Sample records for urmas srumaa ostis

  1. Translation table for DOE/OSTI - COSATI bibliographic records to MARC format records

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

    Gursky, K.; Holtkamp, I.; Landenberger, S.

    1985-11-01

    This report contains the recommendations of the committee for the conversion of data in OSTI fields to MARC fields. It is intended as a tool for OSTI to use in developing software that would enable DOE libraries to download OSTI records into MARC-based systems. Goal is to transfer as complete a set of data for each record as possible. No attempt was made to incorporate changes in the use of numerical tags that OSTI has made over the years. In addition, there are a few OSTI fields generated for internal OSTI use only, or that cannot be transferred into anymore » MARC field in the Books format; these OSTI fields have been designated as ''not converted'' in the table.« less

  2. Website Policies and Important Links | OSTI, US Dept of Energy Office of

    Science.gov Websites

    Scientific and Technical Information skip to main content Sign In Create Account OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information Search terms: Advanced to OSTI Websites Linking to Outside Websites Freedom of Information Information Quality No Fear Act

  3. Open Archives Initiative (OAI) Services | OSTI, US Dept of Energy Office of

    Science.gov Websites

    Scientific and Technical Information skip to main content Sign In Create Account OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information Search terms: Advanced Sign In Create Account This page is being shared by OSTI.GOV. Open Archives Initiative (OAI) Services

  4. Usability 101: A Pilot Test of DOE PAGES Beta | OSTI, US Dept of Energy

    Science.gov Websites

    Office of Scientific and Technical Information skip to main content Sign In Create Account OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information Search terms News Sign In Create Account This page is being shared by OSTI.GOV. Usability 101: A Pilot Test of DOE

  5. DOE MARC Records System | OSTI, US Dept of Energy Office of Scientific and

    Science.gov Websites

    : Sponsoring Org: Update Date: to Limit to INIS / NSA records only Search Submit Submit Research Results Search page is being shared by OSTI.GOV. DOE MARC Records System We could not detect that JavaScript is enabled in your browser. Please click the link below to continue. https://www.osti.gov/marc-records U.S

  6. Contact Us | DOE Data Explorer

    Science.gov Websites

    advance. Your help is appreciated. Email ddecomments@osti.gov NOTE: Email messages are answered Monday . Javascript Not Enabled Email Link ddecomments@osti.gov Back to top U.S. Department of Energy Office of

  7. Frequently Asked Questions | DOepatents

    Science.gov Websites

    OSTI? Where can I find information about doing business with DOE? How can I find additional information Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) to demonstrate the Department's contribution to scientific the patent application, full text, and other descriptive information accessible to the public. New

  8. OSTI.GOV | OSTI, US Dept of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical

    Science.gov Websites

    Information Skip to main content ☰ Submit Research Results Search Tools Public Access Policy Data Services & Dev Tools About FAQs News Sign In Create Account Sign In Create Account Department Information Search terms: Advanced search options Advanced Search OptionsAdvanced Search queries use a

  9. Customized Resources | OSTI, US Dept of Energy Office of Scientific and

    Science.gov Websites

    Technical Information skip to main content Sign In Create Account OSTI.GOV title logo U.S . Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information Search terms: Advanced search options Tools Public Access Policy Data Services & Dev Tools About FAQs News Sign In Create Account This

  10. DOE Collections | OSTI, US Dept of Energy Office of Scientific and

    Science.gov Websites

    Technical Information skip to main content Sign In Create Account OSTI.GOV title logo U.S . Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information Search terms: Advanced search options Tools Public Access Policy Data Services & Dev Tools About FAQs News Sign In Create Account This

  11. Contact Us | OSTI, US Dept of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical

    Science.gov Websites

    Information skip to main content Sign In Create Account OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information Search terms: Advanced search options Advanced Tools Public Access Policy Data Services & Dev Tools About FAQs News Sign In Create Account Contact

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

    Not Available

    Standardization of grant and contract awardee names has been an area of concern since the development of the Department`s Procurement and Assistance Data System (PADS). A joint effort was begun in 1983 by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) and the Office of Procurement and Assistance Management/Information Systems and Analysis Division to develop a means for providing uniformity of awardee names. As a result of this effort, a method of assigning vendor identification codes to each unique awardee name, division, city, and state combination was developed and is maintained by OSTI. Changes to vendor identification codes or awardeemore » names contained in PADS can be made only by OSTI. Awardee names in the Directory indicate that the awardee has had a prime contract (excluding purchase orders of $10,000 or less) with, or a financial assistance award from, the Department. Award status--active, inactive, or retired--is not shown. The Directory is in alphabetic sequence based on awardee name and reflects the OSTI-assigned vendor identification code to the right of the name. A vendor identification code is assigned to each unique awardee name, division, city, and state (for place of performance). The same vendor identification code is used for awards throughout the Department.« less

  13. Data Publication: The Evolving Lifecyle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Studwell, S.; Elliott, J.; Anderson, A.

    2015-12-01

    Datasets are recognized as valuable information entities in their own right that, now and in the future, need to be available for citation, discovery, retrieval and reuse. The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) provides Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) to DOE-funded data through partnership with DataCite. The Geothermal Data Repository (GDR) has been using OSTI's Data ID Service since summer, 2014 and is a success story for data publishing in several different ways. This presentation attributes the initial success to the insistence of DOE's Geothermal Technologies Office on detailed planning, robust data curation, and submitter participation. OSTI widely disseminates these data products across both U.S. and international platforms and continually enhances the Data ID Service to facilitate better linkage between published literature, supplementary data components, and the underlying datasets within the structure of the GDR repository. Issues of granularity in DOI assignment, the role of new federal government guidelines on public access to digital data, and the challenges still ahead will be addressed.

  14. DOE Advanced Scientific Computing Advisory Committee (ASCAC) Subcommittee Report on Scientific and Technical Information

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

    Hey, Tony; Agarwal, Deborah; Borgman, Christine

    The Advanced Scientific Computing Advisory Committee (ASCAC) was charged to form a standing subcommittee to review the Department of Energy’s Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) and to begin by assessing the quality and effectiveness of OSTI’s recent and current products and services and to comment on its mission and future directions in the rapidly changing environment for scientific publication and data. The Committee met with OSTI staff and reviewed available products, services and other materials. This report summaries their initial findings and recommendations.

  15. Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project bibliography, 1992--1994. Supplement 4

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

    NONE

    Following a reorganization of the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management in 1990, the Yucca Mountain Project was renamed Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project. The title of this bibliography was also changed to Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project Bibliography. Prior to August 5, 1988, this project was called the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations. This bibliography contains information on this ongoing project that was added to the Department of Energy`s Energy Science and Technology Database from January 1, 1992, through December 31, 1993. The bibliography is categorized by principal project participating organization. Participant-sponsored subcontractor reports, papers, and articles are includedmore » in the sponsoring organization`s list. Another section contains information about publications on the Energy Science and Technology Database that were not sponsored by the project but have some relevance to it. Earlier information on this project can be found in the first bibliography DOE/TIC-3406, which covers 1977--1985, and its three supplements DOE/OSTI-3406(Suppl.1), DOE/OSTI-3406(Suppl.2), and DOE/OSTI-3406(Suppl.3), which cover information obtained during 1986--1987, 1988--1989, and 1990--1991, respectively. All entries in the bibliographies are searchable online on the NNW database file. This file can be accessed through the Integrated Technical Information System (ITIS) of the US Department of Energy (DOE).« less

  16. Software Distribution Statement and Disclaimer | OSTI, US Dept of Energy

    Science.gov Websites

    notices in their contracts. Legal counsel should review any appropriate additional markings that are implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of

  17. Oral soft tissue infections: causes, therapeutic approaches and microbiological spectrum with focus on antibiotic treatment.

    PubMed

    Götz, Carolin; Reinhart, Edeltraud; Wolff, Klaus-Dietrich; Kolk, Andreas

    2015-11-01

    Intraoral soft tissue infections (OSTI) are a common problem in dentistry and oral surgery. These abscesses are mostly exacerbated dental infections (OIDC), and some emerge as postoperative infections (POI) after tooth extraction (OITR) or apicoectomy (OIRR). The main aim of this study was to compare OIDC with POI, especially looking at the bacteria involved. An additional question was, therefore, if different antibiotic treatments should be used with OSTI of differing aetiologies. The impact of third molars on OSTI was evaluated and also the rates of POI after removal of third molars were specified. Patient data was collected from the patients' medical records and the results were statistically evaluated with SPSS (SPSS version 21.0; SPSS, IBM; Chicago, IL, USA). The inclusion criterion was the outpatient treatment of a patient with an exacerbated oral infection; the exclusion criteria were an early stage of infiltration without abscess formation; and a need for inpatient treatment. Periapical exacerbated infections, especially in the molar region were the commonest cause of OIDC. In the OITR group, mandibular tooth removal was the commonest factor (p=0.016). Remarkably, retained lower wisdom teeth led to significant number of cases in the OITR group (p=0.022). In our study we could not define differences between the causal bacteria found in patients with OIDC and POI. Due to resistance rates we conclude that amoxicillin combined with clavulanic acid seems to be the antibiotic standard for exacerbated intraoral infections independent of their aetiology. Copyright © 2015 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. 48 CFR 935.010 - Scientific and technical reports.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... information. The DOE Order 241.1B Scientific and Technical Information Management, or its successor version... conveyed in scientific and technical information (STI) shall include an instruction requiring the.... Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), using the DOE Energy Link...

  19. 48 CFR 935.010 - Scientific and technical reports.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... information. The DOE Order 241.1B Scientific and Technical Information Management, or its successor version... conveyed in scientific and technical information (STI) shall include an instruction requiring the.... Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), using the DOE Energy Link...

  20. 48 CFR 935.010 - Scientific and technical reports.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... information. The DOE Order 241.1B Scientific and Technical Information Management, or its successor version... conveyed in scientific and technical information (STI) shall include an instruction requiring the.... Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), using the DOE Energy Link...

  1. 48 CFR 935.010 - Scientific and technical reports.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... information. The DOE Order 241.1B Scientific and Technical Information Management, or its successor version... conveyed in scientific and technical information (STI) shall include an instruction requiring the.... Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), using the DOE Energy Link...

