracer, it accumulates not only in cancer cells but in all cells with a high energy consumption, such as the heart and liver. This fact poses a problem especially in breast imaging, where the vicinity of the heart and other organs to the breast leads to a high background noise level in the scanner. In this work, a veto counter to reduce the background is described. Different configurations and their effectiveness were studied using the GATE simulation package.

NASA's Fermi Telescope Resolves Radio Galaxy Centaurus A

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

NASA release April 1, 2010 Fermi's Large Area Telescope resolved high-energy gamma rays from an extended region around the active galaxy Centaurus A. The emission corresponds to million-light-year-wide radio-emitting gas thrown out by the galaxy's supersized black hole. This inset shows an optical/gamma-ray composite of the galaxy and its location on the Fermi one-year sky map. Credit: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT Collaboration, Capella Observatory To learn more about these images go to: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/GLAST/news/smokestack-plumes.html NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is home to the nation's largest organization of combined scientists, engineers and technologists that build spacecraft, instruments and new technology to study the Earth, the sun, our solar system, and the universe.

Bow shock data analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zipf, Edward C.; Erdman, Peeter W.

1994-08-01

The University of Pittsburgh Space Physics Group in collaboration with the Army Research Office (ARO) modeling team has completed a systematic organization of the shock and plume spectral data and the electron temperature and density measurements obtained during the BowShock I and II rocket flights which have been submitted to the AEDC Data Center, has verified the presence of CO Cameron band emission during the Antares engine burn and for an extended period of time in the post-burn plume, and have adapted 3-D radiation entrapment codes developed by the University of Pittsburgh to study aurora and other atmospheric phenomena that involve significant spatial effects to investigate the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) envelope surrounding the re-entry that create an extensive plasma cloud by photoionization.

OBSERVATION OF REPETITION-RATE DEPENDANT EMISSION FROM AN UN-GATED THERMIONIC CATHODE RF GUN

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

Edelen, J. P.; Sun, Y.; Harris, J. R.

Recent work at Fermilab in collaboration with the Advanced Photon Source and members of other national labs, designed an experiment to study the relationship between the RF repetition rate and the average current per RF pulse. While existing models anticipate a direct relationship between these two parameters we observed an inverse relationship. We believe this is a result of damage to the barium coating on the cathode surface caused by a change in back-bombardment power that is unaccounted for in the existing theories. These observations shed new light on the challenges and fundamental limitations associated with scaling an ungated thermionicmore » cathode RF gun to high average current machines.« less

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, on Behalf of the Fermi Large Area Telescope Collaboration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, David J.

2010-01-01

Because high-energy gamma rays can be produced by processes that also produce neutrinos, the gamma-ray survey of the sky by the Fermi (Gamma-ray Space Telescope offers a view of potential targets for neutrino observations. Gamma-ray bursts. Active Galactic Nuclei, and supernova remnants are all sites where hadronic, neutrino-producing interactions are plausible. Pulsars, pulsar wind nebulae, and binary sources are all phenomena that reveal leptonic particle acceleration through their gamma-ray emission. While important to gamma-ray astrophysics, such sources are of less interest to neutrino studies. This talk will present a broad overview of the constantly changing sky seen with the Large Area Telescope (LAT)on the Fermi spacecraft.

Diurnal Variations of Emissions of O2 singlet Delta Near Mars' Northern Summer Solstice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nosowitz, Jonathon; Ziobron, Elijah; Novak, Robert E.

2017-10-01

We are presenting results of O2 singlet Delta emission, a tracer for ozone, in the Martian atmosphere for observations taken before Mars’ Northern summer solstice (Ls = 88o, February 10, 2014 ). The data were taken using CSHELL on the NASA-IRTF telescope located on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. The slit was positioned east-west on Mars and we observed diurnal variations at 20o N and 60o N. Spectral/spatial images were taken with a spectral resolution above 38,000. Mars’ relative velocity of -16 km/s enabled us to separate the Martian emission lines from the telluric absorption lines. Raw images were cleaned by removing dead and hot pixels. The images were then adjusted so that the spatial dimension was perpendicular to the spectral dimension. Extracts at 0.6 arcsec spatial resolution were taken which allowed us to measure Martian emission peaks. The Martian data were calibrated by taking similar observations from a standard star (HR4689) using the temperature, wavelength, and intensity of the star to calibrate the flux density. A Boltzmann analysis was performed on the observed emission peaks to obtain the rotational temperature of the excited O2. From this, the total emission rates were obtained. We found that at both latitudinal locations, the greatest emissions occured between 12:00- 13:00 local time on Mars. The emission intensity increases during the morning hours and then decreases towards sunset. We thank the administration and staff of the NASA-IRTF for observation time and for their assistance during operations of the telescope. We also thank Drs. M. Mumma and G. Villanueva of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center with whom we collaborate.

Policy Implications of Deep Decarbonization in the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, J.

2015-12-01

Independent research teams from sixteen of the largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting countries have participated in a collaborative two-year project developing emission reduction scenarios for their own countries consistent with limiting anthropogenic warming to 2 C or less. This talk discusses the policy implications of the work done by the Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project (DDPP) at the US federal and international levels, including new ways of informing decision makers about the requirements of an energy system transformation.

Characteristics and cause of the "parade blue" in Beijing 2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Zhi Ming; Gui, Hai lin; wang, Ji kang

2017-04-01

During the military parade in Beijing — a massive spectacle to mark the 70th anniversary of World War II, the Chinese government made significant efforts to clean up capital's sky. Due to the favorable meteorology condition and the emission control measures, the air quality was significantly improved during the parade,which was called the "Parade Blue". By using atmospheric composition and meteorological observation data, PM2.5 concentration variation characteristics and relevant meteorological conditions during the period from August to September 2015 in Beijing were studied. With the application of the Comprehensive Air quality Model with extensions (CMAx), the contributions of the meteorological conditions, emission control policies and regional collaborations on emission control to the air quality in Beijing were analyzed. The results show that, the air quality of Beijing was significantly improved during the memorial activity period (20 August to 03 September). The average PM2.5 concentration was 18.7μg/m3, reduced by 70% compared with the previous period (August 1st to August 19 th) and reduced by 74% compared with the same period last year. Long period maintain of northeast cold vortex provided the favorable circulation background for the air quality improvement. During the period of memorial activity, the meteorological factors such as mixed layer height, relative humidity and wind speed presented favorable conditions in improving the air quality. In particular, the shifting of dominant wind direction on the ground level prevented the pollutant invading from the southern part of Beijing and from middle and southern areas of North China. CMAx model well simulated the variations of PM2.5 concentrations in Beijing. The simulation results show that, comparing with the same period last year, the meteorological conditions contributed 73% to the total change of PM2.5. 33% of the PM2.5 reduction was attributed to the emission control polices. The contribution of PM2.5 in Beijing was primarily come from local emissions. The local emission reduction took account for 72% for the PM2.5 concentration decrease, while the surrounding areas of emission reduction contributed about 28%.

Collaboration in Distance Education. International Case Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moran, Louise, Ed.; Mugridge, Ian, Ed.

This book contains nine case studies of collaboration in distance education. The case studies focus on such aspects of collaboration in distance education as the following: roles of individual institutional partners; importance of personal relationships; benefits of collaboration to individual partners; conflicts between collaboration and…

Coherence and linewidth studies of a 4-nm high power FEL

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

Fawley, W.M.; Sessler, A.M.; Scharlemann, E.T.

Recently the SSRL/SLAC and its collaborators elsewhere have considered the merits of a 2 to 4-nm high power FEL utilizing the SLAC linac electron beam. The FEL would be a single pass amplifier excited by spontaneous emission rather than an oscillator, in order to eliminate the need for a soft X-ray resonant cavity. We have used GINGER, a multifrequency 2D FEL simulation code, to study the expected linewidth and coherence properties of the FEL, in both the exponential and saturated gain regimes. We present results concerning the effective shot noise input power and mode shape, the expected subpercent output linemore » widths, photon flux, and the field temporal and spatial correlation functions. We also discuss the effects of tapering the wiggler upon the output power and line width.« less

Real-time landmark-based unrestrained animal tracking system for motion-corrected PET/SPECT imaging

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

J.S. Goddard; S.S. Gleason; M.J. Paulus

2003-08-01

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Jefferson Lab and are collaborating to develop a new high-resolution single photon emission tomography (SPECT) instrument to image unrestrained laboratory animals. This technology development will allow functional imaging studies to be performed on the animals without the use of anesthetic agents. This technology development could have eventual clinical applications for performing functional imaging studies on patients that cannot remain still (Parkinson's patients, Alzheimer's patients, small children, etc.) during a PET or SPECT scan. A key component of this new device is the position tracking apparatus. The tracking apparatus is an integral part of themore » gantry and designed to measure the spatial position of the animal at a rate of 10-15 frames per second with sub-millimeter accuracy. Initial work focuses on brain studies where anesthetic agents or physical restraint can significantly impact physiologic processes.« less

Librarian and Faculty Collaborative Instruction: A Phenomenological Self-Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Jennifer Diane; Duke, Thomas Scott

2005-01-01

Several models of librarian and faculty collaboration are found in the professional librarian literature. The literature on collaborative self-study research in university settings suggests collaborative self-study research can improve interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches to teaching and research and facilitate the transfer of knowledge.…

Diagnostic and Hardware Upgrades for the US-PRC PMI Collaboration on EAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tritz, Kevin; Maingi, R.; Andruczyk, D.; Canik, J.; Wang, Z.; Wirth, B.; Zinkle, S.; Woller, K.; Hu, J. S.; Luo, G. N.; Gong, X. Z.; EAST Team

2017-10-01

Several collaborative diagnostic and hardware upgrades are planned to improve understanding and control of Plasma-Material Interactions on EAST, as part of the US-PRC PMI collaboration. Dual-band thermography adapters, designed by UT-K and ORNL, are being designed for existing IR cameras to improve the accuracy of the divertor heat flux measurements by reducing sensitivity to surface emissivity. These measurements should improve power accounting for EAST discharges, which can show a large gap between input power and divertor exhaust power. MIT is preparing tungsten tiles with fluorine depth markers to measure net erosion of PFC tiles. JHU plans to improve the electronics of the Multi-Energy Soft X-ray diagnostic as well as expand the present edge system to a full core-edge measurement; this will enhance the assessment of the effect of Li injection on tungsten accumulation and transport. In addition to PPPL-developed upgrades to the lithium granule and pellet delivery systems, LANL is assessing core-shell micropellets for pellet ablation analysis. Finally, UIUC and PPPL are developing flowing liquid lithium limiters, both with and without LiMIT tile features, for deployment on EAST. Work supported by DoE award DE-SC0016553.

Constraints on sea to air emissions from methane clathrates in the vicinity of Svalbard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pisso, Ignacio; Vadakkepuliyambatta, Sunil; Platt, Stephen Matthew; Eckhardt, Sabine; Allen, Grant; Pitt, Joseph; Silyakova, Anna; Hermansen, Ove; Schmidbauer, Norbert; Mienert, Jurgen; Myhre, Cathrine Lund; Stohl, Andreas

2016-04-01

Methane stored in the seabed in the form of clathrates has the potential to be released into the atmosphere due to ongoing ocean warming. The Methane Emissions from Arctic Ocean to Atmosphere (MOCA, http://moca.nilu.no/) proje sct conducted measurement campaigns in the vicinity of Svalbard during the summers of 2014 and 2015 in collaboration with the Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate (CAGE, https://cage.uit.no/) and the MAMM (https://arcticmethane.wordpress.com) project . The extensive set of measurements includes air (BAe 146) and ship (RV Helmer Hansen) borne methane concentrations, complemented with the nearby monitoring site at Zeppelin mountain. In order to assess the atmospheric impact of emissions from seabed methane hydrates, we characterised the local and long range atmospheric transport during the aircraft campaign and different scenarios for the emission sources. We present a range of upper bounds for the CH4 emissions during the campaign period as well as the methodologies used to obtain them. The methodologies include a box model, Lagrangian transport and elementary inverse modelling. We emphasise the analysis of the aircraft data. We discuss in detail the different methodologies used for determining the upper flux bounds as well as its uncertainties and limitations. The additional information provided by the ship and station observations will be briefly mentioned.

NASA / Pratt and Whitney Collaborative Partnership Research in Ultra High Bypass Cycle Propulsion Concepts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hughes, Chris; Lord, Wed

2008-01-01

Current collaborative research with Pratt & Whitney on Ultra High Bypass Engine Cycle noise, performance and emissions improvements as part of the Subsonic Fixed Wing Project Ultra High Bypass Engine Partnership Element is discussed. The Subsonic Fixed Wing Project goals are reviewed, as well as their relative technology level compared to previous NASA noise program goals. Progress toward achieving the Subsonic Fixed Wing Project goals over the 2008 fiscal year by the UHB Partnership in this area of research are reviewed. The current research activity in Ultra High Bypass Engine Cycle technology, specifically the Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan, at NASA and Pratt & Whitney are discussed including the contributions each entity bring toward the research project, and technical plans and objectives. Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan current and future technology and business plans are also discussed, including the role the NASA SFW UHB partnership plays toward achieving those goals.

An Overview of the NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Program Subsonic Fixed Wing Project and Ultra High Bypass Partnership Research Goals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hughes, Christopher E.

2009-01-01

An overview of the NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Program (FAP) mission and goals is presented. One of the subprograms under the FAP, the Subsonic Fixed Wing Project (SFW), is the focus of the presentation. The SFW system environmental metrics are discussed, along with highlights of planned, systematic approach to research to reduce the environmental impact of commercial aircraft in the areas of acoustics, fuel burn and emissions. The presentation then focuses on collaborative research being conducted with U.S. Industry on the Ultra High Bypass (UHB) engine cycle, the propulsion cycle selected by the SFW to meet the system goals. The partnerships with General Electric Aviation to investigate Open Rotor propulsion concepts and with Pratt & Whitney to investigate the Geared Turbofan UHB engine are highlighted, including current and planned future collaborative research activities with NASA and each organization.

Planning, Implementation, and Scientific Goals of the Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS) Field Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Toon, Owen B.; Maring, Hal; Dibb, Jack; Ferrare, Richard A.; Jacob, Daniel J.; Jensen, Eric J.; Luo, Z. Johnny; Mace, Gerald G.; Pan, Laura L.; Pfister, Leonhard;

Probing the Relativistic Jets of Active Galactic Nuclei with Multiwavelength Monitoring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marscher, Alan P.; Jorstad, Svetlana G.; Aller, Margo

2005-01-01

The work completed includes the analysis of observations obtained during Cycle 7 (March 2002-February 2003) of the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). The project was part of a longer-term, continuing program to study the X-ray emission process in blazars and radio galaxies in collaboration with Dr. Ian McHardy (U. of Southampton, UK) and Prof. Thomas Balonek (Colgate U.). The goals of the program are to study the X-ray emission mechanism in blazars and radio galaxies and the relation of the X-ray emission to changes in the relativistic jet. The program includes contemporaneous brightness and linear polarization monitoring at radio and optical wavelengths, total and polarized intensity imaging at at 43 GHz with a resolution of 0.1 milliarcseconds with the VLBA, and well-sampled X-ray light curves obtained from a series of approved RXTE programs. The objects studied in the time period covered by the grant were 3C 120, 3C 279, PKS 1510-089, and 3C 273, all with radio jets containing bright knots that appear to move at superluminal speeds. During RXTE Cycle 7, the project was awarded RXTE time to monitor PKS 1510-089 two times per week, 3C 273 and 3C 279 three times per week, and 3C 120 four times per week. In addition, 3C273 and 3C 279 were observed several times per day during a ten-day period in April 2002. The X-ray data, including those from earlier cycles, were compared with radio measurements obtained in the centimeter-wave band by the monitoring program of Drs. Margo and Hugh Aller at the University of Michigan Radio Astronomy Observatory, monthly imaging observations with the VLBA at 43 GHz, and optical observations obtained at several telescopes around the world.

Sustainable, alternative farming practices as a means to simultaneously secure food production and reduce air pollution in East Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tai, A. P. K.; Fung, K. M.; Yong, T.; Liu, X.

2015-12-01

Proper agricultural land management is essential for securing food supply and minimizing damage to the environment. Among available farming practices, relay strip intercropping and fertilizer application are commonly used, but to study their wider environmental implications and possible feedbacks we require an Earth system modeling framework. In this study, the effectiveness of a maize-soybean relay strip intercropping system and fertilizer reduction is investigated using a multi-model method. The DNDC (DeNitrification-DeComposition) model is used to simulate agricultural activities and their impacts on the environment through nitrogen emissions and changes in soil chemical composition. Crop yield, soil nutrient content and nitrogen emissions to the atmosphere in major agricultural regions of China are predicted under various cultivation scenarios. The GEOS-Chem global chemical transport model is then used to estimate the effects on downwind particle and ozone air pollution. We show that relay strip intercropping and optimal fertilization not only improve crop productivity, but also retain soil nutrients, reduce ammonia emission and mitigate downwind air pollution. By cutting 25% fertilization inputs but cultivating maize and soybean together in a relay strip intercropping system used with field studies, total crop production was improved slightly by 4.4% compared to monoculture with conventional amount of fertilizers. NH3 volatilization decreases by 29%, equivalent to saving the pollution-induced health damage costs by about US$2.5 billion per year. The possible feedback effects from atmospheric nitrogen deposition onto the croplands are also investigated. We show that careful management and better quantitative understanding of alternative farming practices hold huge potential in simultaneously addressing different global change issues including the food crisis, air pollution and climate change, and calls for greater collaboration between scientists, farmers and policy makers concerning these issues.

Hidden Pair of Supermassive Black Holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2015-08-01

Could a pair of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) be lurking at the center of the galaxy Mrk 231? A recent study finds that this may be the case and the unique spectrum of this galaxy could be the key to discovering more hidden binary SMBH systems.Where Are the Binary Supermassive Black Holes?Its believed that most, if not all, galaxies have an SMBH at their centers. As two galaxies merge, the two SMBHs should evolve into a closely-bound binary system before they eventually merge. Given the abundance of galaxy mergers, we would expect to see the kinematic and visual signatures of these binary SMBHs among observed active galactic nuclei yet such evidence for sub-parsec binary SMBH systems remains scarce and ambiguous. This has led researchers to wonder: is there another way that we might detect these elusive systems?A collaboration led by Chang-Shuo Yan (National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences) thinks that there is. The group suggests that these systems might have distinct signatures in their optical-to-UV spectra, and they identify a system that might be just such a candidate: Mrk 231.A Binary CandidateProposed model of Mrk 231. Two supermassive black holes, each with their own mini-disk, orbit each other in the center of a circumbinary disk. The secondary black hole has cleared gap in the circumbinary disk as a result of its orbit around the primary black hole. [Yan et al. 2015]Mrk 231 is a galaxy with a disturbed morphology and tidal tails strong clues that it might be in the final stages of a galactic merger. In addition to these signs, Mrk 231 also has an unusual spectrum for a quasar: its continuum emission displays an unexpected drop in the near-UV band.Yan and her collaborators propose that the odd behavior of Mrk 231s spectrum can be explained if the center of the galaxy houses a pair of SMBHs each with its own mini accretion disk surrounded by a circumbinary accretion disk. As the secondary SMBH orbits the primary SMBH (with a period of 1.2 years and a mass ratio of 38:1, according to the teams models), it clears a gap in the circumbinary disk. The collaborators showed that this gap in the disk will cause a decrease in the continuum emission of the system consistent with the observed drop in Mrk 231s UV spectrum.If the collaborations models of Mrk 231 are confirmed, this would demonstrate the feasibility of finding other active binary SMBH systems by looking for similar deficits in the optical-to-UV spectra.CitationChang-Shuo Yan et al.2015 ApJ 809 117. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/809/2/117

The common characteristics and outcomes of multidisciplinary collaboration in primary health care: a systematic literature review

PubMed Central

Schepman, Sanneke; Hansen, Johan; de Putter, Iris D.; Batenburg, Ronald S.; de Bakker, Dinny H.

2015-01-01

Introduction Research on collaboration in primary care focuses on specific diseases or types of collaboration. We investigate the effects of such collaboration by bringing together the results of scientific studies. Theory and methods We conducted a systematic literature review of PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane and EMBASE. The review was restricted to publications that test outcomes of multidisciplinary collaboration in primary care in high-income countries. A conceptual model is used to structure the analysis. Results Fifty-one studies comply with the selection criteria about collaboration in primary care. Approximately half of the 139 outcomes in these studies is non-significant. Studies among older patients, in particular, report non-significant outcomes (p < .05). By contrast, a higher proportion of significant results were found in studies that report on clinical outcomes. Conclusions and discussion This review shows a large diversity in the types of collaboration in primary care; and also thus a large proportion of outcomes do not seem to be positively affected by collaboration. Both the characteristics of the structure of the collaboration and the collaboration processes themselves affect the outcomes. More research is necessary to understand the mechanism behind the success of collaboration, especially on the exact nature of collaboration and the context in which collaboration takes place. PMID:26150765

Study of the Impact of Collaboration among Teachers in a Collaborative Authoring System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lafifi, Yacine; Touil, Ghassen

2010-01-01

Several researchers have studied the impact of collaboration between the learners on their cognitive levels, but few studies have been carried out on the impact of collaboration between the teachers. The aim of our research is to study the effects on the knowledge levels of learners of collaborative construction of learning objects created by the…

Production of False Memories in Collaborative Memory Tasks Using the DRM Paradigm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saraiva, Magda; Albuquerque, Pedro B.; Arantes, Joana

2017-01-01

Studies on collaborative memory have revealed an interesting phenomenon called collaborative inhibition (CI) (i.e., nominal groups recall more information than collaborative groups). However, the results of studies on false memories in collaborative memory tasks are controversial. This study aimed to understand the production of false memories in…

Multiwavelength observations of Mrk 501 in 2008

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

Aleksic, J.; Ansoldi, S.; Antonelli, L. A.

2015-01-01

Context. Blazars are variable sources on various timescales over a broad energy range spanning from radio to very high energy (>100 GeV, hereafter VHE). Mrk 501 is one of the brightest blazars at TeV energies and has been extensively studied since its first VHE detection in 1996. However, most of the γ-ray studies performed on Mrk 501 during the past years relate to flaring activity, when the source detection and characterization with the available γ-ray instrumentation was easier toperform. Aims. Our goal is to characterize the source γ-ray emission in detail, together with the radio-to-X-ray emission, during the non-flaring (low)more » activity, which is less often studied than the occasional flaring (high) activity. Methods. We organized a multiwavelength (MW) campaign on Mrk 501 between March and May 2008. This multi-instrument effort included the most sensitive VHE γ-ray instruments in the northern hemisphere, namely the imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes MAGIC and VERITAS, as well as Swift, RXTE, the F-GAMMA, GASP-WEBT, and other collaborations and instruments. This provided extensive energy and temporal coverage of Mrk 501 throughout the entire campaign. Results. Mrk 501 was found to be in a low state of activity during the campaign, with a VHE flux in the range of 10%–20% of the Crab nebula flux. Nevertheless, significant flux variations were detected with various instruments, with a trend of increasing variability with energy and a tentative correlation between the X-ray and VHE fluxes. The broadband spectral energy distribution during the two different emission states of the campaign can be adequately described within the homogeneous one-zone synchrotron self-Compton model, with the (slightly) higher state described by an increase in the electron number density. Conclusions. The one-zone SSC model can adequately describe the broadband spectral energy distribution of the source during the two months covered by the MW campaign. This agrees with previous studies of the broadband emission of this source during flaring and non-flaring states. We report for the first time a tentative X-ray-to-VHE correlation during such a low VHE activity. Although marginally significant, this positive correlation between X-ray and VHE, which has been reported many times during flaring activity, suggests that the mechanisms that dominate the X-ray/VHE emission during non-flaring-activity are not substantially different from those that are responsible for the emission during flaring activity.« less

Quantification of fossil fuel CO2 at the building/street level for large US cities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gurney, K. R.; Razlivanov, I. N.; Song, Y.

2012-12-01

Quantification of fossil fuel CO2 emissions from the bottom-up perspective is a critical element in emerging plans on a global, integrated, carbon monitoring system (CMS). A space/time explicit emissions data product can act as both a verification and planning system. It can verify atmospheric CO2 measurements (in situ and remote) and offer detailed mitigation information to management authorities in order to optimize the mix of mitigation efforts. Here, we present the Hestia Project, an effort aimed at building a high resolution (eg. building and road link-specific, hourly) fossil fuel CO2 emissions data product for the urban domain as a pilot effort to a CMS. A complete data product has been built for the city of Indianapolis and preliminary quantification has been completed for Los Angeles and Phoenix (see figure). The effort in Indianapolis is now part of a larger effort aimed at a convergent top-down/bottom-up assessment of greenhouse gas emissions, called INFLUX. Our urban-level quantification relies on a mixture of data and modeling structures. We start with the sector-specific Vulcan Project estimate at the mix of geocoded and county-wide levels. The Hestia aim is to distribute the Vulcan result in space and time. Two components take the majority of effort: buildings and onroad emissions. In collaboration with our INFLUX colleagues, we are transporting these high resolution emissions through an atmospheric transport model for a forward comparison of the Hestia data product with atmospheric measurements, collected on aircraft and cell towers. In preparation for a formal urban-scale inversion, these forward comparisons offer insights into both improving our emissions data product and measurement strategies. A key benefit of the approach taken in this study is the tracking and archiving of fuel and process-level detail (eg. combustion process, other pollutants), allowing for a more thorough understanding and analysis of energy throughputs in the urban environment. Quantification of fossil fuel emissions, however, is one piece in a larger conception of cities as complex dynamic socio-technological systems and the Hestia effort is at the very beginning stages of connecting to the large community of research approaching cities from other perspectives and utilizing other tools. Through analysis of the three cities for which we have quantified fossil fuel CO2 emissions and recognition of the current threads emerging in urban research, we are attempting to offer insight into understanding cities via the mechanistic quantification of energy and CO2 emissions.

An overview of the MILAGRO 2006 Campaign: Mexico City emissions and their transport and transformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molina, L. T.; Madronich, S.; Gaffney, J. S.; Apel, E.; de Foy, B.; Fast, J.; Ferrare, R.; Herndon, S.; Jimenez, J. L.; Lamb, B.; Osornio-Vargas, A. R.; Russell, P.; Schauer, J. J.; Stevens, P. S.; Volkamer, R.; Zavala, M.

2010-09-01

MILAGRO (Megacity Initiative: Local And Global Research Observations) is an international collaborative project to examine the behavior and the export of atmospheric emissions from a megacity. The Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) - one of the world's largest megacities and North America's most populous city - was selected as the case study to characterize the sources, concentrations, transport, and transformation processes of the gases and fine particles emitted to the MCMA atmosphere and to evaluate the regional and global impacts of these emissions. The findings of this study are relevant to the evolution and impacts of pollution from many other megacities. The measurement phase consisted of a month-long series of carefully coordinated observations of the chemistry and physics of the atmosphere in and near Mexico City during March 2006, using a wide range of instruments at ground sites, on aircraft and satellites, and enlisting over 450 scientists from 150 institutions in 30 countries. Three ground supersites were set up to examine the evolution of the primary emitted gases and fine particles. Additional platforms in or near Mexico City included mobile vans containing scientific laboratories and mobile and stationary upward-looking lidars. Seven instrumented research aircraft provided information about the atmosphere over a large region and at various altitudes. Satellite-based instruments peered down into the atmosphere, providing even larger geographical coverage. The overall campaign was complemented by meteorological forecasting and numerical simulations, satellite observations and surface networks. Together, these research observations have provided the most comprehensive characterization of the MCMA's urban and regional atmospheric composition and chemistry that will take years to analyze and evaluate fully. In this paper we review over 120 papers resulting from the MILAGRO/INTEX-B Campaign that have been published or submitted, as well as relevant papers from the earlier MCMA-2003 Campaign, with the aim of providing a road map for the scientific community interested in understanding the emissions from a megacity such as the MCMA and their impacts on air quality and climate. This paper describes the measurements performed during MILAGRO and the results obtained on MCMA's atmospheric meteorology and dynamics, emissions of gases and fine particles, sources and concentrations of volatile organic compounds, urban and regional photochemistry, ambient particulate matter, aerosol radiative properties, urban plume characterization, and health studies. A summary of key findings from the field study is presented.

VLA radio upper limit on a Type IIn SN 2008B

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandra, Poonam; Soderberg, Alicia

2008-01-01

Poonam Chandra and Alicia Soderberg report on behalf of a larger collaboration: We observed a Type IIn supernova SN 2008B (CBET 1194) with the Very Large Array (VLA) in the 8.46 GHz band on 2008, January 23.5 UT. The observations were taken for total duration of one hour in the VLA B-configuration. We do not detect any radio emission at the supernova position (CBET 1194). The flux density at the supernova position is 60 ± 28 uJy.

VLA radio upper limit on Type IIn Supernova 2007rt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandra, Poonam; Soderberg, Alicia

2008-01-01

Poonam Chandra and Alicia Soderberg report on behalf of a larger collaboration: We observed a Type IIn supernova SN 2007rt (CBET 1148) with the Very Large Array (VLA) in the 8.46 GHz band on 2008, January 12.55 UT. The observations were taken for total duration of one hour in the VLA B-configuration. We do not detect any radio emission at the supernova position (CBET 1148). The flux density at the supernova position is 9 ± 27 uJy.

Collaborative Research and Development (CR&D). Delivery Order 0051: Atomic Scale Transmission Electron Microscope Image Modeling and Application to Semiconductor Heterointerface Characterization

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. 1. REPORT DATE (DD...microscopy ( AEM ), to characterize a variety of III-V semiconductor thin films. The materials investigated include superlattices based on the InAs- GaSb...technique. TEM observations were performed using a Philips-CM 200 FEG transmission electron microscope equipped with a field emission gun, operated at an

The In Situ Observation of Epitaxial Diamond Thin Film Nucleation and Growth Using Emission Electron Microscopy

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-12-01

diamond carbon on diamond Measurements of CVD diamond grown directly on Mo TEM specimen grids were made through a collaboration with the Fritz Haber ...Hawaii, May 1993. 2. --- , University of Illinois at Chicago, March 1993. 3. --- , Fritz Haber Institute, Berlin, June 1993. 3.0 Appendix: 8 1 Real...University, Athens OH 45701 -2979 *Permanent address: Fritz Haber Institute, Berlin, Germany. Thin (1Onm) carbon films are found to adhere to Chemical Vapor

Direct photon elliptic flow at energies available at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and the CERN Large Hadron Collider

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Young-Min; Lee, Chang-Hwan; Teaney, Derek; Zahed, Ismail

2017-07-01

We use an event-by-event hydrodynamical description of the heavy-ion collision process with Glauber initial conditions to calculate the thermal emission of photons. The photon rates in the hadronic phase follow from a spectral function approach and a density expansion, while in the partonic phase they follow from the Arnold-Moore-Yaffe (AMY) perturbative rates. The calculated photon elliptic flows are lower than those reported recently by both the ALICE and PHENIX collaborations.

2010 Volcanic activity in Alaska, Kamchatka, and the Kurile Islands: summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory

USGS Publications Warehouse

Neal, Christina A.; Herrick, Julie; Girina, O.A.; Chibisova, Marina; Rybin, Alexander; McGimsey, Robert G.; Dixon, Jim

2014-01-01

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) responded to eruptions, possible eruptions, volcanic unrest or suspected unrest at 12 volcanic centers in Alaska during 2010. The most notable volcanic activity consisted of intermittent ash emissions from long-active Cleveland volcano in the Aleutian Islands. AVO staff also participated in hazard communication regarding eruptions or unrest at seven volcanoes in Russia as part of an ongoing collaborative role in the Kamchatka and Sakhalin Volcanic Eruption Response Teams.

Symposium review: Uncertainties in enteric methane inventories, measurement techniques, and prediction models.

PubMed

Hristov, A N; Kebreab, E; Niu, M; Oh, J; Bannink, A; Bayat, A R; Boland, T B; Brito, A F; Casper, D P; Crompton, L A; Dijkstra, J; Eugène, M; Garnsworthy, P C; Haque, N; Hellwing, A L F; Huhtanen, P; Kreuzer, M; Kuhla, B; Lund, P; Madsen, J; Martin, C; Moate, P J; Muetzel, S; Muñoz, C; Peiren, N; Powell, J M; Reynolds, C K; Schwarm, A; Shingfield, K J; Storlien, T M; Weisbjerg, M R; Yáñez-Ruiz, D R; Yu, Z

2018-04-18

Ruminant production systems are important contributors to anthropogenic methane (CH 4 ) emissions, but there are large uncertainties in national and global livestock CH 4 inventories. Sources of uncertainty in enteric CH 4 emissions include animal inventories, feed dry matter intake (DMI), ingredient and chemical composition of the diets, and CH 4 emission factors. There is also significant uncertainty associated with enteric CH 4 measurements. The most widely used techniques are respiration chambers, the sulfur hexafluoride (SF 6 ) tracer technique, and the automated head-chamber system (GreenFeed; C-Lock Inc., Rapid City, SD). All 3 methods have been successfully used in a large number of experiments with dairy or beef cattle in various environmental conditions, although studies that compare techniques have reported inconsistent results. Although different types of models have been developed to predict enteric CH 4 emissions, relatively simple empirical (statistical) models have been commonly used for inventory purposes because of their broad applicability and ease of use compared with more detailed empirical and process-based mechanistic models. However, extant empirical models used to predict enteric CH 4 emissions suffer from narrow spatial focus, limited observations, and limitations of the statistical technique used. Therefore, prediction models must be developed from robust data sets that can only be generated through collaboration of scientists across the world. To achieve high prediction accuracy, these data sets should encompass a wide range of diets and production systems within regions and globally. Overall, enteric CH 4 prediction models are based on various animal or feed characteristic inputs but are dominated by DMI in one form or another. As a result, accurate prediction of DMI is essential for accurate prediction of livestock CH 4 emissions. Analysis of a large data set of individual dairy cattle data showed that simplified enteric CH 4 prediction models based on DMI alone or DMI and limited feed- or animal-related inputs can predict average CH 4 emission with a similar accuracy to more complex empirical models. These simplified models can be reliably used for emission inventory purposes. The Authors. Published by FASS Inc. and Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Dairy Science Association®. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).

Results on $$\\beta \\beta $$ decay with emission of two neutrinos or Majorons in $$^{76}$$ Ge from GERDA Phase I: GERDA Collaboration

DOE PAGES

Agostini, M.; Allardt, M.; Bakalyarov, A. M.; ...

2015-09-09

A search for neutrinoless ββ decay processes accompanied with Majoron emission has been performed using data collected during Phase I of the GERmanium Detector Array (GERDA) experiment at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso of INFN (Italy). Processes with spectral indices n = 1,2,3,7 were searched for. No signals were found and lower limits of the order of 10 23 yr on their half-lives were derived, yielding substantially improved results compared to previous experiments with 76Ge. A new result for the half-life of the neutrino-accompanied ββ decay of 76Ge with significantly reduced uncertainties is also given, resulting in T 2νmore » 1/2 = (1.926 ± 0.094) × 10 21 yr.« less

Recent GRC Aerospace Technologies Applicable to Terrestrial Energy Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kankam, David; Lyons, Valerie J.; Hoberecht, Mark A.; Tacina, Robert R.; Hepp, Aloysius F.

2000-01-01

This paper is an overview of a wide range of recent aerospace technologies under development at the NASA Glenn Research Center, in collaboration with other NASA centers, government agencies, industry and academia. The focused areas are space solar power, advanced power management and distribution systems, Stirling cycle conversion systems, fuel cells, advanced thin film photovoltaics and batteries, and combustion technologies. The aerospace-related objectives of the technologies are generation of space power, development of cost-effective and reliable, high performance power systems, cryogenic applications, energy storage, and reduction in gas-turbine emissions, with attendant clean jet engines. The terrestrial energy applications of the technologies include augmentation of bulk power in ground power distribution systems, and generation of residential, commercial and remote power, as well as promotion of pollution-free environment via reduction in combustion emissions.

