scholarly journals Economic Analysis as a Basis for Large-Scale Nitrogen Control Decisions: Reducing Nitrogen Loads to the Gulf of Mexico

2001 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 968-975 ◽  
Author(s):  
Otto C. Doering ◽  
Marc Ribaudo ◽  
Fransisco Diaz-Hermelo ◽  
Ralph Heimlich ◽  
Fred Hitzhusen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Analysis ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
N Losses ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Nitrogen Loads ◽  
Effective Manner

Economic analysis can be a guide to determining the level of actions taken to reduce nitrogen (N) losses and reduce environmental risk in a cost-effective manner while also allowing consideration of relative costs of controls to various groups. The biophysical science of N control, especially from nonpoint sources such as agriculture, is not certain. Widespread precise data do not exist for a river basin (or often even for a watershed) that couples management practices and other actions to reduce nonpoint N losses with specific delivery from the basin. The causal relationships are clouded by other factors influencing N flows, such as weather, temperature, and soil characteristics. Even when the science is certain, economic analysis has its own sets of uncertainties and simplifying economic assumptions. The economic analysis of the National Hypoxia Assessment provides an example of economic analysis based on less than complete scientific information that can still provide guidance to policy makers about the economic consequences of alternative approaches. One critical value to policy makers comes from bounding the economic magnitude of the consequences of alternative actions. Another value is the identification of impacts outside the sphere of initial concerns. Such analysis can successfully assess relative impacts of different degrees of control of N losses within the basin as well as outside the basin. It can demonstrate the extent to which costs of control of any one action increase with the intensity of application of control.

Enterprise Crowdsourcing Platform to Improve HR Workflow

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 5-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Zuev
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Hr Management ◽  
Practical Project ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Hr Managers ◽  
Short Time ◽  
Small Parts

Crowdsourcing technologies may solve a wide range of business issues: improve efficiency of HR management, increase customer loyalty and maximize economic efficiency of whole enterprise. The recent years best practice has shown how crowdsourcing is gaining particular relevance of human resource management, allowing HR managers to resolve organization relevant problems in quick and cost-effective manner. Important advantage of crowdsourcing сomes from his main ability: decomposition of tasks into small parts and the ability to perform it’s remotely, via Internet. Thanks to this, not only large corporations, but also small and medium-sized businesses can execute a large-scale projects in a short time. This article discusses the main approaches and principles of practical project management via crowdsourcing platforms, using as the example “Beorg Smart Vision” solution.

Applying the climatic water balance to the Volta basin as an accounting framework to aid policy makers in understanding climate pressures on the water-energy-food (W-E-F) nexus

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Forsythe ◽  
David Pritchard ◽  
Hayley Fowler
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Water Balance ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Volta Basin ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Moisture Supply

<p>The multinational FutureDAMS consortium -- funded by the UK's Global Challenges Research Fund -- is working to improve the design, selection and operation of dams to support sustainable development. Existing and planned large water storage infrastructure systems have the potential to make a significant contribution towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and Paris climate change commitments. But maximising the benefits while minimising the negative social and environmental impacts of large-scale infrastructure in the river basins comprising the multifunctional cores of the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus remains a challenge. One critical aspect of this challenge is the difficulty of achieving uptake of scientific guidance by policy makers and other influential stakeholders.</p><p>The climatic water balance (CWB), i.e. precipitation minus potential evapotranspiration, provides a methodological framework for understanding moisture supply-demand equilibrium at a range of spatial scales including those relevant to land management – administrative districts and tributary watersheds – within basins. The CWB framework understood as an accounting analogy – i.e. rainfall as income, evapotranspiration as expenditure – can be comprehensible to scientific lay persons and help to understand the climate pressures which constrain WEF resource management. Viewed through a CWB framework, rural lands are critical both as determinants of rainfall partitioning between runoff and infiltration as well as areas of consumptive water usage for food production. Runoff entering engineered river systems becomes available for satisfying water supply and (hydropower) energy demands. As a transboundary river basin in a region experiencing substantial demographic growth and with strong aspirations for rapid economic development, inter-sectoral tensions are likely as Volta basin decision makers and economic actors seek to satisfy elements of the W-E-F nexus. By quantifying spatiotemporal moisture supply-demand balance conditions the CWB can provide valuable information to quantify trade-offs and potential synergies resulting from land management practices, infrastructure development and water allocation policies.</p><p>In this work we will examine point/site-based values and spatial aggregates of CWB for a range of locations and scales within the larger Volta basin. For each case we will identify key WEF issues which are influenced by the CWB as well as stakeholders whose decision-making processes could be informed by insights derived from the CWB (accounting) framework.</p>

scholarly journals Techno-Economic Analysis of Constant-Flow Woodchip Bioreactors

