Health impact assessment in the United States

Rapid economic integration of Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta under the policy of “One Country Two Systems” and the consequent social and environmental degradation mean that assessment of sustainability impacts of development projects is essential. However, some fundamental problems are identified for the two systems to carry out SIA before embarking on development projects: minimal integration in terms of institutional set-up, strategies and policies concerning sustainable development; pre-set sustainability indicators rather than tailor-made ones to assess policies, programmes and projects of various nature; and rather different social, economic and environmental norms and development problems. In the short run, given these constraints, SIA in the region though “necessary” is rather “impossible”. Nevertheless, recommendations are put forward to facilitate regional cooperation of SIA practices in the longer term.     

Environmental impact of warehousing: a scenario analysis for the United States

In recent years, there has been observed a continued growth of global carbon dioxide emissions, which are considered as a crucial factor for the greenhouse effect and associated with substantial environmental damages. Amongst others, logistic activities in global supply chains have become a major cause of industrial emissions and the progressing environmental pollution. Although a significant amount of logistic-related carbon dioxide emissions is caused by storage and material handling processes in warehouses, prior research mostly focused on the transport elements. The environmental impact of warehousing has received only little attention by research so far. Operating large and highly technological warehouses, however, causes a significant amount of energy consumption due to lighting, heating, cooling and air condition as well as fixed and mobile material handling equipment which induces considerable carbon dioxide emissions. The aim of this paper is to summarise preliminary studies of warehouse-related emissions and to discuss an integrated classification scheme enabling researchers and practitioners to systematically assess the carbon footprint of warehouse operations. Based on the systematic assessment approach containing emissions determinants and aggregates, overall warehouse emissions as well as several strategies for reducing the carbon footprint will be studied at the country level using empirical data of the United States. In addition, a factorial analysis of the warehouse-related carbon dioxide emissions in the United States enables the estimation of future developments and facilitates valuable insights for identifying effective mitigation strategies.     

The rise and fall of nuclear power in the United States and the limits of regulation

This paper documents the rapid growth of nuclear power in the United States and its subsequent decline in the late 1970s. It demonstrates that the increase in numbers of new orders for nuclear plants created pressures for additional licensing complexity to insure safety and provide public intervenors with opportunities to participate in the regulatory process. The resulting protraction of the licensing process combined with increasing political opposition to nuclear power caused construction delays and bureaucratic bottlenecks at a time when soaring interest rates and double-digit inflation have pushed the cost of building new facilities out of the reach of the financially battered utility industry. Together with a downturn in demand for electricity and increasing uncertainty over nuclear power, no reactor orders have been placed since late 1978. It is argued that renewed growth of nuclear power in the United States is unlikely, especially in a regulatory environment which fosters increased costs of electricity to consumers and a simultaneous abrogation of the economies of scale. The consequences of the impending atrophication of the nuclear industry in America and its effects on future energy mixes and long-term national interests must be considered in future nuclear policies and reforms.     

Patent evolution in relation to public/private R&D investment and corporate profitability: Evidence from the United States

Summary In this paper we analyze the (historical) co-evolution of technological development and economic progress (by relating public and private R&D investment, patenting, and corporate profitability). We relate to the work ofSchmookler(1966),Griliches(1990),Pakes&Griliches(1980) andPakes(1986) who all have studied the techno-economic interplay by considering patents as in indicator of technological performance. We use United States industry and government data over the period 1953-1998 (45 years). Co-evolution analysis over this period reveals a strong interdependency among the variables. Patent evolution is strongly related to the development of private R&D and corporate profitability; the levels of public and private R&D expenditure in combination with the level of technological output (i.e. patents) have a strong predictive and explanatory power towards corporate profitability (R² value of 94.9%). Causality tests reveal a joint determination between R&D investment and corporate profitability (L=2; p<0.01).     

The impact of warfare on the rate of invention: A time series analysis of United States patent activity

The outbreak of war is generally thought to shift the fields in which research is conducted. As a result, military conflict has historically been credited with being the catalyst which has caused decisive technological advances. It is also generally suggested that warfare has a systematic impact on the intensity of inventive activity. Most scholars have claimed that wars increase inventiveness, although a few argue that conflict is a hinderance to research. This question has not received extensive empirical examination. Using United States data, we show that a basic pattern is repeatedly observed. Immediately after the outbreak of a war, there is a significant decline in inventiveness, which is followed by a marked surge. The average net result is a virtual negation of the two trends.     