Morphological and spectral properties of the W51 region measured with the MAGIC telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aleksić, J.; Alvarez, E. A.; Antonelli, L. A.; Antoranz, P.; Asensio, M.; Backes, M.; Barres de Almeida, U.; Barrio, J. A.; Bastieri, D.; Becerra González, J.; Bednarek, W.; Berger, K.; Bernardini, E.; Biland, A.; Blanch, O.; Bock, R. K.; Boller, A.; Bonnoli, G.; Borla Tridon, D.; Bretz, T.; Cañellas, A.; Carmona, E.; Carosi, A.; Colin, P.; Colombo, E.; Contreras, J. L.; Cortina, J.; Cossio, L.; Covino, S.; Da Vela, P.; Dazzi, F.; De Angelis, A.; De Caneva, G.; De Cea del Pozo, E.; De Lotto, B.; Delgado Mendez, C.; Diago Ortega, A.; Doert, M.; Domínguez, A.; Dominis Prester, D.; Dorner, D.; Doro, M.; Eisenacher, D.; Elsaesser, D.; Ferenc, D.; Fonseca, M. V.; Font, L.; Fruck, C.; García López, R. J.; Garczarczyk, M.; Garrido, D.; Giavitto, G.; Godinović, N.; González Muñoz, A.; Gozzini, S. R.; Hadasch, D.; Häfner, D.; Herrero, A.; Hildebrand, D.; Hose, J.; Hrupec, D.; Huber, B.; Jankowski, F.; Jogler, T.; Kadenius, V.; Kellermann, H.; Klepser, S.; Krähenbühl, T.; Krause, J.; La Barbera, A.; Lelas, D.; Leonardo, E.; Lewandowska, N.; Lindfors, E.; Lombardi, S.; López, M.; López-Coto, R.; López-Oramas, A.; Lorenz, E.; Makariev, M.; Maneva, G.; Mankuzhiyil, N.; Mannheim, K.; Maraschi, L.; Mariotti, M.; Martínez, M.; Mazin, D.; Meucci, M.; Miranda, J. M.; Mirzoyan, R.; Moldón, J.; Moralejo, A.; Munar-Adrover, P.; Niedzwiecki, A.; Nieto, D.; Nilsson, K.; Nowak, N.; Orito, R.; Paiano, S.; Paneque, D.; Paoletti, R.; Pardo, S.; Paredes, J. M.; Partini, S.; Perez-Torres, M. A.; Persic, M.; Pilia, M.; Pochon, J.; Prada, F.; Prada Moroni, P. G.; Prandini, E.; Puerto Gimenez, I.; Puljak, I.; Reichardt, I.; Reinthal, R.; Rhode, W.; Ribó, M.; Rico, J.; Rügamer, S.; Saggion, A.; Saito, K.; Saito, T. Y.; Salvati, M.; Satalecka, K.; Scalzotto, V.; Scapin, V.; Schultz, C.; Schweizer, T.; Shore, S. N.; Sillanpää, A.; Sitarek, J.; Snidaric, I.; Sobczynska, D.; Spanier, F.; Spiro, S.; Stamatescu, V.; Stamerra, A.; Steinke, B.; Storz, J.; Strah, N.; Sun, S.; Surić, T.; Takalo, L.; Takami, H.; Tavecchio, F.; Temnikov, P.; Terzić, T.; Tescaro, D.; Teshima, M.; Tibolla, O.; Torres, D. F.; Treves, A.; Uellenbeck, M.; Vogler, P.; Wagner, R. M.; Weitzel, Q.; Zabalza, V.; Zandanel, F.; Zanin, R.

2012-05-01

Context. The W51 complex hosts the supernova remnant W51C which is known to interact with the molecular clouds in the star forming region W51B. In addition, a possible pulsar wind nebula CXO J192318.5+140305 was found likely associated with the supernova remnant. Gamma-ray emission from this region was discovered by Fermi/LAT (between 0.2 and 50 GeV) and H.E.S.S. (>1 TeV). The spatial distribution of the events could not be used to pinpoint the location of the emission among the pulsar wind nebula, the supernova remnant shell and/or the molecular cloud. However, the modeling of the spectral energy distribution presented by the Fermi/LAT collaboration suggests a hadronic emission mechanism. The possibility that the gamma-ray emission from such an object is of hadronic origin can contribute to solvingthe long-standing problem of the contribution to galactic cosmic rays by supernova remnants. Aims: Our aim is to determine the morphology of the very-high-energy gamma-ray emission of W51 and measure its spectral properties. Methods: We performed observations of the W51 complex with the MAGIC telescopes for more than 50 h. The energy range accessible with MAGIC extends from 50 GeV to several TeV, allowing for the first spectral measurement at these energies. In addition, the good angular resolution in the medium (few hundred GeV) to high (above 1 TeV) energies allow us to perform morphological studies. We look for underlying structures by means of detailed morphological studies. Multi-wavelength data from this source have been sampled to model the emission with both leptonic and hadronic processes. Results: We detect an extended emission of very-high-energy gamma rays, with a significance of 11 standard deviations. We extend the spectrum from the highest Fermi/LAT energies to ~5 TeV and find that it follows a single power law with an index of 2.58 ± 0.07stat ± 0.22syst. The main part of the emission coincides with the shocked cloud region, while we find a feature extending towards the pulsar wind nebula. The possible contribution of the pulsar wind nebula, assuming a point-like source, shows no dependence on energy and it is about 20% of the overall emission. The broad band spectral energy distribution can be explained with a hadronic model that implies proton acceleration above 100 TeV. This result, together with the morphology of the source, tentatively suggests that we observe ongoing acceleration of ions in the interaction zone between supernova remnant and cloud.

Ongoing cosmic ray acceleration in the supernova remnant W51C revealed with the MAGIC telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krause, J.; Reichardt, I.; Carmona, E.; Gozzini, S. R.; Jankowski, F.; MAGIC Collaboration

2012-12-01

The supernova remnant (SNR) W51C interacts with the molecular clouds of the star-forming region W51B, making the W51 complex one of the most promising targets to study cosmic ray acceleration. Gamma-ray emission from this region was discovered by Fermi/LAT and H.E.S.S., although its location was compatible with the SNR shell, the molecular cloud (MC) and a pulsar wind nebula (PWN) candidate. The modeling of the spectral energy distribution presented by the Fermi/LAT collaboration suggests a hadronic emission mechanism. Furthermore indications of an enhanced flux of low energy cosmic rays in the interaction region between SNR and MC have been reported based on ionization measurements in the mm regime. MAGIC conducted deep observations of W51, yielding a detection of an extended emission with more than 11 standard deviations. We extend the spectrum from the highest Fermi/LAT energies to ~5 TeV and find that it follows a single power law with an index of 2.58+/-0.07stat+/-0.22syst. We restrict the main part of the emission region to the zone where the SNR interacts with the molecular clouds. We also find a tail extending towards the PWN candidate CXO J192318.5+140305, possibly contributing up to 20% of the total flux. The broad band spectral energy distribution can be explained with a hadronic model that implies proton acceleration at least up to 50 TeV. This result, together with the morphology of the source, suggests that we observe ongoing acceleration of ions in the interaction zone between the SNR and the cloud.

Developing COMET-Farm and the DayCent Model for California Specialty Crops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steenwerth, K. L.; Barker, X. Z.; Carlson, M.; Killian, K.; Easter, M.; Swan, A.; Thompson, L.; Williams, S.; Paustian, K.

2016-12-01

Specialty crops are hugely important to the agricultural economy of California, which grows over 400 specialty crops and produces at least a third of the nations' vegetables and more than two thirds of its fruit and nut tree crops. Since the passage of AB32 Global Warming Solutions Act in 2006, the state has made strong investments in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and developing climate adaptation solutions. Most recently, Governor J. Brown (CA) has issued an executive order to establish reductions to 40% below 1990 levels. While agriculture in California is not regulated for greenhouse gas emissions under AB32, efforts are being made to develop tools to support practices that can enhance soil health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. USDA-NRCS supports one such tool known as COMET-Farm, which is intended for future use with incentive programs and soil conservation plans managed by the agency. The underlying model that that simulates entity-scale greenhouse gas emissions in COMET-Farm is DayCent. Members of the California Climate Hub are collaborating with the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO to develop DayCent for 15 California specialty crops. These specialty crops include woody perennials like stone fruit like almonds and peaches, walnuts, citrus, wine grapes, raisins and table grapes. Annual specialty crops include cool season vegetables like lettuce and broccoli, tomatoes, and strawberries. DayCent has been parameterized for these crops using existing published and unpublished studies. Practice based information has also been gathered in consultation with growers. Aspects of the model have been developed for woody biomass production and competition between herbaceous vegetation and woody perennial crops. We will report on model performance for these crops and opportunities for model improvement.

Global Carbon Project: the 2013 global carbon budget (includes V.1.1, Nov2013, V.1.3, Dec2013, V.2.3, June2014, and V.2.4, July2014)

DOE Data Explorer

Le Quere, C. [University of East Anglia, Norwich UK; Peters, G. P. [Univ. of Oslo (Norway); Andres, R. J. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Andrew, R. M. [Univ. of Oslo (Norway); Boden, T. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); al., et

2013-01-01

Global emissions of carbon dioxide from the combustion of fossil fuels will reach 36 billion tonnes for the year 2013. "This is a level unprecedented in human history," says CSIRO's Dr Pep Canadell, Executive-Director of the Global Carbon Project (GCP) and co-author of a new report. The GCP provides an annual report of carbon dioxide emissions, land and ocean sinks and accumulation in the atmosphere, incorporating data from multiple research institutes from around the world. The 2013 figures coincide with the global launch of the Global Carbon Atlas, an online platform to explore, visualise and interpret the emissions data at the global, regional and national scales (www.globalcarbonatlas.org). The full data and methods are published today in the journal Earth System Science Data Discussions, and data and other graphic materials can be found at: www.globalcarbonproject.org/carbonbudget. The Global Carbon Budget 2013 is a collaborative effort of the global carbon cycle science community coordinated by the Global Carbon Project.

WINDII, the wind imaging interferometer on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shepherd, G. G.; Thuillier, G.; Gault, W. A.; Solheim, B. H.; Hersom, C.; Alunni, J. M.; Brun, J.-F.; Brune, S.; Charlot, P.; Cogger, L. L.

1993-01-01

The WIND imaging interferometer (WINDII) was launched on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) on September 12, 1991. This joint project, sponsored by the Canadian Space Agency and the French Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales, in collaboration with NASA, has the responsibility of measuring the global wind pattern at the top of the altitude range covered by UARS. WINDII measures wind, temperature, and emission rate over the altitude range 80 to 300 km by using the visible region airglow emission from these altitudes as a target and employing optical Doppler interferometry to measure the small wavelength shifts of the narrow atomic and molecular airglow emission lines induced by the bulk velocity of the atmosphere carrying the emitting species. The instrument used is an all-glass field-widened achromatically and thermally compensated phase-stepping Michelson interferometer, along with a bare CCD detector that images the airglow limb through the interferometer. A sequence of phase-stepped images is processed to derive the wind velocity for two orthogonal view directions, yielding the vector horizontal wind. The process of data analysis, including the inversion of apparent quantities to vertical profiles, is described.

Emission source functions in heavy ion collisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shapoval, V. M.; Sinyukov, Yu. M.; Karpenko, Iu. A.

2013-12-01

Three-dimensional pion and kaon emission source functions are extracted from hydrokinetic model (HKM) simulations of central Au+Au collisions at the top Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) energy sNN=200 GeV. The model describes well the experimental data, previously obtained by the PHENIX and STAR collaborations using the imaging technique. In particular, the HKM reproduces the non-Gaussian heavy tails of the source function in the pair transverse momentum (out) and beam (long) directions, observed in the pion case and practically absent for kaons. The role of rescatterings and long-lived resonance decays in forming the mentioned long-range tails is investigated. The particle rescattering contribution to the out tail seems to be dominating. The model calculations also show substantial relative emission times between pions (with mean value 13 fm/c in the longitudinally comoving system), including those coming from resonance decays and rescatterings. A prediction is made for the source functions in Large Hadron Collider (LHC) Pb+Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV, which are still not extracted from the measured correlation functions.

Sustainable Transportation: Accelerating Widespread Adoption of Energy Efficient Vehicles & Fuels (Brochure)

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

Not Available

2014-12-01

While energy efficient transportation strategies have the potential to simultaneously slash oil consumption and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, a truly sustainable solution will require more than just putting drivers behind the wheels of new fuel-efficient cars. As the only national laboratory dedicated 100% to renewable energy and energy efficiency, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) accelerates widespread adoption of high-performance, low-emission, energy-efficient passenger and freight vehicles, as well as alternative fuels and related infrastructure. Researchers collaborate closely with industry, government, and research partners, using a whole-systems approach to design better batteries, drivetrains, and engines, as well as thermal management,more » energy storage, power electronic, climate control, alternative fuel, combustion, and emission systems. NREL's sustainable transportation research, development, and deployment (RD&D) efforts are not limited to vehicles, roads, and fueling stations. The lab also explores ways to save energy and reduce GHGs by integrating transportation technology advancements with renewable energy generation, power grids and building systems, urban planning and policy, and fleet operations.« less

Perception of collaborative learning in associate degree students in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Shek, Daniel T L; Shek, Moses M W

2013-01-01

Although collaborative learning has been widely researched in Western contexts, no study has been carried out to understand how associate degree students look at collaborative learning in Hong Kong. In this study, perceptions of and attitudes to collaborative learning among associate degree students were studied. A total of 44 associate degree students completed an online questionnaire including measures of perceived benefits and attitudes to collaborative learning, and social-emotional competence. Results showed that there were no significant differences between male and female students on perceived benefits of and attitudes towards collaborative learning. Social-emotional competence was related to perceived benefits of and attitudes to collaborative learning. Attitudes were also related to perceived benefits of collaborative learning. This paper is the first known study looking at the relationships among perceived benefits and attitudes to collaborative learning and social-emotional competence in Chinese associate degree students in different Chinese contexts.

Quantifying Co-benefits of Renewable Energy through Integrated Electricity and Air Quality Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abel, D.

2016-12-01

This work focuses on the coordination of electricity sector changes with air quality and health improvement strategies through the integration of electricity and air quality models. Two energy models are used to calculate emission perturbations associated with changes in generation technology (20% generation from solar photovoltaics) and demand (future electricity use under a warmer climate). Impacts from increased solar PV penetration are simulated with the electricity model GridView, in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Generation results are used to scale power plant emissions from an inventory developed by the Lake Michigan Air Directors Consortium (LADCO). Perturbed emissions and are used to calculate secondary particulate matter with the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model. We find that electricity NOx and SO2 emissions decrease at a rate similar to the total fraction of electricity supplied by solar. Across the Eastern U.S. region, average PM2.5 is reduced 5% over the summer, with highest reduction in regions and on days of greater PM2.5. A similar approach evaluates the air quality impacts of elevated electricity demand under a warmer climate. Meteorology is selected from the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP) and input to a building energy model, eQUEST, to assess electricity demand as a function of ambient temperature. The associated generation and emissions are calculated on a plant-by-plant basis by the MyPower power sector model. These emissions are referenced to the 2011 National Emissions Inventory to be modeled in CMAQ for the Eastern U.S. and extended to health impact evaluation with the Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program (BenMAP). All results focus on the air quality and health consequences of energy system changes, considering grid-level changes to meet climate and air quality goals.

A 100-3000 GHz model of thermal dust emission observed by Planck, DIRBE and IRAS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meisner, Aaron M.; Finkbeiner, Douglas P.

2015-01-01

We apply the Finkbeiner et al. (1999) two-component thermal dust emission model to the Planck HFI maps. This parametrization of the far-infrared dust spectrum as the sum of two modified blackbodies serves as an important alternative to the commonly adopted single modified blackbody (MBB) dust emission model. Analyzing the joint Planck/DIRBE dust spectrum, we show that two-component models provide a better fit to the 100-3000 GHz emission than do single-MBB models, though by a lesser margin than found by Finkbeiner et al. (1999) based on FIRAS and DIRBE. We also derive full-sky 6.1' resolution maps of dust optical depth and temperature by fitting the two-component model to Planck 217-857 GHz along with DIRBE/IRAS 100μm data. Because our two-component model matches the dust spectrum near its peak, accounts for the spectrum's flattening at millimeter wavelengths, and specifies dust temperature at 6.1' FWHM, our model provides reliable, high-resolution thermal dust emission foreground predictions from 100 to 3000 GHz. We find that, in diffuse sky regions, our two-component 100-217 GHz predictions are on average accurate to within 2.2%, while extrapolating the Planck Collaboration (2013) single-MBB model systematically underpredicts emission by 18.8% at 100 GHz, 12.6% at 143 GHz and 7.9% at 217 GHz. We calibrate our two-component optical depth to reddening, and compare with reddening estimates based on stellar spectra. We find the dominant systematic problems in our temperature/reddening maps to be zodiacal light on large angular scales and the cosmic infrared background anistropy on small angular scales. We have recently released maps and associated software utilities for obtaining thermal dust emission and reddening predictions using our Planck-based two-component model.

Electron cyclotron resonance ion source plasma characterization by X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray imaging

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

Mascali, David, E-mail: davidmascali@lns.infn.it; Castro, Giuseppe; Celona, Luigi

2016-02-15

An experimental campaign aiming to investigate electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma X-ray emission has been recently carried out at the ECRISs—Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Sources laboratory of Atomki based on a collaboration between the Debrecen and Catania ECR teams. In a first series, the X-ray spectroscopy was performed through silicon drift detectors and high purity germanium detectors, characterizing the volumetric plasma emission. The on-purpose developed collimation system was suitable for direct plasma density evaluation, performed “on-line” during beam extraction and charge state distribution characterization. A campaign for correlating the plasma density and temperature with the output charge states and themore » beam intensity for different pumping wave frequencies, different magnetic field profiles, and single-gas/gas-mixing configurations was carried out. The results reveal a surprisingly very good agreement between warm-electron density fluctuations, output beam currents, and the calculated electromagnetic modal density of the plasma chamber. A charge-coupled device camera coupled to a small pin-hole allowing X-ray imaging was installed and numerous X-ray photos were taken in order to study the peculiarities of the ECRIS plasma structure.« less

Collaboration Expertise in Medicine - No Evidence for Cross-Domain Application from a Memory Retrieval Study.

PubMed

Kiesewetter, Jan; Fischer, Frank; Fischer, Martin R

2016-01-01

Is there evidence for expertise on collaboration and, if so, is there evidence for cross-domain application? Recall of stimuli was used to measure so-called internal collaboration scripts of novices and experts in two studies. Internal collaboration scripts refer to an individual's knowledge about how to interact with others in a social situation. METHOD— Ten collaboration experts and ten novices of the content domain social science were presented with four pictures of people involved in collaborative activities. The recall texts were coded, distinguishing between superficial and collaboration script information. RESULTS— Experts recalled significantly more collaboration script information (M = 25.20; SD = 5.88) than did novices (M = 13.80; SD = 4.47). Differences in superficial information were not found. Study 2 tested whether the differences found in Study 1 could be replicated. Furthermore, the cross-domain application of internal collaboration scripts was explored. METHOD— Twenty collaboration experts and 20 novices of the content domain medicine were presented with four pictures and four videos of their content domain and a video and picture of another content domain. All stimuli showed collaborative activities typical for the respective content domains. RESULTS— As in Study 1, experts recalled significantly more collaboration script information of their content domain (M = 71.65; SD = 33.23) than did novices (M = 54.25; SD = 15.01). For the novices, no differences were found for the superficial information nor for the retrieval of collaboration script information recalled after the other content domain stimuli. There is evidence for expertise on collaboration in memory tasks. The results show that experts hold substantially more collaboration script information than did novices. Furthermore, the differences between collaboration novices and collaboration experts occurred only in their own content domain, indicating that internal collaboration scripts are not easily stored and retrieved in memory tasks other than in the own content domain.

Science-Based Strategies for Sustaining Coral Ecosystems

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2009-01-01

Coral ecosystems and their natural capital are at risk. Greenhouse gas emissions, overfishing, and harmful land-use practices are damaging our coral reefs. Overwhelming scientific evidence indicates that the threats are serious, and if they are left unchecked, the ecological and social consequences will be significant and widespread. Although the primary stressors to coral ecosystems are known, science-based strategies are needed to more accurately explain natural processes and forecast human-induced change. Collaborations among managers and scientists and enhanced mapping, monitoring, research, and modeling can lead to effective mitigation plans. U.S. Geological Survey scientists and their partners assess coral ecosystem history, ecology, vulnerability, and resiliency and provide study results to decisionmakers who may devise policies to sustain coral resources and the essential goods and services they provide.

Collaborative research in tunneling and field emission pumped surface wave local oscillators and amplifiers for infrared and submillimeter wavelengths under director's discretionary fund

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gustafson, T. K.

1982-01-01

Progress is reported in work towards the development of surface wave sources for the infrared and sub-millimeter portion of the spectrum to be based upon electron pumping by tunneling electrons in metal-barrier-metal or metal-barrier-semiconductor devices. Tunneling phenomena and the coupling of radiation to tunnel junctions were studied. The propagation characteristics of surface electro-magnetic modes in metal-insulator-p(++) semiconductor structures as a function of frequency were calculated. A model for the gain process based upon Tucker's formalism was developed and used to estimate what low frequency gain might be expected from such structures. The question of gain was addressed from a more fundamental viewpoint using the method of Lasher and Stern.

Exploring How Collaborative Dialogues Facilitate Synchronous Collaborative Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeh, Hui-Chin

2014-01-01

Collaborative writing (CW) research has gained prevalence in recent years. However, the ways in which students interact socially to produce written texts through synchronous collaborative writing (SCW) is rarely studied. This study aims to investigate the effects of SCW on students' writing products and how collaborative dialogues facilitate SCW.…

A Grounded Theory of Collaborative Synchronizing in Relation to Challenging Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thornberg, Robert

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate multiprofessional collaboration as well as collaboration between professionals and challenging students and their parents in which the focus for these collaborations was on handling the challenging students' academic and social behavior. A grounded theory study of collaboration between a prereferral…

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

Van Blarigan, P.

A hydrogen fueled engine is being developed specifically for the auxiliary power unit (APU) in a series type hybrid vehicle. Hydrogen is different from other internal combustion (IC) engine fuels, and hybrid vehicle IC engine requirements are different from those of other IC vehicle engines. Together these differences will allow a new engine design based on first principles that will maximize thermal efficiency while minimizing principal emissions. The experimental program is proceeding in four steps: (1) Demonstration of the emissions and the indicated thermal efficiency capability of a standard CLR research engine modified for higher compression ratios and hydrogen fueledmore » operation. (2) Design and test a new combustion chamber geometry for an existing single cylinder research engine, in an attempt to improve on the baseline indicated thermal efficiency of the CLR engine. (3) Design and build, in conjunction with an industrial collaborator, a new full scale research engine designed to maximize brake thermal efficiency. Include a full complement of combustion diagnostics. (4) Incorporate all of the knowledge thus obtained in the design and fabrication, by an industrial collaborator, of the hydrogen fueled engine for the hybrid vehicle power train illustrator. Results of the CLR baseline engine testing are presented, as well as preliminary data from the new combustion chamber engine. The CLR data confirm the low NOx produced by lean operation. The preliminary indicated thermal efficiency data from the new combustion chamber design engine show an improvement relative to the CLR engine. Comparison with previous high compression engine results shows reasonable agreement.« less

Application of a Novel Collaboration Engineering Method for Learning Design: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Xusen; Li, Yuanyuan; Sun, Jianshan; Huang, Jianqing

2016-01-01

Collaborative case studies and computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) play an important role in the modern education environment. A number of researchers have given significant attention to learning design in order to improve the satisfaction of collaborative learning. Although collaboration engineering (CE) is a mature method widely…

Collaborative remembering revisited: Study context access modulates collaborative inhibition and later benefits for individual memory.

PubMed

Abel, Magdalena; Bäuml, Karl-Heinz T

2017-11-01

Collaborating groups typically show reduced recall relative to nominal groups, i.e., to the cumulated non-redundant recall of the same number of people remembering in isolation-a finding termed collaborative inhibition. Motivated by the results of several previous studies, this study examined in two experiments whether access to study context at test influences the effects of collaboration. In both experiments, subjects collaborated in triads or recalled previously studied material in isolation. Experiment 1 applied short versus prolonged retention intervals to vary access to study context at test, whereas Experiment 2 used the list-method directed forgetting task and applied remember versus forget instructions to modulate context access. In both experiments, collaborative inhibition was present when access to study context at test was intact (i.e., after the short delay and the remember instruction) but was eliminated when the access was impaired (i.e., after the prolonged delay and the forget instruction). Also, post-collaborative gains for individual recall were greater when context access was impaired and collaborative inhibition was eliminated. The findings demonstrate a critical role of access to study context at test for collaborative inhibition, indicating that impaired context access may reflect a general boundary condition for the recall impairment. The possible role of context reactivation processes for beneficial effects of social recall is discussed.

Four-dimensional variational inversion of black carbon emissions during ARCTAS-CARB with WRFDA-Chem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guerrette, Jonathan J.; Henze, Daven K.

2017-06-01

Biomass burning emissions of atmospheric aerosols, including black carbon, are growing due to increased global drought, and comprise a large source of uncertainty in regional climate and air quality studies. We develop and apply new incremental four-dimensional variational (4D-Var) capabilities in WRFDA-Chem to find optimal spatially and temporally distributed biomass burning (BB) and anthropogenic black carbon (BC) aerosol emissions. The constraints are provided by aircraft BC concentrations from the Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites in collaboration with the California Air Resources Board (ARCTAS-CARB) field campaign and surface BC concentrations from the Interagency Monitoring of PROtected Visual Environment (IMPROVE) network on 22, 23, and 24 June 2008. We consider three BB inventories, including Fire INventory from NCAR (FINN) v1.0 and v1.5 and Quick Fire Emissions Database (QFED) v2.4r8. On 22 June, aircraft observations are able to reduce the spread between a customized QFED inventory and FINNv1.0 from a factor of 3. 5 ( × 3. 5) to only × 2. 1. On 23 and 24 June, the spread is reduced from × 3. 4 to × 1. 4. The posterior corrections to emissions are heterogeneous in time and space, and exhibit similar spatial patterns of sign for both inventories. The posterior diurnal BB patterns indicate that multiple daily emission peaks might be warranted in specific regions of California. The US EPA's 2005 National Emissions Inventory (NEI05) is used as the anthropogenic prior. On 23 and 24 June, the coastal California posterior is reduced by × 2, where highway sources dominate, while inland sources are increased near Barstow by × 5. Relative BB emission variances are reduced from the prior by up to 35 % in grid cells close to aircraft flight paths and by up to 60 % for fires near surface measurements. Anthropogenic variance reduction is as high as 40 % and is similarly limited to sources close to observations. We find that the 22 June aircraft observations are able to constrain approximately 14 degrees of freedom of signal (DOF), while surface and aircraft observations together on 23/24 June constrain 23 DOF. Improving hourly- to daily-scale concentration predictions of BC and other aerosols during BB events will require more comprehensive and/or targeted measurements and a more complete accounting of sources of error besides the emissions.

Towards a measurement of internalization of collaboration scripts in the medical context - results of a pilot study.

PubMed

Kiesewetter, Jan; Gluza, Martin; Holzer, Matthias; Saravo, Barbara; Hammitzsch, Laura; Fischer, Martin R

2015-01-01

Collaboration as a key qualification in medical education and everyday routine in clinical care can substantially contribute to improving patient safety. Internal collaboration scripts are conceptualized as organized - yet adaptive - knowledge that can be used in specific situations in professional everyday life. This study examines the level of internalization of collaboration scripts in medicine. Internalization is understood as fast retrieval of script information. The goals of the current study were the assessment of collaborative information, which is part of collaboration scripts, and the development of a methodology for measuring the level of internalization of collaboration scripts in medicine. For the contrastive comparison of internal collaboration scripts, 20 collaborative novices (medical students in their final year) and 20 collaborative experts (physicians with specialist degrees in internal medicine or anesthesiology) were included in the study. Eight typical medical collaborative situations as shown on a photo or video were presented to the participants for five seconds each. Afterwards, the participants were asked to describe what they saw on the photo or video. Based on the answers, the amount of information belonging to a collaboration script (script-information) was determined and the time each participant needed for answering was measured. In order to measure the level of internalization, script-information per recall time was calculated. As expected, collaborative experts stated significantly more script-information than collaborative novices. As well, collaborative experts showed a significantly higher level of internalization. Based on the findings of this research, we conclude that our instrument can discriminate between collaboration novices and experts. It therefore can be used to analyze measures to foster subject-specific competency in medical education.

DOE Final Report on Collaborative Research. Quantifying Climate Feedbacks of the Terrestrial Biosphere under Thawing Permafrost Conditions in the Arctic

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

Zhuang, Qianlai; Schlosser, C. Adam; Melillo, Jerry M.

2015-11-03

Our overall goal is to quantify the potential for threshold changes in natural emission rates of trace gases, particularly methane and carbon dioxide, from pan-arctic terrestrial systems under the spectrum of anthropogenically-forced climate warming, and the conditions under which these emissions provide a strong feedback mechanism to global climate warming. This goal is motivated under the premise that polar amplification of global climate warming will induce widespread thaw and degradation of the permafrost, and would thus cause substantial changes to the landscape of wetlands and lakes, especially thermokarst (thaw) lakes, across the Arctic. Through a suite of numerical experiments thatmore » encapsulate the fundamental processes governing methane emissions and carbon exchanges – as well as their coupling to the global climate system - we intend to test the following hypothesis in the proposed research: There exists a climate warming threshold beyond which permafrost degradation becomes widespread and stimulates large increases in methane emissions (via thermokarst lakes and poorly-drained wetland areas upon thawing permafrost along with microbial metabolic responses to higher temperatures) and increases in carbon dioxide emissions from well-drained areas. Besides changes in biogeochemistry, this threshold will also influence global energy dynamics through effects on surface albedo, evapotranspiration and water vapor. These changes would outweigh any increased uptake of carbon (e.g. from peatlands and higher plant photosynthesis) and would result in a strong, positive feedback to global climate warming.« less

Collaborative Research. Quantifying Climate Feedbacks of the Terrestrial Biosphere under Thawing Permafrost Conditions in the Arctic

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

Zhuang, Qianlai; Schlosser, Courtney; Melillo, Jerry

2015-09-15

Our overall goal is to quantify the potential for threshold changes in natural emission rates of trace gases, particularly methane and carbon dioxide, from pan-arctic terrestrial systems under the spectrum of anthropogenically-forced climate warming, and the conditions under which these emissions provide a strong feedback mechanism to global climate warming. This goal is motivated under the premise that polar amplification of global climate warming will induce widespread thaw and degradation of the permafrost, and would thus cause substantial changes to the landscape of wetlands and lakes, especially thermokarst (thaw) lakes, across the Arctic. Through a suite of numerical experiments thatmore » encapsulate the fundamental processes governing methane emissions and carbon exchanges – as well as their coupling to the global climate system - we intend to test the following hypothesis in the proposed research: There exists a climate warming threshold beyond which permafrost degradation becomes widespread and stimulates large increases in methane emissions (via thermokarst lakes and poorly-drained wetland areas upon thawing permafrost along with microbial metabolic responses to higher temperatures) and increases in carbon dioxide emissions from well-drained areas. Besides changes in biogeochemistry, this threshold will also influence global energy dynamics through effects on surface albedo, evapotranspiration and water vapor. These changes would outweigh any increased uptake of carbon (e.g. from peatlands and higher plant photosynthesis) and would result in a strong, positive feedback to global climate warming.« less

Market-Based Decision Guidance Framework for Power and Alternative Energy Collaboration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altaleb, Hesham

With the introduction of power energy markets deregulation, innovations have transformed once a static network into a more flexible grid. Microgrids have also been deployed to serve various purposes (e.g., reliability, sustainability, etc.). With the rapid deployment of smart grid technologies, it has become possible to measure and record both, the quantity and time of the consumption of electrical power. In addition, capabilities for controlling distributed supply and demand have resulted in complex systems where inefficiencies are possible and where improvements can be made. Electric power like other volatile resources cannot be stored efficiently, therefore, managing such resource requires considerable attention. Such complex systems present a need for decisions that can streamline consumption, delay infrastructure investments, and reduce costs. When renewable power resources and the need for limiting harmful emissions are added to the equation, the search space for decisions becomes increasingly complex. As a result, the need for a comprehensive decision guidance system for electrical power resources consumption and productions becomes evident. In this dissertation, I formulate and implement a comprehensive framework that addresses different aspect of the electrical power generation and consumption using optimization models and utilizing collaboration concepts. Our solution presents a two-prong approach: managing interaction in real-time for the short-term immediate consumption of already allocated resources; and managing the operational planning for the long-run consumption. More specifically, in real-time, we present and implement a model of how to organize a secondary market for peak-demand allocation and describe the properties of the market that guarantees efficient execution and a method for the fair distribution of collaboration gains. We also propose and implement a primary market for peak demand bounds determination problem with the assumption that participants of this market have the ability to collaborate in real-time. Moreover, proposed in this dissertation is an extensible framework to facilitate C&I entities forming a consortium to collaborate on their electric power supply and demand. The collaborative framework includes the structure of market setting, bids, and market resolution that produces a schedule of how power components are controlled as well as the resulting payment. The market resolution must satisfy a number of desirable properties (i.e., feasibility, Nash equilibrium, Pareto optimality, and equal collaboration profitability) which are formally defined in the dissertation. Furthermore, to support the extensible framework components' library, power components such as utility contract, back-up power generator, renewable resource, and power consuming service are formally modeled. Finally, the validity of this framework is evaluated by a case study using simulated load scenarios to examine the ability of the framework to efficiently operate at the specified time intervals with minimal overhead cost.

Development And Testing Unmanned Aerial Systems To Study And Monitoring Volcanoes: INGV Experience Since 2004

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buongiorno, M. F.; Amici, S.; Doumaz, F.; Diaz, J. A.; Silvestri, M.; Musacchio, M.; Pieri, D. C.; Marotta, E.; Wright, K. C.; Sansivero, F.; Caliro, S.; Falcone, S.; Giulietti, F.

2016-12-01

Monitoring natural hazards such as active volcanoes requires specific instruments to measure many parameters (gas emissions, surface temperatures, surface deformation etc.) to determine the activity level of the volcano. Volcanoes in most cases present difficult and dangerous environment for scientists who need to take in situ measurements but also for manned aircrafts. Remote Sensing systems on board of satellite permit to measure a large number of parameters especially during the eruptive events but still show large limits to monitor volcanic precursors and phenomena at local scale (gas species emitted by fumarole or summit craters degassing plumes and surface thermal changes of few degrees). Since 2004 INGV started the analysis of unmanned Aerial Systems (UAV) to explore the operational aspects of UAV deployments. In 2006, INGV in partnership with department of Aerospace Division at University of Bologna, stared the development of a UAV system named RAVEN-INGV. The project was anticipated by a flight test on 2004. In the last years the large diffusion of smaller UAVS and drones opened new opportunities to perform the monitoring of volcanic areas. INGV teams developed strong collaboration with Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and University of Costa Rica (UCR) to cooperate in testing both UAV and miniaturized instruments to measures gas species and surface temperatures in volcanic environment. Between 2014 and 2015 specific campaigns has been performed in the active volcanoes in Italy (Campi Flegrei and Vulcano Island). The field and airborne acquisitions have also permitted the calibration and validation of Satellite data as ASTER and LANDSAT8 (in collaboration with USGS). We hope that the rapid increasing of technology developments will permit the use UAV systems to integrate geophysical measurements and contribute to the necessary calibration and validation of current and future satellite missions dedicated to the measurements of surface temperatures and gas emissions in volcanic areas.

The Prospect of Neutrinos with Gravitational Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-10-01

With the first detection of gravitational waves in 2015, scientists celebrated the opening of a new window to the universe. But multi-messenger astronomy astronomy based on detections of not just photons, but other signals as well was not a new idea at the time: we had already detected tiny, lightweight neutrinos emitted from astrophysical sources. Will we be able to combine observations of neutrinos and gravitational waves in the future to provide a deeper picture of astrophysical events?Signs of a MergerArtists impression of the first stage of a binary neutron star merger. [NASA, ESA, and A. Feild (STScI)]If the answer is yes, the key will probably be short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs). Theory predicts that when a neutron star merges with another compact object (either another neutron star or a black hole), a number of signals may be observable. These include:gravitational waves as the binary spirals inward,a brief burst of gamma rays at merger (this is the SGRB),high-energy neutrino emission during the SGRB,optical and infrared emission after the merger in the form of a kilonova, andradio afterglows of the merger remnants.While weve observed the various electromagnetic components of this picture, the multi-messenger part is lacking: gravitational-wave detections havent been made in conjunction with electromagnetic counterparts thus far, and the only confirmed astrophysical sources of neutrinos are the Sun and Supernova 1987A.Pedicted neutrino fluxes during different stages of emission in an SGRB. [Kimura et al. 2017]Can we expect this to change in the future? A team of authors led by Shigeo Kimura (Pennsylvania State University) has now explored the likelihood that well be able to detect high-energy neutrinos in association with future gravitational-wave events.Detecting the SGRB NeutrinosKimura and collaborators first estimate the flux of high-energy neutrinos expected during various emission phases of an SGRB. They show that a period of late-time emission, known as the extended emission phase, may produce high-energy neutrinos more efficiently than the other phases. But would we be able to see these neutrinos?A comparison of IceCubes detection capabilities (top) to those of the planned IceCube-Gen2 (bottom), for different models of neutrino emission during an SGRB. [Kimura et al. 2017]To answer this, the authors calculate the probability of detection for neutrinos coming from a distance of 300 Mpc the predicted sensitivity range of advanced LIGO for gravitational-wave detection from a face-on neutron-star binary. They find that the IceCube Neutrino Observatory could detect neutrinos from around 10% of average extended-emission events or perhaps up to half in the most optimistic scenario. The planned next iteration of the detector, IceCube-Gen2, should do better, however: Kimura and collaborators estimate that a quarter of the extended emission events will be detectable in the general case, and up to three quarters of them may be seen in the optimistic case.The authors calculations suggest that within several years of operation of IceCube-Gen2, there is a good chance that well be able to simultaneously detect gamma rays, neutrinos, and gravitational waves from bright SGRBs. This will provide us with powerful tools for learning about the physics of these energetic events.CitationShigeo S. Kimura et al 2017 ApJL 848 L4. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aa8d14

A study on scientific collaboration and co-authorship patterns in library and information science studies in Iran between 2005 and 2009

PubMed Central

Siamaki, Saba; Geraei, Ehsan; Zare- Farashbandi, Firoozeh

2014-01-01

Background: Scientific collaboration is among the most important subjects in scientometrics, and many studies have investigated this concept to this day. The goal of the current study is investigation of scientific collaboration and co-authorship patterns of researchers in the field of library and information science in Iran between years 2005 and 2009. Materials and Methods: The current study uses scientometrics method. The statistical population consists of 942 documents published in Iranian library and information science journals between years 2005 and 2009. Collaboration coefficient, collaboration index (CI), and degree of collaboration (DC) were used for data analysis. Findings: The findings showed that among 942 investigated documents, 506 documents (53.70%) was created by one individual researcher and 436 documents (46.30%) were the result of collaboration between two or more researchers. Also, the highest rank of different authorship patterns belonged to National Journal of Librarianship and Information Organization (code H). Conclusion: The average collaboration coefficient for the library and information science researchers in the investigated time frame was 0.23. The closer this coefficient is to 1, the higher is the level of collaboration between authors, and a coefficient near zero shows a tendency to prefer individual articles. The highest collaboration index with an average of 1.92 authors per paper was seen in year 1388. The five year collaboration index in library and information science in Iran was 1.58, and the average degree of collaboration between researchers in the investigated papers was 0.46, which shows that library and information science researchers have a tendency for co-authorship. However, the co-authorship had increased in recent years reaching its highest number in year 1388. The researchers’ collaboration coefficient also shows relative increase between years 1384 and 1388. National Journal of Librarianship and Information Organization has the highest rank among all the investigated journals based on collaboration coefficient, collaboration index (CI), and degree of collaboration (DC). PMID:25250365

A study on scientific collaboration and co-authorship patterns in library and information science studies in Iran between 2005 and 2009.

