Water Concession Principles for Geothermal Aquifers in the Mura-Zala Basin,NE Slovenia

Demand for thermal water in the Mura-Zala basin, situated between Slovenia, Austria, Hungary and Croatia, is constantly increasing, with the sandy geothermal aquifer within the Neogene Mura formation being the most exploited. During the water concession granting process various problems were identified, together with the need for elaboration of the uniform concession granting principles. The latter were devised according to the specific hydrogeological settings and field inspection of 23 geothermal wells, performed through use of an adapted methodology. The inspection revealed changes in wells performance, low efficiency of energy abstraction and a lack of reinjection. The acquired information was applied to the development of particular principles, including the six key indicators. Firstly, a unified and integrated operational monitoring programme must be established, and upgraded by a national surveillance monitoring. Secondly, an application of the best available techniques is proposed. Stimulation of energetic and balneology efficiency is also needed, with recharge and reinjection conditions evaluated and applied where possible. Limited or full water concessions could be granted based on their fulfilment then. This continuous step-by-step approach should enable the implementation of adequate measures to meet the standards required for the thermal groundwater bodies according to the EU water framework directions.     

On the usefulness of quantitative safety goals for state regulation of energy systems

The potential usefulness of quantitative safety goals for energy systems in the State of California is evaluated. Five energy-related risk issues, previously dealt with by state regulatory agencies, are examined for the role played by risk in decision-making and the possible role that quantitative safety goals might have played. Several other energy-related risk situations are identified and briefly discussed. It is concluded that quantitative safety goals do not appear to be needed for risk management of energy systems in California. However, there does appear to be a role for a central office of risk management in the State governmental structure. Such an office would provide a reference and evaluation service for other agencies. The potential usefulness of establishing threshold levels of risk for different kinds of action is also noted.     

A note on oscillation criteria of second order nonlinear neutral delay differential equations

In recent years, many results on oscillation criteria of second order nonlinear neutral delay differential equations have been obtained, but some of these criteria are incorrect due to a mistake in a crucial auxiliary result. This note examines several of these results, provides some counterexamples and points out what causes the problems.     

Modified track membranes with antibacterial properties

Microbiological contamination of polymeric membranes in the process of their exploitation is an essential problem of membrane technology. It results in the increase of manufacturing costs, destruction of membranes, operating life reduction and secondary contamination of water by the metabolism products of microorganisms. For the purpose of reduction of membrane biofouling and biodegradation investigation of adsorption of the guanidine containing oligomers on the surface of PET track membranes was conducted and their influence on the selectivity and antibacterial properties of the membranes was investigated. It was established that modified membranes have substantially higher resistance to biofouling.     

On thermal and vibrational properties of LaGaO3 single crystals

The thermal expansion and vibrational properties of [1 0 0] and [0 0 1] LaGaO₃ single crystals have been studied by thermal mechanical analysis and micro-Raman spectroscopy. A first-order orthorhombic to rhombohedral phase transition has been confirmed by both techniques, as well as by in situ heating using optical microscopy. The appearance of a metastable intermediate phase, tentatively assigned as monoclinic, has been detected both by optical microscopy and Raman spectroscopy upon heating of the [1 0 0] and [0 0 1] LaGaO₃ single crystals. Not only temperature, but the stress-induced orthorhombic to rhombohedral phase transition has also been detected by Raman mapping of the residual impression made by Vickers indentation. The position map of bands belonging to the lower-temperature/pressure orthorhombic and the higher-temperature/pressure rhombohedral phase show that the rhombohedral phase is located inside the impression, where the applied indentation stresses are the highest, whereas no rhombohedral phase is detected outside the impression, where the surface has not been altered by contact stresses.     

Effectiveness of error management training: A meta-analysis.