2021 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 1545-1554
Author(s):  
Lindsey M. Hartfiel ◽  
Michelle L. Soupir ◽  
Kurt A. Rosentrater
Keyword(s):  
Economic Analysis ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Removal Rate ◽  
Unit Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Pilot Scale ◽  
Bypass Flow ◽  
Mass Removal ◽  
Low Probability ◽  
Large Scale Bioreactor

HighlightsTechno-economic analysis was performed for multiple scales of bioreactors operated under a variety of conditions.The unit cost decreased as the bioreactor size increased.The unit cost increased in bioreactors with longer HRTs and bypass flow due to reduced treatment capacity.One large bioreactor was more cost-effective than multiple smaller bioreactors.Abstract. Woodchip denitrification bioreactors are a relatively new, edge-of-field technology used to reduce nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) from subsurface tile drainage. The removal rate of nitrate is influenced by many factors, including temperature, dissolved oxygen, and hydraulic residence time (HRT). The objective of this study was to conduct a techno-economic analysis (TEA) for four scales of woodchip denitrification bioreactors operating at three HRTs (2, 8, and 16 h), designed with bypass flow or with a low probability of bypass flow, to determine the cost to remove 1 kg of NO3-N at each bioreactor scale and at each HRT. Several assumptions were made: the flow rate required to achieve a 2 h HRT on a per m3 basis could be achieved at all scales, the same mass removal of NO3-N was achieved on a per cubic meter basis, and the 2 h HRT did not have any bypass flow at each scale. With these assumptions, the lowest unit cost was observed for the large-scale bioreactor sized to have a low probability of bypass flow at 16 h HRT, with a resulting cost of $0.74 kg-1 NO3-N removed. The highest unit cost was observed for the pilot-scale bioreactor designed with bypass flow to achieve a 16 h HRT at a cost of $60.13 kg-1 NO3-N removed. At longer HRTs with bypass flow, a greater percent removal of nitrate has been observed with a lower mass removal rate. By having a low probability of bypass flow in the design, a higher mass removal and percent removal of nitrate were observed, leading to the above results. Contrasting this trend, the total and annual costs were highest for the large-scale bioreactor and lowest for the pilot-scale bioreactor. However, it was determined that 783%, 280%, and 54% increases in total cost for the pilot-, small-, and medium-scale bioreactors would be incurred to implement the number of bioreactors (66, 24, and 4, respectively) required to treat the same volume of flow as one large bioreactor. These results can be used to inform future design decisions and inform stakeholders of the approximate unit cost of installing a denitrifying woodchip bioreactor over a range of expected field conditions. While a larger bioreactor with a low probability of bypass flow may represent a more cost-effective investment, the potential for unintended, negative byproducts needs to be considered in the design. Keywords: Denitrification, Nitrate, Tile drainage, Water quality, Woodchip bioreactor.

scholarly journals Nearly zero energy renovation concepts for apartment buildings

2020 ◽  
Vol 172 ◽  
pp. 18009
Author(s):  
Kalle Kuusk ◽  
Jens Naumann ◽  
Annina Gritzki ◽  
Clemens Felsmann ◽  
Michele De Carli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Energy Calculation ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Apartment Buildings ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
The Impact

Revised EPBD directive has set ambitious targets for renovation. It is stated that Member States shall establish a long-term strategy facilitating the cost-effective transformation of existing buildings into nearly-zero energy buildings. The long-term strategy should set out a roadmap with a view to the long-term 2050 goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union. This creates the need for cost-efficient renovation solutions which can be implemented in large scale. The impact assessment shows that roughly a doubled renovation rate of 3 % would be needed to accomplish the energy efficiency ambitions in a cost-effective manner. The objective of this study is to specify renovation concepts with adequate heating and ventilation, based on Estonian and German apartment buildings and corresponding local solutions. Energy performance and sizing analyses were conducted for selected multifamily apartment buildings typical for 1960-70es with three different renovation concepts. Energy calculations were conducted with national energy calculation methods and national energy requirements for major renovation. In the renovation, the building envelope insulation, air tightness, and heating and ventilation systems were improved so that the renovated building complies with national nearly zero-energy requirement for major renovation.

scholarly journals Electromobility in Poland and Slovakia. Benchmarking of Electric Vehicles for 2019