PubMed

Siamaki, Saba; Geraei, Ehsan; Zare-Farashbandi, Firoozeh

2014-01-01

Scientific collaboration is among the most important subjects in scientometrics, and many studies have investigated this concept to this day. The goal of the current study is investigation of scientific collaboration and co-authorship patterns of researchers in the field of library and information science in Iran between years 2005 and 2009. The current study uses scientometrics method. The statistical population consists of 942 documents published in Iranian library and information science journals between years 2005 and 2009. Collaboration coefficient, collaboration index (CI), and degree of collaboration (DC) were used for data analysis. The findings showed that among 942 investigated documents, 506 documents (53.70%) was created by one individual researcher and 436 documents (46.30%) were the result of collaboration between two or more researchers. Also, the highest rank of different authorship patterns belonged to National Journal of Librarianship and Information Organization (code H). The average collaboration coefficient for the library and information science researchers in the investigated time frame was 0.23. The closer this coefficient is to 1, the higher is the level of collaboration between authors, and a coefficient near zero shows a tendency to prefer individual articles. The highest collaboration index with an average of 1.92 authors per paper was seen in year 1388. The five year collaboration index in library and information science in Iran was 1.58, and the average degree of collaboration between researchers in the investigated papers was 0.46, which shows that library and information science researchers have a tendency for co-authorship. However, the co-authorship had increased in recent years reaching its highest number in year 1388. The researchers' collaboration coefficient also shows relative increase between years 1384 and 1388. National Journal of Librarianship and Information Organization has the highest rank among all the investigated journals based on collaboration coefficient, collaboration index (CI), and degree of collaboration (DC).

Midwives' and health visitors' collaborative relationships: A systematic review of qualitative and quantitative studies.

PubMed

Aquino, Maria Raisa Jessica Ryc V; Olander, Ellinor K; Needle, Justin J; Bryar, Rosamund M

2016-10-01

Interprofessional collaboration between midwives and health visitors working in maternal and child health services is widely encouraged. This systematic review aimed to identify existing and potential areas for collaboration between midwives and health visitors; explore the methods through which collaboration is and can be achieved; assess the effectiveness of this relationship between these groups, and ascertain whether the identified examples of collaboration are in line with clinical guidelines and policy. A narrative synthesis of qualitative and quantitative studies. Fourteen electronic databases, research mailing lists, recommendations from key authors and reference lists and citations of included papers. Papers were included if they explored one or a combination of: the areas of practice in which midwives and health visitors worked collaboratively; the methods that midwives and health visitors employed when communicating and collaborating with each other; the effectiveness of collaboration between midwives and health visitors; and whether collaborative practice between midwives and health visitors meet clinical guidelines. Papers were assessed for study quality. Eighteen papers (sixteen studies) met the inclusion criteria. The studies found that midwives and health visitors reported valuing interprofessional collaboration, however this was rare in practice. Findings show that collaboration could be useful across the service continuum, from antenatal care, transition of care/handover, to postnatal care. Evidence for the effectiveness of collaboration between these two groups was equivocal and based on self-reported data. In relation, multiple enablers and barriers to collaboration were identified. Communication was reportedly key to interprofessional collaboration. Interprofessional collaboration was valuable according to both midwives and health visitors, however, this was made challenging by several barriers such as poor communication, limited resources, and poor understanding of each other's role. Structural barriers such as physical distance also featured as a challenge to interprofessional collaboration. Although the findings are limited by variable methodological quality, these were consistent across time, geographical locations, and health settings, indicating transferability and reliability. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Leaders' Experiences with High School-College Writing Center Collaborations: A Qualitative Multiple-Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Story, Julie A.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore academic leaders' experiences with the organizational elements of their own high school-college writing center collaborations. Conjoining theories framed this study: collaborative leadership theory, Kenneth Bruffee's notion of social constructionism and collaborative learning…

Negotiating a Team Identity through Collaborative Self-Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tuval, Smadar; Barak, Judith; Gidron, Ariela

2011-01-01

This study presents our emerging understanding of the meaning of collaborative self-study as one of the mechanisms that facilitates effective, productive collaboration. Stemming from our experience of collaborative professional life over eight years, we explore the crisis we confronted as a professional learning community, the tensions underlying…

Participation, Interaction and Social Presence: An Exploratory Study of Collaboration in Online Peer Review Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhao, Huahui; Sullivan, Kirk P. H.; Mellenius, Ingmarie

2014-01-01

A key reason for using asynchronous computer conferencing in instruction is its potential for supporting collaborative learning. However, few studies have examined collaboration in computer conferencing. This study examined collaboration in six peer review groups within an asynchronous computer conferencing. Eighteen tertiary students participated…

EPCAL: ETS Platform for Collaborative Assessment and Learning. Research Report. ETS RR-17-49

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hao, Jiangang; Liu, Lei; von Davier, Alina A.; Lederer, Nathan; Zapata-Rivera, Diego; Jaki, Peter; Bakkenson, Michael

2017-01-01

Most existing software tools for online collaboration are designed to support the collaboration itself instead of the study of collaboration with a systematic team and task management system. In this report, we identify six important features for a platform to facilitate the study of online collaboration. We then introduce the Educational Testing…

Coming to terms: a case study of hospice collaboration challenges.

PubMed

Pietroburgo, Julie; Bush, Richard

Recent research has focused on the growing phenomenon of mergers, collaborations, and alliances among nonprofit organizations and what makes such arrangements work. Examination of failed collaborative efforts is perhaps just as instructive. This case study examines recent attempts at collaboration between 2 nonprofit hospice organizations. The study finds that despite compelling reasons for and significant commonalities on which to base collaboration, the organizations were initially unable to forge any ongoing and substantive collaborative arrangement because of insurmountable cultural factors and past history. Furthermore, without imminent external pressures to collaborate, these organizations had insufficient motivation to attempt to move beyond their differences. The case also reviews the changed circumstances and factors that later facilitated partnering attempts.

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

Tuve, C.; Albergo, S.; Boemi, D.

In the frame of the Transport Collaboration neutrons in coincidence with charged fragments produced in the {sup 40}Ca + H reaction at E{sub lab} = 357 and 565 AMeV have been measured at the Heavy Ion Spectrometer System (HISS) facility of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, using the multifunctional neutron spectrometer MUFFINS. The detector covered a narrow angular range about the beam in the forward direction (0? - 3.2?). In this contribution we report absolute neutron production cross sections in coincidence with charged fragments (10 {<=} Z {<=} 20). The neutron multiplicities have been estimated from the comparison between themore » neutron cross sections, in coincidence with the fragments, and the elemental cross sections. We have found evidence for a pre-equilibrium emission of prompt neutrons in superposition to a 'slower' deexcitation of the equilibrated remnant by emission of nucleons and fragments, as already seen in the inclusive rapidity distributions.« less

Capabilities of software "Vector-M" for a diagnostics of the ionosphere state from auroral emissions images and plasma characteristics from the different orbits as a part of the system of control of space weather

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avdyushev, V.; Banshchikova, M.; Chuvashov, I.; Kuzmin, A.

2017-09-01

In the paper are presented capabilities of software "Vector-M" for a diagnostics of the ionosphere state from auroral emissions images and plasma characteristics from the different orbits as a part of the system of control of space weather. The software "Vector-M" is developed by the celestial mechanics and astrometry department of Tomsk State University in collaboration with Space Research Institute (Moscow) and Central Aerological Observatory of Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring. The software "Vector-M" is intended for calculation of attendant geophysical and astronomical information for the centre of mass of the spacecraft and the space of observations in the experiment with auroral imager Aurovisor-VIS/MP in the orbit of the perspective Meteor-MP spacecraft.

A description of the new 3D electron gun and collector modeling tool: MICHELLE

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

Petillo, J.; Mondelli, A.; Krueger, W.

1999-07-01

A new 3D finite element gun and collector modeling code is under development at SAIC in collaboration with industrial partners and national laboratories. This development program has been designed specifically to address the shortcomings of current simulation and modeling tools. In particular, although there are 3D gun codes that exist today, their ability to address fine scale features is somewhat limited in 3D due to disparate length scales of certain classes of devices. Additionally, features like advanced emission rules, including thermionic Child's law and comprehensive secondary emission models also need attention. The program specifically targets problems classes including gridded-guns, sheet-beammore » guns, multi-beam devices, and anisotropic collectors. The presentation will provide an overview of the program objectives, the approach to be taken by the development team, and a status of the project.« less

First detection of very-high-energy gamma-ray emission from the extreme blazar PGC 2402248 with the MAGIC telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirzoyan, Razmik

2018-04-01

The MAGIC collaboration reports the first detection of very-high-energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) gamma-ray emission from PGC 2402248, also known as 2WHSP J073326.7+515354 (Chang et al. 2016, A & A, 598, A17) with coordinates R.A.: 07:33:26.7 h, Dec: +51:53:54.99 deg. The source is classified as an extreme high-energy peaked BL Lacertae object of unknown redshift, included in the 2WHSP catalog with a synchrotron peak located at 10^17.9 Hz. PGC 2402248 was observed with the MAGIC telescopes from 2018/01/23 to 2018/04/18 (MJD 58141-58226) for about 23 h. The preliminary analysis of these data resulted in the detection of PGC 2402248 with a statistical significance of more than 6 standard deviations.

The influence of learning methods on collaboration: prior repeated retrieval enhances retrieval organization, abolishes collaborative inhibition, and promotes post-collaborative memory.

PubMed

Congleton, Adam R; Rajaram, Suparna

2011-11-01

Research on collaborative memory has unveiled the counterintuitive yet robust phenomenon that collaboration impairs group recall. A candidate explanation for this collaborative inhibition effect is the disruption of people's idiosyncratic retrieval strategies during collaboration, and it is hypothesized that employing methods that improve one's organization protects against retrieval disruption. Here it is investigated how one's learning method during the study phase--defined as either repeatedly studying or repeatedly retrieving information--influences retrieval organization and what effects this has on collaborative recall and post-collaborative individual recall. Results show that repeated retrieval consistently eliminated collaborative inhibition. This enabled participants to gain the most from re-exposure to materials recalled by their partners that they themselves did not recall and led to improvements in their individual memory following collaboration. This repeated retrieval advantage stemmed from the preferential manner in which this learning method strengthened retrieval organization. Findings are also discussed that reveal a relationship between retrieval organization and the interaction observed between learning method and short versus long delay seen in the testing effect literature. Finally, results show that the elusive benefits of cross-cuing during collaboration may be best detected with a longer study-test delay. Together, these findings illuminate when and how collaboration can enhance memory.

ASTER satellite observations for international disaster management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Duda, K.A.; Abrams, M.

2012-01-01

When lives are threatened or lost due to catastrophic disasters, and when massive financial impacts are experienced, international emergency response teams rapidly mobilize to provide urgently required support. Satellite observations of affected areas often provide essential insight into the magnitude and details of the impacts. The large cost and high complexity of developing and operating satellite flight and ground systems encourages international collaboration in acquiring imagery for such significant global events in order to speed delivery of critical information to help those affected, and optimize spectral, spatial, and temporal coverage of the areas of interest. The International Charter-Space and Major Disasters was established to enable such collaboration in sensor tasking during times of crisis and is often activated in response to calls for assistance from authorized users. Insight is provided from a U.S. perspective into sensor support for Charter activations and other disaster events through a description of the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), which has been used to support emergency situations for over a decade through its expedited tasking and near real-time data delivery capabilities. Examples of successes achieved and challenges encountered in international collaboration to develop related systems and fulfill tasking requests suggest operational considerations for new missions as well as areas for future enhancements.

Study on Collaborative Object Manipulation in Virtual Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayangsari, Maria Niken; Yong-Moo, Kwon

This paper presents comparative study on network collaboration performance in different immersion. Especially, the relationship between user collaboration performance and degree of immersion provided by the system is addressed and compared based on several experiments. The user tests on our system include several cases: 1) Comparison between non-haptics and haptics collaborative interaction over LAN, 2) Comparison between non-haptics and haptics collaborative interaction over Internet, and 3) Analysis of collaborative interaction between non-immersive and immersive display environments.

MaGa, a web-based collaborative database for gas emissions: a tool to improve the knowledge on Earth degassing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frigeri, A.; Cardellini, C.; Chiodini, G.; Frondini, F.; Bagnato, E.; Aiuppa, A.; Fischer, T. P.; Lehnert, K. A.

2014-12-01

The study of the main pathways of carbon flux from the deep Earth requires the analysis of a large quantity and variety of data on volcanic and non-volcanic gas emissions. Hence, there is need for common frameworks to aggregate available data and insert new observations. Since 2010 we have been developing the Mapping Gas emissions (MaGa) web-based database to collect data on carbon degassing form volcanic and non-volcanic environments. MaGa uses an Object-relational model, translating the experience of field surveyors into the database schema. The current web interface of MaGa allows users to browse the data in tabular format or by browsing an interactive web-map. Enabled users can insert information as measurement methods, instrument details as well as the actual values collected in the field. Measurements found in the literature can be inserted as well as direct field observations made by human-operated instruments. Currently the database includes fluxes and gas compositions from active craters degassing, diffuse soil degassing and fumaroles both from dormant volcanoes and open-vent volcanoes from literature survey and data about non-volcanic emission of the Italian territory. Currently, MaGa holds more than 1000 volcanic plume degassing fluxes, data from 30 sites of diffuse soil degassing from italian volcanoes, and about 60 measurements from fumarolic and non volcanic emission sites. For each gas emission site, the MaGa holds data, pictures, descriptions on gas sampling, analysis and measurement methods, together with bibliographic references and contacts to researchers having experience on each site. From 2012, MaGa developments started to be focused towards the framework of the Deep Earth Carbon Degassing research initiative of the Deep Carbon Observatory. Whithin the DECADE initiative, there are others data systems, as EarthChem and the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program. An interoperable interaction between the DECADE data systems is being planned. MaGa is showing good potentials to improve the knowledge on Earth degassing firstly by making data more accessible and encouraging participation among researchers, and secondly by allowing to observe and explore, for the first time, a gas emission dataset with spatial and temporal extents never analyzed before.

A Pilot Study: Facilitating Cross-Cultural Understanding with Project-Based Collaborative Learning in an Online Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shadiev, Rustam; Hwang, Wu-Yuin; Huang, Yueh-Min

2015-01-01

This study investigated three aspects: how project-based collaborative learning facilitates cross-cultural understanding; how students perceive project-based collaborative learning implementation in a collaborative cyber community (3C) online environment; and what types of communication among students are used. A qualitative case study approach…

A Web-Based Synchronous Collaborative Review Tool: A Case Study of an On-Line Graduate Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Serce, Fatma Cemile; Yildirim, Soner

2006-01-01

On-line collaboration is an instructional method that facilitates collaboration in an on-line learning setting. To promote effective collaboration, it is vital to reveal both the student's and the instructor's point of view pertaining to effective on-line collaboration. In this study, the effectiveness of a learning management system in on-line…

Investigations into Gravitational Wave Emission from Compact Body Inspiral into Massive Black Holes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hughes, Scott A.

2005-01-01

In contrast to year 1 (when much of the activity associated with this grant focused upon developing our group at MIT), year 2 was a period of very focused attention on research problems. We made significant progress developing relativistic waveforms for the extreme mass ratio inspiral problem; we have pushed forward a formalism our group developed for mapping the spacetimes of massive compact objects; and, in collaboration with the Caltech group, we began to develop a framework for addressing issues in LISA data analysis for extreme mass ratio systems.

EMISSIONS FROM COMBUSTION OF POST-CONSUMER ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Symposium Paper The Portland cement industry is interested in the utilization of post-consumer carpet as a fuel to replace a portion of its traditional fuels. In response to this interest, the Carpet and Rug Institute, US Department of Energy, Georgia Institute of Technology School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, US Environmental Protection Agency, Lehigh Cement Company, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Research Committee on Industrial and Municipal Waste are performing a collaborative program to assess the feasibility of using cement kilns for the destruction of post-consumer carpet.

Turbine Seal Research at NASA GRC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Proctor, Margaret P.; Steinetz, Bruce M.; Delgado, Irebert R.; Hendricks, Robert C.

2011-01-01

Low-leakage, long-life turbomachinery seals are important to both Space and Aeronautics Missions. (1) Increased payload capability (2) Decreased specific fuel consumption and emissions (3) Decreased direct operating costs. NASA GRC has a history of significant accomplishments and collaboration with industry and academia in seals research. NASA's unique, state-of-the-art High Temperature, High Speed Turbine Seal Test Facility is an asset to the U.S. Engine / Seal Community. Current focus is on developing experimentally validated compliant, non-contacting, high temperature seal designs, analysis, and design methodologies to enable commercialization.

Blast-wave model description of the Hanbury-Brown-Twiss radii in pp collisions at LHC energies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bialas, Andrzej; Florkowski, Wojciech; Zalewski, Kacper

2015-04-01

The blast wave model is applied to the recent data on Hanbury-Brown-Twiss radii in pp collisions, measured by the ALICE Collaboration. A reasonable description of data is obtained for a rather low temperature of the kinetic freeze-out, T≃ 100 MeV, and the transverse profile corresponding to the emission from a shell of a fairly small width 2δ ˜ 1.5 fm. The size and the life-time of the produced system are determined for various multiplicities of the produced particles.

Study of the gamma-ray spectrum from the Galactic Center in view of multi-TeV dark matter candidates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belikov, Alexander V.; Zaharijas, Gabrijela; Silk, Joseph

2012-10-01

Motivated by the complex gamma-ray spectrum of the Galactic Center source now measured over five decades in energy, we revisit the issue of the role of dark matter (DM) annihilations in this interesting region. We reassess whether the emission measured by the HESS collaboration could be a signature of dark matter annihilation, and we use the Fermi LAT spectrum to model the emission from SgrA*, using power-law spectral fits. We find that good fits are achieved by a power law with an index ˜2.5-2.6, in combination with a spectrum similar to the one observed from pulsar population and with a spectrum from a ≳10TeV DM annihilating to a mixture of bb¯ and harder τ+τ- channels and with boost factors of the order of a hundred. Alternatively, we also consider the combination of a log-parabola fit with the DM contribution. Finally, as both the spectrum of gamma rays from the Galactic Center and the spectrum of cosmic ray electrons exhibit a cutoff at TeV energies, we study the dark matter fits to both data sets. Constraining the spectral shape of the purported dark matter signal provides a robust way of comparing data. We find a marginal overlap only between the 99.999% C.L. regions in parameter space.

Polyfire project- an example of an industrial research project promoting safe industrial production of fire-resistant nanocomposites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaquero, C.; López de Ipiña, J.; Galarza, N.; Hargreaves, B.; Weager, B.; Breen, C.

2011-07-01

New developments based on nanotechnology have to guarantee safe products and processes to be accepted by society. The Polyfire project will develop and scale-up techniques for processing halogen-free, fire-retardant nanocomposite materials and coatings based on unsaturated polyester resins and organoclays. The project includes a work package that will assess the Health and Environmental impacts derived from the manipulation of nanoparticles. This work package includes the following tasks: (1) Identification of Health and Environment Impacts derived from the processes, (2) Experimentation to study specific Nanoparticle Emissions, (3) Development of a Risk Management Methodology for the process, and (4) A Comparison of the Health and Environmental Impact of New and Existing Materials. To date, potential exposure scenarios to nanomaterials have been identified through the development of a Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA) of the new production processes. In the next step, these scenarios will be studied and simulated to evaluate potential emissions of nanomaterials. Polyfire is a collaborative European project, funded by the European Commission 7th Framework Programme (Grant Agreement No 229220). It features 11 partners from 5 countries (5 SMEs, 3 research institutes, 2 large companies, 1 association) and runs for three years (1st September 2009 - 31st August 2012). This project is an example of an industrial research development which aims to introduce to the market new products promoting the safe use of nanomaterials.

Comparative study on collaborative interaction in non-immersive and immersive systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahab, Qonita M.; Kwon, Yong-Moo; Ko, Heedong; Mayangsari, Maria N.; Yamasaki, Shoko; Nishino, Hiroaki

2007-09-01

This research studies the Virtual Reality simulation for collaborative interaction so that different people from different places can interact with one object concurrently. Our focus is the real-time handling of inputs from multiple users, where object's behavior is determined by the combination of the multiple inputs. Issues addressed in this research are: 1) The effects of using haptics on a collaborative interaction, 2) The possibilities of collaboration between users from different environments. We conducted user tests on our system in several cases: 1) Comparison between non-haptics and haptics collaborative interaction over LAN, 2) Comparison between non-haptics and haptics collaborative interaction over Internet, and 3) Analysis of collaborative interaction between non-immersive and immersive display environments. The case studies are the interaction of users in two cases: collaborative authoring of a 3D model by two users, and collaborative haptic interaction by multiple users. In Virtual Dollhouse, users can observe physics law while constructing a dollhouse using existing building blocks, under gravity effects. In Virtual Stretcher, multiple users can collaborate on moving a stretcher together while feeling each other's haptic motions.

Short-term and long-term collaboration benefits on individual recall in younger and older adults

PubMed Central

Stern, Yaakov

2011-01-01

A recent study of younger adults suggests that, compared to repeated individual recall trials, repeated collaborative recall trials produce better individual recall after a short delay (Blumen & Rajaram, 2008). Our study was designed to determine if such collaboration benefits would remain after a one-week delay, in both younger and older adults. Sixty younger (M age = 24.60) and 60 older (M age = 67.35) adults studied a list of words and then completed either two collaborative recall trials followed by two individual recall trials, or four individual recall trials. A five-min delay was inserted between the first three recall trials. The fourth recall trial was administered 1 week later. Collaborative recall was completed in groups of three individuals working together. Both younger and older adults benefitted from repeated collaborative recall trials to a greater extent than repeated individual recall trials, and such collaboration benefits remained after a one-week delay. This is the first demonstration of collaboration benefits on later individual recall at delays as long as 1 week, in both younger and older adults. Findings are discussed within the context of the negative effects of collaboration associated with group memory (collaborative inhibition) and the positive effects of collaboration associated with later individual memory (collaboration benefits). PMID:21264617

Short-term and long-term collaboration benefits on individual recall in younger and older adults.

PubMed

Blumen, Helena M; Stern, Yaakov

2011-01-01

A recent study of younger adults suggests that, compared to repeated individual recall trials, repeated collaborative recall trials produce better individual recall after a short delay (Blumen & Rajaram, 2008). Our study was designed to determine if such collaboration benefits would remain after a one-week delay, in both younger and older adults. Sixty younger (M age = 24.60) and 60 older (M age = 67.35) adults studied a list of words and then completed either two collaborative recall trials followed by two individual recall trials, or four individual recall trials. A five-min delay was inserted between the first three recall trials. The fourth recall trial was administered 1 week later. Collaborative recall was completed in groups of three individuals working together. Both younger and older adults benefitted from repeated collaborative recall trials to a greater extent than repeated individual recall trials, and such collaboration benefits remained after a one-week delay. This is the first demonstration of collaboration benefits on later individual recall at delays as long as 1 week, in both younger and older adults. Findings are discussed within the context of the negative effects of collaboration associated with group memory (collaborative inhibition) and the positive effects of collaboration associated with later individual memory (collaboration benefits).

Anomalous nuclear reactions in condensed matter: Recent results and open questions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, S. E.; Palmer, E. P.; Czirr, J. B.; Decker, D. L.; Jensen, G. L.; Thorne, J. M.; Taylor, S. F.; Rafelski, J.

1990-06-01

We have observed clear signatures for neutron emission during deuteron infusion into metals, implying the occurrence of nuclear fusion in condensed matter near room temperature. The low-level nuclear phenomenon has been demonstrated in collaborative experiments at Brigham Young University, at the Gran Sasso laboratory in Italy, and at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. We have shown that neutron emission can be induced in metals using both electrochemical and variational temperature/pressure means to generate non-equilibrium conditions. Observed average neutron emission rates are approximately 0.04-0.4 no/ s. Current efforts focus on trying to understand and control the phenomenon. In particular, we wish to understand the correlation of neutron yields with parameters such as hydrogen/metal ion ratio, pressure (induced, for example, by electrical field or gas pressure or mechanical pressure), temperature variation, hydride phase changes, and surface conditions, e.g., a palladium coating on titanium. We want to know if fusion arises due to the close proximity of the deuterons in the lattice (piezonuclear fusion), or possibly from “microscopic hot fusion”, accompanying strong electric fields at propagating cracks in the hydride. The latter interpretation would imply neutron emission in bursts. Our experiments show clear evidence for emission of ˜102 neutrons in bursts lasting <128 μs, although random neutron-singles emissions were also observed. Experiments now underway to compare the d-d, and p-d, and d-t reaction rates will be important to a consistent description of the new phenomenon. Careful scrutiny of this effect could increase our understanding of heat, helium-3, and tritium production in the earth, other planets, and even the stars.

Collaboration enhances later individual memory for emotional material.

PubMed

Bärthel, Gwennis A; Wessel, Ineke; Huntjens, Rafaële J C; Verwoerd, Johan

2017-05-01

Research on collaborative remembering suggests that collaboration hampers group memory (i.e., collaborative inhibition), yet enhances later individual memory. Studies examining collaborative effects on memory for emotional stimuli are scarce, especially concerning later individual memory. In the present study, female undergraduates watched an emotional movie and recalled it either collaboratively (n = 60) or individually (n = 60), followed by an individual free recall test and a recognition test. We replicated the standard collaborative inhibition effect. Further, in line with the literature, the collaborative condition displayed better post-collaborative individual memory. More importantly, in post-collaborative free recall, the centrality of the information to the movie plot did not play an important role. Recognition rendered slightly different results. Although collaboration rendered more correct recognition for more central details, it did not enhance recognition of background details. Secondly, the collaborative and individual conditions did not differ with respect to overlap of unique correct items in free recall. Yet, during recognition former collaborators more unanimously endorsed correct answers, as well as errors. Finally, extraversion, neuroticism, social anxiety, and depressive symptoms did not moderate the influence of collaboration on memory. Implications for the fields of forensic and clinical psychology are discussed.

Methodology to estimate particulate matter emissions from certified commercial aircraft engines.

PubMed

Wayson, Roger L; Fleming, Gregg G; Lovinelli, Ralph

2009-01-01

Today, about one-fourth of U.S. commercial service airports, including 41 of the busiest 50, are either in nonattainment or maintenance areas per the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. U.S. aviation activity is forecasted to triple by 2025, while at the same time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is evaluating stricter particulate matter (PM) standards on the basis of documented human health and welfare impacts. Stricter federal standards are expected to impede capacity and limit aviation growth if regulatory mandated emission reductions occur as for other non-aviation sources (i.e., automobiles, power plants, etc.). In addition, strong interest exists as to the role aviation emissions play in air quality and climate change issues. These reasons underpin the need to quantify and understand PM emissions from certified commercial aircraft engines, which has led to the need for a methodology to predict these emissions. Standardized sampling techniques to measure volatile and nonvolatile PM emissions from aircraft engines do not exist. As such, a first-order approximation (FOA) was derived to fill this need based on available information. FOA1.0 only allowed prediction of nonvolatile PM. FOA2.0 was a change to include volatile PM emissions on the basis of the ratio of nonvolatile to volatile emissions. Recent collaborative efforts by industry (manufacturers and airlines), research establishments, and regulators have begun to provide further insight into the estimation of the PM emissions. The resultant PM measurement datasets are being analyzed to refine sampling techniques and progress towards standardized PM measurements. These preliminary measurement datasets also support the continued refinement of the FOA methodology. FOA3.0 disaggregated the prediction techniques to allow for independent prediction of nonvolatile and volatile emissions on a more theoretical basis. The Committee for Aviation Environmental Protection of the International Civil Aviation Organization endorsed the use of FOA3.0 in February 2007. Further commitment was made to improve the FOA as new data become available, until such time the methodology is rendered obsolete by a fully validated database of PM emission indices for today's certified commercial fleet. This paper discusses related assumptions and derived equations for the FOA3.0 methodology used worldwide to estimate PM emissions from certified commercial aircraft engines within the vicinity of airports.

Second Greenhouse Gas Information System Workshop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boland, S. W.; Duren, R. M.; Mitchiner, J.; Rotman, D.; Sheffner, E.; Ebinger, M. H.; Miller, C. E.; Butler, J. H.; Dimotakis, P.; Jonietz, K.

2009-12-01

The second Greenhouse Gas Information System (GHGIS) workshop was held May 20-22, 2009 at the Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The workshop brought together 74 representatives from 28 organizations including U.S. government agencies, national laboratories, and members of the academic community to address issues related to the understanding, operational monitoring, and tracking of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon offsets. The workshop was organized by an interagency collaboration between NASA centers, DOE laboratories, and NOAA. It was motivated by the perceived need for an integrated interagency, community-wide initiative to provide information about greenhouse gas sources and sinks at policy-relevant temporal and spatial scales in order to significantly enhance the ability of national and regional governments, industry, and private citizens to implement and evaluate effective climate change mitigation policies. This talk provides an overview of the second Greenhouse Gas Information System workshop, presents its key findings, and discusses current status and next steps in this interagency collaborative effort.

AGN Space Telescope and Optical Reverberation Mapping Project II. Ultraviolet and Optical Continuum Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fausnaugh, Michael; Agn Storm Team

2015-01-01

The AGN STORM collaboration recently completed an extensive reverberation mapping campaign, targeting NGC 5548 with observations spanning the hard X-rays to mid-infrared. This campaign represents a massive collaborative effort, with far UV continuum spectrophotometry obtained through an intensive HST COS program, and near-UV/optical broad band photometry obtained from Swift and over 25 ground-based telescopes (in BVR and griz). The campaign spanned the entire 2014 observing season with virtually daily cadence, which allows us to compare with unprecedented accuracy the detailed structure of the observed UV and optical continuum emission signals in this archetypal AGN. We find statistically significant time delays between lightcurves from different wavebands, and this result has implications for the temperature, ionization, and geometric configuration of the AGN's sub-parsec scale environment. We will present the UV/optical continuum lightcurves from this campaign, as well as an analysis of the wavelength-dependent structure of the time delays.

GoAmazon2014/15. Oxidation Flow Reactor Final Campaign Report

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

Jimenez, J. L.; Day, D. A.; Hu, W.

The primary goal of the Green Ocean Amazon (GoAmazon2014/5) field campaign was to measure and mechanistically understand the formation of particle number and mass in a region affected by large tropical rainforest biogenic emissions and sometimes anthropogenic influence from a large urban center. As part of the two intensive operational periods (IOPs) and in collaboration with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Harvard, the Jimenez Group proposed to deploy a High-Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS), Thermal Denuder (TD), Scanning Mobility Particle Size (SMPS), two oxidation flow reactors (OFR; including supporting O 3, CO/CO 2/CH 4, RH analyzers), and amore » high volume filter sampler (MCV) for the measurement of gas and aerosol chemical, physicochemical, and volatility properties. The two IOPs were conducted during the wet season (February to March, 2014) and dry season (August to October, 2014). This proposal was part of a collaborative proposal involving other university and government laboratories.« less

Characterization of Fine Particulate Matter (PM) and Secondary PM Precursor Gases in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Molina, Luisa T.; Volkamer, Rainer; de Foy, Benjamin; Lei, Wenfang; Zavala, Miguel; Velasco, Erik; Molina; Mario J.

2008-10-31

This project was one of three collaborating grants funded by DOE/ASP to characterize the fine particulate matter (PM) and secondary PM precursors in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) during the MILAGRO Campaign. The overall effort of MCMA-2006, one of the four components, focused on i) examination of the primary emissions of fine particles and precursor gases leading to photochemical production of atmospheric oxidants and secondary aerosol particles; ii) measurement and analysis of secondary oxidants and secondary fine PM production, with particular emphasis on secondary organic aerosol (SOA), and iii) evaluation of the photochemical and meteorological processes characteristic of the Mexico City Basin. The collaborative teams pursued the goals through three main tasks: i) analyses of fine PM and secondary PM precursor gaseous species data taken during the MCMA-2002/2003 campaigns and preparation of publications; ii) planning of the MILAGRO Campaign and deployment of the instrument around the MCMA; and iii) analysis of MCMA-2006 data and publication preparation.

The Nuclear Astrophysics Explorer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matteson, J. L.; Teegarden, B. J.; Gehrels, N.; Mahoney, W. A.

1989-01-01

The Nuclear Astrophysics Explorer was proposed in 1986 for NASA's Explorer Concept Study Program by an international collaboration of 25 scientists from nine institutions. The one-year feasibility study began in June 1988. The Nuclear Astrophysics Explorer would obtain high resolution observations of gamma-ray lines, E/Delta E about 1000, at a sensitivity of about 0.000003 ph/sq cm s, in order to study fundamental problems in astrophysics such as nucleosynthesis, supernovae, neutron star and black-hole physics, and particle acceleration and interactions. The instrument would operate from 15 keV to 10 Mev and use a heavily shielded array of nine cooled Ge spectrometers in a very low background configuration. Its 10 deg FWHM field of view would contain a versatile coded mask system which would provide two-dimensional imaging with 4 deg resolution, one-dimensional imaging with 2 deg resolution, and efficiendt measurements of diffuse emission. An unshielded Ge spectrometer would obtain wide-field measurements of transient gamma-ray sources. The earliest possible mission would begin in 1995.

Methodological Challenges for Collaborative Learning Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strijbos, Jan-Willem; Fischer, Frank

2007-01-01

Research on collaborative learning, both face-to-face and computer-supported, has thrived in the past 10 years. The studies range from outcome-oriented (individual and group learning) to process-oriented (impact of interaction on learning processes, motivation and organisation of collaboration) to mixed studies. Collaborative learning research is…

Effectiveness of Collaborative Learning with 3D Virtual Worlds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cho, Young Hoan; Lim, Kenneth Y. T.

2017-01-01

Virtual worlds have affordances to enhance collaborative learning in authentic contexts. Despite the potential of collaborative learning with a virtual world, few studies investigated whether it is more effective in student achievements than teacher-directed instruction. This study investigated the effectiveness of collaborative problem solving…

Global and Local Collaborators: A Study of Scientific Collaboration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pao, Miranda Lee

1992-01-01

Describes an empirical study that was conducted to examine the relationship among scientific co-authorship (i.e., collaboration), research funding, and productivity. Bibliographic records from the MEDLINE database that used the subject heading for schistosomiasis are analyzed, global and local collaborators are discussed, and scientific…

External-PIXE analysis for the study of pigments from a painting from the Museum of Contemporary Art

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rizzutto, M. A.; Moro, M. V.; Silva, T. F.; Trindade, G. F.; Added, N.; Tabacniks, M. H.; Kajiya, E. M.; Campos, P. H. V.; Magalhães, A. G.; Barbosa, M.

2014-08-01

External Ion Beam Analysis is a useful tool for the characterization of cultural heritage objects. During the last decade, several significant collaborations have been established between Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) scientists and art or archeology professionals, demanding in-air IBA for a variety of different cultural heritage objects. In-air Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) analyses of an oil painting by the Italian painter, Mario Sironi, from the Museum of Contemporary Art of the University of São Paulo (MAC-USP), were examined. This painting is particularly interesting due to paintings on both sides (oil on canvas on the front and oil on wood on the back side). PIXE analysis helped the identification of the pigment similarities on both sides of the painting, suggesting the same authorship.

Measurements of Gases and Aerosols during 2010Cal-Mex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, J.; Zhang, R.; Molina, L.

2012-04-01

The major goal of the collaborative Cal-Mex 2010 research project is to assess the sources and processing of emissions along the California-Mexico border region and their effects on regional air quality and climate in order to provide scientific information to decision makers of both nations when addressing these two inter-related issues. During the Cal-Mex 2010 field study, the TAMU teams have collected extensive data sets from Tijuana/San Diego border, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), gaseous sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and a suite set of physical and chemical parameters of aerosols. This comprehensive data set requires additional effort to process and analyze the measurements of gases and aerosols during Cal-Mex 2010. In this talk, preliminary data analysis of gases and aerosols will be presented, including VOCs and particle mixing states, morphology, and effective densities.