  2. 48 CFR 935.010 - Scientific and technical reports.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... information. The DOE Order 241.1B Scientific and Technical Information Management, or its successor version... conveyed in scientific and technical information (STI) shall include an instruction requiring the.... Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), using the DOE Energy Link...

  3. ESTSC - Software Best Practices

    Science.gov Websites

    OSTI, located in Oak Ridge, TN, serves as the DOE's software management facility for the announcement fundamental operability of automated data processing equipment, whether supplied by the manufacturer of the , completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that

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

    None Available

    To make the web work better for science, OSTI has developed state-of-the-art technologies and services including a deep web search capability. The deep web includes content in searchable databases available to web users but not accessible by popular search engines, such as Google. This video provides an introduction to the deep web search engine.

  5. Deep Web video

    ScienceCinema

    None Available

    2018-02-06

    To make the web work better for science, OSTI has developed state-of-the-art technologies and services including a deep web search capability. The deep web includes content in searchable databases available to web users but not accessible by popular search engines, such as Google. This video provides an introduction to the deep web search engine.

  6. Announcement Notice (AN) 241.4 - Software | OSTI, US Dept of Energy Office

    Science.gov Websites

    of Scientific and Technical Information Skip to main content Scientific and Technical Information Program The home of the U.S. Department of Energy's Scientific and Technical Information Program ) Scientific and Technical Information (STI) products for announcement and availability. An AN includes review

  7. DOE New Technology. Sharing New Frontiers

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1993-09-30

    Meskanick, G.R.; Rosso , D.T. To ington, DC (United States). Order Number DE93015702. Dept. of Energy, Washington, DC (US). USA Patent Source: OSTI; NTIS...halo, e.g., Ucensing Contact: Robert J. Marchick, (202) 686-4792 DOE New Technology 23 * cHEMNsTRV bmg.nis, 22gtl, uW tdPyWhd Chamhta Sectioni0 toro

  8. All Together Now: Valerie Allen--U.S. Department of Energy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Library Journal, 2005

    2005-01-01

    When Valerie Allen decided she did not want to be a Montessori teacher any longer, she began work on her MLIS. Immediately she learned concepts she could apply to her new job as information specialist for the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN. While the LIS…

  9. Copyrighted Software | OSTI, US Dept of Energy Office of Scientific and

    Science.gov Websites

    Technical Information Skip to main content Scientific and Technical Information Program The home of the U.S. Department of Energy's Scientific and Technical Information Program (STIP) Here you Energy U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science Office of Scientific and Technical information Website

  10. About STIP | OSTI, US Dept of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical

    Science.gov Websites

    Information Skip to main content Scientific and Technical Information Program The home of the U.S. Department of Energy's Scientific and Technical Information Program (STIP) Here you will find through scientific and technical information (STI), a key outcome of DOE R&D and other activities

  11. Contact Us | OSTI, US Dept of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical

    Science.gov Websites

    Information Skip to main content Scientific and Technical Information Program The home of the U.S. Department of Energy's Scientific and Technical Information Program (STIP) Here you will find MAIL TO: U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information ATTN: STIP P.O. Box

  12. STIP Community Listing | OSTI, US Dept of Energy Office of Scientific and

    Science.gov Websites

    @nrel.gov Naval Nuclear Laboratory (Knolls & Bettis) Paul de Kanel Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corporation Document Manager (510) 486-7909 kim.abbott@bso.science.doe.gov Carlsbad Field Office Lea Chism N/A (575 Contracting Officer (865) 241-7334 Kay.Brown@Science.doe.gov Pacific Northwest Site Office Don Moody N/A (509

  13. : | ScienceCinema

    Science.gov Websites

    ScienceCinema Database Search DOE ScienceCinema for Multimedia × Find + Fielded Search Audio Search × Fielded Search Title: × Description/Abstract: × Bibliographic Data: × Author/Speaker: × Name Name ORCID Media Oldest) Title (# to Z) OSTI ID (Highest to Lowest) Close Clear All Find ScienceCinema Search Results

  14. Planning Library Services; Proceedings of a Research Seminar (University of Lancaster 9-11 July 1969).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mackenzie, A. Graham, Ed.; Stuart, Ian M., Ed.

    This proceedings volume of a seminar on planning library services is the third in a series of papers, published at irregular intervals, to report on research work by members of the University of Lancaster library staff. From January 1967 until June 1969 the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) organized regular meetings under the…

  15. Multimedia: Frontiers in Laser Cooling, Single-Molecule Biophysics, and

    Science.gov Websites

    ScienceCinema Database Search DOE ScienceCinema for Multimedia × Find + Fielded Search Audio Search × Fielded Search Title: × Description/Abstract: × Bibliographic Data: × Author/Speaker: × Name Name ORCID Media Oldest) Title (# to Z) OSTI ID (Highest to Lowest) Close Clear All Find ScienceCinema Search Results

  16. Planning Library Services; Proceedings of a Research Seminar Held at the University of Lancaster 9-11 July 1969.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mackenzie, A. Graham, Ed.; Stuart, Ian M., Ed.

    This proceedings volume of a seminar on planning library services is the third in a series of papers, published at irregular intervals, to report on research work by members of the University of Lancaster library staff. From January 1967 until June 1969 the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) organized regular meetings under the…

  17. Energy Return On Investment of Engineered Geothermal Systems Data

    DOE Data Explorer

    Mansure, Chip

    2012-01-01

    The project provides an updated Energy Return on Investment (EROI) for Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS). Results incorporate Argonne National Laboratory's Life Cycle Assessment and base case assumptions consistent with other projects in the Analysis subprogram. EROI is a ratio of the energy delivered to the consumer to the energy consumed to build, operate, and decommission the facility. EROI is important in assessing the viability of energy alternatives. Currently EROI analyses of geothermal energy are either out-of-date, of uncertain methodology, or presented online with little supporting documentation. This data set is a collection of files documenting data used to calculate the Energy Return On Investment (EROI) of Engineered Geothermal Systems (EGS) and erratum to publications prior to the final report. Final report is available from the OSTI web site (http://www.osti.gov/geothermal/). Data in this collections includes the well designs used, input parameters for GETEM, a discussion of the energy needed to haul materials to the drill site, the baseline mud program, and a summary of the energy needed to drill each of the well designs. EROI is the ratio of the energy delivered to the customer to the energy consumed to construct, operate, and decommission the facility. Whereas efficiency is the ratio of the energy delivered to the customer to the energy extracted from the reservoir.

  18. NOMADS-NOAA Operational Model Archive and Distribution System

    Science.gov Websites

    Forecast Maps Climate Climate Prediction Climate Archives Weather Safety Storm Ready NOAA Central Library (16km) 6 hours grib filter http OpenDAP-alt URMA hourly - http - Climate Models Climate Forecast System Flux Products 6 hours grib filter http - Climate Forecast System 3D Pressure Products 6 hours grib

  19. Final Environmental Assessment of the 801 Housing Program at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-11-01

    elatior), yellow foxtail (Setaria glauca (L.) Beauv.), red-top (Ag ostis alba L.), goose grass ( Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn.), and others such as Panicum...steepness, and perched water table/wetness properties of soils at each proposed site require specif’: treatment in project design to reduce potential...Cultural Resources. A total of four archaeological sites presently are known to exist on the properties proposed for 801 housing: one at Knob Noster

  20. A Bibliography of References in Natural Water Photochemistry

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1984-12-01

    Impacto ambiental do la derrama, del Pozo IXTOC-I sobre 91 zooplancton. I.P.N. Falk-Peterson, I.-B., Saethre, L. J. and LUnning, S., 1982. Toxic effects of...larvas, postlarvas, jueveniles y adultos do camaron y adultos do osti6n y pulpo por medio de biosensayos. Cientffica y Ticnica. Universidad de Sonora...spill: Flaking of surface mousse in the Gulf of Mexico . Nature 290: 235-238. Payne, J., 1984.t Physical/chemical weathering of petroleum in the marine

  1. Department of Energy: Office of Scientific and Technical Information

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Grissom, Catherine

    1994-01-01

    The international acquisitions functions and activities of the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) are described. There are four mechanisms for obtaining foreign information related to energy and nuclear science: The Energy Technology Data Exchange consisting of 14 member countries and 2 associate members; the International Nuclear Information System consisting of 86 countries and 17 international organizations; the Nuclear Energy Agency's 19 member countries provide reports for departmental scientists' use; bilateral agreements with countries such as Germany, the Nordic Consortium, and Australia result in records of foreign research in progress.

  2. Construction of In-house Databases in a Corporation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fujii, Yohzo

    The author outlines the inhouse technical information system, OSTI of Osaka Research Institute, Sumitomo Chemical company as an example of inhouse database construction and use at a chemical industry. This system is to compile database for technical information generated inside the Laboratory and to provide online searching as well as title lists of the latest data output from it aiming at effective use of information among the departments, prevention from overlapped research thema, and support of research activities. The system outline, characteristics, materials to be covered, input items and search examples are described.

  3. WIND Toolkit Power Data Site Index

    DOE Data Explorer

    Draxl, Caroline; Mathias-Hodge, Bri

    2016-10-19

    This spreadsheet contains per-site metadata for the WIND Toolkit sites and serves as an index for the raw data hosted on Globus connect (nrel#globus:/globusro/met_data). Aside from the metadata, per site average power and capacity factor are given. This data was prepared by 3TIER under contract by NREL and is public domain. Authoritative documentation on the creation of the underlying dataset is at: Final Report on the Creation of the Wind Integration National Dataset (WIND) Toolkit and API: http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy16osti/66189.pdf

  4. 2014-2015 Offshore Wind Technologies Market Report

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

    Smith, Aaron; Stehly, Tyler; Musial, Walter

    2015-09-01

    This report provides data and analysis to assess the status of the U.S. offshore wind industry through June 30, 2015. It builds on the foundation laid by the Navigant Consortium, which produced three market reports between 2012 and 2014. The report summarizes domestic and global market developments, technology trends, and economic data to help U.S. offshore wind industry stakeholders, including policymakers, regulators, developers, financiers, and supply chain participants, to identify barriers and opportunities. Title page contains link to associated data tables posted at http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy15osti/64283_data_tables.xlsx.

