Behavioral research can provide important insights for SE practices. But in performing it, many studies of SE are committing a normative fallacy - they misappropriate normative and prescriptive theories for descriptive purposes. The evidence from reviews of empirical studies of decision making in SE suggests that the normative fallacy may is common. This article draws on cognitive psychology and behavioral economics to explains this fallacy. Because data collection is framed by narrow and empirically invalid theories, flawed assumptions baked into those theories lead to misleading interpretations of observed behaviors and ultimately, to invalid conclusions and flawed recommendations. Researchers should be careful not to rely solely on engineering methods to explain what people do when they do engineering. Instead, insist that descriptive research be based on validated descriptive theories, listen carefully to skilled practitioners, and only rely on validated findings to prescribe what they should do.

By Jon Queally Common Dreams Greenpeace says world leaders must not let the fossil fuel industry stand in the way of the necessary—and attainable—transition to a clean and safe energy future With scientists and experts from around the world telling … Continue reading →

By Andrea Germanos Common Dreams On the heels of clean fuel milestones in Germany and Portugal , a new report finds that the renewable energy industry employed over 8.1 million people worldwide in 2015. According to the International Renewable Energy … Continue reading →

By Joel Bahr Berkeley News A new study co-authored by UC Berkeley professor Michael Manga confirms that earthquakes in America’s oil country — including a 4.8 magnitude quake that rocked Texas in 2012 — are being triggered by significant injections … Continue reading →

Methods of separating renewable materials, such as lipids, from microorganisms, such as oleaginous yeasts, may include conditioning cell walls of the microorganisms to form, open or enlarge pores, and removing at least a portion of the renewable material through the pores. These methods may result in delipidated microorganisms with cell walls that are substantially intact and with mesopores. These delipidated microorganisms may be used to produce biofuels.

Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, composition, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to, in a treatment zone, reacting an oxygen-comprising gas, one or more selected ferric/ferrous chelates, one or more selected nitrates and/or nitrites, and/or anaerobic wastewater.

A polyether polyol based on renewable materials is obtained by the in situ production of a polyether from a hydroxyl group-containing vegetable oil, at least one alkylene oxide and a low molecular weight polyol having at least 2 hydroxyl groups. The polyol is produced by introducing the hydroxyl group-containing vegetable oil, a catalyst and an alkylene oxide to a reactor and initiating the alkoxylation reaction. After the alkoxylation reaction has begun but before the reaction has been 20% completed, the low molecular weight polyol having at least 2 hydroxyl groups is continuously introduced into the reactor. After the in situ made polyether polyol product having the desired molecular weight has been formed, the in situ made polyether polyol is removed from the reactor. These polyether polyols are particularly suitable for the production of flexible polyurethane foams.

A polymer, optionally made from renewable sources, comprising a specific chemical structure that is a result of the polymerization of α-hydroxycarbonyl compounds (alpha-hydroxycarbonyl compounds), particularly α-hydroxyaldehydes (alpha-hydroxyaldehydes) and α-hydroxyketones (alpha-hydroxyketones), or glycolaldehyde. A method of polymerization, the method comprising the step of reacting trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate with the cyclic dimer of one or more α-hydroxycarbonyl compounds. A method of making said polymer, the method comprising dehydrating a cyclic dimer of one or more α-hydroxycarbonyl compounds. An end-capped polymer made from one or more α-hydroxycarbonyl compounds and terminal end-cap groups.

A method including depositing an alloying layer along a sidewall of an opening and in direct contact with a seed layer, the alloying layer includes a crystalline structure that cannot serve as a seed for plating a conductive material, exposing the opening to an electroplating solution including the conductive material, the conductive material is not present in the alloying layer, applying an electrical potential to a cathode causing the conductive material to deposit from the electroplating solution onto the cathode exposed at the bottom of the opening and causing the opening to fill with the conductive material, the cathode includes an exposed portion of the seed layer and excludes the alloying layer, and forming a first intermetallic compound along an intersection between the alloying layer and the conductive material, the first intermetallic compound is formed as a precipitate within a solid solution of the alloying layer and the conductive material.

A system and method can support a flooding mechanism using a multicast group in a middleware machine environment. The middleware machine environment can comprise a gateway instance that includes an external port for receiving one or more data packets from an external network. The middleware machine environment also comprises one or more host servers, each of which is associated with one or more virtual machines that can process the data packets. Furthermore, said host servers can provide virtual interfaces that belong to a virtual hub associated with the gateway instance. At least one said packet is a flooded packet that is specified with an unknown destination address when it is received at the external port. The gateway instance operates to send the flooded packet to the multicast group that operates to forward the flooded packet to one or more said host servers in the multicast group.