ASTER, a multinational Earth observing concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bothwell, Graham W.; Geller, Gary N.; Larson, Steven A.; Morrison, Andrew D.; Nichols, David A.

1993-01-01

The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) is a facility instrument selected for launch in 1998 on the first in a series of spacecraft for NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS). The ASTER instrument is being sponsored and built in Japan. It is a three telescope, high spatial resolution imaging instrument with 15 spectral bands covering the visible through to the thermal infrared. It will play a significant role within EOS providing geological, biological, land hydrological information necessary for intense study of the Earth. The operational capabilities for ASTER, including the necessary interfaces and operational collaborations between the US and Japanese participants, are under development. EOS operations are the responsibility of the EOS Project at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). Although the primary EOS control center is at GSFC, the ASTER control facility will be in Japan. Other aspects of ASTER are discussed.

The Fire Locating and Modeling of Burning Emissions (FLAMBE) Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reid, J. S.; Prins, E. M.; Westphal, D.; Richardson, K.; Christopher, S.; Schmidt, C.; Theisen, M.; Eck, T.; Reid, E. A.

2001-12-01

The Fire Locating and Modeling of Burning Emissions (FLAMBE) project was initiated by NASA, the US Navy and NOAA to monitor biomass burning and burning emissions on a global scale. The idea behind the mission is to integrate remote sensing data with global and regional transport models in real time for the purpose of providing the scientific community with smoke and fire products for planning and research purposes. FLAMBE is currently utilizing real time satellite data from GOES satellites, fire products based on the Wildfire Automated Biomass Burning Algorithm (WF_ABBA) are generated for the Western Hemisphere every 30 minutes with only a 90 minute processing delay. We are currently collaborating with other investigators to gain global coverage. Once generated, the fire products are used to input smoke fluxes into the NRL Aerosol Analysis and Prediction System, where advection forecasts are performed for up to 6 days. Subsequent radiative transfer calculations are used to estimate top of atmosphere and surface radiative forcing as well as surface layer visibility. Near real time validation is performed using field data collected by Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) Sun photometers. In this paper we fully describe the FLAMBE project and data availability. Preliminary result from the previous year will also be presented, with an emphasis on the development of algorithms to determine smoke emission fluxes from individual fire products. Comparisons to AERONET Sun photometer data will be made.

Cusp observations with Cluster and THEMIS in preparation for the SMILE mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Escoubet, C.-Philippe

2017-04-01

Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) is a novel self-standing mission, being designed in collaboration between ESA and the Chinese Academy of Science. Its objective is to observe solar wind-magnetosphere coupling via simultaneous in situ solar wind/magnetosheath plasma and magnetic field measurements, soft X-Ray images of the magnetosheath and polar cusps, and UV images of global auroral distributions. The observations of the cusps and magnetosheath with the X-ray imager are possible thanks to the relatively recent discovery of solar wind charge exchange (SWCX) X-ray emissions, first at comets and subsequently in the vicinity of the Earth's magnetosphere. To prepare for the mission, we must determine the cusp's expected morphology, motion, and in situ properties (density, velocity, temperature). We have selected a series of Cluster cusp crossings that define these properties and can therefore be used to estimate X-ray emissions across the width of the cusp for different IMF orientations. We will show that the peak soft X-ray emissions occur near the centre of the cusp where ion densities maximize. We then show that the integral lines of sight emissions through the cusp are a factor of 2.4 times larger for IMF-Bz northward than for IMF-Bz southward. The mid-altitude cusp is a factor of 7 brighter than the exterior cusp.

MercNet: A national monitoring network to assess responses to changing mercury emissions in the United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schmeltz, D.; Evers, D.C.; Driscoll, C.T.; Artz, R.; Cohen, M.; Gay, D.; Haeuber, R.; Krabbenhoft, D.P.; Mason, R.; Morris, K.; Wiener, J.G.

2011-01-01

A partnership of federal and state agencies, tribes, industry, and scientists from academic research and environmental organizations is establishing a national, policy-relevant mercury monitoring network, called MercNet, to address key questions concerning changes in anthropogenic mercury emissions and deposition, associated linkages to ecosystem effects, and recovery from mercury contamination. This network would quantify mercury in the atmosphere, land, water, and biota in terrestrial, freshwater, and coastal ecosystems to provide a national scientific capability for evaluating the benefits and effectiveness of emission controls. Program development began with two workshops, convened to establish network goals, to select key indicators for monitoring, to propose a geographic network of monitoring sites, and to design a monitoring plan. MercNet relies strongly on multi-institutional partnerships to secure the capabilities and comprehensive data that are needed to develop, calibrate, and refine predictive mercury models and to guide effective management. Ongoing collaborative efforts include the: (1) development of regional multi-media databases on mercury in the Laurentian Great Lakes, northeastern United States, and eastern Canada; (2) syntheses and reporting of these data for the scientific and policy communities; and (3) evaluation of potential monitoring sites. The MercNet approach could be applied to the development of other monitoring programs, such as emerging efforts to monitor and assess global mercury emission controls. ?? 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC (outside the USA).

Managing future air quality in megacities: A case study for Delhi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amann, Markus; Purohit, Pallav; Bhanarkar, Anil D.; Bertok, Imrich; Borken-Kleefeld, Jens; Cofala, Janusz; Heyes, Chris; Kiesewetter, Gregor; Klimont, Zbigniew; Liu, Jun; Majumdar, Dipanjali; Nguyen, Binh; Rafaj, Peter; Rao, Padma S.; Sander, Robert; Schöpp, Wolfgang; Srivastava, Anjali; Vardhan, B. Harsh

2017-07-01

Megacities in Asia rank high in air pollution at the global scale. In many cities, ambient concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) have been exceeding both the WHO interim targets as well as respective national air quality standards. This paper presents a systems analytical perspective on management options that could efficiently improve air quality at the urban scale, having Delhi as a case study. We employ the newly developed GAINS-City policy analysis framework, consisting of a bottom up emission calculation combined with atmospheric chemistry-transport calculation, to derive innovative insights into the current sources of pollution and their impacts on ambient PM2.5, both from emissions of primary PM as well as precursors of secondary inorganic and organic aerosols. We outline the likely future development of these sources, quantify the related ambient PM2.5 concentrations and health impacts, and explore potential policy interventions that could effectively reduce environmental pollution and resulting health impacts in the coming years. The analysis demonstrates that effective improvement of Delhi's air quality requires collaboration with neighboring States and must involve sources that are less relevant in industrialized countries. At the same time, many of the policy interventions will have multiple co-benefits on development targets in Delhi and its neighboring States. Outcomes of this study, as well as the modelling tools used herein, are applicable to other urban areas and fast growing metropolitan zones in the emerging Asian regions.

Who needs collaborative care treatment? A qualitative study exploring attitudes towards and experiences with mental healthcare among general practitioners and care managers.

PubMed

Møller, Marlene Christina Rosengaard; Mygind, Anna; Bro, Flemming

2018-05-30

Collaborative care treatment is widely recognized as an effective approach to improve the quality of mental healthcare through enhanced and structured collaboration between general practice and specialized psychiatry. However, studies indicate that the complexity of collaborative care treatment interventions challenge the implementation in real-life general practice settings. Four Danish Collaborative Care Models were launched in 2014 for patients with mild/moderate anxiety and depression. These involved collaboration between general practitioners, care managers and consultant psychiatrists. Taking a multi-practice bottom-up approach, this paper aims to explore the perceived barriers and enablers related to collaborative care for patients with mental health problems and to investigate the actual experiences with a Danish collaborative care model in a single-case study in order to identify enablers and barriers for successful implementation. Combining interviews and observations of usual treatment practices, we conducted a multi-practice study among general practitioners who were not involved in the Danish collaborative care models to explore their perspectives on existing mental health treatment and to investigate (from a bottom-up approach) their perceptions of and need for collaborative care in mental health treatment. Additionally, by combining observations and qualitative interviews, we followed the implementation of a Danish collaborative care model in a single-case study to convey identified barriers and enablers of the collaborative care model. Experienced and perceived enablers of the Danish collaborative care model mainly consisted of a need for new treatment options to deal with mild/moderate anxiety and depression. The model was considered to meet the need for a free fast track to high-quality treatment. Experienced barriers included: poor adaptation of the model to the working conditions and needs in daily general practice, time consumption, unsustainable logistical set-up and unclear care manager role. General practitioners in the multi-practice study considered access to treatment and not collaboration with specialised psychiatry to be essential for this group of patients. The study calls for increased attention to implementation processes and better adaptation of collaborative care models to the clinical reality of general practice. Future interventions should address the treatment needs of specific patient populations and should involve relevant stakeholders in the design and implementation processes.

Are They Thinking Differently: A Cross-Cultural Study on the Relationship of Thinking Styles and Emerging Roles in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gu, Xiaoqing; Wang, Huawen; Mason, Jon

2017-01-01

Numerous studies have recognized collaboration as an effective way of learning. When collaboration involves students from different cultural backgrounds, a question arises: "Will cultural differences influence the manner in which roles are adopted within collaborative learning?" In this study, a correlation analysis was used to explore…

The Meaning of Collaboration, from the Perspective of Iranian Nurses: A Qualitative Study

PubMed Central

Zamanzadeh, V.; Irajpour, A.; Valizadeh, L.; Shohani, M.

2014-01-01

Background. Interdisciplinary collaboration among nurses is a complex and multifaceted process, an essential element in nursing, which is crucial to maintain an efficient, safe, and viable medical setting. The aim of this study was to explore the meaning of concept of collaboration through conducting a qualitative research approach. Method. The present study is qualitatively conducted in a content analysis approach. The data collection process included 18 unstructured and in-depth interviews with nurses during 2012-2013 in educational medical centers of west and northwest of Iran. A purposive sampling method was used. All the interviews were recorded, transcribed, and finally analyzed using a qualitative content analysis with a conventional method. Result. Categories obtained from analysis of the data to explain the meaning of collaboration consist of (i) prerequisites of collaboration, (ii) actualization of collaboration, and (iii) achievement of a common goal. Conclusion. The results of the present study ended in the discovery of meaning of collaboration that confirm results of other related studies, hence clarifying and disambiguating the concept under study. These results also contribute to the development of collaboration theories and the relevant measurement tools. PMID:25587572

Global Carbon Project: the 2013 Global Carbon Budget (Version 2.3, issued June 2014)

DOE Data Explorer

Le Quere, C. [University of East Anglia, Norwich UK; Peters, G. P. [Univ. of Oslo (Norway); Andrew, R. J. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Andrew, R. M. [Univ. of Oslo (Norway); Boden, T. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2013-01-01

Global emissions of carbon dioxide from the combustion of fossil fuels will reach 36 billion tonnes for the year 2013. "This is a level unprecedented in human history," says CSIRO's Dr Pep Canadell, Executive-Director of the Global Carbon Project (GCP) and co-author of a new report. The GCP provides an annual report of carbon dioxide emissions, land and ocean sinks and accumulation in the atmosphere, incorporating data from multiple research institutes from around the world. The 2013 figures coincide with the global launch of the Global Carbon Atlas, an online platform to explore, visualise and interpret the emissions data at the global, regional and national scales (www.globalcarbonatlas.org). The full data and methods are published today in the journal Earth System Science Data Discussions, and data and other graphic materials can be found at: www.globalcarbonproject.org/carbonbudget. The Global Carbon Budget 2013 is a collaborative effort of the global carbon cycle science community coordinated by the Global Carbon Project. The landing page for this dataset includes links to V. 1.1, issued Nov2013, V.1.3, issued Dec2013, and the June 2014 issue of V.2.3 of the 2013 Global Carbon Budget.

Developing field emission electron sources based on ultrananocrystalline diamond for accelerators

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

Baryshev, Sergey V.; Jing, Chunguang; Qiu, Jiaqi

Radiofrequency (RF) electron guns work by establishing an RF electromagnetic field inside a cavity having conducting walls. Electrons from a cathode are generated in the injector and immediately become accelerated by the RF electric field, and exit the gun as a series of electron bunches. Finding simple solutions for electron injection is a long standing problem. While energies of 30-50 MeV are achievable in linear accelerators (linacs), finding an electron source able to survive under MW electric loads and provide an average current of 1-10 mA is important. Meeting these requirements would open various linac applications for industry. The naturalmore » way to simplify and integrate RF injector architectures with the electron source would be to place the source directly into the RF cavity with no need for additional heaters/lasers. Euclid TechLabs in collaboration with Argonne National Lab are prototyping a family of highly effective field emission electron sources based on a nitrogen-incorporated ultrananocrystalline diamond ((N)UNCD) platform. Determined metrics suggest that our emitters are emissive enough to meet requirements for magnetized cooling at electron-ion colliders, linac-based radioisotope production and X-ray sterilization, and others.« less

Threshold Dynamics of a Semiconductor Single Atom Maser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yinyu

Photon emission from single emitters provides fundamental insight into the detailed interaction between light and matter. Here we demonstrate a semiconductor single atom maser (SeSAM) that consists of a single InAs double quantum dot (DQD) that is coupled to a high quality factor microwave cavity. A finite bias results in population inversion in the DQD, enabling sizable cavity gain and stimulated emission. We develop a pulsed-gate approach that allows the SeSAM to be tuned across the masing threshold. The cavity output power as a function of DQD current is in good agreement with single atom maser theory once a small correction for lead emission is included. Photon statistics measurements show that the second-order correlation function of intra-cavity photon number, nc, crosses over from 〈nc2 〉 /〈nc 〉 2 = 2.1 below threshold to 〈nc2 〉 /〈nc 〉 2 = 1.2 above threshold. Large fluctuations are observed at threshold. In collaboration with J. Stehlik, C. Eichler, X. Mi, T. R. Hartke, M. J. Gullans, J. M. Taylor and J. R. Petta. Supported by the NSF and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation's EPiQS initiative through Grant No. GBMF4535.

Research Collaboration across Higher Education Systems: Maturity, Language Use, and Regional Differences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shin, Jung Cheol; Lee, Soo Jeung; Kim, Yangson

2013-01-01

This study analyzed whether research collaboration patterns differ across higher education systems based on maturity of the systems, their language, and their geographical region. This study found that collaboration patterns differ across higher education systems: academics in developed systems are more collaborative than their colleagues in…

Interaction Forms in Successful Collaborative Learning in Virtual Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vuopala, Essi; Hyvönen, Pirkko; Järvelä, Sanna

2016-01-01

Despite the numerous studies on social interaction in collaborative learning, little is known about interaction forms in successful computer-supported collaborative learning situations. The purpose of this study was to explore and understand student interaction in successful collaborative learning during a university course which was mediated by…

Assessing Learners' Perceived Readiness for Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL): A Study on Initial Development and Validation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xiong, Yao; So, Hyo-Jeong; Toh, Yancy

2015-01-01

The main purpose of this study was to develop an instrument that assesses university students' perceived readiness for computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL). Assessment in CSCL research had predominantly focused on measuring "after-collaboration" outcomes and "during-collaboration" behaviors while…

A Delphi Study on Collaborative Learning in Distance Education: The Faculty Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Neill, Susan; Scott, Murray; Conboy, Kieran

2011-01-01

This paper focuses on the factors that influence collaborative learning in distance education. Distance education has been around for many years and the use of collaborative learning techniques in distance education is becoming increasingly popular. Several studies have demonstrated the superiority of collaborative learning over traditional modes…

The Therapeutic Collaboration in Life Design Counselling: The Case of Ryan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

do Céu Taveira, Maria; Ribeiro, Eugénia; Cardoso, Paulo; Silva, Filipa

2017-01-01

This study examined the therapeutic collaboration in a case of Life Design Counseling (LDC) with narrative change and positive career outcomes. The therapeutic collaboration-change model and correspondent coding system were used to intensively study the helping relationship throughout three sessions of LDC. The collaboration coding system enables…

Patterns of Change in Collaboration Are Associated with Baseline Characteristics and Predict Outcome and Dropout Rates in Treatment of Multi-Problem Families. A Validation Study

PubMed Central

Bachler, Egon; Fruehmann, Alexander; Bachler, Herbert; Aas, Benjamin; Nickel, Marius; Schiepek, Guenter K.

2017-01-01

Objective: The present study validates the Multi-Problem Family (MPF)-Collaboration Scale), which measures the progress of goal directed collaboration of patients in the treatment of families with MPF and its relation to drop-out rates and treatment outcome. Method: Naturalistic study of symptom and competence-related changes in children of ages 4–18 and their caregivers. Setting: Integrative, structural outreach family therapy. Measures: The data of five different groups of goal directed collaboration (deteriorating collaboration, stable low collaboration, stable medium collaboration, stable high collaboration, improving collaboration) were analyzed in their relation to treatment expectation, individual therapeutic goals (ITG), family adversity index, severity of problems and global assessment of a caregiver’s functioning, child, and relational aspects. Results: From N = 810 families, 20% displayed stable high collaboration (n = 162) and 21% had a pattern of improving collaboration. The families with stable high or improving collaboration rates achieved significantly more progress throughout therapy in terms of treatment outcome expectancy (d = 0.96; r = 0.43), reaching ITG (d = 1.17; r = 0.50), family adversities (d = 0.55; r = 0.26), and severity of psychiatric symptoms (d = 0.31; r = 0.15). Furthermore, families with stable high or improving collaboration maintained longer treatments and had a bigger chance of finishing the therapy as planned. The odds of having a stable low or deteriorating collaboration throughout treatment were significantly higher for subjects who started treatment with low treatment expectation or high family-related adversities. Conclusion: The positive outcomes of homebased interventions for multi-problem families are closely related to “stable high” and an “improving” collaboration as measured with the MPF-Collaboration Scale. Patients who fall into these groups have a high treatment outcome expectancy and reduce psychological stress. For therapeutic interventions with multi-problem families it seems beneficial to maintain a stable high collaboration or help the collaboration, e.g., by fostering treatment expectation. PMID:28785232

A case study of collaboration in science education: Integrating informal learning experiences into the school curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robertson, Amy Michelle

This is a study of a collaboration between multiple stakeholders in science education for the purpose of creating educational field trip experiences. The collaboration involves four major facets of science education: formal education at the elementary and university levels, informal education, and educational research. The primary participants in the collaboration include two elementary school teachers, a scientist from a local university, an informal educator from an environmental education site, and the researcher acting as a participant observer. The coming together of these different sides of science education provided a unique opportunity to explore the issues and experiences that emerged as such a partnership was formed and developed. Strongly influenced by action research, this study is a qualitative case study. The data was collected by means of observation, semi-structured interviews, and written document review, in order to provide both a descriptive and an interpretive account of this collaboration. The final analysis integrates a description of the participants' experiences as evidenced in the data with the issues that arose from these experiences. The evolution of the collaborators' roles was examined, as was the development of shared vision. In this study, there were several factors that significantly affected the progress towards a shared vision and a successful collaboration. These factors include time, communication, understanding others' perspectives, dedication and ownership, as well as the collaborative environment. Each collaborator benefited both professionally and personally from their participation in the collaboration. In addition, the students gained cognitively, affectively, and socially from the educational experiences created through the collaboration. Steps, such as working towards communication and understanding others' perspectives, should continue to be taken to ensure the collaboration continues beyond the term of the current key participants.

An overview of the MILAGRO 2006 campaign: Mexico City emissions and their transport and transformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molina, L. T.; Madronich, S.; Gaffney, J. S.; Apel, E.; de Foy, B.; Fast, J.; Ferrare, R.; Herndon, S.; Jimenez, J. L.; Lamb, B.; Osornio-Vargas, A. R.; Russell, P.; Schauer, J. J.; Stevens, P. S.; Zavala, M.

2010-03-01

MILAGRO (Megacity Initiative: Local And Global Research Observations) is an international collaborative project to examine the behavior and the export of atmospheric emissions from a megacity. The Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) - one of the world's largest megacities and North America's most populous city - was selected as the case study to characterize the sources, concentrations, transport, and transformation processes of the pollutants emitted to the MCMA atmosphere and to evaluate the regional and global impacts of these emissions. The findings of this study are relevant to the evolution and impacts of pollution from many other megacities. The measurement phase consisted of a month-long series of carefully coordinated observations of the chemistry and physics of the atmosphere in and near Mexico City during March 2006, using a wide range of instruments at ground sites, on aircraft and satellites, and enlisting over 450 scientists from 150 institutions in 30 countries. Three ground supersites were set up to examine the evolution of the primary emitted gases and fine particles. Additional platforms in or near Mexico City included mobile vans containing scientific laboratories and mobile and stationary upward-looking lidars. Seven instrumented research aircraft provided information about the atmosphere over a large region and at various altitudes. Satellite-based instruments peered down into the atmosphere, providing even larger geographical coverage. The overall campaign was complemented by meteorological forecasting and numerical simulations, satellite observations and surface networks. Together, these research observations have provided the most comprehensive characterization of the MCMA's urban and regional atmospheric composition that will take years to analyze and evaluate fully. In this paper we review over 120 papers resulting from the MILAGRO/INTEX-B Campaign that have been published or submitted, as well as relevant papers from the earlier MCMA-2003 campaign, with the aim of providing a road map for the scientific community interested in understanding the emissions from a megacity such as the MCMA and their impacts on air quality and climate. This paper describes the measurements performed during MILAGRO and the results obtained on MCMA's atmospheric meteorology and dynamics, emissions of gases and fine particles, sources and concentrations of volatile organic compounds, urban and regional photochemistry, ambient particulate matter, aerosol radiative properties, urban plume characterization, and health studies. A summary of key findings from the field study is presented.

Experimental Measurements of the Effects of Photo-chemical Oxidation on Aerosol Emissions in Aircraft Exhaust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miracolo, M. A.; Presto, A. A.; Hennigan, C. J.; Nguyen, N.; Ranjan, M.; Reeder, A.; Lipsky, E.; Donahue, N. M.; Robinson, A. L.

2009-12-01

Many military and commercial airfields are located in non-attainment areas for particulate matter (PM2.5), but the contribution of emissions from in-use aircraft to local and regional PM2.5 concentrations is uncertain. In collaboration with the Pennsylvania Air National Guard 171st Air Refueling Wing, the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) Mobile Laboratory was deployed to measure fresh and aged emissions from a CFM56-2B1 gas-turbine engine mounted on a KC-135 Stratotanker airframe. The CFM-56 family of engine powers many different types of military and civilian aircraft, including the Boeing 737 and several Airbus models. It is one of the most widely deployed models of engines in the world. The goal of this work was to measure the gas-particle partitioning of the fresh emissions at atmospherically relevant conditions and to investigate the effect of atmospheric oxidation on aerosol loadings as the emissions age. Emissions were sampled from an inlet installed one meter downstream of the engine exit plane and transferred into a portable smog chamber via a heated inlet line. Separate experiments were conducted at different engine loads ranging from ground idle to take-off rated thrust. During each experiment, some diluted exhaust was added to the chamber and the volatility of the fresh emissions was then characterized using a thermodenuder. After this characterization, the chamber was exposed to either ambient sunlight or UV lights to initiate photochemical oxidation, which produced secondary aerosol and ozone. A suite of gas and particle-phase instrumentation was used to characterize the evolution of the gas and particle-phase emissions, including an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) to measure particle size and composition distributions. Fresh emissions of fine particles varied with engine load with peak emission factors at low and high loads. At high engine loads, the fresh emissions were dominated by black carbon; at low loads volatile organic carbon emissions were dominant. At low loads, photo-oxidation increased aerosol loadings in the chamber by a factor of fifty. We attribute this substantial secondary organic aerosol (SOA) production to oxidation of low-volatility organic vapors emitted under low loads. At higher loads, we see more modest secondary aerosol production from both organics and inorganics. Therefore secondary aerosol production can substantially exceed the direct aerosol emissions from aircraft. The results underscore the dramatic effects that photo-oxidation has on aerosol emissions from aircraft.

Understanding collaboration in a multi-national research capacity-building partnership: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Varshney, Dinansha; Atkins, Salla; Das, Arindam; Diwan, Vishal

2016-08-18

Research capacity building and its impact on policy and international research partnership is increasingly seen as important. High income and low- and middle-income countries frequently engage in research collaborations. These can have a positive impact on research capacity building, provided such partnerships are long-term collaborations with a unified aim, but they can also have challenges. What are these challenges, which often result in a short term/ non viable collaboration? Does such collaboration results in capacity building? What are the requirements to make any collaboration sustainable? This study aimed to answer these and other research questions through examining an international collaboration in one multi-country research capacity building project ARCADE RSDH (Asian Regional Capacity Development for Research on Social Determinants of Health). A qualitative study was conducted that focused on the reasons for the collaboration, collaboration patterns involved, processes of exchanging information, barriers faced and perceived growth in research capacity. In-depth interviews were conducted with the principal investigators (n = 12), research assistants (n = 2) and a scientific coordinator (n = 1) of the collaborating institutes. Data were analysed using thematic framework analysis. The initial contact between institutes was through previous collaborations. The collaboration was affected by the organisational structure of the partner institutes, political influences and the collaboration design. Communication was usually conducted online, which was affected by differences in time and language and inefficient infrastructure. Limited funding resulted in restricted engagement by some partners. This study explored work in a large, North-South collaboration project focusing on building research capacity in partner institutes. The project helped strengthen research capacity, though differences in organization types, existing research capacity, culture, time, and language acted as obstacles to the success of the project. Managing these differences requires preplanned strategies to develop functional communication channels among the partners, maintaining transparency, and sharing the rewards and benefits at all stages of collaboration.

World scientific collaboration in coronary heart disease research.

PubMed

Yu, Qi; Shao, Hongfang; He, Peifeng; Duan, Zhiguang

2013-08-10

Coronary heart disease (CHD) will continue to exert a heavy burden for countries all over the world. Scientific collaboration has become the only choice for progress in biomedicine. Unfortunately, there is a scarcity of scientific publications about scientific collaboration in CHD research. This study examines collaboration behaviors across multiple collaboration types in the CHD research. 294,756 records about CHD were retrieved from Web of Science. Methods such as co-authorship, social network analysis, connected component, cliques, and betweenness centrality were used in this study. Collaborations have increased at the author, institution and country/region levels in CHD research over the past three decades. 3000 most collaborative authors, 572 most collaborative institutions and 52 countries/regions are extracted from their corresponding collaboration network. 766 cliques are found in the most collaborative authors. 308 cliques are found in the most collaborative institutions. Western countries/regions represent the core of the world's collaboration. The United States ranks first in terms of number of multi-national publications, while Hungary leads in the ranking measured by their proportion of collaborative output. The rate of economic development in the countries/regions also affects the multi-national collaboration behavior. Collaborations among countries/regions need to be encouraged in the CHD research. The visualization of overlapping cliques in the most collaborative authors and institutions are considered "skeleton" of the collaboration network. Eastern countries/regions should strengthen cooperation with western countries/regions in the CHD research. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

An analysis of national collaboration with Spanish researchers abroad in the health sciences.

PubMed

Aceituno-Aceituno, Pedro; Romero-Martínez, Sonia Janeth; Victor-Ponce, Patricia; García-Núñez, José

2015-11-07

The establishment of scientific collaborations with researchers abroad can be considered a good practice to make appropriate use of their knowledge and to increase the possibilities of them returning to their country. This paper analyses the collaboration between Spanish researchers abroad devoted to health sciences and national science institutions. We used the Fontes' approach to perform a study on this collaboration with Spanish researchers abroad. We measured the level of national and international cooperation, the opportunity provided by the host country to collaborate, the promotion of collaboration by national science institutions, and the types of collaboration. A total of 88 biomedical researchers out of the 268 Spanish scientists who filled up the survey participated in the study. Different data analyses were performed to study the variables selected to measure the scientific collaboration and profile of Spanish researchers abroad. There is a high level of cooperation between Spanish health science researchers abroad and international institutions, which contrasts with the small-scale collaboration with national institutions. Host countries facilitate this collaboration with national and international scientific institutions to a larger extent than the level of collaboration promotion carried out by Spanish institutions. The national collaboration with Spanish researchers abroad in the health sciences is limited. Thus, the practice of making appropriate use of the potential of their expertise should be promoted and the opportunities for Spanish health science researchers to return home should be improved.

Perceived Benefits of Collaboration Between Local Health Departments and Schools and Programs of Public Health: A Mixed-Methods Study.

PubMed

Kovach, Kevin A; Welter, Christina R; Seweryn, Steven M; Torres, Griselle

2018-06-20

Collaboration between local health departments (LHDs) and schools and programs of public health (SPPH) may be a way to improve practice, education, and research. However, little is known about why LHDs and SPPH collaborate. This mixed-methods study addressed this issue by exploring what LHDs and SPPH perceive to be beneficial about their collaboration. A mixed-methods study using quantitative and qualitative data was conducted. A survey of 2000 LHDs that completed the 2013 National Profile of LHDs measured how important and effective LHDs perceived 30 indicators of the 10 essential public health services to be for collaboration with SPPH. Focus groups were held with LHD officials and the faculty from SPPH to further explore their perceptions of the mutual benefits of their collaboration. This study showed that LHD officials and the faculty from SPPH valued their collaborative work because it can improve education and training, support public health accreditation, enhance LHD credibility, enhance LHD technological capabilities, and improve research and evidence-based practice. Benefits increased with an increase in the degree of collaboration. This also showed that LHD officials would like to collaborate more closely with SPPH. Collaboration between LHDs and SPPH is mutually beneficial, and close collaboration can help transform public health practice, education, and research. In light of this, more attention should be paid to developing goals and objectives for a collaborative agenda. Attention should be paid not only to the immediate needs of the organizations and individuals involved but also to their long-term goals and underlying desires. Funding opportunities to support the development of partnerships between LHDs and SPPH are needed to provide tangible tasks and opportunities for taking a more long-term and strategic view for collaborative relationships.

Collaborative research: Accomplishments & potential

PubMed Central

Katsouyanni, Klea

2008-01-01

Although a substantial part of scientific research is collaborative and increasing globalization will probably lead to its increase, very few studies actually investigate the advantages, disadvantages, experiences and lessons learned from collaboration. In environmental epidemiology interdisciplinary collaboration is essential and the contrasting geographical patterns in exposure and disease make multi-location projects essential. This paper is based on a presentation given at the Annual Conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology, Paris 2006, and is attempting to initiate a discussion on a framework for studying collaborative research. A review of the relevant literature showed that indeed collaborative research is rising, in some countries with impressive rates. However, there are substantial differences between countries in their outlook, need and respect for collaboration. In many situations collaborative publications receive more citations than those based on national authorship. The European Union is the most important host of collaborative research, mainly driven by the European Commission through the Framework Programmes. A critical assessment of the tools and trends of collaborative networks under FP6, showed that there was a need for a critical revision, which led to changes in FP7. In conclusion, it is useful to study the characteristics of collaborative research and set targets for the future. The added value for science and for the researchers involved may be assessed. The motivation for collaboration could be increased in the more developed countries. Particular ways to increase the efficiency and interaction in interdisciplinary and intercultural collaboration may be developed. We can work towards "the principles of collaborative research" in Environmental Epidemiology. PMID:18208596

A Falling Corona Model for the Anomalous Behavior of the Broad Emission Lines in NGC 5548

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Mouyuan; Xue, Yongquan; Cai, Zhenyi; Guo, Hengxiao

2018-04-01

NGC 5548 has been intensively monitored by the AGN Space Telescope and Optical Reverberation Mapping collaboration. Approximately after half of the light curves, the correlation between the broad emission lines and the lag-corrected ultraviolet (UV) continua becomes weak. This anomalous behavior is accompanied by an increase of soft X-ray emission. We propose a simple model to understand this anomalous behavior, i.e., the corona might fall down, thereby increasing the covering fraction of the inner disk. Therefore, X-ray and extreme-UV emission suffer from spectral variations. The UV continua variations are driven by both X-ray and extreme-UV variations. Consequently, the spectral variability induced by the falling corona would dilute the correlation between the broad emission lines and the UV continua. Our model can explain many additional observational facts, including the dependence of the anomalous behavior on velocity and ionization energy. We also show that the time lag and correlation between the X-ray and the UV variations change as NGC 5548 displays the anomalous behavior. The time lag is dramatically longer than the expectation from disk reprocessing if the anomalous behavior is properly excluded. During the anomalous state, the time lag approaches the light-travel timescale of disk reprocessing albeit with a much weaker correlation. We speculate that the time lag in the normal state is caused by reprocessing of the broad line region gas. As NGC 5548 enters the abnormal state, the contribution of the broad line region gas is smaller; the time lag reflects disk reprocessing. We also discuss alternative scenarios.

Students' Engagement in Collaborative Knowledge Construction in Group Assignments for Information Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sormunen, Eero; Tanni, Mikko; Heinström, Jannica

2013-01-01

Introduction: Information literacy instruction is often undertaken in schools as collaborative source-based writing assignments. his paper presents the findings of a study on collaboration in two school assignments designed for information literacy. Method: The study draws on the models of cooperative and collaborative learning and the task-based…

Using a Wiki to Collaborate on a Study Guide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lending, Diane

2010-01-01

This paper introduces an end-of-semester assignment to create a study guide for the final exam. This assignment helps with two objectives of an introductory Management Information Systems course: collaboration and using Web 2.0 technologies. We argue that to truly understand collaboration, students must learn more than what collaboration is, they…

Collaboration, Intragroup Conflict, and Social Skills in Project-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Dabae; Huh, Yeol; Reigeluth, Charles M.

2015-01-01

This case study was conducted in two high school classrooms that utilized collaborative project-based learning (PBL). Collaboration is an important instructional strategy, especially used in conjunction with PBL, and is an essential learning outcome for the twenty-first century. This study examined how collaboration can be achieved as a learning…

Benefits of Collaborative Writing for ESL Advanced Diploma Students in the Production of Reports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fong, Lin Siew

2012-01-01

This study analyzes the collaborative writing sessions of two groups of advanced diploma economics students with mixed proficiency. Although studies in collaborative writing usually highlight the mixed results of students' collaboration ranging from promoting peer learning to having unresolved conflict, the findings of this paper only provide the…

Design and Evaluation of a Collaborative Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Qiyun

2009-01-01

Collaboration becomes an essential competency in the current knowledge society. In this study, a collaborative learning environment was designed to facilitate students in group collaboration. Instructional support strategies of friendship and meaningful learning tasks were applied to promote collaboration. Scaffolding strategies such as writing…

Genomics, proteomics, MEMS and SAIF: which role for diagnostic imaging?

PubMed

Grassi, R; Lagalla, R; Rotondo, A

2008-09-01

In these three words--genomics, proteomics and nanotechnologies--is the future of medicine of the third millennium, which will be characterised by more careful attention to disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Molecular imaging appears to satisfy this requirement. It is emerging as a new science that brings together molecular biology and in vivo imaging and represents the key for the application of personalized medicine. Micro-PET (positron emission tomography), micro-SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography), micro-CT (computed tomography), micro-MR (magnetic resonance), micro-US (ultrasound) and optical imaging are all molecular imaging techniques, several of which are applied only in preclinical settings on animal models. Others, however, are applied routinely in both clinical and preclinical setting. Research on small animals allows investigation of the genesis and development of diseases, as well as drug efficacy and the development of personalized therapies, through the study of biological processes that precede the expression of common symptoms of a pathology. Advances in molecular imaging were made possible only by collaboration among scientists in the fields of radiology, chemistry, molecular and cell biology, physics, mathematics, pharmacology, gene therapy and oncology. Although until now researchers have traditionally limited their interactions, it is only by increasing these connections that the current gaps in terminology, methods and approaches that inhibit scientific progress can be eliminated.

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

Parsons, Brian; Cochran, Jaquelin; Watson, Andrea

As a recognized leader in efforts to mitigate global climate change, the Government of Mexico (GOM) works proactively to reduce emissions, demonstrating strong political will and capacity to comprehensively address climate change. Since 2010, the U.S. government (USG) has supported these efforts by partnering with Mexico under the Enhancing Capacity for Low Emission Development Strategies (EC-LEDS) program. Through the program, the USG has partnered with Mexico’s Ministry of Energy (SENER), as well as other government agencies, to support GOM in reaching its clean energy and climate change goals. Specifically, the EC-LEDS program is supporting GOM’s clean energy goal of generatingmore » 35% of its electricity from renewable energy (RE) by 2024. EC-LEDS, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), has been collaborating with SENER and GOM interagency working group—the Consejo Consultivo para las Energías Renovables (Consultative Council on Renewable Energy)—to create a grid integration roadmap for variable RE. 1 A key objective in creating a grid integration roadmap is assessing likely impacts of wind and solar energy on the power system and modifying planning and operations accordingly. This paper applies best practices in conducting a grid integration study to the Mexican context.« less

The Fundamental Physical Processes Producing and Controlling Stellar Coronal/Transition Region/Chromospheric Activity and Structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ayres, T. R.; Brown, A.

2000-01-01

Our LTSA (Long Term Space Astrophysics) research has utilized current NASA and ESA spacecraft, supporting ground-based IR, radio, and sub-mm telescopes, and the extensive archives of HST (Hubble Space Telescope), IUE (International Ultraviolet Explorer), ROSAT, EUVE (Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer), and other missions. Our research effort has included observational work (with a nonnegligible groundbased component), specialized processing techniques for imaging and spectral data, and semiempirical modelling, ranging from optically thin emission measure studies to simulations of optically thick resonance lines. In our previous LTSA efforts, we have had a number of major successes, including most recently: organizing and carrying out an extensive cool star UV survey in HST cycle eight; obtaining observing time with new instruments, such as Chandra and XMM (X-ray Multi-Mirror) in their first cycles; collaborating with the Chandra GTO program and participating with the Chandra Emission Line Project on multi-wavelength observations of HR 1099 and Capella. These are the main broad-brush themes of our previous investigation: a) Where do Coronae Occur in the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram? b) Winds of Coronal and Noncoronal Stars; c) Activity, Age, Rotation Relations; d) Atmospheric Inhomogeneities; e) Heating Mechanisms, Subcoronal Flows, and Flares; f) Development of Analysis and Modelling Tools.

