What goes down must come up? Trends of industrial electricity use in the North-West of Russia

This article uses decomposition method to analyse industrial electricity consumption in North-Western Russia, namely in Archangelsk oblast, the Republic of Karelia and Murmansk oblast. The case sectors, forestry and electricity, have in most cases developed similarly in the chosen regions during 1990–2001. The decomposition analysis shows that the reduction of economic activity has reduced electricity consumption in all three regions but that it is not always the main factor reducing consumption. The changes in energy efficiency increased consumption in the forestry sector in all regions while in the electricity sector it led to a reduction. The changes in the structures of the regional economies increased electricity consumption in electricity industry which gained importance due to developments in the manufacturing industry. In Murmansk, forestry sector has almost disappeared during the observation period. This was the main observed electricity consumption reduction caused by structural changes. Many of the developments can be better understood against the general knowledge of transition factors.     

A Transition-Edge Sensor with Two Excess Noise Mechanisms

We present noise data measured from a Ti/Au transition-edge sensor that is coupled via a dot matrix to a Cu/Bi absorber. The observed noise properties can be explained by a combination of excess white noise and internal thermal fluctuations. Quite unexpectedly, the excess white noise level goes down if one biases the sensor deep enough in the transition.      

Direct synthesis of carbon nanofibers on the surface of copper powder

A novel approach to synthesize carbon nanofibers (CNFs) directly on the surface of metal μm-sized particles to evenly disperse the carbon nanomaterials in a composite material was proposed. As a metal matrix, 5–10 μm copper particles were utilized. As a carbon source, C₂H₂, CH₄ and CO were examined. The best conditions were found to be in C₂H₂ (30 cm³/min) and H₂ (260 cm³/min) atmosphere at the temperature of 750 °C. The composites based on copper and CNFs prepared by vacuum hot pressing showed the increase in hardness from 35 to 60 kg/mm² almost retaining pure copper electrical properties.     

Electrical capacitance tomography as a monitoring tool for high-shear mixing and granulation

Electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) was utilized for monitoring of high-shear mixing and high-shear granulation processes. A finite element method (FEM)-based reconstruction algorithm was utilized to take into account the specific geometrical characteristics of the experimental set-up. Two-dimensional ECT tomograms, mixing index curves and permittivity fractions were computed based on the measurements, and their suitability in the analysis of the processes was assessed. It was found that the different mixing processes and the different granulation processes could be analyzed based on these quantities.     

Estimation of kinetic and transport parameters by quantitative evaluation of EIS and XPS data

The relatively large number of adjustable parameters often precludes the unambiguous interpretation of electrochemical impedance spectra in terms of a unique kinetic model. In the present paper, the possibilities offered by a combination between in situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopic data and ex situ surface analytical information to improve the credibility of the estimates of the kinetic and transport parameters are discussed. Two electrode systems in which passive oxide films are formed—stainless steel in simulated pressurised water reactor coolant and tungsten in sulphate-fluoride solutions—are used as representative examples to demonstrate the different approaches taken to analyse the experimental data in terms of the Mixed-Conduction Model. Ways to extract information on the rate-limiting steps of the process of passive film formation, growth and restructuring by quantitative comparison of the model equations to electrochemical impedance and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic data are described and the significance of the obtained parameters for the kinetics of the overall process of metal and alloy dissolution in the passive state is discussed.     

Methane oxidation on alumina supported palladium catalysts: Effect of Pd precursor and solvent

Palladium precursors and solvents were studied for their effects on the activities of alumina-based palladium catalysts in methane combustion and the resistance of the catalysts to thermal aging. The properties of the catalysts were compared with those of a commercial reference. The palladium precursors were Pd(propionate)₂, Pd(acetate)₂ and Pd(acetyl acetonate)₂ and the solvents were acetone, acetic acid, propionic acid and toluene. Catalysts were prepared by the wet impregnation method.Catalysts were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The surface areas were measured by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method (BET). Acidity of the alumina support was measured by NH₃ desorption. Activities of the catalysts in methane oxidation were screened under lean burn conditions.In methane oxidation with fresh catalyst, the best performance was obtained with a combination of Pd(acetate)₂ and acetic or propionic acid. The light-off temperatures of the fresh catalysts (562 K and 557 K, respectively) were slightly lower than the light-off temperature (567 K) of the commercial reference. Differences between the light-off temperatures of the aged and fresh catalysts were least when the catalysts were prepared with Pd(acetyl acetonate)₂ as Pd precursor and in acetic or propionic acid as solvent: +12 K and +18 K, respectively. The corresponding value for the reference was +64 K. For several of the fresh catalysts, conversion in methane oxidation at 623 K was over 90%. A comparison of methane combustion and NH₃ desorption results indicated that acidity of the support material affects catalysts activity.     

