Chapter 15Materials Flow Analysis as a Tool for Understanding Long-Term Developments

2016 ◽  
pp. 383-398
Keyword(s):  
2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Gajek ◽  
J. Trojanowski ◽  
M. Malinowski

Abstract. Changes in the global temperature balance have proved to have a major impact on the cryosphere and therefore retreating glaciers are the symbol of the warming climate. Long-term measurements of geophysical parameters provide the insight into the dynamics of those processes over many years. Here we explore the possibility of using data recorded by permanent seismological stations to monitor glacial seismic activity. Our study focuses on year-to-year changes in seismicity of the Hansbreen glacier (southern Spitsbergen). We have processed 7-year-long continuous seismological data recorded by a broadband station located in the fjord of Hornsund, obtaining seismicity distribution between 2008 and 2014. To distinguish between glacier- and non-glacier-origin events with the data from only one seismic station in the area, we developed a new fuzzy logic algorithm based on the seismic signal frequency and the energy flow analysis. Our research has revealed that the number of detected glacier-origin events over the last two years has doubled. We also observed that the annual events distribution correlates well with the temperature and precipitation data. In order to further support our observations, we have analysed 5-year-long seismological data recorded by a broadband station located in Ny-Ålesund (western Spitsbergen). Distribution of glacier-origin tremors detected in the vicinity of the Kronebreen glacier shows a steady increase from year to year, however not as significant as for the Hornsund dataset.


2016 ◽  
Vol 175 (5) ◽  
pp. R185-R202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Livia Lamartina ◽  
Désirée Deandreis ◽  
Cosimo Durante ◽  
Sebastiano Filetti

The clinical and epidemiological profiles of differentiated thyroid cancers (DTCs) have changed in the last three decades. Today’s DTCs are more likely to be small, localized, asymptomatic papillary forms. Current practice is, though, moving toward more conservative approaches (e.g. lobectomy instead of total thyroidectomy, selective use of radioiodine). This evolution has been paralleled and partly driven by rapid technological advances in the field of diagnostic imaging. The challenge of contemporary DTCs follow-up is to tailor a risk-of-recurrence-based management, taking into account the dynamic nature of these risks, which evolve over time, spontaneously and in response to treatments. This review provides a closer look at the evolving evidence-based views on the use and utility of imaging technology in the post-treatment staging and the short- and long-term surveillance of patients with DTCs. The studies considered range from cervical US with Doppler flow analysis to an expanding palette of increasingly sophisticated second-line studies (cross-sectional, functional, combined-modality approaches), which can be used to detect disease that has spread beyond the neck and, in some cases, shed light on its probable outcome.


2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Gray ◽  
Grady Hanrahan ◽  
Ian McKelvie ◽  
Alan Tappin ◽  
Florence Tse ◽  
...  

Environmental Context.Eutrophication is a growing problem globally, and it has significant ecological and socio-economic consequences. Understanding the causes of eutrophication requires a knowledge of nutrient biogeochemistry in aquatic systems. Owing to the high spatial and temporal variability of nutrients in these systems, there is a need for autonomous in situ measurement techniques with rapid response and the ability to collect long-term data. Flow injection analysis is one technique that meets these demands. Abstract.Flow analysis offers a versatile and powerful approach to monitoring of the aquatic environment. The present review highlights the drivers for determining macro- and micro-nutrients in marine and fresh waters, and outlines the instrumental requirements for in situ instrumentation. The principles of flow analysis, specifically flow injection and derivative techniques, and the chemical bases for macro- and micro-nutrient detection are discussed, and key examples of suitable approaches are considered. The successful deployment of flow analysis nutrient monitoring systems for spatial and temporal measurements is illustrated by specific examples relating to surface transects, depth profiles and temporal deployments. Finally, the challenges and imperatives of research in this area are outlined.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-158
Author(s):  
Serhii Onikiienko ◽  
Yevheniia Polishchuk ◽  
Alla Ivashenko ◽  
Anna Kornyliuk ◽  
Nazar Demchyshak

Over the past three decades, the relative bank loan demand has changed due to the arising small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Therefore, banks in their operations face the problem of processing an ever-increasing number of loan applications. The aim of this paper is to develop an auxiliary approach to assessing the prior creditworthiness of long-term SME projects with nonstandard cash flows.This study reveals how the principles of value-based management can be incorporated into the process of borrower’s creditworthiness assessment to improve the process of screening loan applications. For this, the internal rate of return was used as a criterion for loan granting decision at the initial stage of loan underwriting.An algorithm for the preliminary evaluation of loan applications is proposed and is based on the principle of maximizing the shareholder value of banks. This algorithm helps to define the credit terms taking into consideration the distribution of positive cash flows throughout the project’s expected economic life, calculate the possible real effective interest rate concerning the borrower’s nonstandard cash flow schedule, make a rough analysis on the economic efficiency of lending and state the necessary criterion to initiate the procedure of loan underwriting for the projects with nonstandard cash flow schedules. The proposed estimation algorithm stemming from the IRR-approach for the cash flow analysis can also be initially used by a borrower as a tool for credit solvency self-testing via screening of periods with corresponding cash flows that can be used for loan servicing.