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 35-45
Author(s):  
Ewelina Sendek-Matysiak ◽  
Hubert Rzedowski ◽  
Tomas Skrucany
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Intergovernmental Panel ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Electric Cars ◽  
Effective Manner

Since the entry into force of the Paris Agreement in 2015, and with the publication of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on the consequences of 1.5 degrees of global warming, the issue of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in a cost-effective manner and within the timeframe outlined has become a matter of urgency. The transport sector, which accounts for a quarter of total GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions in the 28 EU Member States, is no exception. Due to the serious environmental impacts of transport, new mobility concepts are being implemented at both national and international levels. One of these is the large-scale deployment of electric vehicles, including those powered exclusively by Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) batteries. They are quiet and virtually emission-free and, in terms of safety, have the feature that, in the event of an accident, they reduce the risk of detonating the vehicle and of burning or burning out the passengers. This article presents the current state of electromobility in Poland and Slovakia with an indication of light electric cars BEV and the most important factors stimulating its development.

OTEC System Concepts

1994 ◽  
Author(s):  
William H. Avery ◽  
Chih Wu
Keyword(s):  
Systems Engineering ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
System Development ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Early Years ◽  
The People ◽  
New Energy

Systems engineering is a top-down approach to program management and systems procurement. It optimizes the development process by ensuring that the operational, technical, and cost goals (and limitations) of a total proposed system are understood before development begins. The requirements for the “forest” are determined before the features of the “trees” are specified. It makes a basic assumption that a team endeavor under single-system management will be established with authority to define development goals and assign subsystem programs and funding. It recognizes that each system requires a unique management structure that is based on the qualifications of the people and organizations available for the total endeavor. Systems engineering begins with an authoritative request or requirement for a system that would provide new capabilities or would reduce existing problems in a significant technical activity. After personnel and level of effort for a preliminary assessment of the need are identified, the initial effort then involves these steps: 1. A precise definition is prepared of the specific operational need for which the proposed system must provide a solution. For example, this book addresses the present national need for a new energy system that can provide a practical, timely, cost-effective, and nonpolluting alternative to petroleum-based fuels for transportation. The need arises from three factors: a. The perception that an alternative to dependence on petroleum fuels for transportation must be developed to avoid severe disruption of world economies in the early years of the twenty-first century; b. Evidence that combustion of fossil fuels is causing a significant increase in the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere (if not reduced, this could eventually produce a “greenhouse effect,” leading to large-scale changes in climate and an increase in sea level, with severe economic consequences); and c. The belief that solar energy can be used via OTEC to supply nonpolluting fuel in sufficient quantity, at low enough cost, and in time to become a practical alternative to dwindling or unavailable petroleum supplies. Failure to define the system need with sufficient clarity is a root cause of most system development difficulties.

scholarly journals Systematic comparison of experimental assays and analytical pipelines for identification of active enhancers genome-wide

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Yao ◽  
Jin Liang ◽  
Abdullah Ozer ◽  
Alden King-Yung Leung ◽  
John T. Lis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
K562 Cells ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Nascent Transcript ◽  
Transcription Start Sites ◽  
The Road ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Active Enhancer ◽  
Effective Manner

Mounting evidence supports the idea that transcriptional patterns serve as more specific identifiers of active enhancers than histone marks; however, the optimal strategy to identify active enhancers both experimentally and computationally has not been determined. In this study, we compared 13 genome-wide RNA sequencing assays in K562 cells and showed that the nuclear run-on followed by cap-selection assay (namely, GRO/PRO-cap) has significant advantages in eRNA detection and active enhancer identification. We also introduced a new analytical tool, Peak Identifier for Nascent-Transcript Sequencing (PINTS), to identify active promoters and enhancers genome-wide and pinpoint the precise location of the 5′ transcription start sites (TSSs) within these regulatory elements. Finally, we compiled a comprehensive enhancer candidate compendium based on the detected eRNA TSSs available in 120 cell and tissue types. To facilitate the exploration and prioritization of these enhancer candidates, we also built a user-friendly web server (https://pints.yulab.org) for the compendium with various additional genomic and epigenomic annotations. With the knowledge of the best available assays and pipelines, this large-scale annotation of candidate enhancers will pave the road for selection and characterization of their functions in a time-, labor-, and cost-effective manner in future.

scholarly journals Looking Beyond Energy Efficiency: An Applied Review of Water Desalination Technologies and an Introduction to Capillary-Driven Desalination