Blue Photoluminescence From Silacyclobutene Compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pernisz, Udo

1999-04-01

Organosilicon compounds in which the Si atom is bound to an aromatic moiety such as a phenyl group, exhibit strong blue photoluminescence when excited with UV light (for example at a wavelength of 337 nm). This phenomenon was investigated quantitatively at room temperature and at the temperature of liquid nitrogen (78 K) by measuring the emission and excitation spectra of the total luminescence, and of the phosphorescence, for a silacyclobutene compound in which two phenyl groups are joined across the C=C double bond of the ring. The effect of a series of organic substituents on the Si atom was investigated as well as the time dependence of the phosphorescence intensity decay for this class of materials. A tentative model of the energy levels in this compound is proposed. The observation of visible blue emission -- in contrast to photoluminescence in the UV from the aromatic groups -- is explained by the Si-C bond lowering the energy of the molecular orbitals, an effect that is currently under study for a range of Si-containing compounds. Synthesis of the silacyclobutene compounds was performed at the laboratory of Prof. N. Auner, now at J.W. Goethe Universität, Frankfurt, Germany. His contributions, and those of his collaborators, to the work reported here are gratefully acknowledged.

Diesel Engine Exhaust: Basis for Occupational Exposure Limit Value.

PubMed

Taxell, Piia; Santonen, Tiina

2017-08-01

Diesel engines are widely used in transport and power supply, making occupational exposure to diesel exhaust common. Both human and animal studies associate exposure to diesel exhaust with inflammatory lung effects, cardiovascular effects, and an increased risk of lung cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has evaluated diesel exhaust as carcinogenic to humans. Yet national or regional limit values for controlling occupational exposure to diesel exhaust are rare. In recent decades, stricter emission regulations have led to diesel technologies evolving significantly, resulting in changes in exhaust emissions and composition. These changes are also expected to influence the health effects of diesel exhaust. This review provides an overview of the current knowledge on the health effects of diesel exhaust and the influence of new diesel technologies on the health risk. It discusses the relevant exposure indicators and perspectives for setting occupational exposure limit values for diesel exhaust, and outlines directions for future research. The review is based on a collaborative evaluation report by the Nordic Expert Group for Criteria Documentation of Health Risks from Chemicals and the Dutch Expert Committee on Occupational Safety. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

My geoscience research and how it matters to you: Corn, climate, and classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGill, B. M.

2017-12-01

In a corn field far north of New Orleans, I study how carbon moves between soils, water, and the atmosphere. More specifically, I look at how different farming practices affect carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the soil to the atmosphere and carbon storage in the soil and water. This is important because soils store about twice as much carbon as the atmosphere, so we need to understand how human activities, such as agriculture, disrupt or enhance carbon movement and, ultimately, contribute to or mitigate climate change. Carefully accounting for an ecosystem's greenhouse gas balance (emissions vs. storage) helps climate scientists project how future climate change will affect all of us. My research demonstrates that, in some cases, croplands are storing carbon—this finding will improve the accuracy of existing calculations of carbon gains and losses on farms. This could help farmers get credit for storing carbon in a future scenario with a price on carbon, and this could help policy makers design policy that incentivizes best management practices. Furthermore, through this work I have mentored undergraduate students and collaborated with a local high school science teacher and her classroom. This work was conducted at the only NSF-funded Long Term Ecological Research site focused on cropland agriculture, the Kellogg Biological Station LTER at Michigan State University.

Collaborative recall of details of an emotional film.

PubMed

Wessel, Ineke; Zandstra, Anna Roos E; Hengeveld, Hester M E; Moulds, Michelle L

2015-01-01

Collaborative inhibition refers to the phenomenon that when several people work together to produce a single memory report, they typically produce fewer items than when the unique items in the individual reports of the same number of participants are combined (i.e., nominal recall). Yet, apart from this negative effect, collaboration may be beneficial in that group members remove errors from a collaborative report. Collaborative inhibition studies on memory for emotional stimuli are scarce. Therefore, the present study examined both collaborative inhibition and collaborative error reduction in the recall of the details of emotional material in a laboratory setting. Female undergraduates (n = 111) viewed a film clip of a fatal accident and subsequently engaged in either collaborative (n = 57) or individual recall (n = 54) in groups of three. The results show that, across several detail categories, collaborating groups recalled fewer details than nominal groups. However, overall, nominal recall produced more errors than collaborative recall. The present results extend earlier findings on both collaborative inhibition and error reduction to the recall of affectively laden material. These findings may have implications for the applied fields of forensic and clinical psychology.

Collaboration in academic medicine: reflections on gender and advancement.

PubMed

Carr, Phyllis L; Pololi, Linda; Knight, Sharon; Conrad, Peter

2009-10-01

Collaboration in academic medicine is encouraged, yet no one has studied the environment in which faculty collaborate. The authors investigated how faculty experienced collaboration and the institutional atmosphere for collaboration. In 2007, as part of a qualitative study of faculty in five disparate U.S. medical schools, the authors interviewed 96 medical faculty at different career stages and in diverse specialties, with an oversampling of women, minorities, and generalists, regarding their perceptions and experiences of collaboration in academic medicine. Data analysis was inductive and driven by the grounded theory tradition. Female faculty expressed enthusiasm about the potential and process of collaboration; male faculty were more likely to focus on outcomes. Senior faculty experienced a more collaborative environment than early career faculty, who faced numerous barriers to collaboration: the hierarchy of medical academe, advancement criteria, and the lack of infrastructure supportive of collaboration. Research faculty appreciated shared ideas, knowledge, resources, and the increased productivity that could result from collaboration, but they were acutely aware that advancement requires an independent body of work, which was a major deterrent to collaboration among early career faculty. Academic medicine faculty have differing views on the impact and benefits of collaboration. Early career faculty face concerning obstacles to collaboration. Female faculty seemed more appreciative of the process of collaboration, which may be of importance for transitioning to a more collaborative academic environment. A reevaluation of effective benchmarks for promotion of faculty is warranted to address the often exclusive reliance on individualistic achievement.

Assessing Online Collaborative Discourse.

PubMed

Breen, Henny

2015-01-01

This qualitative study using transcript analysis was undertaken to clarify the value of Harasim's Online Collaborative Learning Theory as a way to assess the collaborative process within nursing education. The theory incorporated three phases: (a) idea generating; (b) idea organizing; and (c) intellectual convergence. The transcripts of asynchronous discussions from a 2-week module about disaster nursing using a virtual community were analyzed and formed the data for this study. This study supports the use of Online Collaborative Learning Theory as a framework for assessing online collaborative discourse. Individual or group outcomes were required for the students to move through all three phases of the theory. The phases of the Online Collaborative Learning Theory could be used to evaluate the student's ability to collaborate. It is recommended that group process skills, which have more to do with interpersonal skills, be evaluated separately from collaborative learning, which has more to do with cognitive skills. Both are required for practicing nurses. When evaluated separately, the student learning needs are more clearly delineated. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Nurses' professional values and attitudes toward collaboration with physicians.

PubMed

Brown, Sara S; Lindell, Deborah F; Dolansky, Mary A; Garber, Jeannie S

2015-03-01

Growing evidence suggests that collaborative practice improves healthcare outcomes, but the precursors to collaborative behavior between nurses and physicians have not been fully explored. The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to describe the professional values held by nurses and their attitudes toward physician-nurse collaboration and to explore the relationships between nurses' characteristics (e.g. education, type of work) and professional values and their attitudes toward nurse-physician collaboration. This descriptive correlational study examines the relationship between nurses' professional values (Nurses Professional Values Scale-Revised) and their attitudes toward nurse-physician collaboration (Jefferson Scale of Attitudes toward Physician-Nurse Collaboration). Permission to conduct the study was received from the hospital, and the Institutional Review Boards of the healthcare system and the participating university. A convenience sample of 231 registered nurses from a tertiary hospital in the United States was surveyed. A significant positive relationship was found between nurses' professional values and better attitudes toward collaboration with physicians (r = .26, p < .01). Attitude toward collaboration with physicians was also positively associated with master's or higher levels of education (F(3, 224) = 4.379, p = .005). The results of this study can be helpful to nurse administrators who are responsible for developing highly collaborative healthcare teams and for nurse educators who are focused on developing professional values in future nurses. © The Author(s) 2014.

The Phenomenon of Collaboration: A Phenomenologic Study of Collaboration between Family Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology Departments at an Academic Medical Center

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, David R.; Brewster, Cheryl D.; Karides, Marina; Lukas, Lou A.

2011-01-01

Collaboration is essential to manage complex real world problems. We used phenomenologic methods to elaborate a description of collaboration between two departments at an academic medical center who considered their relationship to represent a model of effective collaboration. Key collaborative structures included a shared vision and commitment by…

Life-Cycle Analysis of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Water Consumption – Effects of Coal and Biomass Conversion to Liquid Fuels as Analyzed with the GREET Model

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

Li, Qianfeng; Cai, Hao; Han, Jeongwoo

The vast reserves of coal in the U.S. provide a significant incentive for the development of processes for coal conversion to liquid fuels (CTL). Also, CTL using domestic coal can help move the U.S. toward greater energy independence and security. However, current conversion technologies are less economically competitive and generate greater greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than production of petroleum fuels. Altex Technologies Corporation (Altex, hereinafter) and Pennsylvania State University have developed a hybrid technology to produce jet fuel from a feedstock blend of coal and biomass. Collaborating with Altex, Argonne National Laboratory has expanded and used the Greenhouse gases, Regulatedmore » Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation (GREET®) model to assess the life-cycle GHG emissions and water consumption of this hybrid technology. Biomass feedstocks include corn stover, switchgrass, and wheat straw. The option of biomass densification (bales to pellets) is also evaluated in this study. The results show that the densification process generates additional GHG emissions as a result of additional biomass process energy demand. This process coproduces a large amount of char, and this study investigates two scenarios to treat char: landfill disposal (Char-LF) and combustion for combined heat and power (CHP). Since the CHP scenarios export excess heat and electricity as coproducts, two coproduct handling methods are used for well-to-wake (WTWa) analysis: displacement (Char-CHP-Disp) and energy allocation (Char-CHP-EnAllo). When the feedstock contains 15 wt% densified wheat straw and 85 wt% lignite coal, WTWa GHG emissions of the coal-and-biomass-to-liquid pathways are 116, 97, and 137 gCO2e per megajoule (MJ) under the Char-LF, Char-CHP-Disp, and Char-CHP-EnAllo scenarios, respectively, as compared to conventional jet fuel production at 84 gCO2e/MJ. WTWa water consumption values are 0.072, -0.046, and 0.044 gal/MJ for Char-LF, Char-CHP-Disp, and Char-CHP-EnAllo, respectively, as compared to conventional jet fuel production at 0.028 gal/MJ. To reach the break-even point of 84 gCO2e/MJ, under the assumptions of constant product yields and energy demands regardless of the share of biomass and coal feedstocks, 31 wt%, 23 wt%, and 53 wt% of the feedstock blend need to be biomass under the Char-LF, Char-CHP-Disp, and Char-CHP-EnAllo scenarios, respectively.« less

Locating Elementary Teachers' Professional Communities in a Structured Collaboration Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chu, Szu Yang

2016-01-01

As teacher collaboration becomes an increasingly common goal in school organization, teachers' experiences and perspectives in a Structured Collaboration Environment remain under-examined. This qualitative case study explored how teachers participated in collaborative work, the outcomes of collaboration, and supports and obstacles to productive…

A study on the impact of nuclear power plant construction relative to decommissioning Fossil Fuel Power Plant in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions using a modified Nordhaus Vensim DICE model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colpetzer, Jason Lee

The current levels of CO2 emissions and high levels accumulating in the atmosphere have climate scientists concerned. The Dynamic Integrated Climate Economy Model or "DICE" for short is a highly developed model that has been used to simulate climate change and evaluate factors addressing global warming. The model was developed by Yale's Nordhaus along with collaborators and the compilation of numerous scientific publications. The purpose of this study is to recreate DICE using Vensim and modify it to evaluate the use of nuclear power plants (NPPs) as a means to counter global temperature increases in the atmosphere and oceans and the associated cost of damages. The amount of greenhouse gas emissions from a NPP are about 6% per Megawatt as that from a Fossil Fuel Power Plant (FFPP). Based on this, a model was developed to simulate construction of NPPs with subsequent decommissioning of FFPPs with an equivalent power output. The results produced through multiple simulation runs utilizing variable NPP construction rates show that some minor benefit is achievable if all of the more than 10,000 FFPPs currently in operation in the U.S. are replaced with NPPs. The results show that a reduction in CO 2 emissions of 2.48% will occur if all of the FFPPs are decommissioned. At a minimum rate of 50 NPPs constructed per year, the largest reduction in CO2 in the atmosphere, 1.94% or 44.5 billion tons of carbon, is possible. This results in a reduction in global warming of 0.068°C or 1.31%. The results also show that this reduction in global warming will be equivalent to a reduction of 8.2% or $148 B in anticipated annual spending as a result of climate change damages. Further results indicate that using NPPs to address climate change will provide a small benefit; ultimately, it will not be enough to reduce CO2 emissions or atmospheric CO 2 to control global warming. The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere is predicted to be 1055 parts per million (ppm) even in the best case scenario, which is well above the current limit of 350 ppm proposed by Hansen et. al.

Assessing the Success Rate of Students Using a Learning Management System Together with a Collaborative Tool in Web-Based Teaching of Programming Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cavus, Nadire; Ibrahim, Dogan

2007-01-01

The development of collaborative studies in learning has led to a renewed interest in the field of Web-based education. In this experimental study a highly interactive and collaborative virtual teaching environment has been created by supporting Moodle LMS with collaborative learning tool GREWPtool. The aim of this experimental study has been to…

COMPILATION AND ANALYSES OF EMISSIONS INVENTORIES FOR THE NOAA ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY PROJECT. PROGRESS REPORT, AUGUST 1997.

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

BENKOVITZ,C.M.

1997-09-01

Global inventories of anthropogenic emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NO{sub x}) for circa 1985 and 1990 and Non-Methane Volatile Organic Compounds (NMVOCs) for circa 1990 have been compiled by this project. Work on the inventories has been carried out under the umbrella of the Global Emissions Inventory Activity (GEIA) of the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (IGAC) Program. The 1985 NO{sub x} inventory was compiled using default data sets of global emissions that were refined via the use of more detailed regional data sets; this inventory is being distributed to the scientific community at large as the GEIA Version 1A inventory.more » Global emissions of NO{sub x} for 1985 are estimated to be 21 Tg N y{sup -1}, with approximately 84% originating in the Northern Hemisphere. The 1990 inventories of NO{sub x} and NMVOCs were compiled using unified methodologies and data sets in collaboration with the Netherlands National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection (Rijksinstituut Voor Volksgezondheid en Milieuhygiene, RIVM) and the Division of Technology for Society of the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, (IMW-TNO); these emissions will be used as the default estimates to be updated with more accurate regional data. The NMVOC inventory was gridded and speciated into 23 chemical categories. The resulting global emissions for 1990 are 31 Tg N yr{sup -1} for NO{sub x} and 173 Gg NMVOC yr{sup -1}. Emissions of NO{sub x} are highest in the populated and industrialized areas of eastern North America and across Europe, and in biomass burning areas of South America, Africa, and Asia. Emissions of NMVOCs are highest in biomass burning areas of South America, Africa, and Asia. The 1990 NO{sub x} emissions were gridded to 1{sup o} resolution using surrogate data, and were given seasonal, two-vertical-level resolution and speciated into NO and NO{sub 2} based on proportions derived from the 1985 GEIA Version 1B inventory. Global NMVOC emissions were given additional species resolution by allocating the 23 chemical categories to individual chemical species based on factors derived from the speciated emissions of NMVOCs in the U.S. from the U.S. EPA's 1990 Interim Inventory. Ongoing research activities for this project continue to address emissions of both NO{sub x} and NMVOCs. Future tasks include: (a) evaluation of more detailed regional emissions estimates and update of the default 1990 inventories with the appropriate estimates, (b) derivation of quantitative uncertainty estimates for the emission values, and (c) development of emissions estimates for 1995.« less

Uranium Biomineralization by Natural Microbial Phosphatase Activities in the Subsurface

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

Sobecky, Patricia A.

2015-04-06

In this project, inter-disciplinary research activities were conducted in collaboration among investigators at The University of Alabama (UA), Georgia Institute of Technology (GT), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), the DOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI), and the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Light source (SSRL) to: (i) confirm that phosphatase activities of subsurface bacteria in Area 2 and 3 from the Oak Ridge Field Research Center result in solid U-phosphate precipitation in aerobic and anaerobic conditions; (ii) investigate the eventual competition between uranium biomineralization via U-phosphate precipitation and uranium bioreduction; (iii) determine subsurface microbial community structure changes of Areamore » 2 soils following organophosphate amendments; (iv) obtain the complete genome sequences of the Rahnella sp. Y9-602 and the type-strain Rahnella aquatilis ATCC 33071 isolated from these soils; (v) determine if polyphosphate accumulation and phytate hydrolysis can be used to promote U(VI) biomineralization in subsurface sediments; (vi) characterize the effect of uranium on phytate hydrolysis by a new microorganism isolated from uranium-contaminated sediments; (vii) utilize positron-emission tomography to label and track metabolically-active bacteria in soil columns, and (viii) study the stability of the uranium phosphate mineral product. Microarray analyses and mineral precipitation characterizations were conducted in collaboration with DOE SBR-funded investigators at LBNL. Thus, microbial phosphorus metabolism has been shown to have a contributing role to uranium immobilization in the subsurface.« less

An MF/HF radio array for radio and radar imaging of the ionosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isham, Brett; Gustavsson, Bjorn; Belyey, Vasyl; Bullett, Terrence

2016-07-01

The Aguadilla Radio Array will be installed at the Interamerican University Aguadilla Campus, located in northwestern Puerto Rico. The array is intended for broad-band medium and high-frequency (MF/HF, roughly 2 to 25 MHz) radio and bistatic radar observations of the ionosphere. The main array consists of 20 antenna elements, arranged in a semi-random pattern providing a good distribution of baseline vectors, with 6-meter minimum spacing to eliminate spacial aliasing. A relocatable 6-element array is also being developed, in which each element consists of a crossed pair of active electric dipoles and all associated electronics for phase-coherent radio measurements. A primary scientific goal of the array is to create images of the region of ionospheric radio emissions stimulated by the new Arecibo Observatory high-power high-frequency radio transmitter. A second primary goal is the study of ionospheric structure and dynamics via coherent radar imaging of the ionosphere in collaboration with the University of Colorado / NOAA Versatile Interferometric Pulsed Ionospheric Radar (VIPIR), located at the USGS San Juan Observatory in Cayey, Puerto Rico. In addition to ionospheric research in collaboration with the Cayey and Arecibo Observatories, the goals of the project include the development of radio sounding, polarization, interferometry, and imaging techniques, and training of students at the university and high school levels.

Combining Collaborative Learning with Learning Management Systems in Teaching Programming Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cavus, Nadire; Uzunboylu, Huseyin; Ibrahim, Dogan

2006-01-01

The development of collaborative studies in learning has led to a renewed interest in the field of web-based education. In this experimental study, a highly interactive and collaborative teaching environment was created using Moodle, a learning management system with two types of Collaborative Tools (CTs): Standard CT and Advanced CT to create a…

Preservice Science Teachers' Collaborative Knowledge Building through Argumentation on Healthy Eating in a Computer Supported Collaborative Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Namdar, Bahadir

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate preservice science teachers' collaborative knowledge building through socioscientific argumentation on healthy eating in a multiple representation-rich computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment. This study was conducted with a group of preservice science teachers (n = 18) enrolled in…

Devising and Interdisciplinary Teaching: A Case Study in Collaboration between Theatre and Humanities Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mahoney, Kristin; Brown, Rich

2013-01-01

We use an experimental course collaboration that occurred in the winter of 2012 as a case study for an approach to interdisciplinary collaboration between Theatre and Humanities courses, and we argue that the theatre methodology of "devising" can serve as a particularly rich locus for collaboration between Theatre students and other…

Understanding Teacher Collaboration Processes from a Complexity Theory Perspective: A Case Study of a Chinese Secondary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yuan, Rui; Zhang, Jia; Yu, Shulin

2018-01-01

Although research on teacher collaboration has proliferated in the last few decades, scant attention has been paid to the development of teacher collaboration in school contexts. Informed by the perspective of complexity theory, this study investigates the complex process of teacher collaboration through qualitative interviews in an English…

The Integration of a Three-Year-Long Intercultural Collaborative Project into a Foreign Language Classroom for the Development of Intercultural Competence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hirotani, Maki; Fujii, Kiyomi

2015-01-01

Many studies on intercultural communication introduced how their collaborative projects were conducted. There are also several studies that discuss how intercultural collaborative activities can be integrated into a foreign language curriculum, as well as a big project (the INTENT project) that helps teachers integrate collaborative activities…

Teacher Educators' Collaboration in Subject Departments: Collaborative Activities and Social Relations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heldens, Henderijn; Bakx, Anouke; den Brok, Perry

2015-01-01

Teacher educators' collaboration plays an important role in the improvement of teacher education. Many studies in educational research focus on collaboration from 1 particular perspective. A focus on 2 perspectives, a qualitative (focusing on collaborative activities) as well as a quantitative (focusing on relations) perspective, and relating both…

Training for Collaboration: Collaborative Practice Skills for Mental Health Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bischoff, Richard J.; Springer, Paul R.; Reisbig, Allison M. J.; Lyons, Sheena; Likcani, Adriatik

2012-01-01

The purpose of the study was to identify skills that mental health practitioners need for successful collaborative practice in medical settings. Known experts in the field of collaborative health care completed a survey designed to elicit their suggestions about what is needed for successful collaborative care practice. Through qualitative…

Exploring nurses' perceptions of organizational factors of collaborative relationships.

PubMed

Smith, Kevin; Lavoie-Tremblay, Melanie; Richer, Marie-Claire; Lanctot, Suzanne

2010-01-01

Collaborative relationships are influenced by the context of the organization in which health professionals work. There is limited knowledge concerning the influence that organizational factors have on this process. A descriptive study design using semistructured interviews was used to explore nurses' perceptions of the organizational factors that influence the development of collaborative relationships in health care teams. Eight nurses from a university-affiliated teaching hospital in Montreal participated in this study. Nurses described a variety of experiences where effective collaboration took place. One common theme emerged from the participants: Being Available for Collaboration. Nurses perceived that 2 particular organizational factors-time and workday scheduling-influenced the development of collaborative relationships. This study supports the need for health care managers to promote and invest in alternative means of communication technology and to structure clinical care environments to help promote the development of collaborative relationships within health care teams.

Younger and older adults' collaborative recall of shared and unshared emotional pictures.

PubMed

Barber, Sarah J; Castrellon, Jaime J; Opitz, Philipp; Mather, Mara

2017-07-01

Although a group of people working together recalls more items than any one individual, they recall fewer unique items than the same number of people working apart whose responses are combined. This is known as collaborative inhibition, and it is a robust effect that occurs for both younger and older adults. However, almost all previous studies documenting collaborative inhibition have used stimuli that were neutral in emotional valence, low in arousal, and studied by all group members. In the current experiments, we tested the impact of picture-stimuli valence, picture-stimuli arousal, and information distribution in modulating the magnitude of collaborative inhibition. We included both younger and older adults because there are age differences in how people remember emotional pictures that could modulate any effects of emotion on collaborative inhibition. Results revealed that when information was shared (i.e., studied by all group members), there were robust collaborative inhibition effects for both neutral and emotional stimuli for both younger and older adults. However, when information was unshared (i.e., studied by only a single group member), these effects were attenuated. Together, these results provide mixed support for the retrieval strategy disruption account of collaborative inhibition. Supporting the retrieval strategy disruption account, unshared study information was less susceptible to collaborative inhibition than shared study information. Contradicting the retrieval strategy disruption account, emotional valence and arousal did not modulate the magnitude of collaborative inhibition despite the fact that participants clustered the emotional, but not neutral, information together in memory.

An Overview of Plume Tracker: Mapping Volcanic Emissions with Interactive Radiative Transfer Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Realmuto, V. J.; Berk, A.; Guiang, C.

2014-12-01

Infrared remote sensing is a vital tool for the study of volcanic plumes, and radiative transfer (RT) modeling is required to derive quantitative estimation of the sulfur dioxide (SO2), sulfate aerosol (SO4), and silicate ash (pulverized rock) content of these plumes. In the thermal infrared, we must account for the temperature, emissivity, and elevation of the surface beneath the plume, plume altitude and thickness, and local atmospheric temperature and humidity. Our knowledge of these parameters is never perfect, and interactive mapping allows us to evaluate the impact of these uncertainties on our estimates of plume composition. To enable interactive mapping, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is collaborating with Spectral Sciences, Inc., (SSI) to develop the Plume Tracker toolkit. This project is funded by a NASA AIST Program Grant (AIST-11-0053) to SSI. Plume Tracker integrates (1) retrieval procedures for surface temperature and emissivity, SO2, NH3, or CH4 column abundance, and scaling factors for H2O vapor and O3 profiles, (2) a RT modeling engine based on MODTRAN, and (3) interactive visualization and analysis utilities under a single graphics user interface. The principal obstacle to interactive mapping is the computational overhead of the RT modeling engine. Under AIST-11-0053 we have achieved a 300-fold increase in the performance of the retrieval procedures through the use of indexed caches of model spectra, optimization of the minimization procedures, and scaling of the effects of surface temperature and emissivity on model radiance spectra. In the final year of AIST-11-0053 we will implement parallel processing to exploit multi-core CPUs and cluster computing, and optimize the RT engine to eliminate redundant calculations when iterating over a range of gas concentrations. These enhancements will result in an additional 8 - 12X increase in performance. In addition to the improvements in performance, we have improved the accuracy of the Plume Tracker retrievals through refinements in the description of surface emissivity and use of vector projection to define the misfit between model and observed spectra. Portions of this research were conducted at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Seeing through the Smoke: A collaborative, multidisciplinary effort to address the interplay between wildfire, climate, air quality, and health

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brey, S. J.; Fischer, E. V.; Pierce, J. R.; Ford, B.; Lassman, W.; Pfister, G.; Volckens, J.; Gan, R.; Magzamen, S.; Barnes, E. A.

2015-12-01

Exposure to wildfire smoke plumes represents an episodic, uncertain, and potentially growing threat to public health in the western United States. The area burned by wildfires in this region has increased over recent decades, and the future of fires within this region is largely unknown. Future fire emissions are intimately linked to future meteorological conditions, which are uncertain due to the variability of climate model outputs and differences between representative concentration pathways (RCP) scenarios. We know that exposure to wildfire smoke is harmful, particularly for vulnerable populations. However the literature on the heath effects of wildfire smoke exposure is thin, particularly when compared to the depth of information we have on the effects of exposure to smoke of anthropogenic origin. We are exploring the relationships between climate, fires, air quality and public health through multiple interdisciplinary collaborations. We will present several examples from these projects including 1) an analysis of the influence of fire on ozone abundances over the United States, and 2) efforts to use a high-resolution weather forecasting model to nail down exposure within specific smoke plumes. We will also highlight how our team works together. This discussion will include examples of the university structure that facilitates our current collaborations, and the lessons we have learned by seeking stakeholder input to make our science more useful.

Concept of Collaboration from the Islamic Perspective: The View Points for Health Providers.

PubMed

Irajpour, Alireza; Ghaljaei, Fereshteh; Alavi, Mousa

2015-10-01

Collaboration involves direct and open communication and respect for different perspectives. In particular, religious literature has many references to collaboration. This study is a report of knowledge synthesis based on qualitative systematic review by content analysis. The study surveys the concept of collaboration from the Islamic point of view and intends to answer the question, 'Does the Quran deal with the use of collaboration in human activities?' This study was conducted using electronic documents from websites related to Islamic and Quran sciences, such as Howzah.net, Nashriat.ir, Tebyan.net and Google Scholar from 1950 until 2013 by focusing on the keywords, collaboration and Islam, and then retrieving the Islamic document (Quran and Hadith). The language in which the search was conducted was English and Persian. Nearly, 28 articles and 72 books related to this topic were found and after applying the search criteria, only 13% of the references were found to be applicable. In the Quran, collaboration is equivalent to Taavon, and Muslims are requested to collaborate in their affairs and never collaborate with each other for illegal affairs. Islam asserts that everyone requires social relationship in their life. God has enacted mutual rights for people and meeting these requirements is only possible through collaboration and respecting mutual rights.

Using the prisms of gender and rank to interpret research collaboration power dynamics.

PubMed

Gaughan, Monica; Bozeman, Barry

2016-08-01

Collaboration is central to modern scientific inquiry, and increasingly important to the professional experiences of academic scientists. While the effects of collaboration have been widely studied, much less is understood about the motivations to collaborate and collaboration dynamics that generate scientific outcomes. A particular interest of this study is to understand how collaboration experiences differ between women and men, and the attributions used to explain these differences. We use a multi-method study of university Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics faculty research collaborators. We employ 177 anonymous open-ended responses to a web-based survey, and 60 semi-structured interviews of academic scientists in US research universities. We find similarities and differences in collaborative activity between men and women. Open-ended qualitative textual analysis suggests that some of these differences are attributed to power dynamics - both general ones related to differences in organizational status, and in power dynamics related specifically to gender. In analysis of semi-structured interviews, we find that both status and gender were used as interpretive frames for collaborative behavior, with more emphasis placed on status than gender differences. Overall, the findings support that gender structures some part of the collaborative experience, but that status hierarchy exerts more clear effects.

The Roles of a University Professor in a Teacher Study Group

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeh, Hui-Chin; Hung, Hsiu-Ting; Chen, Yi-Ping

2012-01-01

The opportunities in which university professors collaborate with the practicing school teachers in a teacher study group are few. This study investigated how a university professor facilitated a collaborative teacher study group to enhance teachers' professional growth. Five primary school teachers and a university professor collaborated on…

Superluminal Emission Processes as a Key to Understanding Pulsar Radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, Andrea; Ardavan, H.; Fasel, J., III; Perez, M.; Singleton, J.

2007-12-01

Theoretical and experimental work has established that polarization currents can be animated to travel faster than the speed of light in vacuo and that these superluminal distribution patterns emit tightly focused packets of electromagnetic radiation that differ fundamentally from the emission generated by any other known radiation source. Since 2004, a small team at Los Alamos National Laboratory has, in collaboration with UK universities, conducted analytical, computational and practical studies of radiation sources that exceed the speed of light. Numerical evaluations of the Liénard-Wiechert field generated by such sources show that superluminal emission has the following intrinsic characteristics: (i) It is sharply focused along a rigidly rotating spiral-shaped beam that embodies the cusp of the envelope of the emitted wave fronts. (ii) It consists of either one or three concurrent polarization modes that constitute contributions to the field from differing retarded times. (iii) Two of the modes are comparable in strength at both edges of the signal and dominate over the third everywhere except in the middle of the pulse. (iv) The position angles of each of its dominant modes, as well as that of the total field, swing across the beam by as much as 180 degrees and remain approximately orthogonal throughout their excursion across the beam. (v) One of the three modes is highly circularly polarized and differs in its sense of polarization from the other two. (vi) Two of the modes have a very high degree of linear polarization across the entire pulse. Given the fundamental nature of the Liénard-Wiechert field, the coincidence of these characteristics with those of the radio emission received from pulsars is striking, especially coupled with the experimentally demonstrated fact that the radiation intensity on the cusp decays as 1/R instead of 1/R^2 and is therefore intrinsically bright.

Visualization analysis of author collaborations in schizophrenia research.

PubMed

Wu, Ying; Duan, Zhiguang

2015-02-19

Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that levies a heavy medical toll and cost burden throughout the world. Scientific collaborations are necessary for progress in psychiatric research. However, there have been few publications on scientific collaborations in schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent of author collaborations in schizophrenia research. This study used 58,107 records on schizophrenia from 2003 to 2012 which were downloaded from Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI Expanded) via Web of Science. CiteSpace III, an information visualization and analysis software, was used to make a visual analysis. Collaborative author networks within the field of schizophrenia were determined using published documents. We found that external author collaboration networks were more scattered while potential author collaboration networks were more compact. Results from hierarchical clustering analysis showed that the main collaborative field was genetic research in schizophrenia. Based on the results, authors belonging to different institutions and in different countries should be encouraged to collaborate in schizophrenia research. This will help researchers focus their studies on key issues, and allow each other to offer reasonable suggestions for making polices and providing scientific evidence to effectively diagnose, prevent, and cure schizophrenia.

Reverse Engineering and Software Products Reuse to Teach Collaborative Web Portals: A Case Study with Final-Year Computer Science Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Medina-Dominguez, Fuensanta; Sanchez-Segura, Maria-Isabel; Mora-Soto, Arturo; Amescua, Antonio

2010-01-01

The development of collaborative Web applications does not follow a software engineering methodology. This is because when university students study Web applications in general, and collaborative Web portals in particular, they are not being trained in the use of software engineering techniques to develop collaborative Web portals. This paper…

Authorship, collaboration, and funding trends in implantology literature: analysis of five journals from 2005 to 2009.

PubMed

Barão, Valentim Adelino Ricardo; Shyamsunder, Nodesh; Yuan, Judy Chia-Chun; Lee, Damian J; Assunção, Wirley Gonçalves; Sukotjo, Cortino

2011-02-01

To identify the trend of authorship in dental implant by exploring the prevalence of coauthored articles and to investigate the collaboration efforts, trends in funding involved in original articles, and their relationships. Articles published in the Clinical Oral Implants Research, International Journal of Oral & Maxillofacial Implants, Clinical Implant Dentistry and Related Research, Implant Dentistry, and Journal of Oral Implantology from 2005 to 2009 were reviewed. Nonoriginal articles were excluded. For each included articles, number of authors, collaboration efforts, and extramural funding were recorded. Descriptive and analytical statistics (α = 0.05), including logistic regression analysis and χ² test, were used. From a total of 2085 articles, 1503 met the inclusion criteria. Publications with 5 or more authors increased over time (P = 0.813). The amount of collaboration among different disciplines, institutions, and countries all increased. The greatest increase of collaboration was seen among institutions (P = 0.09). Nonfunding studies decreased over time (P = 0.031). There was a strong association between collaboration and funding for the manuscripts during the years studied (OR, 1.5). The number of authors per articles and collaborative studies increased over time in implant-related journals. Collaborative studies were more likely to be funded.

Perceptions of Collaborative Process in a Professional Learning Focused University-Community-School Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Psimas, Lynnae L.

2012-01-01

The current study explored the collaborative processes present in a collaboration between an urban university in the Southeast United States, a state-funded educational support agency, and several urban and suburban school districts served by the state agency. To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the collaboration and relevant practices,…

Use of an Interculturally Enriched Collaboration Script in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Popov, Vitaliy; Biemans, Harm J. A.; Kuznetsov, Andrei N.; Mulder, Martin

2014-01-01

In this exploratory study, the authors introduced an interculturally enriched collaboration script (IECS) for working in culturally diverse groups within a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment and then assessed student online collaborative behaviour, learning performance and experiences. The question was if and how these…

"You Should Collaborate, Children": A Study of Teachers' Design and Facilitation of Children's Collaboration around Touchscreens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davidsen, Jacob; Vanderlinde, Ruben

2016-01-01

Touchscreens are being integrated into classrooms to support collaborative learning, yet little empirical evidence has been presented regarding how children collaborate using touchscreens in classrooms. In particular, minimal research has been directed towards how teachers can design for and guide children's touchscreen-based collaboration.…

Revealing the Intricate Effect of Collaboration on Innovation

PubMed Central

Inoue, Hiroyasu; Liu, Yang-Yu

2015-01-01

We studied the Japan and U.S. patent records of several decades to demonstrate the effect of collaboration on innovation. We found that statistically inventor teams slightly outperform solo inventors while company teams perform equally well as solo companies. By tracking the performance record of individual teams, we found that inventor teams’ performance generally degrades with more repeat collaborations. Though company teams’ performance displays strongly bursty behavior, long-term collaboration does not significantly help innovation. To systematically study the effect of repeat collaboration, we defined the repeat collaboration number of a team as the average number of collaborations over all the teammate pairs. We found that mild repeat collaboration improves the performance of Japanese inventor teams and U.S. company teams. Yet, excessive repeat collaboration does not significantly help innovation at both the inventor and company levels in both countries. To control for unobserved heterogeneity, we performed a detailed regression analysis and the results were consistent with our simple observations. The presented results revealed the intricate effect of collaboration on innovation, which may also be observed in other creative projects. PMID:25799138

Revealing the intricate effect of collaboration on innovation.

PubMed

Inoue, Hiroyasu; Liu, Yang-Yu

2015-01-01

We studied the Japan and U.S. patent records of several decades to demonstrate the effect of collaboration on innovation. We found that statistically inventor teams slightly outperform solo inventors while company teams perform equally well as solo companies. By tracking the performance record of individual teams, we found that inventor teams' performance generally degrades with more repeat collaborations. Though company teams' performance displays strongly bursty behavior, long-term collaboration does not significantly help innovation. To systematically study the effect of repeat collaboration, we defined the repeat collaboration number of a team as the average number of collaborations over all the teammate pairs. We found that mild repeat collaboration improves the performance of Japanese inventor teams and U.S. company teams. Yet, excessive repeat collaboration does not significantly help innovation at both the inventor and company levels in both countries. To control for unobserved heterogeneity, we performed a detailed regression analysis and the results were consistent with our simple observations. The presented results revealed the intricate effect of collaboration on innovation, which may also be observed in other creative projects.