A hydrocarbon conversion process comprises contacting a renewable feedstock under hydroprocessing conditions with a bulk catalyst to form oleochemicals such as fatty alcohols, esters, and normal paraffins. Advantageously, the reaction conditions can be selected to directly convert the renewable feedstock to the desired product(s).

A catalyst comprising of nano nickel-silica catalyst for dewaxing of heavy petroleum feed at a temperature 200-350° C. at 8 bar and 30 bar hydrogen pressure and in the presence of hydrogen is designed for petrochemical industries. According to a specific aspect of the invention, the nano catalyst is designed and employed to convert heavy hydrocarbon feeds of high viscosity index to low pour point and good stability in a single step.

Metallurgical reactors having cooling capability and electrode feed capability are disclosed. The reactors may include a shell having a sidewall and a bottom, where the shell is adapted to contain a molten material. The reactors may include at least one consumable electrode protruding through an opening of the shell and into the molten material. The reactors may include a current contact clamp configured to conduct operating current to the electrode, where the current clamp is in contact with the electrode, and where the current clamp comprises at least one internal channel, wherein the internal channel is configured to circulate a cooling medium. The reactors may include an electric isolation ring disposed between the electrode and the opening of the shell, wherein the electric isolation ring is configured to sealingly engage the electrode and the opening so as to restrict flow of the molten material out of the shell.

An end cap module of a linear guideway for being installed on a sliding block, comprises: a cap having an oil-input hole and a resilient dustproof member installed on the cap. The dustproof member has an oil-guiding passage concavely formed on a surface thereof and communicated with the oil-input hole. When the end cap module is installed on the sliding block, the dustproof member is clipped between the cap and the sliding block. Thus, the instant disclosure provides the end cap module for reducing the design difficulty and producing difficulty of the cap. Moreover, the instant disclosure also provides a linear guideway.

A tolerance ring can include a generally cylindrical body having a sidewall. The sidewall can include a plurality of wave structures extending from the sidewall at regular intervals around the body, a first unformed section between a first pair of adjacent wave structures, and a second unformed section between a second pair of adjacent wave structures. The gap can extend along an entire length, L, of the body to establish a split in the body. The second unformed section can include a slot therein. The slot can have a length, LS, and LS≧80% L.

Systems and methods for retrieving service request messages stored in a messaging queue and received by a queue in real-time. The service request messages are retrieved using a plurality of threads that comprise at least one retrieval criteria. Service request messages may be retrieved from the message queue or retrieved as they are received by the message queue in real-time using criteria in addition to or instead of the arrival time of the service request message which may also be referred to as the put-time. Service request messages may be requested and retrieved in an iterative process wherein multiple threads execute consecutively, concurrently, or a combination of both, in order to retrieve service request messages requested by an application.

An application gateway enables controlled communication between application components within a browser based environment while maintaining a level of isolation of the individual application components. A dispatching API wrapper and a listening API wrapper are registered for each of a plurality of application components. The registered API wrappers are used to send and receive communications from the associated application components. For example, a first application component can dispatch an action to a second application component via the first application component's dispatching API wrapper. The second application component can receive the action via the second application component's listening API wrapper. As another example, a first application component can dispatch an event that broadcasts a state to other application components via the first application component's dispatching API wrapper. A listening API wrapper of at least one other application component receives the state and may perform other functions dependent on the state.

The present invention relates to a polymer composition comprising polylactide and, based on the weight of this polymer, from 17 to 25 wt % of a chain modifier, from 30 to 55 wt % of an elastomeric polymer and from 20 to 45 wt % of a plasticizer. The invention also relates to the method of preparing said composition as well as to the method of manufacturing an article starting from said composition and the article per se.

A thermoplastic composition that contains a rigid renewable polyester and has a voided structure and low density is provided. To achieve such a structure, the renewable polyester is blended with a polymeric toughening additive to form a precursor material in which the toughening additive can be dispersed as discrete physical domains within a continuous matrix of the renewable polyester. The precursor material is thereafter stretched or drawn at a temperature below the glass transition temperature of the polyester (i.e., “cold drawn”). This creates a network of voids located adjacent to the discrete domains, which as a result of their proximal location, can form a bridge between the boundaries of the voids and act as internal structural “hinges” that help stabilize the network and increase its ability to dissipate energy. The present inventors have also discovered that the voids can be distributed in a substantially homogeneous fashion throughout the composition.