  5. Aspen Plus Model for In Situ and Ex Situ Upgrading of Fast Pyrolysis Vapors for the Conversion of Biomass to Hydrocarbon Fuels

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

    This is an Aspen Plus process model for in situ and ex situ upgrading of fast pyrolysis vapors for the conversion of biomass to hydrocarbon fuels. It is based on conceptual designs that allow projections of future commercial implementations of the technologies based on a combination of research and existing commercial technologies. The process model was developed from the ground up at NREL. Results from the model are documented in a detailed design report NREL/TP-5100-62455 (available at http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy15osti/62455.pdf).

  6. BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LABORATORY INSTITUTIONAL PLAN FY2003-2007.

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

    NONE

    This document presents the vision for Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) for the next five years, and a roadmap for implementing that vision. Brookhaven is a multidisciplinary science-based laboratory operated for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), supported primarily by programs sponsored by the DOE's Office of Science. As the third-largest funding agency for science in the U.S., one of the DOE's goals is ''to advance basic research and the instruments of science that are the foundations for DOE's applied missions, a base for U.S. technology innovation, and a source of remarkable insights into our physical and biological world, and themore » nature of matter and energy'' (DOE Office of Science Strategic Plan, 2000 http://www.osti.gov/portfolio/science.htm). BNL shapes its vision according to this plan.« less

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

    Weers, Jon; Anderson, Arlene

    All data submitted to the U.S. Department of Energy's Geothermal Data Repository (GDR) is eventually made public. The metadata for these data submissions is searchable in multiple data catalogs, including the GDR catalog and the data catalog on OpenEI.org. Because it is a node on the National Geothermal Data System (NGDS), all data on the GDR are also discoverable through both the regular Identifier (DOI), and as a byproduct of this assignment, these submissions are automatically registered in the Office of Science and Technical Information (OSTI) DataCite catalog. From there, these data are federated to additional sites both domestic andmore » international, including Science.gov and WorldWideScience.org. This paper will explore in detail the wide reach of data submitted to the GDR from and how this exposure can dramatically increase the utility of submitted data.« less

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

    Wojick, D E; Warnick, W L; Carroll, B C

    With the United States federal government spending billions annually for research and development, ways to increase the productivity of that research can have a significant return on investment. The process by which science knowledge is spread is called diffusion. It is therefore important to better understand and measure the benefits of this diffusion of knowledge. In particular, it is important to understand whether advances in Internet searching can speed up the diffusion of scientific knowledge and accelerate scientific progress despite the fact that the vast majority of scientific information resources continue to be held in deep web databases that manymore » search engines cannot fully access. To address the complexity of the search issue, the term global discovery is used for the act of searching across heterogeneous environments and distant communities. This article discusses these issues and describes research being conducted by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI).« less

  9. Raising the IQ in full-text searching via intelligent querying

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

    Kero, R.; Russell, L.; Swietlik, C.

    1994-11-01

    Current Information Retrieval (IR) technologies allow for efficient access to relevant information, provided that user selected query terms coincide with the specific linguistical choices made by the authors whose works constitute the text-base. Therefore, the challenge is to enhance the limited searching capability of state-of-the-practice IR. This can be done either with augmented clients that overcome current server searching deficiencies, or with added capabilities that can augment searching algorithms on the servers. The technology being investigated is that of deductive databases, with a set of new techniques called cooperative answering. This technology utilizes semantic networks to allow for navigation betweenmore » possible query search term alternatives. The augmented search terms are passed to an IR engine and the results can be compared. The project utilizes the OSTI Environment, Safety and Health Thesaurus to populate the domain specific semantic network and the text base of ES&H related documents from the Facility Profile Information Management System as the domain specific search space.« less

  10. Final Report for NIREC Renewable Energy Research & Development Project

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

    Borland, Walt

    This report is a compilation of progress reports and presentations submitted by NIREC to the DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Office for award number DE-FG36-08GO88161. This compilation has been uploaded to OSTI by DOE as a substitute for the required Final Technical Report, which was not submitted to DOE by NIREC or received by DOE. Project Objective: The primary goal of NIREC is to advance the transformation of the scientific innovation of the institutional partner’s research in renewable energy into a proof of the scientific concept eventually leading to viable businesses with cost effective solutions to accelerate the widespread adoption ofmore » renewable energy. NIREC will a) select research projects that are determined to have significant commercialization potential as a result of vetting by the Technology and commercialization Advisory Board, b) assign an experienced Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) to each manage the scientific commercialization-preparedness process, and c) facilitate connectivity with venture capital and other private-sector capital sources to fund the rollout, scaling and growth of the resultant renewable energy business.« less

  11. International energy: Research organizations, 1986--1990

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

    Hendricks, P.; Jordan, S.

    The International Energy: Research Organizations publication contains the standardized names of energy research organizations used in energy information databases. Involved in this cooperative task are (1) the technical staff of the USDOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) in cooperation with the member countries of the Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDE) and (2) the International Nuclear Information System (INIS). This publication identifies current organizations doing research in all energy fields, standardizes the format for recording these organization names in bibliographic citations, assigns a numeric code to facilitate data entry, and identifies report number prefixes assigned by these organizations. Thesemore » research organization names may be used in searching the databases Energy Science Technology'' on DIALOG and Energy'' on STN International. These organization names are also used in USDOE databases on the Integrated Technical Information System. Research organizations active in the past five years, as indicated by database records, were identified to form this publication. This directory includes approximately 34,000 organizations that reported energy-related literature from 1986 to 1990 and updates the DOE Energy Data Base: Corporate Author Entries.« less

  12. Biodegradation of hexadecane using sediments from rivers and lagoons of the Southern Gulf of Mexico.

    PubMed

    García-Cruz, N Ulises; Sánchez-Avila, Juan I; Valdés-Lozano, David; Gold-Bouchot, Gerardo; Aguirre-Macedo, Leopoldina

    2018-03-01

    The Southern Gulf of Mexico is an area highly impacted by crude oil extraction, refining activities and the presence of natural petroleum seepage. Oceanic currents in the Gulf of Mexico continually facilitate the transport of hydrocarbons to lagoons and rivers. This research evaluated hexadecane (HXD) degradation in marine sediment samples from lagoons and rivers that are fed by the Southern Gulf of Mexico, specifically six samples from rivers, three samples from lagoons, and one sample from a marine outfall. The highest rates of biodegradation were observed in sediments from the mouths of the Gonzalez River and the Champotón Lagoon. The lowest consumption rate was found in sediment from the mouth of the Coatzacoalcos River. With regards to the Ostión Lagoon and the Grijalva River, there was a low rate of consumption, but a high efficiency of degradation which took place at the end of the experiments. No correlation was found between the consumption rate and the environmental physicochemical parameters. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. None

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

    Traylor, T.D.; Hicks, S.C.

    1994-03-01

    Transportation Energy Research announces on a monthly basis the current worldwide research and development information available on energy-efficient, environmentally sound transportation technologies. Its purpose is to enhance the technology transfer efforts of the Department of Energy. This publication contains the abstracts of DOE reports, journal articles, conference papers, patents, theses, and monographs added to the Energy Science and Technology Database during the past month. Also included are US information obtained through acquisition programs or interagency agreements and international information obtained through the International Energy Agency`s Energy Technology Data Exchange or government-to-government agreements. The DOE Office of Transportation Technologies (OTT) managesmore » federal R&D programs aimed at improving transportation-sector energy efficiency. OTT currently supports activities in four major program areas: Electric and Hybrid Vehicles; Advanced Propulsion Systems; and magnetic levitation technology; Advanced Materials. DOE and DOE contractors can obtain copies for $4.00 per issue by using VISA, MasterCard, or OSTI deposit accounts. Contact the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, P.O. Box 62, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, Attention: Information Services. For further information, call (615) 576-8401. Public availability is by subscription from the US Department of Commerce, Technology Administration, National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161. Order PB94-900900.« less

  14. International Energy: Subject Thesaurus. Revision 1

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

    Not Available

    The International Energy Agency: Subject Thesaurus contains the standard vocabulary of indexing terms (descriptors) developed and structured to build and maintain energy information databases. Involved in this cooperative task are (1) the technical staff of the USDOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) in cooperation with the member countries of the International Energy Agency`s Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDE) and (2) the International Atomic Energy Agency`s International Nuclear Information System (INIS) staff representing the more than 100 countries and organizations that record and index information for the international nuclear information community. ETDE member countries are also members of INIS.more » Nuclear information prepared for INIS by ETDE member countries is included in the ETDE Energy Database, which contains the online equivalent of the printed INIS Atomindex. Indexing terminology is therefore cooperatively standardized for use in both information systems. This structured vocabulary reflects thscope of international energy research, development, and technological programs. The terminology of this thesaurus aids in subject searching on commercial systems, such as ``Energy Science & Technology`` by DIALOG Information Services, ``Energy`` by STN International and the ``ETDE Energy Database`` by SilverPlatter. It is also the thesaurus for the Integrated Technical Information System (ITIS) online databases of the US Department of Energy.« less

  15. International energy: Research organizations, 1988--1992. Revision 1

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

    Hendricks, P.; Jordan, S.

    This publication contains the standardized names of energy research organizations used in energy information databases. Involved in this cooperative task are (1) the technical staff of the US DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) in cooperation with the member countries of the Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDE) and (2) the International Nuclear Information System (INIS). ETDE member countries are also members of the International Nuclear Information System (INIS). Nuclear organization names recorded for INIS by these ETDE member countries are also included in the ETDE Energy Database. Therefore, these organization names are cooperatively standardized for use in bothmore » information systems. This publication identifies current organizations doing research in all energy fields, standardizes the format for recording these organization names in bibliographic citations, assigns a numeric code to facilitate data entry, and identifies report number prefixes assigned by these organizations. These research organization names may be used in searching the databases ``Energy Science & Technology`` on DIALOG and ``Energy`` on STN International. These organization names are also used in USDOE databases on the Integrated Technical Information System. Research organizations active in the past five years, as indicated by database records, were identified to form this publication. This directory includes approximately 31,000 organizations that reported energy-related literature from 1988 to 1992 and updates the DOE Energy Data Base: Corporate Author Entries.« less

  16. Feasibility Study to Identify Potential Reductions in Energy Use in Tribal Buildings

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

    Stevens, Willie

    Under this project, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) assessed the technical and economic feasibility of energy efficiency improvements to existing Tribally-owned buildings. The feasibility study followed a systematic approach in identifying, selecting, and ranking recommended measures, recognizing that the appropriateness of a measure would depend not only on technical issues but also on institutional and organizational issues, such as financing options and occupant requirements. The completed study provided the Tribes with the information needed to commit necessary resources to reduce the energy use and cost in approximately 40 Tribal buildings, including the changes that may be needed inmore » each facility’s operation and maintenance and personnel requirements. It also presented an economic analysis of energy-efficiency capital improvements and an annotated list of financing options and possible funding sources for implementation and an overall strategy for implementation. This project was located in various Tribal communities located throughout the Flathead Indian Reservation in Western Montana. Notice: The following is a compilation of Annual Program Review Presentations, Award Modifications, and Quarterly Progress Reports submitted to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes under agreement DE-EE0005171. This report covers project activities from September 30, 2011 through December 31, 2014 and has been uploaded to OSTI by DOE as a substitute for the required Final Technical Report which was not received by DOE from the project recipient.« less

  17. CHERNOLITTM. Chernobyl Bibliographic Search System

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

    Caff, F., Jr.; Kennedy, R.A.; Mahaffey, J.A.

