EU renewable energy support policy: Faith or facts?

The recent EU Commission proposal for promoting the supply of power from renewable energy sources was originally based on a pan-European, harmonised tradable green certificate (TGC) scheme. We suggest, on the basis of a multi-disciplinary analysis, that a pan-EU TGC system is not the way forward for Europe. It is vital that the Commission (and the majority of Member States) avoids implementation of such policy designs put forward by a coalition of vested interests. They should instead look at, and act upon, the available evidence from those countries that have experimented with TGCs (e.g. Flanders, UK and Sweden) and design policies that stand a better chance of meeting the criteria of effectiveness, efficiency and equity. In particular, the policies must enable EU to meet the immense innovation/industrialisation challenge by inducing the development of a capital goods industry that can, eventually, diffuse a broad range of technologies that use renewable energy sources. Only then we can acquire an ability to implement an industrial revolution in the energy system in a way that broadly meets the criteria of effectiveness and dynamic efficiency.     

Longitudinal impact of two universal preventive interventions in first grade on educational outcomes in high school.

This study examined the longitudinal effects of 2 first-grade universal preventive interventions on academic outcomes (e.g., achievement, special education service use, graduation, postsecondary education) through age 19 in a sample of 678 urban, primarily African American children. The classroom-centered intervention combined the Good Behavior Game (H. H. Barrish, Saunders, & Wolfe, 1969) with an enhanced academic curriculum, whereas a second intervention, the Family–School Partnership, focused on promoting parental involvement in educational activities and bolstering parents’ behavior management strategies. Both programs aimed to address the proximal targets of aggressive behavior and poor academic achievement. Although the effects varied by gender, the classroom-centered intervention was associated with higher scores on standardized achievement tests, greater odds of high school graduation and college attendance, and reduced odds of special education service use. The intervention effects of the Family–School Partnership were in the expected direction; however, only 1 effect reached statistical significance. The findings of this randomized controlled trial illustrate the long-term educational impact of preventive interventions in early elementary school. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Defect passivation on cast-mono crystalline screen-printed cells

Cast-mono crystalline silicon wafers contain crystallographic defects, which can severely impact the electrical performance of solar cells. This paper demonstrates that applying hydrogenation processes at moderate temperatures to finished screen print cells can passivate dislocation clusters within the cast-mono crystalline silicon wafers far better than the hydrogenation received during standard commercial firing conditions. Efficiency enhancements of up to 2% absolute are demonstrated on wafers with high dislocation densities. The impact of illumination to manipulate the charge state of hydrogen during annealing is investigated and found to not be significant on the wafers used in this study. This finding is contrary to a previous study on similar wafers that concluded increased H^– or H⁰ from laser illumination was responsible for the further passivation of positively charged dangling bonds within the dislocation clusters.     

Decarboxylative Heterocoupling Coupling of Substituted Benzoic Acids for Biaryl Synthesis

The heterocoupling between 2-nitrobenzoic and 2,6-dimethoxybenzoic acids was studied. It was demonstrated that the [PdCl₂/Cu(OH)₂:0.2/0.75 equiv.] catalytic system can catalyze this reaction with significant yield. Further optimizations (i.e.: sources and loadings of copper and palladium salts, base) allowed to isolate the biaryl in 70 % yield. A catalytic cycle that accounts for the observed results is proposed. While the bi-metal catalyst has shown high yields with some substrates, it is only able to catalyze the decarboxylative coupling in high yield for some of the substrates studied.     

Contribution to the textural characterisation of Filtrasorb 400 and other commercial activated carbons commonly used for water treatment

The textural characteristics of three commercial activated carbons, Filtrasorb 400 (F400), Industrial React High Affinity and Picabiol, commonly used in water treatment, are reinvestigated. Nitrogen physisorption isotherms are determined in the range P/P ₀ = [4 × 10⁻⁷–0.998] and processed using BET, α_S (Sing), Dubinin–Radushkevich and Density Functional Theory methods. In addition, fractal dimensions are determined by the Frenkel–Halsey–Hill procedure. Since F400 is often considered as a reference material in studies on the adsorption of solutes in aqueous solutions, a review of the textural characteristics of this carbon is carried out. The results obtained in this work using the different methods are consistent and a critical crossed comparison of these results allows discussing the limitations of the methods used. In particular, the impact of the P/P ₀ range considered on S _BET value is examined. In addition, the accuracy of the BET specific surface area is assessed in the light of information from recent literature.     

Absorption of silicon from artesian aquifer water and its impact on bone health in postmenopausal women: a 12 week pilot study

Background  

Decreased bone mineral density and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women represents a growing source of physical limitations and financial concerns in our aging population. While appropriate medical treatments such as bisphosphonate drugs and hormone replacement therapy exist, they are associated with serious side effects such as osteonecrosis of the jaw or increased cardiovascular risk. In addition to calcium and vitamin D supplementation, previous studies have demonstrated a beneficial effect of dietary silicon on bone health. This study evaluated the absorption of silicon from bottled artesian aquifer water and its effect on markers of bone metabolism.     

Physicochemical Properties and Eating Qualities of Milled Rice from Different Korean Elite Rice Varieties

Physicochemical properties and palatability of rice from six elite varieties in Korea (Chucheongbyeo, Saechucheongbyeo, Mihyangbyeo, Hitomebore, Nampyeongbyeo, and Ilpumbyeo) were analyzed. All samples, which contained 17–18 g/100 g rice starch amylose, belong to low-amylose rice group. Hitomebore variety showed abundant amount of essential amino acids, highest palatability score (82.9), and lowest mineral content. The rice samples contained relatively similar concentrations of saturated (21–24 g/100 g rice) and unsaturated (75–78 g/100 g rice) fatty acids. Mihyangbyeo variety exhibited the highest amount of protein (8.10 g/100 g rice), sugar content, and pasting temperature (82.75°C) and time (3.78 min), but lowest viscosity values. Ribose, rhamnose, and potassium were found to have negative correlations with palatability and breakdown viscosity, indicating that gelatinization characteristics could also be used in evaluating the eating quality of rice. Results of this study could assist plant breeders in developing rice varieties with improved genetic traits and high eating quality.