Error management training (EMT) is a training method that involves active exploration as well as explicit encouragement for learners to make errors during training and to learn from them. Past evaluation studies, which compared skill-based training outcomes of EMT with those of proceduralized erroravoidant training or of exploratory training without error encouragement, have yielded considerable variation in effect sizes. The present meta-analysis compiles the results of the existing studies and seeks to explain this variation. Although the mean effect of EMT across all 24 identified studies (N = 2,183) was positive and significant (Cohen's d = 0.44), there were several moderators. Moderator analyses showed effect sizes to be larger (a) for posttraining transfer (d = 0.56) than for within-training performance and (b) for performance tasks that were structurally distinct (adaptive transfer; d = 0.80) than for tasks that were similar to training (analogical transfer). In addition, both active exploration and error encouragement were identified as effective elements in EMT. Results suggest that EMT may be better suited than error-avoidant training methods for promotion of transfer to novel tasks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Memory complaints and abilities among depressed older adults.

The relation between complaints of memory problems and memory test performance was examined among depressed (n?=?25) and nondepressed (n?=?25) adults over the age of 40 years. Depressed adults were diagnosed from interviews using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) criteria and from responses to the Beck Depression Inventory. A dissociation between memory complaints and performance was observed. Depressed adults complained of greater problems in memory than nondepressed adults. However, the memory test performances of both groups were in the average-to-above-average range. These results are discussed in light of the role of self-deprecating cognitive distortions in the tendency of depressed individuals to negatively evaluate all their abilities, including their memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Targeting Mitochondria in Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes (T2D), one of the most prevalent noncommunicable diseases, is often preceded by insulin resistance (IR), which underlies the inability of tissues to respond to insulin and leads to disturbed metabolic homeostasis. Mitochondria, as a central player in the cellular energy metabolism, are involved in the mechanisms of IR and T2D. Mitochondrial function is affected by insulin resistance in different tissues, among which skeletal muscle and liver have the highest impact on whole-body glucose homeostasis. This review focuses on human studies that assess mitochondrial function in liver, muscle and blood cells in the context of T2D. Furthermore, different interventions targeting mitochondria in IR and T2D are listed, with a selection of studies using respirometry as a measure of mitochondrial function, for better data comparison. Altogether, mitochondrial respiratory capacity appears to be a metabolic indicator since it decreases as the disease progresses but increases after lifestyle (exercise) and pharmacological interventions, together with the improvement in metabolic health. Finally, novel therapeutics developed to target mitochondria have potential for a more integrative therapeutic approach, treating both causative and secondary defects of diabetes.     

Lipids in vascular function

Physiological and pathological vascular responses depend on the action of numerous intercellular mediators, ranging from hormones to gases like nitric oxide, proteins, and lipids. The last group consists not only of the different types of lipoproteins, but also includes a broad array of other lipophilic signaling molecules such as fatty acids, eicosanoids, phospholipids and their derivatives, sphingolipids and isoprenoids. Due to space limitations, it is impossible to discuss all the vascular effects of lipophilic mediators or compounds. Therefore, we will focus on one of the most important lipid-mediated diseases, atherosclerosis. Lipoproteins and especially their native or oxidized lipid compounds affect vascular function in many different ways, and these effects do not only modulate atherogenesis but are of paramount physiological and pathophysiological importance in other diseases, such as inflammation, tumor metastasis, or normal wound healing.     

Efficient stabilization of bulk fish oil rich in long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acids

The aim of the present study was to systematically investigate the possibilities of stabilizing a bulk oil rich in long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acids under ambient conditions. Combinations of different antioxidants (α‐, γ‐ and/or δ‐tocopherol, rosmarinic acid and rosemary extract rich in carnosic acid) as well as lecithin and citric acid were systematically investigated. Efficient stabilization was achieved by choosing a combination of tocopherols rich in γ‐ or δ‐tocopherol and low in α‐tocopherol, by including tocopherol‐sparing synergists like ascorbyl palmitate and carnosic acid from rosemary extract and metal‐chelating agents. For carnosic acid, a concentration of 400 mg/kg oil provides sufficient protection; the concentration of the metal chelator should be adapted to the concentration of metal ions present in the oil. As an alternative ingredient with metal‐chelating and tocopherol‐sparing activity, lecithin may be included in the formulation, but its poor solubility in bulk oils limits its use.