The power of DC electrical sources is combined onto a DC buss, such that each source behaves independently from any other source attached to the buss. In one embodiment, a converter module is attached to each of a plurality of solar photovoltaic panels and its output is attached in a parallel manner to a common buss that forms the input to a DC AC inverter. The converter module includes a Maximum Power Point Tracking component that matches the output impedance of the panels to the input impedance of the converter module. The converter also includes a communication component that provides parametric data and identification to a central inverter. Data generated by each converter module is transmitted over the power line or by wireless means and is collected at the inverter and forwarded to a data collection and reporting system.

Embodiments of a method for fabricating stacked microelectronic packages are provided, as are embodiments of a stacked microelectronic package. In one embodiment, the method includes arranging microelectronic device panels in a panel stack. Each microelectronic device panel includes a plurality of microelectronic devices and a plurality of package edge conductors extending therefrom. Trenches are formed in the panel stack exposing the plurality of package edge conductors. An electrically-conductive material is deposited into the trenches and contacts the plurality of package edge conductors exposed therethrough. The panel stack is then separated into partially-completed stacked microelectronic packages. For at least one of the partially-completed stacked microelectronic packages, selected portions of the electrically-conductive material are removed to define a plurality of patterned sidewall conductors interconnecting the microelectronic devices included within the stacked microelectronic package.

System and method for sustainable economic development which includes hydrogen extracted from substances, for example, sea water, industrial waste water, agricultural waste water, sewage, and landfill waste water. The hydrogen extraction is accomplished by thermal dissociation, electrical dissociation, optical dissociation, and magnetic dissociation. The hydrogen extraction further includes operation in conjunction with energy addition from renewable resources, for example, solar, wind, moving water, geothermal, or biomass resources.

The present invention describes a method of optimizing CO2 concentration to increase the specific growth rate of Anammox bacteria and methanogens in wastewater and sludge treatment, as well as novel systems and methods of treating wastewater and sludge. The specific growth rate or doubling time of the Anammox bacteria and methanogens were determined to be sensitive to dissolved CO2 concentration. Optimizing dissolved CO2 concentration increases the specific growth rate of the Anammox bacteria, which may be used as an alternative biological nitrogen removal process for the treatment of domestic wastewater. In the method and system of treating sludge, the CO2 stripper returns biogas with low CO2 concentration to the headspace of an anaerobic digester in order to lower the headspace CO2 concentration and therefore, the soluble CO2 concentration. The lower soluble CO2 concentration increases the specific growth rate of the methanogens for a more efficient anaerobic digestion process.

The invention relates to a method for treating wastewater containing nitroaromatics and nitrohydroxyaromatics, as for example arises in the production of nitroaromatics or in the production of nitrohydroxyaromatics, by a two-stage method consisting of pre-reduction and wet oxidation.

A tank or bed has a plurality of sidewalls that create a bed cavity and a Fresnel panel frame that includes at least one Fresnel panel. The Fresnel panel frame may be adjacent to the bed cavity and may cover at least a portion of the bed cavity. An amount of sludge may be contained within the bed cavity. When placed in sunlight, the heat enhanced by the Fresnel panels may heat the sludge sufficiently for the sludge to be used as fertilizer.

A process for producing a renewable hydrocarbon fuel. The process can include providing a feed including a lignocellulosic material to a pyrolysis zone to produce a stream including a pyrolysis oil, providing the pyrolysis oil stream to a refining zone producing a refined stream, providing at least a portion of the refined stream to a reforming zone producing a stream including hydrogen, providing at least a portion of the hydrogen stream to the refining zone; and recovering the renewable hydrocarbon fuel from the refined stream.

Techniques, systems, apparatus and material are described for generating renewable energy from biomass waste while sequestering carbon. In one aspect, a method performed by a reactor to dissociate raw biomass waste into a renewable source energy or a carbon byproduct or both includes receiving the raw biomass waste that includes carbon, hydrogen and oxygen to be dissociated under an anaerobic reaction. Waste heat is recovered from an external heat source to heat the received raw biomass waste. The heated raw biomass waste is dissociated to produce the renewable fuel, carbon byproduct or both. The dissociating includes compacting the heated raw biomass waste, generating heat from an internal heat source, and applying the generated heat to the compacted biomass waste under pressure.