Testing the effort-reward imbalance model among Finnish managers: The role of perceived organizational support.

The present study is aimed at examining the combined effects of effort-reward imbalance (ERI), overcommitment (OVC), and perceived organizational support (POS) on turnover intentions and work engagement, among Finnish managers (n = 1,301). Consequently, the study contributes to the research literature by examining how the ERI-outcomes relationship was dependent simultaneously on OVC and POS. The results showed that ERI × OVC × POS interaction was significant only for turnover intentions. The ERI-turnover intentions relationship was strongest under conditions of high OVC and low POS. In addition, the relationship between ERI and decreased work engagement, especially dedication, was strengthened among overcommitted managers, compared to their less committed counterparts. Altogether, the results indicate that interventions aimed at reducing turnover intentions and increasing work engagement by increasing ERI should consider OVC and POS. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of A-site metal on methane combustion on 2% Pd / AMn1-x Fe x O3 (A = Ba, La, Pr; x = 0.4, 0.6, 1) perovskites

Barium, lanthanum, and praseodymium perovskites were prepared by malic acid complexation. Surface areas of the La and Pr perovskites were between 17.1 and 21.6 m² g⁻¹. The moderate low surface areas (5.7 m² g⁻¹) observed for corresponding barium perovskites were due to the high calcination temperatures. The calcination temperature also affected the shapes and sizes of the perovskite particles. According to SEM images the nanoparticles of the La and Pr perovskites were spherical, whereas those of barium perovskites were flakes. The conversion of methane increased in the order of A-site metal Ba < Pr < La. The CH₄ conversion after SO₂ treatment correlated with size of the perovskite particles: the smaller the particles the better the activity. The highest methane conversion after SO₂ treatment was achieved with lanthanum perovskite with B-site metal combination Mn_0.4Fe_0.6.     

Biomechanical evaluation of heavy tool-handling in two age groups of firemen.

The biomechanical load of a rescue-clearing task (lifting a power saw from the floor up to the ceiling level) was evaluated with six older (47 +/- 5 years) and seven younger firemen (32 +/- 2 years). The mean dynamic compressive force at the L5/SI disc was 5998 N for the older subjects and 6392 N for the younger subjects. The peak torques for the back and knee extensions were about equal for the two groups of the subjects. The younger subjects had a significantly higher movement speed in the knee extension than the older subjects (89.1 +/- 25.7 vs. 35.3 +/- 11.5 degrees/s, p less than 0.001). The results showed that lifting a power saw produced a high load on the musculoskeletal system, and that the load was not influenced by age.     

Adrenomedullin gene expression in the rat heart is stimulated by acute pressure overload: blunted effect in experimental hypertension

The levels of adrenomedullin (ADM), a newly discovered vasodilating and natriuretic peptide, are elevated in plasma and ventricular myocardium in human congestive heart failure suggesting that cardiac synthesis may contribute to the plasma concentrations of ADM. To examine the time course of induction and mechanisms regulating cardiac ADM gene expression, we determined the effect of acute and short-term cardiac overload on ventricular ADM mRNA and immunoreactive ADM (ir-ADM) levels in conscious rats. Acute pressure overload was produced by infusion of arginine8-vasopressin (AVP, 0.05 microg/kg/min, i.v.) for 2 h into 12-week-old hypertensive TGR(mREN-2)27 rats and normotensive Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Hypertension and marked left ventricular hypertrophy were associated with 2.2-times higher ir-ADM levels in the left ventricular epicardial layer (178 +/- 36 vs. 81 +/- 23 fmol/g, P<0.05) and 2.6-times higher ir-ADM levels in the left ventricular endocardial layer (213 +/- 23 vs. 83 +/- 22 fmol/g, P<0.01). The infusion of AVP for 2 h in normotensive rats produced rapid increases in the levels of left ventricular ADM mRNA (epicardial layer: 1.6-fold, P<0.05) and ir-ADM (endocardial layer: from 83 +/- 22 to 140 +/- 12 fmol/g, P<0.05), whereas ventricular ADM mRNA and ir-ADM levels did not change significantly in hypertensive rats. Short-term cardiac overload, induced by administration of angiotensin II (33.3 microg/kg/h, s.c., osmotic minipumps) for two weeks in normotensive SD rats resulted in left ventricular hypertrophy (3.05 +/- 0.17 vs. 2.75 +/- 0.3 mg/g, P<0.05) and a 1.5-fold increase (P<0.05) in ventricular ADM mRNA levels. In conclusion, the present results show that pressure overload acutely stimulated ventricular ADM gene expression in conscious normotensive rats suggesting a potential beneficial role for endogenous ADM production in the heart against cardiac overload. Since pressure overload-induced increase in ADM synthesis was attenuated in hypertensive rats, alterations in the ADM system may contribute to the pathogenesis of hypertension in the TGR(mREN-2)27 rat.