    1992-03-02

    The Chernobyl Bibliographic Search System (Chernolit TM) provides bibliographic data in a usable format for research studies relating to the Chernobyl nuclear accident that occurred in the former Ukrainian Republic of the USSR in 1986. Chernolit TM is a portable and easy to use product. The bibliographic data is provided under the control of a graphical user interface so that the user may quickly and easily retrieve pertinent information from the large database. The user may search the database for occurrences of words, names, or phrases; view bibliographic references on screen; and obtain reports of selected references. Reports may bemore » viewed on the screen, printed, or accumulated in a folder that is written to a disk file when the user exits the software. Chernolit TM provides a cost-effective alternative to multiple, independent literature searches. Forty-five hundred references concerning the accident, including abstracts, are distributed with Chernolit TM. The data contained in the database were obtained from electronic literature searches and from requested donations from individuals and organizations. These literature searches interrogated the Energy Science and Technology database (formerly DOE ENERGY) of the DIALOG Information Retrieval Service. Energy Science and Technology, provided by the U.S. DOE, Washington, D.C., is a multi-disciplinary database containing references to the world`s scientific and technical literature on energy. All unclassified information processed at the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) of the U.S. DOE is included in the database. In addition, information on many documents has been manually added to Chernolit TM. Most of this information was obtained in response to requests for data sent to people and/or organizations throughout the world.« less

  18. Chernobyl Bibliographic Search System

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

    Carr, Jr, F.; Kennedy, R. A.; Mahaffey, J. A.

    1992-05-11

    The Chernobyl Bibliographic Search System (Chernolit TM) provides bibliographic data in a usable format for research studies relating to the Chernobyl nuclear accident that occurred in the former Ukrainian Republic of the USSR in 1986. Chernolit TM is a portable and easy to use product. The bibliographic data is provided under the control of a graphical user interface so that the user may quickly and easily retrieve pertinent information from the large database. The user may search the database for occurrences of words, names, or phrases; view bibliographic references on screen; and obtain reports of selected references. Reports may bemore » viewed on the screen, printed, or accumulated in a folder that is written to a disk file when the user exits the software. Chernolit TM provides a cost-effective alternative to multiple, independent literature searches. Forty-five hundred references concerning the accident, including abstracts, are distributed with Chernolit TM. The data contained in the database were obtained from electronic literature searches and from requested donations from individuals and organizations. These literature searches interrogated the Energy Science and Technology database (formerly DOE ENERGY) of the DIALOG Information Retrieval Service. Energy Science and Technology, provided by the U.S. DOE, Washington, D.C., is a multi-disciplinary database containing references to the world''s scientific and technical literature on energy. All unclassified information processed at the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) of the U.S. DOE is included in the database. In addition, information on many documents has been manually added to Chernolit TM. Most of this information was obtained in response to requests for data sent to people and/or organizations throughout the world.« less

  19. Redesigning the DOE Data Explorer to embed dataset relationships at the point of search and to reflect landing page organization

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

    Studwell, Sara; Robinson, Carly; Elliott, Jannean

    Scientific research is producing ever-increasing amounts of data. Organizing and reflecting relationships across data collections, datasets, publications, and other research objects are essential functionalities of the modern science environment, yet challenging to implement. Landing pages are often used for providing ‘big picture’ contextual frameworks for datasets and data collections, and many large-volume data holders are utilizing them in thoughtful, creative ways. The benefits of their organizational efforts, however, are not realized unless the user eventually sees the landing page at the end point of their search. What if that organization and ‘big picture’ context could benefit the user at themore » beginning of the search? That is a challenging approach, but The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) is redesigning the database functionality of the DOE Data Explorer (DDE) with that goal in mind. Phase I is focused on redesigning the DDE database to leverage relationships between two existing distinct populations in DDE, data Projects and individual Datasets, and then adding a third intermediate population, data Collections. Mapped, structured linkages, designed to show user relationships, will allow users to make informed search choices. These linkages will be sustainable and scalable, created automatically with the use of new metadata fields and existing authorities. Phase II will study selected DOE Data ID Service clients, analyzing how their landing pages are organized, and how that organization might be used to improve DDE search capabilities. At the heart of both phases is the realization that adding more metadata information for cross-referencing may require additional effort for data scientists. Finally, OSTI’s approach seeks to leverage existing metadata and landing page intelligence without imposing an additional burden on the data creators.« less

  20. Redesigning the DOE Data Explorer to embed dataset relationships at the point of search and to reflect landing page organization

    DOE PAGES

    Studwell, Sara; Robinson, Carly; Elliott, Jannean

    2017-04-04

    Scientific research is producing ever-increasing amounts of data. Organizing and reflecting relationships across data collections, datasets, publications, and other research objects are essential functionalities of the modern science environment, yet challenging to implement. Landing pages are often used for providing ‘big picture’ contextual frameworks for datasets and data collections, and many large-volume data holders are utilizing them in thoughtful, creative ways. The benefits of their organizational efforts, however, are not realized unless the user eventually sees the landing page at the end point of their search. What if that organization and ‘big picture’ context could benefit the user at themore » beginning of the search? That is a challenging approach, but The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) is redesigning the database functionality of the DOE Data Explorer (DDE) with that goal in mind. Phase I is focused on redesigning the DDE database to leverage relationships between two existing distinct populations in DDE, data Projects and individual Datasets, and then adding a third intermediate population, data Collections. Mapped, structured linkages, designed to show user relationships, will allow users to make informed search choices. These linkages will be sustainable and scalable, created automatically with the use of new metadata fields and existing authorities. Phase II will study selected DOE Data ID Service clients, analyzing how their landing pages are organized, and how that organization might be used to improve DDE search capabilities. At the heart of both phases is the realization that adding more metadata information for cross-referencing may require additional effort for data scientists. Finally, OSTI’s approach seeks to leverage existing metadata and landing page intelligence without imposing an additional burden on the data creators.« less

  1. Office of Science and Technology&International Year EndReport - 2005

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

    Bodvarsson, G.S.

    2005-10-27

    Source Term, Materials Performance, Radionuclide Getters, Natural Barriers, and Advanced Technologies, a brief introduction in each section describes the overall organization and goals of each program area. All of these areas have great potential for improving our understanding of the safety performance of the proposed Yucca Mountain repository, as processes within these areas are generally very conservatively represented in the Total System Performance Assessment. In addition, some of the technology thrust areas in particular may enhance system efficiency and reduce risk to workers. Thus, rather modest effort in the S&T Program could lead to large savings in the lifetime repositorymore » total cost and significantly enhanced understanding of the behavior of the proposed Yucca Mountain repository, without safety being compromised, and in some instances being enhanced. An overall strength of the S&T Program is the significant amount of integration that has already been achieved after two years of research. As an example (illustrated in Figure 1), our understanding of the behavior of the total waste isolation system has been enhanced through integration of the Source Term, Materials Performance, and Natural Barriers Thrust areas. All three thrust areas contribute to the integration of different processes in the in-drift environment. These processes include seepage into the drift, dust accumulation on the waste package, brine formation and precipitation on the waste package, mass transfer through the fuel cladding, changes in the seepage-water chemical composition, and transport of released radionuclides through the invert and natural barriers. During FY2005, each of our program areas assembled a team of external experts to conduct an independent review of their respective projects, research directions, and emphasis. In addition, the S&T Program as a whole was independently reviewed by the S&T Programmatic Evaluation Panel. As a result of these reviews, adjustments to the S&T Program will be implemented in FY2006 to ensure that the Program is properly aligned with OCRWM's priorities. Also during FY2005, several programmatic documents were published, including the Science and Technology Program Strategic Plan, the Science and Technology Program Management Plan, and the Science and Technology Program Plan. These and other communication products are available on the OCRWM web site under the Science and Technology section (http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/osti/index.shtml).« less

  2. Investigation of Third Gyro-harmonic Heating at HAARP Using Stimulated Radio Emissions, the MUIR and SuperDARN Radars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mahmoudian, Alireza; Bernhardt, Paul; Ruohoniemi, J. Michael; Isham, Brett; Watkins, Brenton; Scales, Wayne

    2016-07-01

    Use of high frequency (HF) heating experiments has been extended in recent years as a useful methodology for plasma physicists wishing to remotely study the properties and behavior of the ionosphere as well as nonlinear plasma processes. Our recent work using high latitude heating experiments has lead to several important discoveries that have enabled assessment of active geomagnetic conditions, determination of minor ion species and their densities, ion mass spectrometry, electron temperature measurements in the heating ionosphere, as well a deeper understanding of physical processes associated with electron acceleration and formation of field aligned irregularities. The data recorded during two campaigns at HAARP in 2011 and 2012 will be presented. Several diagnostic instruments have been used to detect HAARP heater-generated ionospheric irregularities and plasma waves. These diagnostics include an ionosonde, MUIR (Modular UHF Ionospheric Radar at 446 MHz), SuperDARN HF backscatter radar and ground-based SEE receivers. Variation of the wideband/ narrowband SEE features, SuperDARN echoes, and enhanced ion lines were studied with pump power variation, pump frequency stepping near 3fce as well as changing beam angle relative to the magnetic zenith. In particular, formation of field-aligned irregularities (FAIs) and upper hybrid (UH) waves through oscillating two-stream instability (OSTI) and resonance instability is studied. During heating, Narrowband SEE (NSEE) showed enhancements that correlated with the enhanced MUIR radar ion lines. IA MSBS (Magnetized Stimulated Brillouin Scatter) lines are much narrower than Wideband SEE (WSEE) lines and as a result electron temperature calculated using NSEE line offset has potential to be more accurate. This technique may therefore complement the electron temperature calculation using ISR spectra. Strength of IA MSBS lines correlate with EHIL in the MUIR spectrum during HF pump frequency variation near 3fce. Therefore, NSEE could be used for similar diagnostic information, particularly temperature assessment during heating. More detailed physics-based modeling of such SEE is expected to provide further diagnostic information/capabilities. This work has demonstrated the tremendous future potential of Narrowband SEE (NSEE) as a powerful untapped ionospheric diagnostic which could provide complementary measurements for locations that ISR facilities are not available or as a complementary measurement for the waves and irregularities that cannot be observed by ISR.