Techniques, systems, apparatus and material are disclosed for generating renewable energy from biomass waste while sequestering carbon. In one aspect, a method performed by a reactor to dissociate raw biomass waste into a renewable source energy or a carbon byproduct or both includes receiving the raw biomass waste that includes carbon, hydrogen and oxygen to be dissociated under an anaerobic reaction. Waste heat is recovered from an external heat source to heat the received raw biomass waste. The heated raw biomass waste is dissociated to produce the renewable fuel, carbon byproduct or both. The dissociating includes compacting the heated raw biomass waste, generating heat from an internal heat source, and applying the generated heat to the compacted biomass waste under pressure.

The present invention provides a rubber composition that improves in terms of the fuel economy of a rubber composition containing an isoprene-based rubber and also offers favorable durability and favorable processability or adhesion to steel cords, and a pneumatic tire formed from the rubber composition. The present invention relates to a rubber composition for a bead apex, sidewall packing, base tread, or breaker cushion, including: a specific rubber component; a specific amount of a specific carbon black; a specific amount of sulfur; and a specific amount of a compound represented by formula (I) below. The present invention also relates to a rubber composition for a steel cord topping, strip adjacent to steel cords, or tie gum, including: a specific rubber component; a specific amount of a specific carbon black; a specific amount of an organic acid cobalt salt; and a specific amount of a compound represented by the formula (I).

A tire containing a pair of beads, at least one carcass ply extending from one bead to the other bead forming a pair of sidewall areas of the tire and a tread area of the tire, and at least one layer of a knit fabric in the sidewall area of the tire, where the knit fabric has a warp and weft direction and is a double cord stitch knit fabric. A method of making the fabric and tire are also disclosed.

A system for securing an access opening of a cable raceway using a single padlock includes a cover having a securing wall and opposed first and second sidewalls, which form a channel for accommodating at least a portion of the cable raceway with the securing wall covering the access opening. First and second insert bars engage the first and second sidewalls and a lock bar engages the first and second insert bars and may be locked in an engaged position to prevent the first and second insert bars from being disengaged with the cover and to secure the cover about the cable raceway preventing access to the access opening.

A wastewater geothermal heat system is supplied with processed wastewater through a drip field in proximity to a thermal array part of a geothermal heat pump system. The wastewater treatment system portion provides a periodic source of treated wastewater. Several sensors and a control system regulate a pump that discharges wastewater from the treatment system and enters a drip field where it is released into the surrounding soil. The dampened soil provides an efficient vehicle to transfer heat into or out of a thermal array which is positioned adjacent to the drip field such that it is in contact with the soil that is dampened by the discharged wastewater.

A warewashing detergent composition is provided for use for in cleaning of alkaline sensitive metals such as aluminum or aluminum containing alloys. The compositions include alternatives to sodium tripolyphosphate and/or other phosphorous containing raw materials, while retaining cleaning performance and corrosion prevention. According to the invention, high molecular weight polyacrylates (polyacrylic acid homopolymers) with a molecular weight of at least about 5000 are used as corrosion inhibitors and can be included for aluminum protection in a number of different detergent compositions.

A centrifugal pellet dryer with a self-cleaning rotor seal, replaceable wear plates, and a fluid powered dewatering tower is presented. The self-cleaning rotor seal includes a plurality of grooves that are structured to eject pellet debris that migrates into between the seal and the housing for the rotor. The replaceable wear plates are secured to the rotor at locations such that they contact pellets that are entering the rotor housing. The dewatering tower includes a helical augur that dewaters a pellet slurry and delivers partially dried pellets to the rotor housing.

A debris passage for a cooling box of a work vehicle. Airflow is provided into the cooling box from the exterior environment. A plurality of heat exchangers transfer heat into the airflow. The debris passage is defined between opposing heat exchangers to permit debris to pass from the airflow to the exterior of the cooling box. In one embodiment, the debris passage is underneath an air mover and is substantially vertical.

The present invention relates to an endosseous implant assembly adapted for treatment of peri-implantitis. The implant assembly comprises an implant core body configured to receive and couple with implant insert structures that potentially facilitate treatment of peri-implantitis.

A raceway and method of forming a raceway is disclosed in which one or more intumescent layers are disposed on the raceway.