Interprofessional collaborative reasoning by residents and nurses in internal medicine: Evidence from a simulation study.

PubMed

Blondon, K S; Maître, F; Muller-Juge, V; Bochatay, N; Cullati, S; Hudelson, P; Vu, N V; Savoldelli, G L; Nendaz, M R

2017-04-01

Clinical reasoning has been studied in residents or nurses, using interviews or patient-provider encounters. Despite a growing interest in interprofessional collaboration, the notion of collaborative reasoning has not been well studied in clinical settings. Our study aims at exploring resident-nurse collaborative reasoning in a simulation setting. We enrolled 14 resident-nurse teams from a general internal medicine division in a mixed methods study. Teams each managed one of four acute case scenarios, followed by a stimulated-recall session. A qualitative, inductive analysis of the transcripts identified five dimensions of collaborative reasoning: diagnostic reasoning, patient management, patient monitoring, communication with the patient, and team communication. Three investigators (two senior physicians, one nurse) assessed individual and team performances using a five-point Likert scale, and further extracted elements supporting the collaborative reasoning process. Global assessment of the resident-nurse team was not simply an average of individual performances. Qualitative results underlined the need to improve situational awareness, particularly for task overload. Team communication helped team members stay abreast of each other's thoughts and improve their efficiency. Residents and nurses differed in their reasoning processes, and awareness of this difference may contribute to improving interprofessional collaboration. Understanding collaborative reasoning can provide an additional dimension to interprofessional education.

Heterobimetallic Complexes for Theranostic Applications.

PubMed

Fernández-Moreira, Vanesa; Gimeno, M Concepción

2018-03-07

The design of more efficient anticancer drugs requires a deeper understanding of their biodistribution and mechanism of action. Cell imaging agents could help to gain insight into biological processes and, consequently, the best strategy for attaining suitable scaffolds in which both biological and imaging properties are maximized. A new concept arises in this field that is the combination of two metal fragments as collaborative partners to provide the precise emissive properties to visualize the cell as well as the optimum cytotoxic activity to build more potent and selective chemotherapeutic agents. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Indirect searches for dark matter with the Fermi large area telescope

DOE PAGES

Albert, Andrea

2015-03-24

There is overwhelming evidence that non-baryonic dark matter constitutes ~ 27% of the energy density of the Universe. Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) are promising dark matter candidates that may produce γ rays via annihilation or decay detectable by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). A detection of WIMPs would also indicate the existence of physics beyond the Standard Model. We present recent results from the two cleanest indirect WIMP searches by the Fermi-LAT Collaboration: searches for γ-ray spectral lines and γ-ray emission associated with Milky Way dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies.

The Basic Principles of FDG-PET/CT Imaging.

PubMed

Basu, Sandip; Hess, Søren; Nielsen Braad, Poul-Erik; Olsen, Birgitte Brinkmann; Inglev, Signe; Høilund-Carlsen, Poul Flemming

2014-10-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with 2-[(18)F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) forms the basis of molecular imaging. FDG-PET imaging is a multidisciplinary undertaking that requires close interdisciplinary collaboration in a broad team comprising physicians, technologists, secretaries, radio-chemists, hospital physicists, molecular biologists, engineers, and cyclotron technicians. The aim of this review is to provide a brief overview of important basic issues and considerations pivotal to successful patient examinations, including basic physics, instrumentation, radiochemistry, molecular and cell biology, patient preparation, normal distribution of tracer, and potential interpretive pitfalls. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

HAWC detection of TeV emission near PSR B0540+23

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riviere, Colas; Fleischhack, Henrike; Sandoval, Andres

2017-11-01

The High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) collaboration reports the discovery of a new TeV gamma-ray source HAWC J0543+233. It was discovered in a search for extended sources of radius 0.5 & deg; in a dataset of 911 days (ranging from November 2014 to August 2017) with a test statistic value of 36 (6 & sigma; pre-trials), following the method presented in Abeysekara et al. 2017, ApJ, 843, 40. The measured J2000.0 equatorial position is RA=85.78 & deg;, Dec=23.40 & deg; with a statistical uncertainty of 0.2 & deg;.

The opportunity to collaborate increases preschoolers' motivation for challenging tasks.

PubMed

Butler, Lucas P; Walton, Gregory M

2013-12-01

Collaborating on challenging endeavors is a foundation of human society. Recent research suggests that young children are not only motivated to cooperate with others-for instance, to help others accomplish their goals-but may also be motivated to collaborate with others-to pursue shared goals. However, a primary reason why collaboration is so important is because opportunities to collaborate can bring people together to work hard to overcome challenges. Two studies (N=70) tested whether the collaborative nature of an activity itself can cause preschoolers to enjoy challenging tasks more and to persist longer on them. To isolate the psychological feeling of collaboration, we tested this hypothesis by manipulating purely psychological cues of collaboration; in all cases, children worked while physically alone. Both studies found that such cues substantially increased preschoolers' motivation on a challenging puzzle, including their persistence on and liking for the puzzle, relative to two non-collaborative control conditions. We suggest that an early emerging drive to engage in shared collaborative activities leads children to find collaborative activities to be intrinsically motivating. This may represent an important basis of motivation as children embark on formal schooling. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Awareness to Action: The Community of Sarnia Mobilizes to Protect its Workers from Occupational Disease.

PubMed

Kramer, Desre; McMillan, Keith; Gross, Emily; Kone Pefoyo, Anna J; Bradley, Mike; Holness, Dorothy Linn

2015-11-01

An exploratory qualitative case study investigated how different sectors of a highly industrialized community mobilized in the 1990s to help workers exposed to asbestos. For this study, thirty key informants including representatives from industry, workers, the community, and local politicians participated in semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The analysis was framed by a "Dimensions of Community Change" model. The informants highlighted the importance of raising awareness, and the need for leadership, social and organizational networks, acquiring skills and resources, individual and community power, holding shared values and beliefs, and perseverance. We found that improvements in occupational health and safety came from persistently communicating a clearly defined issue ("asbestos exposure causes cancer") and having an engaged community that collaborated with union leadership. Notable successes included stronger occupational health services, a support group for workers and widows, the fast-tracking of compensation for workers exposed to asbestos, and a reduction in hazardous emissions. © The Author(s) 2015.

Phenomenological study of the ionisation density-dependence of TLD-100 peak 5a.

PubMed

Brandan, Maria-Ester; Angeles, Oscar; Mercado-Uribe, Hilda

2006-01-01

Horowitz and collaborators have reported evidence on the structure of TLD-100 peak 5. A satellite peak, called 5a, has been singled out as arising from localised electron-hole recombination in a trap/luminescent centre, its emission mechanism would be geminate recombination and, therefore, its population would depend on incident radiation ionisation density. We report a phenomenological study of peak 4, 5a and 5 strengths for glow curves previously measured at UNAM for gammas, electrons and low-energy ions. The deconvolution procedure has followed strict rules to assure that the glow curve, where the presence of peak 5a is not visually noticeable, is decomposed in a consistent fashion, maintaining fixed widths and relative temperature difference between all the peaks. We find no improvement in the quality of the fit after inclusion of peak 5a. The relative contribution of peak 5a with respect to peak 5 does not seem to correlate with the radiation linear energy transfer.

Analysis of ISO Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lambert, David L.

2003-01-01

A block grant supported several astronomers who executed observing programs using the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO). The ISO project in which Harriet Dinerstein participated was a study of sulfur and neon abundances in extragalactic H II regions using the ISO Short Wavelength Spectrometer (SWS). Evans and Jaffe, along with collaborators Ewine van Dishoeck and Wing-Fai Thi, and then graduate student Wenbin Li, carried out an in-depth study of the peripheral region of the molecular cloud L1204/S140, where the far ultraviolet radiation and the density are relatively low. Their observations test theories of photon-dominated regions (PDRs) in a regime that has been little explored. One ISO program was involved with PHT-32 observations of about a dozen young stars to search for extended emission that could be modeled with our dust-modeling-code at UT. The document reports on preliminary analysis of PHT 32 scanning of 10 pre-main-sequence stars at 50 and 100 microns. A small sample of R Coronae Borealis stars was observed with the SWS.

Barriers and facilitators to intraorganizational collaboration in public health: Relational coordination across public health services targeting individuals and populations.

PubMed

McCullough, J Mac; Eisen-Cohen, Eileen; Lott, Breanne

2018-05-09

Modern public health emphasizes population-focused services, which may require collaborative work both across and within organizations. Studies have explored interorganizational collaborations, but there are little data regarding collaborations within public health organizations. We measured intraorganizational collaboration and identified barriers and facilitators to collaboration within a large public health department through a mixed-methods study. Our study occurred at the Maricopa County (Arizona) Department of Public Health, the third largest local public health jurisdiction in the United States. To measure collaboration, we surveyed staff using the relational coordination tool. To identify barriers and facilitators to collaboration, we performed key informant interviews with department personnel. Relational coordination scores varied according to the focus of the service; clinical services had significantly lower levels of relational coordination than population-focused services (p < .01). We found high levels of mutual respect and lower levels of shared knowledge across services. Facilitators to collaboration included purposive cross-program meetings around specific topics, the organization's structure and culture, and individuals' social identities. Barriers included raised expectations for collaboration, low slack resources, member's self-interest, and trust. The relational coordination of services varied significantly according to the focus of the service. Population-focused public health services had higher levels of relational coordination than individually focused services. Collaboration was facilitated and impeded by both well-known and potentially emergent factors, such as purposive cross-service meetings and organizational culture. Population-focused services possessed higher levels of collaboration than individually focused services. Intraorganizational collaboration for improved population health relies on deliberate support from senior management and structured activities to increase shared knowledge and mutual respect.

Collaboration in health technology assessment (EUnetHTA joint action, 2010-2012): four case studies.

PubMed

Huić, Mirjana; Nachtnebel, Anna; Zechmeister, Ingrid; Pasternak, Iris; Wild, Claudia

2013-07-01

The aim of this study was to present the first four collaborative health technology assessment (HTA) processes on health technologies of different types and life cycles targeted toward diverse HTA users and facilitators, as well as the barriers of these collaborations. Retrospective analysis, through four case studies, was performed on the first four collaboration experiences of agencies participating in the EUnetHTA Joint Action project (2010-12), comprising different types and life cycles of health technologies for a diverse target audience, and different types of collaboration. The methods used to initiate collaboration, partner contributions, the assessment methodology, report structure, time frame, and factors acting as possible barriers to and facilitators of this collaboration were described. Two ways were used to initiate collaboration in the first four collaborative HTA processes: active brokering of information, so-called "calls for collaboration," and individual contact between agencies after identifying a topic common to two agencies in the Planned and Ongoing Projects database. Several success factors are recognized: predefined project management, high degree of commitment to the project; adherence to timelines; high relevance of technology; a common understanding of the methods applied and advanced experience in HTA; finally, acceptance of English-written reports by decision makers in non-English-speaking countries. Barriers like late identification of collaborative partners, nonacceptance of English language and different methodology of assessment should be overcome. Timely and efficient, different collaborative HTA processes on relative efficacy/effectiveness and safety on different types and life cycles of health technologies, targeted toward diverse HTA users in Europe are possible. There are still barriers to overcome.

A Collaborative Inquiry to Promote Pedagogical Knowledge of Mathematics in Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moghaddam, Alireza; Sarkar Arani, Mohammad Reza; Kuno, Hiroyuki

2015-01-01

The present study attempts to report a collaborative cycle of professional development in teaching elementary school mathematics through lesson study. It explores a practice of lesson study conducted by teachers aiming to improve their knowledge of pedagogy. The study adopts an ethnographic approach to examine how collaborative teaching within an…

Cryogenic system options for a superconducting aircraft propulsion system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berg, F.; Palmer, J.; Bertola, L.; Miller, Paul; Dodds, Graham

2015-12-01

There is a perceived need in the future for a move away from traditional aircraft designs in order to meet ambitious emissions and fuel burn targets. High temperature superconducting distributed propulsion may be an enabler for aircraft designs that have better propulsive efficiency and lower drag. There has been significant work considering the electrical systems required, but less on the cryogenics to enable it. This paper discusses some of the major choices to be faced in cryocooling for aircraft. The likely need for a disposable cryogen to reduce power demand is explained. A set of cryocooling methods are considered in a sensitivity study, which shows that the feasibility of the cryogenic system will depend strongly on the superconducting technology and the aircraft platform. It is argued that all three aspects must be researched and designed in close collaboration to reach a viable solution.

The Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weisskopf, Martin C.; Ramsey, Brian; O’Dell, Stephen; Tennant, Allyn; Elsner, Ronald; Soffita, Paolo; Bellazzini, Ronaldo; Costa, Enrico; Kolodziejczak, Jeffery; Kaspi, Victoria;

Roadmap to MaRIE March 2015

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

Barnes, Cris William

Los Alamos National Laboratory’s proposed MaRIE facility is slated to introduce the world’s highest energy hard x-ray free electron laser (XFEL). As the light source for the Matter-Radiation Interactions in Extremes experimental facility (MaRIE), the 42-keV XFEL, with bursts of x-ray pulses at gigahertz repetition for studying fast dynamical processes, will help accelerate discovery and design of the advanced materials needed to meet 21st-century national security and energy security challenges. Yet the science of free-electron lasers has a long and distinguished history at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), where for nearly four decades Los Alamos scientists have been performing research,more » design, development, and collaboration work in FEL science. The work at Los Alamos has evolved from low-gain amplifier and oscillator FEL development to highbrightness photoinjector development, and later, self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) and high-gain amplifier FEL development.« less

Comprehensive interpretation of thermal dileptons measured at the CERN super proton synchrotron.

PubMed

van Hees, Hendrik; Rapp, Ralf

2006-09-08

Employing thermal dilepton rates based on a medium-modified electromagnetic correlation function we show that recent dimuon spectra of the NA60 Collaboration in central In-In collisions at the CERN-SPS can be understood in terms of radiation from a hot and dense hadronic medium. Earlier calculated in-medium rho-meson spectral functions provide an accurate description of the data up to dimuon invariant masses of about M approximately or equal to 0.9 GeV, with good sensitivity to the predicted rho-meson line shape, identifying baryon-induced modifications as the prevalent ones. A reliable evaluation of the contribution enables the study of further medium effects: at masses M>0.9 GeV, 4-pion type annihilation accounts for the experimentally observed excess (possibly augmented by effects of "chiral mixing"), while predictions for thermal emission from in-medium omega and phi mesons may be tested in the future.

Experiences of nurse practitioners and medical practitioners working in collaborative practice models in primary healthcare in Australia - a multiple case study using mixed methods.

PubMed

Schadewaldt, Verena; McInnes, Elizabeth; Hiller, Janet E; Gardner, Anne

2016-07-29

In 2010 policy changes were introduced to the Australian healthcare system that granted nurse practitioners access to the public health insurance scheme (Medicare) subject to a collaborative arrangement with a medical practitioner. These changes facilitated nurse practitioner practice in primary healthcare settings. This study investigated the experiences and perceptions of nurse practitioners and medical practitioners who worked together under the new policies and aimed to identify enablers of collaborative practice models. A multiple case study of five primary healthcare sites was undertaken, applying mixed methods research. Six nurse practitioners, 13 medical practitioners and three practice managers participated in the study. Data were collected through direct observations, documents and semi-structured interviews as well as questionnaires including validated scales to measure the level of collaboration, satisfaction with collaboration and beliefs in the benefits of collaboration. Thematic analysis was undertaken for qualitative data from interviews, observations and documents, followed by deductive analysis whereby thematic categories were compared to two theoretical models of collaboration. Questionnaire responses were summarised using descriptive statistics. Using the scale measurements, nurse practitioners and medical practitioners reported high levels of collaboration, were highly satisfied with their collaborative relationship and strongly believed that collaboration benefited the patient. The three themes developed from qualitative data showed a more complex and nuanced picture: 1) Structures such as government policy requirements and local infrastructure disadvantaged nurse practitioners financially and professionally in collaborative practice models; 2) Participants experienced the influence and consequences of individual role enactment through the co-existence of overlapping, complementary, traditional and emerging roles, which blurred perceptions of legal liability and reimbursement for shared patient care; 3) Nurse practitioners' and medical practitioners' adjustment to new routines and facilitating the collaborative work relied on the willingness and personal commitment of individuals. Findings of this study suggest that the willingness of practitioners and their individual relationships partially overcame the effect of system restrictions. However, strategic support from healthcare reform decision-makers is needed to strengthen nurse practitioner positions and ensure the sustainability of collaborative practice models in primary healthcare.

Obituary: Philip M. Solomon, 1939-2008

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scoville, Nick

2009-01-01

Philip Solomon, one of the pioneers and leading researchers in molecular astrophysics, died on 30 April 2008 at his apartment on the upper west side of Manhattan after a battle with cancer. His pioneering research included both theoretical and very extensive observational studies of stellar atmospheres, interstellar molecules, high redshift galaxies, and the Earth's stratosphere. Phil was Distinguished Professor at The State University of New York [SUNY], Stony Brook, where he had been since 1974. Phil was born on 29 March 1939 in Manhattan, New York City, to Nat and Betty Solomon. Nat Solomon was a labor organizer and a printer. Phil attended the University of Wisconsin, where he received his BS in 1959 and where he met his future wife Sheila who was studying art. His Ph.D., "On the Role of Light Molecules in Astrophysics," was also from the University of Wisconsin under the guidance of Art Code and Bob Bless. After postdoctoral positions at Princeton and lectureships at Columbia and the University of California, San Diego, Phil spent two years as a Professor at the University of Minnesota. After two years at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, he came to SUNY, Stony Brook, as Professor of Astronomy in the Department of Earth and Space Sciences. In 1988 Phil was selected as a Humboldt Senior Distinguished Scientist, and, in 1999, he was honored with the rank of Distinguished Professor at SUNY. Phil took sabbatical and other leaves at Churchill College and the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge; the Institute for Advanced Study; l'Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris; Institut d'Astrophysique, Paris; and the Institut de Radioastronomie Millimetrique [IRAM], France. Phil published more than 160 papers and supervised seven Ph.D. students. He served on numerous review, visiting, and advisory panels. Phil's first theoretical research focused on opacity and abundance of light molecules such as H2, CO, and CN in stellar atmospheres, but then shifted quickly to the formation, excitation, and astrophysics of interstellar molecules, which had just been discovered in the late 1960s. In 1969, Phil and Chandra Wickramasinghe were among the first to suggest that the denser interstellar clouds, which were deficient in atomic hydrogen, were principally molecular hydrogen with the H2 formed on the surface of cold dust grains and protected from dissociating UV by a self-shielding H2 layer at the cloud surface. With L. Lucy, Phil then developed the radiative transfer and mass-loss mechanism operative in hot OB star winds and QSOs--where the radiative momentum is absorbed in resonance lines of ions. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the detection and mapping of interstellar molecules moved rapidly from the early discoveries of maser emission in H2O and OH to the thermal emission lines of simple molecules like CO, CN, CS, and HCN, to more complex species containing up to thirteen atoms. Phil was a major force in pushing these new detections and in using the thermal emission as astrophysical probes. This explosive growth of spectroscopic detections occurred primarily as a result of Phil's collaborations with A. Penzias, K. Jefferts, R. Wilson, and P. Thaddeus, along with other competing groups using the NRAO 36-foot telescope at Kitt Peak. This was a most exciting period with the mm-wave window finally accessible to spectroscopy and each observing run on the telescope typically yielded one or two new detections. Phil was probably the one most responsible for providing the astrophysical motivation to push the technology towards mm-wavelengths. He clearly elucidated the fact that high densities were required for the thermal excitation of the higher dipole moment molecules such CS and HCN--at the same time pointing out, for the first time, the critical role of line photon trapping in the optically thick lines. In collaboration with N. Scoville and D. Sanders, Phil initiated the early surveys of CO emission from the Milky Way molecular gas. They first pointed out that the molecular gas resides largely in self-gravitating clouds (not in pressure equilibrium with the diffuse atomic and ionized gas) and coined the term Giant Molecular Clouds. They also discovered that the molecular gas had a Galactic distribution very different from the atomic gas--a massive central concentration within 300 pc of the Galactic center and the molecular cloud "ring" at 4 to 8 kpc radius. Throughout this work, he clearly elucidated the astrophysical importance of the dense molecular clouds as the sites of virtually all star formation. During this period, Phil, in collaboration with W. Klemperer, provided important theoretical insight into the formation of simple diatomic molecules via gas-phase charge exchange reactions. As the sensitivity of mm-wave receivers improved, Phil extended the observations of CO and HCN emission first to nearby galaxies in collaboration with J. Barrett and L. Sage and then to higher luminosity, more-distant objects with Y. Gao, D. Downes, and P. Vanden Bout. Solomon and Gao very significantly showed that for the most luminous infrared galaxies, the infrared luminosities were linearly proportional to the amount of dense, star-forming gas (as traced by HCN) and hence, they argued, that the source of luminosity could be entirely star formation rather than quasar activity. With Downes, Phil was introduced to mm-wave interferometry (at last, I should say, since he was basically a single-dish astronomer at heart), and they were among the first to produce high-resolution images of the most luminous infrared galaxies. Phil's most recent work, in collaboration with Vanden Bout, Carilli, and Maddalena to detect CO and HCN from the highest redshift galaxies was on-going, but resulted in a recent Annual Reviews paper that provides a forward look to the future of this field. Phil also realized that mm-wave spectroscopy could be used for remote sensing of the terrestrial stratosphere to trace the abundance of ClO and hence monitor the ozone layer depletion. This work, in collaboration with R. deZafra, J. Barrett, and A. Parrish, led to their setting up remote, automated observing systems in Antarctica and in Hawaii; these efforts continued over twenty years up to the present. For those of us who collaborated with Phil, he will be greatly missed. Phil had a keen sense for interesting and significant science; he had a real enthusiasm for discovery; and he enjoyed the competition of forefront scientific research where recognition of significance was vital but where discussion of interpretation was rational, albeit with strong argument. The pleasure of an observing run with Phil was supreme due to his enthusiasm and focus on the astrophysics; these runs also were creative since if the original plans did not quite pan out, he was always ready to modify the observations to take advantage of what one learned from the data coming into the telescope. Often this resulted in much better science--in contrast to the current paradigm with fixed observing programs and queue observing. Phil was also a major presence at scientific meetings giving stimulating talks and provoking challenging discussions. Phil is survived by his wife Sheila, daughter Nina, son-in-law John, granddaughter Sarah, and brother Mark.

It's All About Communication: A Mixed-Methods Approach to Collaboration Between Volunteers and Staff in Pediatric Palliative Care.

PubMed

Meyer, Dorothee; Schmidt, Pia; Zernikow, Boris; Wager, Julia

2018-01-01

Multidisciplinary teamwork is considered central to pediatric palliative care. Although different studies state that volunteers play an essential role in palliative care, little is known about the collaboration between volunteers and staff. This study aims to explore and compare the perspectives of volunteers and staff regarding collaboration in a pediatric palliative care unit. A mixed-methods approach was chosen to appropriately reflect the complex aspects of collaboration. Both face-to-face interviews with staff who work together with volunteers and a group discussion with all volunteers were conducted. These were supplemented by 2 questionnaires designed for this study that examined participants' characteristics and their estimation of what information volunteers need before they meet a patient. Nine staff members and 7 volunteers participated in this study. Their ideas of collaboration could be grouped into 3 categories: (i) factual level of collaboration, (ii) relationship level of collaboration, and (iii) overall appraisal of collaboration (suggestions for improvement). Communication can be considered a key factor in successful collaboration between volunteers and staff. Because many patients in pediatric palliative care units are not able to communicate verbally, good information flow between volunteers and staff is crucial for ensuring quality patient care. Moreover, communication is the key to establishing a team philosophy by clarifying roles and building relationships between volunteers and staff.

Integrated impact assessment of climate change, land use, and adaptation policies on water quality in Austria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trautvetter, Helen; Schoenhart, Martin; Parajaka, Juraj; Schmid, Erwin; Zessner, Matthias

2017-04-01

Climate change is one of the major challenges of our time and adds considerable stress to the human society and environment. A change in climate will not only shift general weather patterns, but might also increase the recurrence of extreme weather events such as drought and heavy rainfall. These changes in climatic conditions will affect the quality and quantity of water resources both directly as well as indirectly through autonomous adaptation by farmers (e.g. cultivar choices, fertilization intensity or soil management). This will influence the compliance with the good ecological and chemical status according to the EU Water Framework Directive. We present results from an integrated impact modelling framework (IIMF) to tackle those direct and indirect impacts and analyze policy options for planned adaptation in agricultural land use and sustainable management of land and water resources until 2040. The IIMF is the result of an interdisciplinary collaboration among economists, agronomists, and hydrologists. It consists of the bio-physical process model EPIC, the regional land use optimization model PASMA[grid], the quantitative precipitation/runoff TUWmodel and the surface water emission model MONERIS. Scenarios have been developed and parameterized in collaboration with stakeholders in order to facilitate multi-actor knowledge transfer. The set of climate change scenarios until 2040 includes three scenarios with equal temperature changes but varying precipitation patterns. They are combined with potential socio-economic and policy development. The latter include water protection measures on fertilization management, soil management, or crop rotation choices. We will presented the development of interfaces among the research, the definition of scenarios and major scenario results for Austria. We will focus on nutrient emissions to surface waters, which are the major link between the different models. The results, available at watershed level indicate the significant impact on future precipitation development on the risk of not achieving nutrient criteria of the good ecological water quality status of surface waters. Policy measures show relatively low impacts for nitrogen, while they may highly affect the phosphorus emissions and hence the compliance with environmental quality standards for phosphate phosphorus.

Neutron production in coincidence with fragments from the 4Ca+H reactions at Elab=357 and 565 A MeV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tuvà, C.; Albergo, S.; Boemi, D.; Caccia, Z.; Chen, C.-X.; Costa, S.; Crawford, H. J.; Cronqvist, M.; Engelage, J.; Greiner, L.; Guzik, T. G.; Insolia, A.; Knott, C. N.; Lindstrom, P. J.; Mitchell, J. W.; Potenza, R.; Russo, G. V.; Soutoul, A.; Testard, O.; Tricomi, A.; Tull, C. E.; Waddington, C. J.; Webber, W. R.; Wefel, J. P.

2000-04-01

In the frame of the Transport Collaboration neutrons in coincidence with charged fragments produced in the 40Ca+H reaction at Elab=357 and 565 A MeV have been measured at the Heavy Ion Spectrometer System (HISS) facility of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, using the multifunctional neutron spectrometer MUFFINS. The detector covered a narrow angular range about the beam in the forward direction (0°-3.2°). In this contribution we report absolute neutron production cross sections in coincidence with charged fragments (10⩽Z⩽20). The neutron multiplicities have been estimated from the comparison between the neutron cross sections, in coincidence with the fragments, and the elemental cross sections. We have found evidence for a pre-equilibrium emission of prompt neutrons in superposition to a `slower' deexcitation of the equilibrated remnant by emission of nucleons and fragments, as already seen in the inclusive rapidity distributions.

Early-\\x90stage Electrical Breakdown involving Tunneling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hjalmarson, Harold; Moore, Chris; Schultz, Peter; Bussman, Ezra; Scrymgeour, David; Hopkins, Matt

The early stage of electrical breakdown from a surface is assumed to involve field emission. In real-world applications, the electrical field is often assumed to be increased by geometrical effects. In addition to these enhancement effects, contamination by adsorbates can lead to reductions in the effective work functions. To develop a physics-based understanding beyond the use of these empirical effects, the field emission currents at early times are being computed and measured. The calculations involve a solution of the Boltzmann equation, and the measurements involve a scanning tunneling microscope. Early results from this collaborative theoretical-experimental project will be described in this presentation. The presentation will focus on results for an ideal system with an absence of geometrical effects. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-mission laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Fly's Eye GLM Simulator

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-27

The Fly’s Eye GLM Simulator (FEGS) is an airborne array of multi-spectral radiometers optimized to measure the optical emission from lightning. The instrument was designed by the Lightning Group in the Earth Science Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center as part of the validation effort for the first Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) onboard GOES-16. From March to May of 2017, FEGS was flown on the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center ER-2 along with a payload of other instruments during the GOES-16 Validation Flight Campaign. Data collected during the campaign are being analyzed by scientists at NASA and collaborating institutions to test the accuracy of GLM and other GOES-16 instruments. FEGS adds the capability to investigate sub-millisecond lightning energetics to the NASA Airborne Earth Science program. When flown with its complimentary suite of instruments, the FEGS package observes lightning radiation signatures that span from radio frequencies to gamma-ray emission. Learn more about the GOES-16 Validation Flight Campaign here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCTIk...

On the Neutrino Non-detection of GRB 130427A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Shan; Kashiyama, Kazumi; Mészáros, Peter

2013-07-01

The recent gamma-ray burst GRB 130427A has an isotropic electromagnetic energy E iso ~ 1054 erg, suggesting an ample supply of target photons for photo-hadronic interactions, which at its low redshift of z ~ 0.34 would appear to make it a promising candidate for neutrino detection. However, the IceCube collaboration has reported a null result based on a search during the prompt emission phase. We show that this neutrino non-detection can provide valuable information about this gamma-ray burst's (GRB's) key physical parameters such as the emission radius Rd , the bulk Lorentz factor Γ, and the energy fraction converted into cosmic rays epsilon p . The results are discussed both in a model-independent way and in the specific scenarios of an internal shock (IS) model, a baryonic photospheric (BPH) model, and a magnetic photospheric (MPH) model. We find that the constraints are most stringent for the MPH model considered, but the constraints on the IS and the BPH models are fairly modest.

Forest Carbon Monitoring and Reporting for REDD+: What Future for Africa?

PubMed

Gizachew, Belachew; Duguma, Lalisa A

2016-11-01

A climate change mitigation mechanism for emissions reduction from reduced deforestation and forest degradation, plus forest conservation, sustainable management of forest, and enhancement of carbon stocks (REDD+), has received an international political support in the climate change negotiations. The mechanism will require, among others, an unprecedented technical capacity for monitoring, reporting and verification of carbon emissions from the forest sector. A functional monitoring, reporting and verification requires inventories of forest area, carbon stock and changes, both for the construction of forest reference emissions level and compiling the report on the actual emissions, which are essentially lacking in developing countries, particularly in Africa. The purpose of this essay is to contribute to a better understanding of the state and prospects of forest monitoring and reporting in the context of REDD+ in Africa. We argue that monitoring and reporting capacities in Africa fall short of the stringent requirements of the methodological guidance for monitoring, reporting and verification for REDD+, and this may weaken the prospects for successfully implementing REDD+ in the continent. We presented the challenges and prospects in the national forest inventory, remote sensing and reporting infrastructures. A North-South, South-South collaboration as well as governments own investments in monitoring, reporting and verification system could help Africa leapfrog in monitoring and reporting. These could be delivered through negotiations for the transfer of technology, technical capacities, and experiences that exist among developed countries that traditionally compile forest carbon reports in the context of the Kyoto protocol.

NEAR-INFRARED THERMAL EMISSION FROM THE HOT JUPITER TrES-2b: GROUND-BASED DETECTION OF THE SECONDARY ECLIPSE

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

Croll, Bryce; Jayawardhana, Ray; Albert, Loic

2010-07-10

We present near-infrared Ks-band photometry bracketing the secondary eclipse of the hot Jupiter TrES-2b using the Wide-field Infrared Camera on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. We detect its thermal emission with an eclipse depth of 0.062{sup +0.013}{sub -0.011}% (5{sigma}). Our best-fit secondary eclipse is consistent with a circular orbit (a 3{sigma} upper limit on the eccentricity, e, and argument or periastron, {omega}, of |e cos {omega}| < 0.0090), in agreement with mid-infrared detections of the secondary eclipse of this planet. A secondary eclipse of this depth corresponds to a dayside Ks-band brightness temperature of T{sub B} = 1636{sup +79}{sub -88} K. Ourmore » thermal emission measurement, when combined with the thermal emission measurements using Spitzer/IRAC from O'Donovan and collaborators, suggests that this planet exhibits relatively efficient dayside to nightside redistribution of heat and a near isothermal dayside atmospheric temperature structure, whose spectrum is well approximated by a blackbody. It is unclear if the atmosphere of TrES-2b requires a temperature inversion; if it does it is likely due to chemical species other than TiO/VO as the atmosphere of TrES-2b is too cool to allow TiO/VO to remain in gaseous form. Our secondary eclipse has the smallest depth of any detected from the ground, at around 2 {mu}m, to date.« less

A Case Study of a Collaborative Speech-Language Pathologist

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ritzman, Mitzi J.; Sanger, Dixie; Coufal, Kathy L.

2006-01-01

This study explored how a school-based speech-language pathologist implemented a classroom-based service delivery model that focused on collaborative practices in classroom settings. The study used ethnographic observations and interviews with 1 speech-language pathologist to provide insights into how she implemented collaborative consultation and…

Problem Finding in Professional Learning Communities: A Learning Study Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Yuen Sze Michelle; Caleon, Imelda Santos

2016-01-01

This study marries collaborative problem solving and learning study in understanding the onset of a cycle of teacher professional development process within school-based professional learning communities (PLCs). It aimed to explore how a PLC carried out collaborative problem finding--a key process involved in collaborative problem solving--that…

Building Collaborative Research Opportunities into Study Abroad Programs: A Case Study from Panama

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solís, Patricia; Price, Marie; Adames de Newbill, María

2015-01-01

As universities increase their international study opportunities, enormous potential exists to create geography field courses that provide undergraduates and graduate students with primary research experience and intercultural collaboration. This paper draws from our experience leading a two-week collaborative field course in Panama. We outline…

Students' Activity in Computer-Supported Collaborative Problem Solving in Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hurme, Tarja-riitta; Jarvela, Sanna

2005-01-01

The purpose of this study was to analyse secondary school students' (N = 16) computer-supported collaborative mathematical problem solving. The problem addressed in the study was: What kinds of metacognitive processes appear during computer-supported collaborative learning in mathematics? Another aim of the study was to consider the applicability…

Nurse-physician collaboration impacts job satisfaction and turnover among nurses: A hospital-based cross-sectional study in Beijing.

PubMed

Zhang, Lin; Huang, Lei; Liu, Meng; Yan, Hong; Li, Xiue

2016-06-01

This study aims to explore the impact of physician-nurse collaboration on nurse job satisfaction and turnover in a dental hospital. Physician-nurse collaboration is important for the stability of the entire nursing team. Few studies have shown the impact on job satisfaction and turnover among nurses working in Chinese dental hospitals. This was a prospective, cross-sectional study and investigated nurses from a tertiary dental hospital in Beijing using convenience non-randomized sampling. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data, which included general information, the Index of Work Satisfaction, the Nurse-Physician Collaboration Scale and the Turnover Intention Scale. The scores of physician-nurse collaboration correlated positively with those for job satisfaction and negatively with the stated likelihood of turnover intention. Physician-nurse collaboration scores positively predicted job satisfaction and negatively predicted the likelihood of quitting the current job. In conclusion, improving the level of physician-nurse collaboration is helpful to enhance job satisfaction and reduce turnover among nurses in a dental hospital. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Social Network Analysis of Biomedical Research Collaboration Networks in a CTSA Institution

PubMed Central

Bian, Jiang; Xie, Mengjun; Topaloglu, Umit; Hudson, Teresa; Eswaran, Hari; Hogan, William

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND The popularity of social networks has triggered a number of research efforts on network analyses of research collaborations in the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) community. Those studies mainly focus on the general understanding of collaboration networks by measuring common network metrics. More fundamental questions about collaborations still remain unanswered such as recognizing “influential” nodes and identifying potential new collaborations that are most rewarding. METHODS We analyzed biomedical research collaboration networks (RCNs) constructed from a dataset of research grants collected at a CTSA institution (i.e. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS)) in a comprehensive and systematic manner. First, our analysis covers the full spectrum of a RCN study: from network modeling to network characteristics measurement, from key nodes recognition to potential links (collaborations) suggestion. Second, our analysis employs non-conventional model and techniques including a weighted network model for representing collaboration strength, rank aggregation for detecting important nodes, and Random Walk with Restart (RWR) for suggesting new research collaborations. RESULTS By applying our models and techniques to RCNs at UAMS prior to and after the CTSA, we have gained valuable insights that not only reveal the temporal evolution of the network dynamics but also assess the effectiveness of the CTSA and its impact on a research institution. We find that collaboration networks at UAMS are not scale-free but small-world. Quantitative measures have been obtained to evident that the RCNs at UAMS are moving towards favoring multidisciplinary research. Moreover, our link prediction model creates the basis of collaboration recommendations with an impressive accuracy (AUC: 0.990, MAP@3: 1.48 and MAP@5: 1.522). Last but not least, an open-source visual analytical tool for RCNs is being developed and released through Github. CONCLUSIONS Through this study, we have developed a set of techniques and tools for analyzing research collaboration networks and conducted a comprehensive case study focusing on a CTSA institution. Our findings demonstrate the promising future of these techniques and tools in understanding the generative mechanisms of research collaborations and helping identify beneficial collaborations to members in the research community. PMID:24560679

The motivations, institutions and organization of university-industry collaborations in the Netherlands.