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

    Abe Lederman

    This report contains the comprehensive summary of the work performed on the SBIR Phase II project (“Distributed Relevance Ranking in Heterogeneous Document Collections”) at Deep Web Technologies (http://www.deepwebtech.com). We have successfully completed all of the tasks defined in our SBIR Proposal work plan (See Table 1 - Phase II Tasks Status). The project was completed on schedule and we have successfully deployed an initial production release of the software architecture at DOE-OSTI for the Science.gov Alliance's search portal (http://www.science.gov). We have implemented a set of grid services that supports the extraction, filtering, aggregation, and presentation of search results from numerousmore » heterogeneous document collections. Illustration 3 depicts the services required to perform QuickRank™ filtering of content as defined in our architecture documentation. Functionality that has been implemented is indicated by the services highlighted in green. We have successfully tested our implementation in a multi-node grid deployment both within the Deep Web Technologies offices, and in a heterogeneous geographically distributed grid environment. We have performed a series of load tests in which we successfully simulated 100 concurrent users submitting search requests to the system. This testing was performed on deployments of one, two, and three node grids with services distributed in a number of different configurations. The preliminary results from these tests indicate that our architecture will scale well across multi-node grid deployments, but more work will be needed, beyond the scope of this project, to perform testing and experimentation to determine scalability and resiliency requirements. We are pleased to report that a production quality version (1.4) of the science.gov Alliance's search portal based on our grid architecture was released in June of 2006. This demonstration portal is currently available at http://science.gov/search30 . The portal allows the user to select from a number of collections grouped by category and enter a query expression (See Illustration 1 - Science.gov 3.0 Search Page). After the user clicks “search” a results page is displayed that provides a list of results from the selected collections ordered by relevance based on the query expression the user provided. Our grid based solution to deep web search and document ranking has already gained attention within DOE, other Government Agencies and a fortune 50 company. We are committed to the continued development of grid based solutions to large scale data access, filtering, and presentation problems within the domain of Information Retrieval and the more general categories of content management, data mining and data analysis.« less

  4. Iodine-131 Releases from Radioactive Lanthanum Processing at the X-10 Site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (1944-1956)- An Assessment of Quantities released, Off-Site Radiation Doses, and Potential Excess Risks of Thyroid Cancer, Volume 1

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

    Apostoaei, A.I.; Burns, R.E.; Hoffman, F.O.

    1999-07-01

    In the early 1990s, concern about the Oak Ridge Reservation's past releases of contaminants to the environment prompted Tennessee's public health officials to pursue an in-depth study of potential off-site health effects at Oak Ridge. This study, the Oak Ridge dose reconstruction, was supported by an agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the State of Tennessee, and was overseen by a 12-member panel appointed by Tennessee's Commissioner of Health. One of the major contaminants studied in the dose reconstruction was radioactive iodine, which was released to the air by X-10 (now called Oak Ridge National Laboratory) asmore » it processed spent nuclear reactor fuel from 1944 through 1956. The process recovered radioactive lanthanum for use in weapons development. Iodine concentrates in the thyroid gland so health concerns include various diseases of the thyroid, such as thyroid cancer. The large report, ''Iodine-131 Releases from Radioactive Lanthanum Processing at the X-10 Site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (1944-1956) - An Assessment of Quantities Released, Off-site Radiation Doses, and Potential Excess Risks of Thyroid Cancer,'' is in two volumes. Volume 1 is the main body of the report, and Volume 1A, which has the same title, consists of 22 supporting appendices. Together, these reports serve the following purposes: (1) describe the methodologies used to estimate the amount of iodine-131 (I-131) released; (2) evaluate I-131's pathway from air to vegetation to food to humans; (3) estimate doses received by human thyroids; (4) estimate excess risk of acquiring a thyroid cancer during ones lifetime; and (5) provide equations, examples of historical documents used, and tables of calculated values. Results indicate that females born in 1952 who consumed milk from a goat pastured a few miles east of X-10 received the highest doses from I-131 and would have had the highest risks of contracting thyroid cancer. Doses from cow's milk are considerably less . Detailed dose and risk estimates, and associated uncertainties, for other contaminants studied for the Oak Ridge dose reconstruction are presented in several other technical reports. One way to easily locate them in OSTI's Information Bridge is by searching the ''report number field'' for the number DOE/OR/21981*. Be sure to place the asterisk after the base number so your search can list the complete series of reports related to Oak Ridge Dose Reconstruction.« less

  5. Next-Generation Performance-Based Regulation. Volume 1: Introduction - Global Lessons for Success; Volume 2: Primer - Essential Elements of Design and Implementation; Volume 3: Innovative Examples from Around the World

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

    Logan, Jeffrey S

    Performance-based regulations (PBRs) provide a regulatory framework to connect goals, targets, and measures to utility performance or executive compensation. Well-designed PBRs provide incentives for utility performance, benefiting consumers and utility owners alike. This report considers the role of both PBRs and more discrete performance incentive mechanisms (PIMs) in 21st century power sector transformation. Innovative technologies are transforming the way electricity is generated, delivered, and consumed. PBRs have the potential to realign utility, investor, and consumer incentives and mitigate emerging challenges to the utility business model, renewable integration, and even cyber security.The goals of PBRs in the form of multi-year ratemore » plans are in many respects the same in terms of providing reasonably priced and reliable service to customers. However, today's technologies have changed, and there is more emphasis on clean energy. Thus, the pathways and the potential outcomes are different than they were in the 20th century when centralized generator stations and large infrastructure additions dominated the utility landscape. Given unprecedented changes underway in the electricity sector, PBRs - by specifying expectations of utility performance and outcomes for consumers, while staying agnostic to the exact means of delivery - constitute a form of prescient regulation that harnesses disruption. PBRs are one tool in a broader toolbox in the transition toward flexible regulatory and market structures that rewards utilities that adapt or evolve in reaction to market and technology change. PBRs and PIMs have great value for the electric industry when designed well and can be applied to many different situations. How exactly PBR mechanisms are most effectively enacted will vary based on the utility ownership model, institutional arrangements, and a variety of other local factors. PBRs should be tailored to the needs and goals of each jurisdiction, and perhaps each utility, to most effectively achieve the needs of a 21st century power grid in that jurisdiction. Presented in three volumes, this report highlights the lessons learned from their evolving history, explores essential elements of their design and implementation as well as considerations for how they may be best applied, and examines leading examples of PBRs from the United Kingdom, New York, Denmark, Mexico, and South Africa. The full report, 'Next-Generation Performance Based Regulation - Emphasizing Utility Performance to Unleash Power Sector Innovation,' published in September 2017, can be accessed at https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy17osti/68512.pdf.« less

  6. Clean and Secure Energy from Domestic Oil Shale and Oil Sands Resources

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

    Spinti, Jennifer; Birgenheier, Lauren; Deo, Milind

    This report summarizes the significant findings from the Clean and Secure Energy from Domestic Oil Shale and Oil Sands Resources program sponsored by the Department of Energy through the National Energy Technology Laboratory. There were four principle areas of research; Environmental, legal, and policy issues related to development of oil shale and oil sands resources; Economic and environmental assessment of domestic unconventional fuels industry; Basin-scale assessment of conventional and unconventional fuel development impacts; and Liquid fuel production by in situ thermal processing of oil shale Multiple research projects were conducted in each area and the results have been communicated viamore » sponsored conferences, conference presentations, invited talks, interviews with the media, numerous topical reports, journal publications, and a book that summarizes much of the oil shale research relating to Utah’s Uinta Basin. In addition, a repository of materials related to oil shale and oil sands has been created within the University of Utah’s Institutional Repository, including the materials generated during this research program. Below is a listing of all topical and progress reports generated by this project and submitted to the Office of Science and Technical Information (OSTI). A listing of all peer-reviewed publications generated as a result of this project is included at the end of this report; Geomechanical and Fluid Transport Properties 1 (December, 2015); Validation Results for Core-Scale Oil Shale Pyrolysis (February, 2015); and Rates and Mechanisms of Oil Shale Pyrolysis: A Chemical Structure Approach (November, 2014); Policy Issues Associated With Using Simulation to Assess Environmental Impacts (November, 2014); Policy Analysis of the Canadian Oil Sands Experience (September, 2013); V-UQ of Generation 1 Simulator with AMSO Experimental Data (August, 2013); Lands with Wilderness Characteristics, Resource Management Plan Constraints, and Land Exchanges (March, 2012); Conjunctive Surface and Groundwater Management in Utah: Implications for Oil Shale and Oil Sands Development (May, 2012); Development of CFD-Based Simulation Tools for In Situ Thermal Processing of Oil Shale/Sands (February, 2012); Core-Based Integrated Sedimentologic, Stratigraphic, and Geochemical Analysis of the Oil Shale Bearing Green River Formation, Uinta Basin, Utah (April, 2011); Atomistic Modeling of Oil Shale Kerogens and Asphaltenes Along with their Interactions with the Inorganic Mineral Matrix (April, 2011); Pore Scale Analysis of Oil Shale/Sands Pyrolysis (March, 2011); Land and Resource Management Issues Relevant to Deploying In-Situ Thermal Technologies (January, 2011); Policy Analysis of Produced Water Issues Associated with In-Situ Thermal Technologies (January, 2011); and Policy Analysis of Water Availability and Use Issues for Domestic Oil Shale and Oil Sands Development (March, 2010)« less