Provided is a method for reducing COD of wastewater with improved utilization efficiency of ozone. The method achieves an objective by adding agents for removing hydroxyl radical scavengers produced by base-catalyzed ozone advanced oxidation to wastewater. The addition of calcium ion, barium ion, etc. to a base-catalyzed ozonation system makes the hydroxyl radical scavengers form precipitates, separated from water and lose the capability of scavenging hydroxyl radicals, thereby enhancing ozone utilization efficiency. Furthermore, calcium ion, barium ion, etc. form precipitates with partial organic acids yielded in the wastewater ozonation and are separated from water, hence diminishing ozone consumption and indirectly improving the ozone utilization efficiency in the wastewater treatment. The present invention can not only significantly enhance the reaction rate and utilization efficiency of ozone, saving reaction time and costs, but also enable complete mineralization of the organic compounds, significantly reducing COD and total phosphorus of wastewater.

News you don't want to miss for April 20:

1. Fifty-one employees at Safeway's distribution warehouse in Tracy have been infected with covid-19, including one death, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.…

National hero Captain Tom Moore celebrates his 100th birthday today and thanks to our readers for helping him raise almost £30 million for the NHS.

In this week's "Cinema Chat," WEMU's David Fair talks to Michigan and State Theater executive director Russ Collins about all of the new flicks and special events the Michigan Theater is providing for your online viewing pleasure this weekend. Plus, they talk about how WEMU and the Michigan Theater fared during this week's National Day of Giving.

Connecticut officials have announced a $50,000 reward for information to help solve the killing of an Air Force veteran. Governor Ned Lamont approved the maximum reward allowed by state law in the case of Dominic Marino. The 30-year-old veteran was found shot to death with his wrists and ankles bound with tape in his East Hartford home in 2018. Police say the suspect or suspects appeared to have forced their way into the home. Marino’s father said his son served in Guam, South Korea and Kuwait. The reward is for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the killer or killers.

Complex calls Paul Stewart “an unsung hero of L.A. hip-hop,” and this interview shows just how true that is. From his early days breaking Tone-Loc and Young MC to guiding Coolio and the Pharcyde to the heights of success to overseeing the music in movies like Hustle & Flow, Stewart has seen and done it all, West Coast-style.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/57/ for full show notes and comments.

HOW many hearts have been broken under that disco ball?

RANGERS managing director Stewart Robertson last night dismissed claims the Ibrox club are attempting to prevent Celtic from being awarded the Ladbrokes Premiership title.

This week on Open Air, KALW’s radio magazine for the Bay Area performing arts, host David Latulippe talks with actors Meera Rohit Kumbhani (pictured, left) and Avanthika Srinivasan (right), cast members of the world premiere of Testmatch , which runs at A.C.T.’s Strand Theater through December 8.

Live music takes to the streets with “Live at the Five and Dime,” a series of intimate sidewalk concerts presented by the University of Arkansas Music Departmenton the downtown Bentonville Square. “It’s a really great opportunity to infringe on people’s environment. That’s honestly where [music] belongs,” upright bassist Garrett Jones says about incorporating passers-by. “Art’s all around you on a day-to-day basis. Music is up the same alley.” Spearheaded by Alan Gosman, the department's associate chair, this intimate outreach effort features a local musicians performing a wide array of sounds including jazz, classical, Latin, and more. The intimate concerts are a collaboration with The Walmart Museum and Downtown Bentonville Inc. “Live at the Five and Dime” performances continue throughout the summer on Wednesdays from 6-8 p.m. in front of the Walmart Museum in Bentonville, with the Jake Hertzog Trio set to perform Aug. 21. Speaking of jazz, there's now a program to offically study it

Außenminister Heiko Maas gibt keine Prognose für die Reisesaison im Sommer. Die Bundesregierung kann nach wie vor „kein sorgenloses Reisen“ empfehlen, so Maas und begründete damit die Verlängerung der weltweiten Reisewarnung bis zum 14. Juni.

Den Osterurlaub hat das Coronavirus bereits auf dem Gewissen. Nun muss auch der Pfingsturlaub dran glauben. Zumindest was Auslandsreisen angeht. Dabei äußert sich der Außenminister auch eindeutig zu Rückholaktionen.

Die allgemeine Reisewarnung ist die höchste Eskalationsstufe der Hinweise des Auswärtigen Amts. Normalerweise wird sie nur für Kriegsgebiete und besonders gefährliche Regionen ausgesprochen – jetzt gilt sie weltweit. Was Reisende wissen müssen.