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 696 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyedsaeid Ahmadvand ◽  
Behrooz Abbasi ◽  
Babak Azarfar ◽  
Mohammed Elhashimi ◽  
Xiang Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Water Desalination ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Energy Localization ◽  
Capillary Action ◽  
High Salinity Water ◽  
Increase Energy Efficiency

Most notable emerging water desalination technologies and related publications, as examined by the authors, investigate opportunities to increase energy efficiency of the process. In this paper, the authors reason that improving energy efficiency is only one route to produce more cost-effective potable water with fewer emissions. In fact, the grade of energy that is used to desalinate water plays an equally important role in its economic viability and overall emission reduction. This paper provides a critical review of desalination strategies with emphasis on means of using low-grade energy rather than solely focusing on reaching the thermodynamic energy limit. Herein, it is argued that large-scale commercial desalination technologies have by-and-large reached their engineering potential. They are now mostly limited by the fundamental process design rather than process optimization, which has very limited room for improvement without foundational change to the process itself. The conventional approach toward more energy efficient water desalination is to shift from thermal technologies to reverse osmosis (RO). However, RO suffers from three fundamental issues: (1) it is very sensitive to high-salinity water, (2) it is not suitable for zero liquid discharge and is therefore environmentally challenging, and (3) it is not compatible with low-grade energy. From extensive research and review of existing commercial and lab-scale technologies, the authors propose that a fundamental shift is needed to make water desalination more affordable and economical. Future directions may include novel ideas such as taking advantage of energy localization, surficial/interfacial evaporation, and capillary action. Here, some emerging technologies are discussed along with the viability of incorporating low-grade energy and its economic consequences. Finally, a new process is discussed and characterized for water desalination driven by capillary action. The latter has great significance for using low-grade energy and its substantial potential to generate salinity/blue energy.

scholarly journals From laboratory to field: applying the Fo47 biocontrol strain in potato fields

2020 ◽  
Vol 158 (3) ◽  
pp. 645-654
Author(s):  
Maria E. Constantin ◽  
Francisco J. de Lamo ◽  
Martijn Rep ◽  
Frank L. W. Takken
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Biocontrol Agent ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Inoculum Production ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
Biocontrol Potential ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Biocontrol Strain

Abstract Endophytic microbes conferring biocontrol are an eco-friendly alternative to control diseases in crops. Unfortunately, the use of endophytes to control diseases is not yet widespread as their application in agricultural settings is challenging and the outcome variable. Translating strains that perform well under laboratory conditions to the field poses several challenges. One is large scale inoculum production in a cost-effective manner. Here, we developed a framework to scale up inoculum production of Fusarium oxysporum 47 (Fo47), assess inoculum viability and its performance in the field and effects on potato yield and performance. The Fo47 endophyte is a well-described biocontrol agent, isolated from disease suppressive soils in the 1980’s. Using mung bean medium, we could routinely produce ≈7 × 108 spores/mL. Using 60 mL of 107 spores/mL per tuber we could re-isolate the fungus 79 days after application from 60 to 70% of the inoculated plants in a large-scale potato field trial (Clenze, Germany). Furthermore, this protocol can be used to assess Fo47 biocontrol potential under field conditions. The presence of the fungus did not negatively affect plant yield or starch production and did not increase susceptibility to endemic pathogens.

scholarly journals Strategies for Functional Interrogation of Big Cancer Data Using Drosophila Cancer Models

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. 3754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erdem Bangi
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Experimental Models ◽  
Cancer Data ◽  
Functional Studies ◽  
Cancer Models ◽  
Effective Manner

Rapid development of high throughput genome analysis technologies accompanied by significant reduction in costs has led to the accumulation of an incredible amount of data during the last decade. The emergence of big data has had a particularly significant impact in biomedical research by providing unprecedented, systems-level access to many disease states including cancer, and has created promising opportunities as well as new challenges. Arguably, the most significant challenge cancer research currently faces is finding effective ways to use big data to improve our understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying tumorigenesis and developing effective new therapies. Functional exploration of these datasets and testing predictions from computational approaches using experimental models to interrogate their biological relevance is a key step towards achieving this goal. Given the daunting scale and complexity of the big data available, experimental systems like Drosophila that allow large-scale functional studies and complex genetic manipulations in a rapid, cost-effective manner will be of particular importance for this purpose. Findings from these large-scale exploratory functional studies can then be used to formulate more specific hypotheses to be explored in mammalian models. Here, I will discuss several strategies for functional exploration of big cancer data using Drosophila cancer models.

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