  7. Th Cell Gene Expression and Function in Response to Low Dose and Acute Radiation

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

    Daila S. Gridley, PhD

    2012-03-30

    FINAL TECHNICAL REPORT Supported by the Low Dose Radiation Research Program, Office of Science U.S. Department of Energy Grant No. DE-FG02-07ER64345 Project ID: 0012965 Award Register#: ER64345 Project Manager: Noelle F. Metting, Sc.D. Phone: 301-903-8309 Division SC-23.2 noelle.metting@science.doe.gov Submitted March 2012 To: https://www.osti.gov/elink/241.3.jsp Title: Th Cell Gene Expression and Function in Response to Low Dose and Acute Radiation PI: Daila S. Gridley, Ph.D. Human low dose radiation data have been derived primarily from studies of space and airline flight personnel, nuclear plant workers and others exposed occupationally, as well as victims in the vicinity of atomic bomb explosions. The findingsmore » remain inconclusive due to population inconsistencies and complex interactions among total dose, dose rate, radiation quality and age at exposure. Thus, safe limits for low dose occupational irradiation are currently based on data obtained with doses far exceeding the levels expected for the general population and health risks have been largely extrapolated using the linear-nonthreshold dose-response model. The overall working hypothesis of the present study is that priming with low dose, low-linear energy transfer (LET) radiation can ameliorate the response to acute high-dose radiation exposure. We also propose that the efficacy of low-dose induced protection will be dependent upon the form and regimen of the high-dose exposure: photons versus protons versus simulated solar particle event protons (sSPE). The emphasis has been on gene expression and function of CD4+ T helper (Th) lymphocytes harvested from spleens of whole-body irradiated C57BL/6 mice, a strain that provides the genetic background for many genetically engineered strains. Evaluations of the responses of other selected cells, tissues such as skin, and organs such as lung, liver and brain were also initiated (partially funded by other sources). The long-term goal is to provide information that will be useful in estimating human health risks due to radiation that may occur during exposures in the work environment, nuclear/radiological catastrophes, as well as radiotherapy. Several papers have been published, accepted for publication or are in preparation. A number of poster and oral presentations have been made at scientific conferences and workshops. Archived tissues of various types will continue to be evaluated via funding from other sources (the DoE Low Dose Radiation Research Program, Office of Science and this specific grant will be appropriately included in the Acknowledgements of all subsequent publications/presentations). A post-doc and several students have participated in this study. More detailed description of the accomplishments is described in attached file.« less

  8. DataCite - Making data sets citable

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brase, J.

    2013-12-01

    The scientific and information communities have largely mastered the presentation of, and linkages between, text-based electronic information by assigning persistent identifiers to give scientific literature unique identities and accessibility. Knowledge, as published through scientific literature, is however often the last step in a process originating from scientific research data. Today scientists are using simulation, observational, and experimentation techniques that yield massive quantities of research data. These data are analysed, synthesised, interpreted, and the outcome of this process is generally published as a scientific article. Access to the original data as the foundation of knowledge has become an important issue throughout the world and different projects have started to find solutions. Global collaboration and scientific advances could be accelerated through broader access to scientific research data. In other words, data access could be revolutionized through the same technologies used to make textual literature accessible. The most obvious opportunity to broaden visibility of and access to research data is to integrate its access into the medium where it is most often cited: electronic textual information. Besides this opportunity, it is important, irrespective of where they are cited, for research data to have an internet identity. Since 2005, the German National Library of Science and Technology (TIB) has offered a successful Digital Object Identifier (DOI) registration service for persistent identification of research data. Since 2010 these services are offered by the global consortium DataCite, carried by 17 member organisations from 12 different countries: The German National Library of Science and Technology (TIB), the German National Library of Medicine (ZB MED), the German National Library of Economics (ZBW) and the German GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences. Additional European members are: The Library of the ETH Zürich in Switzerland, the Library of TU Delft, from the Netherlands, the L'Institut de l'Information Scientifique et Technique (INIST) from France, The technical Information Center of Denmark, The British Library, the Sedish National Data Service (SND), the Conferenza dei Rettori delle Università Italiane (CRUI) from Italy. North America is represented through: the California Digital Library, the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), the Purdue University and the Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI). Furthermore the Australian National Data Service (ANDS) and the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) are members. DataCite offers through its members DOI registration for data centers, currently over 2 million objects have been registered with a DOI name and are available through a central search portal at http://search.datacite.org . Based on the DOI registration DataCite offers a variety of services such as a detailed statistic portal of the number of DOI names registered and resolved (http://stats.datacite.org). In June 2012 DataCite and the STM association (http://www.stm-assoc.org) signed a joint statement to encourage publishers and data centers to link articles and underlying data (http://www.datacite.org/node/65 )

  9. Report of Official Foreign Travel to Germany, May 16-June 1, 2001

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

    J. D. Mason

    2001-06-18

    The Department of Energy (DOE) and associated agencies have moved rapidly toward electronic production, management, and dissemination of scientific and technical information. The World-Wide Web (WWW) has become a primary means of information dissemination. Electronic commerce (EC) is becoming the preferred means of procurement. DOE, like other government agencies, depends on and encourages the use of international standards in data communications. Like most government agencies, DOE has expressed a preference for openly developed standards over proprietary designs promoted as ''standards'' by vendors. In particular, there is a preference for standards developed by organizations such as the International Organization for Standardizationmore » (ISO) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) that use open, public processes to develop their standards. Among the most widely adopted international standards is the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML, ISO 8879:1986, FIPS 152), to which DOE long ago made a commitment. Besides the official commitment, which has resulted in several specialized projects, DOE makes heavy use of coding derived from SGML: Most documents on the WWW are coded in HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), which is an application of SGML. The World-Wide Web Consortium (W3C), with the backing of major software houses like Adobe, IBM, Microsoft, Netscape, Oracle, and Sun, is promoting XML (eXtensible Markup Language), a class of SGML applications, for the future of the WWW and the basis for EC. In support of DOE's use of these standards, I have served since 1985 as Chairman of the international committee responsible for SGML and related standards, ISO/IEC JTC1/SC34 (SC34) and its predecessor organizations. During my May 2001 trip, I chaired the spring 2001 meeting of SC34 in Berlin, Germany. I also attended XML Europe 2001, a major conference on the use of SGML and XML sponsored by the Graphic Communications Association (GCA), and chaired a meeting of the International SGML/XML Users' Group (ISUG). In addition to the widespread use of the WWW among DOE's plants and facilities in Oak Ridge and among DOE sites across the nation, there have been several past and present SGML- and XML-based projects at the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12). Our local project team has done SGML and XML development at Y-12 and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) since the late 1980s. SGML is a component of the Weapons Records Archiving and Preservation (WRAP) project at Y-12 and is the format for catalog metadata chosen for weapons records by the Nuclear Weapons Information Group (NWIG). The ''Ferret'' system for automated classification analysis uses XML to structure its knowledge base. The Ferret team also provides XML consulting to OSTI and DOE Headquarters, particularly the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Supporting standards development allows DOE and Y-12 the opportunity both to provide input into the process and to benefit from contact with some of the leading experts in the subject matter. Oak Ridge has been for some years the location to which other DOE sites turn for expertise in SGML, XML, and related topics.« less

  10. DEER 2003 [Proceedings for the 9th Diesel Engine Emissions Reduction Workshop] RECORD FOR CD PREPARED BY OSTI

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

    None, None

    Overview: This was the ninth in a series of workshops that have evolved to conference status addressing Diesel Engine Emissions Reduction (DEER) technology. The initial three workshops were held biannually at the University of California, San Diego. Thereafter, as we alternated yearly between the sites Castine, Maine and Portsmouth, Virginia on the East Coast and San Diego on the West Coast, the workshops grew to conference status. This year we held the 9th DEER Conference, August 24 - 28, 2003, at the Newport Marriott in Newport, Rhode Island, in the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM) area. Wemore » had two objectives for DEER 2003: 1. To provide a forum to present transportation diesel engine developments and issues for the federal and state organizations involved with diesel engines as users, regulators, or supporters of research and development with the diesel engine manufacturers, their suppliers, the national laboratories, academia, human health effects, and the environmentally concerned public sector. 2. To make available European and U.S. personal-use diesel engine powered vehicles at our "Ride and Drive" for attendees and the press to see for themselves how far diesel engine technology had advanced. European diesel auto sales are rapidly approaching 50% of sales; and in France, 73% of luxury class vehicle buyers chose the diesel option. Banks Engineering and Cummins exhibited the "Sidewinder", a modified pick-up truck with a production in-line 6 cylinder Cummins B engine upgraded from 300 HP to more than 600 HP. This truck was officially clocked at the Bonneville test track at 222.139 mph. As a comparison, the $800,000 Ferrari Enzo, which is built to Formula 1 racing standards, has a projected top speed of 218 mph with its 12 cylinder gasoline engine. One can only imagine what the Ferrari Enzo could do fitted with a current technology diesel engine! Some of the highlights at DEER 2003 included the presentations by high-level managers at BMW and Mercedes Benz on their diesel engine development. Aaqius & Aaqius presented data and an exhibit of the latest PSA Peugeot fuel bound catalyst diesel particulate trap system. Cummins presented data regarding their compliance with EPA's Tier 2, Bin 5 standards on their V- 6, which was developed with DOE support. This was the first report of meeting these standards. Their next step is achieving durability. Caterpillar reported single cylinder engine steady-state tests of their HCCI injector that had engine out NOx levels under Tier 2, Bin 5. Two new approaches to particulate traps were reported by Accentus using non-thermal plasma and the University of Manchester's electrostatic precipitators. A Health Effects Session focused on U.S. and European testing of emissions from diesel and CNG buses. This session highlighted the need to use oxidation catalysts to reduce formaldehyde from CNG bus exhaust as CARB and Swedish testing indicated. A worthwhile dialogue was held with the Environmentalists Panel, which was organized and moderated by NESCAUM. The area that will produce the largest improvements in diesel engine efficiency will be the effective use of the roughly 60% of the energy in fuel that ends up as heat loss. Progress on the waste heat recovery using electric turbocompounding and thermoelectrics was reported. Quantum well confinement thermoelectrics investigators are reporting small specimens with a 400% increase in efficiency compared with current art bulk semiconductor thermoelectrics devices! Investigators of the electric turbocompounding concept for both light-truck and heavytruck applications are sorting out the problems with a commercial motor/alternators installed on the turbocharger shaft for both light- and heavy-duty trucks. These are but a few of the advances reported at DEER 2003. We were very fortunate to have such an outstanding group of presentations. We are planning to have DEER 2004 in San Diego,Coronado, actually,in August 2004. Hope to see you there! John Fairbanks Chair, DEER 2003« less

  11. NMMB/BSC-DUST: an online mineral dust atmospheric model from meso to global scales

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haustein, K.; Pérez, C.; Jorba, O.; Baldasano, J. M.; Janjic, Z.; Black, T.; Nickovic, S.