Environmental impact of military base closure in the United States: a case study on the closing of Fort Sheridan,Illinois

In 1991, the Fort Sheridan Army Garrison was slated for closure and remediation. This would have a significant economic and environmental impact on the region, particularly the three surrounding communities. Once the base closed, there would be about 700 acres of what are considered some of Illinois' most valuable real estate available for future use. This study identified the hazards, such as soil and groundwater contaminated with toxic or hazardous fuels, that were found as a result of the military activity; it analyzes the process by which the conflicting regulatory authorities assessed the facility. Particular emphasis focuses on how the Army communicated the risks found at the base to the three surrounding communities.     

Cultural assumptions and productivity: the United States and China

Based on the premise that the study of another culture is a useful tool for learning about one's own environment, the author compares and contrasts major cultural characteristics of the U.S. and China. Although he guards against the idea of blindly adopting major Chinese cultural assumptions, the author feels that the U.S. may benefit economically by looking toward China to find new insights and fresh approaches to help the U.S. better cope with prevalent economic ills--low productivity and lack of innovation in the work force.     

Engineering education and registration in the United States

Membership of an engineering institution is not as closely controlled in the USA as in the UK, so that membership is not considered a professional qualification. Engineering registration is the responsibility of an appointed board in each state. The requirements for registration include the equivalent of a university degree accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, a private association composed of representatives from the engineering societies and institutions. This article describes the registration procedure in the USA with an emphasis on the American engineering education system     

Pedestrian safety in the United States: Some recent trends

Although the state laws requiring motor vehicles to give way to pedestrians on crosswalks and at intersections are quite uniform from state to state, the degree of enforcement of these laws varies enormously. Driver behavior seems to reflect the level of enforcement rather than the text of the law. There is a tendency at all levels of government toward lax enforcement.     

University-Based Engineering Research in the United States

This paper reports results from an NSF-supported survey of a national probability sample of U.S. engineering faculty on the nature and organization of their research activities. We analyze how engineering faculty spend their time, the types of research faculty conduct, characteristics of that research, how that research has changed over time, and the involvement of students in engineering research, based upon the engineering discipline, institutional research intensiveness and age of the respondents. These data and results represent a perspective on university-based engineering research activities from the point of view of active researchers across most of the engineering schools in the United States.     

Rapid Access Methods in the United States

The current status of rapid access photography in the United States is reviewed, with emphasis on available equipment for rapid processing, and image recording and display with minimum delay. Such equipment includes machines using deep tanks, roller applicators, other special applicators, jet sprays, viscous layers and webs. A brief account is given of recent laboratory work reported in U.S. technical journals, and other developments in the chemistry of rapid processing. In a review of electrophotography, reference is made to some recent developments which could lead to a wider use of this technique in rapid-access applications.     

Recycling of plastic packaging in the United States

The manner in which recycling of plastic packaging is developing in the USA is outlined and the probable changes in the next decade are discussed. Suggestions as to how packaging professions should deal with the subject are made.     

Short and long nightly hemodialysis in the United States

When hemodialysis first started in the United States in the 1960s, a large percentage of patients performed their treatments at home. However, because of reimbursement issues, home hemodialysis (HHD) gradually succumbed to an in-center approach and eventually a mindset. Since the introduction of nightly HHD by Uldall and Pierratos in 1993, there has been a resurgence of interest in HHD. This paper describes the different types of home hemodialysis being performed as of December 31, 2007 in this country. Because neither the United States Renal Data System (USRDS) nor the End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Networks break down home dialysis into the different modalities, a provider questionnaire was sent out to 2 major providers, a number of mid-level providers and other providers known to do HHD. In addition, a questionnaire was sent out to 3 machine providers to obtain the number of patients using their machine for HHD as of December 31, 2007. The results showed that 91.7% of patients are dialyzing in-center, 7.3% are doing peritoneal dialysis, and 0.7% are doing HHD. Currently about 1% of ESRD patients in the United States are doing home hemodialysis. NxStage, however, has started 1000 patients in the past year on short-daily home hemodialysis. Patients are beginning to understand that there are better options than 3 times a week in-center dialysis. And as a result of the "HEMO Study," nephrologists now believe that longer and more frequent dialysis is a better therapy for ESRD patients. Therefore, promotion of HHD should become a priority for the renal community in the future.     

Performance measures for the socio-economic impact of government spending on R&D

Summary The aims of this paper are to summarize Canadian government programs pertaining to research and development (R&D) and R&D support programs, and to propose a method for analyzing their socio-economic impact. The programs under investigation include: • Canada Research Chairs • Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation • Canada Foundation for Innovation • Technology Partnerships Canada (TPC) • Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) • Canada Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) • Canadian Institute of Advanced Research (CIAR) • Pre-Competitive Advanced Research Networks (PRECARN) • Networks of Centres of Excellence