PubMed

Bodas Freitas, Isabel Maria; Verspagen, Bart

2017-01-01

This study builds on the economics and organization literatures to explore whether and how institutions and organizational structure complement or substitute each other to create specific spaces of alignment where specific individual actors' motivations co-exist. Focusing on university-industry collaborations, the study examines whether and how different axes of alignment of university and industry motivations are integrated in projects with specific technological objectives and organizational structures, benefitting from the presence of specific institutions designed to facilitate collaboration. Empirically, the study relies on in-depth data on 30 university-industry collaborations in the Netherlands, and provides preliminary evidence that the technological objective and organizational structure of collaboration are malleable variables allowing the integration of both partners' objectives and expectations. Different institutional incentives for university-industry collaboration favor specific axes of alignment of motivations and certain types of collaborative projects' design. Hence, our exploratory results suggest that specific organizational and technological structures tend to prevail in the presence of specific institutions.

Measurement and evaluation practices of factors that contribute to effective health promotion collaboration functioning: A scoping review.

PubMed

Stolp, Sean; Bottorff, Joan L; Seaton, Cherisse L; Jones-Bricker, Margaret; Oliffe, John L; Johnson, Steven T; Errey, Sally; Medhurst, Kerensa; Lamont, Sonia

2017-04-01

The purpose of this scoping review was to identify promising factors that underpin effective health promotion collaborations, measurement approaches, and evaluation practices. Measurement approaches and evaluation practices employed in 14 English-language articles published between January 2001 and October 2015 were considered. Data extraction included research design, health focus of the collaboration, factors being evaluated, how factors were conceptualized and measured, and outcome measures. Studies were methodologically diverse employing either quantitative methods (n=9), mixed methods (n=4), or qualitative methods (n=1). In total, these 14 studies examined 113 factors, 88 of which were only measured once. Leadership was the most commonly studied factor but was conceptualized differently across studies. Six factors were significantly associated with outcome measures across studies; leadership (n=3), gender (n=2), trust (n=2), length of the collaboration (n=2), budget (n=2) and changes in organizational model (n=2). Since factors were often conceptualized differently, drawing conclusions about their impact on collaborative functioning remains difficult. The use of reliable and validated tools would strengthen evaluation of health promotion collaborations and would support and enhance the effectiveness of collaboration. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Environmental justice and regional inequality in southern California: implications for future research.

PubMed Central

Morello-Frosch, Rachel; Pastor, Manuel; Porras, Carlos; Sadd, James

2002-01-01

Environmental justice offers researchers new insights into the juncture of social inequality and public health and provides a framework for policy discussions on the impact of discrimination on the environmental health of diverse communities in the United States. Yet, causally linking the presence of potentially hazardous facilities or environmental pollution with adverse health effects is difficult, particularly in situations in which diverse populations are exposed to complex chemical mixtures. A community-academic research collaborative in southern California sought to address some of these methodological challenges by conducting environmental justice research that makes use of recent advances in air emissions inventories and air exposure modeling data. Results from several of our studies indicate that communities of color bear a disproportionate burden in the location of treatment, storage, and disposal facilities and Toxic Release Inventory facilities. Longitudinal analysis further suggests that facility siting in communities of color, not market-based "minority move-in," accounts for these disparities. The collaborative also investigated the health risk implications of outdoor air toxics exposures from mobile and stationary sources and found that race plays an explanatory role in predicting cancer risk distributions among populations in the region, even after controlling for other socioeconomic and demographic indicators. Although it is unclear whether study results from southern California can be meaningfully generalized to other regions in the United States, they do have implications for approaching future research in the realm of environmental justice. The authors propose a political economy and social inequality framework to guide future research that could better elucidate the origins of environmental inequality and reasons for its persistence. PMID:11929723

Integrated Modelling in CRUCIAL Science Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahura, Alexander; Nuterman, Roman; Mukhamedzhanova, Elena; Nerobelov, Georgiy; Sedeeva, Margarita; Suhodskiy, Alexander; Mostamandy, Suleiman; Smyshlyaev, Sergey

2017-04-01

The NordForsk CRUCIAL project (2016-2017) "Critical steps in understanding land surface - atmosphere interactions: from improved knowledge to socioeconomic solutions" as a part of the Pan-Eurasian EXperiment (PEEX; https://www.atm.helsinki.fi/peex) programme activities, is looking for a deeper collaboration between Nordic-Russian science communities. In particular, following collaboration between Danish and Russian partners, several topics were selected for joint research and are focused on evaluation of: (1) urbanization processes impact on changes in urban weather and climate on urban-subregional-regional scales and at contribution to assessment studies for population and environment; (2) effects of various feedback mechanisms on aerosol and cloud formation and radiative forcing on urban-regional scales for better predicting extreme weather events and at contribution to early warning systems, (3) environmental contamination from continues emissions and industrial accidents for better assessment and decision making for sustainable social and economic development, and (4) climatology of atmospheric boundary layer in northern latitudes to improve understanding of processes, revising parameterizations, and better weather forecasting. These research topics are realized employing the online integrated Enviro-HIRLAM (Environment - High Resolution Limited Area Model) model within students' research projects: (1) "Online integrated high-resolution modelling of Saint-Petersburg metropolitan area influence on weather and air pollution forecasting"; (2) "Modeling of aerosol impact on regional-urban scales: case study of Saint-Petersburg metropolitan area"; (3) "Regional modeling and GIS evaluation of environmental pollution from Kola Peninsula sources"; and (4) "Climatology of the High-Latitude Planetary Boundary Layer". The students' projects achieved results and planned young scientists research training on online integrated modelling (Jun 2017) will be presented and discussed.

Atmospheric and spectroscopic research in the far infrared

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, Kwangjai; Radostitz, James V.

1992-01-01

The University of Oregon (UO) has been a major participant in the development of far infrared spectroscopic research of the stratosphere for the purpose of understanding the ozone layer processes. The UO has had a 15-year collaboration with the Italian group of B. Carli, and have participated in the 1978/79 Sub-millimeter Infrared Balloon Experiment (SIBEX), in the Balloon Intercomparison Campaign, (BIC), in the Infrared Balloon Experiment (IBEX), and in the recently concluded Far Infrared Experiment for UARS Correlative Measurements (FIREX). Both IBEX and FIREX programs were conducted in collaboration with NASA Langley, and were designed as validation flights in support of the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) Program. The technique of atmospheric far infrared spectroscopy offers two important advantages. First, many chemically important species can be measured simultaneously and co-spatially in the atmosphere. Second, far infrared atmospheric spectra can be obtained in thermal emission without reference to the sun's position, enabling full diurnal and global coverage. Recent improvements in instrumentation, field measurements, and molecular concentration retrieval techniques are now making the far infrared a mature measurement technology. This work to date has largely focused on balloon-based studies, but the future efforts will focus also on satellite-based experiments. A program of research in the following general areas was proposed: Laboratory Pressure broadening coefficient studies; specialized detector system assembly and testing; and consultation and assistance with instrument and field support. The proposal was approved and a three-year research grant titled 'Atmospheric and Spectroscopic Research in the Far Infrared' was awarded. A summary of technical accomplishments attained during the grant period are presented.

Multipoint dynamically reconfigure adaptive distributed fiber optic acoustic emission sensor (FAESense) system for condition based maintenance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendoza, Edgar; Prohaska, John; Kempen, Connie; Esterkin, Yan; Sun, Sunjian; Krishnaswamy, Sridhar

2010-09-01

This paper describes preliminary results obtained under a Navy SBIR contract by Redondo Optics Inc. (ROI), in collaboration with Northwestern University towards the development and demonstration of a next generation, stand-alone and fully integrated, dynamically reconfigurable, adaptive fiber optic acoustic emission sensor (FAESense™) system for the in-situ unattended detection and localization of shock events, impact damage, cracks, voids, and delaminations in new and aging critical infrastructures found in ships, submarines, aircraft, and in next generation weapon systems. ROI's FAESense™ system is based on the integration of proven state-of-the-art technologies: 1) distributed array of in-line fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) sensors sensitive to strain, vibration, and acoustic emissions, 2) adaptive spectral demodulation of FBG sensor dynamic signals using two-wave mixing interferometry on photorefractive semiconductors, and 3) integration of all the sensor system passive and active optoelectronic components within a 0.5-cm x 1-cm photonic integrated circuit microchip. The adaptive TWM demodulation methodology allows the measurement of dynamic high frequnency acoustic emission events, while compensating for passive quasi-static strain and temperature drifts. It features a compact, low power, environmentally robust 1-inch x 1-inch x 4-inch small form factor (SFF) package with no moving parts. The FAESense™ interrogation system is microprocessor-controlled using high data rate signal processing electronics for the FBG sensors calibration, temperature compensation and the detection and analysis of acoustic emission signals. Its miniaturized package, low power operation, state-of-the-art data communications, and low cost makes it a very attractive solution for a large number of applications in naval and maritime industries, aerospace, civil structures, the oil and chemical industry, and for homeland security applications.

Collaborative Behavioral Management for Drug-Involved Parolees: Rationale and Design of the Step'n Out Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedmann, Peter D.; Katz, Elizabeth C.; Rhodes, Anne G.; Taxman, Faye S.; O'Connell, Daniel J.; Frisman, Linda K.; Burdon, William M.; Fletcher, Bennett W.; Litt, Mark D.; Clarke, Jennifer; Martin, Steven S.

2008-01-01

This article describes the rationale, study design, and implementation for the Step'n Out study of the Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Studies. Step'n Out tests the relative effectiveness of collaborative behavioral management of drug-involved parolees. Collaborative behavioral management integrates the roles of parole officers and treatment…

Midwife-physician collaboration: a conceptual framework for interprofessional collaborative practice.

PubMed

Smith, Denise Colter

2015-01-01

Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, collaborative practice has been cited as one method of increasing access to care, decreasing costs, and improving efficiency. How and under what conditions might these goals be achieved? Midwives and physicians have built effective collaborative practice models over a period of 30 years. Empirical study of interprofessional collaboration between midwives and physicians could be useful in guiding professional education, regulation, and health policy in women's health and maternity care. Construction of a conceptual framework for interprofessional collaboration between midwives and physicians was guided by a review of the literature. A theory derivation strategy was used to define dimensions, concepts, and statements of the framework. Midwife-physician interprofessional collaboration can be defined by 4 dimensions (organizational, procedural, relational, and contextual) and 12 concepts (trust, shared power, synergy, commitment, and respect, among others). The constructed framework provides the foundation for further empirical study of the interprofessional collaborative process. The experiences of midwife-physician collaborations provide solid support for a conceptual framework of the collaborative process. A conceptual framework provides a point from which further research can increase knowledge and understanding about how successful outcomes are achieved in collaborative health care practices. Construction of a measurement scale and validation of the model are important next steps. © 2014 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

Dynamic analysis of interhospital collaboration and competition: empirical evidence from an Italian regional health system.

PubMed

Mascia, Daniele; Di Vincenzo, Fausto; Cicchetti, Americo

2012-05-01

Policymakers stimulate competition in universalistic health-care systems while encouraging the formation of service provision networks among hospital organizations. This article addresses a gap in the extant literature by empirically analyzing simultaneous collaboration and competition between hospitals within the Italian National Health Service, where important procompetition reforms have been implemented. To explore how rising competition between hospitals relates to their propensity to collaborate with other local providers. Longitudinal data on interhospital collaboration and competition collected in an Italian region from 2003 to 2007 are analyzed. Social network analysis techniques are applied to study the structure and dynamics of interhospital collaboration. Negative binomial regressions are employed to explore how interhospital competition relates to the collaborative network over time. Competition among providers does not hinder interhospital collaboration. Collaboration is primarily local, with resource complementarity and differentials in the volume of activity and hospital performance explaining the propensity to collaborate. Formation of collaborative networks among hospitals is not hampered by reforms aimed at fostering market forces. Because procompetition reforms elicit peculiar forms of managed competition in universalistic health systems, studies are needed to clarify whether the positive association between interhospital competition and collaboration can be generalized to other health-care settings. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Supporting awareness through collaborative brushing and linking of tabular data.

PubMed

Hajizadeh, Amir Hossein; Tory, Melanie; Leung, Rock

2013-12-01

Maintaining an awareness of collaborators' actions is critical during collaborative work, including during collaborative visualization activities. Particularly when collaborators are located at a distance, it is important to know what everyone is working on in order to avoid duplication of effort, share relevant results in a timely manner and build upon each other's results. Can a person's brushing actions provide an indication of their queries and interests in a data set? Can these actions be revealed to a collaborator without substantially disrupting their own independent work? We designed a study to answer these questions in the context of distributed collaborative visualization of tabular data. Participants in our study worked independently to answer questions about a tabular data set, while simultaneously viewing brushing actions of a fictitious collaborator, shown directly within a shared workspace. We compared three methods of presenting the collaborator's actions: brushing & linking (i.e. highlighting exactly what the collaborator would see), selection (i.e. showing only a selected item), and persistent selection (i.e. showing only selected items but having them persist for some time). Our results demonstrated that persistent selection enabled some awareness of the collaborator's activities while causing minimal interference with independent work. Other techniques were less effective at providing awareness, and brushing & linking caused substantial interference. These findings suggest promise for the idea of exploiting natural brushing actions to provide awareness in collaborative work.

Engineering and Language Discourse Collaboration: Practice Realities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harran, Marcelle

2011-01-01

This article describes a situated engineering project at a South African HE institution which is underpinned by collaboration between Applied Language Studies (DALS) and Mechanical Engineering. The collaboration requires language practitioners and engineering experts to negotiate and collaborate on academic literacies practices, discourse…

Communication, Collaboration, and Enhancing the Learning Experience: Developing a Collaborative Virtual Enquiry Service in University Libraries in the North of England

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jolly, Liz; White, Sue

2016-01-01

This article uses the case study of developing a collaborative "out-of-hours" virtual enquiry service by members of the Northern Collaboration Group of academic libraries in the north of England to explore the importance of communication and collaboration between academic library services in enhancing student learning. Set within the…

Case study on perspicacity of collaborative learning experiences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullah, Fadzidah; Majid, Noor Hanita Abdul; Numen, Ibrahim; Kesuma Azmin, Aida; Abd. Rahim, Zaiton; Denan, Zuraini; Emin Sisman, Muhammet

2017-12-01

In the attempt to relate to the architectural practice, architectural education today has augmented the development of collaborative learning environment in the campus scenario. Presently, collaborative work among students from the same program and university is considered common. Hence, attempts of collaboration is extended into having learning and teaching collaboration by means of inter-universities. The School of Architecture, at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) has explored into having collaboration across the continent with Fatih Sultan Mehmet Waqf University (FSMWU), among faculty members and students of the two (2) universities This paper explicates the empirical study on students’ perspicacity of their collaborative learning experiences; in term of effectiveness, generative behaviour, and teamwork. Survey with three (3) open-ended questions are distributed to students to express their opinions on learning collaboration that they have had during the execution of the Joint Summer School Program (JSSP). Feedback on their perspicacity is obtained and organised into numerical and understandable data display, using qualitative data processing software. Albeit the relevancy of collaborative learning, students gave both positive and negative feedbacks on their experiences. Suggestions are given to enhance the quality of collaborative learning experience for future development

Computational approaches for predicting biomedical research collaborations.

PubMed

Zhang, Qing; Yu, Hong

2014-01-01

Biomedical research is increasingly collaborative, and successful collaborations often produce high impact work. Computational approaches can be developed for automatically predicting biomedical research collaborations. Previous works of collaboration prediction mainly explored the topological structures of research collaboration networks, leaving out rich semantic information from the publications themselves. In this paper, we propose supervised machine learning approaches to predict research collaborations in the biomedical field. We explored both the semantic features extracted from author research interest profile and the author network topological features. We found that the most informative semantic features for author collaborations are related to research interest, including similarity of out-citing citations, similarity of abstracts. Of the four supervised machine learning models (naïve Bayes, naïve Bayes multinomial, SVMs, and logistic regression), the best performing model is logistic regression with an ROC ranging from 0.766 to 0.980 on different datasets. To our knowledge we are the first to study in depth how research interest and productivities can be used for collaboration prediction. Our approach is computationally efficient, scalable and yet simple to implement. The datasets of this study are available at https://github.com/qingzhanggithub/medline-collaboration-datasets.

How social network analysis can be used to monitor online collaborative learning and guide an informed intervention

PubMed Central

Fors, Uno; Tedre, Matti; Nouri, Jalal

2018-01-01

To ensure online collaborative learning meets the intended pedagogical goals (is actually collaborative and stimulates learning), mechanisms are needed for monitoring the efficiency of online collaboration. Various studies have indicated that social network analysis can be particularly effective in studying students’ interactions in online collaboration. However, research in education has only focused on the theoretical potential of using SNA, not on the actual benefits they achieved. This study investigated how social network analysis can be used to monitor online collaborative learning, find aspects in need of improvement, guide an informed intervention, and assess the efficacy of intervention using an experimental, observational repeated-measurement design in three courses over a full-term duration. Using a combination of SNA-based visual and quantitative analysis, we monitored three SNA constructs for each participant: the level of interactivity, the role, and position in information exchange, and the role played by each participant in the collaboration. On the group level, we monitored interactivity and group cohesion indicators. Our monitoring uncovered a non-collaborative teacher-centered pattern of interactions in the three studied courses as well as very few interactions among students, limited information exchange or negotiation, and very limited student networks dominated by the teacher. An intervention based on SNA-generated insights was designed. The intervention was structured into five actions: increasing awareness, promoting collaboration, improving the content, preparing teachers, and finally practicing with feedback. Evaluation of the intervention revealed that it has significantly enhanced student-student interactions and teacher-student interactions, as well as produced a collaborative pattern of interactions among most students and teachers. Since efficient and communicative activities are essential prerequisites for successful content discussion and for realizing the goals of collaboration, we suggest that our SNA-based approach will positively affect teaching and learning in many educational domains. Our study offers a proof-of-concept of what SNA can add to the current tools for monitoring and supporting teaching and learning in higher education. PMID:29566058

How social network analysis can be used to monitor online collaborative learning and guide an informed intervention.

PubMed

Saqr, Mohammed; Fors, Uno; Tedre, Matti; Nouri, Jalal

2018-01-01

To ensure online collaborative learning meets the intended pedagogical goals (is actually collaborative and stimulates learning), mechanisms are needed for monitoring the efficiency of online collaboration. Various studies have indicated that social network analysis can be particularly effective in studying students' interactions in online collaboration. However, research in education has only focused on the theoretical potential of using SNA, not on the actual benefits they achieved. This study investigated how social network analysis can be used to monitor online collaborative learning, find aspects in need of improvement, guide an informed intervention, and assess the efficacy of intervention using an experimental, observational repeated-measurement design in three courses over a full-term duration. Using a combination of SNA-based visual and quantitative analysis, we monitored three SNA constructs for each participant: the level of interactivity, the role, and position in information exchange, and the role played by each participant in the collaboration. On the group level, we monitored interactivity and group cohesion indicators. Our monitoring uncovered a non-collaborative teacher-centered pattern of interactions in the three studied courses as well as very few interactions among students, limited information exchange or negotiation, and very limited student networks dominated by the teacher. An intervention based on SNA-generated insights was designed. The intervention was structured into five actions: increasing awareness, promoting collaboration, improving the content, preparing teachers, and finally practicing with feedback. Evaluation of the intervention revealed that it has significantly enhanced student-student interactions and teacher-student interactions, as well as produced a collaborative pattern of interactions among most students and teachers. Since efficient and communicative activities are essential prerequisites for successful content discussion and for realizing the goals of collaboration, we suggest that our SNA-based approach will positively affect teaching and learning in many educational domains. Our study offers a proof-of-concept of what SNA can add to the current tools for monitoring and supporting teaching and learning in higher education.

The early evolution of southwestern Pennsylvania's regional math/science collaborative from the leadership perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bunt, Nancy R.

Designed as a regional approach to the coordination of efforts and focusing of resources in fragmented southwestern Pennsylvania, the Collaborative's story is narrated by its founding director. Drawing from office archives, including letters of invitation, meeting notes, and participant evaluations of each event, the study describes the genesis of the Collaborative. It begins with identification of the problem and the resulting charge by a founding congress. It details the building of an organizational framework, the creation of a shared vision, the development of a blueprint for action, and the decision-making involved in determining how to strengthen mathematics and science education in the region. The study notes several influences on the Collaborative's leadership. Considering the role of other collaboratives, the study notes that knowledge of the Los Angeles Educational Partnership's LA SMART jump-started the Collaborative's initial planning process. Knowledge of San Francisco's SEABA influenced the size and naming of the Collaborative's Journal. Fred Newmann's definition of authentic instruction, learning and assessment are reflected in the shared vision and belief statements of the Collaborative. The five disciplines of Peter Senge influenced the nature of the organizational framework as well as the day-to-day operations of the Collaborative. The study also notes that the five organizational tensions identified in Ann Lieberman's work on "intentional learning communities" were present in every aspect of the evolution of the Collaborative. The study suggests that leaders of evolving collaboratives: (1) engage all relevant stakeholders in assessing the current situation and defining a desired future state, (2) take advantage of the lessons learned by others and the resources available at the state and national levels to design strategies and build action plans, (3) model the practices to be inspired in the learning community, (4) constantly gather feedback on process and content--and act on the recommendations as soon as possible, and (5) keep the focus of efforts on achieving the desired future--and measure progress toward it.

Trajectories of collaborative scientific conceptual change: Middle school students learning about ecosystems in a CSCL environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Lei

The dissertation aims to achieve two goals. First, it attempts to establish a new theoretical framework---the collaborative scientific conceptual change model, which explicitly attends to social factor and epistemic practices of science, to understand conceptual change. Second, it report the findings of a classroom study to investigate how to apply this theoretical framework to examine the trajectories of collaborative scientific conceptual change in a CSCL environment and provide pedagogical implications. Two simulations were designed to help students make connections between the macroscopic substances and the aperceptual microscopic entities and underlying processes. The reported study was focused on analyzing the aggregated data from all participants and the video and audio data from twenty focal groups' collaborative activities and the process of their conceptual development in two classroom settings. Mixed quantitative and qualitative analyses were applied to analyze the video/audio data. The results found that, overall participants showed significant improvements from pretest to posttest on system understanding. Group and teacher effect as well as group variability were detected in both students' posttest performance and their collaborative activities, and variability emerged in group interaction. Multiple data analyses found that attributes of collaborative discourse and epistemic practices made a difference in student learning. Generating warranted claims in discourse as well as the predicting, coordinating theory-evidence, and modifying knowledge in epistemic practices had an impact on student's conceptual understanding. However, modifying knowledge was found negatively related to students' learning effect. The case studies show how groups differed in using the computer tools as a medium to conduct collaborative discourse and epistemic practices. Only with certain combination of discourse features and epistemic practices can the group interaction lead to successful convergent understanding. The results of the study imply that the collaborative scientific conceptual change model is an effective framework to study conceptual change and the simulation environment may mediate the development of successful collaborative interactions (including collaborative discourse and epistemic practices) that lead to collaborative scientific conceptual change.

Promoting research and audit at medical school: evaluating the educational impact of participation in a student-led national collaborative study.

PubMed

Chapman, Stephen J; Glasbey, James C D; Khatri, Chetan; Kelly, Michael; Nepogodiev, Dmitri; Bhangu, Aneel; Fitzgerald, J Edward F

2015-03-13

Medical students often struggle to engage in extra-curricular research and audit. The Student Audit and Research in Surgery (STARSurg) network is a novel student-led, national research collaborative. Student collaborators contribute data to national, clinical studies while gaining an understanding of audit and research methodology and ethical principles. This study aimed to evaluate the educational impact of participation. Participation in the national, clinical project was supported with training interventions, including an academic training day, an online e-learning module, weekly discussion forums and YouTube® educational videos. A non-mandatory, online questionnaire assessed collaborators' self-reported confidence in performing key academic skills and their perceptions of audit and research prior to and following participation. The group completed its first national clinical study ("STARSurgUK") with 273 student collaborators across 109 hospital centres. Ninety-seven paired pre- and post-study participation responses (35.5%) were received (male = 51.5%; median age = 23). Participation led to increased confidence in key academic domains including: communication with local research governance bodies (p < 0.001), approaching clinical staff to initiate local collaboration (p < 0.001), data collection in a clinical setting (p < 0.001) and presentation of scientific results (p < 0.013). Collaborators also reported an increased appreciation of research, audit and study design (p < 0.001). Engagement with the STARSurg network empowered students to participate in a national clinical study, which increased their confidence and appreciation of academic principles and skills. Encouraging active participation in collaborative, student-led, national studies offers a novel approach for delivering essential academic training.

Crafting biochars to reduce N2O and CO2 emissions while also improving soil quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novak, Jeff; Ippolito, Jim; Spokas, Kurt; Sigua, Gilbert; Kammann, Claudia; Wrage-Monnig, Nicole; Borchard, Nils; Schirrmann, Michael; Estavillo, Jose Maria; Fuertes-Mendizabal, Teresa; Menendez, Sergio; Cayuela, Maria Luz

2017-04-01

Biochar used as an amendment has been linked to nitrous oxide (N2O) emission reductions, a decrease in nitrogen (N) leaching, and soil quality improvements (e.g., soil carbon sequestration, pH, etc.). While numerous articles will support these three facts, conversely, there are reports of no to marginal influences. One reason for the mixed biochar performance could be related to applying biochar with incorrect chemical and physical characteristics. As a means to increase biochar efficiency, we introduced the concept of crafting biochars with properties attuned to specific soil deficiencies. Implementing this concept requires a literature review to identify salient biochar characteristics that reduces N2O emissions, impacts N availability, while also improving soil quality. Thus, scientists from the USDA-ARS and through a coalition of European scientists under the FACCE-JPI umbrella have conceived the DesignChar4food (d4f) project. In this project, scientists are working collaboratively to further this concept to match the appropriate biochar for selective soil quality improvement, retain N for crops, and promote greenhouse gas reductions. This presentation will highlight results from the d4f team compromising a meta-analysis of articles on biochar:N2O dynamics, N availability, and how designer biochars can target specific soil quality improvements.

Modelling Hard Gamma-Ray Emission from Supernova Remnants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baring, Matthew G.

1999-01-01

The observation by the CANGAROO (Collaboration of Australia and Nippon Gamma Ray Observatory at Outback) experiment of TeV emission from SN 1006, in conjunction with several instances of non-thermal X-ray emission from supernova remnants, has led to inferences of super-TeV electrons in these extended sources. While this is sufficient to propel the theoretical community in their modelling of particle acceleration and associated radiation, the anticipated emergence in the next decade of a number of new experiments probing the TeV and sub-TeV bands provides further substantial motivation for modellers. In particular, the quest for obtaining unambiguous gamma-ray signatures of cosmic ray ion acceleration defines a "Holy Grail" for observers and theorists alike. This review summarizes theoretical developments in the prediction of MeV-TeV gamma-rays from supernova remnants over the last five years, focusing on how global properties of models can impact, and be impacted by, hard gamma-ray observational programs, thereby probing the supernova remnant environment. Properties of central consideration include the maximum energy of accelerated particles, the density of the unshocked interstellar medium, the ambient magnetic field, and the relativistic electron-to-proton ratio. Criteria for determining good candidate remnants for observability in the TeV band are identified.

Measuring soot particles from automotive exhaust emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andres, Hanspeter; Lüönd, Felix; Schlatter, Jürg; Auderset, Kevin; Jordan-Gerkens, Anke; Nowak, Andreas; Ebert, Volker; Buhr, Egbert; Klein, Tobias; Tuch, Thomas; Wiedensohler, Alfred; Mamakos, Athanasios; Riccobono, Francesco; Discher, Kai; Högström, Richard; Yli-Ojanperä, Jaakko; Quincey, Paul

2014-08-01

The European Metrology Research Programme participating countries and the European Union jointly fund a three year project to address the need of the automotive industry for a metrological sound base for exhaust measurements. The collaborative work on particle emissions involves five European National Metrology Institutes, the Tampere University of Technology, the Joint Research Centre for Energy and Transport and the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research. On one hand, a particle number and size standard for soot particles is aimed for. Eventually this will allow the partners to provide accurate and comparable calibrations of measurement instruments for the type approval of Euro 5b and Euro 6 vehicles. Calibration aerosols of combustion particles, silver and graphite proof partially suitable. Yet, a consensus choice together with instrument manufactures is pending as the aerosol choice considerably affects the number concentration measurement. Furthermore, the consortium issued consistent requirements for novel measuring instruments foreseen to replace today's opacimeters in regulatory periodic emission controls of soot and compared them with European legislative requirements. Four partners are conducting a metrological validation of prototype measurement instruments. The novel instruments base on light scattering, electrical, ionisation chamber and diffusion charging sensors and will be tested at low and high particle concentrations. Results shall allow manufacturers to further improve their instruments to comply with legal requirements.

Curbing Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Industrial Boilers in China

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

Shen, Bo; Price, Lynn K; Lu, Hongyou

China’s industrial boiler systems consume 700 million tons of coal annually, accounting for 18% of the nation’s total coal consumption. Together these boiler systems are one of the major sources of China’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, producing approximately 1.3 gigatons (Gt) of carbon dioxide (CO 2) annually. These boiler systems are also responsible for 33% and 27% of total soot and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions in China, respectively, making a substantial contribution to China’s local environmental degradation. The Chinese government - at both the national and local level - is taking actions to mitigate the significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissionsmore » and air pollution related to the country’s extensive use of coal-fired industrial boilers. The United States and China are pursuing a collaborative effort under the U.S.-China Climate Change Working Group to conduct a comprehensive assessment of China’s coal-fired industrial boilers and to develop an implementation roadmap that will improve industrial boiler efficiency and maximize fuel-switching opportunities. Two Chinese cities – Ningbo and Xi’an – have been selected for the assessment. These cities represent coastal areas with access to liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports and inland regions with access to interprovincial natural gas pipelines, respectively.« less

Collaboration and patient safety at an emergency department - a qualitative case study.

PubMed

Pedersen, Anna Helene Meldgaard; Rasmussen, Kurt; Grytnes, Regine; Nielsen, Kent Jacob

2018-03-19

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how conflicts about collaboration between staff at different departments arose during the establishment of a new emergency department and how these conflicts affected the daily work and ultimately patient safety at the emergency department. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative single case study draws on qualitative semi-structured interviews and participant observation. The theoretical concepts "availability" and "receptiveness" as antecedents for collaboration will be applied in the analysis. Findings Close collaboration between departments was an essential precondition for the functioning of the new emergency department. The study shows how a lack of antecedents for collaboration affected the working relation and communication between employees and departments, which spurred negative feelings and reproduced conflicts. This situation was seen as a potential threat for the safety of the emergency patients. Research limitations/implications This study presents a single case study, at a specific point in time, and should be used as an illustrative example of how contextual and situational factors affect the working environment and through that patient safety. Originality/value Few studies provide an in-depth investigation of what actually takes place when collaboration between professional groups goes wrong and escalates, and how problems in collaboration may affect patient safety.

SMUD Community Renewable Energy Deployment Final Report

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

Sison-Lebrilla, Elaine; Tiangco, Valentino; Lemes, Marco

2015-06-08

This report summarizes the completion of four renewable energy installations supported by California Energy Commission (CEC) grant number CEC Grant PIR-11-005, the US Department of Energy (DOE) Assistance Agreement, DE-EE0003070, and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) Community Renewable Energy Deployment (CRED) program. The funding from the DOE, combined with funding from the CEC, supported the construction of a solar power system, biogas generation from waste systems, and anaerobic digestion systems at dairy facilities, all for electricity generation and delivery to SMUD’s distribution system. The deployment of CRED projects shows that solar projects and anaerobic digesters can be successfully implementedmore » under favorable economic conditions and business models and through collaborative partnerships. This work helps other communities learn how to assess, overcome barriers, utilize, and benefit from renewable resources for electricity generation in their region. In addition to reducing GHG emissions, the projects also demonstrate that solar projects and anaerobic digesters can be readily implemented through collaborative partnerships. This work helps other communities learn how to assess, overcome barriers, utilize, and benefit from renewable resources for electricity generation in their region.« less

Interpersonal Conflict in Collaborative Writing: What We Can Learn from Gender Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lay, Mary M.

1989-01-01

Discusses how gender studies reveal psychological and cultural sources of interpersonal conflict during collaboration. Notes that an awareness of these conflict sources enables scholars and teachers in technical communication to predict and ease interpersonal conflict among collaborators. (MM)

Collaborative Research: The Alphabetic Braille and Contracted Braille Study as an Example of Collaborative Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wormsley, Diane P.; Emerson, Robert Wall; Erin, Jane

2011-01-01

This article examines the Alphabetic Braille Contracted Braille Study in relation to the dimensions of collaborative research: extent, intensity, substance, heterogeneity, velocity, formality, and productivity. It also discusses the dimensions of financing research and researchers' attitudes. The overall consensus is that the study would not have…

The Efficacy of Collaborative Strategic Reading in Middle School Science and Social Studies Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boardman, Alison G.; Klingner, Janette K.; Buckley, Pamela; Annamma, Subini; Lasser, Cristin J.

2015-01-01

This study investigated the efficacy of a multi-component reading comprehension instructional approach, Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR), compared to business-as-usual instructional methods with 19 teachers and 1074 students in middle school social studies and science classrooms in a large urban district. Researchers collaborated with school…

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

Verrecchia, F.; Pittori, C.; Lucarelli, F.

The LIGO/Virgo Collaboration (LVC) detected on 2017 January 4 a significant gravitational-wave (GW) event (now named GW170104). We report in this Letter the main results obtained from the analysis of hard X-ray and gamma-ray data of the AGILE mission that repeatedly observed the GW170104 localization region (LR). At the LVC detection time T {sub 0} AGILE observed about 36% of the LR. The gamma-ray imaging detector did not reveal any significant emission in the energy range 50 MeV–30 GeV. Furthermore, no significant gamma-ray transients were detected in the LR that was repeatedly exposed over timescales of minutes, hours, and days.more » We also searched for transient emission using data near T {sub 0} of the omnidirectional detector MCAL operating in the energy band 0.4–100 MeV. A refined analysis of MCAL data shows the existence of a weak event (that we call “E2”) with a signal-to-noise ratio of 4.4 σ lasting about 32 ms and occurring 0.46 ± 0.05 s before T {sub 0}. A study of the MCAL background and of the false-alarm rate of E2 leads to the determination of a post-trial significance between 2.4σ and 2.7σ for a temporal coincidence with GW170104. We note that E2 has characteristics similar to those detected from the weak precursor of GRB 090510. The candidate event E2 is worth consideration for simultaneous detection by other satellites. If associated with GW170104, it shows emission in the MeV band of a short burst preceding the final coalescence by 0.46 s and involving ∼10{sup −7} of the total rest mass energy of the system.« less

Are Online Learners Frustrated with Collaborative Learning Experiences?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Capdeferro, Neus; Romero, Margarida

2012-01-01

Online education increasingly puts emphasis on collaborative learning methods. Despite the pedagogical advantages of collaborative learning, online learners can perceive collaborative learning activities as frustrating experiences. The purpose of this study was to characterize the feelings of frustration as a negative emotion among online learners…

Adaptation in Collaborative Governance Regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Emerson, Kirk; Gerlak, Andrea K.

2014-10-01

Adaptation and the adaptive capacity of human and environmental systems have been of central concern to natural and social science scholars, many of whom characterize and promote the need for collaborative cross-boundary systems that are seen as flexible and adaptive by definition. Researchers who study collaborative governance systems in the public administration, planning and policy literature have paid less attention to adaptive capacity specifically and institutional adaptation in general. This paper bridges the two literatures and finds four common dimensions of capacity, including structural arrangements, leadership, knowledge and learning, and resources. In this paper, we focus on institutional adaptation in the context of collaborative governance regimes and try to clarify and distinguish collaborative capacity from adaptive capacity and their contributions to adaptive action. We posit further that collaborative capacities generate associated adaptive capacities thereby enabling institutional adaptation within collaborative governance regimes. We develop these distinctions and linkages between collaborative and adaptive capacities with the help of an illustrative case study in watershed management within the National Estuary Program.

Creating Mechanisms for Meaningful Collaboration Between Members of Urban Communities and University-Based HIV Prevention Researchers.

PubMed

McKay, Mary M; Hibbert, Richard; Lawrence, Rita; Miranda, Ana; Paikoff, Roberta; Bell, Carl C; Madison-Boyd, Sybil; Baptiste, Donna; Coleman, Doris; Pinto, Rogério M; Bannon, William M

2007-01-01

This article provides a description of a Community/University Collaborative Board, a formalized partnership between representatives from an inner-city community and university-based researchers. This Collaborative Board oversees a number of research projects focused on designing, delivering and testing family-based HIV prevention and mental health focused programs to elementary and junior high school age youth and their families. The Collaborative Board consists of urban parents, school staff members, representatives from community-based agencies and university-based researchers. One research project, the CHAMP (Collaborative HIV prevention and Adolescent Mental health Project) Family Program Study, an urban, family-based HIV prevention project will be used to illustrate how the Collaborative Board oversees a community-based research study. The process of establishing a Collaborative Board, recruiting members and developing subcommittees is described within this article. Examples of specific issues addressed by the Collaborative Board within its subcommittees, Implementation, Finance, Welcome, Research, Grant writing, Curriculum, and Leadership, are detailed in this article along with lessons learned.