    2009-04-01

    While mineral dust distribution and effects are important at global scales, they strongly depend on dust emissions that are controlled on small spatial and temporal scales. Most global dust models use prescribed wind fields provided by meteorological centers (e.g., NCEP and ECMWF) and their spatial resolution is currently never better than about 1°×1°. Regional dust models offer substantially higher resolution (10-20 km) and are typically coupled with weather forecast models that simulate processes that GCMs either cannot resolve or can resolve only poorly. These include internal circulation features such as the low-level nocturnal jet which is a crucial feature for dust emission in several dust ‘hot spot' sources in North Africa. Based on our modeling experience with the BSC-DREAM regional forecast model (http://www.bsc.es/projects/earthscience/DREAM/) we are currently implementing an improved mineral dust model [Pérez et al., 2008] coupled online with the new global/regional NMMB atmospheric model under development in NOAA/NCEP/EMC [Janjic, 2005]. The NMMB is an evolution of the operational WRF-NMME extending from meso to global scales. The NMMB will become the next-generation NCEP model for operational weather forecast in 2010. The corresponding unified non-hydrostatic dynamical core ranges from meso to global scale allowing regional and global simulations. It has got an add-on non-hydrostatic module and it is based on the Arakawa B-grid and hybrid pressure-sigma vertical coordinates. NMMB is fully embedded into the Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF), treating dynamics and physics separately and coupling them easily within the ESMF structure. Our main goal is to provide global dust forecasts up to 7 days at mesoscale resolutions. New features of the model include a physically-based dust emission scheme after White [1979], Iversen and White [1982] and Marticorena and Bergametti [1995] that takes the effects of saltation and sandblasting into account. Viscous sublayer approach [Janjic, 1994] for dust injection in the lower atmosphere is maintained as applied in DREAM [Nickovic et al., 2001]. Soil moisture effects are considered following Fecan et al. [1999]. A new source function for the land surface is calculated using the USGS 1km landuse database, the NESDIS 5-years monthly climatology for the vegetation fraction, and preferential source areas according the topographic approach after Ginoux et al. [2001]. Furthermore, 4 top soil texture classes (coarse sand, fine/medium sand, silt, clay) are introduced, based on the new STASGO-FAO 1km soil database and modified following Tegen et al. [2002]. The dry deposition scheme accounts for the effects of sedimentation and turbulent mixout following the approach of Giorgi [1986]. Finally, in-cloud and below-cloud wet scavenging for grid-scale and convective precipitation is applied following Slinn [1983; 1984] and Loosmore and Cederwall [2004]. Dust radiative feedback on meteorology is not yet considered. In order to explore the assets and drawbacks of the new model, we perform global simulations of the dust cycle at 0.3°x0.45° to demonstrate the ability of the model to capture the large scale and seasonal patterns. These fundamental evaluations serve as starting point for further testing as well as future developments of the NMMb-DUST. In a second step, we study the behavior of the model during the SAMUM-I phase [Haustein et al., 2009] and the BODEX campaign [Todd et al., 2008], focusing on how the model reproduces moist convection and low level jet in North Africa at mesoscale resolutions. References: Fecan, F., B. Marticorena and G. Bergametti. (1999). Parameterization of the increase of the aeolian erosion threshold wind friction velocity due to soil moisture for arid and semi arid areas. Annales Geophysicae, 17, 149-157. Ginoux, P. et al. (2001). Sources and distribution of dust aerosols simulated with the GOCART model. J. Geophys. Res., 106, D17, 20255-20273. Giorgi, F. (1986). A particle dry-deposition parameterization scheme for use in tracer transport models. J. Geophys. Res., 91, 9794-9804. Haustein, K. et al. (2009). Regional dust model performance during SAMUM-I 2006. Geophys. Res. Letters, in press. Iversen, J.D. and B. R. White (1982). Saltation threshold on Earth, Mars and Venus. Sedimentology, 29, 111-119. Janjic, Z. I. (1994). The Step-Mountain Eta Coordinate Model: Further Developments of the Convection, Viscous Sublayer, and Turbulence Closure Schemes. Monthly Weather Review, 122, 927-945. Janjic, Z. I. (2005). A unified model approach from meso to global scales. Geophysical Research Abstracts, 7, 05582, 2005, EGU05-A-05582. Loosmore, G. A. and Cederwall, R. T. (2004). Precipitation scavenging of atmospheric aerosols for emergency response applications: testing an updated model with new real-time data. Atmospheric Environment, 38, 993-1003. Marticorena, B. and G. Bergametti (1995). Modeling the atmospheric dust cycle: 1. Design of a soil-derived dust emission scheme. J. Geophys. Res., 100, D8, 16415-16430. Nickovic, S., G. Kallos, A. Papadopoulos, and O. Kakaliagou (2001). A model for prediction of desert dust cycle in the atmosphere. Journal of Geophysical Research 106, D16, 18113-18129. Pérez, C. et al. (2008). An online mineral dust model within the global/regional NMMB: Current progress and plans. AGU Fall Meeting, 14-19 December 2008, San Francisco, USA. Slinn, W. G. N. (1983). A potpourri of deposition and resuspension questions. In: Pruppacher, Semonin and Slinn (Editors), Precip. Scavenging., Dry Deposition, and Resuspension. Elsevier, New York (1983), 1361-1416. Slinn, W.G.N. (1984). Precipitation scavenging. In: Randerson, D. (Editor), Atmospheric Science and Power Production. OSTI, Oak Ridge, 466-532. Tegen, I. et al. (2002). Impact of vegetation and preferential source areas on global dust aerosol: Results from a model study. J. Geophys. Res., 107, D21, doi:10.1029/2001JD000963. Todd, M. (2008). Quantifying uncertainty in estimates of mineral dust flux: An intercomparison of model performance over the Bodele Depression, northern Chad. J. Geophys. Res., 113, D24107, doi:10.1029/2008JD010476. White, B. (1979). Soil transport by winds on Mars. J. Geophys. Res., 84, 4643-4651.