2009 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 595-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. W. Lyon ◽  
G. Destouni ◽  
R. Giesler ◽  
C. Humborg ◽  
M. Mörth ◽  
...  

Abstract. Permafrost thawing is likely to change the flow pathways taken by water as it moves through arctic and sub-arctic landscapes. The location and distribution of these pathways directly influence the carbon and other biogeochemical cycling in northern latitude catchments. While permafrost thawing due to climate change has been observed in the arctic and sub-arctic, direct observations of permafrost depth are difficult to perform at scales larger than a local scale. Using recession flow analysis, it may be possible to detect and estimate the rate of permafrost thawing based on a long-term streamflow record. We demonstrate the application of this approach to the sub-arctic Abiskojokken catchment in northern Sweden. Based on recession flow analysis, we estimate that permafrost in this catchment may be thawing at an average rate of about 0.9 cm/yr during the past 90 years. This estimated thawing rate is consistent with direct observations of permafrost thawing rates, ranging from 0.7 to 1.3 cm/yr over the past 30 years in the region.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vikram Sabapathy ◽  
Saranya Ravi ◽  
Vivi Srivastava ◽  
Alok Srivastava ◽  
Sanjay Kumar

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are an alluring therapeutic resource because of their plasticity, immunoregulatory capacity and ease of availability. Human BM-derived MSCs have limited proliferative capability, consequently, it is challenging to use in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. Hence, placental MSCs of maternal origin, which is one of richest sources of MSCs were chosen to establish long-term culture from the cotyledons of full-term human placenta. Flow analysis established bonafied MSCs phenotypic characteristics, staining positively for CD29, CD73, CD90, CD105 and negatively for CD14, CD34, CD45 markers. Pluripotency of the cultured MSCs was assessed by in vitro differentiation towards not only intralineage cells like adipocytes, osteocytes, chondrocytes, and myotubules cells but also translineage differentiated towards pancreatic progenitor cells, neural cells, and retinal cells displaying plasticity. These cells did not significantly alter cell cycle or apoptosis pattern while maintaining the normal karyotype; they also have limited expression of MHC-II antigens and are Naive for stimulatory factors CD80 and CD 86. Further soft agar assays revealed that placental MSCs do not have the ability to form invasive colonies. Taking together all these characteristics into consideration, it indicates that placental MSCs could serve as good candidates for development and progress of stem-cell based therapeutics.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cindi L. Brown ◽  
Chelcy F. MiEniat ◽  
Jennifer D. Knoepp

Abstract Long-term (LT) stream chemistry studies are used to examine changes in and responses to the environment. Much of the data collected over long periods of time goes through changes in instrumentation, methods, and personnel potentially resulting in changing values. A data user must understand these measures of data quality through quality control (QC) results to know with certainty if trends are real or attributable to other factors. We used the Web of Science database search engine to search for LT stream chemistry studies. For each study, we then determined: record or study length; if QC was reported; and if QC was used. We found that 33% of papers reported QC in the method, and 12% presented the QC in the results. Next, we conducted a case study on 46 years of stream chemistry data to evaluate the data with and without the application of QC protocols from two watersheds (WS) at Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory; WS 7; clear-cut in 1967–77 and adjacent WS 2 which serves as a reference. We focused on nitrogen and sulfur due to their importance in understanding the forest ecosystem response to disturbance (NO3) and acid deposition (SO4). We determined average annual dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) export (NH4 + NO3 = DIN) using three methods for censoring values below the method detection limit (mdl): (1) the found value, (2) the value of zero, and (3) one-half the mdl value. We found that DIN export for WS 2/WS 7 was (1) 66.9/831.4 (g ha−1 yr−1), (2) 45.4/808.0 (g ha−1 yr−1), and (3) 72.1/823.2 (g ha−1 yr−1) using the three censoring methods, and that the export estimate was significantly different for WS 2 but not for WS 7 (P = 0.001). We found that on average stream NH4 concentrations were below the mdl 58% of the time until an instrument change in 1994 resulted in improved mdls resulting in fewer data points below detection. We found increased bias for stream SO4 concentration following an instrumentation change from segmented flow analysis to ion chromatography. As a result, stream SO4 concentration data that were bias-corrected declined more rapidly in WS 2 compared with non-bias-corrected data, but not in WS 7. We conclude that including QC results with LT data is essential to verify data validity and give the data user a full understanding of the results.


2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-63
Author(s):  
S.A. Smolyak

Abstract We propose a new model for the decomposition of rental multipliers for the property building element which also supports valuation of income-producing real properties based on the principle of stability and an un-orthodox application of discounted cash flow analysis. Having regard to the building/land element analytical split of overall property, the proposed model explicitly accounts for the impact of the value of underlying land on the decomposition of rental multipliers, and doesn’t require long-term forecasting of income.


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