Collaborative Behavioral Management for Drug-Involved Parolees: Rationale and Design of the Step'n Out Study

PubMed Central

FRIEDMANN, PETER D.; KATZ, ELIZABETH C.; RHODES, ANNE G.; TAXMAN, FAYE S.; O'CONNELL, DANIEL J.; FRISMAN, LINDA K.; BURDON, WILLIAM M.; FLETCHER, BENNETT W.; LITT, MARK D.; CLARKE, JENNIFER; MARTIN, STEVEN S.

2009-01-01

This article describes the rationale, study design, and implementation for the Step'n Out study of the Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Studies. Step'n Out tests the relative effectiveness of collaborative behavioral management of drug-involved parolees. Collaborative behavioral management integrates the roles of parole officers and treatment counselors to provide role induction counseling, contract for pro-social behavior, and deliver contingent reinforcement of behaviors consistent with treatment objectives. The Step'n Out study will randomize 450 drug-involved parolees to collaborative behavioral management or usual parole. Follow-up at 3-and 9-months will assess primary outcomes of rearrest, crime and drug use. If collaborative behavioral management is effective, its wider adoption could improve the outcomes of community reentry of drug-involved ex-offenders. PMID:19809591

A Framework for Implementing Virtual Collaborative Networks - Case Study on Automobile Components Production Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parvinnia, Elham; Khayami, Raouf; Ziarati, Koorush

Virtual collaborative networks are composed of small companies which take most advantage from the market opportunity and are able to compete with large companies. So some frameworks have been introduced for implementing this type of collaboration; although none of them has been standardized completely. In this paper we specify some instances that need to be standardized for implementing virtual enterprises. Then, a framework is suggested for implementing virtual collaborative networks. Finally, based on that suggestion, as a case study, we design a virtual collaborative network in automobile components production industry.

Incorporating collaboratory concepts into informatics in support of translational interdisciplinary biomedical research

PubMed Central

Lee, E. Sally; McDonald, David W.; Anderson, Nicholas; Tarczy-Hornoch, Peter

2008-01-01

Due to its complex nature, modern biomedical research has become increasingly interdisciplinary and collaborative in nature. Although a necessity, interdisciplinary biomedical collaboration is difficult. There is, however, a growing body of literature on the study and fostering of collaboration in fields such as computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) and information science (IS). These studies of collaboration provide insight into how to potentially alleviate the difficulties of interdisciplinary collaborative research. We, therefore, undertook a cross cutting study of science and engineering collaboratories to identify emergent themes. We review many relevant collaboratory concepts: (a) general collaboratory concepts across many domains: communication, common workspace and coordination, and data sharing and management, (b) specific collaboratory concepts of particular biomedical relevance: data integration and analysis, security structure, metadata and data provenance, and interoperability and data standards, (c) environmental factors that support collaboratories: administrative and management structure, technical support, and available funding as critical environmental factors, and (d) future considerations for biomedical collaboration: appropriate training and long-term planning. In our opinion, the collaboratory concepts we discuss can guide planning and design of future collaborative infrastructure by biomedical informatics researchers to alleviate some of the difficulties of interdisciplinary biomedical collaboration. PMID:18706852

Evidence for the impact of quality improvement collaboratives: systematic review

PubMed Central

2008-01-01

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of quality improvement collaboratives in improving the quality of care. Data sources Relevant studies through Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases. Study selection Two reviewers independently extracted data on topics, participants, setting, study design, and outcomes. Data synthesis Of 1104 articles identified, 72 were included in the study. Twelve reports representing nine studies (including two randomised controlled trials) used a controlled design to measure the effects of the quality improvement collaborative intervention on care processes or outcomes of care. Systematic review of these nine studies showed moderate positive results. Seven studies (including one randomised controlled trial) reported an effect on some of the selected outcome measures. Two studies (including one randomised controlled trial) did not show any significant effect. Conclusions The evidence underlying quality improvement collaboratives is positive but limited and the effects cannot be predicted with great certainty. Considering that quality improvement collaboratives seem to play a key part in current strategies focused on accelerating improvement, but may have only modest effects on outcomes at best, further knowledge of the basic components effectiveness, cost effectiveness, and success factors is crucial to determine the value of quality improvement collaboratives. PMID:18577559

Art of collaboration: a conflict of disciplines or constructive relationship

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pepper, Andrew T.; Krantz, Eric P.

1995-02-01

The concept of collaborations between artists and scientists, working with holography, is explored. A background and history to such collaborations is given and two case studies are detailed: one from a pioneering artist in the field who organized very early collaborations with scientists and engineers, the second from a more recent collaboration between the authors of this paper. A description of the authors' collaboration is given and details of a single exposure color mixing technique for rainbow `shadow' holograms is specified. The description of the making of a collaborative hologram, using this system, is provided.

Improving collaboration between large and small-medium enterprises in automobile production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sung, Soyoung; Kim, Yanghoon; Chang, Hangbae

2018-01-01

Inter-organisational collaboration is important for achieving qualitative and quantitative performance improvement in the global competitive environment. In particular, the extent of collaboration between the mother company and its suppliers is important for the profitability and sustainability of a company in the automobile industry, which is carried out using a customisation and order production system. As a result of the empirical analysis in this study, the collaborative information sharing cycle is shortened and the collaborative information sharing scope is widened. Therefore, the level of collaboration is improved by constructing an IT collaboration system.

Fostering Multimedia Learning with Collaborative Concept Mapping: The Effect of Cognitive Aid on Performance and on Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Acuña, Santiago Roger; Aymes, Gabriela López; Medrano, Carlos Sergio López

2014-01-01

This paper analyzes the use of collaborative concept maps in multimedia learning tasks. Specifically, the effect of a cognitive aid (providing students a list of main concepts to generate a concept map) on the performance of collaborative concept mapping and on the level of collaboration in this task is discussed. The study was carried out with 57…

Effects of Perceived Risks, Reputation and Electronic Word of Mouth (E-WOM) on Collaborative Consumption of Uber Car Sharing Service

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wati Hawapi, Mega; Sulaiman, Zuraidah; Kohar, Umar Haiyat Abdul; Abu Talib, Noraini

2017-06-01

Current transition from traditional economic model of selling and buying to sharing economic business creates a huge impact on consumers’ preferences to participate in collaborative consumption. The market entrance of sharing economic business is relatively new, thus it builds scepticism among consumers. Consumers’ trust becomes the most crucial aspect in determining their willingness to participate in collaborative consumption. This study will reveal the effects of perceived risks (performance and social), reputation and Electronic Word-of Mouth (E-WOM) on Malaysian consumers’ intention of collaborative consumption, especially for Uber car sharing service. This study inspires to enrich the literature for collaborative consumption and perceived risk theory. From the practical perspective, this study may provide insights in assisting the collaborative consumption service providers especially Uber car users on factors influencing the intention to engage in such service.

Messy Collaboration: Learning from a Learning Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adamson, Bob; Walker, Elizabeth

2011-01-01

Messy collaboration refers to complexity, unpredictability and management dilemmas when educators work together. Such messiness was evident in a Hong Kong English Learning Study, a structured cyclical process in which teachers and researcher-participants from a teacher education institution work collaboratively on effective student learning. This…

Effects of repeated collaborative retrieval on individual memory vary as a function of recall versus recognition tasks.

PubMed

Blumen, Helena M; Rajaram, Suparna

2009-11-01

Our research examines how prior group collaboration modulates later individual memory. We recently showed that repeated collaborative recall sessions benefit later individual recall more than a single collaborative recall session (Blumen & Rajaram, 2008). Current research compared the effects of repeated collaborative recall and repeated collaborative recognition on later individual recall and later individual recognition. A total of 192 participants studied a list of nouns and then completed three successive retrieval sessions in one of four conditions. While two collaborative recall sessions and two collaborative recognition sessions generated comparable levels of individual recall (CRecall-CRecall-I Recall approximately CRecognition-CRecognition-I Recall , Experiment 1a), two collaborative recognition sessions generated greater levels of individual recognition than two collaborative recall sessions (CRecognition-CRecognition- IRecognition > CRecall-CRecall- I Recognition , Experiment 1b). These findings are discussed in terms of two opposing mechanisms that operate during collaborative retrieval-re-exposure and retrieval disruption-and in terms of transfer-appropriate processing across collaborative and individual retrieval sessions.

Workshop on Agricultural Air Quality: State of the science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aneja, Viney P.; Blunden, Jessica; Roelle, Paul A.; Schlesinger, William H.; Knighton, Raymond; Niyogi, Dev; Gilliam, Wendell; Jennings, Greg; Duke, Clifford S.

The first Workshop on Agricultural Air Quality: State of the Science was held at the Bolger Center in Potomac, Maryland from 4 to 8 June 2006. This international conference assembled approximately 350 people representing 25 nations from 5 continents, with disciplines ranging from atmospheric chemistry to soil science. The workshop was designed as an open forum in which participants could openly exchange the most current knowledge and learn about numerous international perspectives regarding agricultural air quality. Participants represented many stakeholder groups concerned with the growing need to assess agricultural impacts on the atmosphere and to develop beneficial policies to improve air quality. The workshop focused on identifying methods to improve emissions inventories and best management practices for agriculture. Workshop participants also made recommendations for technological and methodological improvements in current emissions measurement and modeling practices. The workshop commenced with a session on agricultural emissions and was followed by international perspectives from the United States, Europe, Australia, India, and South America. This paper summarizes the findings and issues of the workshop and articulates future research needs. These needs were identified in three general areas: (1) improvement of emissions measurement; (2) development of appropriate emission factors; and (3) implementation of best management practices (BMPs) to minimize negative environmental impacts. Improvements in the appropriate measurements will inform decisions regarding US farming practices. A need was demonstrated for a national/international network to monitor atmospheric emissions from agriculture and their subsequent depositions to surrounding areas. Information collected through such a program may be used to assess model performance and could be critical for evaluating any future regulatory policies or BMPs. The workshop concluded that efforts to maximize benefits and reduce detrimental effects of agricultural production need to transcend disciplinary, geographic, and political boundaries. Also, such efforts should involve natural and social scientists, economists, engineers, business leaders, and decision makers. The workshop came to the conclusion that through these collaborative efforts improvements in air quality from agricultural practices will begin to take effect.

High Efficiency, Low Emission Refrigeration System

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

Fricke, Brian A.; Sharma, Vishaldeep

Supermarket refrigeration systems account for approximately 50% of supermarket energy use, placing this class of equipment among the highest energy consumers in the commercial building domain. In addition, the commonly used refrigeration system in supermarket applications is the multiplex direct expansion (DX) system, which is prone to refrigerant leaks due to its long lengths of refrigerant piping. This leakage reduces the efficiency of the system and increases the impact of the system on the environment. The high Global Warming Potential (GWP) of the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants commonly used in these systems, coupled with the large refrigerant charge and the highmore » refrigerant leakage rates leads to significant direct emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Methods for reducing refrigerant leakage and energy consumption are available, but underutilized. Further work needs to be done to reduce costs of advanced system designs to improve market utilization. In addition, refrigeration system retrofits that result in reduced energy consumption are needed since the majority of applications address retrofits rather than new stores. The retrofit market is also of most concern since it involves large-volume refrigerant systems with high leak rates. Finally, alternative refrigerants for new and retrofit applications are needed to reduce emissions and reduce the impact on the environment. The objective of this Collaborative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Hill Phoenix is to develop a supermarket refrigeration system that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and has 25 to 30 percent lower energy consumption than existing systems. The outcomes of this project will include the design of a low emission, high efficiency commercial refrigeration system suitable for use in current U.S. supermarkets. In addition, a prototype low emission, high efficiency supermarket refrigeration system will be produced for laboratory and field testing. Laboratory and field testing will demonstrate the high energy efficiency and low environmental impact of the refrigeration system developed in this project.« less

Applying a systems approach to assess carbon emission reductions from climate change mitigation in Mexico’s forest sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olguin, Marcela; Wayson, Craig; Fellows, Max; Birdsey, Richard; Smyth, Carolyn E.; Magnan, Michael; Dugan, Alexa J.; Mascorro, Vanessa S.; Alanís, Armando; Serrano, Enrique; Kurz, Werner A.

2018-03-01

The Paris Agreement of the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change calls for a balance of anthropogenic greenhouse emissions and removals in the latter part of this century. Mexico indicated in its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution and its Climate Change Mid-Century Strategy that the land sector will contribute to meeting GHG emission reduction goals. Since 2012, the Mexican government through its National Forestry Commission, with international financial and technical support, has been developing carbon dynamics models to explore climate change mitigation options in the forest sector. Following a systems approach, here we assess the biophysical mitigation potential of forest ecosystems, harvested wood products and their substitution benefits (i.e. the change in emissions resulting from substitution of wood for more emissions-intensive products and fossil fuels), for policy alternatives considered by the Mexican government, such as a net zero deforestation rate and sustainable forest management. We used available analytical frameworks (Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector and a harvested wood products model), parameterized with local input data in two contrasting Mexican states. Using information from the National Forest Monitoring System (e.g. forest inventories, remote sensing, disturbance data), we demonstrate that activities aimed at reaching a net-zero deforestation rate can yield significant CO2e mitigation benefits by 2030 and 2050 relative to a baseline scenario (‘business as usual’), but if combined with increasing forest harvest to produce long-lived products and substitute more energy-intensive materials, emissions reductions could also provide other co-benefits (e.g. jobs, illegal logging reduction). We concluded that the relative impact of mitigation activities is locally dependent, suggesting that mitigation strategies should be designed and implemented at sub-national scales. We were also encouraged about the ability of the modeling framework to effectively use Mexico’s data, and showed the need to include multiple sectors and types of collaborators (scientific and policy-maker communities) to design more comprehensive portfolios for climate change mitigation.

Dust models post-Planck: constraining the far-infrared opacity of dust in the diffuse interstellar medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fanciullo, L.; Guillet, V.; Aniano, G.; Jones, A. P.; Ysard, N.; Miville-Deschênes, M.-A.; Boulanger, F.; Köhler, M.

2015-08-01

Aims: We compare the performance of several dust models in reproducing the dust spectral energy distribution (SED) per unit extinction in the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM). We use our results to constrain the variability of the optical properties of big grains in the diffuse ISM, as published by the Planck collaboration. Methods: We use two different techniques to compare the predictions of dust models to data from the Planck HFI, IRAS, and SDSS surveys. First, we fit the far-infrared emission spectrum to recover the dust extinction and the intensity of the interstellar radiation field (ISRF). Second, we infer the ISRF intensity from the total power emitted by dust per unit extinction, and then predict the emission spectrum. In both cases, we test the ability of the models to reproduce dust emission and extinction at the same time. Results: We identify two issues. Not all models can reproduce the average dust emission per unit extinction: there are differences of up to a factor ~2 between models, and the best accord between model and observation is obtained with the more emissive grains derived from recent laboratory data on silicates and amorphous carbons. All models fail to reproduce the variations in the emission per unit extinction if the only variable parameter is the ISRF intensity: this confirms that the optical properties of dust are indeed variable in the diffuse ISM. Conclusions: Diffuse ISM observations are consistent with a scenario where both ISRF intensity and dust optical properties vary. The ratio of the far-infrared opacity to the V band extinction cross-section presents variations of the order of ~20% (40-50% in extreme cases), while ISRF intensity varies by ~30% (~60% in extreme cases). This must be accounted for in future modelling. Appendices are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Attitude and awareness of medical and dental students towards collaboration between medical and dental practice in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Zhang, Shinan; Lo, Edward C M; Chu, Chun-Hung

2015-05-02

Medical-dental collaboration is essential for improving resource efficiency and standards of care. However, few studies have been conducted on it. This study aimed to investigate the attitude and awareness of medical and dental students about collaboration between medical and dental practices in Hong Kong. All medical and dental students in Hong Kong were invited to complete a questionnaire survey at their universities, hospitals and residential halls. It contained 8 questions designed to elicit their attitudes about the collaboration between medical and dental practice. Students were also asked about their awareness of the collaboration between dentistry and medicine. The questionnaires were directly distributed to medical and dental students. The finished questionnaires were immediately collected by research assistants on site. A total of 1,857 questionnaires were distributed and 809 (44%) were returned. Their mean attitude score (SD) towards medical-dental collaboration was 6.37 (1.44). Most students (77%) were aware of the collaboration between medical and dental practice in Hong Kong. They considered that Ear, Nose & Throat, General Surgery and Family Medicine were the 3 most common medical disciplines which entailed collaboration between medical and dental practice. In this study, the medical and dental students in general demonstrated a good attitude and awareness of the collaboration between medical and dental practice in Hong Kong. This established an essential foundation for fostering medical-dental collaboration, which is vital to improving resource efficiency and standards of care.

Three Case Studies on Business Collaboration and Process Management

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fan, Shaokun

2012-01-01

The importance of collaboration has been recognized for more than 2000 years. While recent improvement in technology creates vast opportunities for collaboration, effective collaboration remains challenging as ad hoc teams work across time, geographical, language, and technical boundaries, and suffer from process inefficiency. My dissertation…

Understanding Nomadic Collaborative Learning Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryberg, Thomas; Davidsen, Jacob; Hodgson, Vivien

2018-01-01

The paper builds on the work of Rossitto "et al." on collaborative nomadic work to develop three categories of practice of nomadic collaborative learning groups. Our study is based on interviews, workshops and observations of two undergraduate student's group practices engaged in self-organised, long-term collaborations within the frame…

Community-Level Collaboration for Substance Abuse Prevention.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevenson, John F.; Mitchell, Roger E.

2003-01-01

Reviews the literature on the roles of community-wide collaboration in substance abuse prevention. Three broad strategies through which collaboration may have its effects are identified. Alternative theories of effects, means of measurement, and results and conclusions from studies of collaborative interventions for prevention are discussed.…

Undergraduate Students' Perceptions of Collaborative Learning in a Differential Equations Mathematics Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hajra, Sayonita Ghosh; Das, Ujjaini

2015-01-01

This paper uses collaborative learning strategies to examine students' perceptions in a differential equations mathematics course. Students' perceptions were analyzed using three collaborative learning strategies including collaborative activity, group-quiz and online discussion. The study results show that students identified both strengths and…

Leadership Training for Collaboration. Draft.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kagan, Sharon L.

Based in part on a 1992 study of 72 United States early care collaborations and leaders, this paper explores conventional understandings of leadership, reviews the leadership literature, and goes on to compare and discuss collaborative leadership in detail. The paper notes that collaborative leadership stresses the relatedness of systems wherein…

The Impact of Collaborative Reflections on Teachers' Inquiry Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Huann-shyang; Hong, Zuway-R.; Yang, Kuay-keng; Lee, Sung-Tao

2013-01-01

This study investigates the impact of collaborative reflections on teachers' inquiry teaching practices and identifies supportive actions relating to their professional development. Three science teachers in the same elementary school worked as a cooperative and collaborative group. They attended workshops and worked collaboratively through…

Reported experiences from occupational therapists interacting with teachers in inclusive early childhood classrooms.

PubMed

Bose, Pia; Hinojosa, Jim

2008-01-01

This grounded theory study described the perspectives of school-based occupational therapists working in inclusive early childhood classrooms emphasizing interactions with teaching staff. Six therapists were interviewed multiple times over several months. The participants viewed their interactions with teaching staff as challenging but potentially rewarding experiences. Viewing collaboration as valuable, their descriptions nonetheless generally omitted many collaborative features, with therapists often assigned the role of "expert." Data analysis revealed four major themes: (1) "It's Not Like I Don't Value Collaboration" (the benefits of collaboration); (2) "Collaboration--I Can't Do It Alone" (the challenges of interactions); (3) "My Opinion, Please Ask for It" (attachment to the expert status), and (4) "Is This Collaboration?" (interactions in practice). The results of this study suggest that current recommendations for collaboration for inclusion in school-based occupational therapy are not optimally implemented in all practice settings.

Found: A Galaxy's Missing Gamma Rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2016-04-01

Recent reanalysis of data from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has resulted in the first detection of high-energy gamma rays emitted from a nearby galaxy. This discovery reveals more about how supernovae interact with their environments.Colliding Supernova RemnantAfter a stellar explosion, the supernovas ejecta expand, eventually encountering the ambient interstellar medium. According to models, this generates a strong shock, and a fraction of the kinetic energy of the ejecta is transferred into cosmic rays high-energy radiation composed primarily of protons and atomic nuclei. Much is still unknown about this process, however. One open question is: what fraction of the supernovas explosion power goes into accelerating these cosmic rays?In theory, one way to answer this is by looking for gamma rays. In a starburst galaxy, the collision of the supernova-accelerated cosmic rays with the dense interstellar medium is predicted to produce high-energy gamma rays. That radiation should then escape the galaxy and be visible to us.Pass 8 to the RescueObservational tests of this model, however, have beenstumped by Arp 220. This nearby ultraluminous infrared galaxy is the product of a galaxy merger ~700 million years ago that fueled a frenzy of starbirth. Due to its dusty interior and extreme levels of star formation, Arp 220 has long been predicted to emit the gamma rays produced by supernova-accelerated cosmic rays. But though weve looked, gamma-ray emission has never been detected from this galaxy until now.In a recent study, a team of scientists led by Fang-Kun Peng (Nanjing University) reprocessed 7.5 years of Fermi observations using the new Pass 8 analysis software. The resulting increase in resolution revealed the first detection of GeV emission from Arp 220!Acceleration EfficiencyGamma-ray luminosity vs. total infrared luminosity for LAT-detected star-forming galaxies and Seyferts. Arp 220s luminosities are consistent with the scaling relation. [Peng et al. 2016]Peng and collaborators argue that this emission is due solely to cosmic-ray interactions with interstellar gas. This picture is supported by the lack of variability in the emission, and the fact that Arp 220s gamma-ray luminosity is consistent with the scaling relation between gamma-ray and infrared luminosity for star-forming galaxies. The authors also argue that, due to Arp 220s high gas density, all cosmic rays will interact with the gas before escaping.Under these two assumptions, Peng and collaborators use the gamma-ray luminosity and the known supernova rate in Arp 220 to estimate how efficiently cosmic rays are acceleratedby supernova remnants in the galaxy. They determine that 4.2 2.6% of the supernova remnants kinetic energy is used to accelerate cosmic rays above 1 GeV.This is the first time such a rate has been measured directly from gamma-ray emission, but its consistent with estimates of 3-10% efficiency in the Milky Way. Future analysis of other ultraluminous infrared galaxies like Arp 220 with Fermi (and Pass 8!) will hopefully reveal more about these recent-merger, starburst environments.CitationFang-Kun Peng et al 2016 ApJ 821 L20. doi:10.3847/2041-8205/821/2/L20

The 2009 multiwavelength campaign on Mrk 421: Variability and correlation studies

DOE PAGES

Aleksić, J.; Ansoldi, S.; Antonelli, L. A.; ...

2015-04-17

We perform an extensive characterization of the broadband emission of Mrk 421, as well as its temporal evolution, during the non-flaring (low) state. The high brightness and nearby location (z = 0.031) of Mrk 421 make it an excellent laboratory to study blazar emission. The goal is to learn about the physical processes responsible for the typical emission of Mrk 421, which might also be extended to other blazars that are located farther away and hence are more difficult to study. We performed a 4.5-month multi-instrument campaign on Mrk 421 between January 2009 and June 2009, which included VLBA, F-GAMMA,more » GASP-WEBT, Swift, RXTE, Fermi-LAT, MAGIC, and Whipple, among other instruments and collaborations. This extensive radio to very-high-energy (VHE; E> 100 GeV) γ-ray dataset provides excellent temporal and energy coverage, which allows detailed studies of the evolution of the broadband spectral energy distribution. As a result, Mrk421 was found in its typical (non-flaring) activity state, with a VHE flux of about half that of the Crab Nebula, yet the light curves show significant variability at all wavelengths, the highest variability being in the X-rays. We determined the power spectral densities (PSD) at most wavelengths and found that all PSDs can be described by power-laws without a break, and with indices consistent with pink/red-noise behavior. We observed a harder-when-brighter behavior in the X-ray spectra and measured a positive correlation between VHE and X-ray fluxes with zero time lag. Such characteristics have been reported many times during flaring activity, but here they are reported for the first time in the non-flaring state. We also observed an overall anti-correlation between optical/UV and X-rays extending over the duration of the campaign. In conclusion, the harder-when-brighter behavior in the X-ray spectra and the measured positive X-ray/VHE correlation during the 2009 multi-wavelength campaign suggests that the physical processes dominating the emission during non-flaring states have similarities with those occurring during flaring activity. In particular, this observation supports leptonic scenarios as being responsible for the emission of Mrk 421 during non-flaring activity. Such a temporally extended X-ray/VHE correlation is not driven by any single flaring event, and hence is difficult to explain within the standard hadronic scenarios. Furthermore, the highest variability is observed in the X-ray band, which, within the one-zone synchrotron self-Compton scenario, indicates that the electron energy distribution is most variable at the highest energies.« less

Estimating the impacts of wind power on power systems—summary of IEA Wind collaboration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holttinen, Hannele

2008-04-01

Adding wind power to power systems will have beneficial impacts by reducing the emissions of electricity production and reducing the operational costs of the power system as less fuel is consumed in conventional power plants. Wind power will also have a capacity value to a power system. However, possible negative impacts will have to be assessed to make sure that they will only offset a small part of the benefits and also to ensure the security of the power system operation. An international forum for the exchange of knowledge of power system impacts of wind power has been formed under the IEA Implementing Agreement on Wind Energy. The Task 'Design and Operation of Power Systems with Large Amounts of Wind Power' is analyzing existing case studies from different power systems. There are a multitude of studies completed and ongoing related to the cost of wind integration. However, the results are not easy to compare. This paper describes the general issues of wind power impacts on power systems and presents a comparison of results from ten case studies on increased balancing needs due to wind power.

Critical success factors for mutual collaboration with suppliers in IT outsourcing industry: a case study of a top IT outsourcing company in Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cha, Kyung-Jin; Kim, Yang Sok

2018-01-01

Nowadays, information technology (IT) outsourcing companies face enduring demands to reduce cost while increasing productivity. This pressure leads many IT outsourcing companies to rely on outsourcing arrangements with IT personnel suppliers. In order to maximise efficiency, outsourcing companies have focused on fostering high-performing suppliers through improved collaboration and mutual relations. However, it is very difficult to advance to a long-term partnership using the existing outsourcing process because of insufficient collaboration between IT outsourcing companies and their suppliers. Based on collaboration perspective of supply chain management (SCM), this study identifies the critical success factors for collaborative strategic partnerships and presents an evaluation framework for assessing and managing suppliers. We have developed an organisational process model for Supplier relationship management (SRM)-based collaboration which includes some of the key constructs from the previous studies and interviews with the IT outsourcing industry people. In this study, we will identify four types of strategic suppliers and suggest approaches for improving collaborative relationship between an IT outsourcing company and its partner companies. In addition, to validate the feasibility of the proposed model, we applied it to a well-known Korean IT outsourcing company 'A'.

Hospital-based health technology assessment (HTA) in Finland: a case study on collaboration between hospitals and the national HTA unit.

PubMed

Halmesmäki, Esa; Pasternack, Iris; Roine, Risto

2016-04-05

This study examines, as a part of the European Union funded Adopting Hospital Based Health Technology Assessment (AdHopHTA) project, the results and barriers of collaboration between Finnish hospitals and the national health technology assessment (HTA) agency, Finohta. A joint collaborative HTA program has existed since 2006 between the Finnish hospitals and the national agency. A case study method was used. Information about the collaboration between Finnish hospitals and Finohta was retrieved from interviews and publications, and categorised per theme. Hypotheses and indicators of successful collaboration were determined beforehand and reflected on the observations from the interviews and literature. Overall, 48 collaborative HTA reports have been performed during 7 years of collaboration. However, there were no clear indications that the use of HTA information or the transparency of decision-making regarding new technologies would have increased in hospitals. The managerial commitment to incorporate HTAs into the decision-making processes in hospitals was still low. The quality of the collaborative HTA reports was considered good, but their applicability in the hospital setting limited. There were differing expectations about the timing and relevance of the content. Signs of role conflict and mistrust were observed. Despite collaborative efforts to produce HTAs for hospitals, the impact of HTA information on hospital decision-making appears to remain low. The difficulties identified in this case study, such as lack of managerial commitment in hospitals, can hopefully be better addressed in the future with the guidance and tools having been developed in the AdHopHTA project. Collaboration between hospitals and national HTA agencies remains important for the efficient sharing of skills and resources.

Homeland Security Collaboration: Catch Phrase or Preeminent Organizational Construct?

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-01

collaborative effort? C. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This research project utilized a modified case study methodology. The traditional case study method ...discussing the research method , offering smart practices and culminate with findings and recommendations. Chapter II Homeland Security Collaboration...41 Centers for Regional Excellence, “Building Models.” 16 Chapter III Research Methodology:  Modified Case Study Method is

A Case Study of Organizational Collaboration in an Institution of Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmaltz, Sarah Katherine Abrams

2010-01-01

The study, A Case Study of Organizational Collaboration in an Institution of Higher Education, is a look into what is working and what is not working inside a collaborative initiative at the University of Virginia called the Partners for Leadership in Education. The Partners for Leadership in Education is one of the longest lasting collaborations…

A Study of Synchronous versus Asynchronous Collaboration in an Online Business Writing Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mabrito, Mark

2006-01-01

A case study examined the collaborative experiences of students in an online business writing classroom. The purpose was to examine the same groups of students working on collaborative writing assignments in both a synchronous (real-time) and an asynchronous (non-real-time) discussion forum. This study focused on examining the amount, pattern, and…

Achievement of Joint Perception in a Computer Supported Collaborative Learning Environment: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Afacan Adanir, Gulgun

2017-01-01

The case study focuses on the interactional mechanisms through which online collaborative teams co-construct a shared understanding of an analytical geometry problem by using dynamic geometry representations. The collaborative study consisted of an assignment on which the learners worked together in groups to solve a ship navigation problem as…

A Fundamental Study for Efficient Implementaion of Online Collaborative Activities in Large-Scale Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matsuba, Ryuichi; Suzuki, Yusei; Kubota, Shin-Ichiro; Miyazaki, Makoto

2015-01-01

We study tactics for writing skills development through cross-disciplinary learning in online large-scale classes, and particularly are interested in implementation of online collaborative activities such as peer reviewing of writing. The goal of our study is to carry out collaborative works efficiently via online effectively in large-scale…

An Examination of Tri-Level Collaboration around Student Achievement Using the Gap Analysis Approach: Central Office Leadership Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Llamas, Sonia Rodarte

2013-01-01

Using the Gap Analysis problem-solving framework (Clark & Estes, 2008), this study examined collaboration around student achievement at the central office leadership level in the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD). This study is one of three concurrent studies focused on collaboration around student achievement in the PUSD that include…

How Exemplary Dyads Describe Their Practice of Collaborative Consultation: An Interview Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levac, Michelle L.

2004-01-01

The purpose of this study was to understand and report how exemplary dyads describe their practice of collaborative consultation in inclusive classrooms. A dyad was made up of one resource teacher and one classroom teacher. This study discovered, through semi-structured interviews, how these educators collaborated and consulted as a team to meet…

Self-Efficacy and Collaborative Learning: An Intervention Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robertson, Jane

2012-01-01

Findings from empirical research suggest that both self-efficacy beliefs and collaborative learning may have an influence upon student academic performance. However, the phenomena of self-efficacy beliefs, collaborative learning, and academic achievement have not been studied in concert with one another. Using quantitative research methods, I…

Working Together

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sullivan, Margaret

2010-01-01

Students need space to gather, share ideas, talk, develop common understanding and work to create greater knowledge. This focus on collaboration has put a strain on group study spaces. Students need to collaborate spontaneously, and scheduling time in a study room is not conducive to spur-of-the-moment collaboration. At many education…

SeaSketch: Implementation of a Decision-Support Platform for a Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Multi-sector Working Group

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldberg, G.; McClintock, W.

2016-12-01

Effective interagency and cross-sector coordination is essential to ecosystem based management which depends on processes characterized by collaboration and science-based information. Many technological barriers that exist in the development of science-based management plans are closely tied to process challenges, such as the sharing of data and information or the inclusion of parties with varied levels of technical experience. The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary has convened a diverse working group to develop recommendations for the management of marine shipping in and around the Santa Barbara Channel, as well as recommendations regarding research needs and outreach strategies. Working group members take a multi-issue approach with four distinct goals related to the reduction of ship strikes on whales, emissions and air quality, conflicting ocean uses, and issues of navigational safety. Members range from industry representatives, scientists, and multiple local and federal government entities. The recommended management plans will be based in the best-available science, and will build off of previous efforts, making this an interesting case study of adaptive management. In addition to support from the Sanctuary and professional facilitators, the group is using a decision-support platform, SeaSketch (safepassage.seasketch.org). SeaSketch is a web-based GIS that supports collaborative science-based marine spatial planning (MSP). Each feature supports a step of the MSP process, from data gathering, identification of data needs, the design of spatial plans, evaluation of those plans with analytics, and map-based forums that facilitate data-driven discussions. Working group members are able to access these tools to explore management options and collaborate remotely, in addition to using the platform during in-person meetings and webinars. Empowering diverse audiences to engage in the design of science-based plans is of key importance to developing ecosystem-based management plans where multi-sector participation and inter-agency coordination are critical.

SeaSketch: Implementation of a Decision-Support Platform for a Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Multi-sector Working Group

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldberg, G.; McClintock, W.

2016-02-01

Effective interagency and cross-sector coordination is essential to ecosystem based management which depends on processes characterized by collaboration and science-based information. Many technological barriers that exist in the development of science-based management plans are closely tied to process challenges, such as the sharing of data and information or the inclusion of parties with varied levels of technical experience. The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary has convened a diverse working group to develop recommendations for the management of marine shipping in and around the Santa Barbara Channel, as well as recommendations regarding research needs and outreach strategies. Working group members take a multi-issue approach with four distinct goals related to the reduction of ship strikes on whales, emissions and air quality, conflicting ocean uses, and issues of navigational safety. Members range from industry representatives, scientists, and multiple local and federal government entities. The recommended management plans will be based in the best-available science, and will build off of previous efforts, making this an interesting case study of adaptive management. In addition to support from the Sanctuary and professional facilitators, the group is using a decision-support platform, SeaSketch (safepassage.seasketch.org). SeaSketch is a web-based GIS that supports collaborative science-based marine spatial planning (MSP). Each feature supports a step of the MSP process, from data gathering, identification of data needs, the design of spatial plans, evaluation of those plans with analytics, and map-based forums that facilitate data-driven discussions. Working group members are able to access these tools to explore management options and collaborate remotely, in addition to using the platform during in-person meetings and webinars. Empowering diverse audiences to engage in the design of science-based plans is of key importance to developing ecosystem-based management plans where multi-sector participation and inter-agency coordination are critical.

A Collaboration-Mediated Exploration of Nonnative L2 Teachers' Cognition of Language Teaching Methodology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tajeddin, Zia; Aryaeian, Nafeeseh

2017-01-01

The present study sought to investigate nonnative L2 teachers' cognition of teaching methodology based on their collaborative talks. Participants were 12 nonnative EFL teachers categorized into three collaborative discussion groups by their teaching experience. Collaborative discussions were aimed at exploring the participants' cognition of…

Physician Trainee Collaborative Competency after Exposure to Interprofessional Education: A Quasi-Experimental Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Porter, Lori A.

2016-01-01

Interprofessional education (IPE) for health care students may be one approach to improving health care outcomes by increasing collaboration among health professionals. However, the influence that IPE experiences are having on collaborative competency is unknown. Collaboration competency is crucial for physician trainees because they will practice…

Evaluation of a Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program in ChE Indicates Benefit from a Collaborative Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Follmer, D. Jake; Gomez, Esther; Zappe, Sarah; Kumar, Manish

2017-01-01

This study examined how a collaborative research environment in a structured research experience impacts undergraduate student outcomes. Students demonstrated significant gains in research skills and provided positive appraisals of their collaborative experiences. Emphasis on collaboration among students in an undergraduate research program…

Enabling Outcomes for Students with Developmental Disabilities through Collaborative Consultation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Villeneuve, Michelle; Hutchinson, Nancy L.

2012-01-01

Collaborative consultation has been widely adopted in school-based occupational therapy practice; however, limited research has examined how collaboration between educators and occupational therapists contributes to students' outcomes. The purpose of this study was to describe the nature of collaborative working in two cases of school-based…

User-Centered Design Guidelines for Collaborative Software for Intelligence Analysis

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

Scholtz, Jean; Endert, Alexander

In this position paper we discuss the necessity of using User-Centered Design (UCD) methods in order to design collaborative software for the intelligence community. We discuss a number of studies of collaboration in the intelligence community and use this information to provide some guidelines for collaboration software.

Designing and Deploying 3D Collaborative Games in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mavridis, Apostolos; Tsiatsos, Thrasyvoulos; Terzidou, Theodouli

2016-01-01

This paper focuses on methodologies of serious games deployment and evaluation. Particularly, this study will present a specific category of serious games that are based on Collaborative Virtual Environments and they aim to support Collaborative Learning. We call these serious games Collaborative Virtual Educational Games (CVEG). The paper aims to…

Exploring Metaphoric Language Use to Assess Collaboration between Educational Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newberry, Melissa; Richardson, Michael

2015-01-01

In this single case study of a school and university collaborative project, positioning theory was used to deconstruct the metaphors expressed in descriptions of roles of 23 participants. Present in the metaphors were discrepancies in understandings of collaboration that revealed ways that collaboration was inhibited as participants positioned…