  12. Biodiversity and global health—hubris, humility and the unknown

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stephens, Carolyn

    2012-03-01

    In November 2011, botanists on a remote island off Papua New Guinea discovered a new species of orchid—uniquely and mysteriously night-flowering [1]. New to science, and with so much more to understand, this flower is threatened by deforestation [2]. Also in November 2011, a survey of 583 conservation scientists reported a unanimous (99.5%) view that 'it is likely a serious loss of biological diversity is underway at a global extent' and that, for scientists, 'protection of biological diversity for its cultural and spiritual values and because of its usefulness to humans were low priorities, which suggests that many scientists do not fully support the utilitarian concept of ecosystem services' [3]. In terms of management, some scientists now advocate controversial conservation strategies such as triage (prioritization of species that provide unique or necessary functions to ecosystems) [4, 5]. Meanwhile, there are many scientists who contend that there is an urgent need to improve our understanding of the importance of biodiversity for human health and well-being, arguing that only an anthropocentric view of biodiversity within a paradigm 'ecosystem service' will enable decision-makers to prioritize the theme [6-9]. A 2011 UN report argues that this need for understanding is especially urgent in fragile and vulnerable ecosystems where communities depend directly on the resources of their environment [10]. Here we have a paradox: international conservation scientists think that we cannot protect biodiversity on the basis of its cultural and spiritual value, nor its usefulness to humans. Other scientists argue that using a utilitarian ecosystem services framework is the only way to get humans to protect biodiversity. Meanwhile, communities directly dependent on biodiverse ecosystems are often those who best understand and protect biodiversity, for exactly these reasons of use and spiritual connection, but they do not hold only a utilitarian view of their environment and its diversity. These communities often define their own 'health' as integrally linked to the 'health' of the ecosystem, and they see themselves as an integral part of the ecosystem [11]. It is generally accepted that the destruction of biodiverse ecosystems internationally is not by communities directly dependent on these ecosystems, but from processes such as deforestation, mining, resource extraction and biopiracy, generated by external human demand [12-16]. Rich countries and their populations are currently particularly responsible for the resource extraction that impacts negatively on biodiversity and on the well-being of local communities [17]. However, increasingly, urban populations in every country demand resources and products from biodiverse regions, and with rising urban populations this threat is likely to increase. To illustrate, we can take one example. Amazonia is one of Earth's most important biodiverse tropical moist forest ecosystems. As the Amazonian forest reaches the Andes it becomes a contiguous and equally vital ecosystem: the Yungas or Cloud Forest [18]. These two sister forests are amongst the most biodiverse ecosystems of the world, spanning several Latin American countries (including Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador), and over 7 million square kilometres [18, 19]. For millennia, across modern geopolitical boundaries, Amazonia/Yungas has been protected by over 1000 different indigenous peoples [20]. In turn, Amazonia/Yungas has provided health and spiritual well-being for indigenous peoples via food, medicines, home and culture [21]. Using a utilitarian view of the ecosystem, these forests also provide the world with some of its most important ecosystem services in terms of forest and food resources, current and potential new medicines, rainfall regulation and a global carbon sink [19, 22]. In terms of protection of these ecosystems, there is evidence that recognized 'indigenous territories' within Amazonia/Yungas are better protected, in terms of biodiversity and environmental damage, than other conservation units such as national or regional reserves [23, 24]. Yet deforestation, resource extraction and climate change threaten all parts of the Amazonia/Yungas [19, 25-28], and indigenous communities, amongst the most marginalized peoples in Latin America [29], are experiencing increasing threats to their territories, and their health and well-being [20]. Figures 1-3 show different aspects of the Andean Yungas and high mountain ecosystems of Argentina. The ecosystems are highly biodiverse. We are only beginning to understand the extent of their importance for human well-being, and these incredible forests are at risk from deforestation, mining and climate change. Figure 1 Figure 1. Rio Cochuna in Tucumán, Argentina, part of the vital and extensive river system of the Andean Yungas, home to amazing and underexplored biodiversity. By Carolyn Stephens. Figure 2 Figure 2. Argiope argentata—widespread and striking, this spider can eat twice her weight in insects and her venom is thought to have medicinal properties. By Carolyn Stephens. Figure 3 Figure 3. Humming birds may not seem to have a direct ecosystem service, but they, along with many insect species, are important pollinators of plants and trees which themselves may be directly important for human health. By Alfredo Gutierrez. It is notable that, recognizing their vital role in ecosystem understanding protection, indigenous peoples and local communities now play an important part in global policy processes, including the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) [30]. In 2011, the IUCN met with indigenous representatives and conservation organizations to discuss conservation priorities in the context of indigenous rights. IUCN agreed to review the implementation of resolutions related to indigenous peoples taken at the 4th World Conservation Congress (WCC4) in 2008, and to advance their implementation. These resolutions, along with the Durban Action Plan and the Programme of Work on Protected Areas of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), are often termed as the 'new conservation paradigm' [31]. Scientists, UN agencies, and indigenous and local communities agree that we have reached a critical time for biodiversity globally. But who will decide on the policies for protection of biodiversity? Triage may be on the agenda of pessimistic conservation scientists, but indigenous and local communities would rarely have such hubris as to assume that they have the wisdom to make triage decisions, and nor would many communities have the arrogance to think they have the right to intervene in this way in their complex ecosystems. While debates continue and biodiversity declines annually, there is a group of actors who will be crucial in decisions on our planet's future, including biodiversity and climate change. The world's population is now predominantly urban [32]. It is urban citizens who are driving the exploitation of the world's ecosystems and the model of unsustainable over-consumption [33]. It is highly likely that it is urban populations who will decide the fate of biodiversity and climate change, through their decisions about resource use and consumption [34, 35]. We demand a great deal of urban populations when we ask them to lead a sustainable future. The majority of urban citizens are trained, as are most scientists, to hold a utilitarian view of the environment. Perhaps this is the great hubris of recent human history—the assumptions of the anthropocentric view of the global ecosystem: seeing our planet only for its services or its threats, and viewing ourselves as somehow external to the integrity of the ecosystem. And our most profound arrogance is in the assumption that we understand the implications of our destruction of biodiversity for the well-being of future generations. There is much to be learnt from the indigenous and local communities who depend directly on, value spiritually, and fight for, their biodiverse ecosystems. And perhaps the most difficult thing to learn is the humility that these communities have—they do not assume that they know enough about the ecosystem to be able to decide which species the planet needs and which it does not. They do not hold a model that sees human beings as separate from their global ecosystem in all its complex biological and cultural diversity. They do not see themselves as owners of the planet, but as guardians of it for the future. 2012 will see a plethora of UN and government meetings devoted to the Rio +20 summit and its theme of a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication. Biodiversity and climate change should be key concerns of this meeting. But it will not be global summits that protect biodiversity or reduce the emissions that produce climate change—and it will not be scientists arguing for and against the utilitarian concept of ecosystem services. The real decision-makers will be every human on the planet and their resource needs and their choices. We have some evidence of what the global population 'needs', in terms of food, water and shelter [36], but we do not know for sure what they will 'choose'. More worryingly, even if the global population chooses to change their view of the planet and their place in it, and to reduce resource consumption to sustainable levels, we do not know if we will be in time. ERL focus issue on biodiversity, human health and well-being ERL is contributing to Rio + 20 through a special issue devoted to the issues of biodiversity, human health and well-being. We particularly welcome papers from scientists and community groups working on biodiversity from the perspective of a broad understanding of health and well-being, including spiritual, cultural and intergenerational aspects; urban groups working on biodiversity and well-being; and the links of biodiversity to the green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty alleviation. References [1] Schuiteman A et al 2011 Nocturne for an unknown pollinator: first description of a night-flowering orchid (Bulbophyllum nocturnum) Bot. J. Linean Soc. 167 344-50 [2] Kinver M and Gill V 2011 Botanists discover 'remarkable' night-flowering orchid BBC News Science and Environment (www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15818662) [3] Rudd M A 2011 Scientists' opinions on the global status and management of biological diversity Conserv. Biol. 25 1165-75 [4] Bottrill M C et al 2008 Is conservation triage just smart decision making? Trends Ecol. Evol. 23 649-54 [5] Parr M J et al 2009 Why we should aim for zero extinction Trends Ecol. Evol. 24 181 Bottrill M C et al 2009 Finite conservation funds mean triage is unavoidable Trends Ecol. Evol. 24 183-4 [6] Pushpangadan P and Behl H M 2005 Environment & Biodiversity: Agenda for Future (Lucknow: International Society of Environmental Botanists) (http://isebindia.com/icpep-3/icpep3-s-2.html) [7] Alves R and Rosa I 2007 Biodiversity, traditional medicine and public health: where do they meet? J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 3 14 [8] Center for Biodiversity and Conservation 1997 Biodiversity and Human Health: A Guide for Policymakers (New York: American Museum of Natural History) [9] Chivian E 1997 Global environmental degradation and biodiversity loss: implications for human health Biodiversity and Human Health ed F Grifo and J Rosenthal (Washington, DC: Island) pp 7-38 [10] UNEP-WCMC 2011 Health and Well Being of Communities Directly Dependent on Ecosystem Goods and Services: An Indicator for the Convention on Biological Diversity (Cambridge: UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre) [11] Nettleton C, Stephens C and Bristow F 2007 Utz Wachil: a study of indigenous perceptions of health and environment in five countries Ecohealth 4 461-772 [12] Jones G P et al 2004 Coral decline threatens fish biodiversity in marine reserves Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. 101 8251-3 [13] Merson J 2000 Bio-prospecting or bio-piracy: intellectual property rights and biodiversity in a colonial and postcolonial context Osiris 15 282-96 [14] Soejarto D D 1996 Biodiversity prospecting and benefit-sharing: perspectives from the field J. Ethnopharmacol. 51 1-15 [15] Foley J A et al 2007 Amazonia revealed: forest degradation and loss of ecosystem goods and services in the Amazon Basin Front. Ecol. Environ. 5 25-32 [16] King S R, Carlson T J and Moran K 1996 Biological diversity, indigenous knowledge, drug discovery and intellectual property rights: creating reciprocity and maintaining relationships J. Ethnopharmacol. 51 45-57 [17] Witzig R and Ascencios M 1999 The road to indigenous extinction: case study of resource exportation, disease importation, and human rights violations against the Urarina in the Peruvian Amazon Health Hum. Rights 4 60-81 [18] Fundacion Proyungas 2007 Bitácora de las Yungas: Bosques Nublados (Tucuman: Fundacion de las Yungas) [19] US Government 2003 Conserving Biodiversity in the Amazon Basin: Context and Opportunities for USAID (Washington, DC: USAID) [20] Montenegro R A and Stephens C 2006 Indigenous health in Latin America and the Caribbean Lancet 367 1859-69 [21] Stephens C, Nettleton C and Bristow F (ed) 2003 Utz' Wach'il: Health and Well-Being Among Indigenous Peoples (London: Health Unlimited and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) (http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/php/sehr/indigenous/docs/utzpamphlet.pdf) [22] Brown A et al 2007 Finca San Andres—Un Espacio de Cambios Ambientales y Sociales en el Alto Bermejo (Ediciones del Subtropico: Yerba Buena) [23] Ramos A and Junqueira R 2010 The contribution of indigenous people to forest conservation and recovery Everything is Connected: Climate and Biodiversity in a Fragile World ed C Foley (London: DEFRA) (http://sd.defra.gov.uk/2010/11/everything-is-connected-climate-and-biodiversity-in-a-fragile-world/) [24] Dunning E, Osti M and Pavese H 2010 The role of protected areas in mitigating climate change and conserving biodiversity Everything is Connected: Climate and Biodiversity in a Fragile World ed C Foley (London: DEFRA) pp 7-10 (http://sd.defra.gov.uk/2010/11/everything-is-connected-climate-and-biodiversity-in-a-fragile-world/) [25] Kunst C R, Bravo S and Panagatti J L (ed) 2003 Fuego en los Ecosistemas Argentinos (Santiago del Estero: Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria) [26] Miranda C P 2003 Tucumán y Los Recursos Naturales. Biodiversidad Los Recursos Silvestres, Los Ambientes Naturales y Las Areas Protegidas (Tucumán: Gobierno de La Provincia de Tucumán) [27] Redford K H, Naughton L and Ráez-Luna E F 2000 Forest wildlife and its exploitation by humans The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests: The Americas ed C S Harcourt and J A Sayer (New York: Simon and Schuster/IUCN) [28] Kappelle M and Brown A (ed) 2001 Bosques Nublados del Neotrópico (San Jose: Editorial INBio) [29] Hall G and Patrinos H A 2005 Indigenous Peoples, Poverty and Human Development in Latin America: 1994-2004 (Washington, DC: The World Bank) [30] Macchi M 2008 Indigenous and Traditional Peoples and Climate Change (Geneva: IUCN) [31] IUCN 2011 IUCN to review and advance implementation of the 'new conservation paradigm' focusing on rights of indigenous peoples CEESP News, 2 May 2011 (available from: www.iucn.org/about/union/commissions/ceesp/ceesp news/?7399/IUCN-to-review-and-advance-implementation-of-the-new-conservation-paradigm, cited 29 November 2011) [32] UN Habitat 2010 State of the World's Cities 2010/2011: Bridging the Urban Divide (Nairobi: UN Human Settlements Programme) (first published by Earthscan 2008) [33] Rees W 1996 Ecological footprints of the future. Overview People Planet 5 (2) 6-9 [34] Stephens C 2011 Revisting urban health and social inequalities: the devil is in the detail and the solution is in all of us Environ. Urban. 23 29-40 [35] Anderson J M 2005 Blueprint for a greener city: growth need not cost the earth Water Sci. Technol. 52 61-7 [36] United Nations Population Division 2008 World Urbanization Prospects: The 2007 Revision Population Database (New York: United Nations Population Division)

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